text:
Matthew 22: 1-14 The Call of the King
By Bernardo Strozzi – Own work, Daderot, 2013-09-25 11:42:46, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33266293
Matthew 22: 1-14
Parallel Luke 14: 15-24
Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.' 5 But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' 10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12 and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 For many are called, but few are chosen."
This final parable continues to be challenging for many modern readers of Matthew who struggle with the wrathful king's judgment on both those who reject their calling and on the improperly attired guest. Many scholars who view the versions of this parable in Matthew and Luke coming from a common source argue that Luke's easier to reconcile version is closer to the parable that Jesus originally told as a way of distancing themselves from the portions of the parable which make them uncomfortable. Yet, Matthew's version uses several prophetic motifs which are probably unfamiliar to many modern readers of the New Testament which are worth slowing down to engage and hear. Perhaps Matthew has something to teach our communities about the way we attempt to eliminate God's judgment because it is uncomfortable for people living in peaceful, affluent communities very different from either Jesus or Matthew's time.
Matthew groups parables together in a way that they build upon one another in a group of three. In hearing this parable, it is important to place it alongside the previous two vineyard parables (two sons and wicked stewards) as Jesus uses a new image, that of a wedding banquet. While there are images in Israel of people being invited to a great feast prepared by God for people, perhaps the best known coming in Isaiah 25: 6
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged-wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged-wines strained clear.
Yet, the idea that this feast is a wedding celebration is unique to Matthew and there is not an echo of God throwing a wedding banquet that I am aware of in either the Hebrew Scriptures or the Apocrypha. Yet, Matthew has used this image previously in 9:15 with Jesus referring to his disciples' conduct during his presence among them:
And Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will mourn."
This image of a wedding celebration will also link this parable to the first parable in the next and final set of parables in 25: 1-13. The parable links both images of the feast of rich foods prepared by God for all people and with the identity of Jesus as the bridegroom and son of the king in Matthew.
Yet, the story turns upon the rejection of the call of those who are called. The Greek work kaleo (to call) occurs frequently throughout this narrative as the king sends his slaves to call the ones 'having been called.' In our culture we think of invitations as optional, but these who have been called to appear by the king and snub that call by extension reject the authority of the king to summon them. As Warren Carter notes, "Refusing the king's invitation is tantamount to rebellion." (Carter 2001, 434) This is heightened by the action of those who seize, mistreat, and kill the slaves sent[1] who like the vineyard workers in the previous parable invite, and in the answer of the hearers of the previous parable require the 'housemaster' and now the king to "put those wretches to a miserable death." (21:41)
The wrath[2] of the king is perhaps difficult to many modern readers who are used to thinking about God as unemotional or immovable, but these modern conceptions of God are based more on Greek philosophical ideals rather than the God of the scriptures. A God who sends his loyal slaves over and over with the hope of a harvest or the invitation to the celebration of the wedding of his Son, only to see these slaves mistreated and killed is compelled to act on behalf of the slaves. If, as most interpreters assume, Matthew is using this parable as an explanation of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by Rome in 70 CE (destroyed those murders and burned their city) they seem unable to reconcile this God who invites with the God who destroys. Yet, perhaps this says more about our unwillingness to stand under God's judgment or our desire to take judgment into our own hands. That God's troops would include the Roman legions which destroyed Jerusalem, who like Babylon and Persia previously had served God's purposes without knowing it, should not surprise, nor should the experience of God's people receiving judgment for being unwilling to respond to God's continued call.
I am not a fire and brimstone preacher, as a Lutheran pastor I'd rather focus on the grace of God, but I've also come to understand that the wrath of God or anger of God is not the opposite of God's grace. God is angry because God care: God cares about the slave sent to carry the message, God cares about the wedding banquet which they have been invited to, and, although it may seem strange to modern ears, God does care about the called ones. The God of Israel may be patient and slow to anger, but this God will not be taken for granted. God continues to desire repentance and is willing to continue to send those precious to God to seek a change, but eventually God's patience becomes too costly for those who carry God's message, and like the saints under the altar in Revelation 6: 9-11 they cry out,"Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth."
That Jesus, and Matthew, understand God at work in the movement of the nations is a part of the bold claim of the faith of Israel that their God is not only their God, but the creator of the world and the Lord over all nations. This may be challenging for modern believers who have separated the spiritual world from the political world and who may be slightly embarrassed to suggest that God can be at work in the world in strange and mysterious ways, but that also highlights the way culture has changed our faith. The early followers of Jesus could trust that God's kingdom would come into the world, that God's will would be done on earth just as they assumed it was done in heaven. This is faith was an openness to perceive the ways that God was at work in the world, an awareness of the time they found themselves within with the bridegroom, and a trust that while God will is ultimately good for them, for the people of God and for all the nations, God the creator of the world should neither be tamed or domesticated into a household god that served the desires of those who called upon the name of the Lord.
There is a common strand with this parable and wisdom literature where the character of wisdom is not heeded:
Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand and no one heeded, and because you ignored my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you, when panic strikes you like a storm, and you calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me, but will not find me. Proverbs 1: 24-28 (see also Proverbs 8:35-36 and Jeremiah 6:16-17)
There is an call from their God (or from Wisdom on behalf of God) which is refused, and although the call is extended with the hope that the called ones will finally turn (or repent) the continued reality of rejection is not met with indifference by God. Yet, this rejection can also be used in strange ways to extend the invitation to others. In the parable now the slaves are sent to the crossroads or the roads leading out of town to gather everyone to the banquet, both good and bad, filling the wedding celebration with guests. Just as the tax collectors and prostitutes heard John the Baptist's message and turned even though the Pharisees and Sadducees did not (21:31) now those on the streets find themselves in the wedding hall.
The final scene of this parable, unique to Matthew, with the guest not wearing the proper attire has also caused distress for many readers for the same reason as the earlier judgment, and again many scholars want to view this as an addition to the original parable of Jesus, but before we pass judgment on it, perhaps we should hear it out. Just as the rejection by the ones called to the banquet was tantamount to rebellion, so is being present in a way that is disrespectful to the host. We often assume referring to someone as 'friend' assumes intimacy, but in Matthew's gospel, and in ancient cultures, it can imply a power differential or distance between the speaker and hearer. (20:13, 26:50) The fact that one is invited later does not give one permission not to heed counsel or ignore reproof, and as Matthew's gospel has focused on building a community of Christ where the actions of the individuals in the community matter, just as the original invitees can find themselves encountering their king's wrath, so can the newly invited.
One final word, Matthew's gospel paradoxically is viewed both as the most Jewish and the most hostile to the Jewish people, since these parables and many other things we will encounter in these final chapters have often been read in a supersessionist way by Christians. I will continue to address this as we move through these final chapters, but it is important to note that in this parable those invited are still a part of the king's original people, not from new nations, and throughout these parables what are sought are more responsive sons, tenants, and subjects, not a new people. Much of Jesus' conflicts will be with the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the Sadducees and the Pharisees and not with the people as a whole, and Jesus' life from the beginning of Matthew is to, "save his people from their sins." (1:21) That Jesus, like the prophets (or in the parables slaves), who went before him challenges the leaders of the people is a part of the reason the people are able to see him as a prophet, and like the prophets his calls often fall upon ears that cannot hear. Yet, I think Matthew would echo Paul when he says to Gentile Christians who came to be a part of the community of Christ:
But if some branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree, do not boast over the branches. If you do boast, remember that it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you. You will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you. Romans 11: 17-21
[1] The word for sent is the verb apostello where we get our English apostle (sent ones).
[2] This is the Greek orgizo, which is the verbal form of orge, which often is used to refer to the wrath of God in judgment against God's people (for example in Exodus) or upon those in continued rebellion in Revelation.
This entry was posted in Biblical Reflections, Gospel of Matthew and tagged Gospel of Matthew, Judgment of God, Matthew 22, Matthew 22: 1-14, Parable of the Wedding Banquet, Parable of the Wedding Feast, Wrath of God on October 28, 2020 by Neil.
Matthew 21:33-46 The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
By James Tissot – Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum; Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2007, 00.159.139_PS2.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10957416
Matthew 21: 33-46
Parallel Mark 12: 1-12; Luke 20: 9-19
33 "Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34 When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35 But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.' 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" 41 They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time."
42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46 They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.
The imagery of the vineyard in this and the preceding parable, combined with the fig tree in the prophetic sign prior to the parables and the great banquet in the closing parable of this trilogy all work together in ways that reinforce Jesus' answer to the chief priests and the elders. Even if the hearers of the previous parable did not catch the imagery of the vineyard representing Israel, now Matthew (and Mark beforehand) include the references of digging a wine press in it and building a watchtower which show that Isaiah 5 provides the imagery for this parable:
Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. Isaiah 5: 1-2
Yet, even as the imagery of Isaiah 5 is used, some important transformations are made which recast the imagery into a new image to fit the context of Jesus' interactions with the chief priests and elders in the temple. Into the midst of the space between the beloved (the LORD of hosts in Isaiah) and the vineyard (Israel in Isaiah) the parable introduces workers responsible for the care of the vineyard of the 'house master.'[1] Many modern commentators have missed the point of this parable by assuming the that the 'housemaster' is neglectful of the vineyard, and this is not helped by the NRSV and other translations adding 'to another country' which is not in the Greek. The 'housemaster' merely departed on a journey after hiring workers to care for the vineyard during the time the 'housemaster' is away.[2] The imagery in this parable, pulled from Isaiah, explicitly links the vineyard as Israel and God as the master of the vineyard (Isaiah 5:7), and even though in the Hebrew Scriptures the LORD is the God of Israel, the LORD is not only the God of Israel but the God of the entire earth and who watches over the Gentiles (the nations) as well. The people of Israel's relationship with the land is contingent upon their relationship with their God, and they are reminded:
the land shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is mine; with me you are but aliens and tenants. Leviticus 3:23
While the people of Israel are 'aliens and tenants' on land that is owned by God, here Israel is also the vineyards and the 'tenants' or 'vinedressers' are the leaders. Jesus stands in a long prophetic line of criticizing the leaders of Israel (both political and religious) who have led the people away from the way of the LORD. One example of this is both Jeremiah 50: 6-7 and Ezekiel 34 criticizing the 'shepherds' who have led the sheep astray. The language that Jesus is using is understood by the chief priests, elders, Pharisees as well as the crowds who are present with him in the temple. The slaves of the 'house master' who come to collect the fruit in this parable and who invite to the banquet in the following parable are the prophets and messengers of God who have come to Israel and have often been abused or killed. Jesus tells this parable in Jerusalem, a city whose leaders have often not heeded the prophets when they came. The parables follow the question of the chief priests and the elders about the authority of Jesus to do these things, and now, in parable form, the answer is presented by his identification with the son of the 'house master' who the 'house master' believes the tenants will respect but whom they see as a hindrance to their continued control and possession of the fruit of the vineyard. The 'house master' has shown incredible forbearance with these recalcitrant tenants who have abused and killed his servants, but with the death of the son outside the vineyard the response of the 'housemaster' is given not by Jesus but by those he is speaking to.
Irony is at work in the scene as these religious leaders call for the condemnation of the 'tenants' speaking their own condemnation, much like the scene where king David condemns the man in the prophet Nathan's telling only to be told, "You are the man!" (2 Sam. 12:1-15) Yet, for David there was repentance and mourning after his condemnation but for these leaders their desire is to remove this pesky prophet. Instead of being righteous who are "like trees planted by streams of water, who yield their fruit in its season"(Psalm 1:3) they find themselves in the place of the wicked who "will not stand in the judgment,"(Psalm 1:5) Throughout scriptures the desire of God is for repentance, just like the 'house master' who continues to send slaves for the harvest even when they have been met with hostility in the past. Just as the religious leaders were unable to acknowledge God's work in the ministry of John the Baptist, they remain unable to acknowledge their positions as 'tenants' before the son.
Jesus' quotation of Psalm 118:22 changes the metaphor from tenants and slaves/sons/'housemaster' to builders and cornerstones, but the central point remains the same. The leaders are charged with rejecting that which is central, and while they have been a stumbling block preventing others from recognizing the kingdom of heaven's work in their midst, now they will stumble over this stone they rejected. The chief priests and the Pharisees, now introduced to the Jerusalem narrative, perceive that they are the targets of these words, but they are constrained by fear of the crowds who have gathered around Jesus.
Although this has often been used to support a reading where Israel is bypassed for the Gentiles, that is not the intent of Matthew. In the parable it is not Israel, the vineyard, who is replaced, but rather the leaders, the tenants. While, ironically, they can realize they are the focus of Jesus' parables, they also speak their own judgment. If, like most scholars believe, that Matthew is written after the war with Rome in 66-73 CE it is apparent that Matthew understands the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by Rome in 70 as a part of God's judgment on these leaders who have not produced the fruits of the vineyard. But the 'house master' is seeking better sons to work in the vineyard, better tenants to produce the fruits at the appointed time, and as we will soon see in the final parable those who respond to the summons to the long awaited great banquet.
[1] This is the Greek oikodespotes which links this passage with the parable in 20:1-16 and Matthew is the only gospel which titles the owner of the vineyard as a 'house master.' See the fuller discussion of oikodespotes in my comments on Matthew 20:1-16
[2] The Greek apedemesen is depart on a journey, the addition of to another country attempts to harmonize this telling with Luke's version of the story, but the departure for another country is not there in the Greek in Matthew and Mark.
This entry was posted in Biblical Reflections, Gospel of Matthew and tagged Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 21, Matthew 21: 33-46, Parable of the Vineyard, Parable of the Wicked Tenants on October 15, 2020 by Neil.
Matthew 21: 23-32 Authority and the Parable of the Two Sons
A.N. Mironav, Parable of the Two Sons, CC by SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:The_Two_Sons
Mark 11: 27-33, Luke 20: 1-8
23 When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" 24 Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 26 But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." 27 So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
28 "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' 29 He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The fatherwent to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two didthe will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
Jesus re-enters the temple after the night in Bethany. He has already upended, at least temporarily, the business of the temple and once again his presence brings conflict with the religious leaders in the temple. Throughout Jesus' ministry he has evoked conflict with the religious leaders in the area he works, primarily with the Pharisees in Galilee and now with the religious elite of Jerusalem. Like the prophets who clashed with religious authorities before Jesus, it is helpful to remember that Jesus' words, actions, and presence is unsettling to those with religious and political authority in his world. As Richard B. Hays can state:
Jesus' message was controversial and threatening to the established institutions of religious and political power in his society: the message carried with it a fundamental transvaluation of values, an exalting of the humble and a critique of the mighty. The theme of reversal seems to have been pervasive in his thought. (Hays 1996, 163)
This conflict which opens a series of parables about reversal is a conflict between two perspectives on faithfulness. The chief priests and the elders represent the voice of the established order of the temple and in a reductionist way the priestly voice speaks to orthodoxy (right prayer/worship)[1] while Jesus, John, and the prophets have generally focused on orthopraxis (right actions). The authority of the chief priests and the elder comes from their position in the temple, but they do not have faith which allows them to see how God is at work in the things Jesus does and says.
The prophets and the psalms frequently criticize the people who continue to worship God in the temple but who fail to live in accordance with the covenant. Both John and Jesus have, in their own way, attempted to call the people into the ways of righteousness and have been resisted by the religious and political leaders in their proclamation and work. Jesus is now doing this work in the temple, and the chief priests and the elders say to him, "by what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus is doing the work, which included healing and teaching as well as the work of driving out the moneychangers, and especially with works like healing the authority must come from somewhere. The primary question is not whether Jesus has the authority to do what he is visibly doing, but where the authority is coming from. Previously Jesus was accused by the Pharisees of deriving power from Beelzebul (12:22-32), and while Warren Carter is correct that "the question is not about his identity but whether they will recognize it." (Carter 2005, 423) Yet, from Matthew's perspective the issue is not the ability of the chief priests and the scribes to acknowledge Jesus' authority as proper but rather will the chief priests and elders have faith to recognize the works, the baptism of John, and John (and Jesus') way of righteousness coming from heaven.
Politicians are famous for not answering the question that is asked, but I do not believe that is what Jesus is doing here. This scene sets up three interlocking parables, but Jesus' question helps the reader (and has the potential to help the religious leaders) understand the first question better. Matthew links the language of Jesus and John the Baptist throughout the gospel[2] and so a question about the things John does gives the answer to the authority for the things Jesus does. If the authority of John is from heaven, the works that Jesus does are authorized by heaven, but if one cannot see the baptism of John and the transformation it brought into the lives of those who came to John as an action of the kingdom of God then one will not have the faith to understand how God is at work in the things Jesus does. Throughout this passage what the NRSV renders 'believe' is 'have faith'[3] but even though Jesus does not directly answer their question, the first short parable gives them the answer.
Entering this and the following parable, it is helpful to understand that just like the fig tree the vineyard is a representation of Israel. Probably the most familiar reference to Israel being the vineyard of the Lord is Isaiah 5 where the LORD does everything possible for a vineyard to be fruitful, but it only bears wild grapes:
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness but heard a cry. Isaiah 5:7
It is important to note that in these parables of Jesus the vineyard is not destroyed, instead better sons (in this parable) and faithful stewards (in the following) parable are sought to work in the vineyard. It is not Israel that is the primary problem but the leaders who resist the will of the father. In this parable the father goes to the first son who states "I do not will/desire to go"[4] but this son repents[5] and does the work of the father. The second son in contrast declares "I am, lord" but does not go. The inclusion for the second son of lord (Greek kurios) which can mean 'sir' but missing that this means 'lord' misses the connection with Matthew 7:21:
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
The one who repents and goes into the vineyard does the will of their father, just like the sinners that observed John's coming in the way of righteousness and had faith in him by repenting and changing their life did the will of God and enter into the kingdom of God. The religious leaders have seen the change in others but have resisted both John and Jesus and could not see God's kingdom at work in the things they do.
[1] Orthodoxy is normally understood as correct beliefs, but the word itself means 'right praise/prayer.' The high priests and the elders are primarily concerned (as they are portrayed) focusing on the proper operation of the temple in its worship of God.
[2] Compare John's message in 3:1-12 with Jesus in 4:17 and 10:7
[3] This may seem like semantics, but faith in Matthew's gospel is an openness to where God is at work in the things Jesus (and John) are doing. For more on this see my discussion on Faith in Matthew's gospel.
[4] The Greek thelo is the act of willing or desiring, so the action is not merely declining but stating it is not the desire of the son to do what the father asked.
[5] Greek metamelomai which means regret or repent.
This entry was posted in Biblical Reflections, Gospel of Matthew and tagged Gospel of Matthew, Jesus in the Temple, Matthew 21, Matthew 21: 23-32, Parable of the Two Sons on October 8, 2020 by Neil.
Matthew 21: 18-22 The Fig Tree and the Mountain
By Maahmaah – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21625760
Parallel Mark 11: 12-14, 20-26
18 In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once. 20 When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?" 21 Jesus answered them, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done. 22 Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive."
The symbolism in this scene is so rich, and perhaps the disciples miss the mountain for the fig tree but so have most modern readers. Although this can be simply read as a story about the power of faith, a reader immersed in the language of scripture and who has some awareness of location in the narrative will see how Matthew (and Mark beforehand) is tapping into a rich prophetic language of the conflict between the religious leaders of the temple and the prophets declaring God's judgment on the temple. Perhaps a fig tree is simply a fig tree and a mountain merely a mountain in the narrative but with Matthew's (and Mark's) careful use of the language of scripture this is unlikely.
The fig tree is one of the central images for Israel. It can be used as an image of what prosperity in Israel looks like when Israel is faithful to God:
For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees. Deuteronomy 8:7-8[1]
But figs and fig trees are also frequently used by the prophets as images that reflect judgment:
Woe is me! For I have become like one who, after the summer fruit has been gathered, after the vintage has been gleaned, finds no cluster to eat; the is no first ripe fig for which I hunger. The faithful have disappeared from the land, and the is no one left who is upright; Micah 7: 1-2a
When I wanted to gather them, says the LORD, there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves are withered, and what I gave them has passed away from them. Jeremiah 8:13[2]
Fig trees typically are harvested in June for early figs and in fall for mature figs. Although the Passover (in March/April) would be early for figs, the green figs which will develop will be on the tree. Yet, the symbolism of the fruitless tree, a tree which is an important image in Israel,which is cursed and withers is more than just Jesus reacting in hunger. This is a symbolic prophetic act, especially sandwiched between two times when Jesus enters the temple. The language of this action is also tied to the upcoming parable of the vineyard where the tenant refuse to provide the 'fruits at the appointed time.' It is possible that the disciples miss the significance of this action and are caught in the wonder of how Jesus did this action, but Matthew (and Mark beforehand) have crafted their narratives in ways that show that they understand this action as a, "symbolic act of one coming to judge those who do not bear fruit." (Case-Winters 2015, 253)
Matthew places Jesus and the temple in conflict. The conflict between Jesus and the authorities in the temple as well as the talk of the coming destruction of the temple (and Jerusalem) will consume much of the next four chapters. Jesus stands in a long prophetic tradition which condemns the way the temple and its worship has displaced the covenant life desired by the God of Israel. It is also significant to understand the location that Jesus is speaking from, the mountain he is moving towards is the temple mount and when Jesus says "even if you say to this mountain" it is not a generic mountain.
Faith in Matthew is an openness to what God is doing, and for Matthew and his community they expect God to be at work in the world bringing about the kingdom of heaven. A recurring theme in the next chapters will be the resistance, or lack of faith, among the religious leaders in Jerusalem. While Matthew views the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem by Rome as a judgment from God, much as Jeremiah would view Babylon's destruction of temple and the city in his time, he also sees in this the beginning of God doing something new. Although I will note it frequently in the coming chapters, it is worth saying up front that Jesus' primary conflict is with the leaders and not with the Jewish people. Matthew's community is trying to figure out how to make sense of a radically transformed world where Jerusalem and the temple are no longer present and where they are trying to live faithful lives among the nations. Too often the texts that come at the end of Matthew have been used to justify the persecution or exclusion of the Jewish people, but Matthew, being the most Jewish of the gospels, calls for a much closer reading in light of the law, prophets and the psalms. That Jesus stands with a long line of Hebrew prophets who have condemned the actions of the temple and who call the people to a different vision of embodying the covenant should not be surprising, the crowds all seem to understand Jesus as a prophet. It also shouldn't be surprising that Matthew's community, living in the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple as most scholars believe, would remember words and actions of Jesus that help them understand the destruction of temple and city. The followers of Jesus will need faith to understand how they can move beyond the temple and Jerusalem to find their identity in the community of Christ. Faith may move mountains, but it also helps the disciples understand how to live their life once mountains have been moved.
[1] see also Numbers 20:15, 1 Maccabees 14:12 as well as 1 Kings 4:25, Micah 4:4 and Zechariah 3:10 which I mentioned when discussing Matthew 20: 1-16
[2] See also Isaiah 34:4;Jeremiah 24: 1-10, 29: 17; Hosea 2:12, 9:10; Joel 1:7,
This entry was posted in Biblical Reflections, Gospel of Matthew and tagged Faith moving mountains, Jesus curses a fig tree, Matthew 21, Matthew 21: 18-22 on October 7, 2020 by Neil.


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Home > Resources > Roadmaps > Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems
Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems News and Progress
Roadmap-related research
Covalent assembly of molecular building blocks - November 2007
Writing in the November 2007 issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology, a team of German and British scientists (Leonhard Grill, Matthew Dyer, Leif Lafferentz, Mats Persson, Maike V. Peters, and Stefan Hecht) reported the rational assembly on a surface of building blocks linked by covalent bonds—probably carbon radicals. A "News & Views" perspective by Neil R. Champness in the same issue describes in more detail than can be provided here why this advance is important.
"Nano-architectures by covalent assembly of molecular building blocks" Nature Nanotechnology abstract
Nature Nanotechnology "News & Views" perspective "Surface chemistry: Building with molecules" abstract
Full text requires subscription or article purchase.
Almost all work so far on atomically precise assembly directed toward developing productive nanosystems has self-assembled nanostructures in solution through a designed or evolved network of noncovalent interactions. Such nanostructures are held together by many weak noncovalent bonds, such as hydrogen bonds, van der Waals, and hydrophobic interactions. As Eric Drexler pointed out more than 20 years ago, it would be advantageous to be able to engineer robust covalent bond formation in the necessary spatial configurations to build strong, rigid nanostructures. Those laboring to develop molecular electronics also desire to rationally link molecular building blocks via covalent bonds to form larger nanostructures, not only because covalent connections form more stable nanostructures, but also because covalent bonds allow the efficient electron transport required by electronic devices. Now researchers have succeeded in rationally assembling building blocks on a surface using covalent bonds probably formed by carbon radicals—very reactive species envisioned by Drexler for use in advanced molecular manufacturing systems. Prior to this achievement, many workers had self-assembled supramolecular structures on surfaces by engineering noncovalent interactions, but no one had succeeded in assembling covalent molecular networks.
Porphyrin molecules—approximately square planar molecules made from linked rings of carbon and nitrogen atoms—were chosen as building blocks. A "leg" made from a phenyl group was attached to the center of each side of the central building block. One, two, or four of the legs were terminated with a bromine atom because the carbon-bromine bond is weak enough to be broken at a temperature that will not break the other bonds. In different variations of the procedure, the bromine atoms were dissociated either before or after the building blocks were deposited on gold surfaces. Dissociation of the carbon-bromine bonds produces carbon radicals that quickly form carbon-carbon bonds to link building blocks together.
The resulting nanostructures were clearly revealed by scanning tunneling microscopy. As expected, the nanostructures produced depended on the number of bromine atoms in the building blocks: with one bromine-activated bond, only dimers were found; with two bromine atoms on opposite sides of the porphyrin, straight chains resulted; with four bromines on each building block, a grid was produced. The authors emphasize that the formation of these nanostructures is not a self-assembly process since the process is not reversible.
This paper reports a promising avenue toward building covalent atomically precise structures on surfaces. The authors recognize that building more useful nanostructures will require more complex molecular building blocks and more options for generating covalent connections. "In a next step, complex network architectures could be constructed by selective activation of different molecular sites at characteristic dissociation temperatures..."
—James B. Lewis
Roadmap Background
Roadmap News

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


At Without A Hitch, we love hosting and coordinating unique events. From birthdays, to bar/bat mitzvahs and weddings, we are always searching for new and fun alternatives to the ordinary.
Last month our founder, Sarah, had the opportunity to take a Buttercream Basics cake-decorating class at Oakleaf Cakes. She had a great time decorating cakes with her sister and seeing who was the better cake designer. The private class with only six students allowed lots of one-on-one attention from instructions Tim and Crystal. The students started by whipping up Oakleaf's own recipe for vanilla buttercream frosting. Then they began the work of layering the cake, cutting three even chocolate and vanilla layers. With a spinning cake stand, they applied gobs of buttercream between each layer and to cover the whole cake and, for the final touch, piped in colored frosting to create shapes and roses. Each student left thoroughly entertained and with a delicious cake!
Oakleaf's classes are a great option for any bachelorette party, bridal shower, or birthday party. Oakleaf Cakes offers private and custom classes, or you can reserve any offered class for up to eight people. Class topics include Cupcake Decorating, Fun with Fondant, Sugar Flowers, and Intro to Gumpaste Figurines, and each class is guaranteed to be educational and tons of fun.
Oakleaf Cakes was founded by Amanda Oakleaf (you may know her from Boston Betrothed) and her husband Tyler Oakleaf in Boston. Featured on Food Network, CNN, TLC, The New York Times and others, Oakleaf Cakes creates an array of cakes, cupcakes and pastries, terrific (and delicious!) for any event.
Katie and Patrick's wedding was a picturesque Boston event, and what could be a better setting than the New England Aquarium with its stunning views of the Boston Harbor. This wedding was one that engaged couples dream about, with fabulous weather (and a spectacular sunset!), a flawless location, and a very much in-love couple. We can't thank Christine and Peter from Elizabeth Bradford Photography enough for letting us show off their stunning photography here (in case you want to see more of their work, check out their blog here!).
The day started off with Katie and Patrick at separate hotels- Katie getting ready with help from Beauty in Motion at the fabulous Boston Marriott Long Wharf and Patrick at the classy Boston Harbor Hotel. Both had spacious suites to get ready in surrounded by their family, bridal party and groomsmen.
Patrick headed over to the Boston Marriott Long Wharf for a first look in the lobby - WOW it was emotional and stunning. After much debate over a first look location, we know Katie and Patrick picked the perfect spot (check out the half-circle window pictures, our favorite!).
We headed to the New England Aquarium from there, where the patio was set up perfectly for the ceremony, and photos during cocktail hour. Every detail was done perfectly and so tastefully-from the guest book and lobster trap themed gift table, to Patrick McDonell's bagpiping, to Katie's navy-clad bridesmaids (whose dresses were complimented perfectly with coral bouquets provided by Laurel Hill Floral Design, and a matching cake from Icing on the Cake). After the ceremony Katie and Patrick had the opportunity to take photos inside the aquarium, while we set up the tent for the reception with the help of Boston Uplights and Rentals Unlimited. Weeks later we still can't stop thinking about the location of the ceremony and especially the pictures they took at the top of the tank inside the aquarium- what a perfect New England wedding!
The reception that followed was a wildly good time documented by McElroy Films and DJed by DM Productions- take a look at the dancing, emotional toasts, and a love to last a lifetime.
Congratulations, Katie and Patrick! Thanks for letting us be a part of your big day!


We've been making the most of the recent sunny days with lots of outdoor play, nature hunts, & paddling pool fun. With the roses blooming rapidly in our garden & some petals already starting to fall, Minnie, was keen to add these to her pool. As she sprinkled them over the water I started to realize what a neat, natural science activity this was.
As the petals floated on the surface of the water we noticed how the sunlight hit them creating some amazing shadows to explore at the bottom of the pool. With her imagination Minnie saw butterflies, dragons, & more in the beautiful shadows & loved creating more shadow shapes with her hands. This relaxing & calming time of just watching the petals didn't last long, the pool of water was just too tempting not to jump in!
So in she went! But what a cool way to explore the behaviour of objects in the water!
What does the water feel like? Look like? How does it make you feel?
Then she invented her own game; how many petals can you catch on one foot? Great for exploring balance & co-ordination, & a neat way to practice a little maths too!
This was a great activity for encouraging concentration as she really had to focus on how her body moved through the water to 'catch' the petals. She discovered the faster you go the less petals you'll catch, & in the end this became a very relaxed, calm activity.
This calming free play with just rose petals & water is something I'm sure we'll be exploring again, especially on those hot summer days when we can all feel a little frazzled.


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Why Beatles Abbey Road Zebra Crossing is a must see in London?
Posted on 19th April 2020 22nd April 2020 Posted author designedtours
Don't miss Abbey Road, home to the famous Beatles recording studios and the Beatles pedestrian crossing in London!
Abbey Road studios is a music studio located in a of the most famous streets in the world of the same name in London. It is also one of the most popular attractions in the city for music lovers.
As a result of being chosen by the Beatles to record their albums, the studio became famous in the 1960s. The final album of the fantastic quartet was called 'Abbey Road'. And it was released in 1969, with the front cover of the Vinyl showing the group in the crosswalk that is in front of the recording studio.
The iconic image of the 4 members of the group crossing the road is reconstructed by several tourists every day on the spot. Consequently to those visits, it has become a tourist tradition, scribbling some words of love once sung by the Beatles on the wall outside the studio. This eccentric tribute to the fantastic quartet is appreciated by the staff at Abbey Road studios. But, don't worry, you won't be getting into any trouble!
A visit and photo at the Beatles Abbey Road zebra crossing is a great free option in the English capital!
The world famous band that has influenced and still influences generations, attracts fans and non-fans from all over the world. Despite being born in Liverpool, the group had great traces of its history set in the British capital. Additionally, this was the birthplace of Beatlemania.
So, additionally to the Beatles abbey road zebra crossing in London, some other spots related to them may interest you:
1 – Number 7, Cavendish Avenue – It is close to Abbey Road studios, so you can take the opportunity to pass by Paul McCartney's house. Who knows, maybe you might see him?
2 – Number 3, Saville Row – Unbelievably, the most successful band in the world has only performed together for 10 years. On the roof of this building, where their last record company (Apple Corps) had their office based, it was where the band last performed on 01/30/1969. But because of this show, the police were called because of the "noise" caused.
3 – Prince of Wales Theatre – In 1963, the band performed at this theater during the Royal Variety show. While there, members of the British royal family were present.
4 – London Palladium Theatre – Here in 1963, the band performed and the audience behaved hysterically with screams and hair pulling in great ecstasy. As a result of this, the term "Beatlemania" was born in here.
Do you realise that the Beatles Abbey Road Zebra crossing is just the beginning of your journey through the city if you want to follow in the band's footsteps?
5 – Number 34, Montagu Square – This property was initially rented by Ringo Starr. But then John Lennon with his girlfriend Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney, as well as Jimmy Hendrix with his girlfriends also occupied that same address. Paul McCartney even recorded several songs while living here.
6 – Number 94, Baker Street – Between December 1967 and July 1968, the group decided to undertake and created a Boutique. Supposedly, it was "A beautiful place where beautiful people can buy beautiful things", according to Paul McCartney's words at the time. Due to flaws in business management skills, the group ended up making certain decisions without necessary permits. And then unfortunately, the new project only lasted a few months.
7 – Marylebone Station – Here, was recorded the opening scene of one of the 5 films in which the band participated (A Hard Day's night). In this scene recorded here, Geoge Harrisson takes a fall, tears his suit while running from the fans. The fall was accidental and Harrisson had to improvise, but the scene was still added to the film.
8 – The British Library – Regardless of Beatles-related matters, the British Library is worth a visit for many reasons. But, in terms of Beatles, here you can find a vast memorabilia with photos, doodles, lyrics, birthday cards, among others. And this is why, here you have the best chance of getting closer to something your idol have touched!
How about taking a look at Abbey Road live?
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Meaning: very successful at growing things. While it is usually used regarding growing things, it is also used to talk about someone who is successful at growing any kind of business.
Example: He had a real green thumb where growing tomatoes were concerned, but he really had a green thumb with his business, which grew from just one small store to a whole chain of stores.


Solar simulator based on our Lumixo Light Engine producing parallel beam.
The parallel beam from Class ABB to AAA cells tester combining Solar Simulator and Light Soaker from Solaronix, featuring our genuine Lumixo light engine. High performances and wide active area in a small cabinet.


text:
Carriera

Club
Ha sempre giocato nel campionato cubano.

Nazionale
Ha esordito con la Nazionale cubana nel 2007.

Collegamenti esterni

Calciatori della Nazionale cubana

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Q: Save the words from a text file to two tables in c I have a text file which has two words per line, in every line, and i would like to read it and save the first word of each line in a table of the type first[numberoflinesinfile][maxcharacterperword] and the second one in a similar table. Where each entrie of the tables is a character.

A: A pretty simple solution:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

#define FILE_NAME "myFile.txt"

int main () {

    // Open file for reading:
    FILE *file;
    file = fopen(FILE_NAME, "r");

    // Some counters:
    int i = 0;
    int j;

    // Two dimensional arrays:
    char first[10][30];
    char second[10][30];

    // Loop through file:
    while ( fscanf(file, "%s", first[i]) != EOF) {
        fscanf(file, "%s", second[i]);
        i++;
    }

    for (j = 0 ; j < i ; j++ ) {
        printf("first@%d: %s - ", j, first[j] );
        printf("second@%d: %s\n", j, second[j] );
    }

    return 0;
}

Input:
these are
some words
to put
into a
matrix for
some fun

Output:
% ./a.out
first@0: these - second@0: are
first@1: some - second@1: words
first@2: to - second@2: put
first@3: into - second@3: a
first@4: matrix - second@4: for
first@5: some - second@5: fun

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Russia has earned its success in the Middle East — partly thanks to Trump
By David Ignatius
Columnist|
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October 24, 2019 at 7:07 p.m. EDT
A convoy of U.S. military vehicles arrives near the Iraqi Kurdish town of Bardarash after withdrawing from northern Syria on Oct. 21. (Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images)
It's heretical to say so, but Russia has earned its current success in the Middle East. It's using the same mix of military and diplomatic tools that made the United States dominant in the region for so many decades. America didn't lose this battle for influence; it surrendered.
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President Trump's efforts to dress up his retreat from Syria as a victory are an embarrassment. He squandered America's leverage, abandoned our Kurdish allies to a Turkish invasion and thereby reopened the door for a defeated enemy, the Islamic State, to resume attacks on the West.
Trump's performance shames the United States, especially the military. Imagine what it felt like for U.S. Special Operations forces as they withdrew this month from the Syrian battlefield pelted by tomatoes thrown by their irate former Kurdish allies. A bitter end to what had been a hugely successful campaign against the Islamic State.
Now Russia steps into this space of northeast Syria. And it's useful to examine, without blinders, some reasons President Vladimir Putin has achieved so much. The first, dark fact is that he has been a cynical and brutal partner for an even more brutal Syrian regime. But it's more complicated than that.
Putin has triumphed partly because he has used the instruments of power effectively. He intervened in Syria in 2015 with limited force, but decisively. Frustrated by Syrian dependency and mismanagement, he pulled some forces back after the initial campaign and threatened to withdraw more.
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Russia has leverage partly because it talks to all the warring nations in the Middle East. Moscow has friendly relations with Iran but also with Israel. Russia talks to the Turks and also to their mortal enemies, the Kurds. Ambiguity is part of Putin's tool kit. He doesn't exclude himself from the bargaining table.
America, not so long ago, was a similar interlocutor. It was the essential partner because it talked with all sides. The United States was Israel's faithful ally, but it also had a deep relationship (initially in secret) with the Palestinian guerrilla groups. It brokered deals among parties that couldn't talk directly.
America's addiction to sanctions is part of our self-neutering process. These economic penalties are often a reflexive substitute for a more serious policy to advance U.S. interests. We sanction Russia, Syria, Iran, China, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela . . . and after Trump foolishly encouraged Turkey's invasion of Syria, the instant reaction was — sanctions! This tool is so overused that it's becoming counterproductive.
The United States (for several decades) has used sanctions when it wants to be seen as taking action, as opposed to actually doing so. That's not a mistake Russia makes. It intervenes with low visibility but punishing impact.
Russia also owes its recent gains in the Middle East to well-trained diplomats who speak good Arabic and foster multilateral negotiations in a way the United States once did. Since 2017, Russia has been sponsoring a dialogue (known as the "Astana process") that brings together Turkey, Iran and various Syrian groups to discuss rebuilding the country. The U.S. alternative of Geneva talks has been moribund.
Russian diplomacy is partly a game to maintain Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. But Russian specialists have also reached out to the Kurds, as in a 2017 draft constitution for Syria that promises a "Kurdish Cultural Autonomy" region and proposes to remove "Arab" from the country's official name, the Syrian Arab Republic.
For Russia, it's about interest, not ideology. "Russia intervened in 2015 to prevent state collapse and restore stability," says a Western nongovernmental organization representative who has been dealing with Russian officials closely for five years in Syria. "The Russians are not trying to remake the region. . . . They want stability and business." By contrast, he argues, American interventions are driven by "ideological fantasies" and have led to instability.
I'd counter that American values remain one of our strengths, but the interventionist impulse has certainly gotten us in trouble.
Putin's biggest weakness in Syria has been the same as at home: corruption. Moscow's crass strategy for seizing oil fields in Kurdish regions protected by U.S. forces was to employ mercenaries who would get a percentage of any oil they seized. That's thuggery, not statecraft. Similarly, notes the NGO official who worked closely with them, the Russians "could not train a single professional Syrian unit, unlike the U.S. success in creating elite special forces" among Kurds, Iraqis and Afghans.
Russia has dreamed for centuries of having the influence in the Middle East that it's now gaining. This is part of the original "Great Game," after all. How bizarre that in the end, what Russia has so desperately wanted, Trump is giving them for free.
Read more from David Ignatius's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
David Ignatius: Syria is lost. Let's save Lebanon.
David Ignatius: Trump's betrayal of the Kurds is sickening to U.S. soldiers
The Post's View: Trump's blunder in Syria is irreparable
Fareed Zakaria: Trump's Syria actions are the result of a knowledge-free foreign policy
Asli Aydintasbas: The Turkish incursion is sowing the seeds of hatred for generations to come


Control unit for the SELF-WASHING VACUUM, used in automotive car washes (car washes) and self-service washers. The controller is designed to control the vacuum cleaner with a payment system: a coin acceptor, a coin acceptor, a bill acceptor. Provided: setting the price of the service and maintaining statistics.
In default mode, you can enter the service mode by simultaneously pressing the SET1 and SET2 buttons.
After entering the token / coin / note, the countdown counter starts with a period of 1 sec. Entry to the service mode is not possible until the countdown is complete. In the process of counting, it is possible to deposit tokens / coins / bills.
Service menu. The point of the 4th segment indicates the setting of the price of 1 pulse in seconds. Press SET2 to cycle the parameter within 60 to 300 seconds in 60 second increments. Press SET1 to go to the statistics counter No. 1.
The point of the third segment indicates the setting of the statistics counter number 1. Hold SET2 for more than 3 seconds - reset the counter. Press SET1 to go to the statistics counter No. 2.
The point of the second segment indicates the setting of the statistics counter No. 2. Hold SET2 for more than 3 seconds - reset the counter. Press SET1 exit from service mode. Return to the original mode. Both counters consider statistics with the possibility of resetting, the user himself decides which one to use as a common and which one as a counter for a period.


Transit (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017) is the second in a recent trilogy of experimental novels by the London-based, Canadian-born writer Rachel Cusk. The first, Outline (2014), presents us with a deeply receded narrator. Only minimal facts are provided: Faye is a novelist who has separated from her husband, has two children, and is teaching a writing class in Greece. She barely speaks. What we learn about her surfaces through her interactions with others and their reactions to her. The rest we must assume through our experience of reading her words and via our own assessments of life.
Transit is a sequel to Outline, but it can be read as a stand-alone. Faye has moved to London with her sons. The novel opens with her describing an algorithm-generated email that she received from an astrologer, which announces that a change will come—details available for a small fee. The fake voice is reassuring, protective, "too obviously based on a human type to be, herself, human." Faye is in a mixed state of refusal and searching. She is suspicious of character, narrative, selfhood; she rejects the tidy concept of fate. When, to our surprise, she clicks on the link to pay for the service, Cusk dispenses with plot. Instead of a conventional story, we are given a series of encounters with strangers and friends. Faye's instincts are indistinguishable—the mark of a suppressed self—but her commanding intelligence listens with great detail.
In her passivity and withdrawal, Faye gives others—including readers—an expansive space to be. In exchange, she herself is in a state of becoming. She allows her anger to take hold, signifying a kind of internal jolt, an unavoidable reentry into personhood and agency: "I had started to desire power, because what I now realized was that other people had had it all along, that what I called fate was merely the reverberation of their will." As readers, we either recognize or refute this power, depending on our own interpretation and desire for freedom and knowledge of self.
Alex Zafiris I was moved by how you describe shame in relation to creativity and love. In Transit, shame is beautiful, and to ignore it would be fatal to a true understanding of self. Is that a fair assessment?
Rachel Cusk I suppose I see shame as part of a process of becoming free: to create or, yes, to love. These sometimes have to be fundamental acts of disobedience to one's upbringing or conditioned view of the world. In other words, one can feel ashamed of what one's doing while at the same time knowing it's the correct thing to do. I don't doubt that, for me, part of the satisfaction in the act of writing is that it violates numerous taboos of my childhood that still weigh heavily on me. In the moment of writing, I can be free of them.
AZ The narrator's passivity––or witnessing—provides a kind of emotional graph of the book. She speaks only on occasion. Despite this, she has a strong presence and commands authority, though she may not quite believe it herself. How did you choose the characters she interacts with?
RC Outline and Transit operate through a process of reverse exposition, where the meaning of oneself seems to have been transferred out into the world. To me, this is one possible description of trauma: the loss of the subjectivity that generates assumptions of shared being. Instead there is only the reading of other people as verbal surfaces and the attempt to find a reflection of oneself there. So, the people Faye meets are those in whom she's trying to find a glimpse of herself, in order to locate herself after what we come to realize has been a major loss of identity.
AZ I was struck by the paragraph about the Polish woman, with whom Faye has communicated about the translation of her text: "Sometimes, talking about certain passages in the book, I would feel her creation begin to supersede mine, not in the sense that she violated what I had written, but that it was now living through her, not me." I felt Faye's story was also streaming through me, as a reader. How conscious were you of this effect when you were writing, and was it part of your process?
RC Very much so, though I wasn't at all sure it would have that effect! And I'm sure some readers haven't recognized the world of self and morality and character I describe sufficiently to be co-opted into the narrative. But for these books to work, the reader needs to play at least some role in the "writing" of them, since there's no conventional narrator. It's an active rather than passive reading experience.
AZ In general—and reflected often in your work, particularly in the past few novels — there is a gulf between what many people will comfortably accept as reality and reality itself. You've been accused of being too honest, uncompromising, et cetera—but do you have an opinion about how this gulf initially forms? I'm sure you've thought about this before, but at this stage, with the release of Transit: Why do you think so many people resist truth, whether presented to them the moment they wake up or via fiction and art?
RC Well, in a sense, people do accept that they daily go "away" from themselves. Perhaps the role of religion in the past—and of such things as yoga and mindfulness that have replaced it—was to create a location for "truth," where we could go with the intention of correcting ourselves. But of course that still represents a division between self and truth, or reality. The main difficulty of being, perhaps, is that the "self" wants a story, wants to be explained, wants to be situated in a meaningful narrative. Because we're trapped in the self, and the self is at the center of our own experience, having that story—and being the central character in it—feels like a necessity. And of course reality denies that meaning, that coherence, that centrality of self, at every turn. It tells us that there is no logic, that we don't particularly matter, that things will not necessarily end well. So, I suppose it follows that some people will be angered by reality and its representation, because it appears to threaten their belief in life as meaningful.
AZ Is there anything different about this novel, about the conversation it elicits, that surprises you as compared to your previous work?
RC Well, I haven't talked about it very much, because I'm writing the last book in the trilogy and trying to keep my concentration. But to the extent that I've picked up on people's interpretations, I've been surprised by their willingness to try to understand my project, since I haven't made all that many concessions to being understood!


text:
Microsoft sets SQL Server 2008 R2 preview
Microsoft said it will make a preview of SQL Server 2008 R2 available this month
John Fontana (Network World) 04 November, 2009 06:38
Bluechip Infotech
Dynamic Supplies
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Microsoft said it will make a preview of SQL Server 2008 R2 available this month that is features complete, including new business intelligence integration tools and master data management features.
In addition, Microsoft said it will deliver two highly scalable editions of SQL Server 2008 R2 (formerly code-named Kilimanjaro) in the first half of 2010 when it ships the next version of the database server.
The announcements came at the annual Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) Summit. The PASS group is an independent, not-for-profit association.
Microsoft is pushing SQL Server 2008 R2 as the opening salvo in its strategy to turn the database into an "information platform." The company says the platform will integrate structured and unstructured data from a variety of sources, including SharePoint Server.
"The R2 release is a down payment on the information platform," said Fausto Ibarra, director of product management, SQL Server.
The review will include SQL Server PowerPivot for Excel 2010 (formerly Gemini), an in-memory analytics tools that will link Excel, SharePoint Server and SQL Server.
Power Pivot is the heart of what Microsoft calls managed self-service business intelligence, which lets users build BI programs for the desktop in Excel that combine data from diverse sources, process it using in-memory analytics tools and publish the results to SharePoint Server so users can collaborate around the results. In addition, IT can manage and control the BI programs users create by ensuring the proper infrastructure is available along with services such as data refresh.
"They are using and reading the meta-data from at least one other enterprise class information provider, which is SharePoint, and that is a big deal," says Mark Beyer, an analyst with Gartner. "Trying to put together text and content with the more structured stuff has been one of the challenges to getting real information management in an organization; to getting real data integration at the meta-data level."
What Microsoft is doing is significant in the aggregate because it elegantly combines data from two different sources, Beyer says.
"One of the constants I've had in my research is the pending earthquake of actually leveraging meta-data without having to import and export it from one place to another. That is where Microsoft is headed with its information management; reading through a service the meta-data in different enterprise applications that they have."
Beyer says the concept is one of data integration rather than interoperability. He says if Microsoft can create such an environment then the vendor will be one of the first to deliver such capabilities.
Also in the CTP are two new components, a master data management (MDM) platform that enables companies to integrate information from across multiple data sources in the network and create a single view of data such as customers, products or suppliers. Previously MDM was only available as a third-party add-on. The second component is StreamInsight, a complex event processing platform that lets companies or independent software vendors build applications that can process large numbers of events in real-time.
Also part of the review is Application and Multi-Server Management, which enables central IT control of database infrastructure that includes applying policy, managing performance, moving workloads and pinpointing problems. In addition, there is support for Windows Server 2008 R2 and Hyper-V.
The two highly scalable versions being offered alongside SQL Server 2008 R2 are Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Datacenter and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse (formerly code-named Madison).
Parallel Data Warehouse is a massively parallel processing technology for high-end data warehousing and is designed to scale to petabytes and support high-speed queries.
Microsoft is riding Parallel Data Warehouse into a highly competitive data warehousing battle that includes Teradata, Netezza, Oracle, HP, Sybase, Greenplum, IBM and others.
The Parallel Data Warehouse version will be offered as an appliance on hardware from Bull, Dell, HP and IBM.
The Datacenter version aligns with the Datacenter version of Windows Server 2008 R2 and is designed to support large-scale applications. The platform provides support for up to 256 logical processors and unlimited virtualization.
Microsoft also is introducing version 2.0 of its SQL Server Fast Track Data Warehouse that includes 12 new reference architectures that feature updated configurations from Bull, Dell and HP based on Intel and AMD processors. The architectures support up to 48 cores per server and up to 48 terabytes of data capacity.
IBM, which signed onto the program in February, will offer three reference configurations based on IBM's X series and Intel processors. Also, EMC will introduce Data Warehouse and BI services for Fast Track.
Tags Microsoftsql server 2008


Welcome to our Recreating Golden Hour Special Effects Workshop! Getting bright and beautiful golden hues around sunrise/sunset for your wedding and engagement photography is ideal, but often the timing of the day or weather conditions just don't work out.
In this course, we will take you through the problem-solving process of some of our live-shoots where we were working under unfavorable conditions and forced to make the best of our situations. With the combination of in-camera settings, off-camera flash, foreground elements and post-production techniques, we will take you through each photo and show you how you can achieve similar effects in your portraiture.
Price: $29 After Discount (Normally $39).
Of course, you can also stream this tutorial live from any device.
Recreating golden hour using a full strobe – In this section, we teach you how to use a full strobe to create a golden hour look during an actual Indian wedding when the sun has already set.
Using flash to mimic the sun indoors – See how adding using flash to mimic the sun can add interest to a scene.
Using LED lights to enhance existing flares – See how using foreground elements can enhance the Golden Hour look. We demonstrate with bridal portraits but the same technique can be applied to all types of photography.
Enhance golden hour effects in post production – See how a few simple techniques in Lightroom can boost your flares and enhance your golden hour look.
Oh wow, I would love to see the original version without the light!
There isn't a version without the light.
Do you have to be a premium member to purchase this? I clicked the link to purchase and it takes me to a general page with links to other recent articles.


Faith leaders say that they know family violence is a major problem, but feel ill-equipped to deal with it.
May 10 2016Faith communities have a critical role to play in preventing and responding to family violence but need training to identify signs that violence might be occurring and to direct people to the help they needed, the head of an Anglican agency who served on Victoria's recent Royal Commission into Family Violence has told TMA.
Mr Tony Nicholson, the Executive Director of the Brotherhood of St Laurence who was a Deputy Commissioner of the inquiry, said faith leaders who met the Commissioners all acknowledged that family violence was a significant problem within their communities and that they were ill-equipped to recognise signs of it and deal with the devastation it caused.
"There was no faith leader who suggested it was not a problem in their communities," Mr Nicholson said. He said the Brotherhood was conducting a review of its own policies and practices in light of the Commission's findings.
Some faith communities had been of enormous assistance in offering victims counselling and solace and assisting them in various ways "whereas others responded inappropriately, almost not being able to understand the terror experienced by the victim and sometimes offering advice that left the victim at greater risk of violence", he said.
The three-member Royal Commission, chaired by a former judge of the Court of Appeal, the Honourable Marcia Neave, was established by the Andrews Government early last year. It delivered its 1900-page report to the Governor, Ms Linda Dessau, on 29 March and made 227 recommendations – including the establishment of support and safety hubs throughout the state and measures to enable victims to remain safely in the family home – all of which the Government said it would implement.
Mr Nicholson's fellow Deputy Commissioner was Ms Patricia Faulkner, the Chair of Jesuit Social Services and Deputy Chair of St Vincent's Health Australia, who formerly served as Chair of the Prime Minister's Social Inclusion Board and Secretary of the Victorian Department of Human Services.
That faith leaders and communities establish processes for examining the ways in which they currently respond to family violence in their communities and whether any of their practices operate as deterrents to the prevention or reporting of, or recovery from, family violence or are used by perpetrators to excuse or condone abusive behaviour.
"Faith leaders and organisations have direct and influential contact with many members of the Victorian community, and their guidance and intervention are often sought when family violence is being experienced," the Commission's report said.
"Faith leaders can play an important role in educating communities about family violence, reinforcing community standards in relation to respect, dignity and non-violence, and providing practical advice and other assistance to people in need.
"The faith leaders the Commission consulted demonstrated a strong commitment to responding to family violence that occurs in their communities. They also acknowledged, however, that they and their colleagues and communities require assistance in learning how to recognise and prevent family violence and respond appropriately. This lack of awareness and knowledge limits their ability to support those experiencing family violence.
The report acknowledged the importance of mainstream family violence services understanding and being sensitive to people's religious and cultural needs.
It said faith communities and organisations offered a vital opportunity to reach people who are affected by family violence, many of whom might not use formal family violence service pathways to seek help.
"It is therefore important that faith-based communities address barriers to the disclosure, prevention of or recovery from family violence and make it clear that religion cannot be used by perpetrators and others to condone or excuse abusive behaviour.
"Spiritual abuse and the use of faith to support or condone violence are concerns in some communities.
The report said that, with the assistance of the Office for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship, the Commission arranged a faith leaders consultation attended by representatives of the Anglican, Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Coptic Orthodox and Russian Orthodox communities.
"The consultation provided valuable insights into the experiences of faith leaders," the report said. "All the leaders recognised that no faith community is immune from family violence by reason of their particular faith. The consultation also afforded the Commission an opportunity to hear about work being done in some communities to prevent and respond to such violence.
The report said a number of faith communities had been doing important work on preventing and responding to family violence, citing among others Anglicans Helping to Prevent Violence against Women, launched in October 2011, a model of primary prevention that sought to reduce the prevalence of violence by building a culture of equal and respectful gender relationships in Anglican organisations and local churches.
"The Anglican community has delivered active bystander training, peer mentoring and training in violence prevention in a number of parishes," the report said.
It quoted evidence from Melbourne Anglican priest, the Revd Scott Holmes, that "it is probably much more productive to actually work from a faith-by-faith basis so that each of those faith traditions can be dealing with the issue in the context of their sacred text, their cultural backgrounds, their world views and so forth".
Mr Holmes has been active in the prevention of violence against women and children through the Northern Interfaith Respectful Relationships Project – a partnership between Darebin City Council and VicHealth – and as Project Manager of Health Promotion at YMCA Victoria.
But the Commission also identified failures by faith communities in preventing and responding to family violence.
"In the majority of cases where women had sought assistance from faith communities… the Commission was told the leaders were predominantly or exclusively men," the report said.
"Some women received valuable support after they had disclosed family violence. For example, one woman told us her priest helped her secure sole custody of her children and was of great emotional support to her, which was particularly important since she had no family in Australia.
"In other examples provided to the Commission, faith leaders colluded with perpetrators of family violence," the report said.
The report said some women felt pressured to remain in abusive relationships because of attitudes towards marriage and divorce.
The report quoted Mr Holmes saying that "… the faith leader might think that they can care for both the victim and the perpetrator equally and not understand that there's differences of power going on in those relationships and that they may not be the best person to care for both the victim and perpetrator, or indeed either, and need to refer elsewhere".
Anglicare Victoria's Chief Executive Mr Paul McDonald said the Royal Commission was "a game-changer" for Australia and praised Premier Daniel Andrews on the leadership he had shown on behalf of all Australian women and children affected by family violence.
Mr McDonald said the report had identified Anglicare Victoria's Beyond the Violence program as one of the few programs in Victoria that directly worked with both the mother and child to strengthen the parent-child relationship and rebuild family relationships after experiencing family violence.
"Beyond the Violence program attendees report significant, often life-changing benefits – 80% of those we surveyed reported an improved relationship with their child and 87% reported their parenting improved after attending the program," he said.


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McAlinden recalled by Wolves
Striker heads back to Championship club
Fleetwood Town can confirm that striker Liam McAlinden has been recalled by his parent club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The 21-year-old Northern Irish man, who scored twice in five appearances for the Cod Army, will now be available for selection for Wolves' game against neighbours Birmingham City at Molineux this weekend.
The Club would like to thank Liam for all of his efforts during his time at Fleetwood Town.


Fingerless mittens are a great compromise between warmth and having the dexterity to check a cell phone or use a set of keys when opening the car door. Button back the flap to check your phone or pull it snugly in place while driving or waiting for the bus. These mittens are designed to fit a hand with a 3-inch wide palm.
Check your gauge by knitting a swatch, or a small square. You should have 4.5 stitches and 7 rows in a 1-inch square.
Cast on 40 stitches. Work these stitches in a 1x1 rib for 2.5 inches. Work the next two rows in stockinette starting with a knit row.
Knit 1, Purl 1, repeat from across the rest of the stitches. Turn work, Purl 1, Knit 1, repeat from across the rest of the stitches.
Stockinette: Knit 1 row. Turn work, purl 1 row.
Shape the thumb gusset: Knit 20, place a stitch marker, Make 1 after marker, Knit 2, Make 1, place a stitch marker, knit 18 stitches – 42 stitches. Knit to stitch marker, Make 1 after marker, knit 4, Make 1, knit remaining stitches – 44 stitches. Knit to stitch marker, Make 1 after marker, knit 4, Make 1, knit remaining stitches – 46 stitches. Knit to stitch marker, Make 1 after marker, knit 6, Make 1, knit remaining stitches – 48 stitches. Knit to stitch marker, Make 1 after marker, knit 8, Make 1, knit remaining stitches – 50 stitches. Purl 1 row. Remove markers.
Knit thumb: Knit 32 stitches across. Cast on two stitches at the beginning of the next row using the knitted cast on method. Purl 14 stitches (including the 2 you just cast on). Turn and cast on 2 more stitches using the knitted cast on method. Knit across 16 stitches for the thumb. Continue working in stockinette until the thumb measures 1 inch, ending with a purl row. Bind off all stitches and leave a 6-inch tail. Sew up the thumb thumb seam using the tapestry needle.
Knit the rest of palm: With the Right side of work facing you, pick up and knit 2 stitches from the base of the thumb. Knit the remaining unworked 18 stitches, giving you a total of 40 stitches. Turn and purl the next row. Knit 2, place a stitch marker, knit 18 and place a 2nd stitch marker, continue knitting remaining stitches. Work in stockinette without further shaping and sliding the marker as you go for 1.5 inches from where you picked up the stitches at the base of the thumb. Knit the next inch in 1x1 rib. Bind off all stitches.
Knit the mitten flap: Cast on 20 stitches. Work 4 rows in 1x1 rib. Slide stitches to a spare needle. With Right Side of work facing, cast on one stitch and pick up 18 stitches between the stitch markers on back of glove. You have a total of 19 stitches. Purl next row. Knit 19 and then knit the 20 stitches on the spare needle. Continue working in stockinette stitch for 2.5 inches.The flap should end about 1 inch below your longest finger. End with a purl row.
Knit 1, slip slip knit (ssk decrease), knit 14, knit 2 together (k2tog decrease) ssk, knit 14, knit 2 together (k2tog decrease), knit 1. Purl 1 row. Knit 1, ssk, knit 12, k2tog, ask, knit 12, k2tog, knit 1. Purl 1 row. Knit 1, ssk, knit 10, k2tog , ssk, knit 10, k2tog, knit 1. Purl 1 row. Knit 1, k2tog, knit 8, k2tog, ssk, knit 6, k2tog, knit1. Purl 1 row. Bind off all stitches.
To work the Left Mitten, repeat as for Right Mitten until you reach the Thumb Gusset.
To shape the Left Thumb gusset: Knit 18, place a stitch marker, Make 1 after marker, Knit 2, Make 1, place a stitch marker, knit 20 stitches – total 42 stitches. Continue knitting the left mitten as you knit the right.
Join the top seam of the mitten flap. Join the side seams of the mitten. Sew in all yarn ends. Crochet a 3-inch chain of yarn. Fasten off. Thread your tapestry needle with one of end of chain, pull through to inside of mitten flap. Make a loop and pull the other end through to the inside of mitten flap. Stitch together the ends. Fold flap over. Position your button and sew it in place. Repeat for the other mitten.
Always take the time to check your gauge. Cast on 25 stitches. Knit a 4 x 4 swatch in stockinette. If you get more than 4.5 stitches to the inch, go down a needle size. If you get fewer than 4.5 stitches to the inch, go up a needle size.
Have fun with color! Knit the cuff one color, the main body another and the thumb and flap another color. In the stockinette areas, try out some fun cables or other stitches for more texture.


Spring Festival, also known as 'Chinese Lunar New Year', which is the most important family reunion moments for Chinese. In China, there is a popular phrase 'no matter poor or rich, just go home for the new year', which expresses the earnest desire for going back home to get-together with family and friends during the New Year holidays.
When near the Spring Festival, all the major transportation hubs are crowed with the travelling people, they carry various colorful luggage, move thought the crowed station to find their sits for home. Excitement and happiness is on their faces, while it is not easy to look after all the luggage, especially look after their children at the same time. No doubt, it will be an annoyed thing if anyone lost their luggage in such a noisy and crowed station or on the way home.
Don't worry, Pretrace TC80 will bring you an easy and safe journey: just put the Pretrace TC80 into your luggage, preset its parameter before the journey, you will be able to locate your luggage by mobile phone or online tracking platform. Once luggage lost, you can track it directly at the earliest time, to help the policemen find it back easily and rapidly.
Pretrace TC80 is a small portable GPS tracker, light and concise, easy to hide. It is built-in antennas and battery, you will be free of installation. TC80 is specially adopted the low power consumption solution that enable itself to work more than 300 days under optimal configuration. What's more, by preset the geo-fence and movement alarm, you will get alarm information once the asset move out of your pre-setting areas. With its precise location and stable tracking, the safety of your loved assets will be guaranteed.
New Year Time will fulfilled of joy and happiness. Family members and friends are waiting your coming back for reunion. No worry, Pretrace TC80 is with you, to bring you a safe and happy home journey!


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Cuenca is the third largest city in Ecuador and the capital of the Azuay province. It is located in the Sierra, the highlands of Ecuador, at about 2,500 meters (8200 feet) above sea level. Its full name is Santa Ana de los cuatro ríos de Cuenca.
It was founded in 1557 by the Spanish explorer Gil Ramírez Dávalos. The foundation of the city was commissioned by Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, who at the time was the ruler of the Viceroyalty of Peru and a native of Cuenca, Spain. Cuenca, Ecuador achieved its independence on November 3, 1820. However, the history of the site goes back further to the native Cañari village of Guapondelig, "land as big as heaven", 500 AD. It was later conquered by the Incas and called Tomebamba.
The actual population is around 400,000 people. The economic development is based on industry and agricultural development. Cuenca has a reputation for being a university city. It hosts eight universities, the oldest and best known one being University of Cuenca (Universidad de Cuenca), a public university with about 12,000 students.
Well-known villages in Cuenca include Checa, Ochoa Leon, and El Verde. It has recently been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is on the route of the Pan-American Highway.
Journeys trips that include Cuenca:
Ecuador Highlands Explorer
Information based on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuenca%2C_Ecuador


In this work, a new method is presented for the representation of 3D objects with binary matrix. This method is based on two steps: normalization and quantization. This representation allows us to compare 3D objects by computing the similarity between them.