text:
1. The Middle East is once more hot in the news, and surely enough Islam is once again getting smeared by many ignorant Westerners and by certain Middle Easterners who have used the holy religion of Islam for very sick ends. First there was the Israel-Hamas killings; then ISIS (and there was Syria and Iran and Iraq!) There is no simple answer or explanation for what is going on there–certainly not on the political or social or economic level. Any solution that comes simply from that level alone I think will fail miserably. Consider Gandhi's experience in India, how he addressed the problems there from a much deeper level than any of these three. And yet also how he can be said to have "failed" in a certain sense–today's India is not the India of Gandhi, and it's not because of "inevitable progress and change." Not many could follow Gandhi's path after he was assassinated because it involved the depths of the heart. Well, the Middle East, or to be more fair and accurate, no country in the Middle East has had its own Gandhi to light a way that is different from this kind of slaughter and violence. Imagine if the Palestinian people took the path of Gandhi in their grievances against Israel ( and there are plenty of those grievances), the State of Israel would be totally shamed and exposed to the whole world for the brutalities that they commit. Instead you have Hamas, and you have an "eye for an eye" mentality. (Incidentally, Gandhi said that such a view would make the whole world blind!) On our part here in the good ole' USA there is absolutely no understanding of how to deal with these situations in any other way except bombing, arms, endless war, "peace conferences that sell people out," more killing, exploitation of natural resources, etc. But there is the rare voice of a rare clear-eyed person who is able to get underneath the ugly and opaque surface and reveal the true tragedy that all this flows from. Here I would recommend again Chris Hedges: "The Brutalized Become Brutalizers."
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/how_the_brutalized_become_brutal_20140824
Speaking of our situation, is it possible that we could be more dysfunctional than we are now? Well, yes! In fact some there are who see us in such a downward slide as a society and as a people that the end is in sight. I tend to agree–especially with such acute observers of our situation as Noam Chomsky, no darling of the mass media or of popular opinion. Chomsky does not help you to slumber in this consumer nightmare:
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/26000-owl-of-minervas-view-isis-and-our-times
Somebody pointed out that this year is the 50th anniversary of Marcuse's famous book, One Dimensional Man. It came out in English about 1964 and caused quite a stir. As social criticism it went far beyond the usual Marxism of the Old Left. Merton read it carefully and absorbed a lot of its views into his own monastic critique. You can even see it in that famous last talk he gave in Asia just before his untimely death. Here's a few quotes from an article in Truthout celebrating this book:
"His basic argument is that false consciousness, Marx's concept, has deepened in post-WWII capitalism, diverting people from their alienation and manifesting in false needs. Shopping both soothes the soul and produces profit as we shift from saving to spending in what John Kenneth Galbraith called the "affluent society." One-dimensional thought is episodic and sticks to the surfaces of things. It is short news cycle thinking, jumping from the missing Malaysian airliner to nude photos hacked off celebrity cellphones. One-dimensional thought accepts the status quo, even loving fate (Nietzsche), a deepening of false consciousness achieved through the various culture industries of radio, television, film and now the internet. We pierce such thought by imagining utopia, ever the desideratum of left thought beginning with Marx's early writings in which he anticipates self-creative work or praxis."
By Ben Agger
"Marcuse in ODM urged the Great Refusal, a break with conventional thinking about politics, economics, the self. His book ignited the imagination and sparked revolt, even as he drew upon recondite European theory reaching back to Hegel and Marx. I took my freshman course on them well before the internet. Hegel in the Phenomenology might have been describing the internet and social media where he characterized idealist reason as "the bacchanalian whirl in which no member is not drunken," whereas Marx in the Manifesto anticipated laptop capitalism wherein "all that is solid melts into air."
Recall Merton in that famous last talk when he mentions that he was challenged by the student revolt leaders of 1968 when they said that they were the "true monks." Merton appreciated that and saw that they had an intuitively correct sense that monks should be people who are truly "refuseniks" in this mad society, and that perhaps the standard religious monks had sold out and become supporters of the dysfunctionality of the establishment. Of course Merton also pointed out that the "refusal" or "revolt" of the monk comes from a deeper place than any critique of any social or economic order. But monks should be "friends" of those who are nauseated by this state of the State and perhaps they can provide some kind of foundation for a deep and real transformation of society. But this is probably too idealistic!!
On a happier note, every once in a while you run across some person who really and truly impresses and inspires you even as their lives embody interests, inclinations and paths that are not yours. Recently I found such a person: naturalist Derham Giuliani. Mostly unknown, he lived in "my neighborhood"–the Eastern Sierras. Born near San Francisco and educated in mathematics, he found the outdoors and the wilds totally irresistible. In his 20s he moved to the small town of Big Pine on Hwy 395 in the shadow of the Sierras. He lived there for 40 years studying the natural world in the White Mountains–the range on the Eastern side of the Sierras. He died at the age of 79 in 2010. From a eulogy: "Giuliani lived by himself for some 40 years in Big Pine, in a small house on the land of a good friend. He lived simply, with no phone and few family connections, spending every spare moment outdoors…. He spent most of his life tramping through the Whites, accumulating a vast knowledge about the wild rugged range." I think he is an example of one of Merton's "secret monks"–and a self-taught naturalist!.
The Dalai Lama. He recently made the news when it was reported that he had said that he was going to be the last Dalai Lama–the end of that line. It turns out that he may have been misunderstood and/or misquoted but the fact is that he has hinted at that possibility. He also has hinted that the next Dalai Lama could be a woman! Might even be elected! He is a most remarkable person who is also trying to shake up and wake up some of his own people. He has worked hard to change the world's image of Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan culture from one of exotic and esoteric magic and powers to one of nonviolence, compassion, and deep wisdom. When an interviewer mentioned to him that there are reputedly highly realized lamas who can skip from mountain top to mountain top, etc., the Dalai Lama laughed very loudly. He then said, maybe that's the way for him to go back to Tibet! He has often said that he does not have any great realization, but that he works assiduously at study and practice in order to grow in compassion, selflessness, and wisdom—these are the truest signs of deep spirituality. The Dalai Lama has labored tirelessly to make manifest the fact that the goal of the complex and elaborate Tibetan Buddhism is something that in itself is utterly and transcendently pure and simple and resulting in unspeakable compassion and transcendent wisdom. One of the Dalai Lamas favorite figures and a source of his teaching is Shantideva(8th Century Buddhist monk and scholar and a true holy man). The main work of Shantideva that the Dalai Lama teaches from is: Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life or sometimes translated as Entering the Path of Enlightenment.
When the Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize and gave his acceptance speech, he concluded with these words of Shantideva:
"May I be the protector of the abandoned,
The guide for those who wander the path,
And for those who yearn for the other shore,
May I be the vessel, the ferry, the bridge;
May I be the island for those who need an island,
The lamp for those who need a lamp,
The bed for those who need a bed;
May I be the wish-fulfilling gem, the vase
With great treasure, a powerful mantra, the healing plant,
The wish-granting tree, the cow of abundance.
As long as space remains,
As long as beings remain
May I too remain
To relieve the sufferings of the world."
And let us conclude with these wise words from another wise teacher: Eckhart:
"If a person thinks he will get more of God by meditation, by devotions, by ecstasies or by a special infusion of grace, than by the kitchen stove or in the stable—that is nothing but taking God, wrapping a cloak around his head and shoving him under a bench. For whoever seeks God within any special way gets the way and misses God, who lies hidden in it. But whoever seeks God without any special way gets him as he is in himself, and that person lives with the Son and is life itself."
This entry was posted in Interreligious Dialogue on September 30, 2014 by Monksway.
Sannyasa–Part V: Diksa
Preliminary Personal Note: I have really enjoyed commenting on this essay, and my comments hardly do justice to the depth and power and scope of this work. They are merely a personal reflection and not meant as exhaustive–but I do hope they lead you to your own extensive perusal of this topic in Abhishiktananda's words. In my opinion this essay may very well be the most powerful and deepest statement you will find on the monastic charism in ourtime–even though it has to do with the Hindu culture and its manifestations.
So now we come to the fifth and last part of this remarkable essay by Abhishiktananda. Here he steps back a bit from his uncompromising negations of the previous parts, especially of the previous section. But that would be a superficial way of looking at it. There is also an interesting history to this section. Apparently he had written a version, not as rich or as positive as this final one; then he seriously rewrote it after he experienced the so-called "ecumenic diksa" in which his one and only disciple was initiated into sannyasa using both Christian and Hindu elements. This turned out to be a truly eye-opening experience for Abhishiktananda.
So the topic of this section is "sannyasa-diksa–the ceremony of initiation into sannyasa , something like monastic solemn vows. We are here in the realm of manifestation, the world of phenomena. Truly this does look like a "step down" from the heights he had taken us to in the last two sections. But it would be a serious mistake to really think that. He is not abandoning or contradicting the profound negations and renouncements of the last sections; rather here he simply brings us to the "other pole" of the mystery of sannyasa, the one that is discovered in the world that is manifest. Recall the overall structure of his presentation: "on the one hand this is true"; "on the other hand that is true." He is not vacillating here; he has not changed his mind or become unclear; he is not trying to have it both ways. It is simply that the reality of sannyasa in its essence is lost in the Ultimate Mystery beyond all words and expressions, and so only a discourse clothed in paradox can even hint at it.
Before we plunge into the positive stuff let us revisit the negations–true sannyasa is always "not this, not that"–with some additional material. First I would like to point out that the radical renunciation of the sannyasi, in whatever form it may appear, is close to the radical poverty that Merton speaks of in some of his writings, especially pertaining to solitude and the hermit life and sometimes when he was trying to communicate the inner ambience of a real communion with the Divine. This always takes place in utter spiritual poverty and nakedness–truly the sannyasi is a sacramental image of this reality.
Secondly I would like to point to those words of that great Desert Father, Macarius, who once said, "I am not yet a monk, but I have seen monks…." Well if Macarius is "not yet" a monk, the rest of us are still light years away! The fact is that Macarius is alluding to that same reality that Abhishiktananda is trying to get us to see: the utterly transcendent nature of the sannyasi/monk reality, one that is best indicated by a kind of apophasis or negative identity: as Abhishiktananda would have put it: I am not yet a sannyasi but I have seen sannyasis. Anyone who is too eager to flash his sannyasi "badge" or credentials, has probably not yet awakened yet in any significant way to that transcendent reality.
But having said that we now enter the substance of this section of the essay and enter the world of affirmation and manifestation. It is not that in sannyasa "what you see is what you get"–quite the contrary, what you often see is a kind of religious façade or fakery or imitation of the "real thing." In true sannyasa, however, what you see is not just a hint of the reality, or a "pointer" but that which also truly participates in that reality. And this is very important and we shall shortly touch on that. But first Abhishiktananda advises us: "For this reason, despite the risk of sclerosis in anything human that becomes an institution, it is none the less good for society to allow a place for monks and publicly to acknowledge their condition as 'apart'. Further, it is normally through the institution of monasticism that the Spirit reveals himself in making his call heard by those whom he chooses–even if, later on, this very same call thrusts them remorselessly beyond all signs."
Now in large part this section of the essay seems to fall into two unequal halves. The first one is the longer one and it pretty much discusses what one might call the "theology and phenomenology" of sannyasa-diksa; and the second part is a much shorter description of an actual rite of initiation with Abhishiktananda's commentary. What makes the first part so effective and so convincing is surprisingly the power of Catholic sacramental theology. This is often overlooked but Catholic sacramental theology (and a very different variant in Orthodox theology) has a depth and a beauty that is not enough appreciated by spiritual seekers, but it was something that Abhishiktananda was very well educated in and this served him well in understanding and interpreting sannyasa- diksa. Another element here that helped him was his more recent acquaintance with the Jungian study of symbolism and the studies of Paul Ricoeur. All this keeps his presentation from being merely an explication of surface signs, a kind of matrix of superficial pointers like in an allegory–this means that, and that means this, etc. Too often all religious ritual gets reduced to that, but Abhishiktananda's immersion in Catholic Eucharistic theology led him to understand and appreciate how each element of sannyasa-diksa can be seen as already a participation in the Ultimate Reality.
Abhishiktananda: "It would certainly be wrong to regard sannyasa-diksa as an empty sign with no real content. Its rich significance entitles it to be termed a 'symbol' rather than a sign (to adopt the widely accepted distinction in contemporary thought, with which is related the recent treatment of the Christian sacraments as symbols.) Sannyasa-diksa in fact carries all the concreteness of a symbol whose roots penetrate to the very source of being itself–so deeply that in some sense it bears within itself the very reality which it signifies." Now this of course is Catholic sacramental theology applied to sannyasa-diksa, and it is effective as far as it goes. However, there are several "knots to untie." First of all no matter how deep or beautiful or profound the symbolism concerning sannyasa-diksa it still nevertheless does not mean that this initiation truly effects what it symbolizes–though it can be quite moving as it was for Abhishiktananda during the "ecumenic diksa." To what extent the outer symbolic matrix corresponds to the inner orientation toward the Transcendent remains unseen. But regardless of which tradition you follow, it must be said that the Transcendent Reality is always Beyond even the deepest symbolism–and this Abhishiktananda has said over and over. The second thing is that the symbolism of each tradition is like a language that leads one on a very particular path and usually it is not coherent to mix the symbols of different traditions. Thus I was very curious how Abhishiktananda accomplished the "ecumenic diksa"; and at least from what I have read, it seems to have been an unusual, an exceptional, but successful blending of both Catholic and Hindu traditions in a very discrete and delicate manner.
Now of course Abhishiktananda recognizes and recommends that the initiation into this "life of renunciation" is best done within the symbolism of the religious tradition in which one has so-to-speak grown up in. This is the natural and normal development–but even here Abhishiktananda has been quick to point out that even if there is no trace of formal sannyasa, the reality of sannyasa should be informing the candidate's heart and broadening his/her horizons concerning that which they are undertaking. Abhishiktananda: "While it is true that monastic life is transcendent in relation to any dharma, it is perfectly natural for the 'profession' or initiation which marks the official entry on monastic life to be performed within the particular religious tradition into which each individual is born and in which he has grown up in the Spirit. As long as we remain at the level of signs, the best signs for us are normally those among which we first awoke as men, and as men devoted to God, even if later on those signs have to be purified and freed from their limitations and particularity."
The example of the Hindu sannyasi, however, can be so compelling and so attractive that even the Christian monk may be deeply drawn into this total self-surrender to that Absolute Mystery within them and about which their monastic vows hint. For some it is not enough to discover the inner Reality; they feel the need for that outward expression that initiation into sannyasa brings–diksa. It confirms their path in life when a lot of other signs may point in other directions and a lot of other voices are calling them in different directions. The problem is that the symbolism of formal sannyasa is truly the "offspring" of Indian culture and what such symbolism might mean outside that culture is a matter of concern. Abshishiktananda recognizes that problem and he considers the possibility of a "universal ceremony" which of course is not really tenable: "One might dream of investing sannyasa with signs of universal significance, both as regards the rite and in the external appearance of the sannyasi. But by definition all signs are particular, belonging as they must to some given culture and milieu. Once again we are face to face with the paradox…at the heart of sannyasa, that it is at the same time not at home in any world (aloka) and also present to all worlds (sarvaloka), the sign of what is beyond signs. Inevitably we are led back to the original sannyasa described in the ancient texts as 'without sign' (alinga), 'without rules' (aniyama)." But Abhishiktananda definitely sees the advantage of having the traditional symbolic initiation, both for the individual as a "vehicle of grace" and for the sake of society that it may have this witness within itself of that which always transcends it.
Then ruling out the modern tendency to blur distinct and differentiated symbolism into a kind of "self-contructed" ritual, Abhishiktanda arrives at his own solution that served his purposes quite well–the "ecumenic diksa. Here he is not only dealing on two levels of reality, both the inner and outer; but also with two very distinct traditions, both of which are totally and thoroughly respected by Abhishiktananda in their intergrity : "In this connection it is possible to dream of a kind of ecumenical diksa, a monastic profession to which both a Hindu sannyasi and a Christian monk would be witnesses. The first would transmit to the candidate the initiation which he himself received, and would coopt him into that mystery of sannyasa which has been manifested throughout the centuries by innumerable mahatmas and sadhus, descending from the original rishis who first heard the inner call to the experience of the Self. The other would receive him into the company, no less numerous, of those who have heard the call of Christ to leave all for the sake of the Kingdom, beginning with those giants of the Desert…. Then, beyond that double vamsa, both together, in advaita, will lead him to the one who has called him, to the Spirit, the Inner Light which shines in the heart of all those who are called." He then proceeds to give an overview of this dual rite of initiation and one can sense the beauty and power of it as it unfolded for his disciple, but whether this is easily repeatable for many other people and in many other circumstances remains an open question. Whenever there is a mixture of symbolism from various traditions, there is always the danger that the connections between the symbolisms is on a purely external, superficial level. Abhishiktananda was able to pull off the "ecumenical diksa" because he himself was deeply immersed in the Mystery which sannyasa evokes.
In conclusion I would like to return to one of Abhishiktananda's central assertions that lifts the whole phenomenon of sannyasa way beyond any problematic of symbolism: "The ambivalence of sannyasa is such that, in the last resort, when stripped of all rules and outward signs, it can no longer be differentiated from the spontaneous inner renunciation of any awakened man. Nothing external can serve as the sign of the sannyasi, just as there is nothing that could be the sign of a jivan-mukta. He may roam through the world like the kesi of the Rig-Veda, he may hide himself in caves and jungles, and equally he may live in the midst of the multitude and even share in the world's work without losing his solitude. The unperceptive will never notice him; only the evamvid (the one who knows thus) will recognize him, since he too abides in the depth of the Self. However, anyone who is already in the slightest degree awakened cannot fail to experience something of his radiance — a taste, a touch, a gleam of light–which only the interior sense can perceive, and which leaves behind it a truly wonderful impression."
Is Abhishiktananda here in these words unconsciously giving a self-portrait!? Like that self-portrait of Van Gogh or of Rembrandt? Not for the sake of self-admiration but only to further confront the Mystery within. Perhaps.
Amen. The End (which is only and always the Beginning).
This entry was posted in Interreligious Dialogue on September 6, 2014 by Monksway.


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Graduating seniors were measured for their caps and gowns and enjoyed looking ahead to commencement at CSUN Grad Fest.
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CSUN men's and women's basketball players finished the 2014-15 season with some hardware from the Big West Conference.


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text:
Circle of Hellenic Academics in Boston
By The National Herald Archive
KYKLOS-EPISTHMONWN-BOSTON-3
BOSTON, MA – An association of eminent university professors under the name "The Circle of Hellenic Academics in Boston" was established for the first time in Boston. The effort was spearheaded by Professors Christos Georgakis, Alexander Mitsialis, Philip Serafim, and Gregory Stephanopoulos.
The groundwork for this effort started in April by the four organizers, and by December the pool of interested persons had expanded to 38 eminent members of the Greek academic community, who now represent the Founding Members of The Circle.
This Assembly is the culmination of those efforts to bring together, in a positive and forward-looking spirit, the substantial potential represented by academics with direct or indirect ties to Hellenism. In the first general assembly, on January 25 at Maliotis Cultural Center, the participants included the following:
Nikolaos Madias, MD. Chair of the Department of Medicine, St. Elizabeth's Medical Center; TUSM Academic Dean at SEMC; Maurice S. Segal, MD, Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine.
Haralambos Gavras, MD. Chief, Section of Hypertension & Professor of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, and President of the Council of the University of Patras, Greece.
Vassilis Zannis, PhD. Chief, Section of Molecular Genetics & Professor of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, and Professor of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece.
Christos Georgakis, PhD. Director, Systems Research Institute and Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Gordon Senior Faculty Fellow of Systems Engineering, Tufts University.
Nicholas Athanassiou, PhD. Academic Director of Bachelor of Science in International Business, Group Coordinator of International Business & Strategy and Associate Professor, School of Business, Northeastern University.
Philip Serafim, PhD. Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Northeastern University and President, Board of Directors, Maliotis Cultural Center.
Stella Kourembanas, MD. Chief, Division of Newborn Medicine BCH, Academic Head of Neonatology, & the Clement A. Smith Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
George Velmahos, MD, PhD. Chief, Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery & Surgical Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital & the John F. Burke Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.
Irene Gavras, MD. Professor of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine.
S. Alex Mitsialis, PhD. Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School.
Evangeline H. Stefanakis, EdD. Associate Professor & Faculty Fellow with Provost, Boston University School of Education.
Elisabeth H. Prodromou, PhD. Associate Visiting Professor, Program in Negotiation & Conflict Resolution, The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University.
Maria Chatzidaki-Livanis, PhD. Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
Christos Zahopoulos, PhD. Executive Director, Center for STEM Education, Associate Professor, College of Engineering & Dept. of Education, Northeastern University.
Alexandros K. Kyrou, PhD. Professor of History at Salem State University.
Grigorios Livanis, PhD. Assistant Professor of International Business and Strategy, School of Business, Northeastern University.
Michael Caramanis, PhD. Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Division of Systems Engineering, College of Engineering, Boston University
Ioannis Livanis, PhD. Lecturer in Political Science, International Affairs Program, Northeastern University
Nikos Passas, PhD. Co-Director, Institute for Security and Public Policy and Professor, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Northeastern University
Othon Iliopoulos, MD. Clinical Director, Von-Hippel Lindau Disease, Familial Renal Cell Cancer Program and Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
Triantaphyllos R. Akylas, PhD. Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Nicholas Askounes-Ashford, PhD. Professor of Technology and Policy, School of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Consul General of Greece, Mrs. Iphigenia Kanara, participated in the event as an observer, and her encouraging and uplifting remarks were enthusiastically received by the participants. Also present was Mr. Dimitris Ioannidis, Esq., of Roach, Ioannidis & Megaloudis, LLC, who has been nobly offering his services pro bono as Legal Counsel to The Circle.
Christos Georgakis presented the history of the initiative, the Mission and the Bylaws of The Circle as they were originally shaped by the organizers. A general discussion further honed the organizational details and the Mission of the Circle and the Bylaws were subsequently voted on by the Assembly.
The Mission of The Circle of Hellenic Academics in Boston includes the following:
1. Gathering of its members around social and, most importantly, intellectual events so that they become better acquainted in ways that are informative, intellectually rewarding, and socially enjoyable.
2. Facilitation and advancement of discussion and understanding of current interest issues by organizing lectures and/or panel discussions.
3. Networking with Hellenic graduate and undergraduate students in North America, Greece or the Diaspora, and provide advice, help, and mentoring.
4. Establishing and managing scholarships to recognize excellence in graduate and undergraduate students with ties to Hellenism who aspire to challenging careers, and organize fundraising tasks for this purpose.
5. Interact, as appropriately, with institutions and organizations with Hellenic interests.
Elections were subsequently held and the following Board of Directors was elected by the Assembly: Christos Georgakis, President; Philip Serafim, Vice-President; Maria Chatzidaki-Livanis, Secretary; Triantaphyllos Akylas, Treasurer; Alex Mitsialis, Media & Communications; and Members: Othon Iliopoulos, Nikos Passas, Evangeline Stefanakis, and Christos Zahopoulos.
Georgakis told TNH that "the idea was born early last year and mostly because I happened to need the help of a colleague in Harvard, because I was responsible to evaluate research proposals of Greek chemical engineers. I needed an evaluation and they suggested a person who responded and returned the evaluation within a weekend. Afterwards I said why don't we know each other? Later, in a social function given by Alex Mitsialis, where Philip Serafim and Greg Stephanopoulos were present, I mentioned that we should do something, and everyone said kick-start this and move forward. We presented the idea to a group of 11, and then we presented it to a larger group or about 50, and most said it was a good idea, and that's how we got started."
He also said that "everyone is enthusiastic" and explained that "participation is not restricted to academics who live in Boston or in New England, but clearly the base of organization will be in Boston. Besides, I do not think there is another city that harbors such a large number of prominent and distinguished educators and scientists."
Georgakis said that "the next step is to incorporate the organization in the state of Massachusetts and, in addition, to apply to the IRS for Non-Profit Organization status." Upon the completion of required legal steps, invitations to join the effort will be extended to qualifying and potentially interested persons within the Greek-American community.
The annual dues for Members will be $250 per year. Georgakis stated that "Members may be Academics who were born in Greece or the United States, but also non-Greeks who have professional association with Hellenic issues" and added "but membership is limited to those with Higher Education Affiliation, and is not extended to all scientists, lawyers, doctors etc., because we want to keep the organization Academic."
Echoes of Greece Concert Performed in Fort Lauderdale, FL
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – The 'Echoes of Greece' concert took place on January 21, featuring Grammy-nominated laouta virtuoso Vasilis Kostas and South Florida musicians Tom Alexander on keyboard, Tom Lee on drums, and Rusty Heck on bass, in an amazing evening of traditional Greek music and jazz fusion at St.
Extraordinary Greek People Book Signing at Embassy of Greece in Washington, DC
GAEPIS-COSMOS FM Honors AHEPA at its Gala in New York

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


43"/47"/50"/55"/65" available, please tick the "Size" above.
1. It adopts 43/47/50/55/65 inch LG/Samsung/AU display with a resolution of 1920*1080, supports Dat, Mpg, mpeg,ts, trp, tp, m2ts, vob,mp4, rm, rmvb, mkv, divx, avi, Motion JPEG, asf, wmv, ts 1080P@30P video (more see chart below).
2. It builts in Digital Power Timer to go on or off 5 different times every day, every "Mon-Fri", every "Saturday-Sunday" of the week, several times per day! It will be automatically on/off after the time interval you select, helping you to use energy more wisely and control your display more easily.
3. Scheduled-Playing : Play designated media files such as videos/musics/pictures/Scrolling Text at designated times.
You can create 3 schedules on Saturday and 4 schedules on Sunday for your showroom.
2). 8:30am – 12:00pm to Play video2 ~20 and slide Pic11 ~ Pic100to introduce your brand/show.
2). 8:30am – 6:00pm Play video31 and slide Pic101 ~ Pic200 with background mp3and Spotanouncement speacailoffer.
5. Caption function: Add/Display scrolling texts on the top/bottom of screen during playing.
10. Aluminium alloy border & Metail housing make it much stronger and not liable to being bent.
11. Rotate the screen 90/180/270 degree easily by using the remote.
13. Slideshow with background music.
All size have Gold version.
Only 42" have Silver version.
Automatic power on and power off on schedule.
6.Transport Wood case to protect the frame from transit damage.
You are most welcome to contact us regardingproduct orwholesale orders via sales@digitalframe0.com.You can also leave your question below.
Bought one for my store, it's really an amazing product, it has more features than I expected. It wasn't easy to find an attractive HD frame in this size. Packaging (woodcase) was very sturdy and secure.
Thank you very much, Robort!


text:
WestMalaysia
IJM Land, Photo Credit to IJM Land
https://www.propertyhunter.com.my/news/2022/06/8306/west-malaysia/ijm-land-sets-its-next-jewel-in-bandar-rimbayu-to-flourish-businesses
IJM Land Sets Its Next Jewel in Bandar Rimbayu to Flourish Businesses
IJM Land has proved time and time again to have the touch of the Midas when it comes to developing not only residential homes but also highly-coveted commercial hubs out of nothing. Bandar Rimbayu's comprehensive and self-sustainable integrated township stands as a testimony to its prowess.
Following the overwhelming response to their vibrant and happening developments like Starling, Robin, and Uptown @ Rimbayu, Bandar Rimbayu is set for prominence with the launch of Uptown Square. Bustling with visitors and residents, the township makes a lively yet busy scene.
Uptown Square is set to turn Bandar Rimbayu into a vibrant township
Synonymous to many of IJM Land's development concepts, Uptown Square is characterised by well-planned placemaking that emphasises high street level vibrancy, as seen in their site plan, consisting of a multi-purpose space and oasis pocket park. The courtyard and oasis park offer the neighbourhood a wide array of options to utilise the public spaces. That may consist of functioning as a sporting venue for sports like basketball, doubling as a flea/night market, exhibition space or a site for festive celebrations.
Given its vicinity to the commercial and residential focal points of Shah Alam and Kota Kemuning, the township has become a local hot spot clamouring with visitors and residents alike. Bandar Rimbayu's strategic location also means having access to four major entry and exit points, including Lebuhraya Shah Alam (KESAS), Lebuhraya Kemuning – Shah Alam (LKSA), Expressway Lingkaran Tengah (ELITE), the South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE) and the West Coast Expressway (WCE), which will be completed in 2024.
Uptown Square is part of Rimbayu Business Hub and has a GDV of RM308 million. There are 119 units in total, with sizes ranging from 3,300 to 7,539 sq ft. The units are divided into two- and three-storey plans, each with a practical layout. The development has multiple entry points featuring a rare but desirable five access and exit points with smartly distributed parking lots. The commercial layout, particularly units with a verandah, offers a more spacious area for a nice business setup.
Rimbayu Business Hub was designed with the greater population in mind and is set to become a well-esteemed business hub featuring an assortment of establishments such as food & beverages, hotels & institutions, residential malls, sports centres, showrooms and corporate offices.
With huge potential as a commercial centre and lifestyle hub, the estimated population of 100,000 in the next five years is expected to create a vibrant community and a bustling lifestyle in Bandar Rimbayu, making it a perfect site for investments in the forthcoming years. Business Owners can be assured of the chance of high return on investments and capital appreciation given their proximity to existing commercial establishments with high footfalls.
(From left) Roy Zeng, CEO of J&T Express Malaysia and Datuk Edward Chong, Managing Director of IJM Land Berhad signing the sales and purchase agreement of 30 acres in Bandar Rimbayu
The success of Bandar Rimbayu is apparent with the entry of J&T's Logistic and Distribution Centre, measuring 30 acres with a proposed investment of RM600 million. Along with J&T, the proposed hypermarket and 3S Centre will bring in a workforce of 4,000, which will benefit businesses such as flea markets, restaurants, and others in Uptown Square. The dynamic and highly advantageous commercial units will likewise provide a life of comfort and convenience to the families and guests who live and visit Bandar Rimbayu.
Uptown Square also made it a point to stress sustainable living by incorporating green-centric elements that encourage the usage of renewable energy sources. In that regard, business owners can also play an active role in reducing carbon footprint while benefiting from much lower electricity billing. The solar PV installations also work efficiently in adding value to the property.
The jewel of Bandar Rimbayu, Uptown Square
Bandar Rimbayu: A booming township
With a GDV of RM11 billion, the 1879-acre award-winning town of Bandar Rimbayu has progressively blossomed into a state of the art township that has become a highly-coveted location southwest of Klang Valley. Following its inception in 2013, Bandar Rimbayu has tremendously transformed into a mature, vibrant and comprehensive township that encourages commercial growth in various components. Through IJM Land's efforts, Bandar Rimbayu is home to the highly-esteemed Oasis International School, The Arc and The Club, which offer a wide range of top-of-the-range facilities.
Bandar Rimbayu's proximity to commercial and residential focal points of Shah Alam and Kota Kemuning has subsequently changed the district into a high catchment region. The township boasts a wide selection of lifestyle conveniences, including a drive-through Starbucks, Mcdonald's and Kenny Rogers. In addition to that, residents and visitors can also enjoy daily activities like grocery shopping in Jaya Grocer or visit lifestyle stores like Mr DIY or Harvey Norman at Quayside Mall.
"The investors and business owners are not buying the shops alone, but the whole businesses' ecosystem that will enable them to succeed and prosper," said Mr Chai Kian Soon, Senior General Manager of Bandar Rimbayu.
Following the purchase of a 2-acre land adjacent to the township to develop a corporate office tower, Bandar Rimbayu's commercial sector awaits robust development, a growing population, and an expansion in buying power as the drive that will lead to the town's true potential. With the addition of the soon-to-be developed Uptown Square, Bandar Rimbayu is well on its way to realising its dream as a self-sufficient township and getaway for trade. The future has never looked brighter.
For more information, log on to www.rimbayu.com.
IJMLand
IJM Land Uplifting the Lives of 50 Families With Preschool Subsidy Programme
Homebuyers Prioritising Space and Peace of Mind Causing a Shift in the Property Trends
Out of the City and Into Seremban 2: Homebuyers Prioritising Space and Peace of Mind Causing a Shift in the Property Trends
Now You Can Get Your Home Approved in Just 10 Seconds With Maybank Home2u!
#IJMLand
IJM Land's Latest Affordable Development Aimed at First Homebuyers


Two weeks ago, somewhat out of the blue, ECB President Mario Draghi issued an odd statement confirming that the European Central Bank needs to approve any operation in the foreign reserves of euro zone countries, including gold and large foreign currency holdings.
"The ECB shall approve both the operations in foreign reserve assets remaining with the NCBs (national central banks)…and Member States' transactions with their foreign exchange working balances above a certain threshold," [he said].
At the time it did not seem notable for any reason other than its peculiar timing, but now things are starting to make more sense as The Wall Street Journal reports that Italy's ruling populists pushed ahead this week with efforts to seize control of the central bank and its gold reserves.


text:
Q: How to prevent someone accessing my iMac My desktop is in the living room where anyone visiting can access it.  I'd like to make it secure from those in my home since I have a roommate.

A: You can't make it truly secure; there is a saying that says given enough time, physical access is root access. That being said, there are some steps you can take to get as close as possible.
FileVault
Enable filevalult. This will keep people from accessing your data if they boot from an external drive.
To do this, go to System Preferences -> Security & Privacy -> FileVault, and click Turn On FileVault. This will most likely require an admin password, and will probably take a very long time, depending on how much stuff is on your computer. That being said, it's worth it.
Screen lock
Enable auto-locking of your computer after a set amount of time. This can be done in System Preferences -> Security & Privacy -> General. Check the box that says require password [5 minutes] after sleep or screensaver begins and change it to your desired amount of time.
Firmware lock
To prevent booting into single user mode or from an external disk without a password, enable firmware lock.
WARNING: THIS IS VERY HARD TO RECOVER FROM IF YOU LOSE YOUR PASSWORD. DON'T LOSE IT.
To do this, shut down your computer and turn it on while holding the Command+R keys. This will put you in recovery mode. Click the Utilities menu, and select the Firmware Password Utility. Click Turn On Firmware Password... and set a password. You will need it to boot from anything other than your main partition, so keep it safe! If you have an older Mac (Pre-2011, I think) there is a trick to get around this, but it requires removing the RAM, so it's pretty unlikely.

A: There's never a way to make it entirely secure, especially with physical access. However, you can significantly increase the difficulty.
I would recommend following this guide by hardentheworld.org to harden OS X. It's pretty long, but I'll list the steps quickly here: bold is more important.

*

*Allow only signed apps

*Check Privacy permissions

*Destroy FileVault Keys

*Disable Bonjour

*Disable Creation of Metadata Files

*Disable Diagnostics

*Disable Guest user

*Disable Handoff

*Disable password hints

*Disable recent items

*Disable Spotlight localization

*Disable Spotlight Suggestions

*Enable FileVault

*Enable Firewall

*Enable screen saver

*Empty trash securely

*Erase free space

*Power off memory during standby

*Require an administration password

*Require password to un-lock

*Save to Disk by Default

*Set a Firmware Password

*Show all filename extensions

*Show when localization is used

*Users privilege separation

In addition, I'd recommend the following:

*

*Enable secure virtual memory (it's on by default)

*Separate your user account from your administrator one

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
/*$Id: SenTestingKit.h,v 1.7 2005/04/02 03:18:22 phink Exp $*/

// Copyright (c) 1997-2005, Sen:te (Sente SA).  All rights reserved.
//
// Use of this source code is governed by the following license:
//
// Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification,
// are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
//
// (1) Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice,
// this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
//
// (2) Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
// this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
// and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
//
// THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS''
// AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
// WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.
// IN NO EVENT SHALL Sente SA OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
// SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT
// OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION)
// HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY,
// OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE,
// EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
//
// Note: this license is equivalent to the FreeBSD license.
//
// This notice may not be removed from this file.

#import <SenTestingKit/SenTestDefines.h>
#import <SenTestingKit/SenTest.h>
#import <SenTestingKit/SenTestCase.h>
#import <SenTestingKit/SenTestSuite.h>
#import <SenTestingKit/SenTestObserver.h>
#import <SenTestingKit/NSException_SenTestFailure.h>

#import <SenTestingKit/SenTestLog.h>
#import <SenTestingKit/SenTestDistributedNotifier.h>
#import <SenTestingKit/SenTestRun.h>
#import <SenTestingKit/SenTestSuiteRun.h>
#import <SenTestingKit/SenTestCaseRun.h>

#import <SenTestingKit/SenInterfaceTestCase.h>

#import <SenTestingKit/SenTestProbe.h>
#import <SenTestingKit/SenTestingUtilities.h>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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-Assisted Missouri State Highway Patrol with a traffic stop in the 800 block of West Main Street.
-Received a report of a violation of an order of protection. This case was forwarded to the Benton County Prosecutor for charges.
-Responded mutual aid to Lincoln Police Department for a fight in progress at Highway 65 and East Main Street.
-Transported a subject with a Cole Camp warrant from Henry County Jail to Benton County Jail.


text:
District Directions 2023Currently selected
You're here: Rocky Mountain School District #6 > About Us > District Directions 2023
District Directions 2023 have been approved by the Board of Education and will take effect January 1, 2019.


What is the landscape (french. "paysage" - district)? Simply beautiful picture?
Linen products from company "Art holding"; Products from the Imperial tree; Technologies of personification of business souvenirs and gifts.


After being dominated by Max and Cat our heroine is forced to make a choice and a confession.
I am programmed to post new releases and other information relevant to the Superheroines Forum. I am also required to harass that ninny, Dr. Smith.


Aykroyd & Sons, Character Options, Blueprint, Danilo among those included in Top 150 Licensees.
License Global has unveiled its 2019 report identifying the world's top 150 licensees with a number of familiar UK names making an appearance.
The annual listing recognises licensees from across all categories, from toys to home textiles, beauty to apparel, food and beverage to arts and crafts.
Familiar names for those of us in the UK include Aykroyd & Sons, Amscan, Character Options, Character World, Corsair, Danilo, Dreamtex, Blueprint Collections, Egmont, GB eye, Misirli, Paladone, Pyramid International, Posh Paws, Roy Lowe & Sons, Sambro and Wow Stuff among others.
Big name toy companies such as Mattel, Hasbro, LEGO and Jazwares are also included.
To read the full listing, simply click on this link.


In the 430s CE, a Tunisian bishop named Septimius Celius Gaudiosus, along with several other of his ecclesiastical colleagues, was unceremoniously set adrift in the Mediterranean on a ship without oars by the Vandal king Genseric, who had just conquered Roman North Africa. The ascendant king's beef with the bishop was due to the latter's refusal to convert to the heretical Arian faith practiced by the Vandals.
Lack of oars notwithstanding, Gaudiosus made his way north to Naples, where he founded a monastery, introduced the Rule of Augustine (a fellow African saint) to Italy, and, according to tradition, was buried, along with other 5th-century African refugees, in the Greek-era catacombs located in what is now the city's Sanità district.
Throughout late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, the catacombs came to be decorated with some of the oldest surviving Christian art, simple representations of grapes, fish, lamb, candles, and images of the Apostles. The Campania region's earliest known depiction of the Virgin Mary was painted in a small chapel, now part of the underground complex, built alongside the tombs for pilgrims and worshippers (it was moved and is now venerated in the nearby basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità).
Thanks to recurring problems with landslides and theft, the complex was shuttered by the end of the medieval age. Many of the catacombs' tunnels were gradually filled by the landslides. Theft of ancient tombs was rampant during the tumultuous Middle Ages—the Neapolitans became protective of their sundry holy possessions after the catacombs of Saint Januarius, Naples' most important saint, were robbed of their patron's relics in the 9th century by the prince of rival city Benevento. After this, the neighboring Catacombs of Saint Gaudiosus were sealed within the walls of the city and slowly forgotten.
Fast-forward to the late 16th century. The basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità was built adjacent to the site of the abandoned catacombs, which were most recently being used as a farm cellar. The Dominican Order that administrated the church excavated the tombs and quickly reappropriated them as a venue for their macabre style of bodily preservation and display. Using the catacomb complex, the monks perfected a mummification process that was highly desired by the wealthy elite of 17th-century Naples, one that had the added bonus of lining the order's pockets.
In the first step of the process, the corpse was placed in a niche carved into the tomb wall. Holes were then strategically carved into the body—its fluids were slowly drained over a year. Finally, the preserved reamins were displayed along the walls of the catacombs. The body itself was plastered over; in its place, the person was depicted as a skeleton in a fresco that connected to the head sticking out of the wall.
The result is an extreme form of memento mori, which highlights of the Dominicans' interest in the head as the center of thought, and thus, the source of knowledge of the divine. Burial in the head-lined tomb complex was so coveted that one of the frescos' painters, Giovanni Balducci, refused payment for his work, accepting instead burial alongside the aristocracy in the catacombs.
The unsurprising hygienic problems resulting from the catacombs' packing of decaying corpses in a damp, closed area eventually led to the Dominicans' abandonment of the preservation practice by the end of the 17th century. Many remains were eventually transferred to nearby cemeteries in the ensuing centuries. Until recently very few knew of the catacombs' hidden existence in the bustling working class Sanità neighborhood. A local cooperative of archaeologists and art historians began to excavate and give tours of the complex in 2006.
Access to the catacombs is available via the tour given by Cooperativa La Paranza. The tours are given in Italian and English, every day of the week, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.


text:
Nel 1507 assunse l'incarico di ambasciatrice spagnola in Inghilterra, diventando così la prima donna nella storia europea a ricoprire tale funzione. Per sei mesi assunse la posizione di reggente del regno d'Inghilterra mentre Enrico VIII era in Francia; in quel periodo, gli Inglesi vinsero la battaglia di Flodden Field, circostanza in cui Caterina giocò un ruolo importante. È considerata una delle donne più religiose dell'epoca.

All'età di tre anni, Caterina fu promessa al principe Arturo, erede al trono d'Inghilterra, che sposò nel 1501, ma il giovane morì appena cinque mesi dopo. Di conseguenza, Caterina sposò il fratello minore di Arturo, che avrebbe regnato come Enrico VIII. Dal matrimonio nacquero numerosi bambini di entrambi i sessi, ma nessuno sopravvisse all'infanzia, salvo un'unica figlia, la futura Maria I di Inghilterra. A partire dal 1525, Enrico intrecciò una relazione con Anna Bolena, una delle dame di compagnia di Caterina.

Enrico cercò di far annullare il matrimonio, innescando una reazione a catena che portò allo scisma dell'Inghilterra con la Chiesa di Roma. Quando papa Clemente VII si rifiutò di annullare il matrimonio, Enrico ruppe formalmente con il pontefice, assumendosi la responsabilità delle questioni in materia di religione.

A partire dal 1530, Caterina fu di fatto bandita dalla corte, venendo confinata in varie residenze reali, senza più la possibilità di vedere  il marito e la figlia. Nel 1533 il matrimonio con Caterina fu dichiarato nullo ed Enrico poté sposare Anna, incinta della futura Elisabetta I d'Inghilterra, con l'approvazione della Chiesa inglese, senza coinvolgere il Papa. Caterina rifiutò di accettare Enrico come Capo Supremo della Chiesa d'Inghilterra e continuò a ritenersi, come del resto fecero la maggior parte dell'Inghilterra e dell'Europa, la legittima moglie del sovrano e regina fino alla morte, guadagnando ampio consenso popolare.

Considerata a quel punto da Enrico solamente come principessa vedova del Galles, passò l'ultima parte della sua vita nel castello di Kimbolton, nel Cambridgeshire, dove morì il 7 gennaio 1536. Caterina godeva di grande popolarità in vita e la sua morte fu molto compianta dal popolo inglese. Il controverso manuale De institutione feminae Christianae di Juan Luis Vives, che sostiene che le donne hanno diritto all'educazione, fu dedicato a lei e da lei commissionato. L'impressione che suscitava nelle persone era tale che persino il suo nemico Thomas Cromwell disse di lei "Se non fosse stato per il suo sesso, avrebbe potuto tener testa a tutti gli eroi della Storia".
Rivolse con successo al marito un appello per le vite dei ribelli coinvolti nell'Evil May Day, per la sopravvivenza delle loro famiglie, e suscitò molta ammirazione per aver avviato un vasto progetto di sostegno nei confronti dei poveri. Era anche patrona dell'umanesimo rinascimentale e amica di grandi studiosi, ad esempio Erasmo da Rotterdam e Tommaso Moro.

Origine familiare
Discendente dal casato di Trastamara, era la quinta figlia del re di Sardegna, Sicilia e re della corona d'Aragona e futuro re di Alta Navarra e Napoli, Ferdinando II (unico figlio maschio nato dal duca di Peñafiel, re di Navarra e della corona d'Aragona, Giovanni e dalla sua seconda moglie Giovanna Enriquez) e della regina di Castiglia e León, Isabella di Castiglia, figlia del re di Castiglia e León, Giovanni II e di Isabella del Portogallo. Sua sorella fu Giovanna di Castiglia, detta la Loca ("la pazza"), moglie di Filippo d'Asburgo (detto "Filippo il Bello") e madre dell'imperatore Carlo V.

Biografia

I primi anni

Caterina nacque nel palazzo arcivescovile di Alcalá de Henares, nei pressi di Madrid, la notte del 16 dicembre 1485. Era la figlia più giovane dei Re Cattolici di Spagna, Ferdinando II d'Aragona e Isabella I di Castiglia. Era di statura piuttosto bassa, con una tendenza alla pinguedine che all'epoca era apprezzata quale segno di buona salute e fertilità, lunghi capelli biondi con una sfumatura rosso-oro, grandi occhi blu, un viso ovale dai lineamenti regolari e carnagione chiara. Discendeva, per parte materna, dalla casa reale inglese, in quanto la sua bisnonna, Caterina di Lancaster, di cui ebbe il nome, era figlia di Giovanni Plantageneto e nipote di Edoardo III d'Inghilterra. Di conseguenza, era cugina di terzo grado di suo suocero, Enrico VII Tudor, e cugina di quarto grado della suocera, Elisabetta di York.

Tutore della sua educazione fu Alessandro Geraldini, noto umanista italiano; con lui, Caterina studiò religione, letteratura classica, storia latina, diritto canonico e civile, araldica e genealogia. Ricevette una forte educazione religiosa e maturò una profonda fede, che avrebbe avuto un ruolo assai importante nella sua vita futura. Imparò a parlare, leggere e scrivere in spagnolo e latino, parlava francese e greco. Apprese inoltre le arti domestiche: cucito, merletto, ricamo, musica e danza, era infatti un'abile ballerina. Il grande umanista Erasmo avrebbe detto in seguito che Caterina "amava la buona letteratura che aveva studiato con successo sin dall'infanzia".

In tenera età, Caterina fu considerata una moglie adatta per Arturo, principe di Galles, figlio maggiore di Enrico VII d'Inghilterra e erede al trono, in quanto poteva vantare un'eminente ascendenza inglese per parte di madre. Attraverso Isabella di Castiglia, infatti, Caterina discendeva da un illustre casato reale inglese, i Lancaster, il cui capostipite fu Giovanni; in particolare, discendeva dalle prime due mogli di costui, Bianca di Lancaster e Costanza di Castiglia. D'altro canto, Enrico VII d'Inghilterra discendeva dalla terza moglie di Giovanni, Katherine Swynford, i cui figli, nati fuori dal matrimonio, furono dichiarati legittimi solo dopo la morte di Costanza e il matrimonio di Giovanni e Katherine.

Ai figli della coppia fu tuttavia negata la possibilità di avanzare pretese sul trono inglese, e per questo motivo la monarchia Tudor non era accettata da tutti i regni europei. A quel tempo, poiché la casata di Trastámara era di gran lunga la più prestigiosa, grazie al governo dei Re Cattolici, il legame tra Caterina e Arturo sia rendeva la casata dei Tudor legittima agli occhi dei reali d'Europa, sia ne rafforzava la pretesa sul trono d'Inghilterra, attraverso l'ascendenza dell'Infanta. Avrebbe inoltre portato alla nascita di un erede maschio che potesse legittimamente e indiscutibilmente aspirare al trono. I due si sposarono per procura il 19 maggio 1499, e intrattennero una corrispondenza in latino finché Arturo compì quindici anni e fu deciso che erano grandi abbastanza per sposarsi.

Moglie e vedova di Arturo

I due si incontrarono in seguito il 4 novembre a Dogmersfield, nell'Hampshire. Poco si sa delle loro reciproche prime impressioni, ma Arturo scrisse ai suoceri che sarebbe stato un "marito fedele e affezionato" e disse ai genitori di essere immensamente felice di "vedere il viso della sua amabile sposa". All'epoca, Caterina, appena sedicenne, appariva come una giovane donna assolutamente piacente per i canoni dell'epoca, bionda e di aspetto prosperoso. A un primo incontro, i due giovani scoprirono di non essere in grado di parlarsi, dal momento che avevano imparato pronunce diverse del latino. Dieci giorni dopo, il 14 novembre 1501, si sposarono nella Vecchia San Paolo, a Londra, anche se - come le vicende successive dimostrarono - non è dato sapere se la giovane coppia abbia o meno consumato il matrimonio.

Una volta sposati, Arturo fu mandato al castello di Ludlow, ai confini con il Galles, a presiedere al Council of Wales and the Marches, in quanto era suo dovere di principe di Galles, e la moglie lo accompagnò. La coppia soggiornò a Castle Lodge, a Ludlow. Pochi mesi dopo, entrambi si ammalarono, forse per la febbre miliare che stava dilagando nella zona. Arturo morì il 2 aprile 1502, mentre Caterina si riprese, ritrovandosi vedova. A questo punto, Enrico VII cercò di impedire che la dote di Caterina fosse restituita a suo padre. Onde evitare ulteriori complicazioni, fu deciso che la ragazza avrebbe sposato il secondo figlio di Enrico VII, Enrico, duca di York, di cinque anni più giovane di lei.

Comunque, la morte di Isabella significava una diminuzione del "valore" di Caterina sul mercato matrimoniale; la Castiglia era un regno ben più grande dell'Aragona ed era stata ereditata dalla sorella maggiore di Caterina, Giovanna, ritenuta mentalmente instabile. Apparentemente, il matrimonio fu rinviato finché Enrico fu grande abbastanza, ma Enrico VII rimandò tanto a lungo circa la questione della dote non saldata di Caterina da far dubitare che il matrimonio avrebbe mai avuto luogo. Visse praticamente da prigioniera a Durham House, a Londra, e di quel periodo ci sono pervenute alcune lettere, indirizzate al padre, in cui si lamentava del trattamento riservatole; in una di queste, gli scrive "Scelgo cosa credere, e non dico nulla, poiché non sono così ingenua come potrei sembrare".
La sua situazione era sotto ogni punto di vista precaria: aveva poco denaro e lottava per mantenersi, dal momento che era responsabile del benessere non solo suo, ma anche di quello delle sue dame di compagnia. Nel 1507 assunse l'incarico di ambasciatore spagnolo in Inghilterra, diventando così il primo ambasciatore donna nella storia d'Europa.

Mentre Enrico VII e I suoi consiglieri si aspettavano che si facesse manipolare facilmente, Caterina dimostrò loro quanto si sbagliassero. Il matrimonio con il fratello di Arturo dipendeva dalla dispensa che il papa, Giulio II, poteva concedere, poiché il diritto canonico impediva a un uomo di sposare la moglie del fratello. Caterina testimoniò che il proprio matrimonio con Arturo non era mai stato consumato, dal momento che, sempre secondo il diritto canonico, un matrimonio non era valido finché non fosse stato consumato. Tale fatto fu considerato di secondaria importanza all'epoca, poiché il papa aveva il potere di respingere qualsiasi obiezione, che fosse causata da motivi religiosi o meno.

Regina d'Inghilterra (1509-1533)
Caterina convolò a nozze per la seconda volta l'11 giugno 1509, sette anni dopo la morte del principe Arturo, all'età di 23 anni, sposando l'allora appena incoronato Enrico VIII, diciottenne in una cerimonia privata, nella Chiesa di Greenwich.

Incoronazione

Il 23 giugno 1509, vigilia dell'incoronazione, la tradizionale processione verso Westminster fu salutata da una folla numerosa ed entusiasta. Come voleva la tradizione, la coppia passò la notte precedente l'incoronazione alla Torre di Londra. Domenica 24 giugno 1509, Enrico VIII e Caterina d'Aragona furono consacrati e incoronati re e regina d'Inghilterra dall'arcivescovo di Canterbury in una sontuosa cerimonia nell'Abbazia di Westminster. L'incoronazione fu seguita da un banchetto a Westminster Hall. In occasione dell'incoronazione, furono nominati molti nuovi cavalieri dell'Ordine del Bagno.

Gravidanze e figli

Il 31 gennaio 1510, Caterina diede alla luce una bambina dopo sette mesi di gestazione, nata morta. Il giorno di Capodanno del 1511, nacque Enrico, duca di Cornovaglia. Visse solo per 52 giorni. Nella primavera del 1513, alla partenza di Enrico per una campagna militare in Francia, Caterina era di nuovo incinta, ma il bambino nacque morto, o morì poco dopo la nascita. Il 18 febbraio 1516, al Palace of Placentia, a Greenwich, Caterina partorì una figlia in buona salute; fu chiamata Maria e battezzata tre giorni dopo, con grandi celebrazioni, nella vicina chiesa dei Frati Osservanti. Nel 1518, Caterina era incinta per l'ultima volta. Diede alla luce una bambina il 10 novembre, ma la piccola era debole e visse poche ore o al massimo una settimana. Caterina ebbe in tutto sei gravidanze.

Influenza
L'11 giugno 1513, al momento di partire per una campagna militare in Francia, Enrico nominò Caterina reggente in sua assenza. Quando Luigi I d'Orléans, duca di Longueville fu catturato alla battaglia di Guinegatte, Enrico lo mandò alla residenza della regina. Ella scrisse a Wolsey che lei e i suoi consiglieri avrebbero preferito che il duca soggiornasse nella Torre di Londra, dal momento che gli scozzesi erano "attivi come non mai" e aggiunse le proprie preghiere perché Dio mandasse loro buona fortuna contro gli scozzesi, tanta quanta ne aveva avuta il re laggiù". La guerra contro la Scozia impegnava l'intero regno, e la regina era "terribilmente occupata a realizzare stendardi, vessilli e insegne" al palazzo di Richmond. Gli scozzesi invasero l'Inghilterra e, il 3 settembre, la regina ordinò a Thomas Lovell di procedere all'arruolamento nelle contee dell'Inghilterra centrale.

Anna Bolena e gli anni del divorzio
Nel 1525, Enrico VIII si innamorò di Anna Bolena, una dama di compagnia della regina Caterina che era più giovane di lui di almeno 10 o 17 anni (la sua data di nascita precisa è sconosciuta). Egli cominciò a corteggiarla, e Caterina, all'epoca, oltre a essere precocemente invecchiata e di salute cagionevole, era ormai entrata in menopausa e non era più in grado di avere figli. Il re cominciò a pensare che il suo matrimonio fosse maledetto e credette di trovarne conferma nella Bibbia, in un passo del Levitico che dice che, se un uomo sposa la moglie del fratello, saranno destinati a non avere figli.

Anche qualora il matrimonio con Arturo non fosse mai stato consumato, l'interpretazione che Enrico trasse da quel passo biblico comportava necessariamente che il loro matrimonio era un errore agli occhi di Dio, e il fatto - rilevato dallo stesso Enrico - che il papa al tempo del matrimonio della coppia avesse avuto o meno il diritto di scavalcare quel particolare impedimento nelle Sacre Scritture divenne uno dei punti di forza nella campagna del re per ottenere un annullamento dal papa regnante,   Clemente VII (1523-34).

È possibile che Enrico stesse pensando all'annullamento già da tempo, ed è altamente probabile che esso gli fosse suggerito dal proprio disperato bisogno di un erede. Infatti, prima che il padre di Enrico, Enrico VII, venisse incoronato, l'Inghilterra era stata dilaniata dalle pretese al trono delle due casate rivali di Lancaster e York, e probabilmente il re desiderava evitare incertezze nella successione.

Enrico desiderava perseguire nell'intento di ottenere l'annullamento. Il cardinale Thomas Wolsey e il legato pontificio cardinale Campeggio, in accordo con il re e su suggerimento dello stesso pontefice, provarono a convincere la regina a risolvere la questione ritirandosi in convento, decisione che avrebbe sciolto il matrimonio con Enrico e sarebbe stata reputata da tutte le parti in causa un onorevole compromesso:

Tale proposta, ancorché presentata con pretesti di riguardo, anche in considerazione della sua salute e della sua età, e con ogni rassicurazione circa il suo benessere materiale, provocò l'ira della sovrana, che rispose: "Dio non mi chiamò mai per il monastero, io sono la vera e legittima moglie del re". Il re ripose le sue speranze in un appello al papato, agendo indipendentemente dal cardinale Wolsey, a cui non disse nulla dei propri progetti. William Knight, segretario del re, fu mandato dal papa per intentare la causa dell'annullamento, per il fatto che la dispensa di Giulio II era stata ottenuta con false pretese.

Allontanamento e morte
Dopo il divorzio, Caterina venne trasferita nel maniero di Ampthill nel Bedfordshire, dove ebbe notizia delle nozze tra Enrico e Anna Bolena, celebrate segretamente nel gennaio 1533, quando Anna era probabilmente incinta di alcune settimane. Il 23 maggio 1533, l'arcivescovo Thomas Cranmer dichiarò ufficialmente la nullità del matrimonio con Enrico e da quel momento Caterina tornò a essere solo "principessa vedova di Galles", lo stesso titolo che le era stato attribuito dopo la morte di Arturo Tudor.

Dopo un breve soggiorno nel maniero di Buckden, Caterina fu infine trasferita nel castello di Kimbolton, nel Cambridgeshire, dove trascorse gli ultimi tre anni di vita, senza più poter rivedere la figlia Maria e persistendo nel rifiuto di riconoscere le seconde nozze di Enrico.

Di salute sempre più malferma, Caterina morì a mezzogiorno del 7 gennaio 1536, tra le braccia dall'amica e dama di compagnia María de Salinas, dopo aver ricevuto i sacramenti. Le sue ultime parole furono: "In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum" ovvero "Signore, nelle tue mani affido il mio spirito". L'ambasciatore imperiale Eustace Chapuys si era recato al suo capezzale per alcuni giorni ma, sperando che la donna potesse riprendersi, era subito ripartito per Londra.

Nel suo testamento, Caterina supplicò re Enrico di assicurare una dote alle proprie dame e concluse "vi assicuro che i miei occhi desiderano posarsi su di Voi più che su qualsiasi altra cosa".

Nonostante voci insistenti parlassero di un avvelenamento, è probabile che la causa del decesso sia da attribuire a un sarcoma al cuore, che, durante il processo di imbalsamazione, apparve di colorito nerastro e coperto di escrescenze, compatibili con delle metastasi. Alla notizia della morte di Caterina pare che Anna Bolena o, secondo Chapuys, Enrico, si vestì di giallo il che fu ritenuto inaccettabile.

I funerali di Caterina ebbero luogo il 29 gennaio 1536 e la salma della regina fu sepolta nella Cattedrale di Peterborough, nel Cambridgeshire, in una sobria tomba tuttora esistente. Lo stesso giorno, Anna Bolena ebbe un aborto spontaneo, probabilmente il secondo o il terzo, in seguito al quale cadde definitivamente in disgrazia presso il sovrano.

Una leggenda popolare vuole che dopo la decapitazione di Anna Bolena, avvenuta il 19 maggio dello stesso anno, i ceri posti presso la tomba di Caterina si fossero accesi da soli.

Al cinema

Ascendenza

Note

Bibliografia

Fonti primarie
 Eustace Chapuys ambasciatore imperiale, 1533 Calendar of State Papers, Spanish, IV.

Letteratura storiografica
 Peter G. Bietenholz, Thomas B. Deutscher, Contemporaries of Erasmusa: biographical register of the Renaissance and Reformation, Toronto, 1985.
 Maria Dowling, Humanism in the Age of Henry VIII, 1986.
 Antonia Fraser, Le sei mogli di Enrico VIII. Milano, Mondadori, 1995. ISBN 88-04-42406-0
 Alison Weir, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Grove Press, 1991.

Letteratura romanzata
 Philippa Gregory, Caterina, la prima moglie, Milano, Sperling&Kupfer, 2009.
 William Shakespeare, Enrico VIII, 1612-1613.

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Caterina
Caterina
Caterina
Caterina

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
9 things you might not know about mosquitoes
By Andrés Rivera C. / 8 December, 2019
One of the most annoying things about going camping are mosquitoes, especially at night. You should just wrap up so you don't get bitten by these insects, but still -adding them year after year- There are things we don't know.
That is why, on this occasion, we will mention 9 things that you might not know about them.
1. How do you know when to stop eating?
Once the mosquito is full, a chemical signal tells it to stop. When that signal is blocked in laboratory experiments, mosquitoes continue to suck blood until their abdomen bursts.
2. They have a statue.
The largest statue of a mosquito is a roadside attraction in Komarno, Manitoba, the mosquito capital of Canada.
Made in 1984, it is made of steel and has a wingspan of 4 and a half meters.
3. Bad vision.
Mosquitoes do not see very well due to the arrangement that their eyes have, so they can see up to 10 meters away, and still have many problems to differentiate between the shape of objects. But even so, they manage to perceive their victims through heat, a kind of infrared vision.
In the dark, they go to sources of heat and may notice differences of up to half a degree of temperature when they are close to their victims.
4. His methods of conquest are similar to that of the human being
When a mosquito detects the buzz of the opposite sex, it synchronizes its own frequency to match that of its potential partner. The most "experienced" mosquitoes, if not hot, can synchronize with the females' frequencies in a couple of seconds.
On the contrary, females take a little longer. This closely resembles the behavior of humans in a club or disco.
5. Why do they attack us?
What mainly attracts mosquitoes to us is the carbon dioxide we exhale. In addition, at night we are the only source of heat working.
Researchers have found that instead of stopping breathing so as not to attract them, we can paralyze their receptors with other odors, for example, chocolate.
6. Females attack us.
Male mosquitoes are herbivores and feed on nectar and other plant fluids. The females are the ones that suck the blood, necessary to obtain the proteins to make the eggs.
Both sexes are relatively easy to differentiate: while male mosquitoes have feathery antennae, females have a sucking device that projects forward to the head.
7. The bites we have left.
When a mosquito bites the skin of an animal begins to absorb the blood, and while doing so it leaves traces of its saliva on the skin that serves as an anticoagulant, to prevent its food from becoming rigid, making it easier to eat. But most of us have a natural allergy to your saliva, which is what causes the characteristic itching of mosquito bites.
8. Its reproduction is short but effective.
Mosquitoes can mate in the air and sometimes intercourse takes no more than 15 seconds and a female mosquito can lay between 100 and 300 eggs at a time and can produce between 1,000 and 3,000 young in the course of its life.
9. The mosquito is the deadliest animal on Earth.
That's right, it's not the hippo, the spider, the sharks or the lions, it's the mosquito.
Millions of people die annually from diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, including malaria, leishmania, dengue fever, yellow fever and West Nile virus.
tags: deadliest animal, how mosquitoes reproduce, things you might not know about mosquitoes, curiosities of mosquitoes, wake up knowing, difference between female and male mosquito, mosquito statue, Komarno, Mosquitoes, mosquito reproduction, mosquito vision
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text:
Wine 8.0 Released — and Plenty of Improvements are Included – Slashdot
10 Places That Will Accept Shiba Inu as Payment in 2023
The bizarre 'To Leslie' Academy Awards controversy, explained
MEMAG hits $1.5m milestone as presale is ending – last chance to buy!
Metaverse Standards Forum Makes Data Interoperable but Only for Big-Tech
Members of Metaverse Standards Forum are leading the development of interoperability standards to drive the growth of the metaverse
The Metaverse Standards Forum is a unique venue for coordination between standards organizations and industry, with a mission to foster the pragmatic and timely standardization that will be essential to an open and inclusive metaverse. As big tech is racing toward the development and adoption of extended reality, the debut of the metaverse is nigh. On June 21, 2022, brands gathered together for the founding of the Metaverse Standards Forum. On board are 37 members, including Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Adobe, Epic Games, Qualcomm, and more that are leading the development of interoperability standards to drive the growth of the metaverse. The idea is to build open and interoperable standards for metaverse experiences. According to tech companies and experts, the metaverse is going to be a futuristic virtual world that we all spend our lives in, shopping, playing, and socializing.
Industry-leading computer graphics card maker NVIDIA brings forth expertise in 3D simulation and artificial intelligence to attract developers to explore the continuity and immersive experience the open metaverse introduces. The Metaverse Standards Forum is aimed at what Trevette refers to as "connectivity and spatial computing": essentially, the connection and interaction between real-world objects and virtual worlds. This can include everything from technology like digital twins—virtual, industrial environments that mirror the real world, used to study or test things that would be impractical to test in real life—to, well, videogames.
EarthID joins Metaverse Standards Forum
EarthID which identifies itself as a global Identity management and digital know-your-stakeholders (KYS) Platform has recently announced that it has joined the newly formed Metaverse Standards Forum (MSF). EarthId is an award-winning Decentralized Identity Management platform that allows secure and frictionless exchange and verification of identity information.
According to Business Today, the MSF was formed when multiple industry leaders understood that the potential of the metaverse will be best realized if it is built on a foundation of open standards. The forum is headed by the Khronos Group, a non-profit consortium working on augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more.
Interportability and open standards
EarthID also stressed the platform also stressed on how interoperability and open standards would push growth in the metaverse.
A company release said: "Interoperability and open standards will hold the key to adopting metaverse-based ecosystems. We at EarthID, have joined the forum to drive frictionless adoption of Web3.0 and metaverse use cases by contributing to building open standards in identity access management and privacy-preserving technologies."
The decentralised identity platform also highlighted its other associations in India via which it is working on real-life applications of the metaverse. They highlighted: "We have also forged a partnership with Mindtree in India and continue to engage with consulting firms in India to co-create innovative metaverse use cases."
Interoperability is the driving force for the growth and adoption of the open metaverse. Hence, the Metaverse Standards Forum aims to analyze the interoperability necessary for running the metaverse. More than 30 companies took up their respective posts as founding members of the forum. Game developers, architects, and engineers are mere clicks away from building the next cutting-edge metaverse project with artificial intelligence and advanced hardware. Setting interoperability standards with consideration to available technology is crucial to the mass adoption of the metaverse.
Similar to the Metaverse Standards Forum, some key players are missing from the Oasis Consortium, like Meta. And in the past, groups like this have become smaller and smaller once internal conflict inevitably arises. The Metaverse Standards Forum is led by the Khronos Group, a nonprofit consortium working on AR/VR, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more. Khronos has already tried to set a standard for VR APIs with its similarly named VR Standards Initiative in 2016, which included companies like Google, Nvidia. Epic Games and Oculus, which is now part of Meta.
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Welcome to "Making an 'O' with Your Own Two Hands 101." Some of you will be photographed, some will be on video at a national sports venue, so let's get this right! Touch your fingertips plus your thumb tips together. Now create a circle; yes, an O is a circle. Well, some of you need to work on that. You're making a triangle and some of you a pyramid. You will be tested soon! If you can't accomplish the task, please keep your hands to yourself!
The Winter 2015 Oregon Quarterly made mention of Professor Luther Cressman. I recall a photo of Cressman in the Quarterly some years ago. He and another professor are standing in front of a 1920s automobile, both dressed for field work in eastern Oregon, looking like Indiana Jones and Hiram Bingham, and packing serious large pistols. Please find some excuse to print that photo again.
I was impressed with the article regarding Aisha Almana, BS '70 ("Driving Change," Winter 2015), instigating the protest allowing women to drive and working on the women's right to vote—I love her audacity, bravery, and courage in Saudi Arabia, which denies some of the best minds to bloom (many thanks to her father). I want her to know that America was just as backwards in the early 1900s; our right to vote changed in August 1920 when the 19th Amendment was finally ratified. Her perseverance will change the world and maybe, just maybe, raise the consciousness of some of the men in that part of the world.


text:
Cheryl Yang spokesperson for lingerie brand
Actress Cheryl Yang recently renewed her contract as spokesperson for lingerie brand, Mode Marie, earning a reported annual sum of TWD$5 million (approximately S$210,000).
The company, Mode Marie, claimed that ever since Cheryl took on the spokesperson's role for the Greater China region in 2008, lingerie the actress wore were sold out as soon as they hit the market.
On the set of the recent commercial shoot for the lingerie brand's newest line of bras, Cheryl exuded sexiness. In an attempt to break away from her usual image, the actress specially spent five days on the shoot. It took one day just to settle on her hairstyle for the shoot.
After the shoot, Cheryl quickly returned to her usual hair colour as she was still currently filming the drama, Zhong Wu Yen. The actress had no qualms about sacrificing her hair, quipping, "I really like having straight hair. I especially treasure this chance where I get to lengthen my hair."
Apart from Cheryl, other Taiwanese female celebrities who are spokespersons for lingerie brands include Joe Chen, Tammy Chen and Sonia Sui. However, none of them are as experienced as the actress. In a span of three years, she had shot about 10 lingerie commercials.
Cheryl's professionalism could be a reason for her being in high demand. She would personally model the lingerie no matter how cold the weather was. She also did not demand for crew to clear the set prior to the shoot. She expressed, "I did everything in lingerie commercials. It's a breakthrough."


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