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Christopher L. Webber
Divisions and Unity
A sermon preached at the Church of the Incarnation, San Francisco, on October 9, 2016, by Christopher L. Webber.
A dozen years ago my wife and I went on a cruise along the Dalmatian coast, the coast of what used to be Yugoslavia, a part of Europe I hadn't seen before, and perhaps the most striking aspect of it was the fact that almost every day we were in a different country. Up until ten years ago there was a country there called Yugoslavia. Like Iraq and Jordan and Syria, it was created after World War I by people who had no idea what they were doing, who put lines on a map and created countries without much reference to the population. It didn't work. What had been one rather small country, about the size of Oregon, is now eight tiny countries, the smallest not much bigger than Massachusetts. Serbia, one of the biggest, is maybe 100 miles across maybe 150 miles north to south – and Bosnia and Croatia and Montenegro are all smaller yet they fought each other, and terrible things happened. So we were visiting people who not that long ago were trying to kill each other even though they have economies that depend heavily on tourism.
That behavior makes no sense – but human behavior often lacks much good sense. Maybe you've been following news about the election. I was pondering all that because the Gospel today centers on issues of ethnicity and the way we human beings divide ourselves. Why do we do it? Why can't we, as someone asked years ago, "Why can't we all just get along?" The gospel today raises, I think, that kind of question.
We read a story about ten men who were lepers and who were healed by Jesus. Being healed, one of them turned back to offer thanks and praise, and that one was a Samaritan. Now Samaritans and Jews were about as different as Slovenes and Croatians. The Samaritans were Jews with a difference. They were the Jews who stayed behind when the rest went into exile and when the exiled Jews came back with new ideas and new customs they never could get back together. They lived apart for maybe 70 years and five hundred years later were still apart and had learned to hate each other. That's why Luke comments on the fact that the grateful leper was a Samaritan. It's why Jesus' parable about "my neighbor" – who is "my neighbor" – puts the Samaritan in that role. It was the Samaritans who were the hated minority and Jesus puts the hated outsider in the role of the good guy to make his point.
What would we have today, I wonder. Would it be the parable of the Good Mexican or maybe the Good Syrian? Perhaps in Bosnia they would need to hear about the Good Serbian. It's sadly easy to update the story. But then it was Jews and Samaritans, like the people who lived in Yugoslavia, who were divided in some ways and united in others. Like the Yugoslavs, they lived very close together, separately, but in the same country. Like the Yugoslavs, they had a common ancestry and faith with strong common elements but also significant differences. And like the Yugoslavs, they had learned to hate and fear those others who shared their country with them who were so much like themselves and yet so different. Some of the former Yugoslav countries today are predominantly Moslem, others are Orthodox, and still others are Roman Catholic. But all three of these faith groups believe in one God, two of the three hold all the essential elements of the Christian faith: ministry, sacraments, Bible, and Creeds. They have a lot in common. And basic to the Christian faith at least is the summons to love our neighbor as ourselves.
So why were they killing each other? Why have there been these wars and why have these boundaries been created, and why are international peace keepers needed? Why can't we human beings live together? Why can't we all just get along?
This isn't, of course, a question that involves only remote areas of the world. The divisions in the Anglican Communion in recent years seem to me angrier than ever and then there are the cultural divisions in this country, increasingly reflected in our politics, that seem to be deeper and angrier than in a long time.
Just before moving here, I was serving a parish in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut where there are half a dozen small towns, each with its own character. I was in Canaan, a blue collar sort of place but next door was Salisbury where there were lots of wealthy summer people and retired people. I wondered whether the Episcopal Churches in Salisbury and Canaan might have a joint youth group and mentioned the possibility one day in the Christ Church Canaan confirmation class and I was told "but kids from Canaan and Salisbury hate each other." These were mostly Christians, living just a few miles apart. How is it possible? But ask what divides families; ask what leads to divorce; ask what puts us at odds with people, maybe even living next door and down the street. Does the story of the ten lepers throw some light on that?
Well, look at the story again. The one who came back was a Samaritan so presumably the others were not. Presumably the others were Jews and they should have hated the Samaritan. But these ten lepers seem to have been living together, in spite of that difference. So what made it possible for them to live with people who would normally have been their enemies? Was it, I wonder, the fact that the things that divided them were suddenly less important than what they had in common? Was it leprosy that brought them together: the fact that they all had this terrible, incurable disease? Certainly their neighbors no longer saw them as Jews or Samaritans. They were lepers, and that was all that mattered. The same disease that divided them from their neighbors brought them together.
Sometimes the things that divide us fade into unimportance compared to other issues that matter more. That's not hard to understand, is it? If you were dying of cancer and heard of a doctor with a remarkable ability to cure your disease, would it matter if you heard that he or she was Mexican or Moslem? Would a difference of faith or language or ethnicity hold you back from seeking his or her help? There are things, in other words, more important than our differences and when they come up, our divisions fall into a different perspective, fall into place, and maybe aren't as important as we thought. There are aspects of our human life that divide and there are aspects that unify. And it sometimes seems as if we want to be divided, as if we manage to find ways to use any excuse at all as a tool of division and thus even our faith becomes a means to divide when it ought to be a means to unite. But I think it's because, like the nine other lepers we are so focused on ourselves and our problems that even a miracle of God can't break through, can't overcome that self-centeredness that divides us, so that instead of saying, "We all believe in one God, we have much in common," we say "You are a Methodist and I am an Episcopalian; or you are a Roman Catholic and obey the Bishop of Rome – which I could never do; or you are a Moslem and call God "Allah" and that's not a name I recognize.' And we emphasize the differences rather than the commonalities.
If we human beings can't work together in a common cause; we are all too likely to be suspicious and hostile and fight and kill and destroy. Is there anything sadder than that, anything more tragic: that we let ourselves be so divided when we could accomplish so much more together? But that divisiveness can only happen if the faith we profess is a living lie, if we have never really understood its meaning. Because, you see, if God is indeed the center of my life, I cannot hate. I simply can't. To do so would make my faith false. I am commanded to love. I cannot hate. The Epistle of John is very clear about it: "If anyone says I love God and hates his brother or sister, he or she is a liar."
What, after all, is the Christian faith all about? Isn't it the proclamation that God so loved the world that he sent Jesus Christ to open the way of life to the whole human race, to break down our divisions, to unite us in a new community? How could anyone imagine that you can believe that and hate your neighbor? Well, you can if you have never really understood or accepted the faith we proclaim, if it's just one more thing like belonging to the Audubon Society or the National Rifle Association – if it's just a cause we believe in and contribute to but that doesn't really change my life. I'm afraid there are, in fact, many what I would call "social Christians" whose commitment is no deeper than that. For many of us, our church has about the same importance as the Audubon Society, maybe less. We get the monthly mailing we may go to meetings if it's convenient, we may send in an occasional contribution and then we get angry and fearful about the way the world is falling apart. The world is falling apart, but we leave it to others to make a difference. And then, on the other hand, when it comes to life and death decisions, if my country is attacked or critical decisions are being made, I won't be any more influenced by the fact that I belong to the church than I will by my membership in the Audubon Society. I will side with people who seem to be like me against people who seem to be different and what will unite me with someone else will be color or accent or the superficial things that I can see at a glance rather than the deep things of the heart.
Governors of several states, many of them deeply committed Christians by their own account, have announced that they will accept no Syrian refugees. It takes an average of two years to pass the government's vetting process, but these governors have let themselves be made captive to fear. Love is stronger than fear. I guess they don't know that. They call themselves Christians but don't know that love is stronger than fear and that's very sad. We could be showing the world the power of love, and instead we are cringing in fear. It's very sad. We come here today to remember who we are: we are a new people whose life is in Christ, whose lives are formed and shaped by grace and by this food we share at the altar. We share one life. We are members of one body. And so are many Syrians and so are many who will vote differently next month. If we go out from here and make decisions or take actions based on fear or anger or jealousy or status or party affiliation or national pride or any such thing as that, we've missed the point entirely.
Christ's love unites us, and it does that not to divide us from others but to enable us to serve others, to serve without fear. And then I think you can see how all three readings today have a common theme. Faith breaks down divisions. The Old Testament passage tells us the story of a non-Hebrew general who has leprosy and almost rejects the chance for a cure if he has to go to Israel for it. No wonder St. Paul in the second reading says, "Avoid wrangling over words." We don't change minds by wrangling; we change hearts by love. Look to the things you have in common, not the things that divide. These are readings we need to hear as Episcopalians, as Christians, as Americans, – not just hear, but take to heart. Faith unites, love unites, look to the things we have in common, and turn back to give thanks as the Samaritan did to the God who is able to transform all life through faith and the power of love.
October 9th, 2016 in Sermons
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When someone thinks of Savannah, they might bring to mind images of ancient architecture, the Savannah River, or scenes from the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. Sure, these are all aspects of what makes Savannah such a great place to live, but there are so many reasons why you should consider moving to Savannah.
Whether you're in Historic Downtown and wandering through moss-covered squares, walking the length of cobblestone streets like River Street, hanging out at the beach, or sitting in Forsyth Park, there's something simply stunning about Savannah.
The Atlantic Ocean butts up against the edge of Savannah, so there's plenty of space for everyone to get their tan on. There's also numerous rivers and creeks around the greater Savannah area to explore by boat, jet ski, or kayak. (Just check the local ordinances before venturing out.) Either way, get ready to see wildlife up close!
Chatham County school district has 23 elementary schools, eight K-8 schools, eight middle schools, and 11 high schools. There are also a handful of private school options and colleges in the area.
If you're interested in living in the greater Savannah area, then there is definitely a neighborhood that you'll fall in love with. You could opt for the heart of the city and find a place Downtown. There's also more residential areas like the Victorian District, one of the surrounding islands, or even Richmond Hill.
The cost of living in Savannah is almost 15 points lower than the national average. The housing cost is the biggest influence.
The military bases are a major employer, but there are also plenty of large and small, national and Mom-and-Pop companies that call Savannah home—not to mention the schools and colleges in the area.
Whether it's legendary St. Patrick's Day, a weekend-long festival, or a one-day event, the city of Savannah's calendar is always full of fun (and oftentimes family friendly) activities to experience! Plus, everything in the Savannah area is relatively close together thanks to major roads and highways.
Sure, it may get a little hot and humid, but there's something to be said for being able to wear shorts and a t-shirt for the majority of the year.
Savannah has more than traditional Southern comfort food. There's always a new restaurant to try!
There's something comforting about walking down the street and having someone smile, or you may run into a familiar face! Although we may have many of the perks of a larger city, Savannah still has that small town Southern charm.
We may be a tad bias because we call this wonderful place home, but we think these are pretty good reasons why you should consider moving to Savannah. If you already are (or need more convincing), give Maureen Bryant a call.


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Youth Conservation Culture Inc…
Running Wild takes pride in creating employment opportunities for islanders across our core programs, as well as our social enterprises – Containers for Change and our eco-tours -Running Wild Outdoors. We don't have any staff openings at the moment, but if you're keen to work for us, then get in touch. Please email admin@runningwild.org.au and attached a resume and cover letter.
Training and Employment Programs
We have two training and employment programs running across 2023.
Our Conservation Cadets start work 31 January 2023, so keep an eye out for them working in the community. This program is designed to support people who have found a disability a barrier to finding employment. The next round will be recruited in June 2023, to start work in July. Cadets earn a full award wage for 20 weeks, whilst working part-time (24 hrs/wk) on community projects across all four islands. They gain accreditation in introductory conservation and tourism units, while learning in hands-on environment
We will soon be recruiting for our next Skilling Queenslanders for Work, Work Skills Traineeships. Also working on conservation projects across the islands, whilst gaining their Certificate I in Conservation and Ecosystems Management, trainees will start work early March 2023. There are ten places on this 22 week program coming up, so keep an eye on this website and Facebook for recruitment details.
admin@runningwild.org.au
Running Wild is registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission ABN 30 343 649 825
Quandamooka Country
We acknowledge the Ngugi, Nunukul, and Goenpul peoples of the Quandamooka, traditional custodians and owners of the lands, waters and seas where we live and work. We pay respects to Elders, past, present and emerging.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Fort Morris is now open 7 days per week, 9am-5pm. The museum will be staffed Thursday-Saturday. Guests can access the site for self-guided tours Sunday-Wednesday by paying $5 per vehicle at collection box in the parking area.
When the Continental Congress convened in 1776, the delegates recognized the importance of a fort to protect their growing seaport from the British. Soon afterwards, a low bluff on the Medway River at Sunbury was fortified and garrisoned by 200 patriots. When the British demanded the fort's surrender on November 25, 1778, the defiant Col. John McIntosh replied, "Come and take it!" The British refused and withdrew back to Florida. Forty-five days later, they returned with a superior force, and on January 9, 1779, Fort Morris fell after a short but heavy bombardment.
Under the name of Fort Defiance, this bulwark was once again used against the British during the War of 1812, and Sunbury's harbor was guarded by armed barges. Today, visitors can stand within the earthwork remains and view scenic Saint Catherines Sound. A museum and film describe the colonial port of Sunbury and the site's history.
Visitors may borrow binoculars and a field guide to go birding. Downy woodpeckers, pileated woodpeckers, goldfinches, wood storks, painted buntings, great egrets and many other coastal species can be seen.
Open 7 days 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Guests can access the site for self-guided tours Sunday-Wednesday by paying $5 per vehicle at collection box in the parking area.


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Liberal Desperation over Roberts
Joe Scheidler August 15, 2005
The League and volunteers will be out on the streets of Joliet, IL this Wednesday, August 17, for our monthly Face the Truth Tour. Next Action News Hotline will be on Friday, since Thursday is packed with meetings.
Staffers for pro-abortion Senators Charlie Schumer, Ted Kennedy, Arlen Specter, Dianne Feinstein and others on the Judiciary Committee are spending their vacation in their hot offices trying to dig up dirt on Judge John G. Roberts, President George Bush's nominee to the U. S. Supreme Court. According to Jill Zuckman of the Chicago Tribune's Washington Bureau, "Preet Bahara is spending his days, nights and weekends in a windowless office surrounded by piles of files preparing for the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Judge John Roberts Jr."
August is for trying to get the fullest picture of Judge Roberts' thinking and judicial philosophy through every means available, according to red-eyed Bahara. And Roberts' rulings on abortion-related cases are of major importance in the search.
But some of the Senate aids are disappointed that Roberts is such an outstanding candidate and so well qualified for the position, that they don't have as much work as they had expected.
But you can bet the pro-aborts will spice it up to make it sound pretty bad, just as NARAL Pro-Choice America tried to do in their outrageous anti-Roberts ad. But you see what that did to Roberts—got him a sympathy vote.
The Losers at NARAL
And speaking of NARAL's ridiculous decision to run the anti-Roberts ad, which has been trashed by pro-abortion pols like Arlen Specter, neutral media advisors and secular journals—even the pro-abortion Chicago Sun-Times editorial on Monday calls the NARAL gamble "a big time loser."
NARAL tried to make Roberts appear to be discriminating against women, by writing an opinion that found pro-life protesters not subject to the 1871 Ku Klux Act. NARAL President Nancy Keenan is still arguing that they had a good ad, although they have withdrawn it after all the flack they got.
Locally, NARAL is holding a rally next Tuesday, August 23, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Federal Plaza at Adams and Dearborn. Their circular warns that in the event of rain, the protest will be rescheduled for Aug. 30, same time same place. If that's how tough they are, they're born losers.
". . . With Liberty and Abortion for All"
Columnist George Will does a little mocking of anti-Roberts fanatics in his Sunday column. His pro-abortion-eye-view of our nation's founding has Paul Revere galloping through the night warning that the British are coming to menace the right to abortion; the shot heard round the world was in defense of abortion; the Articles of Confederation were written to defend abortion rights and the framers of the Constitution met primarily to craft a more perfect abortion law.
Even the Civil War was fought to defend the right to abortion. His column is entitled, "Liberals need a history lesson on the Constitution."
Frist's Failure
Bob Novak in Monday's column says Sen. Bill Frist (R, TN) picked the worst time possible to switch from his opposition to embryonic stem cell research to his support of it. Frist was getting better as Senate majority leader. The Senate had won some victories.
Frist was beginning to look like presidential material for 2008. Frist had been working with pro-life activists to derail embryonic stem cell research legislation. He has abandoned that effort since he now supports the research. Frist will be out of the Senate next year. We hope that is the end of his political career.
Pro-Lifers Picket Pro-Abort Party
Our hat is off to Hoosier pro-lifers who picketed the Indiana governor's mansion because Planned Parenthood was holding a party there. Joining the pro-lifers was Indiana State Senator Jeffery Drozda of Westfield.
Speaking on behalf of the fifty pickets, Drozda said the Medicaid Fraud Unit of Indiana is investigating Planned Parenthood for reported cases of suspected child abuse, yet the state lets them use the Governor's mansion for a party. El sicko!


Opel Brass sponsors an Opel Vivaro for day-to-day theatre work.
The English Theatre Frankfurt Team is very happy to announce that we are now the proud owners of a "Theatre-Car" – an Opel Vivaro.
For many years we have been looking forward to this. Having this nine seater means that we are now not only able to give our actors an even warmer welcome by picking them up from the airport, but additionally it can be converted into a van. This means we can also pick up props and transport set elements to the theatre or equipment to out of house events, such as the annual Museumsufer Fest.
Very special thanks go out to Ulrich Brass and his company, who sponsored the ETF's Theatre-Car. For this we are very grateful.
Ulrich Brass, managing director of Opel BRASS hands over the sponsored theatre car to Jantien Bierich (Fundraising ETF) and Daniel Nicolai.


Keith B. Richburg, whose journalism career has spanned 40 years and four continents and who has lectured at some of the world's most prestigious universities, has been named the new director of The University of Hong Kong's Journalism and Media Studies Centre, the university announced today.
As of 1 September, he will succeed Professor Yuen-Ying Chan, a noted educator, China expert and veteran journalist. Chan founded the JMSC in 1999 and has since built it into one of Asia's premier journalism schools.
Tam also congratulated Chan on her years at the JMSC: 'My warm appreciation also goes to Professor Ying Chan for her huge contribution to the JMSC during her past 16 years of meritorious service as the director of the JMSC,' he said.
The JMSC offers undergraduate and graduate degrees at HKU, as well as professional training in journalism, and its graduates are currently working at many of the world's major online, print, broadcast and cable news organisations. To keep up with the rapid changes in the media industry, the centre has expanded its convergent media curriculum to include courses and research in data journalism, social media, and media entrepreneurship. The JMSC has also forged extensive ties with the media industry as well as educational organisations around the world.
Richburg spent 33 years as a reporter and editor at The Washington Post, including 20 years as a foreign correspondent, most of that in Asia. He was Manila bureau chief from 1986 to 1990, covering Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. He returned to Hong Kong in 1995, covering Hong Kong and Indonesia until 2000, and during this time also served as president of the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club. His final tour in Asia was as the Post's China correspondent, based in Shanghai and Beijing, from 2009 to 2013.
He covered coup attempts in the Philippines, the Vietnamese withdrawal from Cambodia, the fall of the Suharto regime in Indonesia, the Asian financial crisis and the Hong Kong handover in 1997, among many other events.
He also served as Africa bureau chief, where his subjects included the Somalia famine, the Rwanda genocide and South Africa's transition from apartheid to majority rule. While nominally based in Paris, he spent much time in the Middle East and Afghanistan, including coverage of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the start of the Iraq War in 2003. From 2005 to 2007, he was the Post's foreign editor.
He has won several awards for his foreign coverage, and was twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his reports from Somalia.
Since retiring from the Post in 2013, he has taught international reporting at Princeton University, and was a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University, where he gave lectures and talks and led seminars. He has also served as Editor-at-Large and a visiting professor at the JMSC. In addition to his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, he holds a Master of Science degree in international relations and comparative government from The London School of Economics.
Richburg, who will be 58 in May, was chosen to succeed Chan after an international search. He said he plans to use his wide circle of contacts to build on the solid foundation that Chan has laid in coverage of China, in instructing students in the new demands of digital-era journalism, and in forging collaborative efforts with leading media and educational organisations around the world.


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Why 36
Admissions Success
What is Strium?
What does it take to get into Stanford?
What's a good ACT score?
ACT for Top Tier Universities
When to Start Studying
With an acceptance rate of roughly 5%, Stanford is among the most selective undergraduate institutions in the country. Stanford is known for its exceptional computer science engineering programs, biological sciences, medical, law and business schools. The middle 50th percentile of scores for the ACT is between a 32 and a 35 while the equivalent for the SAT is between a 720-800 across both sections according to the official admissions profile from Stanford's site.
One thing students will often overlook is the two-pronged nature of receiving an acceptance offer from a top school like Stanford. So, we sat down with a Stanford alumnus named Rob from the Class of 2016 to figure out what he did to get in. The first prong is a given – stellar academics. As we've said many times before, a high ACT or SAT score and a solid GPA is undeniably required in order to be considered, but having them certainly will not guarantee you a spot. Many students choose to enroll in a structured program for ACT test prep, including the Strium ACT class by 36 Prep.
Here's a recap of our interview:
What do you consider the most important part of your application?
I worked for two summers: junior and senior year (senior of course wasn't on the app) at Stanford doing research in the field of neurobiology. I had my own capstone projects and went through a program where I was awarded a ~$1,500 stipend. This was a very competitive program that I had to apply into because I was actually paid, as opposed to paying, in order to participate. I also had a chance to present my work and was included on a few publications that were being written and/or submitted to a scientific journal. Some secondary pieces of my application that were probably important was my leadership (president of the national honor society) and the kicker was that I was the founder of a microfinance organization in which I helped pool together microloans for individuals in developing countries such as Cuba.
Did you have an "X" factor you think got you into your top tier school?
The letters from my PIs definitely helped me get along.
What do you think is the most underrated part of the college application – the part most students don't pay as much attention to but can increase your chances dramatically.
People tend to overlook how important it is to have a story that is unique and able to expertly weave together their disparate experiences over their high school career. My activities seemed to look all over the place, but my personal statement is where I was really able to shine and put the picture together.
You went to school with a lot of smart people. Any memorable Freshman who came from an extraordinary application background?
Absolutely. The common theme was that they all had deep passions that they pursued to the absolute extremes. We had people who were published in high impact journals (even better ones than some of the faculty at the school), Olympic medalists, and film producers.
If you had to give one piece of advice to a Freshman, a Sophomore, and a Junior in High School who wants to get into a top tier college (one piece of advice for each) what would it be?
You don't need (in fact should probably stay away from) a cookie-cutter application. Instead, find something you are passionate about (i.e. medicine, work with the underserved, technological development, writing etc.) and pursue it like hell. To put it in perspective, I never played an instrument or sport, and I was never involved in student government.


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Class Name: Go (Weiqi) 围棋
Class Room: 128
Class Time: 4:00-4:50 PM
Pre-requirement: 6 and up
Textbook:
Class Goal: This class introduces basic rules, techniques and strategies for beginners of Go. After talking about basic rules, the 9*9 board will be used for games and some problems (capturing techniques, life and death problems) will be provided. The students are expected to be able to finish a 19*19 board game at the end of the semester. Moreover, this class aims to stimulate students' interests in the game of Go as well as the ability of reasoning. About the teacher: I learned the game of Go for four years as an elementary school student. I am a 5 dan player in China and a 7.6d player in the US. After I came to North Carolina, I won two Go tournament titles in North Carolina. Reasons for playing Go: The game of Go incorporates various important abilities in one single game. To face a board and play Go is exactly like to face the future and live on our life. To play Go well, players need to be aware of the whole board instead of focusing on any local area of the board. Players need to think logically and anticipate the opponent's moves; this ability of reasoning is crucial in our life. Players need to face numerous wins and losses; this makes them a stronger mind. Players need to do game reviews and find mistakes; this is like what everyone tries to do well. Players need to know how to compute liberties and points in a game; this is vital in developing basic mathematical skills. Besides all kinds of advantages, as a current game with the longest history, Go is really a FUN game! Players of any age or any level can enjoy this amazing black and white world.
Teacher Name: An, Chen
Teacher Contact Info: Phone: Email: chen.an.nku@gmail.com
Parents Representative:
Parents Representative Phone:
Class Date Class Plan Class Day
09/07/2019 Yes
No School: 10/19/2019(Fall Break CSCH Celebration Party), 11/30/2019(Thanksgiving Holiday)
CSCH Web Site: http://www.csch-nc.org
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The Free Library > Literature > Jack London > The Valley of the Moon > Chapter XII
A gleam of light came, when Billy got a job driving a grading team for the contractors of the big bridge then building at Niles. Before he went he made certain that it was a union job. And a union job it was for two days, when the concrete workers threw down their tools. The contractors, evidently prepared for such happening, immediately filled the places of the concrete men with nonunion Italians. Whereupon the carpenters, structural ironworkers and teamsters walked out; and Billy, lacking train fare, spent the rest of the day in walking home.
"I couldn't work as a scab," he concluded his tale.
"No," Saxon said; "you couldn't work as a scab."
But she wondered why it was that when men wanted to work, and there was work to do, yet they were unable to work because their unions said no. Why were there unions? And, if unions had to be, why were not all workingmen in them? Then there would be no scabs, and Billy could work every day. Also, she wondered where she was to get a sack of flour, for she had long since ceased the extravagance of baker's bread. And so many other of the neighborhood women had done this, that the little Welsh baker had closed up shop and gone away, taking his wife and two little daughters with him. Look where she would, everybody was being hurt by the industrial strife.
One afternoon came a caller at her door, and that evening came Billy with dubious news. He had been approached that day. All he had to do, he told Saxon, was to say the word, and he could go into the stable as foreman at one hundred dollars a month.
The nearness of such a sum, the possibility of it, was almost stunning to Saxon, sitting at a supper which consisted of boiled potatoes, warmed-over beans, and a small dry onion which they were eating raw. There was neither bread, coffee, nor butter. The onion Billy had pulled from his pocket, having picked it up in the street. One hundred dollars a month! She moistened her lips and fought for control.
"What made them offer it to you?" she questioned.
"That's easy," was his answer. "They got a dozen reasons. The guy the boss has had exercisin' Prince and King is a dub. King has gone lame in the shoulders. Then they're guessin' pretty strong that I'm the party that's put a lot of their scabs outa commission. Macklin's ben their foreman for years an' years--why I was in knee pants when he was foreman. Well, he's sick an' all in. They gotta have somebody to take his place. Then, too, I've been with 'em a long time. An' on top of that, I'm the man for the job. They know I know horses from the ground up. Hell, it's all I'm good for, except sluggin'."
"Think of it, Billy!" she broathed. "A hundred dollars a month! A hundred dollars a month!"
"An' throw the fellows down," he said.
It was not a question. Nor was it a statement. It was anything Saxon chose to make of it. They looked at each other. She waited for him to speak; but he continued merely to look. It came to her that she was facing one of the decisive moments of her life, and she gripped herself to face it in all coolness. Nor would Billy proffer her the slightest help. Whatever his own judgment might be, he masked it with an expressionless face. His eyes betrayed nothing. He looked and waited.
"You ... you can't do that, Billy," she said finally. "You can't throw the fellows down."
His hand shot out to hers, and his face was a sudden, radiant dawn.
"Put her there!" he cried, their hands meeting and clasping. "You're the truest true blue wife a man ever had. If all the other fellows' wives was like you, we could win any strike we tackled."
"What would you have done if you weren't married, Billy?"
"Seen 'em in hell first."
"Than it doesn't make any difference being married. I've got to stand by you in everything you stand for. I'd be a nice wife if I didn't."
She remembered her caller of the afternoon, and knew the moment was too propitious to let pass.
"There was a man here this afternoon, Billy. He wanted a room. I told him I'd speak to you. He said he would pay six dollars a month for the back bedroom. That would pay half a month's installment on the furniture and buy a sack of flour, and we're all out of flour."
Billy's old hostility to the idea was instantly uppermost, and Saxon watched him anxiously.
"Some scab in the shops, I suppose?"
"No; he's firing on the freight run to San Jose. Harmon, he said his name was, James Harmon. They've just transferred him from the Truckee division. He'll sleep days mostly, he said; and that's why he wanted a quiet house without children in it."
In the end, with much misgiving, and only after Saxon had insistently pointed out how little work it entailed on her, Billy consented, though he continued to protest, as an afterthought
"But I don't want you makin' beds for any man. It ain't right, Saxon. I oughta take care of you."
"And you would," she flashed back at him, "if you'd take the foremanship. Only you can't. It wouldn't be right. And if I'm to stand by you it's only fair to let me do what I can."
James Harmon proved even less a bother than Saxon had anticipated. For a fireman he was scrupulously clean, always washing up in the roundhouse before he came home. He used the key to the kitchen door, coming and going by the back steps. To Saxon he barely said how-do-you-do or good day; and, sleeping in the day time and working at night, he was in the house a week before Billy laid eyes on him.
Billy had taken to coming home later and later, and to going out after supper by himself. He did not offer to tell Saxon where he went. Nor did she ask. For that matter it required little shrewdness on her part to guess. The fumes of whisky were on his lips at such times. His slow, deliberate ways were even slower, even more deliberate. Liquor did not affect his legs. He walked as soberly as any man. There was no hesitancy, no faltering, in his muscular movements. The whisky went to his brain, making his eyes heavy-lidded and the cloudiness of them more cloudy. Not that he was flighty, nor quick, nor irritable. On the contrary, the liquor imparted to his mental processes a deep gravity and brooding solemnity. He talked little, but that little was ominous and oracular. At such times there was no appeal from his judgment, no discussion. He knew, as God knew. And when he chose to speak a harsh thought, it was ten-fold harsher than ordinarily, because it seemed to proceed out of such profundity of cogitation, because it was as prodigiously deliberate in its incubation as it was in its enunciation.
It was not a nice side he was showing to Saxon. It was, almost, as if a stranger had come to live with her. Despite herself, she found herself beginning to shrink from him. And little could she comfort herself with the thought that it was not his real self, for she remembered his gentleness and considerateness, all his finenesses of the past. Then he had made a continual effort to avoid trouble and fighting. Now he enjoyed it, exulted in it, went looking for it. All this showed in his face. No longer was he the smiling, pleasant-faced boy. He smiled infrequently now. His face was a man's face. The lips, the eyes, the lines were harsh as his thoughts were harsh.
He was rarely unkind to Saxon; but, on the other hand he was rarely kind. His attitude toward her was growing negative. He was disinterested. Despite the fight for the union she was enduring with him, putting up with him shoulder to shoulder, she occupied but little space in his mind. When he acted toward her gently, she could see that it was merely mechanical, just as she was well aware that the endearing terms he used, the endearing caresses he gave, were only habitual. The spontaneity and warmth had gone out. Often, when he was not in liquor, flashes of the old Billy came back, but even such flashes dwindled in frequency. He was growing preoccupied, moody. Hard times and the bitter stresses of industrial conflict strained him. Especially was this apparent in his sleep, when he suffered paroxysms of lawless dreams, groaning and muttering, clenching his fists, grinding his teeth, twisting with muscular tensions, his face writhing with passions and violences, his throat guttering with terrible curses that rasped and aborted on his lips. And Saxon, lying beside him, afraid of this visitor to her bed whom she did not know, remembered what Mary had told her of Bert. He, too, had cursed and clenched his fists, in his nights fought out the battles of his days.
One thing, however, Saxon saw clearly. By no deliberate act of Billy's was he becoming this other and unlovely Billy. Were there no strike, no snarling and wrangling over jobs, there would be only the old Billy she had loved in all absoluteness. This sleeping terror in him would have lain asleep. It was something that was being awakened in him, an image incarnate of outward conditions, as cruel, as ugly, as maleficent as were those outward conditions. But if the strike continued, then, she feared, with reason, would this other and grisly self of Billy strengthen to fuller and more forbidding stature. And this, she knew, would mean the wreck of their love-life. Such a Billy she could not love; in its nature such a Billy was not lovable nor capable of love. And then, at the thought of offspring, she shuddered. It was too terrible. And at such moments of contemplation, from her soul the inevitable plaint of the human went up: WHY? WHY? WHY?
Billy, too, had his unanswerable queries.
"Why won't the building trades come out?" he demanded wrathfuly of the obscurity that veiled the ways of living and the world. "But no; O'Brien won't stand for a strike, and he has the Building Trades Council under his thumb. But why don't they chuck him and come out anyway? We'd win hands down all along the line. But no, O'Brien's got their goat, an' him up to his dirty neck in politics an' graft! An' damn the Federation of Labor! If all the railroad boys had come out, wouldn't the shop men have won instead of bein' licked to a frazzle? Lord, I ain't had a smoke of decent tobacco or a cup of decent coffee in a coon's age. I've forgotten what a square meal tastes like. I weighed myself yesterday. Fifteen pounds lighter than when the strike begun. If it keeps on much more I can fight middleweight. An' this is what I get after payin' dues into the union for years and years. I can't get a square meal, an' my wife has to make other men's beds. It makes my tired ache. Some day I'll get real huffy an' chuck that lodger out."
"But it's not his fault, Billy," Saxon protested.
"Who said it was?" Billy snapped roughly. "Can't I kick in general if I want to? Just the same it makes me sick. What's the good of organized labor if it don't stand together? For two cents I'd chuck the whole thing up an' go over to the employers. Only I wouldn't, God damn them! If they think they can beat us down to our knees, let'em go ahead an' try it, that's all. But it gets me just the same. The whole world's clean dippy. They ain't no sense in anything. What's the good of supportin' a union that can't win a strike? What's the good of knockin' the blocks off of scabs when they keep a-comin' thick as ever? The whole thing's bughouse, an' I guess I am, too."
Such an outburst on Billy's part was so unusual that it was the only time Saxon knew it to occur. Always he was sullen, and dogged, and unwhipped; while whisky only served to set the maggots of certitude crawling in his brain.
One night Billy did not get home till after twelve. Saxon's anxiety was increased by the fact that police fighting and head breaking had been reported to have occurred. When Billy came, his appearance verified the report. His coatsleeves were half torn off. The Windsor tie had disappeared from under his soft turned-down collar, and every button had been ripped off the front of the shirt. When he took his hat off, Saxon was frightened by a lump on his head the size of an apple.
"D'ye know who did that? That Dutch slob Hermanmann, with a riot club. An' I'll get'm for it some day, good an' plenty. An' there's another fellow I got staked out that'll be my meat when this strike's over an' things is settled down. Blanchard's his name, Roy Blanchard."
"Not of Blanchard, Perkins and Company?" Saxon asked, busy washing Billy's hurt and making her usual fight to keep him calm.
"Yep; except he's the son of the old man. What's he do, that ain't done a tap of work in all his life except to blow the old man's money? He goes strike-breakin'. Grandstand play, that's what I call it. Gets his name in the papers an makes all the skirts he runs with fluster up an' say: 'My! Some bear, that Roy Blanchard, some bear.' Some bear--the gazabo! He'll be bear-meat for me some day. I never itched so hard to lick a man in my life.
"And--oh, I guess I'll pass that Dutch cop up. He got his already. Somebody broke his head with a lump of coal the size of a water bucket. That was when the wagons was turnin' into Franklin, just off Eighth, by the old Galindo Hotel. They was hard fightin' there, an' some guy in the hotel lams that coal down from the second story window.
"They was fightin' every block of the way--bricks, cobblestones, an' police-clubs to beat the band. They don't dast call out the troops. An' they was afraid to shoot. Why, we tore holes through the police force, an' the ambulanees and patrol wagons worked over-time. But say, we got the procession blocked at Fourteenth and Broadway, right under the nose of the City Hall, rushed the rear end, cut out the horses of five wagons, an' handed them college guys a few love-pats in passin'. All that saved 'em from hospital was the police reserves. Just the same we had 'em jammed an hour there. You oughta seen the street cars blocked, too--Broadway, Fourteenth, San Pablo, as far as you could see."
"But what did Blanchard do?" Saxon called him back.
"He led the procession, an' he drove my team. All the teams was from my stable. He rounded up a lot of them college fellows--fraternity guys, they're called--yaps that live off their fathers' money. They come to the stable in big tourin' cars an' drove out the wagons with half the police of Oakland to help them. Say, it was sure some day. The sky rained cobblestones. An' you oughta heard the clubs on our heads--rat-tat-tat-tat, rat-tat-tat-tat! An' say, the chief of police, in a police auto, sittin' up like God Almighty--just before we got to Peralta street they was a block an' the police chargin', an' an old woman, right from her front gate, lammed the chief of police full in the face with a dead cat. Phew! You could hear it. 'Arrest that woman!' he yells, with his handkerchief out. But the boys beat the cops to her an' got her away. Some day? I guess yes. The receivin' hospital went outa commission on the jump, an' the overflow was spilled into St. Mary's Hospital, an' Fabiola, an' I don't know where else. Eight of our men was pulled, an' a dozen of the Frisco teamsters that's come over to help. They're holy terrors, them Frisco teamsters. It seemed half the workingmen of Oakland was helpin' us, an' they must be an army of them in jail. Our lawyers'll have to take their cases, too.
"But take it from me, it's the last we'll see of Roy Blanchard an' yaps of his kidney buttin' into our affairs. I guess we showed 'em some football. You know that brick buildin' they're puttin' up on Bay street? That's where we loaded up first, an', say, you couldn't see the wagon-seats for bricks when they started from the stables. Blanchard drove the first wagon, an' he was knocked clean off the seat once, but he stayed with it."
"He must have been brave," Saxon commented.
"Brave?" Billy flared. "With the police, an' the army an' navy behind him? I suppose you'll be takin' their part next. Brave? A-takin' the food outa the mouths of our women an children. Didn't Curley Jones's little kid die last night? Mother's milk not nourishin', that's what it was, because she didn't have the right stuff to eat. An' I know, an' you know, a dozen old aunts, an' sister-in-laws, an' such, that's had to hike to the poorhouse because their folks couldn't take care of 'em in these times."
In the morning paper Saxon read the exciting account of the futile attempt to break the teamsters' strike. Roy Blanchard was hailed a hero and held up as a model of wealthy citizenship. And to save herself she could not help glowing with appreciation of his courage. There was something fine in his going out to face the snarling pack. A brigadier general of the regular army was quoted as lamenting the fact that the troops had not been called out to take the mob by the throat and shake law and order into it. "This is the time for a little healthful bloodletting," was the conclusion of his remarks, after deploring the pacific methods of the police. "For not until the mob has been thoroughly beaten and cowed will tranquil industrial conditions obtain."
That evening Saxon and Billy went up town. Returning home and finding nothing to eat, he had taken her on one arm, his overcoat on the other. The overcoat he had pawned at Uncle Sam's, and he and Saxon had eaten drearily at a Japanese restaurant which in some miraculous way managed to set a semi-satisfying meal for ten cents. After eating, they started on their way to spend an additional five cents each on a moving picture show.
At the Central Bank Building, two striking teamsters accosted Billy and took him away with them. Saxon waited on the corner, and when he returned, three quarters of an hour later, she knew he had been drinking.
Half a block on, passing the Forum Cafe, he stopped suddenly. A limousine stood at the curb, and into it a young man was helping several wonderfully gowned women. A chauffeur sat in the driver's sent. Billy touched the young man on the arm. He was as broad-shouldered as Billy and slightly taller. Blue-eyed, strong-featured, in Saxon's opinion he was undeniably handsome.
"Just a word, sport," Billy said, in a low, slow voice.
The young man glanced quickly at Billy and Saxon, and asked impatiently:
"Well, what is it?"
"You're Blanchard," Billy began. "I seen you yesterday lead out that bunch of teams."
"Didn't I do it all right?" Blanchard asked gaily, with a flash of glance to Saxon and back again.
"Sure. But that ain't what I want to talk about."
"Who are you?" the other demanded with sudden suspicion.
"A striker. It just happens you drove my team, that's all. No; don't move for a gun." (As Blanchard half reached toward his hip pocket.) "I ain't startin' anythin' here. But I just want to tell you something."
"Be quick, then."
Blanchard lifted one foot to step into the machine.
"Sure," Billy went on without any diminution of his exasperating slowness. "What I want to tell you is that I'm after you. Not now, when the strike's on, but some time later I'm goin' to get you an' give you the beatin' of your life."
Blanchard looked Billy over with new interest and measuring eyes that sparkled with appreciation.
"You are a husky yourself," he said. "But do you think you can do it?"
"Sure. You're my meat."
"All right, then, my friend. Look me up after the strike is settled, and I'll give you a chance at me."
"Remember," Billy added, "I got you staked out."
Blanchard nodded, smiled genially to both of them, raised his hat to Saxon, and stepped into the machine.


text:
India: Rising Economic Giant or Bubble in the Making? (A Public Lecture by Lawrence Surendra)
August 15, 2011 (Monday)
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Third World Studies Center
Lower Ground Floor, Palma Hall
Roxas Avenue, University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City
Departing from previously social-oriented policies, India began in the 1990s to develop an open-market economy centered on economic liberalization, industrial deregulation, privatization of state-owned enterprises, and reduced controls on foreign trade and investment. This has accelerated the country's growth, which has averaged more than 7% per year since 1997 and hit 10% in 2010. Services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for 55% of output as India became a major exporter of information technology services and software workers. Its 2010 GDP of $4 trillion ranks it fifth in the world. India now stands, together with China, as the new economic giants set to challenge the long-running hegemony of the West. Problems remain, however. Growth has been accompanied by increasing joblessness and widespread poverty and gross inequality still persist. Access to basic social services still eludes most Indians. Social tensions and communal conflicts fester even as rural-urban migration continues unabated. Ominously, the 2011 growth figures appear to signal an economic slowdown.
Lawrence Surendra is Environmental and Development Economist and Science and Technology Policy Specialist. He is the Planning Commission Chair Visiting Professor at the Department of Economics, University of Mysore. He is a Member of the Karnataka State Environment Appellate Authority. He has worked with UN-ESCAP, the United Nations University and UNESCO, Bangkok; was Adviser to the Stockholm Environment Institute and a scholar-in-residence at the Dag Hammarksjold Foundation, Uppsala. He was the founding Executive Director (1980-1988) of Asian Regional Exchange for New Alternatives (ARENA). He is engaged in research and advocacy on public policy issues relating to environment and democratic governance, eco-regeneration, eco-sanitation, renewable energy, plant bio-diversity' local knowledge systems, and sustainable agriculture. He and his wife, Pushpa, live near Mysore on an organic horticultural farm, incorporating ecological principles and design in the maintenance of the farm and natural resource use.
Organized by the Asian Regional Exchange for New Alternatives (ARENA Philippines) and the UP Third World Studies Center.
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With the unanimous concurrence of the Board for International Mission, LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison has named the Rev. Daniel F. McMiller as the new executive director of the Office of International Mission.
The Rev. Derek Lecakes of Bayside, N.Y., was elected to his second term as president of the LCMS Atlantic District at the district's 60th convention, held June 8–9 in Bronxville, N.Y.
The Rev. Peter K. Lange of Topeka, Kan., was elected to his second term as president of the LCMS Kansas District at the district's 73rd convention, held June 7–9 in Topeka.
The Rev. Dr. Douglas Rutt has accepted a call from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, to serve as its new provost and professor of practical theology beginning July 1.
The Rev. Dwayne Lueck was elected on the first ballot to his third term as president of the North Wisconsin District at the district's 52nd convention.
The Rev. Dr. Anthony J. Steinbronn of Howell, N.J., begins his third three-year term.
The award will recognize outstanding leadership in SPM in the areas of advocating and promoting chaplaincy, pastoral counseling and/or clinical pastoral education.


Not infrequently, I see questions in forums such as "how can I add a column to a table, in between two existing columns?" The answers given are always (a) you can't, and (b) why do you want to?
I do not intend to address (b) in any detail. The reason is usually that the developer is using * in the column projection list of his SELECTs and/or not specifying a column list in his INSERTs. There are many reasons why these are poor programming practice.
How about that? I've adusted the column order!
It would seem that marking a column invisible sets its COLUMN_ID to NULL, and adjusts the COLUMN_ID of all other columns acordingly. Then when making it visible it is assigned the next available number, and the column sequence is determined accordingly.
How much use is this trick? Well, it could be a quick get-you-out-of-trouble if you have to change column ordering. A better (and supported) solution would be to cover the table with a view. And the real solution is not to use SELECT * but rather to specify a column projection list.
Permalink Submitted by Artisan on Thu, 2017-01-19 06:00.
Thank you for this nice tip.
Let me add, that this could be useful with very 'wide' tables, when the number of columns is already bigger than 255 and you need to add a column that will be used often in WHERE clauses.
Moving it to top IDs can increase dramatically the performance and eliminate multiple table scans.
Permalink Submitted by SimonMayers on Thu, 2017-06-29 04:41.
Thanks for sharing the guide to change column order when using SELECT. I will try to make follow these step to change.
Permalink Submitted by iModhu on Mon, 2017-10-30 12:57.


Well, I would say this story began early in 2008 when my oldest son John Jr. who is a Staff Sergeant (U.S. Marines) found out he would be returning home. Although only for a month, he would be able to hunt with his father John Sr. and brother - James, for the first time in many years. With a phone call John Sr. began to find a place for them to go with HSP, whom he has been a member for 3 years now and James, 2 years. After finding a place and setting up dates for the hunt we waited for deer season. As all hunters know the wait for opening day is long but this one was especially tough for my son John Jr. had not been home in almost three years. As the day came closer John Sr. double checked everything and hoped he had picked a good farm for them to hunt wanting it to be a good trip for his sons.
Opening day was only two days away when the men loaded up there truck and trailer and headed off on their drive of 13 hours to the farm HSP had leased. High hopes going with them from friends and family. We arrived near our farm on Friday and rode out and looked over the farm, even spotting a nice long tined 8 point from the road. With the aid of the maps from HSP we looked over the area and decided on sites we would set up our stands. Seeing the 8 point put our hopes even higher with each hoping it would be him.
That opening morning started early with the drive from our motel to getting set up on our stand sites, we were in the woods well before daylight. As morning came in, it was a cold and windy day with a hint of sleet and snow in the air. But we sat in our stands and saw a few does, yearlings, with John Jr. and James spotting a small buck but not what we were looking for. The day ended with us cold tired and ready for some hot food, but no deer yet. The second opened with nearly the same weather, cold with a hint of snow but the wind died down a bit.
In our stands before daylight John Sr. discovered that there was a logging road on the property next to ours with three trucks going in and out before shooting time. Then a truck parked there, only a couple hundred yards away from his stand where he had seen some does the first day. Change in plans!
After finding the trucks and logging road John Sr. sat in his stand until after daylight then pulled his map to relocate. Deciding on a spot he had passed through the night before as he was leaving the area.
Luck would befall this hunter this morning. After taking down his stand and crossing an open field near the spot he wanted to set up, out comes a doe and a yearling. Dropping low to the ground and watching them they moved down a fence row to his right, then out into a field with soy beans. With the wind in his favor John Sr. eased closer to the fence row to get a better look. Finding the yearling in the field he noted the deer kept looking back at a small group of trees. With his sight blocked by some brush John Sr. moved up closer to find an open spot to see. Just when he found it, out stepped a buck with long tines. Finding the deer in his binoculars he saw that the buck was a nice 8 point and decided to harvest him. The buck was standing, looking right at him, not a good shot, so John waited. Then the buck put his head down and started walking to him, closing the distance and angling off to his left. The buck closed 15 yards and stopped, and began eating on some winter grass. John closed the distance another 10 yards before the buck raised his head and turned slightly giving John Sr. a shot.
A shot from the 30-06 made the buck kick high and drop into some brush along the fence row. Running to where the buck had been he found the buck still up wobbling away. A second shot finished him. My sons came to see what dad had got and found him smiling ear to ear. Now it was their turn.
The rest of the day was lost to getting the buck out. James had seen some does in the early morning and John Jr. saw does and small buck, but nothing to harvest.
The third day of the hunt found the brothers hunting. Early, before daylight, James heard a deer slip by his stand in the dark. The way the does had done the morning before. Not being able to see the deer, he was not sure if it had been a buck or not. Come daylight James and John Jr. were in the stands waiting and watching. James was set up along the edge of a large soybean field in a fence row. Some deer had been moving through the area and there was some good signs. A small pond was near his set up and James soon spotted a deer coming from that area where the deer had gone earlier. He raised his glasses and saw the deer was a buck, and he was coming back toward him. He waited and found the buck in the scope of his 7mm. One shot harvested the buck. James climbed down to check his deer. Walking up to the buck he found he had an odd rack... 3 pts on one side, with 6 pts on the other. But for a young man who hasn't seen many big bucks in our home state, this one was a great prize! The two brothers got the buck out, with James the one to be smiling ear to ear this time.
The rest of the day was spent with James looking to fill his doe tag and John Jr. still holding out for a shooter.
Day four was bitter cold that morning, and the day did not improve much. For two brothers it was to sit still. They had swapped stands in hope John Jr. could see a buck. But it was not to be. The men came in without firing a shot. Cold and tired John Jr. was a bit down, and his father was a little disappointed for his son too, hoping he could have gotten a deer.
Well, the last morning found us packing out gear and getting everything from our motel for the trip home. But not to be out done John Jr. and James went out for the last morning of our hunt. Come dawn the brothers were in there stands and dad sleeping in the truck, getting ready for the long drive back home.
With the temperature up, the morning was not bad. As he sat there John Jr. thought to himself if he saw a doe he would go ahead and fill his tag so they could be on their way home. Little did he know that just across the field his brother James had spotted a deer. With a look through his glasses he saw a huge buck walking through the soybean field. As he watched the big buck he saw his path would take him close to his brother. Within moments a shot rang out. John Jr. had seen the buck, the biggest he had ever seen, and put a shot into him from his 7MM, but the buck had run off with a doe jumping up, joining him.
Had he missed? His heart sank, but as he left the stand, he went over the shot in his head. No way did he miss, it was a hit... John was sure. As he went after the deer he came to a large sticker patch and circled around, he came to a small opening that went into a field. He looked up and there stood the buck broad side to him! Stopping, he raised his rifle and fired. The huge buck dropped - right there - a tall 10 pointer!
When James came to the truck and told of the buck, he picked up a nickname "El-Moose' Grande" and that John Jr. had gotten a shot. It was a feeling of great joy for John Sr. that both his sons had harvested a deer.
When we got to John Jr. we were amazed at the size of the buck. He had a big tall rack, big body, and quite a job to get back to the truck. John Jr. was very happy. This was his first buck, and it had been many years since he had hunted with his father and brother. We loaded the deer and began the long drive home, calling family and friends along the way, telling every one of our great hunt and the fine bucks we were blessed to have harvested.
At this time my sons and I would like to thank everybody at Hunting Sports Plus who have made three years with the club very enjoyable. They have always worked hard to provide good places to hunt and answer any questions. I hope everyone has the chance to enjoy the club as much as I have. I'd also like to thank my wife Sharon for the "here we go again" when Nov. comes around. Thanks also to my friend Bennie Schilling for talking me into joining HSP and also for the mounting of the deer. GREAT JOB EVERYBODY!
"Thank You" for making this a special year!


text:
FACTS #1
Pregnant women do not appear to be at higher risk of infection compared to the general population
It is known that viral illnesses may cause more severe symptoms during pregnancy, especially in the later stages of pregnancy – a similar pattern may be observed in COVID-19 infections, but there is at present insufficient evidence to confirm this
Severe symptoms including pneumonia and marked hypoxia (low oxygen delivery to tissues) could occur in pregnant women, requiring prompt management. However, the risk of this happening is low.
Emerging evidence suggests that COVID-19 can probably be vertically transmitted (transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy before birth or during delivery), though more studies are needed to confirm this. More studies are also needed to determine the proportion of affected pregnancies, as well as the impact that COVID-19 has on the foetus.
Some studies have reported that breastmilk samples from mothers infected with COVID-19 have tested negative for the presence of the virus, though more research is needed to confirm this. The WHO currently recommends that women who wish to breastfeed can continue to do so.


11 May 2014. DJJS Gwalior: Answering the age old question of 'What can I do for climate change?' young environmentalists of DJJS Gwalior, dedicated their weekend to mobilize public action for combating climate change. Dr. O.P.S Chauhan, a leading medical physician and Mr. D.C. Dubey, Additional Officer, Electricity Board, Gwalior, the honourable guests for the program, joined in to support these young volunteers. The agenda was to sensitize locals on need for Energy Conservation.
The United Nations facts on climate change reveal that over last three decades, all greenhouse gas emissions increased by an average of 1.6% per year with CO2 emissions from fossil fuels growing at 1.9% per year and energy supply being the top contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the fact, the energy use patterns in domestic and commercial arenas remain defined by one word i.e. 'ínjudicious'.
To draw attention of masses towards their injudicious energy use patterns, the team of young environmentalists at DJJS Gwalior, enacted a skit precisely showcasing lax attitude of each one of us towards energy conservation within our kitchens, our homes and our workplaces. The skit was followed by an enlightening lecture by devoted disciple of Shri Ashutosh Mahraj ji, Sadhvi Vinita Bharti, wherein she elucidated the dynamics of energy consumption and climate change. Emphasizing the need for re- establishment of the human- nature relationship of mutualism, she shared some quick to dos for energy conservation.
The effort of children was rewarded with hundreds men and women coming forward and resolving to proactively do their bit to save energy and wage war against climate change.


text:
Q: blocking highlight_file function in php I'm having many websites installed on the same webserver. What i wanna do, is to be able to include a same file from different websites as
<?php include '/home/site/www/path/to/file.php'; ?>

and in the same time block functions like highlight_file and file so using the following code won't displays my files content
<?php echo hightlight_file('/home/site/www/path/to/file.php'); ?>

Any help will be appreciated.

A: If you want your PHP files to be runnable but be safe from being read, your best option is to encode them.
Take a look at IonCube PHP Encoder and SendGuard , they are both very popular options to protect source code.
Blocking PHP function can work, but you'll never be safe because you can forget functions (can you reall list them all? What if there's one you actually need?), or new functions could be added in the future and if you do not block them you'd be exposed.

A:
...so using the following code won't displays my files content

Does that mean you want to allow other people to deploy code on the server which calls your code without revealing the PHP source? If so, then disabling highlight_file isn't going to help much. You also need to disable include, require, fopen, file_get_contents, the imap extension and several other things - which means they won't be able to access your code at all.
If you're letting other people whom you don't necessarily trust deploy code on your server then there are lots of things you need to do to isolate each account - it's not a trivial exercise and well beyond the scope of an answer here. But it's not really possible to allow access to a shared include file without providing access to the source code. Using encoded PHP solves some problems but introduces others. A better solution is to expose the functionality via a web or socket API (this solves the sharing problem but not the isolation problem).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


At Project Somos, we are helping at-risk Guatemalan children escape the cycle of poverty. Learn more below!
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Through our eco-sustainable community and innovative programs, we educate and empower children and provide capacity building to the children's mamas.
That Guatemalan children live in one of the most impoverished countries in the Americas.
That poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, starvation, mortality rates and violence go hand in hand.
That giving children the opportunity to eat nutritious food and providing them with a solid education creates a healthier, sustainable future for generations.
That all children have great potential, if only given the right opportunities.
Your donation will help educate and empower children who have been living in extreme poverty with very limited opportunities.
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Healthy educated children can help break the cycle of poverty for future generations.


text:
Uploaded: Thu, Dec 31, 2015, 10:17 am
Titles aplenty for local teams in hoop tournaments
The Menlo-Atherton girls captured the Competitive No. 2 Bracket title at the Eastside Prep Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on Wednesday with a 56-36 win over Granada Hills. Photo by Lara Hoyem.
An expanded tournament and a brand new basketball event made for a lot of local happy girls on Wednesday. At the same time, the Menlo-Atherton boys came away with a title, as well, as 2015 came to a championship close for five squads.
At the expanded 24-team Eastside Prep Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, the Menlo School and Menlo-Atherton girls each won a division crown. At the inaugural Joe Schram Holiday Basketball Classic for girls, Pinewood came out on top. And, at the Tim Cole Memorial Tournament, it was the M-A boys putting the finishing touches on a three straight wins with a title.
In East Palo Alto, Menlo-Atherton (9-2) tuned up for this weekend's PAL South Division opener by defeating Granada Hills, 56-36, in the finals of the Competitive No. 2 Bracket.
The Bears switched from a man-to-man defense into a 2-3 zone to limit the aggressive Granada Hills offense. After falling behind by 10-8, the taller Bears took control and went on a 12-0 run over 5 1/2 minutes sparked by junior center Ofa Sili (14 points, 10 rebounds) and sophomore post Greer Hoyem. Ilana Baer added seven points, four assists and six rebounds.
Carly McLanahan, who averaged 15 points and five assists across the three games, was named Tournament (bracket) MVP after scoring 13 against Granada Hills. Hoyem, who averaged 13 points and five rebounds across the three games, was named to the All-Tournament Team.
In the championship game of the Competitive No. 1 Bracket, Menlo led by just five points with under three minutes left in the third quarter, but foul trouble caught up to University-Irvine and the Knights (9-2) pulled away for a 63-38 triumph.
Hannah Paye had 15 points and earned MVP honors for the bracket. Guard De'Jeane Stine came up with 11 steals, sparking a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter, and was named to the all-tournament squad. Sam Erisman added 14 points for Menlo.
In the consolation finals of the Competitive No. 1 Bracket, Sacred Heart Prep took home the honors with a 68-37 romp over El Camino of South San Francisco. The Gators (9-1) held the Rams to just three second-quarter points while pulling away to a 30-11 halftime lead. Ma'ata Makoni led SHP with a season-high 22 points with Grace Battles and Riley Hemm adding 12. The Gators finished with 11 3-poiners.
Also in the Competitive No. 1 Bracket, Enochs High of Modesto made a last-second shot to beat Priory, 57-56. Freshman Ila Lane scored 20 points and grabbed 19 rebounds and was named to the all-tourney team. Sophomore Tatiana Reese added 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Panthers (5-4).
At St. Francis High, the Pinewood girls (7-2) captured the inaugural girls' version of the Joe Schram Holiday Basketball Classic with a 64-43 win over previously unbeaten St. Francis (9-1). Point guard Briana Claros, who had 11 points, was tournament MVP. Chloe Eackles added 12 points for the Panthers while Mikaela Topper and all-tourney pick Akayla Hackson each had nine points. Pinewood junior Erin Poindexter-McHan also earned all-tourney honors.
In the third-place game, Palo Alto topped Mountain View, 50-32, behind 12 points from Coco Lovely and 11 points from Carly Leong, both of whom were named all-tourney. The Vikings (7-3) led 20-6 after one period and 31-14 at the half.
In Salinas, Castilleja defeated Fresno, 47-35, to capture fifth place at the Monterey Bay Sweet 16 Tournament at Hartnell College in Salinas. The Gators (7-4) trailed early before Cate Alder dropped 10 second-quarter points to propel them to a 27-23 halftime lead.
Fresno closed to within two points in the third quarter, but got no closer after a key putback by freshman Anika Adzich. Ellie Chen scored nine points in the final period and the Gators extended their lead by game's end. Chen had 20 points, Alder tallied 19 with nine rebounds and Adzich scored six with seven rebounds. Chen was named to the all-tournament team after compiling 76 points, 25 rebounds, 11 assists and 13 steals in four games.
Menlo-Atherton wrapped up a successful three-game performance at the Tim Cole Memorial Tournament with a 58-54 win over previously unbeaten Berkeley in the championship game at American High in Fremont.
In a wild finale that saw more than 10 offensive fouls, the Bears (8-1) pulled off a thriller. The teams went back and forth in the first half and M-A clung to a 29-26 halftime lead, as Berkeley went on a scoring spurt to close the gap.
M-A stretched the lead to 49-39 on a Bradley Stillman 3-pointer as the clock expired and had a chance to stretch the lead when Mark DeLuca received a double technical. But, M-A missed three of four technical free throws. In a foul-filled fourth quarter, Berkeley closed the gap to one point. But, M-A's Lucas Fioretti grabbed a key rebound and hit four straight free throws in the last 30 seconds to seal the victory.
Lucas Fioretti and Eric Norton each scored 16 points to lead the Bears, with Fioretti adding six rebounds and three steals. Blake Henry added nine points and seven rebounds, Stillman had six points on two key treys and Christian Fioretti chipped in five points and five assists.
Henry was named the MVP of the tourney with Christian Fioretti and Norton making the all-tourney team.
In Mountain View, Palo Alto fell to host St. Francis in the finals of the Joe Schram Holiday Basketball Classic, 69-50, as the Lancers won the title for a third straight year.
The Lancers (7-1) for 15 points from Noah Stapes, who was named the tourney MVP. St. Francis knocked down 11 3-pointers.
The Vikings (7-3) were within 19-13 on a 3-pointer by Spencer Rojahn, who had four 3-pointers for 12 points. Max Dorward added 11 points while Miles Tention was named to the all-tourney team.
2015 EASTSIDE PREP COACHES vs. CANCER CLASSIC
Elite Bracket
Eastside 53, Arroyo Grande 42 (Consolation Semi)
Mitty 72, Berkeley 38 (3rd Place)
Seton Catholic (AZ) 65, Eastside Prep 45 (Consolation)
Cicero-North Syracuse (NY) 62, Valencia 53 (Championship)
All-Tournament
MVP: McKayla Roberts (Cicero-North Syracuse)
Amani Free (Cicero-North Syracuse)
Kayla Konrad (Valencia)
Haley Jones (Mitty)
Sarah Barcello (Seton Catholic)
Competitive No. 1 Bracket
Westmoor 58, KIPP King Collegiate 43 (7th Place)
Leigh 35, University-SF 29 (Consolation)
Enochs 57, Priory 56 (3rd Place)
Menlo School 63, University-Irvine 38 (Championship)
MVP: Hannah Paye (Menlo School)
De'Jeane Stine (Menlo School)
Allison Piper (University-Irvine)
Katie Dillon (Enochs)
Ila Lane (Priory)
Woodcreek 53, Marin Academy 45 (7th Place)
Sacred Heart Prep 68, El Camino-SSF 37 (Consolation)
Hanford 67, Lincoln-SF 51 (3rd Place)
Menlo-Atherton, 56 Granada Hills 36 (Championship)
MVP: Carly McLanahan (Menlo-Atherton)
Greer Hoyem (Menlo-Atherton)
Ivy Nguyen (Granada Hills)
Janelle Sumilong (Hanford)
Yuriko Castillian (Lincoln-SF)
— Palo Alto Online Sports


text:
set -ex

function configure_vf_driver() {
  local -r vf_sys_device=$1
  local -r driver=$2

  vf_pci_address=$(basename $vf_sys_device)
  # Check if a VF is bound to a different driver
  if [ -d "$vf_sys_device/driver" ]; then
    vf_bus_pci_device_driver=$(readlink -e $vf_sys_device/driver)
    vf_driver_name=$(basename $vf_bus_pci_device_driver)

    # Check if VF already configured with supported driver
    if [[ $vf_driver_name == $driver ]]; then
      return
    else
      echo "Unbind VF $vf_pci_address from $vf_driver_name driver"
      echo "$vf_pci_address" >> "$vf_bus_pci_device_driver/unbind"
    fi
  fi

  echo "Bind VF $vf_pci_address to $driver driver"
  echo "$driver" >> "$vf_sys_device/driver_override"
  echo "$vf_pci_address" >> "/sys/bus/pci/drivers/$driver/bind"
  echo "" >> "$vf_sys_device/driver_override"

  return 0
}

function create_vfs() {
  local -r pf_net_device=$1
  local -r vfs_count=$2

  local -r pf_name=$(basename $pf_net_device)
  local -r pf_sys_device=$(readlink -e $pf_net_device)

  local -r sriov_totalvfs_content=$(cat $pf_sys_device/sriov_totalvfs)
  [ $sriov_totalvfs_content -lt $vfs_count ] && \
    echo "FATAL: PF $pf_name, VF's count should be up to sriov_totalvfs: $sriov_totalvfs_content" >&2 && return 1

  echo "Creating $vfs_count VFs on PF $pf_name "
  echo 0 >> "$pf_sys_device/sriov_numvfs"
  echo "$vfs_count" >> "$pf_sys_device/sriov_numvfs"
  sleep 3

  return 0
}

function validate_run_with_sudo() {
  [ "$(id -u)" -ne 0 ] && echo "FATAL: This script requires sudo privileges" >&2 && return 1

  return 0
}

function validate_sysfs_mount_as_rw() {
  local -r sysfs_permissions=$(grep -Po 'sysfs.*\K(ro|rw)' /proc/mounts)
  [ "$sysfs_permissions" != rw ] && echo "FATAL: sysfs is read-only, try to remount as RW" >&2 && return 1

  return 0
}

function ensure_driver_is_loaded() {
  local -r driver_name=$1
  local -r module_name=$2

  if ! grep "$module_name" /proc/modules; then
    if ! modprobe "$driver_name"; then
      echo "FATAL: failed to load $DRIVER kernel module $DRIVER_KMODULE" >&2 && return 1
    fi
  fi

  return 0
}

DRIVER="${DRIVER:-vfio-pci}"
DRIVER_KMODULE="${DRIVER_KMODULE:-vfio_pci}"
VFS_COUNT=${VFS_COUNT:-6}

[ $((VFS_COUNT)) -lt 1 ] && echo "INFO: VFS_COUNT is lower then 1, nothing to do..." && exit 0

validate_run_with_sudo
validate_sysfs_mount_as_rw
ensure_driver_is_loaded $DRIVER $DRIVER_KMODULE

sriov_pfs=( $(find /sys/class/net/*/device/sriov_numvfs) )
[ "${#sriov_pfs[@]}" -eq 0 ] && echo "FATAL: Could not find available sriov PFs" >&2 && exit 1

for pf_name in $sriov_pfs; do
  pf_device=$(dirname "$pf_name")

  echo "Create VF's"
  create_vfs "$pf_device" "$VFS_COUNT"

  echo "Configuring VF's drivers"
  # /sys/class/net/<pf name>/device/virtfn*
  vfs_sys_devices=$(readlink -e $pf_device/virtfn*)
  for vf in $vfs_sys_devices; do
    configure_vf_driver "$vf" $DRIVER
    ls -l "$vf/driver"
  done
done

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
DVG America grievance process
Section 1. General procedures.
1. Any club, individual member, regional board, or LV DVG America may bring charges against any individual member or club for
A. Conduct harmful to the interests of DVG, LV DVG America, a region or any club
B. Major violations of the by-laws of any region, LV DVG America, or DVG
C. Major violations of the training rules of DVG.
2. Charges must be filed within six months of the date of alleged misconduct or from the time the misconduct was known or reasonably should have been known to have occurred.
3. Filing fees will be refunded if the charges are sustained.
4. The President and Secretary of LV DVG America as well as the President and Secretary of a region may file on behalf of LV DVG America or the region without a filing fee.
5. No DVG Judge or LRO is subject to disciplinary proceedings under these provisions for alleged acts committed in good faith while performing the functions of his or her office. All complaints against judges must be made under the laws and regulations of DVG.
6. Disputes between members and the organization: No member who has a dispute with the organization or its Board, any judge, or the result of any competition has a right to a trial by jury in any court of any jurisdiction. All disputes will be handled by the organization, according to internal procedures. By joining the organization, members waive any right to a jury trial or other legal recourse. While members may be represented by an attorney, should they desire, all members agree that any dispute will be held confidentially and in the highest regard for the welfare of the organization. Following resolution of a dispute, neither the organization nor an effected member(s) may disparage the other or make any comment in public that would harm the reputation or the best interests of the other.
Section 2. Charges filed with a region and appeal of regional decisions
1. Charges may be filed with a region, according to the procedures established by that region.
2. For complaints filed with a region, either party may appeal the region's decision to the Board of LV DVG America. Any appeal of a region's decision must be accompanied by a $100.00 fee. Whichever party appeals the region's decision must give written notice of appeal to the LV DVG America Secretary within 30 days of the regional board's decision.
3. The LV will not hear any matter that is the subject of an ongoing court case until that matter has concluded.
4. The LV Board reviews the record of the case, including the region's record of its actions in the case. At its discretion, the Board can decide to uphold the region's decision or to hold a hearing to consider the matter. The LV must make this initial decision within 45 days of receiving the appeal. If the LV holds a hearing, both parties must be given the opportunity to be heard. At its discretion, the Board may allow testimony from witnesses either in person or by sworn affidavit. The accused party may have counsel during any appeal hearing at his or her own expense. The Board may conduct the appeal hearing by telephone conference. The appeal does not consider new evidence; rather it is a review of the evidence that has been presented to the region and of the region's processing of the appeal.
5. Within 30 days of the hearing, the Board must issue a written decision, setting forth its factual findings and whether there is clear and convincing evidence that the accused party is guilty of the violation which is the subject of the complaint. The Secretary must send a copy of these findings by US Mail to both parties and to the president of the region in which the complaint originated. The Board may sustain, reverse, or modify a decision of the region and any penalty imposed by the region. The decision of the Board is final, subject to approval by DVG in accordance with DVG bylaws.
6. If at any point in this process the Board needs additional material from the region or from one of the principals regarding the matter, the clock stops from the date of the Board's request until the Board gets the required information.
7. If there is new evidence regarding a complaint filed with a region, the board of the region, at its discretion, may hold a new hearing on the complaint.
Section 3. Charges filed with the LV against an individual
1. Any individual, club, or region may submit charges against an individual member directly to LV DVG America by filing a notarized complaint with the secretary of LV DVG America and paying a $100 fee to the Treasurer of the LV.
2. The secretary must send the accused member notice within 15 days of when the LV receives the complaint.
3. The Board may dispose of the complaint before a hearing if the Board believes there are no grounds for the complaint. If the Board believes there are grounds, it schedules a hearing on the complaint. The LV must make this initial decision within 45 days of receiving the complaint.
4. The Board may appoint a special investigator to help it evaluate the complaint and any facts regarding the complaint. The special investigator is not necessarily a member of LV DVG America, but could be someone with specific expertise relevant to the complaint.
4. After receiving notice, the accused must have 30 days to respond before the hearing set by the Board.
5. If the Board needs to request more information, the clock stops until the Board gets the needed information.
6. At the hearing, the accused and the complainant both have an opportunity to be heard and present evidence relevant to the charges. Both parties have the right to counsel at their own expense. The Board may hold the hearing by telephone conference. The Board may receive evidence from witnesses or by sworn affidavit, at its discretion.
7. The Board considers the charges and issues a written decision and findings of fact within 30 days of the hearing. The Secretary must send a copy of the decision and findings to the president of the region and to the individual within 10 days of the Board's decision. The decision of the LV Board is final, subject to approval by DVG in accordance with DVG by-laws.
Section 4. Charges filed with the LV against a club or region
1. Any individual, club, or region may submit charges against a club or region directly to LV DVG America by filing a notarized complaint with the secretary of LV DVG America and paying a $250 fee to the Treasurer of the LV.
2. The Board must consider the complaint within 45 days and take appropriate action by:
A. dismissing the complaint for lack of grounds
B. finding that reasonable grounds do exist for the charges
C. appointing a special investigator for the Board to further investigate the charges and report to the Board. The special investigator is not necessarily a member of LV DVG America, but could be someone with specific expertise relevant to the complaint. The investigator must complete his report within 90 days of the Board meeting and the Board must evaluate the report at its next meeting and decide whether reasonable grounds do exist for the complaint.
3. If the Board finds reasonable grounds for the complaint, it schedules a hearing on the matter no sooner than 30, nor more than 90 days following its finding. If the Board schedules a hearing, the Secretary must notify the president and secretary of the accused club or region in writing, within 10 days of the Board's finding that reasonable grounds exist for the charges. The Secretary should include a copy of the complaint with the notice.
4. At the hearing, the accused club or region and the complainant both have an opportunity to be heard and present evidence relevant to the charges. Both parties have the right to counsel at their own expense. The president of the club or region or the club or region's designee speaks for the club or region. The Board may hold the hearing by telephone conference. The Board may receive evidence from witnesses or by sworn affidavit, at its discretion.
5. Upon hearing all evidence, the Board considers the charges and issues a written decision and findings of fact within 30 days of the hearing. . The Secretary must send a copy of the decision and findings to the accused and to the president of the region (if the accused is a club) within 10 days of the Board's decision. The decision of the LV Board is final, subject to approval by DVG in accordance with DVG by-laws.
Section 5. Penalties
1. The following penalties may be imposed by a region or by the LV DVG America Board if any accused party is found guilty of the charges:
A. warning,
B. reprimand,
C. fines up to four hundred dollars ($400.00) for each offense
D. suspension from all official functions of DVG for a specified period, dating from the day of the act or from any date after the act fixed by the region or LV DVG America Board.
E. expulsion from DVG.
2. The decision of the LV Board regarding penalties is final, subject to appeal to DVG in accordance with DVG by-laws.