The resurrection of Jesus is the linchpin of Christianity. If true, it challenges the secularist worldview and can radically transform your life. This examination of the evidence for Jesus' resurrection, eighth in a series on 'The Challenge of Jesus', was presented at an evening service in St. Albans Presbyterian Church, Palmerston North, New Zealand, on 18 April 1993.
Paul, writing in the New Testament, also recognized that the truth of Christianity stands or falls with the resurrection of Jesus. 'If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.' (1 Corinthians 15:19-20).
Jesus rose from the dead. So important a claim needs to be substantiated. What evidence is there for it?
One of the earliest of Paul's letters, 1 Corinthians was written in AD 55, twenty five years after Jesus' death and resurrection. In human memory, twenty five years is a short time. We are well able to check the truthfulness of stories from that time ago. Many Baby Boomers could tell stories of the Hippy Movement and the Counter Culture from that time back in their own past, and we can all say where we were when President Kennedy was assassinated or when Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon. A multitude of witnesses can check the veracity of one another's memories, especially concerning events of importance.
Paul tells us that he 'had received' this information from others (1 Corinthians 15:3). This means that the evidence he records of Jesus' resurrection goes back earlier than when he wrote 1 Corinthians, to about AD 35, around the time when he became a Christian. That is less than five years after Jesus rose from the dead - a very short time in historical memory. The early nature of the evidence is confirmed by the use of Peter's Aramaic name 'Cephas' - Aramaic (or late Hebrew) being the language spoken by Palestinian Jews before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
Radical nineteenth century German scholars like F. C. Baur gave a late first or early second century date for the New Testament, and on that basis questioned its historical accuracy. The foregoing evidence shows that this won't do: it simply doesn't fit the facts. The evidence for Jesus' resurrection is early.
The sheer number and diversity of the appearances rules out hallucination or imagination. Hallucinations happen to individuals - here are many witnesses. Hallucinations tend to be found in emotionally disturbed people - here is a wide range of personality types and psychologically diverse people. Hallucinations tend to recur - these appearances cease after forty days, except for Paul, whose description acknowledges the special nature of the appearance granted to him. Even in Paul's case, he distinguishes this resurrection appearance from his later vision of Jesus (1 Corinthians 9:1, 2 Corinthians 12:1-4).
The number and variety of the eyewitnesses lends strong credence to the historicity of Jesus' resurrection. Such a large number of people cannot fake it or be responsible for collusion in falsehood.
In fact, Peter's first sermon announcing the resurrection (Acts 2:29-32) gave his hearers opportunity to produce the body. To paraphrase what he said: 'David's tomb - and remains - are near here. The prophecy from Psalm 16 about God's holy one not experiencing corruption can't apply to him. It applies to Jesus, who has just been raised from the dead in this very city.' But the enemies of the Christian movement couldn't produce a body to falsify the message. This was in spite of the fact that they had taken the precaution to place Jesus' body in a sealed and guarded tomb (Matthew 27:65). Roman soldiers would have been court-martialled for dereliction of duty if they had not guarded it securely - and must have been bought off with a handsome bribe to put about the story that it was stolen! (Matthew 28:11-15).
Actually, the tomb was empty except for one thing: the graveclothes. Peter and John found 'the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.' (John 20:6-7). Seeing this brought them to faith - because it was like a chrysalis case after a butterfly has emerged. No grave robber could have left the cloths in their original shape minus a body. Jesus had been transformed into a new dimension of existence and they were awed by it.
Further evidence for the reality of Jesus' resurrection was the profound psychological and motivational change that took place in his disciples. It was a change from fear to faith. From cowering behind locked doors, they had been transformed into bold public witnesses to Jesus' death and resurrection. Peter changed from a coward who denied to a servant girl that he even knew Jesus, to a rock-like figure who became the leader and spokesperson of the early church. The eleven disciples were transformed from a dispirited rabble into an effective missionary organization.
All the apostles - including doubting Thomas - were changed from unbelief to ardent faith. Notable are James and Jude - Jesus' brothers. They didn't believe in Jesus during his lifetime, but they did after his resurrection, and James became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. Paul himself was changed from a militant anti-Christian - rather like the ultra-Orthodox Yad L'Achim in modern Israel - into a great missionary who pioneered the worldwide expansion of the Christian movement.
Personal transformation of people's lives by Jesus continues to this day. Nearly 2 billion people - one third of the world's population - today believe in Jesus as Saviour and Lord. With a normal historical event, its impact and the testimony of witnesses diminishes as the years pass. It is the opposite with Jesus. The Christian movement grows and grows - touching people from all sorts of cultures and races, and of all kinds of backgrounds and abilities.
Jesus is not a dead historical figure, but a living person who can be met today. He was dead, but rose again. He is no longer dead, but alive. Because he is alive, you can meet him, and your life can be transformed by believing in him. You can know him personally as your Saviour and Lord.


One of the most beautiful neoclassic buildings of the city. Constructed from the homonymous family in 1912, designed by Ernst Ziller. Intended to become the cultural centre of the Municipality of Argos when the renovation is complete.


text:
Cycling Plan, Homelessness Response and COVID-19 Updates
Ward 13 Updates
Today, Mayor Tory announced that the City is proposing to fast-track the implementation of 40 kilometres of cycling infrastructure, city-wide across Toronto. I am proud to endorse this plan, and looking forward to its accelerated installation! What COVID-19 has shown us is that we need to rethink our priorities around how we design public infrastructure to support long-term recovery. We have known for years that an expanded, city-wide grid of protected bike lanes is important for achieving positive environmental, safety and health outcomes. The global pandemic has provided the urgent public health context needed to drive this work forward, without further excuses or political delays.
During the April 30 Toronto City Council meeting in anticipation of changes in traffic patterns, staff were requested to look at more active transportation as a crucial part of the city's COVID-19 restart and recovery. The report released today asks Council to approve the installation of approximately 25 kilometres of new bikeways, for a total of approximately 40 kilometres of on-street cycling lanes approved for accelerated installation in 2020. View the full Cycling Network Plan Installations: Bloor West Bikeway Extension & ActiveTO Projects report.
If approved, the cycling network would be expanded quickly through temporary installations by repurposing curb lanes along several key corridors. Bloor Street East, University Avenue/Queen's Park Crescent and Dundas Street East would be among the first installations. Delivery of other Council-approved 2020 Cycling Network implementation projects will continue but be on an accelerated schedule. Right as we gear up for summer, there could be brand new cycling infrastructure dropped into neighbourhoods both in the suburbs and downtown Toronto.
View the expanded map here.
I am excited to see this happen at an accelerated pace. Instead of waiting years for new cycling infrastructure, Council now has the opportunity to direct staff to install it in a matter of weeks. For years, I have been working with residents, active transportation advocates and community groups to advance the installation of new cycling infrastructure. We have long advocated for the need to build an interconnected grid of protected bike lanes across the city, and for safe cycling infrastructure along the busy Bloor and University corridors. The bike lane on University Avenue and Avenue Road will connect to existing lanes on Bloor, College, Adelaide, and Richmond Streets, while the bike lane on Bloor Street will stretch west to High Park and east to Broadview Avenue. This infrastructure is a key component to supporting healthy and sustainable communities, and within the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic, is needed now more than ever.
The new protected bike lanes on these routes will also connect cyclists to many of the area's hospitals and health care facilities. Doctors for Safe Cycling, representing many physicians from downtown hospitals, issued a letter earlier this month asking for protected bike lanes so that healthcare workers, clients and others can commute safely to the hospital district by bike. Major hospitals including SickKids, University Health Network and Sinai Health Systems have also expressed their support. I am committed to working closely with stakeholders, including the hospitals along University Avenue, on effective design and implementation of the bike lanes.
Homelessness Response
Shelter Support and Housing (SSHA) continue to work with Real Estate services to actively locate additional hotel rooms and housing options. Streets to Homes staff are working directly with those who are living in encampments to offer accommodations, which include access to regular meals, proper sanitation including toilets and showers, caseworkers, appropriate medical attention, medication and harm reduction services. We will continue to coordinate this work with By-Law Enforcement and Toronto Police Services.
This work is on-going and I would like to thank community members for their patience. It is carried out hourly by City staff across divisions and is unrelenting. We will not rest until everyone has been offered safe indoor accommodations, and can safely be moved.
The chronic lack of deeply affordable, supportive and transitional housing and mental health services—along with a shelter system that is bursting at the seams—force people with nowhere else to go onto the streets and into tents and encampments. The reality is that we need a permanent housing solution. Approximately 14,000 Toronto residents live with serious and persistent mental health challenges and continue to wait for access to supportive housing. There are over 100,000 people on Toronto's centralized waiting list for affordable housing, with waitlists up to 12 years or more for a one-bedroom unit and 10 years or more for larger unit sizes. There has been inadequate government action from all three levels, resulting in years of delay in addressing our housing, mental health and addiction crises. It has made it difficult for the City on its own to secure or build enough permanent housing to provide a home to everyone living in the shelter system or outdoors in a timely fashion.
If you see someone living with homelessness and in need of support, you can call Streets to Homes at 416-338-4766. For mental health support, the Gerstein Crisis Centre is a valuable 24-hours a day, seven days a week service in our community and they have crisis workers on standby at 416-929-5200. More resources, including additional how to report information, are available at kristynwongtam.ca.
Trinity Bellwoods Park
As many of you know, images this weekend of thousands of people gathered in Trinity Bellwoods Park were circulated. Gatherings like this, where people aren't keeping their distance from others, run the risk of setting Toronto back significantly in our efforts to stop the transmission of COVID-19.
As the lockdown is slowly being lifted, we all have a shared responsibility to keep each other safe. That means following physical distancing protocols. We want to use green and open spaces responsibly. Please think about front-line healthcare workers and essential workers who have been risking their lives to serve our society. Please also think about our most vulnerable who will be impacted by careless behaviour. Our choices should be one about collective values.
I recognize that staying home, self-isolating and not seeing family and friends over the last several weeks has been incredibly difficult. However, gatherings like this Saturday at Trinity Bellwoods Park have the potential to set Toronto back in its efforts to beat COVID-19. More than 700 people from Toronto have tragically lost their lives due to COVID-19. Public gatherings, like what took place Saturday in Trinity Bellwoods Park, threaten to undo the difficult and challenging work residents of this city have done over the last 10 weeks in their collective effort to beat COVID-19.
Without a doubt, part of our recovery will require increasing access to public space. It is important to recognize that many in our local communities live in dense neighbourhoods, small condo and apartment buildings, with little green space nearby and lacking their own backyard. It is important to recognize the embedded equity issues that result from strict stay-at-home orders. For many, our City parks are our backyards. As the weather gets nicer and physical distancing measures remain in place, we will need to continue to develop and implement design solutions that allow residents to enjoy the outdoors while maintaining a safe physical distance.
Thank you for your resilience, it is an honour to represent you.
Kristyn
Community Care in Ward 13
Today for our Community Care shoutout, we recognize the Labyrinth Network Committee who manage the labyrinth at Trinity Square Park. Labyrinths are world-wide mindfulness tools to help in these times of social isolation and improve our mental health. Lauren Artress, minister and psychotherapist, calls the labyrinth a path of prayer, a walking meditation, a crucible of change and a mirror for the soul. The Toronto Public Labyrinth is free, wheelchair accessible, has a Braille labyrinth on site and is open at any time. To practice safe distancing, people should pace their walk or wait until there is no one else walking the labyrinth. Alternatively, the labyrinth pattern is available online and can be printed for use as a finger labyrinth. Learn more about the Toronto Public Labyrinth here. Thank you for your work today, and year round, to help maintain this gentle, mindfulness tool.
Please continue to email my office at councillor_wongtam@toronto.ca to share examples of community care in your neighbourhood and ways you are supporting your community at this time. I'll be happy to promote it, space permitting, in our communication to the residents and business owners in Ward 13. Every bit goes a long way!
COVID-19: Ongoing Tips to Reduce Virus Spread
The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed. If you are sick, even with mild symptoms, stay home and self-isolate.
As we slowly return to some sense of normalcy, we need to continue physical distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Everyone has a role to play. The actions you take will help protect you and everyone in our community.
When you are unable to keep a six feet/two-metre distance from others, wear a mask or face covering. This includes when you are:
in elevators, common areas, waiting rooms or shopping;
using transit, taxi or rideshare services; and
sick and going for a medical appointment.
Be respectful of others who choose not to wear a mask. Some health conditions make it hard to breathe when wearing a mask.
Thank you for doing your part to slow the spread of COVID-19 and help protect our communities. For more tips on social distancing, please visit the City's website or download this info sheet.
City of Toronto COVID-19 Updates
City of Toronto Statement on Trinity Bellwoods Park
Images of thousands of people gathered in Trinity Bellwoods Park were unacceptable. Gatherings like this, where people aren't keeping their distance from others, run the risk of setting Toronto back significantly in its efforts to stop the transmission of COVID-19.
People are encouraged to go out, yes, but they must stay two metres apart from anyone who is not from their household. That is the science; that is what experts like Toronto's Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, tell us.
The vast majority of parks across Toronto were used responsibly this weekend. Cyclists and pedestrians got fresh air and exercise as part of ActiveTO, where major roads, such as Lake Shore Boulevard and Bayview Avenue, were closed to motorists to allow people to safely get outside. The City thanks them for their efforts. Read the City's press release here.
ActiveTO Cycling Network Plan Proposes 40 kilometres of Expanded and Accelerated Routes
During the April 30 Toronto City Council meeting, staff were requested to look at more active transportation as a crucial part of the City's COVID-19 restart and recovery and in anticipation of changes in traffic patterns.
An expanded cycling network aims to allow people on bikes to move around Toronto safely, to better connect those on bikes to the places they need to go and to mirror major transit routes. The proposed plan includes flexibility so that bikeway installations can be adjusted based on considerations such as changing traffic volumes and the evolving needs of residents and businesses in the wake of the pandemic. View the full Cycling Network Plan Installations: Bloor West Bikeway Extension & ActiveTO Projects. Read the City's press release here.
Emergency Cooling Centres During Heat Warning
Environment and Climate Change Canada today issued a Heat Warning for Toronto, which starts today and is forecasted to end Wednesday, May 27.
Starting tomorrow at 11 a.m., six locations will offer a publicly accessible, air-conditioned place to rest indoors and receive a cool drink. Staff who are trained to assist residents affected by the extreme heat will be on hand. Strict infection prevention and control measures will be in place.
Emergency Cooling Centres will operate at the following community centres from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.:
Wallace Emerson Community Centre, 1260 Dufferin Street;
Regent Park Community Centre, 402 Shuter Street (Ward 13);
Malvern Community Centre Arena, 30 Sewells Road;
Scarborough Village Community Centre Arena, 3600 Kingston Road;
Amesbury Arena, 155 Culford Drive; and
Domenico DiLuca Community Centre, 25 Stanley Roadd.
Click here to find an Emergency Cooling Centre near you. Read the City's press release here.
Last of Three Pothole Repair Blitzes in May
The last of three scheduled pothole repair blitzes for the month of May happened on Saturday. Crews were repairing potholes early in the morning on Toronto's expressways, major roads and neighbourhood streets. Saturday's blitz saw 66 crews and 162 people repairing potholes throughout the city. Read the City's press release here.
Online Webinar for Retail Businesses, May 28, 2020
The City's Economic Development division is working with Toronto Public Health on a number of resources to assist businesses as they work to re-open. Part of that work includes guidelines and best practices for various sectors. This Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the City is hosting a free webinar about government guidelines and recently created City programs to support main street and retail businesses. Information that will be covered includes:
Overview of government guidelines and requirements;
Tools and resources to support businesses re-opening; and
Other programs to support main street and retail businesses.
Please register online for free and pass it along to your retail business networks.
More information on affected City services & facilities.
More updates from the City of Toronto.
Province of Ontario Updates
Additional Supports for Two Long-Term Care Homes in Ontario
This afternoon, the Provincial government announced that the Ministry of Long-Term Care has issued Mandatory Management Orders appointing local hospitals to temporarily manage two long-term care homes for 90 days. Southlake Regional Health Centre will temporarily manage River Glen Haven Nursing Home in Sutton, and Humber River Hospital will temporarily manage Downsview Long Term Care in North York. The orders may be extended beyond the 90 days, if necessary.
The temporary shift in management comes from a recent provincial government emergency order made on May 12, 2020. It allows the Ministry of Long-Term Care to order alternative management to temporarily manage a long-term care home where at least one resident or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19. A mandatory management order helps to address the outbreak and effectively protects our most vulnerable Ontarians from COVID-19.
See the provincial government's full announcement here.
More updates from the Province of Ontario.
Government of Canada Updates
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today that applications are now being accepted for Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) for small businesses. The program is to incentivize property owners to reduce rent by at least 75% for the months of April and May (retroactive), and June, for their small business tenants. CECRA will cover 50 per cent of the rent, with the tenant paying up to 25% and the property owner forgiving at least 25%.
Applying for CECRA makes financial sense for property owners, as their success depends on the success of their tenants. If a tenant declares bankruptcy and is evicted, the property owner receives zero rental income and faces additional costs while they search for new tenants. With this program, property owners will continue to receive income, and small business tenants will receive the help they need to recover and come back after the pandemic.
CECRA is another measure announced by the Government of Canada to provide important relief for small businesses experiencing financial hardship, and help keep Canadians on the payroll. Applications will be accepted through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) website.
The Federal Government's full announcement can be found here.
More updates from the Government of Canada.
Now is the time to stay informed through credible sources, and to follow the advice of our public health professionals. Together we can limit the spread of COVID-19.
Phone lines for telehealth, TPH and 311 continue to experience very high volumes. Please help keep the phones lines open for people who are sick by visiting the Toronto Public Health COVID-19 website for up-to-date information and resources: toronto.ca/covid-19
Telehealth Ontario
Call if you develop symptoms!
Telephone: 1-866-797-000
Toronto Public Health Hotline
8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Call if you have questions about COVID-19.
Email: PublicHealth@toronto.ca
311 Toronto
Outside City limits: 416-392-2489
Call if you have questions about City services, or to report people
Telephone: 311
Email: 311@toronto.ca

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: XCode C++ missing sperm() I'm using C++ and XCode to create a cmd line app to save file permissions, however I can't get the sperm() method to be identified, the error is

'Use of undeclared identifier 'sperm'

My includes and the piece of code in question are below ...
// My includes ...
#include <iostream>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <dirent.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <vector>
#include <sys/stat.h>
#include <dirent.h>
#include <pwd.h>
#include <grp.h>
#include <time.h>
#include <locale.h>
#include <langinfo.h>
#include <stdint.h>

// Code fragment ...

dp = opendir ("/var/someplace");
if (dp != NULL)
{
    while ((ep = readdir (dp)))
    {

        oFile = new FileObject;

        oFile->setName( ep->d_name );
        oFile->setIsDirectory( ep->d_type == isFolder );

        oFiles.push_back (*oFile);
        // If it's a folder then we can get it's innards

        if (stat(ep->d_name, &statbuf) == -1)
            continue;
        cout << "%10.10s", sperm(statbuf.st_mode);

        iFile++;
    }

    closedir (dp);
}
else
    perror ("Couldn't open the directory");

A: I ran into this a couple years ago. I don't feel like tiptoeing my way through Google with that particular search term at the moment, but if I remember correctly, the answer is that sperm() is a non-standard system function available on Solaris. But since it's not part of the unix standard, you won't find it on OS X.

A: Assuming the function is defined (and I'm not going to google that name from work), you have a problem with the way you're printing it:
cout << "%10.10s", sperm(statbuf.st_mode);

That's not going to print a formatted string, since C++ iostreams don't work like C's printf. You could either not format it:
cout << sperm(statbuf.st_mode);

or use printf:
printf("%10.10s", sperm(statbuf.st_mode));

or do some jiggery-pokery with iostream manipulators.

A: This might make me look like a pervert, but I searched google for 'sperm' (ofcourse only for .h and .cpp files).
The bad news is I can't find any references to it (except on the stat function page itself).
The good news is I found this piece of code which defines it's own 'sperm' function:
char const * sperm(__mode_t mode) {
    static char local_buff[16] = {0};
    int i = 0;
    // user permissions
    if ((mode & S_IRUSR) == S_IRUSR) local_buff[i] = 'r';
    else local_buff[i] = '-';
    i++;
    if ((mode & S_IWUSR) == S_IWUSR) local_buff[i] = 'w';
    else local_buff[i] = '-';
    i++;
    if ((mode & S_IXUSR) == S_IXUSR) local_buff[i] = 'x';
    else local_buff[i] = '-';
    i++;
    // group permissions
    if ((mode & S_IRGRP) == S_IRGRP) local_buff[i] = 'r';
    else local_buff[i] = '-';
    i++;
    if ((mode & S_IWGRP) == S_IWGRP) local_buff[i] = 'w';
    else local_buff[i] = '-';
    i++;
    if ((mode & S_IXGRP) == S_IXGRP) local_buff[i] = 'x';
    else local_buff[i] = '-';
    i++;
    // other permissions
    if ((mode & S_IROTH) == S_IROTH) local_buff[i] = 'r';
    else local_buff[i] = '-';
    i++;
    if ((mode & S_IWOTH) == S_IWOTH) local_buff[i] = 'w';
    else local_buff[i] = '-';
    i++;
    if ((mode & S_IXOTH) == S_IXOTH) local_buff[i] = 'x';
    else local_buff[i] = '-';
    return local_buff;
}

usage is simple:
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>
#include <iostream>

int main(int argc, char ** argv)
{
    std::cout<<sperm(S_IRUSR | S_IXUSR | S_IWGRP | S_IROTH)<<std::endl;
    std::cout<<sperm(S_IRUSR)<<std::endl;
    std::cout<<sperm(S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IWOTH | S_IROTH)<<std::endl;
    return 0;
}

output on ideone:
r-x-w-r--
r--------
r--r--rw-

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Springtown is an unincorporated community in Clay Township, Hendricks County, Indiana.
A post office was established at Springtown in 1843, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1865.
Springtown is located at 39°42′08″N 86°36′22″W / 39.70222°N 86.60611°W / 39.70222; -86.60611.
This page was last edited on 21 June 2017, at 12:59 (UTC).


text:
Page 8, 1st April 1938
Page 8, 1st April 1938 — IN A FEW WORDS
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Organisations: Heythrop College, Holy Redeemer Church
People: George Burns, Anthony Thorold, Jerrold Ik, Louis Noble, Douglas Newton, Fr, Bernard Shaw, Toni Burns, Henry Davis, Dizzy Ik, Leslie Howard, Marie Lohr, Wendy Hillyer, C. G. Mortimer, Douglas Jerrold
This Prime Minister Was A Saint Now We Have No "holiness...
Page 15 from 1st April 1938
From Chelsea To The Tower
Page 7 from 17th July 1953
The Lamb And The Book Chelsea Honoured The Saint Who
Thomas More Pilgrimage Is Arranged
Page 6 from 2nd September 1949
Altar Servers Sir, — It Puzzles Me Why The Church Does Not
Page 2 from 3rd November 1944
IN A FEW WORDS
Keywords: Christianity, Douglas William Jerrold, George Burns, Entertainment, Pygmalion, Robert Burns, Mass, Arts
A Model Ceremony
LAST Sunday a model Catholic ceremony, the unveiling of the altar to St. Thomas More in the Holy Redeemer Church, Chelsea, followed by Missa Cantata and sermon. I say " model " because while perfect in every way, nothing was attempted that is not within the compass of any church, however unpresunaing. Everything was liturgically correct and for that reason quick and impressive, carrying the congregation in with the corporate action and prayer. The plain-chant singing of priest" choir and people was quite beautiful and a testimony to the patient work of Fr. Anthony Thorold who has achieved the impossible, dignified and correct chant in a small London church with an amorphous congregation. His inspiration is Solesmes and he knows all about the ictus.
The Sole Importation
The sole importation, if I may so describe him, was the preacher, Fr. George Burns, S.J., and most churches can afford a special preacher for a special occasion. Fr. Burns, who is well on his way to becoming one of the best preachers in the country, made his sermon harmonise with the surroundings, explaining the difference between one mass and another, recalling historic masses in the past, stressing the special significance of this one, referring to the corporate singing and ending with an exhortation to make the Credo something real—and all these points were fitted round his main theme, St. Thomas More, his lesson for our times and his special mean ing for the inhabitants of Chelsea. In addition to such excellent matter Fr. Burns has all the marks of the great preacher, confidence, conviction, control and variation of speed and pitch of voice, and, above all, the ability to prevent a fine passage from sounding like a purple one. Fr. Burns is a brother of Mr. Toni Burns who has done so much for Catholic publishing, first with Sheed and Ward and now with Longmans.
Fr. Henry Davis
IHOPE anyone who missed Fr. Davis's article on Marriage in our last week's issue will turn back to it. It was the finest short account of the essential meaning of Christian marriage I have ever read. Fr. Davis, experienced Heythrop College moral theologian, showed how simple and clear writing, restating the traditional doctrine, can be far more effective than the twists and turns of the modern writer seeking for " actualities" and effects.
Supporting the Liverpool Archdiocesan
campaign with these articles was the idea of one of the youngest members of the staff, and it was carried into execution within two or three days, all articles arranged and the Archbishop's introduction and blessing promised. Only one writer invited failed us—and that out of absurd humility. It shows how ready everybody is to get down to work if only ideas and organisation are available.
Dizzy and Jerrold
IkCORRESPONDENT writes to point out the striking similarity between theme and phrases in Douglas Jerrold's article last week, The Appalling Price of Stupidity " and a sentence of Disraeli's: " There is one force which no human ingenuity can cope with—the unconscious machination of stupidity." So do Tories shake hands across the years.
" Doctor "
T PREDICT a success for Doctor. the new -Imonthly magazine, a specimen copy .of which the publishers have kindly sent me; in fact I wonder why the idea of a popular magazine on medicine was not thought of earlier. Public interest in medicine and all the paraphernalia that goes with it was shown by Cronin's otherwise not particularly good novel, The Citadel.
But, having honestly said all this, I add that I for one wholly disapprove of the new magazine and the sort of interest it will arouse. It shelters under the National Fitness campaign, but there is all the difference in the world between popularising positive ways to healthy living (Christian morals among other means) and pandering to the increasing morbid interest in our insides and their possible diseases. Everyone should know enough about themselves to be able to nurse their own minor ailMerits and to realise when medical advice should be sought, but, apart from this, the less interest in our potential diseases we take the better for our health, bodily and mental.
I See Leslie Howard
THIS is an unfair world. Nothing, it is -1being said, is more likely to thrill nine moderns in ten than to pay a visit to a cinema studio and watch a real live star at work. They would carry the memory of the event with them to their dying day. Well I am that tenth and yet I have just seen Leslie Howard earning about a thou sand pounds a minute at the Pinewood Studios with Marie Lohr on the set as well and Wendy Hillyer in a beautiful long green gown brushing right past me. They were at work on Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, the first full-length play of Shaw's to be filmed. And though I was told in an awed voice that it needed five signed permits to be allowed on the Pygmalion set, the open sesame of publicity did the trick at once.
Stars Earn Something
It was certainly an experience, and a pleasant one in that everything turned out to be exactly as I had anticipated. Dozens of men, all known to one another by Christian names and referring to everything else by numbers, were standing about with cameras, cables, lamps, shades, furniture in the utmost apparent confusion. The continuity girl in trousers sat in a corner on a box labelled " Continuity " (her job is to prevent the confusion from becoming worse confounded). " Stand-ins" (people of the same build as the stars who take their place during the preliminary arrangements) were hovering round looking intensely bored. All that was missing was the American director bawling instructions as he sits on a canvas chair sliding a big cigar from one end of his mouth to the other. Instead Director Asquith was politely moving about trying to decide whether a table with artificial flowers on it looked nice or nat.
The result of it all was a strong impression that the stars earn a very good portion of their salaries and that film-making is a long tiring and tedious business.
A Catholic Novel
wHAT is a truly Catholic novel? Its a difficult question. Mauriac has tried to tackle it, and it is hoped that one day Compton Mackenzie will write on the subject for us. Meanwhile Douglas Newton, author of about ten " bloods --his own word—tells me that in his new book, Infinite Morning, to be published next week, he is returning to social studies on the lines of earlier works. I have read snatches of it, and I think it's going to be good. Look out for it! Douglas Newton, a valiant Knight of St. Columba, has dope much in that excellent little magazine, Columbia. to make Catholics acquainted with Catholic writers and the decent and helpful literature of the day. He is also
writing a very flattering series of articles on the four Catholic weeklies.
'To Us—
Mr. C. G. Mortimer, noting that we are now domiciled at 67, Fleet Street, once the site of a famous Carmelite monastery . . . where later Louis Noble, the piper, revealed the secrets of his art, sends us the following verses:
Blossom that has sprung again From an old and ruined farm, May your soriptured petals show England's faith of long ago! Such your pride and heritage, Friars of a modern age!
Heralds of a trighter day.
Raise your hearts and tune your lay!
Summon to your aide a elan Sworn to serve you to a man: 'Neath the Papal hag unfurled.
Pipe your message to the world!
THE JOTTER


text:
package com.pieframework.runtime.core;

import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Collection;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.Scanner;

import org.apache.commons.io.FileUtils;
import org.apache.commons.io.FilenameUtils;
import org.apache.commons.io.filefilter.DirectoryFileFilter;
import org.apache.commons.io.filefilter.IOFileFilter;
import org.apache.commons.io.filefilter.RegexFileFilter;
import org.mvel2.MVEL;
import com.pieframework.model.Component;
import com.pieframework.model.Configuration;
import com.pieframework.model.Status;
import com.pieframework.model.repository.ModelStore;
import com.pieframework.model.resources.Resource;
import com.pieframework.model.system.Model;
import com.pieframework.runtime.utils.StringUtils;

public class ResourceLoader {

	public static Resource load(String query,Component c,Model m){

		if (c!=null){

			String resourceName=getResourceName(c.getProps().get(query));
			Object result = MVEL.getProperty("resources[\""+ resourceName + "\"]".toString(), m);
			if (result!=null){
				//System.out.println(result.toString());
				return (Resource) result;
			}else{
				//System.out.println("null:"+c.getId()+" "+c.getProps().get(query));
				return load(query,c.getParent(),m);
			}
		}
		return null;
	}

	public static List<Resource> loadAll(Resource r, Component c, Model m) {

		List<Resource> rlist=new ArrayList<Resource>();
		for (String id:c.getProps().keySet()){
			String resourceName=getResourceName(c.getProps().get(id));
			Object result = MVEL.getProperty("resources[\""+resourceName + "\"]".toString(), m);

			if (result!=null && r.getClass().equals(result.getClass())){
				rlist.add((Resource)result);
			}
		}

		return rlist;
	}

	public static String getResourceName(String input) {
		if (input!=null){
			String[] tmp=input.split("\\[\"");
			if (tmp.length > 1){
				input=tmp[0];
			}
		}

		return input;
	}

	public static String getResourcePath(String input){
		String[] tmp=input.split("\\[\"");
		if (tmp.length > 1){
			String[] tmp1=tmp[1].split("\"\\]");
			//System.out.println(tmp1[0] +" "+tmp1.length);
			if (tmp1.length >0){
				return tmp1[0];
			}
		}
		return null;
	}

	/*public static List<File> findPath(String basePath,String query){

		String path=getResourcePath(query);
		List<File> flist=new ArrayList<File>();

		if (StringUtils.empty(path)){
			path=basePath;
		}

		//System.out.println(path+" "+basePath+" "+query);
		if (!StringUtils.empty(basePath,path)){
			String root=locate(basePath);
			path=FilenameUtils.separatorsToSystem(path);
			path="*"+path+"*";

			//System.out.println(path+" "+root);
			File rootDir=new File(root);
			try {
				for (File f:listFilesAndDirectories(rootDir)){
					//System.out.println(f.getPath());
					if (FilenameUtils.wildcardMatch(f.getPath(),path)){
						flist.add(f);
					}
				}
			} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
				// TODO Auto-generated catch block
				e.printStackTrace();
			}
		}

		return flist;
	}*/

	public static List<File> findPath(String basePath,String query){

		List<File> flist=new ArrayList<File>();

		if (!StringUtils.empty(basePath,query)){
			String root=locate(basePath);
			query=FilenameUtils.separatorsToSystem(query);
			query="*"+query+"*";

			//System.out.println(query+" "+root);
			File rootDir=new File(root);
			try {
				for (File f:listFilesAndDirectories(rootDir)){
					//System.out.println(f.getPath());
					if (FilenameUtils.wildcardMatch(f.getPath(),query)){
						flist.add(f);
					}
				}
			} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
				// TODO Auto-generated catch block
				e.printStackTrace();
			}
		}

		return flist;
	}

	public static List<File> findExactPath(File dir,String query){

		List<File> flist=new ArrayList<File>();

		if (!StringUtils.empty(query) && dir.exists()){
			String root=dir.getPath();
			query=FilenameUtils.separatorsToSystem(query);
			String wildCard="*"+query+"*";
			//System.out.println(query+" "+root);
			File rootDir=new File(root);
			try {
				for (File f:listFilesAndDirectories(rootDir)){
					//System.out.println(f.getPath());

					if (FilenameUtils.wildcardMatch(f.getPath(),wildCard)){
						if (f.getName().equals(query)){
							flist.add(f);
						}
					}
				}
			} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
				// TODO Auto-generated catch block
				e.printStackTrace();
			}
		}

		return flist;
	}

	static public List<File> listFilesAndDirectories(File aStartingDir) throws FileNotFoundException {
		    List<File> result = getFileListingNoSort(aStartingDir);
		    Collections.sort(result);
		    return result;
	}

	static private List<File> getFileListingNoSort(File aStartingDir) throws FileNotFoundException {
		    List<File> result = new ArrayList<File>();
		    File[] filesAndDirs = aStartingDir.listFiles();
		    List<File> filesDirs = Arrays.asList(filesAndDirs);
		    for(File file : filesDirs) {
		      result.add(file);
		      if ( ! file.isFile() ) {
		        List<File> deeperList = getFileListingNoSort(file);
		        result.addAll(deeperList);
		      }
		    }
		    return result;
	}

	public static String locate(String url){

		return FilenameUtils.separatorsToSystem(ModelStore.getCurrentModel().getModelDirectory()+File.separatorChar+"resources"+url);
	}

	public static void validate(Map<String, Resource> validation,String componentId) {
		for (String key:validation.keySet()){
			//System.out.println(componentId+" "+key+" "+validation.get(key));
			if (validation.get(key)== null){
				throw new RuntimeException("Resource:"+key+" is missing for "+componentId);
				//System.out.println("throwing exception for "+key+" "+componentId);
			}
		}

	}

	public static String getDeployRoot(){
		return ModelStore.getCurrentModel().getConfiguration().getTmp()+"deploy"+File.separatorChar;
	}

	public static boolean isResource(String command) {
		if (getResourcePath(command)!=null){
			return true;
		}
		return false;
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
Sovereign Wealth Funds Briefing - Archive | June, 2010
Qatari fund eyes stake in Greek lender
Posted on 30 June 2010 by VRS | Email |Print
From Telegraph: The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), which owns Harrods and Chelsea Barracks in the UK, is thought to be considering investing as much as €250m (£202m) for a 7pc stake in Greece's biggest lender.
The QIA already has a 4pc stake in Greece's Alpha Bank, the third-largest lender, acquired through a holding company before the country's debt crisis……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Greek NBG not in talks to sell 5-7 pct to Qatar-source
From Reuters: Greece's National Bank is not in talks to sell a stake to Qatar, an Athens-based source close to the issue said on Tuesday, denying a report on the Financial Times' website.
Citing people familiar with the talks, the Financial Times said Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), was in talks to acquire 5 percent to 7 percent of Greece's biggest lender……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Asian, Middle Eastern funds plan own hedge funds
From Zawya.com: Several Asian and Middle Eastern sovereign-wealth funds, including those of China and Dubai, are planning to create their own hedge funds to seek better returns on their nations' accumulated wealth, two people familiar with the situation said.
One of these people said South Korea's Korea Investment Corp and Singapore's Temasek Holdings are two other sovereign-wealth funds setting up their own shops with assets ranging between $1 billion and $4 billion……………………………………….Full Article: Source
The world's biggest IPO; Kuwait fund key investor
From Arabtimesonline.com: Agricultural Bank of China (AgBank) is expected to set a price range on Monday for its Shanghai listing similar to the one determined for the bank's Hong Kong offering, thus giving a clearer indication of the size of the IPO, which could be the world's biggest.
Eleven cornerstone investors, including sovereign wealth funds in Qatar and Kuwait and United Overseas Bank, have agreed to buy $5.45 billion worth of AgBank shares, or nearly half of the Hong Kong offering, sources said……………………………………….Full Article: Source
China's Agricultural Bank IPO may net $23 bln
From AP: Agricultural Bank of China capped the price range for its upcoming public offering at a level much lower than expected in response to investors, an executive said Tuesday, but the world's largest share listing is still projected to raise up to $23.2 billion.
The bank said in its Hong Kong prospectus that major foreign investors in the Hong Kong offering are Qatar Investment Authority ($2.8 billion), Kuwait Investment Authority ($800 million), Britain's Standard Chartered Bank ($500 million), Dutch bank Radobank Nederland ($250 million), Australia's Seven Group Holdings Ltd. ($250 million) and Singapore's Temasek Holdings ($200 million)……………………………………….Full Article: Source
China's (secret) overseas network
From Frumforum.com: Consider that the Chinese Investment Corporation (CIC), formed in 2007, now has close to $2 billion invested in Canada (total Chinese investments are said to exceed $3.5 billion). CIC has some $300 billion in assets, and is said to hold $2 trillion of in U.S. currency reserves.
It's almost a given that such an organization will actively protect what it has, will try to get more, and will wield influence wherever it can – including stealing, suborning, subverting, bribing, threatening……………………………………….Full Article: Source
India loses to China in Africa-to-Kazakhstan-to-Venezuela oil
From Bloomberg: Indian Oil Minister Murli Deora traveled to Nigeria, Angola, Uganda, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela this year, leading a record number of delegations to gain oil for the world's third-fastest-growing major economy.
India proposed a sovereign wealth fund to bid for reserves, told state-controlled Oil & Natural Gas Corp. and Oil India Ltd. to make a major acquisition each this year, and raised the amount they can spend without government approval to 50 billion rupees ($1.1 billion)……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Singapore Airlines plans first bond sale for a decade
From Bloomberg: Singapore Airlines Ltd. plans to sell bonds for the first time in almost a decade, taking advantage of low borrowing costs to tap a S$1 billion ($715 million) medium-term note program it set up in 2003. Singapore Airlines is 55 percent-owned by Temasek Holdings Pte.
The airline will issue S$500 million of 3.22 percent, 10- year notes on or about July 9 to raise money for working capital and expenditure, it said in a filing to the Singapore stock exchange today……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Qatari Diar publishes amended draft masterplan for Chelsea Barracks in London
From Ameinfo.com: Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company (Qatari Diar) has published its amended draft masterplan for the Chelsea Barracks site in London, in response to further public consultation.
The original concept masterplan, drawn up by Dixon Jones, Squire and Partners and Kim Wilkie Associates, (the masterplanning team) was launched in April this year after an initial phase of extensive public consultation……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Fitch ratings boost for $750mln Mumtalakat notes
From Gulf-daily-news.com: Fitch Ratings has assigned Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company's $750 million, five per cent notes, due on June 30, 2015, a final senior unsecured rating of 'A'.
The programme's final rating follows a review of its final terms and conditions which conform to the information already received when Fitch assigned the senior unsecured programme an expected 'A' rating………………………………………Full Article: Source
Kenya National Social Security Fund's assets retreat 9.2pct
From Bloomberg: Kenya's National Social Security Fund, the state-run pension company, said its assets retreated 9.2 percent in the year through June 2009 as the value of stocks declined.
Assets fell to 82.15 billion shillings ($1.01 billion) from 90.51 billion shillings a year earlier, according to a statement published in the Nairobi-based Daily Nation newspaper today……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Norway's sovereign fund sees sustained volatility
From Reuters: Investors face years of market volatility as governments consolidate their mountains of debt taken on both before and in response to the financial crisis, says the head of Norway's sovereign wealth fund.
Martin Skancke, director general of the Norwegian Ministry of Finance Asset Management Department and responsible for the country's sovereign wealth fund, said uncertainty may dominate but the fund's long-term time horizon gives it the ability to ride out the gut-churning drops and equally fast rises……………………………………….Full Article: Source
More stories about: Financials, Fund Management/Administration, Market, Performance Comments (0)
Nigeria: Country's sovereign wealth fund
From Allafrica.com: Nigeria's financial status is going downhill. Government thinks a National Sovereign Wealth Fund would reverse the trend. The Excess Crude Account (ECA) is gradually being eclipsed. It would be replaced with a National Sovereign Wealth Fund (NSWF). A Federal Government team is already working on that.
Expectedly, the new NSWF will finally settle the on-again-off-again constitutional crisis that has characterised the ECA since it was created by the Olusegun Obasanjo government. The ECA has no legal backing. The NSWF is thus seen as a slow but sure departure from profligacy of the past……………………………………….Full Article: Source
SWFs, central banks to begin unbundling securities lending
From Asianinvestor.net: The biggest institutional investors in Asia, including central banks and sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), are starting to unbundle securities lending from custody, creating a new business opportunity for some providers, says Paul Wilson, managing director for financing and markets products at JP Morgan in London.
He is visiting institutional clients in Asia, Japan and Australia, and says the conversations are similar to those in the US and Europe several years ago……………………………………….Full Article: Source
GIC not to participate in Fortis' preferential funding
From Indiainfoline.com: Fortis promoters was quoted as saying that GIC's decision to defer investment in their company was "mutual", as GIC wanted to evaluate the prospects of being part of a larger fund raising plan of Fortis.
Singapore's GIC Special Investments Pte Ltd has reportedly deferred its plan to invest around Rs3.8bn to buy a minority stake in Fortis Healthcare. Fortis promoters was quoted as saying that GIC's decision to defer investment in their company was "mutual", as GIC wanted to evaluate the prospects of being part of a larger fund raising plan of Fortis……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Egypt, China promoting investment cooperation
From Globalarabnetwork.com: Egyptian Investment Minister Mahmoud Mohieddin stressed the importance of promoting investment cooperation with China. Mohieddin made the remarks during a meeting with Chairman of Board of Supervisors of the state-owned China Investment Corporation (CIC), Jin Liqun.
The meeting took up means of boosting cooperation and attracting Chinese investments to Egypt, Mohieddin said……………………………………….Full Article: Source
AgBank sets price for float
From Smh.com.au: The Agricultural Bank of China has set a price range for the Shanghai part of its initial public offering that will allow it to raise as much as $23 billion. The Qatar Investment Authority has agreed to invest $US2.8 billion and Kuwait Investment Authority said it would invest $US800 million.
The bank may offer 22.2 billion shares in Shanghai at 2.52 yuan (42¢) to 2.68 yuan a share. Last week the bank, China's largest in terms of customers, priced shares in the Hong Kong part of its float at $HK2.88 to $HK3.48 each……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Losses at Bahrain's SWF more than doubled amid global slump
From Assetinternational.com: Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Co., the Persian Gulf country's sovereign wealth fund (SWF), said its loss for 2009 more than doubled from a year earlier.
Mumtalakat blamed its losses on the global effects of the economic crisis which hurt key businesses, mainly at its money-losing airline Gulf Air and at Alba, an aluminum smelting company……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Lower Saxony's new head backs Volkswagen expansion
From Bloomberg: Volkswagen AG, Europe's largest carmaker, has the full backing of Lower Saxony to pursue an expansion strategy, including its merger with Porsche AG. Qatar Holding LLC, part of the country's sovereign wealth fund, is the third- largest owner of VW's with a 17 percent stake.
"We support Martin Winterkorn's ambitious goal to make VW No. 1 in the auto market worldwide by 2018," designated Prime Minister David McAllister said in an interview in Hanover, Germany, the first since he was named successor to Christian Wulff. Winterkorn is VW's chief executive officer……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Banco do Brasil's large offer seen sailing through
From Reuters: Banco do Brasil will likely raise up to 10.9 billion reais ($6.13 billion) in a share offering this week. Brazil's sovereign wealth fund agreed to buy 62.5 million shares in the Banco do Brasil offering, a stake valued at $1.7 billion reais at Friday's closing price.
Banco do Brasil's primary and secondary offering could be the largest in Brazil since Banco Santander Brasil raised 14.1 billion reais in October……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Iran gains $9nln in currency reserve shift
From Hindustantimes.com: Iran's state TV quotes the country's central bank governor as saying Tehran has gained the equivalent of $9 billion dollars by shifting its foreign currency reserves to euros and selling gold.
Mahmoud Bahmani on Monday described Iran's foreign currency reserves as very "suitable," but did not provide a figure or qualify over what period of time the currency transactions took place……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Consider setting up supra-sovereign wealth fund, Muslim nations told
From Btimes.com.my: Muslim economies should consider setting up a supra-sovereign wealth fund, given the shifting in investment fund flows to the East, said Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah. The combined Muslim economies of Asia, Middle East, Central Asia and Africa (or MAMICA) are contributing significantly to global growth.
"The fund is to invest in MAMICA manufacturing, services, natural resources and portfolio investment sectors, providing returns that are compatible to the global sovereign wealth funds industry," he said……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Abu Dhabi's Aabar falls on delisting plan
From Reuters: Abu Dhabi's Aabar Investments tumbled on Sunday after setting the date for a shareholder meeting to discuss de-listing the firm. The world's only listed sovereign wealth fund has called a July 26 shareholder meeting to debate plans to convert into a joint stock company.
Middle East markets fell as an end-of-week surge in oil prices failed to outweigh gloom over declines in world equities following fresh doubts about a global economic recovery……………………………………….Full Article: Source
More stories about: Financials, Market, Performance Comments (0)
Mumtalakat full year loss for 2009 doubled
From Arabianbusiness.com: Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Co, the Arabian Gulf country's sovereign wealth fund, said its loss for 2009 more than doubled from a year earlier due to "the truly global effects of the economic crisis."
The net loss widened to 183 million dinars ($485 million) from $183 million in 2008. Revenue fell 28 percent to $2.75 billion from $3.84 billion a year earlier, the company said in an e-mailed statement today……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Candy's CPC group wins trial against Qatari Diar
From Bloomberg: The real-estate investment arm of Qatar's sovereign-wealth fund wrongfully backed out of a deal to redevelop London's landmark Chelsea Barracks site after the plan was opposed by Prince Charles, a judge ruled.
Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Co. breached its contract with U.K. developer CPC Group Ltd., controlled by real- estate entrepreneur Christian Candy, and must pay damages in an amount to be determined later, Judge Geoffrey Vos ruled today. CPC is seeking as much as 81 million pounds ($121.1 million)……………………………………….Full Article: Source
More stories about: Alternative Investments, Compliance/Regulation/Legal Comments (0)
Qatar's Energy City infrastructure to be complete in 2010
From Reuters: Infrastructure for Qatar's Energy City will be completed this year. Energy City is being developed by Qatari Diar, the property wing of the country's sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority.
First tenants will move in at the end of 2011, with the project to be completed in full in 2012, Hesham Al-Emadi told Reuters……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Gulf investors to increasingly look abroad, Credit Suisse says
From Bloomberg: The Qatar Investment Authority, the Persian Gulf country's sovereign wealth fund, this month agreed to invest $2.8 billion in the Agricultural Bank of China Ltd.'s initial public offering. Kuwait Investment Authority, the wealth fund in neighboring Kuwait, said it would buy $800 million of stock.
The Qatar wealth fund has also been buying up properties in London to take advantage of lower prices and the pound's weakness……………………………………….Full Article: Source
More stories about: Investment, Research Comments (0)
Kuwait's strategic importance to the region
From Kuwaittimes.net: The Kuwait Fund, and its investment arm the Kuwait Investment Authority, has the leverage coupled with the determination of HH the Amir Shiekh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to upgrade and ensure that Kuwait clearly emerges in the upcoming decade as a center for international trade, regional diplomacy, home to a rich culture of Arab and Islamic art.
Location is key. Any realty broker will tell you about the importance of having an estate in a prime location near all the main utilities that a modern household needs……………………………………….Full Article: Source
GIC defers preferential funding in India's Fortis
From Reuters: Indian hospital operator Fortis Healthcare said the Government of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC) had decided to defer a preferential investment but the sovereign wealth fund will evaluate participating in broader fund raising by Fortis.
Controlled by Indian billionaire brothers Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh, Fortis is pitted against Malaysian state fund Khazanah for control of Parkway Holdings………………………………………Full Article: Source
Temasek to invest up to $300mln in massive planned AgBank IPO
From Thejakartaglobe.com: Singapore's state investment fund Temasek plans to invest up to $300 million in the Agricultural Bank of China, ahead of its roughly $20 billion IPO, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said over the weekend.
Temasek's commitment to China's third largest bank is a positive step for the offering, though it is less than the $1 billion that AgBank's underwriters are hoping to get from Middle East and Asian sovereign wealth fund investors……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Agricultural Bank of China set for IPO record
From AFP: Eleven so-called cornerstone investors — including Qatar's sovereign investment fund, British bank Standard Chartered and Hong Kong's richest tycoon Li Ka-shing — are pouring money into the massive sale, which is expected to fetch as much as 24 billion US dollars ahead of the bank's trading debut in Hong Kong and Shanghai next month.
Estimates for the IPO — which starts Wednesday — have ranged from about 19 billion US dollars to 30 billion US dollars as market volatility left a key question mark over the sale's chances of smashing previous records……………………………………….Full Article: Source
SKorea's KIC says has gone underweight on euro assets
From Reuters: Korea Investment Authority, South Korea's $35-billion sovereign wealth fund, has reduced exposure to euro zone equity and fixed income investments and is now underweight on assets in the region, the fund's top official said on Thursday.
"We are very worried about what's going on in Europe. I don't think the austerity measures (adopted by some of the euro zone countries) will be enough. I think they will have to do some debt rescheduling," said Scott Kalb, chief investment officer at the sovereign wealth fund known as KIC. Kalb spoke at a forum sponsored by The Korea Society……………………………………….Full Article: Source
More stories about: Asset Allocation, Financials, Investment, Market Comments (0)
Would Qatar fund be smarter to hold back?
From Arabianbusiness.com: Rather as Abu Dhabi Investment Fund Aabar did in the second half of last year, Qatari Diar — the property arm of the Qatar Investment Authority — has blazed an astonishing trail across Europe and the Far East in recent months.
Since popping up on the consciousness of the broader international investment community in April with the purchase of the iconic Singapore hotel Raffles, Qatari Diar has pursued an aggressive buyout plan across the world, and by doing so eclipsed, for the time being at least, rival Gulf investment funds in the generation of headlines……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Abu Dhabi Fund becomes UniCredit's top foreign holder
From Dow Jones: Abu Dhabi-based International Petroleum Investment company, which controls Aabar Investments PJSC, acquired a 4.99% stake in UniCredit SpA on June 16, making it the Italian bank's single biggest international shareholder, according to a filing published by the Italian market watchdog.
Aabar's stake is worth around EUR1.8 billion, based on a Dow Jones Newswires calculation using UniCredit's share price at June 16……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Aabar buys stake in UniCredit to broaden investments
From Bloomberg: Aabar Investments PJSC, the Abu Dhabi-based company that is the largest shareholder in German carmaker Daimler AG, bought a 4.99 percent stake in Italy's UniCredit SpA as it adds investments in other industries.
Qatar Investment Authority, the country's sovereign-wealth fund, this week agreed to invest $2.8 billion in Agriculture Bank of China Ltd.'s initial public offering. The wealth fund in neighboring Kuwait also agreed to invest $800 million……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Dubai World soothes debt market
From Thenational.ae: Bond prices in Dubai are inching upwards and perceptions of risk are mellowing as Dubai World nears an agreement with creditors on a US$23.5 billion (Dh86.31bn) debt restructuring. That could pave the way for a revival in long-stagnant regional debt markets.
As yields have fallen, an HSBC index of bond returns issued by Dubai-based companies has climbed by about 17 per cent since the beginning of the year, according to Bloomberg data. Higher prices and declining bond yields reflect stronger investor confidence……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Colombia may obtain investment grade with oil fund, RBS says
From Bloomberg: Colombia may obtain an investment- grade rating should it follow through with plans to create an oil stabilization fund for "counter-cyclical" savings and to pay down debt, RBS Securities Inc. said.
"Follow-through action on an oil stabilization fund and fiscal responsibility law should provide the necessary catalyst for the investment-grade ratings from Moody's and Fitch and reaffirm our convergence trade on external credit spreads to the high-grade pack over the next 3-6 months," Siobhan Morden, head of Latin America strategy at RBS in Stamford, Connecticut, wrote in a report today……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Responsible investing is here to stay
From Eurasiareview.com: Large sovereign investors often act as catalysts through their investment strategies and the development of corresponding investment criteria. The Dutch pension fund ABP, Sweden's Reserve Fund, or Norway's Government Pension Fund for instance play a leading role in their home markets with regard to sustainable investment strategies.
Owing to the strong presence of sovereign investors, responsible investing has a relatively high weight in these countries on European comparison. Germany lacks such a pioneer investor to provide impulses for the RI market segment……………………………………….Full Article: Source
ABC float raises buzz in market circuit
From Peopledaily.com.cn: Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) is likely to raise HK$80.8 billion from Hong Kong and nearly 61.4 billion yuan from Shanghai through the dual listing of shares next month. The Qatar Investment Authority has agreed to invest $2.8 billion, while the Kuwait Investment Authority will buy $800 million worth of H shares.
The bank has set a proposed price for the Hong Kong float between HK$2.88 and HK$3.48 per share. The indicative float sizes have been calculated based on the middle price of the proposed range in Hong Kong, said sources……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Bahrain's SWF bond sale fetches $3bln
From Business24-7.ae: Bahrain sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat Holding's bond offering attracted an order book of about $3 billion. Books were open on the conventional offering and were due to close later yesterday. Two market sources said the order book was between $2.5 billion (Dh9.18bn) and $3bn.
Earlier, Mumtalakat launched a $750 million five-year bond, reopening Gulf Arab fixed-income markets that were hit by the market turmoil due to the European debt crisis in May……………………………………….Full Article: Source
QIA needs to diversify spend plans
From Gulf-times.com: Analysts say the $70bn Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is set to focus increasingly on Asia and other emerging markets, and will have to diversify away from "trophy assets" to ensure sustainable growth.
It may invest $2.8bn in Agricultural Bank of China's initial public offering (IPO) in an important emerging market foray, and has closed several key deals in east Asia in recent months……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Qatar fund seen surging ahead, needs to diversify
From Reuters: Whether it's snapping up glitzy buildings or stakes in luxury carmakers, Qatar's state fund has its hands everywhere — and more high-profile deals are expected, fuelled by the Gulf state's natural gas riches.
Analysts say the $70-billion Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is set to focus increasingly on Asia and other emerging markets, and will have to diversify away from "trophy assets" to ensure sustainable growth……………………………………….Full Article: Source
UAE's Aabar delisting plan unsettles investors
From Reuters: State-owned fund Aabar has always stood out for its rapid growth and high-profile purchases but the world's only listed sovereign wealth fund is now making investors nervous with its plans to go private.
Aabar, majority-owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, shocked investors on Monday when it announced it was considering delisting from the Abu-Dhabi bourse and converting to a private joint stock company……………………………………….Full Article: Source
More stories about: Financials, Fund Profile/New Launches, Investment, Market Comments (0)
Bumi in talks with CIC, Credit Suisse on share sale
From Bloomberg: PT Bumi Resources, Indonesia's biggest coal producer, is in talks with creditors including China Investment Corp., Credit Suisse AG and JPMorgan Chase Bank NA on a plan to sell shares to help repay debt.
Jakarta-based Bumi will raise 4.6 trillion rupiah ($507 million) by selling 1.94 billion new shares at 2,366 rupiah apiece, the company said in a statement published in Bisnis Indonesia today………………………………………..Full Article: Source
China's CIC may be a buyer of Bumi stake
From Thestar.com.my: PT Bumi Resources, Indonesia's biggest coal miner by output, said Chinese sovereign fund China Investment Corp (CIC) could be one of the buyers of the company's stake worth as much as US$495mil.
Bumi is the prized asset of the Bakrie group. A source had told Reuters in May that CIC would be the main buyer of the placement, after Bumi said last year that CIC had lent it US$1.9bil via debt instruments……………………………………….Full Article: Source
U.S. gas producer taps sovereign funds amid offshore oil anxiety
From Oilprice.com: Chesapeake Energy, a leading U.S. producer of shale gas, found plenty of willing buyers for its latest private placement as sovereign wealth funds in Asia expressed concern about the future of offshore oil drilling.
"We made the investment decision because the long-term gas price outlook is bright on a global push for clean energy and expectations of less deep-sea water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico after BP's oil spill," the Korean Investment Company said in a statement announcing it was buying $200 million of Chesapeake's $900 million preferred share issue……………………………………….Full Article: Source
SWFs are catalysts, harbingers of stable growth
From Chinadaily.com.cn: Curiosity about something unknown or unheard of is quite normal. SWFs have been in existence for more than half a century and there has never been any issue about this particular kind of fund.
I think that the recent attention given to SWFs is partly due to the increased visibility of these funds in the years running up to the financial crisis, and partly due to the financial protectionism, which tends to sound a false alarm about the impact of SWFs on recipient countries………………………………………..Full Article: Source
More stories about: Fund Profile/New Launches, Market, Research Comments (0)
How can sovereign wealth funds adjust to the 'new normal'?
From Citywire.co.uk: Mohamed El-Erian, CIO and CEO of bond giant Pimco, has outlined how he sees the future for sovereign wealth funds in an article published on the website of the IMF.
He thinks the 'new normal' conditions in global markets will require important changes in the way sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) operate……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Sovereign wealth funds are well placed to take advantage of the new normal
From Businessinsider.com: Sovereign wealth funds, essentially state-owned investment entities with long time horizons, are among the investors best equipped to navigate financial markets after the global crisis. Yet they too face potential challenges in steering a course through what is likely to be a multiyear, bumpy resetting of the global economy.
How sovereign wealth funds confront these challenges will speak directly to their effectiveness in investing national wealth to benefit current and future generations………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Orders top $1bln for Bahrain sovereign wealth fund bond debut
From Dow Jones: Offers for Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Co.'s first-ever bond issue are in the range of $1 billion to $1.25 billion, according to a source familiar with the sale.
That means the sovereign wealth entity's debut could be larger than the minimum $500 million benchmark size when it completes on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank, HSBC, JPMorgan and Standard Chartered are leading the sale……………………………………….Full Article: Source
More stories about: Asset Allocation, Financials, Market Comments (0)


Small College Basketball released its Top 16 watchlist for the Bevo Francis Award for the 2019 season. The original list featured 100 players from DII, DIII, NAIA, USCAA, and NCCAA men's basketball, but the list now been shortened to just 16.
Finalists will be announced on April 6. The winner will be announced on April 8.


Happy Super Bowl Sunday to all. Hope this finds each of you doing well.
Been a while since I've spoken to the group as a whole so...just have a couple of things to pass along.
for updating our Golf 2/5 roster on a timely manner. In fact, I have spent this weekend writing each of the new members a "Welcome Aboard" note. Haven't completed that mission yet, but am working on it.I believe there are somewhere between 28 -30 new members, with alot from the 1990 -2000 era, which is good. I have personally invited each of them to become active in recruiting others from that era to join our Band Of Brothers. I encourage you all to scan the Roster and see if you might recognize a name or maybe someone who served the same time as you, or lives in the same part of the country as you do, and drop them a note.
until we get a chance to send out notices. Thanks.
Most of you know that I went back to NAM in Feb-March of last year...I will be getting with Larry ASAP to feature some of my thoughts and photos from my trip back for our upcoming news letter. Speaking of, if any of you have anything you would like to see included in our newsletters, by all means, please contact Larry.
The main reason we have not put out one in a while is that no one has offered Larry any info, articles, pics etc.
Sept. will be here before you know it, so please remember our Mt Rushmore Reunion and make plans to attend. As always, Vince Montoro has and is doing another great job in setting this up. Please make plans to participate in this year's Reunion.
Last but by no means least,I need some help here. For those of us that served in Nam, we know that one of out Brothers, Ruben Garza is incarcerated at a Federal Correctional Unit in Texarkana, TX. I tried a few years back to get a visitor's pass to see Ruben, but was not able to. Anyway, Ruben from what I gather is suffering from P.T.SD, for which he has filed a claim with the VA back in 2008.
like to ask any of you out there among our members if you can help or offer any suggestions to either get in touch with me or Ruben. I humbly ask that you give this plea some consideration, any help will be greatly appreciated by Ruben and I.
As always, Love You Brothers & Sisters Greatly...hope to see you in Sept.
HI IAM JJ CRITES FIRST MAR DIV PHOTOGRAPHER ASSIGNED TO TASK FORCE XRAY DURING TET 1968 MOS 4631/4671 I TOOK 16MM FILMS AND TRAVELLED WITH ALL THE COMPANIES OF 2/5. GLAD TO MAKE CONTACT AGAIN ! PLEASE WRITE. THANKS MUCH.


For my trip back to the States, I flew into LAX since it was $500 cheaper than flying into SFO. And I got to fly a better airline. And I was planning on going to LA anyhow to visit my brother, and the J., and other LA compatriots of mine as well. So I ended up saving myself a plane trip within the U.S. as well. Aside from having to leave my liquids at the door — and a second round of searches for any excess liquids that might have been left over from the first check — my flight from Japan to the U.S. went without incident. Except for the fact that X-Men III totally, totally sucked — which was really too bad since I really liked the first two offerings in the franchise. Oh yeah — and the Davinci Code was no great shakes either. And don't ever, ever, try to get through RV. Actually, in truth, I spent most of the flight glued to Chang-Rae Lee's A Gesture Life, which is a brilliant novel.
My brother, Cain, was kind enough to come pick me up at LAX. And the first thing we did was drive by LAX's famous UFO building. I'm really not sure what this building is, but it looks totally Jetsons and it's definitely the place I'm going to be the next time comet Hale-Bopp comes by. By the way, have I mentioned how awesome California weather is? I'd been sweating in the Kansai for about two months straight and I got to walk off the plane into that sweet, sweet, dry California air. Sure it's hot — but it's a dry heat.
The first thing my brother and I did was drive to El Tropical, a Cuban sandwich shop in Los Feliz (one of my favorite neighborhoods in LA). El Tropical has really good Cuban sandwiches, and good coffee, and more importantly it has these guava-cheese pastries that are so good that they might have convinced the Heaven's Gate crew to take off their Nikes and retire.
After El Tropical, we dropped my stuff off at Le Château and then headed out for more food. This time we went to a Mexican restaurant called Allegria, where I was able to eat chicken mole for the first time in over a year. I had decided, before coming out to California, that just about the only food I was going to eat was food from Mexico and South America, though of course this quickly went out the door since there is so much incredibly delicious food in California. For example, the next night I went out for dinner with the J. and we had Thai food while Thai Elvis crooned over our coconut curries. And then we went to Pink Berry for yogurt and toppings. And then the next evening, Cain, the J., and I had some really delicious Italian right across the street from the place where Robert Blake allegedly had his wife done in. I ate a lot of breakfast food too.
My brother's dog, Henrietta, aka "The Catfish," didn't care what we were eating as long as we would throw the Kong for her.
LA is a classic motor city in the sense that the city is meant to be navigated by car. The scale of the buildings is such that they make sense as you're passing by at speed, but simply become boring boxes when you're on foot (of course, this isn't true of all LA architecture). Venturi, Brown, and Izenour's Learning From Las Vegas still holds for LA — it's a city of signs. And one of my favorites is this here Linoleum City sign. In fact, LA is full of great signs — many of them leftovers from a time before corporate homogenization decided to flatten every last thing.
It was really nice, and kind of wonderfully out of place, to see my friend Anne — who I met in Japan — in Los Angeles, where she's living now. Right next door to a 70-year-old smoker who plays her television too loud and owns a greyhound named Good News. Actually, I found out that that last part isn't actually true, but it's too good of a falsehood not to propagate. Anyhow, we had lunch at a great café in Echo Park, and then looked at the Menger Sponge next door, and then we returned to her brand new VW Golf to find it covered in cement truck schmutz. Luckily, for whatever reason, it hadn't actually set on the car, so we were able to drive by the local carwash and get that schmutz off.
A couple of days after I landed in LA, my brother and I ended up inviting a few people over to his place for an afternoon hangout. This ended up involving Anne, who brought cupcakes, and my friends Ryan and Denise, who brought their sons, Ethan and Gavin. A lot of cupcakes were eaten, and a lot of wine got drunk. In fact, I tried to make it a point to subsist almost entirely on a wine diet while I was on the West Coast, since California wine can be so good and so amazingly cheap.
Finally, let me talk about Los Feliz again, a neighborhood that I love. Anne and the J. and I spent some nice time at a gelateria in Los Feliz, and there are also shoe stores, and a cheese shop, and revolutionary new wave graffitistas.
And it's really true — LA does have beautiful sunsets.


text:
ATI's offers Galileo Civic Test Options
Arizona became the first state to require students to pass a Civics test in order to graduate from high school. Similar efforts are being made in other states. Students have to pass 60 of the 100 questions on the Civics test, which is based on the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization test. They can take it first in 8th grade and can retake it until they pass. There's no limit to the number of times the test is administered.
Many of you are aware that ATI has been offering the Civics test for a while. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization test is an oral test but this format was not practical in the school environment. Originally, ATI wrote its own distractors for the multiple-choice questions, but after the Arizona Department of Education released four multiple-choice options for each question, we have incorporated those options.
Civic Test Options
ATI offers two versions of the test: 1) only multiple-choice questions (108 items); 2) multiple-choice and educator-scored questions (100 items). The difference in length is due to the questions about the nine current U.S. Representatives for the state of Arizona. Questions 100-108 on the multiple-choice assessment ask about the representative of each of the nine congressional districts in AZ, while this is just one, educator-scored, question on the other version of the test.
Requesting the Civics Test
It is helpful to specify which version of the Civics test you'd like when requesting the test. Multiple copies of this test can be provided. Please inform us of the quantity when making the version request. Because the test is subject to frequent changes related primarily to changes in office holders, it is not always prudent to make requests too far in advance. ATI can offer the test for review.
Requesting Post-Election Tests
The 20th Amendment to the Constitution specifies that the new session of Congress begins on January 3 and the term of the President begins on the 20th day of January. As the Civics test asks these questions in the present tense, ATI will be replacing the questions that have been affected by the election at those times when the correct answer has changed. Clients interested in the post-election test can request the updated version on Friday, January 20, 2017. Please note that these will be new items and will not be updated on tests that have already been delivered. Because it is necessary to change the Civics test often, ATI will start placing the date of the last revision in its title. This procedure will ensure receipt of the most current version and help avoid confusion.
We hope this is helpful information. If you have any questions, contact us at edmgmtsvsgrp@ati-online.com.
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Say hello to the "finger pinch" emoji. Please use this responsibly.
Lots of representation for people with disabilities. We've got a hearing aid, deaf people service dogs, probing canes, lots of wheelchairs, and bionic arms and legs.
"People holding hands" in all 70 gender and skin color combinations.
Here we have people kneeling, blood and a band-aid, saturn and a stethoscope. The first item in row 3 is "diya lamp," and while the shape colors might seem strange, these are just the missing ones.
Emoji version 12.0 has been finalized by the Unicode Consortium, and for 2019 we're getting 230 new emoji. Although the standard is finalized, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and other platform vendors still need to create artwork and integrate these new glyphs into their respective platforms. Today we have a preview of what to expect thanks to Emojipedia, which put together a list of the new glyphs with example artwork.
There's a push for more diversity with this new emoji release. We have emojis for deaf people in three genders (male, female, and genderless) and five skin tones, an ear with a hearing aid, people in motorized and unmotorized wheelchairs, prosthetic arms and legs, a guide dog and a service dog, and people with a probing cane. There are actually only 59 distinct new emoji types in this release, but everything that depicts a human comes in five skin tones and three genders, which pumps up the numbers. You can really see this with the "People holding hands" emoji, which is completely configurable for a total of 70 possible combinations.
The emoji that's causing the most buzz is "pinching hand." Emojipedia's example shows a thumb and pointer finger with a small distance between them, which could also be interpreted as a hand signal for "small." People are already coming up with, uh, "suggestive" uses for such a glyph, and if the actual implementations follow Emojipedia's design, the glyph could end up on the naughty list next to peach and eggplant.
You'd think one day we would run out of things to make tiny pictures of, but with version 12.0 we're now up to 3,053 total glyphs. I hope your platform has a search function.


Water Softeners remove the calcium and magnesium that is found in ground water, especially in Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge. These areas have high amounts of calcium and magnesium in their water, making it "hard". But what does removing these elements mean for your home?
1) Water Softeners protect the plumbing in your home. When high levels of calcium and magnesium are present in your water, scale can form throughout your plumbing lines, within your hot water heater and in your household appliances (i.e. dishwasher, etc.). This buildup can not only form blockages in the plumbing, but can also lead to corrosion. Soft water also protects your dishwasher and dishes from buildups of scale. If you've experienced cloudy, "spotty" or dirty looking dishes after they've come out of the dishwasher, you may have hard water.
2) By having a Water Softener, you are reducing your energy costs. If you have a buildup of scale, heat has to fight harder to heat the water inside your hot water heater. Even a quarter of an inch of scale buildup will require 17% more energy to heat the water in your home. By preventing this buildup from occurring inside the hot water heater, it won't have a chance to form in your plumbing lines.
3) When calcium is present in water, it competes with soap products, like laundry detergent, hand soap and cleaners. If you have soft water and less calcium, you can use less product. Hard water requires a larger amount of product to obtain sudsy results.
4) If you have skin problems like dry skin, eczema and psoriasis, calcium and magnesium in the water will only make them worse. These elements are abrasive and scratch the skin (also known as microdermabrasion). Eliminating the calcium and magnesium will help keep your skin soft and smooth.
5) If you want your clothes to stay bright and soft, you'll want to have a Water Softener. Calcium in the water can dull the colours in clothing and turn whites to greys. Using hard water for your laundry causes calcium to build up in the material and make them stiff and "crunchy". Hard water actually "wears out" clothing faster.
Get your new water softener.


- Eliminate "text neck" and/or "turkey neck"
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