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Wyden Demands Answers on Alarming Whistleblower Report That HHS Deployed Unprepared Staff to Coronavirus Quarantine Sites
Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today demanded answers from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the recent whistleblower report that HHS deployed federal non-health care staff from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to two coronavirus quarantine sites in California without adequate procedures, safety protocols, training or protective equipment.
In a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Wyden also raised concern about alleged treatment of the whistleblower after reporting that top HHS leaders dismissed concerns from managers and affected employees regarding the issue.
"Such mismanagement on the part of HHS placed these human services staff at risk. Not only that, but the general public was also put at risk since your employees were then immediately returned to their communities and jobs at the Department post-deployment, by commercial air flights with no precautions," Wyden wrote. "The CDC recommends health care providers interview people with symptoms over the telephone or videoconference to mitigate the potential spread of the virus. Given these recommendations, it is particularly concerning that ACF human services personnel, with limited or no public health or health care background, were sent into quarantine sites without guidance, training, or information."
The full text of the letter follows and can be found here.
The Honorable Alex M. Azar II
Dear Secretary Azar,
As Ranking Member of the United States Senate Committee on Finance, I write with serious concern about the recent whistleblower report that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) deployed federal non-healthcare staff from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to two coronavirus quarantine sites in California. According to the whistleblower, deployed human services staff from the U.S. Repatriation Program, which is within the Committee's jurisdiction, were asked to interact directly with quarantined individuals without adequate procedures, safety protocols, training, or protective equipment. Such mismanagement on the part of HHS placed these human services staff at risk. Not only that, but the general public was also put at risk since your employees were then immediately returned to their communities and jobs at the Department post-deployment, by commercial air flights with no precautions. I am alarmed, also, by reports of how the whistleblower has been treated by the Department after reporting that top HHS leaders dismissed concerns from managers and affected employees regarding this issue.
The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), has become a global public health emergency and the Department's actions to address the emergency should reflect the severity of the situation. According to the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, there are currently more than 80,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, including 60 cases in the United States.
The information public health officials and medical experts have provided on COVID-19 is largely based on what is known about similar coronaviruses. COVID-19 is spread person-to-person, between people who have close contact with one another, through coughing or sneezing, or through contact with infected surfaces or objects. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people are most contagious when they are exhibiting the most severe symptoms, but it is also possible that COVID-19 can spread before symptoms are shown.
In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it is recommended that people who have traveled to affected areas or are experiencing symptoms (fever, cough, or shortness of breath) consult a health care provider and stay isolated as much as possible. The CDC recommends health care providers interview people with symptoms over telephone or videoconference to mitigate the potential spread of the virus. Given these recommendations, it is particularly concerning that ACF human services personnel, with limited or no public health or health care background, were sent into quarantine sites without guidance, training, or information.
With grave concern for the whistleblower and people within ACF and HHS who were potentially exposed, and given the fact that the virus' incubation period is anywhere from two to 14 days, please provide prompt and detailed answers to the following questions by March 6, 2020:
What are the Department's protocols for deploying medical and agency personnel to health emergency locations such as the quarantine centers established for repatriation of American citizens for COVID-19?
Did the Department follow these protocols for employees sent to March and Travis Air Force Bases?
How many HHS ACF employees were deployed to March and Travis Air Force Bases, respectively, and what dates were they deployed?
What specific skills and training did they have that justified their deployment?
Were HHS ACF employees deployed to any additional COVID-19 quarantine sites throughout the United States? If so, please identify those locations and provide the number of personnel deployed and the dates of their deployment.
Were HHS ACF employees given the option to conduct their assignments via teleconference or telephone, in line with CDC guidance for health care providers?
Did the Department deploy any other HHS personnel, including any personnel working in programs under the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, to coronavirus quarantine sites?
If so, list all teams deployed, purpose for their deployment, and dates and locations of deployment.
If so, what protocols did the Department follow to ensure the health and safety of HHS personnel?
If so, what specific skills and training did they have that justified their deployment?
What training, preparation, and protective gear did the Department provide deployed HHS ACF employees before they came into contact with quarantined individuals?
Describe and provide copies of any safety procedures or protocols that applied to HHS employees deployed to these locations.
Has the Department taken any steps to quarantine, monitor, or test HHS ACF employees post-deployment at the quarantine sites? If so, provide detailed description of these measures, including the procedures implemented and the dates and locations where these steps occurred. Specifically:
Were HHS ACF employees tested for COVID-19 before leaving quarantine sites and returning to their normal jobs with the Department?
Did HHS ACF employees travel domestically or internationally once they completed their work at the COVID-19 quarantine sites? If so, what protocol was in place to ensure that COVID-19 was not spread to the American public?
How are you ensuring all HHS employees potentially exposed to deployed employees who have returned to their normal jobs are tested for COVID-19?
How is HHS communicating to its employees the personal risk of exposure and protocol should an employee experience COVID-19 symptoms or become concerned they were exposed?
The whistleblower's attorney reported to the Washington Post "she was involuntarily assigned to a position in a subject matter where she has no expertise." Pursuant to the Whistleblower Protection Act, retaliation against a Federal employee who is a whistleblower is a prohibited personnel practice.
Describe in detail why the whistleblower was reassigned, including when and by whom.
Did you or any of your direct reports have knowledge of and/or approve this reassignment?
What has the Department done to ensure all appropriate procedures were taken with regard to protecting this employee pursuant to the Whistleblower Protection Act?
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Chronically early and obsessively organized, Alex enthusiastically takes care of business. Her attention to detail is basically a superpower, and she loves using it to help people. Alex's hobbies include donut-eating and screen printing in her kitchen.
2017 Nonprofit Technology Conference event design.
NTEN approached Last Call Media to develop a comprehensive look and feel for their 2017 Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC). NTEN works to create a world where all nonprofit organizations use technology skillfully and confidently to meet community needs and fulfill their missions, and the conference is their signature annual event for engaging and energizing their membership.
LCM understood that the event primarily focuses on building relationships and reconnecting with friends in a collaborative and collegial environment.
Each NTC event centers around a thematic approach reflected in a unified communications materials from registration and information online, to signage and collateral planned for the specific location. After several potential directions were presented, they chose a 'state fair' approach that was nostalgic, without camp, for the Washington, DC conference.
Last Call Media developed the necessary assets to support every platform, and developed a style approach to guide NTEN staff and collateral vendors.
The last call they needed to make.
Last Call Media pursues work that we feel good about. We engage institutions in the artistic, education, and nonprofit sectors because we believe in what they do. CreativeGround, a product of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), was exactly the kind of partner LCM wanted to have, and they just happened to be in the market for a new partner when we met them.
CreativeGround is a free online directory of profiles for cultural nonprofits like libraries and theaters, creative businesses like recording studios and design agencies, and artists of all disciplines. They came to LCM looking to escape a pattern that many organizations find themselves in: the design, creation, hosting, and support of their website had been handed off multiple times between different agencies, and some things had been lost in a long game of telephone; they were in a support contract, but didn't feel supported; they knew they needed to make some big changes to their site, but needed guidance on where to start. They needed a partner that would be both capable and transparent, and help them take their site to the next level.
Understandably, CreativeGround was wary of jumping into another agreement with yet another dev shop, so we started off slow. Through concise communication, thorough support, routine site updates, and honest recommendations over the course of several months, LCM was able to show CreativeGround that it's possible to have an expert team of developers on their side, with all of their best interests in mind.
LCM migrated the CreativeGround site from an internal host server— which caused a lot of troublesome deployments due to a complex workflow— to Pantheon. This move offers CreativeGround more control over their own site, increased transparency around the work performed on it, and greater ease when it comes to deploying work and performing site updates. Not to mention, it will save them time and money on all fronts!
Last Call Media has continued to assist CreativeGround with site maintenance and feature development since the switch. They remain one of our favorite partners to work with.
Last Call Media has been incredibly attentive to our unique needs as an arts nonprofit. They've gone out of their way to do more than just maintain our site. There's heart to their work!


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Home > Car Reviews
Should be on the shortlist of every SUV buyer
Bags of safety features
Loaded with creature comforts, too
Drives well with air suspension
Not cheap
Touchscreen grumbles
No seven-seat option
Variant: XC60 D4 AWD R-Design
Price: £39,705
Engine: 1969cc, 4 cylinders, turbodiesel
Power: 188bhp @ 4250rpm
Torque: 295 lb ft @ 1750rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto with manual mode, 4-wheel drive
Acceleration: 0-60mph: 8.4sec
Fuel: 55.3mpg
co2: 133g/km
Road tax band: £200 in first year, £140 thereafter
Dimensions: 4,688mm x 2,117mm x 1,658mm
Release Date: On sale now
Cars > Volvo > XC60
First Drive review: 2017 Volvo XC60
Safety first; style a very close second
IT'S GOOD to know Volvo hasn't relaxed its focus on safety after all these years. The Swedish car maker has long been known for it preoccupation with passenger safety — it pioneered the use of the three-point seatbelt in 1959, for example — and has stated its goal that no one should die in its cars by 2020. Its ultimate aim is to create a car that won't kill anyone, pedestrians included.
The all-new XC60 is Volvo's next milestone on this road, and there's a lot riding on it. Although the larger XC90 is the model many will think of when picturing a Volvo 4×4, the XC60 has become the bestselling premium SUV in Europe, with sales increasing every year since its launch nine years ago, which is an almost unheard of shelf life for a car.
The new version includes reams of technology designed not just to protect you and your family in the event of an accident but also to help avoid the accident in the first place.
The headline feature is City Safety with Steer Assist, which is active between 31 and 62mph and will recognise a last-minute, seat-of-your-pants swerve and apply steering support and braking to individual wheels to help you complete an emergency manoeuvre without ending up wrapped around a tree. Volvo says it will introduce a fully autonomous car in 2021, but until then the Swedish company wants to ensure that the driver is very much still in control. This XC60 simply gives them superhuman reflexes.
Below 31mph, the XC60 won't interfere with the steering wheel but will still be on the lookout for potential head-on collisions, and will assist on the braking front, helping bring the car to a halt as quickly as possible. A slight irritation is that if you leave the car in Pilot mode and approach a queue of stationary traffic, the brakes are applied well after you might start pressing the pedal, making it feel like a hair-raising game of chicken. The car will, in our experience, step in and stop itself in time; it's just a little more sudden than you might like.
Run Off Road Mitigation recognises when you're about to drift off a road and does its best to keep you on the black stuff, rather than in a ditch, while another system helps keep inattentive drivers from drifting into oncoming traffic. The XC60's Blind Spot Information System also has steering support and will help move itself back into lane if the driver tries to pull out to overtake on the motorway and there's a speeding car approaching from behind.
At the car's launch in Barcelona we weren't able to try out most of these safety features, but we were able to use Pilot Assist, an advanced cruise control that helps steer the car, keeping it in lane and a safe distance behind the car in front. Such systems help you keep an eye on the road, and traffic, ahead. However, those who take pride in maintaining a constant speed on motorways may find it frustrating when their XC60 is accelerating and slowing down in sync with the car in front.
It is remarkably adept and sure-footed if pushed hard
What's more, this sort of tech is improving all the time: the autonomous steering system for Pilot Assist has been updated since it was added to the XC90, for example, so the smaller SUV's version is actually more sophisticated, turning corners more smoothly and working at up to 80mph.
As with big-name rivals such as the BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Land Rover Discovery Sport, the XC60 is four-wheel-drive only, so expect it to be able to handle a slippery surface without too much fuss. In reality the XC60 is more likely to be dealing with the hazards of the school run than Arctic tundra, so its ability to handle a couple of kids, tow a trailer or smother the odd sleeping policeman are arguably far more important.
On twisty roads it is remarkably adept and sure-footed if pushed hard, at least when fitted with the optional air suspension. And those aforementioned sleeping policemen are more stepped over than run over. Volvo says it isn't aiming to produce the sportiest or most comfortable cars, but instead to create vehicles that inspire confidence in the driver. Well, in Dynamic mode our Volvo was sporty, and in Comfort it was comfortable. And having so much control was confidence-inspiring. Job done.
Be warned, though: we didn't try the version without air suspension, and its handling may be different.
Under the bonnet buyers in Britain get a choice of two diesel motors, one petrol and one "twin engine" plug-in hybrid option lifted from the XC90 (all future Volvos will have a plug-in variant). We didn't get to try out the hybrid, but it's the most potent option with a combined 407bhp and a 0-60mph time of 4.9 seconds. It also offers the best fuel economy and CO2 emissions, with an official 134.5mpg (combined) and 49g/km respectively. However, it costs £56,850, so it's likely to be a niche model.
The T5 petrol is the one for those who can't afford that but are concerned about diesel emissions, and it has plenty of poke: 250bhp and a 0-60mph time of 6.8 seconds. Then there's the 232bhp D5 diesel with PowerPulse, which at low revs spins the turbochargers with compressed air to reduce the lag between you pushing down the throttle and the engine delivering its thrust.
For our money, it's worth forgoing a bit of oomph in favour of kit: the 188bhp D4 diesel in R-Design trim is £39,705. It should cost less at the fuel pumps, too, returning 55mpg on the official test.
For all the talk of saving lives, Volvo has really found its aesthetic mojo. Long gone are those Seventies boxes; Volvos now have curves in all the right places. As you might expect, the XC60 borrows heavily from its XC90 big brother, inside and out, with striking split-level headlights, a large grille and a rear light cluster that comes horizontally inwards, as well as downwards, framing the rear window.
The interior is even more impressive, essentially taking everything you'll find in 90-series Volvos (the S90 saloon, V90 estate and XC90) and squishing it to fit inside the XC60. There's the portrait-format touchscreen in the centre of the dash and an uncluttered layout with a mix of light and dark tones and soft and hard materials.
It's not available in a seven-seat version, unlike the Land Rover Discovery Sport
In function, though, there are some grumbles. For example, front dual-zone climate and seat adjustment controls are all via the centre touchscreen, so if you're setting the sat nav and the passenger decides to adjust their lumbar support via the button on the side of the seat, your destination-setting activities have to be put on hold. And it's not available in a seven-seat version, unlike the Land Rover Discovery Sport.
Having said that, the mention of electrically controlled lumbar support suggests a certain level of creature comforts, and, boy, is the XC60 packed with features. As standard, all cars have an eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, cruise control, keyless start, LED headlights with active high beam (or automatic dipping), rain-sensing windscreen wipers, powered tailgate, rear parking assist, dual-zone climate control and touchscreen infotainment with sat nav and DAB radio. In addition, you get most of the safety aids.
If you want the high-end audio of a Bowers & Wilkins stereo or the convenience of Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, you'll need to pay extra (£2,500 and £300 respectively).
A longer wheelbase than in the previous XC60 gives more room inside, and even those over 6ft tall have plenty of space in the back seats, so child seats are no bother. There's even a properly spacious boot.
So what we have is an attractive SUV with a classy interior that drives remarkably well for a car of its height (with the air suspension) and is possibly the best at avoiding accidents. It's not cheap, but neither are similarly powered rivals from BMW, Audi and Land Rover. So, as is to be expected with SUVs, whether you choose the Volvo or a competitor will come down to style and badge appeal.
SUV (small / mid-size)
2020 Ford Puma ST review
The Puma crossover gets Ford's performance car treatment. Can it earn its place next to the fabulous bargain Fiesta ST and Focus ST models?
2020 BMW iX3 electric SUV review
BMW now offers the X3 SUV with a pure-electric powertrain. Is it a match for electric rivals from Mercedes, Audi and Volvo?
2020 Mercedes EQC electric SUV review
After Tesla introduced the Model X in 2015, car makers scrambled to introduce their own electric SUVs. Mercedes has now entered the fray.

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Le Dernier Combat  és una pel·lícula post-apocalíptica francesa del 1983. Va ser el primer llargmetratge dirigit per Luc Besson, i també compta amb el primer paper destacat de Jean Reno. La música de la pel·lícula va ser composta per Éric Serra. La pel·lícula va ser la primera de moltes col·laboracions entre Besson, Reno i Serra. Una visió fosca de la supervivència post-apocalíptica, la pel·lícula es va rodar en blanc i negre i només conté dues paraules de diàleg. Representa un món on la gent ha quedat muda per algun incident desconegut.

Trama
La pel·lícula s'obre amb un pla d'una oficina abandonada, on el personatge principal (Pierre Jolivet), que només s'identifica com 'L'home' als crèdits finals, té relacions sexuals amb una nina sexual. Aleshores es veu l'home intentant recuperar peces dels vehicles abandonats, però torna a la seva casa amb les mans buides, on treballa en la construcció d'un avió improvisat. L'home s'aventura fora de l'edifici d'oficines on viu, que està envoltat per un erm desert. Es mostra un grup d'homes supervivents a l'erm. Mantenen captiu un home, 'El nan' (Maurice Lamy), i l'obliguen a recuperar aigua per a ells. L'home, que ha estat observant els supervivents, es dirigeix cap al seu campament, apunyala el seu líder, 'El capità' (Fritz Wepper) i recupera la bateria d'un cotxe. Els supervivents persegueixen l'home, tot i que és capaç d'escapar amb el seu avió ara acabat.

Es veu 'El Brut' (Jean Reno) apropant-se a un hospital amb una caixa que conté aliments enllaunats. El Brut fa sonar el timbre i 'El Doctor' (Jean Bouise), li indica que col·loqui les conserves a terra i que s'allunyi de la porta. Aleshores, el Doctor agafa la mercaderia i tanca la porta abans que el Brut pugui entrar.

L'avió de l'home aterra a la nit. L'endemà al matí continua a peu. El Brut torna a l'hospital amb una nova caixa d'articles, encara que aquesta vegada construeix un dispositiu que mantindrà la porta oberta el temps suficient perquè pugui entrar a l'edifici. El pla funciona, però, un cop tornat a dins de l'edifici, el Doctor tira d'una palanca que tanca una porta de barra de ferro secundària impedint que el Brut entri. L'home troba un bar abandonat, s'embriaga molt i es desmaia. Quan es desperta, s'aventura fora on es sorprèn que estigui plovent peixos. Mentre busca una manera de cuinar el peix, l'home es troba amb el brut. Es produeix una baralla; el Brut guanya la posició encara que l'home és capaç d'escapar.

L'home, ara molt ferit, vaga per aquí fins que troba el Doctor. El Doctor tracta l'home i li cuina un peix. El Doctor inhala una forma de gas que li permet, amb certa dificultat, dir una sola paraula: Bonjour. L'Home també agafa el gas i és capaç de respondre amb la mateixa paraula. Tots dos estan encantats de poder parlar. L'home i el doctor s'uneixen pel tennis de taula i la pintura, abans que l'home s'aventura a fora en una tempesta de sorra per recuperar un quadre que va trobar al bar. El Brut, que ha estat vivint al bar, torna i s'adona que falta el quadre.

El Doctor prepara una mica de menjar i embena els ulls a l'home. Ell condueix a l'home a una part de l'hospital on es manté una dona i li dóna el menjar. El Brut incendia la porta principal de l'hospital, tot i que El Doctor i l'Home apaguen les flames. L'home i el doctor tornen a portar menjar a la dona, i l'home li fa un regal embolicat. Llavors agafen el Brut intentant serrar a través de la porta la barra de ferro, tot i que són capaços d'espantar-lo.

El doctor i l'home preparen menjar per a la dona, però aquesta vegada el doctor permet que l'home no se li embenen els ulls i l'anima a pentinar-se. Mentrestant, es revela que El Brut ha trencat la porta de ferro de l'hospital. El Doctor és assassinat de camí cap a la dona quan plouen trossos de roca del cel. L'home, que no sap com trobar la dona sense El Doctor, intenta localitzar-la, tot i que s'enfronta amb El Brut. Es produeix una baralla, i l'home finalment mata el Brut. Aleshores, l'home localitza l'habitació de la dona, tot i que està devastat quan descobreix que el Brut ja l'havia matat.

L'home repara el seu avió i torna volant als supervivents originals que va trobar. Mata al seu nou líder i allibera El Nan. El nan mostra l'home on el capità guarda la seva concubina (Christiane Krüger). L'Home la saluda amb un càlid somriure, que ella torna.

Temes
Escrivint al llibre The Films of Luc Besson, Susan Hayward, directora d'Estudis Cinematogràfics a la Universitat d'Exeter, considerava que Le Dernier Combat i El cinquè element eren les dues pel·lícules de Besson que se centren en el tema del dany ambiental, ja que els residus i la contaminació són visibles a totes dues pel·lícules. El capitalisme també es considerava un tema; Es deia que els productes de consum eren signes de mort, com ara els cotxes abandonats al desert i les rentadores flotants en una fàbrica abandonada inundada.

Producció
Besson va descriure la pel·lícula com una "excursió imaginària", afirmant que es va inspirar per a la pel·lícula d'un cinema abandonat que va veure a París. Pensant en tots els altres edificis abandonats que hi ha d'haver a París, Besson va decidir crear un món on tots aquests llocs estiguessin junts i va combinar aquesta idea amb un suggeriment anterior que fes una versió llargmetratge del seu curtmetratge debut de 1981, L'Avant Dernier. Le Dernier Combat es va rodar principalment a París, amb escenes representades al desert filmades a Tunísia. Inclou ubicacions per rodar a París. un antic edifici de l'Électricité de France que va ser enderrocat l'endemà que es va completar el rodatge, i la zona abandonada on es va construir més tard la Biblioteca Nacional de França. La pel·lícula es va rodar en blanc i negre i només conté dues paraules de diàleg.

Estrena i recepció
Le Dernier Combat es va distribuir a França el 6 d'abril de 1983. La pel·lícula va atreure 236.189 espectadors a la taquilla francesa, recaptant l'equivalent a 1,7 milions de dòlars.  Le Dernier Combat es va llançar als Estats Units el juny de 1984.

Time Out va donar una crítica favorable, qualificant la pel·lícula de "benvinguda addició al boom de la barbàrie [pel·lícula] post-holocaust." Steve Macfarlane de Not Coming to a Theater Near You va fer una crítica moderadament positiva, afirmant: "Tot i que el cor de la pel·lícula és un xarop-sentimental (qui està sorprès?), les seves superfícies són netes, incrementals, reverentment silenciosa, adequat, atès que... la humanitat ha perdut la capacitat de parlar." Janet Maslin de The New York Times la va anomenar "una primera pel·lícula de bravura, utilitzant els mitjans més senzills, però que va aconseguir incorporar humor, pathos, suspens i fins i tot una definició ben articulada de les necessitats humanes bàsiques." Dave Kehr del Chicago Reader també va fer una crítica positiva, afirmant: "L'absència de diàleg... és una acrobàcia executada amb intel·ligència, però també és una coartada eficaç per a un cineasta amb coneixements tècnics que realment no té res a dir. Neix un altre John Carpenter, que de cap manera és una cosa dolenta."

Colin Greenland va revisar Le Dernier Combat per a la revista Imagine, i va declarar que "Le Dernier Combat" de Luc Besson [...] és visualment l'evocació més sorprenent de la lluita després d'alguna catàstrofe devastadora, sobretot perquè està en Cinemascope i en blanc i negre: una combinació inusual, per dir-ho com a mínim. És misteriós, és violent i té una bellesa salvatge i fascinant."

Premis
Le Dernier Combat va guanyar el premi a la millor pel·lícula, Millor Director i el Premi del Jurat del Públic al Fantasporto el 1984. També va guanyar la millor pel·lícula i millor director al XVI Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Sitges de 1983, i va guanyar el Premi de la Crítica al Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Brussel·les de 1983. Va ser nominada a la millor opera prima als Premis César de 1984.

Mitjans domèstics
El 1985, aquesta pel·lícula es va estrenar per primera vegada en videocassette al Key Video de CBS/Fox Video aquell octubre com a títol en anglès, "The Final Combat". L'any 2001, Adam Tyner de DVD Talk va donar una crítica positiva del seu llançament en DVD aquell agost, atorgant-li 4 de 5 estrelles per a vídeo, àudio i contingut, tot i que li va concedir 0 estrelles per als extres, assenyalant els únics extres eren tràilers d'altres pel·lícules. El mateix DVD es va publicar juntament amb la pel·lícula de Besson de 1997, El cinquè element com a 'Paquet de 2 Luc Besson'. Després de revisar el paquet de 2 l'abril de 2003, Ron Epstein de DVD Talk va donar el DVD Le Dernier Combat 3 1/2 de 5 per a vídeo, àudio i contingut, però també li dóna 0 estrelles per als extres.

Referències

Bibliografia

Enllaços externs

Pel·lícules de França del 1983
Pel·lícules de França en blanc i negre
Pel·lícules de ciència-ficció de França
Pel·lícules de distopies
Pel·lícules postapocalíptiques

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Dating Sites in Belarus 07.04.2018 07.04.2018
Associated Press News
Casey A1 Redhead Meets the Sybian
Antonia, joined by her free-spirited artist daughter Danielle, ingratiate themselves with the town's tight-knit and eccentric community. As the years unfold, love and tragedy come to Antonia and Danielle and the pair foster a vibrant circle of strong, liberated women. When the local yakuza threaten and capture his coach, he and a friend get more than they bargained for when they travel to Okinawa seeking revenge.
Failure after failure, his quest soon spirals into madness. Francis of Assisi and the rise of the Franciscan order that he founded. Eager to lead the life of an independent socialite in the city, Louise arranges to move back into her Paris apartment during the week. Balancing a steady boyfriend in the suburbs with a best friend, Octave Fabrice Luchiniwho makes plain his interest in her, and a bad boy musician who catches her eye at a party, eventually even the sophisticated and aloof Louise cannot untangle herself from the emotional realities of her various romantic encounters.
In a neon-drenched futuristic dystopia ruled by a multimedia conglomerate called The Combine, Jansen is sent on a labyrinthine investigation when their headquarters is threatened with mass destruction by a phantom bomber.
This essential cult classic features an hypnotic electronic score by Tangerine Dream's Edward Froese as well as gleefully mind-bending production design.
Overwhelmed with hatred, the wife attempts to remove from the husband the organ driving his desires; thwarted, she instead takes out the violent act on the son and then disappears into the night.
With both husband and son damaged and living in grief, the wife returns as the family heads towards destruction even more horrific than before. As their home life grows increasingly dangerous, Beth must do all she can to protect their three children.
Set against the backdrop of traditional tribal culture, this classic and contoversial 90's indie sleeper hit put New Zealand on the cinema map. They are employed at a large farm in Denmark, where they are treated as the lowest of the low.
It is ultimately their loving relationship which sustains them through a difficult year. After their wedding Henrik becomes a priest in the north of Sweden. Urbane Anna can't stand living in the rural county and grows increasingly restless. She returns to Uppsala and the couple's love and commitment are put to the test. As the price on each head is collected one-by-one, only a mute gunslinger named Silence Jean-Louis Trintignant The Conformist stands between the innocent refuges and the greed and corruption that the bounty hunters represent.
But, in this harsh, brutal world, the lines between right and wrong aren't always clear and good doesn't always triumph. Featuring superb photography and a haunting score from maestro Ennio Morricone, director Sergio Corbucci's bleak, brilliant and violent vision of an immoral, honorless west is widely considered to be among the very best and most influential Euro-Westerns ever made.
A young widow, The Marquise Edith Clever lives with her parents; her father is the commander of a citadel embroiled in battle.
With the fort overrun by Russians, the Marquise is abducted by a group of rowdy soldiers and nearly taken advantage of when the Russian commander Count F Bruno Ganz appears as if from nowhere to rescue her. Later, the Marquise realizes she is pregnant, though she cannot decipher how the circumstance came to be.
The original character designs were created by Sukune Inugami and the school uniform was designed by the company Cospa. The manga was licensed for an English-language release in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment using the revised Hepburn romanization of the title, Kashimashi, unlike the traditional name of Kasimasi. The radio show's opening theme song was "Compass: Egao no Yukue" sung by Ueda, Horie, and Tamura.
Listeners could submit contributions to the radio show via a form online. This show was one of only two radio programs ever distributed on Bandai Visual Podcast.
The middle of the book, which is printed in black-and-whitecontains a brief overview of the first twenty-one chapters of the manga, and interviews from the manga author and illustrator, anime director and scenario writer, and the light novel author. There is also a brief explanation of the PlayStation 2 visual novelof two figurines of Hazumu, and of three audio CDs for the anime version.
The last sixteen pages are again in full-color and consist of the anime's first episode in manga format. The anime series was licensed by Media Blasters in November The first DVD went on sale on June 12, and contained the first five episodes.
Extras on the disc included two ten-minute talks between the voice actresses for the three main female characters, a small collection of Japanese television advertisements, and textless opening videos. A box-set containing all three DVDs was released on October 14, Egao no Yukue" image song single released on December 21, The plot for the drama CD takes place between final aired episode of the anime and the original video animation episode.
The game was developed by Vridge, published by Marvelous Interactive[36] and released in two editions, limited and regular, on the same day. The game was later re-released in a Best Collection edition on November 16,which sold at less than half the price of the original game.
Hazumu's homeroom teacher Namiko Tsuki suggests Hazumu and her friends take a one-week trip to a small mountain village with a hot spring resort.
Hazumu's grandparents reside in this town, and are two new characters introduced to the story. Three other female characters are introduced as possible love interests for Hazumu; two are the same age as her, and the third is the older landlady of the resort.
The gameplay's main system comes from Hazumu's indecisive personality. If the player shows more interest in a particular character, the other characters get annoyed that Hazumu is ignoring them, which is displayed in a tension meter.
The more Hazumu ignores a particular character, the higher the tension between that character becomes. This ensures Hazumu stays good friends with the possible love interests.
Nikodal:
You're so pretty! How did I not find you sooner. :(
Kazrajind:
God, I love cum but not that nasty infected shit lmaoooo
Fenrigal:
Two Beautiful Angels with perfect Body´s :D
Tomuro:
Whos the chick at 6:29
Katilar:
9/10 IGN


The jazz-rock group "ARAMIS" of Association ORGANUM (non-profit organization) was founded by Volodymyr Prychozhai in 1995. Ensemble is working in the different genres of conteporary jazz music. At present moment the jazz rock group prepared the programme in the genres of blues, rock-and-roll, pop-ballade and pop-rock. The Ensemble goes on tour in Ukraine, Russian, Poland, Germany. The group has a lot of records on TV, radio. The new CD album consisting of pop-hits of different genres by own arrangement was recorded in 2001. New work at the next project of album recording o instrumental original music of fusion and jazz rock under the work name "ARAMIS" comes to the end.


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The Unofficial Iowa Northern Railway Site
Current Operations
IANR Owned Cars
Line Segments
Information correct to the best of my knowledge on 2/21/07
As of the date above, the Iowa Northern runs 3 regular jobs and several other extra jobs.
The "North End Job" runs Manly to Bryant Yard 7 days a week. They used to be called at Greene at 8am, but that was abolished and now they have crews called at 7am, 3pm, and 11pm. The crews will take a company vehicle out to the train wherever it happens to be. This was done to insure that cars from up north were making the connection to the "South End Job." Because of this, its purely luck to walk into the area and catch this job.
The "South End Job" is called 7 days a week at 7pm at Bryant Yard. They make up their train and run under the cover of darkness down to Cedar Rapids where they interchange with the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway and the UP. They will get recrewed down in Cedar Rapids sometime around 3am-5am and come back north to Bryant Yard to run a transfer to the UP and then tie up. Lately they've been getting back into Bryant after 9am.
The Oelwein Turn is usually called for around 11am and runs from Bryant yard out to Hawkeye Renewables in Fairbank and return. Some days (usually Tuesdays and Thursdays) they will run all the way out to Transco in Oelwein.
Midwest Bulk on the outskirts of Waterloo will often times get unit trains of potash from Canada. These are interchanged to the UP at Superior, WI and run down to Manly where they are handed off to the IANR. Normally, these trains keep their UP power, but it isn't unheard of to see the IANR put an additional unit on the point of these trains. I have also seen them run a unit potash train combined with the "North End Job," although that is pretty rare too.
Once in a while Cedar Falls Utilities will recieve shipments of coal via the IANR. When this happens the coal cars are left in the interchange yard on the CN along Broadway Ave and the IANR will send which ever crew is available (usually the "South End Job") out to pick up the cars and spot them at CFU. This is done by running out to where the old Rock splits from the IC and runs through downtown Cedar Falls. This usually requires a significant backing move, and portions of this track is street running. These used to run about once every other week, but lately I haven't heard or seen anything for CFU.
Lately IANR has been doing several upgradings of its ROW. This has resulted in periodic ballast trains running out of the quarry in Vinton, and sometimes even unit rail trains. These are hit and miss, and only during construction season.
The views and opinions expressed in The Unofficial IANR Site are that of the webmaster and not the IANR.


The Embassy will be closed on September 3rd.
For emergencies only: Please call 613-562-1811 and remain on the line until you are transferred to the 24/7 Emergency Centre in Denmark.
Apply for your Danish passport in Edmonton and Calgary in May 2019.


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Mysteria Lucis Lay Dominicans invite you to join us for lively discussions of Dominican Saints – Who were they? What can they teach us? How can we apply this in today's world? On February 16, meet St. Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419), a Spanish friar renowned for his holy life and zealous preaching that converted thousands of people throughout Europe.
Dates: third Saturdays from January to June.
Meetings begin with Morning Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours at 9:15 followed by information and discussion about the Saint from 10am-12:15pm, then optional potluck lunch. Please bring your own breviary if you have one.


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Nation building in Latin America
Be registered as student of Bachelor degree at Leiden or another Dutch University.
This course analyses the nation building in Latin America since the colonial period: the ties with Spain and Portugal during the colonial period and the different stages of nation building that the region has known since the independence. Thus, the colonial State, the independence processes, the first phase of the State-nation building, of instability to consolidation and then the collapse of the oligarchic model are analysed. From 1930 there are two main forms of political system in the region: the corporate State and the neo-liberal State (both with democratic and authoritarian regimes). Attention is given to the interactions between economic, political, social and cultural factors, in the different stages of nation building and their discourses. The course also addresses the academic analysis and bibliographic research on the Latin American reality.
The transferable skills in this courses are: analytical thinking (analytical skills, abstraction, evidence); oral communication (presentation, oral skills, listening); written communication (writing skills, reporting, structure, summarizing); collaborative work (teamwork, support, loyalty, promise, presence); critical thinking (ask questions, check assumptions).
At the end of the program, students will be able to:
1. Identify and analyse the various theoretical and conceptual discussions about nation building and its related themes (such as citizenship, nationalism and patriotism, regionalism, political discourse, civil society, etc.).
2. The acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the Latin American nation building and also of the Latin American economic and political development in relation to the different forms of political regime.
3. Recognize of the historical periods and socio-economic and political changes in Latin America.
4. Identify the discursive evolution of nation building in Latin America.
5. Make a scientific bibliographic research with interactive presentations.
The course consists of lectures (50%) and tutorials (50%; techniques of bibliographic research, individual analysis of scientific literature and student presentations).
The assessment method consists of written examination and a bibliographic review on a specific topic that during the course is treated (according to a list of topics). This bibliographic review will be made in groups of two students and consists of two parts:
A. An oral presentation of 10 minutes (5 minutes per student).
The aspects which are evaluated are: (a) clarity in the explanation (b) relevance of the chosen theme concerning de nation building (c) suitability of the keywords (d) proxemics (e) summarize skills. (f) quality of the employed resources.
B. Bibliographic review. This is a document of at least 6 and up to 7 pages, with a selection of specific bibliographic resources (books, journals, thesis, and dissertations) related to the chosen topic of the presentation.
The aspects that are assessed are: (a) coherence and clarity in writing (b) level of the contents analysis (c) quality and quantity of the collected bibliographical resources (d) proper use of bibliographic resources (e) lay-out.
C. Written exam with closed questions (multiple choice) and short open questions. The aspects which are evaluated in the short open questions are: (a) coherence and clarity in writing (b) quality of the content and argumentation (c) writing in academic language (d) summarize skills.
A. Oral presentation: 20% of the final mark.
B. Bibliographic review: 30% of the final mark.
C. Written exam: 50% of the final mark.
Resit exam takes place if the final mark is less than 6.0. Resit exam consists of a written examination, with the same assessment criteria as the exam.
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
ANDERSON, Benedict (1996). Imagined Communities. Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso.
KEEN, Benjamin & HAYNES, Keith (2013). A History of Latin America. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 9th ed.
BAUMANN, Gerd (1994). The Multicultural Riddle: Rethinking National, Ethnic and Religious Identities (Zones of Religion). London: Routledge.
BAUMANN, Gerd & GINGRICH, Andre (2004). Grammars of identity/alterity: a structural approach. New York: Berghahn Books.
Complementary literature for specific issues of the presentations and bibliographic report (minimal 20 specific bibliographic references).
Also, additional articles on Brightspace.
General information about uSis is available on the website.
Registration Studeren à la carte en Contractonderwijs
Registration Studeren à la carte.
Registration Contractonderwijs.
Dr. M.G. Palacio Ludeña
Onderwijsadministratie: Reuvensplaats
Studiecoördinator: Tim Sanders
Attendance to the classes is compulsory. The student is allowed to miss a maximum of two sessions. In the case of more absences, the lecturer may decide to impose supplementary assignments on the student.
This course consists of 12 classes of 2 hours each, distributed in 6 weeks.
In this course Brightspace is permanently used to provide: the programme of the course; study materials (literature and PowerPoint presentation of each session); methodological indications and instructions; specific information about each college, and forms of the written reports and the research proposal.
5651VNLA
Latin American Studies Bachelor
Course load (140h)
Practical work
Other examinations
Self-tuition


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What would Jesus do in response to the Syrian refugee crisis?
A few decades ago, as you may remember, some Christians wore bracelets marked with the letters WWJD, meaning, What Would Jesus Do? Although no one can claim to know what Jesus would do in every situation, the Bible does tell us much about what Jesus said and did, and that should be enough to guide us in determining what Jesus would do in response to the Syrian refugee crisis.
Yet why are Christians so divided on the issue of Syrian refugees? Even before the Paris bombings, people were already divided. The flood of refugees fleeing the war in Syria made many people, especially those in Europe, apprehensive. There were too many refugees and not just Syrians. Thus, some pleaded for the borders to be shut while others wanted to welcome the refugees with open arms.
After Paris, the division became even worse. Apprehension crossed the Atlantic and intensified during the crossing. In the US, the two sides are readily apparent in a video put out by The Young Turks. If Fox represents one side of the debate, TYT is clearly on the other about what to do with Syrian refugees.
Fox accents security while TYT advocates love, yet both claim to be Christian. Politically, however, they find themselves on opposing sides. Thus, it is not surprising that they would give diametrically opposing answers to the question of whether Jesus would take in Syrian refugees. They certainly do.
Fox represents a conservative brand of Christianity, the latter that of a more liberal/progressive form of the Christian faith. While there is room for Christians to disagree on many matters, love ought be central in what drives us in living the Christian life, not fear and certainly not hatred.
Most Christians would lean to one side or the other in the Fox-TYT debate and, therefore, answer this question very differently. In discussions with friends and acquaintances since Paris, I have heard both positions presented eloquently and passionately.
Many are concerned with security. They are genuinely afraid of terrorists gaining admission to their country by concealing themselves among this flood of refugees. It is not that they are lacking in compassion; many have become increasingly concerned about the plight of Christians in the Middle East, although often their compassion does not extend to Muslims since many equate terrorism with Islam.
But fear seems to trump love, even when that fear is disguised by appeals to delay the admission of refugees. However, I found that I was able to refute some of those who were concerned with security. They were open to my arguments that their fear was misplaced and that they should, instead, place their trust in God.
My position is no secret to those who follow my blog. In the two previous posts, I have argued that as Christians we must welcome the stranger and not be afraid of the refugees/strangers in our midst. Everything we do should be motivated by love, not tolerance but genuine, heartfelt love. Love of God and love of neighbor canot be divided, and neither should we be.
According to President Obama, the US will accept only 10,000 Syrian refugees in 2015. Even this number is too many for the Republicans in Congress who, in response to what happened in Paris, have voted to make it more difficult for them to enter the country. I would ask them where their love is.
In addition, more than half of the US's governors have stated they will no longer provide placement for Syrian refugees, arguing that they pose too great a risk to national security. New Jersey governor and Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said that his state will not take in any refugees,"not even orphans under the age of five." Similarly, I would also ask them where their love is.
The American backlash against refugees is based largely on the fear that a Paris-style attack could be replicated in America if the US began to shoulder its burden of the refugee crisis. But they should first become aware of this important fact: of the 784,395 refugees admitted by the US, only three have ben arrested on terrorism charges.
Another article uses an even larger base figure but arrives at the same conclusion: three. It also argues that we should distinguish carefully between refugees, who are vetted extensively while still overseas, and asylum seekers, who are vetted only after they arrive. Terrorists are not likely to wait in a refugee camp for three years while waiting. Instead, they will find other avenues to enter a country.
A similar backlash exists in Canada, where newly-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by December 31. One premier of a Canadian promise has articulated the mood of many Canadians when he urged the federal government not to bring in refugees to hastily out of fear of the threat of terrorism.
But such a fear is misguided because the process of relocating refugees to North America is very different from the way that refugees currently arrive in Europe where vetting takes place upon admission. The Syrians who are flown to the US and Canada will be the most heavily vetted group of people that are currently allowed into both countries.
Even then, a majority of Americans do not approve of more Syrian entering the US. The breakdown by parties is very revealing. Republicans by a wide margin disapprove. They also support the use of overwhelming military force to fight terrorism.
The extent of the division among Christians is apparent in another poll conducted earlier this fall which showed that 42 percent of Protestants in the US approved of admitting more refugees into the country while 54 percent disapproved. Fifty-nine percent of Catholics approved while 38 percent disapproved. America is divided politically, a division that is reflected in many denominations.
In the US, the entire vetting process is expected to last from 18 months to two years. The Canadian process will be much shorter if these refugees are to arrive by the end of this year. Both countries want to vet the refugees while they are still overseas.
Many Canadians have already said that they won't complain or hold it against Trudeau if the process takes a month or two longer, as long as the necessary security measures are in place and the refugees have been properly vetted. Security is their main concern. Note: the Canadian government just decided to admit only 10,000 by the end of this year; the rest will arrive by February. Loud applause!
The Canadian government has already decided to admit only women, children, and families while single males will be excluded because of security concerns, While this seems like a reasonable tradeoff so that both compassion and security can be rightfully expressed and dealt with, it is not since these single men are also fleeing war and very few, if any, are potential terrorists.
Many Christians in Canada will be pleased that their government is committing to bring in 900 refugees per say from Syria. These refugees are currently in camps in Lebanon, where the vetting process is taking place. These exiles will then be flown primarily to Montreal and Toronto.
The cost of resettling them is estimated to cost 1.2 billion Canadian dollars (about $900 million) over six years. This cost is reasonable, at least considering the large number of people who need to be processed, airlifted, and resettled. Canada has already resettled 3,089 Syrian refugees between January 1 and November 15 of this year.
Those who do arrive will immediately receive the health benefits that all Canadians enjoy. They will not be labeled refugees but newcomers and made to feel at home. Canada is a country of immigrants and it enjoys a good and longstanding reputation for showing hospitality for people from many countries, notwithstanding the actions of the previous Conservative government.
Yet even the 25,000 Syrians coming to Canad is only a drop in the bucket as compared to the number of Syrians still in the Middle East. Nearly 80,000 Syrians have been granted asylum in the EU so far this year, but this does not yet account for the large number who want to move to Europe. So far this year, Germany registered the arrival of 243,721 asylum seekers from Syria. That country expects to receive more than a million asylum seekers by the end of 2015.
What most people in Europe and North America are unaware of is that Syrian refugees are generally afraid of exactly the same thing that Americans are: Islamist terrorism. Many are fleeing areas held by the Islamic State, and they are doing so in contravention of ISIS which has repeated condemned refugees for fleeing ISIS-controlled areas.
So, I urge not only Canadians but also Americans as well as citizens of other countries to urge their respective governments to do even more so that many more Syrian refugees can find new homes where they can feel safe.
These refugees want security as much as we do. But their security must not become the price they have to pay for our own security. That would be selfish. Jesus was anything but selfish when he became one of us so that we might be united with him. He emptied himself of his heavenly glory so that we might inherit that glory together with him our brother (Hebrews 2:9-11).
There are at least twelve verses from the Scriptures about loving immigrants, refugees, and displaced people. These are verses that all Christians should take to heart when confronted with the issue of Syrian refugees. From the verses alone, it is clear how Jesus would respond to this refugee crisis, or any other for that matter.
We are commanded to love our neighbor, but what does that mean? Galatians 5:14 explains: "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself." If we ask, as the teacher of the law did in Luke 10:29-37: "And who is my neighbor?" We read that Jesus responded by saying:
"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
If you disagree with Jesus, please let me know. Of course, you may disagree with my interpretation of how he would respond to the Syrian refugee crisis, but you may not disagree with him. For me, the answer is crystal clear.
What should we do about the jihadists in our midst?
How do we deal with those who are responsible for the Paris bombings in which 129 people died and another 352 injured, some very seriously? The Islamic State has already claimed responsibility in an online statement that appeared in Arabic and French. Although it appears to be genuine, it was not immediately possible to confirm its authenticity.
The ISIS statement mocked France's involvement in air attacks on suspected ISIS bases in Syria and Iraq, noting that France's air power was "of no use to them in the streets and rotten alleys of Paris." What lies behind this defiant language? What motivated this outrage? And why Paris?
Are these bombings simply a response of ISIS to the coalition bombings in the Middle East or is there more involved? I suspect that there is more. The goal of ISIS is not simply punitive, but it wants to generate division, discord, and fear in Western countries.
ISIS wants to up the ante in this war by bringing it to Paris, the capital of France and an iconic symbol of the struggle against ISIS. Almost 1,500 of the coalition troops in the Middle East are French, which is the largest European contribution.
According to French prosecutors, eight terrorists were killed, seven of whom were suicide bombers, A total of three groups of extremists mounted the attacks. Authorities are now investigating a fourth band of terrorists who may have fled Paris and may be hiding in Belgium.
The French newspaper Le Monde reported that one terrorist has been identified as a French citizen in his 30's. Meanwhile, a Syrian passport was found on the ground at the French stadium, one of the seven sites hit by attacks. The passport belonged to a migrant who was registered as a refugee in Greece in October, according to Le Figaro, another French daily.
A Belgian official said two of the seven people wired with suicide vests were French men living in Brussels, and among those arrested was another French citizen living in the Belgian capital. The new information highlighted growing fears of homegrown terrorism in a country that has exported more jihadis than any other in Europe. All three gunmen in the January attacks on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper and a kosher supermarket were French.
Francois Hollande, President of France, declared three days of national mourning. He squarely put the blame for the attacks on ISIS, The visibly shaken Hollande called the carnage "an act of war that was committed by a terrorist army, a jihadist army against France."
The war with ISIS is not a conventional war, but something much more dangerous; this war involves jihadists who are living in our midst. They are intent upon destroying the influence of Western society, which they perceive as decadent and evil, and establishing a caliphate in the Middle East. They cannot be fought in conventional ways, with armies, but
ISIS is prepared to use whatever tools it takes in order to accomplish this goal. Suicide bombings are a new tactic for ISIS in Europe. In the Paris bombings, ISIS seems to have employed not only Syrians who may have an ax to grind with the coalition but also French citizens who can blend in well since they speak the language fluently and not attract unnecessary attention.
The suicide bombers were unable to enter the stadium because of extra security measures
These jihadists are the most dangerous since they blend in so well. They are also the most terrifying since it is difficult to fight against them. All these jihadists are committed to the cause of ISIS, which wants to drive a wedge between the people of France. For them, religion is a weapon to turn the French against all Muslims, making the latter feel even more isolated and open to conversion to the ISIS cause.
Hollande wisely called for the French people to remain calm and united, explaining, "What the terrorists want is to scare us and fill us with dread. There is indeed reason to be afraid. There is dread, but in the face of this dread, there is a nation that knows how to defend itself, that knows how to mobilize its forces and, once again, will defeat the terrorists."
Yet the question remains: How will the French defeat the terrorists? I do not doubt the resolve of the French, but the problem is bigger than France. President Barack Obama described the bombings as "an attack not just on Paris, it's an attack not just on the people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share."
The universal values Obama is referring to are "liberté and égalité and fraternité," these were originally espoused in the French Revolution. They are inimical to everything that ISIS stands for. They are shared by people everywhere, according to Obama, and, therefore, ought to be defended.
Obama promised, "We're going to do whatever it takes to work with the French people and with nations around the world to bring these terrorists to justice, and to go after any terrorist networks that go after our people."
Bringing the terrorists to justice will not be an easy task. Some of the bombers were killed in the attacks and others may yet be captured. But ISIS, as a whole, is difficult to fight.
Let us not begin by casting suspicion on all refugees coming from Syria and thus preventing many of them to be resettled somewhere in Europe or another continent. That would not be an appropriate response. They must be carefully vetted, but they must not be condemned as a group because of the connections of a few with ISIS.
Nor should governments around the world respond by severely limiting freedoms in the name of security. After hearing about the Paris bombings, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said as much when he warned that security measures should not detract from the freedoms that Canadians enjoy.
Yet there is a danger that the security forces in many countries will be supplemented extensively and granted powers that would effectively turn these countries into a police state. The French forces were so overextended after the Charlie Hebdo attack only ten months ago that they were unable to prevent these bombings.
Hollande's vow to wage war against ISIS does not bode well for the future of France or for many other countries. In Canada, Trudeau promised to revise Bill C-51, the Anti-terrorism Act. 2015, which granted enormous powers to Canada's security agencies without the necessary oversight to prevent misuse of those powers.
Another inappropriate response would be to intensify the coalition bombing missions in Syria and Iraq. ISIS cannot be bombed out of existence, although bombing may limit the spread of ISIS-held territory or even reverse it somewhat.
Trudeau is thus faced with an enormous challenge. He promised during the election to end Canada's contribution to these bombing missions, but now there may be public pressure in Canada for him to reconsider his plan. I hope indeed that he sticks to his plan and pulls out the planes.
This does not mean that Canada cannot provide humanitarian aid. It can and must do that. Also the training the forces of some Middle Eastern countries, which Canada is already doing, should be continued, provided that Canadian forces do do not involve themselves in direct conflict with ISIS.
Personally, I am against Canada's participation at all in the Middle East since the problems there are much too complex and ought to be solved by the people most directly involved. Western involvement serves the cause of ISIS by confirming to all Muslims its claim that it is fighting the evil West. Other terrorist groups, such as Boko Haram, make similar claims.
The coalition bombings may help to diminish the territory of ISIS, but at the same time they create new ISIS recruits in Syria when civilians suffer what is euphemistically dismissed as "collateral damage." In the West, the bombings have created support for ISIS as well, especially among some young people.
The proper response should not involve violence. We have to find non-violent ways to deal with the threat of ISIS. We also have to search for ways to provide security without sacrificing liberty. We must learn to make friends with Arabs and Muslims and not vilify them. Vilification is a form of racism.
Racism is also evident in the way the West is treating the Paris bombings. If they had taken place in a city in the Middle East, the world would hardly pay attention. Days before the Paris attack two suicide bombers killed 48 people in a Shiite neighborhood of Beirut, but that event received little attention in the world press as compared to what happened in Paris. That event was dismissed as sectarian violence. It doesn't affect us directly.
The same thing happened after 19 people were killed in Baghdad. Before that there was Ankara, where more than 100 people died. Paris attracts more attention because it brings the war much closer to home. This is now too close for comfort! After Paris, even Canada is no longer safe.
So what can we do? As I wrote in last week's post, we must learn to accept the stranger in our midst. That is the best response to the jihadists who threaten the West. It may seen naive to speak about love in this context, but I assure you that is what we must display. Not a declaration of war.
We must not fear them, because if we do they have won. Instead, we must find a loving way to resolve the problem. Such a resolution involves repentance on our part: a willingness to change our hearts. That will not be easy. There are no easy solutions to the challenge posed by ISIS except to respond in love.
A memorial to all the people who were massacred in the Bataclan Theater
The words "Kyrie eleison" (Lord, have mercy) are found in the liturgy of many churches. What most people don't realize is that mercy here does not refer to justice or acquittal, which is a very Western interpretation, but to God's loving-kindness and compassion for us, his children. In his love, God forgives us, and he expects us to do the same. "Make love, not war!"
If God extends such love to us, ought we not try to emulate this love? Is this not what the love of neighbor means? This is a hard saying, the disciples of Jesus said to him. Indeed, the command to love is a hard saying, but there is no alternative for the Christian.
Therefore, I propose that we use diplomacy. Instead of revving up the coalition bombings, let us seek alternatives. I realize that this flies in the face of what many voices are crying for today: to escalate the war. But that is not the solution that I wish for as a Christian.
We can best respond to the jihadists in our midst by showing love to Arabs and Muslims, not by further alienating them. We can begin by welcoming the refugees that are already banging on our doors. The war in Syria, in which many Western nations are now involved, caused the flood. Thus, we must welcome these refugees for that reason alone. But our primary motivation must be love.
Proper screening will be necessary, but that should not deter us from issuing a warm welcome to them. If we lock our doors, as some countries have already, we demonstrate our lack of faith in God in whom alone we must place our trust. God is our security, not our armed forces. He alone can drive away our fears and the darkness that surrounds us.
May God bless France and the rest of the world and grant us his peace!
Welcoming the stranger: a religious perspective on the migrant crisis
How should we treat migrants and refugees? This is not an abstract question, but it is one that everyone must ask themselves today. Ever since the picture of three-year-old Alan Kurdi seared itself into our memories, the problem of what to do with the flood of men, women, and children who are entering Europe on a daily basis needs to be addressed. Even those of us who live far away from where this crisis is playing out must answer this question. All of us must welcome the stranger who appears in our midst. This is what our faith teaches us; indeed, every religion does. Today I want to offer a religious perspective on this crisis.
The refugee crisis in Europe shows no signs of lessening up. A daily flow of about 8,000 refugees to Europe is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, the United Nations warns. More than 5,000 refugees and migrants -- the majority of them from Syrian -- arrive every day on Greek islands close to Turkey. That flow could continue during the winter if the weather remains good and the borders open.
About four million Syrian refugees are still stranded in squalid camps in the Middle East. Many are in dire poverty and many are longing for a new life in Europe. Some are economic migrants, but all of them are fleeing the never-ending conflicts in that part of the world.
About half a million migrants -- mostly from Syria and other conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa -- have already arrived in Europe this year. Deep divisions surfaced in the EU recently when ministers agreed to relocate about 120,000 refugees across Europe.
Several countries dispute the proposed distribution plan. Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia voted against it. They resent the imposition of quotas, arguing that they are ill-equipped to integrate non-EU migrants.
Note that the total is approximately 120,000, which is nowhere enough to deal with the current crisis
Many of these migrants are Muslims. Hungary, for example, claims that it cannot admit more Muslim migrants because it doesn't want them to threaten its Christian character, which is ironic since it and many other Central-European countries are thoroughly secularized.
Many refugees are determined to reach Germany, whose Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has urged EU partners to take in more refugees. Germany promised to admit at least 800,000 asylum seekers by the end of this year, but many Germans oppose this plan. The citizens of many other EU-countries are also opposed to the migrants.
These Middle Eastern migrants are only the most visible tip of an humungous iceberg. There are also thousands crossing the Mediterranean from Africa. Millions are on the march from many countries. They will be joined by millions more in the next few years.
These are not just numbers. Behind every number is a man, woman, or child. Whether they are migrants or refugees doesn't matter. Each of them has experienced the horror of fleeing the country of their birth whether for reasons of violent conflict, poverty, or the opportunity to advance themselves.
Is this the proper response? Is this how the people of Europe ought to address the plight of the migrants? If their Christian faith still means anything to them, they should know that the Bible teaches a very different attitude to those who are in distress.
Instead of turning them away, all Europeans must welcome these strangers. In case they don't, they need to be reminded of their own history. After WWII, millions of Germans, Ukrainians, Serbs, and other nationalities were kicked out of their homes and wandered for years throughout Europe. Now the direction of the wandering is reversed. The remnants of their faith ought to be revived at the same time.
All three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, agree on how strangers should be treated. In fact, all these religions are united in teaching the importance of welcoming and showing hospitality to strangers, and they prohibit mistreating or oppressing the strangers in their midst. According to all these faiths, doing good to strangers is considered an act of righteousness.
The Hebrew Bible, or what Christians call the Old Testament, commands justice and love for strangers, including giving them food and clothing. It also orders good treatment and love for strangers or aliens as they are also termed. Moreover, it forbids wronging, mistreating and oppressing them in any way.
Let me cite only the following verses, although there are more with the same message:
21 "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt." (Exodus 22:20-21)
33 "'When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 19:33-34).
9 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'" (Zechariah 7:9-10)
Jesus teaches this message too, as do the other New Testament writers after him:
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Hebrews 13:2)
Abraham welcomes strangers (14th century)
Islam teaches this message as well. In Islam, a stranger is referred to as "Ibn Al-Sabil" (wayfarer). The Qur'an considers it an act of righteousness to give money to wayfarers and it even orders doing good to them.
"Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah , the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler…" (Al-Baqarah 2:177)
"Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler…" (An-Nisaa' 4:36)
A well-known hadith reports that the Prophet Muhammad saying that God would punish those who do not supply surplus water to any travelers they meet. Moreover, alms must be provided even to those who are rich.
Even many secularized Europeans know what the proper response to migrants ought to be. One does not have to be a believer in order to feel compassion for the countless migrants pouring across their borders. Compassion is not exclusive to people of faith. In fact, non-believers can be more loving than many of those who profess to be believers.
Although they know better, the nominally Christian countries of Europe and the Muslim-majority countries of the Middle East can and must do much more than some of them are currently doing. The same can be said about many other nations elsewhere in the world, regardless of the development. In response to the current crisis, all nations ought to as much as their circumstances permit.
People of faith ought to be ashamed of what some of them are saying and doing. Would that these verses from the Bible and Qur'an fan the tiny flames that might still remain in their otherwise cold hearts and make them burn passionately to provide the help that is needed. This is what God requires of them.
My own nation, Canada, is not doing enough. The former government's promises to bring in more refugees rang hollow, largely because of the stringent security screening that was required. The new government is expected to admit more refugees. Even if it is unable to bring in the promised 25,000 by the end of this year, that will probably happen by early 2016. Yet even that amount is a drop in the bucket.
The majority of Syrian refugees are currently living in the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. These countries are unable to accept them long term. So where can they go? Many of them would either like to return home or move elsewhere. Yet, until the conflict in Syria ceases, they will not be able to go home. If they do emigrate, what country will welcome them?
The alternative that many have chosen is to go to Europe or some other part of the more highly developed world. Is it unreasonable to ask these countries to admit 0.5% of these people? The combined population of these countries is about 1,25 billion. Surely, they can help them!
If every country took in an average of 0.5%, that would amount to 6.25 million migrants. That sum would likely be spread over several years, but it should take care of the current crop of migrants. Less developed countries would also take some of them, and many would return home.
In succeeding years, with more migrants expected to come from elsewhere, the more developed countries might have to create additional room and admit a further 0.5%, again spread over several years, for a total of perhaps 13 million. That doesn't take care of all migrants, but it provides many with a new home. For Canada, that would represent a total of 350,000 migrants. Currently, Canada already admits more than 250,000 immigrants annually.
In addition, efforts should be made to put an end to violent conflicts in many parts of the world and to raise the standard of living in many countries from which the migrants stem. These are the primary ways of stopping the constant flood.
But as long as the flood of migrants continues, other countries must welcome them. They are strangers who ought to be welcomed with open arms. That is what all religions teach, and now their adherents must put these teachings into practice when migrants arrive at their borders.
What would Jesus do in response to the Syrian refu...
Welcoming the stranger: a religious perspective on...


text:
Cycladic Marble Steatopygous Female "Idol"
: Greek-Cycladic
: Aegean, Late Neolithic, circa 5000-4000 B.C.
: Marble
: H: 12.7 cm
Ex- American private collection, New York, acquired on 3 May 1995
This statuette is carved from a beautiful gray marble. Contrary to other stone Neolithic figurines, this example is well balanced and can even stand on its own: suggesting that this "idol" was probably sculpted for the express purpose of being positioned and seen vertically. It is an excellent and carefully executed example of a rare but recurring type in Aegean Neolithic marble art; the standing female with arms symmetrically opposed. These types of "idols" with over-exaggerated female forms are usually referred to as steatopygic (Greek, literally of large buttocks).
The structure of the figurine is a surprising study in contrasts: the generous contours and the relatively large dimensions of the legs are balanced by the upper part of the body, which, despite a certain amount of stylization, is modeled more naturally and in a less exaggerated manner. The impression of abundance given off by this sculpture is expressed not only by its volumes but also by the groupings of rounded lines that characterize the silhouette and the anatomical details (oval face, shape of the biceps, stomach, line above the thighs, buttocks, etc.).
The cylindrical neck supports an oval face with a soft, but still pointed, chin. The rectilinear nose is plastically indicated, while the mouth (a slight groove under the nose) and the horizontal eyes are incised. The ears are simply indicated by a line that follows the curve of the jaw. Above the face, a rectangular protection might be interpreted as a headdress, a small polos of sorts. The shoulders and the folded arms form a large, slightly raised rectangle with rounded edges, precursors to the design of the crossed arms on the Cycladic figurines of the Bronze Age. At the ends of the arms, a flat area marks the placement of the hands, which are clearly separated from one another; two very schematic horizontal incisions mark the presence of fingers. The chest is covered by the bulging arm muscles – especially the biceps; the back of the torso is flat, but an incised line outlines the precise contours of the arms
Below the waist, the female silhouette abruptly thickens to form many folds of fat around the abdomen, the buttocks and the tops of the knees. The pubic area is delicately outlined by two triangular incisions and bordered by the prominent, rounded stomach; the navel is not shown. The structure of the legs differentiates between the buttocks and the thighs with a horizontal incision that also indicates the placement of the knees. The line separating the left and right legs starts at the top of the public area and continues to the buttocks; at the tops of the knees, this line transforms into a deep groove that separated the figure's calves and ankles. The feet are simply two flat stumps, without any indication of toes.
Although stylistically completely Neolithic in its design, this figurine exhibits a certain formal evolution compared to other statuettes from the same period: the many details of the face, the small polos and the well-modeled torso – even though it still retains the basic shape of an elongated rectangle- are elements that allow us to base the dating of this example to the final phase of the Neolithic Period, probably around the 5th Millennium. Seen straight on or from the back, the silhouette already seems to resemble the so-called Plastiras statuettes, a precursor to the famous Cycladic figurines with crossed arms from the 3rd Millennium.
These types of statuettes, in both terracotta and stone, have been found in all the principal regions of the Greek world, both continental Greece and the islands (Macedonia, Thessaly, the Peloponnese, Attica, the Cyclades, and Crete). Stylistically, the more elaborate treatment of the head (anatomical details, polos) may hint at a more specific place of origin for this "idol": it is particularly in Thessaly in central Greece, that such details are a typical feature of Neolithic sculpture.
Anthropomorphic figurines are among the best known and most appreciated creations of Neolithic Greece: they were most often made in terracotta, while the stone (marble) or shell examples were much rarer and probably came a bit later. Their size ranges between 10 and 15 cm, although they can sometimes reach very large dimensions. Although statuettes of men and animals exist, the female figurines are clearly the most well-known. They can have widely varied poses (standing, seated on the ground, on a chair, holding an infant in their arms), but they are largely dominated by two positions: standing or seated with the arms crossed. The representations reflect two artistic tendencies that coexisted throughout the Neolithic: a more naturalistic style (cf. this statuette) and a more schematic one with cursory limbs and without anatomical details (cf. for example the figurines shaped like violins).
Their significance is a subject that is still debated today; archaeologically, the Neolithic figurines come almost exclusively from inhabited sites and not from cemeteries: therefore, one can exclude a funerary use. The places where they have been found are most often related to the production of different types of objects ("workshops" of jewelers, potters, toolmakers, weavers) or to the preservation and preparation of foodstuffs (storage lofts, ovens). Based on these clues, the tendency today is to place these figurines in relation to ritual and magic (e.g. protection for the food) or to the transmission of scientific knowledge and skill from one workshop to another. It is also possible that theses statuettes and models were meant as toys for infants, serving an educational purpose but possibly also one of initiation.
One of the most popular theories suggests a religious significance: they are thought to represent the Great Mother Goddess, who, during the Prehistoric Period, was a pivotal mythological figure. She was the protector of human fertility and the fecundity of the herds and fields; this figure was worshipped over a vast and wildly varied geographic area, from the Near East to Central and Western Europe. The exaggeration of the figurine's sexual characteristics and their voluptuousness of form are the best argument in favor of this hypothesis.
The figure is intact, except for minor losses to the front of the feet and the left forearm. Superficial bruises on the side of the left thigh and calf and some weathering of the face are visible on the otherwise excellently preserved piece. Some rust-colored deposits and stains are present here and there on the front and also on the back of the head, whereas the rear is almost completely covered with a thin coating of earthy material, except for small areas on the back of the head and buttocks. There is also clear demarcation on both sides of the piece where this coating begins. This suggests that the figure was buried lying on its back in a seasonally damp environment which encouraged the formation not only of the thin coating (which judicious washing might reduce or remove) but also of the much heavier concretions now present in places. The marble is mostly a lighter shade of gray on the front, a darker shade on the sides and presumably on the rear as well.
GETZ-GENTILE P., Personal Styles in Early Cycladic Sculpture, Madison, 2001, pp. 1-6, p. 173, pl. 1, a1-3.
GETZ-PREZIOSI P., Early Cycladic Art in North American Collections, Richmond, 1987, p. 126, n. 1.
PAPATHANASSOPOULOS G., ed., Neolithic Culture in Greece, Athens, 1996, p. 311, no. 230, p. 318, no. 239.
THIMME J., ed., Art and Culture of the Cyclades, Chicago, 1977, nos. 3; 9-10, 12.
GIMBUTAS M. et al., Achilleion, A Neolithic Settlement in Thessaly, Greece, Los Angeles, 1989, pls. 348, 356-359.
VON BOTHMER D., ed., Glories of the Past, Ancient Art from the S. White and L. Levy Collection, New York, 1990, p. 6, no. 2, and pp. 13-15, no. 8e.
WEINBERS S. S., Anthropomorphic Stone Figurines from Neolithic Greece, in THIMME J. Art and Culture of the Cyclades, Karlsruhe, 1977, pp. 52-58, 208-220, 415-425, nos. 1-24.
LIGABUE G., ROSSI-OSMIDA G., eds., Dea Madre, Milan, 2007.