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From August 1914 until the end of World War I on 11 November 1918, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was under full occupation by the German Empire. The German government justified the occupation by citing the need to support their armies in neighbouring France, although many Luxembourgers, contemporary and present, have interpreted German actions otherwise.

During this period, Luxembourg was allowed to retain its own government and political system, but all proceedings were overshadowed by the German army's presence. Despite the overbearing distraction of the occupation, the Luxembourgish people attempted to lead their lives as normally as possible. The political parties attempted to focus on other matters, such as the economy, education, and constitutional reform.

The domestic political environment was further complicated by the death of Paul Eyschen, who had been prime minister for 27 years. With his death came a string of short-lived governments, culminating in rebellion, and constitutional turmoil after the withdrawal of German soldiers.

Background
Since the 1867 Treaty of London, Luxembourg had been an explicitly neutral state. The Luxembourg Crisis had seen Prussia thwart France's attempt to purchase the Grand Duchy from the Netherlands. Luxembourg's neutrality was accepted by Prussia's then-Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, who said, "In exchange for the fortress of Luxembourg, we have been compensated by the neutrality of the country, and a guarantee that it shall be maintained in perpetuity."

Since the 1860s, Luxembourgers had been keenly aware of German ambition, and Luxembourg's government was well aware of the implications of the Schlieffen Plan. In 1911, Prime Minister Paul Eyschen commissioned an engineer to evaluate Germany's western railroad network, particularly the likelihood that Germany would occupy Luxembourg to suit its logistical needs for a campaign in France.  Moreover, given the strong ethnic and linguistic links between Luxembourg and Germany, it was feared that Germany might seek to annex Luxembourg into its empire.  The government of Luxembourg aimed to avoid this by re-affirming the country's neutrality.

In June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the thrones of Austria-Hungary, was assassinated by pan-Slavic nationalists, leading to a sudden deterioration in relations between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. Austria-Hungary was supported by the German Empire, while Serbia had the backing of the Russian Empire. On 28 July, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, which, in turn, required the mobilisation of Russia, hence of Germany, thanks to its responsibilities under the Dual Alliance.
 Anticipating a retaliatory declaration of war from Russia's closest western ally, France, Germany put into action the Schlieffen Plan. Under this military strategy, formulated by Count Schlieffen in 1905, Germany would launch a lightning attack on France through the poorly defended Low Countries. This would bypass France's main defences, arranged to the south. Germany's army would be able to encircle Paris, force France to surrender, and turn its full attention to the Eastern Front.

Invasion

On 1 August 1914, Germany declared war on Russia.  On the outbreak of war with its eastern neighbour, Germany put the Schlieffen Plan into action, and Luxembourg's government's fears were realised.  Initially, Luxembourg was only a transit point for Albrecht von Württemberg's Fourth Army.  One of the railways from the northern Rhineland into France passed through Troisvierges, in the far north of Luxembourg, and Germany's first infringement of Luxembourg's sovereignty and neutrality was the unauthorised use of Troisvierges station.

The next day, while French troops were still at a distance from the German frontier, Germany launched a full invasion. German soldiers began moving through south-eastern Luxembourg, crossing the Moselle River at Remich and Wasserbillig, and headed towards the capital, Luxembourg City.  Tens of thousands of German soldiers had been deployed to Luxembourg in those 24 hours (although the Grand Duchy's government disputed any precise number that was suggested).  Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde ordered that the Grand Duchy's small army, which numbered under 400, not resist. On the afternoon of 2 August she and Eyschen met the German commander Oberst Richard Karl von Tessmar on Luxembourg City's Adolphe Bridge, the symbol of Luxembourg's modernisation.  They protested mildly, but both the young Grand Duchess and her aging statesman accepted German military rule as inevitable.

On 2 August, German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg justified the complete occupation of Luxembourg in terms of military necessity, arguing that France was ready to invade Luxembourg itself.  The French minister in Luxembourg dismissed this argument, claiming that it would not have considered violating Luxembourg's neutrality unless Germany had done so first.  Bethmann Hollweg attempted to prove his country's regret by offering Luxembourg compensation for the losses due to the military presence.  On 4 August, Bethmann Hollweg told the Reichstag:

However, when it seemed that Germany was on the verge of victory, the Chancellor began to revise his statements.  In his Septemberprogramm, Bethmann Hollweg called for Luxembourg to become a German federal state, and for that result to be forced upon the Luxembourgish people once Germany achieved victory over the Triple Entente.  However, the British and French halted the German advance at the Battle of the Marne in mid-September.  This resulted in the indefinite continuation of German occupation.

Eyschen government

Just as the war was in the balance on the Western Front, so the fate of Luxembourg was see-sawing back and forth.  It was clear to all that the good conduct of the Luxembourgish government, if fully receptive to the needs of the German military administrators, could guarantee Luxembourg's continued self-government, at least in the short-term. Eyschen was a familiar and overwhelmingly popular leader, and all factions put their utmost faith in his ability to steer Luxembourg through the diplomatic minefield that was occupation.  On 4 August, he expelled the French minister in Luxembourg at the request of the German minister, followed by the Belgian minister four days later and the Italian minister when his country entered the war.  To the same end, Eyschen refused to speak ill of the German Zollverein, even though he had talked openly of exiting the customs union before the war began.

On occasions, Eyschen rebuked the occupying forces.  On 13 October, a Luxembourgish journalist named Karl Dardar was arrested by the German army for publishing anti-German stories.  He was then taken to Koblenz, and tried and sentenced by court-martial to three months imprisonment.  Eyschen was outraged that the Germans had kidnapped a Luxembourgish citizen and tried him for an extraterritorial offence, and Eyschen did nothing to hide his indignation.  Eyschen told the German minister in Luxembourg that the action was a 'direct injury to the Grand Duchy's national sovereignty'.

Similar complaints were made, by both Eyschen and Victor Thorn, when a railway worker was arrested in January 1915 for allegedly working for French military intelligence, and subsequently tried and sentenced in Trier.  As Minister for Justice, Thorn was incensed that the Luxembourgish legal system had been treated with such disdain.  Such objections were not received well by the German authorities.  Although they were tired of Eyschen's stubborn ways, he remained a useful tool to unite the various Luxembourgish political factions. On 23 June a letter was sent to the Luxembourg government stating that the Germans considered Luxembourg to be a theatre of war and that the population, therefore, was subject to military law.

Eyschen was not the only person to be politically active during the occupation. In the summer of 1915, Eyschen pushed to further reduce the role of the Catholic Church in the state school system. Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde objected. A fervently religious Catholic (as was most of the country, but not her late father, who was Protestant), she was reputed to have said, "I will not allow their most precious heritage [Roman Catholicism] to be stolen while I have the key." Marie-Adélaïde refused to budge, inviting Eyschen to resign if he could not accept her decision.  Eyschen nearly resigned, but decided not to. Nevertheless, he died shortly after.

After Eyschen

Eyschen's death

On 11 October, Luxembourg's political system was thrown into disarray by the death of Paul Eyschen. When war broke out, Eyschen had been 73 years old, but his premiership of 27 years was the only government that most Luxembourgers had known. Throughout the first year of German occupation, he had been a rock for the Luxembourgish people. He had also been of great importance to Marie-Adélaïde; the Grand Duchess had never been groomed for the position, was 53 years Eyschen's junior, and was considered both politically naïve and dangerously partisan for a constitutional monarch. The recent strains were relatively cosmetic.

Critically, Eyschen had the confidence of the Chamber of Deputies, and he had managed to hold together a government containing all major factions, seemingly by force of personality alone. To make matters worse for national unity, the strain of occupation had broken apart the pre-war anti-clericalist alliance between the socialist and the liberal factions, thus depriving both the clericalists and anti-clericalists of a legislative majority. The Catholic conservatives formed the largest bloc, but they were least likely to form a majority coalition.

Mongenast government
The day after Eyschen's death, Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde invited Mathias Mongenast, who had been Minister for Finance since 1882, to form a minority government.  Mongenast's special status as a 'caretaker' Prime Minister is underlined by his official title; he was not 'President of the Government', as all other Prime Ministers since 1857 had been, but held the lesser title of 'President of the Council'.

Mongenast's administration was never intended to be long-lived, and Marie-Adélaïde's main objective when appointing the experienced Mongenast was to steady the ship.  Nevertheless, nobody expected the government to fall as soon as it did.  On 4 November, Mongenast nominated a new candidate for head of Luxembourg's école normale.  The nomination did not meet with Grand Ducal approval, and Marie-Adélaïde rejected him.  Mongenast persisted; education had been a hobby horse of his, and he imagined that the Grand Duchess would accept the advice of a minister as experienced as he was.  He was wrong; the Grand Duchess had always been single-minded, and resented a minority Prime Minister, particularly one so new to the job, making demands of her.  The next day, Mongenast resigned, just 25 days after being given the job.

Loutsch government
Having fought with Mongenast, the Grand Duchess decided to appoint an all-conservative cabinet led by Hubert Loutsch.  The Chamber of Deputies was steadfastly opposed; the Party of the Right held only 20 seats out of 52, but they formed the plurality.  Marie-Adélaïde sought to end this deadlock by dissolving the Chamber of Deputies and by calling for the voters to grant a mandate to the conservatives.  This outraged the left, which assumed that its deputies alone had the constitutional right to grant the government confidence; it was dubbed by those on the left a 'coup d'état by the Grand Duchess'.  Nonetheless, on 23 December, Luxembourg went to the polls.  Although the position of the Party of the Right was improved, taking 25 seats, it fell a whisker short of winning an absolute majority.  On 11 January 1916, the Chamber of Deputies passed a motion of no confidence, and Loutsch resigned.

National Union Government

Forming a consensus
After the failure of the all-conservative government, the Grand Duchess turned to the leading liberal politician, Victor Thorn, to form a new government.  After Eyschen's premiership of 27 years, two governments had come and gone in three months, and the Luxembourgish people were becoming disillusioned with the failure of the politicians.  Thorn's nature was to be a conciliatory leader, and he made a direct appeal to the Chamber of Deputies to support his government, no matter the deputies' individual ideological persuasions: "If you want a government that acts, and is capable of acting, it is imperative that all parties support this government."  This support was forthcoming from all parties, but only on the condition that each was invited into the government; Thorn was left with no choice but to afford them this.  The resulting grand coalition cabinet included every leading light in Luxembourgish politics; besides Thorn himself, there were the conservatives Léon Kauffmann and Antoine Lefort, the socialist leader Dr Michel Welter, and the liberal Léon Moutrier.

Food shortage
The most pressing concern of the Luxembourgish government was that of food supply.  The war had made importation of food an impossibility, and the needs of the German occupiers inevitably came before those of the Luxembourgish people.  To slow the food supply's diminishment, Michel Welter, the Director-General for both agriculture and commerce, banned the export of food from Luxembourg.  Furthermore, the government introduced rationing and price controls to counteract the soaring demand and to make food more affordable for poorer Luxembourgers.  However, the measures did not have the desired effect.  Increasing numbers of Luxembourgers turned to the black market, and, to the consternation of the Luxembourgish government, the German army of occupation seemed to do little to help.  Moreover, the government accused Germany of aiding the development of the black market by refusing to enforce regulations, and even of smuggling goods themselves.

Through 1916, the food crisis deepened, compounded by a poor potato harvest across all of the Low Countries; in neighbouring Belgium, the harvest was between 30% and 40% down on the previous year.  Although many Luxembourgers were on near-starvation level dietary intakes, the country managed to avoid famine.  In part, this was due to a reduction of German soldiers' dependence upon local food sources, instead relying on imports from Germany.

Despite the avoidance of a famine, the Luxembourgish government lost much of the faith placed in it by the public and by the politicians.  On 22 December, Michel Welter, the minister responsible, was censured by the Chamber of Deputies, which demanded his resignation.  Thorn procrastinated, seeking any option but firing the leader of one of three major parties, but could find none.  On 3 January 1917, Welter was fired, and replaced by another socialist, Ernest Leclère.  Even after the change and von Tessmar's promise of his soldiers' better conduct in future, Léon Kauffmann was capable of citing thirty-six instances of German soldiers caught smuggling foodstuffs between March 1917 and June 1918.

Miners' strike

Discontent amongst the population grew constantly, particularly in the country's industrialised south.  The autumn of 1916 had seen the first unionisation within the iron and steel industries, with trade unions springing up in both Luxembourg City and Esch-sur-Alzette.  Despite the war demand, iron production had slumped, leading to greater employment insecurity.  In March and April, three independents were elected as deputies from the canton of Esch-sur-Alzette, where the economy was dominated by iron and steel.  As independents, these newly elected deputies were the only legislative opposition to the National Union Government.

For many Luxembourgers, particularly the miners, expression of disgust at the government could not be directed through the ballot box alone.  Sensing the threat of civil disobedience or worse, von Tessmar threatened any individual committing an act of violence (in which he included strike action) with the death penalty.  However, on 31 May 1917, the workers sought to use their most potent weapon, by defying von Tessmar's ultimatum and downing tools.  Germany was dependent upon Luxembourgish iron, as the British Royal Navy's naval blockade forced Germany to look to accessible local supplies; in 1916, Luxembourg produced over one-seventh of the Zollverein's pig iron.  As such, Germany simply could not afford a strike, lest it be deprived of critical raw materials.

In putting down the strike, von Tessmar was ruthlessly efficient, but he was not required to resort to the executions that he had threatened.  Within nine days, the strike was defeated and the leaders arrested.  The two ringleaders were then sentenced by German court-martial in Trier to ten years imprisonment, to the disgust of the government.  The continued refusal of the German authorities to respect the Luxembourgish government, and the humiliating manner in which the strike was put down by German military muscle rather than the Luxembourgish gendarmerie, were too much for Thorn.  On 19 June, the government resigned.

Kauffmann government

Although the experiment in grand coalition had failed, the need for some political unity remained.  As the National Union Government was collapsing, Kauffmann arranged an alliance between his Party of the Right and Moutrier's Liberal League, seeking to achieve change that would outlive the occupation.  The primary objective was to address the perennial grievances of the left by amending the constitution; in November, the Chamber of Deputies launched a wide-ranging series of debates on various amendments to the constitutions.  Ultimately, the constitution was amended to prohibit the government from entering into secret treaties, to improve deputies' pay (hitherto set at just 5 francs a day), to introduce universal suffrage, and to change the plurality voting system to a proportional one.

Whereas all of the above measures were broadly popular, across most of the political spectrum, the same was not true of the proposal to amend Article 32.  Said article had not been amended in the overhaul of 1868, and its text had remained unchanged since the original constitution of 1848, stating unequivocally that all sovereignty resided in the person of the Grand Duchess.  For some, particularly those that resented the close relations between Marie-Adélaïde and the German royalty, the idea of national sovereignty residing in such a person was unacceptable.  The Chamber of Deputies voted to review Article 32, but Kauffmann refused to allow it, seeing the redefinition of the source of national sovereignty as covert republicanism.

The summer of 1918 saw a dramatic decline in the fortunes of the government.  On 8 July, Clausen, in central Luxembourg City, had been bombed by the British Royal Air Force, killing ten civilians. Although this did not endear the Allies to Luxembourgers, the Grand Duchess' instinct was to run to the Germans, who were even less popular amongst the people.  On 16 August, German Chancellor Georg von Hertling paid a visit to Luxembourg; although Hertling asked only to see the Grand Duchess, Kauffmann asked that he also attend.  To the Luxembourgish people, relations between the two countries now seemed unambiguously cordial, and all that was left of Kauffmann's credibility disappeared.  This was compounded further by the news on 26 August of the engagement of the Grand Duchess' sister, Princess Antonia, to Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, who was Generalfeldmarschall in the German army.  Pressure mounted on Kauffmann; with his party still strong, but with his personal reputation shattered, he was left with no option but to resign, which he did on 28 September in favour of Émile Reuter, another conservative.

End of the war

Armistice

By the autumn of 1918, Germany's position in the war was becoming untenable.  The massive German spring offensive had been an unmitigated disaster, whereas the Allied counterattack, the Hundred Days Offensive, had driven the German Army back to its own borders.  On 6 November, von Tessmar announced the full withdrawal of German soldiers from Luxembourg. Five days after von Tessmar's announcement, Germany signed an armistice treaty, which brought an end to the war of four years.  One of the terms of the armistice involved the withdrawal of German soldiers from Luxembourg, along with the other occupied countries.

The Allied powers agreed that the German withdrawal from Luxembourg would be observed by the United States, and that the United States would receive the honour of liberating the captive country. On 18 November, American General John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) on the Western Front, issued a proclamation to the people of Luxembourg, stating that the United States' newly formed Third Army would move through Luxembourg to occupy the German Rhineland, but that the Americans would come as allies and as liberators:

The following day, American soldiers crossed the Franco-Luxembourgish border.  Everywhere, they were fêted as liberators, in the spirit that Pershing had intended to inspire, and were met by bands and civilians waving flags, and were adorned with flowers.  Luc Housse, the Mayor of Luxembourg City, told the advancing American army that the Germans had, on the whole, been disciplined and well-behaved in the previous three weeks: a marked improvement upon his numerous complaints earlier in the conflict.  Finally, on 22 November 1918, the German army completed its withdrawal from Luxembourg, ending its occupation.

Germany's defeat created the perfect opportunity for the Allied powers to resolve the Luxembourgish question once and for all.  By removing Luxembourg from Germany's sphere of influence, they hoped to guarantee its continued independence, and thus preserve the peace they had won. On 19 December, at the instigation of the British and French governments, the Luxembourgish government announced its withdrawal from the Zollverein and an end to the railway concessions that Luxembourg had previously granted Germany.

Rebellion
Although the Allies were satisfied at this remedy, at the time, the Luxembourgish government was threatened by a communist insurgency. After the retreat of the German army, revolutionaries established Russian-influenced Workers' councils across Luxembourg. On 10 November, the day after Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg declared a similar 'socialist republic' in Germany, communists in Luxembourg City declared a republic, but it lasted for only a matter of hours. Another revolt took place in Esch-sur-Alzette in the early hours of 11 November, but also failed. The socialists had been fired up by the behaviour of Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde, whose interventionist and obstructive streak had stymied even Eyschen. On 12 November, socialist and liberal politicians, finding their old commonality on the issue, called for her abdication. A motion in the Chamber of Deputies demanding the abolition of the monarchy was defeated by 21 votes to 19 (with 3 abstentions), but the Chamber did demand the government hold a popular referendum on the issue.

Although the left's early attempts at founding a republic had failed, the underlying cause of the resentment had not been addressed, and, as long as Marie-Adélaïde was Grand Duchess, the liberals would ally themselves to the socialists in opposition to her.  The French government also refused to cooperate with a government led by a so-called 'collaborator'; French Foreign Minister Stéphen Pichon called cooperation 'a grave compromise with the enemies of France'.  More pressing than either of these troubles, on 9 January, a company of the Luxembourgish army rebelled, declaring itself to be the army of the new republic, with Émile Servais (the son of Emmanuel Servais) as 'Chairman of the Committee of Public Safety'.  However, by January, the vacuum left by the German withdrawal had been filled by American and French soldiers. President of the Chamber François Altwies asked French troops to intervene.  Eager to put an end to what it perceived to be pro-Belgian revolutions, the French army crushed the would-be revolutionaries.

Nonetheless, the disloyalty shown by her own armed forces was too much for Marie-Adélaïde, who abdicated in favour of her sister, Charlotte. Belgium, which had hoped to either annex Luxembourg or force it into personal union, grudgingly recognised Charlotte on 13 February.  The dynasty's hold on power would be tenuous until September 1919, when a referendum on the future of the Grand Duchy found 77.8% in favour of continued rule by the House of Nassau-Weilburg.

Paris Peace Conference

Despite the armistice ending the war, and the end of the revolts, Luxembourg's own future was still uncertain.  Belgium was one of the countries hit hardest by the war; almost the whole of the country was occupied by Germany, and over 43,000 Belgians, including 30,000 civilians, had died as a result.  Belgium sought compensation, and had its eye on any and all of its neighbours; in November 1918, Lord Hardinge, the Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Office, told the Dutch ambassador in London, "The Belgians are on the make, and they want to grab whatever they can."

  From early 1919, Belgium engaged in a propaganda campaign to promote its vision of annexation.  At the Paris Peace Conference, the Belgian delegation argued in favour of the international community allowing Belgium to annex Luxembourg.  However, fearing loss of influence over the left bank of the Rhine, France rejected Belgium's overtures out of hand, thus guaranteeing Luxembourg's continued independence.

The resulting Treaty of Versailles set aside two articles (§40 and §41) to address concerns for  Luxembourg's status.  The main article, §40, revoked all special privileges that Germany had acquired in Luxembourg, with Germany specifically renouncing advantages gained in the treaties of 1842, 1847, 1865, 1866, February 1867, May 1867, 1871, 1872, and 1902.  The effects of these treaties' revocation were then explicitly stated; Luxembourg would withdraw from the Zollverein, Germany would lose its right to use the Luxembourgish railways, and Germany was obligated to recognise the termination of Luxembourg's neutrality, thus validating the actions of the Luxembourgish government since the armistice.  Furthermore, to prevent economic embargo after the end of the customs union, the treaty allowed Luxembourg an indefinite option on German coal, and prohibited Germany from levying duty on Luxembourgish exports until 1924.

Luxembourgers overseas

Thousands of Luxembourgers overseas, unconstrained by the Luxembourgish government's need to remain neutral, signed up to serve with foreign armies.  3,700 Luxembourgish nationals served in the French Army, of whom over 2,000 died.  As Luxembourg's pre-war population was only 266,000, the loss of life solely in the service of the French army amounted to almost 1 percent of the entire Luxembourgish population, relatively greater than the totals for many combatant countries (see: World War I casualties).  The Luxembourgish volunteers are commemorated by the Gëlle Fra (literally  'Golden Lady' ) war memorial, which was unveiled in Luxembourg City on 27 May 1923.  The original memorial was destroyed on 20 October 1940, during the Nazi occupation, as it symbolised the rejection of German identity and active resistance against Germanisation.  After World War II, it was gradually rebuilt, culminating in its second unveiling, on 23 June 1985.

The Luxembourgish community in the United States found itself confronted  by a crisis of identity.  Traditionally, they had identified themselves as ethnically German, rather than as a separate community of their own. As such, they read German language newspapers, attended German schools, and lived amongst German Americans.  Nonetheless, when it became apparent that the war would not be over quickly, the opinions of Luxembourg Americans changed; on 2 May 1915, the Luxemburger Brotherhood of America's annual convention decided to adopt English as its only official language.  Other organisations were less inclined to change their ways; the Luxemburger Gazette opposed President Woodrow Wilson's supposed 'favouritism' towards the United Kingdom as late in the war as 1917.  However, when the United States entered the war in April of that year, the wavering members of the community supported the Allies, changing forever the relationship between the German and Luxembourgish communities in the US.

See also

 German occupation of Luxembourg during World War II

Footnotes
Links to many of the cited primary sources, including speeches, telegrams, and despatches, can be found in the 'References' section.

References
  German occupation of Luxembourg.  GWPDA, 21 May 1998.  Retrieved on 2006-07-23.

Invasions of Luxembourg
German military occupations
Germany–Luxembourg military relations

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Many people believe that there is a divide between science and art, but this false duality is belied by some of the greatest minds in history – from Aristotle, to da Vinci, to Einstein, to name just some of the heavyweights. There is no need to build a bridge between these two cultures of human thought as, rather than forming two objects in a binary system, they are instead located on a continuum that stretches the entirety of human knowing.
Meerman's work continually explores the way in which mechanical data and traditional artistic production interact to create beauty. For her project Canorgraphy, for example, she created a machine that produced sound waves causing attached pens to vibrate and move over the surface. In this manner, elaborate patterns were created on textiles, one of the oldest forms of human production.
In all of her work, it is not possible to fully predict the final product based on the initial parameters. There is an element of surprise in each object and a near impossibility for exact replication. For Meerman, this is the ultimate exploration of the mechanics of natural production as even very similar circumstances can lead to minute variations within constraint. Each flower is slightly different than every other although based on the same set of instructions.
The 3D printed DNA for her objects Aera Fabrica imposes a set of constraints but also an avenue for metamorphosis and variation. Therefore, the pieces created do not lose the connection with the natural processes of the world simply because they have as their midwife, an advanced technology. Let's hear your thoughts on this unique form of art in the Roos Meerman forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out some of her amazing work below.


Over 100 years ago, Mark Twain wrote a very funny piece called "English As She is Taught," which chronicles American schoolchildren's hilarious misapprehensions about the world, science and literature.
Some of them are clever in a wrong sort of way: capillary is defined as "a little caterpillar" and mendacious is "what can be mended." Some are very confused: "The two most famous volcanoes of Europe are Sodom and Gomorrah." And one or two are so wrong they're almost right: "The United States is quite a small country compared with some other countrys but is about as industrious."
Since then, it seems like trumpeting American ignorance has become something of a national tradition, like the annual poll that shows about one-third of the population has no idea who the vice president is.
My Russian friends have always been a bit smug about this — and rightfully so. The Soviet school system had many drawbacks, but it was pretty good at getting basic facts into kids' heads.
But times change. A compilation of answers on a recent Единый государственный экзамен (nationwide college-entrance exam) that has been making the rounds on the Internet indicates that some Russian kids may be doing texting during class instead of paying attention to history lessons. But their creativity — linguistic and interpretative — would make Twain proud.
For example, one kid writes, При Иване Грозном происходило искоренение инакомыслия путем коррупции (Under Ivan the Terrible, opposing views were put down through the use of corruption). Another clearly sees the present in the past: Иван Грозный убил многих влиятельных бизнесменов, мешавших ему управлять государством (Ivan the Terrible killed a lot of influential businessmen who were preventing him from governing the state).
Some showed great use of figurative language: При Екатерине II страна покрылась университетами (Under Catherine the Great, the country became covered with universities). Она меняла фаворитов как колготки (She changed her favorites like pantyhose).
Others had some issues with word choice, something I sympathize with: В советских школах дети были как инкубаторы — у них всё было одинаковое (In Soviet schools, children were like incubators, they all had the same things). Врагов советской власти называли дивидентами. Дивидентское движение росло и ширилось (Enemies of Soviet power were called dividents. The divident movement grew and spread.) Ельцин осуществлял политику шаговой терапии (Yeltsin carried out a policy of step-by-step therapy).
Kids knew that Yeltsin was important, but they were a bit shaky on why: Ельцин был первым президентом СССР (Yeltsin was the first president of the U.S.S.R.). Ельцин — первый президент СНГ (Yeltsin was the first president of the CIS). Ельцин создал партию Единая Россия (Boris Yeltsin founded the United Russia party).
And then one kid was philosophical beyond his years: Закончилось всё, как обычно в России: беззакониями власти и недостатком продовольствия (It all ended like it always does in Russia: with the lawlessness of the authorities and food deficits).
I hope that kid passed with flying colors.


text:
Q: HDFS Encryption | Remote Exception I am create encryption zone in HDFS with following command.
hdfs crypto -createZone -keyName tes3 -path /user/root/zoneEncr

But firing command , i am getting just
RemoteException:

on screen.
I checked log and got following exception
2016-05-06 11:05:07,073 DEBUG PoolingClientConnectionManager - Connection released: [id: 62][route: {}->http://localhost:6083][total kept alive: 0; route allocated: 0 of 5; total allocated: 0 of 10]
2016-05-06 11:05:07,073 ERROR BaseAuditHandler - Error sending message to Solr
org.apache.solr.client.solrj.SolrServerException: No live SolrServers available to handle this request
        at org.apache.solr.client.solrj.impl.LBHttpSolrClient.request(LBHttpSolrClient.java:570)
        at org.apache.solr.client.solrj.SolrRequest.process(SolrRequest.java:131)
        at org.apache.solr.client.solrj.SolrClient.add(SolrClient.java:76)
        at org.apache.solr.client.solrj.SolrClient.add(SolrClient.java:62)
        at org.apache.ranger.audit.destination.SolrAuditDestination.log(SolrAuditDestination.java:154)
        at org.apache.ranger.audit.provider.BaseAuditHandler.logJSON(BaseAuditHandler.java:172)
        at org.apache.ranger.audit.queue.AuditFileSpool.sendEvent(AuditFileSpool.java:890)
        at org.apache.ranger.audit.queue.AuditFileSpool.runDoAs(AuditFileSpool.java:838)
        at org.apache.ranger.audit.queue.AuditFileSpool$2.run(AuditFileSpool.java:759)
        at org.apache.ranger.audit.queue.AuditFileSpool$2.run(AuditFileSpool.java:757)
        at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
        at javax.security.auth.Subject.doAs(Subject.java:356)
        at org.apache.hadoop.security.UserGroupInformation.doAs(UserGroupInformation.java:1637)
        at org.apache.ranger.audit.queue.AuditFileSpool.run(AuditFileSpool.java:765)
        at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
Caused by: org.apache.solr.client.solrj.SolrServerException: Server refused connection at: http://localhost:6083/solr/ranger_audits
        at org.apache.solr.client.solrj.impl.HttpSolrClient.executeMethod(HttpSolrClient.java:565)
        at org.apache.solr.client.solrj.impl.HttpSolrClient.request(HttpSolrClient.java:214)
        at org.apache.solr.client.solrj.impl.HttpSolrClient.request(HttpSolrClient.java:210)
        at org.apache.solr.client.solrj.impl.LBHttpSolrClient.request(LBHttpSolrClient.java:546)
        ... 14 more
Caused by: org.apache.http.conn.HttpHostConnectException: Connection to http://localhost:6083 refused

I dont have solr installed so how do i avoid this?
Thanks in advance.

A: It seems there is problem with connection with solr. Either switch off audit to solr or check solr connection.

A: Issue got resolved by adding 'nn' user in Ranger.If nn user does not exists then add nn user in Ranger and provide "Get Keys" permission to nn user from keyadmin in Ranger KMS.
If the nn user does not have permissions to get keys, you will not be able to create crypto zones or list crypto keys.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


David Meerman Scott and Josh Elledge are each big newsjacking fans!
I know, I know. You're not a "social media person." You set up your Facebook and Twitter business profiles three years ago then promptly forgot the passwords (which were all the same). It happens a lot!
But you don't need to be a Gary V. with 1.69 Million Twitter followers and even more books about getting those followers to have a social media presence that gets press attention.
With these few simple steps, you can easily begin using current events, hot topics and trending news to get the attention of journalists on Twitter, LinkedIn and more.
Figure out which journalists or news outlets are relevant to you, your business and your vision. This seems really obvious but you'd be surprised how many people just don't do it right. You might really love reading Modern Unicycle Monthly, but if you sell luxury cat condos for the discerning housecat, well, the steampunk journalists at MUM should not be your first targets!
Once you've made your list, find the journalists' preferred social media outlets. The vast majority of traditional journalists use Twitter as their preferred platform, but many are also active on LinkedIn and Facebook. After you've pinpointed the proper social media channel, set up a business account on that site. Then let the games begin.
Think of this process as like online dating, but with fewer photos of shirtless dudes in Oakley sunglasses petting tigers. Reach out to relevant journalists by following them and interacting with their posts. This helps set up the foundation for a working relationship. Be helpful, toss out story ideas and, whatever you do, DO NOT PROMOTE YOURSELF OR YOUR BUSINESS. You can make just about any mistake with the press and live to tell the tale, but being self-promoting out of the gate will get you no second chances.
Trending news happens quickly, and it can become old news just as fast. Remember the old saying "yesterday's news is old news." Well, now it's "ten-minute-ago's news is no news at all." So you need to be consistently browsing news sites or trending hashtags on social media (particularly within your industry). If you don't have time to do this yourself, assign someone on your team to stay on top of it. That way, you can become aware of trending stories and topics as soon as they hit.
In 2011, Kate Winslet rescued Richard Branson's elderly mother from a fire, and the London Fire Brigade jumped at the chance to comment on it on social media. In a Facebook post, they offered to give Kate Winslet firefighter training as a reward for her good deed. The post was timely and served the purpose of the London Fire Brigade to educate others about fire safety.
In other words, when the news breaks that there's been a recall of cat condos made of carpet–and your condo is made of environmentally-friendly recycled astroturf–you should be ready to go within minutes with all the facts journalists need to know about the different quality cat condo materials and how they affect pet health.
Once you've got a trending topic that fits well in your business, plan content around that story. It can be a blog post, a YouTube video, or even just a photo or graphic. Create the content quickly so you can be one of the first to post about it. Don't worry about perfection– we are aiming for somewhere between serviceable and pretty darn good. Get it out there quick!
When trending topics hit, journalists are searching for relevant content so they can gather more information to share with their audiences. By being one of the first to post, you are serving the media by giving them good content to use. They serve you in turn by giving you good press. It's symbiosis! Help your content be found by using relevant keywords and trending hashtags.
Charmin took advantage of the 2013 Academy Awards to tweet a staged photo of a woman walking on stage to accept an award with a piece of toilet paper stuck under her dress. They captioned it with a caution to the nominees. "Don't forget to look down before your speech." The company planned in advance to send this tweet while the topic of the Oscars was trending, and it paid off.
Rule of thumb, if you've got some really clever and catchy tie into a national tragedy, act of nature, or act of war… just write it in your journal and keep on moving.
This doesn't mean that you can't deal with serious and hard-hitting topics and stories though. Sometimes it's helpful to lend your voice to a serious topic and journalists and audiences alike will appreciate your perspective.
Another good rule of thumb to follow is this: Make sure you're adding value to the story and genuinely serving those affected by it, rather than just trying to get press.
Burger King used their social media platforms to add to the conversation about net neutrality. While the net neutrality repeal can't be classed as a tragedy, it is a serious topic that many people feel passionate about.
Burger King created a video that explained net neutrality using the chain's famous Whopper Burger as an analogy. The video was educational and a little funny, and it got coverage from most of the major news outlets.
Once your content is crafted and shared, you don't have to just sit back and wait for journalists to contact you. That's a really weak strategy so let's get a little more proactive, shall we? After all, you just spent anywhere from 5 min to 2 hours developing content!
Now reach out to reporters on their social media profiles to let them know you have content that can help their developing news stories. Don't pester them, but make sure they're aware of what you can offer. This is especially successful when you have already established a relationship with the press through social media.
When you're trying to get press for your business, it can sometimes feel like an uphill battle to get other people to notice what you can offer. You may wonder why everyone in the world isn't instantly recognizing your brilliance. But it doesn't have to be that way.
When trending topics hit, journalists are already actively searching for content to add to their reports. All you have to do is meet them halfway with high-quality, relevant content.
FINALLY… TRY NOT TO PROMOTE YOURSELF (even though you totally are).
Have you scored any media thanks to jumping on some breaking news or a trending topic?
Join our movement of entrepreneurs who are owning their authority and growing their influence. Share your story in our private facebook group and I may update this post with your exploits!


These fun paper plates feature a print of Peppa Pig holding a cake!
Each round lunch plate measures 9".
Invite Peppa Pig and her friends to your next celebration with colorful Peppa Pig party supplies from Amscan! These fun paper plates feature a print of Peppa Pig holding a cake! Each round lunch plate measures 9". Includes 8 paper plates. Officially licensed.


text:
L.P. Cote
News Jeanne Cote, 1918 - 2011
Jeanne Cote, 1918 – 2011
Remembering the Life and Legacy of Jeanne A. Cote, February 6th, 1918 to June 4th, 2011. It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of Jeanne Cote, the wife of Louis P. Cote and our mother, on June 4th, at the age of 93. Mother of seven, Grandmother of eighteen and Great-grandmother of nineteen, this remarkable woman was largely responsible for keeping this company going after the death of Louis P. Cote in 1964 until John & Donald took the reigns. The story of that part of her life is reprinted here from an article that appeared in 2009.
"In 1965 when our father & company founder Louis P. Cote passed away many things could have happened to this company. But his wife, our mom, Jeanne Cote assumed ownership and kept a handle on the business while it was run by several different people for the next few years. Jeanne worked in the office & dealt with the financial aspects of the business. She became the "Chief cook and bottle washer". On weekends or after hours she could often be found cleaning the offices & washing the floors. If a salesman came looking for the owner on the weekend she'd tell him she was just the cleaning lady. I'd like to have seen their face when they came back Monday morning to find the cleaning lady in the boss's chair! She kept everything going until John & Don were out of college and they were able to take charge of the company in the late 1960's and early 1970's. She continued working at "The Shop", as our family has always called it,until the late 1970's "
At 93 we no longer made her ride in every new truck we got, but she was still there with encouragement for us and of course the world's best chocolate chip cookies. For everything she has done and given us, we thank her!
Her Obituary may be found here.
Louis P. Cote Inc.
42 Cote Ave. Goffstown, NH 03045
John Cote
& Senior Advisor
John@lpcote.com
Donald Cote
Donald@lpcote.com
John Cote Jr.
& Project Manager
Johndcote@lpcote.com
Stan Nadeau
Stan@lpcote.com
Scott Boddy
Scott@lpcote.com
Our Office Staff
Susan Cote
Debbie Kelly-Cloutier
SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR BIGGEST JOBS
Machinery Moving
Millwrighting
Single Machines
Entire Plant Moves
Hydraulic Gantry to 200 Tons
Heavy & Specialized Hauling
Domestic & Export Crating
Forklift Capabilities to 60,000LBS
Air Ride Equipment
Precision Leveling
Dismantling/Erecting

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Yo Yo Honey Singh and wife Shalini Talwar
'No one is above the law,' says, Delhi court as Honey Singh skipped the hearing for the domestic violence case
2021-08-28 Posted by Faaiza khan Entertainment
On Saturday, August 28, the Delhi court called out Honey Singh for not appearing in front of the Court for the domestic violence case filed against him by his wife Shalini Talwar.
"No one is above the law. Surprised to see how this case is being taken so lightly," metropolitan magistrate Tania Singh said. While the singer didn't appear, his wife, Shalini Talwar, appeared physically before the Court.
The Court gave Honey Singh an exemption on personal appearance for medical reasons. Honey Singh's counsel asked for the singer's exemption from his personal appearance citing his poor health. He assured the Court that Honey Singh would appear on the next date of hearing.
The Delhi Court has asked Honey Singh's counsel to present a medical report and the singer's Income Tax returns and asked him to appear before the Court on September 3. The counsel assured that they would file the medical records and Income Tax records.
Honey Singh's wife Shalini Talwar had filed a case of domestic violence, mental harassment, financial fraud, and sexual violence against the 38-year-old musician, his parents, and his younger sister in Delhi's Tis Hazari court in August 3. She had also asked for Rs 20 crore as compensation from him under the Protection of Women From Domestic Violence Act.
In the complaint, Talwar has accused Singh of going to extreme lengths to hide the fact that he was married, cheated on her, and became addicted to alcohol and drugs. She said he had 'casual sex with multiple women' and would not take her on his singing tours.
Honey Singh had issued a statement calling the allegations false and malicious' and wrote, "I am deeply pained and distressed by the false and malicious allegations levied against me and my family by my companion/wife of 20 years, Mrs. Shalini Talwar. The allegations are severely odious".
About Faaiza khan
Faaiza khan is pursuing a management degree from Guru Nanak Khalsa college Matunga and is highly passionate about writing. Writing keeps her motivated and focused. She likes writing about trendy topics which are attention worthy. She believes in growing and learning and is always open for new opportunities and challenges. She believes in understanding the topics from every point of view and then coming to a conclusion. Writing is something she is really sure about. She can be reached at [email protected] *Views are personal.
Software to Khaki, Mumbai police woman's extraordinary journey
From software developer working a 9-5 to woman in Khaki, a policewoman's extraordinary account!
Vice Chief of the Air Staff reviews MRSAM system
Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) Air Marshal HS[...]
Ukraine tests Javelin Anti Tank missile
Why much feared U.S. Javelin Anti Tank missile could not destroy an old Soviet T-64B tank in Ukraine?
The Ukrainian military suffered a fiasco while trying to destroy[...]


According to dictionary-dot-com, a T-shirt is defined as a short-sleeved casual top, generally made of cotton, having the shape of a T when spread out flat.
The T-shirt I am wearing is a piece of Supernatural merchandise that I got at Elbenwald in the K-town mall in Kaiserslautern, Germany. I got it because I love the show Supernatural and I love having merchandise from my fandoms and bandoms-a fandom of a band.
It is composed of 100% cotton and has a very soft texture, which also feels very durable. It's a medium, but quite loose as well. It has four holes in it, all of them for my limbs to stick out of.
It's all black, just how I like my clothing, but with white designs on it. The designs come in many different forms, as words and in drawings.
The drawings, well, the drawing would make you wonder if I'm a Satanist. It has an anti-possession symbol on it, to protect people from demons, but the warding symbol does look like a symbol for Satan. It has a drawing of a Chevy Impala from 1967, with the words Supernatural written on the front bumper. On the headlights, more anti-possession symbols are placed there.
That's basically all there is to the shirt. I hold it very dear to me and it was nice that I got to share my "Satanist" shirt with you all.


ow to tie the Trucker's Hitch Knot. Use the Trucker's Hitch to cinch down a load. This combination of knots allows a line to be pulled verytight. Probably the most useful hitch there is, the Trucker's Hitch allows a line to be pulled tight as a guitar string and secured. It is used by truckers to secure heavy loads in place and works equally well tying canoes and other objects to the tops of cars. Once the line is pull to the desired tension using the pulley effect of the loop in the middle of the line, the knot is secured with a couple half hitches around one or both lines.
Scroll to see Animated Trucker's Hitch Knot below the illustration and tying instructions.


Exotics Veterinarian Dr Jayne Weller at Sydney's ARH - Animal Referral Hospital's novel technique to try to save Maxine, a much-loved Children's Python.
Unfortunately Maxine got a little too close to her heat lamp and suffered a severe burn.
Given the size of the snake and the size of the wound... the result is nothing short of amazing.


text:
Who Lurks Behind Geerhardus Vos? Sources and Predecessors
J. V. Fesko
Over the years Geerhardus Vos (1862-1949) has been heralded as the father of Reformed biblical theology.[1] Along with this paternal crown, others have argued that Vos is "the finest Reformed theologian since Calvin" and that "within the boundaries of confessional Reformed theology, he advances that confessional theology with unparalleled insight."[2] As it relates to Vos's... READ MORE
Helping the Congregation Receive the Word Preached
Ligon Duncan
This is the second of a five-part series of presentations on The Pastoral Ministry of Public Worship: Leading the Congregation in Reading, Hearing, Praying, Singing and Seeing the Word, delivered by Dr. Duncan at the John Reed Miller Preaching Lectures at RTS Jackson in November 2020. In this second lecture our focus is helping... READ MORE
Books That Merit Re-Reading: Competent to Counsel
James R. Newheiser, Jr
Last year marked the fiftieth anniversary of Jay Adams' groundbreaking book, Competent to Counsel[1], which has sold about 400,000 copies and has been translated into many languages. In September 2020, Dr. Adams was presented a Festschrift honoring his unique contributions to biblical soul care over a half-century.[2] Two months later, he went to be with... READ MORE
Pastors and Counselors
Charles Malcom Wingard
This is a transcript of brief remarks delivered by Dr. Wingard, Professor of Pastoral Theology and Dean of Students at the RTS Jackson Senior Banquet on Mary 14, 2021. Tonight, I've been asked to offer a few words of encouragement to graduating counselors and pastors. So, here we go: I encourage you – counselors and... READ MORE
A Model for Ministry
RTS Chapel, 5 May 2021 Paul, as you will remember, on his third missionary journey had settled and ministered in Ephesus for nearly three years (ca. 54-56). When he left, he travelled by foot to visit churches in Macedonia and Achaia, and then he set sail for Palestine and eventually to Jerusalem. From Miletus on... READ MORE
From the Periphery to the Center: American Presbyterians and Global Presbyterianism
D. G. Hart
A review essay of The Oxford Handbook of Presbyterianism, ed., Gary Scott Smith and P.C. Kemeny. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019. 640 pp. $150.00. The largest Presbyterian communion in the United States, the PCUSA, began technically in 1789 with its first General Assembly, which convened in Philadelphia, the city that had also hosted the... READ MORE
The Book of Acts as Story: A Narrative-Critical Study
Reviewed by: Robert J. Cara
Rethinking Paul: Protestant Theology and Pauline Exegesis
Reviewed by: Michael Allen
John Calvin in Context
Reviewed by: Raymond A. Blacketer, PhD
Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church
Reviewed by: Charles Malcom Wingard


text:
Home > Media > Press Releases > Press Release
Senator Stewart, District 13 — Press Release
CONTACT: Ali Ak?n Kurnaz, 850-487-5013
Black Bear Act that Protects Wildlife, Preserves Habitats Advances in Florida Senate
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – State Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) on Wednesday succeeded in moving Senate Bill 1304 in Committee on Environmental Preservation and Conservation to protect Florida black bears and preserve their habitat and food sources.
"At a time when Florida's native black bears are facing increased pressure on their habitat their food sources, it is our obligation to ensure the preservation of this iconic species as well as the safety of our neighborhoods," said Stewart.
Senate Bill 1304, also referred to as the Florida Black Bear Habitat Restoration Act, prohibits the hunting of bears mothering young cubs under 100 pounds, prevents the unlawful harvesting on state lands of berries that supply bear diets, and prevents controlled burns from being conducted on lands identified as habitats during the February month of denning.
"This is a great success for everybody who has been championing the preservation of Florida's only bear species," said Stewart. "I am committed to continuing the progress we've made on this issue."
Senate Bill 1304 is a companion bill to House Bill 491, which has been introduced in the Florida House of Representatives by Rep. Amy Mercado (D-Orlando).


text:
San Sebastián de la Gomera är en kommun i Spanien.   Den ligger i provinsen Provincia de Santa Cruz de Tenerife och regionen Kanarieöarna, i den sydvästra delen av landet,  km sydväst om huvudstaden Madrid. Antalet invånare är . Arean är  kvadratkilometer. San Sebastián de la Gomera ligger på ön La Gomera. San Sebastián de la Gomera gränsar till Alajeró och Hermigua.

Terrängen i San Sebastián de la Gomera är varierad.

Stäppklimat råder i trakten. Årsmedeltemperaturen i trakten är  °C. Den varmaste månaden är juli, då medeltemperaturen är  °C, och den kallaste är januari, med  °C. Genomsnittlig årsnederbörd är  millimeter. Den regnigaste månaden är november, med i genomsnitt  mm nederbörd, och den torraste är augusti, med  mm nederbörd.

Kommentarer

Källor

Externa länkar

Indelningar i Kanarieöarna


E - Heeringa. DP - CSM 1; Dordt 1. LOB - CSM 5; Dordt 5. 2B - Baca; Evavold 2. HBP - Fleischman. SH - Smith; Veldkamp. CS - Hofmaier.
Win - Soodsma (6-5). Loss - Straight (2-9). Save - None. WP - Soodsma. HBP - by Soodsma (Fleischman).
College of St. Mary 1st - Banks grounded out to p. Chamberlain struck out swinging. Baca grounded out to 2b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Dordt College 1st - VandenBerg flied out to rf. Cunard walked. Evavold doubled to right center, RBI; Cunard scored. Heeringa popped into double play 2b unassisted; Evavold out on the play. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
College of St. Mary 2nd - Straight singled up the middle. Solano struck out looking. Hofmaier reached on a fielder's choice; Straight out at second ss to 2b. Hofmaier out at second c to p to ss, caught stealing. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Dordt College 2nd - Kirchoff to 2b for Hofmaier. De Roin walked. Smith out at first 3b to 2b, SAC, bunt; De Roin advanced to second. Veldkamp flied out to rf. Kooiker struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
College of St. Mary 3rd - Nekola struck out swinging, reached first on a wild pitch. Merwald popped up to 3b. Scholl grounded out to c unassisted, interference. Banks grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Dordt College 3rd - Oules lined out to 3b. VandenBerg singled down the lf line. Cunard fouled out to c, bunt. Evavold doubled to left center, RBI; VandenBerg scored. Heeringa popped up to ss. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
College of St. Mary 4th - Chamberlain grounded out to ss. Baca singled through the left side. Horne pinch ran for Baca. Straight reached on a fielder's choice; Horne out at second 3b to 2b. Solano struck out swinging. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Dordt College 4th - Baca to 3b for Horne. De Roin flied out to cf. Smith walked. Veldkamp out at first 3b to 2b, SAC, bunt; Smith advanced to second. Kooiker out at first 1b to 2b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
College of St. Mary 5th - Hofmaier to 2b for Kirchoff. Hofmaier singled through the left side. Nekola popped up to ss. Merwald lined into double play 3b to 1b; Hofmaier out on the play. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Dordt College 5th - Oules lined out to 3b. VandenBerg singled to left field. Cunard reached on a fielder's choice; VandenBerg out at second ss to 2b. Evavold walked; Cunard advanced to second. Banks to 1b. Straight to dh. Goodban to p for Shull. Heeringa singled to left center, RBI; Evavold advanced to second; Cunard scored. De Roin grounded out to 1b unassisted. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
College of St. Mary 6th - McGargill pinch hit for Scholl. McGargill struck out swinging, out at first c to 1b. Banks grounded out to 3b. Chamberlain grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Dordt College 6th - Scholl to ss for McGargill. Jensen to lf for Solano. Smith struck out swinging. Veldkamp struck out swinging. Kooiker struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
College of St. Mary 7th - Baca doubled down the lf line. Lange pinch ran for Baca. Straight singled to pitcher; Lange advanced to third. Trendle pinch hit for Jensen. Trendle singled to third base; Straight advanced to second; Lange no advance. Solano to lf for Trendle. Hofmaier reached on a fielder's choice; Solano advanced to second; Straight advanced to third; Lange out at home 3b to c. Fleischman pinch hit for Nekola. Fleischman hit by pitch, RBI; Hofmaier advanced to second; Solano advanced to third; Straight scored. Merwald infield fly to p. Scholl reached on a throwing error by 3b; Fleischman advanced to second; Hofmaier advanced to third; Solano scored, unearned. Banks grounded out to p. 2 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 3 LOB.


text:
What is the red box? A brief history of the iconic briefcase as Rishi Sunak gives his 2021 Budget speech
Rishi Sunak will pose with the red box on the steps of Number 11 Downing Street ahead of his Budget statement today
By David Hughes
March 3, 2021 12:19 pm(Updated October 27, 2021 12:29 pm)
No Budget day would be complete without the Chancellor of the Exchequer proudly brandishing the red box outside Number 11 Downing Street.
The iconic briefcase will once again be called into action today, as Rishi Sunak delivers the eagerly anticipated 2021 Budget announcement.
The Budget red box: a brief history
The iconic Budget red box was produced around 1860 for William Gladstone, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer before becoming Prime Minister.
The box was then used by the vast majority of chancellors for a century and a half, although James Callaghan and Gordon Brown bucked the trend by having their own bespoke versions commissioned.
Budget 2021 predictions: From stamp duty to furlough and SEISS, what to expect from Rishi Sunak's announcement
Its final outing came at the 2010 Autumn Statement in the hands of George Osborne, before the increasingly fragile political relic retired to the Cabinet War Rooms.
Philip Hammond, the last Chancellor to deliver a Budget, used a red box commissioned by The National Archives and handcrafted by official despatch boxes provider Barrow Hepburn & Gale in 2011.
However, for the 2018 spring statement the Chancellor eschewed the red box and shunned the traditional photo op before delivering a shorter, low-key speech.
The Chancellor poses with the red box ahead of the 2021 Budget (Photo: Getty Images)
Although the Budget box is the best known, Barrow Hepburn & Gale produces dispatch boxes for all government ministers to transport their confidential documents.
It is thought that the red colour was introduced at the behest of Prince Albert, to match the dominant colour in his family's coat of arms.
The government's website states: "Ministers are permitted to use ordinary lockable briefcases to transport information which has been classified 'Confidential' or below.
"For information with a higher security level (such as 'Secret') they are required to use dispatch boxes, which offer a higher level of security, and which are usually red. "
According to Treasury figures, a single dispatch box cost £865.43 in 2010.
What to expect from Budget 2021
It has been confirmed that Mr Sunak will extend the furlough scheme, currently set to expire at the end of April, until September.
Similarly, the confirmation of a fourth payment in the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is widely expected, covering the months of February to April.
The Chancellor is set to announce 2019-2020 tax returns can be used to claim the grant.
He has also announced that pubs, restaurants, shops and other businesses hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic will be boosted by a £5bn grant scheme to help them reopen as the lockdown is eased.
Then there will be an extra £400m of additional support to boost the culture sector damaged due to Covid-19 lockdowns, with £300m due to be plugged into the £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund.
An additional £77m will be given to the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to provide their culture groups with similar backing.
Mr Sunak will also ring-fence a "significant chunk" of a £300m sports recovery package to cricket as fans prepare to return to stadiums this summer.
A £2.8m boost will help fund a joint UK and Ireland bid to host the 2030 football World Cup.
The Chancellor is believed to be preparing to extend the business rates holiday for shops amid warnings that high streets face a bleak future – even after lockdown restrictions are lifted.
When is Budget 2021? Time of Rishi Sunak's announcement today, and latest predictions for the speech
It is thought that the 12-month tax break announced at the last Budget is likely to continue until at least the point that retail can reopen in April and May.
Reports have indicated a £20 weekly Universal Credit uplift introduced last year will be extended, with The Telegraph suggesting it could last as long as another six months.
Much of the pre-Budget speculation has focused on a potential extension to the Stamp Duty holiday introduced in the initial raft of measures last year.
It is thought that the tax relief, due to expire at the end of March, will be extended for three months with a tapering off period.
The Treasury has already announced that first time buyers will be able to get a mortgage with a five per cent deposit, making it easier for many to get on the housing ladder.
There seems to be a debate as to whether it is too soon to hike taxes now, when the economy is still so fragile and incomes are being squeezed for many.
However, increases to capital gains tax and and corporation tax have both been suggested as potential measures with Government spending at unprecedented levels.
Mr Sunak is also reported to be considering a freeze in the thresholds at which people start paying income tax or move into higher brackets – meaning more people would be dragged into those categories as wages increase.


text:
class wxWindow;
class ColorDataObject;
class wxDropSource;

namespace faint{

class FaintDropSource {
 public:
  FaintDropSource(wxWindow*, ColorDataObject&);

  // Performs the drag and drop and returns whether the result was a
  // move or copy operation, based on the static result stored in the
  // data object (This was the only way I could figure out to base the
  // operation on other things than keypresses)
  wxDragResult CustomDoDragDrop();
 private:
  wxDropSource wxImpl;
  ColorDataObject& m_object;
};

} // namespace

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Facial Recognition Software
College of Policing publishes Live Facial Recognition usage guidance
March 23, 2022 March 23, 2022 The Privacy Perspective1 Comment
The College of Policing has published guidance on the application of facial recognition software.
The guidance comes following the case of Bridges in which the Court of Appeal criticised the South Wales Police Forces use of live facial recognition software. TPP has covered the Bridges appeal in depth.
– The Independent considers privacy advocates comments that the use of the software "is a hammer blow to privacy".
– Sky News also highlights privacy campaigners comments that the software "will turn our streets into police line-ups".
Privacy Law Commentary, Surveillance lawArticle 8, Bridges, College of Policing, Facial Recognition Software
ICO intervenes in nine schools in North Ayrshire which are using facial recognition software to scan faces of pupils in lunch queues
October 27, 2021 October 27, 2021 The Privacy PerspectiveLeave a comment
According to the Financial Times and Guardian the ICO is set to intervene in nine schools in North Ayrshire following the discovery that pupils faces were being scanned in lunch queues to take payments.
The ICO commented:
"Data protection law provides additional protections for children, and organisations need to carefully consider the necessity and proportionality of collecting biometric data before they do so. Organisations should consider using a different approach if the same goal can be achieved in a less intrusive manner. We are aware of the introduction, and will be making inquiries with North Ayrshire council."
Whilst the company that provides the software argues this a safe way to take payments in the age of covid the question, as the ICO rightly posits, clearly arises as to whether a less invasive method of safely taking payments could be used.
Simple measures such as issuing pupils with lunch cards that they can scan to identify themselves or even with just a unique ID number that could easily be anonymised and aggregated, would just as easily serve this purpose.
Under Article 35 of the GDPR a Data Protection Impact Assessment must be made before this software is used. This would assess whether the use of facial recognition software was a proportionate means for achieving the legitimate aim of securely taking card payments. Aspects such as the retention period of data, storage methods, basis for processing, safeguards and processes for gathering consent must be considered.
Schools should have mechanisms and documentation in place to explain to children the circumstances of this data collection, storage and their rights under the GDPR, including an option to opt out of the data collection.
Under the GDPR the age where children can consent to the sharing of their personal data in England and Wales is as low as is permissible- thirteen. In Scotland, the location of the schools, the age is lower- at twelve years of age.
Interestingly, North Ayrshire Council indicated that 97% of pupils or their parents had given consent to this process. The Council has temporarily paused the rollout of the software given the ICO's intervention.
CBR Cumminghams, a company that provides the software, stated that their cameras check pupils faces against encrypted templates, an thus operated differently to "live" facial recognition used by the police to scan for criminal activities, that was challenged in the Bridges case.
A Principal of one of the schools, David Waugh, commented:
"The combined fingerprint and facial recognition system was part of an upgrade to the catering cashless system, so that the time it takes to serve students is reduced, thus giving a better dining experience. However, we will not be using the facial recognition aspect."
Mischon de Reya has a excellent analysis of these issues, which cover Scotland and are thus outside of TPP's remit. The BBC also reports on the story.
News, Privacy Law Commentary, Scottish LawChildren's privacy, Facial Recognition Software, Schools, Scotland
Police forces use of facial recognition software determined lawful – R (Bridges) v Chief Constable of South Wales Police [2019] EWHC 2341 (Admin)
September 5, 2019 January 12, 2021 The Privacy PerspectiveLeave a comment
"The algorithms of the law must keep pace with new and emerging technologies."- at p[1]
The Administrative Court, with Haddon-Cave LJ and Swift J sitting, has heard the first case on the lawfulness of the police using automated facial recognition software ("AFR"). The case concerned the South Wales Police ("SWP") use of AFR in two instances where they allegedly recorded the image of the Claimant. Once on 21 December 2017 at Queen Street Cardiff and another at the Defence Procurement, Research, Technology and Exportability Exhibition ("the Defence Exhibition") on 27 March 2018.
Data Protection Commentary, English Law, Privacy Law CommentaryFacial Recognition Software, Policing, Privacy law, Technology


At Vignette, our inspiration has always come from our daughters and a drive to raise them to be strong, independent, and intelligent women.
That if we raise every generation to be better than the current one we effect lasting change in the world. We want our girls and every girl to not just believe, but know and never question that they can and will accomplish anything they dream.
Over almost two decades, that inspiration has driven us to design clothes that make young girls feel inspired. While our style as a brand has moved from retro, to princess, to a touch more contemporary, the thread that ties it all together is the girl. Our own 'Vignette Girls' are a lovely mix of independent but loving, sweet but willful, and free-spirited but driven. These seeming contradictions when added together make for strong and inspirational young women.


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This is an archive of the former website of the Maoist Internationalist Movement, which was run by the now defunct Maoist Internationalist Party - Amerika. The MIM now consists of many independent cells, many of which have their own indendendent organs both online and off. MIM(Prisons) serves these documents as a service to and reference for the anti-imperialist movement worldwide.
International Wimmin's Day fallout:
Neo-cons Perle and Pipes back Iranian Mujahedin
Demonstrations against Iran this past March 8th for International Wimmin's Day had links not just to the State Department and David Horowitz but also directly to both Richard Perle and Daniel Pipes. MIM discovered this fact in the process of investigating demonstrations outside the United Nations April 30th calling for sanctions on Iran for its nuclear energy program. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) was involved with both demonstrations(1) and the NCRI came from an organization informally known as the Mujahedin (with various romanized spellings.)
The people behind the March 8th demonstrations against Iran are the same as the ones now calling for sanctions on Iran because of the nuclear energy program. MIM has no doubt that there is some tactical merit to squeezing the Iranian regime from the united $tates, but not enough merit. The Iranians called Mujahedin involved have totally lost any sense of strategic vision.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Mujahedin had a terrorist reputation with the united $tates, because of the Iranian Revolution.(2) But at that time, all Iranians except the monarchists had a terrorist reputation with the united $tates thanks to the hostage crisis under Jimmy Carter.
The Mujahedin raise a number of common political problems for the Third World. Their ideology originated in a combination of Marxism and Islam. Lately however the Mujahedin come across as the only Iranian organization that secular Westerners can really enter into any dialogue with. Not only do the Mujahedin make sense, but also they are very persuasive.
In 1981, the Mujahedin approached a MIM comrade for assistance in fighting Iranian repression, but MIM was distributing literature from a Maoist Iranian group. MIM's slight reservations about the Mujahedin have grown steadily with time. Had MIM had more comrades and resources, we would have undertaken joint struggles with the Mujahedin at that time. As it was, MIM had much doubt about not prioritizing the Mujahedin struggle more highly. Today it is clear that the Mujahedin maneuver too much in imperialist circles.
In exile because of their home country's repressive regime, what can the Mujahedin or any exiled Third World people do becomes the question. In his situation, Mao retreated deep into the Chinese countryside, into the hills, and he had the lucky break of being able to fight the Japanese, a break he later ironically thanked civilian Japanese visitors for when they visited him. Mao knew that the conflict with imperialism was always first or second-place for China. When it was first place, he called it "the principal contradiction."
The break in external conditions of the revolution in China created by the Japanese invasion was decisive. No matter how much we work in the struggle, if the political conditions are not lined up correctly, we will end up pawns of imperialism. People who think Mao was just hard working and dedicated are wrong. The Mujahedin have made wrong chess move after wrong chess move and have ended up where they are because of incorrect analysis. It is not the fault of their spirit or ideology, except that ideology involved in backing scientific analysis. Mao needed that break from the Japanese invasion and the Iranian people just do not have a break like that. It's not the Mujahedin's fault unless they fail to recognize it.
Today the Mujahedin are not allowed even in Iraq on the border. They have become a pawn of diplomatic maneuvers between the United $tates and Iran. The West designated the Mujahedin "terrorist" again thanks to the request of the government of Iran during the occupation of Iraq, because the United $tates did not want the complications of anti-Iranian conflict in the Iraq occupation. At the same time as using the "terrorist" tag, the State Department also openly said there is no legal reason for pursuing any of the people involved. In effect the "terrorist" tag is just diplomatic--good for U.$. terrorism budgets and good for relations with "moderate" Islamic people in Iran. Another effect of the "terrorist" tag is to put the Mujahedin in the position where they feel more obliged to carry out the dirty work of the united $tates or lose Amerikan hospitality.
A generation later the Mujahedin retain the "terrorist" tag, but it is now public knowledge that the Pentagon and State Department have close ties with the organization. The Pentagon disarmed the Mujahedin in Iraq and then created a cease-fire with them. Mujahedin instructed followers not to attack the united $tates and today Richard Perle literally does fund-raisers for the Mujahedin(3) and Daniel Pipes writes in their defense:
"Can the MEK [the abbreviation for the formal name of the Mujahedin--MIM ed.] be useful? Yes. Western spy agencies are short on 'human intelligence'-- meaning spies on the ground in Iran, as distinct from eyes in the sky. Coalition military commanders should seek out the MEK for information on the Iranian mullahs' agents in Iraq. The MEK can also supply key information about developments in Iran where, despite a tendency toward exaggeration, it has had some major scoops. Its information in mid-2002 about Iran's nuclear program, for example, was better than what the International Atomic Energy Agency knew, thereby leading a shocked U.S. government to kick off an investigation that confirmed just how far advanced the Iranians are toward building a nuclear bomb."(4)
Gung-ho leaders and passionate people, the Mujahedin are. Yet it's time for them to recognize that they lost in their given strategy and they should move on to other strategies. MIM will join with Richard Perle, Phyllis Chesler, Daniel Pipes and anyone else who believes the Mujahedin should all have U.$. citizenship.
When Third World people find themselves backed into a corner, the way the Mujahedin were in Iran, they should rethink. There is no crime in taking up the fight elsewhere in another cause. Palestinians need help. Migrant workers in the united $tates need help. Occupied Haiti needs help. Success in one place contributes to success elsewhere. There is no shortage of anti-imperialist causes for the internationalist. What is needed after losing hard-fought and bitter battles is the ability to step back and shift focus.
The regime in Iran is nowhere near as stupid as Chiang Kai-shek was in China or Somoza over in Nicaragua. The mullahs' regime is not going to allow itself to be outmaneuvered on the question of Iranian nationalism.
When Bu$h put Iran on the "axis of evil," the Mujahedin should have shifted gears. When the united $tates landed in Iraq, it should have been clear what was going to happen next. The Iraqi people should have allowed the Mujahedin (armed as they were) to fight the occupiers and the Mujahedin should have pressed for that. Instead they got caught between Iran and the united $tates, and ended up pawns of the latter. The appearance of Pipes needs no conspiracy after that: it was inevitable.
We should not have to talk about this at all, but a fake organization "Revolutionary Communist Party USA" falsely calling itself Marxist-Leninist-Maoist is involved, so the burden falls on us. When the RCP=U$a said Iranians were "united" in exile for this struggle and some ex-prisoners participated in the struggle, so they were joining too, they should have said, "united by the united $tates." MIM is in the process of breaking with all organizations calling themselves Marxist-Leninist-Maoist that fail to recognize the character of the RCP=U$A.
MIM has said before that RCP=u$a crypto-Trotskyism leads to neo-conservatism. The demonstrations outside the UN April 30th are further proof. Too many Trotskyists underestimate the superprofits being sucked from the Third World and they therefore fail to understand the nationalism of their own peoples in opposing U.$. imperialism. That nationalism is not just irrational: there is an ongoing economic basis for it. When the RCP=U$A and Mujahedin put themselves on the wrong side of that nationalism, they end up in bed with the CIA--in the case of the Iranian exiles and any other Middle East or Third World people in general. It's important to understand that it was inevitable to end up in bed with the neo-conservatives. Even if the Mujahedin did not want it, once everyone made their chess moves and the united $tates landed in Iraq, that had to be the result or the apparent result that was as good as the result as far as public opinion in Iran would be concerned.
The Mujahedin have great web pages on secular topics regarding Iran. As of 2004, the Mujahedin gained support of the Feminist Majority Foundation. However, it appears that even that organization changed its assessment of Iran subsequently. Again, having many web pages cannot change the basic political conditions to such an extent that the Mujahedin can overcome their strategic errors. Even if the Mujahedin succeed now by historical accident and squeeze into power in Iran, it would only be as a lackey of the united $tates. The Mujahedin should move on to other internationalist causes and the international proletariat should assist them in doing so.
More importantly, the demonstrations on April 30th calling for sanctions on Iran hit home for the whole anti-war movement in the united $tates. We've seen it before with the sanctions on Iraq, that Secretary of State Madelaine Albright admitted killed half a million children. Moreover, we're tired of hearing how imperialists like the united $tates with the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons should judge oppressed nations like Iran.
1. There is a free newspaper serving as an outlet for the Voice of America called Epoch Times that has a mission of opposing both Mao and the social-fascist Communist Party of China. An anti-communist source, it covered the demonstrations for sanctions against Iran at the UN favorably. May 1-3, 2006 issue "Stop Iran's Nukes UN Sanctions Now" read one sign at the demonstration. Another placard at the rally used the Phyllis Chesler, Paul Berman, Rcp=u$a "third option" rhetoric regarding supposedly being neither pro-U$ nor pro-Iran. The story reads as follows: "Supporters of the opposition coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran hold a rally Friday across from the United Nations in New York. Western leaders will push this week for a U.N. Security Council resolution as Iran defiantly stated it will not stop uranium enrichment programs." Another source with a different photo is here: "Iran nuclear face-off nears," http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002960279_iran29.html
2. http://library.nps.navy.mil/home/tgp/mek.htm
3. http://antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=1798
4. http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=%5CCommentary%5Carchive%5C200305%5CCOM20030520a.html


With the recent publication of Michael Horton's For Calvinism, along with Roger Olson's reply Against Calvinism—both with Zondervan (2011)—the Calvinism/Arminianism debate has once again been vaulted front and center in evangelical circles. Horton and Olson are theologians, of course, and their exchange is carried out on that level. Philosophers rarely get invited into this 'conversation'. They more or less have to push their way in, as Jerry Walls did in his Why I am Not a Calvinist (IVP, 2004). Though of course many Christians are Calvinists, scarcely any Christian philosophers are. No doubt there are many reasons for this. As Christian philosophers, here's how we look at the issue.
Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly (Leviticus 19:15).
Notice how Moses—not exactly a novice in legal matters—contrasts perverting justice with judging fairly. You pervert justice (i.e., act unjustly) when you fail to judge fairly. Fair enough. Why then is it unfair and a perversion of justice to show partiality to the poor and favoritism to the great? The answer, quite plainly, is that the properties of being poor and being great are entirely irrelevant so far as judging between individuals (say, in moral or legal contexts) is concerned. An individual's socio-economic status isn't in itself relevant to a moral or legal assessment of his person or situation.
LP1: It is unjust or unfair to favor A over B in context C, if your basis for doing so is C-irrelevant.
LP2: It is just or fair to favor A over B in context C only if your basis for doing so is C-relevant.
It is unjust or unfair of Prof. Franks to favor Jack's paper over Jill's paper in an academic context, if his basis for doing so is academically irrelevant (e.g., one attends the professor's church; the other doesn't).
It is unjust or unfair of an employer to favor one job applicant over another in a work context, if his basis for doing so is irrelevant to the work to be done (e.g., one is white; the other isn't).
It is unjust or unfair of a pastor to favor one person over another in a church leadership context, if his basis for doing so is spiritually irrelevant (e.g., one man is "wearing a gold ring and fine clothes"; the other is a "poor man in shabby clothes" [James 2:2]).
It is unjust or unfair of Isaac to favor Esau over Jacob in a parent-child context, if his basis for doing so is parent-child irrelevant (e.g., Isaac has "a taste for wild game" [Gen 25:28]; and only Esau is skilled at hunting and preparing wild game [27:3-4]).
It is unjust or unfair of Jacob to favor Joseph over his other sons in a parent-child context, if his basis for doing so is parent-child irrelevant (e.g., that Joseph "had been born to him in his old age" [Gen 37:3]).
It's a pretty solid principle, isn't it? It's biblical (not secular or worldly). Further, you can see that we consistently assume it when we denounce various things as unjust or unfair. Is there, perhaps, also an application of the Leviticus Principle to the differential dispensing of irresistible grace?
There is. First recall that according to the Calvinist story, God gives irresistible grace to some (the elect) but not others (the non-elect). If that's the case, then some individuals are shown favor that others are not. The question at once arises: Is this just or fair? Notice that in asking this question, we're not asking whether it is just of God to punish those who deserve it. Of course it is. Nor are we asking whether it is generous of God to bestow grace on those who don't deserve it. It most surely is. Rather, we are asking whether it is just or fair for these two (spiritually) qualitatively identical groups—i.e., the elect and the non-elect—to be treated differently.
(3) It is permissible that (P & Q)?
Surely not. For the inference from (1) and (2) to (3) has a logical form that is notoriously invalid. No deontic logician we know of would get within a mile of it. Here's a little counterexample to show why. Perhaps we'd all agree that it's alright to drink. We'd probably also agree that it's alright to drive. But it hardly follows that it's alright to drink and drive. (The individual permissibility of distinct conjuncts doesn't entail the permissibility of their conjunction.) What this shows is that the logical form of the argument is invalid, in which case the Calvinist can't just assume that (3) is true since (1) and (2) are.
But there is a further, truly fatal difficulty. The Calvinist proponent of (3) faces the following dilemma. Either God has a basis for his differential treatment of the elect and non-elect or he doesn't. If there is no basis, then God's decision to award irresistible grace to the one but not the other of these groups is wholly arbitrary; in which case God is a reckless, unprincipled decision-maker–a conclusion which is at once both manifestly unfair (to the non-elect) and theologically appalling. If you don't think it's appalling, just ask yourself how you'd like it if your professor used a similar method to grade your term paper. Without a doubt, this horn of the dilemma is squarely on the broad road leading to destruction.
Well, let's suppose instead that God does have a basis for his differential treatment of these groups. Then according to the Leviticus Principle, it must be contextually relevant. Now the context for giving or withholding irresistible grace is spiritual or salvific. Therefore, according to LP2, it will be just or fair for God to favor the elect over the non-elect only if God's basis for doing so is a spiritually relevant one. By hypothesis, however, there is absolutely no spiritually relevant difference between the elect and the non-elect: they are all dead in their sins; they are all incapable of recommending themselves to God. On this horn of the dilemma, then, God has favored the elect but on a purely context irrelevant basis. By LP2, therefore, he has acted unjustly.
It does little good to reply that the basis for the favoritism is a mystery hidden in God's being. For all that means is that God hasn't revealed it. Were he to do so, we would of course discover what that particular reason is. But whatever it is, we already know up front that it will be spiritually irrelevant to the differential treatment. Thus the heart of the problem stems not from what we don't know about God's basis or reason, but rather from what we already do know about it.
It follows logically and inescapably that God's treatment of the elect and non-elect is either arbitrary and unprincipled or it's contextually irrelevant. Either way, the unhappy outcome is that God has unfairly and unjustly favored some with irresistible grace while withholding it from others. But given the Leviticus Principle, the elect and non-elect should have (i) all received an installment of irresistible grace, or (ii) no one of them received an installment of irresistible grace. That's what biblical justice or fairness demands. And since God, if he exists, is essentially just and fair, but Calvinism implies that he's not, it follows that Calvinism actually entails atheism: the non-existence of God. That's why we're not Calvinists; it's because we're theists.
1. Objection: "Note the word, 'Consequently', in the last sentence. In this context it appears to mean: 'they are damned because they did not receive prevenient grace'. But surely this is not what Scripture teaches" (Craig Carter, "In Defense of Calvinism" [link]).
Reply: In this connection, it's important to distinguish between causes and conditions. To say that the damnation (D) of the non-elect is a consequence of God's withholding of IG does not mean that W is the (active) cause of D. What it means, rather, is only that W is a sufficient condition for D. Think, e.g., of what Paul says in 2 Thess 3:10—"The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat." Here not eating is a consequence of not working. This isn't to say, of course, that refraining from work causes the state of affairs of not eating. Nevertheless, it is a sufficient condition for it; for if you are unwilling to work, then you shall not eat. And the thing to see is that a person can be morally accountable for his refrainings when they are sufficient for (forseen) bad states of affairs that could have been prevented by refraining from refraining (i.e., by doing something). One thinks here of the Levite's response to the man beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the road to Jericho (cf. Luke 10:30-37). The application to Calvin's deity, who passes by the terrible plight of the non-elect, is patent.
2. For additional philosophical difficulties with Calvinism, see William Lane Craig's "Troubled by Calvinists" (ReasonableFaith.org), his debate "Does God Exist?" (with Antony Flew), and Alexander Pruss' "Consequence Argument Against Calvinism," (23 Nov 2010). For a conjecture on why Calvinism isn't popular among Christian philosophers, even those who style themselves as Calvinists, see Keith DeRose, "Calvinism—A Report ('All's Quiet') From the Philosophy Front." On the possibility of being an Arminian Calvinist, see Alvin Plantinga's email correspondence (16 Aug 2008) with Mike Almeida reported on Prosblogion here. Our colleage, James Pedlar, has some perceptive comments about divine predestination here and here.
Craig Carter, "In Defense of Calvinism," The Bayview Review (16 Dec 2011).
William Lane Craig, "Does God Exist?" Debate with Antony Flew.
James Pedlar, "John Wesley on Predestination" (16 Feb 2012).
Alexander Pruss, "Consequence Argument Against Calvinism," AlexanderPruss.Blogspot.com (23 Nov 2010).
This entry was posted in Bible & Theology and tagged Calvinism, Leviticus Principle, Tyndale Philosophy.


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Start Up Loans partners with the Open University to offer a range of free business learning courses
The partnership offers a tailored set of courses aimed at new, established and aspiring businesspeople
The government-backed Start Up Loans scheme has partnered with world-renowned distance-learning provider The Open University to give its customers – and other small business owners across the UK – the opportunity to take free Open University business learning courses.
At a moment of significant upheaval for the UK's start-ups, the partnership aims to help businesses get off the ground by giving them the confidence and training they need to take their ideas to the next level.
The online courses can be accessed easily by visiting the Start Up Loans website and have been designed to suit all needs and paces of learning, from introductory to intermediate to advanced. Depending on the level of study, the courses take six, 10 or 30 hours to complete.
In partnership with experts at The Open University (OU), Start Up Loans has also curated a set of courses designed specifically to help entrepreneurs understand the fundamentals of running a business. Hosted on the OU's OpenLearn platform, these courses focus on areas such as career and leadership; finance and accounting; marketing and commercial awareness; and project management.
Helping aspiring business owners who would otherwise struggle to access finance has always been an integral part of the Start Up Loans offering, in addition to its low-interest loans of between £5,000 and £25,000.
In fact, of the people who received a loan since 2012, 31,036 (40%) were women, more than 15,000 (20%) were people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities (BAME) and 20,600 (27%) were unemployed when they applied for the loan, reflecting the diversity of the UK start up community.
The courses will build on the existing mentoring support package, including resources on the 'Learn with Start UP Loans' hub, the scheme offers all its customers whilst they are preparing to bring their business ideas to life.
Richard Bearman, managing director of Start Up Loans, said:
"The offer of ongoing support and guidance, free of charge, has always been the guiding principle that separates Start Up Loans from other finance options available to aspiring small business owners.
"Amid the current uncertainty small business owners face, additional advice and training is needed more urgently than ever. We are extremely proud of our partnership with The Open University to provide the UK start-up community with expert guidance to support their essential contribution to the British economy."
Jane Roberts, Head of OpenLearn at The Open University, said:
"OpenLearn is delighted to be able to play a role in supporting the UK's entrepreneurs and small businesses through this new partnership. The range of free courses we are able to offer are designed to fit around working life and will hopefully help many to not only survive through these difficult times, but to emerge stronger and able to thrive in the future."
Start Up Loans recognises that, during this difficult economic period, it is more vital than ever to provide longer-term support options and advice to all the UK's small business owners, in a safe, online format.
As well as the partnership and its pre-loan support and mentoring package, Start Up Loans has published a series of guides on important areas of business including social media, marketing and SEO. The guides, which can be downloaded free of charge from the Start Up Loans website, are designed to ensure business owners of all stripes have the resources they need to build and grow a successful business.