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Libya Conflict Analysis and Reflections: June 16,2011
"In Libya, there may be millions who dislike Gaddafi but like much of what he accomplished," - according to the famous Norwegian peace researcher Johan Galtung
Our first Black President Bombs Africa. Talk about someone with issues...
by W. Alexander Hagen
Yesterday, June 15, 2011 was an important day in the rebellion and subsequent invasion of Libya.
If I may start on a personal note, for me it may be the day when things changed enough that I could get back to my normal life, with my business and my family. And no longer need fear the national security services of the US, at least for this round. My wife just reminded me she wants me to take the car in today - maybe I can this time - without splitting my time schizophrenically between my life and the struggle to prevent a war based on lies from breaking out once again. Actually the struggle is really to prevent evil from profiting. Because as long as the case for Libya is not mentioned in the Western Press, the War is based on fabrications. Until NATO commander Rasmussen, Secretary Clinton or President Obama openly state that the country they are "Bombing for Humanitarian Reasons" has the highest standard of living in Africa and most of the Middle East, and then go on to explain what specific factors prevent the opposition from taking charge of the struggle, this war is based on lies.
Until it is explained why the opposition in Libya largely sat by and let NATO lead the military campaign, rejecting calls for dialog, they will be seen as the least heroic opposition movement in history, and possibly simply traitors and collaborators. Not because their cause is not just, but that their conduct is not honorable. How can one have much sympathy for a opposition movement which refuses dialog and lets super powers do their fighting for them? This opposition movement was embraced by all, until the trickle of stories began to come out, the atrocities against dark skinned people, the suppression of women within the leadership of the Transitional National Council, the two most senior commanders both with very dark pasts, one having lived in Langley Virginia for 16 years next to CIA head quarters, and the other the head of the internal security forces. I assume the Benghazi leadership will likely come to power - but what a stain on their honor there will be.
The conduct of those conducting operations against Libya is actually even more disturbing than the lack of spirit in the Benghazi Opposition movement. We must look at their faces, puffed up with power, as they say out of the same mouth three facts that simply do not go together. They say that the UN resolution 1972 to intervene in Libya allows them to conduct any attack they choose to support the mission of "protecting civilians". Repeatedly in the Western Press the double speak is thick. Is assassination illegal? Is using UN 1973 to drive Gaddafi out of power within scope or outside of scope? Incredibly the same person will answer these questions both affirmatively and negatively in the same day. And with incredible certainty. No we are not targeting Gaddafi. Gaddafi is a legitimate target. No we are not calling for regime change. Gaddafi has to go. These statements require a NAND operator. A logic operator best left to computers and not for human ethics and reasoning.
Secretary Gates tut tuts that NATO countries are woefully under armed. Yes Bob Gates, the US and Europe, with failing schools and economies, are not investing enough in armaments! They cannot even fight the "bully little war" you have for them. I too was fooled by this eminently reasonable and smooth talking Man. But his reasonableness and his demeanor, when stripped away, reveal a man who would suggest that rather than educating people, we should arm them. Don't start attacks on countries without giving people the full story - and you won't have to take them to task for being unprepared. Those countries in NATO that agreed to help stop bloodshed in Libya should not have expected to worry about running out of ammunition! What does it tell you about this humanitarian mission when European countries have attacked it so vociferously that the poor blighters are now low on ammunition.
Yes it stinks of hypocrisy, disinformation, dis-ingenuousness, and also shows what a low bar they set for the media to fall in line with. They are using so many elements of the Iraq playbook that those who see it are morally compelled to raise their voices in protest.
So yesterday, for me was a turning point, where NATO and The Obama Administration went from humanitarian heroes to mistrusted bullies, and how the Libyan Government went from tyranny to symbolize a small country which has chosen to hew its own path, and the consequences....
Cracks in the walls for the Obama regime, and their NATO allies:
The African Union met with the Security Council. Jacob Zuma, South Africa's President finally stood up for the independence of Libya, demanding that the NATO bombing stop.
Minister Louis Farrakhan delivered a one and a half hour teach in on Libya, laying out for any willing to listen - the "pro's of Gaddafi's Libya. Libya had the highest standard of living in Africa. Where have you seen this fact in the Western Press. If you were a soul about to enter the world as a newborn baby African, you would have begged to have been born a Libyan. (My words). The only country that is comparable in terms of having similar population and Oil, is Algeria. The squalor of the average Algerian is vastly worse than the lot of one living in Libya. The NATO bombing and armed rebellion has already tripled the annual death rate from 3 to 8 per thousand.
I like so many others clamored for aid to the rebels as the Libyan Army began to enter Benghazi. But events after have burned in my heart. From wishing to aid the rebels, or die trying, I now wish to aid the Jamahiriya, Because there is first, an appeal in any underdog, especially one that 'doggedly' refuses to give up. One man could not resist 2 and a half months of NATO bombardment. With modern technology, every human every vehicle, can be seen from the Western Military Satellites, and there is no jungle, as in Vietnam. Plus the bombing runs are easy commute distance from western bases in Libya.
So what will have changed after this war?
1, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, PBS, ABC, Al Jazeera, NBC, BBC - will be remembered as mouthpieces rather than journalists. The entire journalistic profession morphs into cheap propagandists or incredibly uneducated dunces.
2. Barack Obama will be revealed to either be a corporate hack, or one of the sickest people to have obtained so much good will. Leader of Armies invading the one country that credibly stood up to US attempts to recolonize Africa.
And in terms of super powers, China will benefit. One of Churchills best speeches which ends with "the neutrals will look about nervously wondering who will be "liberated" next? Countries that do not want to be joined at the hip to the IMF World Bank cartel - will see what the consequences can be: Fall in Line or be invaded when the opportunity arises!
W.A. Hagen
Montara CA
Libya: "The Price of Freedom"
Highest Standard of Living in Africa
by Joachim Guilliard
Translation from German by John Catalinotto
Original article: Libyen – Überlegungen zum drohenden "Preis der Freiheit"
Libya has the highest living standard in Africa. The "United Nations Development Program (UNDP) confirms that the country has excellent prospects for achieving United Nations development goals by 2015. NATO's war will have already dashed those hopes. A collapse like the one in Iraq now threatens the country.
There has been little reaching the European public in the past few years about Libya, whose relationship with the West had normalized. European leaders met with their Libyan counterpart Muammar al-Gadhafi often and business flourished. In the course of preparation for war, the country was suddenly transformed into the most evil dictatorship. Even many war opponents accepted this characterization as their own and now want to overthrow the "tyrant."
But if Libyan society can really be reduced to the "revolutionary leader" Gadhafi in Libya, is the situation really worse than in a hundred other countries and are there not many more factors that determine the living conditions of a country, besides Western-style "freedoms"?
For Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Palestine, the "degree of repression" in Libya is not "more pervasive and severe" than in other authoritarian countries. Even according to Amnesty International's country reports of human rights conditions, that of Libya differs little from many other countries; regarding the Arab allies in the NATO war alliance, such as Saudi Arabia, it is even much worse.
The UN Human Rights Council has praised the country in its latest report on the "universal periodic review" of Libya, which was made late last year, even for its progress on human rights. Many countries -- including Venezuela and Cuba, but also Australia and Canada -- raised in their statements some aspects that still deserve special mention. (See also UN Praised Libya's Human Rights Record, Mathaba, April 8, 2011)
For the Western media, this report, whose final debate has now been shifted abruptly from March to June, is a scandal (for them it's the result of there being many "less civilized" members of the Human Rights Council, those from the world's South). But what these countries did was to view living conditions from a different perspective, one that places a strong emphasis on the realization of social rights, i.e., the satisfaction of basic needs, including adequate income, food, housing, health care and education.
Also in this regard the situation in Libya is, from the point of view of corruption and high youth unemployment, thoroughly unsatisfactory. Compared with other countries, however, the Libyans are still in good shape and have a lot to lose from the NATO intervention. Although the media often refers to youth unemployment of 15 to 30 percent, it does not mention that in Libya, in contrast to other countries, all have their subsistence guaranteed.
The relatively high standard of living also explains why Gadhafi definitely still has support in the country -- particularly, according to Libya expert Andreas Dittmann, among the older generations, who remember the old days.
"In Libya, there may be millions who dislike Gaddafi but like much of what he accomplished," according to the famous Norwegian peace researcher Johan Galtung (The West's War Against Gadhafi - Yet another long-lasting, tragic crime against humanity, IPS, Global Research , April 6, 2011)
Sanctions and low oil prices slowed development
When in 1969 the U.S. and the British-backed King Idris was overthrown, Libya was still a poor, undeveloped country weighed down by its colonial past despite ongoing oil exports that began in 1961. The gradual nationalization of oil production allowed for accelerated economic development and rapid improvements in living conditions.
With the sharp fall in oil prices 1985-2001, this development came to a standstill. The 1993 UN-imposed sanctions enormously aggravated Libya's economic difficulties. The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita declined from $6,600 in 1990 to $3,600 in 2002 (World Bank, World Development Indicators) and has grown only after the lifting of UN sanctions in September 2003. (The United States lifted its unilateral sanctions in stages from 2004 until June 2006.)
In 2008, the GDP per capita, expressed in purchasing power, according to UNDP Database, reached $16,200 U.S. (For comparison, the GDP of Egypt was in the same year $5,900, that of Algeria and Tunisia $8,000. Saudi Arabia had a GDP of about $24,000, Kuwait and Qatar of $72,000 and $51,500 dollars respectively.)
The economic sanctions blocked the modernization of Libya's infrastructure and in especially brought all development plans, besides in the petroleum industry also in others, to a virtual standstill. (Jean-Pierre Sereni, The subtleties of Libyan crude, Le Monde diplomatique, April 8, 2011, free version at Counterpunch)
The economic decline accordingly slowed the development also in social sectors. In the measure of its "Human Development Index" (HDI), which investigates the root values of some basic indicators such as life expectancy, infant mortality and literacy development to evaluate the living standard of a country, Libya also slumped in the mid-1990s from 67th to 73rd place.
High standard of living achieved
After government revenue, supported by rising oil prices, richly flowed once more, living conditions have clearly improved. The country now ranks 53rd on the HDI index, better than all other African countries and also better than the richer and Western-backed Saudi Arabia. Using "Government subsidies in health, agriculture and food imports," along with "a simultaneous increase in household income," could "extreme poverty" be virtually eliminated, stated the UNDP in its monitor of the millennium development goals of the UN. (Millennium Development Goals: Goal 1 - Goal 8, UNDP Libya Office)
The life expectancy rose to 74.5 years and is now the highest in Africa. It is now almost one and a half years higher than in Saudi Arabia, which was the reverse of the situation in 1980 (UNDP Database) The infant mortality rate declined to 17 deaths per 1,000 births and is not nearly as high as in Algeria (41) and also lower than in Saudi Arabia (21). (WHO, Global Health Indicators 2010) Libya is also ahead in the care of pregnant women and the reduction of maternal mortality. Malaria was eradicated completely.
According to the UNDP, a lack of human resources in health care still presents a problem, but "the gradual reintegration of the country into the international economy after the lifting of sanctions" is leading "to better availability of health care. The government provides all citizens with free health care and achieved high coverage in the most basic health areas."
The illiteracy rate dropped to 11.6 percent in Libya, and is well below that of Egypt (33.6 percent), Algeria (27.4 percent), Tunisia (22 percent) and Saudi Arabia (14.5 percent). (See Human Development Report 2010)
The UNDP-calculated Education Index, which in addition to literacy also includes the number of pupils in secondary schools and university students, is even higher than that of small super-rich emirates Kuwait and Qatar, which can hardly be compared with the Arab territorial states. (See UNDP, Arab Human Development Report 2009 and UNDP, Human Development Report 2009)
The UNDP certified that Libya has also made "a significant progress in gender equality," particularly in the fields of education and health, while there is still much to do regarding representation in politics and the economy. With a relative low "index of gender inequality" the UNDP places the country in the Human Development Report 2010 concerning gender equality at rank 52 and thus also well ahead of Egypt (ranked 108), Algeria (70), Tunisia (56), Saudi Arabia (ranked 128) and Qatar (94). Even Argentina (ranked 60) seems worse in this regard.
In view of these achievements, the positive Human Rights assessment of developments in Libya should hardly be a surprise.
The example of Iraq
In 1980, Iraq also had a relatively high living standard, even higher than that of Libya. This collapsed massively under the murderous UN embargo [1990-2003]. Their "liberation" from Saddam Hussein then toppled Iraqi society completely into the abyss. The collapse is still going on.
Millions of Iraqis are starving, and the lack of food is still increasing. Half of the nearly 30 million people are now living in extreme poverty. Some 55 percent have no clean drinking water, 80 percent are not connected to the sewage system. Electricity is available only an hour here, an hour there; the once good health and education systems are flattened. Had the development of the conditions in the 1980s continued, the infant mortality rate would now well below 20 per 1000 births. In fact, according to a study by the aid agency Save the Children, by 2005 it had increased to 125. Iraq had been recognized by UNESCO in 1987 for its education system; illiteracy had been almost eliminated. Now, the illiteracy rate has already increased to over 25 percent in some areas it is already 40-50 percent among women. In general, Iraqi women have lost their once very good position in society. According to UNDP's index, they fell to the level of Saudi Arabia. (See Iraq - The Forgotten Occupation)
There is no reason to assume that a "regime change" in Libya enforced by the NATO states would come out much better for the country (not to mention a long civil war and partition of the country altogether). Finally, the attacking forces and their agenda is almost identical and in many ways the leadership of the insurgency resembles the Iraqis that the U.S. set up in the government there -- that is, radical Islamic organizations and pro-Western, neo-liberal advocates of a complete opening to imperialism, and privatization of the economy of the country.
Wikipedia is only partially useful regarding access to statistical data. As soon as it is playing a role in a current political debate, there is a danger of manipulation. After David Rothscum published on Feb. 23, 2011 his article, "The World Cheers As The CIA Libya Plunges Into Chaos" published in which he and others wrote that living in Libya, a lower percentage of people below the poverty line than in the Netherlands, the information in the Wikipedia article "List of countries by percentage of population living in poverty" to which Rothscum referred were changed. According to the Article-History on Feb. 15 a value of 7.4 percent could be found, since March 6 a reference is made in a footnote, without any listing of a source, that "around a third of the Libyans live at or below the national poverty line."
http://www.blackstarnews.com/news/135/ARTICLE/7258/2011-04-08.html
[Speaking Truth To Power]
As Western war mongering in Libya continues, there's another dimension to the conflict to consider: what role does the existence of the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) have to do with America's participation in this invasion?
Ever since the West launched military intervention in Libya, some scholars have said the powers were engaging in imperial interference to secure resources on the African continent. Professor Horace Campbell and Professor Molefi Asante are two who've said this isn't just about Libyan oil but is about African oil interests and resources throughout the continent.
Professor Asante, who teaches in the African-American Studies Department at Temple University, has called the war on Libya an attempt, by the West, at "re-inventing Cold War policies to enlarge and protect their economic interests on the continent." He also warned, "The great danger of the attacks on Libya is
that they are being used by the U.S. to test the effectiveness of AFRICOM, the African Command, and this adventure will open the door to direct military intervention in Africa."
Professor Horace Campbell, who teaches in the African-American Studies Department at Syracuse University, declared: "The Western bombardment of Gaddafi's forces in Libya has become an opportunistic public relations ploy for the United States Africa Command and a new inroad for US military stronghold on the continent."
The United States Africa Command was created in 2007, although the concept was conceived much earlier, when President George W. Bush gave authorization for it, after being sold on the idea by then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Rumsfeld, apparently, pushed the ball forward, probably, at the behest of big business interests and forces in the intelligence community. The primary reason advanced for AFRICOM is "fighting terrorism," but, the business of oil was a key factor in its creation.
Reportedly, a 2002 report, from the African Oil Policy Initiative Group (AOIPG,) was an important impetus in starting AFRICOM. The report highlighted the National Intelligence Council's analysis that America would be buying up to 25 percent of its oil from Africa by 2015. There also seems to be concern about the
improved relations between African countries and China.
China's growing energy needs put them in direct competition with America for African resources, including oil. However, since AFRICOM's creation no African nation, except for Liberia, has openly expressed a willingness to allow the Pentagon to set up a headquarters, for AFRICOM, on African soil. AFRICOM is currently headquartered at Kelley Barracks, in Stuttgart, Germany, from where an American general was coordinating the U.S.'s initial role in the invasion of Libya.
The exploitation of Africa, by Europeans, is nothing new. Since the "Scramble for Africa," Europe has enriched itself, while impoverishing Africa by pillaging and plundering the continent's natural resources. Are we about to see an American scramble for Africa's oil and mineral wealth? Professor Asante and Professor Campbell's assertion that the imperial intervention is a trial-run for AFRICOM, perhaps, explains why America seems to be contemplating arming the "rebels" in Benghazi. Both the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Benghazi, through Qatar, is about to export 100 million barrels of Libya's oil, which was in storage.
In my last column, I spoke of the 2007 Sinjar Records Report, done at West Point Military Academy by Colonel Joseph Felter and Brian Fishman. The report states that Benghazi and Darnah have the highest concentration of jihad fighters and suicide bombers, many of whom traveled to Iraq to fight against American soldiers. So why would the American government think of arming these "rebels"?
Unfortunately, the insane profiteering of oil companies has left us in a situation where politicians are willing to wage war to enrich these modern-day oil barons even if it means helping terrorists in Libya. Have we forgotten the chaos caused by Bush's oil war in Iraq? Will this greed for oil lead to other upheavals in oil-rich African countries like: Angola, Chad, Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan and São Tomé?
We've seen how violent some are when protecting big oil. In Nigeria, American oil companies Exxon-Mobil and Chevron have underwritten the brutality of the Nigerian government against the people of the Niger-Delta. In November 1995, author, artist and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was hanged by then Nigerian President General Sani Abacha.
Saro-Wiwa, who was from the Ogoni region in the Niger-Delta, was targeted because he led a campaign against the exploitation and environmental degradation caused by these oil behemoths. Because of the oil riches of the Niger-Delta, the area has been militarized to disastrous consequences.
The Nigerian people's fierce resistance to the oil companies portends what may happen in other African countries with untapped oil. Is this, perhaps, part of the calculation here by those in the American business community, who pushed for AFRICOM's creation? Will AFRICOM be the instrument to crush all opposition against the oil giants?
The reasons the Obama White House has given for their involvement in Libya makes no sense. The American government doesn't invade countries to "liberate" people out of the goodness of their hearts. Anytime America "helps" people there's always a quid pro quo involved.
It seems as if Washington's involvement here is to gain a foothold for AFRICOM in Africa, so, they can pursue the agenda of big oil. Africans must resist this scramble for African oil by foreign interlopers, for it will only lead to more exploitation and misery for Africans.
"Speaking Truth To Empower."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Recycling Today
September 2020 State of the Industry
Poised to compete in better times
Features - The State of the Scrap Recycling Industry
Making capital investments and new hires in 2020 may seem like a gamble, but several scrap recyclers say it can be an ideal time to do so.
stock.adobe.com
The peaks and troughs of the cyclical scrap recycling sector present an array of questions to scrap company executives each time the industry experiences volatile pricing and volume conditions.
The global economic slowdown caused by the pandemic and accompanying restrictions presented a dramatic trough in volumes for scrap recyclers, along with accompanying price volatility.
"Once you have your 'degree' in scrap, you're super valuable, and the growth potential for your career is huge." – Jacqueline Lotzkar, vice president, Pacific Metals Recycling International
However, panelists said they felt that now was a good time to make capital investments and hire talented employees who have become available as other firms have had to reduce their payrolls. Some even acknowledged that they no longer feel bound by certain norms, such as having all their employees on-site.
"I think, over the next year, we're going to be in an unprecedented opportunity to gobble up talent," Matt Kripke of Kripke Enterprises Inc., Toledo, Ohio, said. "There is going to be an incredible amount of people—really talented ones—from within our industry or other industries whose companies just didn't make it. Maybe it's scary to grab them at a time like this, but you could have an opportunity—that once in a lifetime opportunity—to get someone in this type of market. There have been skilled labor shortages, but I think it's going to go the other way, and if you have the guts, it's going to be a great opportunity," he added.
Edward Kangeter of CASS Inc., Oakland, California, agreed. "Here in the Bay Area, the unemployment rate was below 3 percent, but it's significantly different now; it's double digits. And, believe it or not, we've been actively hiring through this process to fill some long-term positions that we've been looking for," he said.
In CASS' case, most of that new talent is from outside of the scrap industry. "There are really smart people who have worked in disruptive technologies that are very difficult to hire normally. And I think it's an incredible opportunity for all of us."
However, when it came to filling labor roles, as Jaqueline Lotzkar's firm, Pacific Metals Recycling International, Vancouver, British Columbia, was attempting, challenges of a different form remained. "We are having a huge challenge because our provincial and federal governments have been extremely generous, and anybody who has been laid off is currently being paid CA$2,500 per month to stay home and not work," she said. "So, for us, motivating people to come back to work has been a major challenge."
However, she said her company has realized that when it comes to office personnel, "we don't all need to physically be in the office. And so, when it comes to recruiting, you now don't need to find someone physically close to you. You can actually look farther away, and the technology that we've adopted, I think, will allow us to recruit great candidates moving forward."
Chad Olgin of Phoenix-based Olgin + Efune Recycling Co., said, "[W]e're also hiring, even management roles, and we're able to show that we've treated our employees well over this time. And other companies or places that have not done the same with their employees, I think some of those employees are looking for a change. They want somewhere that they can grow some new roots in this new norm, and [we can] offer that. I think that's going to be an exciting opportunity for us in the future."
When it comes to attracting young talent to their businesses, the panelists spoke of the factors working in favor of the scrap industry.
"Recruiting younger people, that is something that really kind of excites me," Rick Dobkin of Shapiro Metals, St. Louis, said. "We really stress the dynamics of the business and how it is constantly changing, and you could walk into the office one day needing to sell your metal to a customer X and the next day it's going to customer Y.
"There's a huge amount of creativity needed as well. And, I think for most of us on this panel, at least if you have an interesting creative idea, typically any of us can walk around the corner and talk to the owner of the company about it," he continued. "Plus, the owners of the companies are typically risk-takers, and they're interested in trying new and different things. So, we like young people, and we like having them bringing their technical expertise to our company."
"Investing now [is] what's going to make you money when the economy and the flow of the market turn around." – Kevin Gershowitz, president, Gershow Recycling
He also mentioned that "sustainability is sexy, and recycling is sexy," adding, "When our company started out in the early 1900s, that wasn't what it was all about; it was about supporting a family. Now, it's a great dynamic and allows for a lot of creativity, and hopefully that is attractive to younger folks."
Joel Fogel of Middletown, Ohio-based Cohen added that the culture of a company can aid in recruiting young people, whose reasons for accepting a job extend beyond salary and benefits. "We like to refer to our industry as Wall Street in jeans, and it's something different every day," he said. "One day, you're not sitting behind a desk at a computer all day, another day you might be. The other day you might be in the yard doing something or managing some process."
While Fogel said it is "an interesting industry," few people know about it, "and you really have to sell yourself, your company and the industry."
Lotzkar said, "A selling point for me, I think, is the recycling and sustainability 'do good' side of our industry. I think young people want to feel like they're a part of a greater community, and I think our industry does that in a major way.
"It was said earlier that they don't teach scrap in schools," she continued. "You don't go to school to learn about metals, so I think the learning curve is high. But once you have your 'degree' in scrap, you're super valuable, and the growth potential for your career is huge. Talking about the opportunity for growth within a career is another way to entice people."
In addition to investing in employees, Gershowitz said the downturn presents a strategic time to invest in capital equipment. "I had a conversation earlier today with [fellow panelist Ben Abrams of Consolidated Scrap Resources], and the description I used was, 'Is your race car ready for the race?' You don't have to win the race, you just have to be able to get around the track in a good amount of time. So, investing now—rebuilding your mill, changing out your electric motor, putting a new plant in, fixing your trucks—whatever it is that your scrap yard needs, spending that cash now is what's going to make you money when the economy and the flow of the market turn around."
At the time of the roundtable, Gershow Recycling was in the midst of adding to its sorting capabilities downstream of its auto shredder in Medford, New York. "It's going to be fairly massive," Gershowitz said of the installation. "Our intention is to be able to process at the rate of close to 100 tons per hour of ASR (auto shredder residue). We're moving along quite well, and we hope to be ramping up the conveyors and motors sometime in late August or early September. We are full steam ahead on the project."
"An incredible opportunity right now exists to reinvest back in the business, and I think it's mandatory for those of us who are taking a very long perspective," Kangeter says. "If you're not reinvesting in new technology, it's going to be very difficult to compete in the future. And specifically, in California, the fifth-largest economy in the world, they're trying to ban ASR as a daily cover at the landfills right now. And, separately, they are also trying to implement a nanogram standard [on emissions], so one in a billionth of a gram. What that means is, if you're not actively investing in the core metrics of your business and looking forward to environmental compliance, when it hits, it's going to be too late, and your competitor that's already done that and thought about it will be ahead."
"I think, over the next year, we're going to be in an unprecedented opportunity to gobble up talent." – Matt Kripke, president, Kripke Enterprises Inc.
However, Kangeter said he thinks it will be "impossible to achieve this standard," adding that scrap yard operators in the state are taking legal action against California.
"Separate from that, if you're not reinvesting in the core metrics of your business, when this other fight comes, you won't be prepared to have the resources to make the fight," Kangeter continued. "So, I think it's a really smart point that Kevin made that now is an excellent time for us to be reinvesting. A little scary, I guess; but, the reality is if you have the financial ability and you're in this business from a long-term perspective, it's the smart business move."
For a full list of roundtable participants, see the Welcome.
ASR/Auto shredder residue
Circular Economy/Sustainability
automotive scrap
Rebuilding (and reshoring?) after COVID-19
The business cycle inevitably will bring economic recovery, and it could be accompanied by a return of some manufacturing to American shores.
© uwimages / stock.adobe.com
Even before the pandemic began causing ripple effects throughout global supply chains, trade tensions between the People's Republic of China and many of its trading partners were causing corporate board rooms to consider diversifying their manufacturing footprints.
Also, a Trump administration that has been urging American companies to "reshore" some of their operations has had its viewpoint amplified by the supply chain disruptions caused as the COVID- 19 pandemic moved from China to other parts of the world.
As the State of the Scrap Recycling Industry Roundtable convened in mid-May, the financial press was in the midst of a discussion about the future of manufacturing in North America and beyond.
Scrap recycling companies almost certainly stand to benefit if manufacturing output in North America enjoys a renaissance, whether by accessing new scrap generation points or increasing output at domestic metal melt shops.
Rick Dobkin of Shapiro Metals, St. Louis, mentioned some manufacturers had begun to reshore some of their operations prior to the onset of the pandemic. "I would say going back six months or a year, we saw some manufacturers increase their capacities here in the United States because they had business coming back from China, mostly," he said. "I think what people realized is, you had very cheap labor in China 10 or 15 years ago, but that's disappeared, so waiting for something to get on a boat and get here in two months was not worth the little bit of savings they were getting on parts that they were making."
Dobkin said Shapiro's locations "in the middle of the industrial belt, in the middle of the country," position the company to benefit from the reshoring trend. "Also, we have seen some of our industrial accounts trying to start back up the last couple of weeks and being unable to because they couldn't get parts because the supply chain is just such a mess right now," he added.
"I think it's more of a long-term than a shorter term trend," Ben Abrams of Consolidated Scrap Resources, headquartered in York, Pennsylvania, said of reshoring. "Over time, with some energy advantages and cheaper energy here, I think you'll see that is the foundation for more and more onshoring."
Abrams added that while China built its economy on exports, that growth has slowed. However, he said other countries also have embraced this model, so global trade will not be a thing of the past. "I think that this idea of globalization that we had sort of in the last two decades, to some degree, will continue. The middle class in the world will continue to rise, but at the same time there are going to be more and more advantages to doing things in the U.S.," Abrams said.
"[T]he U.S. still has the biggest reservoir of scrap raw materials," he continued. "When the dollar eventually gets weaker, which it invariably will, other countries benefit from that. They will be able to invest and continue to buy scrap from the United States and make products in their plants, too. I don't think you're getting rid of globalization, but I do think there will be government incentives to [locate] plants here. I think there will be a pretty big infrastructure package that forces materials to be American made, and that will be more incentive both on the ferrous and nonferrous side to produce material here."
Becky Proler said her company Southern Core Recycling, Houston, works extensively with the auto industry supply chain, a proponent of just-in-time inventory management, which was disrupted significantly by the pandemic. "I think these manufacturers at different tiers are going to have to study this for years to try to figure this out. … [A]nd I think things are going to be coming back to North America. We're seeing that already. But for a supply chain like the auto industry and the heavy equipment industry and all that to be really, seriously hurt over something like this, it really shows you how vulnerable we are as a country and how vulnerable we are as a business."
Matt Kripke of Toledo, Ohio-based Kripke Enterprises Inc. referenced Harvard Business School lecturer Vikram Mansharamani, saying he has been using the phrase "just-in-case inventory" in the last year or so. "I heard him speak recently, and he was saying not only is there going to be reshoring, but he said there's going to be redundancy, and people are going to have secondary and third-tier suppliers."
Kripke continued, "On the aluminum coil side of our business, we've received some new orders from customers that we've never been able to get in the door with previously. Now some of it may be that they don't want to deal with [a newly consolidated sector], but some of it is people who are getting the material from Oman or the United Arab Emirates or China, and they can't wait for the material."
Looking ahead to late 2020 and 2021, Abrams said, the scrap industry and the wider world will look different after the pandemic. "I think one of the big differences you're going to see is fewer integrated steel plants and more electric arc furnaces in the United States. That's going to require more scrap demand on the ferrous side. I think you'll probably see some similar phenomenon on the nonferrous side, too, with more plants coming back here and opening up. I think that will create more demand.
He continued, "I think, in due time, the integrated steel plants can't make money at some of the lower hot-roll prices, and they are going to have a very difficult time surviving, and especially now that their balance sheets are not particularly strong to begin with."
"We're seeing onshoring, and we saw it before COVID, and for us it's great." – Rick Dobkin, chief marketing officer, Shapiro Metals
Jacqueline Lotzkar of Pacific Metals Recycling International, Vancouver, British Columbia, said she sees opportunity from the environmental perspective. "I think the world has seen how good this has been for the environment with things being shut down. I think for us as an industry, that's an opportunity. Consumers are going to be looking for products that have been designed with recycling in mind, and I see that as a good thing for recyclers."
"Nobody knows what the future holds, but what we do know is that it's going to be different than what it was pre-COVID," Jeremy Miller of Wm. Miller Iron & Metal, Winona, Minnesota, said. "I would agree with [panelist Edward Kangeter of CASS Inc., Oakland, California] in his assessment that companies that have a good reputation and have good relationships with their suppliers, whether that's peddlers or industrial accounts, there's an opportunity for them to grow their business during this time or in the near future, shortly after this crisis passes us."
Miller also saw a need for federal intervention. "I think the best thing that our government can do right now is a very large, sizable stimulus package involving roads and bridges and other infrastructure projects," he said. "To me, that would have a very positive effect not only on our industry but across the board.
"And if we can get our industrial accounts to pick up, I think that would help everybody, whether putting people back to work or recycling and everything in between," Miller added.
"Pre-COVID, everybody was in the recycling industry," Chag Olgin of Olgin + Efune Recycling Co., Phoenix, said. "You could have a guy open up a yard down the street and not follow any environmental regulations or be in compliance at all. We would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on compliance, and it wasn't fair that our competition wasn't doing the same."
He continued, "Now, I believe everybody is kind of moving into a new norm or a new standard, and really only the strong will survive. I think this will just be better competition for those of us that make it."
For a complete list of roundtable participants, see the Welcome.
Departments - Newsworthy
Recent news from the various sectors of the recycling industry
Flexible plastic packaging research shows positive signs
Materials Recovery For the Future (MRFF), an initiative of the Foundation for Chemistry Research and Initiatives, a tax-exempt organization established by the American Chemistry Council, has announced that its pilot research report demonstrates the successful collection, separation and preparation for recycling of flexible plastic packaging (FPP). The pilot research was performed in partnership with J.P. Mascaro & Sons at the Total- Recycle material recovery facility (MRF) in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania.
Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) prepared a report on the pilot research, which says FPP can be captured efficiently in a large, single-stream MRF and processed into a commodity bale, known as rFlex, for reuse in a variety of markets while diverting plastic from landfills.
The report also identifies more than a dozen end-market opportunities for FPP. Building envelope products, such as roofing materials, represent the highest volume and most immediate end market opportunities. Other high-volume opportunities for rFlex include pallets and railroad ties.
Within one year of installing FPP sortation equipment at the TotalRecycle MRF, four of the five sortation performance goals established for the pilot demonstration were achieved, and the program continues to progress toward achieving the fifth goal, according to RRS. The five pilot research goals include:
reducing the amount of FPP going into fiber products;
minimizing paper in the rFlex bale;
reducing fiber quality control staff by 25 percent and reallocating that staff to other job functions in the MRF;
integrating the FPP recovery system into TotalRecycle's existing MRF control system; and
capturing at least 90 percent of FPP.
According to the report, the FPP capture rate needs improvement as the pilot project achieved a 74 percent capture rate in testing this February. The report states that additional equipment tuning and a minor upgrade were underway to help meet this goal.
"It's critically important to find financially viable opportunities and markets for rFlex bales," says Susan Graff, MRFF research director and vice president at RRS. "Our hope is that the pilot research serves as a valuable dataset to help other MRFs and communities economically recycle FPP while making cleaner paper bales. By working together to update sorting equipment, municipalities and businesses can support better quality recycling and meet commitments to buy more recycled-content products."
The full report is available at www.materialsrecoveryforthefuture.com/wp-content/uploads/MRFF-Pilot-Report-2020-Final.pdf.
Photo courtesy of Eastman
Eastman introduces Tritan Renew copolyester
Specialty plastics provider Eastman, Kingsport, Tennessee, has introduced Tritan Renew copolyester, which contains up to 50 percent recycled content derived from the company's Advanced Circular Recycling technologies.
"Tritan Renew is a significant step forward for Eastman as the first product to market using molecular recycling made possible by Eastman's Advanced Circular Recycling technologies," says Mark Costa, board chair and CEO of Eastman.
In 2019, Eastman began commercial- scale recycling for a broad set of plastics using its Advanced Circular Recycling technologies—carbon renewal technology and polyester renewal technology.
Plastics made with the raw materials produced using these Eastman technologies have a significantly lower carbon footprint than production processes for products made from fossil fuel-based raw materials, the company says.
"Thanks to the rapid innovation of polyester renewal technology, Tritan Renew adds certified recycled content to its exceptional performance and delivers one of the most exciting sustainability solutions available," says Scott Ballard, vice president and general manager for Eastman Specialty Plastics.
Eastman is producing Tritan Renew with certified recycled content for a variety of durable products, including those made by CamelBak and Nalgene. The recycled content of these products is achieved through a mass balance allocation process certified by ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification), the company says.
Material Recovery Facilities/MRFs
Film Plastics
Pizza box contamination doesn't impede recyclability, association says
The American Forest & Paper Association, Washington, has released industry guidance that aims to clear up consumer confusion regarding the recyclability of pizza boxes. The guidance resulted from a study conducted by WestRock, a corrugated packaging company based in Atlanta.
According to WestRock, 3 billion pizza boxes are placed on the market in the U.S. annually, equating to 600,000 tons of corrugated board. Pizza boxes represent 1.7 percent of the 35.9 million tons of all corrugated containerboard produced in the U.S. annually. If all pizza boxes were recovered for recycling, they would represent about 2.6 percent of the old corrugated containers, or OCC, stream, WestRock states.
To evaluate the average grease level in pizza boxes received by recycling facilities, several WestRock single-stream material recovery facilities pulled these items out of their incoming streams and took pictures of their interiors.
WestRock reports that the strength loss of the resulting product made with recovered fiber that incorporates post- consumer pizza boxes should be minimal at typical levels of grease expected to be received in a recycling facility and when included in the recovered fiber at expected levels of less than 3 percent furnish.
WestRock's study on the impact of grease on postconsumer pizza box recycling is available at www.westrock.com/greasecheesestudy.
Domino's, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and WestRock, its primary box supplier, have launched http://recycling.dominos.com to share facts about pizza box recycling. The website provides information on pizza box recycling and a guide for what to do if a customer's community does not accept pizza boxes for recycling.
Photo from the Recycling Today archives
BIR study shows role of recovered fiber in paper and board production
The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), Brussels, has released a new study on recovered paper markets titled, "Paper and Board Recycling in 2018," that provides insight into key global recovered fiber trends based on data from 2018.
According to the analysis, 50.2 percent of global paper and board production in 2018 was made of recovered fiber. Of the 211 million metric tons of paper and board produced using recovered fiber, about 86 percent were used for packaging materials, while newsprint accounted for 5 percent, printing and writing paper accounted for 4 percent and tissue accounted for 4 percent.
The European Recycling Industries' Confederation supported BIR in assimilating data from a number of sources, including Fastmarkets RISI, the Confederation of European Paper Industries and divisional information sources.
"From our statistical base camp, we have set out to make reasoned calculations that have enabled us to quantify the massive contribution made by recycled fibers as an environmentally beneficial component of global paper and board production," Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, BIR Paper Division President and an executive at France-based Paprec, writes in the introduction to the BIR report.
According to the analysis, more than 250 million metric tons of recovered paper were produced worldwide in 2018, of which Asia accounted for some 43 percent, Europe approached 27 percent and North America neared 21 percent. Despite a 38 percent year-over-year fall in Chinese imports in 2018, Asia remained the main export outlet for European and U.S. recovered fiber.
BIR's report also includes statistics on pulp and on paper and board production by product segment.
The data illustrate the importance of recovered fiber in the production of paper and board around the world. The report also identifies the scope for significant increases in the use of recovered fibers, including in the printing and writing segment and in some emerging regions of the world.
View the full BIR report at http://bit.ly/bir-report.
Old newspapers/ONP
Metals, Financial
© Joseph Gough / Dreamstime.com
Ohio foundry prepares for aluminum furnace startup
Hubbard, Ohio-based Ellwood Engineered Castings has been following through on plans announced in 2018 to add an aluminum castings furnace to diversify its traditional iron foundry business.
A video segment posted to the Youngstown, Ohio-based Business Journal Daily website includes a tour of the new Ellwood aluminum casting line's raw materials staging area, showing scrap metal and primary aluminum ingots and sows that will be used as feedstock.
The video clip features interviews with Jeff Nicol, Ellwood vice president of technical sales, who says the facility is preparing to begin producing castings in August. The scrap shown in the video includes aluminum wheels and aluminum sheet scrap. Nicol indicates the metals will be purchased and stored in a segregated fashion for internal chemistry reasons.
The aluminum production area in Hubbard includes two premelt furnaces for large primary ingots and one main production furnace. The company indicates a potential phase-two expansion would involve the addition of a second production furnace.
Nicol anticipates that Ellwood's aluminum castings largely will supply the automotive and aerospace sectors. Ellwood's previous history has been tied to the production of iron castings, including gray iron castings up to 160 tons in weight and ductile iron castings that can weigh up to 60 tons, according to its website.
Photo courtesy of Nucor Corp.
Nucor's Q2 steel shipments down from Q1
Nucor Corp., the electric arc furnace steelmaker based in Charlotte, North Carolina, has announced consolidated net earnings of $108.9 million, or 36 cents per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2020. The company reported consolidated net earnings of $20.3 million, or 7 cents per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2020 and $386.5 million, or $1.26 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2019.
Included in the 2020 first-quarter results were losses on assets of $287.8 million, or 92 cents per diluted share, related to the company's equity method investment in Italy, Duferdofin Nucor S.r.l.
In the first half of 2020, Nucor reported consolidated net earnings of $129.2 million, or 42 cents per diluted share, compared with consolidated net earnings of $888.3 million, or $2.88 per diluted share, in the first half of 2019.
The company mentions the "considerable economic uncertainty" created by the COVID-19 pandemic, adding, "We believe Nucor is well-positioned to navigate this environment given our diverse product mix, advantaged cost position, flexible production capability and financial strength."
A total of 5.48 million tons were shipped to outside customers in the second quarter of 2020, a 24 percent decrease from the first quarter of 2020 and a 19 percent decrease from the second quarter of 2019. Total steel mill shipments in the second quarter of 2020 decreased 27 percent as compared with the first quarter of 2020 and decreased 18 percent as compared with the second quarter of 2019.
Steel mill shipments to internal customers represented 21 percent of total steel mill shipments in the second quarter of 2020 compared with 20 percent in the first quarter of 2020 and 19 percent in the second quarter of 2019, the company says. Downstream steel product shipments to outside customers in the second quarter of 2020 decreased 12 percent from the first quarter of 2020 and decreased 7 percent from the second quarter of 2019.
The average scrap and scrap substitute cost per gross ton used in the second quarter of 2020 was $284, a 3 percent decrease compared with $293 in the first quarter of 2020 and a 14 percent decrease compared with $330 in the second quarter of 2019. The average scrap and scrap substitute cost per gross ton used in the first half of 2020 was $289, a 15 percent decrease compared with $341 in the first half of 2019.
Nucor says overall operating rates at its steel mills decreased to 68 percent in the second quarter of 2020 from 89 percent in the first quarter of 2020 and 84 percent in the second quarter of 2019. Operating rates in the first half of 2020 decreased to 79 percent from 85 percent in the first half of 2019.
The company describes demand in the nonresidential construction markets as "resilient" in the second quarter of this year; however, Nucor adds, "The profitability of the steel products segment in the second quarter of 2020 decreased as compared to the first quarter of 2020, but we consider the second quarter of 2020 to be another strong quarter for this segment."
In its steel mills segment, Nucor says its sheet and plate mills were the most negatively affected of its facilities in light of weak oil and gas market activity and customer production disruptions.
Electric arc furnace/EAF


Duval County incorporates the city Jacksonville, Florida – a metropolitan center of over 1.2 million people, is a friendly and comfortable place – a coastal community of neighborhoods as unique as the people who live in them. From downtown and beachside luxury condo high-rises, to grand historic homes, to custom-built new communities in every style imaginable, Jacksonville feels like home no matter where you live.
Jacksonville is consistently rated as one of the top "Hottest Cities in America" for business expansions and relocations by site consultants in an annual poll for Expansion Management Magazine. Jacksonville has been in the top 10 for six straight years and is the only city to be ranked #1 three times. Few other places in America allow residents to be moments from the ocean, downtown in a major metropolitan area, or deep in the woods enjoying the peace and serenity of nature. Here you will find housing affordable, our schools fully engaged with the students and their families, a variety of arts and cultural experiences, and within short driving distances of some of the most exciting and beautiful settings in the country.
In February of 2005, Super Bowl XXXIX was played in Jacksonville's Alltel Stadium. Located on the waterfront just east of the downtown area, the stadium was the center point for a week-long celebration along both banks of Jacksonville's beautiful riverfront. This is yet another testament to the success of Jacksonville's growth and emergence into one of the nation's great cities. Only a select few cities have been privileged to host a Super Bowl, and the selection substantiates the climate, infrastructure and entertainment variety that the selection committee considers when choosing Super Bowl sites. Additionally, Jacksonville is home to the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars and the Jacksonville Suns baseball team. The area also is the international headquarters of the PGA TOUR, The Players Championship, the World Golf Hall of Fame and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) headquarters.
St Johns County includes historic St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and miles of beaches for a Florida getaway unlike any other. The county is home to one of Florida's finest and most progressive public school systems among its charming historical roots.
In St. Augustine (America's Oldest City) brick streets lead to historic churches, living history museums, antiques stores, charming restaurants, cozy bread and breakfast inns and a multitude of quaint shops. A centuries-old fort stands guard, horse-drawn carriages clip-clop through the historic district, and ghost tours share with you the area's fascinating secrets.
Family attractions entertain and forty-two miles of pristine Atlantic beaches beckon sun worshipers from around the world while, Ponte Vedra beckons golf enthusiasts as one of the worlds premier golfer's paradises feauring the PGA Tour Headquarters, THE PLAYERS Championship and several elegant seaside resorts.
Clay County – Located just southwest of the City of Jacksonville, Florida and west of historic St. Augustine, Clay County's entire eastern line is nestled along the banks of the beautiful St. Johns River. The interior of Clay County incorporates miles and miles of undeveloped woodlands.
People who have chosen Clay County as "home" often credit their choice to the county's natural beauty and vast natural, historic, recreational and agricultural resources. Those with school age children also name the great schools as a top reason for their move to Clay County as well.
Since it's founding about 150 years agou, Clay County has developed into a diverse mixture of suburban and rural areas and exemplifies what a productive, modern area is all about with it's superior schools, well-trained and skilled workforce and bustling retail centers.
Folks from all across America who love nature come to Clay County to take advantage of the numerous golf courses, public parks and walking/cycling trails. When you add the abundant opportunities for boating, fishing, conoeing and kayaking on the forty six square miles of lakes and rivers, you can understand what makes Clay County a pretty special place to call home!
Nassau County is located in the northeast corner of Florida along the Atlantic Ocean and Interstate 95 just northeast of the city of Jacksonville, Florida. Nassau County is proud to serve as the Eastern Gateway to the Sunshine State.
From its historic Amelia Island (featuring a magnificent Ritz Carlton Resort), sandy beaches, and championship golf courses to its scenic rivers, green pastures, and majestic timberlands, Nassau County truly offers "Something for Everyone".


text:
The Annals of Eutychius of Alexandria (10th c. AD) – chapter 6 – part 2 and final
Posted on January 26, 2018 March 22, 2018 by Roger Pearse
Well this hasn't happened for a while! But somehow I have just translated the entire remainder of the chapter of Eutychius' Annals. Not bad considering that I only set out to do a couple of sections at the end of a long week at work!
The material in this chapter is from the Old Testament. But even so, traces of the Chronicle tables of Eusebius are visible: "there prophesied in this time X and Y".
Part of the fun of reading this stuff is trying to make out the familiar names from the Arabic transliteration. It's also interesting to see the story afresh from the perhaps too-familiar words of our bible. It struck me, as I wrote this, that the kings of Israel and Judah had good reason to be nervous about the prophets, an alternative source of authority in their kingdom. At any moment one of them might do what Elisha does below, and anoint some ambitious man as a rival king, whereupon civil war would ensue. If the rebel was defeated, no doubt the prophet would also be killed. But it meant that no king could feel safe with a prophet working in the kingdom. No wonder so many prophets lived an exciting life!
3. After him his son Yūrām reigned, aged thirty-two. He reigned for eight years over Judah, in Ūrashalīm. This took place in the fifth year of the reign of Yūrām, son of Akhāb, king of Israel. There prophesied, in his day, Elisha, disciple of Iliyā, and 'Ubidiyā. Ibn-Hadād, king of Syria (8), became active again, gathered his soldiers and marched against Yūrām, king of Israel, in Samaria, to wage war on him. Yūrām was afraid of him, but Elisha told him: "Do not fear. Fortify yourself in your city because God will give you victory over your enemy". Yūrām then stayed in his city. The soldiers of Damascus were as numerous as the sand of the sea and surrounded the city of Yūrām and all the territory of Samaria. The Israelites were under siege for three years. Then a famine fell on Samaria so badly that the people were reduced to feed on the flesh of the dead and pigeon droppings, and the head of a donkey was sold for eighty "dirhams" and a glass of pigeon droppings for five "dirhams" (9). While Yūrām, king of Israel, was walking along the walls of the city, he came across a woman struggling with another woman. One of the women begged the king for help, saying: "This woman said: 'Slay your son today, so we can eat him so as not to starve. Tomorrow, I will slaughter mine and eat him'. Yesterday I killed my son and we ate him, but today she took her son and hid him"(10). On hearing this, the king shuddered, tore his clothes, and covered his head with dust. He then sent to tell the prophet Elisha: "Did you not say that God would give me the victory over my enemy? But when will this happen?" The prophet Elisha answered the messenger: "Tell the king: 'Tomorrow, at this same hour, God will grant you the victory over your enemy. At the city gate of Samaria flour will be sold at a dirham for a waybah and barley at a dirham for two waybah'" (11). The messenger replied to the prophet Elisha: "But such a thing is completely impossible". Elisha answered: "Well instead it will be like this. You will see it [with your own eyes], but you will not eat it."(12). There were four leper Israelis at the far end of the walls who agreed among themselves: "When night comes we will lower ourselves from the walls and we will go to the Syrian soldiers. They will either kill us or give us bread to eat" (13). They did as they said and once they arrived among the soldiers they tried to rummage through the tents and the camps. But there was nobody there. This was because it was rumoured on that same night among the soldiers of Damascus that the king of Egypt, the king of Israel, the king of Judah and all the kings (14) had joined forces to assail them by surprise, during the night, and they had therefore fled, leaving behind them their camps, tents, baggage, their household goods and all that they had. The lepers came back and informed the king of Israel so that he could send men on the trail of the Syrians. They travelled quickly to the banks of the Jordan River but found no traces [of the Damascus soldiers]. The king then gave orders to open the gate of the city, people poured out and looted everything that was in the tents of the Syrians. Flour was immediately sold for a dirham a waybah and barley at a dirham for two waybah (15). As for the messenger who had accused the prophet Elisha of lying, when he saw all this he died at the gate of the city because of the great crowds and the crush. After this Yūrām, king of Judah, went out against the Rūm who were in ash-Sharāh and massacred them (16). Yūrām, king of Judah, died and was buried in the city of David.
4. After him his son Ukhuziyā reigned over Judah, at Urashalim, for a single year at the age of twenty-two. This took place in the twelfth year of the reign of Yūrām, son of Akhāb, king of Israel. His mother was called 'Athaliyā, and she was the sister of Akhāb, king of Israel, son of 'Umri. There prophesied, in his day, Elisha and Abūdiyā. Yūrām, king of Israel, moved, together with Gazāyil, king of the tribes, against ar-Rāmah (17) to fight against the Syrians (18). Yūrām, king of Israel, was wounded in war and returned to the city of Yizrā`īl for treatment. Ukhuziyā, son of Yūrām, came to him to greet him. The prophet Elisha called his disciple Yūnis, son of Mitthaī, i.e. an-Nūn (19), who had been swallowed by the fish, gave him a horn with oil inside and told him: "Go to the city of Rāmah of Kal'ād and you will find a commander named Yāhū, son of Yimsi (20). Anoint him with this ointment as king of Israel" (21). Yūnis, disciple of Elisha, went and did as he had ordered him. Yāhū gave the news to his men, gathered them and moved to the city of Yizrā'il in search of Yūrām, king of Israel. Yūrām, king of Israel, and Ukhuziyā, king of Judah, came out against him. Yāhū shot a dart which struck Yūrām, king of Israel, in the heart, and he killed him and cut off his head. Ukhuziyā, king of Judah, fled but Yāhū pursued him and covered him with wounds. However he managed to escape, and he took refuge in Mighiddū (22) and died there. When Ukhuziyā died, his servants took him to Ūrashalīm and he was buried in the city of David.
5. Then the mother of Ukhuziyā, named 'Athaliyā, reigned over Judah, at Ūrashalīm, for seven years. Yāhū wrote to the chiefs of Samaria [telling them]: "If you are willing to obey me, choose yourself a king from among the sons of Akhāb, king of Israel". They answered him: "We have no other king but you". He wrote to them again: "Then kill all the sons of Akhab, king of Israel" (23). The sons of Akhāb and the sons of his sons were seventy. They killed them and sent their heads to Yāhū. Yāhū then went to Samaria, and of the descendants of Akhāb he did not leave one, but put everyone of them to death. As he was walking he came across forty-two men and asked them: "Who are you?" They said: "We are the brothers of Ukhuziyā, king of Judah" (24). Then Yāhū cut off their heads, destroyed the temple of the idol Bā'il in Samaria, and killed the priests and their leaders. He reigned over the Israelites for twenty-eight years. Izbil, wife of Akhāb, went out, after dressing up, to meet Yāhū. But Yāhū had her killed; her body was left unburied for several days and the dogs devoured her. Then [Yāhū] arranged to bury what was left of her body. 'Athaliyā, after having obtained the kingdom of Judah, after her son Ukhuziyā, in Ūrashalīm, had the sons of her son Ukhuziyā killed. She then went after the family of David with the intent to exterminate it as it belonged to the tribe of Akhāb, king of Israel. She wanted to wipe out the whole race of David. She had a daughter, the sister of Ukhuziyā, named Yahūshāyi', the wife of Yahwādā', leader of the priests (25). She managed to save from her mother a son of Ukhuziyā, named Yuwāsh, keeping him hidden for six years. In the days of 'Athaliyā there prophesied Elisha and 'Ubidiyā. 'Athaliyā profaned Ūrashalīm with adultery, because she ordered women to prostitute themselves in public without any restraint and men to fornicate with women without being censured (26). When Yuwāsh, son of Ukhuziyā, grew bigger, the priest Yahūnādā' (27) gathered the magnates of Judah, presented Yuwāsh, son of Ukhuziyā, to them, and proclaimed him king. Hearing this, 'Athaliya tore herclothes, went out to see him and was killed with a sword stroke.
6. Yuwāsh, son of Ukhuziyā, reigned over Judah, at Ūrashalīm, for forty years, from the age of six (28). This took place in the seventh year of the reign of Yāhū, king of Israel. The mother of Yuwāsh was called Sinbā and was originally from Bersabea (29). In his time there prophesied Elisha, Uriyā, and Zakhariyā, son of the priest Yahūnādā` (30). During his life he always behaved well in Judah until the priest Yahūnādā` died at the age of one hundred and thirty years. Then Yuwāsh, king of Judah, gave himself over to the worship of idols. The prophet Zakhariyā, son of the priest Yahūnādā`, tried to dissuade him from doing so, but the king had him stoned to death. It was in this way that Yuwāsh rewarded the priest Yahūnādā` who had made him king, namely by killing his son Zakhariyā, the prophet. Gazāyil, king of Syria, came out against him (31), and seized the city of Gatti (32) by taking possession of it. He then set about going up to Ūrashalīm. Yuwāsh was very afraid of him, took all the treasures that were in the temple and that his fathers Yūshāfāt, Yūrām and Ukhuziyā had accumulated there and sent them to Gazāyil, king of Syria, to ingratiate himself. He departed, and left him alone. Yāhū, king of Israel, died and was buried in Samaria.
7. After his son Akhāz (33) reigned in Samaria for seventeen years. This happened in the twenty-third year of the reign of Yuwāsh, king of Judah. Akhāz devoted himself to the worship of idols and Israel was subjugated by Gazāyil, king of Syria, and by Hadād, son of Gazāyil (34). Of the men of Israel, so many were killed in the war that only ten thousand footmen and fifty horsemen remained at the side of Akhaz, king of Israel. The prophet Elisha died and Gazayil, king of Syria, also died. His son Hadād reigned after him. Akhāz, king of Israel, fought again and defeated Hadād, son of Gazāyil, king of Syria, taking from him the countries which his father had taken over and re-establishing his sovereignty. Akhaz, king of Israel, died and was buried in Samaria.
8. After him, his son Yuwāsh reigned over Samaria in Israel for sixteen years. This occurred in the thirty-ninth year of the reign of Yuwāsh, king of Judah (35). His conduct of life was worse than his father's and he worshiped the idols. As for Yuwāsh, king of Judah, his servants attacked him and killed him. He was buried in the city of David.
After him his son Amasiyā reigned over Judah, at Ūrashalīm, for twenty-nine years. This took place in the second year of the reign of Yuwāsh, king of Israel. He had the servants who had killed his father arrested and had them killed. In his time there prophesied 'Amūs, the Davidic prophet. Yuwāsh, king of Israel, went up to Ūrashalīm. Amasiyā, king of Judah, was afraid of him and fled to Bayt Shams, abandoning the city (36). Yuwāsh, king of Israel, tore down four hundred cubits of the walls of the city of Ūrashalīm and looted all the gold and silver that was in the palace of Amasiyā, king of Judah, taking it with him to Samaria. Yuwāsh, king of Israel, died and was buried in Samaria.
9. After him his son Rubu'am reigned over Israel in Samaria, for forty-one years. This occurred in the fifteenth year of the reign of Amasiyā, king of Judah. After the death of Yuwāsh, king of Israel, Amasiyā returned from Bayt Shams to Ūrashalīm in Judea. Shortly thereafter, Rubu'ām, king of Israel, gathered his army and went up to Ūrashalīm. Amasiyā, king of Judah, fled from him, sheltering in the city of Lāhish. But [Rubu'am] pursued him to Lāhish and killed him (37). His servants took him to Ūrashalīm and he was buried in the city of David. After him his son 'Uziyā ruled over Judah, at Ūrashalīm, for fifty-two years, at the age of sixteen. This occurred in the fifteenth year (38) of the reign of Rubu'ām, king of Israel. In his time there prophesied 'Amūs (39) and his son Sha'iyā (40) of the house of David, Yūsha', son of Yihādi of the tribe of Rubri (41) and Yūnis son of Matatay, i.e. Dhū'n-Nūn, of Kātihāfadh (42). Rubu'ām, king of Israel, died and was buried in Samaria.
10. After him, his son Zakhariyā reigned over Israel, in Samaria, for six months. This took place in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of 'Uziyā, king of Judah (43). Shāllūm, son of Yābish, and Bil'ām, two of his commanders, rebelled against him and killed him (44). Shāllūm, son of Yābish, took possession of the kingdom. He reigned over Israel, in Samaria, for thirty days. This took place in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of 'Uziyā, king of Judah (45). Then Menhakhim, son of Hadi, one of his commanders, rebelled and killed him and took possession of the kingdom. He reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty years (46). This occurred in the thirty-first year of the reign of 'Uziyā, king of Judah (47). He went out against the city of Tirsā and stormed it, killing all the inhabitants and gutting their pregnant women. Tula, king of Mossul (49) and Memphis, king of Israel, came out against him, and he gave them much gold and silver to ingratiate himself. They then withdrew and left him alone. Menhakhim, king of Israel, died and was buried in Samaria.
11. After him his son Fiqahiyā reigned in Israel, in Samaria, for two years. This happened in the fiftieth year of the reign of 'Uziyā, king of Judah. Fāqih, son of Rimaliyā, who was one of his commanders, rebelled against him and killed him, seizing the kingdom. This Fāqih, son of Rimaliyā, reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-eight years (49). This happened in the fifty-second year of the reign of 'Uziyā, king of Judah. This 'Uziyā committed all sorts of evil. He dared even to enter the Holy of Holies, took the thurible from the priest's hand and incensed the temple (50). It was for this reason that 'Uziyā contracted leprosy in the face, and yet he did not give up the kingdom because his son Yuwāthām administered and defended it (51). 'Uziyā, king of Judah, died and was buried in the city of David.
12. After him his son Yuwāthām reigned over Judah, at Ūrashalīm, for sixteen years, at the age of twenty-five. This took place in the second year of the reign of Fāqih, king of Israel. In his time there prophesied Isha'iyā, Mīkhā al-Mūrashti (52) and Yū'īl, son of Fānū'īl (53). Tighlāt Filitsir, king of Mossul (54), came out [against him], occupied many cities of Israel and took possession of it. Yuwāthām, king of Judah, died and was buried in Bethlehem, the city of David. After him his son Akhāz ruled over Judah, at Ūrashalīm, for sixteen years, at the age of twenty. In his time, there prophesied Isha'iyā, Yūsha' and Mīkhā. The high priest was Uriyā. Rāzūn, king of Damascus (55), came out [against him] with Fāqih, king of Israel, went up to Ūrashalīm and besieged the city. But they could not take it, and withdrew. Rāzūn, king of Damascus, destroyed the city of Fām of Syria (56), drove out the Jews and installed the Rūm that still live there. Akhaz, king of Judah, wrote to Salmān-Asar, king of Mosul (57), asking for his help and sending him all the gold, silver and precious stones that were in the temple. The king of Mossul went after him with his soldiers, conquered Damascus, burned it, and killed King Rāzūn. Akhaz, king of Judah, went to him and thanked him for what he had done. A commander of Fāqih, named Hūshi`, son of Ila (58), rebelled against Fāqih, king of Israel, and killed him, seizing the kingdom. Hūshi` reigned over Samaria for nine years. This happened in the twelfth year of the reign of Akhaz, king of Judah. Akhaz, king of Judah, died and was buried in the house of David. After him his son Hiziqiyā reigned over Judah, at Ūrashalīm, at the age of twenty-five, for twenty-nine years. This happened in the third year of the reign of Hūshi`, king of Israel. In his time there prophesied Sha'yā, Yūshā' and Mīkhā of the tribe of Ephraim. In the fourth year of the reign of Hiziqiyā, king of Judah, i.e. in the seventh year of the reign of Hūshi`, king of Israel, Salmān-Asar, king of Mossul and al-Gazirah (59), went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years, until he took it. He took Hūshi`, king of Israel, and had him put in prison, deporting ten tribes of Israel from the land of Samaria to Āmid (60), to Mossul and to Bābil. Only the tribe of Judah and the house of David remained to reign and the tribe of Benjamin. He then deported part of the populations of Bābil, Āmid and Mossul and made them live in the cities of Samaria instead of the Israelites. Salmān-Asar, king of Mosul, left with them a priest named Lūn (61) to teach them the law. Lūn taught them the Law that they still follow, and they were the fathers of the Samaritans and their sons are the Samaritans of today, because they separated from the Jews, denying the gift of prophecy to David and all the prophets, asserting that there was no prophet after the prophet Moses. They elected their leader from the House of Harun and gave him the name of ar-ra'is. Hiziqiyā, king of Judah, reigned over all the Israelites and over as many of them as remained in Samaria. He had the idols torn down, the steles swept away, and the bronze serpent cut to pieces that Moses – peace be upon him – had forged in the desert and that the Israelites had revered and worshiped up to that time. He had that shattered in pieces, and he began to fight against the foreign tribes and he confined them to Ghazza and to the city of Rafakh. He then sent word to all the Israelites who were in Samaria and in the land of Judah to gather at Ūrashalīm to celebrate the passover. They gathered and celebrated passover at Ūrashalīm. Hiziqiyā, king of Judah, sacrificed two thousand calves and seven thousand sheep (62). His commanders slaughtered a thousand calves and ten thousand sheep and celebrated a sumptuous and grandiose festival.
13. In the fourteenth year of the reign of Hiziqiyā, king of Judah, Sinnahārib, king of Mossul (63) went up to the land of Judah and occupied many cities. Hiziqiyā, king of Judah, was afraid of him and sent word to him, at Lāhish: "Whatever you want to impose on me, I commit myself to give it to you, but please go away from me". Sinnāhārīb, king of Mossul, wrote to him telling him: "Send me three hundred 'qintār' of gold and three hundred 'qintār' of silver" (64). Hiziqiyā, king of Judah, sent him all the gold and silver that was in the temple, and he took down the golden doors of the temple and sent them to him. That same night a cry was heard among the soldiers of Sinnāhārib, king of Mosul, and they killed one another. Then Hiziqiyā, king of Judah, went out against them and killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand, and Sinnāhārib, king of Mossul, fled to Ninawā (65). He had two sons, one named Anzarmālākh and the other Sarāsirā (66): they rebelled and killed him by the sword, then fleeing to the district of Qardā (67) in the Mossul region. This king Hiziqiyā is the one whom God allowed to live for another fifteen years. This is because he was close to dying and, having no children, he turned his face to the wall and wept bitterly in the presence of God. God mercifully had compassion on him and sent an angel to let him know that God was extending his life by fifteen years. Later he had a son whom he called Manassā. It is said [well] that the one who told him: "God has prolonged your life by fifteen years" was the prophet Isha'iyā. And it is true (68). The son of Sinnāhārfb, named as-Sarğadūn, reigned over Mossul (69). In the days of Hiziqiyā, king of Judah, there reigned over the Rūm Rūmiyūs, who founded a city calling it Rūmiyā, from his name. And in fact the Rūm were called Rūm just from the name of Rūmiyūs. After that the king moved his residence to the city of Rūmiyā (70). Rūmiyūs reigned for thirty-six years. Hiziqiyā, king of Judah, died and was buried in the house of David.
14. After him his son Manassā reigned over Judah, at Ūrashalīm, for fifty-five years, at the age of twelve. In the third year of his reign (71) he made idols and the Israelites began to worship them. The prophet Isaiah rebuked him, but he had him killed (72) by having him sawn in two and burning his body. It is said that the prophet Isaiah, before being killed, was thirsty and invoked his Lord. A spring of water opened before him and he drank from it. [This would be] the spring of Silwān, whose interpretation is "sent". It is also said that when the pagans later inhabited Ūrashalīm, the spring had dried up, and it resumed flowing when the Israelites lived there [again]. The Israelites worshiped idols for fifty-four years. Then the king of Bābil captured Manassā, king of Judah, and had him locked up in the cavity of a bronze calf (73) under which he set fire. In the cavity of the calf Manassā raised prayers to God repenting of what he had done and imploring his Lord. God forgave his sin and had compassion on him. The idol split in two and [Manassā] came out [alive]. God then sent him an angel who took him away to Ūrashalim. Manassā, king of Judah, died and was buried in the garden of 'Uziyā (74). After him, his son Amnūn (75) reigned for two years, at the age of twenty-two. He lived like his father, worshiping idols. His servants attacked him in his house, killed him and buried him with his father in the garden of 'Uziyā. After him his son Yūsiyā reigned over Judah, at Ūrashalīm, for thirty-one years, at the age of eight. In the second year of his reign (76), he broke down the idols and burnt them, and he also destroyed, by burning them, every temple dedicated to the idols in Samaria that the Israelites had built. He had the priests of the idols killed and had them burned. He then collected the bones of the dead who had worshiped the idols and burned them. In the eighteenth year of his reign he celebrated the passover like no other, since the time of Yashū', son of Nūn, [= Joshua] had done. There was then priest Hilqiyā, father of the prophet Irimiyā. Hilqiyā found the book of the Law in the temple, read it, and arranged to celebrate passover according to what was said. In his day there prophesied Khuldā, wife of Sallūm, custodian of the temple garments, the prophet Irimiyā and the prophet Sūfūniyā. The prophet Irimiyā took the ark and hid it in a niche of a rock (77). [In his day] there lived a false prophet named Hininā (78).
15. At the time of Yūsā, king of Judah, the pharaoh Nāhū (79), i.e. the lame, King of Egypt, went up against the king of Mosul, fought against him, overcame him and put him to flight, advancing to the Euphrates. On his return Yūsā, king of Judah, met him with many gifts. But after seeing him he had him killed. His servants brought him from Mighiddū, i.e. Manbiğ (80), to Ūrashalīm, and buried him there. He was thirty-nine.
After him his son Yuwakhāz ruled over Judah, at Ūrashalīm, for three months, at the age of twenty-three. The pharaoh Nāhū went up to Ūrashalīm, took Yuwakhāz, king of Judah, and had him chained and deported to Egypt along with a large number of Jews. The pharaoh imposed a tribute on all the inhabitants of Ūrashalīm, forcing them to pay him every year a hundred "qintār" of gold and one hundred "qintar" of silver (81). Then the pharaoh Nāhū returned to Egypt. Yuwakhāz, king of Judah, died in Egypt.
16. After him his son Iliyāqim, son of Yūsiyā, also called Yuwāqim, reigned over Judah, at Ūrashalīm, for eleven years, at the age of twenty-five.(82) In his day there prophesied the prophet Irimiyā, Uriyā, son of Sima'yā, of Qaryat al-'Inab (83), and Yūri (84), father of Hiziqiyā. Yuwāqim, king of Judah, sent annually to pharaoh Nāhū, king of Egypt, as a ransom for himself and for his country, one hundred "qintār" of gold and one hundred "qintār" of silver. In the fourth year of the reign of Yuwāqim, king of Judah, Bakhtanāsir reigned in Bābil (85). In his time this Bakhtanāsir went up to Ūrashalīm and Yuwāqim, king of Judah, welcomed him and became his vassal for three years. Bakhtanassar then returned to Bābil and Yuwāqim sent him every year the same quantity of gold and silver that he sent to Pharaoh Nāhū, because Bakhtanassar reigned from the Euphrates to the city of Rafakh. Later Yuwāqim, king of Judah, broke the covenant and sent him nothing more. Yuwāqim, king of Judah, died and was buried in the house of David.
17. After him his son Yahūnākhīm, called Akhiyā, reigned at Ūrashalīm for three months at the age of eighteen. Having failed to send to Bakhtanassar the price of the ransom, Bakhtanassar in person came to Ūrashalīm at the head of his army and besieged it. Yahūnākhīm went to meet him with his mother, his servants and the magnates of Israel and opened the gates of the city. Bakhtanassar entered the city and took away from the temple all the gold and silver vessels together with the precious stones, as well as all the precious stones, all the gold and silver that were in the king's palace, sending them to Bābil. He then chained Yahūnākhīm, king of Judah, and took him with him to Bābil along with seven thousand of his men (86). He also brought every strong man of Israel to Bābil. There were among the prisoners Dāniyāl, still a young man, and the three young men Hanāniyā, 'Azariyā and Misā'īl who were thrown into the furnace (87). Only the defenseless and the needy remained in the city. Bakhtanassar entrusted the government of Ūrashalīm to a brother of Yuwāqim, king of Judah, son of Yūshiyā, named Mataniyā. Bakhtanassar called him Sidiqiyā and [he was] the maternal uncle of Yahūnākhīm, king of Judah. He reigned eleven years in Ūrashalīm at the age of twenty-one. In his time there prophesied Irimiyā, Habaqūq and Yūri (88). In the ninth year of his reign, Sidiqiyā, king of Judah, ceased to send to Bakhtanassar the gold and silver that he used to send him. Bakhtanassar was irritated and sent one of his commanders, named Yanūzardān (89), head of the king's guards, to Ūrashalīm and held it in a state of siege for three years. Most of the people died because of famine and Sidiqiyā, king of Judah, sheltered at night in a cave, known as the "cave of dogs" (90), which he himself had prepared. Yanūzardān noticed this, pursued him to Rihā, captured him, and sent him to Bakhtanassar at Antākiyah (91). Bakhtanassar had him blinded and then ordered all his children decapitated. Yanūzardān made a great slaughter of the Jews, destroyed the temple and burned it, sowed the ruins of Ūrashalīm and set it on fire, bringing to Bābil all the gold, silver and copper that was in the temple. Some of the Jews fled to Egypt and others to the desert and the valleys. Those who remained were made captive and deported to Bābil. Ūrashalīm was reduced to a mass of ruins and there was no one left. The prophet Habaqūq fled to the territory of Isma'īl and then descended into Egypt. This happened in the nineteenth year of the reign of Bakhtanassar.
18. From the reign of David to the captivity of Bābil and to the destruction of Bayt al-Maqdis (92), four hundred and seventy-seven years had elapsed; from the departure of the sons of Israel from Egypt to the captivity of Bābil, a thousand and eighty-three years had elapsed;from Abraham to the captivity of Bābil, fifteen hundred and ninety years had elapsed; from Fāliq to the captivity of Bābil, two thousand and one hundred and thirty years had elapsed; from the flood to the captivity of Bābil, two thousand six hundred and sixty-two years had elapsed; from Adam to the captivity of Bābil, four thousand nine hundred and eighteen years had elapsed.
Posted in From my diaryTagged Eutychius, Eutychius chapter 6
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8 thoughts on "The Annals of Eutychius of Alexandria (10th c. AD) – chapter 6 – part 2 and final"
DBlocker says:
I have always wondered to what extent 2Kings6, especially the boiled baby episode influenced Josephus' description of the siege of Jerusalem, and if 2Kings6:26-30 served as the inspiration for Jewish War 6.3.4. In both accounts, a ruler or future ruler hears a terrible tale of infantophagy, and denies his responsibility.
Always possible.
Zimriel says:
Congratulations. Especially for the Sasanid / Umayyad / early-'Abbasid era, this was a much-needed task and I am very grateful you did it.
Dioscorus Boles says:
Roger, your service in this field cannot be matched. God bless you.
You are very kind. I will do more.
Good reading, so there were women rulers also, not a feminist!!
. Then the mother of Ukhuziyā, named 'Athaliyā,
but at the end it says 'Athaliyā tore HIS clothes, which is it, a man or a woman?
Confusing…is this story a myth because it has a lot of details. Thanks.
Just a typo – sorry. Fixed.


text:
module Azure::Network::Mgmt::V2017_10_01
  module Models
    #
    # Defines values for ApplicationGatewayFirewallMode
    #
    module ApplicationGatewayFirewallMode
      Detection = "Detection"
      Prevention = "Prevention"
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
package app

import (
	"github.com/mattermost/platform/model"
	goi18n "github.com/nicksnyder/go-i18n/i18n"
)

type LogoutProvider struct {
}

const (
	CMD_LOGOUT = "logout"
)

func init() {
	RegisterCommandProvider(&LogoutProvider{})
}

func (me *LogoutProvider) GetTrigger() string {
	return CMD_LOGOUT
}

func (me *LogoutProvider) GetCommand(T goi18n.TranslateFunc) *model.Command {
	return &model.Command{
		Trigger:          CMD_LOGOUT,
		AutoComplete:     true,
		AutoCompleteDesc: T("api.command_logout.desc"),
		AutoCompleteHint: "",
		DisplayName:      T("api.command_logout.name"),
	}
}

func (me *LogoutProvider) DoCommand(args *model.CommandArgs, message string) *model.CommandResponse {
	FAIL := &model.CommandResponse{ResponseType: model.COMMAND_RESPONSE_TYPE_EPHEMERAL, Text: args.T("api.command_logout.fail_message")}
	SUCCESS := &model.CommandResponse{GotoLocation: "/login"}

	// We can't actually remove the user's cookie from here so we just dump their session and let the browser figure it out
	if args.Session.Id != "" {
		if err := RevokeSessionById(args.Session.Id); err != nil {
			return FAIL
		}
		return SUCCESS
	}
	return FAIL
}


Flaunting a bootylicious rear end is nothing new, according to Sarah Klein of the Huffington Post. In recent memory, Kim Kardashian broke the Internet, inspired a generation, and helped to create a new industry along the way.
While everyone is not as fortunate to have won the genetic lottery like Kardashian (pictured right), hard work does go a long way to helping you get the derriere of your dreams.
Add the three moves below to your routine, and then maybe your "belfie" will be the next one to break the Internet.
1. TRX lunge. Actor Frank Monteleone (Focus) demonstrates one of his favorite glute and leg exercises. To make it more intense, add a hop, as seen in the video.
2. Reverse lunge into knee raise. Ashley Castle, of "Travel with Castle" demonstrates another great exercise to tone and firm your glutes.
3. Unilateral squat jump. Castle here shows us this more challenging version of a unilateral squat. You will feel the burn as the fat and flab melts away.
Faultless and amazing online journal!
This blog is an untouchable work and Astonishing and altogether spellbinding!
Wonderfully astonished to see this meshwork of stunning words.
This blog had a to an incredible degree strong impact on me.
You can find these plans through some insurance companies, agents, brokers, and online health insurance sellers. If you buy a plan outside the Marketplace any time, during Open Enrollment or not, you can't get premium tax credits or other savings based on your income.
What an astonishing employment done by the essayist.


text:
2022 Jewish Educator Award Recipient Monica Daranyi
Monica Daranyi
Milken Community School
Milken Community School (MCS) has thrived thanks to math teacher Monica Daranyi's three decades of commitment to excellence, devotion to community and deep concern for students and colleagues. Ms. Daranyi makes geometry rigorous and relevant, helping students build math competency and executive functioning skills that serve them well beyond the walls of her classroom. She looks for cross-curricular opportunities, such as a recent collaboration with Milken's "Fab Lab" (makerspace) where students created and explored the geometry of stained glass windows.
In addition to her teaching role, Ms. Daranyi creates structures and opportunities for student life and engagement, as well as setting and administering expectations in and out of the classroom. As the division dean for ninth and tenth grades, she is on the front lines helping students who are struggling academically, socially or behaviorally. The "ruach" or spirit of the Milken community, Ms. Daranyi spearheaded the school's 6-12 house system and "house cup" competition, worked with divisional rabbis to reimagine Purim week, and planned the first whole-school Hanukkah retreat ("Hanukkahton") at American Jewish University's Brandeis Bardin campus. She holds a bachelor's in mathematics from Mount Saint Mary's University (1981).
Ms. Daranyi has multifaceted goals for her students. "I want to provide positive learning experiences in mathematics and help the next g'eneration find joy in problem-solving," she says. "I hope they feel confident and have empathy for others. No matter how large a problem or a challenge may be, if you can break it down into manageable steps, you can accomplish anything."


2 Comments on Help Your Team Find Its Voice, Promote Collaboration, and Set Expectations While You're At It.
Outside of the office, everyone has their own unique personality. They are interesting, funny, articulate, sharp, jerky, silly, brave, and a whole lot in between.
Whatever personality the individuals on your team embody, they should feel empowered to inject your business with a little bit of flavor. After all, wasn't part of the reason you hired them in the first place that they were one (or all) of those characteristics above? A professional voice is a little bit different from one's personal voice however, and it's your job as the manager to help your team realize and refine the nuances over time.
I've learned a lot at my current role, but the thing that I cherish the most so far is something I've never experienced before: our company employees, our customers, our partners – it's the combination of all of these articulate voices, opinions, and experiences intermingling and ideating that is what leads to all of the amazing things we make happen every day.
Supporting an environment that produces such a high concentration of quality is something worth investing in, and a true open door policy is perhaps the most important thing you can do to help support your team while they find and develop their voices in the workplace. For the management team, this is probably the most challenging strategy of your career to execute as you must frequently sacrifice your own productivity and focus.
Why Open Doors, All Day Long?
Just like for you, with your team, brilliance comes in waves. The best ideas bubble up while waiting for the morning train, refilling your water bottle, or while walking back to the office from buying a birthday card. Where will you be when your team member is quick stepping back into the office, excited to share his or her spark of brilliance with you?
When it comes to balancing mentoring managing, and doing, the most important tool you have is your ability to set expectations when time is not on your side. Lets be honest – you won't be able to focus 100% of your time to waiting for sparks of brilliance to show their faces, and your team will understand that.
Be honest with your team and offer them an alternative – document the idea and collaborate with a peer to work the idea to present at a later time. They will appreciate and respect your honesty in the end. And, they will improve their ability to pre-develop and present their ideas from the beginning (which has more long-term benefit than you being there when they want to bounce ideas off you).
Over time, the team embraces pickup collaboration as the norm, they get better at identifying each other's strengths, and their unique voices melt together into a sweet symphony.
Good ideas often come from the front line sales and customer care consultants. Like the tips for success that help create the culture of collaboration and encouraging employee voices.
Agree that setting expectations and closing the loop are key. As managers, we often encourage the dialog but get distracted and fail to bring it home for the team, jeopardizing future ideas and collaboration.
Great comment, Patrick. Thanks for sharing. I like the "bringing it home" piece – leaders need to remember that collaborating is just the beginning. Helping direct the energy toward a common goal and a product that helps drive the business forward is a real win here.


Gears of War 4 developer The Coalition has detailed the game's next update, which launches on May 2. Starting off, the free update adds a brand-new map called Dawn, as well as a new version of the Gears of War 2 map Security. You can see these in the video embedded above.
Dawn is set around an abandoned mining colony. It has two major areas to hold, including a high-ground hideout and an "entrenched mine on the low side," Microsoft said in a blog post. The powerful Dropshot weapon spawns in an area surrounded with flanking opportunities, so grabbing it won't be easy--but rewarding if you're able to do so.
As for the returning map, Security is the first classic Gears of War 2 map to come to Gears of War 4. "This new reimagined setting for Security takes you to a fight over a glorious decadent COG depository, with stacks of gold bars providing makeshift cover throughout the map," Microsoft said. "Defensive lasers bar access to key parts of the map, so prepare for a tough fight for the button that disables the lasers to give your team control over the flow of combat."
In addition to the maps, Gears of War 4's May update introduces multi-GPU support for Windows 10. Microsoft said it had been "hard at work" to deliver this feature, which the company says can "really push the stunning visuals of Gears of War 4."
It won't be available right away alongside the update, but also coming to Gears of War 4 this month is a new Gear Pack for a zombie version of Ben Carmine, who died in Gears of War 2. The card is pretty gross-looking, as it even shows Carmine's missing innards.
In other Gears of War 4 news, the game recently kicked off its first multiplayer season, while cross-play support between Xbox One and PC is coming for Ranked matches.


... note to make sure my journal doesn't become another fossilized piece of electronic roadkill on the information superhighway.
Got sick, on antibiotics, I wish these darn lesser lifeforms would leave me alone!
Boundary may be one of the best things I ever write.
My wife is beautiful, intelligent, and far too good for me. I hope she keeps putting up with me.
Lots and LOTS of work in the next couple months.


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