text:
This is Your Brain On Drugs – 20 Years Later
Some of you are likely to remember a series of public service announcements (PSA) made by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America ® for a nationwide anti-drug campaign called This is Your Brain On Drugs. The large-scale campaign was launched in 1987, in a different era, at least with respect to how the nation viewed drug addiction and what to do about what we now know to be a form of mental health disorder. The first PSA titled "Frying Pan," has actor John Roselius frying ups some eggs in order to show viewers what drugs do to your brain.
The second iteration of the campaign was released in 1997 and was titled again, "Frying Pan." The PSA starred actress Rachael Leigh Cook essentially using a frying pan and an egg to demonstrate to viewers the inherent dangers that accompany using heroin, and presumably other drugs as well, but heroin was singled out. The 30 second clip highlighted the fact that one's drug use didn't only affect the individual, but rather one's family and one could even argue society.
If you were not born yet, too young to remember or would like to refresh your memory, please take a moment to watch the short PSA:
If you are having trouble viewing the clip, please click here.
You can probably gather that the PSA's toed the line of the American "war on drugs." While the PSA's attempted to scare people away from drugs, pointing out that they would take everything from you, even your life; the makers of the ads seemed to forget to mention that before drugs took your life, they could be a cause for losing your freedom. Both the aforementioned PSAs ending with the rhetorical statement, "Any Questions?" As if frying an egg or smashing up an apartment would say everything that needed to be said about the reasons for abstaining from drugs.
Any Questions About Addiction
While Entertainment Weekly named "Frying Pan" 8th best commercial of all time, the American Egg Board, naturally, had some concerns about eggs getting an unfair reputation. At the end of the day; however, This is Your Brain On Drugs was a scare tactic, as were all public service announcements about drug use going back to Reefer Madness. They were all created under the premise that drug use was a choice; you could choose to, or not, but the power was in your hands. If you chose wrongly, you risked everything.
Even though addiction is a disease, a symptom of which include the use of drugs, drugs are still for the most part illegal under both state and Federal law. For decades, as we have written about in the past, the 40+ year war on drugs has done little to prevent and treat substance abuse. What it has done is disenfranchise millions of Americans, mostly people who were low on the socio-economic spectrum and minorities. Getting caught up in the legal system for the crime of addiction has proven to be relatively easy, getting out of it has proven to be much more difficult.
Today, in the 21st Century and still in the grips of an opioid addiction epidemic, many people's views about the war on drugs have changed. Thanks both to science and the fact that the epidemic has predominantly affected white America (both rich and poor), our society has been rethinking the true cost of the war on drugs. And, as a result, more Americans than ever are advocating for addiction treatment over prison for those caught possessing illegal drugs.
We are not out of the woods yet. There are still swaths of lawmakers who cling to draconian drug policies as the solution to addiction. Which is why the fight to end the stigma of this most serious mental illness must continue. Which has not been lost on the Drug Policy Alliance, the nation's leading organization promoting drug policies that are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights. The organization, with the help of a 20-years older Rachael Leigh Cook, decided to make a postscript to the 1997 PSA. In the new version of the "Frying Pan," Cook says:
The war on drugs is ruining peoples' lives. It fuels mass incarceration, it targets people of color in greater numbers than their white counter parts. It cripples communities, it costs billions, and it doesn't work. Any questions?
Please take a moment to watch:
If you are having trouble watching, please click here.
Addiction Treatment Is The Answer
Effective measures of treating addiction were helping a significant number of Americans in 1987 at the start of This is Your Brain On Drugs. It wasn't talked about, because it did not line up with the stigma-driven narrative of addiction employed at the time. It was being treated and people were living lives in recovery, just as they are today. Fortunately, people touched by the disease today have more of an ability to seek help, without fear of prosecution.
Now the science behind addiction, and other forms of mental illness is far better understood. With each year that passes, the stigma of addiction seems to soften. Slowly, but surely, more Americans see the value of ending the war on drugs and advocating for treatment. If you or a loved one has been touched by the deadly disease of addiction, please contact PACE Recovery Center.
addictionaddiction treatmentdrugsheroinopioidsPSAreocverystigmaThis is Your Brain On Drugswar on drugs
Addiction Treatment Begins With Surrender
There are many young men and women whose addiction has reached untenable heights. Perhaps "lows" would be more apt. Either way, when one begins down the perilous path of substance use, abuse and addiction in their teens, then by their early or mid-twenties life has already become unmanageable. If you are one such person who can identify with that path, trust and believe that it is far more common than you might think.
Societal tropes and stereotypes of addicts and alcoholics in recovery often resemble middle-aged and older people. While it is true that many do not decide to work a program of recovery until later in life, most such people would probably tell that they were definitely eligible for the need of assistance for years—if not decades earlier. Every case is different, but a significant number of people have fought and will continue to fight tooth and nail to remain in a state of denial about the severity of their condition. Even though alcohol and substance use disorders are an accepted form of mental illness.
Nobody, addict or not, wants to admit defeat. In some ways, we are programmed at an early age to continue fighting even if we know that a fight is unwinnable. While perseverance may be a sign of strength in a clearly unwinnable high school sports game given that there is no certainty that it will end the way everyone thinks, when it comes to active addiction perseverance can and often does mean premature death. Often after years of heartache and despair.
The Comparison Problem With Addiction
It cannot be stressed enough. The longer an alcoholic or addict waits to seek help, the worse it gets. Always! The problems that accompany substance abuse may be solely superficial at first, but over time the persistent fueling of the fire of addiction leads to systemic health problems—many of which cannot be reversed (e.g. cirrhosis, cancer, cognitive dysfunction and co-occurring mental health disorders).
There is a common delusion among chemically dependent people that their problem is not as bad as 'that person's'. That It won't get as bad, because you are somehow unique. You may be special in many ways, but when it comes to addiction, comparisons will only pave the road to becoming as worse off as the very people you compared to yourself to keep you from surrendering. The "comparison problem," if we may, is especially pervasive among young people. It is a barrier to hope and serenity, two feelings that people living with active addiction are in short supply.
Has your use of drugs or alcohol brought about a series of negative consequences before, or in early adulthood? If your answer is yes, then we implore you to stop comparing yourself to your peers and seek assistance. It may be that your friends and family have a problem too, but you are in no position to help them until you help yourself.
Strength in Surrender
Dependence and addiction touch the lives of young people quite often. The good news is that many young men and women can, and do recover. What's more, they can go on to live productive and fulfilling lives with a clear head on their shoulders, developing a meaningful relationship in both their program of recovery and society at large. And they have the power to be there for their peers when life throws curveballs. All such people, started with the courageous act of surrender.
Every man has inside himself a parasitic being who is acting not at all to his advantage," wrote William S. Burroughs.
Accepting that your own will is not acting in your best interest, allows you to start the process of first seeking treatment followed by continued growth in recovery. It gives one the ability to accept help from others who have been down into the dark cave of addiction, and returned to the light via a program of recovery. It is hard to admit to oneself, "I don't have all the answers." But it is of the utmost importance.
At PACE Recovery Center, we work with young adult men who have been touch by the hand of addiction. The PACE Recovery Center team is made up of addiction treatment professionals, many of which have first-hand experience with addiction. We know the courage it takes to ask for help and break the cycle of this pernicious disease, and embrace the principles of a wholly new way of thinking and living. Please contact us today.
addictionaddiction treatmentaddictsalcoholicsdependencerecoverysubstance abusesurrendertreatmentyoung males
Anonymity, Depression and Instagram
When it comes to addiction recovery, one of the more appealing aspects of the 12-Step program is the focus by members on anonymity: the condition of (of a person) not being identified by name. Those who turn to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) for support and guidance, are encouraged to introduce themselves by their first name only. If there are more than one person with the same first name, sometimes the first letter of one's last name will be attached to the end (i.e. John T. or Amanda S.) to avoid confusion when referring to people.
Some of you may be wondering, 'what's with all the secrecy?' A question that can be answered in multiple ways, all of which are good reasons for not disclosing one's full identity. But, perhaps, the most important reason for avoiding self-disclosure among members is the newcomer. People who suffer from any form for mental illness, whether it be addiction or depression, have long been given pejorative labels and looked down upon by society. While we have come a long way in the United States regarding ending the stigma of mental health disorders, there are still those who would use another's issues as ammunition.
Those who make the brave decision to seek help for alcoholism and/or drug abuse, need to be and feel like they are they are in an environment that will not cast judgement. That the things that they share will not be used against them at a later day by another. Even if you have zero-experience with substance abuse, you could probably imagine that a big part of the healing and the recovery process rests on honestly sharing aspects of one's past that are extremely difficult to talk about (e.g. where they have been, what they have seen and the unsavory things they did while out there in active addiction). When it comes to the latter, there is hardly an addict or alcoholic who has not broken one or multiple laws.
As was mentioned earlier, honesty is vital to the recovery process. If a newcomer does not feel like he or she can share their life candidly without repercussions, it is unlikely that they will share at all. Or stick around long enough to experience the miracles of recovery. In a world where social stigma can destroy lives, confidentiality is of the utmost importance. While individuals are free to share their story and full name with whomever they please, they are expressly prohibited from sharing that of others. To ensure that people do not disclose information about others, the safeguard of not using one's full name is staunchly encouraged. Under the model of 12-Step recovery, there are in fact 12 steps that need to be worked, but there are also 12 traditions that members are asked to respect, the twelfth tradition reads as follows:
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."
Anonymity In The Information Age
When the founders of the 12-Step modality wrestled with anonymity, it was at a time when the average person did not have the ability to reach millions of people. Your typical American could not share their story or the stories of others by way of press, radio, and films. Those that did were strongly encouraged to exercise extreme caution, lest they break another person's anonymity.
In the 21st Century, the outlets for expressing oneself in seemingly cathartic ways has reached new heights, i.e. blogs, Facebook and Instagram. There is hardly a young person in America who does not have a social media account. What's more, most young people in recovery spend a good amount of time on the internet.
Our laptops and smartphones allow us to reach total strangers, who cannot easily figure out who is the one doing the sharing. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Sharing one's struggles on social media platforms can result in one receiving support for their issues, but given that we are talking about the internet, a hotbed for vitriolic unmasking—such platforms can tempt people to disclose things that they wouldn't likely disclose with others in person. Thus, inadvertently revealing the identity of others.
If you rely on social media sites for therapeutic reasons, sharing your struggles with the hope of feedback, be sure to keep what is said be about you. You are responsible for your own anonymity, be sure that what you share will not have the unintended effect of coming back to hurt you later. For more information on sharing with others while remaining anonymous, please click here.
Support from Social Media
A significant number of young men and women battling with mental illness have turned to Instagram for support. Unlike Facebook, Instagram allows its users to maintain a greater level of secrecy. This has a twofold effect: 1) People can share what they are going through anonymously (e.g. a relapse or a depressive episode) and get feedback that might help. 2) Masked user activity allows people to negatively comment on what people share, what is known as "trolling," a behavior that has led suffering people to suffer more.
The general public often hears of horror stories involving trolls, mental illness and suicide. We hear less about people with specific disorders finding support and help by way of social media. A new study sought to shed light on the power of anonymous social media posting, and the feedback users received. The researchers found that the majority of responses on Instagram to posts about mental illness using the hashtag "#depression," were actually positive and supportive, Vocativ reports. The findings will be presented at the Association For Computing Machinery conference.
There's this kind of double-edged sword about being anonymous and not having to use your real name," said Nazanin Andalibi, one of the study's lead doctoral researchers. "The popular narrative around anonymity has been that people will troll each other and everything will just be really abusive…but opportunities for anonymity are really central to disclosing things that are sensitive for some people and to give and provide support. It just so happens that in this particular platform people are finding each other and being supportive of each other."
The researchers point out that further study is needed to see what users do with the positive feedback they received. Does it lead to positive change?
Depression: Let's Talk
Last Friday, was World Health Day. The focus of discussion was depression, a mental health disorder affecting more than 300 million people around the world. The World Health Organization(WHO) launched a yearlong campaign. "Depression: Let's Talk" aims to empower people to talk about their condition with people they trust, so they can get the help they require. With respect to the aforementioned study, not only do people with depression get positive feedback, but Instagram allows posts that appear to be cries for help to be flagged. When that happens the users, who may be at risk will be sent messages that include resources for help with mental illness. Talking about despair, can lead to hope treatment and recovery.
At PACE Recovery Center, we work with young adult men, targeting the underlying issues that contribute to addictive behaviors and behavioral health diagnoses. The PACE Recovery Center team provides multidisciplinary treatment for co-occurring disorders, including depression. Contact us for more information, "Let's Talk!".
12-stepaddictionaddictsalcoholicsanonymityanonymousdepressionmental illnessrecoverysocial media
Stigma of Addiction: Stop the Shame
How we treat people who have diseases which can be fatal says a lot about who we are both as a nation and a society. Our ability to express empathy to those who are suffering from conditions that are, in many cases, outside of one's control is of vital importance—especially in this day and age living in a country that has been racked by addiction.
Throughout out the second half of the 20th Century and into the 21st, the United States has made and gone through significant changes with how we look at those afflicted by a substance use disorder and how to best effectively treat addiction. Not too long ago, the majority of Americans would have said of addiction, if asked, that it was likely a moral failing; such people lack constitution or willpower and are an example of extreme narcissism.
To be fair, a superficial look at addiction could present a picture of the aforementioned pejorative statements. It could be easy for anyone without all the facts to view the disease in such a light, and such viewpoints are then perpetuated and disseminated to others who also lack the ability to grasp what is actually going on inside the mind of an addict. As a result, thunderous clouds of stigma float permanently above the millions of Americans who have been touched by this pernicious mental illness.
Yet, a closer look through the lens of science reveals the nature of addiction as being something altogether different. Which is why, for quite some time the disease of addiction has been classified as a serious mental health disorder, a condition that has little to do with a moral compass. Scientists have overwhelmingly concluded, that while no one chooses to be an addict and there is not a cure for the disorder, with assistance those living in active addiction can make changes to break away from drugs and alcohol and recover. Going on to live a meaningful and productive life, existing as part of society rather than being the subject of ostracization.
From Stigma to Empathy
If addiction is a disorder which has no cure, but can be maintained allowing for individuals to live relatively normal lives, then do you wonder why addicts are viewed so differently than those who suffer from other incurable conditions? The response to that question is far from easy to answer, being the subject of many an investigation. But simply put, much of the stigma of addiction rests on the fact that the complex disease is not well understood. Such a reality has opened the door for people without any qualifications to draw conclusion about substance use, and nonchalantly disseminate their "2+2=5" summations.
We would like you to imagine for a moment and entreat you to look honestly inside your selves, that somebody close to you contracted a serious illness. Perhaps a condition that science currently offers no cure, but does provide treatments that can prove effective at slowing down the progression of such disorders (e.g. diabetes, HIV, cancer and Parkinson's). Could you picture yourself acting towards that individual in such a way as to elicit guilt or shame inside your loved one? Can you see yourself saying to someone dying from cancer or AIDS that they are 'not trying hard enough?' That they could get better, but are choosing to do otherwise. While rhetorical questions like this may seem like "no brainers," they illustrate the absurdity of casting stones at somebody with a terminal illness.
Now, please close your eyes, picture your mother, daughter or neighbor is not suffering from cancer, but rather addiction. Would you act the same way in respect to them, as you would if they had cancer?
PSAs About Stigma
Breaking the stigma of addiction is a process that requires a multifaceted approach involving several agencies. Last week, the American College of Physicians (ACP) published a position paper arguing that addiction should be viewed as a "chronic disease" requiring treatment. Substance use problems are not a "moral disorder or character defect."
At the same time, a new campaign was launched called "Stop the Shame," which released two public service announcements aimed at breaking the stigma of addiction. We must warn you ahead of time, the PSAs are hard to watch due to the videos accuracy with regard to how people living with addiction can be, and often are treated.
PSA 1: Addicts Hear Comments Cancer Patients Never Would
PSA 2: Addicts Hear Comments Parkinson's Patients Never Would
Far Reaching Effects
The tough comments that people with addiction endure on regular basis have a serious impact, affecting American society. Those made to feel shame and guilt about addiction are less inclined to seek help for their condition. As a result, their illness progresses, sending ripples throughout the country. For starters, without treatment, more and more families find themselves burying loved ones before their time. There is also a huge economic toll that is associated with untreated addiction. Lawmakers have tried arresting addiction away, unsuccessfully. The time for compassion, is now.
addictionaddictschronic diseasemental healthmental health disordermental illnessrecoverystigmasubstance use disordertreatment

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Error when providing svg v1 path parameter d Here's my d parameter:
M1 40.00000000000003 69.28203230275508A80 80 0 0 -80 -9.797174393178826e-15

I receive an error:
Error: <path> attribute d: Expected number, "…9.28203230275508A80 80 0 0 -80 -…".

For some reason I only get this error when describing arcs that are greater than 180 degrees, 179' and smaller work just fine.
Update:
Seems to be a regex issue surrounding how the path param is generated.  Here's the block that's creating it:
let firstArcSection = /(^.+?)L/;

let newArc = firstArcSection.exec( d3.select(this).select('path').attr('d') )[1];
newArc = newArc.replace(/,/g , " ");

if (d.endAngle > 90 * Math.PI/180) {
    let startLoc    = /M(.*?)A/,
        middleLoc   = /A(.*?) 0 [01] 1/,
        endLoc      = / 0 [01] 1 (.*?)$/;
    let newStart = endLoc.exec( newArc )[1];
    let newEnd = startLoc.exec( newArc )[1];
    let middleSec = middleLoc.exec( newArc )[1];

    newArc = `M${newStart}A${middleSec} 0 0 0 ${newEnd}`;
}

The text still shows up on the wrong side of the arc, but there's no error now at least

A: Found it! Big thanks to @altocumulus for identifying the wayward regex. The regex parsing the original arc path was matching too much (80 0 1) in cases of positions ending in 0 and not enough (0 1 1) in cases where the large-arc-flag was set.  Also I discovered that in some cases d3 created arcs with rounding errors that resulted in two 180' arcs within the same pie chart.  Here's the working code:
let firstArcSection = /(^.+?)L/;

let newArc = firstArcSection.exec( d3.select(this).select('path').attr('d') )[1];
newArc = newArc.replace(/,/g , " ");

let middleLoc = /A(.*?) 0 ([01]) 1/;
let middleSec = middleLoc.exec( newArc );

if (d.endAngle > 90 * Math.PI/180 && (middleSec[2] == '0' || d.startAngle > Math.PI / 2 )) {
    let startLoc    = /M(.*?)A/,
        endLoc      = / 0 [01] 1 (.*?)$/;
    let newStart = endLoc.exec( newArc );
    let newEnd = startLoc.exec( newArc );

    newArc = `M${newStart[1]}A${middleSec[1]} 0 0 0 ${newEnd[1]}`;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
//
//  CJLogSuspendWindow.h
//  CJUIKitDemo
//
//  Created by ciyouzen on 2017/5/20.
//  Copyright © 2017年 dvlproad. All rights reserved.
//

#import <UIKit/UIKit.h>
#import "CJLogViewWindow.h"

/**
 *  用于控制log视图的弹出与隐藏的悬浮球
 */
@interface CJLogSuspendWindow : UIWindow {

}
@property(nonatomic, copy) NSString *windowIdentifier;
@property (nonatomic, copy) void (^clickWindowBlock)(UIButton *clickButton);
@property (nonatomic, copy) void (^closeWindowBlock)(void);

/*
 *  显示
 *
 *  @param frame            要显示到的位置
 *  @param configBlock      对这个按钮窗口的定制(可拖动、拖动吸附等)
 */
+ (void)showWithFrame:(CGRect)frame configBlock:(void(^ _Nullable)(CJLogSuspendWindow *bSuspendWindow))configBlock;

///移除
+ (void)removeFromScreen;

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Иран принимал участие в Летних Олимпийских играх 1964 года в Токио (Япония) в шестой раз за свою историю, и завоевал две бронзовых медали.

Медалисты

Ссылки
 База МОК
 Официальные олимпийские отчёты
 Sports-Reference.com

Страны на летних Олимпийских играх 1964 года

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
neutral density photography awards 2022
entry fees & deadlines
professional winners
non-professional winners
Hans-Martin Dölz germany
Photo © Hans-Martin Dölz
title in the library
entry description
Stuttgart City Library, inaugurated in 2011, designed by Yi Architects. The design of the reading rooms takes its inspiration from Étienne-Louis Boullée's grand design vision of the French National Library at the end of the 18th century. Staircases arranged in pairs create flowing walkways between the floors. All the interior furnishings are colored in an unobtrusive, subtle grey. Only the book spines set bold color accents. These photos were taken on 13. January 2018.
Hans-Martin Dölz is a German artist renowned for his architectural and abstract photography. He studied Mathematics and Business Administration at the Universities of Bochum and Göttingen and graduated in 1979 with a master's degree in Business Administration.
After retirement his passion for art was ignited. His first artworks were graphic images, computer-generated via mathematical algorithms. He was fascinated by the interplay between colors, lines and shapes.
The idea behind this drew inspiration by the works of French media artist Vera Molnár who is considered a pioneer of computer art back in the 1960s.
He later experimented using actual photographs as seeds of computer modifications that turned them into abstract images. Some of these explorations involved fractals, which lead to universes within universes, never ending cascades of self-similar geometric beauty.
Since 2013 Hans-Martin focuses mainly on photography without alteration. Most of his images capture the stunning geometric patterns that can be found in manmade structures and the natural world. His work has been published worldwide and it has been recognized with numerous international awards. In 2020 the distinction Excellence FIAP (EFIAP) was awarded to him by the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP).
For further details visit his website: https://hansmartindoelz.co
Hans-Martin Dölz - in the library
Click here to start your new submission
fees & deadlines
ndmagazine.net
© 2014 - 2022 nd awards


text:
Bo: Water, Egypt & September 11
January 17th, 2002• Comments Off on Bo: Water, Egypt & September 11
Diary of a World Traveller
Off the coast of the U.S. Virgin Islands
Looking out at the turquoise-blue waters of the Caribbean on the shores of S. Thomas, I think about Moses.
Moses? Yes, Moses.
Moses has this fascinating relationship with water. His first – and most formative – days were spent in a basket on the waters of the River Nile off the coast of Egypt, where his mother placed him to hide him from the Egyptian executioners. Later Moses strikes the Nile and turns its waters into blood. Several other plagues originate in the water. After leaving Egypt Moses parts the waters of the Re(e)d Sea. He passes away on the banks of the River Jordan, where he is laid to rest in an unknown place.
Indeed, he is named Moshe because he was 'drawn from water.' What a strange name to give the G-dliest man that ever lived! Moses was placed on the water only to protect his life. Why should that episode – a one time event that happened long ago – be immortalized in Moses name?!
Clearly more is going on here than meets the naked eye. And that is precisely the significance of water, and therein lies its mystery.
Water – the sea – represents, 'the hidden worlds.' Land is the 'revealed worlds' (using Kabbalistic terminology). On the human microcosmic level, water and land is thought and speech, or the conscious and unconscious. Thought and speech are two forms of language, but with major distinctions. When you think, the intense waters of ideas submerge the form and shape of language, whereas in speech the ideas are not as intense, hence the letters and words of speech take on tangible form.
This also explains why Moses was a 'man of no words.' Moses soul originates from 'the hidden worlds' of water, the intimate world of the unconscious, which is more profound and intense than any words of land can express. [Moses' burial place is unknown on Earth for the same reason, 'below it appeared as though he was above and above it appeared as though he was below'].
But for this exact reason Moses brings the Divine Torah to Earth. Precisely because Moses is a 'man of no (land) words' and is a 'water man' on Earth, he is able to draw from the inner worlds, and bridge and express the language of the Divine and communicate it to the land people. And it is the words of Moses, the 'man of no words,' that are remembered forever ('these are the words that Moses spoke').
Moses' association with water goes even farther. Though his soul comes from the 'hidden worlds,' Moses did not live in a spiritual oasis, he lived on Earth, in Egypt. Indeed, soon after birth, the water in which he was placed was the River Nile, the idol of the Egyptians! And he was put there to prevent him from being killed due to Pharaoh's decree to murder all newborn males. The very idol of Egypt comes to protect the one who would destroy this idol.
One must wonder how young Moses was affected by the fact that his very first days on Earth were spent not in his mother's arms, but in the arms of … the River Nile. What was shaping this child's psyche as he lay among the river reeds, listening to the sound of water rather than his mother's lullabies.
What we do know is that this empowered Moses with the ability to serve as G-d's messenger to redeem the Israelites from the harsh Egyptian oppression. In order to free a people from human captivity, especially one that is controlled by Egypt, superpower of the world (where 'even one slave could not escape'), we must have a power that comes from something beyond human. "A prisoner in fetters cannot free himself." A land person cannot free himself from a trap created by land people.
Moses, being a 'water man' coming from a higher world, was able to ultimately dominate Pharaoh and Egypt and free the Israelites. And because Moses spent the beginning of his life on Earth in the Nile River and was saved and redeemed from there, he had the personal experience that allowed him to later free the Jewish people from the idolatry of Egypt.
Water Today
As I sit over the water, I think of Moses.
I think of how the formidable seas and oceans are so often associated with awe and fear. How they humble the greatest of men and man-made creations. The Titanic has become a symbol of this humility.
Land always seems so safe. That's where we built our homes. We know how to navigate land. We have tamed the wilderness, learned to protect ourselves from the elements, built great edifices. We are proud of our land – our lands, countries, states and cities.
Water has always been the strange place – the dark depths of the unknown.
Yet, we are always drawn to water. Beachfront property, swimming, boating. We are drawn to our source. Yet, at the same time terrified of it. And we run to land for cover, for refuge.
Land and water, exile and redemption, comfort zones and truth, denial and reality – these are the poles we continuously negotiate. Fluctuating between the comfort of our status quo and the discomfort of our transcendental restlessness is the story of our lives. What will it be: a life of comfortable oppression (Thoreau's 'life of quiet desperation') or uncomfortable freedom?
Land has always seemed safe and water dangerous. When things were difficult at sea, we always looked forward to reaching the peaceful shores.
Land, Real Estate – the permanent commodity – has always been our source of security.
But then came September 11th…
With all the chaos and upheaval on land, I feel how water is quite a respite. With all the confusion and uncertainty, we must reach back into water – into the Moses within us – to access greater strength, to transcend the space we are in and reach a higher place.
And when we do, we must draw it down, into our daily land life.
Life on land can be difficult. We see that now. Yet it gets a little easier knowing that we have protective waters surrounding us. I wonder if it would give us more comfort if 2/3 of Earth were land and 1/3 water… It also seems worthwhile mentioning that over 90% of the human body is comprised of… water (not land).
Water always seems so awesome, so frightening.
Yet never have I felt the comfort of the sea as I do today.
Perhaps the sea is the safest place on Earth after all.
MoseskabbalahexilewaterEgyptsafety
The War of Water and Land
In Parshat Shmot, Moses introduces us to the dichotomy of land and water, destruction and reparation, existing to keep the world in balance.
A Liquid Joy: The Sukkot Water Pouring Ceremony
Learn deep mystical lessons about the spiritual meaning of the Sukkot water pouring ceremony. Explore the significance of the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
The Kabbalah of Water
Discover how to create the proper balance and harmony between the fire and water within your psyche and soul.


text:
Young Ambassadors of Intercultural Dialogue
Mahitab Abdel Raouf
Middle East News Agency (MENA), Cairo
The year 2006 witnessed a number of youth events in the Mediterranean Region. These meetings organised by Euro-Mediterranean foundations in charge of intercultural dialogue prove that there is hope for the renewal of genuine dialogue among civilisations. Considerable efforts were made to bring together young people from all over the Mediterranean Basin, the ultimate aim being to mitigate certain chronic conflicts in the world by placing our hopes on youth.
Overview of Euro-Mediterranean Meetings
In June 2006, the European Commission, in collaboration with the SALTO-Youth EuroMed Resource Centre (located at the National Institute for Youth and Non-Formal Education –INJEP– in France), organised the EuroMed 2006 Meeting, convening the different actors of the EuroMed Youth Programme. The participants unanimously expressed their wish to consolidate cooperation and partnership among the European YOUTH Programme agencies and the EuroMed Youth Units (EMYUs). Furthermore, they proposed creating a think tank comprised of said agencies and units, in order to come up with influential strategies and measures for cooperation among youth on both the northern and the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean. They also discussed the importance and role of the Programme in their respective countries, as well as future projects and initiatives.
In August, after the controversy raised by the caricatures of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, the Danish government hosted a cultural festival, "Images of the Middle East," in several Danish cities to restore the image of Denmark in the Arab world. Denmark took the initiative of organising the Images of the Middle East Festival to foster mutual understanding, part of which was a conference convening Islamic religious leaders and Danish specialists to engage in religious and cultural dialogue.
In September of 2006, the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue of Cultures hosted the awards ceremony for the EuroMed Journalist Award for Cultural Diversity in Alexandria, Egypt. The laureates were four young journalists from Egypt, Italy, Belgium and Israel, respectively, who were chosen for their articles on other societies.
In October, the Dialogue 21 Workshop was also held in Alexandria, with the participation of 40 young people ranging in age from 18 to 25 and from 28 different Euro-Mediterranean countries, who came together to engage in dialogue on mutual respect in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
The UNESCO also organised the Euro-Mediterranean Youth Forum in Cyprus (16th-20th November), where a hundred or so young people from 50 different countries met to foster understanding and express themselves, participate in workshops and plenary sessions on peace and intercultural and interreligious dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean Region, draw up recommendations for action on a regional level and make proposals to be addressed at the 2007 Youth Forum during UNESCO's 34th General Conference.
The Importance of Intercultural Dialogue for Young People
The fact that the EuroMed Journalist Award for Cultural Diversity was awarded to young people from different Euro-Mediterranean countries contributes to fostering the image of culturally diversified societies and consequently causing rapprochement between different communities. The young people who participate in such activities to promote intercultural dialogue can share their experiences with fellow citizens. An Egyptian, Italian, Belgian and Israeli meeting and engaging in dialogue helps to change certain preconceptions. Direct, individual dialogue with people from other cultures is just as important for young people as their general role in cross-cultural dialogue. This type of intercultural conversation helps youth with lower levels of education or who have never had the opportunity of meeting people of other nationalities to realise the importance of getting to know the 'Other', even if they consider them their enemies. Cultural events or meetings on cultural diversity allow participants to learn about others' viewpoints and at times gain a greater understanding of a society considered an enemy, possibly contributing to eventually transforming the word 'enemy' into 'friend' and arriving at reconciliation. Furthermore, the organisation of trips such as those offered to the four journalists as part of their award incites young people to discover other communities and compare cultures in person.
Like the EuroMed 2006 Meeting, the Dialogue 21 Workshop also provided the opportunity to exchange knowledge and ideas. There, youth were invited to put forth their proposals for overcoming the current crisis in North-South relations. The participants from different countries felt free to ask one another questions. They also formed groups to participate in a game on knowledge of other cultures. In addition, the Anna Lindh Foundation allowed each young person to ask questions of someone from a country on the opposite Mediterranean shore. All questions and answers were to be published and the proposals presented to the 35 governments of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.
Increased Tension between the West and Muslim Communities
Although the Danish festival was not well received by the Muslim world, at least it transmitted the intention of Copenhagen to restore friendly relations with Muslims. The Euro-Mediterranean community is divided on the crisis of the caricatures offensive to Islam and its Prophet. Some believe that liberty of expression has no limits, even when religion is involved, whereas others feel it is imperative to respect religion, above all since Islam is singled out by the Western World. The Danish Government made efforts to palliate the crisis by apologising but this was unfortunately insufficient due to the indifference displayed by young Danes, who did not realise the importance of containing such a situation in order to prevent commotion from lodging itself between the two shores of the Mediterranean and preserve its image as an intermediary zone.
The foundations concerned with youth of the Mediterranean Basin should continue to play the role of catalyst for cooperation among young people from both the North and the South and East. They should also continue to participate in the dialogue between governments and civil society youth organisations. A common language must be devised to bring differences to light and not just express the common values shared by both shores. Understanding and respecting differences is more important than delving into shared aspects, as it contributes to establishing a climate of respect and rapprochement. Good organisation of youth events is essential and success can be ensured, for instance, by allowing everyone to have a say and expanding spoken participation without giving preference to any one nationality.
The Role of Youth
It remains to be seen how young people can really help to strengthen dialogue among cultures (on the condition, of course, that they believe in its effectiveness). In the face of the hostility prevailing in the world and the clashes between Muslims and the West, in addition to terrorism, from which no country is safe today, dialogue among youth has become the best means of overcoming this crisis. Young people today are more extraverted than their forbears and could succeed where their governments have failed. To be successful, any dialogue among young people must abide by certain criteria, without which it would be better to save the time and money spent on organising such events:
– A sense of superiority should not tinge discussions.
– A young person should not discuss a subject with someone from another culture if he or she is not in a position to do so or is not ready to answer questions or listen to criticism. For instance, a Muslim who does not know her or his religion well should not take part in an interreligious dialogue, knowing that he or she could confuse others and convey false images and ideas.
– Participants must not line up against opinions but rather accept all ideas, even if they disagree with them. The most important this is to understand others and open ourselves to other societies.
– People must not enter into dialogue with the idea of convincing others, but rather to ascertain their opinions. "No civilization by itself can claim to represent all humanity or to assume full responsibility for it; nor can a single civilization claim exclusive rights to provide an ultimate and universally valid vision of how to be a human being and how to live wisely in today's world." (Valdas Adamkus, President de la Republic of Lithuania).
With regard to intercultural dialogue, there is still a great deal of cultural shock and gaps existing between cultures and societies. Words and slogans are constantly being uttered by policymakers and leaders only to serve their interests without making the least effort to establish conditions for rapprochement among humanity. It is through meetings with young people from the Mediterranean Basin that we can overcome these obstacles of ignorance and misunderstanding, as well as gain an understanding and learn about the religions, thoughts, viewpoints and traditions of others. It is important to hold meetings between young Palestinians and Israelis, Israelis and Arabs, Syrians and Lebanese, non-Muslim Danes and Muslims and Jews, Muslims and Christians, with the presence of other young people from Europe and Mediterranean countries to express their opinions objectively and impartially in a relaxed atmosphere free from tension. These young people can be the agents in a process of reconciliation via intercultural dialogue.
Through the consolidation of cooperation and friendship among young people from both shores of the Mediterranean, a new form of rapprochement will doubtless emerge among future generations. Youth represents a force for peace capable of fostering a culture of non-aggression, human rights education, civic behaviour, gender equality, the struggle against discrimination and xenophobia, intergenerational dialogue and the universal values of dialogue.


text:
Q: How to edit _vimrc file? I am having trouble saving my settings on vim. I know that in order to do that I need to open the vimrc file but when I do that it says that the file is readonly and won't let me edit it, preventing me from saving my settings.
It says that in order to force save it or override it, I need to add the ! mark after :w in the command section, which I do, but it still does not work.
I can't find any other solution to this problem.
Note: I am using Windows 8.1.

A: On Windows, you may need to run your editor as administrator to write to your system's _vimrc file.
You may also create a _vimrc in your home directory (e.g. C:\Users\Piet\_vimrc, see the output of :echo $HOME) without administrator access.

A: You can solve it this way:
Instead of :w, type :w !sudo tee %. I guess it should work.
(my answer is based on this tutotial where the whole problem is well-described)

A: You may be editing the one global vimrc in /etc/vimrc to which you don't have access.
Make sure you're editing ~/.vimrc and check that you have read and write priviledges to the file (ls -l ~/.vimrc). Since the file is in your home folder you should have those privilages but it won't hurt to verify.


The Guts Poker offer consists of a flat cashback 30%, a deposit bonus of €1,000 as well as rake based promotions for grinders. Additionally we're running a rake chase with exclusive value on top of all room promotions.
We're running an exclusive monthly points chase on Guts Poker with real cash prizes. Simply hit the points tiers within the running month and receive a prize directly to your poker account.
$1 rake equals 10 points.
All Donkr players receive 30% cashback at Guts poker.


text:
Q: pd.dataframe - sort each list in a column of lists without changing index If I have this pandas v1.3.4 dataframe:
index         col1          col2
  1      ['1','2','3']       'a'
  2      ['2','4','2']       'b'
  3      ['5','2','1']       'c'
  4      ['3','2','1']       'd'

How can I sort each value in col1 without changing the index or any other values (col2 in this case)?  For this example, if I sort from lowest to highest (assuming lexographic sorting matched the numerical sorting) I would get:
index         col1          col2
  1      ['1','2','3']       'a'
  2      ['2','2','4']       'b'
  3      ['1','2','5']       'c'
  4      ['1','2','3']       'd'

I don't particularly care what sorting approach I take, I just want lists with the same items to have the same order so they are recognised as equivalent, for some downstream data visualisation.
Thanks!
Tim

A: As you want to sort string representations of integers, use natsort:
from natsort import natsorted
df['col1'] = df['col1'].apply(natsorted)

output:
   index             col1 col2
0      1  ['1', '2', '3']  'a'
1      2  ['2', '2', '4']  'b'
2      3  ['1', '2', '5']  'c'
3      4  ['1', '2', '3']  'd'

A: In case you don't want to use any import (apart from pandas, of course):
import pandas as pd
df = pd.DataFrame({'col1': [['1', '2', '20'], ['2', '10', '2'], ['30', '2', '1'], ['3', '2', '1']]})

You can sort each list numerically using:
df[['col1']].apply(lambda x: sorted(map(int,x["col1"])), axis=1)

OUTPUT
0    [1, 2, 20]
1    [2, 2, 10]
2    [1, 2, 30]
3     [1, 2, 3]

Or as strings using:
df[['col1']].apply(lambda x: sorted(map(str,x["col1"])), axis=1)

OUTPUT
0    [1, 2, 20]
1    [10, 2, 2]
2    [1, 2, 30]
3     [1, 2, 3]

A: You could convert your column to list with ast.literal_eval if col1 is a string then sort it with apply:
import ast
df.col1 = df.col1.apply(lambda x: sorted(ast.literal_eval(x)))
print(df)

Output:
            col1 col2
index
1      [1, 2, 3]  'a'
2      [2, 2, 4]  'b'
3      [1, 2, 5]  'c'
4      [1, 2, 3]  'd'

A: Or good old list comprehension.
df['col1'] = [sorted(i) for i in df.col1]

Example using iris:
iris = pd.read_csv('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mwaskom/seaborn-data/master/iris.csv')
iris['test'] = iris[['sepal_length', 'sepal_width', 'petal_length', 'petal_width']].values.tolist()
iris['test2'] = [sorted(i) for i in iris.test]


text:
Listing Of Diamonds
The biggest pink diamond on this planet, approximately 182 carats (36.Four g), Face Temperature Recognition initially from India but now a part of Iranian Crown Jewels. Largest blue diamond allegedly discovered as much as this date earlier than its cut, it was faceted by Jean Pittan to be the primary French Crown Jewel. Almost certainly cut from the French Blue Diamond. A diamond which received a "perfect" 0/0/zero ranking from the American Gem Society, weighing 3.03 carats (0.606 g) tough and 1.09 carats (0.218 g) lower.
Weighing 5.03 carats (1.006 g), the third-largest recognized purple diamond GIA graded as "fancy darkish reddish brown", 1688 agent was bought in a flea market on a hatpin by Sidney deYoung a prominent Boston property jewelry merchant. A 555-carat black diamond, minimize to have 55 sides, is currently the most important minimize diamond on Earth. Williamson Pink Star 32.32 11.15 pink Tanzania The cushion-shaped flawless fancy vivid pink kind IIa diamond was bought by Sotheby's Hong Kong on October 7, 2022 for $392 million Hong Kong dollars ($49.9 million USD), setting a world report for the very best worth per carat for a diamond offered at public sale.
A 302.37 carat D color high-readability emerald cut diamond. 137.02-carat (27.4 g) stone reduce from a 353.9-carat (70.8 g) rough gem of the identical name. A 67.50-carat (13.500 g) cushion-lower black diamond, moissanite wedding additionally referred to as the eye of Brahma Diamond Painting France. Known for Wall Hanging Decor UK its symmetry, and diamond painting france as soon as owned by Napoleon's older brother, it disappeared after being bought to a Sri Lankan diamond merchant in 1980 for a then-document $4.6 million.
Mined at the Mir kimberlitic pipe (Yakutia, Russia) in 1980. It's the largest gem diamond ever found in Russia or the former USSR. Grew to become probably the most expensive diamond painting on the earth at the time of its sale in Could 2016, Diamond Painting France promoting for $50.


Perfect Tunic - Scotch Plaid - BLACK/WHITE - 2 - Talbots is rated 4.5 out of 5 by 32.
A fresh take on the classic shirt in Scotch plaid and non-iron fabric, the Perfect Tunic is a perfect companion to jeans or leggings. A flattering fit and sparkling diamanté buttons only add to the charm of this versatile top. Best of all? No iron required.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Kathy from Love this blouse I found this when I just stopped in the store to retun something. Came out with three other items. SOP for me when I go in the store. This blouse is sooooo comfortable and flatering. Love it.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Dinky from Scotch Plaid Tunic This is very cute top. I usually wear a small/medium & I like the way this fits.
Rated 4 out of 5 by Simmie from Looks great on model I am a 2x and ordered an 18W. This tops looks different on me compared to the model. The sleeves are much shorter than shown.(Which is great because I am in a cast) I have laundered and worn. My mom told me I looked pretty. I wore with red shoes for my pop color.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Cal50 from True to size, washes up very well Good fit, classic look, and washes up well. Loooks good straight out of the dryer.
Rated 3 out of 5 by Jeannette330 from A bit boxy I bought this top last month, and it fits a bit like a sack. However, I can sew, so I added shaping darts in the front, and it's much nicer.
Rated 5 out of 5 by jplake from Good fit. Quality fablic . Quality fabric. Looks great with leggings or slim leg pants.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Shirt size 14 from Clean cut shirt I saw this shirt while Christmas shopping thought it would look clean & neat. And it did!


Just a short stroll from the town's historic market place, hidden up a picturesque mediaeval backstreet, you'll find The Golden Cross Inn.
This early-18th Century coaching inn offers a warm welcome to all, from those seeking a thirst quenching pintof real ale to discerning diners looking for gourmet British cuisine, and of course to weary travellers looking for a bed for the night.
While the building itself dates from the mid-17th Century, landlord Mark Lindesay and his dedicated team have recently transformed the pub into a welcoming hostelry offering contemporary standards of service, great food, good company and comfortable, well-equipped bedrooms, suites and apartments.
The Golden Cross Inn offers the perfect combination of contemporary sophistication and traditional charm with its exposed beams, classic pub ambiance in its snug bar, combined with a light, airy dining area, all tended by friendly and attentive staff.
In the winter the pub offers a warming retreat from the outside cold with its log fire and "tucked away" feel, while in the summertime you'll discover the pub's "hidden treasure", a stylish, sheltered sun-trap of a Cotswold garden – an ideal setting for a late-afternoon Pimms or weekend barbecue. or relax in our street-side seating to the front of the pub and while away an hour or two watching the world pass by.
Finally the pub's Stable Bar offers a flexible space for functions, parties and events, with Sky and BT Sports TV showing all the live sporting action.
Under the stewardship and management of landlord Mark Lindesay and his team, The Golden Cross Inn has developed into a popular venue for those living in or visiting Cirencester, retaining the traditional welcome of an historic coaching inn while offering contemporary comforts for discerning guests and travellers.
As the pub's motto states, The Golden Cross Inn is indeed "so much more than a back street pub".


Cute 3 bedroom 1 bath home. Home features a large living room and a spacious kitchen. Would make a great first home or a terrific rental. Fenced backyard with storage building. Call today to see this home.


text:
Еди Симон Шварц е български режисьор, сценарист и драматург.

Биография
Роден е на 27 декември 1937 г. Завършва куклена режисура в НАТФИЗ "Кръстьо Сарафов" през 1960 г.

Работил е като режисьор в редица театри в България: Драматичен театър "Невена Коканова" (Ямбол), Драматичен театър (Димитровград), Драматично-куклен театър "Иван Димов" (Хасково), Драматичен театър "Адриана Будевска" (Бургас), Драматичен театър "Боян Дановски" (Перник) и в София.

Еди Шварц е един от учредителите на еврейската организация в България "Шалом" и неин председател през периода 1997-2005 г.

Филмография

Като режисьор
 История с печати (1963)

Като сценарист
 Жоро, Шаро и Мара – болният Шаро (1972)
 Жоро, Шаро и Мара на кино (1972)
 Жоро, Шаро и Мара – голямото преследване (1971)
 Жоро, Шаро и Мара – приключение в гората (1970)
 Приятелите на Гошо слона (1968)

Книги
 Калудница, изд. ИК "Петекстон" 2004
 Късчета от пъзела, изд. ИК "СИЛУЕТ" 1995

Външни препратки
 Профил в bgmovies

Български режисьори
Български сценаристи
Български драматурзи
Възпитаници на НАТФИЗ
Български евреи
Родени в Ямбол


Michaelia Cash, the minister for women, rejected being labelled as a feminist despite pressure from other commentators on the Q&A panel – and even an admission from rightwing radio host Alan Jones that he hoped he was a feminist.
"I don't label myself," Cash told the ABC's Q&A program on Monday night, the eve of International Women's Day, to the derision of fellow panellists Mamamia founder Mia Freedman and Labor's Penny Wong.
The New York-based media personality Josh Zepps rounded out the panel of five, which touched – at least in passing – on domestic violence, the gender pay gap, parental leave and women's superannuation. On several topics, the question being asked was whether actions speak louder than words.
The episode began with a question about Peta Credlin, Tony Abbott's chief of staff, whose close relationship with the former prime minister is the subject of journalist Niki Savva's new book, The Road to Ruin.
The book claims the closeness of the relationship between the two gave rise to rumours the two were having an affair – a claim both strongly deny.
In response to her question whether "a powerful woman will [ever] be judged solely on her performance and not subject to gossip and innuendo about who she's sleeping with", Jones said he agreed with audience member Nicole Williamson's sentiments.
Freedman said that if the impression given in Savva's book that Abbott was incapable of governing without Credlin was correct, the blame lay with him, not her, though it was to both their detriment. Wong said speculation about their personal relationship distracted from "obvious dysfunction at the heart of the government".
Over the course of the program, the panellists took on Cardinal George Pell's evidence at the royal commission into institutional responses to child abuse, Chinese investment in dairy farms, the exploitation of foreign seafarers and a final question about whether "Donald Trump might be a secret Democrat working from the inside to destabilise the Republican party".
Jones was also called upon to explain earlier comments that another stolen generation was necessary to "protect" children in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families from the drug abuse problems of their parents.
Though Jones' argument seemed to be met with scepticism or dismissed outright by the other panellists and the host, Tony Jones, Cash was criticised by Wong for both former prime minister John Howard's refusal to apologise for the stolen generation and cuts to programs and services for Indigenous Australians.
Cash later came under scrutiny again when she was asked by audience member Maddie Mott about how she could both be minister for women and not identify as a feminist.
"Why are you so scared of the word?" Freedman interjected.
"I don't label myself," Cash said.
Freedman and Wong both argued for Cash to reconsider her stance, with the former chalking it up to outdated perceptions of feminism and fear of alienating or offending men. "It is also an act of respect," said Wong, of the women who fought for the rights she has today, which was met with applause from the audience.
Asked by audience member Jane Bowen as to the state of feminism in Australia, Cash identified the gender pay gap as a problem in demand of a joint effort from government, employers and society.
She pointed to the Australian Council of Trade Unions' new report that reveals that Australian women are financially disadvantaged at every key stage of their life.
Apparently to hark back to her earlier skirmish with Cash over "labels", Freedman said the gender pay gap was "part of the reason that I call myself a feminist".


Former lawyer for the FBI and known Comey supporter James Baker spoke to Congressional investigators, telling them that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's plan to wear a secret wire in order to have President Trump removed from office was not a joke, as Rosenstein previously claimed.
Rod Rosenstein spoke with FBI and Justice Department officials last year regarding the idea of wearing a wire in order to record the President. He was hoping to build a case against him, claiming that he was unfit to hold his current position.
The Deputy Attorney General started scheming up the idea to have Trump removed from office not long after disgraced former FBI Director James Comey was terminated, as reported by the New York Times. The Times cited memos written by then-Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe.
A subpoena was issued by the House Judiciary Committee for the memos written by McCabe, but Congress still doesn't have them. Today is October 10th. To be clear, the decline was the 4th.
Rosenstein has also reportedly tried to influence members of the cabinet to invoke the 25th amendment in order to have Trump removed from office, as reported by the Times. The Deputy Attorney General didn't waste any time in claiming that the New York Times had inaccurately reported on the matter, and that he was simply making a joke about wearing a wire.
Former FBI attorney James Baker is someone who has extensive knowledge regarding Andrew McCabe's memos as well as his conversations with the Deputy Attorney General. Baker told Congress that Rosenstein was not joking at all.
"You walk away from the Baker interview with little doubt that the FBI leadership in that 2016-17 time-frame saw itself as far more than a neutral investigative agency but actually as a force to stop Trump's election before it happened and then maybe reversing it after the election was over," a source familiar with the investigation stated.
Baker resigned from his position on May 4th of this year. It was just last week that the former FBI attorney testified in a closed-door deposition, telling Congressional investigators that he had met with a lawyer from Perkins Coie, Michael Sussmann, in September of 2016. This was just a few weeks prior to the FBI obtaining a FISA warrant.
Things are just heating up. Stay tuned for more explosive news.


text:
← Auberon Herbert: Defender of Eastern Europe (1922-1974)
Upcoming Waugh Events →
Scoop Scooped
Scoop has become a prominent news story. This is the result of a poll by the Publishers Association to mark its 125th anniversary. They asked MPs to name their favorite book, and Boris Johnson named Scoop. He offered no explanation for his choice, although several others did briefly explain theirs. Here's a link to the announcement of the choices (Scoop appears on p. 6).
Several papers mention the list (and Johnson's choice). For example, The Spectator's "Steerpike" column has this comment:
The Prime Minister's own choice represents something of a hat-tip to his former career as a journalist. Scoop, by Evelyn Waugh, is a 1938 satire of foreign correspondents, sensationalism and newsroom rivalries set in the fictional East African nation of Ishmaelia. Unsurprisingly, Johnson's own economies with the actualité in the jungles of Brussels and Westminster have prompted many already to draw parallels with Waugh's delightfully sketched characters. An alternative suggestion for the PM could be the choice of Carolyn Harris MP, deputy leader of Welsh Labour who opted for Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer – a fantasy work about an uneasy peace in Ireland, nearly thwarted by one man's over-elaborate technical 'solutions.'
Patrick Kidd in his Times diary wrote this:
Boris Johnson went to Waugh: specifically Scoop. The prime minister surely does not identify with its hero, William Boot. He is hardly one to chase questing voles through plashy fens. The Johnson role model is more the man Boot replaces at The Beast: Sir Jocelyn Hitchcock, a reporter who can start revolutions simply by making up stories without leaving his hotel room.
Although not mentioned by those papers, Johnson's selection may have been foreseen by a feature-length article in The Critic. This is written by journalist Robert Hutton and is briefly mentioned in the Guardian. This article is entitled "Putting the Boot in…" and relates to the novel specifically, not Johnson. Near the beginning Hutton explains the book's importance with a reference to a previous Prime Minister:
[David] Cameron, himself a man who was reluctant to take the whole business of prime ministering too seriously, understood this. As leader of the Opposition he'd kept on his desk a copy of Evelyn Waugh's Scoop. It's a book that explains a great deal about the press in general and the current prime minister in particular.
For a British reporter, Scoop is the holy text of the job. One of the enduring mysteries of journalism is that a trade which employs large numbers of skilled writers, and puts them into interesting situations every day, has been the subject of so few really good novels. Scoop was written as satire, but eight decades after it was published, and after the industry has gone through two technological revolutions, it remains the best description of UK journalistic life.
After a review of the novel, Hutton explains how some of the characters relate to present day persons and events:
Which brings us to Boris Johnson. As well as being Britain's most successful politician, the prime minister has long been one of the country's highest-paid journalists, a job he did entirely in the Scoop mould. His sympathetic biographer, Andrew Gimson, describes how, posted to Brussels, Johnson delighted in producing stories that were more entertaining than accurate. It was not that he was opposed to writing accurate stories, but he didn't see it as in any way essential.
The Scoop character Johnson most resembles isn't the hero — Boot is too naïve, his reports too close to reality. Nor is the press corps regulars, Corker, Shumble, Whelper and Pigge, who huddle in the same hotel, lest they will be beaten on a story. Johnson, both as journalist and politician, has generally preferred to hunt alone. We must look to the man Boot replaced at the Beast, foreign correspondent Sir Jocelyn Hitchcock.
Like Johnson, who was hazy on the outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad, Sir Jocelyn is more confident than he should be about history ("He was wrong about the Battle of Hastings," says Lord Copper. "It was 1066. I looked it up"). He hides in his hotel room before filing an entirely imaginary interview — something else for which Johnson has form. Sir Jocelyn was, pleasingly, modelled on Sir Percival Phillips, a correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, which would later employ Johnson.
Sir Jocelyn's fabrications didn't hold him back, and Johnson's propelled him to the front rank of journalism, then into politics, where he exhibits the same behaviour: the pursuit of a higher "truth" unburdened by facts, the deadline mentality, the reluctance to correct mistakes, the assumption that someone else should pick up the bill…
The story closes with another Johnson reference. You can read it at this link.
This entry was posted in Newspapers, Scoop and tagged Patrick Kidd, Robert Hutton, The Critic, The Spectator, The Times. Bookmark the permalink.


When was the last time you read a really great book? Yesterday? Last month? Three years ago? Well, buckle up your tin can because here at last is a really great idea.
I'm currently writing a piece about Beatrice, a washed-up, disgruntled 32-year-old who interacts with all kinds of people and does stuff. Excited? Keep reading. One day Beatrice stumbles upon a paranormal essence located within a small historic town in Ohio. From page one, all hell breaks through in Beatrice's life. Eventually I'll get around to writing it.
While there are many books out there that tell a tale of paranormal events, none of them have the paranormal essence that this book has. What exactly is a paranormal essence? I have a no idea.
To market this book I will beg the Ghost Adventurers to allow me to make a guest appearance on their show so that I can gain some national attention for this masterpiece I have yet to write. If they turn me down then I'll plea my case with the Paranormal Research Society. I am also willing to use my blog (www.generallydisgruntled.wordpress.com) and my Twitter account – @disgruntledkat to gain additional attention.
I feel I am the best person to write this book because I am also a washed-up, disgruntled 32-year-old and I regularly do stuff that involves interacting with people.
I have selected you to be the lucky agent who represents this Pulitzer-Prize winning piece because as your name applies, you fully understand what it means to be a little cranky.


text:
package uk.ac.ebi.subs.api.handlers;

import lombok.NonNull;
import lombok.RequiredArgsConstructor;
import org.springframework.amqp.rabbit.core.RabbitMessagingTemplate;
import org.springframework.data.rest.core.annotation.HandleAfterDelete;
import org.springframework.data.rest.core.annotation.RepositoryEventHandler;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Component;
import uk.ac.ebi.subs.api.model.FileDeleteMessage;
import uk.ac.ebi.subs.messaging.Exchanges;
import uk.ac.ebi.subs.repository.model.fileupload.File;
import uk.ac.ebi.subs.validator.data.ValidationResult;
import uk.ac.ebi.subs.validator.repository.ValidationResultRepository;

/**
 * This class is responsible handling events related to {@link File} deletion.
 */
@Component
@RequiredArgsConstructor
@RepositoryEventHandler(File.class)
public class FileDeletionEventHandler {

    @NonNull
    private RabbitMessagingTemplate rabbitMessagingTemplate;

    @NonNull
    private ValidationResultRepository validationResultRepository;

    private final String FILE_DELETION_ROUTING_KEY = "usi.file.deletion";

    @HandleAfterDelete
    void handleAfterFileDeletion(File file) {

        deleteRelatedValidationResult(file);

        sendFileDeletionMessage(file);
    }

    private void sendFileDeletionMessage(File file) {
        FileDeleteMessage fileDeleteMessage = new FileDeleteMessage(
                file.getTargetPath(),
                file.getSubmissionId()
        );

        rabbitMessagingTemplate.convertAndSend(
                Exchanges.SUBMISSIONS,
                FILE_DELETION_ROUTING_KEY,
                fileDeleteMessage);
    }

    private void deleteRelatedValidationResult(File deletedFile) {
        ValidationResult validationResult = deletedFile.getValidationResult();

        validationResultRepository.delete(validationResult);
    }
}


text:
Dordt baseball takes a spring break trip to the desert
March 29, 2019 · by The Diamond Editor · in Sports, Spring 2019. ·
Caleb Pollema—Staff Writer
The Defenders' baseball team made the annual 27-hour bus trip to Tucson, Arizona, on March 7th for a week of games in the desert.
For many of the players, this is a chance to experience a part of the country they have never seen before and share quality time outside of baseball with their teammates.
"I really enjoyed getting to play a lot of games in a short time," sophomore pitcher AJ Bosscher said. "It was great getting to spend time with guys outside of baseball without our normal school routine."
The team arrived on Friday evening and began games with a pair of nine-inning contests on Saturday. The Defenders fell to Jamestown in a non-conference matchup by a final score of 4-13.
The second game of the day proved to be better for the Defenders as senior Luke Drooger led the team to a 16-9 victory over Mayville State with an outstanding performance on the mound.
The Defenders resumed action on the following Monday with two more non-conference games. Dordt fell to Southwest Minnesota State, an NCAA Division II school, in a hotly contested matchup by a final of 3-6.
However, Dordt rebounded later that day as the bats came to life in a 14-8 victory over Nebraska Wesleyan.
While set to play another doubleheader on Tuesday against Lourdes University, the games were canceled as rain hit the Tucson area late Monday night and into Tuesday morning.
This left the Defenders in a unique situation with two off days in a row, since Wednesday had already been scheduled as a free day.
Dordt would then turn their attention to a four-game series to open GPAC play in the desert against Morningside College.
The Defenders opened the series with a back and forth loss on Thursday afternoon by a final of 5-8. The next two games proved to be difficult as Dordt failed to produce any runs in back-to-back shutout losses by a final of 0-9 and 0-4.
They didn't capitalize on an early 4-0 lead in the fourth and final game of the series and fell by a final of 4-7.
Despite the losses, many players got the opportunity to see collegiate action for the first time.
"It was a great experience to be a part of, and I loved playing with all my friends after a long winter," freshman pitcher Logan Horne said. "It was very exciting getting to play college ball for the first time."
Dordt will return to action on March 22 with a doubleheader at Dakota Wesleyan, followed by their home opener this Saturday afternoon against Doane University. The doubleheader will begin at 1:00 p.m.
← How Dordt heats up in the winter
Indoor Track Nationals warm-up →


Brooklyn based Rips self-titled debut album has recently been announced to be due for release on Friday 16th June 2017 on Faux Discx. Produced by Austin Brown of Parquet Courts, Rips' debut album is eleven tracks of buzzing guitar riffs driven by a charged rhythm section, taking cues from the moonlighting era of rock, while delivering a set of songs distinctly fit for the modern age. Check it out.


The Queen of Peace 5pm choir is looking for an accompanist.
Rehearsals are Monday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 4pm.
The Colorado Catholic Conference OPPOSES HB19 1032- CONCERNING COMPREHENSIVE HUMAN SEXUALITY EDUCATION. The Colorado Catholic Conference believes that this bill further compromises the ability of local school districts to maintain a system of local control that allows communities and school districts to determine content standards for comprehensive human sexuality education. Parents are the primary educators of their children and education policy must be crafted in a manner that places the needs of the children and parents first.
If pregnancy outcomes are covered, abortion and life must be presented as equal options.
The "age-appropriateness" of the curriculum is vague and the actual content of the curriculum is undefined.
Cannot teach abstinence as the primary or sole acceptable preventative method.
"Healthy relationships" are defined by the state, not by parents.
Creates a loophole where programming on gender, gender expression and sexual orientation can be taught outside of the human sexuality instruction without notification provided to parents.
Charter schools may not apply for a waiver.
After each Mass in the Great Room.
The U.S. Bishops have received a letter from Pope Francis as they gather in northern Illinois at Mundelein Seminary this week. The weeklong retreat is taking place at the invitation of Pope Francis who has asked all bishops in the United States to pause in prayer as the Church seeks to respond to the signs of the times.
As you know, in January 1973, the Supreme Court effectively removed every legal protection from human beings before birth through its rulings in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. Since that time, millions of lives have been destroyed by abortion, and countless women have been traumatized so deeply that they spend years struggling to find peace, healing , and reconciliation. Leading up to the annual Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children on January 22nd, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities sponsors a nationwide novena called 9 Days for Life. This year, the novena runs Monday, January 14 - Tuesday, January 22. The overarching intention of this multi-faceted novena is the respect of all human life, and each day highlights a different intention, also providing daily reflections, educational information, and suggested acts of reparation. From a letter written by Archbishop Samuel Aquila Visit 9daysforlife.com to get daily reflections, prayers, and reminders or to download the App.
Como saben, en enero de 1973, la Corte Suprema elimino efectivamente toda proteccio n legal de los seres humanos en el vientre a trave s de sus fallos en Roe v. Wade y Doe v. Bolton. Desde entonces, millones de vidas han sido destruidas por el aborto, e innumerables mujeres han sido traumatizadas tan profundamente que pasan an os luchando por encontrar la paz, la sanacio n y la reconciliacio n. En preparacio n para la Jornada anual de oracio n por la proteccio n legal de los nin os en el vientre el 22 de enero, el Comite de actividades pro vida de la Conferencia de Obispos Cato licos de los Estados Unidos patrocina una novena nacional llamada 9 dí as por la vida. Este an o, la novena se realizara del lunes 14 de enero al martes 22 de enero. La intencio n general de esta novena multiface tica es el respeto de toda la vida humana, y cada dí a destaca una intencio n diferente, que tambie n brinda reflexiones diarias, informacio n educativa y actos de reparacio n sugeridos. De una carta escrita por el arzobispo Samuel Aquila. Visite 9daysforlife.com para obtener reflexiones diarias, oraciones y recordatorios o para descargar la aplicación.
Would You Like to be a Music Leader at Queen of Peace?
Background checks are run on all priests and deacons every five years. Five years after completing the Safe Environment Training Program, priests and deacons complete the State of Colorado Mandatory Reporter on-line training program.
Called to Protect for Young Children™ is designed to teach children in grades K-5 the skills they need to recognize boundary violations that may precede abuse, to remove themselves from uncomfortable situations, and to tell a trusted adult when someone has crossed a boundary with them.
Called to Protect™ for Youth is the first comprehensive program specifically designed to teach middle and high school youths self-protection skills. The program uses a three-part DVD series and guided group discussions to teach young people how to recognize their personal boundaries, how to respond if someone tries to violate their boundaries, and what to do if someone is sexually abusing them or someone they know.
While no specific procedure or precedent exists for the reporting of abuse by a bishop or cardinal in the Archdiocese beyond the procedures described above, abuse or suspected abuse of a minor, elder, or at-risk adult by such persons should always be reported to law enforcement in accordance with the Archdiocese' standard policies. For other forms of misconduct, reports can be made to the bishop of a neighboring diocese or the Apostolic Nuncio. Such reports should also be made to the Victim Assistance Coordinator. The Conduct Response Team and/or the proposed anonymous reporting method mentioned above are also avenues for reporting.
When a credible report of abuse of a minor is made about a member of the clergy, the man is removed from ministry immediately. This is done to protect both potential victims from any further harm. In regard to other types of alleged misconduct, the Archdiocese will respond promptly and with great seriousness. If it is determined that the kind of misconduct being reported would put the safety of others at risk, (physically, spiritually, emotionally), restrictions can be placed on the ministry of the accused clergy member. It is the goal of the Archdiocese in all incidents of reported misconduct to protect victims, while at the same time withholding judgment until all investigations can be conducted. The Archdiocese does not transfer accused clergy to other dioceses or parishes unless such transfer takes place after an accused has been definitively cleared of all wrong doing.
All reports of instances or suspected instances of such misconduct are investigated in accordance with the Code of Conduct. In the event of reported misconduct, the Archdiocese also investigates whether the clergy member abused his position of power, which would add to the gravity of an already grave situation. Once the details of the misconduct are better understood, the Archdiocese acts in a manner that addresses its particularities—specifically addressing whether the clergy member is suitable for ministry. These steps are taken with the intent of preserving the safety of others, while at the same time protecting clergy against potential false accusations. It is important not to judge this type of misconduct according to what society might find acceptable or unacceptable, since the Church has always taught that sexual activity outside of marriage is a sin.
Father Felix reflects on his experience of WYD 93 on the news!
Watch his interview with CBS4 as he talks about his experience at World Youth Day in Denver in 1993.
¡Escucha su experiencia en la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud en Denver 1993!


The maintenance is now completed.
[CMEMS:8775] has been fixed. Check the "Technical Note" for more details.
but [CMEMS:8365] remains to be solved. Check this item for next steps.
To permanently fix the issue dealt in these items (i and ii), namely the retirement of datasets from remote netcdf file subset service and temporarily but frequent service instability, a new version of one Web Server (MOTU) in charge of data dissemination will be deployed on Monday, 3rd December at 14:30 UTC and will end at 16:30 UTC.
If you have any question, please contact CMEMS Service Desk, quoting reference [CMEMS:8833].


text:
Das Portal Tomb von Kilclooney More 2 (auch Dg. 70 oder Kilclooney More West ( genannt)) liegt etwa acht Meter westlich des viel größeren Portal Tombs Kilclooney More 1, nordwestlich von Ardara im County Donegal in Irland.
Als Portal Tombs werden auf den Britischen Inseln Megalithanlagen bezeichnet, bei denen zwei gleich hohe, aufrecht stehende Steine mit einem Türstein dazwischen, die Vorderseite einer Kammer bilden, die mit einem zum Teil gewaltigen Deckstein bedeckt ist.

Das kleinere Portal Tomb besitzt noch nahezu alle seine Steine, aber der Deckstein ist verstürzt. Es wird angenommen, dass ein Cairn, von dem Spuren erhalten blieben, beide Megalithanlagen bedeckt hat. Eine moderne Feldmauer trennt die beiden Anlagen. Bei Ausgrabungen wurden Fragmente neolithischer Keramik gefunden.

In der Nähe liegt westlich das relativ gut erhaltene Court Tomb von Kilclooney.

Siehe auch
 Megalithanlagen in Irland
 Liste der Portal Tombs in Irland

Literatur
 James Fergusson: Rude Stone Monuments. In all countries their age and uses. Murray, London 1872.
 Kenneth McNally: Standing Stones and other monuments of early Ireland. Appletree, Belfast 1984, ISBN 0-86281-121-X.

Weblinks
 Beschreibung engl. und Bilder
 Beschreibung engl. und Bilder

Megalithanlage in Irland
Portal Tomb
Archäologischer Fundplatz im County Donegal
Kultbau


Custom program to see Ishinomaki and/or Onagawa and interact with local people. Choose contents, duration, and season tailored to the needs of companies, organizations, and student groups.
Create custom-made courses by selecting contents from 1 to 3.
More details in the remarks column.
Learn about the earthquake and tsunami and experience the attractive points of Ishinomaki or Onagawa.
1. The power of the disaster, knowledge for volunteering, and preparation for disasters.
3. Learn about disaster prevention and damage reduction from local storytellers and experience things that you can only find in this region.
2 hours to a few days. Negotiable.


Amazing well maintained townhome with huge fenced backyard located in a quiet neighborhood. Enter into a cozy living room filled abundant light and gas fireplace that flows into the charming kitchen with newer kitchen appliances, pantry and eat-in kitchen area with backyard access. Upstairs is the light and airy master bedroom featuring vaulted ceilings, walk-in closet and backyard views. Completing the upstairs is a full bathroom, ample guest bedroom with walk-in closet and convenient upstairs laundry and includes the newer washer and dryer. Enjoy Colorado's 360 days of sunshine in the generous backyard with lovely mature landscaping, patio wired for hot tub and an extra-well-built large storage shed. Other great features of this home include new water heater and extra long 1-car garage w/built in storage. Great location, within walking distance to Adams 12 - 5 Star elementary school and East Lake Shores Park. Great property!


0.20ct. Diamond Earrings - 14K gold 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 0.20ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
Diamond earrings 0.20ct. - 14K white gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 0.20ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
Diamond Earrings 0.25ct. - 14K gold 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 0.25ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
0.25 ct. Martini Diamond Earrings - 14K white gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh 0.25ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
0.33ct Martini Round Diamonds Earring - 14K gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 0.33ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
0.33ct White Gold Diamond Stud Earrings - 14K white gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 0.33ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
0.50ct. Diamond Stud Earrings - 14K gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 0.50ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
Diamond Stud Earrings 0.50ct - 14K white gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 0.50ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
14K Diamond Stud Earrings - 14K gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 0.75ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
White Gold Diamond Earrings - 14K white gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 3.0ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
14K Diamond Stud Earrings - 14K gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 1.00ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
14K Diamond Stud Earrings - 14K white gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 1.00ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
14K Diamond Stud Earrings - 14K gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 1.50ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
1.50ct 3-Prongs Diamond Earrings - 14K white gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 1.50ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
3-Prongs Round Diamond Earrings 2.0ct. - 14K gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 2.00ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.
2.0ct. Round Diamond Stud Earrings - 14K white gold, 3-prongs, friction back diamond earrings. Diamonds together weigh approximately 2.0ct and are graded as SI in clarity G-H in color.


text:
Q: What do i call a 'Mutable configuration' I have an external process in my program. To interact with it i have a configuration file i can edit. The external process then reads this file periodically and updates its state accordingly.
Now what is a good name for this file, as represented in code?
ExternalProcessApplicationConfigurationFile feels 'static' since using configuration as a word 'sounds static' as in the configuration is not mutable. Although i feel something like 'ExternalProcessApplicationSettingsFile' sounds even more static.
How would you normally call something like this situation, where an external module in your code has a configuration that is mutable.

A: Config, or maybe Configuration or Settings. A name doesn't need to convey everything about its functionality and intended usage.
The documentation should state that it's mutable and that the program will check every N minutes for changes (or utilizes a file modification monitor.)


ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE – After a day of touting ways in which Christians might share in greater unity, that commitment to coming together didn't prevent Pope Francis from backing the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog in its decision to insist on caution regarding proposals for intercommunion with Protestants.
On a return flight to Rome on Thursday from a day-long ecumenical pilgrimage to Geneva, Francis said he supported the Vatican's Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal-elect Luis Ladaria, in requiring a rethink of a draft proposal from the German bishops that would allow for non-Catholics to receive communion under certain conditions.
Among other items discussed during the 30-minute in-flight press conference was the global migrant and refugee situation – where, once again, Francis reiterated his support for the U.S. Catholic bishops in opposing the Trump administration's hard line – as well as the challenges of nuclear weapons.
Francis said that Ladaria did not act unilaterally, but with the pope's permission, and that under the Code of Canon Law it is up to the local bishop to decide under what conditions communion can be administered to non-Catholics, not local bishops' conferences.
On the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, Francis did not mince words in throwing his support behind the U.S. bishops.
"I side with them," he said matter-of-factly, repeating what he had said in an exclusive interview with Reuters that was published on Wednesday.
"I'm proud of what the bishops of that country said," Francis added.
When asked about the possibility of the Church backing away from its support of Just War Theory, Francis skirted around the question but said that we know if there is a Third World War it will be fought with nuclear weapons.
If there is a fourth, he speculated, "it will be fought with sticks," he said-predicting the utter devastation that would follow.
Nevertheless, the pope insisted that many global challenges can be resolved.
Recalling his lunch earlier in the day with ecumenical leaders from around the world, Francis shared the story of one individual who proposed that the first human right should be the right to hope.
"I like this," the pope said.
At the conclusion of the press conference, Francis recognized Cardinal-elect Angelo Becciu, who has served as his sostituto, or "substitute," in effect a sort of chief of staff.
Next week, Francis will name Becciu, along with 13 other individuals to the College of Cardinals.
Francis's return to Rome marks the end of his much-anticipated day-long trip to Geneva to mark the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches, a global body promoted to working together toward ecumenical advancement.


A catalyzed silicate reagent has been used commercially for over four years to remove organics and dissolved metals from inorganic acids. The purification of these acids is accomplished by a 1% addition of the reagent and solids removal via cartridge filtration. The chemistry provides a viable alternative to capital intensive technologies such as ion exchange, diffusion dialysis, crystallization or thermal systems, which are energy intensive.
The basic catalyzed silicate chemistry was developed over 15 years ago by the late Dr. John Wagner and was first used commercially in 1999 at Amplate in Charlotte, NC. Over the next 2 years, Amplate was using the chemistry in all of their hydrochloric, sulfuric, nitric and citric acid pickling tanks. No partially spent acids were dumped or decanted in more than 4 years. Filtration with reusable filters was necessary to keep the acids free of precipitated metals and organics.
One of the first applications of the chemistry in the galvanizing industry was in Canada. Ken Lemke, with Canadian Finishing Systems, supervised the applications at the following plants.
1. Canadian Electro-Galvanizing Plant – rack line: The plant uses 40% HCl in a 350 gallon tank to remove mill scale and to activate the metal surface for their pipe fittings. This plant previously dumped the bath weekly when the iron concentration reached 4%. The plant has been using the catalyzed reagent chemistry since 1/9/2003 and has not dumped the bath in 21 months. The average iron concentration has stabilized at 2.8% Fe. A Flo-King filter is used to remove the iron precipitate and the filter is cleaned daily. Cost savings of $12,490 CND per year have been verified and these savings do not include reduced downtime and reduced amounts of F006 filter cake generated.
2. Canadian Hot Dip Galvanizing Co. – 3,000 gal HCl Tank: This galvanizing company began using the chemistry on a 3,000 gallon 20% HCl pickling tank in May 2003. Prior to using the precipitation chemistry, the iron concentration would increase to 6% Fe within 3 months. The cost to dispose of this bath was $5,000 CND or $20,000 CND per year. This does not include the costs for labor and acid to clean and refill the tank.Using the catalyzed reagent, the reagent cost to make the initial 1.5% charge on the 3,000 gal tank is $3,645 for 45 gallons of reagent. On an annual basis, this will consume approximately 3,350 gallons of 32% HCl, which requires 33.6 gallons of reagent. The total first year reagent cost is $7,725 CND, as compared to a disposal cost of $20,000. Second year reagent costs are projected at $4,080 CND a year, which would give an 80% savings.
Over the last ten months, the iron concentration has gradually increased and stabilized at 7% Fe. Because the acid is clear and free of organics, the customer reports superior pickling results at this higher Fe concentration. String wound cartridges were originally used and later changed to poly-spun cartridges, as this reduced the iron concentrations from 9% to 7%. A 15- 40"cartridge 20-micron filter is used with weekly cartridge changes.
The customer also reports another important benefit. The amount of iron drag-out into the flux tank has been reduced, which reduces the solids formation in the flux tank. This has reduced the maintenance time to clean the flux and has contributed to more consistent quality control of the galvanized parts.
On 8/27/04, two 6,000 gal tanks were coupled together with the 3,000 and 6,000 gal tanks giving a total combined volume of 21,000 gal being serviced by one filter system.
Prior to the use of the chemistry on the 15,000 gal tank, the galvanizer would decant and haul away 5,000 gal of partially spent HCl. This was at a cost of $5,000 CND/week or $250,000/yr. Since starting the chemistry on 5/11/04, no decants have been made.
5. USA Hot Dip Galvanizer – Two 1,500 gal H2SO4 Tanks: This Clevealnd company has two 1,500 gal tanks operated at 10% and 160oF. This summer Adrienne Klein decided to use the chemistry in Tank #1 and use Tank #2 as the control tank. In the past, normal production required that each tank be dumped one a month at an annual cost of $12,750 for disposal.
A Flo-King BX1200-16 in-tank filtration system was installed in Tank 1. Reusable 10 to 40-micron mesh pads are used for filtration. The chemistry was started in Tank 1 on 6/1/2004. The attachment contains a summary of the data. Please note that the untreated Tank #2 has been dumped five times since 6/1/2004.