text:
Calling Things by Their Real Names: Anonymity and artistic online production during the Syrian Uprising
Author: Charlotte Bank
Bank, Charlotte. "Calling Things by Their Real Names: Anonymity and Artistic Online Production During the Syrian Uprising." Fusion Journal, no. 9, 2016.
Note on transliteration of Arabic names and titles: Throughout the essay, I have used the spelling of collectives or groups that these use themselves. This might not always follow academic linguistic standard rules. In case of the poster collective Alshaab alsori aref tarekh it is in fact misleading. In case of personal names, I have used either the preferred spelling of the artists (if they have expressed one) or the one most commonly used internationally.
"We encoded ourselves so we would stop speaking in codes. To call things by their real names, things like murder, torture, rape, repression and humiliation. And to call for what we never thought we would dare to in our lifetimes: freedom, justice, and dignity". (Hanano)
These words, written in 2012 by activist and blogger "Amal Hanano" (a pseudonym), express very poignantly the feeling of emergency that lies at the heart of much of artistic expression that came out of Syria during the first year of the uprising:To finally be able to openly name the sufferings that Syrians had been subjected to under 40 years of quasi-dictatorship and not be forced to veil all critique with elaborate metaphors.
In this article, I will discuss a number of works and initiatives that appeared online during roughly the first year of the Syrian uprising (2011 – 2012). These include individual artists' activist videos and platforms (e.g. Facebook groups) that have used anonymity in order to speak out against regime violence, advocate for peaceful change and call for civic freedom. I will also discuss the considerations undertaken by artists for and against using anonymity as a strategy.
As in most authoritarian contexts, artists (painters, sculptors, film makers, writers, theatre makers) had been subjected to an ever-vigilant censorship, forcing them to think carefully about every step they take in their work, lest they overstep the non-written rules. As has been widely noted, it is characteristic for artistic and cultural production within authoritarian contexts, in Syria and elsewhere, that the rules for what can be said and what cannot are deliberately left undefined. Thereby a climate of insecurity for artists is created that turn them into their "own secret police" (Cooke 20, Wedeen 110, Calirman 2 – 3, Wallach 76). As most Syrian artists saw themselves as strongly committed to their society and regarded it as their duty to work for its improvement through their art, they sought ways to circumvent censorship and "speak truth to power". This was the case with painters such as Louay Kayali, Fateh Al-Moudarres and Youssef Abdelke as well as with film makers like Oussama Mohammad and Mohamad Malas. In order to do so, they resorted to using elaborate metaphors and symbolic language, of which the multi-layered visual language of many Syrian films is one example. That this did not mean an end to artistic creativity is illustrated in the ironic words by film maker Mohamad Malas: "censorship is a gift because it forces one to look for new and more interesting structures through which to speak" (Porteous 209).
With the beginning of the uprising, these concerns seemed to be gone. Finally, it was hoped, Syrians (artists and ordinary citizens) could start talking frankly about their grievances and suddenly, a way out of the political stalemate and societal change seemed possible. The internet became a major site for discussions around questions such as citizenship and personal freedom. During the first months of the uprising, a community (or communities) developed online that consisted of amateur creatives, bloggers and "citizen journalists", each participant eager to use the newly found freedom to make his or her point clear. Professional artists joined in later and began creating and uploading works related to the unfolding events. Each of these was a statement against the state's violent response to the protests and a call for a free society in Syria. However, many artists were faced with a dilemma and risked paying a high price for their outspokenness, either in terms of threats to their own safety or to the well-being of their families. Consequently, many chose to hide their true identities behind pseudonyms or collective identities.
Information and activism: The rise of the "citizen journalist" and artistic online activism
The Syrian uprising started in early 2011 following a number of incidents of police violence. One of the best known (and the one usually credited with triggering the uprising) was the arrest of a group of teenagers on charges of having written revolutionary graffiti on walls in the town of Deraa in southern Syria. As news of the arrest and torture of the youngsters at the hand of the police became known, citizens of the town descended into the streets to protest the police's brutality. They were met with violence by the forces of order which again led to more protests in other cities (Lundgren-Jörum 11).
In the months that followed, protests and the violent response by the forces of order became the lived reality of more and more Syrian towns and cities. The regime justified its violent reactions by the claim that it was fighting "armed terrorist gangs" that had "infiltrated" the country and who were the initial perpetrators of violence (Lundgren-Jörum 20). In order to keep control of the narrative, the government banned foreign journalists from entering the country and forced those to leave who were already inside. As a consequence, both Syrians and the international public were left wanting of clear information about the ongoing events. Soon, local activists and so-called "citizen journalists" started taking over the task of reporting and documenting the uprising as it unfolded. They began using internet platforms such as YouTube as what might be termed "informal news channels". Their videos served simultaneously as eye witness accounts, documentation, coordination of activities and activism for the causes of the uprising (Boex149). Due to these blurred lines, they were not unproblematic as reliable sources. However, for a long time they were the only sources of information about ongoing events in Syria and thus used by Syrians and international audiences alike (Al-Ghazzi 436 – 437).
From early on, creative expressions of civil dissent appeared alongside the documentation-oriented material, mostly produced by amateurs and ordinary people-turned-activists. This aspect underlines the initial character of the Syrian uprising as a broad, popular movement, rather than a movement led by intellectuals. The material was often quite inventive, humorous and displayed an almost exuberant enjoyment of making fun of the discourse of the regime, even when faced with extreme violence. A short video produced by an activist group in Homs might serve as an example. It was subsequently titled The Funniest Clip in the Syrian Revolution and shows an "undercover reporter" visiting a group of "terrorists" armed with weapons made out of vegetables that they proudly display (Funniest Clip) 1.
The video satirized the regime's claim that the uprising was led by armed gangs at a time when protests were still peaceful. While such videos might lack cinematographic refinement, they serve to remind us that the Syrian uprising in its early days was a movement carried along by the hopes of common people; they are what film maker Hala Alabdallah in 2012 called "the people's auteur films" during a panel discussion at the Berlinale Film Festival.
It took some time before works by professional artists started to appear online. When asked about the reason for this lapse of time, a number of artists expressed feelings of having been overwhelmed by the events on the streets. According to them, the courage of activists and the creativity of the protestors carried more weight than their individual art projects. But in the second half of 2011, videos by individual artists and collective artists' projects started to became more and more numerous.
One of the earliest artistic activist videos was Conte de printemps (Mohamad Omran and Dani Abo Louh, 2011). It was uploaded in autumn 2011 on several online platforms by the artists, both of whom were and are living in France. With its outspokenness, the video differs strongly from works dating from before the uprising in the way it clearly denounces the violence perpetrated by the Syrian regime. But the work is also different from pre-uprising works in terms of techniques applied. It interweaves documentary footage with animated drawn paper figures. Starting with glimpses of drawings of individual figures, it moves on to a drawing of a group of people lying on the floor who start rising up, one by one. They grow into a crowd of people dressed in different attire that links them to a variety of social classes and segments of Syrian society, a factor that stresses the broad basis of the uprising. After 1.50 minutes, the drawn figures disappear, leaving the screen to real-life footage taken from the protests on the streets. Several sequences are placed in superposition, stressing the simultaneity of the protests in many places at the same time and also the resulting chaos when the protests were met with violence. The sounds of shooting and shouting are heard. At 2.19, the real-life images stop and the drawn figures reappear, but now they are being crushed by a giant, naked real foot. One of the drawn figures remains standing upright, only to be thoroughly crushed by the foot. After a short interval, the drawn figures begin to rise up again, crumbled and dishevelled looking, yet in defiance.
With very simple means,Conte de printemps tells the story of the hopes of the Syrian uprising, hopes that refuse to be crushed (or at least did so for a long time during the earlier phase of the uprising). The video makes use of found footage, something that was not very common in Syrian video works before the uprising but that became quite common partly due to difficulties of filming outside with visible equipment. Just as with the amateur videos, Conte de printemps was produced fast, using the simplest technical equipment. It does not attempt to hide this fact and thus bear witness to the urgency under which it was produced. 2
The artists took the deliberate choice to publish the video under their own name. As Dani Abo Louh explained during an interview with me, this choice was only made after long considerations. The artists weighed the risks to their personal safety and that of their families very carefully against their perceived need to declare their solidarity with the protestors openly. As the case of the pianist and composer Malek Jandali had shown in July 2011, members of families living inside Syria could be attacked as "punishment" for actions by those living outside Syria. After Jandali (who is based in the USA) had performed at a rally in support of the Syrian uprising in Washington, his parents were attacked and beaten up in their home in Damascus (Parents beaten, Freemuse). But the situation was particularly dire for artists living inside Syria. In July 2011, the folklore singer Ibrahim Qashoush, whose song Yalla irhal ya Bashar ("come on, Bashar, get out") had become famous and been widely sung during protests was killed, his body dumped in a river and his vocal chords had been torn out (Protest singer, Freemuse). A month later, in August, a group of thugs that were close to the regime beat up the cartoonist Ali Farzat, broke his hands and left him bleeding on a road side near Damascus (Ali). In both cases, the attackers had made sure to leave a clear message about why the artists had been targeted by destroying their "tools" of dissent. So when film maker Ossama Mohammed received threats after having denounced the government while taking part in activities at the Film Festival in Cannes in May the same year, he had very good reasons not to return to Syria and remain in France, where he has been living since (Boex 148).
But despite these undeniable risks, many artists saw it as an integral part of their activism to publish their works under their own name, even from inside Syria. One such example is the Facebook group Al-fann wa-l-hurriya ("Art and Freedom"), initiated by the visual artist Youssef Abdelke. While the group appeared as an open space where anybody could upload a piece, it was in fact a curated project where the admins kept the final decision as to what would appear on the site in their hands.The name of the group refers to a movement started in 1939 by the Egyptian poet Georges Henein who, after meeting André Breton gathered a group of artists and poets to advocate for artistic freedom (Naef 82). Abdelke's initiative was started with the aim to position itself against the repression of basic freedoms in Syria and take a stand against the ongoing violence and to "chronicle all works of art that deal with this current moment" (Matar 241). Many artists whose works are featured on the page were already working as artists prior to the uprising and many were living outside Syria or have been forced to leave the country due to their commitment to the uprising. Youssef Abdelke continues to live in Syria, despite being arrested in July 2013 (Al-Amin), defiantly declaring after his release a month later: "I believe that my detention is only a small drop in the struggle of the Syrian people to restore their right to live in dignity and justice, and establish a democratic state." (Khalil-Sweileh, Omar al-Sheikh).
Anonymity as a choice
As outlined above, creating and disseminating critical works while using one's own name entailed considerable dangers for artists, for themselves as well as for their families. For this reason, many artists chose to use a pseudonym or work together as collectives while keeping their art and the messages conveyed clear and outspoken. As expressed in Amal Hanano's words, they chose to "encode" themselves, rather than their art as had been the case prior to the uprising.
The video LIBERTé ("Philip Horani", 2011) was uploaded on social networks by a young artist using a pseudonym. It follows a similar narrative as Conte de printemps, but includes the person (or rather the hand and arm) of the artist. It starts with the artist's hand tracing schematic outlines of human beings in brown colour on a white background. The action is fast-paced and set to rhythmic music, thus conveying a mood of energy and urgency. About 10 seconds into the video, the background starts to become increasingly transparent, real-life images of large crowds appear while the fast painting action continues. After about 30 seconds, the sound of protests is added with crowds chanting the slogan "the people wants the fall of the regime", which had been the carrying slogans of the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt in late 2010 and early 2011. All the while, the artist continues to paint his figures, the group grows increasingly dense and a banner is added with the word hurriya (freedom) in Arabic script. About half way through the video, the action, the music, and the protest sounds are halted and we hear only the sound of heartbeats and breathing. After this, the mood of the video changes, we see the hand of the artist throwing drops of red paint onto the painting and in the background sounds of shooting and people calling out in horror are heard. The painted figures are wiped out by red paint and the entire surface is then taken over by the Syrian flag, painted by the hand of the artist. Finally, the two stars of the flag take on a flower-like appearance, possibly pointing towards the "jasmin revolution" of Tunisia as a sign of hope. 3.
Like Conte de printemps, LIBERTé attempts to tell the story of the uprising in a few iconic images and sounds: the crowds protesting, in both cases rendered with the help of drawing and photos, chants and calls for freedom as well as the sounds of shooting and cries of shock.
For the artist, the choice to use a pseudonym was taken pragmatically as a means for safety. He did not attempt to hide the fact that he was using a pseudonym, writing at the end of the video: "It could be created by: Philip Horani". After leaving Syria first to Georgia, then to Belgium, he started using his real name, Abdulla Omari, also expressing the wish that his real name be given alongside with his pseudonym if the video was shown at festivals or events.
Some artists chose to abandon the idea of individual authorship altogether and create works collectively. The aim of the collective "Alshaab alsori aref tarekh" ("The Syrian People Know Their Way") was to create posters for the Syrian public space that deployed a different visual language than the omnipresent laudatory posters of the Assad family that celebrate their "extraordinary achievements". One member of the group explained: "…we had the desire to rid the country of the heritage of ugly Ba'ath Party propaganda" (Tahhan 34). The work of the group inscribes itself into the tradition of political posters and its members give much attention to the aesthetic design of the posters, something that shows in the many references to works by international artists and to historical and international political movements and activism, while also commemorating particular events and figures of the Syrian uprising (Bank 74 – 77). Insisting on a process of collective creation, the final design of each poster was arrived at through discussion and analysis among the members of the group and afterwards uploaded to their own Facebook page and made available as print-on-demand through the group's Flickr account. That the posters were printed and subsequently carried by protestors during demonstrations testify to their positive reception by the Syrian public (Tahhan 36).
During the final months of 2011 and beginning of 2012, a satirical video series of 13 episodes appeared on YouTube that told different fictional episodes of the life of Bashar Al-Assad:Top Goon. Diaries of a Little Dictator (Masasit Mati, 2011 – 2012). The characters were represented by finger puppets and the series satirized the narrative and discourse of the regime. The president (called "Beeshu") was presented as a feeble person speaking with a characteristic lisping, who was prone to nightmares, always fearful and in constant need of consoling by one of his thugs. Top Goon was created by a group of artists, theatre makers, and journalists calling themselves "Masasit Mati", after the straw used for drinking maté tea. The project was organised in a tightly collective manner with all content decided upon through a process of common consensus similar to that of "Alshaab alsori aref tarekh". The declared aim of the group was to change the Syrians' perception of the regime and "break the barrier of fear and remove the god-like aura around [the president]" (Halasa, Zyiad, and Tahhan 14). Each episode starts with a theme song that begins with "Beeshu" declaring: "I am not insane" and the presentation of the main characters: President of Syria: "Beeshu", "Rose of Damascus", the regime thug: "Shabih" and "the peaceful protestor".
In the first episode, Beeshu's Nightmares, "Beeshu", suffering from nightmares about protestors, wakes up at night and asks incredulously "Why do the Syrian people not love me anymore?" (a reference to the many images and posters with declarations of love for the president that were to be found widely around Syrian towns before the uprising), "why do they want to put me on trial?" and "Why do they want to topple the regime?" (Top Goon 1). He goes on to declare: "I swear to God I haven't killed as many as my father did in Hama" and deplores the nightmares that have not left him for so many months. The president's shouting calls his thug onto the stage who tries to calm him down as best as he can and makes "Beeshu" fall asleep by singing a lullaby full of "consoling" confirmations. He is called back soon after by another nightmare that needs comforting by insisting that "99 percent of the people are with you" (a reference to the common practice of elections in Syria showing around 99 percent of support for the president). 4.
This set the tone for all the following episodes of the series. "Beeshu" appears consistently like an immature, capricious child, whose whims has to be followed by everybody around him and who regularly starts crying if he feels himself misunderstood or not properly celebrated. In episode 11, he even declares his "Defection from the criminal Syrian people" and vows to "persecute the entire Syrian people" and "clean up Syria" until the country "reverts to Assad's Syria" (Top Goon 11). 5.
With the above mentioned aim to "break the barrier of fear", the series set out to dismantle common myths surrounding the regime. The aim was to allow the spectators to see the president in a new light, to laugh about him, to see him as a puppet. Accordingly, some people starting using the name "Beeshu" as a nickname when speaking about Bashar Al-Assad (Halasa, Zyiad, and Tahhan 14).
The collective projects discussed above all have a very clear conceptual and aesthetic approach; they were born out of ideas shared by the individual group members. A collective project that appears less consistent aesthetically is "Abounaddara", a project begun before the uprising in 2010. It is a more loosely organised, but still curated, collective project that gathers professional and amateur film makers. From the early days of the uprising they began uploading a short video every Friday (the day mainly used for protests) as a comment to events related to Syria (Boex 151 – 152).The films offer a large variety of genres, from documentaries over interviews to very personal essays. Likewise, they vary greatly in the visual languages applied. As such, they offer a diverse image of Syria and the thoughts of Syrians about the uprising, but this diversity also makes the project appear less coherent and somewhat lacking of a clear visual profile and consistent conceptual identity.
The artistic and creative works mentioned here have either been made individually or collectively, anonymously or stating the author. As strong declarations of solidarity to the ideals of freedom, citizens' rights and non-violence, they have found their audience in the semi-public, informal sphere of online networking forums, where they have been widely shared. This allowed artists who had been forced underground or out of the country to share both an artistic dialogue and a commitment to the uprising. And it also enabled artists to engage with their audience in ways that had not been possible before the uprising. Before, art viewing was confined to a few, restricted spaces, such as galleries, foreign cultural centres and a few festivals that had started to appear during the last years of the 2000s decade.
But especially for critical, independent videos, the possible venues were very scarce. Before the uprising, such works were often shown during private, informal screenings among wider networks of friends. In this way, these events were somewhat reminiscent of the exhibitions of unofficial art in private homes in the Soviet Union. Their reach should not be under-estimated, although they remained limited to artistic and intellectual circles and did not reach the wider public. However, I would argue that they were of great importance to lay the foundations for the practice of critical, committed video and the sharing culture that has become so important since the beginning of the Syrian uprising.
The projects discussed above all use the Internet and social online media as an alternative space for communication. This happened at a moment in history where Syrians felt most urgently a need to communicate, but any public space like streets and squares proved too dangerous. Here, the Internet provided a semi-official space for exchange, activism and testing of new modes of social interaction, maybe even a "third space" in which to imagine new societal models. It provided spaces to interact in a way that was unimaginable before the uprising. Due to the strict control exercised by the regime, activists in Syria did not have the possibility to develop modes of collaboration and develop an expertise with the new technology in the same way activists in e.g. Egypt could (Khamis, Gold, and Vaughn 6). But the way the online space has been used also tells something important about the fears and worries of Syrians, inside and outside of the country. They were faced with the existence of the so-called "Syrian Electronic Army" (the Syrian regime's cyberwar activities) and online bullying being a constant and very real threat that did not limit itself to the virtual space (Khamis, Gold, and Vaughn 7, 9). Thus, the choices for close monitoring of group activities (as in the case of the Facebook group "Art and Freedom") and anonymity become understandable. In this climate, choosing anonymity became a rational choice for many artists who wanted to speak their minds but were not prepared to risk their own safety and that of their families.
While serving such practical ends, anonymity also had other side-effects. The abandoning of authorship allowed for wider audience identification with the art. It also allowed non-artists to project their own thoughts into the works and thus created a climate of open sharing and exchange of ideas while keeping artists and public at equal eye level. As those works could potentially have been made by "anyone", the dividing lines between artists, activists and ordinary citizens were blurred, leading to a new level of solidarity between the different actors of the uprising. Artists could finally engage directly with their audiences and move out of the elitist circles that artistic and cultural production had up till then been restricted to. They thereby came closer to the above mentioned ideal of an art that was "committed" and at the service of society.
It might be discussed how many people were actually reached through such online spaces dedicated to artistic and creative production. But regardless of their actual reach, the works served a number of important purposes: As declarations for peaceful resistance and civic engagement and statements against violence, they were produced with a sense of urgency, with the need to get a message out fast. This makes them truthful expressions of the mood of the early phase of the Syrian uprising. It also seems to give the spectator an immediate access to the artists' inner emotions. For some artists, this, together with the wish to act as voices for those who could not speak any more, was particularly important. The US based artist Khalil Younes expressed it in the following words: "Not being able to do anything to stop the massacres and the killing, the only thing I can rely on is what I do best – to not only express myself but to articulate the emotions of those who really don't have a voice anymore because they were killed, jailed or have fled the country" (Halasa 18).
At a time where Syria is witnessing hitherto unimaginable levels of violence, destruction of cities and historical sites is widespread and peaceful activism has been entirely marginalised, keeping these ephemeral voices alive becomes vitally important. They testify to an early moment of the Syrian uprising and are expressions of hopes that were shared by many Syrians, artists and non-artists alike: Hopes for peaceful change, for personal freedom and for a life in dignity.
I would like to thank the Swiss National Fund whose funding allowed me to undertake the research for the present essay.
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"Philip Horani". LIBERTé (2011), https://vimeo.com/45661752
Masasait Mati: Top Goon Episode 1. Beeshu's Nightmares(2011) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5RifYxWr-4
Masasait Mati: Top Goon Episode 11: Beeshu's Defection (2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE05tdgfoE4
Omran, Mohamad, and Abo Louh, Dani. Conte de printemps (2011) https://vimeo.com/30585735
The Funniest Clip in the Syrian Revolution (unknown activists, 2011) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkDjmO-eWE4
Charlotte Bank is an art historian and independent curator, living and working between Geneva and Berlin, formerly based in Damascus (till 2011). Charlotte's work is focused on modern and contemporary artistic practice from the Middle East with a special emphasis on the independent contemporary art scene since 2000 in its global context. Charlotte curates exhibitions and video and film programs across Europe and the Middle East and is a member of the curatorial team of the Visual Arts Festival Damascus, an independent art festival launched in 2010 in Damascus that now exists as a nomadic platform for artistic exchange. Charlotte is a member of the Sinergia research project "Other Modernities: Patrimony and Practices of Visual Expression Outside the West" at the University of Geneva.
The Funniest Clip in the Syrian Revolution (unknown activists, 2011) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkDjmO-eWE4 ↩
Omran, Mohamad, and Abo Louh, Dani. Conte de printemps (2011) https://vimeo.com/30585735 ↩
"Philip Horani". LIBERTé (2011), https://vimeo.com/45661752 ↩
Masasait Mati: Top Goon Episode 1. Beeshu's Nightmares (2011) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5RifYxWr-4 ↩
Masasait Mati: Top Goon Episode 11: Beeshu's Defection (2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE05tdgfoE4 ↩


I'm sure you've heard of Johnny Cash. Like me the chances are you're not a huge country & western fan but I do love the story telling that comes across in his songs – it's always a bit of magic. A great example of this is "A Boy Named Sue".
So if you know the song or paid attention to the clip, the reason the father named his son "Sue" was to help him become tough as there'd be no father figure to support the son. In a world that is "rough", giving him that name meant he'd "have to get tough or die" and "it's the name that helped to make you strong".
A bit like the story, HR comes in for a regular beating for good and bad reasons. The name "HR" can become a burden at times.
It is what it is. Will you choose to become strong or die?
Why is it that HR conjures up such negative connotations? Yes there are good and bad HR practices and professionals out there but I am actually proud to say "I work in HR". My father has always refused to admit he works in HR – adamant that he consults in "OD and Leadership"…errr aren't these core to HR? Even worse are those who say I'm a business person first, HR second – surely this is a given for any good "HR" person? I say let's stay strong and wear the tag with pride.
Thanks for your comments Suzie! Being strong and wearing the tag with pride feels like the kind of mindset that could build influence & credibility.
There's something (perhaps tribal?) in this connection with being a business person first… I agree that it should be a given for any good "HR" person – how often is that actually the case though? Perhaps more importantly, by not being a business person do you harm the reputation of "HR"?
As long as HR stands for Human Resources, we perpetuate the mental model that people are resources to be used by organizations like photocopier toner. In my experience, HR exists to support a flawed "command-and-control" system -protect the employer, protect the system that sustains the employer by association.
Thanks "Sparky"! There's a whole other stream of discussion here about who do you serve – it's not just an HR issue. My own take is that in the organisational context the whole organisation needs to be served. The challenge is ensuring that the whole organisation is healthy, ethical and works well with the systems & stakeholders it interacts with. HR is often the easy target…. so do you think HR is any worse than say Finance or Operations in flawed organisations?
In terms of HR standing for Human Resources. As with the song, are HR going to choose to be constrained by the name or rise above (or despite) it and be the Resourceful Humans they already are… that's the challenge!
In my opinion, HR does still have a long walk to do in the public and the private organizations. As for my experience in the last 15 years of working HR in many worldwide organizations – Top management still needs to have a much more clear focus on value creating HR activities. HR is not widely accepted as a nessecary department as Finance and it is much easier to close it down, when times get tough in a tough competetive market.
Many businesses focuses only on shirt term HR as employment law and regulations and recruitment and 360 degree surveys, but lacks completely on the individualistic approach to grow the organization, as the green house mind set.
Building "Customer retention"( low staff turn over) into a strategic HR policy, will be one of the key elements in a future progressive HR platform, when the lack of competence arises.
Thanks for adding here Lars. There's a lot of diverse organisations, operating models and good/bad practices out there. Overall though, it's interesting how little grief or reputational harm say the Finance function gets compared to say HR.
For me there's something here about how we deal with the intangible… You can't approach human relations and their interaction with the organisational system in the same way you can with those tangible finances.
Isn't it curious how the more operational functions like payroll don't tend to get much criticism? Isn't it interesting how OD has emerged over recent years and generally seems to attract much less criticism than HR does?
Operational functions require quality of control, management and process. Those less tangible, advisory functions also require expertise but perhaps more so great relationship management skills, systems awareness and quality of thinking. That's where value creating HR activities come from in my opinion.
I believe most people in HR can work in this space if they choose to… if they don't then my contention is that they'll suffer the consequence. Thoughts?
Don't get me wrong, I like a bit of country – I'm just not an aficionado! Dave Dudley was a new one on me but welcomed. I suppose the name "country music" has come to be seen as a bit old fashioned – perhaps even the name can be a burden at times. It's what you make of it though isn't it!


text:
Festival for Electronic Arts
About Shedhalle e.V.
Filipe Vilas-Boas
Filipe Vilas-Boas was born in Portugal in 1981. He is a self-taught media artist currently living and working in Paris. Without being a naive tech utopist or a reluctant technophobe, he explores our use of technology and its political, social and environmental implications. His installations, performances and conceptual artworks question the global digitalization of our societies, mostly by merging our physical (IRL) and digital (URL) worlds. His robotic installation "The Punishment" was highlighted in the Portuguese Emerging Art 2018 book and recently his works have been shown at Nuit Blanche Paris, the UNESCO, Biennale Siana, Le Cube, French Ministry of Culture, Athens Digital Art Festival, Monitor - Heraklion Contemporary Arts Festival (GR), MAAT Museum and at the Tate Exchange - Tate Modern (UK).
www.filipevilasboas.com
Installation / Video-Dokumentation
"The Punishment" is an installation in which a robot executes a preventive punishment for its possible future disobedience. A reference to Isaac Asimov's laws of robotics.
Technologies are now merging at high speed, notably robotics and artificial intelligence. It raises a lot of questions about the man-machine relation. Tainted with dark humor, this dystopian anthropomorphization also underlines the fears that robotics engenders. How automated do we want our world, our body to be? What physical, moral and legal framework should we use? What consequences for human life? Isn't it time to reinvent the school? At the turn of the century, questions related to automation are popping up in everyone's mind. We will have to answers them collectively, if possible.
Carrying The Cross
Durational Performance / Video Documentation
"Carrying The Cross" is a durational performance by artist Filipe Vilas-Boas that has been derived from an ongoing body of work investigating global interconnection utopia, spiritual magic and contemporary algorithmic slavery dystopia.
Constructed from timber and nails and measuring 340 x 200 x 50 cm, a giant sculptural "f" conceived as a commentary on social media, was carried by the artist around Tate Modern ready for crucifixion, marking the pinnacle moment of the performance.
The performative precession was originally conceived as part of "EDEN", Vilas-Boas' solo show at Zaratan Arte Contemporânea in Lisbon during July 2019.
The piece aims to stimulate discussion on issues surrounding digital platforms such as privacy, data, surveillance and algorithm biases. "Carrying The Cross" draws on the emotiveness of hope and oppression within the parameters of digitalisation where technology meets religion.
During the generate! Festival of Electronic Arts, the video documentaries of the performance in Lisbon and London are shown, transported back into public space.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
package com.emel.alert;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.List;

import org.apache.http.client.HttpClient;
import org.apache.http.client.ResponseHandler;
import org.apache.http.client.methods.HttpGet;
import org.apache.http.impl.client.BasicResponseHandler;
import org.apache.http.impl.client.DefaultHttpClient;

import com.emel.alert.services.EmelService;
import com.emel.exceptions.EmelException;
import com.google.android.maps.GeoPoint;
import com.google.android.maps.MapActivity;
import com.google.android.maps.MapView;
import com.google.android.maps.Overlay;
import com.google.android.maps.OverlayItem;

import android.app.Activity;
import android.app.NotificationManager;
import android.content.Context;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.os.AsyncTask;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.os.Looper;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.Toast;

public class NotifyUserActivity extends MapActivity {

	private MapView mMapView;
	private List<Overlay> mMapOverlays;
	private LocationOverlay mLocationOverlay;
	private NotificationManager mNotificationManager;
	private long idAlert;
	private Button mConfirmAlertButton;
	private Button mRefuseAlertButton;

	public void sendVotes(boolean vote) {

		String requestName = vote ? "/confirm" : "/refuse";
		String serverIP = "62.28.240.126:8080/backend";
		String getURL = serverIP + requestName + "?id=" + idAlert;

		Log.v("Test",getURL);

		HttpGet request = new HttpGet("http://" + getURL);
		HttpClient client = new DefaultHttpClient();

		ResponseHandler<String> handler = new BasicResponseHandler();
		String response = "";

		Log.v("Test","Waiting for server answer...");
		try {
			response = 	client.execute(request, handler);
		} catch (IOException e) {
			e.printStackTrace();
		}

		Toast.makeText(NotifyUserActivity.this, "Vote Submitted", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();

	}

	@Override
	public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
		super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
		setContentView(R.layout.notify);

		String loc = getIntent().getStringExtra("location");

		mNotificationManager = (NotificationManager) getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE);

		//cancel the notification
		mNotificationManager.cancel(0);

		String longitude = loc.split(";")[0];
		String latitude = loc.split(";")[1];
		idAlert = Long.parseLong(loc.split(";")[2]);

		//start google maps with location passed

		mMapView = (MapView) findViewById(R.id.mapview);
		mMapView.setBuiltInZoomControls(true);
		mMapView.getController().setCenter(new GeoPoint((int)(Double.parseDouble(latitude) * 1E6), (int)(Double.parseDouble(longitude) * 1E6)));
		mMapView.getController().setZoom(19);
		mMapView.setSatellite(true);
		mMapOverlays = mMapView.getOverlays();

		showEmelLocationAlert(latitude, longitude);

		mConfirmAlertButton = (Button)findViewById(R.id.mapVoteYesButton);
		mRefuseAlertButton = (Button)findViewById(R.id.mapVoteNoButton);

		mConfirmAlertButton.setOnClickListener(new Button.OnClickListener() {

			@Override
			public void onClick(View v) {
				sendVotes(true);
			}

		});

		mRefuseAlertButton.setOnClickListener(new Button.OnClickListener() {

			@Override
			public void onClick(View v) {
				sendVotes(false);
			}

		});

	}

	private void showEmelLocationAlert(String latitude, String longitude) {
		mLocationOverlay = new LocationOverlay(this.getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.marker_red), this);
		GeoPoint spottingPoint = new GeoPoint((int) (Double.parseDouble(latitude) * 1E6) , (int) (Double.parseDouble(longitude) * 1E6));

		OverlayItem spottingItem = new OverlayItem(spottingPoint, getString(R.string.emel_spotted), "");
		mLocationOverlay.addOverlay(spottingItem);
		mMapOverlays.add(mLocationOverlay);

		mMapView.getController().setCenter(spottingPoint);
		//mMapView.getController().zoomToSpan();
		mMapView.invalidate();

	}

	@Override
	protected boolean isRouteDisplayed() {
		// TODO Auto-generated method stub
		return false;
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
#GetWrapped
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Wrapped Education 2020
1 Jan 2020 | Wrapped York Offices
January's Digital Round-up - 30 January 2019
| Written by Henry
It's been an exciting start to the year, with plenty of changes across the digital landscape. With 'meme hubs', a new Twitter and even more LinkedIn updates, we've noted down a couple of our highlights.
Facebook embraces the power of memes
Over the last few years, Facebook's age demographic has been slowly increasing, with the company struggling to engage and attract Generation Z.
Facebook has decided the best way to fix this potentially devastating issue is by providing Gen Z with a space of their own, which is full of content they can resonate with. They have called it 'LOL'. The feed will display funny videos and GIFs, and is currently in a very early stage as it's being privately tested using 100 high school students.
One of the biggest talking points around the new feature is the name. Is 'LOL' really the terminology used by Gen Z? Or, is it an attempt by an older generation of decision makers trying to sound 'hip'?
How this new feed develops is anyone's guess, but with the rise of TikTok and the already popular Instagram and Snapchat, whoever manages to win over this youngest generation will have a long-term advantage when it comes to attracting brands to advertise on the platforms.
Twitters Facelift
Twitter has started to roll out its new interface for web users which includes several updated features, such as moving the 'Tweet' button to the bottom of the page. The company is giving some users the ability to opt in to the new look, and at the moment it's unclear when the rest of the platform will be given the option to see the new update for themselves.
Whilst none of these changes include the previously announced updates, it looks as though the new interface has been designed to accommodate them.
The new updates may only be the start of major changes incorporated by Twitter, as they look to continue a strong level of growth from 2018.
TikTok Time?
TikTok was downloaded over 45 million times during the first quarter of 2018 and became the most downloaded app for the entire year. The app is now immensely popular with Gen Z, and many see it as a potential successor to Vine.
For TikTok to avoid falling into the pit hole of obscurity, it must be able to attract brands. The previously mentioned Vine died as Twitter couldn't monetise it effectively, and Snapchat has also experienced issues with how best to use their audience for advertising purposes.
Brands can currently partner with TikTok influencers for promotional posts, similar to other social media sites, and there have been instances of major brands working closely with the platform on sponsored campaigns, such as the #InMyDenim challenge with Guess.
We think it's going to become big news for reaching younger audiences this year – so watch this space.
LinkedIn introduces Interest Targeting
LinkedIn has been updating their platform consistently for a few months now, and there's no sign of it stopping.
The newly introduced 'Interest Targeting' allows advertisers to reach a wider, and more relevant audience by releasing adverts based on users' professional interests, such as customer experience, global economy and more.
LinkedIn interest targeting looks as though it's going to shake up the industry, as a recent study saw 42% of businesses are planning on increasing their LinkedIn advertising budgets. The platform is becoming an increasingly popular destination for B2B marketing and with its advancements in audience targeting, other social media sites will struggle to compete. The feature shows LinkedIn's commitment to advancement when it comes to advertising on their platform. With all the changes implemented in the last 6 months, we expect them to have a successful 2019.
It's been an eventful start to the year, and we can only imagine what else is going to happen in the following 11 months. We're positive the digital industry will see a range of new updates.
We love what we do. If you would like to talk to us about your brand, contact us at [email protected] to have a chat with our friendly team about your requirements.
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Using Your Website to Get Ahead: Technical Tuesday Round-Up
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I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Our local Church is named Maranatha Bible Church because everything that we do is centered around the teaching of the Bible, the Word of God. We don't worship the pages of the Bible, but we do worship the God of the Bible and His Word; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
One of my great joys as a Pastor, and I'm sure of most other Bible teachers, is the hunger our folks have for God's Word. I love to hear the pages of their Bibles turn as I'm teaching or preaching because it is His living word that changes lives; Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, And I shall observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law and keep it with all my heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.


Son of Heaven is currently #1 on the Amazon UK Bestselling list for both paperback and Kindle editions, beating out George R.R. Martin, several classics, and countless Star Wars books. See the good news for yourself here (paperback) and here (Kindle). Congrats David!
Daylight is at #42 and #19, respectively.


text:
TASC Articles
Joe Spears MS
Carbon-14 dating was recently performed on dinosaur fossils, 1 and the results were presented at the Western Geophysics Meeting in Singapore, August 2012, a gathering of approximately two thousand scientists. 1 The carbon-14 dating involved precautions against contamination. Several tests were done by the University of Georgia using accelerator mass spectrometry. The age for all these fossils was found to be less than 50,000 years. 1 This is not predicted by conventional evolutionary theory; and other discoveries have been made concerning dinosaurs which also are not predicted by evolutionary theory such as the discovery of soft tissue in bones that are not or are only partially fossilized. 2 Both the carbon-14 dating results and the discovery of soft tissue in incompletely fossilized dinosaur bones share the common theme of being indicators of much younger ages for dinosaurs than evolution claims. Compared to the conventional theory of dinosaurs' being at minimum 65 million years old, the time it would take soft tissue to degrade and the < 50,000 year ages reported from carbon-14 dating are less than 1 tenth of 1 percent of the expected age for the dinosaur fossils.
Hugh Miller and others authored a paper detailing the results of carbon-14 dating of dinosaur fossils which was presented at the Western Geophysics Meeting in Singapore, August 2012. 3, 4 The ages for the dinosaur fossils presented in this paper were far younger than the conventionally accepted ages. Each of the two thousand meeting participants was given a disc which included the abstract of the carbon-14 dating report. However, the abstract of the Miller presentation was removed from the website for the conference. 1, 5 Why is the information presented in the paper important? If the accepted ages of millions of years for dinosaurs were to be found to be in error, this would be a problem to evolution. The dinosaur dates reported below and discussed in the AOGS 2012 paper discussed throughout this article, included triceratops, hadrosaur, allosaurus, and acrocanthasaurs. Below is a list of some dinosaur fossils and their dated ages from the Miller paper. 4
An allosaurus from the Morrison formation, late Jurassic, found in 1989 was dated by the University of Georgia by accelerator mass spectrometry. The age was found to be 31,360 ± 100 years old.
The femur of an Upper Creataceous Hell Creek formation triceratops-like dinosaur (perhaps a new type of ceratopsid) found in 2007 was carbon-14 dated by the University of Georgia using accelerator mass spectrometry and found to be 39,230 ± 140 years old.
Another Hell Creek formation dinosaur, found in 2004, a triceratops, was dated by the University of Georgia by accelerator mass spectrometry in 2009 as 24,340 ± 70 years old.
An apatosaurus was found in late Jurassic strata of the Morrison formation, and excavation was done in 2007 and 2009. In 2011 the University of Georgia dated the fossil to 38,250 ± 160 years old.
A hadrosaur's hip bone was found in 2011 in the Hell Creek formation. The University of Georgia dated a sample from this bone to be 37,660 ± 160 years old.
In 2012 a triceratops horn was found. The University of Georgia dated the fossil to be 33,570 ± 120 years old.
A femur bone from a hardosaur in 2004 was found in the Hell Creek formation. The University of Georgia using accelerator mass spectrometry dated the sample to 25,670 ± 220 years old.
An acrocanthosaurus (carnivorous dinosaur) specimen was excavated in 1984 near Glen Rose, Texas and was tested in 2010 by the University of Georgia. It was found to be 29,690 ± 90 years old.
Are the dates beyond the range of testing technology? No, the University of Georgia had extended the maximum limit up over 50,000 years, and the ages were all well below this. Are the ages still too old? After all, even though these ages are much younger than conventional ages, many creationists believe life on earth to be much younger than even the reported carbon-14 ages of these dinosaur fossils. This question will be dealt with in a later section of this article.
Another question that might come up with respect to these studies is the issue of contamination. If young organic material became mixed with the dinosaur material that was carbon-14 dated, then the younger material would skew the result to a younger age.
Special care was taken to prevent this kind of contamination.
Bones were cleaned by ultrasonics.
Then the bone was crushed and acetic acid was applied to remove any possible external contamination (carbonates).
Hydrochloric acid was added to dissolve the bone and release carbon dioxide, which was then chemically treated to produce graphite. This graphite was then tested for carbon-14. 6
Another report shows that a mosasaur was dated at about 24,000 years old; 7, 8 this result was blamed on bacterial contamination, though no bacteria were discovered. 9, 10
How carbon-14 dating works
Living animals take in carbon-14 on a regular basis. After death, the animal no longer takes in any carbon-14 (nor any other kind of carbon). The carbon-14 decays at a known rate, but since it is being replenished while the animal is alive, only after the animal dies is no carbon-14 added. Of course, this assumes that carbon-14 is not inadvertently added to the dead animal's remains. Also, this assumes that no natural process is depositing extra carbon-14 in the animal's remains. Assuming no intrusion of carbon-14 from external sources, the existing amount of carbon-14 resident in the animal's remains will decay, assuming the current known decay rate. Given the initial amount of carbon-14, the decay rate, and the remaining amount of carbon-14 in a fossil, the length of time it would take for the initial amount of carbon-14 to decay to the amount measured as remaining in the fossil may be calculated.
Carbon-14 decays with a half-life of about 5,730 years. So if an object contained 1,000 carbon-14 atoms, after 5,730 years it should contain approximately half that much, or 500 carbon-14 atoms.
There is one other pertinent point to be made about carbon-14 dating, however. Carbon-14's half-life is too short to measure dates over a million years ago. In fact, if the entire earth were solid carbon-14, in a million years so much would have decayed that there would not be even a single atom of carbon-14 left. Scientists have done studies which suggest that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago, but those dates were not arrived at by use of carbon-14 dating methods. There are other dating methods, making use of materials with even longer half-lives, such as the potassium-argon method, which have been used in dating dinosaurs.
So, you might ask, why is this article about carbon-14 dating of dinosaurs? Wouldn't the dinosaurs be too old for carbon-14 dating to work on them? That is the point. That statement would be true if the dinosaurs were really millions of years old. But, if they were not that old, merely thousands of years old, then carbon-14 dating applied to dinosaur fossils might detect some carbon-14 atoms. Are dinosaurs only thousands of years old?
Other evidence indicating younger ages for fossils
These findings about dinosaur fossils are just a piece of the evidence indicating assumed ages are perhaps mistaken. Other pieces include carbon-14 in diamonds, other soft tissue found in dinosaur fossils, and evidence that conventional dating methods are inaccurate.
Carbon-14 in diamonds
Diamonds supposedly formed even further back in the past than dinosaurs —over a billion years ago. There is even less reason to expect to find carbon-14 in them, but it has been found. 11
Soft tissue found in dinosaur bones
Soft tissue normally will deteriorate over time. Soft tissue should not last 65 million years, yet it has been found in a dinosaur fossil which "has" to be at least that old. This is so contrary to conventional theory that the discovery met with disbelief at first. 12, 13
Other evidence of inaccurate dating
A living animal has carbon dated as having been dead for thousands of years.
Lava that obviously flowed around a piece of wood, since the hardened lava has taken the shape of the wood, has been dated as having solidified millions of years before the wood existed. 14
The point here is that the evidence of carbon-14 dating presented above is not the only evidence indicating that currently accepted dates for dinosaur and other fossils might be wrong. Experiments are replicated in the belief that increasing the number of results supporting a hypothesis increases the evidence for the hypothesis. In a similar manner, the more evidence of young ages for dinosaur fossils, the more compelling the evidence (in total) becomes.
Could the dinosaur ages now be said to be precisely what the carbon-14 dating results indicated? Even this is too old for many creationists, who would expect them to be less than 6 to 10 thousand years old. Several factors may possibly account for this seeming discrepancy. 15 Some think there was a change in atmospheric concentration of carbon-14. 16, 17 In one scenario, there would have been change in the carbon-14 concentration due to the burying of much of the earth's carbon-bearing plant life at the flood. 18 According to this theory, the proportion of carbon-14 would have been higher due to the removal of much normal carbon. 18
Another possibility is that, as hinted in Genesis 2:5-6, the pre-flood atmosphere may have had a much higher humidity than the post-flood atmosphere. The increased humidity before the flood would have reduced the formation of carbon-14 in the atmosphere, while the drier air after the flood would have allowed more carbon-14 formation.
Another possibility is that the earth's magnetic field may have been stronger before the flood, resulting in less carbon-14 formation before the flood.
And yet one more interesting possibility is that radioactive decay rates might have been increased due to the flood's mechanical stresses on piezoelectric quartz in granite rocks. This could make younger fossils yield dates greater than their actual age. 19
Evidence of differing dates for parts of the same animal support the hypothesis that there was a change in the carbon-14 concentration or in the decay rate. One interesting observation is that rapidly-growing body parts, such as hair, would absorb carbon-14 from most recent concentrations, while slower-growing body parts, such as bone or muscle, might contain concentrations of carbon-14 based on levels of carbon-14 existing at earlier times in the environment of the animal. Therefore, evidence of differing carbon-14 concentrations (i.e., different ages) for different parts of the same animal are consistent with the hypothesis of a change in the carbon-14 concentration in the environment. We now will look to see if there is just such evidence.
A frozen musk ox found at Fairbanks Creek, Alaska, had scalp muscle tissue 24,000 years old and hair 17,200 years old according to carbon-14 dating. At least three other frozen animals, two mammoths and a mastodon, have been found with parts of their bodies with carbon-14 ages far different from other parts or from surrounding plant life that perished with or shortly after the animals. 20
If the conventionally accepted age of dinosaurs is wrong, then what about other conventionally accepted dates? When was the Jurassic, and the Cretaceous? Other dates are thrown into question. This implies there may be less certainty about the time frame during which species supposedly evolved. One point that is worth noticing is that these dinosaur ages are all much younger than the conventional ones. This implies there was less time for evolution to occur. Even with the accepted millions and millions of years for evolution to supposedly have brought mammals into existence from their precursors, evolution still has many problems. Shortening the time available just makes evolution even more unlikely. 8
Evolutionists have said the following. From Louis Jacobs, Southern Methodist University, Former President of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology:
Co-occurrence of men and dinosaurs. Such an association would dispel an Earth with vast antiquity. The entire history of creation, including the day of rest, could be accommodated in the seven biblical days of the Genesis myth. Evolution would be vanquished. 21
From Steven M. Stanley, Johns Hopkins University:
There is an infinite variety of ways in which, since 1859, the general concept of evolution might have been demolished. Consider the fossil record—a little known resource in Darwin's day. The unequivocal discovery of a fossil population of horses in Precambrian rocks would disprove evolution. More generally, any topsy-turvy sequence of fossils would force us to rethink our theory, yet not a single one has come to light. As Darwin recognized, a single geographic inconsistency would have nearly the same power of destruction. 22
The evidence strongly hints that evolution is, at best, not on as firm a foundation as many have claimed. Do we look at the evidence and let it speak, or do we deny the evidence because of our biases? This is the choice we face when confronted with evidence such as presented in this article. Science is theories built on evidence; evidence built on theories (i.e. evidence accepted because of confirmation of existing theories or evidence rejected because it contradicts existing theories) is dogma built on bias.
1. a. b. c. d. Wieland C (2013 Jan 22) Radiocarbon in dino bones: International conference result censored http://creation.com/c14-dinos Accessed 2013 Jul 2
2. Gift J (2009 Jul) Dinosaur Bones - a Whole Lot of Twistin' Goin' On < http://tasc-creationscience.org/content/dinosaur-bones-whole-lot-twistin-goin > Accessed 2013 Jul 2
3. Fischer J (2012) Dinosaur bones Carbon-14 dated to less than 40,000 years http://newgeology.us/presentation48.html Accessed 2013 Jul
4. a. b. Miller H, Owen H, Bennett R, de Pontcharra J, Giretych M, Taylor J, van Oosterwych M, Kline O, Wilder D, Dunkel B (2012 Aug 15) A Comparison of δ13C & pMC Values for Ten Cretaceous-Jurassic Dinosaur Bones from Texas to Alaska USA, China and Europe, Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) - American Geophysical Union (AGU) Joint Assembly, Resorts World Convention Center, Singapore, 15 August, 2012
5. Asia Oceania Geosciences Society < http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2012/mars2/timetable.asp > Accessed 2013 Oct 12. Double-click on the box for Wednesday, Room Leo 2, BG02. You will see presentation 5 is missing between 4 and 6. Compare this with http://newgeology.us/BG02-A012%20Abstract.pdf, which does include presentation 5. Notice the titles of 4 and 6 correspond in both lists, which in the opinion of some, hints strongly that the list with number 5 present was an original list.
6. Caron-14 dated dinosaur bones - under 40,000 years old. AOGS Conference, Singapore, 2012 presentation, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbdH3l1UjPQ Accessed 2013 Jul
7. Lindgren J, Uvdal P, Engdahl A, Lee AH, Alwmark C, Bergquist K-E, Nilsson E, Ekström, et al. (2011) Microspectroscopic evidence of cretaceous bone proteins. PLoS ONE 6(4):e19445
8. a. b. Gift, J (2012 Aug) Creation: A Matter of Perspective. < http://tasc-creationscience.org/content/creation-matter-perspective > Accessed 2013 Oct
9. Paleo Group (unknown date) < http://www.dinosaurc14ages.com/carbondating.htm > Accessed 2013 Jul
10. Thomas B, Carbon Dating of '70 Million Year Old' Mosasaur Soft Tissues Yields Surprising Results < http://www.icr.org/article/6084/ > Accessed 2013 Oct
11. Sarfati J Diamonds: a creationist's best friend. Radiocarbon in diamonds: enemy of billions of years. < http://creation.com/diamonds-a-creationists-best-friend > Accessed 2013 Oct
12. Gift J (2009 Jul) Dinosaur Bones - a Whole Lot of Twistin' Goin' On < http://tasc-creationscience.org/content/dinosaur-bones-whole-lot-twistin-goin > Accessed 2013 Jul 2
13. Mary Schweitzer interviewed on 60 Minutes < http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=M9VbDFCndMI > Accessed 2013 Jul
14. Snelling A, Radioactive 'dating' in conflict! < http://creation.com/radioactive-dating-in-conflict > Accessed 2013 Oct
15. Brown RH (1979) The interpretation of C-14 dates. Origins 6:30–44.
16. Brown RH (1973 Apr) Answering Questions Concerning Radiocarbon Dating. < https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1973/04/answering-questions-concerning-radiocarbon-dating > Accessed 2013 Oct
17. Snelling AA (2008 Dec 10) Radiocarbon ages for fossil ammonites and wood in Cretaceous strata near Redding, California < http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/arj/v1/n1/radiocarbon-ages-for-ammonites-wood > Accessed 2013 Oct 12
18. a. b. Brown W (2013) How accurate is radiocarbon dating? < http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/FAQ221.html > Accessed 2013 Nov 2
19. Brown W (2013) The origin of Earth's radioactivity. < http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/Radioactivity2.html > Accessed 2013 Nov 2
20. Holzschuh J, de Pontcharra J, Miller H (unknown date) Recent C-14 dating of fossils including dinosaur bone collagen. < http://www.sciencevsevolution.org/Holzschuh.htm > Accessed 2013 Nov 2
21. Juby I (2013 May 1) Paluxy fossil human footprints – special Genesis Week, Episode 33, season 2 < http://ianjuby.org/newsletter/?p=657 > Accessed 2013 Oct
22. Stanley SM (1981) The New Evolutionary Timetable, Basic Books, New York, NY
‹ Review of Stephen Meyer's New Book Darwin's Doubt up The Christ of Creation ›


1 Serron: Okay, bet placed. Now to the hospital.
2 Serron: Quick, we need these organs re-implanted into us!
3 Nurse: Weren't you here just a few days ago, with exactly the same request?
That's a pretty strong argument against an accusation that you're imagining an illness.
2018-10-03 Rerun commentary: I like that placing the bet is higher priority than having their organs replaced.
Iki Piki's sarcastic conclusion is of course only one of several possible diagnoses. It's quite possible that they have compulsive getting-your-organs-removed syndrome.


text:
Q: Logged into 4 iPhones and 2 iPads - how can I remove my account or deactivate them all except one? Logged into 4 iPhones and 2 iPads - how can I remove my account or deactivate them all except one? I am not tech savvy at all and didn't realize they would have access to my info. I only want to keep my info on 1 iPhone & 1 iPad, which are the ones I use. Would this be able to be done without physically having access to the other devices? Or do I need to physically have them, if so, what do i do? I logged into my email account too.

A: If you have the devices simply go to Settings>iCloud turn off Find my iPhone, and sign out of iCloud, then tap on Settings>General>Reset>Erase All Content and Settings.
If you don't have th devices the only options you have is remote wipe, or change all passwords for your accounts.  Remote wipe is an iCloud feature.  Go to www.icloud.com from a computer and sign-in. Click on 'Find my iPhone' tap on the device name and you will see an option to 'remote wipe'.  This can be done on your iPad with the Find my iPhone app.
If your devices are not found in Find my iPhone then change your iCloud/AppleID password(s) at myappleid.com.  Change all your account passwords.
Lastly, don't forget to deauthorize those devices from iTunes.  From a computer go to the iTunes Store click on 'Account' then click on 'Deauthorize All'.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
South Shore gets Federal Grant
Discussion related to commuter rail and rapid transit operations in the Chicago area including the South Shore Line, Metra Rail, and Chicago Transit Authority.
Passenger Rail Chicagoland Commuter & Transit « You are here
Moderators: JamesT4, metraRI
by dinwitty
no link but got info they got a $300,000 grant for the expansion study, thats not going to build it but will get things rolling.
South Shore Line lands grant to plan expansion The Times
An infusion of federal grant funding will help power the South Shore Line expansion forward.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration awarded the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, or NICTD, a $300,000 grant to plan proposed stations along the planned West Lake extension of the South Shore Line.
"This is great news," NICTD General Manager Mike Noland said.
"The timing on the grant award validates the commitment being made by all three communities (Munster, Dyer, and Hammond) to design stations that provide opportunities for neighborhoods to grow along the West Lake Corridor and the region to flourish."
U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, has championed the 9-mile extension of the commuter rail from Hammond to Dyer.
"This Department of Transportation funding is but one piece of the many pieces that have come together to bring the extension of the South Shore Railroad closer to reality," Visclosky said. "I am convinced that the extension of the South Shore Railroad will spread the economic vitality of the Chicagoland area into Northwest Indiana and allow our region to become the next great economic engine of the state of Indiana."
The federal Transit Oriented Development planning grant will look at how to cultivate mixed-used development around the stations and how much parking is needed. The money can be used to develop multimodal connectivity plans and encourage private-sector investment in development and urban density around the stations.
"This grant will focus attention on effective planning strategies and tools that encourage liveable communities," Noland said. "We look forward to working the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority on this important initiative."
The award shows the viability of transit-oriented development in Northwest Indiana, NIRPC Executive Director Ty Warner said.
"You could say it validates the potential and proof of concept in forging this kind of development along transit lines," Warner said. "It bodes well for the region – this kind of thinking is where the future of Northwestern Indiana lies. We've got to think more intentionally about how we're growing and what will be marketable in the future. The awards here help move things along in that direction."
dinwitty
Return to "Chicagoland Commuter & Transit"
NS On the NEC
by Big Bri


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text:
Jess Phillips reveals whether she'd allow second Scottish independence vote
Ms Phillips, who announced she would be standing to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as leader on Friday, also said that not having a clear position on Scottish independence
Labour leadership hopeful Jess Phillips has said that she "can't see a circumstance" where it would be better for Scotland to leave the UK.
Ms Phillips, who announced she would be standing to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as leader on Friday, also said that not having a clear position on Scottish independence and Brexit is a key reason why the party has lost elections.
Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme on Tuesday, the Birmingham Yardley MP outlined her opposition to having another vote on independence.
"I think that some of the reasons that we lost in Scotland and have been losing in Scotland for some time - this isn't wholly down to the last general election - is that we have, since the referendum up there, not necessarily had a clear position on the two big constitutional questions of the day," said Ms Phillips.
(Image: PA)
"I think that people, when they look at a political party, if they are not certain on what they are saying on any one thing, they lose trust with the public."
She added: "I don't think we should have another referendum on Scottish independence - 53% of the Scottish public in the general election did not vote for a party that was promoting independence.
Woman's new passport has Brits asking plenty of questions as government introduces blue versions
Cries of 'we believe you' outside Cyprus court as Brit found guilty of gang rape 'lie' spared jail
"I think that we should be talking about things that are relevant to the lives of people in Scotland.
"I can't see a circumstance where I think it would be better for Scotland to leave the UK."


A New Jersey native was installed as the first American born eparchial bishop in the United States for the Greek Melkite Catholic Church on August 23.
Bishop Nicholas J. Samra, 67, was installed as the Eparch of Newton during an elaborate service, called an Enthronement Liturgy, at the Melkite Cathedral of the Annunciation in West Roxbury.
The Melkite Church is an Eastern rite of the Catholic Church.
Bishop Samra was first ordained as an auxiliary bishop of Newton in 1989 and went into retirement in 2005, until his appointment as eparch this June.
After an entrance procession that included many bishops, priests, and deacons, Exarch Joseph Haggar read a letter from Pope Benedict XVI, called the Papal Bull of Designation, which declared the appointment of Bishop Samra.
"May the lights and joy of the Holy Spirit and under the protection of the most holy Mother of God, be always with you and with your ecclesial community which is so very dear to us," stated Pope Benedict in his letter.
The previous Eparch of Newton, Metropolitan Archbishop Cyrille Bustros of Beirut and Jbeil, thanked Bishop Samra for his work as a priest and auxiliary bishop. He also thanked the clergy, religious, and laity of the Newton Eparchy and pledged his prayers for them, while asking for their prayers in turn.
Archbishop Bustros then read a letter from Patriarch Gregory III, the head of the Melkite Church who resides in Damascus, Syria.
The patriarch wished Bishop Samra "a successful pastoral ministry founded on strength and faith in the hearts of the believers in your vast country."
"We pray that he will continue to find those we call the hidden Melkites, whom we do not know, so we can serve them the holy mysteries and that they will not feel lost in their Church, but have one Church to belong to," stated Patriarch Gregory.
Following the letter, Bishop Samra approached Archbishop Bustros to receive the shepherd's staff, escorted by various clergy. Prayers were then invoked by a deacon and the choir that the new bishop may be preserved by God for many years.
In the vesting ceremony of the liturgy, Bishop Samra received and blessed seven distinct vestments, a pectoral cross, and medallion called an engolpion. He also blessed his crown--similar to a bishop's miter in the Roman rite -- and his staff.
Following these rituals, the Divine and Holy Liturgy of John Chrysostom began. After a Gospel reading, Bishop Samra addressed the congregation.
He noted that the date was the closing of the eastern feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, marking the death or "falling asleep" of Mary. Bishop Samra called it probably the most important day of commemoration for Mary. In the Roman rite, the Dormition is celebrated as the Assumption, when Mary was taken into heaven.
In his remarks, he repeatedly pointed to Mary as an example for Christians to follow in giving flesh to Jesus. Bishop Samra cited Sacred Scripture and the Eucharist as ways for the faithful to bring Christ to others.
"Not only should we hear it, but we should digest it into our hearts and then when we leave the church, we become the word of God to the community outside," said Bishop Samra.
He noted that when the bread and wine are brought to the altar prior to the consecration, these items also represent the gifts of the people assembled.
"We say thank you to God for life and for all the aspects of life that he continues to give us -- each day of our lives -- and we take those gifts and place them on the altar, you are now there," said the bishop.
He said that God in turn gives the gifts back to the people transformed into the body and blood of Christ.
"Now Christ flows through you, but it's not over. That's nice, we're transformed, we become one body because we're one bread and one cup. It unites us together, but something more important happens, we leave the church...Now that we are transformed we go back into the world in which we live to transform it," said Bishop Samra.
Following his homily, the liturgy proceeded into the eucharistic consecration and distribution of communion. The overall ceremony incorporated English, Aramaic, and Greek words and chants.
Toward the end of the liturgy, Bishop Samra expressed thanks and signaled the dismissal of the people with a blessing gesture with two long candles, called a dikerion and trikerion.
Cathy Moody, whose grandfather came to Massachusetts from Lebanon and was one of the founding members of the cathedral, described the event as "incredible" and said she was "excited for the future of the Melkites in America."
Eric Alaimo, 27, a religion teacher from Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, is a Latin Catholic who attends the Latin Rite Mass on Saturday evening and the Melkite liturgy on Sunday morning.
"To quote Blessed John Paul II, I like to breathe with both lungs," said Alaimo, referring to the late pope's description of the Churches of the East and West as the two lungs through which the universal Church breathes.
Alaimo said the event had an extra special significance with Bishop Nicholas being American born.
"I'm curious to see where that's going to lead the Melkite Church in America," said Alaimo.
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has given assent to the canonical election by the Holy Synod of the Melkite Catholic Church of the Most Rev. Archbishop Cyril Salim Bustros as Metropolitan of Beirut and Jbeil, Lebanon, and, at the proposal of the Holy Synod of the Melkite Catholic Church, has named the Most Rev. Bishop Nicholas James Samra as Eparch of Newton.
In addition, His Holiness has also given assent to the canonical election of the Most Rev. Bishop Issam John Darwish as Archbishop of Zahleh and Furzol, Lebanon, and has named the Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Robert Rabbat as Eparch of St. Michael the Archangel of Sydney (Australia and New Zealand).
The Patriarchal Web Site announced the joyous news this way . . .
As of today, 15 June 2011, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, at the proposal of the Holy Synod of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, has named two hierarchs for the eparchies of our expansion vacant as a result of the transfer of their respective eparchs to other eparchies.
The Most Rev. Nicholas James Samra, hitherto titular Bishop of Gerasa and former Protosynkellos of the Eparchy of Newton, (USA), named Eparch of the same Eparchy of Newton; and The Rt. Rev. Archim. Robert Rabbat, hitherto rector of the Eparchial Cathedral of Newton and editor-in-chief of the eparchy's journal Sophia, named Eparch of St Michael the Archangel of Sydney (Australia and New Zealand).
"Let your light shine". This is the program of my new ministry and my appeal and Christ's appeal to everyone of you. I am coming from Baalbeck, in Lebanon, the ancient "Heliopolis", a Greek word that means "City of the sun". There I was born, and there I served as Archbishop for sixteen years, from 1988 to 2004, after having been for twenty-two years rector of St. Paul's Institute of Philosophy. I am a bishop of the Catholic Church. At my first interview with the press in 1988, they asked me some questions about political problems; my short answer was "I am a Doctor in theology not in politics". And in fact, I did not interfere in political matters, and I was at the service of all men and women from all religions and all political parties. I accepted the priesthood and after that the episcopacy for the singular aim of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior of all human beings, and to unite the diversity of human beings and the diversity of nations into one body, the Body of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has reconciled in his Body all who were before enemies, as St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians: "Christ himself is our peace: He it is who has made both one, and has broken down the intervening wall of the enclosure, the enmity, in his flesh" (Eph 2, 14). So we can say with Saint Paul: "Hence there is not 'Gentile and Jew', 'circumcised and uncircumcised', 'Barbarian and Scithyan', 'slave and freeman', but Christ is all things and in all" (Col 3, 11).
Adapting this saying to the American situation, we can say: "There is no American and Arab", but only Christ, and we, Americans and Arabs, are the One Body of Christ. The Arabs remain Arabs: they cannot deny their origin; neither can they loose their identity. They are bearers of a very rich heritage of which they are proud. But at the same time, they became Americans, and they are also proud of this new identity. I personally, am also proud to be Lebanese; but at the same time, I am happy to come to America, and to be enriched by my new American identity. We read in the letter to the Hebrews: "Here we have no permanent city, but we seek the city that is to come" (Heb 13, 14). This city that is to come is the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom of God is to come, but it is already here, though in a mystical way: He is in us! We are all citizens of the one Kingdom of God. In Christ we have become, all who were baptized, a new creature. We are all in pilgrimage on this earth, and our mission is to make the whole humanity a new creation in Christ Jesus by the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has appointed me Eparch of Newton upon my election by our Greek Catholic Melkite Synod. I accepted with joy and love this nomination. When I obtained my Doctorate in Theology in 1976 from the English Department of the University of Louvain in Belgium, after having followed for two years all the courses in English with many Americans who were following the same courses as I, I did not know at that time that God was preparing me to be one day a Bishop in the United States of America. And when I came after obtaining my doctorate in 1976 to visit the late Most Reverend Joseph Tawil and spend one month with him in Boston, I never imagined that I shall be after twenty-eight years his successor as Eparch of Newton.
My dear co-workers, Most Reverend Nicholas Samra and all priests and deacons and subdeacons in the Eparchy; my dear sisters and brothers: I am coming to you to serve you. And the best food I can offer to you in my service is my love, which I hope shall be the reflection of the Love of God the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and the link of unity between all the members of our dear Eparchy. In this love, we are called by God to collaborate for the good of the Church in general and for the prosperity of our Melkite Church in particular. I know that there are many problems that need to be solved. I cannot solve them alone, or immediately, but with you and with love, we can solve the most serious problems. I do not fear to face serious problems. I am used to that, in my long ministry in Baalbeck. And I can say with Saint John the Evangelist: Where there is love, there is no fear.
Dear Brothers, Most Reverend bishops of the other churches, I thank you very much for coming to participate with us in this Liturgy. We are all ministers of the One, Holy Catholic Orthodox and Apostolic Church. And this Church, as Pope John Paul II has said many times, has to breathe with two lungs: East and West. I know what this saying means, having been a member of many ecumenical commissions in the Middle East, and General Reporter of the Synod of Bishops in its special Assembly for Lebanon. And I am still a member of the Commission of Dialogue between the Catholic church and the Assyrian Church of the East.
I thank Most Reverend Bishop John Adel Elya for the service he has done during his ministry as Eparch of Newton. He is now free of this heavy responsibility, and he can have the rest, he has merited. But he remains my dear friend and the dear friend of all of you. And to my other friend, Most Reverend Bishop Nicholas Samra, I say: we will work together in a very cordial collaboration, and be a sign of the unity for the Church.
I thank His Beatitude our Patriarch Gregorios the III, for presiding over this Liturgy. And we shall remain in contact with him and with all the bishops of our Greek Catholic Melkite Synod, so that our Melkite Church can also breathe with two lungs: the one in the Middle East and the one spread all over the world.
May the Love of God the Father and the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.