Developing Safe Systems contains papers presented at the twenty-fourth annual Safety-critical Systems Symposium, held in Brighton, UK, in February 2016. The Symposium is for engineers, managers and academics in the field of system safety, across all industry sectors, so the papers making up this volume offer wide coverage of current safety topics, and a blend of academic research and industrial experience. They include both recent developments in the field and discussion of open issues and questions. The topics covered in this volume include: autonomy and vehicles, systems safety and cyber security, data safety, human error, agile methods, sub-sea gliders and aviation accident investigations. This book will be of interest to practitioners, managers and academics working in the safety-critical and safety-related systems areas.
Computer-based systems may fail catastrophically for a variety of reasons. Assurance processes for safety-related systems have focused primarily on the risks from random hardware faults, design faults, and operator error. Where failures are triggered by unpredictable events such as an unexpected combination of inputs, or one or more operator errors, safety analysts may assume such events are independent and/or stochastic. That assumption cannot be sustained if there is a credible threat of any form of cyber attack, because an attacker might be able to create any desired pattern of unlikely events. Consequently, no safety-related system can be considered adequately safe unless it is also adequately secure against cyber-attack, and this raises issues that need to be considered throughout the safety life-cycle.
Systems are collections of objects exhibiting joint behaviour. Sometimes this behaviour is anticipated, sometimes not. We have studied a number of types of complex systems and their failures, including electricity supply grids, motorways, the financial system, and air traffic control. We argue that the resilience properties of such systems are largely emergent. We illustrate the thesis through analysis of three electricity blackout events. We consider one event in detail and two others summarily.
The commonly practiced approach to the safety assessment of complex technology, including those in the High Speed Railways1 lacks a supporting theoretical foundation as a guiding and supporting backbone. In practice, this results in a confused, poorly conceived and often inadequate application of a mixed bag of methodologies, rules and standards that, due to the effort-intensive nature give a semblance of adequacy and completeness. In this uncharted and poorly structured landscape, demonstration of compliance with a given rule or standard is broadly regarded as adequate input to the safety assessment, potentially missing other analysis, effort and evidence. The key aim of the research outcomes presented in this paper is to give an overview of the principal requirements and qualities for robust, credible and systematic assessment to be supported by a host of relevant processes, rules, tools, codes of practice and standards.
The role of data in influencing the safe operation of systems is just as important but has not attracted the same level of attention; there is no standardisation and little guidance on how the risks associated with data should be managed. There has been a marginalisation of data (inadvertent or otherwise) as a contributor to accidents and incidents, and it is clear there is an "elephant in the room" (Hampton and Parsons 2015). The problem is becoming more acute as many types of data are now used to specify, deploy, configure, operate, test and justify safety systems, moreover the volume of data in systems is also growing at an unprecedented rate. This paper is a retrospective reappraisal of selected historical accidents from the aviation and marine sectors, but viewed afresh from a data perspective. The paper shows that we do have a data problem; in fact we've always had a data problem.
Modern smart devices such as pressure transmitters, controllers and valve actuators provide many key advantages but there are well-known difficulties in providing evidence to support the associated safety justifications. This paper reminds the reader of these difficulties but focuses on the need for an "As Low as Reasonably Practicable" approach and hence the requirement to use expert engineering judgement to weigh up the advantages/disadvantages of using a smart device against other possible options. The paper discusses the use of engineering judgement in safety justifications for installing smart devices and highlights that there are more than just software faults to consider. Issues covered include: allocation of 'best estimate' reliability data for use in Probabilistic Safety Assessments, 'proven in use' arguments and the importance of understanding the wider safety case picture.
The European aviation industry is experiencing wide-ranging change including introduction of new technologies and operational concepts, while also facing demands for higher levels of safety performance. Existing approaches to gaining approval are often perceived as a barrier to adopting innovation and change; they can also miss significant interactions between parts of the system. The EC-funded ASCOS Project has developed a method and supporting tools to address these challenges. The ASCOS Method uses modular safety arguments to provide a framework to integrate existing approval approaches while also providing the flexibility to adapt the approaches where necessary to enable the smooth approval of advances in aviation technology.
This paper reflects on the issues and opportunities raised by the use of Agile practices in the development of high-integrity software, based on the scientific literature, projects, and our own understanding of the relevant regulatory regimes, standards and markets. In particular, this paper considers the assumptions that underpin Agile practices and where these seem to conflict with the disciplines of high-integrity development. Conversely, we'll consider some opportunities where an Agile approach could be significantly improved by the adoption of high-integrity practices.
In 2010, Rolf Spiker approached one of us with a query from a client concerning advisory material in IEC 61508 on the statistical evaluation of software. We realised that there is a dearth of practical guidance for those who wish to evaluate critical software statistically. We believe statistical evaluation of software is an increasingly important assurance technique. We commence with a brief introduction to some of the simpler statistics and then consider discursively the issues which arise during evaluation.
There is a growing threat to the cyber-security of safety-critical systems. The introduction of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) software, including Linux, specialist VOIP applications and Satellite Based Augmentation Systems across the aviation, maritime, rail and power-generation infrastructures has created common, vulnerabilities. In consequence, more people now possess the technical skills required to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in safety-critical systems. Arguably for the first time there is the potential for cross-modal attacks leading to future 'cyber storms'. This situation is compounded by the failure of public-private partnerships to establish the cyber-security of safety critical applications. The fiscal crisis has prevented governments from attracting and retaining competent regulators at the intersection of safety and cyber-security. In particular, we argue that superficial similarities between safety and security have led to security policies that cannot be implemented in safety-critical systems. Existing office-based security standards, such as the ISO27k series, cannot easily be integrated with standards such as IEC61508 or ISO26262. Hybrid standards such as IEC 62443 lack credible validation. There is an urgent need to move beyond high-level policies and address the more detailed engineering challenges that threaten the cyber-security of safety-critical systems. In particular, we consider the ways in which cyber-security concerns undermine traditional forms of safety engineering, for example by invalidating conventional forms of risk assessment. We also summarise the ways in which safety concerns frustrate the deployment of conventional mechanisms for cyber-security, including intrusion detection systems.
It is self-evident that we need an effective safety culture to avoid human error (and its consequences) in programming, yet many of us program as if safety is trivial, and if we just use the right tools it should be even easier. Although it is an unwelcome message, we are deceiving ourselves about how easy safety is, and this deception is self-serving, achieving nothing other than entrenching ignorance of error and its influence over us. The solution is called "resilience" and of the various techniques of resilience, mathematics and Formal Methods are basic tools for safety-critical programming — but they are not sufficient without a proactive commitment to be resilient. We provide a worked example that helps show that error is not "out there" as an abstract concept but deep inside us. Error is an unavoidable companion to our programming that we urgently need to master.
People often use the word 'competence' without understanding what it means even when it is vital for safety. This paper examines common definitions of competence to identify the individual components and understand the principles underlying the specification and assessment process. Safety management must facilitate the achievement and maintenance of competence for those developing and operating safety-related systems. The paper examines the theory and principles underlying the attainment and maintenance of competence providing a framework for a discussion on competence assurance. The specification of competence criteria is an important safety management activity and these are unique for different systems. This paper describes how competence criteria can be specified and assessed for safety-related systems. Safety assurance is ultimately based upon the competence of the people involved hence competence evidence is essential for the validity of any safety claim. The paper examines common safety assurance issues associated with competence and some suggestions are made on how to improve the validity of safety claims based upon competence.
The preparation of a Safety Assurance Case has been an integral part of the development of railway systems for many years, being one of the requirements of EN 50129. For automotive systems, ISO 26262 also mandates the creation of a Safety Case. Increasingly, Safety Cases are also being required for the certification of medical devices. Researchers have demonstrated that producing a Safety Case untainted by confirmation bias is extremely difficult, or even impossible. This seriously affects the level of confidence that can be placed in the Safety Case argument. This paper describes the results of an experiment to determine whether the notation used to represent the Safety Case argument influences the structure of that argument.
High Reliability Organisations (HRO) rightly invest significant effort to ensure their Safety Management System (SMS) is effective – for example ensuring appropriate and reliable engineering along with robust and resilient organisational arrangements. The benefits of these arrangements go far beyond mere compliance and contribute to high performance. As well as the organisations themselves, regulators, such as the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), also recognise the importance of these arrangements, actively seeking evidence of their effectiveness within such themes as Leadership, Capable Organisation, Decision-Making and Learning from Experience. Whilst approaches to describing and assessing the visible elements of the SMS can be readily identified, there needs also to be a focus on the cultural and behavioural elements of the organisation's commitment to safety and high performance. People are part of the system, rather than an unpredictable add-on. An effective SMS will guide and control behaviours with respect to safety. But how do you go beyond the arrangements in order to understand and be confident in the social and interpersonal influences – leadership and commitment, supervision, prioritisation of safety, and so forth? This paper addresses this need to understand and manage the link between the management system and the organisational safety culture, whilst recognising that neither can be considered independently, due to the interconnected nature of complex systems. Considerations are presented to prompt reflections of SMS and organisational culture with respect to compliance and performance.
This paper describes the invention of an Adaptive Safety Monitoring Function at Jaguar Land Rover within the context of the development of a vehicle propulsion system according to the principles of ISO 26262. It outlines the way that conventional safety monitoring software is currently used to detect and mitigate faults in a propulsion control system. It then describes the typical challenges and drawbacks in developing such software. The paper then presents the theoretical principles behind how the proposed software algorithm could address these problems by adapting over time to the control software that it is monitoring. It explains the key challenge of ensuring safety by only adapting in a manner commensurate with the adaption of a driver's mental model to a change in relationship between vehicle acceleration and accelerator pedal input. It describes some of the practical problems encountered and solutions found during algorithm development before concluding with an outlook towards potential commercial applications.
In the field of automobile development, the recent automotive functional safety standard (ISO 26262) is now applicable. However, it is difficult to develop a system so as to comply with the standard. In this paper, I will focus on the concept phase of this standard because it includes the new ideas to keep a system safe. For example, the idea of "item" is one of them, and it means an abstraction of a system. It is important to think about safety in the very early phase because we can change the behaviour more readily than do after designing. On the other hand, it requires us to devise the new approach to calculating risk (a.k.a. ASIL) because we don't have detailed information on an item in the early phase development. In this paper, we introduce our approach CARDION, and we show how we deal with those characteristics of the standard.
Increasing vehicle autonomy has been predicted by many commentators to offer the potential for a huge step change in road safety performance. Such systems will be constantly vigilant, will always respect the rules of the road and will never be tired or drunk. However, the evidence available remains very limited and most studies use only simplistic assumptions to quantify the expected effects. It is also likely that the technology will not be perfect and interactions with humans during a transition phase of mixed vehicle types and various stages of partial autonomy might create new risks. Thatcham has been working with the British motor insurers to investigate the potential effects of autonomous vehicles on motor claims. Changes in regulations and vehicle performance are under discussion, and Thatcham is contributing to the debate from a technical and safety standpoint.
This paper presents an overview of the challenges faced by engineers and companies in the automotive industry with regards to driver assist systems. Starting with an overview of different assist features made possible by the use of electronics in the last 30 years, the paper explores the most innovative systems that also account for characteristics of the environment surrounding the vehicle, such as objects in the vicinity, road characteristics, traffic signs, etc. and how connectivity is both an enabler and a source of concern for these features. In particular the relationship between safety and cyber security in the context of vehicle systems is discussed. New considerations on both subjects are required given that connectivity inside and outside the vehicle is becoming the norm and will have a great impact on future mobility services. Remotely controlled functions will be used as a case study to present a number of design drivers for these systems.
This paper explores some of the potential challenges facing the introduction of autonomous cars, especially in the absence of a clear definition of what an autonomous system is. The automotive industry is currently transitioning to position itself to introduce autonomous cars to the global market. This paper discusses autonomy from the standpoints of the aerospace and automotive industries, focusing on Unmanned Aerial Systems and autonomous cars.
An ontological model can be used to define a rich semantic landscape of terminology for a technical domain. The advantages of doing so are a high degree of self-consistency between the domain's technical language terms, which increases the quality of their natural language usage. This paper explores an initial attempt to construct an ontological model of data safety terminology for the Data Safety Initiative project. In doing so it introduces the systematic approach ontological modelling brings to not only defining but also understanding a domain's terminology.
It is not new applying a socio-technical approach to analyse the safety of complex systems. Early works from Reason (Reason et al. 1998), Rasmussen (Rasmussen 1997), and Leveson (Leveson 2004) already provided frameworks of socio-technical approach by identifying layers in a system actually involved in the control of safety. However, as systems are more and more complex, the challenge in these socio-technical approaches to system safety is now a problem of modelling. It is widely accepted that architecture is the foundation of good system engineering. Thus the model in a systems theoretic approach of system safety should be embodied in all components (both social and technical) in the system and their relationships to each other and the environment. The key objective is to explore whether safety analysis on a socio-technical system can benefit from model-based approach in which system engineers and safety engineers share a common model. To evaluate and demonstrate our approach, we developed a software tool to help the application of our approach. The case study analyses a tram accident: the derailment at East Croydon in February 2012. The analysis is purely based on the information from the official investigation report (RAIB 2012) so the architecture of entire organisation may not be represented completely; but it is adequate enough for the discussion of a general architecture-based approach to the safety of social-technical systems.
Safety-critical systems and software require particular care when their parameters have to be verified and validated, as any mistake may lead to a catastrophic scenario during their operating use. A recent technique, called formal data validation, enables an improvement in the level of confidence of the verification/validation process by associating a formal data model to the parameters, and by formally checking that these parameters fit within the model. This paper reports on the development and use of such tools for industrial railway applications.
All major trends in MedTech have one thing in common: medical devices are going to be more complex than ever - and so are the networks they belong to. A necessary measure to cope with this and other emerging challenges is a satisfactory risk management process. Today, manufacturers address safety hazards with a multitude of techniques, all of which are document-based approaches. This paper presents research on how applying model-based risk management could eliminate disadvantages that are endemic to existing methods, like uncertainty of coverage, incompatibility of professional mind-sets or typical bias-by-design flaws. Risk management, based on a structured, computerised model of both the physical product and its lifecycle, has the potential to improve processing in all stages. We explain how our concepts allow for comprehensive risk identification, interconnected expert judgements and standardisable classification for better risk evaluation; they also help enforcing risk treatment by reducing process cost.
Software-induced memory corruptions can be caused by stack overflows, run-time errors such as invalid pointer accesses or buffer overflows, and data races. They can trigger software crashes, invalidate separation mechanisms in mixed-criticality software, and are a frequent cause of errors in multi-core applications. In contrast to hardware faults, software-induced memory corruptions are always systematic errors, and hence it is possible to formally prove their absence. Abstract interpretation is a formal method for static program analysis which supports formal soundness proofs (it can be proven that no error is missed) and which scales. This article gives an overview of abstract interpretation and its application to prove the absence of stack overflow, run-time errors, and data races, and reports on practical experience with the tools StackAnalyzer and Astrée.
A sub-sea glider is a type of autonomous underwater vehicle propelled by changes in buoyancy and is typically used for oceanographic research and monitoring. The BRIDGES (Bringing together Research and Industry for the Development of Glider Environmental Services) project is funded under the European Commission Horizon 2020 programme and aims to develop tools to further understanding, monitoring and sustainable exploitation of the marine environment. BRIDGES has the objective to improve sub-sea glider technology, system integration, operational management and standardisation. This paper summarises the research undertaken by BMT Isis as part of the BRIDGES consortium into understanding the safety benefits and applicability of standardisation to the design, manufacture and operation of gliders. The paper explores to what extent standardisation and guidance should be introduced into what is a relatively new and evolving domain. It also investigates what opportunities there are to transfer approaches from other domains; maximising the potential safety benefits whilst encouraging innovation.
FPGA usage within high integrity systems is becoming both more popular and more complex. One of the challenges of putting an FPGA in a high integrity system is the cost of verifying its correct operation, and this is made significantly more difficult by the increasing complexity of FPGA applications. For a typical DO-254 Level A aerospace FPGA application, at least 50% of the overall effort and engineering budget is spent on verification activities. As design decisions are set in stone early in the development process, it is common to discover unexpected verification problems when it is too late to do anything about it. This paper seeks to explore and quantify the effect of various architectural and design structures on their 'testability' for FPGA systems in high integrity applications, as well as identifying test based mitigations for common problems. Using anonymised data from Resource Group's high integrity customers, a study of varied design structures has been analysed into a set of testability rules and a summary of their respective impact on the effort of verification.
Time for a New Approach to Accident Investigation?
The investigation of aircraft accidents is an important source of learning for the aviation industry and beyond. Whilst protected by international standards and European and national legislation, and emulated across other sectors, aircraft accident investigation faces a number of challenges. These include: technical challenges surrounding complexity, concerns about the protection of sensitive evidence, maintaining investigator currency and the maintenance of investigator competency. Faced with such challenges, is it time that aircraft accident investigation benefited from a change in approach or has it evolved to meet the challenges that have surfaced along the way?


99.9 KTDY and the Theatre League of Louisiana would like to invite you to celebrate St. Patricks Day with us at Parc International.
and gates will open at 5:00 pm.
Kids 12 & under admitted FREE!
Dont miss out on the party of the year!


Sorry for the long silence, we have been working hard to relocate to Cumbria and convert the garage into a workshop – with that approximately complete it allows me to get started on the boiler for Befur. So this post concerns itself with this topic.
As we have mentioned elsewhere (see design choices – engine, boiler and machinery) I had opted for a water-tube boiler of a Yarrow-type. This arrangement involves a set of "drums" which contain the water and steam, linked by a large number of tubes with the heat source installed inside this assembly. These are arranged in a triangular shape like a ridge tent, with a large drum at the "ridge pole position" which will hold the collected steam (and hopefully some water!) this is the "steam drum". The two smaller drums form the base of the triangle (known as the "mud drums"), and then there are 206 12mm cunifer "water tubes" linking the steam drum to the mud drum. The steam is created in these tubes and rises to the steam drum. The whole assembly is then encased in a sheet metal "casing" lined with ceramic insulating material (no asbestos these days) 🙂 .
After some further thought I opted for a boiler design from John King of the SBA. Following some discussion a group of us have decided to build a set of three boilers to this design, and are operating as a work-sharing co-operative, so I am currently making the drums (basically drilling some 1,236 12.1mm holes in the nine mud and steam drums). These are made from 4″ and 6″ diameter steel tube – basically lengths of the kind of stuff you would find in an oil refinery!
Importantly, this boiler can be built without any welding (as I am not a certified welder). The drums are closed with ~20mm steel end-plates attached with threaded stays passing down the drum and large dome-nuts. The mud-drums have a single 20mm stay (bolt) holding the ends on, and the steam drum has four 16mm stays – pretty substantial!
This is a simple, if very repetitive/dull process. The holes are arranged radially around the drum, with the holes normal to the surface. Actually it was this work that prompted me to buy the larger mill to be sure I could fit and drill the drums in "one go".
The set-up was borrowed from John Richardson (another SBA member) who has built one of these boilers. The drum is clamped to the milling table, using one of the table slots to ensure it is square and level. I then fitted an end-stop, and two side supports to the table to allow the drum to be rotated for each row of holes and reset into the correct position.
The position of the holes to be drilled is set out using a DRO ("Digital Read Out") and a digital angle gauge. The DRO is one I made to an open source design published by Shumatech. This is a powerful tool, it uses "glass scales" attached to the table that are able to measure the position of the milling table to within 5 microns (about a tenth of the thickness of a human hair or as long as a typical bacteria!). It then allows you (amongst other things) to define a variety patterns of bolt hole grids or PCD arrangements.
The process is then a sort of semi-automatic (manual-matic) CNC. You load the pattern you want, set the DRO running and the DRO tells you how far away from the current position the next hole is to be drilled. Then you wind the handles until the "distance" is zero; so you are then at the position to drill the next hole – this dramatically reduces the chance of a mental-arithmetic error screwing the job!
The distance between the rows of holes could be measured and marked out on the circumference of the tube, but I opted for a more direct approach. I clamped a small tool-maker's clamp to the end of the drum and then placed a magnetic digital angle gauge on this. I zeroed it before starting, and could then rotate the drum at the end of each row setting it to the correct angle as indicated on the gauge.
This approach (DRO and Angle Gauge) has an additional benefit in that you avoid accumulative errors. As the position of the hole and the angle of the tube are both measured from the "origin". So even if one hole or row is slightly misplaced, the next one will not "inherit" this error.
So the first mud drum was finished today! (ps – the ends of the drums had previously been turned true and to length on a friend's Colchester, as they were marginally too long for my Harrison L5).
Given the number of holes we need to drill we would either need to buy several drills or have a method for sharpening them – I opted for the later.
It is interesting to note that if you sharpen a drill so that the point is not exactly central and even the drill will cut oversized holes. As the even-sizing of the holes for the tubes is important (as we need to ensure an equal amount of "squeeze" on each tube as we expand it) the business of well sharpened drills is critical.
I made a Quorn tool cutter-grinder some years ago and this allows you to sharpen drills using a method known as "4-facet sharpening". This is not the way drills are normally manufactured, but has several advantages 1) the drills will start without a centre-pop, 2) you get drills that cut to size when resharpened.
I had a practice run on a few of my normal jobber drills and centre drills before starting work – I have been meaning to do this for a long time, so was happy to finally sharpen a number of my more "used" drills – here are some pictures….
To close out this update, here are some pictures of the new workshop in a semi-complete state. It is fitted with a 4Kw Transwave 3-phase converter as North West Power's estimate of £28,400 to bring the 3-phase 50ft from the substation seemed unreasonable!!!!
This entry was posted in The Power Plant and tagged 4-facet drill sharpening, boiler, Digital Angle Gauge, drill sharpening, Shumatech, technique, workshop machines, yarrow on December 30, 2016 by sybefur.


text:
Q: How replace item order in php array? I asking about this case(replace item by position : highest with lowest etc.. ):
my inputs:
// case1:
array('orange','blue','red');

// case2:
array('orange','blue','red','white');

should get outputs:
// case1:
array('red','blue','orange');

// case2:
array('white','red','blue','orange');

its can be done by - but i am looking for more shorter way:
function myReplaceArr(array $arr){
 $len=count($arr);
 $loopLen=(int)($len/2);
 for($i=0;$i<$loopLen;$i++){
   $temp=$arr[$i];
   $arr[$i]=$arr[$len-$i-1];
   $arr[$len-$i-1]=$temp;
 }
 return $arr;
}
var_export(myReplaceArr(array('orange','blue','red')));
var_export(myReplaceArr(array('orange','blue','red','white')));

A: The list of array functions contains an array_reverse function.

A: What about array_reverse() ?

A: Thats called array_reverse();
$array_1 = array('orange','blue','red');
$array_2 = array('orange','blue','red','white');

$array_1_new = array_reverse($array_1);
$array_2_new = array_reverse($array_2);

A: You can use array_reverse()
// case1:
    $array1 = array('orange','blue','red');
    $new_array1 = array_reverse($array1 );
    print_r($new_array1);
    Output: array('red','blue','orange');

// case2:
    $array2 = array('orange','blue','red','white');
    $new_array2 = array_reverse($array2 );
    print_r($new_array2);
    Output: array('white','red','blue','orange');

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
namespace ppapi {

namespace {

// When two vars x and y are found to be equal, an entry is inserted into
// |visited_map| with (x.value.as_id, y.value.as_id). This allows reference
// cycles to be avoided. It also allows us to associate nodes in |expected| with
// nodes in |actual| and check whether the graphs have equivalent topology.
bool Equals(const PP_Var& expected,
            const PP_Var& actual,
            bool test_string_references,
            base::hash_map<int64_t, int64_t>* visited_map) {
  if (expected.type != actual.type) {
    LOG(ERROR) << "expected type: " << expected.type
               << " actual type: " << actual.type;
    return false;
  }
  if (VarTracker::IsVarTypeRefcounted(expected.type)) {
    base::hash_map<int64_t, int64_t>::iterator it =
        visited_map->find(expected.value.as_id);
    if (it != visited_map->end()) {
      if (it->second != actual.value.as_id) {
        LOG(ERROR) << "expected id: " << it->second
                   << " actual id: " << actual.value.as_id;
        return false;
      } else {
        return true;
      }
    } else {
      if (expected.type != PP_VARTYPE_STRING || test_string_references)
        (*visited_map)[expected.value.as_id] = actual.value.as_id;
    }
  }
  switch (expected.type) {
    case PP_VARTYPE_UNDEFINED:
      return true;
    case PP_VARTYPE_NULL:
      return true;
    case PP_VARTYPE_BOOL:
      if (expected.value.as_bool != actual.value.as_bool) {
        LOG(ERROR) << "expected: " << expected.value.as_bool
                   << " actual: " << actual.value.as_bool;
        return false;
      }
      return true;
    case PP_VARTYPE_INT32:
      if (expected.value.as_int != actual.value.as_int) {
        LOG(ERROR) << "expected: " << expected.value.as_int
                   << " actual: " << actual.value.as_int;
        return false;
      }
      return true;
    case PP_VARTYPE_DOUBLE:
      if (fabs(expected.value.as_double - actual.value.as_double) > 1.0e-4) {
        LOG(ERROR) << "expected: " << expected.value.as_double
                   << " actual: " << actual.value.as_double;
        return false;
      }
      return true;
    case PP_VARTYPE_OBJECT:
      if (expected.value.as_id != actual.value.as_id) {
        LOG(ERROR) << "expected: " << expected.value.as_id
                   << " actual: " << actual.value.as_id;
        return false;
      }
      return true;
    case PP_VARTYPE_STRING: {
      StringVar* expected_var = StringVar::FromPPVar(expected);
      StringVar* actual_var = StringVar::FromPPVar(actual);
      DCHECK(expected_var && actual_var);
      if (expected_var->value() != actual_var->value()) {
        LOG(ERROR) << "expected: " << expected_var->value()
                   << " actual: " << actual_var->value();
        return false;
      }
      return true;
    }
    case PP_VARTYPE_ARRAY_BUFFER: {
      ArrayBufferVar* expected_var = ArrayBufferVar::FromPPVar(expected);
      ArrayBufferVar* actual_var = ArrayBufferVar::FromPPVar(actual);
      DCHECK(expected_var && actual_var);
      if (expected_var->ByteLength() != actual_var->ByteLength()) {
        LOG(ERROR) << "expected: " << expected_var->ByteLength()
                   << " actual: " << actual_var->ByteLength();
        return false;
      }
      if (memcmp(expected_var->Map(),
                 actual_var->Map(),
                 expected_var->ByteLength()) != 0) {
        LOG(ERROR) << "expected array buffer does not match actual.";
        return false;
      }
      return true;
    }
    case PP_VARTYPE_ARRAY: {
      ArrayVar* expected_var = ArrayVar::FromPPVar(expected);
      ArrayVar* actual_var = ArrayVar::FromPPVar(actual);
      DCHECK(expected_var && actual_var);
      if (expected_var->elements().size() != actual_var->elements().size()) {
        LOG(ERROR) << "expected: " << expected_var->elements().size()
                   << " actual: " << actual_var->elements().size();
        return false;
      }
      for (size_t i = 0; i < expected_var->elements().size(); ++i) {
        if (!Equals(expected_var->elements()[i].get(),
                    actual_var->elements()[i].get(),
                    test_string_references,
                    visited_map)) {
          return false;
        }
      }
      return true;
    }
    case PP_VARTYPE_DICTIONARY: {
      DictionaryVar* expected_var = DictionaryVar::FromPPVar(expected);
      DictionaryVar* actual_var = DictionaryVar::FromPPVar(actual);
      DCHECK(expected_var && actual_var);
      if (expected_var->key_value_map().size() !=
          actual_var->key_value_map().size()) {
        LOG(ERROR) << "expected: " << expected_var->key_value_map().size()
                   << " actual: " << actual_var->key_value_map().size();
        return false;
      }
      DictionaryVar::KeyValueMap::const_iterator expected_iter =
          expected_var->key_value_map().begin();
      DictionaryVar::KeyValueMap::const_iterator actual_iter =
          actual_var->key_value_map().begin();
      for (; expected_iter != expected_var->key_value_map().end();
           ++expected_iter, ++actual_iter) {
        if (expected_iter->first != actual_iter->first) {
          LOG(ERROR) << "expected: " << expected_iter->first
                     << " actual: " << actual_iter->first;
          return false;
        }
        if (!Equals(expected_iter->second.get(),
                    actual_iter->second.get(),
                    test_string_references,
                    visited_map)) {
          return false;
        }
      }
      return true;
    }
    case PP_VARTYPE_RESOURCE: {
      ResourceVar* expected_var = ResourceVar::FromPPVar(expected);
      ResourceVar* actual_var = ResourceVar::FromPPVar(actual);
      DCHECK(expected_var && actual_var);
      if (expected_var->GetPPResource() != actual_var->GetPPResource()) {
        LOG(ERROR) << "expected: " << expected_var->GetPPResource()
                   << " actual: " << actual_var->GetPPResource();
        return false;
      }

      const IPC::Message* actual_message = actual_var->GetCreationMessage();
      const IPC::Message* expected_message = expected_var->GetCreationMessage();
      if (expected_message->size() != actual_message->size()) {
        LOG(ERROR) << "expected creation message size: "
                   << expected_message->size()
                   << " actual: " << actual_message->size();
        return false;
      }

      // Set the upper 24 bits of actual creation_message flags to the same as
      // expected. This is an unpredictable reference number that changes
      // between serialization/deserialization, and we do not want it to cause
      // the comparison to fail.
      IPC::Message local_actual_message(*actual_message);
      local_actual_message.SetHeaderValues(
          actual_message->routing_id(),
          actual_message->type(),
          (expected_message->flags() & 0xffffff00) |
              (actual_message->flags() & 0xff));
      if (memcmp(expected_message->data(),
                 local_actual_message.data(),
                 expected_message->size()) != 0) {
        LOG(ERROR) << "expected creation message does not match actual.";
        return false;
      }
      return true;
    }
  }
  NOTREACHED();
  return false;
}

}  // namespace

bool TestEqual(const PP_Var& expected,
               const PP_Var& actual,
               bool test_string_references) {
  base::hash_map<int64_t, int64_t> visited_map;
  return Equals(expected, actual, test_string_references, &visited_map);
}

}  // namespace ppapi

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Tag: ESG
PwC and SAP Launch New Innovation Strategy to Help Organizations Achieve Their ESG and Net-Zero Targets
PwC and SAP SE have announced a new co-innovation strategy to make sustainability an integral part of standard business operations. The strategy is directed at creating trusted solutions to address key environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) business challenges. It covers carbon measuring, reporting and steering as well as supply chain decarbonization, climate risk and competitive analysis. The new ESG strategy builds on the strength of the existing alliance between PwC and SAP, which has successfully delivered business transformation solutions to clients in more than 80 countries. The strategy includes…
NewsESG, PwC, SAPLeave a comment
Inogen Alliance Publishes 2021 ESG Report
January 5, 2023 November 28, 2022 Stuart Mitchell
Inogen Alliance is pleased to publish their inaugural ESG Report for 2021. The commitment areas outlined in their ESG policy concentrate on the improvement of their processes and target where they can make the biggest impacts internally. The priority is to work collaboratively on theirdirect impacts as an Alliance and plan for later extension of their core ESG commitments to the independent Associate companies. The report outlines areas of influence and impacts within Planet, People and Governance; including topics of carbon footprinting and offsets, sustainable travel, Health & Safety, and…
NewsESG, Inogen AllianceLeave a comment
The Hershey Company Releases Its 2021 ESG Report
The Hershey Company shared its 2021 ESG (environmental, social and governance) Report, highlighting the company's goals and progress across its priority ESG areas including cocoa sustainability, environmental sustainability, responsible sourcing and human rights, employee well-being, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Hershey's 2021 ESG Report shares progress and new goals across its social and environmental priorities. Hershey's holistic ESG strategy, known as its Shared Goodness Promise, guides the company to make a positive impact at scale and leverage its business to advance more sustainable growth with socially conscious and responsible…
NewsESG, HersheyLeave a comment
Impacting Human Health: Moderna's 2021 ESG Report
December 4, 2022 October 29, 2022 Stuart Mitchell
In its 2021 ESG Report, Moderna outlines its corporate responsibility strategy and defines five guiding focus areas for ongoing and future efforts: Medicines for patients Employees Environment Community Governance and ethics The report also includes updates to the progress Moderna has made to date: 25% of total doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 were delivered to low- and middle-income countries. 40% of Moderna's U.S. workforce identifies as racially or ethnically diverse, up from 35% in 2020. Moderna announced its Global Public Health Strategy to: Advance vaccines targeting 15 pathogens…
NewsESG, ModernaLeave a comment
Amgen Releases Annual Environmental, Social & Governance Report
Amgen has released its 2021 Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) report, providing a comprehensive overview of the many ways the Company is doing its part to build a better, healthier world. "Our core business of improving human health, in and of itself, contributes meaningfully to the greater good," said Judy Brown, senior vice president, Corporate Affairs at Amgen," and through our ESG programs, we are building on that foundation to address other challenging issues facing our society." Amgen's latest ESG report tracks the Company's progress across four categories: Healthy People: We focus…
NewsAmgen, ESGLeave a comment

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: how to access the $(this) inside ajax success callback function It seems that i cannot access $(this) inside jquery ajax success function. please see below code.
 $.ajax({
   type: 'post',
   url: '<?php echo site_url('user/accept_deny_friendship_request')?>',
   data: 'action='+$action+'&user_id='+$user_id,
   success: function(response){
     //cannot access $(this) here $(this).parent().remove();
   }
 });

A: If you want this to be this in the context of your ajax call, you can also use .bind() like the following:
$.ajax({
  url: 'some_url'
  success: function(data) {
    // do something 'this'
  }.bind(this)
})

It binds the value of this inside the success callback to this outside.

A: What should $(this) be? If you have a reference to it outside that function, you can just store it into a variable.
$('#someLink').click(function() {
    var $t = $(this);
    $.ajax( ... , function() {
        $t.parent().remove();
    });
}

A: Check out the context option - works perfectly for me:
$.ajax({
    context: this,
    type: 'post',
    url: '<?php echo site_url('user/accept_deny_friendship_request')?>',
    data: 'action='+$action+'&user_id='+$user_id,
    success: function(response){
       //can access this now!
    }
});

A: Try calling $.proxy, to change the scope of this inside the function:
$.ajax({
    success: $.proxy(function(response) { $(this).parent().bla(); }, $(this));
});

A: I can't see $(this) referencing anything but easier way would be to give the element a class or id and reference that from jquery:
Instead of:
$(this).parent().remove();

You could do:
$('#element_id').parent().remove();

Note: Here I assume that you are dealing with one element/iteration.

A: Now, you can simply achieve it using ES6 arrow function. You can convert the anonymous function to arrow function expression as below:
 $.ajax({
   ..,
   success: (response) => {
     // access this outside of this function scope by using `this`
   }
 });

Make sure to use transpiler such as babel to provide support for older browsers.


The Nike LeBron 15 "Four Horsemen" continues a trend for the signature sneaker series.
Around three years ago, the performance sneaker market started to lag a bit as the athleisure trend made its way through our relative consciousness. But, thanks to the LeBron 15, it looks like this beast of a performance sneaker series is making a serious retail comeback. The way it's done is remarkable, combining both striking aesthetics and advanced functional tech.
The upper on the LeBron 15 is comprised of a Flyknit base, a standard on performance basketball sneakers these days. The interesting thing, in this case, is that this is the first time we're seeing an actual application of the woven material on a LeBron signature sneaker.
Up to this point in its history, the LBJ series has seen Nike adopt pretty much every material combination in terms of performance output on the court. Flyknit might not have seemed like a viable option for supporting and locking down the most gifted athlete basketball has ever seen. And yet, it's been performing well.
The cushion is a bit of a blast from the past. Though incorporating Zoom units in what seems to be a new way, we've seen a similar set up on models such as the LeBron 10. It makes for world-beating impact protection and increased energy return.
Nike has been releasing a crazy amount of colorways of the LeBron 15, highlighted by efforts such as this "Four Horsemen" look. The Four Horsemen refer to LeBron's group of Rich Paul, Maverick Carter, Ernie Ramos, and Bron himself. This is referenced by the "LRMR" script on the shoe's inner tongue.
Available now, you'll want to cop yourself a piece of LeBron while we witness his dominating run through the Playoffs!
Check if your size is available.


1. The yearbook is always filled with priceless memories. High school only lasts for four years, and if you did not already know, those years pass by in the blink of an eye. Let the yearbook hold on to all your memories with thousands of photos while you live in the moment!
2. There are limited copies of the yearbook, which makes it a lasting collectible! You will never be able to get your hands on your own, official 45th edition of the Bob Jones High School 2018-2019 Yearbook if you don't take action now. Not only is it a collectible, but yearbooks can last for lifetimes.
3. It's important to reflect on the past, and remember what your friends and classmates looked like before they grew up (or became famous). In a couple of decades, you may even want to look back at what was trending when you were in high school, because those trends may make a comeback, too.
5. Finally, the best reason to purchase a yearbook is so that you can join the excitement when the yearbooks arrive in May! Signing yearbooks with your classmates and looking for photos of those you know are high school traditions that you do not want to miss!
Yearbook sales end on February 1, 2018, and the books only cost $75. If you have not already ordered one, you can pay online through the Bob Jones payment website, or see Mrs. Rock in the fee payment office.


Have an experienced trainer come to your house to provide you with a functional and personalized training session.This is suitable for persons of varying fitness levels.Programs are individualized which means that there will be constant growth as your technique and fitness levels improve.I aim to not only help you to achieve your personal fitness goals, but also to do so in a manner which is fun,sustainable and promotes personal development.
Session price is R300 for 60 minutes and offered in JOHANNESBURG. The training session will have a balance of padwork,technical training and conditioning.
Please note that there are a limited number of training slots available so book early to avoid disappointment.
Whatsapp Nadeem on 078 097 1707 for any enquiries.


text:
Rosh HaShannah 5772: "A Loving Call"
On Rosh HaShannah, after hearing the Shofar each of the three times during Musaf, we recite these words:
"May the words of our lips be pleasing to You, God, who listens, discerns, considers, and attends to the sound of our shofar blast. Lovingly accept our offering..."
God "listens, discerns, considers, and attends to the sound of our shofar blast"? This vision is of a God who needs, listens, and loves, a God Who is not content to be Alone. The very title Melech/King, used throughout Yamim Nora'im points to this as well. We do not believe in a gendered definition of God (nor do we deal particularly well with authority) but this title implies relationship, for what is a ruler without subjects? And we wish it to be this way, which is why we plead "May the words of our lips be pleasing... lovingly accept our offering." As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschelz"l taught, "Judaism shows it to be a need to be needed by God."
Our communities call each of us to stretch and support their vulnerable futures. Our country is struggling to emerge from a contraction that affects many, many citizens. The State of Israel is enduring an unparalleled moment of uncertainty. The world is aching for a better year.
I believe each of these calls us to lovingly offer what we can, to "avert the severity of the decree" through introspection and repentance, learning and Tzedakah - to commit our hands to the aspirational dreams our hearts express.
The shofar is jolt to the human soul, but it is also a piercing cry to God, who "attends" and "lovingly accepts" that which we offer. With every word, spoken and unspoken, may we bring our deepest dreams just a bit closer to reality.
The world is about to begin again. Thank God.
May this be a healthy, safe, year for you and those you love.
May it be a good year for our community, for Israel, and for the entire world.
Rosh Hashana e-Shiur from the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem
Rosh Hashana E-Shiur
The Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem
The Conservative Yeshiva is pleased to bring you this E-Shiur, "Zohar on the Holidays of Tishrei" by Dr. Shaiya Rothberg.
The E-shiur can be downloaded in pdf and printed out, for your convenience. The sources in the original (Hebrew and Aramaic) with translation into English can be downloaded here.
We hope this E-Shiur contributes to your High Holiday learning!
On behalf of all at the Conservative Yeshiva, we wish you Shana Tova.
Rabbi Shmuel (Richard) Lewis, Rosh Yeshiva
Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb, Director
a Letter to the Wall Street Journal
I believe Tevi Troy's "The White House's Advice for Your Rabbi" (Sept. 23) was inaccurate. Rabbis have not been pressured to talk politics from the pulpit by the White House during the upcoming Holiday season. Jewish tradition teaches Jews to "Pray for the welfare of the government, without which people would tear each other apart." It isn't political to talk about the needs of our society, which has been the thrust of the White House's message. We must be engaged in our country's welfare. It is a Jewish communal obligation as well as a central obligation of citizenship.
Amitim for Grown-Ups
with Rabbi Creditor
Tuesday Nights, 7:30pm-9pm
Dates: Nov. 8, 29; Dec. 13, 20; Jan. 3, 17, 24; Feb. 7, 14, 21; March 6, 13, 27; April 3, 17; May 1, 22
Tuition: $180-$360 for the entire series (some scholarship is available, no one turned away for lack of funds)
Please register by email to amitim4grownups@gmail.com
Have you been wishing to have an Aliyah, read Torah, and understand Shabbat morning services but don't yet have the confidence or skills? In this brand new Adult class we will share the wisdom of "Amitim," the CNS Bar/Bat Mitzvah program! This will be a wonderful way to gain (or brush-up on) synagogue skills, practice basic Hebrew prayer, learn how to craft a Drasha, and more! Every class will begin at 7:30 with a "How-to" component, a 10 minute break, and then a chance for guided discussion on a range of related Jewish topics. Participants will have the option of celebrating an Adult Bat or Bar Mitzvah, either as a group or as individuals, with support from Rabbi Creditor and Rabbi Bochner. No Hebrew knowledge necessary, just a passionate, curious soul! All proceeds support Tzedakkah projects at Congregation Netivot Shalom.
"Free" or "Inspired by Violin"
Amazing things,
those souls with strings.
Every stroke and every sound,
penetrates and swirls around.
Not suspended, undefended,
flying free, as God intended.
It touches where no word can go,
deep within, where spirit flows.
And if the blessing sought is touched,
your heart, your soul might feel the rush,
of all that is and what might be,
coursing through to set you free.
Dr. Alex Sinclair in JPost: "Israel engagement is Israel's responsibility too"
Israel engagement is Israel's responsibility too
By ALEX SINCLAIR
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=238949
Dr. Alex Sinclair is the Director of Programs in Israel Education for the Jewish Theological Seminary. He directs Kesher Hadash, the semester-in- Israel program of JTS's Davidson School of Education.
Most Israel engagement programs are rooted in one core underlying assumption: that American Jewish identity and life are in some way incomplete without, or at the very least can be enriched by, a relationship with Israel and Israelis. According to this assumption, the problem of Israel engagement is located entirely within the American Jewish context, and it is there that the worldwide Jewish community's efforts must be directed in order to fix the problem. American Jews are brought to Israel in order to be inspired and become connected; Israelis are sent to the United States in order to educate and inspire young Americans at summer camps; and educational researchers probe the extent to which Americans do or don't feel connected to Israel.
I certainly agree – wholeheartedly! – that engagement with Israel and Israelis has the potential to enrich American Jewish identity. However, that's only half the story, and our exclusive focus on that single assumption explains much of the malaise in Israel engagement, and in the relationship between American Jewry and Israel.
The other half of the story is that the responsibility for Israel engagement lies not only with American Jewry, but also with Israeli Jewry.
Let me highlight the problem with the following vignette. A senior Israeli academic recently bemoaned to me the disconnect between American Jews and Israel. "Why do you think American Jews don't feel connected to Israel?," she asked me. "Is it their lack of Jewish education, the fact that they don't speak Hebrew, they prefer to assimilate and be American, not Jewish... why don't they want to have a relationship with this country?"
At no point in the conversation did she pause to wonder if perhaps Israel played some part in the disconnect. There was no soul-searching along the lines of "what is it about us that has led them to disconnect?"
In this professor's eyes, the problem of Israel engagement was entirely an American issue. Her attitude is not unique – it is shared by most of those who educate, research and write about Israel engagement. The singlelocation assumption is one of the main reasons that rabbinical, cantorial and education students who spend extended periods of time in Israel often end up feeling ambivalent toward it. They are expected to buy into this assumption, and to go back to the US and "sell Israel" to their communities, whose members are not engaging with Israel as much as they "should be." But while they are here, they experience moments of disconnection, and the single-location approach offers no conceptual foundation for integrating that disconnect into their approach to Israel engagement.
EVEN THE best recent thinking about Israel engagement does not go far enough. The felicitous phrase "hugging and wrestling," coined by my colleague Robbie Gringras, still assumes that the primary location of the problem is with American Jews, and how they relate to Israel. The notion of hugging and wrestling has been an important contribution to the field; but now we need to go further, and broaden the horizons of what we mean by Israel engagement in the first place.
Israel engagement must change from being a single-location problem to being a dual-location problem.
We need to develop a second core assumption in Israel engagement: it's not only American Jews' responsibility that they don't relate to Israel; it's also Israel's responsibility. Note the "not only... also" construction: this position is not a denial of the problematic elements of American Jewish identity and education, nor of the responsibility of the American Jewish community to do more to inspire its congregants to take on Jewish rituals, learn Jewish texts, speak Hebrew and explore Israeli culture. This position's new claim is, though, that Israel engagement must also be rooted in the consideration of Israel's part in the disconnect.
There are at least three major areas of Israeli identity, society and culture that play their part in the disconnect between Israel and American Jews: egalitarianism, universalism and meaning- oriented Judaism.
Firstly, Israeli Judaism is much less egalitarian than American Judaism, and that causes many liberal American Jews, especially, ironically, the more committed ones, to feel disconnected from Israel. Until now, Israel engagement, rooted as it is in the single-location approach, has had no response to this problem. Our responses are usually limited to having American Jews try to just accept that Israel is a more traditional society, and brush aside their egalitarian commitments.
Instead, the Israel engagement agenda needs to turn to Israelis, and open the conversation about Jewish egalitarianism. This doesn't mean that Israelis need to change, and here American Jews may need to lower their expectations: Israeli Judaism, for all kinds of reasons, is not going to suddenly change. But Israelis do have to understand just how core the principle of egalitarianism is to the current generation of young American Jewish leaders, and just how much Israelis' dismissal of Jewish egalitarianism is not just a slap in the face, but a blow to the soul. Israeli society needs a process of political and social education that will advocate respect for women rabbis, genuine and open curiosity about egalitarian Judaism, and a willingness to seek compromises for American Jews in a variety of Jewish religious sites.
I AM under no illusions about the enormous barriers to these processes of political and social education in both the secular and religious communities. Nevertheless, anyone concerned with Jewish peoplehood and Israel engagement must put American Jews and Israelis in conversation together in order to raise these issues. This is the innovation that is offered by seeing Israel engagement as a duallocation issue: the egalitarian issue, rather than being gently side-stepped, or embarrassingly swept under the table, instead becomes a front-and-center component of activities and programs.
The second area of disconnect between American Jews and Israeli society is universalism. Some commentators argue that American Judaism has swung too far in a universalist direction. Others claim that Israeli Judaism has swung too far towards particularism, nationalism and tribalism. The dual-location approach sees the problem as two-fold: both an overlyuniversalist American Jewishness and an overly- tribalist Israeli Jewishness. Israel engagement that flows out of the dual-location approach will ask both groups, in conversation together, to reflect critically about each community's place on this spectrum.
Thirdly, liberal American Jews are used to seeing Judaism as a source of spiritual, existential, or cultural meaning. Now, to be sure, this is a double-edged sword. For every committed Jew whose life is invested in meaning through engagement with Judaism, there is another (or more) who drifts from Jewish engagement because "I don't find it personally meaningful."
In Israel, Judaism is less often seen as a source of personal meaning; observant Israeli Jews tend to observe Jewish law for other theological and sociological reasons, and, while there has in the past decade been an awakening of various Jewish renewal movements amongst so-called secular Jews, there is still a long way to go. Israelis can learn a lot from American Jews about meaning-oriented Judaism; and American Jews can be enriched by such a conversation too, especially by Israelis' insistence that personal meaning can be achieved along with, and through, commitment to the Jewish collective.
These three issues – egalitarianism, universalism and meaning-oriented Judaism – are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many other important conversations to be had between Israelis and American Jews. Israeli and American Jewish educational and communal leaders must re-imagine Israel engagement so that it pushes American Jews and Israelis together, each asking how they might enrich, and be enriched by, the other. A dual-location approach, in which each side may "influence and be influenced," may yet help us figure out the Israel engagement puzzle, and reduce the disconnect – in both directions – between young American Jewish leaders and Israel.
Remarks of President Barack Obama - As Prepared for Delivery, United Nations General Assembly
Remarks of President Barack Obama – As Prepared for Delivery
Address to the United Nations General Assembly
As Prepared for Delivery –
Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen: I would like to talk to you about a subject that is at the heart of the United Nations – the pursuit of peace in an imperfect world.
War and conflict have been with us since the beginning of civilization. But in the first part of the 20th century, the advance of modern weaponry led to death on a staggering scale. It was this killing that compelled the founders of this body to build an institution that was focused not just on ending one war, but on averting others; a union of sovereign states that would seek to prevent conflict, while also addressing its causes.
No American did more to pursue this objective than President Franklin Roosevelt. He knew that a victory in war was not enough. As he said at one of the very first meetings on the founding of the United Nations, "We have got to make, not merely a peace, but a peace that will last."
The men and women who built this institution understood that peace is more than the absence of war. A lasting peace – for nations and individuals – depends upon a sense of justice and opportunity; of dignity and freedom. It depends upon struggle and sacrifice; on compromise, and a sense of common humanity.
One delegate to the San Francisco Conference that led to the creation of United Nations put it well – "Many people," she said, "have talked as if all we had to do to get peace was…to say loudly and frequently that we loved peace and hated war. Now we have learned that no matter how much we love peace and hate war, we cannot avoid having war brought upon us if there are convulsions in other parts of the world."
The fact is, peace is hard, but our people demand it. Over nearly seven decades, even as the United Nations helped avert a third World War, we still live in a world scarred by conflict and plagued by poverty. Even as we proclaim our love for peace and hatred of war, there are convulsions in our world that endanger us all.
I took office at a time of two wars for the United States. Moreover, the violent extremists who drew us into war in the first place – Osama bin Laden, and his al Qaeda organization – remained at large. Today, we have set a new direction.
At the end of this year, America's military operation in Iraq will be over. We will have a normal relationship with a sovereign nation that is a member of the community of nations. That equal partnership will be strengthened by our support for Iraq – for its government and Security Forces; for its people and their aspirations.
As we end the war in Iraq, the United States and our coalition partners have begun a transition in Afghanistan. Between now and 2014, an increasingly capable Afghan government and Security Forces will step forward to take responsibility for the future of their country. As they do, we are drawing down our own forces, while building an enduring partnership with the Afghan people.
So let there be no doubt: the tide of war is receding. When I took office, roughly 180,000 Americans were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. By the end of this year, that number will be cut in half, and it will continue to decline. This is critical to the sovereignty of Iraq and Afghanistan, and to the strength of the United States as we build our nation at home.
Moreover, we are poised to end these wars from a position of strength. Ten years ago, there was an open wound of twisted steel and broken hearts in this city. Today, as a new tower rising at Ground Zero symbolizes New York's renewal, al Qaeda is under more pressure than ever before. Its leadership has been degraded. And Osama bin Laden, a man who murdered thousands of people from dozens of countries, will never endanger the peace of the world again.
Yes, this has been a difficult decade. But today, we stand at a crossroads of history with the chance to move decisively in the direction of peace. To do so, we must return to the wisdom of those who created this institution. The UN's Founding Charter calls upon us, "to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security." And Article 1 of this General Assembly's Universal Declaration of Human Rights reminds us that, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.' Those bedrock beliefs – in the responsibility of states, and the rights of men and women – must be our guide.
In that effort, we have reason to hope. This year has been a time of transformation. More nations have stepped forward to maintain international peace and security. And more individuals are claiming their universal right to live in freedom and dignity.
One year ago, when we met here in New York, the prospect of a successful referendum in South Sudan was in doubt. But the international community overcame old divisions to support the agreement that had been negotiated to give South Sudan self-determination. And last summer, as a new flag went up in Juba, former soldiers laid down their arms; men and women wept with joy; and children finally knew the promise of looking to a future that they will shape.
One year ago, the people of Cote D'Ivoire approached a landmark election. And when the incumbent lost, and refused to respect the results, the world refused to look the other way. UN peacekeepers were harassed, but did not leave their posts. The Security Council, led by the United States, Nigeria, and France, came together to support the will of the people. And Cote D'Ivoire is now governed by the man who was elected to lead.
One year ago, the hopes of the people of Tunisia were suppressed. But they chose the dignity of peaceful protest over the rule of an iron fist. A vendor lit a spark that took his own life, but ignited a movement. In the face of a crackdown, students spelled out the word freedom. The balance of fear shifted from the ruler to those that he ruled. Now the people of Tunisia are preparing for elections that will move them one step closer to the democracy they deserve.
One year ago, Egypt had known one President for nearly thirty years. But for 18 days, the eyes of the world were on Tahrir Square, where Egyptians from all walks of life – men and women; young and old; Muslim and Christian – demanded their universal rights. We saw in those protesters the moral force of non-violence that has lit the world from Delhi to Warsaw; from Selma to South Africa – and we knew that change had come to Egypt and to the Arab World.
One year ago, the people of Libya were ruled by the world's longest serving dictator. But faced with bullets and bombs and a dictator who threatened to hunt them down like rats, they showed relentless bravery. We will never forget the words of the Libyan who stood up in those early days of revolution and said, "Our words are free now. It's a feeling you can't explain."
Day after day, in the face of bullets and bombs, the Libyan people refused to give back that freedom. And when they were threatened by the kind of mass atrocity that often went unchallenged in the last century, the United Nations lived up to its charter. The Security Council authorized all necessary measures to prevent a massacre. The Arab League called for this effort, and Arab nations joined a NATO-led coalition that halted Qadhafi's forces in their tracks.
In the months that followed, the will of the coalition proved unbreakable, and the will of the Libyan people could not be denied. Forty-two years of tyranny was ended in six months. From Tripoli to Misratah to Benghazi – today, Libya is free. Yesterday, the leaders of a new Libya took their rightful place beside us, and this week, the United States is reopening our Embassy in Tripoli. This is how the international community is supposed to work – nations standing together for the sake of peace and security; individuals claiming their rights. Now, all of us have a responsibility to support the new Libyan government as they confront the challenge of turning this moment of promise into a just and lasting peace for all Libyans.
So it has been a remarkable year. The Qadhafi regime is over. Gbagbo, Ben Ali, and Mubarak are no longer in power. Osama bin Laden is gone, and the idea that change could only come through violence has been buried with him. Something is happening in our world. The way things have been is not the way they will be. The humiliating grip of corruption and tyranny is being pried open. Technology is putting power in the hands of the people. The youth are delivering a powerful rebuke to dictatorship, and rejecting the lie that some races, religions and ethnicities do not desire democracy. The promise written down on paper – "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights" – is closer at hand.
But let us remember: peace is hard. Progress can be reversed. Prosperity comes slowly. Societies can split apart. The measure of our success must be whether people can live in sustained freedom, dignity, and security. And the United Nations and its member states must do their part to support those basic aspirations.
In Iran, we have seen a government that refuses to recognize the rights of its own people. And as we meet here today, men, women and children are being tortured, detained and murdered by the Syrian regime. Thousands have been killed, many during the holy time of Ramadan. Thousands more have poured across Syria's borders. The Syrian people have shown dignity and courage in their pursuit of justice – protesting peacefully, standing silently in the streets, dying for the same values that this institution is supposed to stand for. The question for us is clear: Will we stand with the Syrian people, or with their oppressors?
Already, the United States has imposed strong sanctions on Syria's leaders. We have supported a transfer of power that is responsive to the Syrian people. Many of our allies have joined us in this effort. But for the sake of Syria – and the peace and security of the world – we must speak with one voice. There is no excuse for inaction. Now is the time for the United Nations Security Council to sanction the Syrian regime, and to stand with the Syrian people.
Throughout the region, we will have to respond to the calls for change. In Yemen, men, women and children gather by the thousands in towns and city squares every day with the hope that their determination and spilled blood will prevail over a corrupt system. America supports their aspirations. We must work with Yemen's neighbors and our partners around the world to seek a path that allows for a peaceful transition of power from President Saleh, and a movement to free and fair elections as soon as possible.
In Bahrain, steps have been taken toward reform and accountability, but more are required. America is a close friend of Bahrain, and we will continue to call on the government and the main opposition bloc – the Wifaq – to pursue a meaningful dialogue that brings peaceful change that is responsive to the people. And we believe the patriotism that binds Bahrainis together must be more powerful than the sectarian forces that would tear them apart.
Each nation must chart its own course to fulfill the aspirations of its people, and America does not expect to agree with every party or person who expresses themselves politically. But we will always stand up for the universal rights that were embraced by this Assembly. Those rights depend upon elections that are free and fair; governance that is transparent and accountable; respect for the rights of women and minorities; and justice that is equal and fair. That is what our people deserve. Those are elements of a peace that lasts.
Moreover, the United States will continue to support those nations that transition to democracy – with greater trade and investment, so that freedom is followed by opportunity. We will pursue a deeper engagement with governments, but also civil society – students and entrepreneurs; political parties and the press. We have banned those who abuse human rights from travelling to our country, and sanctioned those who trample on human rights abroad. And we will always serve as a voice for those who have been silenced.
Now I know that for many in this hall, one issue stands as a test for these principles – and for American foreign policy: the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.
One year ago, I stood at this podium and called for an independent Palestine. I believed then – and I believe now – that the Palestinian people deserve a state of their own. But what I also said is that genuine peace can only be realized between Israelis and Palestinians themselves. One year later, despite extensive efforts by America and others, the parties have not bridged their differences. Faced with this stalemate, I put forward a new basis for negotiations in May. That basis is clear, and well known to all of us here. Israelis must know that any agreement provides assurances for their security. Palestinians deserve to know the territorial basis of their state.
I know that many are frustrated by the lack of progress. So am I. But the question isn't the goal we seek – the question is how to reach it. And I am convinced that there is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the UN – if it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now. Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians who must live side by side. Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians – not us – who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them: on borders and security; on refugees and Jerusalem.
Peace depends upon compromise among peoples who must live together long after our speeches are over, and our votes have been counted. That is the lesson of Northern Ireland, where ancient antagonists bridged their differences. That is the lesson of Sudan, where a negotiated settlement led to an independent state. And that is the path to a Palestinian state.
We seek a future where Palestinians live in a sovereign state of their own, with no limit to what they can achieve. There is no question that the Palestinians have seen that vision delayed for too long. And it is precisely because we believe so strongly in the aspirations of the Palestinian people that America has invested so much time and effort in the building of a Palestinian state, and the negotiations that can achieve one.
America's commitment to Israel's security is unshakeable, and our friendship with Israel is deep and enduring. And so we believe that any lasting peace must acknowledge the very real security concerns that Israel faces every single day. Let's be honest: Israel is surrounded by neighbors that have waged repeated wars against it. Israel's citizens have been killed by rockets fired at their houses and suicide bombs on their buses. Israel's children come of age knowing that throughout the region, other children are taught to hate them. Israel, a small country of less than eight million people, looks out at a world where leaders of much larger nations threaten to wipe it off of the map. The Jewish people carry the burden of centuries of exile, persecution, and the fresh memory of knowing that six million people were killed simply because of who they were.
These facts cannot be denied. The Jewish people have forged a successful state in their historic homeland. Israel deserves recognition. It deserves normal relations with its neighbors. And friends of the Palestinians do them no favors by ignoring this truth, just as friends of Israel must recognize the need to pursue a two state solution with a secure Israel next to an independent Palestine.
That truth – that each side has legitimate aspirations – is what makes peace so hard. And the deadlock will only be broken when each side learns to stand in each other's shoes. That's what we should be encouraging. This body – founded, as it was, out of the ashes of war and genocide; dedicated, as it is, to the dignity of every person – must recognize the reality that is lived by both the Palestinians and the Israelis. The measure of our actions must always be whether they advance the right of Israeli and Palestinian children to live in peace and security, with dignity and opportunity. We will only succeed in that effort if we can encourage the parties to sit down together, to listen to each other, and to understand each other's hopes and fears. That is the project to which America is committed. And that is what the United Nations should be focused on in the weeks and months to come.
Now, even as we confront these challenges of conflict and revolution, we must also recognize once more that peace is not just the absence of war. True peace depends upon creating the opportunity that makes life worth living. And to do that, we must confront the common enemies of human beings: nuclear weapons and poverty; ignorance and disease. These forces corrode the possibility of lasting peace, and together we are called upon to confront them.
To lift the specter of mass destruction, we must come together to pursue the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. Over the last two years, we have begun to walk down that path. Since our Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, nearly 50 nations have taken steps to secure nuclear materials from terrorists and smugglers. Next March, a Summit in Seoul will advance our efforts to lock down all of them. The New START Treaty between the United States and Russia will cut our deployed arsenals to the lowest level in a half century, and our nations are pursuing talks on how to achieve deeper reductions. America will continue to work for a ban on the testing of nuclear weapons, and the production of fissile material needed to make them.
As we meet our obligations, we have strengthened the treaties and institutions that help stop the spread of these weapons. To do so, we must continue to hold accountable those nations that flout them. The Iranian government cannot demonstrate that its program is peaceful, has not met its obligations, and rejected offers that would provide it with peaceful nuclear power. North Korea has yet to take concrete steps toward abandoning its weapons, and continues belligerent actions against the South. There is a future of greater opportunity for the people of these nations if their governments meet their obligations. But if they continue down a path that is outside international law, they must be met with greater pressure and isolation. That is what our commitment to peace demands.
To bring prosperity to our people, we must promote the growth that creates opportunity. In this effort, let us not forget that we have made enormous progress over the last several decades. Closed societies gave way to open markets. Innovation and entrepreneurship has transformed the way we live and the things that we can do. Emerging economies from Asia to the Americas have lifted hundreds of millions from poverty. Yet three years ago, we confronted the worst financial crisis in eight decades. That crisis proved a fact that has become clearer with each passing year – our fate is interconnected; in a global economy, nations will rise, or fall, together.
Today, we confront the challenges that have followed that crisis. Recovery is fragile. Markets are volatile. Too many people are out of work. Too many others are struggling to get by. We acted together to avert a Depression in 2009. We must take urgent and coordinated action once more. Here in the United States, I have announced a plan to put Americans back to work and jumpstart our economy, and committed to substantially reduce our deficit over time. We stand with our European allies as they reshape their institutions and address their own fiscal challenge. For other countries, leaders face a different challenge as they shift their economies towards more self-reliance, boosting domestic demand while slowing inflation. So we will work with emerging economies that have rebounded strongly, so that rising standards of living create new markets that promote global growth. That is what our commitment to prosperity demands.
To combat the poverty that punishes our children, we must act on the belief that freedom from want is a basic human right. The United States has made it a focus of our engagement abroad to help people to feed themselves. And today, as drought and conflict have brought famine to the Horn of Africa, our conscience calls on us to act. Together, we must continue to provide assistance, and support organizations that can reach those in need. And together, we must insist on unrestricted humanitarian access so that we can save the lives of thousands of men, women and children. Our common humanity is at stake. Let us show that the life of a child in Somalia is as precious as any other. That is what our commitment to our fellow human beings demands.
To stop disease that spreads across borders, we must strengthen our systems of public health. We will continue the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. We will focus on the health of mothers and children. And we must come together to prevent, detect, and fight every kind of biological danger – whether it is a pandemic like H1N1, a terrorist threat, or a treatable disease. This week, America signed an agreement with the World Health Organization to affirm our commitment to meet this challenge. Today, I urge all nations to join us in meeting the WHO's goal of making sure all nations have core capacities to address public health emergencies in place by 2012. That is what our commitment to the health of our people demands.
To preserve our planet, we must not put off the action that a changing climate demands. We must tap the power of science to save those resources that are scarce. Together, we must continue our work to build on the progress made in Copenhagen and Cancun, so that all of the major economies here today follow through on the commitments that were made. Together, we must work to transform the energy that powers are economies, and support others as they move down that path. That is what our commitment to the next generation demands.
And to make sure our societies reach their potential, we must allow our citizens to reach theirs. No country can afford the cancer of corruption. Together, we must harness the power of open societies and open economies. That is why we have partnered with countries from across the globe to launch a new partnership on Open Government that helps ensure accountability and empower their citizens. No country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere. And no country can realize its potential if half its population cannot reach theirs. This week, the United States signed a new Declaration on Women's Participation. Next year, we should each announce the steps we are taking to break down economic and political barriers that stand in the way of women and girls. That is what our commitment to human progress demands.
I know that there is no straight line to progress, no single path to success. We come from different cultures, and carry with us different histories. But let us never forget that even as we gather here as heads of different governments, we represent citizens who share the same basic aspirations – to live with dignity and freedom; to get an education and pursue opportunity; to love our families and our God. To live in the kind of peace that makes life worth living.
It is the nature of our imperfect world that we are forced to learn this lesson over and over again. Conflict and repression will endure so long as some people refuse to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Yet that is precisely why we have built institutions like this that bind our fates together – because those who came before us believed that peace is preferable to war; freedom is preferable to suppression; and prosperity is preferable to poverty. That is the message that comes not from capitals, but from citizens.
When the corner-stone of this very building was put in place, President Truman came here to New York and said, "The United Nations is essentially an expression of the moral nature of man's aspirations." As we live in a world that is changing at a breathtaking pace, that is a lesson that we must never forget.
Peace is hard, but we know that it is possible. Together, let us resolve to see that it is defined by our hopes and not our fears. Together, let us work to make, not merely a peace, but a peace that will last. Thank you.
It's Real
It's real. It's real.
All I can think to say...
Words escape me,
and my heart begins to shake.
That sound,
that primal scream of broken-ness,
I fall into it, broken myself,
shivering in awe at its call.
I shake
into one,
into three,
into nine,
into one...
"Baby N' Me!" At Congregation Netivot Shalom
Baby N' Me!
At Congregation Netivot Shalom
Wednesdays, 9:15 am -10:30am
Oct. 26; Nov. 2, 9, 16, 30; Dec. 7, 14
$10/session, $60/season
Join CNS Preschool Director Lauren Kindorf in this new offering
at Netivot Shalom for babies, toddlers, parents and caregivers!
We'll meet on Wednesdays for stories, songs, parachutes, parenting discussions, and more!
Please register with Lauren at (510) 549-9447 x110 or preschool@netivotshalom.org.
What Color are Jews? Exploring the Diversity of Our Community Locally and Globally
Local photographer, Bryan Schwartz documented the global Jewish community in his exhibit, Scattered Among the Nations, which opens Sept. 18 at Temple Sinai. Scattered Among the Nations challenges the stereotypes of what Jews look like.
Date: September 18
Time: 5:00-7:00pm
Place: Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit St., Oakland
Information: Dawn Kepler, dawn@buildingjewishbridges.org
Co-sponsored with Temple Sinai & Lehrhaus Judaica
Dawn C. Kepler, Director
Building Jewish Bridges:
Embracing Interfaith Couples
2736 Bancroft Way
(510) 845-6420 x11
www.buildingjewishbridges.org
Scattered Among the Nations View a magnificent photo exhibit of Jews around the globe. Opening night with speaker & photographer, Bryan Schwartz. Sept. 18 at 5pm in Oakland. Call for details.
PLO official: Palestine should be free of Jews
First Published: 20:03 , 09.14.11
Latest Update: 00:42 , 09.15.11
Statehood Bid
Abbas. Seeking Judenrein? Photo: Reuters
click here to enlarge text
PLO ambassador to US says 'after 44 years of occupation, it would be in both peoples' interest to be separated' adding that Palestinians need separation to work on national identity. US diplomat subs remarks 'despicable form of anti-Semitism'
Yitzhak Benhorin
WASHINGTON - The Palestinian Liberation Organization's Ambassador to the US Maen Areikat said Wednesday that any future Palestinian state must be free of Jews. Speaking to reporters in the US he said, "After the experience of the last 44 years of military occupation and all the conflict and friction, I think it would be in the best interest of the two people to be separated."
Areikat made the statements after being asked about the rights of minorities in a future Palestinian state, USA Today reported. He declared that the PLO seeks a secular state, but that Palestinians need separation to work on their own national identity.
FM: Unilateral moves will have dire consequences
Abbas: No going back on UN bid
Carter 'reluctantly' backs Palestinian UN bid
Later Wednesday, Palestinian Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud al-Habash dismissed Areikat's statements, saying that the Palestinian state is to welcome members of all faiths. He asserted that any media attempts to manipulate anti-Jewish statements are politically motivated.
He added that the Palestinian Authority and its ambassador to Washington have a clear stance on the matter.
Palestinians expected to win overwhelming majority (Photo: AFP)
Minister of Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Yuli Edelstein also responded to Areikat's remarks. "After an unending de-legitimization campaign and attempts to brand Israel an apartheid state, it appears it is the Palestinians who seek apartheid.
For full coverage of PA's UN campaign click here
He said the statements are reminiscent of Nazi slogans. "His comments conjure up Judenrein motifs. I wonder if Areikat's remark that both peoples must live separately means that one million Arab-Israelis are not part of his people."
Areikat's comments caused a stir among Jewish leaders. Elliott Abrams, a former US National Security Council official, said in response that according to such plans, Palestine will be the first to officially prohibit Jews or any other faith since Nazi Germany, which sought a country that was judenrein, or cleansed of Jews.
Abrams described the demand as "a despicable form of anti-Semitism" adding that a small Jewish presence in a future Palestinian state would not hurt the Palestinian identity.
EU's Ashton with Saeb Erekat (Photo: AP)
The UN's General Assembly is scheduled to address the Palestinian bid for recognition next week, with Israel, the US and several European states strongly opposing it. The Palestinians are slated to win an overwhelming majority at the Assembly as it is controlled by Arab and Muslim states.
Nevertheless, any such resolution would not have practical significance and in order to be accepted as a full member in the UN the PA will need Security Council endorsement.
Meanwhile, Jordan's foreign minister said Wednesday his country supports a Palestinian drive for recognition at the UN but prefers negotiations toward creation of a Palestinian state.
Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told reporters that Jordan supports the Palestinian campaign, but it should take into account the rights of Palestinian refugees, the fate of Jerusalem and the borders of a future Palestinian state.
He said the "best way" to attain statehood is through "direct negotiations."
Last-ditch effort to prevent UN vote
Meanwhile, a high-level US team kicked off a new round of shuttle diplomacy on Wednesday in a last-ditch effort to contain the diplomatic fallout from the Palestinian statehood push, but the odds of a breakthrough appeared slim as the Palestinians pledged to go ahead with mass rallies to draw world attention to their bid.
US diplomats Dennis Ross and David Hale arrived late Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. They were to travel to the West Bank on Thursday to talk with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. No breakthrough has thus been achieved.
In addition to the US efforts, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, and special international Mideast envoy Tony Blair have been meeting with the sides this week. US officials said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has been in touch with both Ashton and Blair in recent days.
Barak urged Ashton to prevent the Palestinians from tabling a resolution proposal.
Ashton is proposing a three-part plan: Grating the Palestinians UN observer status similar to that of the Vatican, issuing a Quartet statement accounting both the Israeli and the Palestinian needs, and a UN chief pledge the put forward a recognition resolution in the future.
Germany is opposed to Ashton's plan which has not won European consensus. The US, on its part, wants the plan to be presented to allow each side to voice its reservations.
Both Israel and the Palestinians oppose the plan.
AP, Attila Somfalvi and Elior Levy contributed to this report
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JTSblog: The Value of Denominations in Judaism
Dear JTS Family,
Why does Judaism have denominations, and what do these branches add to the Jewish story?
This week, in "The Value of Denominations in Judaism," I join the lively conversation that continues to take place on the JTS blog with a look at the way Judaism and our religious communities have evolved. The Conservative Judaism blog is a place where Jews can share their experiences and discuss their beliefs on a variety of topics. Read the essay and let me know what you think.
You can also review the responses to my essay by Julie Schonfeld and Adam Roffman.
Visit the "Conservative Judaism: A Community Conversation" blog—and follow me on Twitter @Arnold Eisen (twitter.com/ArnoldEisen) as well.
Arnold M. Eisen
The Jewish Theological Seminary
An Open Letter in support of MOCHA
To Executive Director: Masako Kalbach, masako@mocha.org, Chair of MOCHA Board: Hilmon Sorey, hilmon@sandler.com
From Rabbi Menachem Creditor, Congregation Netivot Shalom, Berkeley, CA (netivotshalom.org)
Dear Masako Kalbach and Hilmon Sorey,
I am a rabbi of a Jewish congregation in Berkeley, and I can only imagine the many, many letters, let alone the social media blitz that has attacked MOCHA for the decision to cancel the exhibit featuring children's art from Gaza. I wish to offer my support, and the support of my community, and our gratitude for your decision. I have experienced great hatred aimed at many kinds of people since arriving in the Bay Area 5 years ago, and was proud that, just this past Sunday, my Jewish community stood and prayed with our Turkish Muslim friends at the Pacifica Institute for the health of American and the world. I am a rabbi who prays for a Palestinian State to emerge safely, someday soon.
I am so sorry for the inundation you must be dealing with. It should alert us all to the highly politicized campaigns being wielded surrounding Israel/Palestine. I am here to assist you to engage and share the conversation, should you ask.
With prayers for peace,
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my support of MOCHA
Urgent Action: Show Your Support for MOCHA
A Powerful Journey!
"10 years later" by Yonina Creditor
A Reflection of Psalm 1
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September 11 Commemoration


OSPREYFEST! The event will feature CROW's popular "Story of Ospreys", presented by "Bird" Westall, founder of The International Osprey Foundation (TIOF), Claudia Burns, longtime CROW / TIOF volunteer, and Dave Horton, illustrator of "Look Who's Flying", an educational coloring book about ospreys, and creator of the wildly-funny "Hortoons" seen in many locations on the Islands.
OSPREYFEST! will be sponsored by the Sanibel Captiva Trust Company, with Bailey's General Store as wine sponsor, and celebrated at Traditions on the Beach in Sanibel's historic Island Inn on West Gulf Drive, at 4:30pm on January 15 2012. A silent auction of osprey related items will be offered prior to a fabulous three-course sit-down dinner, created and served by Andrea Mucciga's awarding-winning staff.
"Hortoon" will entertain OSPREYFEST! attendees before the meal by creating an impromptu drawing of an osprey. Following dinner, Claudia Burns will present "The Story of Ospreys", punctuated with incredibly lifelike osprey calls performed by "Bird".
After the presentation, "Hortoon's" on-the-spot drawing and a stunning depiction of an osprey created for CROW by Darryl Pottorf will be offered to the highest bidders. All proceeds of the event will go toward the care and feeding of wildlife patients at CROW.
Additional sponsorship opportunities are available for $100 (Nestling), $250 (Fledgling), and $500 (Fish Hawk).