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Economy|Business and Economy
Lebanon's crippled economy hobbles into new year
With elections scheduled for May, few see meaningful solutions on the horizon to halt the Lebanese pound's downward spiral.
A money-exchange vendor displays Lebanese pound banknotes at his shop in Beirut, Lebanon on November 25, 2021 [Mohamed Azakir/Reuters]
By Kareem Chehayeb
Published On 6 Jan 20226 Jan 2022
Beirut, Lebanon – For more than two years, people in Lebanon with United States dollar accounts in the country's banks have faced severe restrictions on withdrawals, as hard currency dried up and the value of the Lebanese pound plummeted. So when Lebanon's central bank issued a directive last month more than doubling the exchange rate for Lebanese pound withdrawals on dollar deposits, chaos ensued.
In one bank, staff and security struggled to hold down the entrance door, as retired and off-duty soldiers barged through to withdraw savings at the more favourable rate. One off-duty soldier in military garb crawled under their legs to get inside.
While measures like the directive might temporarily assuage angry depositors whose life savings have been trapped in the country's broken banks, experts say it is likely to make soaring inflation – which hit an annual rate of 174 percent in October – even worse. That's because the central bank – the Banque du Liban – may print more pounds to keep up with the surge in demand.
But with elections scheduled for May, experts say such Band-Aid measures are likely to prevail, as politicians attempt to curry favour with angry voters while they drag their heels on meaningful reforms that could draw a line under an economic and financial crisis that has festered for more than two years and only shows signs of deepening in 2022.
Sick for years
The December central bank directive boosted the exchange rate on Lebanese pound withdrawals from dollar savings accounts from 3,900 pounds to $1 to 8,000 pounds to $1. But in a sign of just how desperate Lebanese are to free their savings, that rate is still a massive haircut on the current market value of the Lebanese currency.
Lebanon kicked off the new year with the value of the pound reaching a new all-time low of 30,000 to $1 on the parallel market. A month earlier, it was trading at 23,000 pounds to $1.
The latest downward spiral brings the value of the country's monthly minimum wage to $22.50. But experts note, these are just the latest signs of chronic illness in an economy that's been sick for years.
A protester throws an object at an ATM machine of a bank during a demonstration against growing economic hardship in Sidon, Lebanon on April 29, 2020 [File: Ali Hashisho/Reuters]
"It's really how the country's been run for over a decade," Mike Azar, a senior financial adviser, tells Al Jazeera. "Now we're feeling the effects of it more than before because we have fewer dollars to hide the impact of this mismanagement."
Back in 1997, the Lebanese pound was officially valued at roughly 1,500 to $1 to keep post-civil war hyperinflation at bay and maintain investor confidence throughout the country's reconstruction process.
But that official peg has remained in place even as the pound has crashed on the parallel markets, losing more than 95 percent of its value since October 2019.
Lebanon's dual currency system ultimately failed because the country has long suffered from financial mismanagement and corruption, say experts. The economy came to rely almost entirely on tourism, banking, and remittances from the diaspora to generate revenue and bring in foreign currency.
In August 2019, with remittances drying up, the banks started slapping withdrawal limits on dollar accounts, triggering panic among depositors. By late October of that year, protests swept the country.
Things have only gotten worse since then. The COVID-19 pandemic gutted tourism. Then came the devastating Beirut Port blast in August 2020. All the while, Lebanon's politics have remained paralysed, with successive governments failing to deliver a credible economic reform plan that is a prerequisite for unlocking billions of dollars in desperately needed financial aid, including an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout.
The country's banking system is largely insolvent. The government estimates that losses in the lethargic financial sector since the onset of the currency crisis fall somewhere between $68bn and $69bn.
Jobs have vanished, thousands of businesses have failed, and savings-account values have evaporated, along with the country's middle class. It's estimated that three-quarters of the population now lives in poverty.
Businesses in Lebanon that have somehow managed to keep the doors open face a near-daily struggle to adjust their prices to a currency with no bottom in sight.
"It's very difficult for businesses to price their goods and services in Lebanese pounds with the exchange rate being so volatile and no visibility into the future," Azar tells Al Jazeera.
In the absence of real reform…
Since the onset of the financial crisis in 2019, Lebanon has adopted a handful of official and informal exchange rates, with the official pegged rate rendered futile. Even Banque du Liban Governor Riad Salameh thinks so.
Salameh was once heralded as a financial wizard. Now, a large chunk of the population condemns him for what they see as his financial mismanagement of depositors' money and the country's foreign reserves.
The central bank building in Beirut, Lebanon [File: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters]
For his part, Salameh has deflected blame to the government for failing to step up with a financial reform plan.
The most dominant exchange rate in Lebanon is the parallel market rate, which expands and contracts based on political and economic developments and lacks transparency. The authorities have struggled to crack down on exchange offices using the opaque rate, and the central bank has struggled to convince them to adopt their regulated exchange rate platform, called Sayrafa.
With no viable currency stabilisation efforts afoot, and lack of oversight, financial adviser Michel Kozah told Al Jazeera Lebanon is caught in a "vicious circle".
"The Sayrafa platform is throwing dollars away – these are depositors' money," Kozah said. "And even the banks have their own rates based on that platform. It's crazy."
In the absence of viable recovery and restructuring plans, the Lebanese authorities heavily rely on tourists over the summer and winter to bring hard currency into the country and Lebanese living abroad to wire dollars to their families to help pay the bills.
Meanwhile, the financial pressures on ordinary Lebanese have only intensified as the government has gone broke.
Since last summer, the central bank has gradually lifted subsidies on wheat, gasoline, fuel and medicines. Topping up a petrol tank now costs the equivalent of the monthly minimum wage.
"They are just delaying things, and I think the central bank circulars are to please angry depositors before the [parliamentary] elections [in May]," Kozah said. "But what you need is a full package of reforms with an IMF plan at the end of the day."
Azar echoed similar sentiments, adding that strong social protections and job creation could have offset the negative impact of inflation if a programme had been implemented early on in the crisis.
"To the extent any of the needed reforms cause hardship on certain segments of society, such as increasing electricity tariffs or lifting other subsidies, there would be a social safety net and other support provided as part of the plan," he said. "You would also have external financial support, economic growth, and jobs, which would increase people's purchasing power."
The worst isn't over yet
An IMF delegation will visit Beirut in less than two weeks to continue talks, though the Lebanese government has struggled to implement any key economic and administrative reforms, including a forensic audit of the central bank, a capital controls law, and a ration card programme to offset the impact of lifting subsidies.
And Kozah says Lebanon hasn't seen the worst of inflation yet. About half a million workers in the public sector and security agencies are still compensated at the official pegged exchange rate, and the Lebanese authorities intend to continue gradually lifting subsidies as the central bank's reserves run dry.
"They will have to adjust public sector salaries. They won't be paid to the dollar, but they will inevitably be paid at a rate where they can afford to live," Kozah explained. "The dollar will reach 50,000 pounds – if not more."
Azar even questions if the volatile Lebanese pound is viable as a currency anymore, given luxury retailers have started to only accept payment in US dollars.
"Even if we wake up tomorrow, and the government puts a plan together and executes it correctly, is it reasonable to expect people will put their life savings in pounds in Lebanese banks again?" he asked. "At this point, after more than two years of delays in implementing a single reform and the resulting total collapse of the lira [Lebanese pound], it's difficult to see a viable path to restoring confidence in the lira, which is a precondition to maintaining its utility as a functional currency."


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Updated battle map of the Syrian War: Mid-July update
Home Iraq Germany to end its military flights over Syria and Iraq
Germany to end its military flights over Syria and Iraq
Leith Aboufadel
BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:20 P.M.) – Germany will end its military flights over Syria and Iraq next year, the Reuters News Agency reported this afternoon.
Citing a document from the Germany military, Reuters reported that the European nation will end its reconnaissance and air-to-air refueling missions that are part of the U.S.-led Coalition's operations against the Islamic State in both Iraq and Syria.
According to the Reuters report, the German Air Force will officially end its fights over Syria and Iraq by October 31, 2019.
No reason was given for the German military's abrupt decision to halt all of their flights over Syria and Iraq.
While Germany was a member of the U.S.-led Coalition, they did not carry out any major operations in either Iraq or Syria during the group's major campaign against the Islamic State.
ALSO READ Syrian Air Force resumes airstrikes over northwestern Syria
Editor-in-ChiefSpecializing in Near Eastern Affairs and Economics.
freegypsyman
not correct.
reconaissance is a key task.
moreover, who knows if they have forwarded positions of the SAA
when they were attacked and killed by the US and further terrorist organisations.
Daeshbags-Sux
If US were really after SAA as many seem to phantasm about, there'd be no SAA left and for long.
Saddam's army was finished off within a month and was way bigger. To be frank, if you rule out nukes, you'd need an EU+Russia+China alliance to go after US militaries and it's not sure it would work : it would be very very disputed…
The reason for the decision is obvious : ISIS is technically finished-off as a military force, they just keep a few villages/towns in Syria as last strongholds in Syria.
German law makes it very difficult to get clearance for war actions abroad due to historical reasons.
Usually, they'll be just in support of NATO actions, thus it's very likely to change in near future.
In one year, they can sow a lot of death and destruction.
jimbim
Why wait until okt. 2019. End it by the end of this year.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Medieval Castle Trakošćan
Irena Trkulja
If you choose to visit Zagorje, tour of the castle Trakošćan is inevitable part of it. Trakošćan is located 23 km northeast of Krapina, 40 km southwest of Varaždin. The nearest places are Macelj and Strahinčica. It was built in the late 13th century as a small observation fortress for monitoring the road from Ptuj to Bednja Valley.
Main article photo by: Irena Trkulja Photography
According to legend, Trakošćan was named by Thracian fortress (arx Thacorum) which, as people say, existed in Antique period. Another source claims that it was named after the knights Drachenstein who had power over these regions in the early Middle Ages. The first known record of the owners says that they were counts of Celje, which at that time managed the entire Zagorje county.
Photo by: Irena Trkulja Photography
Soon the family became extinct and Trakošćan shared the fate of their other cities that were changing owners. In this division, Trakošćan as a unique property, belonged to general Jan Vitovac, after that it belonged to Ivaniš Korvin, and he donated it to his viceroy Ivan Gyulay. The family kept the castle through three generations and became extinct in 1566, after that the estate was taken over by the state. King Maximilian awarded Juraj Drašković for his services and gave him the castle. So finally in 1584 Drašković family owned beautiful Trakošćan.
In the second half of the 18th century, when the construction of castles blossomed, Trakošćan became abandoned. Neglected, begins to deteriorate rapidly, and the family again showed interest for their city in the middle of 19th century, in the spirit of new ages, a romantic return to nature and family traditions. Juraj Drašković turned the city into residential castle and surrounding area was turned into a romantic park. The next generations are staying in the castle occasionally, until 1944 when they immigrated to Austria and soon after the castle was nationalized. In 1954 was founded the museum with a permanent exhibition. Today the castle is owned by the Republic of Croatia.
Enough about history of the castle. For a complete tour of the outer and inner area of the castle, the park, the entire lake (you can take a awalk around it or take a ride by a boat with plastic pedals), you will need a lot of time. But it is really worth it, go and take some photos, enjoy in beautiful nature, breath the fresh air and feel alive again!
Castle wouldn't be a castle without an interesting legend about it. The legend of baba Jaga is particularly interesting legend attached to the fort Trakošćan. Here's how baba Jaga saved the fort and all the people from the Turks. In order to conquer Vienna, the Turkish hordes were passing this area, leaving behind a wasteland, widows and orphans. Realizing the danger, the nobility of Trakošćan offered the local people to come to the fort because it had greater defense capabilities. Lifting movable bridges, they closed themselves in the castle and resisted the attacks of the Turks. Who knows for how long this siege would last if baba Jaga didn't take it to her hands. After a few days of the siege, she said to people to bring her a tree stump, several bundles of rye straw and an ax. She said: "People don't worry, you'll see what is about to happen." While she was choping up straw on the stump, uttering strange words, from each of the straw flew out hundreds and thousands of hornets. They flew to Turkey horsemen and infantry who ran away, leaving the fortress unconquered.
If you are a castle lover and you liked this story, you should read a legend about castle Veliki Tabor!
Did you fing something for yourself? Contact us for more information or any other help!


The aim of this page is to look at the claims that are made about the text of the Qur'an.
It is claimed that the Qur'an was collected together straight after the death of Mohammed and has been preserved unchanged ever since. The process of collecting the Qur'an was completed under Uthman , who died in 656 AD, 24 years after Mohammed died.
Even if this claim were true, it is hard to see why it should impress atheists. A book is not true just because it has not changed.
Uthman had variant copies of the Qur'an destroyed. The very fact that there were variant copies means that there could have been changes to the Qur'an. In addition, Uthman only standardised the consonants. The vowels were only added much later.
For example, the Topkapi Manuscript in Istanbul is devoid of vocalisation. The signs denoting the vocalisation must have been added to the Qur'an after the Topkapi manuscript was written.
Nowadays it seems that there are two main readings . The one by Asim of Kufa was adopted in the Egyptian edition in 1924 and the reading by Nafi is used in parts of Africa , other than Egypt. The differences between these Qurans are very small. For examp le , there may be a 'fa' rather than a 'wa', but they do exist.
Being unable to speak Arabic, I can't really comment on the Arabic of the Qur'an. However, it seems that there are many foreign words in the Qur'an. Even the word 'Quran' seems to derive from Syriac. As Sura 12:1 says that the Qur'an is meant to be an Arabic Qur'an, the presence of foreign words is a problem.
This says that 'whatever verses we cancel or cause you to forget, we bring a better or its like'.
This means that parts of the Qur'an override other parts. Why would God cause Mohammed to forget parts of the Qur'an? Why does God have to have two goes at revealing his commands? How can some of God's words be better than others?
Are the words in the Qur'an those we would expect from an all-wise, all-compassionate deity? Take verse 38 in Sura 5 of the Qu'ran. 'As to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example from God, for their crime: a nd God is exalted in power'. There are other barbaric punishments :- Chapter 42:2-4 lays down that fornication is to be punished by 100 lashes.
Verse 45 in Chapter 5 reads as follows 'We ordained therein for them: "Life for life, eye for eye, nose or nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal." But if any one remits the retaliation by way of charity, it is an ac t of atonement for himself. And if any fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (No better than) wrong-doers.
Eye of an eye and life for life is primitive retribution. It is interesting that it is considered good not to carry out the retaliation that God says he himself ordained. Surely if God ordained it, God must think it is good to carry it out.
Verse 60 in the same chapter tells of an even more strange punishment. It seems God turns people into apes and pigs.
Say: "Shall I point out to you something much worse than this, (as judged) by the treatment it received from Allah? those who incurred the curse of Allah and His wrath, those of whom some He transformed into apes and swine, those who worshipped evil ;- these are (many times) worse in rank, and far more astray from the even path!"
Sadly, many Muslim countries are quite poor. This is strange for verse 30 in chapter 17 shows that the Lord provides abundance for people who please him. 'Verily thy Lord doth provide sustenance in abundance for whom He pleaseth, and He provideth in a just measure. For He doth know and regard all His servants.' Perhaps poor Muslim countries are full of people who do not please Allah?
I hope I have shown that the text of the Qur'an has not been transmitted perfectly , despite attempts by Muslims to destroy all variant copies. I hope I have also shown, with these few short extracts, that the words in the Qur'an are not the words w e would expect from an all-knowing, all-compassionate God, regardless of how well they have been transmitted.
I just finished reading your article on the Qur'an 'The text of the Quran'. I do admire your attempt to prove that Qur'an is not preserved. I was expecting more scholarly references from this article, however I was disappointed. It should further be n oted that the preservation of the Qur'an is NOT the only proof that Qur'an is a Divine Revelation.
The article has been Awarded or recognized as the 'Article of the Month of July 1998' by BIC (Belfast Islamic Community) one of the most popular islamic web sites in the world.
Comments on this article by Prof.Howard Bromberg, Professor of Law at University of Michigan: "I congratulate you on the article you wrote on the "Preservation of the Qur'an." It is the most forceful, cogently written, and logical prese n tation of the Islamic position that I have yet to read". (Feb.17th, '98).
Hope you find interesting info. in the above two links.
I have enjoyed reading your article (s) on the Bible 'Which bible?.


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Short Story Insights
About Short Story Insights
Short Thoughts on Short Stories
How I Came to Love Short Stories
Favorite Short Story Collections
Favorite Short Stories
Short Story Resources
The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"It is one of the things she has come to love about America, the abundance of unreasonable hope."
"Imitation" (p. 26)
www.hrw.org
The 12 stories in this collection explore what it means to be Nigerian, whether living in Nigeria or as an immigrant in the United States. In the three strongest stories in this collection—"The Thing Around Your Neck," "The Arrangers of Marriage," and "Imitation,"—Nigerian women coming to the United States struggle to negotiate a strange and confusing new culture and land.
The Nigeria in these stories is the Nigeria that Adichie heard about as she was growing up. Both of her grandfathers died as refugees in Biagra. "I grew up in the shadow of Biafra. I grew up hearing 'before the war' and 'after the war' stories; it was as if the war had somehow divided the memories of my family," she writes. The Nigeria-Biafra War, which ended seven years before her birth, resulted in the deaths of more than 3 million people, mainly from starvation and disease.
The impact of this trauma is felt by Adichie's characters who have friends and relatives, including children, who were killed during the war; continue to work but receive no paychecks; live in an atmosphere of unrest, bribery, and corruption; disappear when they have the courage to tell the truth; are sold fake drugs to cure illnesses; live surrounded by hunger and poverty; and continue to cope with the "deep scars of colonialism."
Some of Adichie's characters choose to leave their wartorn home country and emigrate to the United States. These are the most interesting and well-developed characters in this collection, especially the women protagonists.
Aciche writes the title story in second person, sweeping readers into the story and making it very personal and powerful from the beginning:
You thought everybody in America had a car and a gun; your uncles and aunts and cousins thought so, too. Right after you won the American visa lottery, they told you: In a month, you will have a big car. Soon, a big house. But don't buy a gun like those Americans. (p. 115)
"You" go through a series of experiences with the protagonist, but none of them are what you anticipated when you were the envy of your family, winning the lottery to go to the country where you would surely get rich quickly and "bring them handbags and shoes and perfumes and clothes" on return visits.
In "Imitation" Nkem learns that while her husband travels back and forth between Nigeria and the United States for his business, he has taken a young mistress to live in their home in Nigeria. She loved it when she had married into an elite group—the Rich Nigerian Men Who Sent Their Wives to America to Have Their Babies league. When she and Obiora bought a lovely suburban home "with sprinklers that make perfect water arcs in the summer," (p. 34) Nkem joined another coveted group—the Rich Nigerian Men Who Owned Houses in America league. She never dreamed she would have a housemaid or that her children "would go to school sit side by side with white children whose parents owned mansions on lonely hills, never imagined this life." (p. 27) But it is not enough. Her husband spends more time in Nigeria than in the United States with his family. "'Can we compress marriage?'" she wants to know of her husband. (p. 41) But she already knows the answer.
The Nigerian immigrant who narrates "The Arrangers of Marriage" comes to the United States to begin an arranged marriage, thinking she is marrying a doctor but quickly learns that he has not completed his internship. He lives in a "furniture-challenged flat" and drives a car that rattles as if parts are coming loose. He has Americanized her name from Chinaza Okafor to Agatha Bell and insists that she speak English, not Igbo. "'If you want to get anywhere you have to be as mainstream as possible,'" he tells her. "'If not, you will be left by the roadside.'" (p. 172). When she cooks coconut rice and pepper soup, her husband objects, saying he doesn't want to be known as the "'people who fill the building with smells of foreign food'" (p. 179). He'd rather eat pizza and Big Macs. When she wonders why her work permit has not arrived, her husband reveals he was married before and the divorce has not been finalized. She flees to a friend's apartment who assures her that in the United States she is not obligated to stay in an unhappy arrangement. "'You can apply for benefits while you get your shit together,'" she says, "'and then you'll get a job and find a place and support yourself and start afresh. This is the U. S of fucking A., for God's sake.'" (p. 186).
Like so many characters in immigrant stories written by Jumpha Lahari, Chitra Divakaruni, and others, the United States the women protagonists in these stories anticipated before they came is not the one they find once they arrive. While adjustment to American culture may be daunting, however, the women in these stories each develop a strength of independence and a belief in their own abilities to make decisions that will govern the future course of their lives. For "you" in "The Thing Around Your Neck" the decision is to return to Nigeria without handbags and shoes and perfumes and clothes to show your newfound wealth. For Nkem the decision is to leave the Rich Nigerian Men Who Owned Houses in America club and strike out on her own, not knowing what the future may bring but unwilling to living in a "compressed marriage." And for Chinaza the decision is to "start afresh" in the "U. S of fucking A" when her arranged marriage starts to crumble.
"The Thing Around Your Neck" is the most impressive story in this collection. As a reader of this story, "you" become a young Nigerian woman whose friends and family envied you for winning the American visa lottery. But the United States you discover is not one to envy. After your American uncle sexually assaults you, you leave his house and only have enough money to rent a tiny room with a stained carpet. "The thing around your neck" that your uncle inflicted upon you continues to haunt you, especially at night.
Your job as a waitress doesn't pay enough for you to buy these things so you feel too ashamed to write to anyone. Your dream of going to a community college is dashed so you go to the library and read some of the books. You want to write your friends and family about the rich Americans who are thin and the poor Americans who are fat; about the Americans who guess you are African and tell you they love elephants and want to go on a safari; about how you often feel invisible; about how you often sit on your lumpy mattress and think about home.
When you do finally write, you discover your father died five months ago. You curl up in bed and wonder what trivial thing you were doing in this strange country on the day he died. You buy an airline ticket to go home to see your family and it is for one way.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Writing Style
Adichie's writing style is engaging and straightforward. She has the wonderful ability to draw readers inside the minds of her characters, especially immigrants, and see the United States through a new lens, the way these often culture-shocked, intimidated women do when they first arrive. In this passage, the narrator of "The Arrangers of Marriage" describes her first visit to a mall food court:
We ate the pizza sitting at a small round table in what he called a "food court." A sea of people sitting around circular tables, hunched over paper plates of greasy food. Uncle Ike would be horrified at the thought of eating here; he was a titled man and did not even eat at weddings unless he was served in a private room. There was something humiliatingly public, something lacking in dignity, about this place, this open space of too many tables and too much food. (p. 176)
Adichie is also very skilled at writing simple but compelling story beginnings that entice readers to keep reading. In addition to the excellent opening of the title story, here are two others I especially liked:
Here is the opening paragraph of "Imitation":
Nkem is staring the bulging, slanted eyes of the Benin mask on the living room mantel as she learns about her husband's girlfriend. (p. 22)
And the first two sentences of "A Private Experience":
Chika climbs in through the store window first and then holds the shutter as the woman climbs in after her. The store looks as if it was deserted long before the riots started…. (p. 43)
About Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
lectures.princeton.edu
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an award-winning Nigerian writer who divides her time between living in Nigeria and the United States. Adichie says she "didn't ever consciously decide to pursue writing. I've been writing since I was old enough to spell, and just sitting down and writing made me feel incredibly fulfilled." Around the age of seven, Adichie said, "I wrote exactly the kinds of stories I was reading: All my characters were white and blue-eyed, they played in the snow, they ate apples, and they talked a lot about the weather: how lovely it was that the sun had come out. This despite the fact that I lived in Nigeria; we didn't have snow, we ate mangoes, and we never talked about the weather, because there was no need to."
It was not until Adichie was ten years old when she read Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart that she began to realize that "'people who looked like me could live in books.' She has been writing about Africa ever since." By the time she was 21 years old, Adichie had published a collection of poems and a play. She studied in both Nigeria and the United States, earning masters degrees in creative writing and African studies.
Her two novels, Purple Hibiscus (2003) and Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), are both set in Nigeria and won several awards. Her most recent novel, Americanah, (2013), which explores issues or race, identify, and love in post 9/11 Nigeria and the United States, has also won awards. The Thing Around Your Neck is her first collection of short stories.
Selected The Thing Around Your Neck Reviews
The Thing Around Your Neck
The Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Website
I am an avid reader with a special interest in the short story genre.
I am a semi-retired freelance writer, editor, and researcher (susannecarter.com). I have a masters degree in English with an emphasis in English.
I now live in Dunedin, FL and am an active volunteer in literacy, dog rescue, and dog therapy projects. When I'm not freelancing, volunteering, working on renovating our 1920s house, gardening, hiking on the Pinellas Trail, watching egrets on the coast, or grilling grouper, I'm reading short stories.


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Q: TLS .Net Applications, does it select based on connection or app? Ok, so, we have one of those famous TLS issues going on.   My question though is when does an app (or asmx in this case) elect what protocols to use?   For example, in our asmx, the first thing it tries to do is to look up some information in one of our local SQL servers, that hasn't been patched to allow TLSv1.2 yet.   It looks like it is using TLSv1.0 to handle that connection.   Then, it turns around and makes a call to an external web service, that is only allowing TLSv1.2 but fails.  It looks like the app has downgraded everything to using TLSv1.0 because of the SQL connection so when it gets to the external web service it fails to negotiate.
Sound about right?
If that's the case then, enabling TLSv1.2 on the SQL servers would be the best course of action, then everything would talk on TLSv1.2.
Just looking for conformation of my suspicions.
Thanks,
Nick

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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← PCS 281-282: Brief Instruction and Dialogue
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The Sequence of Christian Initiation: Confirmation Before First Communion?
Posted on 6 February 2009 by catholicsensibility
(This is Neil) Please join me in keeping Michael Dubruiel, Amy Welborn, and their family in your prayers. Michael Dubruiel's final column, a moving reflection on trust, can be read here. You should read it before continuing with this post. Dubruiel's books can be ordered through the Our Sunday Visitor web store here.
This post is meant to ask a single question: Should we receive Confirmation before or after we receive First Communion? While the sequence of these sacraments is not a matter of dogma, the answer is not necessarily unimportant. The answer, I think, will partly reveal our theology of the sacrament of Confirmation, a sacrament that, as Todd wrote earlier this month, is often described as "in search of a theology" (a somewhat perilous situation to be sure). This post will be indebted to a very interesting short article by Fr Paul Turner that originally appeared in the March 2008 Worship and is available on his website.
It might seem rather odd that there isn't a clear answer to the question of when the sacrament of Confirmation should be received. But such is the case. In his apostolic exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis (2007), Pope Benedict noted that the "ecclesial customs of the East" differ from "the practice of the West." As we shall see, there have also been variances in the "practice of the West." The Pope says, "Concretely, it needs to be seen which practice better enables the faithful to put the sacrament of the Eucharist at the centre, as the goal of the whole process of initiation."
Furthermore, it might seem rather odd that we are still "in search of a theology" of Confirmation. But, again, such is the case. In 1998, during a meeting of the US Bishops, the now-retired Bishop Emil Wcela said that he "asked Cardinal Ratzinger if there was any movement in Rome toward a theological or general, universal understanding of what the Sacrament of Confirmation meant. He said … the time was not yet ripe – not mature yet for a decision." In his article, Fr Turner notes that Benedict, in Sacramentum Caritatis, is able to relate most of the sacraments to the "central" sacrament of the Eucharist – the Eucharist perfects the gifts received at Baptism, the Eucharist, the Pope says, links the marriage bond "to the eucharistic unity of Christ the Bridegroom and his Bride, the Church," and so on. But, while the Pope declares that our reception of Confirmation must be "ordered to the Eucharist," it isn't clear how this should be the case. It still seems that we are searching for a "theological or general, universal understanding."
It seems as though the situation might be clarified in time. But how did we end up here? By the 19th century, the ancient practice of Latin Rite bishops confirming infants was very rarely seen. The minimum age for confirmation was generally considered to be seven years, although the age fluctuated, and many people simply went unconfirmed. By the middle of the century, Fr Turner tells us, regional church councils sought to clarify the relationship between Confirmation and First Communion. They generally thought that First Communion came first. Why? The Council of Tours in 1849 said:
In order that the faithful may obtain more abundant fruit from the confirmation they have received, we decree that no one may be admitted to the sacrament until he or she comes to first communion, unless of course a grave reason argues otherwise in the judgment of the bishop.
The Council of Prague in 1860 likewise appealed to practical reasons:
For confirmation has been ordained for this in the first place, that we may be found instructed in its power and prepared when we must fight for the faith of Christ. No one prudently judges children who lack the use of reason to be fit for this kind of battle. Children who have obtained the use of reason, for whom the riches of receiving this sacrament are rather frequently offered, should not easily be brought to the mysteries of holy chrism without reasonable cause before they have been admitted to first communion.
In the Diocese of Mende (1863), in southeast France, some practical reasons that will sound quite familiar to us were given to put off Confirmation:
It is often good and useful not to admit children to confirmation immediately after first communion, in order to keep them longer in catechism class and thus to complete their religious education.
The problem with these practical reasons is that they can lead to semi-Pelagianism. The sacrament of Confirmation turns into a mere ratification or recognition of human achievement – reaching a certain standard of rationality or natural age (see, perhaps, the justifiable concern of our present Catechism, n. 308). Furthermore, the reception of Confirmation after First Communion did challenge historical precedent. Rome generally wanted Confirmation to precede First Communion because of tradition. In an alternative history, the First Vatican Council would have taken up the matter (although one does hesitate before using "First Vatican Council" and "alternative history" in the same sentence). In any case, the Council did not and nothing was promulgated about the practice. But a schema for the Council reads:
Since in some places a custom contrary to the perpetual practice of the church has grown up, in which confirmation is administered by an absurd order only to those who have already been admitted to the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist, we wish this to be corrected completely; especially since one who has already begun to fight against the enemy should not be kept from armor. It should be clear, as St Thomas Aquinas says, that many in the age of childhood have fought bravely for the sake of Christ because of the strength of the Holy Spirit they have received.
Likewise, Pope Leo XIII wrote to the Bishop of Marseilles, approving his decision to celebrate Confirmation before First Communion. The Pope noted – as had the schema – that the "faithful, even from the tender years, have a need 'to be clothed with strength from on high.'" Leo also wrote, "Moreover, adolescents having thus been confirmed become more conformable to understanding precepts, and more fit for receiving the Eucharist afterwards, and they grasp more abundant benefits from what they receive." Most directly, in 1932, the Sacred Congregation on Sacraments said, "It is truly opportune and more conformable to the nature and effects of the sacrament of confirmation, that children should only approach the sacred table for the first time after the reception of the sacrament of confirmation …"
As Fr Turner says, we see two tendencies. Regional councils postpone Confirmation for practical reasons. Rome argues the opposite for traditional reasons. What about Vatican II? There isn't anything from the Second Vatican Council that would mandate receiving Confirmation after First Communion, save, perhaps, for a line about Christian initiation being "completed" in Confirmation (in the Rite of Confirmation). Turner writes, "Every other statement from the Council, and even the ordering of chapters in the Code of Canon Law, places confirmation between baptism and first communion." And Presbyterorum Ordinis would seem to suggest that the Eucharist brings Christian initiation to completion. One can also say that, after the Second Vatican Council, Latin Rite Christians should also be more aware of the more continuous practice in the Eastern Church, where Confirmation is celebrated before First Communion.
We do have another consideration, as Pope Benedict reminded us in Sacramentum Caritatis: What practice is more likely to make us realize the centrality of the Eucharist?
What do you think? When should the faithful receive the sacrament of Confirmation? How should we sequence the sacraments of Christian initiation? (Presently, Confirmation is received before Holy Communion in all Eastern rites, and, in the Latin rite, when the three sacraments of initiation are received together).
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16 Responses to The Sequence of Christian Initiation: Confirmation Before First Communion?
Interesting post. I don't know what the best solution is. If we went to the Eastern practice, or reversed the sequence to Confirmation before Eucharist, we would certainly need to rethink the way we catechize young people (not a bad idea anyway). I wonder if it would not also, in practical terms, eliminate the bishop as the ordinary minister of the sacrament of Confirmation?
Most of the sources you mention date from the time before Pope Pius X lowered the age of First Communion. So those texts probably assume that the normal age for First Communion was about 12. Especially in large dioceses or mission areas, if you had to wait for Confirmation by the bishop before being admitted to the Eucharist, it could be a very long wait. (In that respect, the Eucharist-first sequence DID stress the centrality of the Eucharist, not as the 'goal', but as essential. The requirement of yearly Communion goes back to Lateran IV in 1215 …)
Also, do I remember correctly that in Eastern practice, little ones receive all three sacraments at the time of baptism, then receive the Eucharist freely until they are old enough for the sacrament of Penance, and then follow the grown-up discipline with regard to confession and communion?
Dear Katherine,
Thanks, as always, for writing.
1. I agree that we would need to "rethink the way we catechize young people." And I agree that such a reconsideration wouldn't be a "bad idea," even if might be initially unpopular. I am rather pessimistic about the present state of catechesis. And I really do worry about the semi-Pelagianism of certain theologies of Confirmation.
2. Of course, you're right that the 19th century sources predate Quam Singulari and the lowering of the age of First Communion to 7. Turner does mention this in the Worship article and his book.
What, then, of the bishop as "ordinary minister of the sacrament of Confirmation" and the possibility of a really "long wait"? Honestly, I have no real solution. My unrealistic solution would be to rethink the size of our extraordinarily large dioceses. The bishop's role as "ordinary minister of the sacrament of Confirmation" could then be obviously related to his role as prime presider over the Eucharist.
As it is, our bishops are more like distant coordinators and administrators of a very large number of parishes. With some Orthodox theologians – Zizioulas, Schmemann – I am uncomfortable with this development, and I tend to think of the problem of waiting for Confirmation as symptomatic of this underlying problem.
3. I believe that you are right about Eastern practice.
Thanks again. BTW, did you ever receive the earlier article from Liturgy that you asked about? (My e-mail was initially returned.)
7 February 2009 at 12:24 pm
Excellent thoughts, excellent open questions. Another open question is whether we could benefit from a clearer articulation of the sacramental of chrismation in the Roman rite of baptism vis-a-vis the sacrament of Confirmation.
And there are aspects of the sacrament of Confirmation as understood in common Catholic conversation that might be better served by re-development of the former sacramental of foot washing, or whether that would be a sacramental linked to a sacrament the way chrismation is linked to Baptism in the Roman rite.
I lean towards moving confirmation before communion.
And I, of course, completely agree about re-thinking diocesan sizes (administrative functions can be grouped for efficiency's sake at the metropolitan or regional or even national episcopal level – this would, of course, mean authority over them would have be more synodal than lone-ranger in nature (many ordinaries would chafe at that), unless an archdeacon were constituted for oversight).
Dear Liam,
Thanks for writing; it is always good to hear from you.
1. I think that we would agree about re-thinking diocesan sizes. Of course, our discussion would not have any practical consequences. But I would say that one of the major (and undiscussed) problems in American Catholicism is that our dioceses are too large, and so are many of our parishes.
2. One possible consideration – again, unrealistic – is to think about bishops confiding the administration of Confirmation to priests. To be sure, some would argue that bishops really should administer Confirmation, since they are clearly the successors of the apostles and have been given the fullness of Holy Orders. And, yes, they have a point.
But there is precedent for bishops delegating Confirmation to priests. Canon 863 says, "The baptism of adults, at least of those who have completed their fourteenth year, is to be deferred to the diocesan bishop so that he himself administers it if he has judged it Expedient." Needless to say, most adult baptisms are presently not administered by the bishop.
Canon 882 says, "The ordinary minister of confirmation is a bishop; a presbyter provided with this faculty in virtue of universal law or the special grant of the competent authority also confers this sacrament validly."
Can't more presbyters be provided with this "faculty"?
3. I must admit to being so ignorant of the sacramental of chrismation in the Roman Rite that I can't speculate about the fruits of its clearer articulation.
But I do like the direction of your thought about exploring other sacramentals to take the place of late Confirmation.
Let's take a good (although ultimately unconvincing) argument for late Confirmation. In a Theological Studies article, William Levada, now prefect of the CDF, wrote:
But we should also consider – perhaps especially in the US – the ecumenical situation of Reformation communities like the Baptists, who reject altogether the practice of infant baptism as unbiblical, or Lutherans and others who maintain the practice of confirmation of adolescents. Could not confirmation as the completion of infant initiation, at a time when personal faith and conversion to the Lord Jesus are possible, be seen as ecumenically more senstitive to the traditions coming from the Reformation which are so prominent in the US?
If we suggest earlier Confirmation, so that it is received before First Communion, we will need to articulate a sacramental to express "personal faith and conversion" during, say, adolescence. Perhaps, like in some ecclesial communities, our young people can make a confession before the Church and receive a Bible. Or, perhaps, there is your example of foot washing.
Deacon Eric says:
Neil made mention of the pragmatic considerations of the Diocese of Mende, which based their decision on the ability to keep children in catechism classes longer. And that argument will have a strong undercurrent of support for people who want a Catholic Bar/Bat Mitzvah, signifying a "graduation" from religious education. Of course none of this is consistent with our tradition. It reminds me of priests who move the distribution of ashes on Ash Wednesday to the end of Mass rather than its proper place in the liturgy so people won't leave before the collection.
I suggest there is a further issue of pragmatism that will ultimately doom any chance of restoring the ancient sequence of initiation for children. What bishop wants to incur the ire of parents who will feel they have been robbed of the opportunity to dress up their second-graders in First Communion outfits and have the resulting photographs? Or the ability to use Confirmation as a way to keep their teenagers in religious education? These parents are not concerned with the theology of the sacraments; they want the customs, which they probably think are of ancient origin. And it will be a rare bishop indeed who will risk their anger.
Dear Deacon Eric,
Thank you for writing – sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I am sure that you are right about pragmatism. And I do realize that there are more pressing issues for most bishops.
But, if I were to have a conversation with a bishop on this matter, I would say:
1. In my experience, many ex-Catholics or alienated Catholics believe that the Catholic Church teaches some form of Pelagianism, or at least semi-Pelagianism. This is a pastoral disaster. The present placement of Confirmation contributes to this.
2. Also in my experience, many ex-Catholics or alienated Catholics believe that the Catholic Church is a rather Darwinian institution that makes decisions to maintain its power and influence. Making decisions about sacraments to "keep children in catechism classes" or maintain customs that are of recent vintage and have little theological merit contributes to this perception.
3. I think that the sustainability of a certain sort of "cultural" Catholicism – First Communion outfits, etc – is in rapid decline.
Thanks for your comments and writings elsewhere.
Neil, I'm with you man! I'd add that we'll never get back to a sustained understanding of the importance of baptism throughout our lives without returning to the ancient progression. As long as the sacraments of initiation are perceived as separate islands in one's childhood, unrelated to each other, the importance of initiation can never be effectively communicated.
Thanks again for writing. I'll try to post more about this in the future. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I would love to hear from our Eastern brothers and sisters how they mentor their young people into adulthood in the church.
My one concern about a shift back to the original practice would be that it might be done abruptly, without adequate catechesis and sensitivity, or recognition of the gap the change leaves somewhere else.
For all the problems with present practice, it seems to me it does one good thing in regard to another problem — bishops being distant coordinators/administrators. In our diocese, the bishop spends a lot of time on the road, going to parishes for confirmation. Especially at a weekend liturgy, that brings him into the heart of the parish's life, and gives him a chance to spend some time with the people — not just the confirmands, but the parish family as a whole.
Neil, no, the article didn't come through. (Our email system can be finicky.) But I am still interested.
Thanks for your response. I'll try to see if I can find more information about confirmation and mentorship in the Eastern Church.
I'll send the article again tomorrow.
Jim McK says:
I've been away for a week, and already posted something on this in response to Todd. But I can clarify here.
The 'sacramental of christmation' to which Liam refers is accompanied by a prayer about becoming the Anointed = the prophet priest and king. This obviously is signified by anointing rather than water, and so is a way to convey a meaning that is associated with "Baptism". (Baptism has two meanings — 1> immersion in water; and 2> the whole ritual including chrism, clothing, candle, etc. It is not clear that the meaning of 'prophet, priest and king' was ever associated with baptism in the first sense during Christianity's first millennium.)
For those initiated with catechesis, non-infants, this sacramental is dropped and only the sacrament of confirmation is given. Does the "prophet priest and king" meaning apply here to confirmation as an anointing?
(These questions are probably complicated by the Polish practice of referring to Baptism as Christening, thus making the chrism rather than water the significant element.)
As you can see, there are two basic theologies for these anointings. The prophet priest king or strengthening. These are not incompatible meanings, but I believe they developed out of two distinct cultures coming together. The Semitic cultures, including Israel, had a sense of conferring authority with the act of anointing. Hellenic culture otoh used anointing as preparation for athletic exercises, esp. wrestling. Both fields of meaning are used in St Paul and St Ignatius of Antioch, ie very early. But the west favored confirmation, strengthening, while the east favored the semitic usage.
Sorry to being going on like this, but early Christianity was quite dynamic in developing these notions; now they are almost lost and I am tripping over myself explaining them.
Anyway, I think chrismation as prophet priest and king is the core meaning of the sacrament; it is what was lost in terms of confirmation's theology as it drifted to baptism. It is only one with authority who can misuse authority, ie sin, so reconciliation can only follow the sacrament of chrismation, and Eucharist follows reconciliation.
But if strengthening is going to be your core meaning for the sacrament, you have already lost the dynamic of the early church, and there will never be a coherent theology,
Dear Jim McK,
Thanks for writing. I am afraid that I don't know enough about chrismation to respond in a constructive way. Would you recommend any particular reading on the subject?
Dear Nail,
RCIA 319 says "If the confirmation of those baptized is separated from their baptism, the celebrant anoints them with chrism immediately after baptism…"
I assume this is what Liam meant by the "sacramental of chrismation." It is what I am referring to when I use the term, except I am also referring to the sacrament of Chrismation in the Eastern Churches which occurs at the same moment, and has at least since the time of Tertullian. (who is from the west) Chrismation in the East is generally understood to be what is called Confirmation in the West.
Confusion about the anointing with chrism in Confirmation cannot be dispelled without addressing the anointing with chrism in baptism, imo. The norm is adult baptism, where confirmation is administered after baptism. Infants who are confirmed at a different time than their baptism receive two anointings with chrism in place of the one received by an adult.
The prayer accompanying western chrismation asks that the recipient "may remain forever a member of Christ who is Priest, Prophet and King."
JP2's apostolic exhortation Christifideles Laici talks about the meaning of the anointing in baptism and confirmation in p. 14 ff. I take it that the meaning expounded upon is in chrismation, but also in confirmation administered immediately after baptism.
I hope I am not being too persnickety, but I think any discussion of Confirmation has to understand the norm (in Adults) as well as the most prevalent form, in those baptized as infants.
Jim M
Yes, that was what I intended – in the Roman rite's baptism of infants, there is a sacramental of chrismation (which is required for the liceity of the baptism, but not its validity), whereas chrismation is a mystery/sacrament in the Eastern churches.
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Soundsonline-Forums > Topics > What's New
Sound On Sound : EastWest : Doug Rogers - The Man Behind the Brand
nviolette
EASTWEST: The Man Behind The Brand
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/webextras/doug-rogers
Doug Rogers of Eastwest celebrates 25 years at the top
Founded in 1988, Doug Rogers' EASTWEST company pioneered the creation of realistic, playable sample-based instruments — 25 years on they remain the undisputed market leader.
Every time you hit a key on a controller and hear a snare drum, flute, piano or oboe, you can thank Doug Rogers and Adam Smith. Smith because the classical economist so elegantly elucidated how the market will organically find the solutions it needs, and Rogers because he equally elegantly not only figured out how to get those instruments into your computer but also realised that you wanted them there in the first place.
Rogers settled his family in the States in 1984, mostly in Los Angeles where they live now, after a few years of really, really long back-and-forths between there and his native Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, where he worked in his Harlequin Studios engineering and producing hits for local artists who managed to break through the distance Down Under, like Split Enz. It was an era before computers were commonplace in studios and sampling was both a complicated affair and regarded as a bit of a dodgy practice, as well.
Released in 1990, EASTWEST's first 'celebrity engineer' collaboration was an instant hit.
'People were sampling bits of records and it was looked down upon by a lot of people as a kind of stealing,' he recalls of sampling's early days, when riffs and vocal bits were grabbed onto tape, digitised and triggered from early playback devices from companies like Akai and Emu. But I could see it coming,' he says of the looming shift to digitised instruments. 'It was as clear to me as the shift from typewriters to computers. That's where instruments were headed, too.' Read More
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There are many ways for our readers to get "on purpose" with affordable golf carts Florida every day of their lives. This can happen in Port Charlotte or in any other city of their choosing. But what exactly is meant by the term "getting on purpose" anyway? Seeing as this is the first blog post on this blog it would perhaps behoove me to explain this term so that everyone can understand it as well as use this post as a reference in the future. Essentially what I mean by the term "getting on purpose" is putting yourself in the right mind set for success.
So the question now becomes, how does one get "on purpose" with a golf cart in the city of Port Charlotte? The answer to this question is fairly straight forward. We all know that golf carts are an effective means of getting from one location to another so long as both locations are in relatively close proximity. Moreover, as long as the weather is amenable and the golf cart is fully charged or its gas tank is completely full (if it happens to be gas powered) a golf cart can be a particularly effective means of both transportation as well as getting "on purpose".
But how (you may ask) would the use of a golf cart put someone in the right mind set for achieving success? This is a perfectly reasonable question to ask and I am glad you asked about it. All I can offer by means of an explanation is that we all know how frustrating it can be to not be able to get where you need to get to. If you do not have a golf cart to transport you in that instance then you will not be able to get "on purpose".


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Congressional Republicans Have Found Their Red Line
The GOP seems relieved to have bipartisan agreement—and to distance itself a bit from Donald Trump.
By Elaine Godfrey
It was fair, last week, to question whether Republicans in Congress would condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, because the party's de facto leader was praising Vladimir Putin's aggression as "genius" and "wonderful." Yet instead of falling in line behind Donald Trump, most congressional Republicans have denounced Putin just as loudly as Democrats have.
This fact would not have been surprising just a few years ago. But it's one of the more meaningful distinctions that rank-and-file members of the party have drawn recently between themselves and the former president, a man with an almost preternatural ability to turn anyone who questions him into a political pariah. At least temporarily, the war in Ukraine has established a cease-fire between America's ever-dueling parties, and lowered the temperature on Capitol Hill by a few degrees. Many Republicans seem relieved, both for the reprieve and for the chance to distance themselves a bit from Trump. The break probably won't last long.
"There's zero support for Putin," Representative Steve Chabot of Ohio told me Wednesday. He and other members I interviewed compared the past few days in Congress to the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. "The country pulled together then, and to a considerable degree the country is pulling together" now, he said. "We're generally united in a mission to help Ukraine as much as we can," Representative John Katko of New York told me with a grin. "It's kind of inspiring. It makes you feel good!"
A small minority on the right have been squishy on Ukraine and how to view Putin's aggression. Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming has referred to this group as the "Putin wing" of the party. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, for example, recently addressed a conference organized by a white nationalist who supports Putin; attendees chanted the Russian president's name and Greene said nothing. Last month, Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida asked the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando about the necessity of defending Ukraine. Outside of Congress, Trump allies such as Tucker Carlson have spent weeks defending Putin.
Anne Applebaum: Tucker Carlson is stirring up hatred of America
But this small minority is, well, very small. Like members of the American public, Republicans and Democrats in Congress are in widespread agreement that piling harsh economic sanctions on Russia is the appropriate response to Putin's aggression. Pretty much no one is agitating to put U.S. boots on Ukrainian soil. "It's sort of all in, short of sending American troops," GOP Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma told my colleague Russell Berman last week, adding that the bipartisan consensus extended to high-level classified briefings with top Biden-administration officials. President Joe Biden has even drawn praise from a handful of Republicans for his handling of the crisis. The part of Biden's State of the Union speech about Ukraine "was wonderful," Katko told me. When members of both parties stood to applaud, "it was nice to see the unity on the House floor." It's great, Representative Debbie Lesko of Arizona, another Republican, told me, "when we can agree on things, and there's not always debate over every single thing."
At this point, the remaining debate in Lesko's party is more about how far the United States should go in opposing Putin, not whether to oppose him. This also gives Republicans space to criticize the Biden administration's approach at least a bit, which is in their interest in an election year. Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi have called for the U.S. to enforce a no-fly zone above Ukraine. Senator Rick Scott of Florida said that no option—even deploying troops—should be off the table. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina suggested in a tweet that someone in Russia should pull a Brutus and assassinate Putin.
Many Republicans seem quite happy—eager, even—to use Ukraine as a way to distance themselves from Trump. In normal times, many of them have had difficulty mustering the will to challenge the former president when they might want to, given how much political power he wields. But in this particular case, questioning the GOP figurehead is safe. On Ukraine, Trump has been out of step with most Americans. "I agree with [Mike] Pence, that there's no room in our party for apologists for Putin," Representative Mike Simpson of Idaho told me when I asked about Trump's comments. "Is most of the Republican conference with you on that?" I followed up. "Yep," Simpson quickly replied. Katko, from New York, was more direct: "Putin isn't a genius, and neither is Trump."
Read: Alexander Vindman: Trump is Putin's 'useful idiot'
For the past week, the war in Eastern Europe has suppressed the salience of some of the most divisive debates happening on and off Capitol Hill, about reviving Biden's "Build Back Better" domestic agenda and new developments in the January 6 investigation. The massive spending deal that Congress is expected to pass soon will include $13.6 billion in support for Ukraine—nearly $4 billion more than the White House requested from Congress.
But this détente won't continue much longer. Soon, Republicans will be criticizing the Biden administration for rising gas prices as a result of Russia sanctions, and encouraging more domestic drilling. Democrats will argue that the war and gas companies' rising profits are directly to blame. Congress's united front was inspiring, as Katko said—while it lasted.


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Italy and France in the Broader Mediterranean
The event, promoted by Med-Or, the Embassy of France to Italy and Formiche, was held on 13 July at the Foundation's headquarters.
On Wednesday, July 13th the panel "Italy and France in the Broader Mediterranean", promoted by Med-Or, the Embassy of France to Italy and Formiche, was held in Rome at the Med-Or Foundation's headquarters. The panel also debated Gilles Kepel's book "Il ritorno del Profeta. Perché il destino dell'Occidente si decide in Medio Oriente".
The speakers were Marco Minniti, Chairman of Med-Or Foundation; Christian Masset, Ambassador of France to Italy; Gilles Kepel, Professor at the Université Paris Sciences et Lettres and Special Envoy of President Emmanuel Macron for the Mediterranean; Gilles Gressani, Director of 'Le Grand Continent'; Maurizio Molinari, Director of 'La Repubblica'.
Flavia Giacobbe, Director of 'Formiche' magazine, moderated the panel.
The economy of India between emigration and remittances
From workers' remittances to study abroad visas: India turns emigration into a strength for its economy. An analysis by Guido Bolaffi.
Italy, Somalia. A special relationship: The event by Med-Or Foundation with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
On Friday 10 February, the event organised by Med-Or Foundation "Italy, Somalia. A special relationship", will be held at Luiss Guido Carli University, with the participation of the President of the Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Med-Or Foundation signed a Letter of Intent with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Med-Or Foundation Chairman, Marco Minniti, and the Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Kais Abu Dayyeh, signed a Letter of Intent for cooperation in the fields of academic and professional education and in projects aimed at developing the capacity building of Jordan
Med-Or Leonardo Foundation
Via Cola di Rienzo 9/11 - 00192 Rome - Italy
| Ethics and compliance


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Here's a quick interview with Jeff Spoonhower from the Made With Unity Showcase from this past week in Hollywood! Thanks to the good folks at Unity for stopping by to chat.
Email the developers with questions or comments.


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About Dewey Dirks
Mr. Dirks describes himself as a professional student. He's attended college two times in his life totaling over nine years of school. He's studied an eclectic variety of subjects including computer science, philosophy, theology, history, and anthropology and has also spent much of his life teaching himself. Of his education, Mr. Dirks comments, "College is always important, but in my experience, being self-taught is much more fulfilling and useful. Life itself is the best teacher anyone can possibly have. All you have to do is remember to pay attention."
Mr. Dirks has been writing for over twenty years. He is a very versatile and creative writer. Over the years his work has included, science-fiction, non-fiction, self-help, fiction, short stories, essays, articles and poetry. His poetry has been featured in anthologies, magazines, and on popular Internet websites and has been translated into a variety of languages in addition to English. Mr. Dirks is widowed. Together, he and his wife have raised five children. He currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with his two cats.
Readers can view Mr. Dirks' work on the web on his Wordpress blog, "The Questioning Way," where he posts once every four to five days, and on his facebook page, "Art of Life, Live-Love-Learn, " which he updates every day.
Learn more at Author Central
Books By Dewey Dirks
All Formats Kindle Edition Paperback Hardcover Sort by: Popularity Popularity Featured Price: Low to High Price: High to Low Avg. Customer Review Publication Date Most reviews Sort by:Popularity
Wildflower: Chronicle of a Soul Mate Mar 14, 2014
by Dewey Dirks
$1.97$197
Lullabies and Legends Feb 23, 2015
Gunrunner Jan 12, 2013
The Questioning Way Mar 31, 2009
$25.95$2595
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text:
Nichelle Nichols, groundbreaking "Star Trek" star, dies at age 89
Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed Uhura on "Star Trek" in a groundbreaking role for Black actresses before going on to help recruit people of color and women for NASA in real life, has died, her son announced on Facebook. She was 89.
"I regret to inform you that a great light in the firmament no longer shines for us as it has for so many years," her son, Kyle Johnson, posted on Nichols' official Facebook page. Nichols died of natural causes, according to Johnson.
"Her light however, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration. Hers was a life well lived and as such a model for us all," he wrote.
After "Star Trek," Nichols went on to become a recruiter for NASA, playing a key role in helping recruit people of color and female astronauts.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and director Todd Thompson, who both served as executive producers of the documentary "Women in Motion: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek and the Remaking of NASA," called her story "monumental."
Nichols portrayed U.S.S. Enterprise communications officer Lt. Nyota Uhura on the "Star Trek" television series from 1966-1969. She also reprised the role in six movies from the iconic sci-fi franchise.
Nichelle Nichols attends the Ovation TV premiere screening of "Art Breakers" on October 1, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
Araya Diaz/Getty Images for Ovation
Nichols was one of the first Black actresses to star in a primetime television show, and she and "Star Trek" made history with television's first interracial kiss in 1968.
"She was the third-highest ranking member in the space command," Crump told "CBS Saturday Morning" in 2021. "I mean, you talk about every little Black boy and girl running to the TV to say, 'hello that's a Black woman, and she's in charge?'"
"Star Trek" suffered from poor ratings during its initial run and, according to "CBS Saturday Morning," Nichols had been contemplating leaving the show after the first season to go to Broadway. But then she met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a devout Trekkie, who pleaded with her to stay, saying it was the only show he watched with his children.
"He said, 'you don't understand the effect that you're having, not only on Black people, not only on young women, but on everybody,'" she said in the documentary.
As "Star Trek" became more popular, members of NASA took notice — and had become fans, attending the "Star Trek" conventions. Nichols once gave a speech to members of NASA, and Crump said that she noticed there were no women or minorities in the audience.
"I said, 'where are my people?'" Nichols said in the documentary. "I meant that then and I mean it now."
The head of NASA was in the audience and took notice, offering her the opportunity to recruit for them. Nichols formed the company "Women in Motion," traveling throughout the country to recruit women and people of color for NASA.
The effort paid off. In 1978, NASA recruited 35 people, including for the first time, six women and four people of color.
"This might sound a little corny, but it felt like my children," she said in the "Women in Motion" documentary. "And my heart, it pounded. And I knew the world would never be the same again. We would go on to great heights — and to think I had the slightest thing to do with it makes me know that all things good are possible."
Freya the Walrus Is Still Sinking Boats in Norway
Robbie Williams 'breaks' after socialising bursts and stays indoors to recover – Yakima Herald-Republic


text:
McCurdy: Bernie's Benching turned the fate of the Cleveland Browns
Rob McCurdy explains how one act changed the fortune of a once glorious franchise.
Rob McCurdy
Marion Star
For a city that loves to give names to its heartbreak — Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The Jose Mesa Game, The Decision — one remains nameless in Cleveland sports lore, and we'll get to that.
First, the scene needs to be set. Here's a little history about why Cleveland is a Browns town first and foremost.
In the post-World War II years, the Browns were THE team in professional football. You think the Patriots dominated the last 20 years? You think America's Team ruled and the Steel Curtain got pulled on the NFL in the 1970s? You think the Packers are the the old-school giants? None of those runs compared to Cleveland's start.
In its four years in the All-American Football Conference starting in 1946, the Browns went 47-4-3 and won all four championships. And when that league folded after the 1949 season, the Browns were accepted into the more established NFL and won the 1950 title, too, going 10-2.
In its first eight seasons in the NFL, Cleveland won three championships and played for four other titles, going 72-22-2. It was a dynasty's dynasty.
To put Cleveland's early run in perspective, the second losing season in franchise history didn't come until 1974. That's nearly 30 years of wild success as the Browns won the 1964 NFL crown and played for it the following season in the midst of all that winning.
Just look at the legends who called Cleveland home: Paul Brown, Otto Graham, Dante Lavelli, Marion Motley, Lou Groza, Bill Willis and later Blanton Collier, Leroy Kelly, Paul Warfield, Dick Schafrath, Gene Hickerson, Frank Ryan and arguably the greatest NFL player of all time Jim Brown.
Meanwhile, the Indians eventually became embarrassing bottom dwellers and the Cavaliers an inept expansion franchise. There were some lean years for the Browns in the 1970s, but it was all relative compared to the other pro teams in northeast Ohio, plus the down years didn't last long.
The 1980s were a rollicking time to be a Cleveland Browns fan. The decade started with the Kardiac Kids playing close game after close game en route to an 11-5 season and its first playoff berth since 1972. It wouldn't be its last.
The Browns went back to the playoffs in 1982's strike-shortened season, then really came of age in 1985 during Marty Schottenheimer's first full-season as the head coach. Cleveland finished the decade riding quarterback Bernie Kosar, Dawg Pound-inventing DB's Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield, the pass-catching abilities of Ozzie Newsome, Webster Slaughter and Brian Brennan, the running of Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner, the tackling of Clay Matthews and the play of so many others.
Cleveland advanced to five straight playoffs and played in three AFC title games, losing all three to John Elway and the Denver Broncos with two of them being aforementioned gut-punches with The Drive and The Fumble.
So for four of its first five decades of existence, the Browns were more than relevant. They were a major player in the NFL. That's why Cleveland will forever be a Browns town.
But just as quickly as 1989 turned into 1990, that's how fast the Browns lost their mojo and eventually their franchise.
The beginning of the misery that has come to define Brown-dom over the last 30 years wasn't the abysmal 3-13 season in 1990. Under a young, uncharismatic, unsentimental, unsympathetic, bull-headed head coach named Bill Belichick, Cleveland was slowly finding its way back into pro football's consciousness, going 6-10 before back-to-back 7-9 years.
But in 1993, Belichick did the unthinkable.
He unceremoniously benched Kosar, a Cleveland icon and fan favorite, in the middle of the season. It proved to be the first swing of the wrecking ball that ruined the franchise because that one act set off a near riot in the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium following the 24-14 loss to Miami. I know because I was there in the locker room listing to Belichick mumble his explanation as fans outside chanted "Bill Must Go!"
A few weeks later, the team released Kosar and the mood became even darker in the stands. After a 27-20 loss to the Oilers, barricades were set up to keep the mob away from the locker room, but their voices were even louder and their anger more evident.
Sure, it proved to be the right move on the field. Kosar's best days were behind him. He was never a starting quarterback again and was out of the league in a few seasons. However, the handling of it all was brutally executed. Belichick's inability to connect and communicate was on full display. He turned off the fan base and changed the way the Browns were perceived by them.
The good times were over.
Sure, the team eventually rebounded in 1994, winning a playoff game before getting dusted by the Steelers, but that was merely hanging wallpaper over a hole in the wall and calling it a renovation.
All the charm, all the good feelings, all the joy that had been associated with the Browns since its inception, all of it was gone.
Team owner Art Model, whose ego craved approval and whose personality needed adoration, was no longer getting it from Cleveland. He saw the fans turn on him and his handling of the franchise, and he saw the city gift the Indians and Cavs with new digs.
So the cash-strapped businessman up and left at the first overture sent his way, taking Baltimore's new stadium and accepting the love its football-starved fans were willing to give.
Cleveland hasn't been the same since. It spent three long seasons without a team and then the one it got set the bar for futility for the next 20 years. There's no need to rehash those sorry teams.
Maybe the blight is changing. Maybe the bad luck and sheer ineptness is behind it. Maybe the franchise has finally come back from its stroll through the NFL wilderness.
The Browns are in the playoffs. They upset Pittsburgh in the wild card round and now must face the defending Super Bowl champs in Kansas City and that's something.
The last time the team was truly relevant in the mid-to-late 1980s, I was in high school. Now I'm in my 50s. That's how far removed the Browns are from being the Browns of yore.
And that downward spiral started with an unnamed incident, but one that needs to be recognized as the beginning of the end — Bernie's Benching.
It belongs with Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The Jose Mesa Game and The Decision as the city's other sports heartbreaks. In fact, it probably was the most impactful and detrimental of them all for it started something that eventually changed the fate of a city and the trajectory of two franchises for more than a generation.
That's what Bernie's Benching did. That's what Bernie's Benching means to Browns fans. That's what Bernie's Benching signifies in Cleveland sports history.
It deserves a name like the others. It was that big.
Rob McCurdy is the sports writer at the Marion Star and for USA Today Network-Ohio. He can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com, 419-610-0998, Twitter @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.


text:
Exhibition: Thirteen Ways of Looking
Open Call: 100p
1 May 2019 — 30 Jul 2019
100p is an experimental art project open to all UK artists, practicing in any medium. To apply for a £1 commission to create original work(s) see the link below. Can you use £1 to create a piece of contemporary art?
Art funds are generally highly competitive and offer large sums of money requiring lengthy application processes and written proposals. 100p flips the table, providing a tiny and easily accessible commission available to as many people as possible. The initiative was established to determine the impact and sustainability of a micro arts-funds encouraging grassroots art projects.
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New Art West Midlands is funded by Arts Council England and we are hosted by our lead partner Birmingham City University. We are supported by our project partners Coventry University, University of Wolverhampton and University of Worcester. New Art West Midlands Exhibition 2017 is led by Birmingham Museums Trust with support from participating host venues. It is funded by Arts Council England alongside Birmingham City University, Coventry University, Hereford College of Arts, Staffordshire University, University of Wolverhampton and University of Worcester. New Art West Midlands Engine is led by The New Art Gallery Walsall. It is funded by Arts Council England, and delivered with support from Walsall Council and our programme partners.
© 2021 New Art West Midlands.
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text:
Coming to crunch time
What we hear are hints of American proposals, veiled threats of sanctions and violence, yet claims of salvation if everyone behaves reasonably.
If this is a place for reasonable action, it would be a change of what has happened too many times since David sent Bat Sheva''s husband to his death alongside Amman.
The American proposals are not all that different from what Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert offered in 2000 and 2008. Among what may be new wrinkles (nothing is certain) are American offers to assure the safety of Israel from bad things in the Jordan Valley with technical gadgets and perhaps some troops, and an American proposal that Israel lease the land under some large settlements, while trading land in Israel for the absorption of other settlements.
Among the politics was the dust-up between Naftali Bennet and Benyamin Netanyahu, which some commentators traced to the resurgence of bad blood between Sara Netanyahu and Bennet. This time it concerned Bennet''s ridicule of Netanyahu''s proposal that some settlers should be accepted as citizens of Palestine.
Bennet apologized in about the same way as Ya''alon apologized to John Kerry, i.e., if I offended the Prime Minister, then . . . . .
Mahmoud Abbas responded to the Netanyahu-Bennet kerfuffle with comments that he would welcome Israelis as citizens of Palestine. That was a turn around of 180 degrees, suggesting it was nothing more than tit for tat, and part of maneuvering to blame Israel for any failure in the Kerry process.
Abbas is also talking flexibly about Palestine not having an army, the IDF staying on for five years, and NATO troops being welcome.
Abbas also invited Israelis to see for themselves the new Palestine, by visiting Ramallah.
If doubters of Palestine had reason to pause, it was soon relieved by threats of another intifada, uttered by a senior Palestinian while on a mission to get money and support from Iran. An equally senior Palestinian claimed to be a descendant of the Caananites, which he posed as better than any Israeli claims for a historic right.
There is already pressure on Abbas not to compromise basic Palestinian interests, just as there is pressure from the Israeli right not to give up what God gave.
From a this-world perspective, there are also Israeli worries about trusting the Palestinians, and the Americans. Recent claims of success with respect to Syria and Iran, as well as the general American applause for Arab Spring have not added to the reputation of Washington policymakers among Israelis.
Both Israelis and Palestinians are accusing the Americans of tilting to the other side.
John Kerry has been no calmer. He is threatening Israel with an expansion of boycotts and the end of its security if it doesn''t go along. We hear that American officials have been even more involved in the explicit encouraging of boycott activities in order to increase pressures on Israel, but we are hearing a lot of things. The producers of disinformation may be working over time.
Senior Israelis responded with accusations that Kerry was threatening us, which brought instant responses from senior Americans that the Secretary was misunderstood.
Other things are not going well for America''s initiatives. Only a small percentage of Syria''s chemical weapons have been moved as promised, and larger amounts may be stored in the areas of Alawi population where Assad can count on cooperation. Kerry''s threats of UN sanctions if Syria does not comply seem empty against the support Assad has from Security Council veto holders Russia and China.
Iran is not behaving any better. Key officials are committing themselves not to disassemble any of the machines that--according to American intelligence reports--have already brought them within easy reach of nuclear weapons.
As if he did not have enough on his plate, John Kerry has spoken of turning American efforts to solving whatever is wrong in the Ukraine.
Tsipi Livni is claiming that there are hopeful signs in the process she has staked her future upon. She sat next to a Saudi prince at a meeting in Geneva, got warm praise from him, and traded praise by commending the languishing Saudi proposal, which Israelis in charge of things have ignored since it was issued 12 years ago.
Moderates are saying there are things in the American proposals for both sides, and that it differs little from what Israeli governments offered in the past
If the Palestinians go along, they will have to write off the idea of refugees and their descendants returning to Israel, which they will have to concede is the state of the Jewish people.
We hear that the issue of Jerusalem is mentioned in the draft American proposal, with its solution left up to the parties.
Rome claims to be the Eternal City, but the battles over Jerusalem have been going on for longer.
What can we expect?
Beside a lot more noise, nothing else is clear.
Settlers should keep paying their utility bills, and put off calling the moving van.
The most serious downside is that Kerry will succeed only in disappointing both Israeli and Palestinians, and provoking the extremists. That will most likely mean an increase in Palestinian violence, eventual Israel responses, all to the tune of criticism from Americans claiming that they tried, and went home to Washington, or maybe only as far as Kiev.
Does the Nobel Committee award a booby prize?
We may find out.


Read the latest news, updates and tutorials on the most versatile programming language of them all – Python. The Packt Hub is the perfect place to read more about how Python continues to grow into one of the most popular programming languages globally. Find out the latest updates, Python development news and much more.
Splinter 0.9.0, the popular web app testing tool, released!


text:
/* Written by Adam Sierakowski 2015
 * for JHU HEART: The Computer Laboratory
 *
 * Compile with: 'make'
 */

#include "io.h"
#include "phys.h"
#include "sph.h"
#include "vtk.h"

// define global variables
int np;
part_struct *part;
float ttime;
float duration;
float dt;
int stepnum;
float xs;
float ys;
float zs;
float xe;
float ye;
float ze;
float h;

// begin main program
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
  // check command line arguments
  // if a '-s' is given, run random seeder
  if(argc == 2 && strcmp(argv[1], "-s") == 0) {
    printf("Randomly seed particles? (y/N) ");
    char buf[BUFLEN] = "";
    fgets(buf, BUFLEN, stdin);

    // continue if 'y' or 'Y' inputted
    if(strcmp(buf, "y\n") == 0 || strcmp(buf, "Y\n") == 0) {
      float xs, xe, ys, ye, zs, ze;   // domain minima and maxima

      // prompt for number of particles
      printf("Number of particles to seed: ");
      fgets(buf, BUFLEN, stdin);
      np = atoi(buf);
      // prompt for particle radius
      printf("Particle radius: ");
      fgets(buf, BUFLEN, stdin);
      float r_in = atof(buf);
      // prompt for particle mass
      printf("Particle mass: ");
      fgets(buf, BUFLEN, stdin);
      float m_in = atof(buf);
      // prompt for particle Young's modulus
      printf("Particle modulus: ");
      fgets(buf, BUFLEN, stdin);
      float E_in = atof(buf);

      // prompt for minima and maxima
      printf("Minimum in x direction: ");
      fgets(buf, BUFLEN, stdin);
      xs = atof(buf);
      printf("Maximum in x direction: ");
      fgets(buf, BUFLEN, stdin);
      xe = atof(buf);
      printf("Minimum in y direction: ");
      fgets(buf, BUFLEN, stdin);
      ys = atof(buf);
      printf("Maximum in y direction: ");
      fgets(buf, BUFLEN, stdin);
      ye = atof(buf);
      printf("Minimum in z direction: ");
      fgets(buf, BUFLEN, stdin);
      zs = atof(buf);
      printf("Maximum in z direction: ");
      fgets(buf, BUFLEN, stdin);
      ze = atof(buf);

      // write random configuration
      write_config_random(np, r_in, m_in, E_in, xs, xe, ys, ye, zs, ze);
    }
  } else if(argc > 1) {
    printf("spheart usage: '-s' to randomly seed configuration\n");
  } else { // otherwise, run simulation

    // read configuration
    read_config();

    // show configuration
    //show_config();

    // initialize VTK file output
    init_vtk();

    // write initial VTK file output
    out_vtk(stepnum, ttime, np, part);

    /** do time stepping **/
    while(ttime < duration) {
      // increment total time and step number
      ttime += dt;
      stepnum++;

      printf("Computing time %f of %f (dt = %f)\n", ttime, duration, dt);

      // compute forces
      compute_forces();

      // integrate particle motion
      integrate_motion();

      // write VTK file output
      if(stepnum % 10 == 0) {
        out_vtk(stepnum, ttime, np, part);
      }
    }

    // clean up
    clean_up();
  }

  return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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By partnering with a trusted manufacturer, outsourcing can serve as a highly reliable turnkey solution for plastic injection molded part production. With this method, companies gain access to the most cutting-edge equipment and can work with a highly skilled, experienced staff. An outsourced, one-stop manufacturing experience also allows for lower costs as well as higher quality.
The costs of plastic injection molded parts can add up quickly, with many requirements and challenges inherent to production. Even seemingly simple parts may require a complex, expensive process due to necessary infrastructure and tooling investments.
Trusting another team to take care of your project may seem daunting at first, but it will allow for significant time and cost savings while ensuring optimal quality and reliability. Outsourcing plastic injection molding will enable you to benefit from a team's deep expertise while making use of top-of-the-line, modern equipment. For many companies, the cost savings alone are reason enough to begin working with an external partner.
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