When we are at our computers reading blogs or browsing social media, are we participating in virtual community or real community? The last time you were planning a church event or having a conversation with fellow Christians, was this real ecclesial networking or virtual ecclesial networking? If you watched the opening worship of the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church this afternoon via live-streaming, was that a virtual or a real experience? How would we decide?
Consider a comparison example. I go to an Episcopal outdoor prayer chapel to pray Compline. Nine people gather, and we pray the service and lections out of the Book of Common Prayer. A worship leader leads the prayer office, and members of the community volunteer to read lessons and chant. Afterwards, we sit around and talk for a while, especially spending time asking each other about the specific prayer requests each of us had lifted during the prayers. Then we go home.
In describing what I have described in the preceding paragraph, how important is it to the description that all of this took place via avatars in Second Life, at St. Matthew's by the Sea on their prayer labyrinth? Does it modify the extent to which you consider it to have been an authentic worship experience, and if so, what are the theological or social presuppositions that lead you to that conclusion? Conversely, if I had described such a setting as taking place at an Episcopal congregation I was visiting while on vacation, would your assumptions concerning the authenticity and reality of those encounters be different?
I describe these two settings, and ask these sets of questions, because it is my considered opinion that we have not yet thought at all clearly about the difference between the virtual and the real, and have largely been blind to the effects of new media transitions as they are occurring. In the latest round, as the church has tried to make sense of Pokemon Go, most theologians and church leaders aren't even knowledgeable about the difference between between virtual and augmented reality.
As we address this challenge, it is wise to remember that "the Web itself is not very old, and it didn't become a mass phenomenon until relatively recently… Under the circumstances, it would be a great surprise if we yet knew what the digital sensorium turns out to be like, or what effects it might have on us. Results of studies right now might, for instance, be picking up only (or "mostly") the effect of switching from a mostly-physical ecology to a largely-digital ecology. We don't have a lot of perspective on the changes in which we're participating." However, given the ever-increasing importance and impact of the "digital sensorium," we are responsible for gaining as much perspective as we can.
Our first task is to come to our labeling of the "virtual" context with some humility. By virtual church typically we mean any kind of church that takes place in digital contexts. However, A K M Adam's subtle labeling of ecologies as either "mostly-physical" or "largely-digital" is helpful. The standard terminology sets up perhaps an unnecessary distinction between two contexts that are less distinct in reality. The fundamental philosophical question is whether or not any aspect of life is actually "unmediated." Contemporary media studies would remind us, if nothing else, that all of life is mediated, and much more is media than we are often aware.
Take, for example, any person's physical presence in a physical community. Although we tend to live as if we are really present in these contexts, our entire presence is mediated. We are mediated through our language, through the persona (avatar, mask) that we put on for various contexts. In the contemporary social media context, we are further mediated by the ambient intimacy of social networks that update us on the life and thought of those we will, sometimes if not always, see in physical contexts. We are, to varying degrees, different people in the work place, at home, on Facebook, in LinkedIn, or at church. All the digital sensorium does is remind us once again that we are mediated in this way. As danah boyd notes in her essay on American teen sociality in networked publics, today's teens are "the first generation to have to publicly articulate itself, to have to write itself into being as a precondition of social participation." Which is to say that this generation is not so much different as it is simply the first, and so more notable.
Augmented reality further complicated our descriptive work, because the layering of the digital and the physical is mingled in tangible ways... there are maps on top of maps, digital creatures co-inhabiting space with players, who are themselves their own kinds of avatars navigating real and virtual space.
At this point you may be asking how precisely this conversation is theological rather than ethnographical, or an exercise in media studies with a quasi-religious studies component. Conducting our review of "virtual church" in this way, however, should send our reflections back to the many places in Scripture where mediated presence, and differentiations between the real and the virtual, come into play.
Some of the most obvious of these include: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). Or taking bread, Jesus says, "This is my body that is for you" (1 Cor. 11:24). Or in Ephesians, the cosmological assertion, "And he has put all things under his feet, and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23). In the first instance, the individual speaker, Paul, is now the mediating presence of Christ in the world. Which is virtual and which is real? It would not be too much of a stretch to argue that in this case, the virtual is more real than the real, whatever that might mean. In the second case, the church has had a long-standing and faithful conversation on precisely how to articulate the presence of Christ in that bread, because it is not exactly clear how simple bread can be the media through which the message, Christ, can both be expressed, and itself be the messenger of the message in the media. Finally, in the third case, the church becomes the mediating presence of Christ in the world, so that a community stands in for the one, but precisely because the one is already community. All of which illustrates not so much a theology of virtual church, but rather how a conversation around virtual church sends us back to our source texts and theological presuppositions and highlights them in new ways.
Or take, as a final example, the most wonderful exercise in media studies in all of Scripture: "We don't need letters of introduction to you or from you like other people, do we? You are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are Christ's letter, delivered by us. You weren't written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. You weren't written on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts" (2 Cor. 3:1-3, Common English Bible). Paul's riff on letters and tablets and believers as living Christ letters illustrates the wedding of media and message in precisely the theological format we need to consider. In this early part of the letter, he uses the metaphor as a rhetorical flourish to win over his readers. Later, however, he mentions his own letter literally, and makes this argument, "I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to intimidate you with my letters. I know what some people are saying: 'His letters are severe and powerful, but in person he is weak and his speech is worth nothing.' These people need to think about this—that when we are with you, our actions will show that we are the same as the words we wrote when we were away from you" (2 Cor. 10:9-11, Common English Bible). Paul argues that his letters themselves are extensions of himself, and representative of him, so that the distinction between the media he sends and himself as the messenger authoring the message, is a relative one—and he makes this argument in the context of a letter, while he himself is absent physically. This last point is especially important, if often overlooked.
Paul's example should guide us to consider something about his ministry worth emulating, namely, that a letter or other media we make use of to extend ourselves is not a vehicle through which "real" ministry is accomplished, but is itself the ministry. Churches that "get" this use digital media as ministry, rather than as tools to communicate about ministry. Perhaps this is an easier concept to embrace when speaking of social media, but still worth noting, since in the transition to new media, it is often the tendency to focus on the media itself rather than embrace the media as an extension of the message and messenger. New technologies are self-referential until they cease to be.
This kind of language illustrates how immersive the virtual world can be, inasmuch as language then develops to point back to the world outside/inside the virtual environment.
In these contexts, the church needs to bring the same kinds of critical tools one brings to mission, in order to understand the context adequately. "The virtual world is a new mission field. We are called by God to pitch our tent in this strange land and learn the language, so that we can share God's love." It may seem obvious, but clearly has yet to be embraced as a practice, but the way you do mission is by going or being sent to the place the church, responding to the call of God, sends you. Few of us would respect a missionary who expressed all kinds of thoughts about reaching the people of the Ukraine, but had never been there, and everyone knows that in order to be a missionary in a foreign context for the long haul, the best first step is to learn the language.
With virtual worlds, the step into the mission field is tremendously simpler and more fluid than mission to foreign countries or new geographical contexts. If you have a computer and an Internet connection, you can be on Second Life or playing World of Warcraft in a matter of minutes, for free. If you have a phone, you can be engaged in an augmented reality app in minutes. And not all of them are games. Increasingly, we are going to have layers of augmented reality co-existing with physical reality, and they will blend to such a degree as to be indistinguishable.
Walking about in a virtual world, though in many respects no different from walking around in a physical city, does highlight aspects of walking around we are less aware of in physical environments. If we decide to walk in the city, we probably select specific clothes to wear out and about. In the virtual world, you actually dress and create your avatar, to represent you in that environment. These two practices, one in the real world, and one in the virtual world, are not as dissimilar as they first appear, although the technology of the second draws attention to itself for most users more starkly than the clothing technologies of the first.
Ward's concept of liquid church offers a third way, a way around the forced dichotomy between "real church" and "virtual church." Instead, the church "goes with the flow" of the Spirit in the freedom of God because the church is not here in one way and there in another, but is constantly extended, a flowing ecclesial life, through the mediation and participatory power of the message, who is also, in the case of Christian theology, also the messenger.
I have the sense that many theologians or church practitioners, as well-meaning as they are, are seeking a "theological analysis of virtual church ministry" because it would offer a conversation in our own language about a missiological context. The actual analysis we have conducted here, however, has problematized the encounter, because if ethnography is Christian theology, then the kind of analysis we seek requires not the iteration of regular theological language in such a way as to speak virtually of the virtual church, but rather requires immersion in the actual context of the virtual world in order to learn the language, participate and be mediated there, so that theology can be an exercise in a real ethnographic experience of the virtual, rather than a virtual conversation about the virtual we assume to be the real deal.
Woody Allen said that 90% of life is just showing up, something that applies equally well to ministry—so go get your avatar, and start walking around.
 Marshall McCluhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (Ginkgo Press, 2003), 68.
 I am consistently surprised, for example, by the number of clergy I encounter who are willing to have an opinion about ministry and worship on Second Life or Pokemon Go who are not willing to actually try it out before they develop their opinion.
 Douglas Estes. Simchurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World (Zondervan, 2009), 223.
 A K M Adam, private correspondence, May 19, 2011.
 Hence the Marshall McCluhan quote that heads this essay, which recognizes that media are extension of humanity that, the longer we use them, the more they are displaced in our perception of them.
 Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson, Infinite Reality: Avatars, Eternal Life, New Worlds, and the Dawn of the Virtual Revolution (HarperCollins, 2011), 3.
 Douglas Estes, Simchurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World (Zondervan, 2009), 226.
 See, for example, the recent collection of essays edited by Christian Scharen and Aana Marie Vigen, Ethnography as Christian Theology and Ethics (Continuum, 2011).
 Pete Ward, Participation and Mediation: A Practical Theology for the Liquid Church (SCM Press, 2008), 95.
 Michel de Certeau, The Practice of Everyday Life (University of California Press, 1984), 110.
 Pete Ward, Participation and Mediation, 137.
 For full disclosure, although I'm writing about immersive virtual worlds, and challenging us to go there, I have only scratched the surface of what it means to be in these mission fields. I am seeking to listen to my own challenge as much as challenging readers to do the same.


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The Way Forward in (and OUT of) Iraq: Americans are Angry
Steve Clemons - November 27, 2005
The Los Angeles Times editorial page is sizzling with anger today about the Bush administration's missteps in Iraq.
The piece starts with the sardonic note that although Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish leaders all agree on one thing: America has to leave, the Bush administration has not yet tied them to Michael Moore (as they did with Congressman Murtha) because they have not yet set a departure schedule.
Read the entire editorial, but it opens:
IRAQ'S SUNNI, SHIITE AND KURDISH leaders have finally found an issue on which they agree: a timetable for the U.S. to leave Iraq. That's fine. They have also agreed it's permissible for insurgents to kill U.S. soldiers. That's dreadful. But it's also the realization of prewar fears that if the aftermath of the invasion went poorly, American troops would be viewed not as liberators but as occupiers.
The politicians did not spell out an exact date for U.S. troops to leave. That may be the reason the White House so far has not linked them to filmmaker Michael Moore, as it did 10 days ago in smearing decorated combat veteran Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) when he called for a immediate withdrawal of troops.
Although President Bush long ago declared victory in Iraq — remember that "Mission Accomplished" banner? — both the fighting and the administration's campaign against its critics continue at a torrid pace. The death toll of U.S. troops in Iraq topped 2,100 in the same week that Vice President Dick Cheney called some critics of the war "dishonest and reprehensible."
The editorial also exposes to greater public daylight the administration's obsession with finding evidence, even bad intelligence, that made its case for war:
Last Sunday's Times report on the Iraqi informant with the apt nickname "Curveball" was a devastating portrait of the deeply flawed prewar intelligence constantly promoted by the administration as it lined up the tanks, planes and troops in 2003.
The report quoted German intelligence officials as saying they warned U.S. colleagues of the unreliability of Curveball, a defector who was critical to the administration's claims that Saddam Hussein possessed biological weapons. If those red flags did not get to top officials, who hid them? Who's accountable?
Cheney's speech on Monday worked in the usual reference to 9/11 in the same sentence as Hussein. Yet once again it's necessary to point out that Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11. The vice president also cited the prewar declarations from many nations that Hussein probably had the most devastating weapons. But he neglected to say that Hussein at the eleventh hour allowed U.N. weapons inspectors into the country, that the initial inspections turned up nothing and that the administration refused to wait for more complete searches.
Only after the successful military campaign did the thorough search occur; as everyone now knows, Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. That was the selling point for the war. Later justifications of removing the dictator and transforming the nation into a beacon of democracy shining throughout the Middle East were runners-up in the explanation derby.
The administration used too few troops for postwar reconstruction, misunderstood how occupation forces would be viewed, did not dispatch enough who understood the language and culture and refused to listen to those experienced in nation building.
The world understood the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, the source of the 9/11 attacks. The Iraq war has squandered the goodwill. A survey of 16 nations in June found the U.S. "remains broadly disliked" in most countries surveyed, with the Muslim world "quite negative." Even more ominous was another survey that found 42% of Americans agreeing that the U.S. should "mind its own business internationally" and let other countries do as best they can.
So far, George W. Bush has traveled off to major summits in Latin America and Asia — both failed trips from the perspective of securing U.S. deals the administration hoped to secure. Such trips are often used to "change the topic of conversation" with the American public, or to distract Americans from some other issue.
But the Bush administration, thus far, has been unable to get away from the now constant drum beat from critics angry about the administration's abuse and misuse of Iraq-related WMD intelligence, its efforts to cover up this abuse, and its arrogance in matters like the Valerie Plame affair. Even nominating an anti-abortion conservative to the Supreme Court has made only a modest dent in the public's anger about America's Iraq mess.
John Bolton's UN Honeymoon is Over: US Ambassador Gets Spanked by Great Britain
Enjoy an Open Thread

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Ро́джер Мо́ртимер (; около 1256 — 3 августа 1326, Лондон) — английский аристократ, 1-й барон Мортимер из Чирка с 1299 года, дядя Роджера Мортимера, 1-го графа Марча. Сыграл важную роль в завоевании Уэльса королём Англии Эдуардом I, получил обширные земли в этом регионе. В качестве судьи Уэльса был его фактическим правителем в 1307—1321 годах. Участвовал в ряде походов в Шотландию. В 1321 году примкнул к мятежу против Эдуарда II, позже был вынужден сдаться и умер в Тауэре после четырёх лет заключения.

Биография
Роджер Мортимер принадлежал к одному из самых знатных и могущественных баронских родов Англии. Мортимеры принимали участие в нормандском завоевании и получили обширные владения в Херефордшире и Шропшире, которые в дальнейшем были расширены благодаря удачным бракам и войнам с князьями Уэльса. Роджер был третьим сыном Роджера Мортимера, 1-го барона Вигмора, и Мод де Браоз. Точная дата его рождения неизвестна, но его старший брат Эдмунд родился в 1255 году; соответственно Роджер должен был появиться на свет в 1256 году или немного позже.

Все земли Мортимеров должны были достаться старшему из братьев Ральфу. Эдмунду предстояла церковная карьера, а Роджеру — военная. Ральф умер ещё в юности, так что Эдмунд стал наследником; третий брат ещё при жизни отца (до 1282 года) был посвящён в рыцари. В 1281 году Роджер получил от короля разрешение охотиться на лис и зайцев по всей территории Шропшира и Стаффордшира. В 1282 году он вместе с братьями Эдмундом, Уильямом и Джеффри принял участие в завоевании Эдуардом I Уэльса. Мортимеры сыграли важную роль в этой войне. Они отправили князю Уэльса Лливелину ап Грифиду, приходившемуся им двоюродным дядей, письмо, в котором говорили, что являются его союзниками и готовы присягнуть Лливелину в замке Бильт; поверивший в эту выдумку князь отделился от своей армии с небольшим отрядом, на пути к Бильту попал в засаду и был убит. Именно Роджер отвёз голову Лливелина королю в Рудланский замок.

Несмотря на своё положение младшего сына и младшего брата баронов Вигморских, Роджеру удалось стать обладателем обширных земель. 2 июня 1282 года король пожаловал ему все земли, принадлежавшие мятежнику Лливелину Фичану, сыну короля Поуис Вадога Грифида ап Мадога. В результате в Центральном Уэльсе появилась новая феодальная барония, получившая название Чирк; Роджер построил в своих новых владениях замок, ставший его главной резиденцией.

В последующие годы Мортимер принимал активное участие в войнах Эдуарда I и набирал для короля лучников в своих владениях. В 1287 году он сражался против восставшего Риса ап Маредида из Истрад-Тауи, и ему было приказано оставаться в Уэльсе, пока восстание не будет подавлено; валлийский хронист пишет, что Рису в ходе этой войны удалось взять Роджера в плен. В 1294 году Мортимер сопровождал короля в гасконской экспедиции. Он снова был в Гаскони три года спустя, а в 1300 и 1301 годах участвовал в шотландской войне. Сэр Роджер присутствовал при осаде Карлаверока в 1300 году, он и Уильям Лейбёрн были назначены во время этой кампании проводниками и опекунами принца Уэльского (впоследствии Эдуарда II). 6 февраля 1299 года Мортимер был впервые вызван в парламент как лорд Чирк. В 1301 году он участвовал в работе Линкольнского парламента, где подписал знаменитое письмо баронов к папе Бонифацию VIII с требованием прекратить поддержку восставших шотландцев. Сэр Роджер снова был в Шотландии в 1303 году. Оставив действующую армию без разрешения, он навлёк на себя королевский гнев, и его земли были на время конфискованы.

После восшествия на престол Эдуарда II в 1307 году положение Мортимера улучшилось. Сэр Роджер был назначен лейтенантом короля и судьёй Уэльса, все королевские замки в Уэльсе были вверены его попечению. Владея столь широкими полномочиями при слабом короле, Мортимер получил практически неограниченную власть над обширным регионом: он правил всем Уэльсом как король с 1307 по 1321 год (за исключением 1315—1316 годов, когда в Северном Уэльсе его заменял Джон де Грей). Сэру Роджеру помогал в его работе его племянник, ещё один Роджер Мортимер, барон Вигмор, который теперь тесно отождествлялся с политикой и действиями своего дяди. Лорд Чирк сражался при Бэннокбёрне в 1314 году, участвовал в шотландских кампаниях 1319 и 1320 годов. В 1321 году его полномочия как судьи Уэльса были продлены.

Когда бароны Валлийской марки начали войну против королевских фаворитов Диспенсеров, оба Мортимера поддержали это начинание (1321 год). 22 января 1322 года в Шрусбери им пришлось сдаться. Сэр Роджер оказался в Тауэре; его племяннику удалось бежать, а Чирк умер в тюрьме 3 августа 1326 года. О месте захоронения источники сообщают по-разному: это замок Чирк, Бристоль или Вигморский замок. Последний вариант наиболее правдоподобен, так как именно в Вигморе традиционно хоронили Мортимеров.

Личная жизнь и потомки
Сэр Роджер был женат на Люси де Вальр, дочери и наследнице Робера де Вальра, родившей сына Роджера. У последнего от Джоан Турбервиль был сын Джон. Этой семье не удалось удержать за собой Чирк, перешедший в 1334 году к Фицаланам. Джон Мортимер впоследствии продал свои права на владения деда в Уэльсе. Ни сына, ни внука лорда Чирк ни разу не вызывали в парламент. О дальнейших потомках сэра Роджера ничего не известно.

Вскоре после завоевания Уэльса Мортимер был обвинён перед архиепископом Кентерберийским, посетившим пустующую епархию Херефорда, в прелюбодеянии с Маргаритой, женой Роджера Рэднорского, и другими женщинами. Он усугубил свой грех, посадив в тюрьму священника, который осмелился его обвинить; по приказу архиепископа на Мортимера наложили каноническую епитимью.

Предки

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В художественной литературе
Роджер Мортимер из Чирка стал героем романа Мориса Дрюона «Французская волчица» из серии «Проклятые короли».

Примечания

Литература

Роджер
Бароны Мортимер

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


*Author's note*- So I intend to start myself a little series here. It takes place just before the start of the hundreds year war and a little ways into it. It connects a little with my other story, "Rain". The only real 'goal' I have is to add a human element to this universe, to properly show the horror of the outbreak of a war on a scale that humanity could never have dreamt of, but mostly just to tell the story of average people who live average lives, and to show just exactly what we lost in the hundred years war.
"Fascinating." Mattis took a sip of coffee. His emerald green eyes swept over the street outside the café lazily. Wes kept talking, but Mattis drowned it out. He was watching the moths trace little circles around each other under the streetlight. He didn't know how Wes could possibly have not noticed that he wasn't listening, but he was glad he didn't.
The moths had blue wings. They weren't native to the planet; they were brought here in the cargo bays of ships from Earth. Over the last fifty years they had turned blue and nobody really knew why. They just did. Maybe it was something in the air or in the water or in the food they ate. Maybe it was something in the light of the streetlamps they traced their pirouettes under like ballerinas draped in rich blue.
"Pepper moths." Mattis interrupted. Wes cocked an eyebrow. Mattis tapped his coffee cup on the window in the direction of the moths. "They used to be white with black spots, like pepper. Then they turned black when they adapted to tree trunks turning black from coal soot, y'know, so they could hide from birds. Now the ones here on Nyx are blue, but we still call them pepper moths." Wes was silent for a moment.
"So you were listening?" Mattis smiled.
"Any minute now probably. Last message I got from Eve said they were on their way." Wes tapped his finger on the table. The café was dead at two in the morning, just like the streets outside. Nyx was a small colony. The one waiter there sat at the counter reading a book. "Well, im getting more coffee" Wes said finally. He got up and sauntered to the coffee pot.
Mattis took another sip of his coffee. His eyes moved back to the moths, pretty enough to be butterflies. There weren't any butterflies on Nyx, no flowers for them to drink nectar from. Most of the people who lived here had never seen a real flower, but Mattis had. He had grown up on Mars. A planet without flowers, he thought, isn't that just the most tragic thing you've ever heard of?
Outside in the café's parking lot, a white sedan crawled up the entrance ramp. Mattis swiped his hand over the payment pad on the table. The pad detected the chip in his palm, deducted the cost of the coffee from his account and flashed green. He stood up and put four francs down for a tip and headed towards the door. He waved to the waiter, who was too absorbed in his book to notice, or maybe too tired, and signaled Wes who took a big slurp of his fresh cup of coffee and set it down on the counter.
The weather was too great. They drove through the night with the windows open, each of them saying aloud at some point how they wished they were in Daniel's convertible. The moon was out and it was a particularly bright night. They might not have even needed the headlights but Shelly drove with them on anyways because she got a ticket last month and didn't need another one. Evangeline talked for most of the drive.
"So I might not actually pass the exam in Physics four. God it's so stupid… I want to be a writer. Why the hell do I care about potential energy?" She paused. "I mean, it's not like they should actually expect this backwater to be pumping out physicists. The only things close to scientists here are those guys up near Tulsa studying those ruins, and they're from-where was it again? Reykjavik?" Wes laughed from the backseat.
"You're learning potential energy manipulation because it's part of a standard four year curriculum Eva, nobody expects you to be physicist. I, for one, think it's fascinating stuff, but hey, bask in your ignorance if you want." Shelly cut in, her eyes dashing from the road to Eva's face periodically.
"Hey, if literature was a degree I'd go for it. All that school has is a creative writing elective…it's torture." Eva shot back, speaking quickly. Eva spoke quickly when she got flustered, which she did at the slightest provocation. Shelly didn't say anything back and the car was uncomfortably quite for a couple seconds. Mattis just stared out the window. The coffee hadn't done much to wake him up after all. He watched the verdant forests of the island flash by in a long dark smear. Up above the massive green moon looked down on them from the obsidian sky like a huge unblinking eye. Mattis took a deep breath of the sweet air and stared up at it, feeling the hands of sleep tugging him downwards.
Cravenwood was the type of town you might see on the cover of a travel guide. It's cottages and church spire were nestled in-between the rolling hills of an English countryside dotted with sheep and shrubbery. It was almost unbearably stereotypical, and Adis quickly learned that both the sheep and the shrubs were all clones, and were both tended to like plants.
His black rain boots crunched over gravel in the Cravenwood cemetery, about a mile out of town. Squat headstones and mausoleums covered in white blotches of lichen surrounded him, each one silent and brooding. Each headstone was probably a thousand years old. A lot of the people in Cravenwood could trace their ancestry all the way back to the Roman Empire. All of them had traditional English names, and would be buried with certainty in this cemetery where, a thousand years from now, somebody would gaze at their lichen-covered headstones on a rainy day.
"Well hello son!" Adis turned towards the voice. A man in his late fifties stood smiling at him from under a grey umbrella. Adis sighed.
"And cold. AND wet. I'm serious about going inside." Adis chided. His father's brow lowered.
"Ah fine. You know, your brother always did this too. Worried about me too much. I fought a damn war! And here I am getting scolded like a child playing in the rain." He took on a look of consideration. "No no no, I shouldn't be doing this. You're sweet to be looking out for me. I'm sorry. I'm getting old, cranky. Still think I'm up for this kind of thing." Little puffs of white escaped his mouth as he talked. He started back to his cottage and Adis followed.
When they got there they went through a ritual of folding and shaking umbrellas, taking off coats, and unraveling scarves. Adis poked the embers in the fireplace and threw a new log in, tending to it carefully to ensure it caught. His father was talking to him from the kitchen in a voice that wasn't quite a yell.
"So how are you doing over on Nyx?" He asked with sincerity that only a parent could have.
The fireplace crackled with life and Adis sat down on one of the chairs in front of it. His father came in with two mugs of tea, each with the Institute logo on them. Adis took a mug and gazed at the logo as his father sat down in the other chair.
"Well it's a shame those damn corporations never took an interest in our work!" He replied bitterly.
"Well they had already spent billions on us. I think they were concerned that any possible technological advancement that came out of the ruins wouldn't cover their costs." Adis slurped his tea. Both of them silently stared into the fire for a little while. Outside there was a gust of wind and the chimney whistled. The fire jumped a little, and then settled down.
Adis looked at his father and smiled. He couldn't help but smile.
"You know," His father continued "I remember when we took you to Arizona as a little kid. We were out in the bloody desert with Robin and you're mother. You remember that?" Adis nodded.
"You found that Apache arrow head in the dirt, and you just got so excited. You thought you were going to be famous!" Adis' father laughed a dry little laugh that made Adis' smile get bigger until he was laughing too.
Did you ever hear of the Eris Scrolls?
Don't forget to bring your opinion!
Your writing is really good. It's great to have another writer contributing. It makes me want to stop doing schoolwork and try to work more on my writing.
You have a wonderful writing style, really emphasizing the human emotions of the story. Really wonderful.
Carson rolled out of bed in total darkness. The fact that he hit the floor along with the sound of the air conditioning let him know that both gravity and life support were still online. The darkness however meant that a circuit had shorted somewhere. Piece of crap ship, Carson thought to himself.
"Veera, do you think you could turn the emergency lights on please? And have your brother make me a cup of coffee." A robotic female voice answered in the affirmative.
"No thanks, I'm still drunk from last night-er this morning." Blue strips of light flashed on around the walls of the room. Carson grunted and stood up and scratched his head through a tangle of brown hair. His pants lay on the ground with the legs twisted over each other like dueling snakes. He grabbed them and struggled into them in the dim light, then left his quarters and made his way down the short hall into the mess where a cup of steaming coffee was waiting for him.
"If I ate anything I would probably throw it up. Get me some scrubbers, I need to get this alcohol out of my blood." Carson tilted his cup back under the nozzle from which the coffee came and a trickle of grey dropped into it. He took a gulp of the coffee and left it on the counter, heading towards the bridge.
The ship was very small. It was about seventy meters long with a cargo bay taking up much of the interior. That left very little room left for his quarters, a mess hall, and the bridge, all economically designed around a single connecting "hall", in the center of which was a short flight of stairs that led into the cargo bay and a small engineering room. This model of the Yatsunada Zephyr was over eighty years old, and it was showing it. Carson didn't have enough money to fix more than a couple parts on it at a time, and more than a couple parts on it broke frequently enough that he was constantly penniless with a broken ship. The wiring in the laundry system alone violated four sections of international structural code for interstellar vessels. Carson, fortunately, only had four shirts and a pair of pants.
The bridge lit up as he walked in. It was connected to the ship's generator separately from the other subsystems as a precaution. A life-sized hologram of Veera flashed into existence in the center of the bridge.
The window at the front of the bridge untinted and an orb the size of an orange sat dead in the center of it.
The orb jumped forwards filling the width of the window. Around it's equator was the beige-ish brown of a desert. The majority of both hemispheres where taken up by long islands of verdant green sticking up in patches out of a sapphire blue ocean with the occasional small continent. A crescent of darkness enveloped the right side of the planet, in it the few scattered lights of population centers burned steadily. Only one pole was facing the ship, the other was hidden over the curvature of the planet. A readout on one of the bridge's many displays said that it was mostly swampland with a small cap of ice in its centre.
"Yes, the fact that they hired me rather than a, well, lets say a reputed freight service is interesting. I have been turning it over in my head for most of the trip." The nano scrubbers in Carson's system were getting rid of the alcohol. He was starting to feel much better. He swung himself into the captain's seat and brought up an interface with the Nyx port authority. He made sure that the landing clearance he had was still good, then went through the pre-landing ship diagnostic.
Two errors came up in the diagnostic. One was the landing gear, which had been listed as faulty for years but Carson could never find anything wrong with it. He ignored it. The other alert was strange.
"What the-" Carson asked aloud. He ran the diagnostic again but the alert still showed. He looked out the bridge's window. "Veera, return magnification to one hundred percent." The planet returned to its actual size. There wasn't any visible object in front of them; meaning that whatever could be obstructing them would have to be very far in front of the ship. The odds seemed unlikely that something would be in their exact path of travel, next to impossible in fact, especially near a small colony with little debris in orbit. Carson turned on the long-range radar and did a quick scan. Nothing. For a second he wanted to write it off as another glitch but something didn't feel right. He ran another diagnostic and the alert still showed. He ran one more and it disappeared.
"Hmmm." Veera recognized his quizzical attitude and offered help.
Eight thousand kilometers? That was a stones throw away. Nothing on visual, nothing on radar. The rangefinder was a crude system to have detected such an obstruction. Carson found it very strange, and yet the obstruction was now gone.
Must have been a glitch after all.
Shelly hit the brakes hard, and the car swerved a little bit as the tires screamed against the pavement. In front of them was a woman missing an arm. Eva was screaming, a few exasperated words escaping her mouth in between her hysterics. Beside him, Mattis could hear Wes begin to swear in shock. Before he could fully make sense of what he was seeing Shelly was out of the car running towards the woman. Mattis undid his seatbelt and ran after her.
Mattis ran back to the two of them with the first aid kit. Eva and Wes ran up behind him and hovered nearby, frightened and concerned, but weary of getting too close and crowding Shelly while she worked. Mattis got his first good look at the woman as he handed Shelly the kit. She was short, clothed in half a pair of coveralls. The left half her clothing, along with all of the skin on her left half, and the majority of her left arm, was missing. Her arm seemed to wither away just below the shoulder, skin almost neatly cut away, strips of muscle one by one terminating to reveal a bone that ended neatly as well. Mattis could see the muscles in her leg flexing and relaxing as she stumbled wearily around in a circle while Shelly pleaded with her to sit down.
In one instant, the woman turned towards Mattis. Her vibrant green eyes sobered, then softened. Her mouth opened up for a second, her brow dropped and her forehead wrinkled as if she was thinking of something to say. Then as if someone let go of the string that was holding her up, she crumpled and fell to the pavement.
A couple of officers milled about as the EMT unit loaded the woman onto their airship. Mattis and Shelly answered questions while Wes comforted Eva by the car. The head EMT was dumbfounded.
"It looks like she was…disassembled. The flesh on her left side looked to be almost surgically removed… We won't know for sure what happened to her until we examine her back at the clinic but…" He bit his lip; his face was thick with concern.
"That's if she was abducted." Shelly replied.
Shelly started to protest but Mattis put a hand on her shoulder. "Lets go Shell. It's been a long night. I want to go home." Shelly looked at him then sighed and nodded.
The four of them drove home in silence. Shelly dropped Eva and Wes off and they said short goodbyes. When Shelly pulled up to Mattis' house she turned the car off.
"Matt…do you think I could come in for a little bit? I think…after tonight… I just need to talk to someone for a little bit. Clear my mind before bed." Mattis was exhausted, but he agreed.
They drank tea in Mattis' drawing room while his cat stalked the windowsills. They talked about school, sports, gossiped about friends. Shelly barked with laughter as Mattis told her about how Adis got his hair caught in the turnstile for the tram a few months back. The sound of her laughter woke him up, filled him with life. It felt good. After a while there was a lull in the conversation.
"Fear? I don't know. She didn't look scared. She looked like she wanted to tell me something. Like she had just woken up, come out of a trance or something. It was like she had been dreaming, and more than anything in the world needed to tell me what she had been dreaming about." Mattis stared at Shelly.
"Oh hell, is it really six? I have class in two hours!" Shelly got up and headed to the door. She hugged Mattis in the entryway and said goodbye. Mattis closed the door behind her and turned to face his empty house, silent in the early morning twilight. The cat apparated out of the darkness and rubbed itself against his legs, meowing up at him. He leaned down and picked it up.
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Last edited by trooogdooor on Thu Jul 24, 2014 4:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
The Lebanon Shore jerked and shook as it hit the upper atmosphere of Nyx. It's hull popped and groaned as Carson bit into a hard-boiled egg.
Carson touched down without incident. The Lebanon Shore taxied to a hanger on the edge of the field. He disembarked and wandered around his ship for a half an hour, stretching his legs and waiting. He made an inquiry at the port authority about the pickup where an official shook his head and told him nobody had shown up for the delivery. He waited for almost an hour then walked to a duty free bar and started drinking. He thought about money, about how he didn't have any, about how he had dreamed of going to space, exploring the universe. And now he was here. Living paycheck to paycheck with his next paycheck not returning his calls. Well, at least this planet had a beach.
He drank for an hour then headed back to his ship to find two men in uniforms waiting for him. They turned towards him as he approached.
"Are you Carson Kasyhap?" One of them asked.
"I'm Sheriff Ahmad Zareed, this is Sheriff Dexter Ambrose. I'm sorry to tell you this, but we are seizing your cargo for an investigation." Carson stood stunned for a second.
"Wha- what kind of investigation?" The Sheriffs looked at each other.
"That's kind of a difficult question to answer." Dexter replied, after a moment.
The verdant green forests of Nyx flashed by the police airship's windows in a long green smear, breaking every once in a while to show a glimpse of the sparkling blue ocean. Carson stared out the window, chatting with the cops.
"Yeah, My family moved out here about forty years back. My Dad was a doctor; the medical bureau sent him out. I was actually born here. I'm a native Nyxite." Ahmad looked back and smiled.
The ship touched down at a squat concrete building that looked like a bunker on the outskirts of a small settlement. The three disembarked and about two minutes later where inside an office nestled deep inside the structure. Ahmad took his cap off and threw it on the desk, then produced a folio and a recorder from the desk's drawer. He sat down with a deep exhalation and began sifting through the folio. Carson sat down across the desk from him and eyed the recorder.
Ahmad eyed him for a moment then continued. "Alright, do you know any of the following individuals: May Quan, Ellis Arthurs, Juhar Ranjay, Torfi Finnsson, Jon Phillipsson…" Ahmad rattled off another thirty names.
Ahmad pulled a photograph from the folio and laid it on the table in front of Carson. The picture was of a man, maybe in his late thirties, with the bottom half of his face missing. His jaw was gone entirely, his tongue hung limply from the dark hole of his throat. His upper lip was gone as well, strips of muscle hung like ribbons from below the neatly cut skin of his lower face. His eyes stared at the camera, wide and panicked. He was still alive.
"Oh my…" Carson muttered, bringing his hand up to his mouth.
Carson stared at Ahmad for a moment. The image of the jawless man was burned into his vision. He shook his head and wished he was still drunk.
It was mid morning when Adis got the message from Institute. A very exasperated middle management officer called him up asking him where he was.
Adis felt suddenly as if he was in the center of an explosion. He stared at his suitcase under the seat opposite to him in his cabin, reality sliding away from him in a moment of sheer disbelief and shock.
Adis hung up the call and leaned back in his seat and stared blankly at the roof of the cabin. There was almost forty people working at that camp, and he knew every single one of them like a close friend. Alexa, Torfi, Mohammad...he struggled to wrap his mind around the loss. The outside world collapsed inward on him, it's magnitude and weight and cold indifference crushing him down into ball, until all that existed in the universe was this cabin floating in the void.
Adis couldn't decide whether or not the rest of the ride went by quickly or slowly. When the train lurched to it's final stop in King's Cross Adis collected his belongings and left the train. His feet didn't feel like they where touching the ground. He glided through crowds of travelers, off the platform and out into the dreary winter day outside, a cold wind tugging at his scarf and clothing like memories of his friends. It dug deep into him whistling through his bones, filling his soul with the cold and damp and stirring his memories, fears, and regrets like autumn leaves.
He stopped in his tracks. The world slid back into focus.
The door swung open. A young man in an oversized sweater stood behind the threshold, one arm on the door, the other resting on the frame, blocking the entrance in a lopsided hug. There was a puzzled look on his face for the briefest instant, then recognition.
"I didn't tell you." Ewan lips parted a little, a million questions, none of them fully formed, bubbling up behind them. Adis looked a little over Ewan's shoulder.
Adis stepped inside and shook off his outer clothes.
Ewan poured coffee and ladled thick meaty soup into stoneware dishes. He sat down in the living room with Adis and they ate and talked.
"Destiny?" Adis said harshly. He immediately wished he hadn't.
"Well I guess that's one word for it. What I meant was you always had ambition. I guess that's why you're out there and all the rest of us are still…" He made a broad gesture to the apartment around them.
"Well I guess it's all relative isn't it?" He smirked.
Adis shook his head. He could feel his eyes getting hot, tears welling up behind the dark circles on his face.
Adis' voice got high and tight. He buried his face into his hands, his long slender fingers clasping at his head like spider's legs.
Ewan was next to him in an instant, an arm over his shoulders.
Adis looked up at him. His face was red, twisted in agony.
The interplanetary headquarters of the Icelandic Institute of Interstellar Archaeology was a series of angular glass buildings like shards of broken crystal fallen from the steel grey sky into the flat Icelandic countryside. The mag-lev cab glided up to the round about entrance to the campus and set down gently. Adis palmed the payment pad and stepped out into the cold. He gazed at a statue in front of the main building, turning its form over in his mind. It was of a man, his body pocked with tool marks from it's sculpting, emerging from the earth; torso curled backwards, head and arms lifted upwards to the sky. He was so focused on the statue he almost didn't notice the man emerge from the main building and skip down the paper-white bare concrete steps towards him. He was tall and fair and a bit portly.
"Well you are an academic." Adis said. He immediately regretted it but Vilhjalmur laughed heartily.
The shuffled around the circumference of the campus as a light snow began to fall. Vilhjalmur produced two umbrellas, handing one to Adis. They popped them open.
Adis paused for a moment.
"We aren't…I mean we weren't completely sure. At a cursory analysis it seemed similar enough to the others, but some aspects suggested a military application. Perhaps it had been converted towards the end of its functioning lifespan. Just like most of the other's its power source seemed to have been deliberately removed, preventing us from examining the database on site." He sighed.
Adis stopped walking like he hit a brick wall.
Adis nodded. He took a deep breath and exhaled, letting his pain escape in a white cloud of vapor.
The snow began to fall harder, in big white flakes like chicken feathers.
Adis tilted back his umbrella and stared upwards at the clumps of snow falling down on them like flower petals. The howling wind had subsided. The flakes drifted undisturbed in their slow waltz to the ground.


text:
There are essentially 8 steps to becoming a member of the Hillsboro Rotary Club:
Attend as a guest at one or more meetings or functions to assure personal compatibility with club activities, goals, and ethics.
If the candidate is still interested, submission to the Secretary of a membership proposal
biographical form under the signature of the sponsor. This form is kept as confidential as possible.
Evaluation of the submitted information by the Membership Committee. The Membership
Committee then confidentially passes on a recommendation for approval or disapproval to the Board of Directors.
If the Board of Directors approves the sponsor's proposal, a representative of the Membership
Committee meets with the prospective member to assure that the candidate understands club
expectations, including the personal financial implications. Should the candidate agree to proceed, he or she is asked to sign an agreement to authorize release of the candidate's name to the general membership.
Release the name of the prospective member to the general membership for comment. The
existing members have 7 days to make an objection to the candidate's entrance to the club.
Should an objection be raised, submission by the Board of the name to the full club membership
for vote on the matter at the next club meeting. If the vote is favorable, the candidate will become a member upon payment of the initiation fee and dues.
Should no objection be raised, the candidate is considered elected to membership upon payment of the initiation fee and dues.
Formal induction of the successful candidate is scheduled for a subsequent weekly meeting.


Since it's that time of year, what क्रिस्मस presents would आप get the PoM characters?
What lesson can we gain from the movie?
What do आप reckon Skipper's life story is.
(Movie related question) Since they adopted Private when he was born, how do आप think Skipper would've trained him?
How the hell did Alice get a job?
Do आप think Skipper has other fears then just needles.
Do आप reckon Skipper is Private's father and made up the whole Sam Fishy thing for his own protection?
How Old Are The Penguins?
What was Kowalski's most dangerous/ hilariously destructive invention?
I am currently लेखन a कल्पना story based on a POM fanfiction I wrote on deviantart long पूर्व ("The 'Perfect' World"). If it were published, would आप guys read it?
How did आप find Fanpop?
What पेंगुइन Fits Perfect To The Song "Rock DJ"
What 2014 songs would fit the POM characters and couples?
How Do आप Make Tribute Videos?
What parts of the movie आप really like?
What is your favourite quote from every character?
Any idea on what Agent Classified's real name is?
Did आप think Rico its Cannibal?
How many similarities from the TV series were in the movie?
Does anyone know a good (safe) site where I can find the Dr. Blowhole musical special?
Would anyone like to read a Penguins of Madagascar/My Little टट्टू crossover?
Where can I buy Penguins of Madagascar t-shirts for teens?
Is it true that The Penguins of Madagascar दिखाना will continue?
What do आप think should be categories for the POM MV Awards?
So what did आप do at the zoo? Build the sentence!
Do आप guys think that if DW would find another channel to air PoM (not Nick) it would come on again?
What do आप think is Officer X´s real name?
If आप could have one और episode?
some कोट्स for my art project?
Do आप think the Penguins of Madagascar episodes will continue after it's movie?
Which PoM game do आप recommend I buy?
(The Officer X Factor) Why did they drain all the water in the zoo?
Is rage a good idea for the penguins?
Is there still gonna be a PoM panel at Comic-Con?
What's your favourite moment/scene from The Penguins of Madagascar?
I've heard rumors floating around that there will be a POM movie coming out in 2015, but I can't find an actual thing on the Internet saying its true. Is there really going to be a movie? If so, what's the plot, and when's it coming out?
I need help - what episode was this?
Do आप think it's plausible that the 'X' in Officer X might be for Xavier?
will someone pay attention and टिप्पणी दे on my अगला मंच post?
Anyone have OCs that they can't draw?
Who is the best प्रशंसक Fiction writer ever?
So what's happenin' on other sites?
Can someone please ask Rschooley if The पेंगुइन Who Loved Me is going to air this year?
How long does it take to get good टिप्पणियाँ and likes on a fanfiction? cuz I wrote two chapters last weekend and nobody viewed. I'm not trying to be mean या impatient its justthat its my first time doing a fanfic so yeah any tips?
Who's your प्रिय PoM fanfiction.net author?
What's your प्रिय PoM fanfic?
does anyone know who will be voicing the penguins in the 2015 movie that will be coming out?
Do any of आप think Private would make a "good" psychologist?
Why are the cancelling the penguins of madagascar. I would really like to know!
In the dictionary it says paranoia is a mental condition. People say that Skipper is paranoid A LOT. Does this mean Skipper is…mental?
True PoM प्रशंसकों PLEASE ANSWER THIS!
Is it strange to not want to watch PoM with non-fans?
Is anyone else totally obsessed with Skipper's phobia? Like literally obsessed?
Do आप guys believe that in a parallel world/universe the penguins exsist in real life?
Say आप met the penguins and Skipper just asked if आप were a spy…what would आप say?
If आप were to meet the Penguins of Madagascar, what would your first impressions be?
What do आप guys think about Code Sepia? The fanfic. If आप haven't read it, READ IT!
Doesn't it bother आप that most of the time Rico only thinks about मछली and explosions?
Hello PoM fans! Question, who do आप think Kowalski's idol is? We all know Private's…sigh.
Do आप guys reckon Skipper and Kowalski have a platonic friendship?
What crossovers should there be with Penguins of Madagascar?
Do आप think Kowalski got bullied in his childhood?
What do आप think Skipper would do if Kowalski had to give him a shot?
What are आप guys feel if PoM end?
Has anyhbody ever noticed that Antonio never came back and Marlene never got with him?
Who luvs Skipper? Did आप really like him?
Who are the oldest and the newest POM role players still active here?
Does anybody know where I could download, या at least watch these episodes?


text:
BRIT EMBASSY PARANOID ABOUT FR. MC MANUS 1980 CONFIDENTIAL TELEGRAM REVEALS
Posted By: May 08, 2013
CAPITOL HILL. Wednesday, May 8, 2013 —- As if further proof were needed,
a 1980 confidential telegram reveals the British Embassy was deeply concerned by the effective work of Fr. Sean Mc Manus, President of the Capitol Hill –based Irish National Caucus.
The telegram has recently come into the possession of the Irish National Caucus.
Dated April 21, 1980, it is written by then British ambassador, the late Sir Nicholas Henderson and disseminated to "Dublin, Belfast and British Information, New York." A hand written note, " Prime Minister," indicates it was also sent to Maggie Thatcher, then Prime Minister. [FULL TEXT IS GIVEN BELOW. CLICK ATTACHMENT TO OPEN THE TWO PAGE TELEGRAM].
The two paged typed telegram consists of a rant about how shocking it was that Fr. Mc Manus had been invited to the White House on April 11, 1980, to meet with President Carter as one of 150 fraternal and ethnic organizations for a briefing on international affairs, and then be addressed by Zbigniew Brezinski, National Security Advisor.
Henderson records how he did his best to have Fr. Mc Manus blocked, and disinvited. He also — pulling the favorite British trick – co-opts the then Irish Ambassador, Sean Donlon, whom he says is equally upset and also intends to complain to the White House.
Fr. Mc Manus said: " If it is true a man can be judged by the enemies he makes, then I'm proud to have been seen as an enemy by both Henderson and Donlon."
Fr. Mc Manus concluded: " Isn't it ironic that at very same time the IRA and Sinn Fein were also attacking me, and trying to put the Irish National Caucus out of business? … Ironic? Or another example of collusion?


Why Is Solar Energy Carefully Analyzed By Experienced Financial Investors?
Developing alternate energy sources and going green is a huge priority for humanity at the moment but there is so much skepticism and lack of knowledge surrounding them. Everything revolves around Global Warming but this is also a concept that is often misunderstood. What is more understood is the growing electricity price that is seen around the world. It is this that increases research and what focuses people on using sources of energy that are renewable.
While most people focus on investments like petrol since prices are constantly increasing, highly experienced investors like Marc Leder are becoming increasingly interested in renewable resources. They are more expensive but the technology behind using the renewable resources is right now underdeveloped.
Out of all the alternative energy sources, solar energy stands out as being the really extrusive one. There are many countries around the world where development is being made. The problem is that right now, solar energy share in the electricity sector is just around 0.1%. Solar power did record a wonderful growth of around 22 percent in the last ten years, with 35% of the entire growth appearing in half that period.
Solar photovoltaic installation rose around 62% in the past few years.
Solar power demand has been gradually growing around 30% every single year for the past fifteen years.
Solar prices are going down for 15 years now at a rate of around 4% yearly.
Solar energy awareness is growing, just as outspread. People are adapting and there are more buyers present on the market. This practically means that there is an increase in demand so profit returns keep going up. The investor is always interested in guaranteed high returns. This is exactly what is becoming available with the use of solar power investments.
We should think about the fact that the marketplace shows an equity lack and we see commodity prices rising. Financial markets are quite volatile so risk investment is higher than ever. Huge profits can definitely be made in every single investment sector but the risks we see with the regular instruments are higher now.
The highly established investors are surely going to keep hearing about solar energy and will surely identify it as a clear investment vehicle. This is expected to keep gaining popularity in the following years. Solar business investments are economical so the stream that is attracted is attractive. Government support is high and banking institutions are actually backing up the technology.
On the whole, we are faced with a really high security investment opportunity that is available for practically all budgets. Investors can be sure that they are going to get a good return since solar power will be the wave of the future.


An estimated 500,000 innocent Muslims have been killed (in Iraq, Afghanistan , Syria, Palestine etc.) Over the last ten years by Western countries led by US. That's like one of those Paris bombings every single day for last 10 years!!!!
This is why we bombed and killed tens of thousands of German civilians in WWII – this is something that the average person does not think about very much.
It is the same today – islam wants YOU dead.
justindiary-i thought putin brought down a plane ukraine to!
My remarkable bravado during the election has really paid off. After saying how I'd tell Putin to his face what I think of him, he seems to be scared shitless of me. It's good to know that I've got the upper hand. He was so nervous he didn't even want a selfie with me, that says a lot right there.
My buddy B.O. seems to have taken quite a shine to me. He told my media pals that I'm full of energy; at least I think that's what he said. Gerald had a quick word with the reporters right afterwards, anyway I'm pretty sure that B.O. said I'm full of something.
If they can't be checked, keep them out. It's pretty simple.
sean-i thought it was pei and nova scotia!
Sean most of us didn't vote for the idiot!
This article is just sabre rattling and must stop. When Justin was lovingly elected on October 19th, we knew what we're getting, with all of the promises made. Trust him. He would not be so damaging as to let most of the refugees get into the country unscreened. Premiers Greg Selinger & Christy Clark are in favour of the refugees, so what have we to worry about? Calmness and rationality.
I am not against giving aid to the refugees, but bringing in Islamists is madness. Part of their core belief system is sharia law. In any country with sharia law, you must convert or pay a tax or be beheaded. Do we want to leave this legacy to our heirs.
Even my old mother of 88 said she would NOT be upset if this new pm was treated as Steve McQueen would like.
Amazing the hatred that is starting to show already from some very staunch Canadian citizens – it will only get worse.
I believe this country is in serious trouble.
I wonder if Wall has the gonads to gather all Syrians dropped at his airports and ship them to the nearest border and say NO to the feds?
I would certainly respect that move.
steve-hawrpoer would have open the doors to 10000 people!
Already they're starting to cause trouble and make demands.
If this numskull Trudeau opens the floodgate for these Syrians and Canadians die due to a terrorist attack, then the message is clear, IT IS OPEN SEASON ON TRUDEAU AND ALL OF HIS FAMILY FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS!!!!
robert i gues harper numbers were right to?
I heard Obama say, it takes 18 to 24 months to vet a refugee. CNN reports that number and that Syrian refugee processing takes even longer. Why does an inexperienced Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, think he and his barely formed government can do a better, quicker, more thorough job to process Syrian refugees than the United States of America with far more resources and experience? This is what happens when inexperience meets job challenges a person is unqualified for. Decisions are made that puts the well being of EVERYONE in peril.
They have no intention of checking these so called refugees. On top of that, everyone of them will be on welfare. It's madness.
And the answer. الثائر تمتص !
23,092 The number of Syrian refugees UNHCR has referred to the U.S. Refugees Admission Program.
7,014 The number of Syrians the Department of Homeland Security has interviewed since FY 2011.
2,034 The number of Syrian refugees who have been admitted since FY 2011.
0 The number of Syrian refugees resettled in the U.S. that have been arrested or removed on terrorism charges.


text:
Jundishapur Journal of Health Sciences
Published by: Kowsar
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Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement
Clinical Manifestations and Laboratory Findings of Brucellosis at Boo-Ali-Siena Hospital of Ghazvin Province of Iran
Hamid Reza Najari 1 , Masoumeh Omrani Sigaroudi 1 and Maryam Rastgoo 2 , *
1 Department of Infectious Disease, Ghazvin University of Medical Sciences, Ghazvin, Iran
2 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
* Corresponding author: Maryam Rastgoo, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Shohada Tajrish Hospital, Tajrish Sq, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: ptrastgoo@gmail.com
Jundishapur Journal of Health Sciences: January 2018, 10 (1); e14948
Published Online: January 1, 2018
Received: June 10, 2017
Accepted: July 11, 2017
DOI: 10.5812/jjhs.14948
To Cite: Najari H R, Omrani Sigaroudi M, Rastgoo M. Clinical Manifestations and Laboratory Findings of Brucellosis at Boo-Ali-Siena Hospital of Ghazvin Province of Iran, Jundishapur J Health Sci. 2018 ; 10(1):e14948. doi: 10.5812/jjhs.14948.
Background: Brucellosis as a zoonotic disease is controlled in many developed countries though it still remains endemic in the majority of Middle Eastern and developing countries.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the demographic features, clinical manifestations, and laboratory tests of patients diagnosed with brucellosis in Ghazvin province of Iran.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, medical records of 83 cases with brucellosis (54 males and 29 females) over a 3-year period (from June, 2012 to June, 2015) were reviewed, retrospectively. Demographic features, clinical signs and symptoms, hematologic findings, and liver enzyme level were derived from the patients' medical record.
Results: The mean age of cases was 42.5±18.3 years. Constitutional symptoms, which were noted in 45 (54%) cases, were the most common symptom of the disease. Clinical manifestations, including Sacroileitis, arthritis, and epididymo-orchitis were seen in 20 (24.1%), 10 (12%), and 7 (8.4%) cases, respectively. One case of Endocarditis (1.2%) was noted. Anemia as the most frequent blood abnormality was seen in 44 (53%) cases. Leukopenia and leukocytosis were noted in 17 (20.5%) and 9 (10.8%) patients, respectively. Thrombocytopenia and thrombocytosis were detected in 26 (31.3%) and 3 (3.6%) of the patients, respectively. Bicytopenia and pancytopenia were revealed in 9 (10.8%) and 11 (13.3%) cases, respectively. Elevated level of liver enzymes, including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were detected in 29 (34.9), 37 (44.6), and 51 (61.5) patients, respectively.
Conclusions: Brucellosis could affect every organ system of the human body. Variable manifestations and laboratory findings of brucellosis must be kept in mind, especially in endemic areas.
Keywords: Brucellosis; Signs and Symptoms; Hematological Tests
Copyright © 2017, Jundishapur Journal of Health Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited.
Brucellosis is a common disease in humans and animals. It could be transmitted from infected animals to humans, directly by contact or indirectly, by the use of unpasteurized dairy products or uncooked meat (1).
Brucellosis is a systemic infection. Among the 4 species responsible for most human brucellosis, Brucella melitensis remains the principle cause of human brucellosis, worldwide (2). The incubation period of the disease is usually between 7 days to 3 months. Although human brucellosis is categorized as acute (< 2 months), subacute (2 to 12 months), and chronic (> 1 year), some authors have considered this classical categorization to be of limited clinical interest (3).
Clinical and laboratory features of brucellosis vary widely thus clinical diagnosis for an unfamiliar physician is challenging. The more prevalent clinical signs and symptoms of the disease, include fever, chills, fatigue, arthralgia, sweating, and weight loss. Furthermore, reticuloendothelial involvement, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, lymphadenopaty, and bone marrow suppression may occur (4). Hematological abnormalities of brucellosis, including anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia may occur during the course of the disease (5). Liver, as the major organ of the reticuloendothelial system, is involved in most cases of brucellosis yet liver function tests are either normal or mildly elevated (6).
The diagnosis of brucellosis is usually based on potential exposure, manifestations of the disease, and supportive laboratory findings. Worldwide, the most popular diagnostic tool for brucellosis is standard tube agglutination (STA), which was developed by Wright and colleague. Standard tube agglutination measures the total quantity of agglutinating antibodies (IgM and IgG). Titers of STA above 1:160 are considered diagnostic (7).
Although brucellosis has been controlled in many developed countries, it still remains endemic in some developing countries. The Middle East is the most endemic region for brucellosis, worldwide. As a Middle Eastern country, Iran is ranked 6th, regarding the incidence of human brucellosis (8). The prevalence of brucellosis in Iran varies in each province. It has been claimed that the prevalence of brucellosis in Ghazvin province of Iran was about 11 to 20 persons in 100000 people, during year 2010 (9).
Due to the high incidence of brucellosis in Iran, the purpose of the present study was to identify the demographic features, clinical manifestations, and laboratory tests of patients with diagnosed brucellosis at Boo-Ali-Siena hospital of Ghazvin province of Iran.
This study had a cross-sectional retrospective design. The study was done at Boo-Ali-Sina university hospital, which is the main general hospital of the Ghazvin province. Both urban and rural patients refer to this center. The medical records of the diagnosed patients with brucellosis over a 3-year period, from June 2012 to June 2015, were reviewed, retrospectively. The diagnosis of brucellosis was done by clinical signs and symptoms compatible with brucellosis in conjunction with standard tube agglutination (STA) titers above 1:160, and 2 Mercapto-Ethanol (2ME) above 1:80 (7).
Patients, who were diagnosed with brucellosis and had hematologic test in their medical records, were included in the study whilst patients, who had improved liver disease, were excluded from the study.
Demographic features (age and gender), signs and symptoms consisting of constitutive symptoms (fever, arthralgia, sweating, malaise, and weight loss), and clinical manifestations including sacroilitis, arthritis, epididymo-orchitis, and endocarditis were extracted from the patients' medical records. Hematologic findings, including complete blood count (CBC) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and the liver enzyme level were derived from the patients' medical records. The liver function test consisted of the level of alkaline phosphatase (AlP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT).
Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20 (SPSS, Chicago, USA). Descriptive analyses were performed for demographic features, clinical signs and symptoms, and laboratory findings.
From the 150 patients, who were diagnosed with brucellosis, 83 had the inclusion criteria and didn't have the exclusion criteria, thus they were enrolled in the study. Among them, 54 (65.1%) were male and 29 (34.9%) were female. The age range of the studied patients was from 14 to 80 years and the mean age was 42.5 (standard division: 18.3) years old. No mortality was reported in the studied population.
Constitutive symptoms (fever, arthralgia, sweating, malaise, and weight lose) were the most common symptoms of the disease, which were inspected in 45 (54.5%) patients.
The prevalence of the clinical manifestations of the disease is presented in Table 1.
Table 1. Clinical Manifestation of Localized Brucellosis in the Studied Patients (N = 83)
Patients, No. (%)
Sacroileitis 20 (24.1)
Peripheral arthritis 10 (12)
Epiddymo-orchitis 7 (8.4)
Endocarditis 1 (1.2)
The number of the patients with abnormal hematologic and hepatologic findings are presented in Table 2.
Table 2. Hematologic and Hepatologic Findings of Brucellosis in the Studied Patients (N = 83)
No. (%)
Leukopenia 17 (20.5)
Leukocytosis 9 (10.8)
Anemia 44 (53)
Thrombocytopenia 26 (31.3)
Thrombocytosis 3 (3.6)
High ESR 49 (59)
High Alt 29 (34.9)
High Ast 37 (44.6)
High Alp 51 (61.5)
The purpose of the present study was to identify the demographic features, clinical manifestations, and laboratory tests of the patients with diagnosed brucellosis at Boo-Ali-Siena hospital of the Ghazvin province of Iran.
The demographic features of patients in the present study showed that brucellosis is more prevalent amongst males (65.1%) than females (34.9%). This finding is in accordance with previous reports (9-11).
It has been reported that the third to fifth decade of life are the most common decades for Brucellosis (12, 13), which is in agreement with the mean age of the current study.
The most common symptoms of generalized brucellosis in the present study were fever, arthralgia, sweating, malaise, and weight loss (54.2%). This finding is in agreement with previous studies (10, 11) and the literature (4).
Osteoarticular pain, including sacroilietis and peripheral arthritis, are common manifestations of brucellosis. In the present study, the manifestations of localized brucellosis, including peripheral arthritis and sacroilietis, were mentioned in 10 (12%) and 20 (24.1%) patients, respectively. Although peripheral arthritis was mentioned as the most prevalent osteoarticular complain of brucellosis in some studies (14, 15), in other studies like the present research, sacroileitis was found as the most common musculoskeletal complication (16).
Other manifestations of localized brucellosis, including epididymo-orchitis, developed in 7 (8.4%) of the patients. This finding was comparable with previous studies, which reported the incidence of epididymo-orchitis from 1.6% to 17% (17, 18). Inappropriate diagnosis and treatment of epididymo-orchitis may cause significant complications, such as testicular abscess formation, infarction, atrophy, and superlative necrosis (19, 20).
The incidence of endocarditis as the most common cardiac problem of localized brucellosis has been reported to be less than 2% in previous studies. In spite of its low incidence, brucellosis endocarditis accounts for the majority of brucellosis-related deaths (4). The low ratio of endocarditis in this study (1.2%), was in agreement with previous studies (12, 21, 22). Abdi-liae et al. (11) and Namidura et al. (23) reported brucellosis endocarditis in 3.5% and 6.8% of their cases, respectively. As this study was conducted in an endemic region where acute findings of brucellosis are well-known, early management of the disease may cause lower incidence of brucellosis endocarditis.
Hematological abnormalities are considered as a frequent finding in brucellosis (4). Anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, leukocytosis, thrombocytosis, and elevated ESR were detected in patients with brucellosis in previous studies (12, 16, 21, 24). Anemia, which was found in 44 (53%) patients, was found as the most common hematological abnormality in the present study. This finding is in agreement with previous studies (10, 12, 23). Alternations in iron metabolism secondary to infection, hypersplenism, bleeding, bone marrow suppression or autoimmune hemolysis are reasons for anemia in brucellosis. Other hematological abnormalities, such as leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated ESR were also noted in 17 (20.5%), 26 (31.3%), and 49 (59%) patients, respectively. Different frequencies for hematological complications have been reported by previous studies. These differences may be due to the variations of the study population, different cut-off values, and difference in the period between the onset and prognosis of the disease (11-13, 24).
Liver, as the major organ of the reticuloendothelial system, is involved in brucellosis (6). Brucellae have been found in liver tissue even in cases without any laboratory liver function changes (25). Following brucellosis, change of liver function tests are non-specific and consist of a moderate increase of alkaline phosphatase (Alp) and serum transaminase (Alt, Ast) activity (26).
This study had a number of limitations. First, in order to reduce the effect of low sample size, the researchers reviewed the medical records of patients with brucellosis during 3 years, retrospectively; secondly, the route of infection, familiar history, and occupation of the studied patients were not detected in this study; thirdly, assessment of the effect of various treatments on the patients' complications and recovery was not done in this study. It is proposed to conduct a prospective, multi-central, cohort study with a larger sample size in different cities of the Ghazvin province.
5.1. Conclusion
Brucellosis, as a systematic disease, could affect every organ and system of the human body. Clinicians must be familiar with different manifestations of brucellosis in endemic areas, so that early recognition results in lower morbidity.
Authors acknowledge the medical staff of the department of infectious disease, Ghazvin University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
Conflict of Interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Financial Disclosure: This research is done with the financial support of the Ghazvin University of Medical Sciences. This study should be attributed to the department of infectious disease, Ghazvin University of Medical Sciences, Ghazvin, Iran.
1. Doganay M, Aygen B. Human brucellosis, an overview. Int J Infect Dis. 2003;7(3):173-82. doi: 10.1016/s1201-9712(03)90049-x.
2. Dokuzoguz B, Ergonul O, Baykam N, Esener H, Kilic S, Celikbas A, et al. Characteristics of B. melitensis versus B. abortus bacteraemias. J Infect. 2005;50(1):41-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2004.02.005. [PubMed: 15603839].
3. Araj GF. Update on laboratory diagnosis of human brucellosis. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2010;36 Suppl 1:12-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2010.06.014. [PubMed: 20692128].
4. Young EJ. Brucella species. In: Mandell GL, Bennet JE, Dolin R, editors. Mandell, douglas and bennetts principles and practice of infectious diseases. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone; 2010. p. 2921-7. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-443-06839-3.00226-5.
5. Al Dahouk S, Tomaso H, Nockler K, Neubauer H, Frangoulidis D. Laboratory-based diagnosis of brucellosis--a review of the literature. Part II: serological tests for brucellosis. Clin Lab. 2003;49(11-12):577-89. [PubMed: 14651329].
6. Akritidis N, Tzivras M, Delladetsima I, Stefanaki S, Moutsopoulos HM, Pappas G. The liver in brucellosis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2007;5(9):1109-12. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2006.08.010. [PubMed: 17482524].
7. Alavi SM, Alavi L. Comparative study of current diagnostic method with clinical based method for brucellosis: presentation of diagnostic clinical criteria in limited resource area. Jundishapur J Microbiol. 2011;3:121-4.
8. Pappas G, Memish ZA. Brucellosis in the middle East: a persistent medical, socioeconomic and political issue. J Chemother. 2007;19(3):243-8. doi: 10.1179/joc.2007.19.3.243. [PubMed: 17594917].
9. Zinali M. National guideline for brucellosis control. 2 ed. Tehran: Razenahan; 2012.
10. Mugahi S, Nashibi R, Alavi SM, Gharkholu S, Najafi K. Epidemiological features, clinical manifestation and laboratory findings of patients with brucellosis. Arch Clin Infect Dis. 2014;9(1):17270. doi: 10.5812/archcid.17270.
11. Abdi-liae Z, Soudbakhsh A, Jafari S, Ebadi H, Tomaj K. Haematological manifestations of brucellosis. Acta Medica Iranica. 2006;45(2):145-8.
12. Hasanjani Roushan MR, Mohrez M, Smailnejad Gangi SM, Soleimani Amiri MJ, Hajiahmadi M. Epidemiological features and clinical manifestations in 469 adult patients with brucellosis in Babol, Northern Iran. Epidemiol Infect. 2004;132(6):1109-14. [PubMed: 15635968].
13. Aygen B, Doganay M, Sumerkan B, Yildiz O, Kayabas U. Clinical manifestations, complications and treatment of brucellosis, a retrospective evaluation of 480 patients. Med Mal Infect. 2002;32(9):485-93. doi: 10.1016/s0399-077x(02)00403-1.
14. Pappas G, Akritidis N, Bosilkovski M, Tsianos E. Brucellosis. N Engl J Med. 2005;352(22):2325-36. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra050570. [PubMed: 15930423].
15. Bosilkovski M, Krteva L, Caparoska S, Dimzova M. Osteoarticular involvement in brucellosis: study of 196 cases in the Republic of Macedonia. Croat Med J. 2004;45(6):727-33. [PubMed: 15578807].
16. Hashemi SH, Keramat F, Ranjbar M, Mamani M, Farzam A, Jamal-Omidi S. Osteoarticular complications of brucellosis in Hamedan, an endemic area in the west of Iran. Int J Infect Dis. 2007;11(6):496-500. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2007.01.008. [PubMed: 17344084].
17. Memish ZA, Venkatesh S. Brucellar epididymo-orchitis in Saudi Arabia: a retrospective study of 26 cases and review of the literature. BJU Int. 2001;88(1):72-6. [PubMed: 11446850].
18. Khan MS, Humayoon MS, Al Manee MS. Epididymo-orchitis and Brucellosis. Br J Urol. 1989;63(1):87-9. [PubMed: 2920268].
19. Patil CS, Hemashettar BM, Nagalotimath SJ. Genito-urinary brucellosis in men. Indian J Pathol Microbiol. 1986;29(4):364-7. [PubMed: 3817966].
20. Osegbe DN. Testicular function after unilateral bacterial epididymo-orchitis. Eur Urol. 1991;19(3):204-8. [PubMed: 1855525].
21. Guler S, Kokoglu OF, Ucmak H, Gul M, Ozden S, Ozkan F. Human brucellosis in Turkey: different clinical presentations. J Infect Dev Ctries. 2014;8(5):581-8. doi: 10.3855/jidc.3510. [PubMed: 24820461].
22. Buzgan T, Karahocagil MK, Irmak H, Baran AI, Karsen H, Evirgen O, et al. Clinical manifestations and complications in 1028 cases of brucellosis: a retrospective evaluation and review of the literature. Int J Infect Dis. 2010;14(6):469-78. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2009.06.031. [PubMed: 19910232].
23. Namidura M, Gungor K, Dikensoy O, Baydar I, Ekinci E, Karaoglan I, et al. Epidemiological, clinical and laboratory features of brucellosis, a prospective evaluation of 120 adult patients. Int J Clin Pract. 2003;57(1):20-4.
24. Alavi SM, Rafiei A, Nikkhooi A. The effect of lifestyle on brucellosis among nomads in Khusestan province of Iran. Pak Med Sci. 2007;23:358-60.
25. Cohen FB, Robins B, Lipstein W. Isolation of Brucella abortus by percutaneous liver biopsy. N Engl J Med. 1957;257(5):228-30. doi: 10.1056/NEJM195708012570508. [PubMed: 13452080].
26. Cervantes F, Bruguera M, Carbonell J, Force L, Webb S. Liver disease in brucellosis. A clinical and pathological study of 40 cases. Postgrad Med J. 1982;58(680):346-50. [PubMed: 7122367].
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Christmas Math is FUN! Kids will have fun practicing counting to twenty and number words with these fun, free printable, Christmas Tree Count to 20 Puzzles.
This fun, free printable Christmas Tree Count to 20 Puzzles will help preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade kids practice counting to 20 while identifying number words.
This activity is pretty low prep! First, print in color on cardstock (or use a laminator for durability) and cut straight across to cut each tree into the 3 sections.
Now, place the pieces in front of your student and have them build the Christmas Trees. Start out by reading the base number word. Then find the middle section with the same number of "ornaments" as the base. Finally, add the top of the tree with the same number as ornaments on the tree. This is not only great number practice, but also a fun Christmas math activity.


The Italian Catholic Federation (ICF) is an organization started in 1924 with the purpose of bringing fallen-away Italian Catholics back to the Church. Today, with 12,100 members, the purpose remains the same, but people of other nationalities are welcome to join. In fact, many non-Italians on the rolls contribute greatly to the work of the ICF. The ICF has chapters in California, Nevada, Illinois, and now Arizona. The organization has an expansion program and hopes to open more branches in the future.
While members enjoy many social events, the emphasis is always on charitable and apostolic works. The ICF adopted Thalassemia as its national charity in 1981. The first donation was presented at the ICF National Convention in 1982. At that time, much of the research work for Thalassemia was conducted at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Dr. Carol Hymen was the director of the program then. I recall speaking at length with Dr. Hymen about the program and was most impressed with her work. Since those early days, I have become acquainted with Laurice Levine, the Outreach Coordinator for Cooley's at Children's Hospital Oakland. We have shared many great moments together, and in fact, she has been present at the Valentine's Gala Dinner held at my branch (#52, Healdsburg) for the past two years. This year, this event raised $5,000 for Thalassemia. We are planning this dinner again for 2011.
Thalassemia, a disease affecting people who live in Mediterranean regions or those regions of similar climate, struck a chord in our members. The ICF was quick to embrace this disorder as a charity and began to donate to a special fund set up for this purpose. The money accumulating in this fund is donated for research every year at the ICF National Convention. Over the past 22 years, the ICF has given over $1 million to the charity. The research and work on Thalassemia is now carried on at Children's Hospital Oakland under the direction of Dr. Elliott Vichinsky. Members are invited to take tours of the Thalassemia facility and observe firsthand the care that patients receive.
To add to the annual donation for Thalassemia, individual branches such as ours also have fundraisers and special events. Members do toy drives or attend the annual Christmas party in Oakland and make it possible for patients to have a very special outing every year. It has been wonderful to see so many people give time and money to help patients with thalassemia live longer and better lives. In years past, patients rarely lived past teenage years, but many are now surviving into their forties and beyond. The work of the program has helped so many, but the kindness of others has enabled it to go far. The members of the ICF are to be congratulated for all that they do for Thalassemia.
The ICF also has a scholarship program for high school seniors entering college. Each year, money is given to students to help further their education. The ICF also donates money to the Providenza Seminary Fund to help with the education of seminarians. The Gifts of Love Fund aids developmentally handicapped people who need help of a specific nature. All the money for these charities is raised by ICF members at their various social events, and every penny collected is donated.
One cannot speak about the Thalassemia program at Children's Hospital Oakland without again mentioning Outreach Coordinator Laurice Levine. ICF members have taken her to heart; she is the spark that encourages us and never ceases to amaze. Her own story is truly remarkable, and she inspires all when she attends ICF functions. She is always ready to come to any branch and speak about Cooley's, so why don't you invite her? I guarantee you won't be disappointed.


text:
package com.msgsystems.training.w03d05.repository;

import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.io.Reader;
import java.sql.Connection;
import java.sql.DriverManager;
import java.sql.PreparedStatement;
import java.sql.ResultSet;
import java.sql.SQLException;
import java.sql.Statement;
import java.util.Properties;

public class ProductRepository {

    private static final String DB_PROPERTIES_FILE = "database-connection.properties";

    private final static ClassLoader CLASS_LOADER = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();

    private static String DB_URL;
    private static String DB_USER;

    private static String DB_PASS;

    static {
        try (final InputStream inputStream = loadFile(DB_PROPERTIES_FILE)) {
            final Properties properties = new Properties() {{
                load(inputStream);
            }};

            DB_URL = properties.getProperty("database.url");
            DB_USER = properties.getProperty("database.user");
            DB_PASS = properties.getProperty("database.pass");
        } catch (Exception ex) {
            ex.printStackTrace();
        }
    }

    public int saveBLOB(final String fileName) {
        Connection connection = null;
        PreparedStatement preparedStatement = null;

        final int id = getNextProductDataSequenceId();

        try (final InputStream inputStream = loadFile(fileName)) {
            connection = getConnection();

            preparedStatement = connection.prepareStatement("INSERT INTO ProductData (id, image) VALUES (?, ?)");
            preparedStatement.setInt(1, id);
            preparedStatement.setBinaryStream(2, inputStream);
            preparedStatement.executeUpdate();
        } catch (final Exception ex) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException(ex.getMessage());
        } finally {
            closeResources(connection, null, preparedStatement);
        }

        return id;
    }

    public int saveCLOB(final String fileName) {
        Connection connection = null;
        PreparedStatement preparedStatement = null;

        final int id = getNextProductDataSequenceId();

        try (final InputStreamReader reader = new InputStreamReader(loadFile(fileName))) {
            connection = getConnection();

            preparedStatement = connection.prepareStatement("INSERT INTO ProductData (id, description) VALUES (?, ?)");
            preparedStatement.setInt(1, id);
            preparedStatement.setCharacterStream(2, reader);
            preparedStatement.executeUpdate();
        } catch (final Exception ex) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException(ex.getMessage());
        } finally {
            closeResources(connection, null, preparedStatement);
        }

        return id;
    }

    public InputStream loadSavedImage(int id) {
        Connection connection = null;
        ResultSet resultSet = null;
        PreparedStatement preparedStatement = null;

        try {
            connection = getConnection();
            preparedStatement = connection.prepareStatement("SELECT image FROM ProductData WHERE ID = ?");
            preparedStatement.setInt(1, id);

            resultSet = preparedStatement.executeQuery();
            if (resultSet.next()) {
                return resultSet.getBinaryStream("image");
            } else {
                throw new IllegalArgumentException("There is no image with the ID " + id);
            }
        } catch (final SQLException ex) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException(ex.getMessage());
        } finally {
            closeResources(connection, resultSet, preparedStatement);
        }
    }

    public Reader loadSavedDescription(int id) {
        Connection connection = null;
        ResultSet resultSet = null;
        PreparedStatement preparedStatement = null;

        try {
            connection = getConnection();
            preparedStatement = connection.prepareStatement("SELECT description FROM ProductData WHERE ID = ?");
            preparedStatement.setInt(1, id);

            resultSet = preparedStatement.executeQuery();
            if (resultSet.next()) {
                return resultSet.getCharacterStream("description");
            } else {
                throw new IllegalArgumentException("There is no image with the ID " + id);
            }
        } catch (final SQLException ex) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException(ex.getMessage());
        } finally {
            closeResources(connection, resultSet, preparedStatement);
        }
    }

    private Connection getConnection() {
        try {
            return DriverManager.getConnection(DB_URL, DB_USER, DB_PASS);
        } catch (final SQLException e) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException(e.getMessage());
        }
    }

    private void closeResources(final Connection connection, final ResultSet resultSet, final Statement statement) {
        try {
            if (connection != null) connection.close();
            if (resultSet != null) resultSet.close();
            if (statement != null) statement.close();
        } catch (final Exception ex) {
            ex.printStackTrace();
        }
    }

    private static InputStream loadFile(String loadedFile) {
        return CLASS_LOADER.getResourceAsStream(loadedFile);
    }

    private int getNextProductDataSequenceId() {
        Connection connection = null;
        ResultSet resultSet = null;
        PreparedStatement preparedStatement = null;

        try {
            connection = getConnection();
            preparedStatement = connection.prepareStatement("UPDATE ProductDataSequence SET id = LAST_INSERT_ID(id + 1)");
            preparedStatement.execute();

            preparedStatement = connection.prepareStatement("SELECT LAST_INSERT_ID()");
            resultSet = preparedStatement.executeQuery();
            if (resultSet.next()) {
                return resultSet.getInt(1);
            } else {
                throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot get the next sequenceId" );
            }
        } catch (final SQLException ex) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException(ex.getMessage());
        } finally {
            closeResources(connection, resultSet, preparedStatement);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Binay wants businessman, not politician, as running mate
Categories: Business Updates
Date Posted: 14 Aug 2014
A businessman – not a politician – is Vice President Jejomar Binay's preference as a running mate in 2016.
"Personally, I hope I can get a vice president who is a successful businessman coming from the private sector – not an elected official, not a politician," Binay said in an interview.
He said a businessman who becomes vice president can help the leadership persuade other businessmen to invest in the country.
"I have someone in mind, but everybody is being considered. It is still too early to tell. They may be our allies today and then our enemies in the coming days," he said. "Like they say in English, it ain't over till it's over."
He also said some members of the Liberal Party (LP) were the ones who sent him feelers that he was being considered as a guest candidate of the ruling party.
"It did not come from me. And even my colleagues in the opposition are not talking to them about the coalition," Binay said.
He also reminded his potential rivals in 2016 that he is a force to reckon with, judging from survey results.
He also stressed that he and the opposition United Nationalist Alliance were against the discredited Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
"To those who are saying that we will not qualify because of DAP, we are not supporting DAP. We are against it," he said. The Supreme Court has declared some acts under DAP unconstitutional. Malacañang is appealing the decision.
"I think that the decision of the Supreme Court should be respected. The position of Chief Justice (Lourdes) Sereno is also correct. That (DAP) is against the Constitution. Now they are saying that it is not, so they agree to it. DAP is wrong," Binay said.
Meanwhile, congressmen belonging to the LP have shut their party's door on Binay.
"If VP Binay says anything is possible in politics, well, it is not possible for us to adopt him and for the LP to coalesce with UNA," Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said.
On the contrary, he said the two political groups would fight each other in the combined presidential-congressional-local elections in 2016.
"If we will analyze past public statements and stand of UNA on the various anti-corruption initiatives of President Aquino, I can safely say that the UNA and LP are headed to a collision in 2016. This is because LP has been steadfast and unequivocal on its support to all the programs and policies of the President, while UNA officers have been consistent in criticizing them," he said.
"All political parties and groups that are interested in coalescing with the LP should embrace the firm anti-corruption and good governance campaign of the administration," he added.
Evardone pointed out that unlike some UNA leaders, Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, LP's potential standard-bearer, "has not been implicated in any corruption issue in his entire career in government."
"He stands out as the leading possible presidential aspirant who can claim to have and have committed to pursue the reform agenda of President Aquino," he said.
It was Binay who broached the idea of a coalition with LP, with him running under it as the administration presidential candidate in 2016, instead of Roxas.
The vice president said he was also open to running with Roxas as his vice presidential candidate. Roxas said he could not run with Binay.
Iloilo City Rep. Jerry Treñas, deputy chair of the LP Visayas bloc, said there is no place for Binay in the ruling party.
He said by floating the possibility that the ruling party might adopt him, the vice president was apparently trying to distance himself from his detained allies, notably Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile.
He said UNA officers have been criticizing the administration and its policies, while their top leader clings to his Cabinet job. – Jess Diaz
Written by: Jose Rodel Caplano
Source: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/08/14/1357401/binay-wants-businessman-not-politician-running-mate


Tata Steel has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) for the second phase of Green School project in Jharkhand and Odisha.
The MoU was signed by Dr Ajay Mathur, DG, TERI and Chanakya Chaudhary, VP, Raw Materials, Tata Steel, in New Delhi.
Dr Annapurna Vancheswaran, Senior Director, TERI along with a host of Tata Steel executives were also present on the occasion.
"Tata Steel is committed to creating a holistic sustainable environment. With this initiative, we want to make students aware on environmental conservation and motivate them to pursue sustainable practices in their day to day life. With the success of phase I implementation in 10 schools, we are glad to take this initiative to 20 additional schools and sensitise the students and teachers on environment and encourage them to undertake concrete green actions," said Chanakya Chaudhary, Vice President, Raw Materials, Tata Steel.