text:
08 Thursday Oct 2020
Posted by winter oak in Uncategorized
Born in Ravensburg in 1938, Klaus Schwab is a child of Adolf Hitler's Germany, a police-state regime built on fear and violence, on brainwashing and control, on propaganda and lies, on industrialism and eugenics, on dehumanisation and "disinfection", on a chilling and grandiose vision of a "new order" that would last a thousand years. Schwab […]
Klaus Schwab and his great fascist reset — winter oak
Number 60 In this issue: Resisting global fascism "We are not dupes!" 'Anarchists' join the Government in the fight against nature and the stripping of our rights Intoxicated with technology Bharatan Kumarappa: an orgrad inspiration Acorninfo 1. Resisting global fascism From Belgrade to Montreal, from Dublin to Warsaw, from Auckland to Hull, thousands upon thousands […]
The Acorn – 60 — winter oak
Liberalism and fascism: a new orgrad article
fascism, neoliberalism, organic radicals, orgrad
A new in-depth article has been added to the orgrad website.
Liberalism: the two-headed tyranny of wealth explores the way in which liberalism shares many of its ideological assumptions with fascism and how the two ideologies have gradually reconverged in the decades following the Second World War.
"Whenever economic liberalism finds itself under threat from 'populism', it quickly jettisons the principles of political liberalism to which it is theoretically tied.
"In other words, these 'principles' are not principles at all, just convenient postures designed to cloak the unpleasant reality of the economic liberals' capitalist system.
"We might even define liberalism as being the deception maintained by capitalism to hide its true nature".
Organic radicals: new site launched
Posted by winter oak in civilization, degrowth, Uncategorized
organic radicals, orgrad
A new website has been launched which challenges "to the core" the thinking of the industrial capitalist system.
It presents the ideological alternative of an "organic radicalism" which it sources from a wide range of thinkers, past and present.
This philosophy, it says, is based on the idea of a living community, a social organism consisting of "horizontal relationships and exchanges between free human beings, rather than on sterile hierarchy".
The site explains that it rejects the industrial capitalist view of nature as something to be exploited, commercialised, dominated or relegated to second place behind an imagined human priority.
"For us, humankind's interests cannot be separated from the wider interests of the natural world, because we are nothing other than an extension of that world.
"We reject notions of economic growth or technological advance as any kind of worthwhile basis for society and propose instead a world founded on the healthy values of respect for nature and other creatures; simple but joyful living; an appreciation of inner and outer beauty; a sense of communal responsibility and belonging".
In its Q&A section it defines the "orgrad" position as an evolution of anarchism.
But it adds: "From our perspective, contemporary anarchism does not go far enough in its opposition to industrial capitalism.
"In the same way as other leftists can become stuck within the broader capitalist mindset, merely seeking greater equality, individual freedom or self-management within the context of capitalism and the state, so do too many anarchists base their vision of the future on the industrial society created by and for capitalism.
"Orgrad also proposes a holistic world-view, based on organic belonging to community, species and nature, which is considered unacceptable by many contemporary anarchists, due to the influence of modern ideologies appropriate to capitalism.
"To be clear, orgrad has no interest at all in the dead-end narcissism of ultra-liberal identity politics".
The site stresses that organic radicalism is firmly anti-fascist, defining it as "a left-wing, internationalist, humanist, universalist, anti-racist, anti-state, anti-imperialist, anti-militarist, anti-authoritarian ideology".
The organic radicals website is at https://orgrad.wordpress.com
The email contact is orgrad(at)riseup.net
No Such Place as Asha – new 2019 novel from Paul Cudenec
≈ Comments Off on No Such Place as Asha – new 2019 novel from Paul Cudenec
No Such Place as Asha: An Extremist Novel by Paul Cudenec has now been published and is available to buy online.
Beer-loving Brighton journalist Jon Harvey has been dragged out of semi-retirement by an old friend, who wants him to find his missing adult son, Henry.
Relying on his famous sense of intuition and some strange coincidences, Jon follows the trail from an eccentric left-wing library in Edinburgh, to an anti-capitalist convergence centre in London and then to an isolated corner of rural France.
The questions just don't stop coming in this intriguing political detective story from Paul Cudenec, author of The Fakir of Florence and The Anarchist Revelation.
What is Henry up to? What is the significance of the books that seem to be guiding his movements? What is the precise agenda of the Kitson Institute of Democracy, for which Henry has been working?
And, most of all, what, who or where is Asha and why does it seem to lie at the centre of this whole entangled ideological intrigue?
A philosophy fashioned from anarchism
Posted by winter oak in anarchism, Uncategorized
Winter Oak author Paul Cudenec sets out where he's at
https://network23.org/paulcudenec/2018/05/25/a-philosophy-fashioned-from-anarchism/
It's now been five years since the publication of my first book, The Anarchist Revelation.
I have written a few more since then and have also used various articles, talks and interviews to explain my thinking. But I am still not sure that I have made myself completely clear, so this anniversary seems like a good time to try and put that right.
What is it that I am putting across in my writing? Why doesn't it sound like what most other contemporary anarchists are saying? What political and philosophical position am I promoting, in a thousand-word nutshell?
The foundation of my personal philosophy is anarchism. That may seem obvious, but it's worth spelling out. All the other elements that I am going to mention are contained within the context of my anarchism. While I certainly read non-anarchist authors, I only take on board their ideas if I find them compatible with my anarchist principles. There is no danger of my drifting away from anarchism, because my world view is fashioned from anarchism. The anarchist vision I present may not resemble other people's personal versions of anarchism, but it remains anarchist.
These anarchist principles obviously include the rejection of all authority and control imposed from above, including the constructs of so-called law, so-called government, and so-called property, in favour of self-governing communities based on mutual aid. As an anarchist, I am necessarily internationalist and anti-racist, regarding every human being as of equal worth and with an equal right to share the earth and its fruits.
Coupled with my anarchism is an opposition to industrial capitalism. I know that many anarchists broadly accept industrial society and envisage a future where industry and its infrastructure remain intact but under popular control. I don't share that position and regard industrialism as a facet of capitalism and therefore something that is necessarily anathema to anarchists. I wouldn't term myself a "primitivist", but I certainly hope for an end to the nightmare of industrial society and for a future where people can live in harmony with the natural world, growing and producing according to the needs of the community rather than for the profits of an exploitative few.
Thirdly, and in conjunction with my opposition to industrial capitalism and the mass consumer society that it spawns, I advocate a future society based not on money, economic "growth" and technological "progress", but on values. These values would be anarchist, of course – co-operation, equality and non-domination – but also, more broadly, involve the respect and appreciation of nature, beauty, quality, authenticity, simplicity, honesty, integrity and dignity.
Fourthly, I am seeking to piece together a philosophy founded on nature and on our belonging to nature. This seems to frighten some urban-minded anarchists, but was in fact very much what Kropotkin was working on, particularly in Ethics. By a philosophy of nature, I don't just mean environmentalist politics, but an understanding of the human mind, and the human culture it has created, founded on the fact that we are one small part of a greater organic whole, usually called "nature". Our innermost mental structures and tendencies reflect that belonging: it is the canvas on which our human culture is painted.
Fifthly, there is the metaphysical dimension. I have always been an atheist and have the instinctive aversion to the word "God" which is typical of anarchists. Instead, I follow Plotinus in regarding the entire universe as a living organism, as one indivisible entity. This is an extension of the concept of a living planet, Gaia. It is also an extension of the anarchist idea of a living, self-ruling, community, as opposed to a dead pseudo-community ruled over by a state. This idea of an organic universe, of which we are an instrinsic part, is deeply heretical, religiously and politically. It rejects the model of authority, of a separate God, and celebrates instead the magical and vibrant quality in everything: in every single person, animal, plant, river, stone, meteorite, galaxy. This is anarchist metaphysics! What could be more empowering, philosophically or politically, than realising that you are a temporary manifestation of a great organic whole, with all the freedom and responsibility this involves?
The sixth aspect of my philosophy is connected to the first five in a vertical, rather than horizontal, way. It is my awareness of the interconnections and correspondences between all the aspects I have outlined here. More than that, it is also the willingness to seek out connections and to understand their significance. It is a consciously holistic approach and, indeed, embraces holism as a political and philosophical value in itself.
The seventh facet is an awareness of all the ways in which the ideas and values I hold dear have been suppressed or sidelined in contemporary society. There is a historical angle to this awareness, and a cultural and political one. It applies to the various ideas separately and when taken together in various combinations. It also pertains to the links between them, which are often denied or overlooked, following the contemporary preference for classification, separation and fragmentation.
Element number eight of my philosophy perhaps goes without saying, bearing in mind the above – it is the intellectual desire to challenge and overcome the way important ideas and values have disappeared from our society. There is a difference between putting forward certain arguments which are rejected by society as a whole, and putting forward those same arguments together with an awareness and critique of the way they have been rejected. An intellectual suit of armour has been added. Analysing and countering the rejection becomes an intrinsic part of the political position because of the hostile intellectual environment.
The ninth element is a general belief in the need for action, for agency, for a dynamic dimension which takes us beyond passive reflection or analysis and allows us to engage with the world. It is movement, fluidity, risk, change, élan, resistance, revolt. This is already inherent in anarchism, of course, but it has to be expanded to take in all the other aspects as well, otherwise the overall philosophy becomes static.
Number ten is what I have been doing here. It is the act of being aware of all the above and consciously framing the whole thing as a political position.
Do you agree with me? Disagree? Have something to add? Please feel free to comment here or contact me via cudenec(at)riseup.net
A new book by Paul Cudenec has been published by Winter Oak Press.
The Green One is a thoroughly researched and yet poetic book. The author explores how the awareness of our belonging to nature has always been present in human thought and culture. Today this vital spirit, which he personifies as The Green One, is inspiring global resistance to industrial capitalism.
I am The Green One, although I would maybe better be named The Green Many. Green is the colour of eternal youth, of rebirth, of nature springing back into life after the death-sleep of winter.
I am Pachamama, I am Isis, I am Yemoja. I am Jack in the Green, I am Tammuz, I am Khidr.
I am regeneration. I am the right way of living. Sometimes I am revolution.
I have taken up the mighty sledgehammers of the Luddites. The Virgins are escaping from the churches and heading for the woods. The May Queens are running riot in the streets. Joan of Arc is burning patriarchy at the stake.
The pylons are tumbling. The motorways are crumbling. The pipelines are fracturing.
I am your future.
The Green One is coming! The Green One is coming!
The author explains more about his new book here and here.
The Green One can be purchased here.
The author is also offering pdf versions and books as part of his new crowdfunding initiative, which we urge readers to support.
On this page we are featuring a series of extracts, in pdf format, from The Green One.
EXTRACT 1 – When will the fields come back?
EXTRACT 2 – The living spirit of nature
EXTRACT 3 – Sacred trees
EXTRACT 4 – When we are we
EXTRACT 5 – The Silent Moving Folk
Sample chapter now available
Nautre Essence and Anarchy, Paul Cudenec
A sample chapter from Paul Cudenec's book Nature, Essence and Anarchy, published by Winter Oak Press, is now available on the author's blog.
"Denying reality" can be found at https://network23.org/paulcudenec/2017/02/20/denying-reality-a-dangerous-delusion/
The Sultan and the Sage
18 Thursday Aug 2016
One day while he was sitting under an olive tree, contemplating the earth, the sky and the dimensions of the cosmos, there came to the wise Perantulo a man on horseback. His face was obscured by a richly decorated silk scarf and he was accompanied by a dozen mounted warriors, whose scimitars glistened in the sun.
The man was none other than the Sultan of Khaluvia, who had received word of the teaching, the healing and the presence of Perantulo and wanted to see for himself this legendary fakir. The Sultan dismounted and approached the sage, unwinding his scarf so that he could be fully seen. He was plainly of noble character and had the look of one endowed with both intelligence and mental strength, but Perantulo saw at once that there was much that separated him from Knowledge. Having ascertained that this was indeed the sage he had been seeking, and after whom he had been enquiring for many days, the Sultan looked silently into Perantulo's eyes and Perantulo looked silently and unflinchingly back. This moment stretched out until it became uncomfortable for the Sultan's warriors, who did not understand what was happening and longed for it to end. But none dared move so much as a muscle or utter so much as the softest of whispered sighs as the two men remained locked in mutual scrutiny.
Finally, the Sultan dropped to his knees and, with tears welling in his eyes, declared: "Never before, Perantulo, have I seen in the eyes of man or woman what I have just discovered in yours. I must confess that I have wondered these last days whether the rumours of your wisdom were not exaggerated by the loose tongues of gossiping embellishers, but now I know that their inaccuracy strayed in the opposite direction to that which I had feared to be the case. Your reputation does not do you justice, Perantulo, and I say this without having heard you utter one word or move one finger. I beseech you, O Holy Man, to show me how I can see what you see, know what you know, shine as you shine".
There was a long pause. Perantulo remained so still that a small green lizard walked up one arm, across the back of his neck, and down the other.
And then he told the Sultan: "It is a fine thing, O Great Ruler, that you have come here and spoken thus. Your people are fortunate indeed to be led by a man of your sensibility. But it is no easy thing you seek. The path is long and steep and you would do well to bear in mind the fable of the traveller who feasts on his supplies in celebration at having reached the lofty summit of his destination only to realise, when the mists lift, that he has merely conquered the lowest of the foothills that come before the plain that leads to the sea across which lies the mountain he would ascend".
"I know the path is long, kind sage. Fear not – the mist of impatience will not blind me on my journey," spoke the Sultan.
Perantulo waited for another long moment – moments for him bore little relation to the moments of ordinary men. He was so still that a golden butterfly alighted on his upper lip and preened itself for a while before fluttering on its way.
"Very well," said the old philosopher to the Sultan. "But you should know that the task ahead of you involves three stages. The first, which is quick and easy, is to express the Desire for True Knowledge. The second, which will be painful to you and to those who love you, is to rid yourself of all obstacles that can prevent the Torch of Eternal Truth from shining through you. This stage is dangerous for one whose commitment is not complete, for one who is not strong enough to bear the hatred of others or for one who is not supple enough inside to absorb the hurt. It is a dark voyage from which you may never emerge, O Sultan-most-Splendid".
The Sultan, a pensive frown creasing his brow, drew a deep breath: "And the third stage, O Holy Perantulo?"
"The third stage," replied the fakir, "can only be imagined when the first two stages have been completed".
The Sultan nodded. "So be it," he said. "I have understood".
And then he sprang to his feet, turned to his bemused men, and roared: "Let you all stand witness, my warriors, that your master, the Sultan of Khaluvia, today expresses his unquenchable commitment to the Desire for True Knowledge, that from this moment forth his days among mankind will be devoted to no other cause and that nothing and nobody can stand in the way of his Quest. Now we will ride, ride, ride – back to our famous City of Alzorika, which will soon become famed not just for its wealth, its learning and its arts, but for the devotion of its 75th Sultan to the Glory of All Being!"
He leapt on to his horse, raised his sword in the air as a sign of his energy and determination, then span to face the sage, who was still seated under the tree.
"Perantulo!" he cried, the fire of zeal scorching from his eyes. "Perantulo! I have heard your words and I will hold them in my heart! I will return!"
At that, he span his horse round, let out a mighty cry of inchoate resolve, and then he and his soldiers headed back off across the grasslands in the direction from which they had come.
During the Sultan's impassioned declaration, Perantulo had started to open his mouth as if about to speak, but had then decided against it. He watched the party disappear into the distance with the faintest hint of a sad smile upon his lips.
As he rode back to his palace, the Sultan said to himself: "Perantulo has warned me that this second stage will be dangerous and he alluded to the possibility that I will not go far enough in my efforts to remove all obstacles to the Torch of Truth. I owe it to him to ensure that I have heeded his warnings and I will not return to him to ask about the third stage unless I am sure that the second has been completed".
He resolved that every time that he felt he had achieved what had been asked of him, he would sit and imagine the old man sitting opposite him, listening to his account. The look in the eyes of the sage would tell him whether or not his efforts were yet sufficient.
When he arrived back to the domes, turrets and minarets of his magnificent capital city, the Sultan knew at once what he had first to do. He ordered his servants to clear the palace of all the sumptuous decorations of which he had always been so proud and to place them all under guard in the enormous covered market of Alzorika. Obeying without question, but with bewilderment written all over their faces, the servants pulled down lavish wall-hangings, carried off bronze statues and elegant urns, removed the golden medallions from the pillars of the Banqueting Hall and even, at the specific insistence of the Sultan, fished the rare multi-coloured fish from the fountain in the Courtyard of the Khaluvian Kings and took them away in glass tanks. There was only one wing of the palace that was exempt from the purge and that was the domain of the Sultan's wife.
When all the splendid items had been laid out in the market halls, the Sultan had his men invite the poorest people of the city – widows, cripples, half-wits, freed slaves, scavengers and water-bearers – to come to the halls and each take one item of their choice. Whatever was left was offered to the next neediest section of the population, until all was gone from the halls and distributed around the slums.
The Sultan did not need to consult his mind's image of the wise man to know that this was, in itself, not enough. He immediately instructed his cooks to prepare only the simplest meals for him and his court – the excess of fine meats, truffles, sugared almonds and honeyed delicacies from all corners of the Empire was to be disposed of as they saw fit. They were, however, to retain sufficient supplies to maintain the luxurious standard of living enjoyed by the Sultana and her immediate household, which included their two sons. The Sultan had no wish to incur her wrath and so far he had managed not to alert her to what he was doing.
As he pondered what his next move should be, the Sultan gazed into the fountain, which looked so plain and yet so pure without its former denizens. When he caught sight of his own reflection, he knew what had to do. He retreated into his quarters, took off his heavily-embroidered silken finery and ordered his manservant to fetch him a simple wool tunic of the kind worn by the lowest order of priests. He then had the contents of his wardrobe taken in ox-carts to the countryside, where they were handed out to the peasants tilling the fields and to the free men who eked out a simple existence in the great forests of the Pommonic Hills.
Alone in his stripped-out quarters, dressed in his plain tunic, he pictured himself telling Perantulo what he had so far achieved. The look in the old man's eyes was not encouraging. It seemed to reach straight past the Sultan to the palace in which he was standing. Even deprived of its lavish decorations, it was a magnificent building – and far too grand for a humble truth-seeker such as he aspired to become. He decided he would have to move out.
Just then, there was flurry of voices and footsteps in the hallway outside and the Sultan's wife, Yoloccina, came sweeping into the room accompanied by some of the leading dignitaries of the city. "What is the meaning of all this?" she demanded, waving her hand to indicate the emptied-out rooms of the palace beyond her own wing.
She was not happy and neither, it turned out, were the merchants and money-minters of the capital, who had been mightily offended by his decision to give away his riches to the poor. "Your Highness, do you not see that your most loyal and devoted servants, the cream of the empire who have worked hard throughout their lives to attain the high-ranking status they enjoy today, cannot fail to be hurt by your actions?" enquired the Master of the Ostan of Alzorika. "Were you to have distributed this great wealth equally among all your subjects, including those of the higher classes, their pain would perhaps be less severe, but to bestow your favours uniquely on the lazy, the inadequate, the lowest dregs of our society…"
The Sultan held his head in his hands. Was this what Perantulo had been warning him of – the negative reaction of others to his righteous efforts? "Enough!" he shouted at length, interrupting a bitter complaint from the Guild of Master Butchers about the adverse impact of free meat on its members' takings. "Enough of all of this! I am the Sultan and you will not presume to tell me how to manage my affairs!"
Dismissing all of them except for Yoloccina, he then told her that he would be moving out of the palace forthwith and dispensing with the services of his personal staff. She was welcome to keep her own wing, but he, for one, would from now on be living in one of the small houses in the outer grounds built 50 years ago to house the mercenary soldiers who came to fight in the Great War of the Razor's Eye and which were kept empty and waiting in case there was ever need for such visitors to return. When he refused to listen to her objections, she stormed off, crying that she would never so much as look at him again so long as she lived.
A terrible mood of self-doubt overcame the Sultan as he sat in his sparse new home, all alone and contemplating the bowl of spiced chick-peas and the chunk of coarse black bread that was to be his evening meal. All the eager-to-please faces that usually surrounded him were gone, his two sons were out hunting so could provide no company for him, and even the mealtime absence of the Sultana, difficult woman though she was, left an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. What sort of life was this for a Sultan?
With that thought, he leapt to his feet. Of course! That was the core of the problem! Why hadn't he seen that before, rather than worrying about the surface details of his regal life? It was his Sultanship itself that was the obstacle to the Truth. He called for his legal advisors and within an hour had signed a document ceding his title to his elder son, the traditional heir. He himself was no longer the Sultan, but Askush – the name by which he had been known as a young boy. The new Sultan and his brother were due back to Alzorika at any time now, so although the deed was done, he would delay the general announcement until he had spoken to them.
Askush broke the news to the two of them together and they both received it with barely a flicker of emotion crossing their faces, as befitted their station. But when he spoke to each of them in turn, on their own, a different picture emerged. The younger lad was upset not because he himself would not become Sultan, which he had no reason to have expected while his brother was alive, but because he feared it would alter the relationship between the siblings. He felt that the older lad had often sought to gain an advantage from his greater experience and the fact that he was heir, and that, while they had reached an agreeable equilibrium of late, his sudden succession to the throne would bring out the worst in him. There was a tear in the lad's eye as he reflected that the hugely enjoyable hunting trip from which they had just returned could well prove to be the last occasion on which the pair would spend time together on an even footing.
For his part, the elder son was not pleased to be inheriting his father's mantle so soon, it appeared. He had always known that one day the privilege and responsibility would be his, but he had hoped, in all frankness, to have enjoyed the carefree days of his youth without the serious obligations involved in being Sultan. Since his father was not yet old and was in evidently rude health, he had not mentally prepared himself for the assumption of this burdensome role. Despite it being impressed upon him that the legal transfer of power had been completed, he begged his father, with tears in his eyes, to reconsider his decision.
When they had both departed, Askush collapsed on to his simple bed. He felt completely drained. How had he managed to create so much unhappiness by following a path with the worthiest of intentions? When he thought of the tears of those two strong young men, who had been so close to his heart for so many years, he himself began to sob and to sob, filled with a perplexing mixture of remorse and confusion.
In a while he fell asleep, but was rudely awoken after less than an hour by a hammering on his door and windows and a great hubbub in the street. Half the city seemed to be outside his new home and they were screaming their frenzied hatred of the man they had now been told was their former Sultan. He was a coward, they were saying, a weak-willed traitor who had let down his faithful people. Peering out of a small upstairs window at the crowd, Askush noticed several members of the disgruntled merchant classes whose dissatisfactions he had learnt of earlier in the day. But the great majority of the mob consisted of the common people, the poor – the very ones who had benefited from the disposal of his wealth. He understood that the merchants must have been busy whipping up anger in order to gain the support of the very classes they despised, but he still could not help feeling a crushing disappointment that the people of Alzorika had turned against him.
The angry mood finally wore itself out for the evening and people started dribbling away, shouting that they would be back in the morning. When he was sure they were all gone, Askush crept out, made his way to the stables, saddled his horse and rode away into the night.
It took him three exhausting days to find Perantulo, who had moved on from the olive tree where they had last spoken. There were moments when Askush felt like giving up the effort of searching and just riding off somewhere else and forgetting the whole thing. In his heart, he wanted to go home, back to the life he had known, but it was too late for that now. Askush felt exhausted by what he had experienced since he had last spoken to Perantulo. He felt that he had lost everything that he had ever had and that he had aged at least twenty years in just a few days. But at the same time he felt consoled by the knowledge that he had done what he had to do. By the time he finally reached the sage he had managed, despite all the sadness eating away at his heart, to enthuse himself with the thought that now that the second stage was complete he would be entrusted with knowledge of the third stage that lay ahead.
Perantulo was seated on a stone in the middle of a small river, his legs dangling in the water. He seemed to be completely absorbed in watching the ever-shifting patterns in the flow of the stream and the rippling of reflected sunlight shimmered and eddied across his lowered face.
"Good day to you O Perantulo!" declared the dismounting horseman.
"Good day to you, too, O Askush!" replied Perantulo, not even raising his eyes.
Askush was astonished that he had addressed him by that name, but resolved to say nothing about it and to continue with his account as he had composed it in his mind, regardless of whether the old man somehow already knew of all that had passed.
Somewhat breathlessly, he told Perantulo every detail of what had happened to him in Alzorika, confident that he had surely achieved all that was possible in his bid to complete the second stage and rid himself of all obstacles that could prevent the Torch of Eternal Truth from shining through him. The third stage would soon await him and sweep away the trauma of the terrible sacrifices he had just made.
When he had finished, there was a long silence while Perantulo sat calmly on his stone in the river, gazing into the flow. He was so still that a great silver fish leapt from the water onto his lap, gobbled up a fly that had landed there, and then wriggled and plopped back into the stream.
Finally, he raised his head and spoke. "Askush," he said. "Your account fills me with me with great gladness for you have now successfully achieved the first stage of the journey on which you have embarked – by your actions you have indeed expressed your Desire for True Knowledge. But now, my friend, comes the second stage and here your real effort must begin".
The Sultan and the Sage is the first chapter of Paul Cudenec's The Fakir of Florence: A novel in three layers, which is available to buy here and from Active Distribution
The Fear of Freedom
An extract from Paul Cudenec's book Forms of Freedom is now available, free of charge, in pdf format.
An illustrated version of the text can be found on Paul's blog site.
The whole book, which can be bought here, is also available from Active Distribution.


text:
from scrapy.crawler import CrawlerProcess
from scrapy import Spider, Request
from scrapy.http import HtmlResponse
from urllib.parse import urlparse, quote
from definitions import ROOT_DIR
import tarfile
import os

class NDCrawler(Spider):
    name = "NDCrawler"
    tmp = os.path.join(ROOT_DIR, 'data')
    data = os.path.join(ROOT_DIR, 'data')

    custom_settings = {
        'DEPTH_LIMIT': 3,
    }

    def start_requests(self):
        urls = [
            'http://cse.nd.edu',
        ]

        for url in urls:
            yield Request(url=url, callback=self.parse)

    def parse(self, response):
        if isinstance(response, HtmlResponse):
            url = response.url
            if 'text/html' not in response.headers['Content-Type'].decode('utf-8'):
                return
            if url.startswith('http://'):
                url = url[7:]
            if url.startswith('https://'):
                url = url[8:]
            if url.endswith('/'):
                url = url[:-1]

            encoded_url = quote(url, safe='')
            encoded_url = os.path.join(NDCrawler.tmp, encoded_url)
            with open(encoded_url, 'wb+') as file:
                file.write(response.body)
            with tarfile.open(os.path.join(NDCrawler.data, NDCrawler.name) + "_result_large" + ".tar", "a") as tar:
                tar.add(encoded_url)
            os.remove(encoded_url)

            urls = response.xpath('//@href').extract()
            for url in urls:
                url = response.urljoin(url)
                parsed_url = urlparse(url)
                if parsed_url.hostname is not None and parsed_url.hostname.endswith('nd.edu'):
                    yield Request(url, callback=self.parse)
                else:
                    pass
            self.log('Saved file %s' % response.url)

process = CrawlerProcess({
    'USER_AGENT': 'netid@nd.edu'
})

process.crawl(NDCrawler)
process.start()  # the script will block here until the crawling is finished

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Long Hair Community Discussion Boards > Discussion Forums > The "Mane" Forum > How to reduce mechanical damage in super short hair?
View Full Version : How to reduce mechanical damage in super short hair?
Hi everyone. I'm growing out my pixie that I foolishly cut a month ago. But I've noticed that mechanical damage is going to be a problem for me. When my hair was longer I just wore it up all the time, and that pretty well took care of it. But now my hair is always exposed to the elements, my ends are getting roughed up more, and I'm having to wash it more often since I can't hide the greasies like I could with longer hair (about every other day as opposed to every 4-5 days). And when I do wash, my hair gets roughed up all over since I can't get up underneath it to just do a scalp wash like I used to.
Has anyone been in this situation before? How did you protect your hair? I want to try to go without trimming this year, but my ends are going to be horribly chewed up if I can't find a way to get the damage under control.
Enjoy your pixie and don't worry too much!
The short hair in a pixie cut is new young hair and is far more resilient than the older more fragile hair on long hairstyle. I wouldn't worry too much about it and just enjoy the journey of growing it out. :) It will grow beautifully strong and healthy!
Mechanical damage isn't really from the elements/ weather, its from manipulation (brushing/ combing, twirling, styling, using the same elastics repeatedly, rough hat and car headrest fabric, teasing, etc). I think you are being obsessive TBH, just be gentle on your hair. Ends should be adequately protected by the right conditioner plus using slippy fabrics where possible.
I have a pixie now and honestly i don't think you're going to get that much damage. Unless you are like taking rough fabric and rubbing it hard against your hair it'll be fine. If you're really worried just be sure to condition, do pre wash oiling and maybe get a satin pillow case if you don't have one.
Really, unless you have a fondness for wearing burlap on your head and rolling around in the dirt before jumping into a chlorinated swimming pool, I wouldn't worry about mechanical damage until you're at least back down to SL. I doubt very much that your ends will get chewed up from environmental exposure either, unless you like to go out in wind/ sandstorms. If you're doing that, make sure you wear a hat! I'm kidding, but only because I want to reassure you. As hoopalou said, you have brand new, fresh ends now that will be more resilient than older ends are.
It sounds like you're pretty stressed after cutting your hair. That is completely understandable. I know it can be difficult, but try to calm down and enjoy the process of growing out brand new hair. Try not to worry so much-- be nice to your hair and it should return the favor! You and your hair will be better off with less stress in your life.
I understand not being happy about having to wash more frequently, though, that would drive me nuts! Have you tried using gentler cleansers or diluting the one you are currently using? That might alleviate things a bit. You might also try a different technique when washing your hair-- instead of scrubbing around in several directions (which is what it sounds like you are doing, forgive me if I'm wrong), only scrub your hands downward from your part/ in the direction your hair is already pointing. You can use your fingernails (lightly!!) to scritch your scalp and make sure it gets clean, but make sure you aren't going back and forth-- only move them downwards. Also, make sure you're using some kind of good conditioning treatment after you wash, and your hair should be in great shape.
I am a bit baffled by some the replies, to be honest. Of course, mechanical damage can be a problem for short hair, too! I experienced a lot more split ends when my hair was short because mechanical damage was ever-present. I actually suspect that it's our very ends that protect the lengths. When you cut your hair, the new hemline is your new most exposed and weakest area.
The ends are totally exposed (unlike long hair that can be bunned), and it's the ends that are the weakest point. Yes, they aren't old in a pixie, but they are exposed to the elements and usually need to be styled in pixies, hence the damage.
I think, since you need to wash more often (as you said, hard to hide the greasies), always do deep oil treatments at least an hour before you wash. Coconut oil is proven to protect against harsh cleansers and too much water uptake (hygral fatigue). Try to use very mild cleansers whenever possible (CO, WO, clays, herbs, etc).
Also sleeping on silk pillowcases / silk scarves and using silk linings under hats is a good idea to protect exposed ends.
Mechanical damage is mostly from rubbing on shirt, getting caught under bag straps, car belt, between your back and the chair... Which are all not happening with very short hair. Stop worrying!
I doubt you have much to worry about until your hair is long enough to form tangles, which has a much to do with texture as length. (My DH has a standard shortish guy cut, but gets split ends on his one 3b/3c curl, which is able to knot itself while the rest of his 3aish hair can't.) The basics are the same as for long hair, though. Don't scrub your head with a towel, don't yank through tangles, keep the heat styling relatively cool and rare. Most of my mechanical damage has been from tangling, bad detangling, and bad styling decisions. Avoid these and rubbing when your hair is long enough to rub against and catch on things as you grow, and I think you'll do fine.
On a positive note, you get to start fresh with unabused hair this way. Use good practices from the start, and you'll have great, healthy hair all through the process.
I think you'll be fine as long as you don't rub your hair with towels, heat-style on the hottest settings, tear through your hair with brushes, etc. Unless you are going to be a non-trimmer, all your current hair will have been trimmed off by the time you're at BSL.
The best advice I can think of is dilute your shampoo (I use about a teaspoon per 6 oz water, shake it up... it cleans just fine with no scalp manipulation,) use dry shampoo on the oilier days (I mix together arrowroot powder, cocoa powder, and activated charcoal to match my hair) and to upgrade your combs and brushes to snag-free kinds. A seamless horn comb is an investment that will last you forever and won't catch or tug unnecessarily unlike many cheap plastic combs.


Okay, I decided to jump onto the altered landscape bandwagon when I saw this photo opportunity unfold before my eyes. If find it so annoying that up until recently, this place was covered in trees, lots of them in fact and now they have all been removed to make way for 'development'.
I guess that its just a part of life but I really wish we would respect the Earth even if it was just a little more.
This entry was posted in australian landscape photography and tagged altered landscape, australian landscape photography, australian photographer, landscape photography.
Hear hear Jamie! Agree with you 100%. That is a real Altered Landscape!
Hi Tim. Thanks for that mate. This created a huge loss of habitat for the local fauna.


text:
Online application process
Types of jobs
Career transition assistance plan
Interagency career transition assistance plan
Frequently asked questionsCurrently selected
Quick hire
Superior academic achievement
Combining education and experience
WAPA » Jobs » Frequently asked questions
Why are there two announcement numbers for the vacancy – DE and MP?
What does it mean to be qualified under a special appointing authority?
How do I determine my eligibility for veteran's preference in hiring?
What are my rights and benefits under USERRA?
How is foreign education evaluated for federal jobs?
What is an Office of Personnel Management Interchange Agreement?
What is a Miscellaneous Appointing Authority?
How can I receive immediate updates about the status of my application?
I have received a tentative job offer. What do I need to know about my background investigation?
DE stands for delegated examining and is referred as Public Non Status. Typically, candidates who are entering Federal service for the first time from the private sector will need to apply for delegated examining positions. Applicants are rated and ranked in score order and the top three candidates with the highest scores are referred to the selecting official. Applicants eligible for veteran's preference, who have submitted the proper documentation, will be listed before a non-veteran if both have equal scores. Qualified applicants who are currently or have previously held a position in the competitive service (otherwise referred to as status candidates) may also apply for DE announcements.
MP stands for merit promotion and is referred to as Public Status. Applicants for MP announcements must either be qualified current or former federal employees holding positions with career or career conditional status (commonly referred to as status applicants) or qualified employees eligible for special appointing authorities. (See the definition of special appointing authorities below.) Applicants who are best qualified are referred to the selecting official. There is no limit to the number of applicants that can be referred on a Merit Promotion announcement.
Veterans who are preference eligibles or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the VEOA (Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act). Applicants who apply under VEOA will compete against other status applicants for Merit Promotion opportunities.
Other special authorities include two specifically for veterans; the 30% disabled veterans' special appointment and the veteran's recruitment appointment. If you apply under these authorities you do not undergo the rating and ranking process and are automatically referred providing you meet the minimum qualifications for the job. Eligibility Requirements: The disabled veteran's special appointment includes those veterans with a 30 percent disability or greater. The VRA appointment includes those veterans who meet any one of the following criteria: disabled veterans at any percentage, veterans who have service or active duty in the Armed Forces during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized, veterans who have received an Armed Forces Services Medal, or veterans who have separated from active duty within the last three years. VRA appointments can be made for positions up to the GS-11 level, or equivalent WB (up to journey level) or AD (up to the AD-3 level).
There are a number of additional special appointing authorities, i.e., schedule A disability, peace corps, etc. These candidates are not rated or ranked and are automatically referred providing they meet the qualifications for the position.
The Department of Labor offers a Veterans' Preference Advisor which provides a quick, initial assessment of eligibility. More information about veterans' preference is available.
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act protects the job rights of individuals who voluntarily or involuntarily leave employment positions to undertake military service. USERRA also prohibits employers from discriminating against past and present members of the uniformed services. More information on rights and benefits under USERRA is available on Department of Labor's Web site.
Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. If the foreign education is not from an educational institution accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, it must be evaluated by a credential evaluation service, a private U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials. To be acceptable, the foreign credential evaluation must include/describe:
The type of education received by the applicant
The level of education in relation to the U.S. education system, and state that its comparability recommendations follow the general guidelines of the U.S. National Council for the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials
The content of the applicant's educational program earned abroad and the standard obtained
The status of the awarding foreign school's recognition and legitimacy in its home country's education system
Any other information of interest such as what the evaluation service did to obtain this information, the qualifications of the evaluator, and any indications as to other problems such as forgery. Foreign credential evaluations that do not contain the above information or that state there is insufficient information provided by the applicant on which to base an evaluation should not be accepted. If the requested evaluation shows the foreign education to be legitimate and comparable to that expected of a candidate with U.S. credentials, it may be accepted at Western's discretion.
What is an Office of Personnel Management Interchange Agreement?
An Interchange Agreement is an agreement between the Office of Personnel Management and another agency (in the excepted service) which prescribes conditions under which employees may be moved from one system to another. Some of these agreements may be indefinite and some are not; some only apply to employees occupying certain positions. This list is subject to change. For a complete list of organizations with interchange agreements and specific appointment conditions see:
http://www.opm.gov/employ/html/sroa2.asp#InterchangeAgreementsWithOtherMeritSystems.
If you are an employee eligible for consideration for a Merit Promotion position under an Interchange Agreement, you will be asked for information about your eligibility under the vacancy announcement questions. If you have a copy of your agency's specific agreement, it may be helpful to submit it with a copy of your latest personnel action when you apply for the position.
A Miscellaneous Appointing Authority is an authority authorized by statue or court order and which is not regulated by OPM. These authorities apply to Postal Career Service Employees, FBI employees and others. This authority allows these employees to compete for positions in the competitive service. For a complete listing of agencies covered by miscellaneous appointing authorities see:
http://www.opm.gov/employ/html/sroa2.asp#MiscellaneousAuthoritiesNotRegulated
If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement, you may be asked to provide information about your current appointment.
How can I receive immediate updates about the status of my application?
USAJOBS has added an alert setting to their system to drive status update notifications for applicants. They recommend you update you USAJOBS Profile (Application Alert Settings) to receive these status updates via e-mail. We will continue to update your status on-line as changes are made. You can elect to activate the proactive notification from your USAJOBS profile at any point during the application process. These alerts will automatically notify you that your status has changed and remind you to check your USAJOBS profile for specifics.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Stock Watch: Defense disappoints in Patriots first loss of the season
Baltimore played keepaway throughout the night as the Ravens took down the Patriots in Baltimore.
The Patriots fell from the ranks of the unbeaten after dropping a tough 37-20 game on the road in Baltimore that featured some cracks in the defense for the first time this season. The Patriots will now enter the bye week and here's a look at what went right and what went wrong in New England's first loss of the year.
1. Mohamed Sanu – The newcomer was the lone bright spot offensively in the first half, catching four passes for 28 yards including a 4-yard touchdown. He was used on a variety of crossing routes and showed his size and physicality in picking up some extra yards after the catch. He continued his solid play in the second half, converting a key third-and-7 with an 11-yard grab on the opening drive. Sanu finished with 10 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown.
2. Justin Bethel – The Patriots were on the verge of being blown out in Baltimore, trailing 17-0 early in the second quarter when they were forced to punt for the third time. Jake Bailey's kick sailed toward Cyrus Jones, who muffed the kick and allowed Bethel to win the fight for the ball at the Ravens 19. That turned the tide as the Patriots were soon in the end zone and New England had life thanks to Bethel's recovery.
3. Tom Brady and tempo offense – The Patriots were scrambling early as nothing the offense was doing was working. As the first half continued the offense eventually caught fire thanks to Josh McDaniels' decision to continue with the up tempo attack. In the second half it really paid dividends as the Ravens defense appeared gassed and was unable to slow Brady down. It completely stymied the Ravens pass rush, which was ferocious to start the game, and allowed New England to get back in the game.
1. Kicking a field goal – The Patriots rallied in the second quarter and had a chance to tie in the final seconds when James White tripped and was downed at the 1 with 10 seconds left. Facing fourth-and-goal, Bill Belichick opted to send Nick Folk out to kick a 19-yard field goal to cut the score to 17-13. Given the situation it seemed like a more aggressive approach might be in order with all the momentum on the Patriots side, but the coach chose the conservative route instead for trying for the touchdown from the 1. They were never able to tie the game in the second half.
2. Run defense – All week the focus was on stopping Lamar Jackson and the Ravens vaunted ground game. So what happened in the first half? Baltimore dominated on the ground to the tune of 155 rushing yards before intermission. The Patriots used bigger personnel up front with Lawrence Guy, Danny Shelton and Adam Butler but that group consistently was manhandled as Mark Ingram (eight carries, 97 yards) and Jackson (eight carries, 40 yards) gashed New England. Gus Edwards also chipped in with an easy 12-yard touchdown run on which he was virtually untouched. Things improved a bit from there but the early struggles set the tone.
3. Shilique Calhoun and penalties – The reserve was in the spotlight on the first drive of the night when the Ravens were lining up to kick a short field goal after being stopped on third down at the Patriots 6-yard line. As Baltimore lined up for a field goal, Calhoun jumped into the neutral zone, giving the Ravens a first-and-goal at the 3. On the next play, Jackson easily ran around left end untouched for a touchdown and the game's first points. That set the stage for several ill-timed infractions committed by New England as Dont'a Hightower jumped offside on a fourth-quarter third-and-4, and later J.C. Jackson was caught with his hands in Willie Snead's face on a failed third down to move the chains again. New England finished with seven penalties for 48 yards.
4. Slow start – New England is used to getting off to fast starts this season but Sunday night that was not the case. The Patriots entered the game outscoring opponents 87-7 in the first quarter but were blanked, 10-0, in the first 15 minutes at M&T Bank Stadium. While the Ravens were racking up 133 yards of total offense in the quarter, New England mustered a grand total of 4 while being forced to punt on both possessions. The early lethargy forced the Patriots to chase for much of the night.
5. Red zone defense – Baltimore likes to the run the ball, but that usually gets tougher inside the red zone. That wasn't the case Sunday night as Baltimore went 4-for-4 from inside the 20 with the running game a big part of that. Jackson also threw a pair of short touchdowns but it was Ingram, Edwards and Jackson's legs that caused most of the damage.
Stock Watch: Patriots get contributions in all three phases against Cincinnati
After dropping two straight, the Patriots got back on track by beating the Cincinnati Bengals 34-13.
Stock Watch: Patriots D steps up in 2nd half
In a game heavily influenced by officiating, the Patriots fell to the Kansas City Chiefs 23-16. The home game winning streak ends at 21 games. Here's what we can take away from the loss.
Stock Watch: Brady, Patriots struggle in Houston
The Patriots suffered their second loss of the season falling to the Texans by a final score of 28-22.
Stock Watch: Patriots battle their way to victory over the Cowboys
The conditions were far from ideal, but the Patriots battled their way to a 13-9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Stock Watch: Defense helps Patriots get back on track in win over Eagles
The Patriots got back on track coming off the bye week by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 17-10.
Stock Watch: Patriots defense reigns again
The rainy conditions couldn't stop the Patriots as they improved to 8-0 by defeating the Browns 27-13.
Stock Watch: Patriots defense dominates Jets
The Patriots improved to a perfect 7-0 as they defeated the Jets 33-0.
Stock Watch: Bolden, Meyers help Patriots depleted offense
The Patriots improved to 6-0 by defeating the Giants 35-14.
Stock Watch: Patriots running backs come up big
The Patriots improved to a perfect 5-0 record on Sunday by defeating the Redskins 33-7.
Stock Watch: McCourty, Jackson come up big in Patriots win
The streak of the Patriots defense not allowing a touchdown came to an end on Sunday, however the Patriots managed to come up with a 16-10 win in Buffalo.
The defense was the story once again as the Patriots defeated the Jets 30-14. Here's what we can take away from the Patriots win.


Natrol stress & anxiety day & night 5-htp dietary supplement features a daytime formula with b vitamins, 5-htp and folic acid, which may promote relaxation without drowsiness and encourage emotional well-being. At night, take a single tablet before bed to give your body antioxidants and melatonin to help your body recover from the stresses of daily life and making it easier to fall asleep. This 20 count pack contains ten white daytime tablets and ten tan nighttime tablets for 10 daily servings.


text:
Eric S. FisherShareholder/Director
Eric S. Fisher is a director in the firm's Oklahoma City office. He has spent his career focused on business creation and development, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, operational and compliance matters, and assisting clients grow and manage their businesses. Clients value and rely on Eric for his pragmatic and business-oriented advice.
Eric primarily serves as outside general counsel to closely held companies, family businesses, and entrepreneurs and their early stage and emerging market businesses, offering guidance and advice on all aspects of the organization, operation and financing of such businesses. Having participated in the management and growth of his family's bank and real estate development company, Eric understands the complexities and difficulties business owners face daily in growing and managing their businesses.
In addition to his personal and professional experience in the real estate and banking sectors, Eric spent the first two decades of his legal career advising a host of individuals and institutions in a variety of healthcare ventures, guiding staffing companies in the development and expansion of their businesses, counseling a broad range of high tech companies at various stages of their business cycles, consulting with a variety of natural resource companies, representing liquor companies at all levels of the supply chain, and helping a variety of entrepreneurs spin up, develop and manage their various business ventures. Currently Eric serves as Vice-Chair of the Healthcare Practice Group.
After Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana on June 26, 2018, Eric lead the formation of the firm's Cannabis Industry Practice Group. As practice group Chair, Eric represents individuals and entities from all licensed plant-touching industries and ancillary businesses providing goods and services to the cannabis industry, including financial institutions.
In his pre-lawyer days, Eric worked in client management for an advertising firm in Chicago. In this role, he represented a number of international packaged goods companies developing, testing, promoting and marketing new products and repositioning and rebranding existing products. This training taught Eric how to develop a concept from drawing board to point of sale, evaluate consumer acceptance and changing desires, and pivot and reposition as needed. This diverse, but applicable training, has given Eric a unique perspective to provide legal advice to his entrepreneurial clients as they face challenges developing their businesses and adapting to market shifts in their industries.
Eric is listed in the Best Lawyers publication in the fields of Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law and Health Care Law (2013 – Present). Additionally, Eric has been recognized by the Oklahoma Super Lawyers publication for Closely Held Businesses since 2013. Eric's achievements also include recognition as Best Lawyers' 2018 Lawyer of the Year – Health Care Law (OKC), 2022 Lawyer of the Year – Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law (OKC), and Top 50 Lawyers in Oklahoma by Super Lawyers in 2014.*
*Crowe & Dunlevy has no input in the rating methodologies used by Best Lawyers or Oklahoma Super Lawyers.
Serves as outside general counsel to numerous closely held companies, family businesses and not-for-profit organizations
Represents clients in joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, corporate financings, private offerings, regulatory applications, administrative and governing body investigations and appeals, and other general corporate matters
Administrative & Regulatory
Private Wealth & Closely-Held Business
With Honors
Oklahoma Law Review, Editor-in-Chief
Baker & Hoster Scholarship for Most Outstanding Law Review Note
Frank C. Love Memorial Scholarship
M.S. Marketing, 1989
B.S. Journalism, 1988
American Bar Association, Health Law and Business Law Sections
Association of Entrepreneurial Attorneys
Oklahoma Health Lawyers Association
Listed in Best Lawyers in Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Health Care Law (2013 - Present)
Named Best Lawyers 2022 Lawyer of the Year (OKC) in Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
Named Best Lawyers 2018 Lawyer of the Year (OKC) in Health Care Law
Listed in Oklahoma Super Lawyers in Closely-Held Businesses (2013 - 2019, 2021)
Named Top 50 Lawyers in Oklahoma by Super Lawyers (2014)
"Healthcare Entity Bylaws and Related Documents: Navigating the Medical Staff/Healthcare Entity Relationship", American Health Lawyers Association Practice Guidebook, December, 2000
"Healthcare Joint Ventures: Drafting to Meet Objectives", BNA Health Law & Business Series Portfolio No. 2200, May, 1999
"Maneuvering the Mundane Minefield: A Practical Guide to Legal Opinions in Healthcare Merger and Acquisitions Transactions", Journal of Health Law, Spring, 1999
"Informed Consent in Oklahoma: A Search for Reasonableness and Predictability in the Aftermath of Scott v. Bradford", 49 Okla. L. Rev., 1997
"AIDSPHOBIA: A National Survey of Emotional Distress Claims for the Fear of Contracting AIDS", Tort & Insurance Law Journal, Fall, 1997
"Antitrust Safety Zones for Physician Network Joint Ventures: Physician, Heal Thyself", 48 Okla. L. Rev. 89, 1995
"Potter v. Firestone: Setting the Standard of Recovery for Fear of Cancer or Shall Plaintiffs Forever Be Waiting on a Miracle", Tort & Insurance Law Journal, Summer, 1995
Panelist, "Medical Marijuana Update," 2018 Environmental Federation of Oklahoma Annual Meeting, October 15, 2018, Tulsa, OK
Speaker, "The House Always Wins: Trends in Government Investigations and Prosecutions," 28th Annual Crowe & Dunlevy Healthcare Update, April 17, 2018, Oklahoma City, OK
Speaker, "Forming and Operating Your Practice to Protect and Prosper," University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Residents Program, December 13, 2017, Oklahoma City, OK
Moderator, "Forrest Gump: A Hospital Administrator's Journey--Everyday Obstacles and Legal Pitfalls for Hospital Administrators, 27th Annual Crowe & Dunlevy Healthcare Update, April 27, 2017, Oklahoma City, OK
Speaker, "Teaming Up for Success: Emerging Issues in Hospital/Physician Employment," 26th Annual Crowe & Dunlevy Healthcare Update, May 3, 2016, Oklahoma City, OK
Moderator, "A Day in the Life of a Hospital Administrator," 25th Annual Crowe & Dunlevy Healthcare Update, April 16, 2015, Oklahoma City, OK
Speaker, "Impact of Stark and Anti-Kickback Law Developments on Physician/Hospital Relationships," 24th Annual Crowe & Dunlevy Healthcare Update, April 1, 2014, Oklahoma City, OK
Speaker, "Failures, Fumbles & Flops - The Best (And Often Most Overlooked) Lessons for Life and Business," East Central University Oklahoma Business Week Camp, June 4, 2013
Casady School Board of Trustees Member (2009 - Present), Chairman of the Board (2010 - 2013), Secretary (2020 - Present)
Appointed Regent for the Regional University System of Oklahoma by Governor Kevin Stitt in May 2019
eric.fisher@crowedunlevy.com
324 North Robinson Avenue Suite 100
Eric S. Fisher VCard


text:
/**
 *  Module dependencies.
 *  Manjesh Vinayaka<manjeshpv@gmail.com>
 */

var url = require('url')
  , qs = require('querystring')

/**
 * Helpers method
 *
 * @param {String} name
 * @return {Function}
 * @api public
 */

function helpers (name) {
  return function (req, res, next) {
    res.locals.appName = name || 'App'
    res.locals.title = name || 'App'
    res.locals.req = req
    res.locals.isActive = function (link) {
      if (link === '/' ) {
        return req.url === '/' ? 'active' : ''
      } else {
        return req.url.indexOf(link) !== -1 ? 'active' : ''
      }
    }
    res.locals.formatDate = formatDate
    res.locals.formatDatetime = formatDatetime
    res.locals.stripScript = stripScript
    res.locals.createPagination = createPagination(req)

    if (typeof req.flash !== 'undefined') {
      res.locals.info = req.flash('info')
      res.locals.errors = req.flash('error')
      res.locals.success = req.flash('success')
      res.locals.warning = req.flash('warning')
    }
    next()
  }
}

module.exports = helpers

/**
 * Pagination helper
 *
 * @param {Number} pages
 * @param {Number} page
 * @return {String}
 * @api private
 */

function createPagination (req) {
  return function createPagination (pages, page) {

	  var params = qs.parse(url.parse(req.url).query)
    var params_first_last = true;
    var params_prev_next = true;
    var params_class ="class";
    var params_link_class ="link_class";
    var params_first_text ="First";
    var params_prev_text ="Prev";
    var params_next_text ="Next";
    var params_last_text = "Last";
    var params_show_label = true;
    var params_mid_size = 10;
    var params_page = page;
    var params_total =pages;

    var returnHTML = "";
    function pods_var_update(id) {
    	return "?page=" + id;
    }
    returnHTML += '
';
    if (1 === params_show_label) {
    	returnHTML += '
 ' + params_label + '
';
    }
    if (1 < params_page) {

    	if (params_first_last) {
    		returnHTML += '
' + params_first_text + '
';
    	}
    	if (params_prev_next) {
    		returnHTML += '
' + params_prev_text + '
';
    	}
    	returnHTML += '
1
';
    }
    if (1 < (params_page - 100)) {
    	returnHTML += '
' + (params_page - 100) + '
';
    }
    if (1 < (params_page - 10)) {
    	returnHTML += '
' + (params_page - 10) + '
';
    }

	    for (i = params_mid_size-1; i > 0; i--) {
	    	if (1 < (params_page - i)) {
	    		returnHTML += '
' + (params_page - i) + '
';
	    	}
	    }

    returnHTML += '
' + params_page + '
';

	    for (i = 1; i <= params_mid_size-1; i++) {
	    	if ((params_page + i) < params_total) {
	    		returnHTML += '
' + (params_page + i) + '
';
	    	}
	    }

    if ((params_page + 10) < params_total) {
    	returnHTML += '
' + (params_page + 10) + '
';
    }
    if ((params_page + 100) < params_total) {
    	returnHTML += '
' + (params_page + 100) + '
';
    }
    if (params_page < params_total) {
    	returnHTML += '
' + params_total + '
';
    	if (params_prev_next) {
    		returnHTML += '
' + params_next_text + '
';
    	}
    	if (params_first_last) {
    		returnHTML += '
' + params_last_text + '
';
    	}
    }
    returnHTML += '
';
    return returnHTML;
  }
}

/**
 * Format date helper
 *
 * @param {Date} date
 * @return {String}
 * @api private
 */

function formatDate (date) {
  date = new Date(date)
  var monthNames = [ 'Jan', 'Feb', 'Mar', 'Apr', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'Aug', 'Sep', 'Oct', 'Nov', 'Dec' ]
  return monthNames[date.getMonth()]+' '+date.getDate()+', '+date.getFullYear()
}

/**
 * Format date time helper
 *
 * @param {Date} date
 * @return {String}
 * @api private
 */

function formatDatetime (date) {
  date = new Date(date)
  var hour = date.getHours();
  var minutes = date.getMinutes() < 10
    ? '0' + date.getMinutes().toString()
    : date.getMinutes();

  return formatDate(date) + ' ' + hour + ':' + minutes;
}

/**
 * Strip script tags
 *
 * @param {String} str
 * @return {String}
 * @api private
 */

function stripScript (str) {
  return str.replace(/


Surviving University One Week at a Time....: Drinking. With Water-to-Go.
For a period of time, I was looking at buying one of those water filtration jugs. I figured that drinking more water was never a bad thing but I'm not the hugest fan of the water in Portsmouth, as daft as it sounds. So when I stumbled across the Water-to-Go bottles, I was transfixed.
On a slightly less technical front, I'm in love with the actual bottle. It is the perfect size for taking to my lectures or off on my travels and although I haven't put it in my bag upside down (I'm not that daring!); I've had it in my bag for several hours with my pride and joy, my Ipad, and it's stayed dry.
The only downside, apart from the price, is the having to replace the filter, which I figured I was bound to forget seeing as the filter lasts for 200 litres or 3 months but I signed up for reminders so I'm sorted! Just got to make sure I don't leave it anywhere; the car, lecture theatre or gym.
Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this post. I received the bottle for the purpose of the review. All views are the truth.
Oh this actually looks fab! I too hate the tap water where I live since I moved! It just tastes different to what I'm used to, so I buy bottled. I'm going to look into getting one of these, thanks!


TOWNHOUSE IN A PERFECT LOCATION, BEST SCHOOLS AT WESTON, GRANITE COUNTER TOPS, STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES.
Beautiful Corner Unit, first floor 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom wit canal view. Near restaurants, hospital and Major highways. Excellent schools A+ Open kitchen and very bright.


text:
Michigan finishes fourth at NCAA Championships
Sunday, March 18, 2018 - 8:54pm
Senior Clara Smiddy ended her career at the NCAA Championships last week. Buy this photo
Katelyn Mulcahy/Daily
Rian Ratnavale
Daily Sports Writer
For a senior class who came to a Michigan women's swimming and diving program that didn't even finish in the top 25 four years ago, this week's NCAA Championships in Columbus was a fitting end to a gradual climb for greatness.
The Wolverines finished fourth in the meet with 267 points, a mark that represents Michigan's third highest point total ever at the NCAA Championships. As a result, the Wolverines finished the season as the highest-ranked Big Ten team at the meet, a title Indiana has held each of the last three seasons.
As Michigan head coach Mike Bottom noted the senior class, most notably G Ryan, Clara Smiddy and Gabby Deloof, has helped him instill a culture that focuses on the swimmers as both individuals and as a unit, rather than being completely results oriented.
"It starts when you walk through the door," Bottom said. "When you get out of bed, when you make decisions on what to eat, when you talk to your teammates, when you study. Scoring points for Michigan is a lot wider than just walking into Michigan, touching your hand to the wall and seeing what your place and score is."
The secret there, though, is that the culture around the team breeds results too, without being 100-percent focused on it. Ryan and Smiddy placed on the podium for the 1,650-yard freestyle and the 200-yard backstroke, respectively.
"I definitely think that kind of culture is what we are trying to build here," Smiddy said. "I wouldn't want to be at a school or a program that doesn't try to do that. In life, you can't just get on alone, they have to support you all the way through. Michigan has taught me a lot to hold onto the experiences around me, and that starts with the people."
Two noticeable beneficiaries of the senior class' trickle-down effect are the Wolverines' two freshman divers- Christy Cutshaw and Nikki Canale. They've been the best performers this season, and their experience at this early point of their career should help the two build on the culture laid in place by the seniors and coaching staff. Cutshaw herself finished 10th this weekend.
That's not to say, that the road for the seniors to get to this point has been a simple ascent to a top-five team in the country. The road to this point has been long, especially for Smiddy.
Before this week, the captain had dealt with nagging knee injuries throughout her career. But through everything, she has remained a constant locker room presence for her fellow swimmers.
"She's been through a lot of pain in order to stay on this team," Bottom said. "Producing like she has as this point, for all that she's been through is amazing. But more than that, she's a leader, and she's compassionate to every person around her."
While being speedy in the water can help Michigan do well, it's the little things like Smiddy's perserverance that give the Wolverines a chance to keep ascending to the top of the swimming and diving world.


text:
import * as React from 'react';
import clsx from 'clsx';
import { useRouter } from 'next/router';
import NextLink, { LinkProps as NextLinkProps } from 'next/link';
import MuiLink, { LinkProps as MuiLinkProps } from '@mui/material/Link';
import { styled } from '@mui/material/styles';

// Add support for the sx prop for consistency with the other branches.
const Anchor = styled('a')({});

interface NextLinkComposedProps
  extends Omit<React.AnchorHTMLAttributes<HTMLAnchorElement>, 'href'>,
    Omit<NextLinkProps, 'href' | 'as' | 'onClick' | 'onMouseEnter'> {
  to: NextLinkProps['href'];
  linkAs?: NextLinkProps['as'];
}

export const NextLinkComposed = React.forwardRef<HTMLAnchorElement, NextLinkComposedProps>(
  function NextLinkComposed(props, ref) {
    const { to, linkAs, replace, scroll, shallow, prefetch, locale, ...other } = props;

    return (
      <NextLink
        href={to}
        prefetch={prefetch}
        as={linkAs}
        replace={replace}
        scroll={scroll}
        shallow={shallow}
        passHref
        locale={locale}
      >
        <Anchor ref={ref} {...other} />
      </NextLink>
    );
  },
);

export type LinkProps = {
  activeClassName?: string;
  as?: NextLinkProps['as'];
  href: NextLinkProps['href'];
  linkAs?: NextLinkProps['as']; // Useful when the as prop is shallow by styled().
  noLinkStyle?: boolean;
} & Omit<NextLinkComposedProps, 'to' | 'linkAs' | 'href'> &
  Omit<MuiLinkProps, 'href'>;

// A styled version of the Next.js Link component:
// https://nextjs.org/docs/api-reference/next/link
const Link = React.forwardRef<HTMLAnchorElement, LinkProps>(function Link(props, ref) {
  const {
    activeClassName = 'active',
    as,
    className: classNameProps,
    href,
    linkAs: linkAsProp,
    locale,
    noLinkStyle,
    prefetch,
    replace,
    role, // Link don't have roles.
    scroll,
    shallow,
    ...other
  } = props;

  const router = useRouter();
  const pathname = typeof href === 'string' ? href : href.pathname;
  const className = clsx(classNameProps, {
    [activeClassName]: router.pathname === pathname && activeClassName,
  });

  const isExternal =
    typeof href === 'string' && (href.indexOf('http') === 0 || href.indexOf('mailto:') === 0);

  if (isExternal) {
    if (noLinkStyle) {
      return <Anchor className={className} href={href} ref={ref} {...other} />;
    }

    return <MuiLink className={className} href={href} ref={ref} {...other} />;
  }

  const linkAs = linkAsProp || as;
  const nextjsProps = { to: href, linkAs, replace, scroll, shallow, prefetch, locale };

  if (noLinkStyle) {
    return <NextLinkComposed className={className} ref={ref} {...nextjsProps} {...other} />;
  }

  return (
    <MuiLink
      component={NextLinkComposed}
      className={className}
      ref={ref}
      {...nextjsProps}
      {...other}
    />
  );
});

export default Link;


text:
Jerzy Baranowski (1934-2009) – polski artysta fotograf. Mieszkał w Krakowie. Z wykształcenia magister Akademii Ekonomicznej. Ponad czterdzieści lat brał czynny udział w polskim ruchu fotografii artystycznej, a krajoznawczej w szczególności.

Działalność
Od 1960 działał w Krakowskim Towarzystwie Fotograficznym, gdzie przez 20 lat pełnił funkcję wiceprezesa do spraw artystycznych i wystawowych. Był prezesem grupy twórczej Inteclub KTF, jurorem konkursów polskich i międzynarodowych, członkiem Komisji Artystycznej PFSF, instruktorem fotografii PTTK i działaczem Komisji Fotografii Krajoznawczej ZG PTTK, Honorowym Fotografem Krajoznawcą Polski, członkiem Photographic Society of America. Był członkiem honorowym Krakowskiego Klubu Fotograficznego.

Twórczość i publikacje
Zainteresowania twórcze koncentrował wokół fotografii krajobrazowej wielu regionów Polski.

Wydał liczne albumy w nakładzie ponad 150 tys. egzemplarzy, w tym: Wielkie Jeziora Mazurskie (1983), Pojezierze Kaszubskie (1985), Polska Kraina Tysiąca Jezior, Wędrówki (1987), Polskie krajobrazy, Z biegiem rzek, Małopolska i inne. Był pomysłodawcą i głównym autorem historycznego albumu Polskie Parki Narodowe. Był autorem Scenic and Castles - pierwszego w historii polskiej fotografii albumu wykonanego techniką audio-video, wydanego przez amerykańską firmę CD ROM Galleries INC. (100 barwnych zdjęć regionu krakowskiego na CD) oraz rozprawy specjalistycznej z dziedziny fotografiki. Autor albumu Nad szczytami Tatr (wyd. Ostoja 1993) zwierającego pionierskie, wykonane z lotu ptaka jego zdjęcia krajobrazów Tatr, Pienin, Beskidów oraz Jury. Fotografie Jerzego Baranowskiego zostały zamieszczone w almanachu fotograficznym Mistrzowie polskiego pejzażu (wyd. Agencja Reklamowo-Wydawnicza "Fine Grain", Kielce 2000).

Ponad 200 prac Jerzego Baranowskiego eksponowano na ponad 100 wystawach i salonach fotografii krajowej i międzynarodowej w 36 krajach na wszystkich kontynentach.

Odznaczenia i nagrody
Laureat kilkudziesięciu konkursów fotografii artystycznej, gdzie otrzymywał nagrody i medale oraz honorowe wyróżnienia.

Za twórczość artystyczną otrzymał również wiele tytułów honorowych, m.in.: Międzynarodowej Federacji Sztuki Fotograficznej "Artiste FIAP" (AFIAP), Honorowego Fotografa Krajoznawcy Polski.

Został odznaczony: odznaką Zasłużony Działacz Kultury oraz Złotą Odznaką Rady Polskiej Federacji Amatorskich Stowarzyszeń Fotograficznych w Polsce - za wybitne osiągnięcia i zasługi dla rozwoju fotografii i ruchu fotograficznego w Polsce.

Przypisy

Linki zewnętrzne

Polscy fotografowie współcześni
Polscy fotografowie wyróżnieni tytułami FIAP
Fotografowie związani z Krakowskim Klubem Fotograficznym
Działacze Polskiego Towarzystwa Turystyczno-Krajoznawczego
Odznaczeni odznaką "Zasłużony Działacz Kultury"
Urodzeni w 1934
Zmarli w 2009

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


📌 To stop ATP synthesis which chemical is generally used?
📌 Which of the following will oscillate the fastest?
📌 At what concentration of sulphuric acid, Nocardia resists decolourization?
📌 A newly discovered microscopic structure is hypothesized to be a living organism. Which of the following lines of evidence would support the contention that this organism may be alive?
📌 Which of the following nucleoside diphosphates is used most often in carbohydrate anabolism?
📌 Which of the following(s) is/are steps in excision repair mechanisms?


text:
The original item was published from 11/1/2016 2:28:32 PM to 11/3/2016 4:00:17 PM.
[ARCHIVED] Electric Service from NOPEC
Recently, First Energy Solutions notified the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC) that they were terminating the contract to provide electric service to NOPEC customers effective January 2017. The City of Beachwood is a NOPEC "customer". Many of our residents and businesses receive their electric service through NOPEC. If you are NOPEC customer, it is important to note that this termination will NOT disrupt your electric service in any way.
NOPEC has provided a document with "Frequently Asked Questions" that addresses this situation. Continue reading for FAQ's. If you wish to speak directly with NOPEC, please call 855-639-8159.
1. What does this mean for me, the customer? Am I going to have electricity?
Yes. Your electricity will continue to flow. Throughout the process of finding a new supplier, there will be no disruption of service for NOPEC customers.
2. So, my electricity will definitely not be shut off?
No, your electricity will not be shut off. There will be no disruption of service for our NOPEC customers because of the changing of suppliers.
3. What should I, the customer, be doing?
You should do nothing. Your discounts through NOPEC's current supplier will continue until January. NOPEC plans to have a sound and financially strong supplier under contract shortly, ready to deliver electricity to NOPEC customers at a favorable rate.
4. What happened? How can FirstEnergy Solutions so suddenly end this contract?
FirstEnergy Solutions informed NOPEC on Friday, Oct. 28, 2016, that it was terminating its contract with NOPEC three years early, effective January 2017. The unexpected termination announcement came after FirstEnergy Solutions made a surprising demand for unilateral contract concessions from NOPEC and amid numerous news reports about the severe financial challenges FirstEnergy Solutions and its parent corporation, FirstEnergy Corp., are facing.
5. What is NOPEC doing in response to this early termination?
NOPEC is currently in discussions with new suppliers to continue to provide electricity at a discounted rate for its customers. NOPEC over the past 15 years has saved customers about $250 million and added many other values that benefit our communities and customers.
6. What did the contract with FirstEnergy Solutions provide for me, and how will it change?
On Jan. 1, 2010, FirstEnergy Solutions entered into a nine-year contract with NOPEC to supply electricity to NOPEC customers. As a result of that deal, NOPEC residential customers saved 6 percent and commercial customers saved 4 percent on the generation portion of their electric bills, compared with what they would have been paying to a utility. In addition, NOPEC has funded an additional 1 percent discount that shows up on your electric bill as "NOPEC Customer Credit."
NOPEC is focused on getting our customers an excellent, financially strong electricity supplier and a deal that will allow them to continue to experience the many benefits NOPEC has become known for delivering to our customers.
7. Why did FirstEnergy Solutions terminate so quickly?
The FES decision to terminate the contract three years early came after NOPEC rejected a number of unilateral demands for contract concessions. There also have been published reports and press interviews with FirstEnergy Corp. executives citing severe financial challenges being faced by FES. Indeed, First Energy CEO Chuck Jones recently told Crain's Cleveland Business "there's blood in the water" because of FirstEnergy's weakened financial state.
It is unfortunate that FES is facing such financial problems, but any offer FES makes to potential new customers (including you) should be evaluated in that light.
NOPEC's primary goal is to immediately find an electricity supplier for our customers that is financially stable with a proven history of excellent service.
8. I've read stories about a court case with NOPEC and FirstEnergy. What's that about?
We are in court with FES over some of the details of the termination of the contract and because we want to be sure that NOPEC's customers and their electricity supply is protected should FES be sold or go bankrupt. This does not affect NOPEC's ability to shop for a new supplier at a discounted rate to begin providing service when FirstEnergy Solutions ends service.
9. When NOPEC finds a new supplier to provide a discounted rate, what do I need to do to receive that rate?
You should do nothing. When NOPEC contracts with a new electricity supplier, NOPEC will send a new notice to you with an option for you to "opt-out." If you are happy with the new rate, you do not need to do anything and your discount will automatically be applied to your bill. If you do not want to reap the benefits of NOPEC's new rate, you can fill out the "opt-out" form and return it to NOPEC within 21 days of the mailing date. If you opt-out, you will return to the utility's standard service offer.
For 15 years, the great majority of customers in NOPEC communities have signed up for NOPEC's significant savings. NOPEC was started by communities like yours that recognized deregulation was an opportunity for a not-for-profit energy "aggregator" that could help communities negotiate better deals on electricity and natural gas.
It has worked for the roughly 500,000 NOPEC customers in 12 Northern Ohio counties who have saved money on their utility costs and gotten other benefits from NOPEC.
Nothing that has happened will change that.
Visit Beachwood
Work in Beachwood
Live in Beachwood
Live Stream / Recorded Meetings
Auctions & Property Disposal


text:
Q: error: Attempt to invoke interface method 'int java.util.List.size()' i try to build an app that show a route and draw it, for after calculate distance an travel time, for all points A + B + C + D...  but it show this error, i don't know how fix.
i looking for similar answers, but no response for this case
TAL EXCEPTION: main
                  Process: com.elgeos.wayp.wa, PID: 17963
                  java.lang.NullPointerException: Attempt to invoke interface method 'int java.util.List.size()' on a null object reference
                      at com.elgeos.wayp.wa.PathGoogleMapActivity$ParserTask.onPostExecute(PathGoogleMapActivity.java:139)
                      at com.elgeos.wayp.wa.PathGoogleMapActivity$ParserTask.onPostExecute(PathGoogleMapActivity.java:113)
                      at android.os.AsyncTask.finish(AsyncTask.java:651)
                      at android.os.AsyncTask.-wrap1(AsyncTask.java)
                      at android.os.AsyncTask$InternalHandler.handleMessage(AsyncTask.java:668)
                      at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:102)
                      at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:148)
                      at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5417)
                      at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
                      at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:726)
                      at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:616)

Below i attach my full java activity, Android Studio show me all ok, but when i debug app, fail app
package com.elgeos.wayp.wa;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.List;

import org.json.JSONObject;

import android.graphics.Color;
import android.os.AsyncTask;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.v4.app.FragmentActivity;
import android.util.Log;

import com.google.android.gms.maps.CameraUpdateFactory;
import com.google.android.gms.maps.GoogleMap;
import com.google.android.gms.maps.OnMapReadyCallback;
import com.google.android.gms.maps.SupportMapFragment;
import com.google.android.gms.maps.model.LatLng;
import com.google.android.gms.maps.model.MarkerOptions;
import com.google.android.gms.maps.model.PolylineOptions;

public class PathGoogleMapActivity extends FragmentActivity  implements OnMapReadyCallback {

    private static final LatLng LOWER_MANHATTAN = new LatLng(40.722543,
            -73.998585);
    private static final LatLng BROOKLYN_BRIDGE = new LatLng(40.7057, -73.9964);
    private static final LatLng WALL_STREET = new LatLng(40.7064, -74.0094);

    GoogleMap mMap;
    final String TAG = "PathGoogleMapActivity";

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_path_google_map);
        SupportMapFragment mapFragment = (SupportMapFragment) getSupportFragmentManager()
                .findFragmentById(R.id.map);
        mapFragment.getMapAsync(this);

    }

    @Override
    public void onMapReady(GoogleMap googleMap) {
        mMap = googleMap;

        MarkerOptions options = new MarkerOptions();
        options.position(LOWER_MANHATTAN);
        options.position(BROOKLYN_BRIDGE);
        options.position(WALL_STREET);
        mMap.addMarker(options);
        String url = getMapsApiDirectionsUrl();
        ReadTask downloadTask = new ReadTask();
        downloadTask.execute(url);

        mMap.moveCamera(CameraUpdateFactory.newLatLngZoom(BROOKLYN_BRIDGE,
                13));

        addMarkers();
    }

    private String getMapsApiDirectionsUrl() {
        String waypoints = "waypoints=optimize:true|"
                + LOWER_MANHATTAN.latitude + "," + LOWER_MANHATTAN.longitude
                + "|" + "|" + BROOKLYN_BRIDGE.latitude + ","
                + BROOKLYN_BRIDGE.longitude + "|" + WALL_STREET.latitude + ","
                + WALL_STREET.longitude;

        String sensor = "sensor=false";
        String params = waypoints + "&" + sensor;
        String output = "json";
        String url = "https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/directions/"
                + output + "?" + params;
        return url;
    }

    private void addMarkers() {
        if (mMap != null) {
            mMap.addMarker(new MarkerOptions().position(BROOKLYN_BRIDGE)
                    .title("First Point"));
            mMap.addMarker(new MarkerOptions().position(LOWER_MANHATTAN)
                    .title("Second Point"));
            mMap.addMarker(new MarkerOptions().position(WALL_STREET)
                    .title("Third Point"));
        }
    }

    private class ReadTask extends AsyncTask<String, Void, String> {
        @Override
        protected String doInBackground(String... url) {
            String data = "";
            try {
                HttpConnection http = new HttpConnection();
                data = http.readUrl(url[0]);
            } catch (Exception e) {
                Log.d("Background Task", e.toString());
            }
            return data;
        }

        @Override
        protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
            super.onPostExecute(result);
            new ParserTask().execute(result);
        }
    }

    private class ParserTask extends
            AsyncTask<String, Integer, List<List<HashMap<String, String>>>> {

        @Override
        protected List<List<HashMap<String, String>>> doInBackground(
                String... jsonData) {

            JSONObject jObject;
            List<List<HashMap<String, String>>> routes = null;

            try {
                jObject = new JSONObject(jsonData[0]);
                PathJSONParser parser = new PathJSONParser();
                routes = parser.parse(jObject);
            } catch (Exception e) {
                e.printStackTrace();
            }
            return routes;
        }

        @Override
        protected void onPostExecute(List<List<HashMap<String, String>>> routes) {
            ArrayList<LatLng> points = null;
            PolylineOptions polyLineOptions = null;

            // traversing through routes
            for (int i = 0; i < routes.size(); i++) {
                points = new ArrayList<LatLng>();
                polyLineOptions = new PolylineOptions();
                List<HashMap<String, String>> path = routes.get(i);

                for (int j = 0; j < path.size(); j++) {
                    HashMap<String, String> point = path.get(j);

                    double lat = Double.parseDouble(point.get("lat"));
                    double lng = Double.parseDouble(point.get("lng"));
                    LatLng position = new LatLng(lat, lng);

                    points.add(position);
                }

                polyLineOptions.addAll(points);
                polyLineOptions.width(2);
                polyLineOptions.color(Color.BLUE);
            }

            mMap.addPolyline(polyLineOptions);
        }
    }
}

A: List> path = routes.get(i);
Here, the routes is null and you try to get size of the path list which is null.
So you get a NullPointerException.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange