text:
Q: OWIN and Katana, why decouple the application from the server? I dont quite get this.. sure its cool to be able to self-host an application and it might be nice since if the IIS goes down for any reason... then all your sites goes down.. but if they are self-hosted then they live there own life in there own context.. which I guess is nice..
But i still dont get the pros of this.. do I skip alot of unnecessary things in the IIS pipe by using owin which speeds the application up, or.. whats the actual pros? (you dont need to list all of them if they are many :), but just so I get why you would like to use OWIN and Katana over the IIS)
Thanks in advance!

A: Your question is valid.
You are probably mostly thinking of web facing web servers. Serving HTML (or json or websockets) can be used for so much more.
I use Nancy instead of IIS because I have a small application that I only want to reach from the inside while IIS is outward facing. Also - if a machine doesn't have IIS I don't have to install it.
Say you run OSX or *nix. Then you can have a very good language and ditto editor and run a simple web server on Mono.
Say you are using a micro controller like Netduino - IIS doesn't fit on it. I doubt Nancy runs there either - but you get the idea; not everything needs a 24 wheeler to haul data.
Say you are automating your house with a Win machine as heart and center. Now, do you really want to install IIS which does godsknowwhat or does it suffice with as little as possible?
If the automated house above is your pet F/OSS project and you are heavy on automated testing. Nancy is well known for that.
Another example take from the near-reality of mine. I have a snow flake server running an outdated Umbraco CMS. I put my soft gloves on before I touch this machine and only so gently.
If I need another web or json server on it Nancy would do the least possible imprint.
The OWIN argument is stale though as Microsoft seems to have Katana more or less out the door.
HTH

A: A OWIN and Katana overview from MS provides -- historical background and reasoning behind both projects can be found here:
http://www.asp.net/aspnet/overview/owin-and-katana/an-overview-of-project-katana
To summarize from the article:
OWIN: Its goal is not to be the next Web framework, but rather a specification for how Web frameworks and Web servers interact.
Project Katana: The Katana project represents the set of OWIN components that, while still open source, are built and released by Microsoft. These components include both infrastructure components, such as hosts and servers, as well as functional components, such as authentication components and bindings to frameworks such as SignalR and ASP.NET Web API.  Katana brings many of the benefits of Node.js (and frameworks like it) -- the simplicity with which one could author and run a Web server -- without forcing the developer to throw out everything she knows about developing ASP.NET Web applications.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This book begins by dropping us right in the middle of the problems faced by rancher Clay Tennant. Clay's brother Frank has inherited the family ranch following their father's death, leaving Clay with only a single section of land where he's trying to build up a herd. Naturally, this results in a lot of friction between the brothers. On the side, Clay works for Parr Battles and Ed Blount, owners of the Trans-Mountain Cattle and Land Company, which provides beef for the Indian reservations in the area. But Battles and Blount are involved in a crooked deal with the Indian agent, and Clay's brother Frank is part of it. When Clay finds out about it, the conspirators take action to see that he can't ruin their scheme. Almost before Clay knows what's going on, he finds himself framed for rustling and then murder. The rest of this book concerns his efforts to extricate himself from this deadly situation, while also being torn between his beautiful but selfish fiancee and the neighboring rancher's daughter (also beautiful, but tomboyish) who has always secretly loved him.
I really went back and forth in my reactions to this book. After getting off to a nice running start, the plot then takes forever to develop, and many of the elements, such as the romantic triangle, are stereotypical and predictable, even allowing for the time period. A couple of other minor annoyances, both relating to the women, are that except for a slight variation in hair color, they're described in almost the same words, and Fluharty has a habit of referring to their "small faces", which bothered me for some reason.
However, the action scenes are well-handled, and during the second half of the book, Fluharty succeeds in creating some genuine suspense regarding the outcome. He tightens the screws so much on his hero that I really had to wonder how Clay was going to get out of his troubles. The resolution is maybe a little far-fetched, but believable enough that I bought it. I wound up enjoying the second half of the book enough to more than balance out its predictability and lapses in style.
Somehow, I don't think many of the current reviewers for the New York Times use expressions like "from soda to hock".
If there's a "mercurial lass" in the story, I'm interested!


Pacific Domes in Ashland, Ore., sells kits for geodesic domes that can serve as family dwellings, guest houses, greenhouses or playground equipment. They are also used as temporary enclosures at events and trades shows.
Pacific Domes rents domes for special events. The domes provide a built-in media projection screen and natural acoustics.
Geodesic domes can be open to natural light, creating a sense of being closer to nature.
With a swimming pool, this geodesic dome is on the fancier side.
Pacific Domes' structures are engineered with steel frames that can withstand heavy snow, hurricane winds--and big crowds.
Several geodesic domes served as game venues at Microsoft's Zero Hour launch event for the Xbox 360, which took place in the Mojave Desert in November.
Geodesic domes can serve as family dwellings, greenhouses, playgrounds and more.


Susan is the executive director of Plays-In-Progress, a Eureka, California, theatre company dedicated to developing new work. In that position since 1988, she writes a play a season as well as directs.
Susan has written a number of plays including Rose Colored Glass and Whispering Silence, which was presented in May. She collaborates with New York City-based director Janice Goldberg.
Windows, which The StoryLine Project presented in its fall 2000 reading series, is an early work and has won a number of awards, including Love Creek Women's Festival and has participated in the Samuel French One-Act Play competition.


text:
Definition of General de gaulle
1. Noun. French general and statesman who became very popular during World War II as the leader of the Free French forces in exile (1890-1970).
Exact synonyms: Charles Andre Joseph Marie De Gaulle, Charles De Gaulle, De Gaulle, General Charles De Gaulle
Generic synonyms: Full General, General, National Leader, Solon, Statesman
Lexicographical Neighbors of General De Gaulle
Gene Sarazen
Gene Tunney
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
General American
General Baptist
General Charles de Gaulle
General Custer
General Packet Radio Service
General Security Services
General Tso's chicken
General de Gaulle
Genetta
Genetta genetta
Geneva gown
Geneva lens measure
Geneva mechanism
Geneva mechanisms
Geneva wheel
Literary usage of General de gaulle
1. Adventure Guide to St. Martin & St. Barts by Lynne M. Sullivan (2003)
"Hermes, Rue du General de Gaulle/Plaza Caraibes, -a 590-87-28-48. Silk scarfs and ties, ... Beauty and Scents, Rue du General de Gaulle, tr 590-87-58-77. ..."
2. Adventure Guide by Heather Stimmler-Hall (2004)
"Bisson: 1 Rue du General de Gaulle, Rambouillet, tr 01 34 83 23 82. French-Norwegian (€€€). Closed Sunday night. Nordic and French dishes, such as Canard a ..."
3. An Almanack for the Year of Our Lord by Joseph Whitaker (1869)
"President Coty warned the nation that it was on the brink of civil war and invited General de Gaulle to form a Government. ..."
4. NATO's Future: Toward a New Transatlantic Bargain by Stanley R. Sloan (1995)
"Harlan Cleveland, US Ambassador to NATO at the time, recalls, "President Johnson, whose private references to General de Gaulle stretched his considerable ..."
5. NATO in the Fifth Decade by Keith Dunn, Stephen Flanagan (1992)
"While General de Gaulle never forgot that France's dual strategy—of affording the independent nuclear deterrent and a reasonable conventional ..."
6. Mitterrand Legacy and the Future of French Security Policy by Ronald Tiersky (1996)
"... this pessimistic American view of France was put forward by Harry Hopkins, FDR's emissary in discussions with General de Gaulle just prior to Yalta, ..."
Definitions of General de gaulle
General de gaulle Pictures

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Hello AaA Fans and welcome to the next 'cast in the Amps and Axes continuum. In this installment the guys speak with a guitar builder ,whose acoustic guitars utilize a revolutionary string mounting system, but this is just the tip of the iceberg for this innovator. He has created successful, well known products for some of the biggest players in the music industry, such as Seymour Duncan and Fishman, so fire up the speakers or don the ear buds and please welcome Frank Falbo of Falbo Guitars. Enjoy!!


text:
5 Reasons Some Christians Believe the Biblical End Times Are Upon Us
"Nation will rise against nation."
Our culture has become increasingly captivated by apocalyptic themes and storylines, with a plethora of popular TV shows and feature films embracing zombies, plagues and other terrifying end of days scenarios.
But the idea of a future Armageddon-like scenario isn't merely reserved for fictional entertainment plots, as the concept is deeply embedded in Christian theology, impacting the way believers have read and interpreted biblical scripture over the past two millennia.
In fact, many contemporary theologians and pastors believe they're observing numerous signs in the current culture that mirror the supposedly prophetic contents of scriptures in Old and New Testament books like Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation.
What has convinced these theologians and pastors that the end times could be ramping up? That's a question I covered in-depth in my book, "The Armageddon Code," through interviews with about 20 of the most prevalent eschatology experts.
Many of these theologians and pastors told me that sweeping moral decay, biblical disconnectedness and ongoing violence in the Middle East are just a few of the prophetic markers that they believe were foretold thousands of years ago in both the Old and New Testaments. But how can Christian leaders be so sure that the biblical end times are approaching?
Holy Bible. France. (Photo by: Godong/UIG via Getty Images)
Jesus himself foretold of his future Second Coming. The problem? Christ also proclaimed in Matthew 24:36 that "no one knows" the day or the hour of his return. While the Bible proclaims that humanity cannot know the "when," Jesus did reveal to the disciples some of signs of his second coming in Matthew 24:6-8:
"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed … Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains."
Surely war has always been with us, though the 20th — and 21st century thus far — have seen broader and more sweeping world wars that involve many nations, with the contemporary battle against Islamic terror crossing international borders. So, let's dive in:
1) Chaos in the Middle East: With all this in mind, the first sign that has some Bible scholars positing that the world is either in or is rapidly approaching the end times is the ramped-up chaos in the Middle East. In recent years, the situation in the region has been raising more than a few eyebrows, as the seemingly never-ending tensions between Israel and her neighbors continue to intensify.
2) The Islamic State: But that's only a slice of the chaos that's been raging there, as the Islamic State's murderous and bloodthirsty quest for power forging on. Taking those events into account, many Bible experts will point out that some of the battles described in scripture — clashes that they believe are still unfulfilled — are slated to take place in the Middle East.
Many of the experts I interviewed for "The Armageddon Code" couldn't help but wonder if the groundwork is currently being set for the fulfillment of the "Gog" and "Magog" battles that are referenced in the books of Ezekiel and Revelation — a controversial concept that I address in detail in the book.
3) Israel's Re-Emergence: That brings me to the next modern-day phenomenon that has piqued the interest of Bible experts: the 1948 re-emergence of Israel after a Jewish state was noticeably absent from the map for nearly 1,900 years.
Here's why that matters: futurists who see many Bible prophecies as being currently unfulfilled believe that the Old and New Testament scriptures consistently predicted that a state of Israel would once again emerge at some point in the future.
Consider that Ezekiel 36:24, which was written 2,500 years ago, includes the following words that are attributed to God: "For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land."
Futurists believe that the Old Testament verses clearly reference a future restoration of Israel that was unlike anything that unfolded prior to the end of the Holocaust and World War II. Modern-day Israel is seen by these theologians and pastors as a "super sign" of the end of days events to come.
"I cannot fathom how this modern-day prophetic fulfillment—a 'super sign' of the end times—can be ignored," author Jeff Kinley, who takes a futurist approach, told me in interviews for "The Armageddon Code."
Other experts, though, would counter that this verse, among others, related to the Babylonian captivity during which the Jews were forcefully taken by King Nebuchadnezzar II and were held in Babylonia after being expelled from Judah following its conquest around 597 BC. — and not to the 1948 re-creation of Israel.
Persian leader Cyrus the Great later permitted the Jews to head back to their land in 538 BC, which could be perceived as a fulfillment of those prophecies, though the temple and Jerusalem again came under assault by the Romans in 70 AD, leaving the Jews scattered throughout the world for centuries.
4) Shifts in Morality: The third issue that is sparking intrigue about the world's proximity to the end times is the fact that American culture is changing at a rapid rate, with traditional understandings of marriage and gender transforming, as a more progressive view on sexuality takes root.
From the Supreme Court's legalization of gay marriage last summer to the current transgender debate — including the Obama administration's recent directive that public schools allow students to use the bathrooms that correspond to their self-perceived gender — there's a sense among many that immorality is intensifying.
5). The Spread of the Gospel: Last but not least is the idea that the Christian gospel continues to be preached in even the most remote and hard-to-reach geographic areas throughout the world. This matters to many Bible experts due to the fact that Christ, after his resurrection, gave the disciples the commandment in Matthew 28:19 to "go and make disciples of all nations." Jesus also mentioned this preaching of scripture throughout the world earlier in the Book of Matthew as a sign of the end times.
"This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come," Christ said in Matthew 24:14.
So, there you have it: just a few of the reasons why some Christian leaders believe that the biblical end times are approaching, though, as I document in the book, the debate over prophecy can be a heated one. Why does this matter, you ask?
Whether or not you believe in the Bible or, more specifically, in end-times prophecy, understanding what so many Christians believe and why they believe it helps provide a lens through which all of us — atheist and believer, alike — can better see how certain viewpoints have been formed. Find out more about "The Armageddon Code."


text:
The International Competition Network at Ten
This publication brings together a number of essays on the origins, accomplishments and aspirations of the ICN by leading competition agency officials, private sector lawyers, and academics. This compilation of their factual, analytical and critical essays offers valuable insights into the functioning of the ICN, its accomplishments, its key-success factors, the obstacles it has faced, and possible future directions. It offers a wealth of information and insights for private practitioners and competition agency officials, as well as government officials and academics.
Paul Lugard
boek | verschenen | 1e editie
mei 2011 | xvi + 424 blz.
Since its inception in 2001, the International Competition Network (ICN) has achieved remarkable results. Currently uniting 114 competition authorities from both developed and developing countries, the ICN has contributed significantly to the harmonization and convergence of global procedural and substantive antitrust law and policy.
The ICN substantially contributes to increasing international cooperation in the field of cartels and to a more uniform treatment of anticompetitive unilateral conduct by dominant companies. Moreover, the ICN has stimulated competition authorities to streamline procedures and build up capacity, resources, and knowledge to adequately review mergers in a multi-jurisdictional environment.
This publication brings together a number of essays on the origins, accomplishments and aspirations of the ICN by leading competition agency officials, private sector lawyers, and academics. This compilation of their factual, analytical and critical essays offers valuable insights into the functioning of the ICN, its accomplishments, its key-success factors, the obstacles it has faced, and possible future directions. As such, this collection offers a wealth of information and insights for private practitioners and competition agency officials, as well as government officials and academics.
This collection represents not only a testimony to the contribution the ICN has already made to national and international competition policy practice, but is also an expression of our confidence that the ICN will continue to do so for many years to come.
De individuele hoofdstukken zijn (nog) niet beschikbaar.
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Regulation of Cross-Border Establishment in China and the EU
Guang Shen
A Conceptual Analysis of European Private International Law
Felix M. Wilke
Realising the Right to Water and Sanitation in Nigeria
Kasim Balarabe
Annotated Leading Cases of International Criminal Tribunals - volume 54
André Klip, Steven Freeland


Analog Devices' step-down dc-dc µModule regulator includes a switching regulator controller, power switches, and inductor.
Analog Devices' Power by Linear LTM8002 is a step-down dc-dc µModule (power module) regulator with a 40-V input voltage rating (42 V abs max) and 2.5 A of continuous (3.5 A peak) output current, housed in a 6.25- × 6.25- × 2.22-mm BGA package. The LTM8002 includes a switching regulator controller, power switches, inductor, and other supporting components.
The LTM8002's pinout is FMEA (failure mode effects analysis) compliant. Therefore, in the event of short-circuit to GND, short-circuit to a neighboring pin, or if the pin is left floating, the output voltage safely stays at or below the regulated voltage, says the company. The maximum junction temperature of the H grade is 150°C and I grade is 125°C. The LTM8002 H grade can deliver 2.8 A of output current up to 105°C ambient without a heat sink or airflow under the 12 VIN to 5 VOUT condition.
The switching frequency is adjustable with a resistor or can be synchronized to an external clock from 200 kHz to 3 MHz to avoid interference by operating the device in or out of a system's specific frequency or frequency range. The LTM8002 has four modes: burst mode operation, pulse-skipping mode, pulse-skipping mode with spread spectrum mode, and external synchronization mode.
The output voltage is adjustable with one resistor from 0.97 to 18 V or fixed at 3.3 V. This wide output voltage range provides the versatility of using one product to generate common system bus voltages of 3.3, 5, 12, and 15 V.
The LTM8002 is operational from −40°C to 150°C.


text:
Solanum heterodoxum est une espèce de plantes herbacées du genre Solanum de la famille de Solanaceae originaire d'Amérique du Nord (sud-ouest des États-Unis, Mexique).

Cette plante est l'un des hôtes primaires du doryphore de la pomme de terre.

Distribution
L'aire de répartition de Solanum heterodoxum  s'étend du sud-ouest de Nouveau-Mexique et du sud-est de l'Arizona aux États-Unis jusqu'à l'État de Veracruz au Mexique. Cette aire est en fait disjointe, interrompue dans sa partie centrale par le désert de Chihuahua.

Liste des variétés
Selon  :
 variété Solanum heterodoxum var. heterodoxum
 variété Solanum heterodoxum var. novomexicanum
 variété Solanum heterodoxum var. setigeroides

Notes et références

Liens externes

Espèce d'Angiospermes (nom scientifique)
Solanum

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


• Relaxing on a long beach with golden sand, crystalline water and diversified underwater flora and fauna, Nha Trang is truly an ideal place for your vacation with many interesting discovery activities.
• Best travel time is from January to August in dry season. Wet season starts from September to December.
Arrive in Cam Ranh, transfer to Nha Trang city by car. Free time for relaxing and swimming on stunning private beach. Free to discover the city in the evening. Overnight in Nha Trang.


text:
MHRD has taken steps to transform the education sector:
The Government has initiated the process of formulating a New Education Policy. The policy aims to meet the changing dynamics of the requirements of the population with regard to quality education, innovation, and research.
In the year 2019, Dr. K Kasturirangan Committee submitted the Draft National Education Policy to the ministry. The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) took a leap forward in transforming the education sector with the motto of Education for All and Quality Education.
The programs mentioned in the draft launched by MHRD:
♦ MHRD has launched the Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Program, DHRUV, to identify and encourage talented children to enrich their skills and knowledge.
♦ It also launched the National Initiative for School Heads` and Teachers` Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) to improve learning outcomes at the elementary level through an Integrated Teacher Training Programme.
♦ MHRD launched many other new schemes in the Higher Education Department to boost research and Innovation culture in the country.
♦ Department of Higher Education of HRD Ministry has finalized and released a five-year vision plan named Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP). SWAYAM 2.0, Deeksharambh and PARAMARSH are other major schemes of the Department of Higher Education launched in 2019.
♦ Also, under the Samagra Shiksha programme a total of 5930 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas have been sanctioned in the country out of which 4881 such schools are operational. An outlay of over Rs.800 crore has been approved under sports grants for over 10 lakh government schools of different categories.
Chandigarh railway station gets navigation facilities for visually impaired:
Navigation facilities for visually impaired was inaugurated at Chandigarh railway station in Punjab on 5 January 2020. This facility has been introduced by the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation through Bengaluru-based NGO Anuprayaas. Chandigarh is the fifth Railway station in the country and first in North India to have this facility.
This move aims to help visually impaired passengers to know about the passenger amenities at the Chandigarh Railway Station. The railway station is installed with Braille Tactile Map, signages for all the facilities and offices on the premise like Enquiry, Station Manager, waiting rooms, lifts, and toilets, etc.
With these applications, visually impaired people can identify these facilities independently. This will reduce the common challenges faced by visually impaired people at railway stations like missing trains because of wrong guidance. It will empower them to travel independently.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls for suggestions ahead of Union Budget 2020-2021:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited people to share their ideas and suggestions for this year's Union Budget on MyGov. in.The Union Budget represents the aspirations of 130 crore Indians and lays out the path towards India's development.
President Ram Nath Kovind lays foundation stone to Lakshadweep`s first Super Specialty Hospital at Kavaratti:
President Ram Nath Kovind laid foundation stone to Lakshadweep`s first Super Specialty Hospital at Kavaratti on 7 Janaury, 2020.President who is on two days visit to the union territory assured special focus for the development of Lakshadweep and directed Lakshadweep Administrator to give special attention for the completion of Super Specialty Hospital.Lakshadweep Administrator Dineshwar Sharma received the President at Agatti Airport. After the ceremonial reception, the President reached Kavaratti.President received guard of honour from a joint group of 160 different forces.
At the event in Kavaratti, President congratulated Rahmath Begum, the only woman who won Padmashri from Lakshadweep. He extended new year wishes and invited the people of Lakshadweep to visit Rashtrapati Bhavan.President reached Bangaram island of Lakshadweep, this evening. After spending a full day at Bangaram, he will return to Kochi on 9 January, 2020 and leave for New Delhi on the same day.


Posted on February 3, 2015, in Federal Politics and tagged Abbott Government, Australian politics, Coalition, Dennis Jensen, Jane Prentice, leadership, leadership spill, leadership transition, Liberal Party, LNP, Mal Brough, Tony Abbott, Warren Entsch. Bookmark the permalink.	Leave a comment.


text:
Editorial: Just one case of polio is a global threat
By Bloomberg Opinion | Tuesday, November 1, 2022, 12:05 a.m.
Few Americans remember when polio-stricken children relied on seven-foot-long iron cylinders to breathe. At its peak in early 1950s, polio caused more than 15,000 cases of paralysis a year and over 3,000 deaths in the U.S. alone. In the decades that followed, a massive vaccination campaign nearly eradicated the disease from the globe. Now, a perfect storm of factors has made polio a threat once again. Eliminating the virus is still possible, but only if global leaders shake off their complacency.
Polio is a highly contagious, sometimes debilitating disease that primarily affects children under five. It passes from feces to the mouth via unwashed hands or contaminated food or drink. While most cases are asymptomatic or cause symptoms similar to the common flu, permanent paralysis is possible. Polio can be fatal when breathing muscles stop working.
In 1988, 350,000 cases of polio were recorded in 125 countries. Today, polio is endemic in just two — Afghanistan and Pakistan — and cases of wild polio dwindled to 29 so far this year. By many measures, such results qualify as a resounding success. For polio, however, even one case is a serious global threat.
The latest outbreak in the U.S. is a case in point. This summer, a previously healthy, unvaccinated young adult from Rockland County, New York, was paralyzed after getting infected by a mutated strain. The U.S. hasn't had a case of wild polio since 1979.
While only one case has been recorded so far, 70 positive samples of paralytic or illness-inducing polio have shown up in nearby sewage testing, according to the most recent data. Experts estimate for each case of paralytic polio, hundreds if not thousands of others are infected without symptoms, which means the virus can spread for months before it's detected.
Polio's spread isn't worrying for the fully vaccinated. But longstanding vaccine hesitancy in certain communities, the rise of misinformation and the deferral of routine treatments post-COVID has created pockets of vulnerability. While more than 92% of the U.S. population has been vaccinated for polio, that figure drops to 60% in Rockland County. In one ZIP code, the rate is just 37%.
Unlike many other diseases, eradicating polio is scientifically possible. The challenge is mustering the will. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a five-year campaign to reach 370 million children annually, aimed to raise $4.8 billion in a drive last week. It secured a little more than half that amount, which included $1.2 billion from Bill Gates. (Bloomberg Philanthropies is a regular donor to GPEI.) Key contributors such as the UK have cut back because of shrinking budgets and competing priorities. Even Gates, while affirming his commitment, said it might not be "forever."
This is troubling. Research has shown that even a small decrease in the intensity of immunization can lead to large outbreaks. Getting much-needed funding to close the vaccination gap is essential, particularly in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan, where health workers not only face vaccine aversion, but mass migration, flooding, political instability and poor nutrition, which requires more dosing. India's success overcoming similar hurdles shows that eradication is possible.
Increased surveillance is also key. New York is ramping up its wastewater testing and encouraging more liberal screening of unvaccinated patients in certain counties. Still, testing and sequencing is conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which can create bottlenecks. Expanding the CDC's capacity would quicken local officials' response time, a critical need if the virus spreads to other parts of the country.
For years, polio seemed to be on the brink of eradication. No longer. Only through sustained investment can the world protect millions of children from a devastating yet entirely avoidable disease.
Editorial: Democrats disconnected from voters' concerns
Commentary: The health of our nation's health care system is under attack


text:
#ifndef __EXECUTOR_PROTO_HPP__
#define __EXECUTOR_PROTO_HPP__

// NOTE: This header only becomes valid after running protoc
// and generating the equivalent .ph.h files
// See: src/messages/mesos.proto
#include <executor/executor.pb.h>

#endif // __EXECUTOR_PROTO_HPP__

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Why Choose Ray White Projects?
Ray White Adelaide Group has three office's in South Australia and is the largest real estate group in Australasia. Our team is committed to achieving the best results on your behalf, while providing quality service. You'll be happy you chose Ray White Adelaide Group.


text:
Morkůvky (Duits: Morkuwek) is een Tsjechische gemeente in de regio Zuid-Moravië, en maakt deel uit van het district Břeclav.
Morkůvky telt 460 inwoners (2006).

Gemeente in Břeclav


I can't hardly remember the last time I bought a mascara. I have been using mascaras given by my aunt and friend. I was contemplating on buying the In2it Balloon Mascara but when I saw the 30% off sign at Maybelline's counter, I dropped In2it's and hurriedly purchase this. Thankfully, I made a right choice!! I love this mascara. This is one of the few mascaras that made my lashes look longer and fuller. I have sparse and thin lashes. I asked my mom before if she cut my lashes when I just a baby to make it grow longer. ANd she said YES, that's why it never grew longer! Damn! I thought cutting your baby's lashes will make it longer. Ughhh!! This definitely did not work for me.
The brush looks like your ordinary mascara brush. Nothing fancy like the In2it Balloon Mascara.
I will definitely buy this mascara again. I hope Maybelline will not pull this out in the local market.
WOW! I didn't expect the effect to be that dramatic! :-) It looks great on you!
I am using this and i am in love with this!
Wow, this looks really amazing. I was going to buy this, but I still have to finish my other mascaras.
hi donna!! namiss ko mag comment hehe,ill try this mascara din.naubos na cats ko eh.hugs.godbless.hope well see each other sa ibang event...di ako nakaabot sa neutrogena sa work eh.


text:
Q: How to replace all squared brackets and commas using regex in java? Having next line:
String filtered = data.replaceAll("//[ /,]"," ");

where data is like to ["blahblah","blahblah"], but nothing good happens
How to remove all unnecessary symbols and get filtered like "blablah blahblah"?

A: Use this pattern:
"\\W+"

Online Demo

*

*" delimiter

*\ escapes \

*\W+ match one or more non-word character(s)

Full code:
String filtered = data.replaceAll("\\W+","");

A: If you want to have a space between words you need to replace , to " ":
String filtered = data.replaceAll("\\[|\\]|\"","");
filtered = filtered.replaceAll(","," ");

Now the output is "blahblah blahblah"


SWBFSpy by SWBFGamers - Multiplayer for Star Wars Battlefront 2 2005 for PC/PS2 and Star Wars Battlefront 2004 for PC/PS2. SWBFSpy is a much better multiplayer than the GoG/Steam multiplayer, and it is made by the Community. For information about SWBFSpy and how it works, as well as help with any problems/bugs with your games, feel free to join our Discord server or/and visit us at http://SWBFGamers.com -- for more information about SWBFSpy, feel free to also check; http://info.swbfgamers.com/downloads.html Enjoy! We look forward to seeing you there!


The Weber Genesis II E310 Premium.
The Weber Genesis II E310 A large three burner barbecue with Weber's all new GS4 cooking system, iGrill 3 and rotisserie included, fold down side shelf and a 10 year warranty. Available in gleaming black porcelain enamel with stainless steel trim.


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Last Post of Referendum: If you haven't yet voted, read this...
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CZr17HLH5U]
John Corcoran (ICTA) writes in an email: At 8.25 am yesterday morning Paul Krugman and John Corcoran spoke simultaneously on BBC radio and advised the Irish people to vote No in the Fiscal Treaty Referendum. John spoke on BBC radio ulster and Paul on BBC radio 4. Both are distinguished former students of the London School of Economics. Please join with John and Paul and ensure a No vote today. If you click on the podcast link... you can hear the interview.
John Corcoran, M.Sc. Economics London School of Economics and Political Science.
Spokesperson, Irish Commercial Tenants Association;
David McWilliams / Irish Independent - The fiscal treaty will only make things worse: The situation in the eurozone is not getting any better. The fiscal treaty, by imposing austerity on an already enfeebled economy, will make things worse, prompting more capital flight. Rolling the snowball down the hill is not an honest option.
Mightn't it be better to open the negotiations properly now?
Forpras Financial Solutions - Why vote NO to the Fiscal Stability Treaty? Why are our Irish politicians telling us to vote YES? Are you aware that the ESM (European Stability Mechanism) isn't even setup and yet Portugal, Spain and Greece need immediate bailing out? Where will all this funding come from? Well, more and more taxes will be needed to pay for all these bailouts and ofcourse the vicious circle of Ireland having to borrow to help bailout itself out and our partners. Every cent borrowed needs to be repaid with excessive interest rates. The government tells us not to worry as they have agreed with their collegues in the EU that we will be permitted to pay these loans over an extended timeframe. But nobody is agreeing to help reduce our debts or even write a portion off? Why? [...] It looks like Ireland and the Irish public will be left with mountains of debt. More and more Irish will be required to pay higher taxes (VAT 23%, property tax, water charges, higher car taxes, higher fuel taxes and the list goes on) resulting in the standard of living in Ireland falling, rising debt and a massive increase in the number of Irish unable to pay off their debts whether they be mortgages, credit cards, etc.
Vincent Browne / Politico.ie - We owe it to ourselves to oppose a trajectory that will vandalise society: I will vote No to express indignation with the cavalier disregard of the procedures and protocols of the European Union itself of the sovereignty of its member states, in the conduct of the leaders of the EU institutions and of Germany and France, in their insolence in interfering with the internal affairs of Greece and Italy, in their disregard for "democratic" procedures of the Union - even in the way this Fiscal Treaty came about.
I will vote No to defy the wishes of the German elite, which benefited so spectacularly from the emergence of the Eurozone and now makes modest redistribution of that generated wealth, conditional on adherence to its economic and budgetary diktats, diktats that disadvantage not only the mass of people throughout the rest of Europe but the mass of people in Germany itself.
I will vote No to give backbone to the government's dealings with the EU on the promissory notes and the other bank debt.
TEEU - the power union - TEEU Executive Committee Urges Members to Vote No to Austerity: The inevitable result would be a further contraction in the size of the economy – already decreased by over a quarter since 2008 – with an accompanying increase in unemployment and decrease in government revenue. As Nobel laureate Paul Krugman simply put it, austerity "pushes depressed economies deeper into depression". We, and others, have pointed out that a fiscal stimulus is what is required and have suggested, to no avail, a means of applying it.
EEU - the power union - Executive Committee Urges Members to Vote No to Austerity
The background
The (Fiscal) Austerity Treaty, which we will vote on..., is designed to tackle fiscal issues which were not an Irish problem, as we – unlike France and Germany - ran a fiscal surplus every year bar one between 1999 and 2007. It would employ severe austerity measures in order to ensure that we can continue to service the debts of the banks. This means cutting public spending, including infrastructural investment, selling off state assets, introducing new charges and levies and an acceleration of other measures that we are becoming increasingly familiar with.
The inevitable result would be a further contraction in the size of the economy – already decreased by over a quarter since 2008 – with an accompanying increase in unemployment and decrease in government revenue. As Nobel laureate Paul Krugman simply put it, austerity "pushes depressed economies deeper into depression". We, and others, have pointed out that a fiscal stimulus is what is required and have suggested, to no avail, a means of applying it.
How can we avoid this outcome?
As no Eurozone country can devalue, to ask each Eurozone country to balance the books by running an export surplus is empirically and logically impossible. The way out of the 'debt trap' is the same as the way out of recession: if the private sector won't invest, the public sector must become investor of the last resort. It doesn't matter whether new investment is financed by more government borrowing, quantitative easing or redistribution. What matters is growth, which brings jobs and increased government revenue.
Not through balanced budgets!
And, in a form of blackmail, loans from the yet to be ratified European Stability Mechanism (ESM) will be conditional on the adoption of the debt brake in the Austerity treaty! This requires the state to observe a balanced budget rule. Once the debt brake has come into full operation each state will be required in general to run their budgets in surplus or balance, and at a minimum to keep their structural deficit (a measure on which economists do not agree) below 0.5% of GDP.
Permanent Austerity
The debt brake in this treaty will lead to permanent austerity or as Angela Merkel put it, "The Fiscal Treaty is about inserting debt brakes permanently into national legal systems. They shall possess a binding and eternal validity".
No wonder Jack O'Connor told us that, "It would be disastrous for the Irish people to insert the terms of the Fiscal Treaty agreement into the Constitution".
And that's not all!
In addition, the Treaty also requires states to keep their overall government debt below 60% of GDP.
Those who have exceeded this target are required to reduce their debt by one twentieth each year. The Irish debt to GDP ratio will be somewhere in the region of 120% by the end of this year thanks in the main to the bank bailout. So, a reduction of 60% - or 3% of GDP per year - will be required. This alone will take up to a further €4.5bn out of the economy each year.
As pointed out, one of the main positions taken by the government in support of the Austerity Treaty is one of blackmail: vote Yes!, or there will be no money from the (ESM) when we need it - despite their continued mantra that another bailout will not be needed.
The government set us up!
When the ESM was agreed last July, there was no mention of Member States being forced to implement aggressive deficit limitation measures. However, in January 2012 the Heads of Government agreed to insert a blackmail clause into the ESM Treaty. This must have been done with the collaboration of the Irish government against the interests of the Irish people, as that insertion required unanimity and is now to be used to try to frighten us into voting YES!
But where can we get the money if we need it?
But even if we Vote NO on May 31st and we can't access the ESM, we are small but important for the EU financial system and so funds will be found elsewhere outside the ESM structures to lend to us, especially if, as the ESM says, they were: 'indispensable to safeguard the financial stability of the euro area as a whole' or to combat 'contagion!'
But we are also entitled to apply to the IMF, whose interest rates are more favourable than those of the EU/ECB! More EU countries have already accessed IMF support than EU support:
ie Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Estonia.
Remember, Sweden and Britain advanced loans at a favourable rate to supplement our first bail-out loan. Norway has a pension reserve fund of €500bn - and others- might be similarly inclined. In the unlikely event that we get no loans and must close the deficit we can institute a progressive taxation system and a wealth tax – having over 20,000 declared millionaires. Any remaining money required can be found through renegotiating foreign debt which, it is generally accepted, will have to be renegotiated anyway. In the meantime, EFSF funds are guaranteed to us until at least mid- 2013.
Even Michael Noonan says we're fine
Regardless of the Treaty vote, Michael Noonan, said recently,
"There is a commitment that if countries continue to fulfil the conditions of their programme the European authorities will continue to supply them with money even when the programme is concluded ... The commitment is now written in that if we are not back in the markets the European authorities will give us money until we get back in the markets";
a position confirmed by EU heads of state in on March 30th, while Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore at the recent Labour Party Conference reassured us that; 'We are on course to return to the markets in 2013'.
ICTU policy
A motion unanimously accepted at the last ICTU BDC called on 'those in authority, in both jurisdictions and at EU level, to accept the complete failure of the austerity recipe as a response to the economic challenge'. But, ultimately, as David Begg has correctly pointed out, "Permanent austerity means that the debt we have will become even more unsustainable and un-payable."
And that's why the TEEU Executive Committee is urging you to reject this treaty on May 31st.
VOTE NO TO AUSTERITY
FINAL UPDATE: Citizen's Campaign South East - Fiscal/Austerity Treaty Referendum, Public Meetings (Counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford)
Source: Oisin.org for your information (please note: People's Movement is a non-party organisation)
Confirmed in Bold
Events in Italic are under the banner of the Austerity Treaty Road Show
FINAL UPDATE: TUESDAY 29th May Wexford town
Wexford Sinn Féin @St Joseph's Community Centre, Bishopswater, Wexford Town
John Corcoran (Irish Commerical Tenants' Association)
Oisin Ó Conail (Co. Wexford Chairman of Sinn Féin)
Cllr Anthony Kelly (Sinn Féin)
Friday 4th May: Bridgetown
Wexford Sinn Féin @ AOH Hall, 8pm.
Kevin McCorry (People's Movement)
Oisin Ó Conail (Sinn Féin)
Saturday 5th May: Austerity Treaty Road Show, Wexford Town
(May Day Parade, Protest at SIPTU/Labour HQ)
Monday 7th May: Ballycullane
Wexford Sinn Féin @ Tintern GAA Complex, 8pm
Cllr Anthony Kelly (Sinn Féin),
Kevin McCorry (People's Movement) &
Saturday 12th May: Austerity Treaty Road Show, Ferns,Gorey
Monday 14th May: Enniscorthy
Riverside Park Hotel 8pm. Talk on Fiscal Treaty.
Joe Higgins (Socialist Party)
Tuesday 15th May: Gorey
Wexford Sinn Féin @ Loch Garman Arms, 8pm
Professor Anthony Coughlan (National Platform EU Research & Information Centre)
Fionntán Ó Suilleabheán (Sinn Féin)
Wednesday 16th May: Rosslare Harbour
Wexford Sinn Féin @ The Railway Club, 8pm
Thursday 17th May:
Wexford Sinn Féin @ Ballagh Community Centre, The Ballagh
Cllr Johnny Mythen (Sinn Féin)
others TBA
People's Movement at 8.00 p.m.Tower Hotel, Waterford
Patricia McKenna,
Kieren Allen,
Kevin McCorry
Saturday 19th May: Austerity Treaty Road Show, Bunclody, Enniscorthy
Tuesday 22th May:
Wexford Sinn Féin @ The Parish Pump, Rosbercon, New Ross
Emmett O'Connell (Financier, author of The Consequences of Monetary Union, 1972)
Dominic Gaughan (Firefighter)
People's Movement at 8.00 pm, Reddys Tullow Street, Carlow
Wednesday 23rd May:
People's Movement at 8.00, Club House, Patrick Street, Kilkenny
Wexford Sinn Féin @ St Senans Community Centre, Enniscorthy
Cllr Johnny Mythen (Sinn Féin),
People's Movement at 8.00, Park Hotel Dungarvan.
John Halligan TD,
Saturday 26th May: Austerity Treaty Road Show, Castlebridge, Wexford Town
People's Movement Meetings in the South East
17th May at 8.00 p.m.Tower Hotel, Waterford - Speakers: Patricia McKenna, Kieren Allen, Kevin McCorry
22nd May at 8.00 pm, Reddys Tullow Street, Carlow - Speakers: Patricia McKenna, Kevin McCorry, TBA
23rd May at 8.00, Club House, Patrick Street, Kilkenny - Speakers: Patricia McKenna, Kevin McCorry, TBA
24th May at 8.00, Park Hotel Dungarvan. - Speakers: Patricia McKenna, John Halligan TD, Kevin McCorry
Other meetings are planned and details will be announced in due course
People's Movement Referendum Campaign
Warning: Permanent Austerity Ahead!
The People's Movement has opened an office in central Dublin for the duration of the referendum campaign on the Permanent Austerity Treaty. The office is at 5 Cavendish Row, directly opposite the Gate Theatre.
We are near intersection of Parnell & O'Connell Streets
The result of this important referendum will have a major influence on this country and the welfare of its people.
So why not become involved? You don't have to be a treaty expert to deliver leaflets or put up posters—just a willing worker, and there are many more tasks in a campaign. It is a relatively easy way to participate in a process whose result will profoundly shape your future.
There are now only three weeks to go to polling day, and every effort, no matter how small, to boost the No vote counts.
So why not give us a call or send a text to 087-2308330, or drop a line to post@people.ie.
This is an urgent appeal for financial support to help us to wage a successful campaign against the Austerity Treaty. The treaty has been roundly rejected by such bodies as the European Trade Union Confederation and large swathes of opinion throughout Europe.
In Ireland we have a chance to decisively reject the treaty in a referendum. Our campaign is swinging into operation, but, as always, it is an uneven struggle with regard to resources. In the last Lisbon referendums the Yes side spent some €2.3 million, while the combined No side spent €1.2 million. In the second referendum the contrast was even greater: €10.206 million for the Yes side against €780,000 for the No side. All the indications are that vast resources will again be expended to engineer a Yes vote on 31 May.
We urgently need your help!
Opinion polls on voters' attitudes show 30 per cent in favour, 23 per cent against, and 39 per cent still undecided.
Already non-partisan commentators have found the Yes campaign to be faltering, as four major trade unions decide to urge a No vote and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions declares that it will not be supporting the treaty.
Thomas Pringle TD, a patron of the People's Movement, is challenging the constitutionality of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) Treaty.
This treaty is closely linked to the Austerity Treaty, and he is asking the High Court to determine, among other matters, whether the Constitution of Ireland requires a referendum on that treaty also.
It will be a victory for democracy if he is successful; but it will also put a further enormous strain on our resources, as it will necessitate yet another referendum.
We earnestly ask you to respond favourably to this request.
Robert Ballagh print Mise Éire
A few copies of the limited edition of 250 copies of this fine-art print, signed, numbered and blind-stamped by the artist, Robert Ballagh, are still available. The print can be purchased for €250. Robert Ballagh is Ireland's premier artist. All proceeds will go to the referendum campaign.
Contact post@people.ie or 087 2308330.
Related Link: http://www.irishreferendum.org
Reply to Dr Gavin Barrett's article on the Fiscal Treaty referendum in last Friday's Irish Times
By Anthony Coughlan, Director, The National Platform EU Research and Information Centre
"The Member States whose currency is the euro may establish a stability mechanism to be activated if indispensable to safeguard the stability of the euro area as a whole. The granting of any required financial assistance under the mechanism will be made subject to strict conditionality."
- Proposed amendment to Article 136 TFEU of the EU Treaties by which the 27 EU Member States authorize the 17 Member States of the euro currency area to establish a Stability Mechanism
This amendment to the EU Treaties has still to be approved by Ireland in accordance with its constitutional requirements under the "simplified" EU treaty amendment procedure of Article 48.6 TEU. The European Council decision to insert the Article 136 TFEU amendment into the EU Treaties comes into force on 1 January 2013 if by that time it has been approved by all 27 Member States in accordance with their constitutional requirements. The ESM Institution which the 17 Eurozone States seek to establish and which Ireland would become a Member of is set out in the ESM Treaty. This treaty cross-refers to the Fiscal/Stability Treaty on which we vote on 31 May. The ESM Treaty states that it is "complementary" to the Fiscal/Stability Treaty. The Government has promised the other 16 Eurozone Governments that it will have the ESM Treaty ratified by July, but without the necessary constitutional referendum being held on the Treaty and the Art. 136 amendment which authorizes it.
Q. Where will we get the money if we vote No on 31 May?
A. Where will the Government get the money to pay the €11 billion the ESM Treaty will require from us, with an open-ended treaty commitment to pay further sums thereafter without limit?
Q. But where will we still get the money ?
A. We will get it by holding a referendum on the Article 136 TFEU amendment and the ESM Treaty, as that is constitutionally necessary in order to authorize these proposals as they stand. The 16 other Eurozone States will have to persuade us to vote Yes in such a referendum if they are to establish the kind of Stability Mechanism which the ESM Treaty envisages. They can do this by agreeing to forgive the private bank debt they have insisted should be imposed on Irish taxpayers, plus the Anglo-Irish promissory notes etc. A referendum can also be used to press the Eurozone authorities to agree a growth strategy for the Eurozone instead of the present failed austerity policies.
Sunday 6 May 2012
DEAR DR BARRETT,
It is quite wrong of you to state in your Irish Times op-ed article of last Friday that No-side advocates in the current referendum are "threatening to veto an institution as vital as the ESM". Yet you make no mention of the €11 billion which the ESM Treaty requires Ireland to contribute in different forms of capital to the Stability Mechanism the ESM Treaty proposes – with €1.6 billion up front "irrevocably and unconditionally" (ESM Treaty Art.8) and a blank cheque in the treaty to paying in further sums without limit in future as required.
WHY IRELAND HAS A VETO ON THE ARTICLE 136 TFEU AMENDMENT TO THE EU TREATIES, AND THE ESM TREATY WHICH THIS AMENDMENT AUTHORISES
Those on the No-side who know what they are talking about are saying that the ESM Treaty and the Article 136 TFEU amendment to the EU Treaties which authorises a "Stability Mechanism" should be put to referendum in Ireland before we can either ratify the ESM Treaty or approve this Article 136 TFEU amendment in accordance with the provisions of EU law and the terms of our Constitution.
(a) because a permanent commitment to the ESM as a new Eurozone Institution of which Ireland becomes a "Member", together with its accompanying rules and its extraordinary legal and taxation immunities for its Board of Governors and personnel, entail a drastic surrender of most of what is left of Irish State sovereignty; and
(b) because if the amendment to Article 136 TFEU quoted above is lawfully to permit a Stability Mechanism for the Eurozone of the kind set out in the ESM Treaty – a Mechanism which would effectively contravene a number of existing EU Treaty articles – then a different method of amendment of the EU Treaties needs to be adopted than the method being employed in the present instance.
It is therefore the No-side people who are seeking to defend EU law and the integrity of the EU Treaties by pointing this out and calling for the Article 136 TFEU authorisation and the ESM Treaty which it purports to authorise to be ratified in the only manner that is lawful under the EU Treaties and constitutional in Ireland – namely, by way of referendum of the people. It is a pity that your article fails to acknowledge this.
WHY UNANIMITY AMONG THE 17 EUROZONE STATES IS REQUIRED TO APPROVE OR RATIFY ANY STABILITY MECHANISM FOR THE EURO AREA COUNTRIES
I am surprised that you do not acknowledge that the express terms of the Article 136 TFEU authorisation quoted above require unanimity amongst the 17 Euro area States for the establishment of any Stability Mechanism the latter may decide to set up.
If you look at the words of the proposed Article 136 TFEU authorisation, you will see that it does not say that "Member States", meaning some of them, may set up a Stability Mechanism, but "THE Member States", meaning all of them (In French it is "LES membres" as against "DES membres"). The ESM Treaty as it stands provides that it can come into force when Eurozone States contributing 90% of the capital have ratified it. The eight biggest of the 17 Eurozone States can do this, thereby bringing the Stability Mechanism into being, even though they would be a minority of the countries of the euro area. How then can the Stability Mechanism for the 17 that is envisaged in the ESM Treaty be for "the euro area as a whole", as required by the Article 136 authorisation by the 27 EU Member States quoted above?
There are other, legally weightier, reasons for unanimity being required for ratification of an ESM Treaty of the kind the Government will be asking the Oireachtas to ratify in June, immediately our referendum on 31 May is over, but this point will do for now.
THE ESM TREATY IS THE WAY TO THE "FEDERATION FOR THE EUROZONE, A CONFEDERATION FOR THE REST OF THE EU" WHICH NICOLAS SARKOZY CALLED FOR LAST NOVEMBER
The ESM proposed in the ESM Treaty would radically restructure the rules of the Economic and Monetary Union which Ireland joined under the Maastricht and Lisbon Treaties. Having failed to obey the 3% and 60% of GDP "excessive deficit rules" set out in those treaties, Germany and France are now proposing to put the EMU on an entirely different basis than hitherto by means of this new EU Institution, the ESM. They thereby want to override the "no bailout" rule of Article 125 TFEU which forbids EU loans to Governments so that the proposed ESM can do this, something that is forbidden under the current EU treaties.
Germany and France, are seeking in this way to by-pass the rules of the current EMU and carve out a legal path to what French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for, "A Federation for the Eurozone and a Confederation for the rest of the EU". The ESM Treaty envisages this new ESM Institution with its giant €700 billion associated fund as becoming in effect a new Bank-cum-Finance Ministry for this Eurozone Federation of the future.
WHY THE WRONG TREATY REVISION METHOD IS BEING USED TO INSERT ARTICLE 136 TFEU INTO THE EU TREATIES IF THIS AMENDMENT IS TO VALIDATE THE ESM TREATY AS IT STANDS
The 27 EU Member States are of course legally entitled to amend the EU Treaties in order to permit the establishment of a Stability Mechanism for the 17 Eurozone States of the radical kind proposed in the ESM Treaty – as long as they do that by the legally proper method governing the revision or amendment of the Treaties as set out in Article 48 TEU.
It looks very probable that if Article 136 TFEU is lawfully to permit an ESM of the radical character envisaged by the proposed ESM Treaty, then the EU Treaties need to be amended by the procedure set out in Article 48.2 of the Treaty on European Union(TEU), the so-called "ordinary treaty revision procedure", rather than by "simplified treaty revision procedure" of Article 48.6 TEU which is currently being used. As you know, this "simplified" treaty revision procedure was inserted into the EU Treaties by the Treaty of Lisbon. It allows the European Council of EU Prime Ministers and Presidents to amend the treaties by a "Decision" among themselves to do that – such a Decision being subject to subsequent constitutional approval by their respective Member States.
See a copy of the European Council Decision enclosed, taken from the EU Official Journal. The Prime Ministers and Presidents on the European Council did not sign anything when they took this Decision on 25 March 2011. They took that Decision collectively amongst themselves, but it must still be constitutionally approved by their National Parliaments or by referendum of their peoples. The constitutional process of approving that Decision is analogous to, but not the same, as the process of ratification of a treaty following its signature. The Decision may well not be constitutionally approved, just as a Treaty may not be ratified.
This EU "simplified treaty amendment procedure" is a form of legal short-cut which is meant to deal with minor technical amendments that do not require a full intergovernmental conference to amend the EU Treaties, followed by a lengthy treaty ratification process. This "simplified treaty amendment procedure" was however never meant to provide for such a radical scheme as the fundamental restructuring of the Economic and Monetary Union which the ESM Treaty as it stands proposes. This ESM Treaty is tantamount to an attempt to organize a legal-political coup to override the EU Treaty provisions on which the existing EMU is based. Hence the proposed Article 136 TFEU amendment is almost certainly being "approved" in the wrong way under EU law if it is taken as authorizing the ESM Treaty that Messrs Kenny and Gilmore want to ratify by July 2012.
I am informed that this is a central issue in the constitutional challenge to the amendment to Article 136 TFEU and the ESM Treaty which has been launched in the High Court by Donegal Independent TD Thomas Pringle. Thomas Pringle is seeking to defend EU law, the integrity of the EU Treaties and the Irish Constitution by his legal action. He deserves the support of every democrat and patriotic Irish person. It would be helpful if you would consider in some future Irish Times article the important legal and constitutional issues which Thomas Pringle's brave challenge raises.
DR GAVIN BARRETT'S CONTENTION THAT THE ARTICLE 136 EU TREATY AMENDMENT IS "UNNECESSARY" FOR THE ESM TREATY'S STABILITY MECHANISM TO BE ESTABLISHED?
I am truly surprised to see such a distinguished exponent of European law as yourself write in your article that, "It is far from clear that the Article 136 TFEU amendment is really necessary in order to set up the ESM".
If that is so, why do all 27 EU Member States think it necessary to insert the Article 136 TFEU amendment quoted above into the Treaties? The EU is a Union governed by law, The Member States do not amend the EU Treaties without cause. Why are all 27 EU countries currently going through their constitutional processes for approving the European Council Decision to amend the EU Treaties to permit the establishment of a Stability Mechanism for the Eurozone if, as you say in your article, "it is far from clear" that this is necessary? Are you really suggesting that the legal advisers of 27 EU Governments are all wrong?
You mention in last Friday's article that the ESM's temporary predecessor, the three-year EFSF loan fund set up for Greece in 2010 and from which Ireland and Portugal later got their bailouts, was "successfully set up" under another treaty article – Art.122 TFEU to be precise – but you are well aware doubtless that this article was never meant for such a purpose.
That EU Treaty Article deals with mutual aid between EU Member States in the event of natural disasters. It was clearly not meant to cover sovereign bailouts for Eurozone countries which had got into a financial mess because they failed to obey the 3% and 60% "excessive deficit rules" of the existing EMU. That is why an entirely new legal provision has to be inserted into the EU Treaties – namely, the proposed amended Article 136 TFEU – in order to provide a proper legal base for the proposed permanent ESM loan fund of €700 billion for the Eurozone, together with all the other radical things this new ESM Institution would do, of which the 17 Eurozone States would become "Members". How does one become a member of a "Mechanism" by the way?
MONETARY POLICY FOR THE EURO AREA IS AN "EXCLUSIVE EU COMPETENCE" AND NOT SOMETHING AN EU SUB-GROUP OF 17 EUROZONE STATES CAN ARROGATE TO THEMSELVES
It is regrettable that your uncritical political commitment to further Eurozone integration should lead you to try to sidestep such a basic principle of EU law as Article 3 TFEU, which provides that anything to do with monetary policy for the euro area is an "exclusive competence" of the supranational EU as a whole. This competence cannot be arrogated to themselves by the 17 Eurozone States, just because that is what Germany wants, with France going along.
It is an ABC principle of the EU Treaties that the Eurozone States must abide by the existing provisions of EU law as regards anything they might desire or propose which would affect monetary policy for the euro area, because that is an "exclusive EU competence". The establishment of an entity such as the proposed ESM with its associated €700 billion permanent fund for lending directly to sovereign governments would certainly affect that. Germany, France and the other Eurozone Members cannot lawfully do whatever they like with the EMU – although that essentially seems to be what they are seeking to do by means of this ESM Treaty.
THE ECJ DECIDES ON EXISTING EU TREATY LAW, NOT ON PROPOSALS FOR FUTURE LAW
The statement in your article that "The European Court of Justice has never said" that setting up a €700 billion Stability Mechanism for the Eurozone requires an EU Treaty amendment such as Article 136 TFEU is surprising. How could the ECJ possibly have made any judgement of this kind when Article 136 TFEU is a proposed amendment to the Treaties and not an actual Treaty Article? Article 136 is not yet part of the EU Treaties and will not have legal force until next January, if by then it is approved by all 27 EU Member States. The ECJ has therefore no jurisdiction with regard to it. It is a matter for the Irish Supreme Court to rule on if the Supreme Court choses to exercise its constitutional powers – which of course includes protecting the integrity of the EU treaties that now form part of Irish law.
I put it to you that the above considerations make it clear why we need to have a constitutional referendum in Ireland on the ESM Treaty and on the Article 136 TFEU on which the ESM Treaty as it stands is legally dependent.
USING IRELAND'S VETO THROUGH A REFERENDUM WOULD PUT US IN A POWERFUL BARGAINING POSITION VIS-À-VIS THE EUROZONE AS NOTHING ELSE CAN POSSIBLY DO
Those who want an ESM like that proposed in the ESM Treaty wish for that to be done in the legally and constitutionally right way, for it would profoundly affect our Constitution and it requires a referendum here.
It is quite incidental to the legalities of the issue that such a referendum would put Ireland in a powerful bargaining position vis-a-vis the Eurozone if the other Eurozone Governments press ahead with the kind of radical ESM Institution which is envisaged in the ESM Treaty as that stands at present.
A referendum on Article 136 TFEU and the ESM Treaty would nonetheless be an opportunity for Ireland. It would be a real chance for us to get radical relief on our State debts.
Standing by the Irish Constitution in face of German-led pressure and exercising Ireland's veto in defence of EU law and the EU Treaties would of course require some gumption from Messrs Kenny, Gilmore and their fellow Ministers. Holding a referendum on the ESM would put Ireland in a powerful bargaining position by which we could rid ourselves of the enormous private banking debt and all that that entails.
May I therefore invite you to join me and my colleagues in calling for such a development.
Let us exercise the Veto that we have on Article 136 TFEU and the ESM Treaty and make our politicians stand up for Ireland and the Irish people who elected them, while at the same time defending EU law and the EU Treaties against Germany's and France's takeover-bid for the Eurozone.
ANTHONY COUGHLAN
(Associate Professor Emeritus in Social Policy, TCD)
Source: nationalplatform.org
Last Post of Referendum: If you haven't yet voted,...
EEU - the power union - Executive Committee Urges ...
FINAL UPDATE: Citizen's Campaign South East - Fisc...
Reply to Dr Gavin Barrett's article on the Fiscal ...


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I have heard, read and seen so many MD, CEO, Founders of an Organizations, Individuals who want to be productive in what they do, but couldn't. Many individuals want to be productive in life; they want to accomplish much in life within a specific period of time, but they couldn't. Why couldn't they? Many of these people don't know the secret of productivity.
Many books on "How To Become Productive" juggle things together and make it more or less like an MBA course stuff. To pass a School Exam is quite different from passing a Life Exam. School Exam relies on, remember what I told you and bring it in the Exam. Life Exam relies on, do what I taught you, and do it to get the result I told you it will produce.
So my goal here in this book is to tell you, if you want to be productive in life or in whatsoever thing you are doing: Time Management and Project Management skills are the 2 life skills that you need to acquire and do them. I will dwell much more on Time Management skills with reference where necessary to Project Management skill. The real truth is that, you can't learn Time Management skill without understanding what Project Management is, because they are interrelated and interdepended.
The book will worth your attention and investment and it will deliver its promise – To teach you how to be a good Time Manager.
WHY NOT GIVE IT A TRIAL.


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Thanks to Ron for turning me on to the upcoming MICROCOSM 2010 Conference celebrating life under glass! I'm definitely penciling this in on my calendar.
Tree Walkers International is proud to present Microcosm, a celebration of the beauty and uniqueness of ecosystems in naturalistic vivaria. Microcosm is a new kind of event that brings enthusiasts together through the common bond of nurturing life within glass enclosures, from aquaria to terraria, greenhouses and Wardian cases.
The theme of Microcosm is conservation. Just as species combine to form healthy, functioning ecosystems, Microcosm seeks to form a coalition of partners who apply their skills in cooperation to safeguard the planet's biodiversity.
Microcosm is a two-day event that includes field trips, lectures, workshops, and a sale. All proceeds benefit Tree Walkers International to support amphibian conservation efforts. For more information about TWI and its projects, visit www.treewalkers.org.


Jonathan Cooper's Park Walk Gallery typically has a solo exhibition by Rosie Sanders every other year. This Saturday her latest offering - Rosie Sanders - Secret Letters opens at the gallery in Chelsea - just off the Fulham Road.
Twelve of the paintings have already sold in advance of the exhibition and three more are reserved. You have to move very fast to get the painting you want when buying art from a very popular artist!
To see more of Rosie's past paintings either visit the paintings gallery on her website or view the past exhibitions on the Jonathan Cooper website. She's been having solo shows there on a regular basis - about every 18 -24 months - since 2002.
Rosie paints all of her large paintings using large sheets of Arches 640gsm/300lb Cold Pressed paper which are available in 101.6 x 152.4 cm / 40 x 60 in; 105 x 75 cm / 29.5 x 41 in and 56 x 76 cm / 22 x 30 in - which she doesn't stretch. You can read more about her large scale flower painting techniques in my MAM blog posts below.
Making A Mark | Review: Rosie Sanders "Against the Light"
'Changing Seasons' - the 2017 annual exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists (SBA) is on show next month (13th to 21st October) at the Central Hall Westminster, SW1H 9NH.
This year the SBA is running a number of formal ticketed events during the course of the exhibition.
The events are listed below with the names of the participating member artists.
Links to the website of artists participating in the events are embedded in their name.
This is a brand new evening event - on the evening Friday 13th October - which enables aspiring botanical artists to talk to more experienced botanical artists about their careers.
Each artist will have a portfolio of their work on display and can talk about what life is really like as a working botanical artist. They can also offer those attending the event the benefit of their experience and practical tips.
The event will last from 5.45pm to 8pm within the exhibition - with a glass of wine. Book a ticket for the How to be a botanical artist event via Eventbrite. The charge is £10 (£11.21 including the Eventbrite fee).
Margaret Fitzpatrick SBA - watercolour, calligraphy . Margaret does the calligraphy for all the Diploma certificates. She also exhibited at the 15th International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh, USA in 2016.
Helen Hanson SBA - print maker, coloured pencil, pen & ink. Helen has been a professional printmaker for over 20 years and has exhibited in galleries all over the UK. She has recently changed the media she uses and returned to teaching.
Sue J Williams GM (2008) SBA - botanical watercolour. Sue has an RHS Gold Medal and is a Fellow of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society. She exhibited 25 of her paintings with Sue Wickison in a show "Black and White, in Colour" at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery, Kew, in 2013-4.
Penny Brown SBA - collage, author, history in theatre design. Her work has appeared as illustrations in over 75 books, most recently in How to Draw Garden Flowers published by Search Press. She is currently working on a book on Botanical Drawing: A Step-By-Step Guide to Drawing Flowers, Vegetables, Fruit and Other Plant Life (Paperback – 1 Jan 2018) for Search Press.
Sheryl Pape - Sheryl gained a Distinction for her Diploma (via the DLDC) and can talk about what the course taught her. She now teaches Botanical Art at the Wickham Institute, near Alton and and has been commissioned to produce murals for schools and a greetings board for a restaurant. She also writes and illustrates children's stories with a strong botanical element.
Meet and watch wonderful artists with experience and knowledge to share.
The 'An Audience with an Artist'events are an additional set of ticketed events which will run every afternoon between Monday, 16 October to Friday, 20 October 2017 (2pm to 4pm). This year "due to rising costs" there will be no free demonstrations and these will be ticketed events.
Every day features a particular theme when a different member of the Society will talk about their work and demonstrate their use of their particular medium.
You book the tickets online using Eventbrite (being careful select the correct day for the event you want to go to) print it off and bring it with you.
it provides an insight into how the selection panel select artwork for the exhibition.


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Amanda Hocking Books In Order
Publication Order of The Hollows Books
Hollowland (2010) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Hollowmen (2011) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Publication Order of The Hollows Graphic Novels
The Hollows (2014) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Publication Order of The Inevitable Trilogy Books
with Jason Letts
Inevitable (With: Jason Letts) (2011) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Impossible (By:Jason Letts) (2011) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Incredible (By:Jason Letts) (2011) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Publication Order of Kanin Chronicles Books
Frostfire (2015) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Ice Kissed (2015) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Crystal Kingdom (2015) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Hidden Kingdom (2017) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Publication Order of My Blood Approves Books
My Blood Approves (2010) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Fate (2010) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Flutter (2010) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Wisdom (2010) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Swear (2016) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Publication Order of My Blood Approves Short Stories/Novellas
Letters to Elise (2010) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Publication Order of Omte Origins Books
The Lost City (2020) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
The Morning Flower (2020) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
The Ever After (2021) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Publication Order of Seven Fallen Hearts Books
Virtue (2021) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Tristitia (2022) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Publication Order of Trylle Books
Switched (2010) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Torn (2010) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Ascend (2012) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Publication Order of Valkyrie/Between the Blade and the Heart Books
Between the Blade and the Heart (2018) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
From the Earth to the Shadows (2018) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Publication Order of Watersong Books
Forgotten Lyrics (2012) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Wake (2012) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Lullaby (2012) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Tidal (2013) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Elegy (2013) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Freeks (2017) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Bestow the Darkness (2021) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Dark Tomorrows (2010) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Grim (2014) Hardcover Paperback Kindle
Amanda Hocking is the current top selling author of the Tylle trilogy series, which has hit America and the world with a bang. She publishes the novels by herself, which makes her very unique due to the fact that she sells a lot of copies of her books. Hocking was born in 1984, and she specializes in the paranormal young adult, fictional romance books.
She has been writing ever since she was a young girl. She used to tell stories, then develop them, and write them down. When she was still young, she wasn't able to be fast enough in writing. For this matter, she would develop the stories by reciting them to people. She officially began writing at the age of 12, but she still proceeded with other careers, which kept her busy. She wrote close to 50 short stories when she was in high school. The short stories inspired her to start writing novels, and surprisingly, she also wrote a complete script for a movie when she was in high school. However, she didn't pay attention to it for quite some years.
At the age of 17, she completed her first novel, when she had already graduated. The novel talked about a guy, who had amnesia, and he was in a unethical institution. The guy was in search of a serial killer, but the book didn't find interested publishers, due to its cliché. Nevertheless, her mom always read the book, and still consider it to be one of her favorites.
Hocking currently resides in Rochester, Minnesota, and she has been working as a group home worker. In 2010, she completed 17 complete novels that she wrote during her free time. She started self-publishing in April, the same year. She published the 17 novels as e-books, and by March, 2011, she had sold more than 1 million copies of her 9 novels. This earned about 2 million dollars, which was the highest money she ever got from book sales. At the start of 2011, Amanda successfully sold about 9,000 books every day and this was one of her best achievements.
Amanda started with the series, My Blood Approves, which is a set of vampire romance novels. In her next achievements, she worked on the Trylle Trilogy, a series of novels that talked about a young girl. The teenage girl was on her journey to discover herself in a modern imagination. Her novels were classified as part-quirky, girl-like, and part thrilling, the Hollywood style, and part deep romance. it is this type of novel writing style that make her books to become famous at that time. The novels were a blend of creativity and commerce, and they covered action, romance, and at some point, they were slow.
She penned down a contract for publishing 4 books, with St. Martin's Press. The contract earned her 2 million dollars, and the publishing company focused on the Waterson Series. The first book was released in 2012, and the company also sold her self-published books of the Trylle Trilogy series. Indeed, this was seen as a major milestone in her career.
Under The My Blood Approves Series the first novel was titled with a similar name, My Blood Approves. This novel was published in 2010, and it revolves around a teenager, Alice Bonham, who feels like she has lost control, subsequent to meeting Jack. Jack is fond of New Wave hits pink Chuck Taylor, which makes him to be super unique, compared to other guys that she met. Alice met Jack's brother, Peter, and as Peter looks at Alice, she is unable to breathe, even whenever he is around. The problem with Alice is that she falls for any guy she meets, but what makes it even worse, is that Jack and Peter are vampires. She is therefore trapped between love and her blood.
Fate is another novel of the series, and it is about the same girl, Alice Bonham. Here she thinks that she has finally balanced things in her life. She believes that the supernatural and the real life have been balanced in her life. Jack, the vampire boyfriend, is always with her at arms, in order to protect her. But with Peter, Alice is not sure of his whereabouts, she even doesn't figure out what Peter wants from her. She is caught in the middle of a complex decision, which needs her to make the right choice. The choice she makes has its own ramifications, that is why it makes her more confused.
Amanda's work hasn't only been recognized on the top selling books,but one book has been launched as a move. Switched, which is a book under the Trylle Trilogy series. This book talks about a young girl, Wendy Everly, whose mother believed that she was a monster at the age of 6. This pushed her to want to kill her, but she spared her eventually. At 11 years, Wendy realizes that the mother might have been right, because she feels like she is not the same person. Her entire life begins to collapse, because of Finn Holmes, a mysterious guy that is spying on her. Each encounter leaves Wendy frightened, however, this is more linked to the intense attraction to Finn. Here is where the truth is revealed. Wendy was switched at birth, and Finn is only coming to take her back. Wendy is set to start a fantasy journey that she never experienced. The magical world is frightening, and beautiful as well. She is expected to forget about her past life, and proceed to start a new life in the new world. Amanda included a special bonus story, The Vittra Attacks. This is a story that has been set in a fantasy world, under the Trylle series. This section is also expected to be featured in the movie.
Amanda officially sold the Trylle rights to Media Rights Capital, the production company that produces the Switched movie. This is one of the novels that has been composed into a movie, but you'd expect to see more movies based on the novels in the future. After all these books that Amanda has written, it can plausibly be argued that her life of writing has been nothing but a complete success.
Book Series In Order » Authors » Amanda Hocking


This is the law book regarding Arizona's Statutes, Rules, & Policies that apply to Chiropractic practice in the State of Arizona. The law book should be referenced for any legal questions. The Board requires new applicants to take an Arizona Jurisprudence Examination and requires a passing score of 75% or above.
Note for New Applicants: Please review the law book prior to your jurisprudence exam.


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Torture, Terror, and Theology
Article ID: JAR3323 | By: Paul Maier
A book on mankind's inhumanity to fellow human beings can never come often enough, as witness the genocide presently taking place in Darfur. Suppression can be as simple as letting people starve—as in the Sudan—or in accelerating their departure via the horrors of torture and execution. This is terrible enough when ordered by secular dictators, and yet in the Middle Ages, it was none other than the church that revealed to the world the exquisite forms of torment that could bring people to "confess" even if they were innocent. This was a specialty of the agency known as the Inquisition.
To this day, the very term evokes scenes of black-hooded inquisitors bending over their victims with instruments of torture under the ruddy glow of braziers, often using fire itself in the course of inducing agony. In The Grand Inquisitor's Manual, Jonathan Kirsch lays it all out in well-researched detail, never using ugly sensationalism to win his reading audience, but letting the excruciating facts speak for themselves.
Beyond all debate, the Inquisition is the ugliest blot on the entire history of the Christian church. The once-persecuted people of God, centuries later, became persecutors themselves in a maniacal drive to save "heretics" from hell by giving them a foretaste of that destination via torture. Kirsch traces it all from the earliest beginnings of perceived heretical threats to the medieval church by the dualistic Bogomils and the Cathars or Albigensians. The powerful Pope Innocent III responded by declaring a crusade against the latter in the earliest 1200s. But how do you determine who was an Albigensian heretic? "Kill them all," advised one bishop, "the Lord will know His own."
From that point on, the Inquisition pursued its lurid business. Its full title was "The Holy Office of Inquisition into Heretical Depravity," and it exists at the Vatican to this day as simply "The Holy Office." (Its previous director was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger—the present pope, Benedict XVI—who, however, does not believe in torture!)
Kirsch takes the reader through its three main phases: (1) The Medieval Inquisition (mid-thirteenth century) targeted Cathars, Waldensians, the Knights Templar, spiritual Franciscan priests, and anyone involved in sorcery and witchcraft. (2) The Roman Inquisition (sixteenth century) aimed at Protestants and Freethinkers in Italy, including Giordano Bruno and Galileo. (3) The Spanish Inquisition (1478 to 1834) was far and away the most notorious of the three. It sought out conversos, Jews who had converted (many perforce) to Christianity but were suspected of relapsing into Judaism, as well as Muslims and Freemasons.
Kirsch demonstrates, however, that the Inquisition afflicted many other areas of the world, including Portugal and the colonies the European powers established in the New World. Nor was England exempt, which saw anti-Semitic riots, nor France, as witness the tragedy of Joan of Arc, the maid of Orleans. Even in the Americas, the fanaticism of religion lay behind that horrid miscarriage of justice called the Salem witch trials.
The inhumanity of the Inquisition has had modern secular counterparts as well, as Kirsch easily demonstrates in the case of Hitler's Germany or Stalin's Russia. Torture to elicit information, then, comes as early as the ancient world—the Romans were masters at it—and extends up through today's headlines.
Forms of Torture. Torture has been persistent for centuries, but that the medieval church should have used it remains a striking scandal to the present day. There are authors who try to diminish the horror, claiming that the number of victims in the Inquisitions has been exaggerated. They also point out that not everyone was burned at the stake: there were milder punishments such as enforced devotions, going on pilgrimages, and the like. Generally, however, it seems a failed effort, and condoning any aspect of such institutionalized terror should be enough to send the revisionist historian to a psychiatrist. There he will be in good company with the darkened souls who try to deny the Holocaust.
Various medieval manuals on torture, written by Dominican and Franciscan inquisitors, show the methods involved. The victim was brought by candlelight through spooky corridors to the gruesome torture chamber, where he was carefully shown the instruments of torment, a terror that brought some to "confess" on the spot. Men or women, as well as boys over ten or girls over nine were then stripped of their clothes and tied to a table.
Water and fire were the simplest of the tools employed. Water was poured down someone's throat in quantities to distend the stomach while holding the nose. Fire was regularly applied to the soles of the feet and red-hot tongs to nip at the naked body. Both of these were carryovers of the old medieval ways of deciding guilt or innocence: ordeal by water or fire.
Many other creative methods were also in use, such as the strapado, a rope and pulley apparatus affixed to the ceiling. The victim's hands were tied behind his back and he was hoisted up but then suddenly dropped, causing excruciating pain. Whips, of course, were always at the ready, as were the agonies of the wheel and the rack. The stivalleto involved hammering wedges of wood or iron between the legs of the victim and the wooden splines tightly imprisoning them. Clearly, many of the torturers were sadists, some getting a perverse sexual delight out of inflicting this horror on the gender of their choice.
The Infamous "Third Degree." Whence comes the term, "the third degree"? From the Inquisition, of course! It was all a matter of the nature and duration of the torment. The first degree involved cutting off the victim's clothing and showing him the instruments of torture. The second started the torture itself, to be sustained no longer than the time it took for an inquisitor to recite a single Ave Maria or Pater Noster—probably about one minute. The third degree was full torture itself, and without such time limits.
But there were more! The fourth degree called for more torture yet, such as jerking the ropes of the strapado, with its inevitably horrendous agony. And finally, in the fifth degree— reserved for the heroic holdouts—there were no limits. Limbs might be torn out of sockets, with the victims perishing on the tables of torture, even though it was not supposed to go that far.
Was There No Escape? Rarely, a victim might escape through the same ingenious methods used by any prisoners before and since. For those facing the Inquisition, survival was also possible if the victim confessed his sin or heresy, which was the chief goal of the tormentor. This did not always work, however.
The inquisitor often suspected that the "confession" was not sincere, and made only to spare one's own life. Kirsch lists many instances of poor girls and other victims who out of sheer terror were ready to confess to anything, but they were doubted. Even if a confession was made, it had to be proven by the victim naming others who were also guilty so that they too might be arrested. Failure to do so rendered a confession suspect and it was not accepted.
The worst "sin" of all was to recant a confession. The death penalty was automatic in that instance, as witness the famous case of Joan of Arc in France, or Thomas Cranmer in England. Execution usually took place by burning at the stake, and such occasions were high theater in the Middle Ages, usually taking place in the town square in front of the cathedral and attended by huge throngs of people. Hollywood has it right in this instance.
Clergy were always attending victims on their way to the stake, however, prepared to hear a confession that could save their lives. It did, in some instances, but not all.
The Spanish Inquisition. Of all the vicious venues where terror in the name of God was perpetrated, none exceeded that of the Spanish Inquisition, presided over by the Grand Inquisitor himself, Tomas de Torquemada, whose maniacal anti-Semitism, endless pursuit of heresy, and mastery of torture remain a stench in the nostrils of the world. He detested "secret Jews," that is, the conversos who had converted to Christianity but remained Jewish at heart. And what were their hallmarks? Washing one's hands before prayer, calling a child by some Old Testament name like David, and eating a porkless meal. Changing one's undergarments on Saturday, however, was a dead giveaway!
Moderation was unknown in the Spanish Inquisition. If a condemned heretic confessed at the last moment, he or she was treated "mercifully," as Kirsch writes, graphically:
The victim would be strangled with a garrote before being burned. Sometimes a bag of gunpowder might be hung around the neck of the victim, both as a gesture of mercy—once ignited by the mounting flames, the resulting explosion would bring his ordeal to a quick end and possibly even take off his head—and as a pyrotechnic effect to please the crowd. Then, at last, the executioner put the torch to the brushwood and charcoal that had been neatly arranged around the stakes, igniting the fuel at each of the four corners to ensure that the flames burned evenly on all sides. (p. 200)
Lessons for Today? It is very difficult for contemporary Christians to believe that this sadistic saga of agony could ever have happened. So easily—and justifiably—we fault Islam for its violence and terrorism, forgetting that we also went through that phase hundreds of years ago. It has often been argued that Islam needs the equivalent of our Reformation if it is to come to terms with the freedom and progress we enjoy today in the West. There must be some truth to this, since it was the success of the Reformation that broke the spiritual stranglehold of the one branch of Western Christianity demanding absolute subservience to its doctrines to avoid horrendous consequences.
It is also, however, a warning that whenever any religion, denomination, political party, or government occupies a position of overwhelming majority, it may indeed be tempted to silence all opposition in a manner not too different from that of the medieval inquisitors. Salvation may lie in diversity.
—Paul L. Maier
Paul L. Maier, Ph.D., is professor of ancient history and former Lutheran campus pastor at Western Michigan University. He is a graduate of Harvard University and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis and a Fulbright Scholar at the Universities of Heidelberg, Germany, and Basel, Switzerland. He is the author of sixteen books of nonfiction and fiction.


The debate on slavery emerged during the 18th century. In the Parliamentary elections of 1761, however, the debate was minimal. The speeches made by both parties were unanimously in favor of free trade to Africa, and no restrictions in slavery. (81) As the abolitionist movement increased, however, the element of tension increased. The abolitionists used evidence of the horrible conditions of the removal of slaves from Africa as part of their evidence against the inhumane nature of the trade. The African chiefs, in many situations, helped the British to collect their cargo. As a description of Captain Roberts of Liverpool's expedition stated, "Down the river, as fast as they can go, with their living cargo...[chief] Accra would receive in exchange for the slaves he had made, the pistols and gunpowder which had been brought for his special favour." (82) Circumstances like these were not uncommon. The British paid a very small price for lives.
The methods used by the captains of slave ships for gathering their cargo varied. While they often dealt with local chiefs, they also gathered their slaves in an independent effort. For example, in the year 1769, Captain Paterson, of a Liverpool slaver, while lying off Bristol Town, induced his men and natives to set fire to two villages. (83) This allowed the men to gather the Africans as they fled from their burning homes.
This level of attack, nonetheless, was not the most deceitful employed. Another way of obtaining slaves was by inviting African slave traders to come on board the slave ship to dine with the captain. The ship would then sail away, holding the visitors captive. This deceitful practice involved minimal financial losses to the captain other than a small amount of provisions. The result was a large net profit at the end of such voyages.
Usually cargo was already owned when collected. If a contract was not already established, slaves were commonly sold at either a scramble or a public auction. In a scramble, a gun was fired, the gang ways thrown open, they buyers madly rushed the ship, and seized as many slaves as they wanted, fastening them by means of handkerchiefs tied together. (85)This method was popular and reveals the baseness of the whole frantic process in which one man dominates another just because of the color of his skin.
The least popular, though most famous method, of selling slaves was at a public auction. Only the ill and weak slaves made it from the ship to the auction. A lucky dealer had the good fortune to buy up some sickly slaves only to resell them at a good profit after proper care. (86) The dealer took a risk in doing so because the slaves were likely to die soon after leaving the auction.
The collection and sale of slaves reveals the barbarity of the entire process. The slaves' suffering and degradation, however, was just beginning upon departure from the ship or auction block. After that point, a life of servitude and abuse was all that he could expect.
To return to the economics debate, click on the door below.