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Q: Deleting Root Node of a Binary Search Tree I have this function for deleting a node in a binary search tree which seems to be working EXCEPT in the case where I ask it to delete the root node. It is supposed to take the  right-most value on the left and replace the node with that; however, once that happens, the new root node's children pointers don't seem to point to the original root node's children. Code is as follows:
bool delete_node(Node*& root, TYPE data) {
Node* toDelete;
Node* parent;

// This function is defined appropriately elsewhere, and finds the target to be deleted
toDelete = find(data, root);

if (!toDelete) {
    return false;
}

// This function is defined appropriately elsewhere, and finds the parent of the node to be deleted
parent = find_parent(root, toDelete);

// Other cases left out because they work
// If the target node has two children:
if (toDelete->left && toDelete->right)
{

    // find rightmost child on left that is a leaf
    Node *replacement = toDelete->left;
    while (replacement->right)
    {
        replacement = replacement->right;
    }

    // set the target node's data
    toDelete->data = replacement->data;
    if (parent)
    {
        if ( parent->data < toDelete->data )
        {
            parent->right = replacement;
        } else
        {
            parent->left = replacement;
        }
    } else
    {
        // if node has no parents, then it is the root and should be replaced with replacement
        // This line here is what seems to be causing my trouble...I think
        root = replacement;
    }
    parent = find_parent(toDelete, replacement);
    if (parent)
    {
        if (parent->left == replacement)
            parent->left = NULL;
        else
            parent->right = NULL;
    }
    delete toDelete;
    return true;
}
}

Thanks in advance!

A: what I ended coming up with was this: keep track of the parent node that is one above the node that replaces the node to be deleted. there will then be 2 cases to consider: the parent is the node to be deleted and parent is not the node to be deleted. by replacing the appropriate parts of the tree at the right case, the structure and invariants of the tree remained ok and the node to be deleted was successfully deleted. technically, it would be the data at the node to be deleted.
else if (toDelete->left != NULL && toDelete->right != NULL) {

    // find rightmost child on left that is a leaf
    Node* replacement = toDelete->left;
    parent = toDelete;
    // parent is now the parent of the replacement
    while ( replacement->right ) {
        parent = replacement;
        replacement = replacement->right;
    } // By the end, parent will be the node one above replacement

    toDelete->key = replacement->key;

    if (parent == target)
        parent->left = replacement->left;
    else
        parent->right = replacement->left;

    delete replacement;
    return true;
}

A: This is what I did to make it work.  Just check if the node is the root node, and if so, set the new root.  Below is the working code I have.  The three places marked by asterisks is what I added to make it work.  All the other lines of code is just standard textbook theory.
inline NamesBinaryTree::Node* NamesBinaryTree::Node::removeNode (Node*& node, const Female* female, stringComparisonFunction s) {  // Taken from p.253 of Alex Allain's "Jumping Into C++".
    if (!node)
        return nullptr;
    if (node->femaleInfo.first == female->getName()) {
        if (!node->left) {  // i.e. node has either one child or zero children.
            Node* rightNode = node->right;
            if (node->isRoot())  // ***
                namesBinaryTree.setRoot(rightNode);  // Tested to work correctly.  Note that we cannot call 'delete node;', since that will delete the very root that we are setting!
            else
                delete node;
            return rightNode;  // This will return nullptr if node->right is also nullptr, which is what we would want to do anyway since that would mean that node has zero children.
        }
        if (!node->right) {  // i.e. node has exactly one child, namely its left child, in which case return that left child.
            Node* leftNode = node->left;
            if (node->isRoot())  // ***
                namesBinaryTree.setRoot(leftNode);
            else
                delete node;
            return leftNode;  // This will never be nullptr, else the previous if condition would have been met instead.
        }
        Node* maxNode = findMaxNode(node->left);  // node has two children, so it shall be replaced by the largest valued node in its left subtree.
        maxNode->left = removeMaxNode(node->left, maxNode);  // Note that maxNode->left = node->left is not enough because without actually removing maxNode, the node that was pointing to maxNode will now be pointing to maxNode in its new position (and the subtree under it), and the subtree that was under maxNode will now be gone.
        maxNode->right = node->right;
        if (node->isRoot())  // ***
            namesBinaryTree.setRoot(maxNode);  // Tested to work correctly.
        else
            delete node;
        return maxNode;
    }
    else {
        const int result = (*s)(female->getName(), node->femaleInfo.first);
        if (result < 0)
            node->left = removeNode(node->left, female, s);  // This assignment can only work if node is passed by reference (hence the parameter Node*& node), at least this is what "C++ Essentials" did in their solution, p.247.
        else  // Don't use 'else if (result > 0)'.  Let the equality case be covered here too (just as in NamesBinaryTree::Node::insertNode).
            node->right = removeNode(node->right, female, s);  // Again, this assignment can only work if node is passed by reference (hence the parameter Node*& node).
    }
    return node;  // So if node->femaleInfo.first != female->getName(), then the same node is returned, which means that the two assignment lines above don't change any values.
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


We had to double-check the date to make sure we weren't being April Fooled, but, no, what we're about to say is true: NASA have announced that they'll be hosting a major press conference about a "discovery beyond our solar system."
The Independent reports that the event - which will be livestreamed - will reveal a huge piece of information about exoplanets, which are the planets that orbit stars other than our trusty sun.
Many of these particular planets have been found to closely resemble Earth, making them a major hope for other life in the universe.
The event is already gaining a LOT of buzz, and astronomers and planetary scientists from around the world will fly in to attend the conference, taking place in New York on Thursday February 22.
If you're keen to get involved, things should get started on NASA's website at about 5am Friday morning AEDT, and the public will be able to ask questions with an #AskNasa hashtag.
Whatever it is sounds like a hugely important discovery; how exciting!


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text:
Home › Projekty › Výsledky projektu a případové studie › Case Study – SaCaSol
Case Study – Transaction SaCaSol
Project Results & Case-Studies
San Carlos Solar Energy Inc. - The sale of the solar powerplants SaCaSol (A, B, C and D)
ThomasLloyd CTI Asia Holdings Pte Ltd – a subsidiary of ThomasLloyd SICAV-SIF-Cleantech Infrastructure Fund – sold its 90% economic rights in operating company, San Carlos Solar Energy Inc. (SaCaSol) to the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure (PINAI) on 15 June 2015. The sale included the grid-connected 13 and 9 MWp first phases (A & B) and the substantially completed 13 and 10 MWp second phases (C & D) of the utility-scale solar power plant SaCaSol I in San Carlos City,
Negros Occidental, Philippines.
San Carlos Solar Energy Inc.
(ČESKÁ VERZE)
Case Study SaCaSol
I A, I B, I C & I D
THE TRANSACTION - from "greenfield" project to utility-scale operational solar plant in less than 2 years.
2 May 2013: ThomasLloyd acquired the rights to the power plant project SaCaSol close to San Carlos City on the Philippine Islands directly from a local project developer. As part of project optimisation in the early summer of 2013, the originally projected plant output of 10 MWp was increased in a further three phases to the current output of 45 MWp.
31 August 2013: Based on an international tender, the first contracts for the construction, operation and maintenance of the plant were awarded in August 2013 to a consortium of leading regional companies and global specialists from Europe and North America.
15 Mai 2014: President of the Philippines, Benigno S. Aquino III commissioned at an official inauguration the first two phases, A & B, as the first utility-scale, privately funded solar facility in the country. The plant was connected to the grid (COD) on the same day, and the plant has an expected commercial life of a minimum of 30 years.
15 July 2014:The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) provided to SaCaSol the first tranche of a financing package, which finally totalled 1.5 billion Philippine Pesos (around EUR 30 million) further to enable construction.
15 June 2015: The 90% economic rights in the solar power plant SaCaSol were sold. As part of the transaction, the rights to other San Carlos Solar Energy Inc. solar power plant projects on the Philippines (SaCaSol II A & B and SaCaSol III) were divested from the company and transferred to the newly-established operating company, Negros Island Solar Power Inc. At the same time and ahead of schedule, the credit facility provided by the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) was fully repaid.
31 July 2015: SaCaSol C & D were commissioned, expanding the overall capacity of SaCaSol to 45 MWp.
Realising this transaction will allow ThomasLloyd to accelerate its investment into other renewable energy technologies within the Philippines and once again to collaborate with PINAI, with whom it had been a pleasure to work. We are proud as the first enabling investor to have addressed the government call for private investment in the sector.
TONY COVENEY, Managing Director, Head of Project Finance and CEO Americas
PURCHASER: PINAI
The purchaser of SaCaSol, the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure (PINAI), is a closed-end fund, which was established jointly by the institutional investors GSIS, APG and Macquarie, in order to invest in the rapidly-expanding infrastructure market of the Philippines. The fund had its first and final close in July 2012, raising PHP 26 billion (USD 633,605,458) of commitments. The manager of the fund is Macquarie Infrastructure Management (Asia) Pty Limited Singapore Branch (MIMAL), a member of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA).
Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Philippines
GSIS is the state social insurance institute for the Philippines, which was established in 1936 as part of the Common Wealth Act. It is responsible for the pension entitlements of government employees, and has a reported balance sheet total of over USD 20 billion at the end of the last financial year.
www.gsis.gov.ph
Algemene Pensioen Groep (APG), Netherlands
The APG (Algemene Pensioen Groep) from the Netherlands is one of the largest pension funds in the world and manages the pension assets of 4.5 million Dutch nationals. The investment was made by a wholly-owned subsidiary established especially for the purpose of the stake in PINAI, Langoer Investments Holding B.V. APG, in 2013 alone, invested over EUR 15 billion in sustainable investments.
www.apg.nl
Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings Philippines PTE Ltd., Philippines
Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings belongs to Macquarie Group Limited whose head office is in Sydney. With over 13,000 employees, the company is the largest infrastructure asset manager in the world, with branches in the world's major financial centres. Macquarie currently manages assets of c. USD 375 billion.
www.macquarie.com
SaCaSol: Project Details
Project Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)
San Carlos Ecozone (Agro-Industrial Economic Zone), Barangay Palampas & Punao, San Carlos City, Province of Negros Occidental, Philippines
Projekt data
Output: 45 MWp
Project site: 660,000 qm
Solar irradiation at project sites: 1,871 kWh/m²/year (PV Syst)
Tonnes of CO2 saved annually: : more than 30.000
Reach of Electricity Supply:
Workers on the
construction sites:
Supplier/Manufacturer:
Solar Panels: Conergy (Germany)
Mounting Systems: Mounting Systems (Germany)
Inverters: SMA Solar Technology (Germany)
Monitoring System: Hensel (Germany)
Cables and Wires: General Cable (USA), Philflex (Philippines)
Spaced Aerial Cables: Bangkok Cable (Thailand)
Junction Boxes, Optical Cables, Boxes: Huber+Suhner (Switzerland)
Transformers: Schneider Electric (France)
General Contractor (EPC)
SJR Industrial Construction
Schema Konsult, Inc.
Electricity Offtake Counterparty:
Interconnection Agreement with National Grid Corporation
Renewable Energy Purchase Agreement with National Transmission Corporation (Administrator of the government backed Feed-in Tariff Fund)
Credit Rating Electricity
Offtake Counterparty
Standard & Poor´s: BBB mit stabilem Ausblick
Moody´s: Baa2 with stable outlook
Fitch: BBB- with stable outlook
Specificationsof the
Statutorily guaranteed feed-in-tariff degressed rate of PHP 8.69 (USD 0.19) per kWh plus an annual escalation in elec- tricity prices to account for inflation and exchange rate fluctuations. The rate has been set and approved for 20 years by the Government's Energy Regulatory Commission.
From "greenfield" project to utility-scale operational solar plant
Aerial view SaCaSol I A & B
President Aquino III officially opens SaCaSol I
SaCaSol I A: Construction process in fast motion
The sale of the first solar power plants is a benchmark transaction for finance, social responsibility, and energy sustainability in the region. It is therefore also a benchmark for the vertical integration of infrastructure projects.
Firstly, the plants produce necessary required sustainably- and locally-generated electricity on Negros Island, not only for its major regional cities, but rural areas too. They allow the emergence of industrial and commercial centres, power machines in the factories and workshops thus make a vital contribution to economic development on Negros. They also bring light into schools and hospitals, provide the option to store food and keep it cool, and enable modern communication, thus opening up access to knowledge and education.
Secondly, the construction and operation of the plants has brought work into a region previously dominated by agriculture, with the exponential effect that, due to the additional purchasing power, further jobs have been created in the regional economy, in manual trades, in business and in the services sector. Looking back on the investments made to date and assessing these, the follow-up investments in downstream industries are particularly striking. When a local motorbike dealer sells 600 small motorbikes in just a few months, generating an increase in turnover of several thousand percent, as newly appointed workers want to use these to get to work on our solar building site, the macroeconomic benefits are very clear. New mobility creates opportunities to find work, export prosperity even to remote regions and trigger follow-on investment. For ThomasLloyd, this is an intended side effect of our sustainable investments.
Consequently, in the period of around two years between project acquisition and sale of the power plant, not only have the aims of ThomasLloyd investors been achieved, but also a significant and sustainable improvement to the living conditions of the local people.
Energy to go
An expression of the integrated responsibility in our Asian investment locations is a social commitment, such as through the provision of electricity to schools via small-scale solar plants, since electricity is the key to education and security.
Our pilot project at Camaniagan Elementary School close to San Carlos City, Philippines:
24 solar panels with a nominal output of 6,000 watt peaks (Wp) provide sustainably-generated electricity in the classrooms. However, the benefits go way beyond educational interests: The pupils charge solar lamps provided by ThomasLloyd from a large rechargeable battery, which stores surplus electricity, and take these lamps home with them.
Film about the project
The sale of SaCaSol I represents not only a milestone for the renewable energy infrastructure market in South East Asia, but also for the ThomasLloyd and its investors. SaCaSol I is not only the first Philippine solar power plant on an industrial scale, the first solar power plant which profits from the high Philippine feed-in tariffs, the first solar power plant which was co-financed by a major regional bank, and the first solar power plant in the country which was sold on completion.
The sale of SaCaSol I also stands for the compatibility of the economic interests of our investors and the requirements of the local people with regard to continuing development of the region, based onsustainable, environmentally-compatible electricity supply and its associated prosperity. It clearly emphasises the ThomasLloyd motto:
Outstanding Project Awards
Asian Power Awards
SaCaSol I has won a highly prestigious silver Asian Power Award 2014 in the Solar Power Project of the Year category in the annual "Oscars" of the power industry in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hosted by leading Asian media group Charlton Media.
Green Company of the Year 2014
Asia CEO Forum has honoured San Carlos Solar Energy Inc., the solar power holding company of the ThomasLloyd Cleantech Infrastructure Fund, with the Green Company of the Year award.
IFC Sustainable Energy Finance Award
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has awarded this year's Sustainable Energy Finance Award to San Carlos Solar Energy Inc.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Award
San Carlos Solar Energy, Inc. has been presented with the Best Practices Award 2014 in the Philippines Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System Integrator of the Year category.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


That the phrase "the journey is the goal" may seem tired doesn't make it less truthful. ForElectric Eye this is the fundament for their musical existence. Long musical journeys in wide landscapes where the moods and the overwhelming, absorbing and repeating themes play a key role. As a listener you have two choices: either you're with it, or you leave it. With «Different Sun» on the turntable, the choice is easy.
Electric Eye's own journey must be considered to be modest seen from a universal perspective, but with the members' previous experiences from solid musical projects like The Megaphonic Thrift, The Low Frequency in Stereo, Hypertext, The Alexandria Quartet and Junip, the quartet have built for themselves ia well-constructed spaceship. «Different Sun» was mixed and mastered in Duper Studio by the honoured Jørgen Træen, so it sounds beautiful.
After their debut album the quartet received a lot of attention, especially from abroad. The music press and the bloggers were effusive in their praise of the band, who turned up on many best-of-the-year lists and were played a lot on radio stations in the USA, England, Argentina, Mexico, Holland, Denmark and Belgium. Electric Eye have drawn notice as a live band, too. Since 2013 they've toured both Europe and the USA, plus participated in music biz conferences like Eurosonic, SXSW, The Great Escape, Iceland Airwaves and the Spot Festival in Denmark. The response has been overwhelming – the biggest coming from the psychedelic music scene, who in every way have had their eyesand ears opened to the band.
It's fully possible to hear traces of the golden psychedelic reveries of the 60s and the lyrical and scenic progrock of the 70s in Electric Eye's music. A dose of motoric, German sounds must be mentioned, plus Indian drone music. But «Different Sun» is first and foremost proof of Electric Eye as a band who in every way are present in the moment, where they guide the listeners on a perpetual musical journey full of surprises. Fasten your seatbelts and look for a different sun!


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Fire Doors are designed to close automatically from a fully open position. Fire Doors are not designed for use in high cycle applications.
Many options are available including Electronic Release Devices, smoke detectors, battery back- up systems, perimeter gasketing, vision lites, and more. Call for more info.
* Also available with 3 Hour rating on masonry construction.
Jambs must be continuous members from floor to structured above.Sizes and attachment of members is to be determined to provide adequate mounting and support for the size and weight of the door.
Powdercoat Finish: a durable and decorative finish for steel or aluminum surfaces. It provides longer life and requires less maintenance than a standard finish. Powder coating is available in a variety of colors for use on many products. Consult factory for color selection, applications and limitations.
VIBRATECH: ViscousSpeed Governor: available on R & S Manufacturing, Inc. fire doors for new construction and retro-fit. Viscous speed governor is a patented device allowing for a smooth and quiet descent of fire doors, replaces standard ductile iron governor, and recommended on larger certificate size fire doors, either manual or motorized operation.
The XPBB release device provides the functionality of a standalone fire alarm system including battery backup for installations prone to power outages or the existing alarm system is unable to support the door release system. Internal Battery Backup allows the release device to stand alone from the fire alarm system and act independently in the event of a power outage. The system can provide 24VDC power for up to four smoke detectors and two horn/strobes, mounted on either side of the door. Programmable delay settings, close door detection, diagnostic LEDs, localized testing, and reset capabilities are also standard.
The AFCB fire door release device works in conjunction with a standard, commercial electromechanical or solid-state operator to create an enhanced, yet economical, fire door operating system. For use with motorized doors incorporating a reversing electric safety edge. This 120VAC device can power up to four smoke detectors and two horn/strobes or speaker/strobes. This system combines state-of-the-art functionality and advanced features typically found on special-order fire door operators.
The XP fire door release device in conjunction with a fire alarm panel provides a fail-safe release mechanism for the fire door or shutter. The device requires 24VDC power from an approved UL1481 regulated power supply with Battery Backup, such as a fire alarm control panel. Therefore, installation will require coordination with a fire panel installer.


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Benevolent Dictator?
Musharraf: The Years In Power (HarperCollins), talks about nothing new. Yet, Murtaza Razvi's 240-page tome is incisive, lucid and offers some brilliant analysis of Pakistan's ex-President. Razvi takes a matter-of-fact view of the military ruler who in his autobiography, In The Line Of Fire, portrayed himself as 'the chosen one' to rule Pakistan. But for Razvi, Musharraf was just another military dictator like his predecessors, who did nothing great for his country, got bullied by the US, made a mockery of democracy and made the judiciary and media (which, incidentally, he liberalised to a large extent) his arch enemies.
Perhaps, Musharraf was the first Pakistani leader to admit the inter-provincial disputes within the country. As one of his former aides says, Musharraf believed his policy of 'enlightened moderation' would steer Pakistan away from Zia-ul-Haq's Islamic state. Importantly, the Kargil fiasco notwithstanding, he genuinely wanted to resolve the Kashmir issue. His willingness to sidestep the UN resolutions on Kashmir was an indication of this. But it was getting tough for him. The Lal Masjid siege was his most embarrassing moment. Again, his remark about women faking rape cases to emigrate abroad damaged his liberal credentials. Finally, the return of Nawaz Sharif, a popular Benazir Bhutto, a hostile judiciary and chaos in the Swat Valley ensured a premature end to his regime.
Do military rulers like him have the benefit of retrospect? Never; what they do have, as this riveting biography points out, is the power to make their countries a better place. And, more often than not, they fail to do so.
Click To Read The Longer Version Of The Review
(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 21-09-2009)
magazine book review harpercollins pakistan pervez musharraf aayush soni musharraf the years in power murtaza razvi in the line of fire


Bob Garrett, George Rice and Dan Schueler recall the first TLCA Board (complete with its own President) came to be in 1978, when Bob Garrett's second term as TLCA Ventura County president ended. Bob's plan called for the new TLCA to create and maintain its own board, with chapters being represented by a delegate (an idea borrowed from CA4WD). Up until that time, the new TLCA had no official board and was managed by the TLCA chapters and their volunteers. The young association was doing very well, with many chapters involved and many more interested (and was hosting the Thanksgiving Day Run for the third time). When the first president (name lost to time) took over in 1979, TLCA was still relying upon the chapter's newsletters to distribute association information.
Melissa Fulton had served as the newsletter editor for TLCA Ventura County's newsletter, The LandCruiser, since the club had formed in 1976. Carol Hillegoss and Diane Rice helped Melissa type, copy, insert and mail each newsletter. The LandCruiser was only a few pages long and the ladies were easily able to produce it.
By the time Morey Estrada took over as TLCA President in 1980, the association was still doing well with many chapters involved and a very modest bank account. Morey belonged to the very active TLCA Madera County, along with new members Dan and Cindy Schueler, whom Morey had introduced to TLCA. Bob Garrett and George Rice, along with John and Melissa Fulton, were still very involved with TLCA Ventura County and active on the TLCA Board. Just as with their own clubs, the group realized that the association needed its own form of communication to distribute information in a reliable fashion. By now every-one was realizing that piggybacking on to chapter newsletters was hit and miss—some were very good, others less than stellar.
The association was also experiencing a new membership category which was initially referred to as independents. Today we refer to them as individual members and they comprise over two thirds of the association's membership. When the association first formed, it was comprised of chapters and the first TLCA members all belonged to a participating chapter. But as members left their local chapter, chapters left TLCA, or as other Land Cruiser owners learned about the association, they wanted to either maintain their association membership or join. An independent was a TLCA member who did not belong to a TLCA chapter (such as founder Bob Garrett when he moved from Ventura to Hollister Hills). Before the advent of Toyota Trails, these independent members received virtually no information at all.
The Board realized that the time had come to initiate a newsletter. Melissa Fulton volunteered to get it started and everyone agreed, based upon her prior experience with TLCA Ventura County. In order to afford the endeavor, the Board also raised the dues (for the first time) from $5 to $10, with the justification being creation and distribution of Toyota Trails. From its inception through 1983, Melissa Fulton managed Toyota Trails, which was initially only a few pages of black and white text. Everyone in the association was ecstatic about the newsletter and it was the association's first tangible return for membership dues. And the publication immediately began fulfilling its communication role by providing information to all members, both chapter and independent.
In 1983, as the association was beginning to struggle with maintaining membership and a balanced ledger sheet, Craig Roberts officially took over as Editor. The primary challenge was balancing the 200 copy distribution list with the 76 active members currently on record. While the association had increased dues to finance Toyota Trails, mailing out over 100 additional issues to non-TLCA members (in an effort to promote the young association) was eroding the finances. Meanwhile, Cindy Schueler, along with her husband Dan, had joined the TLCA in 1980 via Madera TLCA. They were actively involved with the association almost immediately at the Board level and Cindy had begun helping Craig Roberts with Toyota Trails. By 1988, Cindy took over completely as Editor of Toyota Trails (along with holding the association Board position of Vice President). By 1989, Cindy found herself assuming the vacated role as President of an association whose membership was about to double in the next 12 months.
The momentum Dan Schueler had initiated as President in 1985 was bearing fruit as evidenced by steady growth and a robust bank account. The Thanksgiving Run was being joined by another TLCA event called Rubithon, and these two events would get excellent coverage by the commercial off road magazines in 1989, even to the extent of the Thanksgiving Run being voted one of the top 20 OHV events in the west. But Cindy was so overworked by mid 1990 that Toyota Trails fell far behind schedule and missed a few issues. The association's operating budget was over $15,000 per year and membership was quickly approaching 300 members—the work load to create the newsletter had exceeded the limits of the volunteer staff.
Other factors affecting the newsletter were chapters and independent members questioning the return on their membership dues, and an increasing demand for technical information about Land Cruisers, to which the association was not prepared to respond. Fortunately, Toys on the Rocks newsletter editor Gary Bjork had been actively involved with TLCA and saw an opportunity. Gary had been extremely successful with his chapter's newsletter and felt given the opportunity and authority, and utilizing new desktop technology, he could turn the Toyota Trails newsletter into a publication worthy of dues paid, including extensive chapter, association and technical editorial content. Dan and Cindy Schueler knew this was exactly what the association needed at this critical point in time and helped Gary take his proposal before the TLCA Board. This was not an easy sell—it required TLCA lending the capital to purchase both software and hardware, and the association's second dues increase, this time from $10 to $15. Gary also wanted full control of Toyota Trails with regard to layout and content to ensure he was successful in achieving his vision of what Toyota Trails should be to the association. Many on the Board felt Gary would not be able to accomplish this and only agreed to a one year trial run.
In January of 1991, the new Toyota Trails, under the guidance of Gary Bjork as Managing Editor, rolled off the presses and TLCA members had never imagined anything like it. No longer a newsletter, this new Trails had the feel of a publication dedicated solely to Toyota Land Cruisers and pickups. No one questioned Gary's ability to pull it off after thumbing through that first issue and seeing prior content reformatted for a new look, and lots of new content including chapter information and technical information. John Fulton, Dan Schueler and Mike Bennett all regard this event as effectively launching the association as a national organization, especially when coupled with the extensive publicity of TLCA events during the recent years. Membership in TLCA meant more than just belonging, it now meant receipt of the only publication dedicated solely to the Toyota four wheel drive and the TLCA. TLCA's membership, which was at a record 300 members in 1991, jumped to 500 by 1992 and doubled again in 1993 to nearly 1,000 members!
Gary had easily quelled any concerns Board members might have had about his ability to turn Toyota Trails into a premier publication within months of taking over as Managing Editor. Gone was the 16 page photocopied newsletter and in its place was a professionally designed 40 page publication. Gary soon had Toyota Trails rolling off the presses on a regular bi-monthly schedule, complete with deadlines for submissions and alternating associate member businesses as technical editors. Regular columns such as Clevis M. Bungeecord evolved along with world class animations provided by Rainey Kirk from the Southeast Toyota Land Cruiser Association. Rainey would become instrumental to Gary and Trails with his Cruiser and pickup graphics. Gary ran the first Truck Tech column in January of 1991, with Marlin Czaijkowski offering his novice yet growing knowledge, and Mark Algazy provided random Tech Tips. The first formally announced Tech Editor was Mike Trathen, who later became very involved with TLCA and Rubithon. Richard Petrulio helped Mike until fully assuming the Tech Editor role in November of 1996.
In 1992, armed with more content than he thought possible and a support staff he had assembled from the pool of TLCA members, Gary was ready to put his publication to the test. He entered Toyota Trails in a contest hosted by United 4 Wheel Drive, which judged various OHV publications based on content, format and best overall design. Much to Gary's surprise, he won the Editor's Award for content. Not satisfied, Gary returned in 1993 and won the grand prize for best overall publication, beating the heavily favored and long time winner, In Gear, produced by CA4WD. While TLCA members were not surprised, Gary was and cherishes that award to this day. When Gary won the award again in 1994, some folks outside TLCA were already beginning to complain that Trails was sweeping the awards and Gary backed off, choosing not to enter the contest in 1995.
Gary also secured the first Toyota Trails advertisers in 1992, in an effort to generate some return on the investment—he wanted Trails to become financially self sufficient. Gary appreciated the businesses that were always there for the association, businesses such as Specter Off Road, Man A Fre, and Downey Off Road, all of whom regularly advertised. From the time Gary took over in 1991, with Toyota Trails distribution around 300 members, through 1998 when the job simply got too big at over 4,000 members, no one took more ownership for growing the association than he did. To read his Editor's column today only reinforces the notion that Gary was much more than an editor—he was a coach, a mentor, a visionary, a cheerleader and most important of all, a fellow TLCA member and friend.
In late 1997, Gary Bjork met fellow TLCA member Henry Brimmer and the two quickly formed an alliance. Henry brought something to Trails it had never experienced before—professional graphic design knowledge and business experience. Henry Brimmer recalls traveling through Michigan towing his recently purchased Land Cruiser behind his motor home. When he purchased the old Cruiser, he found a very old issue of Toyota Trails in the glove box. He did not pay much heed to it at the time but when his Land Cruiser's transfer case exploded while being towed, Henry found himself pulling out that old issue of Trails and lo and behold, there was a vendor selling parts not six miles from where he had broken down. Shortly thereafter, Henry contacted Gary Bjork and stated, "No offense but Trails could be better." Henry immediately recognized Toyota Trails as a very honest, seat of the pants production. There was no grid and he found it hard to follow articles as the columns jumped around.
Henry had recently accepted a job at Sierra College in California and went to visit Gary a short time after contacting him. Gary Bjork recalls that when Henry contacted him, the timing could not have been better, as he was beginning to search for a graphic designer. The two hit it off immediately and remain good friends to this day. Gary took Henry to meet then President Ron Patston and introduced him as a potential candidate for the graphic designer position the association was seeking to fill. Ron Patston knew the value of corporate branding and quality design. Ron and Gary brought Henry on board the Trails team for a couple of trial issues to see if everyone liked the results, beginning with the July/August 1997 issue.
But Gary was not satisfied with the black and white format of Trails and pushed for the next logical step in Trails evolution—color. And in July/August of 1998, TLCA members witnessed the first color issue of Toyota Trails. Henry describes his "Frame up restoration" of Trails on page 19 of that issue, with Gary Bjork and Peter Sadtler pictured climbing Lion's Back at the first Cruise Moab event. TLCA was ecstatic about their new color Toyota Trails and wanted to share their premier publication with everyone—and literally shipped every extra issue available to anyone who would take them, under the guise of advertising. To this day, there are no extra copies of that July/August 1998 issue available.
Shortly after Toyota Trails went color, Gary's wife became ill and he no longer had the time available to assemble Trails. Henry recalls these being very difficult times for his friends the Bjorks, and Henry eventually took over as Managing Editor for Trails, with his first issue coming out in January/February of 1999. When Henry took over, he recalls the job was "a dream come true." Toyota Trails was a subscriber publication— that is, it did not compete with other magazines, which meant more freedom for Henry as a designer. He did not have to create busy covers that tried to grab a customer's attention with glitzy gimmicks. No one told him what to do and the design effort was much different than his past experiences, allowing him freedom and creativity. Henry's primary goal was to maintain the spirit he initially found in Trails. While he dramatically changed the format and design in order to achieve a clean and easy to read layout, he kept many existing features, such as the President's and Editor's columns, tech columns and the Chapter listing page. Just as Gary had done nine years earlier, once Henry had created the new layout, it was just a matter of putting the elements together and Trails rolled off the press in a regular fashion.
During Henry's tenure as Managing Editor for Trails, he was graced with exceptional talent in the form of TLCA members who stepped up to the challenge. Included is Mark Whatley, who had taken over as Technical Editor while Gary was Managing Editor. Henry knows of no other Cruiser aficionado who can so effectively take technical instructions and turn them into words that any layman can follow. Mark Whatley's knowledge is extensive, as with many other TLCA members, but none could produce the technical editorial like Mark has consistently done for Toyota Trails. Rob Mullen also stepped up to provide technical information which is still drawn upon to this day. And when it comes to pure creativity and the love of all things Land Cruiser, Henry states there is no one like Henry Cubillan. Henry C. is credited with putting the Land Cruiser wagon not only on the trail, but into the future of many TLCA members. Henry C. entertained TLCA members with stories of pigs in the mud, taverns named after Land Cruiser parts, and even the story of Johnny Appleseed, spreading the seeds of Toyota love throughout the territory. There were many others involved over the years, but Henry Brimmer believes the Trails Team during those years helped Toyota Trails become what it is today.
Henry also entered Toyota Trails in various competitions but he noted they were rather poorly conducted and had lost their integrity. Trails won quite a few awards for content, design, photography and overall excellence of publication, but the grandeur was not there. On one occasion, Henry remembers a competition failing to even send the award after announcing he had won.
By January of 2003, the level of effort required and Henry's own bout with cancer were wearing on him. The struggle of creating Toyota Trails and raising his family eventually became too much and a job opportunity in Utah forced him to let go of his dream. Today Henry lives in Illinois, has let go of most of his Cruisers and has successfully won his battle with cancer, leaving him ever more appreciative of the things he holds dear—his family and his quality of life.
When Henry stepped down, many in TLCA feared not only for the future of Toyota Trails but also for the future of the association that Toyota Trails embodied. The transition from Gary Bjork to Henry Brimmer has been evolutionary in nature. But to have the editor leave required the association to conduct a search for a replacement editor, which was a new obstacle. Thanks to the efforts of key volunteers including Eric Vogt and Mark Hawley, a new Editor was found from within the talented ranks of TLCA members. Since that first issue in March/April of 2003, Toyota Trails has again evolved into the color magazine you hold in your hands today, thanks to the effort of our current Managing Editor, Todd Kaderabek. But that is another chapter in this story for another day.


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Home Investing ETFs
Here Are the Worst Dividend Aristocrats to Avoid in 2021
in ETFs
Dividend aristocrats are companies that have paid and increased their dividends for 25 years consecutively. The list also includes dividend kings, companies that have raised their payouts for 50 years, and more.
While aristocrats are favored by retirees, in reality, they have underperformed the market in the past few years. As shown below, the ProShares Dividend Aristocrats ETF has underperformed the market in the past five years. While most aristocrats are great companies, some are not. In this article, we'll look at the dividend aristocrats you need to avoid.
Dividend aristocrat ETF vs. S&P 500
Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM)
Archer-Daniels-Midland is one of the oldest American agricultural companies. Started in 1898, the company has paid dividends for the past 36 consecutive years. It serves the food and beverage, animal nutrition, industrials, and fuel industries. Some of its products are beans, corn, flour, edible oil, and proteins.
In general, things have been good for the company as the process of farming has been made easier by machinery. Also, the rising global population has led to more demand for its products.
However, ADM's growth has waned in recent years. For example, its annual profit had declined from more than $80 billion in 2011 to just $62 billion in 2020. Its net income has also fallen from more than $2 billion to more than $1.5 billion, respectively.
Most importantly, ADM's total debt has risen substantially. It now has less than $1 billion in cash and short-term investments and more than $7 billion in debt. As a result, in the past five years, the company's total return has been about 75%, while the S&P 500 has returned about 125%. The total return includes the share price performance and dividends.
While ADM is a good company with a payout ratio of about 66%, we believe that you could find better returns investing in other dividend aristocrats with some substantial growth.
ADM vs. S&P 500
ExxonMobil is one of the biggest oil and gas companies in the United States. It now has a market cap of about $200 billion, which is substantially lower than where it was about a few years ago. The company is a dividend aristocrat that has increased its payout for 25 consecutive years.
In the past 12 months, the company's share price has dropped by more than 30% because of the pandemic. As a result, it was booted from the prestigious Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA).
ExxonMobil's star has been dimming for several years now. The company's revenue has dropped from more than $433 billion in 2011 to more than $195 billion in the past 12 months. In 2019 it made more than $255 billion. Exxon's profit has also fallen from more than $40 billion to about $20 billion.
Looking at its balance sheet, Exxon's cash and short-term investments have declined from more than $12.6 billion to more than $8.8 billion. Its long-term debt has risen to more than $46 billion. Worse, while the company lists more than $358 billion of assets, there is a likelihood that it will have a major write-off like Royal Dutch Shell and BP have done.
Therefore, while Exxon is a good company with a substantial market share, we would not recommend investing in it. Sure, its 7.35% dividend yield is strong, the company faces substantial risks, including those connected with financing and the transition to clean energy.
Exxon vs. S&P 500
AT&T is one of the biggest telecommunication and media companies in the United States. It is also a dividend aristocrat that has increased its payouts for more than 45 years.
The company operates a large telecommunication network that serves millions of people and businesses in the country. It has also recently expanded its business to the media industry. It did this by acquiring Time Warner for more than $70 billion. The company also owns satellite TV assets through its DirecTV business.
AT&T is a strong brand, but it is also one we believe you should avoid. That's because, for one, the company has the biggest debt in the country. It has a total debt load of more than $155 billion. This is against total cash of about $9.8 billion.
AT&T's media business is also struggling. While it acquired DirecTV for more than $40 billion, media reports say that the company is considering selling it for less than $20 billion. Also, while it has launched its streaming business, early signs are that users have not yet embraced it.
Therefore, while AT&T has an attractive dividend yield of more than 7%, we believe that its business has significant challenges going forward. If you want similar returns from a telecommunication firm, we recommend that you invest in companies like Comcast and Verizon.
AT&T vs. S&P 500
Franklin Resources (BEN)
Many Americans have never heard about Franklin Resources. But in reality, many of them have heard about Franklin Templeton Investments, the asset manager with more than $1.5 trillion of assets under management. Recently, the company acquired Legg Mason, another well-known asset manager.
Franklin Resources has increased its dividends for more than 52 years, making it a dividend king. However, its business has recently been under pressure because of its emerging market business. It also increased its debt substantially after the LEGG acquisition.
Looking at its books, you can immediately spot problems. Its total revenue had dropped from more than $7 billion in 2011 to about $5 billion last year. Its profit has also dropped below $1 billion. At the same time, its total debt has increased to more than $3 billion. Therefore, while BEN's 4% yield and 38% payout ratio are good, the company still faces substantial risks going forward.
Franklin Resources vs. S&P 500
Dividend aristocrats offer sustainable dividend growth for most investors. Of the 66 aristocrats in existence today, we believe that most of them, like Target, Walmart, and Procter & Gamble, are great companies. However, we see several problems in the four that we have mentioned above.
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[ARCHIVED] Washtenaw County to Begin Comprehensive Climate Action Planning Process
Washtenaw County, MI – Last week, the Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution to allocate funds to climate action planning efforts. The resolution approves a contract with Resource Recycling Systems to assist in the development of a comprehensive, innovative, and accessible climate action plan for Washtenaw County, as a community and as an organization.
"Moving the county's climate work forward has been a goal since I entered office, so I am very excited to have reached this point," said Sue Shink, Chair of the Board of Commissioners, and Commissioner for District 2. "By working with local experts and engaging with our community, we will be able to make significant strides to reduce emissions and make sure our social and built infrastructure is ready for more extreme weather."
Resource Recycling Systems will work with Washtenaw County staff and a coalition of local professionals to focus on climate equity, adaption and mitigation strategies, and community engagement to help Washtenaw County achieve its climate action goals. Their proposal includes partnering with EcoWorks to lead a thorough community engagement process to inform the development of the Climate Action Plan. This will consist of over 50 engagement opportunities over the next twelve months for community members, particularly those most likely to be impacted by climate change.
The end goal of this 12-month planning process is the creation of a climate action plan. This plan will collate new and existing data, and will identify short and long-term strategies to reach Washtenaw County's ambitious goals of carbon neutrality as an organization by 2030 and as a community by 2035.
"We have set bold, progressive goals as a county, and the development of this plan will help us map out the path to achieving them," said Jason Morgan, Commissioner for District 8. "We know wealthy communities will be able to plan and respond to the effects of climate change, while lower-income households and communities, those who will be the most impacted, do not have the same resources or access to opportunity. That is why it is critically important that this effort will develop a plan that centers equity."
More information will be available soon at https://www.washtenaw.org/3465/Climate-Action
⇐Previous UPDATED: February 2nd Board of Commissioners and Working Session Meetings CanceledNext⇒ Board of Commissioners Address Broadband Needs Countywide with $15.5 million investment
Other News in Board of Commissioners - News
Western County Service Center Public Input Session
Board of Commissioners Approve Quadrennial Budget
Meeting Notice: Washtenaw County Officials to Provide Update on Broadband Investment
Washtenaw County Board Invests in Affordable Home Ownership Development
Board Hosts Drop-In Public Input Sessions for ARPA Investments
Sustainable, Mixed-Income Platt Road Development Moves Forward
Board of Commissioners Set to Consider $1.6 Million Investment in Community Violence Interventions
First Household Connected as part of Board's Historic Broadband Infrastructure Investment
Washtenaw County Invests $3.5 Million in Human Services
Board of Commissioners Approve Additional Support for Direct Assistance Program
Commissioners Adopt Community Violence Interruption Policy Framework; Invite Cities and Townships to
Commissioner Justin Hodge Appointed Commission on Community Action and Economic Opportunity
Commissioner Sue Shink Appointed Vice Chairperson of Transportation Coordinating Council
Board Investment in Addressing Child Care Access Serves Over 100 Families in 2021
Board Recognizes Transgender Day of Visibility; Establishes Gender Affirming Policy Committee
Board of Commissioners Passes $11 Million Package to Invest in Community Health and Wellbeing
Board Approves the Acceptance of a Grant to Launch a Drivers Education Assistance Program
Board Joins Calls for a Hearing on Conditions in Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility
UPDATED: February 2nd Board of Commissioners and Working Session Meetings Canceled
Board of Commissioners Address Broadband Needs Countywide with $15.5 million investment
Board of Commissioners Commit $2 Million to Equitably Address Childcare Access in Washtenaw County
Commissioners Approve $30.5 Million Dollar Package Through the Ways and Means Committee
Commissioners Host Panel on Stonewall Documentary and LGBTQ+ Services in Washtenaw County


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Q: Closed set on $\mathbb{R}^2$ written as disjoint union of sets Let $\gamma \subset \mathbb{R}^2$ be a closed set. If $\gamma = \bigcup_{i\in\Lambda} U_i $ with $U_i\cap U_j = \emptyset$ $\forall i\neq j$, there exist $j\in\Lambda$ with $U_j$ being a closed set?

A: Consider the following example:
$$
{\mathbb R}= \coprod_{n\in {\mathbb Z}} [n, n+1).
$$


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Cambodia's AIDS colony
Various human rights groups have accused the Cambodian government of setting up a de facto AIDS colony when it resettled 40 families with HIV and AIDS to a village 25 kilometers outside Phnom Penh City.
The families were from Borei Keila in Phnom Penh. They were evicted from their homes to make way for an urban development plan of the government. The families are now living in Tuol Sambo village.
The families are complaining of their situation in the "AIDS village":
With inadequate sanitation and no running water, the area is not a health sanctuary for HIV-infected patients, who require personal attention and care.
HIV-infected people living in the village say they have not received any official recognition of ownership rights nor government compensation for their old homes.
Details are Sketchy wants to find out the responsible authority for this drastic move:
Who is responsible for this decision? The media should find out. And prosecutors should start preparing a case. Because it's all but certain that at least one of those 40 HIV-positive people will die as a result of the move. That's negligent homicide, at least, if not outright premeditated murder.
The Global Network of People living with HIV is urging the Cambodian government to address the humanitarian concerns of the evicted families:
* Cease moving HIV-affected families to the Tuol Sambo site;
* Improve conditions at Tuol Sambo to meet minimum standards for adequate shelter, sanitation, and clean water;
* Ensure full access to quality medical services, including antiretroviral treatment, treatment of opportunistic infections, primary health care and home-based care;
* Work with relevant agencies and consult with the families already at Tuol Sambo to address immediate and long-term concerns regarding housing, health, safety, and employment, and reintegration into society in a manner that protects their rights and livelihoods; and
* Employ a transparent and fair screening process to determine eligibility for on-site housing at Borei Keila, and allow eligible families to move in immediately. For those found ineligible, authorities should provide other adequate housing.
Writing for Global Health, Alanna Shaikh reacts:
To me, this looks like a classic example of treating people living with AIDS as though they are disposable. They're going to die anyway, goes the logic, so there is no reason to treat them well. But people with AIDS are still human beings, with rights and skills and the ability to live full lives. Treating as less than human benefits no one.
More than 100 international and local groups wrote Prime Minister Hun Sen and Health Minister Mam Bunheng urging the latter to provide a better treatment to the evicted families:
The housing conditions at Tuol Sambo are grossly inadequate in terms of size, fire safety, and sanitation. Residents are crowded into poorly ventilated metal sheds that are baking hot in the daytime. There are no kitchens and no running water in the sheds, which are flanked by open sewers, and only one public well to service the evicted families.
While other homeless people from Phnom Penh are slated for relocation to brick houses at an adjacent site at Tuol Sambo, the HIV-affected families from Borei Keila have been placed in a separate settlement with inferior housing, distinguished by green corrugated metal roofing and walls. Even before the evictees were resettled there, local people referred to the green sheds as "the AIDS village."
The living conditions at Tuol Sambo pose serious health risks, particularly to people with compromised immune systems. The risk to those people living with HIV can be life threatening. Residents report that the heat in the poorly ventilated metal sheds is so intense that they are usually unable to remain in their rooms during the afternoon and they are afraid that their ARV medication will deteriorate in the heat.
The situation of the evicted families in their former homes in Borei Keila was not also good as shown by this video by licadho, which was uploaded on The Hub:
Written byMong Palatino
I observed that in order to alleviate the spread of HIV/Aids, the government try to raid and close the brothel. It is not good way, those girls would seek new shelters in order to do their business. And some works for karaoke parlors, night-club and so on. the spread of HIV is increasing. What is important is that the government have to raise the awareness to all of them.
7 November 2009, 2:56 am
This post is part of a series developed by Global Voices for the UNFPA blog Conversations for a Better World · All Posts
Read this post in Português, Français, বাংলা, srpski, 简体中文, 繁體中文, Español, Italiano, Malagasy
Conversations for a Better World


In soft deluding lies let fools delight. A shadow marks our days, which end in Night.
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (27 July 1870 – 16 July 1953) was a British writer and poet, known chiefly for his essays and children's books; he was sometimes referred to by the nickname "Old Thunder".
I have wandered all my life, and I have also traveled; the difference between the two being this, that we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.
Gentlemen, I am a Catholic. As far as possible, I go to Mass every day. This [taking a rosary out of his pocket] is a rosary. As far as possible, I kneel down and tell these beads every day. If you reject me on account of my religion, I shall thank God that He has spared me the indignity of being your representative.
Response to his Tory opponent's slogan, "Don't vote for a Frenchman and a Catholic". On polling day, 13 January 1906, Belloc, standing as a Liberal, overturned a Conservative majority to win by 852 votes, winning again four years later, though by an even slimmer margin.
Is there no Latin word for Tea? Upon my soul, if I had known that I would have left the vulgar stuff alone.
It is sometimes necessary to lie damnably in the interests of the nation.
I'm tired of Love; I'm still more tired of Rhyme.
But money gives me pleasure all the time.
Any subject can be made interesting, and therefore any subject can be made boring.
I cannot tell you; Juliet was not there.
Juliet was next me and I do not know.
Variant: I have wandered all my life, and I have traveled; the difference between the two is this — we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.
That I have loved you rather more than most.
"The world is full of double beds"
Will find a Tiger well repay the trouble and expense.
What! Would you slap the Porcupine?
Like an unsuccessful literary man.
Then let us love one another and laugh. Time passes, and we shall soon laugh no longer—and meanwhile common living is a burden, and earnest men are in siege upon us all around. Let us suffer absurdities, for this is only to suffer one another.
I sincerely hope, trust, and pray that this part of my journey will not seem as dull to you as it did to me at the time, or as it does to me now while I write of it. But now I come to think of it, it cannot seem as dull, for I had to walk that wretched thirty miles or so all the day long, whereas you have not even to read it; for I am not going to say anything more about it, but lead you straight to the end.
Oh, blessed quality of books, that makes them a refuge from living! For in a book everything can be made to fit in, all tedium can be skipped over, and the intense moments can be made timeless and eternal.
Death […] people nowadays seem to regard as something odd, whereas it is well known to be the commonest thing in the world.
Man may […] be master of his fate, but he has a precious poor servant. It is easier to command a lapdog or a mule for a whole day than one's own fate for half-an-hour.
And what is there else but pleasure, and to what else does beauty move on?
"Jim, Who Ran Away From His Nurse, and Was Eaten by a Lion"
"There is no Cure for this Disease."
"Henry King, Who Chewed Bits of String, and Was Early Cut off in Dreadful Agonies"
Are all the Human Frame requires.
The effort very nearly killed her.
"Matilda, Who Told Lies, and Was Burned to Death"
There's nothing worth the wear of winning, But laughter and the love of friends.
Preserve it as your chiefest treasure.
"Dedication on the Gift of a Book to a Child"
"Right as a Ribstone Pippin!" But it lied.
[N]othing is worthwhile on this unhappy earth except the fulfilment of a man's desire.
When friendship disappears then there is a space left open to that awful loneliness of the outside which is like the cold of space between the planets. It is an air in which men perish utterly. Absolute dereliction is the death of the soul.
[M]an knows his own nature, and that which he pursues must surely be his satisfaction? Judging by which measure I determine that the best thing in the world is flying at full speed from pursuit, and keeping up hammer and thud and gasp and bleeding till the knees fail and the head grows dizzy, and at last we all fall down and that thing (whatever it is) which pursues us catches us up and eats our carcasses. This way of managing our lives, I think, must be the best thing in the world—for nearly all men choose to live thus.
I recognised that I was (and I confessed) in that attitude of the mind wherein men admit mortality; something had already passed from me—I mean that fresh and vigorous morning of the eyes wherein the beauty of this land had been reflected as in a tiny mirror of burnished silver. Youth was gone out apart; it was loved and regretted, and therefore no longer possessed.
I put my pencil upon the paper, doubtfully, and drew little lines, considering my theme. But I would not long hesitate in this manner, for I knew that all creation must be chaos first, and then gestures in the void before it can cast out the completed thing.
The Barbarian hopes — and that is the very mark of him — that he can have his cake and eat it too. He will consume what civilisation has slowly produced after generations of selection and effort but he will not be at pains to replace such goods nor indeed has he a comprehension of the virtue that has brought them into being. Discipline seems to him irrational, on which account he is for ever marvelling that civilisation should have offended him with priests and soldiers.
In a word, the Barbarian is discoverable everywhere in this that he cannot make; that he can befog or destroy, but that he cannot sustain; and of every Barbarian in the decline or peril of every civilisation exactly that has been true.
We sit by and watch the Barbarian, we tolerate him; in the long stretches of peace we are not afraid.
We are tickled by his irreverence, his comic inversion of our old certitudes and our fixed creeds refreshes us: we laugh. But as we laugh we are watched by large and awful faces from beyond: and on these faces there is no smile.
The Economic definition of Wealth is subtle and diflicult to appreciate, but it is absolutely essential to our study to get it clear at the outset and keep it firmly in mind.
Ch. 1 : What is Wealth?
It is this worth, that is, this ability to get other wealth in exchange, which constitutes true Economic Wealth.
Wealth, for the purposes of economic study, is confined to those values attaching to material objects through the action of man, which values can be exchanged /or other values.
The Science of Economics does not deal with true happiness nor even with well-being in material things. It deals with a strictly limited field of what is called "Economic Wealth," and if it goes outside its own boundaries it goes wrong.
Hilaire Belloc (Augustan Books of Modern Poetry). London: Eyre & Spottiswode, no date . 29pp.
With evening and the sheep attain the fold.
"Ballade to Our Lady of Czestochowa"
The Politician's corpse was laid away.
"Epitaph on the Politician Himself"
This saying of his (which I carried away with me somewhat bewildered) that all human conflict was ultimately theological: that is, that all wars and revolutions, and all decisive struggles between parties of men arise from a difference in moral and transcendental doctrine, was utterly novel to me. To a young man the saying was without meaning: I would almost have said nonsensical, save that I could not attach the idea of folly to Manning. But as I grew older it became a searchlight: with the observation of the world, and with continuous reading of history, it came to possess for me a universal meaning so profound that it reached to the very roots of political action; so extended that it covered the whole.
It is, indeed, a truth which explains and co-ordinates all one reads of human action in the past, and all one sees of it in the present.[…] All tragedy is the conflict of a true right and a false right, or of a greater right and a lesser right, or, at the worst, of two false rights. Still more do men pretend in this time of ours, wherein the habitual use of the human intelligence has sunk to its lowest, that doctrine is but a private individual affair, creating a mere opinion. Upon the contrary, it is doctrine that drives the State; and every State is stronger in the degree in which the doctrine of its citizens is united. Nor have I met any man in my life, arguing for what should be among men, but took for granted as he argued that the doctrine he consciously or unconsciously accepted was or should be a similar foundation for all mankind. Hence battle.
Belloc writes that Cardinal Manning said this sentence to him "when I was but twenty years old" (p. 47), i.e. in 1890 or 1891.
[P]rofessional politics is a trade in which the sly outweigh the wise.
It is in the irony of Providence that the more man comes to control the material world about him, the more does he lose control over the effects of his action; and it is when he is remaking the world most speedily that he knows least whither he is driving.
It is a consolation to remember that corruption pushed beyond a certain point provides its own remedy, and that this sort of thing cannot indefinitely continue; but it is less consoling to remember another truth, to wit, that the correction of political and social evil may come in the form of irremediable catastrophe, and that the innocent, who are the greater number, would then suffer most. It is still less consoling to remember the universal human experience that when evil is redressed by the only partly conscious force of reaction, it is not succeeded by a corresponding good, but by some other new and unexpected evil.
The object of a religion or a philosophy is not to make men wealthy or powerful, but to make them, in the last issue, happy: that is, to fulfil their being.
Even where the Faith is preserved men pursue wealth and power inordinately. Where the Faith is lost they pursue nothing else.
For the line of cleavage does not fall between the various groups, Catholic, Agnostic, Evangelical, or what not, but between the Catholic Church and all else. She is unique, and at issue with the world.
It is not insignificant that the Church, in the rare places and times when she had power to do so, did not compel the mind. During all that intense intellectual life of the thirteenth century instruction was by choice: endowed—so that the poorest could reach the highest inspiration, but at the choice of the individual or family will, to be taken or left.
All teaching is dogmatic. Dogma, indeed, means only "a thing taught," and teaching not dogmatic would cease to be teaching and would become discussion and doubt.
Logically the Neo-Pagan should get rid of the institution of marriage altogether; but the very nature of human society, which is built up of cells each of which is a family, and the very nature of human generation, forbid such an extreme. Children must be brought up and acknowledged and sheltered, and the very nature of human affection, whereby there is the bond of affection between the parent and the child, and the child is not of one parent but of both, will compel the Neo-Pagan to modify what might be his logical conclusion of free love and support some simulacrum of the institution of marriage.
By thee the statue lives, the Gods return.
Awake, Ausonian Muse, and sing the vineyard song!
All, all, must face their Passion at the last.
Strong brother in God and last companion, Wine.
Diana of this world, do not believe.
"Sonnet: Do not believe when lovely lips report"
To keep a drab from bawling at his door.
Torture is positively paid to sing.
"On Torture: A Public Singer"
In soft deluding lies let fools delight.
A shadow marks our days, which end in Night.
How fast the Shadows fall. How fast! How fast!
Loss and Possession, Death and Life are one.
But Roaring Bill (who killed him) thought it right.
And youth in Expectation. Youth is wise.
The future always comes as a surprise, but political wisdom consists in attempting at least some partial judgment of what that surprise may be. And for my part I cannot but believe that a main unexpected thing of the future is the return of Islam.
Of all fatiguing, futile, empty trades, the worst, I suppose, is writing about writing.
The moment a man talks to his fellows he begins to lie.