THE WORD OF TRUTH: What Is God's Mercy?
What is God's mercy? You may know the definition of mercy, but you need to see it. What does God's mercy look like? God shows you mercy at the cross, where Jesus died for your sins. "So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy" (Romans 9:16).
The man who does not understand the cross of Jesus, says, "A man dying on a cross centuries ago has nothing to do with my life." The believer, transformed by the mercy of God, says, "God shows mercy for me as a sinner at the cross of Jesus."
Free grace for sinners is the mercy of God in Christ. It is free because "it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs." Man's efforts cannot compete with the mercy of God. It is God's will to save sinners everywhere, who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. God shows mercy for all who believe. "According to His mercy He saved us" (Titus 3:5).
The self-righteous person prays, "God I thank You that I am not like other men." The sinner prays, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). The self-righteous man sees no need for God's mercy. The man who confessed to being a sinner asked God for mercy. He sees God's mercy as his only hope for sinners. When you see Christ crucified, you see God's mercy.


text:
Susan Walsh/AP
Analysis: Nielsen Says It's The Law To Detain Asylum Seekers. It's Not, According To These Rules
The blanket detention of asylum seekers is against DHS policies and international law.
Ana Campoy,
By Ana Campoy
Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has repeatedly said the Trump administration is required by law to detain and prosecute all immigrants entering the US illegally. She therefore has no choice, she says, but to separate parents and children during detention. But that's not actually true—in fact, detaining asylum-seekers goes against both her agency's own policy and international law.
The majority of people who are coming into the U.S. through ports of entry are seeking asylum: Nearly 70% of border crossers intercepted by Customs and Border Protection at the end of last year said they were afraid of torture or persecution back home, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
This is officially known as a credible fear claim. The agency's own figures from October to December show that of the 21,000 or so credible fear cases it decided, 77% of claims were found legitimate.
Under U.S. law, people who have been found to have credible fear have the right to make their case for asylum in immigration court. DHS has said they still have that right, but that process must happen while they are in detention, as the department prosecutes them for entering illegally.
Detention violates ICE's own policy
That stance is at odds with with a 2009 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy, which says that asylum-seekers who are not at risk of flight and don't pose a danger to society should be released on parole while their case unfolds. These are the instructions for Detention and Removal Operations (DRO,) according to that measure:
When an arriving alien found to have credible fear establishes to the satisfaction of DRO his or her identity and that he or she presents no flight risk nor danger to the community, DRO should, absent additional factors, parole the alien on the basis that his or her continued detention is not in the public interest.
Yet since Donald Trump took office, several ICE field offices have been denying parole to nearly all immigrants found to have credible fear, according to data obtained by several groups who are suing the government over the practice.
The ACLU, the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at the University of California, Hastings, among others, filed a lawsuit against the administration earlier this year, arguing it's violating the ICE directive.
Detention also violates the right to due process
They say that the government's "blanket detention" of asylum-seekers also violates the Fifth Amendment's due process clause, because it doesn't consider each parole claim separately. That clause states that no person shall "be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."
Immigrant advocates say that holding immigrants eligible for parole diminishes their chances of making a solid case to stay; it's more difficult to educate themselves about the process or get legal help. "If you subject someone to detention, it makes it far more difficult to pursue asylum," said Greg Chen, director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
"Zero tolerance" violates international law
Trump's 100% prosecution policy also appears to be in violation of international law. Under the United Nations Refugee Convention, asylum seekers can't be penalized for entering a country illegally, according to James Hathaway, director of University of Michigan's program in refugee and asylum law. This is what the Convention says:
The Contracting States shall not impose penalties, on account of their illegal entry or presence, on refugees who, coming directly from a territory where their life or freedom was threatened in the sense of article 1, enter or are present in their territory without authorization, provided they present themselves without delay to the authorities and show good cause for their illegal entry or presence.
The UN statute also states that governments may only detain asylum seekers for short periods of time in order to vet their identity and assess security concerns. Holding them for deterrence purposes, says Hathaway, is illegal.
NEXT STORY: Leaders, Don't Be the Cheese in the Panini

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Against the Sky Juried Landscape Exhibition Opens Oct. 19
AGAINST THE SKY OPENING
The wonderfully divergent and creative way local artists see a landscape will be on display when the Against the Sky Juried Landscape Art Exhibition opens Oct. 19 at Summit Artspace on East Market.
Summit Artspace on East Market is located at 140 E. Market St., Akron. The show runs until Nov. 17.
Celebrating the landscape genre has been a tradition at Summit Artspace since the galleries opened. The time-honored landscape has been well-represented by talented local artists and photographers in gallery shows through the years. But Summit Artspace has also welcomed the creations of artists whose concept of the landscape can't be categorized.
Landscapes and the related genres of cityscapes, seascapes and nightscapes are delineated by boundaries, the most dominant being the sky or other overlay bearing downward. For this exhibition, artists have been challenged to translate for the viewer the line and its confluence that separate sky from land as well as evoking geography, architecture, community and nature.
Gallery visitors will be delighted and their concept of the landscape tested by 69 paintings and photographs in the main gallery at Summit Artspace on East Market.
Artist Del Rey Loven is the juror. He has held the rank of tenured Professor of Art at The University of Akron since 2006. His prior academic appointment was Chair of Art, Design and Architecture at Judson University in the Chicago area.
Read Professor Loven's juror's statement.
FREE ARTIST DISCUSSION PANEL FOR AGAINST THE SKY
The artists and photographers who have works in Against the Sky will talk about the genre and their art at a panel discussion on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in the main gallery at Summit Artspace on East Market. The panel discussion runs from 7 to 8 p.m.
The panel discussion is free and open to the public. Register to reserve your seat at: bit.ly/2O4cgAO. You can arrive early to see the show.
The gallery is open on Thursdays and Fridays, 12-7 p.m.; and Saturdays, 12-5 p.m. The show is also open for Artwalk on Nov. 3, 5-9 p.m. and Nov. 15, 4-7 p.m. for 3rd THURSDAY.
Summit Artspace is a non-profit community art center organization that provides studio, exhibit and programming spaces in Summit County and the surrounding area for local artists and arts organizations; and is a center for art education open to all residents. Contact Summit Artspace at 330-376-8480. On the Web at www.summitartspace.org. Find us on Facebook, Twitter at AkronAreaArts, Instagram and Snapchat.
PARKING BEHIND THE SUMMIT ARTSPACE ON EAST MARKET BUILDING
See the Summit Artspace exhibit calendar for open hours for Against the Sky.
WINNERS OF THE AGAINST THE SKY JURIED LANDSCAPE EXHIBITION
DEL REY LOVEN, JUROR
First Place: Sunset on Main by Joanna Mack
Honorable Mention: Borderwall by Janet Mikolajczyk
Third Place: Against the Nautical Sky by Joshua Fitzgerald
Honorable Mention: August Akron by Silvia Wolford
Honorable Mention: Sunset, Summer Lover by River Berry
Honorable Mention: Building up the Breakdown by Megan Dardis
Honorable Mention: The Tower by J L Fashempour
Honorable Mention:: 4.3.18 by Erica Bishop Cingle


text:
namespace device {

namespace {

class UsbDeviceHandleTest : public ::testing::Test {
 public:
  void SetUp() override {
    message_loop_.reset(new base::MessageLoopForUI);
    io_thread_.reset(new base::TestIOThread(base::TestIOThread::kAutoStart));
    device_client_.reset(new TestDeviceClient(io_thread_->task_runner()));
  }

 protected:
  scoped_ptr<base::TestIOThread> io_thread_;

 private:
  scoped_ptr<base::MessageLoop> message_loop_;
  scoped_ptr<TestDeviceClient> device_client_;
};

class TestOpenCallback {
 public:
  TestOpenCallback()
      : callback_(
            base::Bind(&TestOpenCallback::SetResult, base::Unretained(this))) {}

  scoped_refptr<UsbDeviceHandle> WaitForResult() {
    run_loop_.Run();
    return device_handle_;
  }

  const UsbDevice::OpenCallback& callback() const { return callback_; }

 private:
  void SetResult(scoped_refptr<UsbDeviceHandle> device_handle) {
    device_handle_ = device_handle;
    run_loop_.Quit();
  }

  const UsbDevice::OpenCallback callback_;
  base::RunLoop run_loop_;
  scoped_refptr<UsbDeviceHandle> device_handle_;
};

class TestResultCallback {
 public:
  TestResultCallback()
      : callback_(base::Bind(&TestResultCallback::SetResult,
                             base::Unretained(this))) {}

  bool WaitForResult() {
    run_loop_.Run();
    return success_;
  }

  const UsbDeviceHandle::ResultCallback& callback() const { return callback_; }

 private:
  void SetResult(bool success) {
    success_ = success;
    run_loop_.Quit();
  }

  const UsbDeviceHandle::ResultCallback callback_;
  base::RunLoop run_loop_;
  bool success_;
};

class TestCompletionCallback {
 public:
  TestCompletionCallback()
      : callback_(base::Bind(&TestCompletionCallback::SetResult,
                             base::Unretained(this))) {}

  void WaitForResult() { run_loop_.Run(); }

  const UsbDeviceHandle::TransferCallback& callback() const {
    return callback_;
  }
  UsbTransferStatus status() const { return status_; }
  size_t transferred() const { return transferred_; }

 private:
  void SetResult(UsbTransferStatus status,
                 scoped_refptr<net::IOBuffer> buffer,
                 size_t transferred) {
    status_ = status;
    transferred_ = transferred;
    run_loop_.Quit();
  }

  const UsbDeviceHandle::TransferCallback callback_;
  base::RunLoop run_loop_;
  UsbTransferStatus status_;
  size_t transferred_;
};

TEST_F(UsbDeviceHandleTest, InterruptTransfer) {
  if (!UsbTestGadget::IsTestEnabled()) {
    return;
  }

  scoped_ptr<UsbTestGadget> gadget =
      UsbTestGadget::Claim(io_thread_->task_runner());
  ASSERT_TRUE(gadget.get());
  ASSERT_TRUE(gadget->SetType(UsbTestGadget::ECHO));

  TestOpenCallback open_device;
  gadget->GetDevice()->Open(open_device.callback());
  scoped_refptr<UsbDeviceHandle> handle = open_device.WaitForResult();
  ASSERT_TRUE(handle.get());

  TestResultCallback claim_interface;
  handle->ClaimInterface(0, claim_interface.callback());
  ASSERT_TRUE(claim_interface.WaitForResult());

  scoped_refptr<net::IOBufferWithSize> in_buffer(new net::IOBufferWithSize(64));
  TestCompletionCallback in_completion;
  handle->GenericTransfer(USB_DIRECTION_INBOUND, 0x81, in_buffer.get(),
                          in_buffer->size(),
                          5000,  // 5 second timeout
                          in_completion.callback());

  scoped_refptr<net::IOBufferWithSize> out_buffer(
      new net::IOBufferWithSize(in_buffer->size()));
  TestCompletionCallback out_completion;
  for (int i = 0; i < out_buffer->size(); ++i) {
    out_buffer->data()[i] = i;
  }

  handle->GenericTransfer(USB_DIRECTION_OUTBOUND, 0x01, out_buffer.get(),
                          out_buffer->size(),
                          5000,  // 5 second timeout
                          out_completion.callback());
  out_completion.WaitForResult();
  ASSERT_EQ(USB_TRANSFER_COMPLETED, out_completion.status());
  EXPECT_EQ(static_cast<size_t>(out_buffer->size()),
            out_completion.transferred());

  in_completion.WaitForResult();
  ASSERT_EQ(USB_TRANSFER_COMPLETED, in_completion.status());
  EXPECT_EQ(static_cast<size_t>(in_buffer->size()),
            in_completion.transferred());
  for (size_t i = 0; i < in_completion.transferred(); ++i) {
    EXPECT_EQ(out_buffer->data()[i], in_buffer->data()[i])
        << "Mismatch at index " << i << ".";
  }

  handle->Close();
}

TEST_F(UsbDeviceHandleTest, BulkTransfer) {
  if (!UsbTestGadget::IsTestEnabled()) {
    return;
  }

  scoped_ptr<UsbTestGadget> gadget =
      UsbTestGadget::Claim(io_thread_->task_runner());
  ASSERT_TRUE(gadget.get());
  ASSERT_TRUE(gadget->SetType(UsbTestGadget::ECHO));

  TestOpenCallback open_device;
  gadget->GetDevice()->Open(open_device.callback());
  scoped_refptr<UsbDeviceHandle> handle = open_device.WaitForResult();
  ASSERT_TRUE(handle.get());

  TestResultCallback claim_interface;
  handle->ClaimInterface(1, claim_interface.callback());
  ASSERT_TRUE(claim_interface.WaitForResult());

  scoped_refptr<net::IOBufferWithSize> in_buffer(
      new net::IOBufferWithSize(512));
  TestCompletionCallback in_completion;
  handle->GenericTransfer(USB_DIRECTION_INBOUND, 0x82, in_buffer.get(),
                          in_buffer->size(),
                          5000,  // 5 second timeout
                          in_completion.callback());

  scoped_refptr<net::IOBufferWithSize> out_buffer(
      new net::IOBufferWithSize(in_buffer->size()));
  TestCompletionCallback out_completion;
  for (int i = 0; i < out_buffer->size(); ++i) {
    out_buffer->data()[i] = i;
  }

  handle->GenericTransfer(USB_DIRECTION_OUTBOUND, 0x02, out_buffer.get(),
                          out_buffer->size(),
                          5000,  // 5 second timeout
                          out_completion.callback());
  out_completion.WaitForResult();
  ASSERT_EQ(USB_TRANSFER_COMPLETED, out_completion.status());
  EXPECT_EQ(static_cast<size_t>(out_buffer->size()),
            out_completion.transferred());

  in_completion.WaitForResult();
  ASSERT_EQ(USB_TRANSFER_COMPLETED, in_completion.status());
  EXPECT_EQ(static_cast<size_t>(in_buffer->size()),
            in_completion.transferred());
  for (size_t i = 0; i < in_completion.transferred(); ++i) {
    EXPECT_EQ(out_buffer->data()[i], in_buffer->data()[i])
        << "Mismatch at index " << i << ".";
  }

  handle->Close();
}

TEST_F(UsbDeviceHandleTest, SetInterfaceAlternateSetting) {
  if (!UsbTestGadget::IsTestEnabled()) {
    return;
  }

  scoped_ptr<UsbTestGadget> gadget =
      UsbTestGadget::Claim(io_thread_->task_runner());
  ASSERT_TRUE(gadget.get());
  ASSERT_TRUE(gadget->SetType(UsbTestGadget::ECHO));

  TestOpenCallback open_device;
  gadget->GetDevice()->Open(open_device.callback());
  scoped_refptr<UsbDeviceHandle> handle = open_device.WaitForResult();
  ASSERT_TRUE(handle.get());

  TestResultCallback claim_interface;
  handle->ClaimInterface(2, claim_interface.callback());
  ASSERT_TRUE(claim_interface.WaitForResult());

  TestResultCallback set_interface;
  handle->SetInterfaceAlternateSetting(2, 1, set_interface.callback());
  ASSERT_TRUE(set_interface.WaitForResult());

  handle->Close();
}

}  // namespace

}  // namespace device

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!--
Aeotec ZW129 WallMote Duo, base on Engineering Spec 9/27/2016
-->
<Product xmlns='http://code.google.com/p/open-zwave/'>
    <!-- COMMAND_CLASS_BASIC -->
    <CommandClass id="32" getsupported="false"/>
    <!-- COMMAND_CLASS_SWITCH_BINARY -->
    <CommandClass id="37" getsupported="false"/>
    <!-- COMMAND_CLASS_SWITCH_MULTILEVEL -->
    <CommandClass id="38" getsupported="false"/>
    <!-- Configuration Parameters -->
    <CommandClass id="112">
        <Value type="list" genre="config" instance="1" index="1" label="Touch sound" min="0" max="1" value="1" size="1">
            <Help>This will enable or disable the sound effects when you press or touch  the sensing area</Help>
            <Item label="Disable" value="0"/>
            <Item label="Enable" value="1"/>
        </Value>
        <Value type="list" genre="config" instance="1" index="2" label="Touch vibration" min="0" max="1" value="1" size="1">
            <Help>This will enable or disable the vibration effects when you press or  touch the sensing area</Help>
            <Item label="Disable" value="0"/>
            <Item label="Enable" value="1"/>
        </Value>
        <Value type="list" genre="config" instance="1" index="3" label="Button slide function" min="0" max="1" value="1" size="1">
            <Help>This will enable or disable control by sliding the button area</Help>
            <Item label="Disable" value="0"/>
            <Item label="Enable" value="1"/>
        </Value>
        <Value type="list" genre="config" instance="1" index="4" label="Report type" min="0" max="1" value="1" size="1">
            <Help>To configure which report will be sent when pressing the buttons</Help>
            <Item label="Send nothing" value="0"/>
            <Item label="Send Central Scene Command Notification" value="1"/>
            <Item label="Send Central Scene Command Notification and Configuration report" value="3"/>
        </Value>
        <Value type="int" index="5" genre="config" label="Color when button is pressed" units="" value="65280" >
            <Help>
                To configure which color will be displayed when the button is pressed.
                Value 1: (msb) Red.
                Value 2: Green.
                Value 3: Blue.
                Value 4: Reserved
            </Help>
        </Value>
        <Value type="int" index="33" genre="config" label="Test the LED, buzzer and vibrator" units="" value="0" read_only="true">
            <Help>
                Get the LED Strip color value
                Value 1: (msb) Red.
                Value 2: Green.
                Value 3: Blue.
                Value 4: buzzer and vibrator. (1=ON, 0=OFF)
            </Help>
        </Value>
        <Value type="byte" index="39" genre="config" label="Set the low battery value" units="%" min="10" max="50" value="20">
            <Help>
                Set the low battery value.
                Range: 10% - 50%.</Help>
        </Value>
        <Value type="list" index="255" genre="config" label="Reset To Factory Defaults" size="4" value="1" write_only="true">
            <Help>Reset to factory defaults</Help>
            <Item label="Reset to factory default setting" value="0"/>
            <Item label="Normal" value="1"/>
            <Item label="Reset to factory default setting and removed from the z-wave network" value="1431655765"/>
        </Value>
    </CommandClass>
    <!-- Association Groups -->
    <CommandClass id="133">
        <Associations num_groups="5">
            <Group index="1" max_associations="1" label="Lifeline"/>
            <Group index="2" max_associations="5" label="On/Off control via Button 1"/>
            <Group index="3" max_associations="5" label="Dimmer control via Button 1"/>
            <Group index="4" max_associations="5" label="On/Off control via Button 2"/>
            <Group index="5" max_associations="5" label="Dimmer control via Button 2"/>
        </Associations>
    </CommandClass>
    <!--<CommandClass id="142" ForceInstances="true"/>-->
</Product>


ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Law is the primary practice area of Chetty Law.
Chetty Law which assists organisations deal with the legal implications and manage the legal challenges attached to the use of such ICT tools in business functions and processes. Our ICT Law Clients include listed companies (local and international) government departments, development organisations, and innovative entrepreneurs.
Chetty Law also assists organisations with critical compliance with the legislation by conducting training and awareness programmes, legal audits, and internal compliance worksheets (checklists).
Email info@chettylaw.co.za for more information on ICT Law services.


text:
Journal of Political Science Research
The Historical Flow of Modern Western Social Contract Thought and Its Constitutional Implications
DOI: 10.23977/polsr.2022.030103 | Downloads: 6 | Views: 232
Deyu Zhang 1
1 School of History, Classics & Archaeology, College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, University of Edinburgh. William Robertson Wing Central Campus, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG, United kindom
Deyu Zhang
Modern western social contract thinkers have written a series of colorful chapters in the history of world political thought. From Hobbes to Locke, from Rousseau to Kant, they deduced theories of natural state, natural rights, and natural law, such as innate human rights, popular sovereignty, limited government, and constitutional supremacy. These theories not only advocated for individual rights, but also investigated constitutional issues in public law, thus playing an important and indispensable role in the establishment and improvement of the Western bourgeois revolution and democratic system. In-depth investigation of differential absorption and application of these theories will undoubtedly aid in promotion.
Social contract theory, Constitutional thoughts, Political historiography
Deyu Zhang, The Historical Flow of Modern Western Social Contract Thought and Its Constitutional Implications. Journal of Political Science Research (2022) Vol. 3: 13-20. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/DOI: 10.23977/polsr.2022.030103.
[1] He Huaihong. Contract Ethics and Social Justice [M]. Beijing: Renmin University of China Press, 1993: 13.
[2] Liu Xun, et al. [English] Michael Leslov. On Social Contract [M]. Nanjing: Jiangsu People's Publishing House, 2005: 9.
[3] Su Yunting. Hobbes and the modern concept of freedom [J]. Journal of Yanshan University: Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition, 2004 (2): 70.
[4] Shen Dan, [America] The political philosophy of Leo Strauss Hobbes [M]. translated. Shanghai: Yilin Publishing House, 2001: 10.
[5] Li Sifu, Li Tingbi, [English] Thomas Hobbes Leviathan [M]. translated. Beijing: The Commercial Press, 1985: 94.
[6] Ye Qifang, Qu Junong, [English] John Locke. On government: [M]. translated. Beijing: The Commercial Press, 1982: 94.
[7] Tang Shiqi. History of Western Political Thought [M]. Beijing: Peking University Publishing House, 2002:235.
[8] Li Changshan, [France] Jeanjacques Rousseau. On the origin and basis of human inequality [M]. translated. Beijing: The Commercial Press, 1962: 98.
[9] Wu Yujun. An analysis of Rousseau's methodology of political philosophy [J]. Journal of Yanshan University: Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition, 2001 (8): 70.
[10] He Zhaowu, [France] Jeanjacques Rousseau. Social Contract Theory [M]. translated. Beijing: The Commercial Press, 2003. 19.
Journal of Language Testing & Assessment
Information and Knowledge Management
Military and Armament Science
Media and Communication Research
Journal of Human Movement Science
Art and Performance Letters
Lecture Notes on History
Lecture Notes on Language and Literature
Philosophy Journal
Science of Law Journal
Journal of Sociology and Ethnology
Advances in Broadcasting
Computational Linguistics Letters


text:
Investors Continue to Bet On Chinese Web Start-Ups
By Loretta Chao
Updated Sept. 2, 2011 12:01 am ET
BEIJING—As Chinese Web companies face mounting uncertainties, a new fund by former Google Inc. China chief Kai-Fu Lee shows that investors still have hope for the industry.
Mr. Lee has raised $180 million from a group of prominent investors for Innovation Works, his Beijing-based company aimed at helping early-stage Internet start-ups. The investor attention signals continued interest in the sector even as recent challenges have pushed down share prices for Chinese Web companies listed in the U.S.


text:
Q: How to call a class using jToggleButton? I am developing a small screen capture application in java.i found a example to select rectangular area from here.(this is that question).i used another jframe and add a toggle button to call the Rectangular selection class.i create  a object of Rectangular selection class when the toggle button is selected . Now i have to questions,

*

*I used following code to create the selection class  object
But if the selection  object  is exists it create a new object. How to stop this ?
 if (sn == null) {
    if (btn_selection.isSelected()) {
        sn = new SnipIt();
    } else {
        sn.frame.dispose();
    }
}

2.to close the selection  class it use this code line,
    SwingUtilities.getWindowAncestor(sl).dispose();

So i created a method  called closeSelection and insert above code line.but when i call this method returns a nullpointexception,
public void closeSelection() {
        SelectionPane sl=new SelectionPane();
        SwingUtilities.getWindowAncestor(sl).dispose();

    }

I know my code has many mistakes. So please show those and give me a solution.Highly appreciate your help  ☺

A: *

*For example by adding a simple condition if (sn == null) sn = new SnipIt();. null is the value when an object "does not exist".

*You have to use a reference to the actual sn Object from your first code snippet. Maybe store a reference to it in a field.
Your attempt fails because:

*

*it's an entirely different thing you try to get rid of (you make a new one just to dispose of it).

*it's not attached to the actual view hierarchy so it doesn't have a window.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


PARIS – French carmaker Renault says its profits in the first half of the year rose, partly thanks to lower costs as its revenue dropped.
The maker of the Twingo and Clio hatchbacks said Tuesday its net income rose to 749 million euros ($1 billion) from 39 million euros a year earlier.
Though Renault upgraded its expectations for sales in Europe this year, it said the market overall will remain challenging, mainly because of weaker demand in emerging economies.


Providing the widest variety of model building options allows Fireblast Global to provide the only turn key solution available to emergency services today.
Class "A" fires are included as standard with every lined burn room in a training tower or building. They provide economical and realistic training conditions. Fireblast's Dual-Fuel Class "A" training props eliminate the nuisance of re-igniting wet Class "A" materials, while gas props can be utilized in all burn rooms or in combination with some Class "A" rooms in the same building for maximum versatility.
The FIREBLAST GLOBAL solution to live fire training consists of design and integration of next generation technology, coupled with the most advanced, premium safety systems, software development package and data tracking available, to deliver the safest and most realistic live fire training environment available.
Fireblast's line of hazmat and non-burn props can enhance any training center without adding major cost. Hazmat examples include leaking drums, cylinders, hydrous ammonia, chlorine, gasoline, diesel, dry storage, and more. Leaking gas meters and pipe racks are also available. These props utilize water and/or compressed air to provide safe and effective training without risk to students, instructors, or the environment. Other props, such as Electrical Panel Simulators and Annunciator Panels further enhance training opportunities.
FIREBLAST GLOBAL has designed the perfect complement to any Fire Training Center. A variety of forcible entry doors and windows, that will maximize the training at your facility. Our forcible entry equipment is designed to fit not only in new facilities, but to existing fire training centers as well.
Fireblast's wall breach prop can be added into a wall panel maze area or other location to create "get out alive" drills where real drywall needs to be breached in order to escape. 2×4 slots also allow for practice cutting as desired.
While interior staircases are standard, exterior staircases can add agility and physical fitness training, while also simulating the multi-level fire escapes found in multi-family dwellings. They also provide safe egress and convenience for instructors and students alike.
An elevator shaft can add a unique and challenging training scenario to any burn building.
Structurally engineered rappel anchors are available for tower or multi-story burn buildings to allow for practice rappelling and picking victims off from windows at multiple levels.


Only minutes from town this tract has the capability of crops, livestock, hunting or recreation.
Located close to town and amenities this hunting tract offers a variety of uses for the land such as building sites, timber, tillable and hunting opportunities.
This hunting tract is close to Jamestown and offers income potential, trail system, two springs, mobile home and a few outbuildings.


Indication : Hydrea is a prescription medication that works by affecting cancerous and sickled red blood cells. It is used to treat various cancers including melanoma, chronic myelocytic leukemia, and primary squamous cell (skin) cancer of the head and neck. It is also used in the treatment of sickle cell anemia.
Storage : Hydrea capsules should be stored at room temperature in an area that is protected from heat and moisture. Keep out of reach of children and pets.
Precaution : Before taking this medication, notify your doctor if you have poor bone marrow function, liver disease, or kidney disease, as your dosage may have to be adjusted for appropriate treatment.
Warnings : When handling this medication, it is advisable to wear gloves and wash hands before and after handling capsules. This medication may lower you ability to fight off infection, which may make it easier for you to get sick or bleed from injury.
Patient Family Information : Take Hydrea exactly as prescribed for you by your health care professional. When taking Hydrea, follow the directions on your prescription label. Be extremely cautious when handling Hydrea capsules, as the medicine inside can cause considerable harm to your skin, eyes, mouth and nose.
Contraindication : Hydrea should not be taken if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, as it can cause considerable harm to an unborn child.
Common Side Effects : Common side effects include: constipation; skin rash; itching; leg sores; redness of the face; hair loss; drowsiness; headache; or dizziness.
Hydrea is a prescription medication that works by affecting cancerous and sickled red blood cells. It is used to treat various cancers including melanoma, chronic myelocytic leukemia, and primary squamous cell (skin) cancer of the head and neck. It is also used in the treatment of sickle cell anemia.
Hydrea capsules should be stored at room temperature in an area that is protected from heat and moisture. Keep out of reach of children and pets.
Before taking this medication, notify your doctor if you have poor bone marrow function, liver disease, or kidney disease, as your dosage may have to be adjusted for appropriate treatment.
When handling this medication, it is advisable to wear gloves and wash hands before and after handling capsules. This medication may lower you ability to fight off infection, which may make it easier for you to get sick or bleed from injury.
Take Hydrea exactly as prescribed for you by your health care professional. When taking Hydrea, follow the directions on your prescription label. Be extremely cautious when handling Hydrea capsules, as the medicine inside can cause considerable harm to your skin, eyes, mouth and nose.
Hydrea should not be taken if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, as it can cause considerable harm to an unborn child.
Common side effects include: constipation; skin rash; itching; leg sores; redness of the face; hair loss; drowsiness; headache; or dizziness.


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ON MAINE POLITICS: Time for some fun at State House
AUGUSTA -- Lawmakers finishing up business for the session bestowed "honors" on their colleagues last week, and enjoyed a comedy routine by Gary Crocker.
By From staff reports
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers finishing up business for the session bestowed "honors" on their colleagues last week, and enjoyed a comedy routine by Gary Crocker.
Crocker, a West Gardiner comedian, community college lobbyist and ardent Moxie fan, told jokes in the House wearing a blaze orange shirt and holding a stuffed toy lobster. Crocker has been a House performer in years past, helping to pass the time as lawmakers wait for paperwork.
Over in the Senate, they created their own fun, by handing out "senate superlatives."
Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, did the honors, starting things off by teasing Assistant Senate Majority Leader Debra Plowman, R-Hampden, about recent voting legislation, saying they couldn't let her vote on the superlatives.
"Sen. Plowman forgot her ID," he said. "She left and came back to vote again, but of course it was the same day, so we couldn't let her vote. She did say she came on a bus."
(One bill, which was carried over, would have required voters to present an ID. The other, which has been signed into law, prevents same-day voter registration.)
Diamond then presented about 10 senate superlatives, which included:
Most Serious: Sen. Richard Rosen, R-Bucksport
Class Clown: Sen. Stan Gerzofsky, D-Brunswick
Most Likely to Use a Mirror: Sen. Barry Hobbins, D-Saco
Best President Pro Tem: Sen. Chris Rector, R-Thomaston
Windbag: Sen. Elizabeth Schneider, D-Orono
The Senate officially adjourned at 7:46 p.m. Wednesday, a rare daylight end to a long legislative session.
Long session?
Speaking of the June 29 adjournment, House Democrats in recent weeks have taken a few jabs at the new Republican majority for extending the session three days beyond statutory adjournment.
The GOP had set an ambitious goal of ending a week early, which would have been June 8. Because they missed that deadline — and met for three days past statutory adjournment of June 15 — it cost $178,900, according to the executive director's office.
House Speaker Bob Nutting, R-Oakland, said it's not fair to criticize the new Republican majority. He said debates took far longer than anticipated.
"They were lengthy, almost to the point of painful," he said.
Also, leadership tried to give regular breaks for food and to not work until the wee hours of the morning.
"We tried to give people a break for lunch and a break for dinner," he said. "It seemed like a more humane thing to do. Combine that with people who like to talk, and we ended up three days over."
Looking to next year, Nutting said he wants to take a hard line on what types of bills are allowed to be considered during the shorter session. They are supposed to be emergencies, but in years past the definition of emergency has been liberally construed. Already, the Legislature has carried over twice the normal number of bills.
"I expect to be fairly stringent about bills we let in so we get out on time next time," he said.
Cutler stays active
Independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler, who finished second in the 2010 election, is preparing to officially launch OneMaine (www.onemaine.com), a group for political moderates, according to an email.
"OneMaine stems from the momentum and energy that was built during Eliot's campaign for governor, a campaign that rallied people from every corner of Maine around the ideals of governing from the center, thinking strategically, and creating fundamental and sustainable change," the website states.
They've already got more than 1,000 fans on Facebook and of course, are asking for contributions.
LePage to sign bill today
Before he takes part in the Eastport 4th of July parade today, Gov. Paul LePage will sign L.D. 1274 "An Act to Restore Equity in Education," according to his office.
Senate President Kevin Raye, R-Perry, sponsored the bill to shift more state education funding to rural areas. The bill was controversial — those who represent cities say they will lose money in the future — but Raye said it was a necessary step to correct an imbalance that was unfair to small, rural schools.
Senate retirements
The Senate Secretary's Office recently lost two key players — Judi Delfranco, who worked for the Senate for 23 years, and Bonnie Gould, assistant Senate secretary.
Delfranco, of Fairfield, stayed in her post during the transition from Democratic to Republican rule.
"During her tenure at the Secretary of the Senate's office, Judi has been invaluable in helping to keep the workings of the Senate running smoothly and is highly esteemed throughout the State House," a joint order honoring her read.
Gould, a former Republican House member, was in state service for fewer than five years, so she wasn't eligible for an official sentiment. But Senate President Kevin Raye, R-Perry, gave her an unofficial sendoff.
"Bonnie prefers to be called empress," he said in off the record remarks in the Senate chamber. "The best way to describe Bonnie is, she's all that and a bag of chips."
They presented her with a plastic tiara and joked that she would be joining the "prestigious Fryeburg law firm of Dewey, Cheatem and Howe."
Actually, Gould, an attorney, will join the law office of Sen. David Hastings, R-Fryeburg, in the fall, she said.
Wardens to the rescue
The Maine Warden Service has already conducted more than 100 search-and-rescue missions since April 1, according to a release issued last week.
The 116 searches made so far puts it on track to reach its annual average of 480, according to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Lt. Kevin Adam, Maine Warden Service search-and-rescue coordinator, said search requests go up as the weather improves. He said in addition to assisting boaters, hikers and helping find missing children, wardens also make searches for people suffering from illnesses, such as Alzheimer's and autism and those who are suicidal.
Search-and-rescue missions cost the state about $300,000 annually, but have been as high as $400,000, depending on the number of cases and their complexity, according to the release. The costs are born by the Maine Warden Service and DIFW. The costs have been a strain on the department, which receives most of its funding through license fees. An effort to amend the Maine Constitution to dedicate some general fund resources to the agency failed at the very end of this legislative session.
Adam recommended those exploring Maine's outdoors to be prepared and use care.
State House Bureau writers Susan Cover and Rebekah Metzler contributed to this column.
Lincoln Home to host ice cream social July 23


ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Ministry of Water and Power agreed on Wednesday to launch crackdown on 230,000 electricity bill defaulters for recovery an outstanding amount of Rs 110 billion.
NAB Chairman Admiral (r) Fasih Bokhari in a detailed meeting with Minister for Water and Power Ahmed Mukhtar has decided to take action against electricity bill defaulters (private consumers).
The ministry will provide a list of electricity bill defaulters by Monday evening (March 11, 2013). As per initial information provided by the ministry, action will be taken against 230,000 defaulters.


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"No Good Lawyer" Would Buy Warrantless Surveillance Justification
By Kurt Opsahl
Today the New York Times published a fascinating article about a secret government memo purporting to justify extreme interrogation methods, written even as the Administration was disavowing torture. The article is well worth a read in its own right. Deep within the article, lies an anecdote on another topic ? the legal justifications for the NSA warrantless surveillance program:
An imposing former prosecutor and self-described conservative who
stands 6-foot-8, [Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey] was the
rare administration official who was willing to confront [Cheney's
Chief of Staff and Legal Counsel David] Addington. At one testy 2004
White House meeting, when Mr. Comey stated that "no lawyer" would
endorse [John] Yoo?s justification for the N.S.A. program, Mr.
Addington demurred, saying he was a lawyer and found it convincing.
Mr. Comey shot back: "No good lawyer," according to someone present.
Comey's comment comes as no surprise ? earlier this week Jack Goldsmith, former head of the Department of Justice?s Office of Legal Counsel, testified that when he took charge of the OLC and first saw the legal analysis of the warrantless surveillance, he "could not find the legal support for" aspects of the program, describing the justifications as ?a legal mess ... it was the biggest mess I encountered there."
Its time to put an end to the illegal surveillance. Call Congress today.
Deeplinks Blog by Mark Rumold | December 17, 2019
Surveillance Court to the FBI: You Have Some Explaining to Do
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the normally-secretive federal court based in Washington, D.C. that oversees much of the nation's foreign intelligence surveillance programs, took an unusual step yesterday: it issued a public order chastising the FBI for its handling of the applications submitted to conduct surveillance of Carter Page, a...
Deeplinks Blog by India McKinney | November 19, 2019
House Lawmakers Extend Section 215 into Next Year Even Though They Had Years to Stop Illegal Overcollection of Americans' Sensitive Data
With federal agencies set to run out of money this week, House lawmakers today passed a short-term funding bill that contained a nasty surprise. Tucked into the end of this must-pass legislation, in a section titled "Other Matters," is language reauthorizing three Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorities currently...
Deeplinks Blog by Aaron Mackey, Andrew Crocker | October 11, 2019
Secret Court Rules That the FBI's "Backdoor Searches" of Americans Violated the Fourth Amendment
But the Court Misses the Larger Problem: Section 702's Mass Surveillance is Inherently Unconstitutional EFF has long maintained that it is impossible to conduct mass surveillance and still protect the privacy and constitutional rights of innocent Americans, much less the human rights of innocent people around the world. This week...
Deeplinks Blog by David Greene | September 9, 2019
Americans Deserve Their Day in Court About NSA Mass Surveillance Programs
EFF continues our fight to have the U.S. courts protect you from mass government surveillance. Today in our landmark Jewel v. NSA case, we filed our opening brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, asserting that the courts don't have to turn a blind eye to the...
Deeplinks Blog by Aaron Mackey | April 26, 2019
Judge Dodges Legality of NSA Mass Spying, Citing Secrecy Claims
EFF's case challenging NSA spying, Jewel v. NSA, has come further than any case trying to end the government's mass surveillance programs. Our clients have survived multiple efforts by the government to end the case, and they continue to push for their day in court. As a result, we're no...
Deeplinks Blog by Elliot Harmon | April 24, 2019
End the NSA's Invasive Call Detail Records Program Once and for All
Over nearly two decades, the NSA has searched millions of Americans' telephone call records—all without a warrant or, for the vast majority of these calls, any suspicion of wrongdoing. It's time to end the mass telephone Call Detail Records (CDR) program once and for all. Please join us in ...
Deeplinks Blog by Cindy Cohn, Karen Gullo | April 11, 2019
Government Fights to Trap EFF's NSA Spying Case in a Catch-22
The U.S. government admits—and, of course, it's common knowledge—that the NSA conducts mass, dragnet surveillance of hundreds of millions of Americans' communications. It has done so via a series of different technical strategies and legal arguments for over 18 years. Yet the Justice Department insists that our legal fight against...
Deeplinks Blog by Aaron Mackey | March 28, 2019
Court Denies EFF Effort to Obtain Classified Significant Surveillance Court Opinions
A federal court's ruling earlier this week has blunted a key provision of the surveillance reform law that required the government to be more transparent about legal decisions made by the United States secret surveillance court. After Edward Snowden revealed the government's ongoing mass collection of Americans' telephone phone...
Press Release | March 27, 2019
Hearing Friday in Jewel NSA Spying Lawsuit: EFF Asks Court to Let Case Proceed to Determine Constitutionality of Mass Surveillance
Oakland, California—On Friday, March 29, at 9:00 am, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) will tell a federal court that its clients should be allowed to proceed with their case challenging the constitutionality of NSA spying. The government's latest attempts to prevent the court from evaluating the legality of surveilling millions...


text:
Кубок Шотландії з футболу 1886–1887 — 14-й розіграш кубкового футбольного турніру у Шотландії. Титул вперше здобув Гіберніан.

Четвертий раунд
Команди Клайд, Дамбартон, Данблейн, Данді Гарп, Гіберніан, Герлфорд Юнайтед, Кілмарнок, Порт-Глазго Атлетік, Квінз Парк, Терд Ланарк, Вейл оф Левен пройшли до наступного раунду після жеребкування.

| colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;" align=center|6 листопада 1886

|-
| colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;" align=center|13 листопада 1886

|}

П'ятий раунд

| colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;" align=center|27 листопада 1886

|-
| colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;" align=center|4 грудня 1886

|-
| colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;" align=center|11 грудня 1886 (перегравання)

|}

Чвертьфінали

| colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;" align=center|25 грудня 1886

|-
| colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;" align=center|8 січня 1887 (перегравання)

|-
| colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;" align=center|22 січня 1887 (перегравання)

|}
* - результат було скасовано, було призначено повторний матч.

Півфінали

| colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;" align=center|22 січня 1887

|-
| colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;" align=center|29 січня 1887

|}

Фінал

Посилання
 Сайт лондонських вболівальників Хартс
 Сайт футбольної історії rsssf.com

1886—1887
Шотландія
Шотландія

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Intra-Cellular Therapies Appoints Michael Olchaskey as Senior Vice President, Head of Regulatory Affairs | Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc.
NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ITCI), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of therapeutics for central nervous system (CNS) disorders, announced the appointment of Michael Olchaskey, PharmD as Senior Vice President, Head of Regulatory Affairs. Dr. Olchaskey brings over 20 years of global regulatory affairs experience with investigational and commercialized products across a range of CNS disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
Dr. Olchaskey has held positions of increasing responsibility and scope in Regulatory Affairs at Allergan plc over the last 16 years. He has overseen a wide array of submissions and approvals for products, including cariprazine, asenapine, escitalopram, levomilnacipran, milnacipran, and vilazodone.
Dr. Olchaskey received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Rutgers University. He also did a Post-Doctoral Fellowship jointly sponsored by Hoffmann La Roche and Rutgers University.
"We are delighted to welcome Dr. Olchaskey to our team. Michael has strong global regulatory strategy experience for indications relevant to our pipeline and has been involved in over 10 new and 60 supplemental drug approvals. We believe his expertise further strengthens our leadership in the development of treatments for CNS diseases," said Dr. Andrew Satlin, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Intra-Cellular Therapies.
"I am enthusiastic about joining the team at Intra-Cellular Therapies and look forward to contributing to the advancement of the lumateperone programs in schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders including bipolar disorder, agitation associated with dementia, and depressive disorders as well as the advancement of ITI-214 and ITI-333," stated Dr. Olchaskey.
Corporate Communications and Investor Relations of Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc.


text:
Media Contact: Lisa Newbern 08 April 2005
lisa.newbern@emory.edu
Breast Cancer Drug Tamoxifen Increases Anxiety Behaviors in Female Nonhuman Primates
Tamoxifen, the most widely prescribed drug for treating and preventing breast cancer in women, increases anxiety behaviors in female rhesus macaques, according to a study conducted at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center of Emory University by Yerkes, Emory and Atlanta-based Center for Behavioral Neuroscience (CBN) researchers. The researchers caution the extent of the side effects could hinder compliance in women using the popular medication. The study is reported in the online edition of Psychoneuroendocrinology (www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03064530 ) and the journal's April edition.
While studies have shown tamoxifen significantly improves survival rates for women with breast cancer by blocking the effects of estrogen, clinical evidence suggests the drug increases rates of anxiety and the incidence of hot flashes, both of which may result from reduced action of estrogen. To determine if tamoxifen had these behavioral effects in both the presence and absence of estrogen, Mark Wilson, PhD, chief of the Division of Psychobiology at Yerkes, and his colleagues compared the behavior of four groups of adult female rhesus macaques that were not producing estrogen. The groups were divided into a placebo group; a group that received estradiol, a natural estrogen; a tamoxifen group; and a tamoxifen-plus-estradiol group.
After a three-week period, the researchers observed rates of anxiety-like behaviors were significantly higher in the tamoxifen and tamoxifen-plus-estradiol groups compared with females receiving estradiol only.
"Tamoxifen not only appears to antagonize estrogen's anxiety-reducing effect, but also to increase anxiety-like behavior by itself, in the absence of estrogen," said Dr. Wilson. "While tamoxifen is an extremely effective anti-cancer medication, women may stop taking it because of its negative effects on behavior and emotion."
In other tests, Dr. Wilson and his colleagues measured serotonin activity, a marker for depression, in the animals' brains to determine if depression increased with tamoxifen. As expected, the researchers found estradiol increased serotonin activity in the monkeys, causing them not to be depressed. In both the tamoxifen and the tamoxifen-plus-estradiol groups, however, serotonin activity was unaffected compared to placebo treated controls. "We expected tamoxifen would reduce serotonin activity because of its attenuating effects on estradiol," said Wilson. "Our findings, however, suggest tamoxifen must be producing its negative behavioral effects through its action on a different neurotransmitter involved in mood."
Dr. Wilson and his colleagues' latest finding about tamoxifen adds to a growing body of evidence about the drug's negative behavioral effects. In a previous study, Wilson and his colleagues found tamoxifen inhibits sexual behavior in female rhesus macaques.
Currently, Dr. Wilson, in conjunction with a team of researchers from the Emory University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Winship Cancer Institute, is examining the interaction between tamoxifen and a commonly prescribed class of anti-depression medications - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
The tamoxifen study was funded by a grant from the National Institute on Child Health and Development. The current study involving SSRIs is funded by the Woodruff Health Sciences Research Fund, which is designed to stimulate interdisciplinary research collaborations within the Emory community.


text:
Q: jquery global ajaxError handler invoked, even if mvc Ajax.ActionLink call is cancelled I have a jquery global handler registered in the layout page to handle common errors in entire site. Here is how it is registered in the Layout Page.
$(document).ajaxError(function (event, jqXHR, ajaxSettings, thrownError) {
    if (jqXHR.status == "610") {
        window.location.replace(loginUrl);
    }
    else if (jqXHR.status == "600") { }
    else {
        alert("An error occurred processing your request");
    }
});

I have an Ajax.ActionLink in one of my view(cshtml) which I am cancelling using the OnBegin handler by returning false from the handler as given below
@Ajax.ActionLink("Save List", "_SaveStates",null,
                                   new AjaxOptions { OnSuccess = "onSaveSuccess",
                                                     OnBegin = "onSaveBegin",
                                                     OnComplete = "onComplete"
                                   },
                                   new {@class="t-button", id="lnkSaveList" })

function onSaveBegin() {
    var grid = $('#tlkBulkAddGrid').data('tGrid');
    if (grid.total == undefined || grid.total == "" || grid.total < 1) {
        alert('List is Empty');
        return false; //Return False to cancel ajax call
    }
    $('.t-status .t-icon').addClass('t-loading');
}

The strange part is that even if I return false from the onSaveBegin() the global ajaxError gets invoked. I don't understand why the global error handler should be triggered, because the ajax call has been cancelled and no request made.

A: Returning false from the OnBegin method of the Ajax.ActionLink helper is practically returning false from the jQuery.ajax() beforeSend function.
jQuery documentation:

Returning false in the beforeSend function will cancel the request.

Canceling a request leads to throwing an ajax error and invoking your handler.
To solve your issue you can check for thrownError parameter inside the function:
$(document).ajaxError(function (event, jqXHR, ajaxSettings, thrownError) {
    if (thrownError === 'canceled' || thrownError === 'abort')
        return;
    ...
});


Traveling. We are talking about traveling this morning and where we've been this summer. And it is so important to travel, to get beyond the boundaries of where you usually live. I was lucky to travel this summer, to Oregon, to the UUA General Assembly in Cleveland, and of then of course to the beautiful Finger Lakes Area of New York. But as important as traveling is, the nature of the traveler is still very important, too. Not all travelers are the same, and what you get out of traveling does depend to a considerable extent on who you are and who you are trying to be. Even an idiot travels, or you could travel a lot and yet remain an idiot.
Take, for example, this famous traveler, Rebecca West. She traveled with her husband throughout the various regions of Yugoslavia, and out of her travels she produced her extraordinary book, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon. The book is extraordinary not only because of the extraordinary time and extraordinary place, not only because of her extraordinary travels, but because she was an extraordinary traveler, an extraordinary person traveling.
So this extraordinary woman recounts this time in her life when she has had surgery and is laid up in the hospital. It's 1934. She is listening to the radio and she hears that the King of Yugoslavia has been assassinated. Familiar with the events that catapulted Europe into the catastrophe of the war of 1914, she immediately begins to reflect on the disastrous consequences that may follow from this assassination this time. She tells the nurse that a terrible thing has happened, that the king of Yugoslavia has been killed, and the nurse says: "Oh dear, did you know him?" When the nurse learns that Rebecca West doesn't know this king personally, she asks: "then why do you think it's so terrible?" And this reminds this extraordinary woman of etymology. The word "idiot" derives from a Greek word meaning "private person." Idiocy, or being an idiot, may be thought of as being too immersed in one's self, in one's own life, in one's own world. Being an idiot may be thought of as being closed in and too forgetful of all that is going on in the world outside you, outside the daily concerns of your own life.
I've been very sensitive about that word "idiot" ever since high school. I don't know why, but the word "idiot" became my little brother's term of endearment for me. Every time I came home from high school my little brother would make a point of saying, "Hello, idiot." I don't know why he called me that. Maybe he was trying to tell me something. Maybe he was trying to tell me that if you think of the term idiot in the way Rebecca West does, it's really not that easy to avoid being an idiot.
If I told you all the times I felt like an idiot, like a private person closed off from the bigger, more important events of the world, this would be a long talk, not a short one. Let me cite only two examples. First, I don't know what it is about QU-maybe this is a danger for all small schools-but for some reason it is expected when you are a QU faculty member that you will come to think and believe that Quincy University is the very center of the world. And you must act accordingly. You must go to many meetings and all of your conversations, even when you are not at meetings, must somehow come around to the topic of the axis mundi, Quincy University. No matter what else happens-a war may start in the world out there in the world somewhere, there may be a really close election drawn out for weeks, the Republicans may steal the White House-and yet the focus of your concerns should always be QUINCY UNIVERSITY. Just once in the middle of a committee meeting I would like to say: I think all of these meetings and all of our attention to all of these matters at QU, it's all just making idiots out of all of us.
The most painful example of my own idiocy relates to the war in Bosnia and in Kosovo and the genocide in Rwanda. Looking back on those years, I know I didn't pay enough attention to world events at that time. I had too many classes to teach, too many papers to grade, too much of my own world, my own life; too much idiocy. This is very embarrassing. I'm supposed to be a Holocaust scholar. I'm a member of the Association for the Philosophic Study of the Holocaust and Genocide, and I guess there was just too much going on in my own life and too many things to do to pay much attention to even what I am trained to and supposed to pay attention to and to think about. Maybe my little brother was right. Maybe I am an idiot.
But the point is that it is difficult not to be one. Who feels like they are in touch as much as they think they want to be or should be with important goings on in the world out there? While I was at Cornell I stayed with a wonderful older couple who were Unitarians. On their refrigerator was a map of Kosovo. She explained that when she heard stories of bombing on NPR she liked to know exactly where it was. She was trying to be more than a private person. At Cornell, I was attending a seminar with other professors, mostly political scientists, discussing events in the various countries that have formed in eastern and central Europe in the decade since the collapse of communism. If you asked me why I wanted to do it or what I got out of it, could I explain it any better than to say to you: "Well, I was just trying to make myself less of an idiot."
Now we are trying to work out our impressions of the General Assembly of the UUA in Cleveland this past June. What impressed me most about being at General Assembly was not just the realization of our association with the national organization and with so many other UU churches out there beyond Quincy with similar problems, issues and concerns. What impressed me most was how involved the national organization was on a great variety of issues. I came away thinking in a new way about how great it was to be a Unitarian. It's great to be a Unitarian not only because of our church, our own community, not only because this is definitely-as we all know-the best, most interesting and most fun church to belong to here in our town. It's also great to be a Unitarian because of the wider world of the UUA. The UUA is very active on the national and international level on a variety of important issues. The UUA has experts, lobbyists, and advisors, policy makers on a great variety of social, spiritual, political, and economic issues. If you want to know what is going on with election reform in Florida or any other state, if you want to know about death penalty statutes in various states, if you want to know about Mary Daly (the radical feminist theologian) and her recent work, if you want to know about environmental policy, the affects of NAFTA, what's up at the UN, how the UN Conference on Race is going, if you want to know and you want to add your input, the UUA can hook us up to knowledge and activism on so many things. I came away from the GA this summer thinking that the whole national organization exists not only to link us up with other churches, but to link us up actively with what is going on and with what is important in this country and internationally. The UUA exists to help us not be private persons or a private community, to not be idiots.
We come together as a community, and I hope you feel as glad about that as I do. I hope you feel that we are a community, and that we together make up this place and make the Quincy area a better and richer and more fun place for each other. But a community, just like a person, can be private, and closed off, perhaps too busy to be paying enough attention to the world out there. A community can be an egoism of many; there can be a community of idiocy. We don't want to be, but as busy as we are, as many things as we all have to do in our own lives and in our communal life together, it's just not that easy not being an idiot. If this is worthy goal for us as individuals and as a community, strengthening our ties with the wider world of the UUA can help us.
Manning, Robert J. S. 2001. Life Lived Between Idiocy and Lunacy, http://www.uuquincy.org/talks/20010902.shtml (accessed April 20, 2019).


The International Journal of Political Theory is currently accepting submissions for its 2019 August issue, Volume 4, Issue 1, by the deadline of May 1st 2019. See the scope and published subjects and themes on the website's homepage.
All submissions undergo a double-blind peer-review process that can take several weeks. The IJPT is an open-access political theory journal and is available without cost online. Articles are indexed and advertised on several indices and major search engines based upon provided keywords for the submissions. The editorial board asks that prospective authors provide a list recommended reviewers (although their use is not guaranteed), and discuss the importance of the article in the contemporary world. Most importantly, the journal is looking for works that highlight the uniqueness and provocativeness of the new argument made in the work.
We prefer that submissions to the journal remain within the range of 7,000 to 10,000 words. Exceptional works may be accepted beyond the upper and lower limits. Manuscripts should be submitted as word documents, single spaced, with 12 pt. Times New Roman font. Any referencing style is accepted for submission so as not to cause undue delay for manuscripts that have already been written. However, note that if the article is accepted for publication, the author will be required to use the 16th edition Chicago style referencing format prior to the final proof. The document file must be either the standard US letter or A4 paper size. Single-spaced footnotes are converted to endnotes during the typesetting stage of publication.
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Florida's Children First, the state's premier advocacy organization for at-risk children, will host the Florida's Children First 2015 Broward Reception tonight – Thursday, February 26 – from 5:30-7:30PM at the Riverside Hotel (620 East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301). The organization will honor child advocates in Broward at its annual fundraising and awards event. Community and business leaders, and all other persons concerned about the future of Florida's children, especially abused, abandoned and neglected children and youth, will be in attendance.
Among those being honored this year are Child Advocate of the Year Senator Eleanor Sobel; Corporate Partner of the Year G4S; and Tracey McPharlin Pro Bono Counsel of the Year Stacie Schmerling. The Youth Advocate of the Year is Lamont Dennis.
Florida's Children First, the state's premier foster child advocacy organization, will host its annual fundraisers and awards events in Orlando and Sarasota this fall. The events will celebrate recent successes in the Florida Legislature, and the child advocates who help the state's at-risk kids throughout the year.
Florida's Children First 2014 Orlando Reception will be held on Thursday, September 18, 2014, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Law Offices of Broad & Cassel.
Florida's Children First 2014 Sarasota Reception will be held on Thursday, October 2, 2014 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Sarasota Yacht Club (1100 John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, FL 32436).
Florida's Children First, a statewide organization dedicated to protecting foster children and other at-risk youth, recognized Orlando individuals for their tireless work to advocate for the state's most vulnerable citizens at its annual Fundraising and Awards Reception. About 80 of the area's prominent business and community leaders, as well as individuals and families concerned about Florida's foster care youth were in attendance to support the organization and its cause, raising nearly $5,000. Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Jeff Faine and Orlando Sentinel writer and foster parent George Diaz among those recognized.
The 2011 Orlando Child Advocates of the Year were Jeff Faine and Susan Khoury. Jeff is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers center and founder of The Faine House, a special home for youth aging out of the foster care system offering young adults a safe place to live while they complete their education or pursue career training.
Susan has been a Guardian ad Litem program director for the Orange County Bar Association for the past 23 years. She supervises more than 13 staff members who recruit, train and support approximately 700 lawyers in Orange County who volunteer to represent the best interest of children in the Orange County juvenile courts.
Florida's Children First honored child advocate and attorney Tracey McPharlin at its annual Palm Beach Child Advocate Awards Reception.
The event had approximately 100 attendees and raised more than $27,000, which will go toward FCF's child advocacy efforts across the state.
McPharlin passed away just 10 days after the ceremony on November 6, 2010, in Ft. Lauderdale following a battle with cancer.
Florida's Children First (FCF), the statewide legal advocacy organization focused on protecting the legal rights of at-risk and foster care children, will hold its annual Child Advocate Awards and Reception fundraiser this coming February.
The event will be at the Tower Club on Thursday, February 24. It typically draws more than 300 prominent attorneys, child advocates, elected officials, judges, community and business leaders, and others concerned about the future of Florida's children, especially abused, abandoned and neglected children and youth.
This past February, the event honored Mr. Jesse H. Diner, showcased several foster care success stories and raised $100,000 for the organization.
Leaders hope to match or beat the fundraising milestone – and awareness generated for the state's most vulnerable citizens.
To learn more, or to make a contribution, call 954-796-0860 or send an email to fcf@floridaschildrenfirst.org.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel gave major play to the recent Florida's Children First fundraiser and event honoring Florida Bar President Jesse H. Diner. See the coverage here.
The annual event, held in Fort Lauderdale, raised more than $100,000 for foster children, vulnerable citizens and programs statewide. In attendance were child advocates, attorneys, judges and others involved in supporting children's needs.
When more than 300 attorneys, child advocates, judges and honorees gathered for the Fort Lauderdale Child Advocate Awards and Reception of Florida's Children First (FCF) in February, they represented the scope of statewide legal advocacy focused on protecting the rights of at-risk and foster care children.
They also represented the depth of the Florida legal community's commitment to protecting society's most vulnerable citizens.
FCF's annual Broward event recognized attorney and Florida Bar President Jesse H. Diner for his support of legislation designed to obtain counsel children in foster care and the dependency system, and support for important recommendations of the Florida Bar's Legal Needs of Children Committee.
Attendees heard how Mr. Diner has been a staunch champion of the passage of legislation to provide attorneys and zealous advocacy for foster children — and how such representation would effectively reduce or eliminate the powerlessness children face when entering the legal system.
He also has backed the Florida Bar Association's effort to recruit and train pro bono lawyers to represent these children.
Florida's Children First is supported by sponsors Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky & Abate; Regions Bank; United Automobile Insurance Group; Boardroom Communications Inc.; White & Case; American National Bank; President's Fest in the Park; among others.
To learn more, or to make a contribution, call the Broward office of Florida's Children First at 954-796-0860 or send an email to fcf@floridaschildrenfirst.org.
From its Website, Florida's Children First's staff, board members, volunteers and advocates devote their time to ensure that each child in care or in an at-risk situation will have a voice that is heard when decisions are made. We use legislative and policy advocacy, executive branch education and advocacy, training and technical assistance to lawyers and Guardians Ad Litem representing children, public awareness, and filing of amicus briefs as strategies to improve child serving systems.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida — Florida's Children First (FCF), the statewide legal advocacy organization focused on protecting the legal rights of at-risk and foster care children, honored Mr. Jesse H. Diner and several foster care success stories at its Child Advocate Awards and Reception in February.
The event, held in Fort Lauderdale, was attended by more than 300 attorneys, child advocates, elected officials, judges, community and business leaders, and others concerned about the future of Florida's children, especially abused, abandoned and neglected children and youth. The event raised some $100,000 for the organization.


The purpose of a transparent and successful bidding process is to find the highest paying ad among all demand sources in real time. This requires two things: 1) Giving each demand source equal opportunity to bid for every impression and 2) Allowing for an increased level of competition between demand sources. If these requirements are not met, the result can be lost revenue for the publisher and lost bid opportunities for the advertiser.
An all-bidding integration is ideal for maximizing publisher revenue. However, since some demand sources do not yet have bidders, it is often necessary to combine bidding and waterfall systems. This document provides one example of doing such an integration in a correct way. It also provides one counter example of doing such an integration in an incorrect way that can result in revenue loss. Keep in mind that an all-bidding system will outperform a mixed waterfall and bidding solution so you should strive to move completely to bidding as soon as possible.
Running bidding in parallel with waterfall.
Granular price floors for each demand source in waterfall.
An optimal integration allows every bidder to have access to every impression opportunity and makes the existing waterfall more competitive by giving each demand source a better chance to compete for different CPM price levels. Both waterfall and auction run in parallel to reduce latency.
By giving bidders access to every impression opportunity, the ad demand sources are making better informed decisions an provide their best bid every time. This improves auction results and can increase publisher revenue.
Granular price floors in the waterfall allow demand sources that don't yet have bidders to simulate real-time bidding albeit at a few preset price points. Instead of using one average CPM per demand source, each demand source now has different price points, as determined by the price floors, enabling better competition between waterfall demand sources and bidders for each impression opportunity.
For example: DS1 will compete with both DS2 and DS3 for impressions with CPM values above $20. If none of them responds with a fill, they will compete again for a CPM value above $10 and so on. This way, each impression opportunity has a better chance of fetching the highest price from the waterfall. Then that price from the waterfall can compete with the winner of the auction to determine the overall winner across waterfall and auction.
Using multiple price floors per demand for non-bidders is required because demand sources are given more information about the target price of that particular impression and can make a more informed decision on whether they can serve an ad with the respective minimum value. This more closely simulates a true bidding environment even with waterfall-based demand sources.
Price floors cannot be applied (will have no effect) to the Facebook Audience Network bidder. The bidding price will be based on the impression/user evaluation strictly and will not take into account any minimum threshold set by the publisher.
Static price floor must not be applied specifically to the auction as a way to merge it with the waterfall. Both the waterfall and auction need to compete equally for each impression and neither must start with a disadvantage. The only correct price floor that can be set to the auction prior to the merge with the waterfall is the winning price of the waterfall (highest price for which a demand source provides a fill).
Price floors can be used as an opportunity cost to only allow profitable ads into the user experience (for example the user is playing a game in the app and showing an ad for which the CPM is 10 cents will disrupt the user experience without bringing significant revenue to the publisher). In the case of the above model, this price floor can be applied to the two winning prices (winner from the waterfall and winner from the auction) to enforce this opportunity cost.
Fewer than 3 price floors for waterfall demand sources.
Using the auction as the first demand source in the waterfall.
One way of wrongly integrating bidding into a waterfall setup is by adding the auction winner as the first demand source in the waterfall and using CPM averages for other demand sources.
The demand sources below auction demand source are at a disadvantage because they are not called unless the auction cannot fill. This can result in revenue loss as waterfall demand sources might be able to pay higher CPMs for some impression opportunities but they won't be able to if the auction fills them.
Other demand sources are classified based on one average CPM value per demand source. This also has a negative revenue impact since a demand source average does not accurately reflect the price it might have paid for that impression opportunity. Also, a demand source might decide to run a temporary campaign with higher prices for specific impressions and being positioned in the waterfall based on historical average CPM may not allow the demand source to see higher-value impressions that are filled higher up in the waterfall. A better way of using demand sources within a waterfall is by having granular price floors as per above model.
The graph below shows how the average is calculated: by taking the number of impressions for each CPM value into account and aggregating all different prices into one static value.
For this example the average of $1.5 CPM is average based on total revenue divided by total impressions. In case this is the reference in a waterfall, all potential CPMs valued at more than $2 (220 impressions for an average CPM of $6.5) will be lost. Moreover, since the CPMs that are higher than $2 will probably no longer fit into the revenue matrix, the average CPM will also decrease in time.
In conclusion, integrating bidders with this setup does not maximize publisher revenue and does not reflect the benefits of bidding.


3 Toxicity: ¿Are bearberries dangerous?
– Spanish: Gayuba, uva de oso.
Scientific noun: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng.
– Synonyms: Arctostaphylos adenotricha (Fernald & J.F. Macbr.) A. Löve & D. Löve & Kapoor = Arbutus uva-ursi L.
Habitat: In sparse woods and mountain heaths.
he fruit is a drupe, red in maturity, about 8 mm wide.
Bearberry constitutes one of the most used remedies to treat the ailments of the urinary tract.
It is used fundamentally in cases of infections taken place by bacteria. However, to carry out this function, it is necessary that our urine should not be acid, so most of the treatments carried out by means of this plant usually combine it with the bicarbonate ingestion that neutralizes the acidity of the urine, making it alkaline.
Therefore it is appropriate for the treatment of illnesses like inflammations of the urethra (urethritis), of the urinary bladder (cystitis), irritation of the urinary tracts and it acts about the imperious necessity of urinating that these urinary affections generate, so it can be used for urinary incontinence.
These effects are attributed to the arbutin that becomes hydroquinone when it enters in contact with the intestinal flora.
Another important factor is its high content in tannins (15 to 20%) that act on the purulent secretions that these illnesses generate.
– Powder several leaves and take 2 tea spoonfuls a day. It can be mixed with honey to make it more pleasant.
– 20 drops of fluid extract twice a day.
– Mixed infusion of half a spoonful of goldenrod and a half of bearberry in a glass of water for 10 minutes. A couple of cups a day.
Bearberry constitutes one of the best diuretics when it is necessary to increase the production of the urine. This property can be used, for example to treat obesity or for liquid retention (Infusion of four spoonfuls of dry leaves in a liter of water. Take 3 glasses a day). it seems that flavonoides grant it this property.
– The leaves of this plant, for its high content in tannins, have been used to tan skins.
– The pharmaceutical industry extracts components to whiten human skins, avoiding a too dark coloring, or to remove stains of the skin, mainly in people subjected to a too prolonged solar exposure, in grown-ups as a result of a biological process, in people that are subjected to certain medications, or during pregnancy.
These medications are applied in form of gels or creams and they contain the extract of the bearberry or vegetable oils, as that of almond. What this plant does is to intervene in the melanogenesis process or formation of the melanin or dark pigment which gives the dark color of the skin.
The action is carried out by a component called hydroquinone, which neutralizes the enzyme tyrosinase, a catalyser which is necessary for the formation of the melanine from the oxidation of tyrosine.
The scientific latin name uva-ursi (=Grape of the bears in English) is due to the liking that these plantigrades have for the fruit of this plant. For the humans, although it is eatable, it has a rough and not very pleasant taste, although it is good when it is prepared in marmalades.
Because of the tannins, when the allowed doses are exceeded or when we prolong its use too much, the plant becomes toxic, irritating the digestive tract, which produces adverse stomach reactions as vomits, gastritis, uneasiness in the sphincters, etc.
In the same way, if this component is incorrectly used, it can produce damages in the liver. Hydroquinone is also poisonous with overdosage, which can be deathly.
This plant should not be used during the pregnancy, being able to produce deformity in the fetus or induce to a premature childbirth. It should also be avoided in the event liver illness. Neither it should be used with children.


For Josef Pieper, leisure is certainly connected to the older Platonic and Aristotelian concept of leisure as contemplation; however, it's more than just that. For him, in the classical sense, leisure was something tied to the liberal arts: human activities that are separate from the servile works (those works that have a utilitarian purpose) and which have an end beyond themselves—a practicable, utilitarian result.
But leisure is not merely contemplation. Pieper calls it "a mental and spiritual attitude" and "a condition of the soul" that goes against the "exclusive ideal of work as activity." Instead, this attitude is one "of non-activity, of inward calm, of silence; it means not being busy but letting things happen."
It is possible that some may read Pieper's views and wonder if he considers work ethic alone as a bit … shallow. Is he saying that leisure ameliorates a working life?
Many times we do not attain leisure precisely because we haven't a clue about the function of work and what humans are actually placed on earth for. It is a confusion related to issues such as materialism and consumerism.
To read Pieper is to rediscover "the point and the justification of leisure." It is ultimately a pursuit of wholeness.
be ultimately due to the inner impoverishment of [that] individual: in this context everyone whose life is completely filled by his work ... has shrunk inwardly, and contracted, with the result that [he] can no longer act significantly outside his work, and perhaps can no longer even conceive of such a thing.
This last part "and perhaps can no longer even conceive of such a thing," seems to speak to many of our culture, no? How tragic. Thomas Merton, who loved silence for its stilling and centering effect, spoke against the seeming need of our society to dull our real human desire to be whole. He saw noise as an opiate.
And so back to the initial assertion about work being divine, and to repudiate it is to commit suicide. This is partly true. We are to take value in work. But this is not the ultimate conclusion of our life. We are to live, and to know why we live requires leisure.


text:
Not So Fast: Antitrust Fervor
By DirectorCorps
January 7, 2020 All Industries M&A
Large corporations are under attack from every corner. A group of states are fighting the proposed acquisition of Sprint Corp. by T-Mobile US. The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission are investigating tech giants including Facebook and Alphabet's Google for antitrust violations. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is proposing breaking up the big tech companies.
One could look at all of these examples and think big corporate mergers are becoming harder than ever to do. The truth is, the government hasn't prevented big companies from merging in the last few years.
The DOJ unsuccessfully attempted to block AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner last year. President Donald Trump had criticized the deal and sought to block it, referencing Time Warner's ownership of the "wildly anti-Trump CNN."
In 2018, the DOJ approved Walt Disney Co.'s purchase of 21st Century Fox in 2018, which owns Fox News, but stipulated some sports broadcast divestments.
The Trump administration similarly conditioned its approval of the $69 billion CVS Health Corp. merger with health insurer Aetna in 2018 after Aetna divested its Medicare prescription drug business to WellCare Health Plans. Last summer, the Federal Trade Commission approved UnitedHealth Group's $4.3 billion purchase of DaVita Medical Group on condition that it sell some assets.
Physician P. Dileep Kumar wrote in an article published by the American Association for Physician Leadership that the Justice Department suffered a string of losses in antitrust cases against hospitals in the late 1990s; since then, more than 300 hospital acquisitions occurred between 2007 and 2012.
These days, the Justice Department might even provide advice on how to get proposed mergers approved. In the Sprint/T-Mobile deal, Sprint agreed to sell off Boost Mobile to Dish Network Corp. to help create a fourth wireless competitor. Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen testified last year that the Justice Department's antitrust chief advised him to ask a senator to speak to the Federal Communications Commission's chairman. "Today would be a good day to have your Senator friends contact the chairman," the text advised.
It may also becoming harder for the government to win an antitrust case. In the case of the tech companies, the FTC closed a prior investigation in 2013 into Google's search practices, despite evidence that Google's search results likely harmed rivals.
Under legal precedent, the government must prove that consumers are harmed by anti-competitive practices — and it's hard to prove consumers are harmed by the free services Facebook and Google provide. It's not impossible, but it would require judges being open to new legal theories or Congress passing new laws.
It's a bit of a stretch to think big tech and big hospital systems are going away. But stay tuned.


Tales told by my kids, some snippets of their conversation, and some tales of my own.
On the playground yesterday there was a fierce display of sibling rivalry turned sibling on sibling on sibling crime. The details are not particularly important. The hitting, the chasing, the arm twisting, the throwing sand at "eyeball targets." The look of horror on the faces of good-natured pacifist onlookers.
I'm told it was embarrassing to watch the three of them go at it. So embarrassing for our dear 60 something year old Polish immigrant babysitter that she dropped her phone and left it at the park, only to have it picked up by a good Samaritan who turned it over to the police who in turn answered my call yesterday.
"Hello ma'am, this is Officer Goodguy." Triggering an internal shriek of what in the freaking hell?!? why are the police answering her phone…oh no, no, no, oh geez, nooooo!
Thank goodness. Now back to the cause of the phone fumble. They were fighting. They were out for themselves, motivated by some good ole primal individualism. Yet, later that day their individual goals were upended because–the Olympics.
I wrote everything you just read months ago as the 2016 Olympics kicked off. I'd come home after that phone call with the police, the one that still makes my stomach turn when I think about it. Of course it turned out just fine and the incident supplied a great deal of laughter during the round robin re telling by the 4 lead characters. I found the picture on the wall too and was told that the kids were insanely excited about the Olympics and planned to keep track of how many medals the US and Poland won. I thought it was adorable and I thought it was emblematic of our tribal nature, and I thought for sure that the US would win more medals.
I wanted to write a story about nationalism. How a healthy dose of nationalism can be a good thing. How petty grievances and playground sand-throwing can be set aside in the interest of something bigger than who we are as individuals, something that is more important.
Then I thought about how dangerous it is sometimes. I thought about the downside of nationalism, of tribalism, of any kind of ism that separates us from others by telling us that we are better or more righteous or more deserving in some way. I wasn't sure which side to come out on so I hit save as draft and moved on.
Nationalism is good. Xenophobia is not. Flag-waving is okay. Jingoism is not.
Nationalism is not an excuse to behave in a way that contradicts the very values that should be the source of our nationalism.
Why do we love the United States of America? I can't answer for you. For me it's everything. It's our insanely lucky start with a bunch of plucky flawed founders. It's our freedoms of speech and religion and assembly and the limits we place on government intrusion in our lives. It's our abundance of unlikely success stories and heroes, our fruited plains and purple mountain majesty, and people with revolutionary ideas in science and technology and the arts that heal and teach and employ and inspire.
It's the strangeness and difference. It's the fact that my morning commute to work takes me through neighborhoods of African and Indian and Swedish and Vietnamese and Mexican immigrants and the opportunity to live in a place where my kids hear different languages everyday and where the 4:30 Saturday showing of Hidden Figures is practically sold out.
And it's the messiness and the parts that aren't so great because they remind me that the work is not done. There are problems still to be solved. There is crime and there are bigots and there are seemingly impenetrable structural artifacts of our ugly history of slavery and inequality. There is corruption and there is heartache. Yet for my entire adult life I've believed that our system of government would provide a path for the resolution of these problems someday while protecting us from extremism on any side. I've built a career within a legal system that places the rule of law above all else. I believed that there were ground rules and boundaries.
So much that I love about this country feels under attack right now. So much that it feels like everything. We are only a couple hundred years old. We are more fragile than I believed even a month ago. We are easily manipulated and we are scared. I believe that a great many of us are scared because we are being manipulated.
But we also live in a remarkable age of technology and information. Facts can and should be checked. Books should be read. Stories should be told and heard and we should not be afraid to say what we believe. Civil discourse is part of what makes this country so great–and dissent, it's positively patriotic.
10 and a half years.
Next day. | The Good… on I hate sandwiches.