text:
From Internet of Things to a Web of Sources
A look back with Mark at some of IOTICS' key moments and philosophies.
Educational 1 Jun 2019 by Ali Nicholl
Whilst the founders of IOTICS were working together in a mobile IoT network company they realised that a common implementation pattern was emerging in the Internet of Things: "I have a sensor, I connect it to the cloud, I store the data in a database and I provide and API so people can get that data". The owners of these sensors and providers of the API never once thought outside their box and wondered what if someone wanted to use their data and mix it with other data from different sources?
IOTICS' original goal was to solve this problem. How could you find an individual sensor? How could you connect to it securely? How could you find other interesting sources of data and bring them into your app, too? How could you write an application that did this programmatically without developers having to read documentation, get API keys, work out the different formats for data?
This was the birth of the concept of "IOTICSpace", IOTICS' interoperability technology – a space where digital twins could interact.
Why digital twins?
By virtualising the real-world things you gain these advantages:
Mitigation of cyber attacks
You can only attack the virtual, abstracted twin of the real world, not the real-world equipment
Decoration with descriptive metadata
Real-world things can register with their location and description of their capabilities using semantic web technologies
Abstraction of the real world
Abstract models of the real world can be made so that different sensors can be used to provide the same data with no changes to the upstream
Move the execution to the cloud
Running code in the cloud the code that would be difficult or impossible to run on the edge
Move the interactions to the cloud
Twins can broker interactions with each other in the virtual space. Data then flows along the interaction at the pace set by the sender. Either end can terminate the connection at will.
What's a "Brokered Interaction"?
In some ways, you can think of IOTICS' approach as a publish subscribe model, but this is only part of the truth. One part of the "special sauce" is that any subscription is brokered with the publisher of the data. This means that the owner of a data feed is always in control of what twins can "follow" it (i.e. subscribe) at a granular level. The publisher is also protected from denial of service attacks as the follow requests go through the infrastructure, not directly to the publishing twin. This brokered approach also applies to control interfaces. As a potential controller of a twin, you have to request access to the control interface of the other twin in a similar way.
What are the design principles?
IOTICS' operating environment was designed from the onset with these following principles. The security model was baked in from the start.
The twin is in control of its own destiny
It can choose what data to share, with what other twins and on what schedule it chooses. Same goes for control interfaces: twins can choose what to offer and who can bind to the interface.
Metadata describes the API
The API paradigm is very simple. Create twins and feeds of data and share them, create twins and request to follow. The metadata describes the twins and their data.
Store as little data as possible
Everything is asynchronous
All APIs are push, try to avoid polling. Event streams are the way forward.
Everything in IOTICS is mirrored. If you want to follow a producer twin, first you must create a consumer twin and request to follow.
Why Semantics?
The Semantic Web was designed and built in the early part of the century, but has not had the traction the designers had hoped. We think this is because people understand semantics at a fundamental level, but "things" do not. The combination of the IoT and the semantic web opens up the possibility of Autonomous Interoperability – where programs can find sources of data and understand them unambiguously. In the world of Digital Twins, the possibility opens up even further. Twins can search for other twins and discover their capabilities. They can broker data and control interactions between themselves and adapt to changing conditions autonomously.
Why Twins?
There are many definitions of "digital twin" in the technology industry. Some think of them as 3D models, others think about hierarchies of objects. At IOTICS we see the twin as the central focus of the ecosystem. Each real-world asset has a virtual counterpart where you can find out details about the twin and receive updates when its data changes. You can find them individually and, with their permissions, form an interaction with them to receive those updates. It's a natural focus on the asset that the company's customers share. You buy an insurance policy from an insurer, you think of the policy, not the 10s of systems that provide the data for that policy in the background.
What's the "British Museum Moment"?
One of the co-founders of IOTICS, Paul Green, was studying theology at an evening class. He was researching for an essay about early polytheistic religions and was walking around the British Museum when he chanced upon 2 sculptures: one of a king and one of a god. It looked to Paul as if they were in conversation.
In ancient times, sculptures were used as proxies. A king would show that they ruled a city by placing a statue of themselves in the main square. Religious allegiance was shown in a similar way, by placing statues of the gods in prominent places. The people at the time didn't see them as statues, they saw them as embodiments of the king or god, imbued with all their authority and power.
Paul had been working in the IoT for a while, seeing how the same old solutions were trotted out saying they had solved the problem when all they had done was to solve the connectivity part. They hadn't solved the problem of cross-domain integrations. Paul's epiphany was to look at the sculptures and ask the question:
"if the sculpture of the king is not the king, and the sculpture of the god is not the god, but the two sculptures are in the same room together… Could we build a space where a virtual version of a thing and a virtual version of another thing could meet and interact."
…and the originating concept of IOTICS was born…
What's the "Zumba Moment"?
Hard though it might be to believe, the then-51-year-old co-founder of IOTICS, Mark Wharton, was a Zumba enthusiast. Living in the country, he attended a Zumba class in the local village hall, some half a mile walk from his house. Exercise is good for the mind, and it certainly proved to be on 10th May 2013 when Mark had an epiphany half-way home from that morning's class.
How could things interact safely without one thing being able to affect the other? Via a request mechanism using push APIs. It goes something like this.
Twin 1 and Twin 2 both register their existence and capabilities independently with a registrar, using semantic metadata to describe themselves.
Twin 1 searches the registry for things like Twin 2
Twin 1 asks a trusted 3rd party (the registrar) if it can follow Twin 2's data
Twin 2 has rules that allow or disallow the connection
If the connection is authorised, the next time Twin 2 publishes data, Twin 1 gets it directly without the data going through the registrar.
Tada! One moment on a rural footpath Suffolk, a lot of input from others and a lot of hard thinking with patent lawyers and a suite of patents granted in the EU and US years later…
The Rise of the Digital...
What can digital twins do...


I made the above flourish using one of my hole punches and then backing it with black cardstock.
How's that for some up-close & detailed photos?! If this is your first to see this…be sure and check out the preceding post for the layout in it's entirety! TFL my friends…I've got a lot to share tonight, so this will be the 1st of many posts! LOL! Happy Hump DAY!


text:
Q: Is there a way to find the absolute path of a file within a project without it changing the current working directory? My code to get the file actually works.
def get_file(self):
    file_path = Path('file-folder/testfile.txt').absolute()
    with file_path.open(mode='r') as f:
        data = f.read()
        return commentjson.loads(data)

It is when I am testing the code I run into an issue. I get an assertion error saying the file does not exist when it is clearly in the file structure when the real code runs.
o = MyObject()
f = o.get_file()
self.assertIsNotNone(f)

the new value for the file_path is driveletter/directoryofproject/project/currentyworkingdirectory/tests/file-folder/testfile.txt and it does not exist in this directory only in the driveletter/directoryofproject/project/currentworkingdirectory/file-folder/testfile.txt directory

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Molly and Kyle, a total dream couple. The two met while working at Otterbox, and while Molly has a zest for design and decor, Kyle brings his adventurous spirit to the table with his love for rock-climbing and isn't a bad Chef either, the perfect duo!
Molly's style of classic elegance mixed with a touch of modern industrial made creating the floral designs for her wedding such an honor, and it was FUN! I mean, just look at her bouquet with the romantic mauve tones, lush touches of foliage, focal succulents and dahlias, and raspberries that added the most perfect element of natural texture ---- swooon!
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Each boutonniere was unique and different, some with focal blooms, some with textured succulents of different shades, and all were accented with lush foliage.
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Love this shot! Every groomsmen photo is so unique and really displays the friendships and brotherhood brought together for the Groom. #squadgoals. Suits provided by Suit Supply.
The custom Lace and Lilies circle wreath, an absolute joy to create, and it so perfectly embodied the unique style of Molly and Kyle, there was no decor more fit for them to say, 'I Do."
What a photogenic moment for Molly and Kyle, we always encourage our couples to do a petal toss. Who wouldn't want a photo from their most special day to look back on like this?
This is the moment where we truly cherish. Right after the Bride and Groom say, 'I do' and walk towards the end of the aisle, facing all of their loved ones with the biggest, most authentic, and truly overjoyed smiles on their faces. This is why we do what we do, to be a part of this moment, and to have been an elemement of the journey that lead up to this beautiful moment.
Molly's gorgeous hair and makeup were provided by Dotted with Hearts Artistry by Candace Tucker and Kaitlyn Jacobs with Balayage Spa and Salon.
How perfect is this naked cake by Occasions Catering? The accent of the garden rose just adds the perfect touch!
We were so fortunate to have been a part of Molly and Kyle's beautiful day! From the soft mauve tones, to the stunning, unique ceremony circle wreath, to the eclectic and mismatched centerpieces and garlands. We are so grateful for Molly and Kyle's trust in us to add so much beauty, and artistic flare to their wedding day.
Thank you to the wonderful Vendors who made it all possible and so beautiful!
Cheers and thank you for reading!


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The fight is also personal for Aussie Home Loans chairman John Symond, whose son, Stephen Symond, married Ed Smith in a civil union, although the family does not like that term. British Indian Ocean Territory.
It was a largely, if not officially, white breakaway movement from the official Anglican Church of Southern Africa.
And he said the feedback in his electorate was that people he represented would also vote for allowing same-sex marriage. Happy Clients. I think there are ways to make the tax code more neutral, so it doesn't mention marriage. Or general behavior that a woman who knows better would never put up with.
Why am I surprised?
Извиняюсь, но, liberal same sex marriage policy in Armidale
I hear the Liberals saying that prime minister Gillard and opposition leader Shorten did not support change, and are hypocrites, but this was before the Irish vote and the consequent rise in support in Australia. This will mean that many not all conservatives will simply not take part in the national church any longer.
Archived from the original on 27 July Crown dependencies. Archived from the original on 10 July The General Synod voted liberal same sex marriage policy in Armidale favour of a motion to begin discussion amongst the seven dioceses to remove the doctrinal clause which stated that marriage was between a man and a woman.
Of theresponses liberal same sex marriage policy in Armidale the consultation, via the online form, email or correspondence, 53 percent agreed that all couples, regardless of their gender should be able to have a civil marriage ceremony, 46 percent disagreed, and one percent were unsure or did not answer the question.
I s now the best time in history to be lesbian or gay?
Federal Liberal MPs have overwhelmingly decided to keep their current policy on same-sex marriage.
The last Canadian federal election in saw renewed promises for LGBTQ2 issues — from commitments to pass trans-rights legislation to ending the blood ban.
But there is a growing expectation in the Coalition that if this fails, moderate MPs fed up with the lack of progress will take advantage of the close numbers in the House of Representatives to bring on a vote on same-sex marriage. Deception on freedom of religion key to SSM Yes case Other colleges with more liberal or pluralist views of scripture, such as Ridley and Trinity in Melbourne, simply cannot match the numbers.
Some want a full marriage rite, such as the one that exists in the Episcopal Church of the US. Gay male Polari Saunas Cruising.
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Liberal MPs vote to maintain the party's policy on same-sex marriage, with Finance Minister Matthias Cormann saying he hopes the bill for a plebiscite will be returned to the Senate as soon as. Apr 16, · American opinions about same-sex marriage are catching up with LGBTQ rights. Anti-gay bias has declined significantly in many areas of the US, a new study appearing this week in Proceedings of the Author: Hannah Sparks.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: What is the replacement for `?` and `.` in PHP CURL I have a PHP CURL query which is of the form
curl -u emailid:password -H "Content-Type: application/xml" -d "test?@test.comTestTest Details" -X POST http://url/xxx.xml
The query works fine for all email addresses except those that have &, ? or . where I get an xml query format error.
When I replace & with & the & problem is solved.
However, I am unable to find a replacement for ? and .
I tried the replacements  ? for ? and &#x2e for . but I still get an error.

A: the -d parameter is expected to be url encoded (not xml-encoded).  So ? will be %3f; and . will be %2e.
The fact that & actually worked is somewhat surprising -- it really should be encoded as %26 instead.


text:
Naked alleged carjacker runs across highway after leading police on car chase in Los Angeles
The suspect was taken into custody after the Friday morning incident.
ByEmily Shapiro
The alleged carjacking took place at about 5:39 a.m. and the pursuit began at 6:01 a.m., the Los Angeles Police Department told ABC News.
ABC7Brandi/Twitter
Los Angeles drivers came across a strange sight on their Friday morning commutes.
A naked alleged carjacker led police on a car chase before abandoning the truck, running through a neighborhood and sprinting across a highway in East Los Angeles, ABC Los Angeles station KABC-TV reported.
A man was taken into custody after leading police on a chase in Los Angeles, Aug. 31, 2018.
The car stopped around 6:10 a.m., after which the suspect took off running before being taken into custody, police said.


text:
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text:
Published on May 28, 2014, by Nick Kairit - Posted in PlayStation 3 0
7.5 Overall Score
story: 8/10
gamplay: 8/10
graphics: 7/10
interesting story, gameplay
texture pop-ins
GAME NAME: Wolfenstein: The New World Order
DEVELOPER(S): MachineGames
PUBLISHER(S): Bethesda Softworks
PLATFORM(S): PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
GENRE(S): first-person shooter
RELEASE DATE(S): May 20, 2014
In 1992, players were introduced to little game known as Wolfenstein 3D. While the game was a critical and commercial success, it also assisted in spawning a new genre which would become known as the first-person shooter. Fast forward 22 years later and players have their hands on the new installment with Wolfenstein: The New Order. Developed by Machine Games, The New Order introduces players to an alternative outcome to World War II, and provides a first-person shooter experience that feels strangely familiar to other franchises.
The game begins in 1946 with longtime protagonist B.J. Blazkowicz taking part in an allied raid on the headquarters of the Third Reich. The plan soon goes south and Blazkowicz is hit in the head with shrapnel. Over the next 14 years, Blazkowicz spends his days in a mental institution while in a vegetative state. Waking up, he soon discovers that the Nazi's have won World War II. Not only have the Nazi's won, but they dominate the entire globe. After meeting up with a resistance group, Blazkowicz begins a plan of attacks to overthrow Third Reich. Machine Games created a timeline that is not only interesting, but believable. Seeing advanced technology such a giant mech seems realistic in 1960.
The strongest feature in The New Order is the gameplay. Its fluid and doesn't try anything new, which in the end, works out well. Like most other shooters, a large selection of weapons can be used. Duel wielding can also be executed, but the gameplay becomes clunky and is overall unnecessary. Players also have the option to use stealth. Using alternative routes and Killing officers from behind is satisfying. While the stealth aspect works well, the game does not give many opportunities to execute it. Unfortunately, The New Order is plagued by poor AI. Enemy movements are thoughtless as they make no attempt to hide behind cover.
The New Order is hit or miss when it comes to graphics. While cut scenes are visually stunning, much of the in-game graphics are not. Environments are bland and generic. Nothing catches the eye. The game is overwhelmed with Texture pop-ins, and glitches will happen on occasion. With a major title such as this releasing in 2014, graphics should be up to speed.
Wolfenstein: The New Order isn't perfect by any means. What the game lacks in the graphics department, it makes up for in gameplay. While bringing nothing new to the table, Machine Games has given players a solid first-person shooter. One that is much more enjoyable than some of the other titles in the same genre due to its storyline. (Yes Call of Duty, I'm pointing at you.)
Author: Nick Kairit View all posts by Nick Kairit
The Taking of Deborah Logan
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text:
Náznánfalva (régi neve Borzásszeg, románul Nazna) falu Romániában, Maros megyében.

Fekvése
Az egykor székely, de ma román többségű falu Marosvásárhelytől 5 km-re nyugatra a Maros jobb partján. A két világháború között Maroskisfaluddal egyesült. A déli részét képező Bodzaszeg is önálló falu volt egykor.

Története
Ősidők óta lakott hely. Határában bronzkori és római leleteket találtak. Itt említenek először marosszéki székelyeket az Árpád-kor végén, 1293-ban. Nevében a székelyek Náznán ágát őrzi.

1910-ben 575 lakosából 394 román és 181 magyar volt. A trianoni békeszerződésig Maros-Torda vármegye Marosi alsó járásához tartozott. 1992-ben 2029 lakosából 1827 román és 201 a magyar.

Látnivalók
 Római katolikus kápolnája 1743-ban épült, református temploma is van.
 1747-ben épített zsinagógája az egyik legszebb Erdélyben.
 Ortodox fatemploma 1853-ból, új kőtemploma 1992-ból való.

Hivatkozások

Maros megye települései

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


195 He announces him through the mouths of the prophets who succeeded one another in Israel. Moreover, he awakens in the hearts of the pagans a dim expectation of this coming.
213 Their coming means that pagans can discover Jesus and worship him as Son of God and Savior of the world only by turning towards the Jews and receiving from them the messianic promise as contained in the Old Testament.214 The Epiphany shows that "the full number of the nations" now takes its "place in the family of the patriarchs", and acquires Israelitica dignitas215 (is made "worthy of the heritage of Israel").
534 The finding of Jesus in the temple is the only event that breaks the silence of the Gospels about the hidden years of Jesus.226Here Jesus lets us catch a glimpse of the mystery of his total consecration to a mission that flows from his divine sonship: "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's work?"227 Mary and Joseph did not understand these words, but they accepted them in faith. Mary "kept all these things in her heart" during the years Jesus remained hidden in the silence of an ordinary life.
232 Already he is anticipating the "baptism" of his bloody death.233 Already he is coming to "fulfill all righteousness", that is, he is submitting himself entirely to his Father's will: out of love he consents to this baptism of death for the remission of our sins.234 The Father's voice responds to the Son's acceptance, proclaiming his entire delight in his Son.235 The Spirit whom Jesus possessed in fullness from his conception comes to "rest on him".236 Jesus will be the source of the Spirit for all mankind. At his baptism "the heavens were opened"237 - the heavens that Adam's sin had closed - and the waters were sanctified by the descent of Jesus and the Spirit, a prelude to the new creation.
539 The evangelists indicate the salvific meaning of this mysterious event: Jesus is the new Adam who remained faithful just where the first Adam had given in to temptation. Jesus fulfills Israel's vocation perfectly: in contrast to those who had once provoked God during forty years in the desert, Christ reveals himself as God's Servant, totally obedient to the divine will. In this, Jesus is the devil's conqueror: he "binds the strong man" to take back his plunder.243 Jesus' victory over the tempter in the desert anticipates victory at the Passion, the supreme act of obedience of his filial love for the Father.
Gal 4:19). "For this reason we, who have been made like to him, who have died with him and risen with him, are taken up into the mysteries of his life, until we reign together with him" (LG 7 § 4).
177 Jn 14:9; Lk 9:35; cf. Mt 17:5; Mk 9:7 ("my beloved Son").
179 Cf. Eph 1:7; Col 1:13-14; 1 Pt 1:18-19.
187 John Paul II, RH 11.
188 1 Cor 15:3; Rom 4:25.
189 1 Jn 2:1 Heb 7:25.
191 GS 38; cf. Rom 1 5:5; Phil 2:5.
194 St. John Eudes, LH, Week 33, Friday, OR.
206 Jn 3 7; 1:13; 1:12; cf. Mt 23:12.
208 LH, Antiphon I of Evening Prayer for Janyary 1st.
214 Cf Jn 4 22; Mt 2:4-6.
225 Paul VI at Nazareth, 5 January 1964: LH, Feast of the Holy Family, OR.
251 Cf. Mt 8:11 10:5-7; 28:19.
258 Mk 2:17; cf. 1 Tim 1:15.
283 Cf. Mk 3:16; 9:2; Lk 24:34; 1 Cor 15:5.
291 Cf. Mt 16:22-23; Mt 17:23; Lk 9:45.
292 Cf. Mt 17:1-8 and parallels; 2 Pet 1:16-18.
320 Cf. Mk 2:7; Jn 5:18; Jn 7:12, 7:52; 8:59; 10:31, 33.
336 Cf Isa 53:11; Heb 9:15.
340 Cf Jn 11:28; 3:2; Mt 22:23-24, 34-36.
358 Cf Mk 14:57-58; Mt 27:39-40.
362 Jn 4:21; cf. Jn 4:23-24; Mt 27:5; Heb 9:11; Rev 21:22.
477 Roman Missal, Easter Vigil 18, Exsultet.
478 Acts 3:15; Rom 8:11; 1 Cor 15:20; cf. Heb 13:20.
479 Cf. 1 Pet 3:18-19.
480 Cf. Phil 2:10; Acts 2:24; Rev 1:18; Eph 4:9; Pss 6:6; 88:11-13.
481 Cf. Ps 89:49; 1 Sam 28:19; Ezek 32:17-32; Lk 16:22-26.
482 Roman Catechism I, 6, 3.
488 Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday: PG 43, 440A, 452C; LH, Holy Saturday, OR.
515 St. Paul insists on the manifestation of God's power516 through the working of the Spirit who gave life to Jesus' dead humanity and called it to the glorious state of Lordship.
524 The Resurrection of the crucified one shows that he was truly "I AM", the Son of God and God himself. So St. Paul could declare to the Jews: "What God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, 'You are my Son, today I have begotten you.'"525 Christ's Resurrection is closely linked to the Incarnation of God's Son, and is its fulfillment in accordance with God's eternal plan.
494 Cf. Jn 20:13; Mt 28:11-15.
496 Jn 20:2, 6, 8.
497 Cf. Jn 11:44; 20:5-7.
498 Mk 16:1; Lk 24:1; Jn 19:31,42.
499 Cf Lk 24:9-10; Mt 28:9-10; Jn 20:11-18.
500 Cf 1 Cor 15:5; Lk 22:31-32.
502 1 Cor 15:4-8; cf. Acts 1:22.
504 Lk 24:17; cf. Jn 20:19.
505 Lk 24:11; cf. Mk 16:11,13.
508 Cf. Jn 20:24-27; Mt 28:17.
509 Cf. Lk 24:30,39-40,41-43; Jn 20:20,27; 21:9,13-15.
510 Cf. Mt 28:9, 16-17; Lk 24:15,36; Jn 20:14,17,19,26; 21:4.
511 Cf. Mk 16:12; Jn 20:14-16; 21:4,7.
512 Cf. 1 Cor 15:35-50.
513 "O vere beata nox, quae sola meruit scire tempus et horam, in qua Christus ab inferis resurrexit!"
514 Acts 13:31; cf. Jn 14:22.
515 Rom 1:3-4; cf. Acts 2:24.
516 Cf. Rom 6:4; 2 Cor 13:4; Phil 3:10; Eph 1:19-22; Heb 7:16.
517 Cf. Mk 8:31; 9:9-31; 10:34.
520 St. Gregory of Nyssa, In Christi res. orat. 1:PG 46,617B; cf. also DS 325; 359; 369.
522 Cf. Mt 28:6; Mk 16:7; Lk 24:6-7,26-27,44-48.
523 Cf. 1 Cor 15:3-4; cf. the Nicene Creed.
525 Acts 13:32-33; cf. Ps 2:7.
526 Rom 6:4; cf. 4:25.
527 Cf. Eph 2:4-5; 1 Pet 1:3.
528 Mt 28:10; Jn 20:17.
531 2 Cor 5:15; cf. Col 3:1-3.


text:
One of the best Irish bands floating around Bell X1 are nearly on Aussie shores. We caught up with David Geraghty to celebrate
by Happy
It's been years since the three legends from Bell X1 came to Australia. Last touring in 2014, they've since released Arms, a synth-driven, choral masterwork that was their riskiest and most ambitious project yet.
Just listening to the opening bar of their latest track Out Of Love is enough to realise how profound their new direction is. An infectious beat mixed with swooning vocals and a swollen bass line is viciously catchy but only bares loose threads of similarity to previous releases. With their tour kicking off in a fortnight, we caught up with David Geraghty to read a little further into these shifting musical prodigies.
Before Arms was released, the members of Bell X1 were more nervous than ever. A month on from it's release, we grab David Geraghty's inside perspective on the record, and what to expect on the upcoming tour.
HAPPY: Congrats on Arms' release. What's the reception been like so far?
DAVID: Naturally, there's a thrilling trepidation to releasing any new record, especially when it has taken two years to make! With each new album, we seem to take a swift left turn stylistically from the last album. Thankfully from the reviews that I have read, we seem to have slain the dragon and are onto the next round!
HAPPY: There was some self-doubt around this release, has touring the new tunes eased that a little?
DAVID: Absolutely. We started performing these songs quite a few months ago so the songs did get a chance to dip their toes in the pond ahead of the album release. Something that we've taken to doing before an album is put to bed is to tour in a more stripped back, acoustic fashion. Check out our live album Field Recordings if you don't believe me! These jaunts, apart from being a fun way to re-imagine the songs, is a great way to road test the new tracks. In some instances, it revealed that we needed to re-approach certain tracks from Arms.
HAPPY: Speaking of, what have the reactions been like in all the countries you've been to lately?
DAVID: We've been concentrating mainly on touring in Ireland and fleetingly, the UK. Apart from this much anticipated Australian tour, we have to wait until February to take the new album to the United States of Trump. We're in the early stages of putting a European tour together as well, which is always a great experience.
HAPPY: And how do you think Australia will shape up?
DAVID: If the last tour is anything to go by, the crowd and ourselves will have a grand old time of it. For bands travelling from as far flung places such as Ireland, we will no doubt spend most of the tour in a jet-lagged bubble and just when our arses catch up with our heads, it'll be time to get back on the plane and head for home. We are stoked to be getting back to Oz.
HAPPY: A fair bit has changed in two years, but do you have any extra special memories of your 2014 Aussie tour?
DAVID: After our Perth gig in 2014, we went to a late night restaurant where there was an Irish dude waiting the tables. He recognised us and after we all acknowledged the similarity in our accent, he proceeded to call his sister back home in Ireland (it was the middle of the night there but apparently she's the biggest Bell X1 fan in the world). It's amazing how long distance can bring complete strangers together… distance and music!
HAPPY: Are you guys into any music coming out of Australia at the moment?
DAVID: Yes we're really excited to be sharing the stage with some great Aussie talent. In Melbourne we have the pleasure of sharing the stage with Mike Peters. In Sydney the mighty Betty & Oswald will open for us and in Perth it's certain young Irish artist who goes by the name of John Barrett. We're long time fans of Nick Cave and the behemoth that is AC/DC. Then there's the magical Crowded House. It was a certain Nick Seymour from the latter group that produced our first album Neither am I.
HAPPY: Also, any Irish music in particular we should be getting around?
DAVID: The music scene in Ireland has been going from strength to strength. We've had the pleasure of touring with James Vincent McMorrow, Villagers and now there's a great new act called BARQ. There's also a Mercury Prize act called SOAK who we think are the bee's knees.
HAPPY: Absolutely loving your art for the album and shows. Who's responsible for that?
DAVID: Actually while recording the first leg of Arms in Tommy McLaughlin's studio in Co. Donegal, we saw some great artwork adorning the walls. They were concert posters for the aforementioned band Villagers. Tommy played guitar in that band (he also co-wrote and produced SOAK's album). Back to the artwork. It was done by a Dutch girl called Mirjam Dijkema.
HAPPY: Will the Aussie shows be a grand listen of the new album, or are you planning to play some oldies too?
DAVID: We're really enjoying this new buzz we're on. Keep the party and the groove going. In saying that, there is what we used to refer to in our youth as the 'slow-set'. That part of the night when you got to ask the person ya fancy if they wanted to dance… if you've had enough Dutch courage! With the live setlist it's now about the old songs fitting in to the new outfit. So we are choosing carefully, which 'oldies' are invited to the party. There definitely is a healthy mix of old and new though.
HAPPY: What else are you going to get up to in Australia?
DAVID: I've got some family in Melbourne who I'm very much looking forward to seeing. 2014 was my first trip to Australia and having undergone that trip, I now understand how we have seen each other so infrequently over the years. I'm looking forward to going down to St. Kilda's beach again to dip my toes in the sea. Not something that an 'Irish' gets to do very often in December. We do have a fairly hectic schedule but I'm sure we'll find time to get up to some mischief.
Bell X1's Arms tour kicks off in two weeks at the Prince Bandroom in Melbourne. All the info is on the tour poster below, and you can grab tickets right here.
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text:
African Americans and World War II
American Christians, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust
American College Students and the Nazi Threat
Displaced Persons and Postwar America
Nazi Ideals and American Society
Propaganda and the American Public
US Government Rescue Efforts
Also in Jewish Displaced Persons in Postwar Europe
International Refugee Organization Questionnaire of Bela Berkes
International Tracing Service Archive
View this Report
tags: Displaced Persons music Roma & Sinti
Many Displaced Persons (DPs) hoping to immigrate to the United States in the years following World War II had survived the war in their home countries only to be displaced by postwar political developments. Rising Soviet influence in Eastern Europe supported the establishment of several new Communist governments in the late 1940s, and many people fled the region in order to escape political persecution and violence.
The featured document describes how Hungarian Romani musician Bela Berkes survived the war and the German occupation of Hungary1 in his native Budapest before fleeing the country when Communists took control. This questionnaire from the International Refugee Organization (IRO)2 suggests that Berkes' status as a famous violinist helped protect him from the anti-Roma policies of the Hungarian and German authorities during World War II.3 Berkes remained in Budapest until after the war ended, when his son was arrested by Soviet authorities on suspicion of spying for the US government.
The Soviet Union dominated postwar Hungary for years after the Red Army liberated the country from German occupation in early 1945, and Soviet-backed Hungarian Communists gained control of the government by 1949.4 Berkes became fearful of being arrested, so he decided to flee the Communist regime and immigrate to the US or Canada. Because his son already held US citizenship and his daughter-in-law lived in New York City, the US was Berkes' first choice. The rising international tensions of the early Cold War and growing anticommunist sentiment in the US made American policymakers and immigration officials sympathetic to political refugees such as Berkes.5
The identity of Berkes' interviewer is unknown. The broken English in the written replies suggests that this person may have been a multilingual DP working as an interviewer for the IRO or a foreign-born US citizen working with the IRO's Italian mission. The official filling out Berkes' questionnaire for him—Berkes could speak English fluently but could neither read nor write the language—suggested that Berkes lacked intelligence because he was Roma. Although Berkes described exactly why he was opposed to the Communist regime and why he feared for his safety, the official wrote: "Of course beeing a musichian and a gipsy one cannot awhait of him to explain objections strictly and scienticly expressing his pol. ideals in detail [sic]."
Berkes' status as a well-known musician helped him survive the war and escape postwar political persecution, though his fate thereafter remains unknown. However, many other Romani refugees faced enormous obstacles to emigration in the years following World War II.
For more on World War II and the Holocaust in Hungary, see Randolph L. Braham, The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary, Condensed Edition (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2000); and Randolph L. Braham and Scott Miller, eds., The Nazis' Last Victims: The Holocaust in Hungary (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2002).
For more on the work of the IRO, see the related item in this collection, Film of Displaced Persons Registering with the International Refugee Organization.
Romani peoples were targeted for annihilation by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust, and at least 250,000 Roma and Sinti were murdered by the Nazis and their allies. Anti-Roma discrimination continued after the war in many places throughout Europe. For more on the ongoing postwar discrimination faced by Hungarian Roma, see Balázs Majtényi and György Majtényi, A Contemporary History of Exclusion: The Roma Issue in Hungary from 1945 to 2015 (Budapest and New York: Central European University Press, 2016).
For more, see Peter Kenez, Hungary from the Nazis to the Soviets: The Establishment of the Communist Regime in Hungary, 1944–1948 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006).
For more on anticommunist Hungarian refugees immigrating to the US during the early Cold War, see Carl J. Bon Tempo, "'From Hungary, New Americans': The United States and Hungarian Refugees," in Americans at the Gate: The United States and Refugees during the Cold War (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008): 60–85.
All 18 Items in the Displaced Persons and Postwar America Collection
Film of Displaced Persons Boarding a Ship in Bremerhaven, Germany
tags: Displaced Persons propaganda refugees & immigration
type: Raw Footage
Film of Displaced Persons Registering with the International Refugee Organization
tags: bureaucracy refugees & immigration
type: Newsreel
Film of DPs Studying in Camp Grohn
tags: Displaced Persons education poetry & literature
Dress Made by Margret Hantman in Deggendorf DP Camp
tags: Displaced Persons women's experiences Zionism
Letter from Larissa Prychodko to John Panchuk
tags: letters & correspondence refugees & immigration
Albert Barnett: "Negro Workers Leave the South; Displaced by DPs in the North"
tags: Displaced Persons refugees & immigration
type: Newspaper Article
The Displaced Persons Act of 1948
tags: collaboration Displaced Persons law & the courts relief & rescue
type: Legislation
"The DP Story: The Final Report of the United States Displaced Persons Commission"
tags: refugees & immigration relief & rescue
Letter from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Harry S. Truman, September 18, 1945
tags: Americans abroad Displaced Persons food & hunger health & hygiene US armed forces
"Sponsors Needed: New DPs Will Enter 'U'"
tags: activism community education relief & rescue
Photograph of Refugees Arriving at Fort Ontario
tags: Displaced Persons refugees & immigration relief & rescue
type: Photograph
Letter from Szyja Faktor to His Relatives
tags: Displaced Persons food & hunger health & hygiene Zionism
Letters from Harry Lerner to His Parents
tags: Americans abroad bureaucracy community Displaced Persons family health & hygiene letters & correspondence
Letter from Barbara Falik to the PM Standard
tags: Americans abroad food & hunger health & hygiene Jews in North America letters & correspondence US armed forces Zionism
Booklet for Major Alexander Rosenbaum from Kibbutz Buchenwald
tags: Displaced Persons music Zionism
type: Album
Film of Emigration Buses Leaving Paris
tags: refugees & immigration relief & rescue Zionism
"Behind the Fence": Inked Print by Miriam Sommerburg
tags: Displaced Persons refugees & immigration relief & rescue visual art
type: Artwork
Accession Number IRO Application, Bela Berkes, 3.2.1.2/80319902/ITS Digital Archive, Arolsen Archives
Page(s) 1–4
Document Type Report


text:
La Rede Internacional de Televisão (RIT) è un canale televisivo brasiliano, di proprietà dell'Igreja Internacional da Graça de Deus, guidata attualmente dal missionario R. R. Soares. Il contenuto della sua programmazione è orientato a tutte le età, perché la stragrande maggioranza dei suoi programmi sono prodotti dalla stessa emittente. Il contenuto della TV è interdenominazionale, che è, rivolto al pubblico protestante in generale, indipendentemente dalla denominazione ed anche per il pubblico non protestante. I suoi programmi sono diversi, come programmi per bambini, culti, programmi musicali (video clip) e presentazioni in diretta e giornalistici.

L'emittente va in onda ogni giorno con programmi di dibattiti, servizi di pubblica utilità, giochi, e approfondimenti giornalistici, che possono essere acquisiti in Brasile attraverso le antenne paraboliche.

In Brasile la RIT ha 8 emittenti, più di 170 retrasmitrici e più di 120 milioni di telespettatori in tutti gli Stati brasiliani. Raggiunge il paese attraverso di sistemi di UHF e VHF (canale aperto), cavo e satellite, con una programmazione di 24 ore al giorno.

La sua missione è in piena fase d'espansione. Attraverso i satelliti Pas9 e AB1 fornisce il segnale per le Americhe, l'Europa, il Nordafrica e alcuni paesi del Medio Oriente.

Il canale trasmette in chiaro su Hot Bird ed anche sul sito Internet dell'emittente, www.rittv.com.br.

L'inizio
La RIT iniziò nell'agosto 1999, puntando a un progetto di qualità per la televisione brasiliana, ma sorsero difficoltà, che col tempo vennero superate. Gradualmente la RIT prese a lanciare programmi che sono ancora oggi in onda come il "Movimento Jovem", "Consulta ao Doutor", "Zig Zag Show", tra altri.

Espansione
La RIT cominciò a espandersi nell'inizio del 2002, configurandosi sempre più come una nuova rete nazionale. Fu collegata alla rete di satelliti Brasilsat, che è la più guardata in Brasile (con sette milioni di parabole), al pari degli altri grandi canali televisivi nazionali. Sempre nel 2002 vennero inaugurati i programmi "Vejam Só", "Jornal Toda Hora", Alla fine del 2002, fu acquistata la TV Dourados canale 05 di Dourados affinché una delle generatrici della RIT. La RIT crebbe molto in fretta. Nell'aprile 2004 aveva 30 emittenti e nel gennaio 2006 diventarono 70. Vennero lanciati nuovi fortunati programmi: "Fatos em Foco", "Noite com os Adoradores de Deus", "Especial Missões", "Clip RIT", ecc.

Collegamenti esterni

Reti televisive brasiliane


MR. MCCURRY: Hi, everyone. Welcome to the White House. Welcome to our daily briefing. It's so nice to see you. Why is everyone wearing purple today?
Q Budget negotiations -- what's the status of today's meeting?
Q Well, Mr. Domenici and Mr. Kasich just came out and said it wasn't going to happen.
MR. MCCURRY: The President just concluded a phone call with the Speaker, the Majority Leader and Mr. Armey that lasted about 40 minutes. We've been contacted by staff through our Congressional Affairs operation, through Pat Griffin, indicating that they desire to have a phone conversation. The President did call them. They had a good conversation that lasted 40 minutes. The President indicated he was ready to meet both Minority Leader Gephardt and Minority Leader Daschle, who arrived here at the White House. And they were anxious to meet. And we are ready to go to work to make progress on a balanced budget agreement.
That apparently is not going to happen. They indicated they are not -- they are not coming. I will leave it to them to explain their reasons why. But I'll say on behalf of the President that he's, of course, disappointed that they are not going to keep the date. But he indicated in his telephone call that he's prepared to continue discussing budget issues. Indeed, in this very telephone call they exchanged views on a variety of elements in the budget. The President, in fact, felt in the phone call itself there was some evidence of progress. But there is not a meeting today. And they left it they would talk at a future time by phone and see if we can arrange a meeting at a future date.
MR. MCCURRY: The President hopes that they make progress as quickly as possible, because as he says repeatedly, both publicly and privately, we have within our grasp a historic agreement to cut the budget deficit, to achieve a balanced budget, as scored by the Congressional Budget Office, and to do it right now. And the only thing holding up that agreement are insistence on the other side of these discussions that they go farther than the President deems possible when it comes to restructuring Medicare and providing tax cuts that are disproportionately large. That they -- they will continue to discuss these issues, and the President in good faith, as he has just now on the phone, will look for ways to bridge these differences so that we can achieve some type of agreement that will enjoy the support of the Congress and the support of the President.
Q Did the Republicans make any specific demands?
MR. MCCURRY: I, you know -- I'm sure they will characterize whatever they want to say about the conversation.
Q Well, would making a full-scale counter-offer to their offer of last week be among the President's plans?
MR. MCCURRY: The detail with which the President has been addressing these issues, that makes it very clear that they've got it within the capacity of the current ideas on the table to bridge the differences and reach an agreement.
Q Mike, excuse me -- there's a question on the floor. Can you answer the question, please?
Q The question is: Would making a full-scale counter-offer to the full-scale offer made by the other side last week be one of the things the President is prepared to do?
MR. MCCURRY: I have -- I have no idea of whether that would make any progress. The President has put forward ideas, has demonstrated flexibility in these discussions. I don't know whether that would result in any movement on their side.
Q That's normally the way negotiations proceed -- one side makes an offer, the other side counters.
MR. MCCURRY: We've made -- and that's happened several times in the course of these discussions, and the last meeting ended with the President, in fact, advancing a new proposal.
Q -- which he acknowledged was not a full-scale counter-offer. Is a full-scale counter ever going to come?
MR. MCCURRY: They are so deeply into the substance of these discussions that they're not at the -- I mean, in a negotiation when you trade proposal and counter-proposal, that's usually in the initial stage of a negotiation. They're at a point in this negotiation where they're deeply into the details of an agreement. And frankly it would be a step backwards at this point if they were doing that type of an exchange.
Q Mike, is there any surviving or existing negotiating process at this point?
MR. MCCURRY: The President has suggested to some of the White House staff that there are some ideas that, at staff level at any event, we should seek some clarification on, because there have been some ideas discussed and they need to get into some of the substance of that; but there's no mechanism that I'm aware of for that, the way they left the discussion they would visit again by telephone and hopefully meet soon.
Q Mike, what exactly is the White House's understanding of why the Republicans aren't -- to come here? And what did they say to the President? They must have told him something.
MR. MCCURRY: Beats us. Beats us. I mean, they were making progress. The President has felt they've made good progress in these discussions. It's clear that the President is serious. The President believes they are serious. The President believes an agreement is very close. Why we can't get that across the finish line is not quite clear to the President, but he'll continue to be available and continue his desire to resolve these issues so that we can get a historic, balanced budget agreement.
Q We'd like to hear the White House version of it, though.
MR. MCCURRY: On the President's behalf, he has shown flexibility in these discussions, and he's continued to attempt to bridge the differences. He's made it clear what principles he must stand upon -- and you all know them, and I don't need to recite them again -- but they have to do with the important commitments that we make to our nation's elderly through Medicare; the importance for our economy in providing both a balanced budget and tax relief targeted on middle income Americans, and not raising taxes on hard working Americans. All of those parameters of the discussion are clear to them, clear to you because we've talked about them repeatedly. But within those parameters there have been enormous flexibility shown by the President and a willingness to engage them on different elements of the plan to try to find a mutually satisfactory agreement.
Q -- when they told the President we're not coming, did they not give him a reason why?
MR. MCCURRY: I believe that it is fair for me to let them characterize their half of the conversation for themselves. I'm sure they will.
Q Mike, last week, you characterized this as a recess when the talks halted. Where do you say they are now? Will you acknowledge that they've broken down?
MR. MCCURRY: It's a recess, and the bell has rung, and the Democrats are back in the class. We don't know where the Republicans are.
Q This is a boycott of a face-to-face meeting. Is it unprecedented that a president calls a meeting and they refuse to come even to talk?
MR. MCCURRY: I'm not enough of a historian to know whether there is any precedent for the President and the Democratic leaders of Congress prepared to meet in the Oval Office for a scheduled meeting, prepared to do the nation's business, being told by the Republican leaders in Congress that they're not available.
Q And it was his understanding that they would show up?
MR. MCCURRY: Yes, absolutely. And there was staff level discussions, and certainly our understanding that there would be a meeting today. And that's the way they left it when they last met a week ago.
Q What did the group discuss, if anything, or decide, if anything, in the meantime about a continuing resolution or a debt limit extension?
MR. MCCURRY: I didn't hear the conversation. I don't know whether those subjects were addressed.
Q -- he speaks for the Senate?
Q Since they are going to make clear what blew up on this phone call that caused them to cancel their trip across town, do you want to take a whack at what, from your perspective, went wrong on this phone call?
MR. MCCURRY: Look, I can't. They've been out around the country and maybe they've been talking to a lot of hard-edged Republicans, I don't know. You should ask them.
Q Well, how would you characterize what they talked about for 40 minutes?
MR. MCCURRY: I'd say that the President continued in good faith to see if there was a way to bridge the differences that exist, and he was talking numbers.
Q Did he make any new proposals today of any sort, large or small?
MR. MCCURRY: They continue to discuss the same issues that have been before them. There have been -- there are ideas; there has been give and take; there have been a number of issues discussed. And as I said, they are so deeply into the substance now, but it's not -- they're not at a point in which they are exchanging offers back and forth; they're dealing in the substance and detail of the intricate process of writing a budget.
Q How would you characterize the possible loss of momentum, despite the progress you've made; and whether that momentum falls below a critical point that you lose progress, it's undercut?
MR. MCCURRY: Well, it's sharing critical mass. But, you know, on the other hand, it's not dead. Someone said, you know, if you put the pane of glass up to the body you'd still get the little smudge indicating that it's breathing.
Q Well, what indications, what vital signs do you detect that lead you to believe it's not dead?
Q Mike, did the Republicans -- have the Republicans responded to the President's proposal that he put on the table at the end of the last meeting and that you have been talking about ever since?
MR. MCCURRY: I really would -- if we're going to make any progress in this process, it's best for me not to characterize their side of the conversation. They'll give you an answer to that if you ask. I believe they wanted more specificity, and I believe the President feels that he's been very specific in addressing how you would bridge some of the gaps and how you would develop some of the proposals that he has put in front of the negotiators.
Q Did they want more specificity or more movement?
MR. MCCURRY: I'll leave that for them to answer.
Q Whatever happens in the broader budget negotiations it would still -- I assume you believe that one of your responsibilities to keep as much of the government going as possible in this. What Panetta said yesterday that the White House is prepared to accept 25 and 30 percent or more cuts in the CR to cover the agencies now operating, I guess, under the prior CR. Do you know if any discussions going on on that track at all?
Q -- they were just sort in abeyance until today's meeting?
MR. MCCURRY: I think there are worse-case scenarios in which we have to begin to deal with the issue of how do you fund for the long-term programs that are necessary for the American people in the view of the President in the face of a Republican Congress that doesn't want to pass full appropriations measures. They might instead go for some targeted type of appropriations. We, frankly, don't know how in the world that would work. We haven't heard a satisfactory explanation from anyone on the Republican side of how they would actually accomplish that and fulfill their constitutional responsibilities. So I really would have to leave that to them. But we clearly don't want to see government programs that are necessary for the American people strangled. We don't want to see another government shutdown. And if necessary, the President will have to deal with the issue of how we continue funding for those parts of government that do not have full appropriations bills. But hopefully we will not be at that point. Hopefully there will be an opportunity for us to continue these conversations.
Q Well, at what point do you determine you seek a full-year CR?
MR. MCCURRY: Not at this point.
Q Mike, what's the process by which these talks might get going again? Who will make the first call? How will that work?
MR. MCCURRY: Well, they left it informally at the conclusion of the call, as I understand it, that they would visit again by phone and see where they go in no time certain, but the President hopes that would be soon.
Q Would it be too strong to say that the talks have collapsed?
MR. MCCURRY: I wouldn't say that. I would say what I've tried to accurately report here.
Q If they start passing these baby appropriations bills and don't offer any money for things like, you know, Goals 2000 program and other such -- I mean, do you any recourse that you see?
MR. MCCURRY: The President will have to address that as best he can, but the power of the purse under our Constitution lies with the Congress. And there have been appropriations measures passed which were not satisfactory to the President. He vetoed them, as is his constitutional right, and those vetoes have been sustained. So we're at a point where Congress really has the constitutional obligation to decide how they proceed with the funding of the government.
MR. MCCURRY: It's an intellectual concept that I will have to take some time getting my meager mind around.
Q Isn't this -- don't you get the same result -- they pass out an appropriation bill that doesn't have national service, and you veto it; there's no education appropriation -- they get no money.
MR. MCCURRY: I think one might argue that this is government shutdown by another device. That's most unfortunate, and it's contrary to the indications from the Republican leaders that they weren't going to try that tactic anymore.
Q Wouldn't in that case it would be more the burden be on the President, obviously? If you have an appropriations measure that has some small disagreement over some programs; he vetoes; government shuts down. You would attempt, again presumably, to blame it on them; they no doubt would attempt to blame it on you.
MR. MCCURRY: Some of these things I've heard about in terms of targeted appropriations are not any small disagreements. They're talking about wholesale repeal of major worker protection legislation, for example, within the Labor Department by refusing to fund anything that protects workers while they're in the workplace, protects their pensions, protects their right to bring labor grievances.
MR. MCCURRY: Mr. Blankley said that in The Washington Post; said that they might fund nothing but labor statistics collecting at the Labor Department.
Q Isn't it true that the Democrats are the ones that are holding up the appropriations bill for Labor and HHS?
MR. MCCURRY: The Democrats are looking for -- I mean, that's a debate about the Senate, and there's a willingness on the part of the Senate to proceed to final consideration of that appropriations bill. But that's not the issue as defined by Mr. Blankley.
Q Gingrich said after the phone call that once the President proposes a firm budget offer, then they're prepared to meet. He also -- he threw out Sunday or Monday meeting, to accommodate Dole's travel schedule, evidently. Are you aware of any of this?
MR. MCCURRY: No, I was not aware of the Majority Leader's travel schedule. I didn't realize -- I don't recollect anyone suggesting to me that specific times were discussed. The President just hopes that they can get on with business as soon as possible; indeed, he was ready to go forward today.
MR. MCCURRY: The President and the Office of Management and Budget will do the best they can, because they are required to meet a federally-mandated date. They will have to produce some budget submission by February 5th, according to the Budget Act, and they will meet that deadline. They will do it as best they can, but it will be difficult to construct a full budget proposal if there's no starting point as a reference. And the starting point as a reference would, of course, be the FY '96 budget.
But they will do the best they can. They will certainly reflect the President's commitment to a balanced budget, to the commitments he's made during these negotiations and to the priorities that he repeatedly stresses -- that we can balance the budget, but do so in a way that protects Medicare and Medicaid, protects our environment, makes investments in education and technology that will grow the economy in the future, and that avoids unnecessary tax increases on working Americans.
Q Dole, Gingrich and Armey have released a statement as follows -- quote: "We spoke to the President by phone for 40 minutes this afternoon. It was a frank and useful discussion. And we told the President that once he proposes a firm budget offer that moves in the direction of the bipartisan common ground our proposals have established, we are prepared to meet."
MR. MCCURRY: The President believes that he has more than satisfied the conditions that they have laid there, and he's ready to go to work, ready to go to work today. He believes that the ideas necessary to meet exactly those stipulations are there.
But, remember, these goal posts that they erect for the President keep shifting, don't they? For a while it was, you know, you have to have a seven-year balanced budget scored by the Congressional Budget Office, which the President has done. The President has modified his own budget submissions and his own proposals and engaged with them in good faith, and had good give-and-take with them in pursuit of these objectives. And now they want more. Now, they want something that moves even farther in their direction.
Q Isn't it true that what they said was that no serious negotiations could begin until the President had a seven-year plan scored by CBO; and now that he does, aren't you all saying that that ought to be the final offer on your side? Are you intending that to be a final offer?
MR. MCCURRY: I have told you that, a, the last idea submitted was the idea submitted by the President; and, b, the President has shown flexibility in his discussions. And they know that, and one can only surmise publicly that they've suggested there needs to be more to fit their own purposes.
Q How does this continuing impasse affect the President's thinking about the State of the Union and the type of message that he wants to give?
MR. MCCURRY: Well, the environment in which these budget discussions occur will certainly have an effect on the State of the Union. The President had hoped to go before Congress and celebrate with them the achievement of a historic balanced budget agreement. He thought that was possible. Indeed, if you asked him right now, he'd say it is possible. He'd certainly rather be standing before the Congress in that circumstance than standing there locked into a negotiation that hasn't reached that very worthy objective.
Q Is he an eternal optimist?
MR. MCCURRY: -- and he's a very hard worker. And he's working very hard to reach an agreement that would be good for the American people -- one that is, at the same time, consistent with what the President believes are the values of the American people.
Q Just to clarify Brit's question, did the President tell the Republican leaders that he would not advance any further proposal?
MR. MCCURRY: No. He was very -- I'd say -- they say "frank" in Canada. I think that's accurate. I think he was --worked hard in the conversation to see if there were areas where additional accommodation could be reached.
Q Well, you've told us it wouldn't be particularly useful, but what I'm trying to get at -- absolute rejection of their request?
MR. MCCURRY: We're not into absolute, hard, fast rejections, boycotts, breakdowns, collapses. We're into getting the work done of writing a balanced budget. The President is prepared to do that right now, and we've got the Democratic leadership in Congress here at the White House. They're prepared to go to work. The Republicans will have to speak for themselves on why it's not possible for them to make progress toward that goal today.
Q Given this apparent Gingrich standard of a firm budget offer or no meeting, will there be a meeting in our lifetime?
MR. MCCURRY: Given what's happened in the hours of meetings that have been devoted to the balanced budget, it's hard for me to imagine there won't be a meeting here at the White House sometime soon that will move us towards the goal of a balanced budget. How that will happen, I can't predict. But the President's ready to do it, ready to meet with them, and believes the job can be done.
Q What are you going to do with the Democratic leaders now?
MR. MCCURRY: Well, they are going to go in and visit with the President. The President wants to brief them on the telephone call, obviously. They will certainly discuss these issues and move forward. I know Congressman Gephardt, I believe, has a busy schedule. He'll be having a press conference later today, I believe to talk about the Kemp Commission report. And Senator Daschle will be around and about as well, I'm sure.
Q Mike, State of the Union is six days away. Could it be that the Republicans didn't want to give the President opportunity to celebrate a balanced budget on State of the Union night?
MR. MCCURRY: Well, such dark motives I will leave for you to speculate upon. But I have no way of knowing, so I can't say.
Q Is anybody in the White House speculating on such dark motives?
MR. MCCURRY: I don't know. We would be wasting a lot of energy if we tried to figure out what the Republicans are doing, because it's not abundantly clear that they know what they're doing.
Q Does the President believe that it might be helpful if he stepped back right now and maybe let the Republicans deal with the moderates in the House and the Senate, maybe the Breaux-Chafee group and the blue dogs, and let that go?
MR. MCCURRY: Look, you know, the President is smart enough to understand that they've got a complicated dynamic in their caucus. And throughout this whole process he's been cognizant of the fact that they've got difficult political situations that they're dealing with, for a variety of reasons and for separate reasons. You know, they're not necessarily identical if you look at all three of the Republican participants. But I think he's been smart enough to understand that if he's going to make any progress in these discussions, he has to understand what political world they live in and that's, you know, a rough and tumble and nasty one at times.
Q Back when this was first shaping up, the President held back from any direct negotiations until it reached a certain point. That point seems to be fading fast. Does that not encourage the idea of having him step to the background for other Democratic leadership to rise?
MR. MCCURRY: -- it fading fast, the President just had a 40-minute phone call with the three people who were probably instrumental on the Republican side in getting an agreement. So he's directly engaged and believes that if he remains directly engaged that we can get the work done.
Q Has there been a damage control operation set up in the White House for Mrs. Clinton?
MR. MCCURRY: No. There's been a -- you know, there's -- I saw a report on CNN. I think CNN managed to find out that we've got some people who work on Whitewater-related matters as they pertain to White House business who work for the Special Counsel's Office. But that team has been there for over a year, and I think you know most of the people who are participating. I'm not aware of any other separate effort.
Q Do you think that she's slipping in terms of her own defense as she goes around the country?
MR. MCCURRY: No, I think she is having a good time talking about her book, answering these questions that people have. And I believe she feels like as she continues to answer these questions people will say well, you know, so what's the big deal.
Q Does the President believe that Senator Dole is still a voice of moderation and an agent of compromise in these talks? Or has he abandoned that role?
MR. MCCURRY: I think that the President believes that the Senate Majority Leader remains committed to good-faith negotiations that will balance the budget. And I think he also understands that there's a political dynamic that affects the Majority Leader. And he's aware of that and, if not necessarily sympathetic to it, I think given what it's ultimate purpose is he certainly is -- at least understands the situation that the Majority Leader is in.
Q What would you say to people who might ask, seeing the latest David Watkins' memo that was released by Congressman Clinger's committee today, that it seems to be even further evidence that the First Lady may have at least given a lot of people the strong sense that she wanted to have the Travel Office employees fired?
Q There was another memo released today that was even earlier than the one that came out the week before last, and in this one, he says that both Vince Foster and Harry Thomason -- he's very specific -- carried him messages that the First Lady would like to have these people fired immediately.
MR. MCCURRY: I honestly don't know enough about it, and my understanding is Mr. Watkins is testifying about it right now, so I don't think it would be proper for me to say anything.
Q Did anyone in the White House have anything to do with Mr. Watkins' decision to request the television be removed from that? And if not, do you approve of that, or would you have preferred that he testify in public?
MR. MCCURRY: We were not consulted about that. As you know, White House employees who have testified before that committee have done so under oath before the camera and provided the truth. That's the way the President would have it; that's the way the White House would have it. And if anyone asks our opinion, we'd say those are the circumstances under which people should testify.
Q Mike, you describe the President's view that Senator Dole remains committed to good-faith budget negotiations; does the President hold the same view about the Speaker and Mr. Armey?
MR. MCCURRY: He does. I think that they all live in complicated worlds. Some of them are very strange worlds. But I think they are looking for a way to try to achieve a goal that they are committed to. The question is, put a different way is, do all of the people participating in these discussions share the objective of balancing this nation's budget and doing it in a time certain? And the answer is yes. There are some profound disagreements about what you do and what you do in addition to achieving that objective. See, we've got -- we are almost there on balancing the budget. We've got the savings in hand, and now they're looking for a way to do a tax cut, and do one that we believe you can do it. You can do it if you are prudent and modest in your expectations. And I think they have somewhat larger ambitions on when it comes to tax cuts.
But that produces somewhat larger consequences when it comes to a program that the President fundamentally cares about, which is Medicare. That's the heart of this. It hasn't changed. That's what the issue is. No amount of demands for more written proposals changes that fundamental equation. And that's the fundamental equation that will have to be addressed if there's going to be an agreement. And that will either happen or it won't.
MR. MCCURRY: Well, that is a very truncated reference to what Secretary Perry said. He said he really hesitated to make -- second-guess what his own judgment would be if faced with those circumstances. He suggested that he would not necessarily have done things in that fashion. And he certainly suggested that he wishes that this operation minimizes loss of life, which has been our concern, as reflected in the statements from the WHite House and the State Department yesterday.
Q At this end, on the phone call was the President joined in the conference call by anyone else at this end?
MR. MCCURRY: I believe that the Vice President at least was monitoring the conversation or had some idea that it was happening when it happened, and I believe Mr. Panetta as well.
MR. MCCURRY: I didn't -- I'm not aware of anyone listening in on an extension.
Q On the Fed and Blinder's resignation, is that a sign at all that Greenspan is the leading candidate to be reappointed as Chairman.
MR. MCCURRY: I've seen exhaustive analyses to that effect, but it doesn't change the fact that the President himself answered that question and answered it directly last week, which is that he's not at a point where he's made any decision about that appointment, nor about the other two vacancies that now exist. He will do that in due course. He will get recommendations from the National Economic Council, which will consult within the administration, interagency, to look at names, review different possible candidates for the vacancies, and then to address in sequence the issue of the expiration of the term of the current Chairman.
MR. MCCURRY: Because of the pending vacancies, and also the expiration of the term of the Chairman, these things tend to have an impact on -- one on each other, as you can imagine.
MR. MCCURRY: Well, not necessarily. We'll keep you apprised as the President continues the process.
Q Mike, did you say earlier there might be an exchange, a high-level exchange, on Chechnya between Washington and Moscow? Has there, and if not, when might that occur?
MR. MCCURRY: You should inquire at the State Department about meetings that the Deputy Secretary may have had.
Q Now that you've seen the recommendations, what do you think about the Kemp Commission flat tax proposal?
MR. MCCURRY: I'll be honest with you, I don't believe that we have seen the recommendations yet, not to my knowledge. There has been general discussion here at the White House that we continue to be concerned that a flat tax proposal, while seemingly attractive, in most forms that we have seen it proposed specifically, which this commission does not attempt to do, and most specific forms that the flat tax proposals take, they run the risk of making the budget deficit situation far worse unless you're willing to stomach what the President considers to be unnecessary tax increases on middle income Americans.
Every proposal we've seen, whether it's Senator Gramm's released yesterday, whether it's Representative Armey's, released prior, run very large budget deficits year after year. That would have to be addressed in some fashion if you can remain committed to balancing the budget, and the best way or only way we know of to do that would be through income tax increases, which is not the President's idea of tax fairness or tax simplification or tax reform. So he remains committed to true tax reform proposals that can bring relief to the taxpayers, that provide for greater simplicity, greater fairness and most importantly, are fiscally responsible by not adding to budget deficits. And there are ideas out there about how you can do that and some attractive ideas, in fact, and we'll continue to look at that.
Q But do you think the Internal Revenue Service code of the tax system that we have now is not working as the commission states, and needs to be replaced by something?
MR. MCCURRY: I think the President believes that under this administration, there have been important improvements in the way the IRS does its work. They've become more customer-friendly. The Vice President, through the Reinventing Government initiative, has brought a lot of new procedures and new helpfulness to that agency, and their reputation is growing, is at least improving when it comes to serving taxpayers.
Q That's not the code.
MR. MCCURRY: Is the tax code itself unnecessarily complex? Of course. But is reforming that an easy task? No, because, why is it complex? It's in there because it is providing incentives for certain things that as a matter of national policy at times congresses and presidents have felt important -- homeownership being probably a prime example. So we will continue to look for ways to make tax codes simpler; but sometimes, you know, simple ideas can be simple-minded if they're not artfully constructed.
Q Mr. Bennett, Bob Bennett was in today. Do you know what that was about?
Q One other question about him. The President expressed his sympathy for what Billy Dale had gone through. Not very many days later, Mr. Bennett, the President's personal lawyer turns up on television making allegations about plea bargains, which Mr. Dale's lawyers say were false, but even if true would raise all kinds of questions about the propriety of how Mr. Bennett came in touch with that information. How is it that the President, after expressing sympathy, can have his lawyer out make charges like that?
MR. MCCURRY: I don't believe the President authorized Mr. Bennett to make any suggestions related to plea bargains.
Q But he was not -- did he speak to Mr. Bennett afterwards? Did he have anything to do with Mr. Bennett obtaining that information?
MR. MCCURRY: I can inquire. I don't know the answer to that.
Q Mike, I believe one of the recommendations of the Kemp Commission is to have what they call dynamic scoring in figuring deficits in the context of a flat tax. Does the administration believe in dynamic scoring or does it feel that these things ought to also be CBO's scored?
MR. MCCURRY: Either the Treasury Department, Les Samuels, who I believe may be even the Council of Economic Advisors, has testified before both Senate Finance and House Ways and Means on dynamic scoring. So I'll go back and check that record, or maybe someone can help you get that testimony. But we've testified on the Hill on dynamic scoring in the past, and I'm not aware of any change in our views.
Q Mike, back on the Travel Office thing, it is -- it has been repeatedly stated here that the concern was financial mismanagement. But none of this, and it's often overlooked, was tax money. This was all news media money. And as far as I know, no one in the news media had complained about any mismanagement. So why was there this great concern here?
MR. MCCURRY: The concern as it was reflected in the White House Travel Office management review and the GAO report were about significant financial management weaknesses that exist in the system. And on the -- taking from your question, we have not heard any of your news organizations suggest that anything is less than better about the situation in which these funds are now managed.
Q Well, there have been numerous complaints that the cost of travel has risen exponentially.
MR. MCCURRY: Well, the cost of travel has risen across the board because the cost of travel is one of the things that is rising in our economy.
MR. MCCURRY: -- and because of the way, frankly, the way the number of news organizations committed to covering the President and traveling affects the overall cost of presidential trips.
Q Are you claiming that that office is run better now than it was?
MR. MCCURRY: That has been -- that was stipulated to by the General Accounting Office when they reviewed the office.
Q I'm sorry, you want to run that by us again?
MR. MCCURRY: Progress was made in 1993 to improve travel office operations right there in the GAO report.
Q -- complaining about the operation of the current Travel Office.
MR. MCCURRY: -- have said that no news organization that I'm aware of has suggested that the financial management practices of that office, which is what we're talking about, are less accountable now than they were prior to 1993.
Q So they haven't gotten worse, you're saying, but they just haven't gotten better?
MR. MCCURRY: Look, I'm not the judge of that. Your budget people and your editors and the people you deal with are so -- ask them. If there are specific complaints you want to forward to the Travel Office via the Press Office, let me know.
Q Mike, occasionally you give us an idea of the kind of phone calls that come into the White House. Can you give us some sense of whether there have been a lot of calls since the Larry King program last night on the Travel Office issue?
MR. MCCURRY: I will check. I'm not aware of any. If there are any, I'll report.
Q Balance of trade report came out this morning. It shows a widening deficit with Japan for the first time in seven months. Can you tell us anything there?
MR. MCCURRY: I don't have anything beyond what the statement of the Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown, says -- that obviously there is an enhanced competitiveness across the board, given the size of the deficit itself and the improvement for the fourth monthly period in a row. There's indication of a fundamental soundness and strength in the economy and our ability to compete. But there are also fluctuations that deal with seasonal factors in these numbers, I think, have to be taken into account, too.
Q Was the President surprised that the Republicans didn't show up? And he had no advance intelligence that this -- because they had been saying, and they were speaking quite often, that they might not.
MR. MCCURRY: We've -- you know, we read the papers and saw what they were saying and imagined that there might be some different outcome, but certainly didn't know for certain prior to the phone call.
Q Mike, prior to this meeting you were relentlessly saying that you had no reason to expect the meeting would not take place, that you fully expected -- meeting would happen.
MR. MCCURRY: I don't believe so, because I haven't -- I mean, the general calibration of what they've said publicly, in our view, is that they realize that their tactic of shutting down the government backfired on them and wasn't particularly useful in getting an outcome that they sought. And there have been public presentations by them that they don't believe they're going to try that tactic again.
There have been some, as I say, back-benchers in the Republican Caucus who continue to insist that they may want to pursue those tactics, but I'm not confident that they're speaking authoritatively for the leadership.
Q One last question. After the last meeting that --after the last, pause, meeting, President Clinton asked the leaders to agree upon the post-meeting spin of recess -- we're going to get there; this is just a temporary pause. Was there a discussion in this phone call about the spin of the day from either side, and was there an agreement on that?
MR. MCCURRY: I think the President indicated generally to the people on the phone what I've just indicated to you.
MR. MCCURRY: -- he indicated to them how we would characterize the conversation.
Q Oh, he told them what you were going to say.
Q He told them they had a good time.
Q The one paragraph they put out -- was that agreed on?
MR. MCCURRY: It was pretty clear to the President they would say something of that nature, yes. Okay? Thanks.


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2p Philosophy Conference: "Colony and Resistance"


Immediately, he launched into a speech about the nature of reality.
I must have looked baffled, because he stopped and sighed.
To his credit – and my relief – he started again, telling me about Zen meditation.
"The core is to sit and follow the breathing," he said patiently. "Concentrate on the breathing. Count to ten, count the exhalations to ten. If you lose count then catch yourself and say, 'Oh, I'm thinking again.' And bring yourself back to the breathing. Eventually you get to the point where you are just breathing.
I was intrigued, and afterwards decided to find out more, and looked up Buddhism online, and in bookshops.
But I couldn't get my head round the differences between the many different traditions – Zen, Pure Land, Theravada, and many more; or indeed the seemingly endless ideas that were categorised, presumably for somebody's convenience, by number.
So far as I could tell, adherents recognised Two Truths, Three Dharma Seals, Three Doors of Liberation, Four Noble Truths, Five Aggregates, Six Paramitas, Seven Factors of Awakening, a Noble Eightfold Path, and Twelve Links of Independent Co-Arising, whatever that was.
As for the famously baffling Zen koans – "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" – they left me cold.
But then I found a book by a man I'd never heard of, Thich Nhat Hanh.
Those words were written by Martin Luther King, nominating Nhat Hanh, a monk from Vietnam, for the Nobel Peace Prize more than 40 years ago.
It could hardly hurt to try his book – it only had 140 pages, and the print was fairly large too.
So I did, and I was blown away by the simplicity of what Nhat Hanh wrote, urging readers gently and warmly to enjoy the here and now.


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Love your byline – I can't believe it's not buddha. Nice one. Happened across your site looking for this particular quote. Not that I particularly mind that it's not genuine – for me the sentiment that I get from it remains – about finding your own way. Different cultures have different perspectives, ways of expressing ideas and perhaps even completely different ideas, so translation is more than just finding a literal equivalent of the words in another language. Looking at your sidebar there's another quote – "actions are the ground on which I stand" that seems to suggest a contrast to the tracks in the sky?
Long ago I had to make peace with the extensive difficulties that translation across time, language, culture and spiritual inclination introduce into esoteric works. Where I ultimately arrived was to evaluate according to two parameters -unnecessary wordiness which generally indicates to me someone doesn't know what he/she is talking about, and, more important, what sort of intuitive awareness grows in me as I read a particular translation. When the interpretation comes from that intuitive depth in the translator, my experience has been it touches that depth in me. I really don't care what words they choose as long as when I come from reading their translation, I know or sense something about truth that I didn't know before. I do believe that if the words were what mattered, we would have lost the knowledge in the great works of wisdom long ago. What translates across all the hurdles that such works are confronted by appears to be at a deep enough level that words themselves cannot diminish it.
But it seems that what you're saying is that as long as your have a good feeling about a translation, or if it shows you something new, you'll accept it as accurate. That's problematic, because feelings can be misleading and because the new thing you're being shown may be the translator vision rather than that of the original author. That's why I have so little respect for Byrom's rendering: he seems to have little respect for the original text, and was happier inserting his own ideas of Buddhist spirituality.
For those of us who are interested in living the Buddha's teachings, and in seeing what he saw, his words are important as a guide, and it's therefore useful to have them rendered as accurately as possible, to the extent that's possible, given that we're dealing with an ancient language which is sometimes ambiguous or contains terms that don't translate well into modern languages.
I like translations that are poetic, but I like accuracy even more.
A translation from a translation.Both sound like opinion to me.I don't recall Buddha writing anything himself.Isn't it about the principles of life that exist and happen no matter what?
All translation involves subjective choices about which words best represent what the translator believes the text to be saying, but there is also a text there as an objective fact, and no competent and honest translator should simply make something up and impose his or her views at the expense of fidelity to the text.
Texts like these are the closest we're going to get to what the Buddha taught, and if we're interested in learning from him we should seek out competent translations. Of course to anyone interested simply in hearing some nice-sounding words, this won't mean very much.
I don't think Byrom "made [anything] up," as you rather flatly assert. Literal translation is just that, literal. It seems more than obvious to me that what Byrom was going after was a rather more creative interpretation; what he loses in literal translation he more than makes up for in communicating the essential emotional truth of the original. 'Course that's just my opinion. But I think it's wrong to declare that somehow his poetic translation is somehow "made up" or a bastardization of the original.
I can understand why you like Byrom's rendering of the Dhammapada. It's much more poetic, inspiring, and gentle in tone than any literal translation could ever be. It's a very attractive piece of literature.
My guess is that Byrom was, in creating a "translation" so outside the norm, hoping that people would think that he was seeing something deeper in the text that others had somehow missed. But he wasn't. The original is rather austere, unadorned, and strict in tone. He introduces things (including philosophical perspectives) that aren't in the Pali, and he misses out important things that are. I think "bastardization" is a pretty good word to describe his work. Genetically it's about 10% Gotama, and 90% Byrom, as you can see by comparing it with the Pali or with any literal translation.
As a translation, I consider it a fraud — a beautiful fraud, like much of Coleman Barks' Rumi or Fitzgerald's Omar Khayyam — but a fraud nonetheless.
We're all free to enjoy the poetry of Byrom's Dhammapada, of course, but we should make sure we read other translations that give a better sense of the original.
Yes, it is beautiful and he was "creative" in the translation and did not have knowledge of sanskrit. Nonetheless beautiful.