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THE HISTORY OF ~S9~
- In the Beginning
- First Steps
- The Spartan Union
- The -DA- Crisis
- SU's Downfall
- Falcon's Return
- After Halo
- Betrayal
- Bust and Boom
- Downturn
- Disbandment
- Oort Cloud Clanwars
- Rebirth
- Nuclear Alamo
- A New Dawn
- Our Finest Year
- Realignment to Halo
- Looking Forward
THE HISTORY OF SQUAD 9
Squad 9 first launched on May 20th, 2003. It was founded by Falcon 197, a veteran Halo player formerly part of the Spartan Marine Corps (SMC) clan. After leaving in the wake of a conflict within SMC's command caste that ousted the team's commanding officer—Marine, Falcon decided to try creating a unit organized under similar leadership structure and core principles. Formed on the pillars of skill, teamwork, honor, integrity, and discipline, Squad 9 established a higher-level commitment standard for its members. The original Code of Conduct was first composed by Falcon as a constitution by which the new team was to be run.
Squad 9 actually represented Falcon's second attempt at creating a group. Prior to joining SMC, he attempted to build a clan named simply "Commando" or [C], but this effort bottomed out due to his lack of experience and unfamiliarity with how Halo clans were organized. Until becoming part of SMC and learning how a successful team operated, Falcon shelved all hope of leading a clan and spent time learning the fundamentals of leadership and effective unit management. Among his influences were the Boy Scouts of America and the US Military, both of which contributed to the Code of Conduct's development and the culture to be fostered within Squad 9.
At first, Squad 9's members communicated outside of Halo using a social and gaming platform called Xfire, which officially shut down in 2016. The team's first website was built using a Freewebs domain to post rules, rosters, and host forums. Early versions of the Code of Conduct were published and distributed using Freewebs and there have been 14 versions of the document to date—not all of which featured 9 Points of Conduct.
It is notable that the name "Squad 9" has no true origin. It was completely original in its inspiration and was first named by Falcon. The only time the ~S9~ tags have ever changed was when the unit was renamed to ~SS9~ or "Spartan Squad 9" between 2007 and 2008. The extra "S" was removed after the team abandoned operations on Halo in favor of the classic tags and team name.
Squad 9's first motto was "Fight, Win, Prevail!" before it changed to "For Honor and Glory" in late 2008.
From its founding in 2003, Squad 9 focused on recruiting the most skilled and disciplined players from the battlefields of Halo and this proved rewarding almost immediately. Among the first to distinguish themselves among the unit's earliest generation of members was Thrillkill7. Recruited for surpassing the high membership requirements of the time, Thrill took up the position of second in command in Squad 9 and worked alongside Falcon for months, organizing the team and recruiting new players on Halo. Eventually a small but loyal following developed, and in time a generation of members arose which represented the core of the team's founding.
Squad 9's early tactical approaches on Halo were unorthodox and skill-centered. A favorite strategy of members participating in online "Killing Sprees" was to invade Free For All Slayer games on Halo and fight separately until "Oly Oly Oxen Free" was called by an officer. Once it was, all Squad 9 personnel would start operating as a team, cooperatively gunning down anyone who didn't share their cobalt colored armor and creating absolute hell for anyone caught in the mix. It was effective not only for training, but it won us a reputation.
The success of "Oly Ops" also led to the establishment of Squad 9's official unit color: cobalt blue.
The Spartan Union
During the height of Squad 9's operations on Halo, much occurred to shape the unit and further strengthen it. By 2006, after gaining over twenty members as its primary fighting force, Squad 9 became part of an alliance of Halo clans. The Spartan Union (SU) included the clans {SE} or Spartan Elite; led by SU chairman Redfox, =SK= or Sniper Kings; led by elite SU sniper Shrooms, ODST or Orbital Drop Shock Troopers; led by the SU legend and founder X, and the recently reestablished SMC or Spartan Marine Corps; now under the leadership of the SU progressive Alamo, and shadowed by the former SMC leader, and Falcon's close friend Wolf (AKA Marine). While this union was formed from clans based off of many styles of leadership and player doctrine, all of them shared common goals and found it natural to work together.
The first ~S9~ logo was also designed by Falcon during this time, drawing primary influence from the GDI faction emblem from the Command & Conquer series. Since then, the team logo has evolved on almost a yearly basis to its current form.
For its service in the Spartan Union, Squad 9 quickly gained recognition by the five other member clans as a team that exemplified both skill and integrity. Our leadership was voted best in SU, receiving 55% of the votes in a general poll in which everyone in SU voted from among all units allied in the union. In joint operations and scrim exercises, ~S9~'s efforts were second to none among SU's other groups.
In late 2006, one of Squad 9's elite officers—Burns, attempted to ignite an uprising within the Squad and fragment the leadership after a major policy disagreement. Though he failed, the members called for his strict discipline and removal along with everyone who supported him. But instead of dealing harsh punishment, Command Staff opted to pardon Burns and aid him with forming his own separate unit, which was dubbed Squad 8 and became Squad 9's sister unit.
Having learned his lesson through being shown mercy, Burns repaid the favor by working with the rest of SU to create a system for internal scrims in what became known as "Spartan Wars." Engaged throughout this process every step of the way was Squad 9, which remained a close ally with Squad 8 until Burns' retirement almost a year afterward. Without anyone to lead them, many members of Squad 8 rejoined Squad 9 and became members of the latter's first Officer Corps.
This was also the time when Squad 9 saw the addition of a new member—HoboJoe. Hobo came aboard as a recruit on Halo and went on to serve in various roles as a fireteam leader, officer, and would in time become known as one of ~S9~'s longest-serving and most decorated members.
The -DA- Crisis
As of 2007, Spartan Squad 9 still held a renowned status in SU. Halo remained the team's primary game and operations were proceeding normally alongside steady growth. Then, during the apex of the Halo klanwars era, Squad 9 found itself pressed into conflict with another clan known as –DA– or the Dark Assassins. Arising unexpectedly, –DA– presented a constant threat to the Squad's operations and provoked a war waged mostly by way of aggressive intelligence operations and attempts by each side to infiltrate and sabotage the other. After months of a strategic stalemate, the cost became too dear for Squad 9 to allow the struggle to continue.
Following a series of dramatic and climactic events that what would later become known as the –DA– Crisis, Falcon, still commander at the time, resigned and entered a year-long period of self-imposed exile to satisfy intense political pressure from SU in the wake of the crisis. Following his departure, a contingent of members led by Squad 9's third-in-command—Obrim, attempted a coup against SU's leadership in retaliation for the loss of Falcon. The Spartan Union responded by placing intense political pressure on Squad 9's remaining members to submit to SU's governance or be regarded as a threat to the union. Eventually a standoff developed, with neither side conducting hostilities but a form of enmity hung in the air for months afterward.
SU's Downfall
Despite Falcon's absence and the ongoing cold war with SU, Squad 9 did not falter. Executive Officer Wolf, former commander of SMC and SU advisor, oversaw the management and command of Squad 9 and led the unit through many trials during the decline of the Halo multiplayer universe. With an ever-increasing number of clans turning away from doctrines of fair play and switching to unrestricted use of aim bots along with malicious use of mercenary players in online matches, Halo's multiplayer began to rapidly deteriorate.
Even the Spartan Union finally collapsed under the burden of its members' loss of interest along with several political schisms. Many good players and leaders were lost as a result of SU's dissolution.
Falcon's Return
In the wake of Halo online's collapse, Falcon suddenly returned from exile to resume command of Squad 9. With a reformed outlook on leadership, Falcon also brought a plan for fighting to rebuild what was lost within SU and continue the struggle that the union had started. For months, he worked alongside Squad 9's newest generation of members and led online missions to aide struggling clans and servers oppressed by the ever-tightening grip of mercenary and aimbot clans, who were hastening the downfall of Halo.
For his instrumental efforts to maintain Squad 9's operational and organizational integrity during the -DA- Crisis and time following, Wolf became the first member to be awarded the Squad 9 Medal of Honor. It is altogether possible that without his involvement, Squad 9 would have ceased to exist entirely.
The final blow to Halo's malignant arena of multiplayer came when klanwars.com shut down its clan scrim competitions due to the overflow of players using aimbots and unregistered merc players to unfairly dominate matches. This move proved crippling to the remaining player communities on Halo and caused the overnight collapse of clans on Halo PC. Squad 9's response to this apocalypse was the execution of a final operation on Halo multiplayer in which 3 brave members held their ground online for 8 long hours against an onslaught of aimbot players and mercenary clans alike. The outcome: victory. The significance: fleeting.
In late February 2008, Squad 9 Command Staff halted all team activities on Halo PC. Combat operations ceased, and aide missions for Halo-based clans were discontinued indefinitely.
After Halo
Soon thereafter, Squad 9's focus became redirected between Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Combat Arms, and First Encounter Assault Recon, all of which held new promises of success in an ever-evolving arena of online FPS. Squad 9 served on these games in a looser manner than it had previously with Halo, due to more events in the lives of its members. While the leadership held strong, the member base struggled on a month-to-month basis.
During this period, many of Squad 9's members and even its leadership began getting involved with mods and modding for games, particularly with FEAR and Halo. Though an official Squad 9 FEAR map was never created, ~S9~ themed player skins and shoulder patches did debut along with servers hosted regularly with maps from FEAR's mod community. Activity slowed during this time, along with recruiting. But the remaining members maintained a loyalty to the Squad the whole way.
In March 2009, the darkest moment in Command Staff's history occurred at the discovery of betrayal by one of its longer serving members and officers—Clover. As Squad 9's first female member, Clover worked her way through the team's ranks over the course of 3 years, gaining the trust of its members and leadership and eventually receiving appointment as third in command. However, a series of dramatic events revealed Clover to in fact be a false identity created by a rogue troll who had been catfishing the entire time. In the face of this devastating truth, both Falcon and Wolf resigned, bringing about Squad 9's first complete shutdown a few months later.
Ultimately, the wounds inflicted by Clover's treachery faded. Unable to allow a rich history of service shattered by one single treacherous occurrence, Falcon made the necessary moves to recreate Squad 9 anew as of late 2009. Reformed under a new Code of Conduct, the Squad set out to establish itself on the new and thriving battlefields of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Within a short time, the unit grew and eventually built itself into an impressive force which surpassed the success seen on Halo. Many of the members and officers recruited during this time remain active in the Squad today.
Bust and Boom
Eventually, MW2 gave way to Black Ops and opened new doors. After months spent attempting to organize servers and unit workings on the new CoD, Command Staff realized that progress was not forthcoming due to lack of initiative by members appointed to leadership. On January 19th, 2011, Falcon opted in a stunning move to dissolve Officer Corps and issued a blanket discharge to everyone in it for insubordination. In addition to this, several key members retired, including long-time executive officer, Wolf. This later set the stage for Squad 9's second complete disbandment due to member inactivity and issues within the leadership.
The shutdown lasted for 3 months, after which Falcon reactivated the team and set about the task of rebuilding the leadership. This task proved difficult, since Squad 9's member base had fractured into a loose affiliation of ex-members who still regularly participated in group games on MW2 and Black Ops. Despite the release of several newer titles boasting the cutting edge for their generation of FPS, the cadre of loyal ex-members never struggled to reform and settle wholly onto the same games. For months, Squad 9's future remained much in doubt. But this wasn't the end.
Seeing potential in the upcoming release of Crysis 2, the organization of a final group of previous members was arranged in a last ditch effort by Falcon to make or break the team that had outlasted all expectations and endured hardship for 8 long years. Though the unit's life on Crysis 2 proved short, its activity on MW2 received subsequent boosts and returned Squad 9 to a fully operational status far beyond anything it had ever before seen. An alliance was formed with the Umbrella Special Forces group or USF, which lasted roughly a year until it was dissolved. Meanwhile recruitment, operations, and training continued until late 2011, when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was released.
By February 2012, Squad 9 regrew to over 40 members, housed 3 active fireteams, a dedicated Officer Corps, and remained active on Modern Warfare 3 but also expanded to Battlefield 3. Only two months later, the membership count rose to 58 members and 4 fireteams—seeing the addition of Fireteam Delta as the first official task force within ~S9~ dedicated to competitive gameplay against other clans in scrims or tournaments.
Originally, Fireteam Delta was organized by Command Staff and assigned to the leadership of member Sloppy, who joined the Squad through Black Ops and brought with him a group of players who actively competed in clan versus clan events. However, less than a month after being commissioned, Sloppy shocked everyone by leaving Squad 9 and poaching several members of Delta in the process. Despite having been given unlimited latitude for conducting operations and initiating competitive activities on MW3, Sloppy claimed that the level of flexibility in ~S9~ was "insufficient" to accommodate the needs of Delta's members. Command Staff in turn issued dishonorable discharges to Sloppy and every member who left with him and spent the next month reorganizing Fireteam Delta with new personnel and organization. Meanwhile, Sloppy and his members went on to form their own unit known as BLK or Black List Killers. They remained enemies of Squad 9 and rivals on MW3 from that moment on—with Squad 9 consistently proving itself in scrims and match-ups against BLK and demonstrating that treasonous actions come with a lasting price.
Under the newly appointed leadership of Bloodfang, a veteran Call of Duty player and clan enthusiast, Delta established a name and reputation for itself across the battlefields of MW3. The number of victories claimed by its elite members—all of whom were handpicked by Bloodfang—achieved records previously unmatched within Squad 9 and remains the most successful fireteam to ever be created.
As of May 2012, Squad 9 reached 60 members. In addition, Officer Corps was fully staffed with 8 officers: H-Dog, Sc(+)ped, Corelam, Jehuty, MegaDeath, Ghost, Raptor, and Bloodfang. Command Staff's structure saw Falcon retaining his longtime position as Commander, with longtime member HoboJoe as Executive Officer, and a surprise return to duty by Obrim—who received reappointment as a Major and chief advisor on Command Staff. Together, this group of dedicated leaders oversaw the pinnacle of Squad 9's operations across Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3. Both games hosted Squad 9-sponsored servers for a time and team activity even extended back to the long-ignored venue of Crysis with a much-delayed custom level design project initiated by Falcon for team games and training exercises.
The Squad 9 Crysis map, entitled BASE, won recognition by the CryDev community and was featured in Crytek's news spotlight for its quality design and unique features never before seen on a Crysis multiplayer level. In time, BASE was publically released for download on CryDev and 2 sizable update patches were added. Falcon also produced Youtube videos of the map and its features, paving the way for future projects leveraging the work on the BASE map.
Unfortunately, Squad 9's surge in success was short-lived. The summer of 2012 saw a rapid decline in membership due to a line-up of familiar issues within MW3's community. Hackers once again swarmed multiplayer venues, damaging unit morale and consequently fueling tensions among members and officers alike. What existed briefly as a unified leadership devolved into fragmented loyalties and conflicted interests. The resignation of Falcon as commanding officer in May further exacerbated and inflamed these tensions which had mostly been kept suppressed during his time in charge. The nomination of Obrim as the new Commander saw an increased measure of discipline applied within the team's structure, but also led to a significant drop in membership and activity. All but 3 officers received discharges for insubordination and various breaches of the Code of Conduct. This happened in conjunction with a decline of the regular member base and Squad 9's roster fell to 24 members by August and didn't halt there.
The Officer Corps culling of the summer of 2012 are listed here for the record:
Captain ShAdOwX AKA H-Dog resigned his post and was honorably discharged by request. Captain Sc(+)ped was demoted to Lieutenant for failing to fulfill his assigned role and subsequently discharged for inactivity. Lieutenant EvilClown—who had been serving as a reserve officer—was demoted for inactivity but retained his reserve membership status. Lieutenant Raptor was demoted after failing to fulfill leadership obligations to Fireteam Charlie and eventually discharged for inactivity. Lieutenant Recon—who was appointed to lead Fireteam Charlie after Raptor's removal—was demoted for failure to fulfill leadership obligations and breaching the Code of Conduct. Lieutenant Corelam was dishonorably discharged for repeated breaches of the Code of Conduct. Lieutenant Ghost was demoted for failure to fulfill leadership obligations of Fireteam Bravo, but was allowed to stay on active duty.
This downward spiral over the course of the summer culminated in one last firestorm at the Command Staff level. On August 21st, 2012—two weeks after a leadership dispute which resulted in the impeachment and later full resignation of Obrim, Falcon resigned his post as Commander and passed the mantle of command to Major HoboJoe, who assumed the role with Falcon acting as a Senior Adviser to Command Staff. Hobo was a member of the second generation of the Squad's Halo forces and one of the most active members during its days on FEAR, as well as a sponsor of the team's Battlefield 3 server and web domain.
Disbandment
2013 became a year of many things for Squad 9, but overall saw little in the way of growth. The unit conducted operations on Call of Duty Black Ops 2, MW3, and MW2; eventually migrating onto the new theaters of Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts late in the year. Unfortunately, a lack of new recruits coupled with low initiative by active members enlarged the holes in leadership for both Officer Corps and Command Staff. Having no other option, Squad 9 cut its numbers down to a smaller core group. The final achievements before the end of the year included the unit's successful competition in Clanwars on Ghosts, the creation and brief hosting of a Battlefield 4 server, and the completion and public release of the team's Crysis map. By January 2014, Falcon severed almost all ties with the unit in order to pursue post-graduate education and Hobo became more committed in his career as a full-time EMT. What members remained continued to advance their independent futures while still coming together on occasion to play games and take part in what was considered a tradition—playing under the tags of ~S9~. Until the very end, these members remained loyal and committed.
On February 2nd, 2014, ~S9~ Command Staff ordered the unit to disband, effectively dissolving Squad 9's forces and suspending all online operations indefinitely. After ten years of operation, this marked the team's third complete shutdown.
Oort Cloud Clanwars
In the summer of 2014, Falcon, Obrim, Aces, Munko, and Cosmos lent support to O|C or Oort Cloud with competing in Clanwars on Call of Duty: Ghosts. Ironically playing the role of mercenaries, this unofficial ~S9~ fireteam helped Oort secure a place in the top-rated Diamond League on Ghosts. By August of the same year, O|C's group ranked high enough on Clanwars leaderboards to participate in the very last tournament to be hosted on Call of Duty: Ghosts, only weeks ahead of the release of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
With Squad 9's participation, Oort went on to win this final tournament and claim the highest ranked slot on the Clanwars group leaderboard, beating out every other team competing in the Diamond League on Ghosts and winning recognition by Activision's tournament judges as a result. Exclusive DLC for Advanced Warfare was awarded to everyone participating in Oort during the last Clanwar on Ghosts.
Following this, Squad 9's forces parted company with Oort as their group went on to compete in Advanced Warfare. To this day, O|C remains loosely active on the latest FPS titles.
After almost one year to the day of Squad 9's 2014 shutdown, Falcon came out of retirement once again to reactivate the team. Many former members rejoined immediately, including some from the Squad's earliest days such as Jehuty—alongside familiar faces like HoboJoe and Obrim, who Falcon had repaired relations with. The new Squad began operations anew on Planetside 2 and Counter Strike: Global Offensive. A significant shift was also made from Xfire to Steam as the primary online communication platform along with TeamSpeak 3. The latest generation of leadership aimed to get Squad 9 involved in mainstream competitive FPS and bolster its profile in larger communities of players. Though success was short-lived in CS:GO, in time recruiting on Planetside 2 swelled the team's numbers back to around 20.
On Planetside, Squad 9 operated as an outfit aligned with New Conglomerate forces on the Emerald US East Coast server. They primarily specialized in a dual-purpose role as both a tactical armor unit and an elite infantry group. Enemy tank forces came to fear and loathe the sight of NC Vanguards bearing the ~S9~ tag. Using smaller squadrons of 2-3 tanks in normal engagements, Squad 9 quickly mastered the armor battlespace on all 4 of Planetside's continents, achieving strategic wins against TR and VS forces during alerts by crippling their forces' forward deployment sites and blunting their armored assaults.
Two historic actions serve as highlights for Squad 9's exploits on Planetside.
In July of 2015, Falcon and Obrim used a single Vanguard to defend Bridge Ward on Esamir against a major TR armor zerg consisting of 50+ Prowlers along with other supporting vehicles. During the last stage of the ongoing alert, they flanked the TR front and destroyed over 20 Prowlers, stopping the TR's assault against Waterson's Redemption and smashing their lines. They then engaged additional TR armor elements assaulting the Waterson's perimeter, destroying 12 additional Prowlers before being eliminated.
The second operation occurred in June of 2016, when a squad consisting of four ~S9~ members: Falcon, Obrim, Valkinsenn, and Bagdadd, led a covert strike against a TR Hive Reactor and successfully eliminated the FOB—stopping the enemy faction short of acquiring enough Victory Points to lock the continent of Esamir. They then spearheaded an assault into VS territory, capturing two territories needed to link the NC's front to the VS warpgate and award the NC enough victory points to lock down Esamir.
In addition to conducting other numerous operations on Planetside, Squad 9 also commenced ops on 7 Days to Die—a new voxel-based survival game in alpha stage pre-release—and Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain—the latest chapter in the legendary series and the first true MGS game to debut on PC.
Operation Nuclear Alamo
Near the beginning of 2016, Squad 9 launched its first strategic operation on MGS5. Codenamed Nuclear Alamo, the op's main objective was to build up the team's online Forward Operating Base to support the construction and safeguarding of 16 nuclear warheads—which was the maximum number of nukes achievable on FOB mode. Motivating the Squad's direction was their involvement with a faction of MGS5 players called the Patriots, who were devoted to nuclear proliferation on MGS multiplayer while opposing factions dubbed Philanthropy and Never Be Game Over called for the complete and total disarmament of all nuclear weapons in the game to unlock an ostensible and unconfirmed community MGS5 achievement.
The Nuclear Alamo operation lasted 3 months. During that time, several members of Squad 9 provided support and security for the team FOB and permitted Falcon—as the FOB owner—the latitude to acquire enough in-game materials to build the nukes and upgrade the FOB's security to the highest possible tier. Eventually all 16 nukes were successfully built and defended using FOB blockades to lock down the base for 2 weeks at a time. The only time any real deployments were required were during the blockade downtimes to keep members of Philanthropy and NBGO at bay until the blockade reset.
Squad 9's aid to the Patriots eventually paid off. As one of only a small handful of FOBs to achieve "Nuclear Nirvana" status with 16 warheads, the ~S9~ FOB survived countless sieges for months while Philanthropy and NBGO forces gradually became more and more demoralized until late Spring of 2016, when both groups called for a ceasefire with the Patriots and effectively brought the nuke war on MGS5 to a close.
At its peak, Squad 9's MGS5 army ranked in the top 600 on global ESP leaderboards and achieved 214 on global PF Grade league boards, ranking as high as A- within the top-most brackets.
The rest of 2016 saw Squad 9's entry into new games such as Rainbow Six: Siege and Tom Clancy's The Division. Both titles offered unique opportunities for the latest generation of members to be involved in casual or competitive venues, in addition to helping slowly grow the team's numbers. Until September, membership held consistently around 20 members. But going into December, the member count rose past 30 and several former members rejoined—notably some who were part of Squad 9's elite Delta Fireteam on MW3.
Activity continued growing with the successful launch of ~S9~ dedicated servers on Insurgency. A private server was also created on 7 Days to Die, as part of the team's official venture into survival / crafting FPS games. Also of note in 2016 was Squad 9's switch from TeamSpeak 3 to Discord, with the latter serving as its primary voice comms platform. Additionally, Squad 9 partnered with the Armored Saints or <<AS>>, who sponsor dedicated server hosting for small teams and conducts operations on a mix of games including Insurgency, Killing Floor 2, and Halo CE.
By December 2016, Command Staff's roster included Falcon and Obrim serving respectively as CO and XO, with Officer Corps being staffed by HoboJoe, Valkinsenn, and Bagdadd—the latter two being experienced members who joined from MW2
and Planetside 2 respectively. Overall, the year in review saw moderate but stable growth and set the stage for rapid expansion in the following year.
Our Finest Year
2017 became a record-breaking year for Squad 9, beginning with an exceptional performance by Officer Corps during the summer season. For the first time in the team's history, membership at the end of the season was higher than in the beginning—marking a turning point to the "member bleed" seen during previous summers.
Adding to this, the outstanding oversight of Officer Corps going into the final months of the year saw membership nearly double—eventually swelling past 70 members and setting a record for the largest period of growth in the Squad's history. Fireteams were also reintroduced as a bulwark of the team's organizational structure and the new system allowed for greater flexibility for members to both lead and collaborate more effectively with one another.
Atop these successes were expansions into social media and internet platforms. Command Staff created an official Twitter account along with a brand channel on YouTube. A number of new tools, databases, and documentation were integrated to bolster the Squad's administrative capacity and effectiveness of the leadership—which included Falcon and Obrim as CO and XO, along with seasoned members Valkinsenn, Xenos, Bagdadd staffing Officer Corps and working with the latest generation of officers—including ScaredHobo, Tazzers, and Equestion; all of whom assumed management roles to spearhead new initiatives and bring team operations to even greater heights. The Squad's official website also changed to an improved webhost and the design tools enabled development of a leaner hub for members to use.
Finally, 2017 brought a formalized budget and financial structures to Squad 9's operations. This marked a major shift for the team towards a more structured business model and serves as a direct result of the Squad's growth and successful operations over the course of the year.
2018 proved to be a year of achievement for Squad 9, more-so due to the ways in which the team evolved internally. With membership higher than ever, leadership's focus shifted towards improving ~S9~'s structure and refining the experience provided to members. Chief among the many innovations seen throughout the year was the formalization of Departments within Officer Corps, and the institution of Team Protocols to supplement the Code of Conduct - which remained at the center of ~S9~'s organization.
Command Staff also established a roadmap for taking Squad 9's operations fully commercial. For the first time, we saw the addition of functional business verticals, which had the ability to generate revenue to fund team projects alongside member donations. Team servers also became a mainstay for several of our primary and secondary games. The Squad also reformed Fireteams and made its first official venture into competitive tournaments on Rainbow Six: Siege and Insurgency.
Unfortunately, due to the team lacking coordination on a single game or set of games, membership dwindled over time and several strategic growth opportunities failed (such as a Squad 9 Youtube channel). However, the lessons learned during 2018 set the stage for new initiatives at the end of the year and paved the way for a major turning point in 2019.
Realignment to Halo
In early 2019, 343 Industries announced the release of Halo: Master Chief Collection on Steam. Immediately following this news, Command Staff began the process of strategically realigning Squad 9's organization to operate primarily as a Halo PC unit. After months of overhauling the team's protocols, ranks, and operational systems, we now stand ready to return to Halo as a premier community with a solid org structure and a plan for success in both casual and competitive initiatives.
Along with the many realignments came a major upgrade for our server capability, and Squad 9 now hosts its own dedicated servers completely in-house. We have also formed partnerships with competitive organizers to create our own comp league and for the first time ever, ~S9~ licensed merchandise has become a reality for our members along with a myriad of opportunities to play, train, and achieve as part of the team.
Over the years, Squad 9 has advanced from a season of growth into a new season of achievement. The weeks and months ahead hold new opportunities for us to further extend the strength and influence of the team we all proudly serve.
In the midst of striving to build our legend as one of the greatest FPS teams on PC, we pause to reflect on where we have been and remember the names of those who helped bring us to this point. Over 16 years have passed since our founding, yet Squad 9 remains committed to the timeless ideals that led to its creation. Our mission is to be a team that enables skilled players with shared values to come together and win.
After all this time, many of the facets of Squad 9's early organization and leadership still exist today as newer versions of the same ideas. Things such as fireteams and a balance of responsibilities between Officer Corps and Command Staff have been practiced by Squad 9 since its days on Halo. And while these institutions have never been perfect, we've continued refining our organization to perform better each year.
Today, much of the original team structure remains intact in both its organization and the extent of its powers. Most notably, the Code of Conduct is still our foundation and has held the Squad together against all odds. From the battlefields of Halo to today, our Code has set us apart from other clans and made us the unique team we still are.
Looking to the future, we are proud to pay tribute to our past, honoring those who have come and gone, and looking forward with hope in what's to come.


Stalking is when on more than one occasion, the defendant acts in such a way toward the alleged victim that they reasonably believe that they could suffer either sexual assault, bodily injury, or be killed by the defendant. Stalking allegations can have serious consequences for an individual and do a lot of harm to their reputation. That is why, if you have been charged with a stalking offense, it is important that you speak with a Newport News stalking lawyer. A hardworking criminal attorney could protect your rights and advocate for you.
To prove a stalking charge, the prosecution has to show that the defendant had contact with the complainant or has been following them and that the actions caused the complainant to be afraid of the defendant, that they may suffer some sort of bodily injury, death, or sexual assault. They also have to show that the defendant has done that on more than one occasion.
A person can also be charged with stalking because of a misunderstanding, and that is not uncommon. A lot of times in stalking cases, it is alleged that the accuser has requested that the accused stops contacting them.
Other criminal offenses that might tie into stalking include annoying phone calls, trespassing, and possibly assault, depending on the nature of the incident.
Harassment is repeated communication with the alleged victim, especially after being told not to have contact any longer. In cases of harassment, the complainant usually is given the option of requesting a protective order. It is exceedingly likely that in that type of case, the complainant would be granted the protective order. An order of protection is one in which the judge has ordered that a person is not to have any contact or communication with the alleged victim.
Stalking in Virginia is a Class One misdemeanor, punishable for up to 12 months in jail for the first offense. The second offense within five years of conviction for the first one is a Class Six felony, punishable for up to five years in prison.
In addition to five years in prison for a Class Six felony stalking, the judge can take into account the facts of the case and their criminal record. If it is phone calls that led to the stalking charge, the judge will treat it one way. If is repetitive behavior and making threats or using weapons, the judge is likely going to issue more severe penalties than they would otherwise. If the risk of trial and the risk of sentencing outweigh the chance of acquittal, a Newport News stalking lawyer might recommend the defendant take a plea deal.
In preparing a defense against stalking charges, a stalking lawyer could look at the facts to see whether the evidence amounts to stalking. In some cases, there is no support for such a charge, and a lot has to be shown to support it. The lawyer will see whether the prosecution has checked all the boxes.
In preparing a defense against stalking, Newport News stalking lawyer will try to get witnesses who may have seen the behavior, and who can testify to the relationship between the defendant and complainant. If the alleged stalking includes phone calls, they can get phone records, and text logs to see if the defendant ever received a no-contact notice or request, or other communications made by the complainant to the defendant.
One way of defending such cases is to show there was a relationship between the two of them and the alleged victim never had a reason to believe that there would be some sort of injury coming to them.
Stalking is a serious crime, but it is very specific, and requires several things to be shown, so a Newport News stalking lawyer can be very helpful to someone charged with it. Often, a stalking charge is taken out when no stalking took place. An experienced lawyer could point that out at court and point out to the judge why the incident did not rise to the level of stalking, as required by the law. If an individual has been accused of a stalking offense, they should speak with a skilled attorney that could build a solid defense for them.


text:
Lincoln Leads
Series 7 (2023)
Specialised Information
Science & Religion
The Modern Museum
'Seeing Double'
AI and Modern Medicine
Truth and Evidence
Gender (collab. Lincoln Unites)
Is there a price cap to knowledge?
Thursday February 4th 2021, 5:30pm – 7pm UK time, on Zoom webinar
Registration: click here to register for the event
Science seems to move towards ever bigger, more complex and more expensive experiments. With building CERN for example, a project with incredibly high expenses, many new discoveries have been made. However, is there an upper cap to how much experiments can cost in trade off with the actual benefits that we gain from them for science and society?
Dr William Kalderon
Will received an MSci in Natural Sciences (physical) from Cambridge in 2012, then moved to Oxford for a DPhil in experimental particle physics – analysing data from, and helping to operate, the ATLAS experiment on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The ATLAS collaboration has also been the focus of his two postdoctoral positions so far – first for Lund University in Sweden (2016-19) and currently for Brookhaven National Laboratory in the USA (2019 – present; stationed at CERN in Geneva). During this time, he has conducted several searches for particles and interactions "beyond the Standard Model", such as Supersymmetry and Dark Matter, as well as coordinating parts of the "trigger" system, which decides in real-time which 1000 of the 40 million proton-proton collision events per second to record to permanent storage for later analysis.
Dr Kimberly Palladino
An American, I grew up all over the Eastern US: Massachusetts to Virginia, graduating high school in Pennsylvania. I attended Princeton University (where I did physics research on the Cosmic Microwave background), then did a year of service through a program called AmeriCorps working for the American Red Cross in Anchorage, Alaska. I got my PhD from The Ohio State University in 2009 working in neutrino astronomy on the balloon experiment ANITA (and I travelled to McMurdo Station, Antarctica twice). Then I did a postdoc on a dark matter experiment called MiniCLEAN at MIT and was stationed at SNOLAB in Sudbury Canada for two years constructing that experiment (which never ran), even becoming a research scientist at SNOLAB. Then I was a research scientist at the US Department of Energy SLAC National Accelerator Center working on the LUX and LZ Dark Matter Detectors. I've continued that work, first as a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2015-2020) and now at Oxford. I'm also a mother to a 4 year old and 1 year old, who may always make a surprise appearance!
Lilian Hartman
Lilian received both her BA in Medical Sciences (2019) and her MSc in Global Health Science and Epidemiology (2020) from Lincoln College. She is currently at Medical School. She has a particular interest in the links between nutrition and health, and the use of epidemiological studies to answer these questions. Her MSc thesis used data from 0.5 million British people to assess links between meat intake and inflammation. She has also been very active in various Societies including the Oxford Medical Society, Doctors of the World, and the Oxford Society of Lifestyle Medicine.Bio to come soon
Anna Huhn
Anna has received her BSc in Molecular Biotechnology and MSc in Molecular Biosciences in Heidelberg, Germany, before coming to Oxford and starting her DPhil in Molecular Cell Biology in Health and Disease in the Dunn School of Pathology. She has already chaired the Science panel of Lincoln Leads 2020 and was also involved in the organisation of TEDx in Heidelberg.Bio to come soon

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Two researchers for HP have created a browser-based darknet, an idea that could make it easier for businesses to keep eavesdroppers from finding out confidential corporate information.
Darknets are encrypted peer-to-peer networks normally used to communicate files between closed groups of people. Most darknets require a certain level of technological literacy to set up and maintain, including taking care of the necessary servers. However, HP researchers Billy Hoffman and Matt Wood plan next week to demonstrate a browser-based darknet called 'Veiled', which they claim requires little proficiency to set up and run.
"This will really lower the barriers to participation," Wood told ZDNet UK on Thursday. "If you want to create a darknet, you can send an encrypted email saying 'here's the URL'. When [the recipient visits] the website, the browser can just get [the darknet application] going."
Wood said HP does not want to turn the project into a commercial product. While the company does not plan to make the source code available, the researchers do plan to open source their idea, so other security researchers can "pick up the baton".
"HP has no desire to patent or copyright or release any code," said Wood. "Black Hat is one of the top security conferences, and we want to get this cool idea into the hands of people who are really smart."
HP's darknet research came about when the researchers realised the potential of new browser technologies, according to Wood. Browsers with HTML 5 support — such as recent versions of Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer — allow files to be stored 'persistently' on the client, for working on them when offline. This feature, coupled with the distributed grid-computing nature of a darknet, means files can be effectively uploaded in perpetuity, even when the initial browser has been shut down. It also makes the darknet resilient, said Wood.


In the 12 years since winning Young Musician of the Year, Nicola Benedetti has built up an impressive career playing some of the most technically demanding concertos with some of the best orchestras in the world, so this was a rare opportunity to hear her playing solo with the Gariel Stradivarius.
With a programme that took in the familiar and a new piece written by Wynton Marsalis and playing in the round to all sides of the audience, this particular recital offered a number of new and unique challenges.
The concert began and ended with two works from Bach, starting with Partita No2 in D Minor. This piece, with its five different parts, created a number of moods, requiring both technical ability and stamina from the violinist, while telling a story and creating different moods with just four strings. Although the piece took from the platonic model of the baroque dance suite, the darker character of the closing piece gave the work a darker hue.
Sonata No 5 in G Major by Ysaye had only two sections with differing moods. The first was restful, while the second had a dance rhythm in 5/4 time.
The new work by Wynton Marsalis added in further challenges, taking equally from New York based jazz and celtic music, with fast rhythmic changes, full throated chords, violin effects to sound like traffic and trains, while maintaining both forward momentum and the complicated musical detailing within the piece.
A closing Partita No3 in E Major by Bach also provided musical challenges, the six pieces moving through various moods from the cheery Preludio to the slow jig of Louree, and the lively gigue which brings the piece to a close.
This was music that showed the range of the solo violin, and how many moods it could conjure when played in the hands of an expert musician.


I can count to ten too mummy.
I'm eating all my dinner up too mummy.
I've put my pants on myself too mummy.
I washed my hands without any help too mummy.
These are things that Mini often says. Often in the middle of me praising Dollop, or immediately after, before I've even taken a breath. He has to be loved, noticed and praised as much as Dollop or preferably more. The times that Mini gets praise but Dollop doesn't are irrelevant to him. He HAS to have praise when she does, if not, he asks for it.
If you look at what he wants praise for you might think he's regressed a bit, and of course there are times when that is the case, but for the most part I don't think that's why he does this. I think it's because he needs to feel like he's not different...needs to feel perhaps as if he's just like Dollop, and because he needs to know that we love him as much as her.
These are the things that Dollop (being nearly 3) gets praise for, because of course she's still learning to do all of those things. Mini doesn't generally get praise for them because he knows how to do them all, and has for some time. He gets congratulated instead for building Lego things both with instructions and with his imagination, and for sitting still during dinner, and for reading well - that kind of age appropriate thing!
So what about Dollop? There are of course times when Mini is at school and Dollop gets 1:1 attention and time with me. And of course, she gets lots of praise in those times however, whenever Mini is around I always have to treat them exactly the same. I can't even spontaneously say I love you to her, without then feeling forced to say it to him too. Of course I love him, but sometimes in a moment, I want to only say it to Dollop. Just like at times, I just tell him. What is this teaching Dollop and her 3 yr old developing brain? I worry about that.
I do know that some of this is quite normal - I remember getting cross when my brother got something...hugs, sweets, attention, praise, toys or whatever else and I didn't. I'm the first one to admit that I often wailed 'but it's not fair' at my parents, when my brother seemed to get preferential treatment. I know I'm to expect that between Mini and Dollop too. But how I handle it with them is perhaps different to how my mother dealt with it because she didn't have to worry about a traumatised child, or our feelings about difference.
I worry that if I treat them differently then that extends the gap between Mini and Dollop. Or at least the gap in Mini's mind - I don't want to make that any wider. We know Mini already feels different, he's told us so, and the professionals feel it's clear from his reactions and behaviour. I also accept that we can't stop Mini feeling different. I'm sure many adult adoptees grew up feeling different...loved, happy, but different. What we need to do is accept Mini's feelings, and let him become proud of his differences, or at least accepting of them.
So for now, I continue to praise Mini when he asks for it. And I praise him much more when he doesn't ask for it. I dislike how contrived it feels, but I'm hoping that as Mini matures and becomes more confident in himself, more accepting of his strengths and weaknesses, more accepting of his past and present, and more reflective then he'll be happier to just take the genuine praise, and not need to ask for the fake stuff.
And to help him in that we work on making Mini feel confident and proud about himself, we remind him that we love him for who he is, not who he isn't, and we remind him about all the special bits of him that we love. And Dave-the-therapist works on pointing bits out about Mini that are just his...his muscles for example as he punches through ever-increasing amounts of newspaper, getting prouder and feeling stronger each time more paper is added. He always comes out of those sessions standing just a little bit taller.
Are your children like this? What do you do?
Oh my goodness, I could have written this! My 3 are exactly the same! To the point that everything I do I have to do X 3, if I tickle someone as they walk past me, 2 more appear and expect me to tickle them. If I ask one, how was school today, the other 2 line up waiting their turn, if I remark on something they've done, the other 2 ask 'is mine good too?', if I ask someone to do a job for me, 2 more appear wanting a job, if I give someone a cuddle, kiss or even dare sit them on my lap, 2 more appear waiting their turn, even if I tell somone off, 2 little voice appear telling me how good they've been! its positivly exhausting and I'm ashamed to say after almost 3 years of this, its made me withdraw a little from praise and even try and do things in a 'sneeky' maner so the other 2 don't hear and expect me to do it/say it/ask it again for them!
It takes all the spontaneity out of things doesn't it? Dollop is nearly 3, and she needs praise to learn that what she's doing is good, and right. I can't stop, but it's bloomin hard work!
I suspect I have all this to come (in about 3 weeks time) and I have no doubt the same issues will arise. Katie is already commenting that she is concerned about missing out on time with me and I have no doubt that the gree-eyed monster will be coming to stay at our house very soon.
All that said, I think you have a case of dammed if you do and dammed if you don't. It's the same for every parent. However equal you are there will always be perceived inequalities between the children. My younger sister had a lot of stuff that caused her difficulties (and still do) so my memories of childhood are her needs dominating the family. How accurate that is, I don't know - fairly I think if I'm honest. I only have my perception however. I will say that, in life, this issue will raise its head time and time again. We need to be equipped to taking a backseat every now and again. We can't be the focus of attention all the time otherwise we simply cannot function in this world. You and I are alike. We worry and we think about things.....a lot. I don't know the answer to this Vicki but I do know that you will be as fair as you are able to be, because that's in your nature. Both children will feel jealous at times but that's life. Mini and Dollop will need to learn to understand those emotions as they grows older in order to function in this world as an adult so I guess the parenting there for you is how you help Mini manage those feelings that might surface linked to his difficulties. I guess your learning is to ensure you don't assume he is feeling something based on what you know about his background and issues. I am sure you already have specified time with each child individually so they can spend time with you, even for just a huggle? One way of doing that is to have a sheet on the wall that shows your daily schedule and you could schedule in time for each child on their own. Dollop will be able to grow up learing that it's her time to spend a bit of time amusing herself and Mini will see the fairness in that because it's scheduled. Just a thought.
You're very good at not automatically assuming that difficulties are linked to background. I love that about you! I'm less so, but with good reason...I don't just have 'adoption' or 'trauma' to contend with for Mini, I have 'difference'. All the professionals involved with us - CAMHS, PAS, Theraplay/DDP therapist all feel (and I tend to agree) that with this competition for attention/praise/to be treated the same, is not necessarily because of Mini's background, but more because he has a different background to Dollop. He KNOWS he is different. He thinks we feel differently about him. He isn't securely attached to us, and when Dollop was born, that strengthened Mini's belief (even if he doesn't know/understand it) that he is not part of us, or one of us.
That's why Theraplay as a family therapy is so important for us, it brings us together, it helps Mini understand that he has aspects about him that are special, but we are a team, and we work better as a team, and our particular team works best with him in it. It's slowly sinking in, and getting better, but he still has his wobbly alone moments.
I love the idea of a daily schedule, we used to have one when we were 3. When we became 4, it went out of the window. We have 1:1 time with both children, but scheduling it just doesn't work for us anymore. 5 minutes spontaneous play and fun works so much better and effectively than 30mins planned togetherness.
Thank you, it's just never-ending. As adults we can see that our kids have different needs, but all they see is 'it's not fair'!
Missy often asks "Have I been a good girl today?". She needs reassurance a lot but I have to admit there are days when she asks that I just want to be honest!! She's been very defiant today in particular so i'm hoping she doesn't ask later!
I was insanely jealous of my older half sister as a child . . . and I was the natural child of both my parents whereas she was the one that had been born of my mum's previous marriage and then adopted by my dad. She also happened to be a world-class gymnast, which all seemed to take up a lot of my parents' time and attention (at least as far as I was concerned!). In a world where so many families are blended or unorthodox in some other way, it is harder and harder to juggle the needs of all the children involved. I think the trauma of family breakdown and re-formation on children is now so widespread that it almost goes without comment, but it is real nonetheless. This is a roundabout way of saying that although it might be hard for you to find others who have dealt with exactly the situation that you are in, there might be wisdom to be gained from those who have successfully managed blended families with all their children's complex needs. Some advice won't be applicable, but some might help.
I do understand the jealousy - as I said above, I remember being very jealous of my brother. Years later after I moved home after university, he once admitted that he felt the same towards me!


text:
Halloween, the Happiest Time of Year!
Wisdom Quarterly (Editors)
China's Gao Temple caverns were converted into a peculiar kind of Chinese hell, where devils are depicted torturing beings reborn in perdition. Do Buddhists go to heaven? (Deanspic/Flickr)
Halloween is America's greatest holiday. It is one of the few times we formally acknowledge that it is not all about us. Our ancestors are still with us in one form or another. In the Petavatthu, the Buddha explained that it was not possible for someone not to have relatives dwelling in the unfortunate abodes -- the realm of ghosts and subhuman existences collectively. This is because "relatives" is defined as going back seven generations (just as it extends for the Native Americans). What leads to rebirth on those unfortunate planes? The anti-precepts lead there: not abstaining or discouraging killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, deceiving, or drug taking. To abandon these and encourage others to abandon them is the way to the human world and higher worlds. But here now -- where we are shamed for any "deviant," "sinful," or "wrong" impulse -- Halloween is the only appropriate holiday for acting out in all the ways that are forbidden. It is no wonder Halloween has become more popular with US adults than children.
Halloween (Samhain) witch, angel, she-devil
For just one day I'll pretend I'm a s----y devil. My parents say it's crazy and they won't have it under their roof! But every other day of the year it's hypocrisy. How can pretending (and deceiving others) be preferable to play acting? Halloween is not when we are like this; Halloween is when we express how we think of being. Strangling the expression of everything unpleasant does not make it go away. It feeds it and keeps it alive with guilt, shame, and turning a blind eye. Let it see the light of day. Maybe it's not as much to be afraid of as we fear. It would be less worse to die than to live always fearing death. Whosoever would purposely turn from the truth, whatever the truth may be, is no truthseeker.
(Barbara Virgo Hobbs/Flickr.com)
Family Guy: Sugar is the cause of fast aging, rotting, and mental instability as Stewie Duck and Pink Brian find (tv.ign.com).
Foreclosure firm mocks evicted at Halloween party
Lindsay Lohan spends Halloween at county morgue
The famous [Hindu] "Trinity" concept not in Bible
Haunted Magic Castle burns on Halloween
Fire officials are trying assess the damage after a greater-alarm fire ripped through the famed Magic Castle in the Hollywood Hills on Monday. Fire crews said the blaze was contained largely to the attic and walls of the historic venue but that there might be significant water damage. There is no immediate cause for the blaze...
Perseus Cluster Screaming Skull space jack 'o lantern is actually a Chandra image of galaxies in X-rays (A. Fabian, et al./IoA Cambridge/NASA/Space.com).
Posted by Wisdom Quarterly at 7:30 AM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: Autumn, candy and crime, coping with death, demons, Devil, Fall, five precepts, holiday, hungry ghosts, monsters, PETA, petas, preta, retail tricks, Samhain, sexual misconduct, sharing merit, treating
Stories of the Departed (Petavatthu)
The endless round of existences (Sanskrit, samsara) we cycle through due to ignorance and craving is called the Wheel of Rebirth (Hanciong/Devaintart, Flickr) MORE.
Stories of the Departed
Spooks, creeps, haints, poltergeists, and shape-shifting monsters... in Buddhism? The Petavatthu is a collection of ancient Buddhist scriptures called the Ghost Stories found in the Khuddaka Nikaya.
Composed of 51 verse narratives, it specifically describes how the effects of unprofitable karma can -- when and if they ripen at the time of rebirth -- lead to conscious arising in the unfortunate realm of hungry "ghosts" (petas).
This happens in accordance within the framework of intentional actions and their results. It gives prominence to the teaching that giving alms to successful Buddhist practitioners (arhats, buddhas, meditators, monastics, moral individuals) is capable of benefiting the ghosts of one's relatives.
But how could my good actions become someone else's good actions? They can not, technically speaking. But since "actions" include words and thoughts, there is a way. If one's relatives in the realm of ghosts approves, lauds, and commends the good one does either on their behalf or in general, they themselves are generating very meritorious mental-karma.
When the deed they are approving of is very excellent, such as giving to an enlightened person, it can have immediate benefits for them. That a relative does it is important, that they approve of it is crucial. The other worlds are not far.
Hungry Ghost (Sanskrit, preta) scroll, Kyoto (Wikimedia commons)
Famines combine the Realm of Humans and Hungry Ghosts
PHOTOS: Hanciong's DeviantArt gallery
Labels: buddhist hell, candy and crime, charitable giving, consumer, coping with death, dead, fat hungry brain, hungry ghosts, karma, petas, retail tricks, sharing merit, suffering, sugar
"Day of the Dead" (Dia De Los Muertos)
Wisdom Quarterly, HollywoodForever.com
(Britphoto) The 11th Annual Dia De los Muertos ("Day of the Dead") festival filmed (and edited) by Karl Polverino at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Oct. 30, 2010.
Hollywood Forever is a cemetery like no other. One of the world's most fascinating landmarks, it is the final resting place to more of Hollywood's founders and stars than any place on Earth. Founded in 1899, this graveyard was an integral part of the growth of early Hollywood. Paramount Studios was built on the back half of the original site, where it still operates today. It is the choice resting place for most of the founders of Hollywood's great studios, as well as its writers, directors, and performers.
The cemetery is now listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. Visitors come from all over the world to pay respects to Johnny Ramone, Cecil B. DeMille, Jayne Mansfield, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, and hundreds of Hollywood's greatest stars. But mostly they come to celebrate a Latin holiday quickly catching on. It is the new Cinco de Mayo ("Fifth of May") for Los Angeles's indigenous ethnicity.
After all, not long ago California belonged to Mexico. Los Angeles ("The Angels") was settled by celebrants of a culture that remembered its ancestors and set aside this special day (traditionally Nov. 1st) to care for them after their passing. Not coincidentally, almost a world away, Europe chose the same day. But it is the eve of that day that became most famous as All Hallow's Eve.
The veils separating the human, ghost (preta), animal, monster (asura, yakkha, naga, kumbandha), and hellion planes seems to thin at this time, perhaps allowing lower planes to again savor the wondrous but largely taken for granted opportunity of existence as a human, the last fortunate destination in Buddhist cosmology.
Remembering Mara (maranasati) on LA's Day of the Dead
Mindfulness of Death
Wisdom Quarterly translation Maranassati Sutra (AN 6.20)
Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was residing at Nadika, in the Brick Monastery, where he addressed the recluses, "Recluses!"
"Yes, venerable sir," they replied.
"Mindfulness of death when developed and made much of is of great fruit, of great benefit. It leads to the deathless [nirvana], has the deathless as its final end. Therefore, one should develop mindfulness of death."
When this was said a certain disciple addressed the Buddha: "I already develop mindfulness of death."
"How do you develop mindfulness of death?" the Buddha replied.
"I think, 'Oh, if I were to live for a day and night and attend to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal!' This is how I develop it."
Another disciple added, "I, too, already develop mindfulness of death."
"How do you develop mindfulness of death?"
"I think, 'Oh, if I were to live for a day and attend to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal!' This is how I develop it."
Then another added, "I, too, develop mindfulness of death... I think, 'Oh, if I were to live for the interval it takes to eat a meal and were to attend to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal.' This is how...."
Then another added, "...I think, 'Oh, if I were to live for the interval it takes to swallow four chewed up morsels of food and were to attend to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal.' This is how...."
Then another added, "...I think, 'Oh, if I were to live for the interval it takes to swallow one chewed up morsel of food..."
Then another added, "I...think, 'Oh, if I were to live for the interval it takes to breathe out after breathing in, or to breathe in after breathing out..."
When all this was said, the Buddha addressed them. "Whoever develops mindfulness of death thinking, 'Oh, if I were to live for a day and night... a day... the interval it takes to eat a meal... swallow four morsels of food and were to attend to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal!' -- such practitioners are said to dwell heedlessly. They develop mindfulness of death slowly for the sake of ending the defilements.
"But whoever develops mindfulness of death thinking, 'Oh, if I were to live for the interval it takes to swallow one morsel of food... for the interval it takes to breathe out after breathing in or to breathe in after breathing out and were to attend to the Blessed One's instructions, I will have accomplished a great deal!' -- such practitioners are said to dwell heeding my advice. They develop mindfulness of death acutely for the sake of ending the defilements.
"Therefore should you train yourselves: 'We will dwell heedfully. We will develop mindfulness of death acutely for the sake of ending the defilements.' That is how you should train yourselves."
That is what the Buddha said. And the recluses delighted in his words.
Labels: accept death, california, Cinco de Mayo, coping with death, earth angels, Hollywood, Los Angeles, mara, Mayans, mesoamerica, Mexican, Mexican Buddhists, mindfulness death, saint death, Santa Muerte
The Fukushima nuclear disaster today (video)
RT.com, Greenpeace, 60 Minutes Australia. Dr. Michio Kaku, Wisdom Quarterly
The consequences of the Fukushima disaster will be emerging for at least several decades. According to the Japanese government, it will take up to 30 years for the complete clean up of the radiation released from the reactors.
Japan aims to reduce radiation by half over the next two years. To do so it may have to remove and dispose of massive amounts of radioactive soil, possibly enough to fill 23 baseball stadiums, reports Reuters.
(Manekinekotattoo) Exposing the "unspeakable" that will impact "all of humanity."
Experts say the areas inside the evacuation zone will have to remain uninhabited throughout the years of contamination. All collected soil and other waste will be stored in the Fukushima Prefecture, in an "interim facility" with an estimated capacity of up to 28 million cubic meters.
Despite official information, some reports suggest the Japanese government is seriously downplaying the real amount of radioactive substances that leaked from Fukushima.... More
Japanese fear authorities hide ugly truth about nuclear risks
The Japanese government is starting radiation checkups for more than two million people living near the crippled Fukushima plant. But many citizens of the country fear those in charge prefer face-saving public ignorance to life-saving knowledge.
VIDEO: The Unbelievable Truth About Fukushima
Fukushima crisis to be resolved in six months
Earthquake in Japan Fukushima nuclear disaster
Almost half the children in Fukushima test positive for radiation
Fukushima Prefecture "like another universe" to Greenpeace activist
'Nuclear-test monitoring works like anti-burglar system"
Will UFOs from the heavens clean up the radiation?
Labels: california, contaminated, cover up, garbage, great pacific garbage patch, Japan, Japanese, nuclear, nuclear fallout, official report, Pacific Ocean Gyre, radiation sickness
Sex Slavery is Kind of Sexy (video)
I. Rony (Wisdom Quarterly)
How did sex, such a lovely thing, turn into slavery, abuse, and rape? It cannot help that so many societies are hypocritical about the subject. It is taboo to even mention. We are shame for any overt sign of lust or longing, for any lack or limitation. All that hypocrisy and shaming comes back.
There is a less savory side to trying to satisfy sensual cravings.
It comes in the form of organized sex abuse. Maybe we should rethink our attitudes, mores we contribute to by participating in mainstream media images and roles. The result of ignoring the issue is not a tragedy in Thailand (the Southeast Asian hub), Hollywood, New York, Paris, London, and Amsterdam. It is a tragedy everywhere.
It's one arena where whites are in as much jeopardy as everyone else, only we do not know it. "That's something that only happens over there," we say. Where? Where our dads go on business? It may be sexy. But imagine a world where ordinary sex were sexy.
The story is best told in pictures, but words are worth...
In England and Latin America?
In Capitalist Russia, the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics?
In human-rights-loving China, the People's Republic?
But at least our children are safe.
Is rape by police legal or just not that illegal?
Lower testosterone comes later in life
Tibetan monks tour NJ to teach peace, love, kindness
VIDEO: "Occupy ISRAEL"? Massive rally in Tel Aviv
Labels: america, asia, hypocrisy comes with high morals, irony, modern india, modern slavery, rape, sex abuse, sex addiction, sex industry
7 Billionth Person Born
Text by Runnin Scared (VillageVoice.com), Wisdom Quarterly
A century ago, there were only 2,000,000,000 people. Welcome to the human plane, 7 billionth! You are among more than 7 trillion "Earthlings" like ants, fish, bugs, and unseen beings.
The UN Population Division estimates the world's 7 billionth person will be born tomorrow. How do they know this? The UN says the number is "derived from the annual series of world population estimates obtained by interpolating the results of the 2010 Revision of World Population Prospects by assuming exponential growth within each year."
Standing shoulder to shoulder, 7 billion of us would only fill Los Angeles.
Translation: Tracking chips implanted in all our brains by shampooists working hand-in-hand with the Illuminati. Due to birth rates, the 7 billionth person will most likely be born in India or China. Who cares about them? Where do you fit into to this number? The BBC has a program that calculates what number person you were on Earth when you were born. More
VIDEO: Just how big is seven billion?
7 billion by the end of 2011 (Nat'l Geo)
World population clocks (prettejohn.net)
Labels: Building 7, china has one billion uncounted buddhists, overpopulation, population, population control
"Run From the Cure" (full movie)
(Paulagloria)
The following presentation of RUN FROM THE CURE: The Rick Simpson Story was made possible by Rick Simpson and video producer Christian Laurette. It is given free to teach us how to heal ourselves of chronic disease and serious illness using cannabinoids (from cannabis, a form of hemp).
PhoenixTears.ca
Those who have been cured are are not asking anyone if it works. They are telling us it works. It is not a debate about would it work, might it work, could it possibly work? It has worked and continues to work.
Many inexperienced, uneducated people speak with minds full of bias about a life-saving plant they actually know nothing about. As a result they give bad advice and, in many cases, make horribly ignorant remarks. They decry the people who bring forward controversial information as if having a choice or hearing an alternative were a bad thing.
Let your food be your medicinal cure, or synthetic chemicals are likely to become your costly treatments. Comment on YouTube
Posted by Wisdom Quarterly at 9:29 PM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: alternative medicine, alternative therapies, cancer cure, criminalize, hemp, marijuana, medical field, natural medicine, oncology
"Stuff They Don't Want You To Know" (video)
(Abdlmagid1) As World War II raged across Europe and the Pacific Rim, the conflict reached every continent on the planet, including Antarctica. Little known Nazi expeditions to Antarctica were launched. What did they hope to find there?
Cultures across the planet have legends describing giant, human-like creatures. These stories are usually dismissed as folklore -- yet it is believed races of giants existed at some point in Earth's past.
(HowStuffWorks) Conspiracy theorists across the world believe that Freemasons control the District of Columbia (Washington DC) through the use of arcane symbols and geomancy. But why?
For centuries, the achievements of the past have baffled modern societies. How could ancient empires build architectural marvels like the pyramids of Egypt or Mesoamerica or the Nazca lines?
Did the U.S. government steal Tesla's technology? When impoverished inventor Nikola Tesla died in New York City, the US government confiscated his notes. Why? Were they trying to steal his technology? Did they ever relinquish the notes? Are they using free energy and hiding it from the world for the benefit of private businesses?
Labels: ancient, Antarctic, giants, hollow earth, NAZIs, pyramids, space aliens, Tesla, Washington DC, WW II
GIRLTOPIA! (Los Angeles)
Convention Center overwhelmed by Girltopia (Wisdom Quarterly/Amber Dorrian).
LOS ANGELES, California - The Convention Center was overwhelmed by Girl Scouts, Brownies, Webelos, feminists, and moms, moms, moms as a fierce snowstorm -- brought on very early as a result of global climate chaos -- ruins Halloween weekend trick or treating for the Northeast United States. The storm has knocked out power to 2.7 million, snarled air and highway travel, and dumped more than 2 feet of snow in a some spots as it slowly moves north. The solar-powered Convention Center hums along as officials warned it could be days before many on the East Coast see electricity restored. And under those warm florescent lights, GIRLTOPIA is flourishing in sunny SoCal, not far from the central Occupy protest, next door to The Green Fest. It was sold out. Buy tickets early for next time.
US girl to get $10 million for amputations
Missing baby Lisa Irwin: damaging details
Ohio police: Dashcam shows nearly topless speeder
Vibrator quip gets airport security agent in hot water
Maher: gay sodomy and sexuality in Islamic culture
Apollo astronaut surrenders Moon camera in lawsuit
Eat the Old: Could mass cannibalism solve food shortage?
Huge python found in Florida had eaten a deer
16-foot python found in Everglades had eaten deer
Japanese fishermen net bag with nearly $150,000
A real life Slumdog Millionaire emerges in India
Labels: california, festival, girl, girls, green, India's unwanted girls, Los Angeles, southern
Bigfoot exists; PR campaigns seed doubt
Wisdom Quarterly, RT.com
Evidence for the Yeti or Abominable Snowman tumbles in from Siberia (RT.com)
We have gotten a flood of comments sharing news stories that Yetis (yakshas in Buddhist cosmology) and Bigfoot exist.
It was only a matter of time before the powers that be and "official" science gatekeepers (journal editors, faculty committees, funding approvers, etc.) relented in the face of mounting modern evidence.
Never mind the centuries-old evidence handed down among indigenous people all over the world. Maybe there's still a chance, maybe this story can still be buried. No "civilized" person believed in the existence of mountain gorillas until a century ago, and most of the world still has no idea what a bonobo is as they are quickly pushed to extinction.
(today24news.com)
Public relations campaigns have been orchestrated to dismiss and ridicule reports for decades. It does not take much to seed doubt and ridicule. Governments have known for a long time about Bigfoot, other monsters, and alien visitors. But we sleep well in the Matrix not knowing about such things, which could bring us closer to the truth and take us farther from capitalist-consumer-wage-slavery.
(bigfootlunchclub.com)
Within a Hair of Bigfoot
The Russian Academy of Sciences has said it is highly likely that the Bigfoot really exists. Experts came to the conclusion after carrying out a microscopic analysis of hairs believed to belong to the yeti found in the Kuzbass region of Siberia.
In early October, professors from the USA, Canada, Sweden, Estonia, and Russia came to the Kuzbass region to look for evidence that would prove the existence of the Bigfoot. The trip was not in vain -- footprints apparently belonging to the yeti were found dotted all over the inside of the Azass cave where the creature is thought to live.
The follicular evidence was found stuck to a huge footprint on the cave's clay floor. Professors from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Idaho Universities got themselves a couple of precious hairs each to do the necessary research. The hairs turned out to be identical to ones that allegedly belonged to a Californian yeti, another from the Russian Urals, and a third from the Leningrad region, writes Komsomolskaya Pravda.
The first to make the fantastic discovery was Prof. Valentin Sapunov, a member of the New York Academy, St. Petersburg Scientific University -- a geneticist and biophysicist.
"In St. Petersburg the hairs were examined through a special microscope," said Valentin Sapunov. "This is a complicated, but a very efficient method. The hairs were sprayed with a chemical composition, and then various slices of the hairs were examined. This gave us an opportunity to draw comparisons between the hairs of different biological species," the professor explained. More
Northern California man claims Bigfoot hair samples
Bigfoot research: Demonizing long term witnesses
Bigfoot: unfound and unfounded
A genuine Yeti-mania
Pilots spot UFO "burning" over Moscow
Bigfoot quest: Siberia drafts in the pros
Taiga is the law, bear is the master
Do giant footprints belong to Siberian yeti?
Following the trail of Bigfoot (chillico thegazette.com)
Labels: asian bigfoot, evolution, hair, mystery, religion and science, russia, Siberia, Siberian buddhism, USA, yakkha yaksha, Yaksha Kingdom, yeti, yeti footprint casts
Occupy Wall Street: Snow on American Fall
A member of the Occupy Wall Street movement looks for tent in Zuccotti Park as the first winter snow falls in New York, Oct. 29, 2011 (Lucas Jackson/Reuters).
#OCCUPY WALL STREET
(Time.com) The Occupy Wall Street movement began in Zuccotti Park on a glorious mid-September Saturday and, so far, many of its larger marches have taken place in the warmth of New York's Indian summer. But winter has been looming, and on Saturday, just a couple days before Halloween, the protesters got a preview of what they're in for. More
Freezing pre-Halloween snow (newswhip.com)
Labels: american, Autumn, coast to coast, East, Fall, new york, occupation, snow creature
Disaster Capitalism: "Shock Doctrine" (video)
(A2zme) Shock Doctrine by Alfonso Cuarón and Naomi Klein, directed by Jonás Cuarón.
"When I finished The Shock Doctrine, I sent it to Alfonso Cuarón because I adore his films and felt that the future he created for Children of Men was very close to the present I was seeing in disaster zones. I was hoping he would send me a quote for the book jacket and instead he pulled together this amazing team of artists -- including Jonás Cuarón who directed and edited -- to make The Shock Doctrine short film. It was one of those blessed projects where everything felt fated" (Naomi Klein).
Labels: capitalism, film, future shock, Naomi Klein
The Parable of the Sacred Grove
Xia on the true meaning of sangha (TempleoftheGoddess.org)
(shinra-sanne.deviantart.com)
A solitary man journeyed about the world. When he met others on the road, he looked down, grunted a passing greeting, hunched his shoulders, and continued on his way.
In each village he passed, he saw the people gathering beneath the trees, the "Sacred Groves" they called them. They entered the wood by twos, threes, sometimes alone. They danced, sang, laughed, ate, and watched the cycles of the Moon together.
The man wondered what it would be like to walk beneath those trees. Each time he passed their wood, he wondered if the people would welcome him or turn him away.
He wondered why they met in their Sacred Groves, beneath the trees, instead of the village square. He wondered what drew them to those places. But the man never went into the woods. Having decided long ago that he needed no one, he walked alone. It was better that way. Still, he wondered. More
Labels: earth, Gaia, goddess, mother goddess of prosperity, Nature, Pagan, parable, Pasadena, sacred, sacred feminine, Samhain, sangha, trees, uniter, universal, Wicca, witch
Thus have I heard. Once upon a time the Buddha was residing at Nadika, in the Brick Monastery, where he addressed the recluses, "Recluses, mindfulness of death when developed and made much of is of great fruit, of great benefit.
"It leads to the deathless [nirvana], has the deathless as its final end. How is mindfulness of death developed and made much of?
"There is the case where a practitioner reflects as day departs and night returns: 'Many are the causes of my death. Snake bite, scorpion sting, centipede pinch might be how my death would come about. And that would be an obstruction for me. I might fall, poor digestion, bile, phlegm [the humors of the body might become unbalanced]... piercing winds might be how my death would come about. And that would be an obstruction for me.'
"Then the practitioner should investigate: 'Are there any harmful, unskillful qualities still unabandoned in me that would be an obstruction if I were to die tonight?' If so, one should make an effort, arouse diligence [the opposite of negligence], endeavor, give undivided mindfulness and clear comprehension for the abandoning of those qualities.
"Just as when a person whose head is on fire would put forth effort and arouse diligence...to put out the fire, in the same way one should endeavor and abandon those qualities.
"But if by reflecting one realizes that there are no such states still left unabandoned, on account of that one should dwell in joy and rapture [abide in jhana], training day and night in skillful qualities [states or traits].
"There is also the case of one who reflects as night departs and day returns: 'Many are the causes of death....And that would be an obstruction for me.' Then one should investigate: 'Are there any harmful, unskillful qualities still unabandoned in me that would be an obstruction for me were I to die this day?' If so, one should make an effort...for the abandoning of those qualities.
"Just as when a person whose head is on fire puts forth effort and arouse diligence...to put out the fire, in the same way one should endeavor and abandon those qualities.
"Disciples, this is how mindfulness of death is developed and made much of so that it is of great fruit, of great benefit, leads to the deathless, and has the deathless as its final end."
Labels: mind, mindfulness death
Green Festival Los Angeles (Oct. 29-30)
GreenFestivals.org, Wisdom Quarterly
The Green Fest comes to Los Angeles this weekend. The NYC Green Festival will now be held on Earth Day weekend, April 21-22, 2012. Saving the world means going green. Gaia, Mother Nature, our planet Earth is green. Corporations are green with envy and do not mind going green when it produces that other form of green (greenbacks).
What the world needs now is sustainability, citizen gardening, permaculture farming, natural ingredients over chemicals and Monsanto monstrosities. But how? This festival is all about how. The traditions and technologies already exist, already work, already have companies behind them waiting for implementation, already sit under a booth tent waiting to be seen. Come see.
Wisdom Quarterly visited the San Francisco version and wondered why the world was still waiting. This location is within walking distance of the Occupy Los Angeles site. The fest features Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!), Medea Benjamin (Code Pink), The [formerly evil, military-industrial complex supporting] Economic Hitman, Yoga Zone, health news, and more...
Study: Japan nuke radiation higher than estimated
Does living near fast food joints up your weight?
Taco Bell terrorized as man demands more beef
California cracking down on kitchen grease thieves
"Wife-sharing" haunts Indian villages as girls decline
Sip of rare wine is Panetta's reward for bin Laden
Pa. boy, 13, ill after smoking synthetic pot, dies
Coca-Cola to buy bottler for $360 million
Libbey profit triples on China, US, Canada sales
Avon under fire from Feds and Wall Street
Reading, Writing, and Rifles in Mexico (Take Part)
If you liked W. Bush, you'll love Williard Romney
(rawfor30days.com)
Labels: america, california, exchange rate, festival, global, green, Los Angeles, national
Hemp Oil Heals (video)
Wisdom Quarterly, Rick Simpson, RevolutionNews.US
(Marijuana420medicine)
The Buddha spoke of Five Precepts as a means of avoiding suffering for ourselves, others, and society. The fifth precept is, "I undertake the precept to abstain from intoxicants." There are strains of the cannabis plant people abuse as an intoxicant.
This makes it all the more remarkable that the plant has legitimate medicinal properties. Its seed is a healthy protein and its oil is a miracle. Neither are intoxicating. Both are available at every health food store in the country. Now a mixture of the plant and its oil has been found to heal cancers and other ailments. But this is not a new discovery.
In the past doctors carried Cannabis indica (Indian hemp) in their black medical bags and used it liberally as a safe cure for treatment for many ailments. People will go on abusing this plant, just as they abuse far more toxic substances without concerning themselves about the physical and spiritual harm they are doing.
This is no reason to continue to criminalize and ignore a substance even Harvard University has to admit heals disease.
(IAMHEMP420) Cannabis oil cures cancer, according to Rick Simpson.
For more proof, watch "Run From the Cure"
Hemp oil is healthy, but cure needs whole plant
This is the oil, protein, and fiber without the THC (healthfulpursuit.com).
What Harvard Found
(RevolutionNews.US) Researchers at Harvard tested one of the active substances in cannabis, THC, in both lab and mouse studies. They say this is the first set of experiments to show that the compound actually activates naturally produced receptors to fight off lung cancer.
The researchers suggest that THC or other designer agents that activate these receptors might be used in a targeted fashion to treat lung cancer.
Although a synthetic substitute of THC, known as Marinol, has been used as an appetite stimulant for cancer patients and other similar treatments, few studies have shown that THC might have anti-tumor activity.
The interesting part is that the only clinical trial testing THC as a treatment for cancer growth was a recently completed British pilot study. For three weeks, researchers injected standard doses of THC into mice that had been implanted with human lung cancer cells.
They found that tumors were reduced in size and weight by about 50 percent in treated animals compared to a control group. There was also about a 60 percent reduction in cancer lesions on the lungs in these mice as well as a significant reduction in protein markers associated with cancer progression. PhoenixTears.ca
(healthfulpursuit.com)
Cannabis stops cancer (Harvard). Cannabis stops breast cancer (UCSF). Cannabis grows brain cells in mice (Princeton). Cannabis is a cousin of the hemp plant.
Hemp cannot get anyone high, yet it is illegal. Hemp is illegal because it is the most useful plant in the world. Before petroleum it was recognized and used in England and the Colonies (the nascent United States) as the strongest and most versatile fuel, medicine (Cannabis indica) paper, fiber, food, shelter...
The first US flag was made of hemp, and hemp paper was used for an early draft of our constitution. But since corporations cannot patent a plant, it was systematically discredited and criminalized.
"Hemp can't get you high unless you smoke a joint the size of a telephone pole!" according to Dr. Ron Paul.
No one should get high or use a craving for intoxication as an excuse for promoting this plant. It has legitimate medical uses the chemical-medical industry does want people to have. It is time for a new American Revolution? ♥☠✿☮❀
Labels: alternative medicine, america, canada, cancer cure, healing, healing the sick, hemp, marijuana, natural medicine, north, NOVA, oncology
Hallows Eve Ritual and Celebration
Police attempt to murder Iraq War Vet (video)
Teen dies from smoking synthetic pot
Why we fear "doom"
It's a Police State now (video)
Right wing radio hosts Ken+Barbie at Occupy
"What if Cannabis Cured Cancer?" (video)
Occupy The Valley (video)
What did the Maya know?
Occupy San Diego attacked by police (video)
Meditating with Deepak on Wall Street (video)
Wisdom Quarterly's Occupation Meditations
Our DNA has been altered (video)
World to End Tomorrow (again)
"The War You Don't See" (film)
Occupy returns, police clamp down (video)
Police storm Occupy Oakland (video)
Supreme Court legalizes downloading music
DMT: The God Molecule (video)
"Death By Medicine" (documentary)
The Harm of Corporate "Medicine" (video)
Unraveling Mind and Body (Part II of II)
What the Occupations Want
The Peace to Come (video)
"Hot Coffee" - How Corporations Rule (video)
Unraveling Mind and Body (Part I of II)
Wall Street: "Sleep Now in the Fire" (video)
Kaddafi is alive; Western media hoax (video)
"The Quickening" (video)
Rapture? "Rapture's Delight" cartoon (video)
Top 10 Demands at Occupy Protests
Study: Women are attracted to other women
"Revenge of the Electric Car" (video)
Veteran: "There is no honor in this" (Occupy)
War in Iraq Ends! (almost)
Occupy IRAN (comic)
Dr. Gabor Mate @ Occupy Wall Street (video)
How Corporations Became People (video)
"Manufacturing Consent" (comic, video)
The Greatest President We Never Had
Minute Physics: Light, Fire, Duality (video)
Why the World Will End (Again) Tomorrow
Healing with "The Book of 528" (video)
Killing Kaddafi... and propping up new dictator
Sex and the Protests (Part II)
What is the "Dharma"?
Sex and the Protests in Cartoons
Karma, Karma (explained)
Heartbreak to Happiness
The Protest in Pictures (video)
Abuse in ICE detention (PBS-Frontline)
Koch-Brother-Cain: "Get a Job, Hypocrites!"
Confessions, Questions, Time for Change!
UFO shot out of the sky crash lands (video)
MUFON LA: Time Travel Today
The Ordinatiion of Theravada Nuns (CA)
Karma: Woman ages 50 years in a few days
"Karma," a supernatural thriller (movie)
Japan: What is Shinto? (video)
Thailand is drowning in climate chaos floods
Why Wall Street is being Occupied (video)
What our Occupy Movement wants
Woman dragged in bank then arrested (video)
Mainstream News: "Police are troublemakers"
Refuge from Electromagnetic Pollution (EHS)
Four Kinds of Karma
Occupying US with Glover and West (video)
LA Buddhist temples celebrate Kathina
God didn't write Bible, and Shakespeare...
Katina: Buddhist "Lent" ends
The People United Will Never Be Defeated
Occupy America: Join the 99 percent
The Buddha's Peaceful Protest
Prison hunger strike succeeds...
The Buddha defines "Right View"
Dung-Like Life to Live (sutra)
Happy Birthday, Columbus (video)
Coca Cola RECIPE revealed
Greek Buddhism (video)
Flash Mob Meditation TODAY
Science Friday: What is a Flame? (video)
30 Years of US War on Afghanistan - Why?
"I Can Do It! 2011" (Oct. 14-16 Conference)


text:
Станіслав Бжуска (пол. Stanisław Brzóska; Докудув-Перший; 30 грудня 1832 року — 23 травня 1865 року — Сокулов-Подляський) — польський священник, військовий діяч. Також відомий під псевдонімом як "Генерал Бжезінскі (пол. General Brzeziński). Учасник та один з керівників польського січневого повстання 1863 року, його загони діяли у районі Лукова. Після 1864 року переховувався у лісах Лукова разом із своїм ад'ютантом Францішеком Вільчинським, згодом був повішений.

Життєпис
Юність та освіта

Народився він у родині дрібної, проте досить патріотичної шляхетської родини Марцела Бжуски та Кароліни з Ескайтів. Дітей виховувала мати, оскільки батько помер у 1840 році в віці 36-ти років.
Навчався у Сідлецькій гімназії. У віці 17-ти років вступив на навчання до Київського університету, проте через два роки з невідомих дослідникам причин, покинув навчання і вступив до парафіяльної семінарії у Янові Підляськім на 4 роки. Був висвячений на священика 25 липня 1858 року.

Духовна діяльність та ув'язнення

Вів він духовну діяльність у Сокулувській Єпархії. Проте згодом захворів і повернувся до роботи лишень через 2 місяці, та був переведений до парафії міста Луков, де він зайняв місце одного з двох помічників священника Якова Рожковського. Під час перебування на посаді в обох містах його проповіді відзначалися натхненністю та запалом. 10 листопада 1861 року після проповіді про пшеницю і кукіль проти нього було розпочато справу у «підбурюванні населення проти царської влади». Через місяць 10 грудня його було засуджено на дворічне заслання, але згодом було пом'якшено до 6 місяців ув'язнення у фортечних казематах. Згодом, 28 січня, він був переведений до фортеці у Замості. Унаслідок погіршення здоров'я, він просидів у фортеці значно менше вироку і його випустили на волю 2 червня. Проте після повернення на посаду вікарія, імперська влада продовжувала стежити за ним. Все ж репресії не перешкодили ксьондзу С. Бжусці займатися конспіраційною і підбурювальною діяльністю, тим більше, що в 1862 р. партія руху, підпільна організація молодих радикалів, що підпорядкувалася Центральному національному комітету, почала готувати збройне повстання. Комітет мав сильні позиції на Підляшші завдяки ініціативі братів Франковських: Івана, Станіслава і Леона. Спільнота Луковського повіту була зорганізована під проводом Леона Франковського.

Січневе повстання

Коли повстання вибухло, Бжусці вдалося зібрати навколо себе близько 350 людей і із 40 із них він, будучи на чолі загону, зробив напад на російських солдатів 5-го Костромського полку. Ті відступили. Після, із прибуттям сил 8-ої роти на допомогу росіянам, Бжуска був змушений віддати наказ про розпуск загону. Оскільки проти нього була запроваджена кримінальна справа, він не міг перебувати надалі у Лукові і приєднався до загонів Валентина Левандовського і брав участь у боях під Семятичами, Воскшенніцами та у битві під Жижинем. Під Станінами,14 березня, отримав кульове поранення, тому деякий час одужував. Після одужання він приєднався знову до польських загонів, але вже до Карла Крисінського (оскільки Левандовський був у полоні). Маючи заслуги у повстанні, 22 липня його було призначено головним капеланом Підляського воєводства, отримавши завдання наглядача за виконанням своїх обов'язків капеланами. У листопаді він захворів на тиф, внаслідок чого він одужав лише у лютому 1864 року. Проте російська влада тоді вже взялась за репресії, і, щоб не допустити участь масового селянства, був ухвалений указ про ліквідацію кріпацтва, 2 березня 1864 року. Вже через місяць царська влада схопила останнього головного керівника повстання Ромуальда Траугутта.

Що було після повстання

Опісля страти Ромуальда Траугутта повстання повільно згасало, як на підросійській Польщі загалом, так і на Підляшші. Під керівництвом Бжуски лишилися невеликі загони, котрі складалися із дезертирів царської армії та останніх відчайдухів. Тому боротьба набула лише партизанської боротьби.
 Після 1865 року він переховувався у лісах із Францішеком Вільчинським на Яцьких болотах. Згодом місце переховування їх здала Антоніна Конажевська, зв'язкова ксьондза, котру росіяни піддали тортурам з метою з'ясування місця переховування Бжуски. 29 квітня російські загони знайшли Бжуску та Вільчинського у Красноденбах-сипитках та оточили. Ті, відстрілюючись, утікали, ад'ютант до лісу, ксьондз до річки, той там послизнувся, тому поки Вільчинський виручав, їх вже спіймали.

Страта

Повстанців вивезли до Варшави, де тримали у слідчій в'язниці. У травні відбулися допити, після яких в'язнів передано воєнно-польовому суду, який 17 травня 1865 р. встановив провину підсудних і виніс вироки. Стосовно ксьондза С. Бжуски оголошено про позбавлення його гідності і священицьких прав, а також засуджено на смерть через повішення. Крім того, цей суд видав постанову про конфіскацію наявного майна засудженого.

Примітки

Джерела
 Piotr Świątecki. Generał Stanisław Brzóska // Sieci: wSIECI Historii: magazyn o Polsce, historii i kulturze. — Рік. 2022— , № 05-06(108—109). — С. 44—45. — ISBN
 Трущинський. M П. // Назва видання (журналу, газети): журнал (газета). — Рік. — Т. 1, № 1. — С. 1—10. — ISBN

Учасники Польського повстання (1863—1864)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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A Composer package for interfacing with the Carousel 7+ API.
Utility for testing commands sent to Carousel's Remote Data Adaptor service. This is for legacy Carousel platforms.
FixMpeg is a simple front end to ffmpeg that will convert video to play on the Cablecast SX video servers.
Monitor Control allows you to schedule a monitor to power on and off.
DVDImport allows you to import video DVDs as MPEG2 files.
Tracm is a client for the ACM Shared Content Server and other content sharing sites.
Page to Template is a utility to convert a bulletin package to a media package of templates.
A script to re-sign an .ipa for enterprise deployment.
A live demo of the Cablecast API. This is the suggested means of integrating with Cablecast.
A live demo of the Cablecast Web Service.
Tightrope Media Systems is a software company in Saint Paul Minnesota that specializes in web-based digital signage and digital broadcast automation products.
TRMS Labs is a home for our open source projects. Many projects relate to our Carousel or Cablecast product lines.
These projects should be considered "as-is" and do not come with any support. But we'd be happy to accept patches!