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During a Beaumont-Cherry Valley Rotary Club presentation, Bryce Murrill exhibits a disaster survival kit as his father, Bruce Murrill, looks on.
BY JULIE FARREN, Record Gazette
Julie Farren
BY JULIE FARREN
The 6.4 and 7.1 earthquakes that struck the community of Ridgecrest over two days late last week has been enough of a wake-up call for residents in the San Gorgonio Pass area and other regions to realize they have to be ready for such a disaster.
"In the early days of a disaster, it's going to be up to the individual residents to sustain themselves," said Shane Reichardt, senior public information specialist for the County of Riverside Emergency Management Department.
The earthquakes that hit on the morning of July 4 and the evening of July 5 started electrical fires at houses in Ridgecrest, leaving families homeless, and more residents seeking shelter and food at a nearby high school.
Cracks in the road have created unsafe driving conditions in Ridgecrest and Trona.
Communities also will be without water, food and electricity for an undetermined amount of time.
For Banning and Beaumont, which have populations of 31,270 and close to 48,000, there still are not enough resources in the respective city governments to take care of all of the residents during a long-term disaster.
Although earthquakes of these magnitudes can be frightening, Reichardt said they do not generate enough fear for people to change their habits for any longer than a couple of days.
One of Banning's signature events is its Disaster Preparedness Expo, which the city has sponsored for 13 years.
Former Banning City Councilmember Debbie Franklin was among concerned residents who worked together to start the expo.
The purpose of the expo has been to educate the public about being prepared for an earthquake and direct them toward the resources they need to survive. Franklin agrees that city cannot provide for all of its residents.
She also touched on another point.
"People think about the people in their families. They have to think about the animals," she said.
The pets will need to have enough water and food to survive for 72 hours or a week or more and they also will need their medications — just like their human owners.
Lucy Jones, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology who has been featured prominently at press conferences this past week, appeared at the 2017 and 2018 expos in Banning with the same message.
In an article in the Record Gazette in 2017, Jones said that "residents of Banning were five times more likely to be exposed to earthquakes than residents of the rest of the state."
Jones said there is usually 100 to 150 years between earthquakes and as of 2017, it had been 300 years.
Jones said that there are four major aqueducts that cross the San Andreas Fault which would be disrupted in a 7.8 earthquake.
An earthquake travels two miles per second, Jones says.
Hospitals are required to have a three-day supply of water for operations, Jones said.
A community can survive after an earthquake, but that also depends on how well-prepared they are for a disaster, Jones said.
At that same expo, Glenn Pomeroy, CEO of the California Earthquake Authority, said that California has a 99 percent chance of experiencing a 6.2 earthquake or larger and a 75 percent change of 7.0 or greater — an unsettling but realistic observation considering last week's back-to-back earthquakes.
School districts also have been utilizing the Great American Shakeout campaign as a formula for preparing students and staff for earthquake preparedness when class is in session.
The Shakeout is held every October and 515 schools in Riverside County participate, according to Craig Petinak, director of public relations and communications services for Riverside County Office of Education.
Petinak said that a re-unification plan is in place for students and parents should any disaster, whether it be an earthquake, fire or active shooter incident.
In the event of an earthquake, students would be bused away from the impact area to a safer site.
Beaumont students would be externally evacuated to Noble Creek Community Park should an earthquake happen, said Nancy Law, office manager for the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Recreation and Park District.
Beaumont schools director of risk management Mareesa Evans said the Beaumont school board approved a memorandum of understanding between the school district and the park district last May.
The children would remain under tents with water and food until their parents could reunite with them, Evans said.
Noble Creek has 60 acres and enough room to hold all of the school district's students, and also could use Bogart Park if needed, Law said.
Most of Banning's schools are located next to parks should the school district need sites for reunification, said Janet Gray, Title IX compliance officer for the Banning Unified School District.
This will be the 12th year that Banning students will participate in the Great American Shakeout in October, Gray said.
Kindergarten through eighth-grade students must have four practices a year while the high school students have drills twice a year, Gray said.
During a drill, students are advised to go outside to their designated meeting area, Gray said.
Students and staff must follow the three signs to their evacuation area and remain there for reunification, Gray said.
The Banning school district has approximately 5,000 students.
The Beaumont Police Department was able to implement its operational protocol during the July 4 and 5 earthquakes, said Deputy Chief Anthony Onodera.
Eight patrol officers did their checks on July 4 and five patrol officers did their checks on July 5.
"It appeared to work so now we are going to formalize it as a protocol," said Onodera.
The officers had to check critical infrastructure such as overpasses, city streets, transit and sewer plants.
If Beaumont had any major damage, the Police Department would notify the city and they could ask for assistance from the state, Onodera said.
Onodera and Lt. Mark Keyser looked at a similar plan used by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department for use in Beaumont.
Onodera said that it took the officers an hour to report back to Keyser that there was no damage in Beaumont.
If an earthquake would occur in the Pass area, San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital has an emergency operations plan that can cover the facility for up to 96 hours, said Joey Hunter, director of security, safety and emergency preparedness.
This plan applies to all disasters, Hunter said.
In case of a disaster, the hospital can operate for two or more weeks, Hunter said.
The hospital has two back-up generators and enough fuel during a power outage to last for up to 30 days, or more.
Water also would be available for patients and staff for 96 hours, Hunter said.
Non-perishable and perishable food also would be available.
Hunter said that if the hospital had to evacuate, there is a memorandum of understanding between the hospital and the Riverside Emergency Management Department and American Medical Response.
The hospital also participates in the Great American Shakeout. Hunter said that the hospital holds a table top exercise that gives staff an opportunity to sit and discuss earthquake preparedeness plans.
They also test out those ideas during a functional program, Hunter said.
On July 8, the committee met to discuss how they handled the challenges of the actual earthquake. Everyone agreed that they did a good job, making sure that patients and staff were well taken care of and felt safe, Hunter said.
The two quakes caused no external or internal damage to the hospttal, Hunter said.
Jeanne Woo, senior disaster programs manager for the American Red Cross in Los Angeles, said that the shelter at the Kerr McGee Community Center was set up the night of the second quake on July 5 in Ridgecrest.
Woo said there was no immediate need that first night from the community, but Friday night's foreshock generated a lot of fear among residents.
The shelter was set up at the Kerr McGee Community Center. At its peak, there were 150 people utilizing the shelter with its cots, three meals a day, blankets, personal hygiene kits and water each day.
The Red Cross also has been providing mental health officials, nurses and spiritual care personnel for the residents in need.
Some people have been using the parking lots and grass area instead of staying inside the shelter.
The number of people at the shelter has decreased by 20 to 30 each day, Woo said.
The American Red Cross was distributing vans of water on Monday in Ridgecrest, Woo said.
Staff Writer Julie Farren may be reached at jfarren@recordgazette.net.
Disaster survival tips
The American Red Cross recommends a variety of earthquake survival tips.
Follow Julie Farren
The July 4 and July 5 earthquakes near the desert communities of Ridgecrest and Trona shocked and frightened hundreds of thousands across California.
BY MARC HARGETT
Cielo's wine cellar is the perfect pairing for a fifth straight year
An exceptional selection of wines and thematic pairings with exquisite cuisine have earned fresh honors for Cielo, the AAA Four-Diamond restaurant perched atop the 27-story Morongo Casino Resort & Spa.
Nearly half of the July 2 city council meeting in Bainbridge Island, Wash. was spent on chastising one of its own after the city's ethics board determined that he had used his city e-mail to exchange messages of personal note regarding Banning city manager (and former Bainbridge Island city …


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Where's Lucian?
Lucian@going2paris.net
Garrison, Minnesota
I was surprised to see a McDonalds and a Burger King in this town of 5,000 people. Granted Tillamook is located in US 101, but I would have thought a fast food restaurant would need a bigger base.
Which led me to a Google search of the smallest town with a McDonald's. It was Garrison, Minnesota, population 210. Unfortunately — or fortunately—- that McDonalds lost its lease. No word on the new smallest town to have a McDonalds.
From NYT October 31, 2016
Investigating Donald Trump, F.B.I. Sees No Clear Link to Russia Oct. 31, 2016 WASHINGTON — For much of the summer, the F.B.I. pursued a widening investigation into a Russian role in the American presi
More Required Reading From Columbia Journalism Review
Welcome to my webpage. I'm on a journey across the USA to visit all 22 Paris' - and points in between. I'll be sharing thoughts, photos and videos along the way - as I search for answers to questions that bother me so.
© 2023 by Going Places. Proudly created with Wix.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Contact Valentine Wanjiku
You'll have to activate JavaScript in your browser to Contact a reviewer on SafariBookings.com
Emails are sent directly to Valentine Wanjiku
By clicking the 'Send' button you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Paul Murray
Paul is a travel writer, author of the Bradt guidebook to Zimbabwe and is closely involved in promoting tourism to Zimbabwe.
Mary Fitzpatrick
Mary is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including South Africa, Tanzania, East Africa and Africa.


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Q: Angular error while checking if URL response is "success" I have this code that is requesting external URL to check if it is returning with success status(URL is reached and not corupted):
$http.get($scope.linkAnswer).then(function () {
                        linkStatus = true;
                        console.log("veikia");
                    }, function () {
                        linkStatus = false;
                        console.log("neveikia");
                    });

However I am getting this error when requesting:
XMLHttpRequest cannot load REQUESTED URL. No 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin' header is present on the requested resource. Origin 'MY LOCALHOST URL' is therefore not allowed access.
Any ideas what's happening?

A: You are trying to access a domain different than the one that initially served you request. This is not allowed, because other domain usually protects its resources for internal use only.
So, i can conclude that $scope.linkAnswer contains url different from you domain.
You have to allow access using CORS (Cross Origin Resource Sharing)
What is value in $scope.linkAnswer?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Introducing Kaffe Fasset's new Summer 2019 Quilt Along. This gorgeous quilt is 78" X 78" with simple blocks that showcase 18 classic Kaffe Fasset prints. There are two colorways to choose from: Sunset Colorway or Bold Colorway. Preorder your kit (either colorway you choose) now. The first 30 people to preorder their kit from Sew Much Fun! will receive an exclusive Kaffe Fasset Quilt Along Shopping Bag and a Summer Quilt Along 2019 fabric quilt label designed by Kaffe Fasset!
You will receive the entire kit for the Bold Colorway OR Sunset Colorway in late April/early May. The final balance of $125.00 will be due when you pick up your kit.
Your $10 sign up fee guarantees you a kit AND the first 30 to sign up will receive their kit in an exclusive bag along with a quilt label.
Plus $125 for kit when it arrives.


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26/November/2016 10:25 AM
Army blocks two roads near Hebron school, movement curtailed
HEBRON, November 26, 2016 (WAFA) – The Israeli army Saturday blocked with cement cubes two roads in the vicinity of Tareq Ben Ziad school near the Ibrahimi mosque in the center of Hebron, south of the West Bank, according Rashad Muhtaseb, a local factory owner.
Her told WAFA that soldiers came to his factory and told him that the area where the factory is located is going to be off s to Palestinians for one week and that no one will be allowed to drive his car in that area or be present in the factory.
The army put up cement cubes to close roads in the area, where several shops and factories are located, hampering as a result movement of people, mainly students.
Thousands of Israeli settlers are planning to converge on the Ibrahimi mosque and the old city of Hebron in the coming days to mark a Jewish event.
Palestinians in northern West Bank town received demolition orders
14/July/2020 02:05 PM
Woman, 75, dies of coronavirus in West Bank, bringing overall total to 46 – Health Ministry
Israeli army detains 10 Palestinians in Jerusalem, West Bank – PPS
Ministry of Health: 293 new coronavirus cases in Palestine, including 108 in Jerusalem


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OpportunityTeamFAQsLogin
Call Us: +1 (650) 822 +1576
Sign Up To Invest
Computer Vision for Covid-19 and Beyond
Invest in Cloud Video Surveillance with Computer Vision that can see what is most relevant today and in the future. Reg A+ offering open now. Early stage high tech company solving today's problems.
View Offering Circular
Price per Unit: $1
Minimum Investment: $500
Each Unit consists of 2 Class A Shares and 1 warrant.
Warrants can be redeemed for 1 Class A Share for $0.75/share, up to 18 months after issuance.
Click Here to See Your Face
Detect People Wearing Face Masks... or Those Who Aren't ... and More.
We get the video footage into the Cloud, where we run it through some very powerful computers — these computers are too powerful to put in each and every customer buildling.
With Cloudastructure technology, we can see what's in the video. Today's businesses need to know how many people are or aren't wearing face masks, how far part they are, if they are unusually warm (feverish)… They need to open their businesses and we can help. Tomorrow they might be looking for something else, we'll be well positioned to detect that for them too.
Cloudastructure Gives Business the Power to Re-Open Safely
Our enterprise grade AI-based solution can detect face masks and social distancing. Today's businesses need to know who's in compliance with safety protocols during Covid-19, tomorrow you may need to look for something else- we'll detect that for you too.
Control How Many People are in a Space and Their Physical Distance
Detect and Enforce the Usage of Face Masks
The Future is More Intelligent
Cloudastructure centralizes the management of site security and allows businesses to scale geographically. With Cloudastructure, professionals can search security footage the way people search the web: by tag (animal, vehicle, person, etc.) or even by face. Because the door and cameras are all powered by AI, our system is constantly learning what badge holders look like, even as they change makeup, facial hair, glasses, etc. over days, months or years. We can match faces to badges more accurately than any guard.
SaaS Companies Have Made Billions as Systems Move to The Cloud
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Security is a $100 Billion Industry
We are using Access Control and Video Surveillance to perform many Manned Guarding duties better than humans can.
Relevant to Today's Needs
Cloudastructure's enterprise grade AI based solution can detect face masks and social distancing compliance. Even after we exit the current Covid-19 lockdown, there may well be a second wave or another virus/risk altogether.
Cloudastructure hardware utilizes state of the art technology, delivered at a competitive total cost of ownership, with technology that beats industry standards. It takes a combination of Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cloud, and even IoT to do what we do.
Team With Expertise
Our CEO previously founded a company acquired by Uber in 2015, while our CTO was previously a CTO at another company acquired by Facebook in 2015. We have the expertise and innovative vision to outmaneuver the dinosaur incumbents.
Rick Bentley
Founded Televoke Inc, eventually bought by Uber. Raised eight figures of Venture Capital from VC's including Softbank and WI Harper. Full-time Advisor to Google X. Direct report to Andy Grove (father of OKRs) for 5 years.
Gregory Rayzman
CTO TheFind, acquired by Facebook in 2015. Founding engineer and Chief architect for ITM Software, acquired by BMC. Founding engineer and Director of Software Engineering for Annuncio Inc., acquired by PeopleSoft (now Oracle).
VP, Sales
Former Honeywell General Manager, running a 100+ person organization with $27m in revenues, that consulted, sold, installed, and maintained Security systems, Fire Alarm, and HVAC systems, in large, commercial buildings.
What is Regulation A+?
Regulation A+ permits issuers to broadly solicit and generally advertise an offering. For more information please click here.
What is The Offering Price?
Our Regulation A+ offering is set at $1.00 USD per Unit. Each unit consists of two common shares and one warrant. Each warrant is exercisable into one common share for a period of 18 months from the closing date. The warrants are exercisable at $0.75 USD each.
Where Can I Find More Information on CloudStructure
The offering circular for the Regulation A+ offering can be viewed here.
How and When I Can Access The Subscription Document and Invest?
Click "Invest Now" anywhere on this site, or follow the link here. You will be directed to view the subscription agreement and complete an investment. For investors, payment is accepted via credit card, ACH, or wire transfer.
"Cloudastructure's technology gives it an edge in access control and video that's been missing for years."
Kane Hsieh, Partner at Root Ventures
Join Cloudastructure
If you believe in the future of AI, join us as we take it to a huge market: Surveillance and Security.
+1 (650) 822-1576investorsupport@cloudastructure.com
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Foward-Looking Statements
The offering materials may contain forward-looking statements and information relating to, among other things, the company, its business plan and strategy, and its industry. These forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of, assumptions made by, and information currently available to the company's management. When used in the offering materials, the words "estimate," "project," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which constitute forward looking statements. These statements reflect management's current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. The company does not undertake any obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after such date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.


After so many fluid simulations and having experimented in the past with bullet physics and the fracture script, I went ahead and created this animation combining all of them.
Searching for a more realistic fluid simulation, I've been experimenting with generated particles. This video shows to test animations without them and one with them.
Chocolate. Do I need to say anything else?
I've taken a little break from fluid simulation and gone back to toying with the physics simulator in and the fracture script. Here is a simple but effective animation with a Tron look.


Home / Greetings / Happy New Year / New Year Message / Poster / Team Poster / Team RR / Team Runner Rocky / Team Runner Rocky Members / Team Runner Rocky Poster / TRR / #TeamRR2018 - Starting 2018 Tougher with Team Runner Rocky!
#TeamRR2018 - Starting 2018 Tougher with Team Runner Rocky!
Team Runner Rocky, the boygroup of sports and digital community concluded 2017 with lots of accomplishments, various activities of different fields, combination of races from a simple fun runs or charity events to competitive marathons and ultramarathons up to the high intensity obstacle courses. We event took part as Official Media Partner of important events bringing us to the different parts of the country. Yup, will be listing these down in my special yearender article to be posted later this week.
Now as we enter 2018, Team RR will be tougher and brighter! Expect for more unexpected events, activities, and surprises that we'll unveil in the whole year round.
Sharing with you this simple message of gratitude thanking all of you for a year that was at the same time, letting you to be with us again in conquering the new year.


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Media > Commentaries
Political Turmoil in Sabah: Attack of the Kataks
True to form, Sabah's storied "katak" (frog) politicians have hopped parties again, leading to the dissolution of the state assembly and triggering fresh elections. Voters have much to mull over in coming days.
By approving the dissolution of the SLA, whose term runs until 2023, the Governor has decided to let Musa Aman and Shafie Apdal settle their rivalry at the polls. (Photo: Shafie Apdal, Facebook / CEphoto, Uwe Aranas)
Arnold Puyok
Former Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman's attempted ouster of his successor and long-time rival Shafie Apdal was largely expected. After being acquitted of 46 charges of alleged corruption and money laundering associated with timber concessions, Musa swiftly enticed lawmakers supporting the Warisan-led government to cross the aisle.
In reaction, Shafie announced the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly (SLA) on the morning of 30 July 2020 to pave the way for a fresh elections within 60 days. Sabah's Governor consented to Shafie's request.
Immediately after the dissolution of the SLA, Musa reiterated that that he had secured support, through statutory declarations, of the requisite 33 lawmakers to form a new government in the 65-seat assembly. That afternoon, Musa trooped his entourage to the Istana Negeri (State Palace) to seek an audience with the Governor to be appointed as the new Chief Minister, but was denied entry by the police guarding the Istana.
The role of the Governor in the latest political crisis is crucial. By approving the dissolution of the SLA, whose term runs until 2023, the Governor decided to let Musa and Shafie settle their rivalry at the polls.
Musa said that those who left Warisan to support him did so because Warisan was weak and that Warisan's decision to go against the Perikatan Nasional federal government would be detrimental to Sabah's development. He might not have been successful in taking over the government through defections but he was successful in ending Shafie's term as Chief Minister abruptly.
Whichever the case, it is back to square one for Sabah.
This is not the first time that a government was brought down due to party defections – and far from the first time Sabahans are witnessing change of government. In Sabah's modern history since 1963, the government has changed five times, during and between elections.
In 1986, the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) government collapsed after a series of defections, forcing another round of elections less than a year after the 1985 state election. In what was described as the "third mandate," the PBS won the election with a resounding majority, crippling its opponents, United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Sabah (Berjaya).
The year 1994 saw history repeating itself rather forcefully. After winning the state election with a two-seat majority, PBS's leader Pairin Kitingan had to wait for 36 hours before he was allowed to seek an audience with the Governor to be appointed Chief Minister. The 1986 attempted coup came to haunt Pairin again after some key PBS lawmakers deserted him, ending PBS' nine-year administration and paving the way for the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) to form the government.
What can we expect in the next 60 days? Will the electorate "punish" the defectors who caused the Warisan-led government to collapse?
Given Sabah's personality- and patronage-driven politics, the defections will not have widespread effects, nor exert major influence on voter decisions. But the magnitude and credibility of cash-laden promises may be constrained by the economic downturn
GE14 showed that neither then incumbent Barisan Nasional nor Warisan and its allies commanded a decisive majority. In fact, the vote count for UMNO and Warisan in the Malay/Muslim-majority constituencies was almost equal. BN also obtained more popular votes than Warisan and its allies in the Kadazandusun-majority constituencies.
The 18 January 2020 Kimanis by-elections suggest that the electorate do not mind re-electing BN due to the perceived weaknesses in Warisan leadership.
Given Sabah's personality- and patronage-driven politics, the defections will not have widespread effects, nor exert major influence on voter decisions. But the magnitude and credibility of cash-laden promises may be constrained by the economic downturn.
There are many defectors or "kataks" (frogs), as they are popularly known in Sabah, who still enjoy strong support. A case in point is Jeffrey Kitingan, the President of STAR Sabah (Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku Rakyat Sabah) who is notoriously known for party hopping.
Although leading a small party and being branded the "king of frogs," Jeffrey survived GE14 by the skin of his teeth. His party won two state seats (Bingkor and Tambunan) and a parliamentary seat (Keningau).
Jeffrey even emerged as kingmaker when BN and Warisan were deadlocked at 29 seats apiece, allowing STAR to swing the election by siding with BN. That gambit was fleeting, however, as six BN lawmakers ditched the coalition to support Warisan and its allies.
The coming election will see Musa and Shafie going head-to-head, but also pressured by other personalities such as Anifah Aman, Malaysia's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is now leading Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS).
Anifah is expected to offer himself as the alternative and the "third force". However, the success of his cause will depend on how well he attracts strong personalities and new leaders into his party.
Seventy-three seats are expected to be contested, including 13 new seats. Musa and Shafie will surely to go for broke in a two-horse race for the Chief Ministership. Other leaders will fancy their party's chances to win seats and perhaps play kingmaker, including Anifah, Jeffrey Kitingan, Hajiji Noor of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and even Madius Tangau of the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO).
More personalities and new faces are expected to throw their hats into the ring. The stage is set for another election to gauge the people's feelings about a raft of issues: the performance of the Warisan-led government, the coup attempt by Musa and the rise of new leaders who want to make a difference. Voters will have a lot to mull over in the coming days.
Dr Arnold Puyok is Senior Lecturer in Politics and Government Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).
ISEAS Commentary — 2020/113
The facts and views expressed are solely that of the author/authors and do not necessarily reflect that of ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission.


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Episode 1 - Bad News Episode 2 - Never Mind Episode 3 - Some Hope Episode 4 - Mother's Milk Episode 5 - At Last
A critical and often humorous look at the upper class, tracking the protagonist's harrowing odyssey from a deeply traumatic childhood through adult substance abuse and, ultimately, toward recovery.
Director: David Nicholls
Actors: Anna Madeley, Anthony Boyle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Blythe Danner, Celia Imrie, Dainton Anderson, Gary Beadle, Harriet Walter, Hippolyte Girardot, Holliday Grainger, Hugo Weaving, Indira Varma, Irène Jacob, James Fleet, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jessica Raine, Morfydd Clark, Pip Torrens, Prasanna Puwanarajah, Sebastian Maltz
Studio: Little Island Productions, SunnyMarch, Two Cities Television
Networks: Showtime, Sky Atlantic
Keywords:Patrick Melrose
An agent in the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit develops profiling techniques as he pursues notorious serial killers and rapists.
A single bachelor dates multiple women over several weeks, narrowing them down to hopefully find his true love.
Genre: Drama, Game-Show, Reality, Reality-TV, Romance
Inspired by Bellevue, the oldest public hospital in America, this unique medical drama follows the brilliant and charming Dr. Max Goodwin, the institution's newest medical director, who sets out to…
Set in the present, the series offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica and their friends, exploring the surreality of small-town life, the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath…
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance
Three paranormal roommates, a ghost, a vampire, and a werewolf, struggle to keep their dark secrets from the world, while helping each other navigate the complexities of living double lives.
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
The daily mishaps of a married woman and her semi-dysfunctional family and their attempts to survive life in general in the city of Orson, Indiana.
Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure
Set between "Tangled" and "Tangled Ever After," this animated adventure/comedy series unfolds as Rapunzel acquaints herself with her parents, her kingdom and the people of Corona.
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Kids, Musical
As her 16th birthday nears, Sabrina must choose between the witch world of her family and the human world of her friends. Based on the Archie comic.
Grace Fraser is a successful therapist on the brink of publishing her first book with a devoted husband and young son who attends an elite private school in New York…
An adaptation of Alex Haley's "Roots", chronicling the history of an African slave, Kunta Kinte sold to America and his descendants.
A multigenerational family saga centered around one woman who, having recently relocated and intent on revitalizing her marriage, finds herself going head to head with some of the most powerful…
In a land controlled by feudal barons, a great warrior and a young boy embark on a journey across a dangerous land to find enlightenment. A genre-bending martial arts series…
Genre: Action, Action & Adventure, Adventure, Drama
Chuck is an American action-comedy/spy-drama television series created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an…
Three ambitious women navigate the highly competitive world of professional sports.
A group of vigilantes known informally as "The Boys" set out to take down corrupt superheroes with no more than blue-collar grit and a willingness to fight dirty.
The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the title character, a student who progresses from high school to college while moonlighting…
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
A comedy-drama following a chaste young woman who is accidentally impregnated via artificial insemination as she struggles to inform her devoutly religious family and make the right choices concerning the…


John Gillis went to "the best place possible" when he got esophageal cancer and got a result that he never imagined.
The persistent stomach pain caught John Gillis by surprise. The active 53-year-old had rarely been sick a day in his life. He sought care from a doctor in his hometown of Fishers, Ind., who treated him for gastric reflux. But medications didn't stop the pain.
A week later, John was examined by a specialist in Indianapolis, who told John that he had esophageal cancer and recommended surgery to remove it.
"It wasn't until I emailed my three brothers and my sister to tell them the news that it really started to soak in that I had cancer," recalls John. "The idea of having my chest cracked open to do surgery to remove the cancer got me thinking about my options. I went on the Internet and Mayo Clinic was cited among the very top places in the country for treatment. I made an appointment and all the tests were scheduled for me right away."
John, accompanied by his older brother, Rick, arrived in Rochester, Minn., for a week long battery of tests. "I remember meeting Dawn Francis, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, for the first time," says John. "Rick acted as my advocate, asking Dr. Francis questions and taking notes. Dr. Francis didn't hold back. The prognosis was grim."
The tumor measured about 3 inches (7 centimeters) and was located high in the esophagus, pressing on John's trachea. "It was odd because I had no sensation of anything in my esophagus until I was given the diagnosis," says John. "It was as though I suddenly became mentally aware of it."
Dr. Francis recommended a treatment plan of six weeks of chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy to shrink the tumor, then six weeks of rest followed by surgery to remove the remainder of the tumor. Surgery would be performed by Dennis Wigle, M.D., Ph.D.,a Mayo Clinic thoracic surgeon.
The radiation and chemotherapy treatment was carried out by health care providers in Overland Park, Kan., where John stayed with another brother, Floyd. "I experienced fatigue, lost my appetite and weight during chemo, but I really didn't get real sick," says John.
Even during treatment, John, who works for the National Federation of State High School Associations, continued to oversee a major project, the National High School Spirit of Sport Award. "I worked as much as I could, but I thought I had a snowball's chance of ever attending the summer awards ceremony or getting back to work," he says.
With treatment concluding in Kansas, Dr. Wigle asked John to prepare for surgery by gaining weight. Following a regimen of regular weight lifting, eating and walking, he gained 24 pounds. "I felt in as good of shape as I had ever been in my life and was ready for surgery."
Accompanied by his brother Rick, John was seated in the same office where he heard the original diagnosis when Dr. Francis delivered another bombshell. "She told us the tumor was gone … completely! When my brother asked how often this happens, she said, 'Almost never.' It was a possibility I had not allowed myself to consider. I cried." Dr. Wigle reiterated that this occurs less than 5 percent of the time.
That evening, John joined friends and family members for a celebration dinner. "It was the best dinner of my life," he says.
Back at work, John continues administering the Spirit of Sport Award, which has taken on greater significance since his experience with esophageal cancer. "This experience has helped me empathize with award recipients, who have overcome similar challenging circumstances or adversity to reach their goals. I truly believe administering this program is part of God's plan for me."
John attributes his outcome to his faith, great support from his siblings, co-workers and friends, and Mayo Clinic. "I went to the best place possible for my care," says John, who returns to Mayo Clinic quarterly for follow-up. "Mayo has become a huge part of my life. Mayo employs highly professional, caring staff members who address your every need from physical to emotional to spiritual. I owe my life to the Mayo Clinic."


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https://1024-dot-apnews-dev.appspot.com/article/government-and-politics-florida-elections-shootings-school-shootings-59e3433f1741c9336c0a4b359da65e96
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Activist dad of school shooting victim joins anti-gun group
By WILL WEISSERTOctober 21, 2021 GMT
Fred Guttenberg, the father of slain student Jaime Guttenberg leaves the courtroom at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, after Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty to murder in the 2018 massacre that left 17 dead at a Parkland, Fla., high school. Guttenberg is joining the top ranks of a progressive anti-gun group to promote like-minded political candidates around the country ahead of next year's midterm elections. He will be a senior adviser to Brady PAC. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool
WASHINGTON (AP) — The father of a 14-year-old girl killed in the 2018 Florida high school shooting massacre announced Thursday that he's joining the top ranks of an anti-gun violence group to promote like-minded political candidates around the country ahead of next year's midterm elections.
Fred Guttenberg will be a senior adviser to Brady PAC. His daughter Jaime, an aspiring dancer and gymnast, died with 16 others during the Valentine's Day 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty Wednesday to 17 counts of first-degree murder for that shooting and could face the death penalty during sentencing in January. Guttenberg, who has become a nationally known activist in the years since the shooting, said he visited his daughter's grave this week and "asked her for guidance. 'Cause Jaime is my strength."
"Jaime may only have been 14, but she was the toughest, wisest person I ever knew," Guttenberg said in an interview. "If you want to know my motivation for why I'm doing this with Brady PAC right now, that's the reason."
Brady PAC, formed leading up to 2018′s midterm elections, supports candidates who promote gun violence prevention and spent $5 million during the 2020 election cycle. It has promised to pump millions more into next year's races.
Guttenberg, a 55-year-old former small business owner, said, "I believe we are one election cycle away from either getting this done, or one election cycle away from losing the chance."
"We do it now," he added, "or we never do it."
Guttenberg noted that Democrats, most of whom agree with him and Brady PAC on top gun issues, control Congress and could hold both chambers after 2022 — even though the party that wins the White House, as Democrats did through Joe Biden in 2020, historically loses seats in the next election.
"I think people need to stop acting like everyone knows what's going to happen in 2022 and get back to working for what you want to happen," Guttenberg said. "I want more gun safety candidates elected to the House and the Senate. Period. Full stop. And I think that voters agree with me."
Cruz killed 14 students and three staff members during a seven-minute rampage through Stoneman Douglas, using an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle to shoot victims in hallways and classrooms. Cruz had been expelled from the school a year earlier after a history of threatening, frightening, unusual and sometimes violent behavior that dated to preschool.
The shootings caused some Stoneman Douglas students to launch the March for Our Lives movement, which pushes for stronger gun restrictions nationally. Besides Guttenberg, several other parents of students killed have also become activists.
Last February, Guttenberg attended President Donald Trump's State of the Union address and began yelling after the Republican president said, "I will always protect your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms." Guttenberg was escorted out and later apologized via Twitter.
Guttenberg also drew attention in Congress in September 2018 when he attempted to shake hands with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during a break at the latter's Senate confirmation hearing. Kavanaugh looked at him, turned and walked away. Kavanaugh later said that he had assumed Guttenberg was a protester and that he would have expressed his sympathy and shaken Guttenberg's hand had he recognized him before being whisked away by his security detail. Kavanaugh was confirmed to the court.
Brady PAC is the political arm of a nonprofit named in honor of former White House press secretary James Brady, who suffered a bullet wound to his head in the assassination attempt against President Ronald Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in 1981.
Together with his wife, Brady became a leading gun control activist before his death in 2014. A federal law requiring a background check on handgun buyers bears Brady's name, as does the White House press briefing room.
—- This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Jaime Guttenberg's first name throughout.


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Q: Why a certain integral domain is not a UFD. Let
$$\mathbb{Z}[q]^{\mathbb{N}} = \varprojlim_j \mathbb{Z}[q]/((1-q)\cdots (1- q^j))$$

Why isn't $\mathbb{Z}[q]^{\mathbb{N}}$ a unique factorization domain?

The author proposes a proof whose final step I don't quite understand. We can define an element $f(q) \in \mathbb{Z}[q]^{\mathbb{N}}$ by $f(q) = \prod_{i \geq 1} f_i(q)$ where the $f_i(q)$ are such that $f_i(q) \in (\Phi_{m_i}(q))$ for all $i \geq 1$, where $\Phi_n(q)$ stands for the $n$th cyclotomic polynomial.
This means that $f(q)$ is divisible by $\Phi_{m_1}(q) \cdots \Phi_{m_i}(q)$ for every $i$. Also, we know that $\mathbb{Z}[q]^{\mathbb{N}}$ is an integral domain and I have managed to prove as well that each cyclotomic polynomial is a prime element on the ring $\mathbb{Z}[q]^{\mathbb{N}}$. The author concludes that this means that $\mathbb{Z}[q]^{\mathbb{N}}$ is not a UFD, and this is what I don't get.
For an integral domain to be a UFD, every element $f$ can be written as a product of prime elements and a unit in a unique way. Therefore to prove that $\mathbb{Z}[q]^{\mathbb{N}}$ is not a UFD, we should exhibit an element $f$ with two different factorizations, right? I don't see how this follows from the fact that $f(q)$ is divisible by $\Phi_{m_1}(q) \cdots \Phi_{m_i}(q)$. This proves that $f$ doesn't admit a factorization as a product of cyclotomic polynomials, but there could be some other prime elements in $\mathbb{Z}[q]^{\mathbb{N}}$ such that $f$ does admit a factorization like that.

A:
Therefore to prove that $\mathbb{Z}[q]^\mathbb{N}$ is not a UFD, we should exhibit an element $f$ with two different factorizations, right?

There is another option. One can also exhibit an element having no prime factorisation. And prime factorisations are always unique if they exist, it's factorisations into irreducible elements that may be non-unique.
For an element $g$ having a prime factorisation, i.e. that can be written as the product of a unit and finitely many primes, the set of primes dividing $g$ is finite (modulo identification of associated primes). In every divisor, only the primes occurring in the factorisation of $g$ can occur, with at most the power of the prime occurring in $g$.
As was shown, the constructed $f$ is divisible by infinitely many primes, hence it doesn't have a prime factorisation.


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Central bank digital currencies: Moving towards reality?
By Tom Wilson LONDON (Reuters) - Central banks are looking at creating their own digital currencies - a stark contrast to the ethos of cryptocurrencies that seek to subvert mainstream authority over money. As Facebook's efforts to launch its Libra cryptocurrency pour fuel onto debates over who will control money in the future, major economies have started to examine how so-called central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) could become reality
Reuters January 24, 2020 00:11:03 IST
By Tom Wilson
LONDON (Reuters) - Central banks are looking at creating their own digital currencies - a stark contrast to the ethos of cryptocurrencies that seek to subvert mainstream authority over money.
As Facebook's efforts to launch its Libra cryptocurrency pour fuel onto debates over who will control money in the future, major economies have started to examine how so-called central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) could become reality.
Here are some key questions on the rise of central bank digital currencies and their progress in entering the mainstream.
ARE CBDCs DIFFERENT TO CRYPTOCURRENCIES?
Yes - and fundamentally so.
CBDCs are traditional money, but in digital form; issued and governed by a country's central bank. By contrast, cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are produced by solving complex maths puzzles, and governed by disparate online communities instead of a centralised body.
The common denominator is that both cryptocurrencies and CBDCs, to a varying degree, are based on blockchain technology, a digital ledger that allows transactions to be recorded and accessed in real time by multiple parties.
While some retailers accept bitcoin as a form of payment, cryptocurrencies are not recognised as legal tender - which CBDCs, by definition, would be.
And unlike central bank money, both traditional and digital, the value of cryptocurrencies is determined entirely by the market, and not influenced by factors such as monetary policy or trade surpluses.
AND WHAT ABOUT ELECTRONIC CASH?
The rise of technology like contactless debit cards has made it easier for consumers and businesses to use electronic cash, or e-money, to pay for goods and services.
But this also differs to CBDCs.
Electronic cash, defined by the Bank for International Settlements as a store of value for making payments to retailers or between devices, is usually held at banks or on pre-paid cards or digital wallets such as PayPal.
CBDCs would not merely be a representation of physical money, as is the case with electronic cash, but a complete replacement for notes and coins.
SO WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF CBDCs?
Central banks think CBDCs could make payments systems, which are often time-consuming and costly, more efficient, reducing transfer and settlement times and thus stoking economic growth.
Some central banks think CBDCs could also counter the rise of cryptocurrencies issued by the private sector such as Libra, planned for launch in June 2020.
Bitcoin and other virtual currencies, hampered by wild volatility, have presented few realistic threats to central bank control over money. But central bankers fret that Libra could reach billions and quickly erode sovereignty over monetary policy.
CBDCs, they think, could address problems like inefficient payments that cryptocurrencies seek to solve, while maintaining state control over money.
In an era of negative interest rates, CBDCs are also seen as offering a tool to encourage businesses and people to spend money and invest, the argument goes, as they could be used to charge households and businesses to hold cash.
ARE CBDCs CLOSE TO BECOMING REALITY?
Increasingly so - though most CBDC projects are still in very early or conceptual stages.
A growing number of central banks are likely to issue their own digital currencies in the next few years, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has found. Most of those launching pilot schemes are from emerging markets. [L4N29R45W]
Among major economies, China is closest to becoming the first to introduce a CBDC. While details of its project to build a digital renminbi are scarce, it will be powered in part by blockchain technology and will initially be issued to commercial banks and other financial institutions.
The central banks of Britain, the euro zone, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland said on Tuesday they will share experiences in a group assisted by the BIS as they examine the case for issuing CBDCs.
ARE MOST MAJOR CENTRAL BANKS SUPPORTIVE?
Caution and scepticism exists in many quarters.
The U.S. Federal Reserve, for example, was notably absent from collaboration with the initiative by the European and Japanese central banks to look at CBDCs.
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said in November the bank was monitoring the digital currency debate but not actively considering its own amid a host of legal, regulatory and operational questions.
Others, such as the Bank of Japan, have warned that uncertainties over the impact of CBDCs on commercial banking must be addressed. The BOJ has also scotched the idea that CBDCs could boost the effectiveness of negative interest rate policies.
(Reporting by Tom Wilson; Editing by Pravin Char and Susan Fenton)
Updated Date: January 24, 2020 00:11:03 IST


I have responsibility for all commercial aspects of Architas' UK business including distribution, marketing, proposition and business development. I was promoted to my current role in September 2017.
Before joining Architas in 2014, I spent seven years as a sales director at Thames River Capital and then F&C after its acquisition. Before that, I worked for Friends Provident International. I was a manager of the funds marketing and research team there, with responsibility for its international offshore fund range.
I hold an Investment Management Certificate and went to Liverpool Hope University, where I got a degree in Fine Art and Psychology. I never thought studying the complexities of human behaviours and workings of the mind would prove to be so useful. One thing I've taken to heart is this: to get diversity of thought, you must first establish diversity of background, viewpoints and culture.


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York City skipper Manny Panther is a man on a mission inspired by his Scottish roots and the happiest' person he has ever known - his dad. DAVE FLETT reports.
MANNY Panther might be a lifelong Glasgow Rangers fan but it's a green-and-white hooped hero that provides his role model as York City captain.
As a teenage midfielder, Panther twice played in front of 60,000 fans at Celtic's famous Parkhead stadium.
In only the 12th and 15th appearances of his professional career, he tasted defeat against the former European champions with St Johnstone and Partick Thistle.
But he still cherishes the memory of both occasions and admits the attitude of ex-Northern Ireland skipper Neil Lennon remains an example when he leads City out on match days.
"I came on as a substitute the second time for Partick and came up against Neil Lennon," Panther recalls. "They were leading 3-0 but he was still screaming at his players to bury us - even in injury time.
"I thought to myself Why are you so mad?' but he was a total professional and demanded the same from his team-mates. He was their captain and I try to learn from every game so, as York City captain, I remember what he was like in that match.
"You must always demand the best from your players and, when I'm playing for York, I try and drive the boys on to score as many goals as we can. You can relax at the end of games and the manager (Billy McEwan) tells us at least once a week that he missed out on promotion by goal difference as a player so it is important."
The wide-eyed Panther also played on the same pitch as Swedish legend Henrik Larsson during that second trip to Parkhead and was equally as impressed, adding: "His movement and awareness was different class.
"He sometimes looks like he's out of the game for long periods and just pops up with a goal but I asked the Partick defenders about him afterwards and they said he was a nightmare to play against because he was always on the move."
Rangers, though, remain close to Panther's heart in a love affair that was ignited when Paul Gascoigne blazed on to the Scottish Premier League scene 12 years ago.
"It was amazing to see that type of player sign for a Scottish team and he was great up there," Panther enthuses.
"Playing at Parkhead in front of 60,000 fans was unbelievable and it's somewhere any player would want to play but I never played at Ibrox which is a great shame and still one of my ambitions."
While Lennon and Gascoigne might have left lasting impressions on an adolescent Panther, the player's lifelong inspiration has been his father.
Cyril Panther was a Nigerian light-middleweight boxing champion in the 1960s before moving to Britain on the advice of his manager.
Cateract problems, however, left Cyril blind and the 23-year-old midfielder's admiration for the manner in which his father has led his life since is obvious.
"My dad is my biggest inspiration," a proud Panther said.
"He's been blind since I was born but he's still a fit and strong man and nothing gets him down. He's the happiest person I know.
"I come from a sporting and athletic family. My brother and I did some boxing training when we were young and I was always first at school in long-distance running but I was football daft and it was my number one passion."
Panther's passion led to a call-up for the Scotland Under-15 schoolboy team where he played at right-wing-back and lined up alongside a highly-rated midfielder who became a Premiership champion last season.
"I played for Scotland schoolboys with Darren Fletcher," Panther revealed.
"Everybody knew about him at that age and every club in Britain was after him but he ended up signing for Manchester United in Sir Alex Ferguson's home.
"After that, it was crazy. We went to places in Europe with Scotland and people would be coming up asking for his autograph especially in Ireland where they are Manchester United daft."
Panther remains a hugely patriotic Scot while maintaining an allegiance with his father's homeland.
He added: "I enjoyed Nigeria becoming Olympic champions in 1996 but I've always been a strong Scotland supporter and, given the choice between the two countries, I'd play for Scotland. It's my culture and I always try to get home to watch their games."
Despite his loyalties north of the border, though, Panther has no regrets following his move to Yorkshire two years ago.
Money problems and managerial changes had seen his career stall in Scotland and, after being loaned out to second division Brechin City, Panther decided it was time for a new challenge.
He said: "I was offered a new contract at Partick but I wanted to get my career moving in the right direction. When my agent said What about the Conference?' I thought No way'.
"I wanted to go to England because that's the place to be as a footballer but I wasn't too sure about Conference football.
"My agent said Just go down, have a look and have a word with the manager'.
"I did and was impressed with the ground, the training ground and the whole set-up. I knew it was the right club.
"The manager also made me feel wanted which I needed at that time and I could relate to him because he had made the same move from Scotland as a player.
"I was still living at home in Glasgow but it was one of those decisions you have to make in life and I think it's paid off.
"I love Yorkshire people and York's a lovely place where anybody could settle."


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In Germany, they even call it EasyPASS.
We've long espoused the benefits of Global Entry, which lets travelers breeze past the lines at U.S. customs by checking in at a kiosk. But there are limits to its powers: Global Entry only works upon entry into the U.S., and not to any country around the world. But ahead of your European summer vacation—and before you resign yourself to yet another 30 minutes stuck in a customs line along with a whole planeful of Americans—know that there are other ways to get through quickly.
Like Global Entry, Germany's EasyPASS allows travelers to bypass customs interviews and move through automated border control at seven German airports (Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Cologne/Bonn, Dusseldorf, Berlin-Schönefeld, Berlin-Tegel, and Hamburg) with 153 eGates: All you have to do is scan your passport, glance at the camera, and you're done. Though most often used by European Union citizens, EasyPASS is also available to Americans and citizens of Hong Kong. After signing up (for free!) at one of five German airports with an enrollment center—Hamburg, Berlin-Tegel, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, and Munich—the Federal Police will check whether you meet the participation requirements via a quick interview, forms, and background check. After information has been approved, registered, and stored in the system, U.S. travelers are free to move through the automated border control system; an officer will then check if there are additional entry requirements and stamp the passport. The whole process may only take 30 minutes—we know what we're doing on our next layover.
If you're a frequent visitor to the United Kingdom (and with London now touting some of the best restaurants in the world, why wouldn't you be?), you may be eligible for the Registered Traveller Program: All you need is a U.S. passport, to be 18 or older, and have visited the island nation four times in the past 24 months. Apply online for a one-year membership (£70, or $87), and you'll be notified as to whether or not you've been accepted within ten business days. (If your application doesn't pass muster, you'll receive £50, or $62 of the money back.) If your application is accepted, you'll be able to move through U.K. and EU entry lanes at Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Manchester, and Stansted airports; as well as Eurostar terminals at Brussels, Lille, and Paris.


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Stagnation as Erosion: Japan's Liberal Democratic Party's Monopoly by Ginger Li @ Yale University
posted on March 29, 2018 by Ginger Li
Yale University Tagged With: Asia
Since 1955, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan has enjoyed near complete control of the Japanese government. It has only failed to hold a majority for four of the past sixty-three years.[1] This long-standing supremacy by one political party raises questions of how democratic the Japanese system really is, and if sustained single party-domination is a sign of democracy eroding.
Most definitions of democracy share a few common key elements, such as free and fair elections, protected civil liberties, and responsive institutions. This should result in a government that is trusted by its citizens to effectively represent their interests and considered legitimate. What these definitions leave out is the need for a functioning democratic system to yield some degree of leadership alternation. Alternation demonstrates that the electoral system is responsive to both changes in the will of the people and the shifting societal, economic and political context. Lack of alternation, as Japan is experiencing, points to a lack of responsiveness. This may in turn be linked to an outsize and potentially dangerous amount of political power concentrated in one party.
The LDP has come to enjoy key advantages over potential competing political parties, while simultaneously gaining the ability, consciously or not, to erode democratic values and practices. Some signs of an emerging democratic erosion caused by this lack of alternation are recent corruption scandals, a weakening of freedom of the press, and declining political participation.
Scandal has plagued Abe's administration since his first term as prime minister in September 2006, and many have asserted that corruption allegations led to his resignation of his post one year later.[2] Later reelected and now in his fourth term as prime minister, after a snap election that many believe Abe called so he could be confirmed before the impact of recent cronyism scandals, Abe's approval rating continues to plummet as accusations of his corruption continues to dominate news coverage.[3]
The prevalence of corruption is an indication of a failure of checks and balances in a democratic system, which may be enabled by the LDP's domination over the system, which Abe is the leader of. [4] Lack of legitimate opposition means LDP representatives are selected over and over, which was particularly evident in the last election for prime minister when the sole competitive candidate represented a party formed months prior.[5] These corruption allegations, concentrated at the highest echelons of the Japanese government, could have a dangerous effect on citizens' trust in government and perceptions of government legitimacy, which points to an erosion of democracy.
Another notable manifestation of democracy eroding is the drop of ratings of Japan's freedom of the press, as measured by organizations like Freedom House.[6] With legislation such as the 2014 Specially Designed Secrets Act, the Japanese government reserves the power to punish journalists for speaking out against the government or bringing to light potentially damaging information. This results in self-censoring tendencies by journalists and the media, derived potentially from a fear of being punished under this new legislation or out of a sense of loyalty to protect the government. [7]
The LDP's power again could be seen as to blame for this weakened civil liberty. When a single party commands control for as long as it has, it gains the political clout to legislate in such a way that reinforces its own power. This is an identifiable form of democratic erosion in the same vein as Nancy Bermeo's conception of executive aggrandizement: an institutional change that is legally decreed and thus which seems to be the result of the popular will, when in fact a single political entity is entrenching itself in a position of power.[8]
Data shows a decline in political participation in Japan, not only in voter turnout but in other metrics such as contacting elected officials and joining political demonstrations.[9] This decline points to a general apathy about politics among Japanese citizens. This lack of civic engagement may suggest a political culture of potentially growing distrust and disengagement caused by negative perceptions towards government responsiveness.
The continued strength of the LDP may lead voters to withdraw from the democratic process. History suggests that the possibility of alternation from an LDP majority is slim, and meanwhile other parties may not have the political space to blossom and develop as a formidable opposition. When not given strong alternatives, for voters the benefits of political participation may not override its costs. Once citizens stop caring about the government and participating, electoral effectiveness declines and democratic legitimacy diminishes. As long as the LDP monopolizes elected seats, democracy may continuously erode.
Appeal of the LDP
One may argue that keeping the LDP in power is in fact a conscious and renewed choice by Japanese voters, who continue to agree with and vote for the party's platform. The party has its merits regarding issues such as its militaristic stance towards North Korea and its historic success in guiding economic growth. The LDP has come up with solutions for these salient issues: a proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate pacifism in Japan's constitution, and Abe's "Abenomics" plan. Perhaps the party's size and lack of legitimate opposition is a strength in enabling a diversity of opinions within its ranks and flexibility to adapt its platform to the people's will.
Despite this more positive outlook on the lack of alternation, there may still be damage being done to Japan's democracy that points to erosion. The disconnect forming between Japan's government and its governed could be seen at best as apathy and at worst as distrust. This severing relationship threatens the underlying principle of democracy as the people's government. While it may not be solely to blame, the side effects of the LDP's entrenchment do not seem to be bolstering the people's faith in their government.
[1] "The Liberal Democratic Party." Japan: A Country Study. 1994. http://countrystudies.us/japan/122.htm; Fackler, Martin. "Japan Election Returns Power to Old Guard." New York Times, December 16, 2012. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/world/asia/conservative-liberal-democratic-party-nearing-a-return-to-power-in-japan.html.
[2] Nakata, Hiroko. "Abe Announces He Will Resign." Japan Times, September 13, 2007. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/09/13/national/abe-announces-he-will-resign/#.WruoltPwbOR; Onishi, Norimitsu. "Prime Minister of Japan to Step Down." New York Times, September 12, 2007. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/world/asia/12cnd-japan.html.
[3] Repeta, Lawrence. "Backstory to Abe's Snap Election–the Secrets of Moritomo, Kake and the "Missing" Japan SDF Activity Logs." ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL-JAPAN FOCUS 15, no. 20 (2017).
[4] Brown, James D. J. "Shinzo Abe and the Arrogance of Power." Japan Times, June 1, 2017. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2017/06/01/commentary/japan-commentary/shinzo-abe-arrogance-power/#.Wrub8tPwbOR.
[5] Harding, Robin. "Japan's Yuriko Koike Resigns as Party of Hope Leader." Financial Times, November 14, 2017. https://www.ft.com/content/882eaf8e-c912-11e7-ab18-7a9fb7d6163e.
[6] "Freedom of the Press 2017 | Japan | Freedom House." Freedom House. 2017; Adelstein, Jake. "How Japan Came to Rank Worse than Tanzania on Press Freedom." Los Angeles Times, April 20, 2016. http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-japan-press-freedom-20160420-story.html; https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2017/japan.
[7] Simon, Joel. "Will the Japanese Media Stand up for Press Freedom?" Columbia Journalism Review. June 9, 2017. https://www.cjr.org/opinion/japanese-media-shinzo-abe.php.
[8] Bermeo, Nancy. "On democratic backsliding." Journal of Democracy 27, no. 1 (2016): 9.
[9] Jou, Willy, and Masahisa Endo. "Political participation in Japan: A longitudinal analysis." Asian Journal of Comparative Politics 2, no. 2 (2017): 199.
Sonia Jeambon
Thank you Ginger for your post. I think the longstanding supremacy of the LDP has enabled many pillars of democracy to fall, especially freedom of the press. You note that most Japanese voters have become apathetic. Not only are voters not showing up to the polls, but they are not engaging with their repressive or showing any signs of resistance towards to the power of the LDP. Much of this can be accounted for by the lack of media coverage and press, which the LDP for the past almost sixty-three years has worked towards inhibiting journalist from speaking out against the government, which has created an environment where journalists are self-policing themselves in fear of getting in trouble by the state. If citizens are not exposed to the realities of their government, such as the multiple corruption scandals of their current prime minister, Shinzo Abe, how might they understand the dangers of the LDP and find reason to mobilize? You also note the LDP has been successful at keeping sustained a growing an economy due to the success of Abe's "Abenomics" plan. How do you reconcile the threats to Japans democracy including lack of checks of balances, free press and absence of opposition parties, when the public has not voiced much concern? Is Japan complacent with the state of their democracy or eroding democracy? Shinzo Abe has approval ratings continue to plummet, perhaps this may be used as an indicator of how the public perceives the quality of their government, as well as distrust.
Jonah Echols
Ginger, great thoughts on the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. You organized your post in a way that flowed very smoothly and was easy to understand. Comparative studies of democracies (particularly democracies that are outside the popular academic conversation) are always very interesting. You referenced three signs of democratic erosion in the Japanese democracy: corruption in the political party, a weakening of freedom of the press, and the declining of political participation. I appreciate your including an optimistic interpretation of the current state of the Japanese democracy – it helped to bring some new ideas to the table. I agree with the majority of your argument. A weak system of checks and balances almost always leads to leaders taking steps to ensure their own power; seldom does it lead to a more fervent effort to serve the people of that country best. Lack of freedom of the press often goes hand in hand with the stability of political figures in systems such as this – bribes, threats, and collusion between the heads of media outlets and entrenched political figures is a big signifier of democratic erosion. Lack of responsivity that leads to a lack of political participation is almost always a sign of democratic erosion. Careful and diligent observation must be maintained to gauge the actual amount of political participation (for example, the false numbers publicized by the Russian government saying that Putin achieved almost universal approval). One method used by authoritarian leaders trying to stay in power is to falsify and give the appearance of responsivity to the public and large amounts of public approval. Overall, great thoughts! I enjoyed reading your post.
Zitian
Greeting, Ginger Li:
I am in a 100% agreement on "stagnation as erosion" of democracy in Japan. But in particular, I would like to elaborate on the "1955 system" of LDP and its implication on domestic democratic stagnation.
Historically, the domination of LDP in early 1950s and 1960s was a combination between U.S. occupying policies and political struggles led by the communist party in West Japan. The adaption of the Dodge Line in 1949 and the outbreak of the Korean War compelled the U.S. to quickly stabilize Japanese economy by relying on traditional government-business structure, where politician and business elites had been cooperative since the Meiji Restoration. Chalmers Johnson made explicitly clear on this path dependency when he coined the word "developmental state."
However, this state-society relation came with price by assaulting against communist leadership, breaking up labor unions, and discouraging grass root organizations, causing the lack of legitimate opposition within the Japanese political establishment. The post-WWII economic "miracle" overshadowed those democratic deficits up to 1990s because, when the economy was growing, these democratic rollbacks did not become sufficiently salient.
Unfortunately, these deficits have resurfaced after the "lost decade," as Japanese economy has become less robust. Aging society, long working hours among the middle class, and increasing conservative agenda proposed by LDP have further dramatized the Japanese politics, giving observers the impression of democratic erosion.
However, I am fairly optimistic for Japanese democracy specifically after seeing a united opposition against LDP constitutional revision in 2012. Civil societies that previous remained silent starts to speak up; the Akihito emperor has shown opposition against the LDP leadership; and LDP itself has been facing new challenge of incorporating young generation of voters. These trends indicate the resilience of democratic norms in Japan and they are likely to become a force for greater chances.
Leon Chin
This is an incredibly interesting account regarding Japan's democratic backsliding. It definitely is interesting to see that Japan, one of the United States' closest allies around the world and especially in Asia, possesses these worrisome indicators regarding the potential for democratic backsliding. The United States and the West has continued to portray Japan as a hallmark nation with regards to democratic practices and most likely is the leading nation in Asia in terms of how democratic it is. The reasons you have provided for democratic backsliding are very engaging and I definitely agree with them. I also think it would be interesting to see if culture plays an important as to why there hasn't been great democratic change or additional parties. For example, I know that Japan is a very reserved country, which could potentially result into why people choose not to participate in politics and it could explain why one political party has remained in power throughout the last 60 years. It would be interesting also to see why political participation has continued to decline in recent years as that appears to be quite alarming.


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Episode 10 – Is the Old Testament Law Binding on Christians Today?
Two of the main and clear biblical prohibitions of homosexuality occur in the Old Testament. But this raises the question, "Is the OT law binding on Christians today?"
https://files.brianseagraves.com/unapologetic/audio/Unapologetic%20Episode%2010.mp3
How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians Today?
Are the Sabbath laws binding on Christians today?
Is the Old Testament law binding on Christians today? If not, what do we make of Old Testament prohibitions against homosexuality? Stay tuned and find out on Unapologetic.
Matthew Vines is the leader of the Reformation Project. This is a group of homosexuals and LGBT persons who claim to be Christians, who are trying to lobby for legitimacy of homosexuality in the church. Now, generally, this is couched in terms of long-term monogamist, loving homosexual relationships. In general, they are just also trying to get homosexuality be accepted. Now, Matthew Vines has written a book God and the Gay Christian and he's also put out a short promo video for this book a year or so ago. He goes through the six Bible passages that are traditionally used to talk about homosexuality. He even is forthright in saying that the Bible doesn't seem to portray homosexuality in a good light. He goes through each of these passages and shows how they've been misinterpreted.
One of the passages is from the Levitical Law — the Old Testament law. Now, there were 613 laws in the Torah, which is in the first five books of the Old Testament, and the Jews were supposed obey all of them. Here are two such laws. "You must not have sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman. It is a detestable act." This is in Leviticus 18:22. In Leviticus 20:13, "it says if a man has sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with the woman, the two have committed an abomination. They must be put to death. Their blood guilt is on themselves."
Here's another law from Leviticus. "You must not allow two different kinds of your animals to breed. You must not sow your field with two different kinds of seed and you must wear a garment made of different kinds of fabric." I think, my shirt's made of cotton and polyester. I'll be right back… No. Here's the problem is that we want to say that, no, we can wear shirts that are made out of different kinds of fabric and I can plant two crops from different types of seed in the same field and all of that. But, No, that homosexuality thing, that's wrong. People view this as a contradiction, as an inconsistency in the Christian position.
We're left with the question as Christians, how do we answer this? How do we deal with this claim of inconsistency? "You want to claim that Levitical Law code is right when it comes to homosexuality being a wrong but the Levitical law code no longer applies when it comes to tattoos or when it comes to shirts and multiple clothing or eating shellfish or eating pork." How do we deal with that as Christians?
This might take some of you aback but the answer is that the Levitical Law code doesn't apply to the New Testament Christian at all. The Levitical Law code was with Israel. It was a covenant made with Israel. We are not Israel, therefore, we are not under that covenant that was made with the Jew, the nation of Israel.
Deuteronomy was the second time the law was given, actually. It was first given in Exodus when Moses was at Mt. Sinai, and then the Jews wandered in the desert. One of the last things that Moses does is give the law again as he's handing off the reins, handing over leadership. It's important to understand, this was a covenant made with the nation of Israel, and we are not Israel as New Testament Christians. Now, does this mean everything in the law no longer is wrong if it was said to be wrong? No, that's not true. Things can be wrong, but not because they are in the Old Testament Law code. They may be in the Old Testament Law code because they are wrong, however. Does that make sense?
It's in the law because it's wrong but it's not necessarily wrong because it's in the law. Let me explain what I mean by that. There are actually three types of laws in the Levitical Law code. There is ceremonial law. This dealt with keeping Israel clean and separate as a nation. So those would be the: don't plant multiple types of seeds in one field, don't wear shirts with mixed fabrics, different purity laws dealing with handling blood in dead animals and menstrual cycles and all of these things.
They fall under the ceremonial law which was meant to keep Israel weird, actually, and separate. Everything in their culture was supposed to remind them that they had a God and they were a chosen and a set-apart people. Part of that had to deal with don't wear mixed fabrics. You need to be a contiguous, a set-apart, a consistent grouping of people. Don't intermingle with other cultures and other religions. Many of the laws and regulations under society were to reinforce this idea of them being set apart and separate, a called-out people, a holy people. Now, that's the ceremonial law.
You also have judicial law. This is how you deal with issues of what happens when someone steals from you. What's the punishment for that? That's a judicial matter. There's civil laws too; how were estates passed on and property and inheritances and all of that. Then there are moral laws that express a moral code. Don't murder. Don't commit adultery. Don't covet. Don't lie with a man as one lies with the woman. These would be examples of moral laws. Now, looking back studying these things, scholars are able to come up with these three categories but to be honest, it's not like they're listed this way. It's not where Moses says, "okay, here's the civil law, here's the moral law, here's the ceremonial law." It's not that clear cut.
Here is a lens we can use to help interpret the Old Testament law and see what applies to us today. The first starting place is to say that the law doesn't apply at all to us today because we're not ancient Israel. Now, you can't stand in that position because there are things that are expressed in the law that do apply to us today. They apply to us today because, under the new covenant, they are part of the "law" or regulations or moral code that apply to Christians. If it's important for Christians to obey, it's repeated in the New Testament. When people want to say, you can't say homosexuality is wrong based on the law because the law doesn't apply anymore. That's not totally true as we'll continue to get into but homosexuality is prohibited in the New Testament.
In Romans 1, it's the example given of ungodliness, of suppression of truth, of unrighteousness. In 1 Corinthian 6, it's also listed and prohibited as it is in 1 Timothy 1. We don't have to apply the Old Testament law to a situation that it's not meant to apply to — a New Testament Christian or just a Gentile today, anyone who's not ancient Israel — because we can apply the New Testament which is for people in a situation such as ours. Now, what do we do with the other things in the old covenant and the Old Testament law? Do those apply today? No. Prohibitions against shirts with mixed fabrics, that doesn't apply today. Not getting a tattoo, that's not a moral deed. That is part of the ceremonial law meant to keep Israel separate and pure and not marked up with the images of idols or anything like that.
Now, some people want to say the Old Testament law didn't go away. It applies today. I would ask why and then I would ask if they realized they're wearing pants that are made from multiple fabrics and if they have a home garden at home, if they're growing both jalapeños and carrots in the same bed — we actually are at my home — and those different types of things. Because in some ways, it's true that when Jesus came he upped the ante. When you looked at the Sermon on the Mount, he says it's not just adultery, that's wrong. It's looking at a woman to lust after. That's adultery in your heart.
It's not just murdering your brother that's wrong, it's hating your brother. He takes the level they were accustomed to and moves it up. But he does that on moral actions not on ceremonial actions. He doesn't say, "I said don't wear a shirt with mixed fabrics. Don't even wear a shirt with the same fabric that came from different fields." He doesn't say that type of thing. It's all about morality. The morality applies to the New Testament Christian because it's part of the new covenant.
Another example of the Old Testament law not applying today, in fact, even one of the Ten Commandments, is "remember the Sabbath and keep it holy." No one does that today. Now, just because no one does it, that doesn't mean it doesn't apply but what it does mean is that the New Testament church has correctly understood that keeping the Sabbath holy — in the way that Old Testament Israel was supposed to — is not binding on us today as New Testament Christians. We don't meet on the Sabbath. In fact, one of the distinctives of the New Testament church in Acts was they started meeting on the first day of the week on Sunday, not on Saturday. They gave up meeting on the Sabbath because they realized they weren't under the old covenant.
Now, they may have gone to the synagogue then and then on Sunday too but they didn't keep the Sabbath in the same way that they were supposed to before, where they didn't walk a certain distance or they didn't do a certain number of chores or something like that. The Christians, the New Testament Christians, correctly understood that they were no longer under the Old Testament Levitical Law.
How should we use the Old Testament law code when dealing with homosexuality? We can say that God has had an extremely consistent track record. From the very beginning, he created the male and female, the man and the woman are respectively supposed to leave their parents and join together. Then in the law, we see homosexuality is wrong. Then in the new covenant, we see that it's still wrong. We cannot just rely on the Old Testament. We can use that as a piece of the greater biblical account and fabric and storyline to show that God has been consistent on that area.
That's how we can use that. There are other issues of how does the law apply to Christians today and does it. I think, one of the best examples of that is the whole letter of Galatians which is about we are not under the law, we are under grace. It's not legalism, it's grace. In a way, what Matthew Vines has said is true. Jesus came to fulfill the law. In doing so, what that means is, he kept all of its demands, its moral demands, its ceremonial demands and he was pure and blameless. He died on the cross to accomplish something the law could never do in and of itself which was provide for the once and for all atonement for all sin which the law could never do. Paul says the law was instituted to show us our sin, to make it known, and it certainly has done that. But everything the law describes and prohibits is not sin for the New Testament Christian. That's important to understand.
The last example I'll give you is when you're in California, California law applies to you. If you were to murder someone, the state of California would say that's wrong. That's a crime. Now, when you come to Florida, if you were to murder someone, is California law going to apply to you? No, you're not going to be guilty of murder in the state of California. That's a different law or if we're using our biblical example, you're under a different covenant. You're still guilty of murder in Florida because murder is a law that should be a part of every covenant, of every legal system. Indeed, it's an expression of an absolute moral wrong, which is grounded in God's character.
Just because the Old Testament law doesn't apply, that doesn't mean that it's free game and everything's up for doing. That's not true. We need to see which moral prohibitions are exhibited and expressed in the New Testament. Study the Old Testament a lot closer to understand which Old Testament laws are an expression of absolute morality or which ones are an expression of ceremonial law that was only binding for Old Testament Israel and is not an example of an absolute transcendent, moral system.
Now, this, obviously, hasn't answered all the questions that are outstanding about the Old Testament law, but I hope you've seen that the Old Testament law isn't binding on the Christian today. But in some areas, specifically, the moral areas, it does express God's character towards certain behaviors and actions. It also firmly demonstrates that from the very beginning, from thousands of years ago, through the New Testament, God has had an extremely clear track record on the issue of homosexuality. More importantly, what marriage is. That it's one man, one woman in a monogamous, long-term committed relationship.
Thank you for listening to Unapologetic. I'd love to hear from you. If you have a question or you have input, feel free to use the contact form on the Unapologeticpodcast.com website. If this episode has been helpful, share it on Facebook. Leave a review on iTunes or retweet it on Twitter. As always, I look forward to spending some time with you next week.
Posted on May 14, 2015 August 11, 2020 by Brian Seagraves
Posted in Unapologetic PodcastTagged homosexuality
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text:
Q: Any one can solve this: Simplify the boolean expression Z=A+A'B + A'B'C+ A'B'C'D Any one can solve this:
Simplify the boolean expression
Z=A+A'B + A'B'C+ A'B'C'D
What will be the final answer of this question.

A: Z = A + A'B + A'B'C + A'B'C'D <br>
Z = A + A'(B + B'C + B'C'D)        (distributivity)
Z = A + A'(B + B'(C + C'D))       (distributivity)
Z = A + A'(B + B'(C(D+1) + C'D))  (null law)
Z = A + A'(B + B'(CD + C + C'D))  (distributivity)
Z = A + A'(B + B'(C + D(C + C'))) (distributivity)
Z = A + A'(B + B'(C + D))         (inverse law)
Z = A + A'(B + C + D)             (same 4 steps applied above)
Z = A + B + C + D                 (same as above)

So, whole expression actually can be solved with this rule:
A + A'B = A + B (absorption law)