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Religious Freedom, Love and Diversity
Wednesday, 7 August 2019 | Jon Eastgate
The debate around the legalisation of same-sex marriage and the government's subsequent commission of the Ruddock Review on Religious Freedom has generated concern among many Christians about their ongoing freedom to practice their faith in public contexts. It's easy to become defensive in this environment and to try to place protections around ourselves. Yet Jesus calls us to love our neighbours as ourselves, and even to love our enemies, as a central element of the call to follow him. How can we love those who are different to us, and even possibly opposed to us? This article takes a fresh look at three widely publicised cases of public conflict between Christians who oppose same sex-marriage and passionate supporters of such marriage. In doing so it reflects tentatively on our preparedness to grant others the rights we seek for ourselves, our ability to understand how our words and actions impact on others, and our willingness to engage constructively and lovingly with those who differ from us.
Reading Zadok Perspectives 139 on Religious Liberty in Australia, along with its two accompanying papers (S229 and S230), provided a lot of food for thought about the place of religious faith in a diverse secular society, especially in the wake of the Australian Marriage Survey.
The centrepiece of this edition is three submissions to the Ruddock Review on Religious Freedom by: Timothy Arnold-Moore on behalf of the Anglican Archdiocese of Melbourne Social Responsibilities Committee;[1] Mark Sneddon on behalf of the Institute for Civil Society;[2] and Ian Benson.[3] While these three articles are far from identical their points of view are similar enough to suggest that, if they did not actually discuss their submissions with one another (a common practice among allies in such processes, and one I have been involved in myself in my professional life), they have at least come out of a common framework and approach to the issues.
As you would expect, all three articles are very much focused on protecting the freedom of Australians, particularly Australian Christians, to practice and express their faith under Australian law. They focus strongly, and justly, on the fact that while Australia is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which expressly protects religious liberty, this covenant is very imperfectly translated into Australian law, including as regards religious freedom.
All three authors use this as a starting point for a largely defensive analysis: how can we strengthen Australian law to ensure individuals and religious institutions are not impeded in their right to express and practice their belief? To their credit, all three acknowledge that the international legal framework applies not just to formal religious belief but also to any belief, including the right to no religion at all. Hence what they seek is a general protection of the freedom of belief or, to use the term preferred by Marilynne Robinson in the same edition, freedom of conscience.[4]
While there was much to like in their analysis, I couldn't help thinking that there was something missing. Reading their work outside the specific context of the Ruddock Review, they seemed to be begging the question, 'how should Christians behave in a diverse society?'. This disquiet was heightened by reviewing the lists of cases (very similar although not identical) that appear as appendices in Arnold-Moore's and Sneddon's articles. These cases are presented uncritically as examples of potential threats to religious freedom, but it seemed to me that looking closer at some of them might help us to think more deeply about our own conduct as Christians. What follows lays some foundations and then looks at three of the cases as a way of highlighting some of the broader issues involved here.
Loving our diverse neighbours
No doubt, most readers will be familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. It begins with a question from a lawyer:
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher", he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
He answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind"; and, "Love your neighbour as yourself".
"You have answered correctly", Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
In response to the lawyer's request for clarification of the second part of this dual commandment, Jesus tells the story of the Samaritan who rescues an assault victim from the side of the road. The message, in part, is that loving our neighbour involves reaching out in service and common humanity across barriers of race and religion. The Samaritan's loving act is contrasted with the approach of the religious establishment (personified by the priest and Levite who ignore the man's plight), which focused inward on purity, ritual and the right interpretation of the Scriptures.
This same message is found throughout Jesus' teaching, with phrases such as 'do to others as you would have them do to you' (Mt. 7:12), 'love one another as I have loved you' (John 15:12) and even 'love your enemies' (Mt. 5:44). In Romans 13, Paul makes it clear that this is not simply one commandment among many but the foundation for all morality: 'The commandments… are summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbour as yourself". Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law'.
This love takes us beyond a defensive position into a realm of more active and risky engagement with those who are different from us, even with those who hate us. It asks us to think, not simply about how we can protect our right to express some specifics of our faith and protect the integrity of our own community and institutions (which leads us by easy steps towards the position of the priest and Levite), but also how we can actively reach out and love even the people who might want to suppress our message. If we are not living this faith and love, then you have to ask whether our faith is worth defending.
I have always found it helpful, in such debates, to think in terms of real people rather than abstractions. Hence I would like to lift three of the cases out of Arnold-Moore's and Sneddon's appendices and engage with them in more detail as a way of challenging us to think about our own behaviour towards those who are different to us. The first step in 'doing to others as we would have them do to us' is to exercise our capacity for empathy, to see the other person's views clearly and to 'walk a mile in their shoes', in order to correctly understand what they might want us to do for them. In the process we will see ourselves in a clearer light and grow in our own faith.
Capital Parties
The case of Capital Parties in the ACT appears as Sneddon's Case 1 and Arnold-Moore's Case D. Arnold-Moore describes it as follows:
In Canberra, a young woman contractor to Capital Parties expressed the view that 'It was OK to vote No' in the plebiscite. The business owner sacked her and said she did so because the contractor's Facebook views showed she was a bigot and a homophobe.
Read this way, it seems to be a grave injustice. A young woman is fired for expressing her private opinion on a current democratic process. However, it is worth looking a little closer. The ABC's Triple J 'Hack' column presented a report of the case at the time, with detailed quotes from both parties in the dispute.[5]
Firstly, it is important to understand what sparked the dispute. The young woman, identified only by her first name Madeline, added a Coalition for Marriage frame to her Facebook profile, proclaiming 'it's OK to vote NO' with a Coalition for Marriage logo. Madeline was not simply expressing a private view or an endorsement of democracy; she was aligning herself publicly with the Coalition for Marriage's campaign. I discuss this controversial campaign in more detail later.
The owner of Capital Parties, Madlin Sims, claims that she first asked her brother who also worked in the business to phone Madeline and ask her to take down the profile picture. When she refused, Sims terminated her relationship with the company (she was not technically fired because she was an independent contractor, billing Capital Parties through her own ABN). Sims explained her decision in two separate social media posts:
Advertising your desire to vote no is, in my opinion, hate speech. Voting no is homophobic. Advertising your homophobia is hate speech. As a business owner I can't have someone who publicly represents my business posting hate speech online….
As a business that works with children of all kinds, we have a responsibility to working with vulnerable people and having someone who is out and proud about their beliefs (which are statistically proven to have horrible effects on young people in the gay community) is a risk for the wellbeing of the children we work with….
We have gay staff members. We entertain at parties where the children of gay parents attend. We entertain at parties where gay children attend.
The Hack reports Madeline's response as follows:
Madeline said she was not homophobic, that she had many gay and lesbian friends and respected their views and loved them "as people".
"If I'm attending a party and dressed up as Minnie Mouse and the child there is same-sex attracted I'm going to love that child like I would any other child," she said.
She also said her views was based on concern for children - similar to the arguments in the Coalition for Marriage's "Vote No" TV ads, she said same-sex marriage would lead to more 'Safe Schools' sex ed programs. She said it would "change the way things are done in school" and "the way kids are adopted into same-sex families".
"I love everyone, I'm not a hateful person at all", Madeline said.
"I wish that everyone could have equality - I do believe everyone should have equality but to vote yes, to me, is something I can't do. I cannot do it."
There certainly seems to be case to be made that Madeline has been the victim of an injustice and that Madlin Sims has overreacted. It is worrying that the employment arrangement between them (which creates the fiction that Madeline was self-employed) prevented her from taking any action on this injustice, and better legal protection may have resulted in her receiving some compensation.
However, it is also worth looking at this from the point of view of the freedom of conscience afforded to Madlin Sims and her business under the ICCPR.
Religious freedom includes freedom to express and act on beliefs, whether religious or non-religious.
Religious freedom includes the right to educate children in accordance with that religion or belief.
Arnold-Moore, Benson and Sneddon all argue that this right logically leads to the right of religiously-based schools to educate children in a way that is consistent with the faith of their parents. This means that these schools need to be free to employ staff throughout their organisation (including non-educational roles such as gardeners and cleaners) who subscribe to that same faith.
Yet this is precisely the right that Madlin Sims asserts in defence of her actions. She states an ethos of inclusion, particularly inclusion of people in same-sex relationships and children who are same-sex attracted. She wants people working in her business to faithfully embody this view, and doesn't want people who express the opposite view in the business because that will compromise the ethos and expose children to views she regards as damaging.
It is impossible for us to argue for the right of religious schools to employ religious staff and not, at the same time, argue for the right of non-religious organisations with responsibility towards children to employ staff who reflect their values. But we need to think about the trajectory this would place us on. Madeline could, perhaps, decide to exercise her religious freedom by going into the children's party business herself, employing other Christians who she can be confident will support a traditional view of sexuality and marriage. Their main customers would probably be Christian families. Meanwhile, Madlin Sims will continue to run her party business using staff who are comfortable with marriage equality, running parties for families who are similarly inclined. Our schools could take a similar trajectory, and over time our community would become increasingly divided along this fissure. We would have fewer opportunities to interact, less understanding of one another, more opportunities for misunderstanding.
Is this how, as Christians, we want to live out our mandate to be the embodiment of Christ in this world? Or do we want to draw closer to our neighbours in love? If it is the latter, then we need to find more constructive ways to bridge the divide between us and to live at peace. Which brings me to the Porteous case.
Archbishop Porteous and Martine Delaney
This case appears as Case B in Arnold-Moore's list, and as Case 6 in Sneddon's. Arnold-Moore describes it as follows:
…complaints against dissemination of or preaching of standard Christian doctrine under Tasmania's very broad provisions prohibiting causing offence or insult.
In Tasmania, a booklet outlining the Catholic position on same sex marriage distributed by a Catholic Archbishop to parents of Catholic school students was held by the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner to be a possible violation of anti-vilification legislation. The matter proceeded to a conciliation session but was eventually abandoned many months later by the complainant.
Sneddon discusses the case in stronger terms:
These complaints tie up the Christian speakers for many months in a secret conciliation process, with the threat of a later tribunal hearing and an award of compensation if they don't reach a conciliated outcome. Effectively, this use of anti-vilification laws enables people on one side of a disagreement to intimidate reasonable speakers on the other side by subjecting them to the time and legal costs of defending their viewpoint in a government commission.
There is a good deal in these descriptions of the case that needs to be challenged. The first and most important is the notion that the aim of the complaint was to stop the Catholic Church from disseminating 'standard Christian doctrine' or 'reasonable and moderate statements of traditional Christian teaching'.
Martine Delaney, the transgender activist who brought the complaint against the Catholic Church in Tasmania, talks about it in these terms:[6]
Delaney told BuzzFeed News she did not take issue with the church distributing its teachings on marriage. Rather, she objected to the "offensive" way the booklet referred to and treated same-sex relationships.
Delaney took particular offence at a line in the booklet reading: "Messing with marriage is, therefore, also messing with kids". She said it was "incredibly offensive" and suggestive of sexual abuse.
"Right across Australian society, this phrase, 'messing with kids', is commonly used to discuss and imply the sexual abuse of children", Delaney wrote. "Its use here appears to be an insidious attempt to offend, humiliate and insult the standing of all same-sex couples raising children."
During the conciliation process that resulted from the case, Delaney presented a version of the Catholic Church's booklet with her suggestions for how it could be revised to remove the offence.[7] It suggests that in place of the words 'messing with marriage, therefore, is also messing with kids', the booklet could read, 'messing with marriage, therefore, is also placing the wellbeing of children at risk'. Significantly, the suggested edit doesn't suggest at any point that the church endorse same sex marriage or same sex relationships. For instance, it continues to include this statement, as slightly modified by Delaney but essentially retaining the original message:
In saying that other friendships are not marriages, the Church does not seek to demean those other friendships or the individuals concerned, but merely to clearly state our belief that marriage is the covenant of a man and a woman to live as husband and wife, exclusively and for life, and open to the procreation of children.
Delaney, as evidenced by both her words and her suggested edit of the booklet, is trying to find a way the church can continue to express its traditional teaching without giving unnecessary offence to LGBTIQ people. I am not a Catholic theologian so am unable to judge whether her edits retain a correct understanding of Catholic teaching, but the purpose of conciliation is to enable Delaney to discuss this face-to-face with Archbishop Porteous and, if possible, reach a mutually agreeable solution.
In describing this process, Arnold-Moore is fairly neutral but Sneddon takes a very negative view that I have often heard from other Christians. In using the word 'secret' rather than 'confidential' and suggesting the process is used to 'intimidate' rather than to resolve a genuine issue, Sneddon creates the sense of something sinister and oppressive. His comments about time and cost also seem exaggerated given how these bodies work, and fail to recognise that the complainants devote similar time and resources to the case. I wonder how he thinks such issues should be resolved in a diverse and democratic society.
Equal Opportunity Tasmania, the body that handles these cases, reports that it received 147 complaints in 2016-17, with the largest category of complaints being to do with disability discrimination. Of these, 59 were rejected after initial assessment, 49 were resolved through conciliation and only 15 proceeded to a formal tribunal hearing. The process is also relatively informal, and reasonably educated and articulate disputants can navigate the process without legal assistance – only 12 complainants, and 37 respondents, had legal representation.[8]
This type of process seems to me to be quite consistent with Christian teaching. In Matthew 5:25-26 Jesus says, 'Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny'. Tasmanian anti-discrimination law, like similar laws around the country, enshrines this approach in its formal processes. Litigation and tribunal hearings are seen as a last resort and are used sparingly. The system is strongly oriented towards assisting parties in a dispute to reach a negotiated solution, keeping the costs for both parties down so that the process itself does not become a punishment.
Martine Delaney and Archbishop Porteous participated in two conciliation sessions at which Delaney presented her revised version of the booklet along with a proposed joint statement agreeing to standards of conduct during future dialogue. Porteous presented his own suggested joint statement expressing regret about the misunderstandings that had taken place. They were unable to reach agreement and Delaney withdrew her complaint when she realised they were getting nowhere.[9]
Of course the system is far from perfect. It seems unreasonable for it to have taken eight months to hold two meetings. Both Delaney and Porteous appear to have left the process dissatisfied with the lack of resolution and the time taken.[10] Yet the process allowed a way for both of them to discuss their differences in the presence of a neutral facilitator, and to at least begin to build a relationship of mutual respect.
In summing up my reflection on this case, two questions occur to me to put to my fellow Christians. Firstly, at what point does faithfully holding to Christian teaching shade into mere intransigence? It is clear that in using the phrase 'messing with kids' the church was not intending to suggest that LGBTIQ parents are paedophiles. They were simply trying to express a view in simple, colloquial English. So why would the Archbishop refuse to give ground on this matter when Delaney suggested it was capable of that reading? Why not remove the cause of possible misunderstanding? Christians are quick to deny that they are homophobic and state that they love and respect LGBTIQ people. Yet if they are immovable in practice it is hard for LGBTIQ people to see this as more than just empty talk. As James says, 'faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead'.
And this leads to my second point: what obligation does love place us under when we face such clashes? How can they be resolved in a way that furthers the Kingdom of God? To put it in terms of human rights law, what happens when various rights are in tension? Arnold-Moore in particular explains this point clearly:
Signatory states may not prevent a person from holding and expressing religious belief that would, in practice, deny others their own freedom of religious belief, freedom from slavery or even right to life; however, signatory states may prevent an individual from manifesting that belief by coercing someone to join a religion, enslaving, killing or even threatening to kill them.
Yet all three Zadok authors would set this bar quite high. If we are to live according to love, rather than merely upholding the law, surely we should do better than this. For instance, Ian Benson talks about 'offensive speech and the need to define this tightly so that "Hurt Feelings" do not become equated with "Hatred"'. Yet his detailed explanation includes under the category of 'hurt feelings' a situation in which gays were called 'sodomites' and the speaker said they were 'out to get your children'.
Why, I ask myself, would a Christian be seeking the right to speak in this way about other people? I find myself reminded of James's teaching on watching our words: 'Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless (James 1:26). Yet so often I hear Christians brazenly asserting the right to speak offensively about others. Surely we are called to be better than this!
And so, we come neatly to the third case.
Dr Pansy Lai and the Coalition for Marriage
Dr Lai's case appears as Case F in Arnold-Moore's appendix, where he describes it in this way:
Dr Pansy Lai was the subject of a petition, which gained 5,000 signatures, calling for her deregistration as a doctor due to her comments about same-sex marriage and Safe Schools in a 'No' campaign TV commercial.
This story refers to an incident that took place at the height of the 2017 campaign leading up to the Australian Marriage Survey. The main 'no' campaign was run by the Coalition for Marriage. This group was fronted by Lyle Shelton, then of the Australian Christian Lobby, and was supported and funded by a number of churches. They took on a difficult task, mounting opposition to a change they knew to be widely supported in the community.
The Coalition could, perhaps, have focused its energy into a positive promotion of the benefits of traditional Christian marriage, as attempted for example by Emma Wood in the same Papers Supplement as Arnold-Moore's paper[11]. Instead they chose the strategy that has been successful in so many Australian referenda – a scare campaign.
The centrepiece of this campaign was a series of TV/video advertisements in which a number of women talked about their fears of what would happen if same sex marriage was legalised. These fears revolved around what might subsequently happen in children's education. Dr Lai appeared in the first and third of these. In the first she is shown saying that, 'When same sex marriage passes as law overseas, these type of programs become widespread and compulsory', a reference to programs like Safe Schools[12]. This ad also features a woman suggesting that her son was told it would be OK to wear a dress to school, and another saying 'kids in year 7 are being asked to roleplay being in a same-sex relationship'. In the third ad Dr Lai appears with a slight variation on her message: 'changing marriage overseas has meant that these programs become compulsory and parents have no rights to opt out' followed by a message on a blackboard saying 'gay marriage = gay sex education'[13].
Following the release of these advertisements, a petition was placed on GetUp's 'CommunityRun' petition platform calling for the revocation of her medical registration. The petition was not endorsed by GetUp – CommunityRun is an open access platform. After receiving complaints, GetUp removed the petition from the site. They explained to the ABC that, 'while the organisation was opposed to a same-sex marriage survey, it condemned personal attacks against individuals on either side of the campaign'.
Although 5,000 people signed the petition before it was taken down (not a particularly large number for an online petition on this and similar sites), there was never a genuine threat to her registration. The medical registrar was not investigating her or asking her to show cause, the AMA strongly defended her right to practice and it is difficult to construe anything she said in these advertisements as compromising her ability to practice medicine. However, in the same ABC article she reports other personal attacks:
Dr Pansy Lai has told the ABC she and some staff at the medical clinic where she works had been threatened since she appeared in a Coalition for Marriage advertisement calling for a No vote in the upcoming same-sex marriage survey.
"There was one comment that says they were going to turn up at my practice and that I had better bring security", Dr Lai said.
She said receptionists at her clinic "had to cop some really terrible phone calls; people have been swearing at them and threatening physical harm".[14]
Such threats are, of course, in themselves criminal and it's a shame that someone should be subjected to them for participating in a public debate, whatever others may think of their views. Such attacks are not the exclusive property of any one side in this debate. Madlin Sims also describes 'a barrage of death threats and abusive messages calling her "skank, whore, b**ch, putrid, s**t"' after the publicity about her sacking of Madeline.[15] No-one should be subjected to such treatment.
Nonetheless, our revulsion at this sort of behaviour should not lead to us ignoring the other side of the story. Dr Lai would no doubt assert that she is not homophobic and it is only fair to assume that if a LGBTIQ person came to her practice they would receive as good medical care as anyone else.
However, it is hard to make the same defence of the Coalition for Marriage. In choosing to mount a scare campaign the Coalition for Marriage committed itself, almost by definition, to the path of promoting homophobia. What else could a scare campaign about same-sex relationships do? Its centrepiece advertisements barely discussed marriage at all. They neither made a case in favour of traditional marriage, nor identified any positive harm that would arise from the granting of same-sex marriage. Instead, they portrayed this measure as part of a wider agenda, the aim of which is to seize control of children's education in order to indoctrinate them with a pro-gay message. To put it crudely, 'the gays are out to get your children'.
Is it any wonder, then, that the campaign and its participants should be on the end of an angry backlash? If it draws harsh words from me, a straight Christian male, imagine how a gay or lesbian person would see it. Imagine how Martine Delaney, a trans woman who found the phrase 'messing with kids' offensive, would have felt watching these videos. Reflect back, in the light of this, to Madlin Sims' reaction to one of her contractors identifying with this campaign. As Jesus says, 'with the measure you use, it will be measured to you' (Mt 7:2).
What this campaign shows more than anything else is how little awareness some parts of the church have of how to live in a diverse society. It preached to the choir while failing to appreciate its impact on the very people the vote most concerned. Instead of reaching out in love it urged us to build a wall of fear. As a consequence, it courted not merely opposition but anger and resentment.
Robyn Whitaker, in the same issue of Zadok Perspectives, comments as follows.
Suddenly, many conservative Christians find themselves on the losing side of a debate, often for the first time in their lives (at least since abortion).
Yet the response is not to cry 'persecution' at the first sign of disagreement nor to embrace an 'us' and 'them' approach that digs in defensively and perceives difference as attack.
Claiming there is a 'war' on Christianity…does not foster the dialogue needed to be able to discuss important issues with nuance, compassion and intelligence.[16]
None of the submissions published by Zadok use the language of war and persecution. All make valid points about the weakness of protections for human rights in Australia, including the right to freedom of religion, and identify some potential risks to this freedom. Nonetheless, at a more fundamental level they still reveal this 'us' and 'them' mindset.
This can be seen in the three case studies examined here. All three are presented by Arnold-Moore (and the first two also by Sneddon) as 'challenges to religious freedom'. Yet a closer look shows that only the first appears to be a potential case of religious discrimination, and that all three provide pathways for us to think about our own place as Christians in a diverse community, about what it takes to genuinely love someone who strongly disagrees with us about something important.
To summarise the key messages:
The Capital Parties case reminds us that, if we claim a right for ourselves, we must also allow it to others. Furthermore, we must think through the consequences of everyone behaving as we want to behave, and ask ourselves if the resulting community is what we really want.
The Porteous/Delaney case reminds us to distinguish between our core teachings and the words we use to express them, and to be mindful of the impact of our words on others. It also reminds us to listen genuinely to our critics, and to engage confidently in the formal avenues our legal system provides for us to do so, rather than to default to 'fight' mode when called to account.
The case of Dr Lai reminds us that in the pursuit of an immediate goal it is easy for us to forget what should be obvious – that we should treat others as we would like to be treated. If we forget this basic rule of love we can go badly wrong and should not be surprised when we experience blowback.
It is comparatively easy to love those who are like us, and this is the least we should do. However, we are called to more than this. Jesus says: 'If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect' (Mt 5:46-48).
This is a hard ask and we will often fall short. But this is what the gospel is all about. We won't 'make disciples of all nations' by battening down the hatches and protecting our position, but by reaching out in love and compassion.
Jon Eastgate has a 30+ year career in human services, community development and social policy. He lives in Brisbane, worships at St Andrews Anglican Church South Brisbane and blogs from time to time at paintingfakes.blogspot.com.
[1] Timothy Arnold-Moore (with contributions from the Anglican Archdiocese of Melbourne Social Responsibilities Committee), 'Protecting Religious Freedom Under Australian Law', Zadok Papers S229 (Winter 2018).
[2] Mark Sneddon, 'Religious freedom, true tolerance and the right to be wrong', Zadok Perspectives 139 (Winter 2018), 18-23.
[3] Iain T. Benson, 'Religious Liberty in Australia: Some suggestions and proposals for reframing traditional categorisations', Zadok Perspectives 139 (Winter 2018), 10-17.
[4] Marilynne Robinson, 'What is Freedom of Conscience?', Zadok Perspectives 139 (Winter 2018), 5-9.
[5] '"It's not okay to vote No": Boss fires worker over same-sex marriage views', abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack, 19th September 2017.
[6] Martine Delaney's quotes come from Lane Sainty, '"It's Bullshit": Woman Behind Tasmanian Archbishop Case Slams Religious Freedom Claims', buzzfeed.com/lanesainty, 19th September 2017.
[7] This edited version can be accessed at scribd.com/document/359280548/Revised-Don-t-Mess-With-Marriage.
[8] Equal Opportunity Tasmania, 'Annual Report 2016-17', equalopportunity.tas.gov.au, 28th September 2018, 30-47.
[9] Martine Delaney, 'Talking Point: "Why I withdrew complaint about Catholic booklet"', themercury.com.au/news/opinion, 17th May 2016.
[10] Delaney in the Hobart Mercury as above; see also 'Anti-discrimination proceedings dropped but Archbishop Porteous disappointed', catholicweekly.com.au, 7th May 2016.
[11] Emma Wood, 'Religious Freedom and Neighbourly Love', Zadok Papers S230 (Winter 2018).
[12] This advertisement appears at youtube.com/watch?v=KqXLfp2sFHQ.
[13] This advertisement appears at youtube.com/watch?v=LZ86i_c4oOI.
[14] Lily Mayers and Ky Chow, 'Same-sex marriage survey: Petition to deregister Pansy Lai, doctor in No campaign ad, taken down', abc.net.au/news, 4th September 2017.
[15] Frank Chung, 'Canberra business cleared of wrongdoing over sacking of gay marriage "no" voter', news.com.au/finance/work/at-work, 20th April 2018.
[16] Robyn J. Whitaker, 'Christians in Australia are not persecuted, and it is insulting to argue they are', Zadok Perspectives 139 (Winter 2018), 24-25.


Shelton was born August 17,1823 in Illinois.
His parents were William Luttrell and Franky Elizabeth Shelton. He was the third child of nine.
Shelton married Elizabeth Mary Pierce on December 24, 1844 in Denton County, Texas. They had four children: W.F. or H. (1845 to after 1850); James Posten (April 21, 1849 to July 14, 1903); Samuel Bluford (May 21, 1851 to July 4, 1903); and Martha Melvina (March 4, 1854 to April 20, 1919). Elizabeth died before 1856.
In the 1850 Census Shelton is listed as age 26, white, and is a farmer. The value of his real estate is $320 and his birthplace is Illinois. Also listed is E female (Elizabeth) age 23, W.F. male age 5 born in Texas, Jas. P. age 1 born in Texas. Remarks are "Cannot read or write. one servant."
Shelton died in Rickards Ford, Washington County, Arkansas on August 26, 1894 at the age of 71 years, 9 days. He is buried in Bell Cemetery in Arkansas.
The cemetery is on private property and does not appear to be cared for.
My Grandfather's name was Shelton Luttrell (born Aug. 17, 1823). I never knew my Grandmother Luttrell, but my father always told me that I looked like her. After Grandfather became a widower he married again. After this marriage he moved from Texas to northwestern Arkansas. They located on the Illinois River and built a log house on the hillside as the river went wild sometimes and covered the lowland. My Dad had two half sisters and six half brothers, making eleven children in all to live in this home with their parents. Their home was a large log structure with a large room upstairs, a large room on the side, and a large fireplace to warm it. My Grandmother smoked a pipe after dinner, and she would let me dip up a few live coals and put in her pipe. I would pull a little smoke through to see if it was started, but I never got the habit (ha).
One of the half brothers broke his leg when he was about sixteen and bled to death before they could get help as the doctors were few and far between.
My Grandfather was a blue-eyed Irishman with gray, wavy hair. I can remember that he was kind and good to his family and everyone and that he worked very hard. He passed on (at about age 69) when I was ten or eleven years of age. My Grandmother lived there on the same farm with the younger boys and lived to be about 80 years of age. The farm or part of it is still inhabited by some of the family; they were a very close, happy family.


Drum machines can be extremely useful for musicians without a percussion instrument. They can be used for composing music and for performing if you do not have a drummer. Monkey Machine is a java-based free online drum machine that can be accessed via the internet. It lets you play high quality drum samples so you can practice your music without any drums.
The drum samples played in Monkey Machine is provided by music outfit Natural Studio, so you are ensured of the most realistic sounds. Monkey Machine also provides an online beat database so you can download patterns without having to configure the app. You can also contribute to the database by uploading your work or save a progress of your work by importing and exporting it via text. Furthermore, you can also customize the drum machine's settings such as the BPM and pattern length, cut, copy and paste patterns, or randomize the pattern with a click of a button.
Because it is very accessible, Monkey Machine is a handy web app that every musician should take note of. It is also a very robust online percussion machine that can also be a fun time-waster for casual users.


text:
Q: Fixing rails 5 deprecation warning for matching routes In my routes.rb file, I have the following
  resources :landings, only: [:index],
    path: '/golf' do
      collection do
        get 'break_70', path: 'how-to-break-70'
      end
  end

which generates a url
/golf/how-to-break-70

After upgrading to Rails 5, this generates the following deprecation message:
DEPRECATION WARNING: Specifying strings for both :path and the route path is deprecated. Change things like this:
  match "break_70", :path => "how-to-break-70"
to this:
  match "how-to-break-70", :as => "break_70", :action => "break_70"

If I try to follow these directions with
 resources :landings, only: [:index],
    match: '/golf' do
      collection do
        match: 'how-to-break-70', as: 'break_70', action: 'break_70'
      end
  end

then I get the following error
syntax error, unexpected ':', expecting keyword_end
        match: 'how-to-break-70', as: 'break_70', action: 'break_70'

How do I modify this route to avoid the deprecation warning?

A: Updated Answer
I update my answer to fix a little mistake so any reader can see a working code. Thanks @Obromios for the little fix.
In resources it should still be path:.
And in the route definition you have an extra ":" after match. Also you have to specify via: [:get, :post] if you match.
So the final version looks like:
resources :landings, only: [:index], path: '/golf' do
  collection do
    match 'how-to-break-70', as: 'break_70', action: 'break_70', via: [:get, :post]
  end
end

Original Answer
In resources it should still be path:.
And in the route definition you have an extra ":" after match
So the final version looks like:
resources :landings, only: [:index], path: '/golf' do
  collection do
    match 'how-to-break-70', as: 'break_70', action: 'break_70'
  end
end

Not tested, but should work.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Add to Calendar 2019-02-22 10:00:00 2019-02-22 12:00:00 America/Denver Grant Writing Basics Do you need money for your project or nonprofit program? Government and private funding organizations often have money to give and only require that you make a persuasive case.
Do you need money for your project or nonprofit program? Government and private funding organizations often have money to give and only require that you make a persuasive case.
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text:
<?php

namespace eig\EloquentUUID\Tests\Fixtures;

use eig\EloquentUUID\UUIDUser;

/**
 * User: James Johnson
 * Date: 11/22/16
 * Time: 12:35 PM
 */
class UUIDUserModel extends UUIDUser
{
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Serengeti migration ride
Kilimanjaro Elephant ride
Natron Flamingo ride
Arusha National Park ride
Wildlife Day Ride
Horse Polo
Tailor made Rides
Permanent Camp
Under our private canvas
Mobile Camp
Light Fly Camp
Safari info
Tailor Made Ride
Light Fly Camp Gallery
The Safari Herd
Copyright © Kaskazi Horse Safaris
 (+255) 766 43 27 92
 (+255) 765 744 352
1 Night permanent camp
2 Nights under our private canvas
4 - 6 hours in the saddle
Caters for intermediate riders only
Safari Day 1
Arrive to Kilimanjaro International Airport, here you will be picked up by one of the team from Kaskazi and driven for thirty-five minutes to our polo club where the first night is spent. Settle into the new surroundings and meet the other participants on the safari.
Over lunch a briefing will take place and shortly thereafter an afternoon introduction ride takes place. This is a good opportunity for everyone to get to know their mount before heading into the National Park the following day.
The afternoon ride takes place on our wildlife estate, home to plenty of plains game like zebras, wildebeests, elands and if lucky there is a good chance of seeing one of the shyest and rarest antelopes in Africa, the Gerenuk (also know as giraffe antelope). Back to the club in time for showers and sundowners before dinner is served.
Wake up calls with tea and coffee, breakfast is served anytime from early hours. After breakfast we drive for about twenty minutes to Arusha National park gate. Here the horses will be waiting, ready to be mounted and shortly after we will ride into one of the most beautiful parks in East Africa. Here the vegetation will change dramatically, from open grassland to rainforest. With good chances of seeing elephants, buffaloes, all your plains game, leopards and rare species such as Suni, Red Duiker, the magnificent Hartlaub's turaco and so much more.
The feeling is magical as you enter into the big canopy forests. Lunch will be set on route, with time for a small siesta. After lunch the ride continues through leopard country and as we head towards our night stop, we will pass by Margarete Trappe's old house. The legendary lady known and remembered as the Iron lady from the first world war. "If, as children, we were thrilled by Buffalo Bill we should have been still more spellbound by Mrs. Trappe's adventures, the adventures of the fearless woman with her two legendary horses, Comet and Diamond, and her two inseparable Alsatians. Like a phantom she would suddenly appear, like a phantom she would vanish; as intimate with wild beasts as though they were tame."
These are some of the tales about Margarete who's old riding paths this horse safari follows through the holy forests of the park. Arrive to camp, based on the foot of Mt Meru in time for showers and sundowners then dinner under the stars.
This morning you will hopefully wake up to the very talkative Colobus monkeys. Breakfast is served and shortly thereafter we mount and directions are taken towards the area where the film Hatari was filmed, starring John Wayne. Thereafter half way into the morning ride we start the climb (on horseback), aiming to reach the "Fig Tree Arch", a massive fig tree arch, big enough to fit five horses underneath the arch. The ride continues until we reach lunch, beautifully located next to a waterfall. We are now on about 2000 meters above sea level. After lunch we start heading back towards camp and after returning to camp, there will be an option to jump into the vehicles and go visit the Momella lakes, hoping to see some hippos and beautiful water birds. Sundowners at the lakes before heading back to camp for showers and dinner.
Wake up to Colobus monkeys chatting in the early hours of the morning. Breakfast is served and everyone mounts and start heading back towards civilization. Enjoy the last morning with your mount in this magical place on earth, full of wildlife, stories and tales. Late morning, we will get back to the Arusha National park gate where we dismount and say farewell to our four legged friends. From here there are a few options, some will continue onto other safaris or stay another night or two at the polo club and practice and play polo for a few days.
About Arusha national park
The entrance gate leads into shadowy montane forest inhabited by inquisitive blue monkeys and colourful turacos and trogons – the only place on the northern safari circuit where the acrobatic black-and-white colobus monkey is easily seen. In the midst of the forest stands the spectacular Ngurdoto Crater, whose steep, rocky cliffs enclose a wide marshy floor dotted with herds of buffalo and warthog.
Further north, rolling grassy hills enclose the tranquil beauty of the Momela Lakes, each one a different hue of green or blue. Their shallows sometimes tinged pink with thousands of flamingos, the lakes support a rich selection of resident and migrant waterfowl, and shaggy waterbucks display their large lyre-shaped horns on the watery fringes. Giraffes glide across the grassy hills, between grazing zebra herds, while pairs of wide-eyed dik-dik dart into scrubby bush like overgrown hares on spindly legs.
Although elephants are shy in Arusha National Park, and lions absent altogether, leopards and spotted hyenas may be seen slinking around in the early morning and late afternoon. It is also at dusk and dawn that the veil of cloud on the eastern horizon is most likely to clear, revealing the majestic snow-capped peaks of Kilimanjaro, only 50km (30 miles) distant.
But it is Kilimanjaro's unassuming cousin, Mount Meru – the fifth highest in Africa at 4,566 metres (14,990 feet) – that dominates the park's horizon. Its peaks and eastern footslopes protected within the national park, Meru offers unparalleled views of its famous neighbour, while also forming a rewarding hiking destination in its own right.
Passing first through wooded savannah where buffalos and giraffes are frequently encountered, the ascent of Meru leads into forests aflame with red-hot pokers and dripping with Spanish moss, before reaching high open heath spiked with giant lobelias. Everlasting flowers cling to the alpine desert, as delicately-hoofed klipspringers mark the hike's progress. Astride the craggy summit, Kilimanjaro stands unveiled, blushing in the sunrise.
Margarete Trappe
Africa's greatest huntress – "Jeyo"… Mother of the Masai
"If, as children, we were thrilled by Buffalo Bill we should have been still more spellbound by Mrs. Trappe's adventures, the adventures of the fearless woman with her two legendary horses, Comet and Diamond, and her two inseparable Alsatians. Like a phantom she would suddenly appear, like a phantom she would vanish; as intimate with wild beasts as though they were tame, she was venerated and feared by the locals like a supernatural being. The dark spirit of Africa with its spells and witchcraft, its magic, symbolism and ritual furnish a background against which such a figure almost assumes a mystic significance.
On this ride with Kaskazi Horse Safaris your ride in Arusha National Park, which is where Margerete lived until she passed away in 1957. On the ride we follow her old hidden pathways through the bush where this legendary lady rode on her two loyal thoroughbred mounts, always accompanied by her two Alsatians.
Margarete Trappe arrived on an ox wagon 1906 from the coast. Her courage and pioneering spirit set the tone when she travelled the picturesque Meru-Pass, at which her new home – Momella – was situated. A big farm was created and built by the Trappe family where they kept cattle, horses and goats and enjoyed the surroundings and the abundant wildlife.
The start of the First World War brought a cat-and-mouse game between Margarete Trappe and the English soldiers and earned her the nickname Iron Lady for her stubbornness, strength and courage as she scouted for Von Lettow Vorbeck in his "Ice Cream War" with Frederick Courtney Selous.
However fate was not kind to Margarete. Disowned and bankrupt she returned to Meru and started rebuilding a new farm called Ngongongare or Yejo's – her Maasai name.
Financial survival was however finally secured by highly profitable trophy hunting after she became the first female professional hunter in East Africa. Fittingly, her last tribute was paid by her beloved elephant herd as they gathered around her house in 1957 when she passed away.
Margarete's son Rolf leased the property to Paramount Pictures as the setting for the classic movie "Hatari", starring John Wayne and Hardy Krüger.
Mrs. Trappe's tales would fill an entire volume and this is not the place in which to tell them. All the same I cannot resist mentioning one episode, the one which marks the end of her wartime activities; it is such a charming story.
At that time the German defence forces had been compelled to withdraw into the interior. Under cover of darkness and forest, Mrs. Trappe had slipped through the British lines and delivered two large transports of cattle and provisions to General von Lettow. But a large convoy of horses led by tired German farmers had been surrounded by the British; there was scarcely a hope of getting it through. Then Mrs. Trappe with her crew had taken over the whole operation. With the help of an alleged deserter she had misled the British as to the direction she had taken, had driven the horses through forests and over mountains where no one had dreamed it possible to find a way, and, without losing a single one, had brought them through the British lines.
Now she could do no more and was anxious to return to her farm where her three small children awaited her impatiently. She rode straight into the middle of the nearest British headquarters and gave herself up. A British Captain questioned her. A British General busy with his papers at a nearby table glanced across her now and again. The hearing dragged on. There was not much she would say. "You know, Mrs. Trappe, that you will have to be interned," said the Captain finally. "Mrs. Trappe will remain at liberty," the General stated, looking up from his papers. The hearing continued. "You will have to leave your horses here," said the Captain. Mrs. Trappe declared that she had promised General von Lettow to shoot the horses sooner than to surrender them to the British. "Mrs. Trappe will keep her horses," said the General. Then they came to the arms. Here, certainly, there was nothing to be done. Mrs. Trappe was obliged to leave them and to undertake to bring along any ammunition in her possession.
She brought the ammunition on the following day. When the British officer opened the chest in which the cartridges were packed he found also a little box of silver rupees which Mrs. Trappe had forgotten to take out. The British officer picked up the coins; all of them had a hole through the centre. "What is the meaning of this?" he enquired curiously. "I shot those in a pistol-shooting contest," Mrs. Trappe replied. "You must show us how you could do that," said the General once again joining in. Three coins were placed upright on a board. They were hardly visible. Mrs. Trappe raised her pistol, took a swift aim and fired quickly once, twice, thrice. All three coins had been hit dead centre. The General plunged his hand into the box of rupees. "Send these coins home to your wives," he said to the group of officers who were watching, "and tell them your experiences here with a German woman." Then, turning to Mrs. Trappe: "You are a good sport and a brave woman." He shook hands. "You may keep your weapons." He smiled and took his leave.
Mrs. Trappe kept her weapons and her horses. She rode home and settled down to look after her children and her huge farm. "
From "MOMELLA an African game paradise" by Maximilian von Rogister
Safari ends…for this time…
For images of our Arusha National Park Ride , please click here…..
To find out more about the safari please contact us on: [email protected]
 Safari Dates  Testimonials
   
 Safari Specials

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Cakes & Sugarcraft Magazine | Cake Chat | Win a FREE copy of Bake it Great!
Cake Chat » Win a FREE copy of Bake it Great!
Graphic designer Luis Troyano was a big hit on the 2014 series of The Great British Bake Off where he produced innovative bakes with an artistic flair.
Having been brought up by Spanish parents, many of the recipes in Bake it Great have a Mediterranean feel and there's even a 'Taste of Spain' chapter featuring cinnamon churros, cortadillos and tarta de Santiago.
Enter now for your chance to win a copy of Bake it Great by Luis Troyano!
There are two copies of Bake it Great by Luis Troyano (£20, Pavillion) to be won – one each for two lucky winners.


text:
Q: Angular Directive attributes contain additional properties I've created a custom directive which uses the element's attributes to build a string. When I enumerate the link function's attrs parameter I found it also contains angular properties $$element and $attr. What is the purpose of these? Currently I'm having to filter these out like so:
var app = angular.module('demo', []);
app.directive('imgTransform', function () {
    return {
        restrict: 'E',
        template: '<img src="{{uri}}" alt="{{title}}" />',
        scope: {},
        link: function (scope, element, attrs) {

            angular.forEach(attrs, function (value, key) {
                if (key.charAt(0) !== '$') {
                }
            });

        }
    };
});

A: From Attributes docs:

A shared object between directive compile / linking functions which contains normalized DOM element attributes

This object is more than just a key value hashmap, it also has methods that it inherits from the Attributes class through it's prototype. The reason why it has the $attrs and $$elements properties is to give the right context (element/attributes) to these methods   :
this.$$elements
this.$attr

BTW, every property with a $$-prefix in angular.js is an undocumented private property, and should not be used externally. javascript doesn't support real private methods/properties so angular uses this convention.
See this example:

Looking further in the docs:

$attr
object: A map of DOM element attribute names to the normalized name. This is needed to do reverse lookup from normalized name back to actual name.

Fortunately, you can use attrs.$attr like so:
 angular.forEach(attrs.$attr, function (value, key) {
    attrs[key] // <---


Our extensive coverage gives you the flexibility you need.
Higher sums insured can be considered. Please call us.
Benefit waives regular premiums where the life insured is disabled and unable to work for a continuous period of at least six months. Policy premiums are waived until a return to work or until the policy anniversary preceding 60th Birthday of the life insured, whichever happens first.
This Benefit provides an additional lump sum in the event of accidental death.
Benefit ceases at age 70.
Please note Premium frequency can only be changed at each policy anniversary. Payment Term Premiums are paid for the full term of the policy.
Non-payments may result in the cancellation of the policy.
US Dollars, British Pounds Sterling and Euros.
The choice of policy currency automatically determines the currency in which the benefits will be stated and paid. Premiums must be paid in policy currency.
US $50 or the equivalent in Pounds Sterling or Euros.


As a close-out release, there are limited quantities available at a bargain price. Contact stores@altavoz.com or 301-95MUSIC for details.
The DVD features over an hour of how-to material including dozens of scams, bets, and tricks designed to help win a few extra bucks at the bar. They're also a great way to make some new friends along the way. When done for fun, players get a kick out of getting tricked, knowing full well they've just learned a new way to sucker someone else the next time!
In "How to Scam Your Way to Free Beer and Other Bar Bets", bonus materials include: The world's best pick-up lines and extra scams including the Penny Scam, the Match Scam, and more!
Todd Robbins, the master of the late-night swindle, has been seen on THE TONIGHT SHOW, DAVID LETTERMAN, and CONAN O'BRIEN, and has performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the Sideshows of Coney Island. Todd also appeared on the A&E series MINDFREAK and on the History Channel where he taught David Carradine about vices in the Old West.


text:
package base;

public class StringTest {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String[] arr = "www.chiclaim.com".split(".");
        System.out.println(arr.length); // length = 0
    }
}


text:
Want a True Bionic Limb? Good Luck Without Machine Learning
Slide: 1 / of 1. Caption: Caption: A prototype hand with the 99p camera attached.Newcastle University
Author: Megan Molteni. Megan Molteni	Science
Time of Publication: 4:45 pm. 4:45 pm
This prosthetic hand can "see" with its attached 99p camera.Newcastle University
In 2006, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency vowed to build, within four years, a brain-controlled prosthetic arm indistinguishable from the real thing. Yet after hundreds of millions of dollars and more than a decade of engineering, most limb replacements (even those wired straight to the noggin) struggle to mimic human gestures. Cracking the neural code for movement was trickier than expected.
The trouble lies in getting past conscious thought. "Capturing the body's innate ability to just know what to do is something really lacking from all prosthetics today," says Mike McLoughlin, who manages the prosthetics program at Johns Hopkins. Any inputs the arm receives—whether from the sparks of nerves left over on a stump, or directly from motor neurons in the brain—require explicit instructions, which humans are bad at doling out. So the latest attempts at a true bionic arm simply avoid the problem of intention by using machine learning and computer vision to make decisions.
Imagine you're learning to play the guitar. Every time you attempt a new chord, you must think about where to place your fingers. And you must do that over and over, consciously placing them in space, thinking about timing and pressure. Once you've developed that muscle memory, your brain simply says "play a C chord" and you do it. You can even do it without looking. It doesn't work that way for people with prosthetic limbs.
Shara Tonn
SynTouch's Prosthetic Fingers Can Feel How Soft a Bunny Is
The Future of Prosthetics Could Be This Brain-Controlled Bionic Leg
Forget Cheetah Blades. This Prosthetic Socket Is a Real Breakthrough
"Reaching out to grab something is never going to be a subconscious reaction," says McLoughlin. "You always have to look, you always have to think." Which explains why truly bionic limbs remain elusive. Some of the most advanced neurally controlled prosthetics, like those developed at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory with Darpa money, receive inputs from an electrode array on the motor cortex, which controls voluntary movement. But that approach does not provide the level of control over how limbs minutely adjust and react that researchers previously thought it might. And if your brain can't capture muscle memory, it can't convey a learned response to an artificial arm. The arm must learn on its own.
This is where computer vision and deep neural networks come in. Machines are far better than humans in making the complicated calculations of distance, speed, force, and shape underpinning motor muscle memory. So researchers are training artificial limbs to make decisions once left to the people using them—things like how quickly to accelerate toward a cup of coffee, and what kind of grip to make to pick it up.
In a study released Wednesday in Journal of Neural Engineering, British scientists used more than 500 images of graspable objects, each categorized into one of four possible grips, to train an artificial vision system. Then they mounted a camera on a prosthetic arm, which used computer vision algorithms to "see" and grab the object 80 percent of the time without its users physically stimulating their muscles to adjust the grip. The researchers used a myoelectric arm, which works by placing electrodes on the skin to detect the nerve signals an algorithm translates into instructions for the arm. Myoelectric prostheses are the type widely available to 100,000 or upper limb amputees in the US.
Neural control is not yet ready for prime time, but computer vision is already making existing artificial arms significantly more agile—up to 10 times faster than anything on the market. There are still limitations of course. Grip dimensions aren't automatically adjusted for size, for example, meaning such a hand would make the same motion for an 8-ounce latte and a 24-oz drip coffee, requiring the user to make fine adjustments. Such an arm also struggles as the object moves further away, because it "sees" them as smaller than they actually are. But bioelectronic engineer Kianoush Nazarpour, who led the study, says that writing software to handle such challenges seems relatively straightforward. "The system could easily become more intelligent," he says.
A True Bionic Limb Remains Far Out of Reach
It has to if science is to create a truly bionic arm. A growing number of researchers at places like Johns Hopkins, the University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon are combining vision learning with brain-computer interfaces. The idea is to let users make intuitive decisions and lead the prosthetic to the general area, then allow the machine within the machine take over. The computer can answer niggling questions like "Where is the object? How far am I from the object? How wide must I open the hand to grasp it? How much force is required to lift it?" That more closely mimics how the body works anyway. After all, the brain says, "grab that," not "rotate your wrist 46 degrees and pinch downward with .38 newtons of force."
But that's also why it's going to be tricky to figure out. "Seamlessly integrating neural control with automatic control is more art than science," says Steven Chase, a neural engineer at Carnegie Mellon. "It's going to be a lot of trial and error." Which means making a fully bionic arm will require more machines, and more brains, too.
Future/Now
Watch a Sporty AI Teach Itself to Dribble Better Than You
Don't Just Lecture Robots—Make Them Learn
Nick Stockton
What's Up With That: The Real Causes of the Thanksgiving Sleepies
The Life Issue
Jordana Cepelewicz
Can Machine Learning Find Medical Meaning in a Mess of Genes?


Tucked down the bottom of Ermou Street the first shop on the entrance to old market in the middle of old Larnaca City is a gorgeous bistro style Coffee Shop Bar, it looks so inviting on the first glance but just wait 'til you get inside, vintage decor, it feels like its been here for ever, traditional, designed and built with a passion, their passion and I love it. It's cozy, intimate, chilled, with a Beer Garden out back and without doubt one of my favourites in Cyprus.
Absolutely everyone is welcome, and there's a cool mix of locals, ex pats and visitors from every thinkable country, something to do with the ambience, probably 😉 oh and of all ages coz they make awesome Smoothies here too! In fact, Andreas and the crew are impeccable hosts, always with a smile and on the menu 20 Hot Coffees by Hausbrandt of Italy, Cappuccino for me, perfect … most of them can be served chilled too.
The new Beer Garden out back is open and looks well cool, so pop in and enjoy on draught Carlsberg or Keo, but in bottles Fix Dark and Fix Lager from Greece, Hoegaarden, my fav Stella, oh and a few Ciders, and this is really cool; Weiss Beer, a different one every time!
No reason why you can't enjoy a glass of Wine in the shaded garden out back, inside or on the terrace out front, or upstairs a little more private, where you can watch the world zoooom by while you just chill. Carefully selected Wines from Cyprus and Lambrusco Rose, a delicious Barrel Wine 'Merastri' from Crete, oh, and in the winter they serve an absolutely yummy Mulled Wine !
Here they excel, as they blend their cocktails with a passion using only imported Spirits and the freshest ingredients, even home made Lemonade and Mandarinade, served chilled, still or with soda … hmm I mixed it with a Dry Martini, delicious !
Not a huge Menu, coz it doesn't have to be, everything cooked fresh and to perfection and served with love from a happy kitchen … stemming from their past, 'Mainato' was Photis' old traditional Taverna, so expect traditional fayre, from the Cypriot Breakfast, grilled Lountza, Halloumi and Tomato, with slices of Salami, fried Eggs and Toast. Oh and home made Burgers, with 100% Beef and you just top it up with a selection of toppings, oh and a Steak Burger coming soon, I can't wait !!!
Their Cyprus Sandwich is awesome, Chicken, Bacon, Salami, Ham, Turkey, Lountza, Cheese, Halloumi, Cucumber and Tomato, filling to say the least ! They also do a BLT, but you must try their unique TNT, Tuna and Tartare, and an ACDC, Avocado, Chicken, Dill and Cucumber, just brilliant !!!
Naturally there's a selection of fresh crisp Salads or the ever popular finger food to share with a bottle of wine to accompany a Cheese Platter, Mixed Platter or the Nachos Platter coz the dips are a compliment to the chef !
A cool mix of live music on Fridays or Saturdays with guest DJ's, acoustic nights and Sunday Sessions with English & Greek DJ's, oh and there's a big TV so you can catch the occasional important match.
I'm absolutely certain you'll go back !


text:
The 18th-Century Lady Mathematician Who Loved Calculus and God
After writing a groundbreaking math textbook, Maria Agnesi quit math for good
Agnesi was an Italian mathematician, philosopher, theologian, and humanitarian. (Walter Oleksy / Alamy)
By Evelyn Lamb
The witch of Agnesi, you may be disappointed to know, is a curve that math students generally learn about in calculus class. It doesn't look much like a witch, or a hat or even a broomstick. It's nothing more than a gentle, sloping curve.
The Witch of Agnesi
If a modern math textbook says anything about the Agnesi for whom it is named, it will probably note that Maria Gaetana Agnesi was an 18th-century mathematician who became the first woman to write a major calculus textbook. It may also note that the name is a mistranslation of the Italian versiera, a term the mathematician Guido Grandi had coined based on the Latin for "turning curve," which translator John Colson mistook for "avversiera," which means she-devil—or, more succinctly, witch.
That a devout Catholic woman who dedicated decades of her life to serving the poor should be perpetually associated with a witch via a curve she didn't even invent is ironic to say the least. But in some ways it feels fitting. "It really is like a Freudian slip of the mathematical imagination to make the Italian word 'curve' into the Italian word for a diabolically possessed woman," says Stanford University science historian Paula Findlen. "It's a great mathematical joke." Whether he was being deliberately punny or not, Colson's mistranslation has cemented Agnesi's place in calculus classes.
Reading Agnesi's biography, one gets the feeling that she was constantly living in the shadow of society's and her family's expectations and desires for her. Yet if we avoid the temptation to interpret her through our own lenses, we can begin to understand her on her own terms.
Born in 1718, Agnesi was the oldest child of Pietro Agnesi, a wealthy Milanese silk merchant. Her education probably began accidentally when tutors came by to instruct her younger brothers. She was a precocious student, particularly in the study of languages, and Pietro quickly recognized her talent. Eager to elevate his family's social status, he would have her and her musical prodigy sister Maria Teresa perform for guests at salons in the Palazzo Agnesi. Gaetana would speak about topics in science and philosophy in several different languages, and her sister would play music, often of her own composition. Pietro used his talented daughters to make his house an important stop in Milanese social circles.
The Agnesi sisters were two of several girl prodigies from northern Italy from around the same time. Laura Bassi (1711-1778), a physicist from Bologna who became the first woman university professor in Europe, had been a child prodigy as well. Massimo Mazzotti, a science historian at the University of California at Berkeley who wrote the book The World of Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Mathematician of God, calls it a strategy "of fashioning and controlling this phenomenon of the learned woman." Wealthy families would provide their daughters with a limited education—literature, French, religion—but women could not attend school outside the home.
The phenomenon of the girl prodigy "was one way of signaling talent and exceptional capacity and giving it some kind of socially acceptable form in a world that, strictly speaking, wouldn't accept women in any of the places in which knowledge was being made and taught," Mazzotti says.
Yet Mazzotti notes that Agnesi's status as a child prodigy—coupled with her father's wealth and ambition—did open "little windows of possibility" that allowed her to become educated and have more say in the direction of her life than many women of the era.
The top figure is the curve now known as the Witch of Agnesi, from Agnesi's own textbook. (Maria Agnesi, Instituziioni Analitiche, MIlan: 1748. David Eugene Smith Collection, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University)
When her mother died in childbirth in 1732, Agnesi was able to scale back her public performances, spending more time taking care of her younger siblings and increasingly influencing the course of her own education. In 1739, she told her father she wanted to become a nun. He balked, but agreed to let her spend more time studying mathematics and theology. "She kind of emancipates herself from this straitjacket of being the performing scientific woman in Milan," Findlen says. Agnesi never entered a convent, but she also never married or had children, taking an alternate path as a lay Catholic who devoted her life to acts of charity.
At just 30 years old, Agnesi made her crowning mathematical achievement: the publication Instituzioni analitiche ad uso della gioventù italiana (Analytical Institutions for the Use of the Italian Youth), a calculus textbook published in 1748. This hefty two-volume work is a treatment of differential and integral calculus. The first volume is a treatment of the algebraic framework needed to understand the calculus in the second volume. The first Italian youth she was hoping to reach may have been her younger siblings: Pietro had 21 children by his three wives, though few of them survived to adulthood.
If a modern calculus student opened Maria Agnesi's Analytical Institutions, the language would sound a bit old-fashioned, but the general approach would be familiar. In fact, that familiarity makes it difficult for modern math students to understand the full importance of Agnesi's work. At the time, most people considered calculus to be important because of its utility in physics, and contemporary calculus books were more or less collections of problems in applied mathematics. Agnesi was interested in calculus as an intellectual pursuit for its own sake, a way to hone the logical faculties. Her book was one of the first not to focus on physics applications.
"It is a book that was born with a different idea in mind of why mathematics is interesting and useful," Mazzotti says.
In addition, the book was written in Italian, at a time when Latin was still the default language for scholarship. Agnesi wrote it in the common tongue because she wanted the book to be accessible to less educated students. Despite this—and the fact that it was written by a woman—it gained the respect of mathematicians around Europe as an unusually clear treatment of the subject. Decades after it was published, the mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange recommended its second volume as the best place to go for a thorough treatment of calculus.
Analytical Institutions has since been translated into English and French. In the preface to the 1801 English version, the editor writes that the volumes "are well known and justly valued on the Continent" and that the primary translator of the work, the late Reverend John Colson, Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, "was at the pains of learning the Italian Language, at an advanced age, for the sole purpose of translating that work into English; that the British Youth might have the benefit of it as well as the Youth of Italy."
Portrait of Maria Agnesi by French artist Jean-Baptiste-François Bosio. (Elisha Whittelsey Collection, Metropolitan Museum)
Agnesi lived until 1799. Yet some articles about Agnesi, Findlen says, "basically treat her as if she died the moment she ceased to be scientifically interesting." After the publication of Analytical Institutions, she gradually retreated from mathematical life. She is sometimes described as the first woman mathematics professor, but she never professed, or even visited the city of her professorship. Pope Benedict XIV, who had helped Bassi gain her position, offered Agnesi an appointment at the University of Bologna as well, and for years she had an honorary position there. When her father died in 1752, she finally felt free to devote herself to studying theology and doing charitable works. Eventually she became the director of the women's section of the Pio Albergo Trivulgio, a shelter for the poor and sick.
Agnesi does not fit neatly into boxes. For one thing, her religious fervor can seem a bit unsettling to modern sensibilities. Though today we often think of science and religion as conflicting, many of the important figures in European science history, especially before the 19th century, were Jesuits or members of other religious orders. Isaac Newton himself, in between inventing calculus and revolutionizing physics, wrote treatises on alchemy and religious topics, including hidden messages in the Bible. In Agnesi's day, it was thought that intellectual pursuits could be a form of devotion to God. Agnesi was interested in the work of Nicolas Malebranche, who had written that "attention is the natural prayer of the soul." Studying a subject like calculus deeply was, to Agnesi was a form of prayer.
Her attitude, says Mazzotti, was that "intellect was necessary for being a good Christian. If you work on strengthening your intellect, you're doing a good thing for your spiritual life as well." In later life, her religious writing turned mystical, but when she was most active in mathematics, her approach to religion was more intellectual and rational. Even as her religious practice became more mystical, however, she still saw intellect and passion as two complementary parts of religious life. "The human mind contemplates [the virtues of Christ] with marvel," she wrote in an unpublished mystical essay, "the heart imitates them with love."
For another, Agnesi's choice to leave mathematics can be confounding for those who want to make her an icon in the history of women in science. "She's one of these rare women who gets to do science, but what does she want to do when she does all this? She wants to give it up," Findlen says. "We don't want to see our scientists do interesting things and then give it all up for love of God. it's not a modern trajectory."
"Her biography has been kind of split" between those who see her as a quasi-saintly figure in the Catholic church, particularly near her hometown of Milan, and historians of math and women in science, says Mazzotti. "Often these two groups of people have almost no exchange." As he notes in the introduction to his book: "I first came across Agnesi as a child, while running up and down the nave of San Nazaro [a basilica in Milan]." Because of her famous piety and charity, she was pictured on the church booklets. Later, studying the history of calculus, he wondered how to connect the woman he had seen in a church to the early mathematician.
Reading her story, one gets the sense that Agnesi was straining against the limitations of a society that still could not accept female scholarship and agency. But within the rigid confines of her position in the world, she was able to carve out her own path. She was neither a nun, nor a wife and mother. She was respected by society for both her mathematics and her charitable work as a lay Catholic woman. She both acquiesced to and rebelled against her family's wishes for her. "To us she seems so conservative, so not modern, and certainly not radical," Findlen says, "but maybe that's just the limits of our own understanding of her world."
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Henry Krauskap House, also known as Henry Krauskap House and Store and Meiskey's, is a historic home located at Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1874, and is a -story, three bay brick combined commercial-residential building in the Italianate style. It has a two-story rear wing. A small brick one-story commercial addition was built between 1886 and 1888.  It is the oldest surviving structure for the manufacturing and marketing of cigar boxes and tobacco related products.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

References

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Italianate architecture in Pennsylvania
Houses completed in 1874
Houses in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
National Register of Historic Places in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


India have named Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik and KL Rahul in the squad for the upcoming World Cup 2019 in England and Wales. Ambati Rayudu and Rishabh Pant were left out of the squad, which also has a place for Ravindra Jadeja.
There had been a lot of talk regarding the potential number four for India, a pain point that the team has been trying to resolve for quite a while now. Vijay Shankar will now bat at two-drop, as revealed by chairman of selectors MSK Prasad. The reserve 'keeper slot has gone to Karthik, while KL Rahul will be the back up opener.
MSK Prasad stated that Karthik was preferred over Pant due to his superior 'keeping skills.
"Definitely a case where we debated (at) length. We all (agreed) that either Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik will come in only when [Dhoni] is injured. In an important game, wicket keeping is also important. That's the reason we went with Dinesh Karthik," said Prasad.
Ravindra Jadeja took up the third spinner's slot, alongside wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. The four pacers in the side picked themselves with Jasprit Bumrah leading an attack that also includes Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
Speaking about Rayudu's exclusion, Prasad said: "After the Champions Trophy (2017), we tried quite a few people in that position. We did give a few more chances to Rayudu. Vijay Shankar is three dimensional. We are looking at him at no. 4 to begin with. We also have Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav. It's not that anything that went against [Rayudu], it's that a few things went for [Shankar]."
"To begin with KL [Rahul] will be reserve opener, if need arises the team management will take a call," he added.
India begin their quest for a third World Cup title on June 5 against South Africa at Southampton. They'll play two warm-up fixtures before that, against New Zealand at The Oval on May 25 and against Bangladesh at Cardiff on May 28.


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HISTORY AND MUSEUMS
Home > visit > historical landmarks and museums
Presents from the Past
History buff? Museum guru? You won't be disappointed. The LA Waterfront has a rich history, dating back to the mid-1500s when Portuguese explorers named this natural harbor "Bay of Smokes" after the numerous campfires of its Native American inhabitants. Start your journey with a step back in time to the LA Maritime Museum - learn about the Port's establishment in the early 1900s, when trade took root, fishing villages flourished and the cannery industry was at its peak. Flash forward for some unique historical moments, like the filming of the 1970's hit television series "The Love Boat" in the harbor or the favorite spots where late author Charles Bukowski's wrote some of his best work. The LA Waterfront is home to several designated historic sites providing a wealth of history to discover and explore.
Learn about the incredible history of the LA Waterfront with stops at its many museums. From Civil War times to late 19th Century to the modern day operations of the nation's busiest cargo port – the LA Waterfront is the only place in Southern California where you can find ten museums in a ten mile radius.
Check out the area's early beginnings at the Banning Museum, the history of the harbor at the LA Maritime Museum, or climb aboard the Battleship IOWA for a unique educational experience on the famed warship. Let the journey begin!
Historical Landmarks & Museums
Angels Gate Lighthouse (Los Angeles Harbor Light)
Located on the San Pedro Breakwater, this historic lighthouse has marked the entrance to the Port of Los Angeles since 1913. The lighthouse is firmly anchored to a concrete block and built of steel reinforced concrete - the only lighthouse ever built to this design. It is one of the rare lighthouses to use a rotating green light. Angels Gate Lighthouse was completely restored prior to the celebration of its centennial year of service in 2013. No pedestrian access.
Banning Museum
This former residence of General Phineas Banning, a founder of the City of Los Angeles, was built in 1864. An extensive collection of Victorian decorative arts and furnishings are housed in this 23-room Greek Revival mansion situated on 20-acre park in Wilmington.
Battleship IOWA
Commissioned in 1943, this 887-foot, 45,000-ton World War II battleship has been designated the "World's Greatest Naval Ship" because of her power, speed, heavy armor, longevity and modern technology. The USS IOWA served our country for over 50 years and no other battleship in our nation's history has been host to more U.S. Presidents than the IOWA.
Cabrillo Beach Bath House
Built in 1932 and used for boating events during the 1932 Summer Olympics, it is the last remaining historic bathhouse in Southern California. The Mediterranean-style bathhouse was the hub of marine activities at Cabrillo Beach, including the original site of the Cabrillo Beach Museum (now the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium).
Drum Barracks Civil War Museum
The Drum Barracks Civil War Museum is a 16-room structure which once stood among 19 similar buildings on 60 acres of land, and is now the only Civil War-era U.S. Army building still standing in Southern California. Serving as the main training, staging and supply depot for military operations in Arizona and Southern California and New Mexico, the museum, located in the original junior officers' quarters, displays historical artifacts including an operable Gatling Gun.
Fort MacArthur Museum and Military Base
Established in 1985 and dedicated to the history of Fort MacArthur, was once a U.S. Army post which guarded the Los Angeles harbor from 1914 to 1974. This unique museum is housed in the corridors and galleries of historic Battery Osgood-Farley, a key historical structure which enabled the U.S. Army to defend the American continental coastline from invasion.
Japanese American Fishing Village Memorial, Terminal Island
Built in 2001 by Terminal Islanders, Inc., the memorial is dedicated to the former residents of the Fishing Village on Terminal Island, home to hundreds of Japanese American families who were relocated to internment camps during World War II.
John S. Gibson Memorials
This park, named for the late Los Angeles City Councilman John S. Gibson, is located along Harbor Boulevard between 5th and 6th Streets. The park is home to a collection of monuments, including the American Merchant Marine Veterans Memorial, the USS Los Angeles CA-135 memorials, the Bloody Thursday monument, and the Fishing Industry Monument.
Korean Friendship Bell
The Korean Friendship bell and Pavilion were donated in 1976 to the people of Los Angeles by the people of the Republic of Korea to celebrate the bicentennial of the U.S. independence, honor veterans of the Korean War and as a symbol of friendship between the two countries. The bell sits on a hill in Angel's Gate Park with a panoramic view of Catalina Island and the Port of Los Angeles. This intricately carved bell is modeled after the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok which was cast in 771 for the Bongdeok Temple of Korea.
Los Angeles Harbor Fire Department Museum in Old Fire Station 36
Old Fire Station 36 is housed in City Hall, one of the oldest buildings still standing in downtown San Pedro. WIth its unique collection of LAFD artifacts, photographs and two vintage fire engine trucks, this free museum has something for visitors of all ages.
Los Angeles Maritime Museum
The Museum is located in the 1941 Municipal Ferry Terminal, now on the National Register of Historic Places. From 1941-1963, a ferry system transported thousands of passengers to the canneries, shipyards, and military bases from San Pedro to a sister building on Terminal Island. The completely restored building is now home to the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, featuring exhibits and artifacts highlighting the maritime history of Los Angeles.
Muller House Museum
Built In 1899, and purchased by Shipbuilder William Muller in 1901. The Muller House was moved twice from its original location to its final spot on a bluff overlooking Harbor Blvd. and the Port of Los Angeles. This Cultural Heritage Monument showcases Muller family items, San Pedro Historical Society archives items, memorabilia as well as contributions from peoples' personal collections, offering visitors a glimpse in to Harbor life in the early 1900s.
Point Fermin Lighthouse
Built in 1874, San Pedro's first lighthouse was petitioned by Phinneas Banning, and for nearly 100 years guided ships safely away from the treacherous cliffs with its impressive 10,000-candlepower seaward beam. Restored in 2002, the Stick Style Victorian lighthouse, with gabled roof and hand carved porch railings is open to the public for tours through the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.
Ralph J. Scott Fireboat and Firestation #112
This fireboat was commissioned in 1925 and served the LA Fire Department until 2003. Currently on display near Fire Station 112 at the LA Waterfront, the fireboat is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
S.S. Lane Victory
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this 10,000-ton, fully operational World War II cargo ship has been restored and serves as a living memorial to the civilian Merchant Marine and Naval Armed Guardsmen lost at sea.
San Pedro City Hall
Built in 1928, this seven-story building has both neoclassical and baroque architectural characteristics. On the 7th floor is an old jail that was nicknamed "7th Heaven." Today, many of the LA City Departments and the 15th District Council Office occupy the building.
San Pedro Municipal Ferry Building
Completed in 1941, the building originally provided ferry services, transporting vehicles and passengers on double-decked ferry boats across the Port of LA's Main Channel to a sister building on Terminal Island. The building now houses the LA Maritime Museum.
Vincent Thomas Bridge
Built in 1963, the bridge serves as the City of Los Angeles' official welcoming monument. Rising 35 stories above the nation's busiest container port, it is the only suspension bridge in the world supported entirely on piles and the third longest suspension bridge in California. The Vincent Thomas Bridge connects Terminal Island with the communities of Wilmington and San Pedro.
Wilmington Clock Tower
The Clock Tower is an iconic part of the waterfront, and can been viewed from the Downtown Harbor pier at the bottom of 6th Street at Harbor Boulevard (the clock tower is not accessible to the public).


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Baby animals welcomed at farm center
Abby Welsh
Kids are welcoming new baby animals into the world with a bottle of milk.
The Kensington Metropark Farm Center, just east of Brighton at 2240 W Buno Road, breeds several animals from February through June.
"We really put an emphasis on people coming out in April and May to feed them and come see the animals," said Debbie Cavallaro, Kensington Metropark Farm Center supervising interpreter.
There are several events posted online at www.metroparks.com for families and kids to participate in.
So far this year, the Farm Center has 14 baby lambs — all of which are twins.
"We have two sets of triplets, it was incredible," Cavallaro said, noting that they also have three baby doe and a baby calf.
Each year, the Farm Center tries to breed as many new animals as it can. The only animals it breeds year-round are pigs.
"It's a great thing for school classes, 4-H groups, families and kids to come in and be educated and learn about the circle of life," Cavallaro said. "A lot of the animals we have are related — mothers and grandmothers. They really do get to see the circle of life when they come in."
Kensington Metropark has a heated barn, so they are able to breed animals during the cold months.
"That's an advantage we have over many other centers," she said.
Cavallaro enjoys this season because she said she knows spring is arriving and she loves watching people help feed the animals.
Another obvious reason she loves breeding is welcoming all the new animals into the Farm Center family.
"The babies are what I look forward to, and they are born right into their own families, so it's really great to be a part of and watch," Cavallaro said.
Those interested in coming to see the new members of the Farm Center, can contact the park at 810-227-8910.
Contact Livingston Daily reporter Abby Welsh at 517-552-2848 or at awelsh@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @abby_welshLD.
Spending time with the babies
■ Visitors to the Kensington Metropark Farm Center can meet a set of twin and triplet lambs, twin and triplet baby goats, and a litter of piglets with more babies on the way. Also at the Farm Center are draft horses, ducks, chickens, miniature donkeys, cows and rabbits.
■ The Farm Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
■ The Kensington Metropark Farm Center will also be hosting Fun on the Farm: Spring Babies on April 16 at 10 a.m. Little ones can spend time with the new additions to the farm while enjoying storytime and a craft for a fee of $5 per person.