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Watching White Supremacy: On the 224th General Assembly, from a member of the Special Committee on Racism Truth and Reconciliation
Posted bySixty Second Preacher June 28, 2020 July 2, 2020 Posted inUncategorized
The Young Adult Advisory Delegates stage a silent protest at the assembly inaction to reconsider Item 00-29 (image courtesy of Hiram A. Pérez-Cordero)
"Loving and Most Graceful God, may the words of my keyboard, and the meditations of all of our hearts, be pleasing to you. Amen."
I don't even know how to start this blog other than to say I honestly wondered the other night if we were watching different General Assemblies. Because of that, I am writing this primarily to my white siblings to share my focused experience of this year's PC(USA) General Assembly. There is a good chance I might make you upset by this blog. Please know I love you, and we are all in this together.
First, let's start with that there is so much to celebrate: the Co-Moderator election of Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart and the Rev. Gregory J. Bentley is a GIFT to the Church and I could not have been more #HippopotamusHappyAndDinosaurDelighted! Running an all-virtual General Assembly was also a career highlight logistical and technical masterpiece for the technical crew that I first encountered backstage at the last in person G.A. Rev. Tricia Dykers Koenig shined as parliamentarian which put on display for the world why so many of us absolutely love her. Of course the reelection of the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson alone is worth 14 years of Jubilee. Making funds available for some of our longest continuous worshiping communities for our Native American siblings was another highlight. Item 00-29 on anti-racism was made stronger, and passed, and that's fantastic. I am proud of my OGA colleagues and the commissioners of Great Rivers Presbytery where I serve as its Lead Presbyter for Transformation.
While this was my first GA as a presbytery leader, this assembly I watched it particularly through my lens as a member of the Special Committee on Racism Truth and Reconciliation (I am a white male who uses he, him, and his pronouns). I was first challenged to put on this lens by our committee's amazing resource person Ruling Elder Valerie Izumi, who challenged our committee to engage the GA by listening with an eye for the structures of racism, exhorting us to watch for norms and "listen with your eyes as well as your ears." Her challenge ahead of this General Assembly is consistent with the way that she has walked side by side with us since the beginning, encouraging, challenging, correcting, and lovingly holding us accountable for the things we overlook. This blog is an evolution and culmination of social media exchanges that were inspired by her challenge, as well as long processing phone conversations with fellow white committee member Rev. Fran Lane-Lawrence, as well as chats with other beloved members of the committee.
Now that I am at the other end of this General Assembly, I am going to be honest: I have never seen my fellow colleagues of color on the committee so tired and weary and heavy-hearted as I have seen them at the end of this assembly. This General Assembly ended in a lot of spirit-crushing heartache, and I don't think everyone understands why. I admit freely that watching this assembly alongside my siblings in Christ on this committee absolutely colored my viewing experience (sure, pun intended), but because I have learned so much from my colleagues of color, I don't think I could have NOT seen what I saw if I tried.
So what I did this assembly was notice. I noticed observations while following the #GA224 hashtag on Twitter, I noticed what my fellow committee members were seeing, and I noticed what I was feeling as I followed the livestream (or caught up with the posted video if I missed it).
What I saw was whiteness on full display; the norms, attitudes, and assumptions that are a natural byproduct of white supremacy culture that our majority white denomination has been co-collaborating with and preserving for 250 years.
I'm not going to take time to explain what that means much further, so if you are confused, perhaps this might be a good time to read this: https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/white-supremacy-culture-characteristics.html and then come back. Like you, I am still learning and I frequently need to put bookmarks in things and return later after more study as I need to.
Okay. Are you with me? Good.
Here are some ways I noticed whiteness muscle its way into the General Assembly and try to keep itself at the center:
1. Determining the pace of racial progress, ie: "this is too much for my people" (echoes of the eight pastors' concerns that prompted the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Letter from Birmingham Jail)
2. Neglecting to be informed by the unique perspective of people of color.
3. Ignoring the unique perspectives of people of color once educated by them on the spot.
4. Rendering people invisible by removing (or keeping removed) their demographic mention from items that specifically address their needs.
5. Resisting efforts to rectify number 4 once that invisibility was publicly identified.
6. Patterns by white people across General Assemblies of exemplifying more intense questioning of financial implications for social justice items exclusively addressing inequities carried by people of color (and particularly items impacting people who are Native American) than other items that carry financial implications.
7. White people creating labor for people of color to carry the burden of racism without putting their own skin in the game (more on this soon).
8. Creating "new" initiatives, often through commissioner resolutions, that do not take into account the volunteer and professional work that is already being done and has been for years in those particular areas, largely by people of color.
9. Short term institutional memory of inequity that creates rehashing of issues and lines of question from GA to GA particularly affecting people of color (more on this this later).
10. Different racial and cultural understandings of congregational "viability."
11. Stopping discussion at good intentions before fully considering impact on people of color (definitely revisiting this later)
12. Not having a shared covenant of understanding of race, white supremacy, racism, gender, identity, use of pronouns, or a clear space to achieve shared vocabulary that can be consulted without interrupting business so time can be taken so white people can be educated.
13. Acting to "help" people of color when the real motive is self-serving so white people look virtuous (white saviorism)
I'm sharing this not to "pick on" individuals—I'm talking about patterns (only seeing things through an individualist lens at the expense of understanding the collective is another dynamic of white supremacy).
That being said, there were some individual moments that highlight some of the above and shaped the meeting.
The first has to do with the item that specifically affects our committee. Here is where I revisit #7 from the list above–that pattern of creating work for people of color with the expectation that they will be the ones responsible for the work dismantling white supremacy. A quick history first: our Special Committee on Racism Truth and Reconciliation was originally mandated in 2016 to have 75% people of color. Now this had good intentions, but the impact (see there's #11) that it had was it required the Co-Moderators at that time to recruit people of color of specific demographics already burdened by white supremacy to do the work of anti-racism for an majority white denomination. (This was rectified in 2018 when the General Assembly changed it from a commission to a special committee, which effectively loosened some technical restrictions that permitted other Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to serve who couldn't under the previous rubric). We ended up with ten people of color and four white people (now nine people of color and five white people). For the sake of making observation on patterns we'll see later, the original charge reflected a larger pattern in majority white organizations asking people of color to be the burden-carriers for work within the organization, despite even really good intentions.
Still with me? Good. Now. Flash forward to this General Assembly. The substitute motion on anti-racism that put a lot more meat on the bones of Item 00-29 effectively added to our mandate as a Special Committee, and not unsubstantially. At that time, resource person Rev. Denise Anderson stood up and said this "vastly broadens what [the committee] is being asked to do, and it should be named that the committee is already midway through what their original mandate is, and I would seek their guidance on whether or not they can achieve what is actually being asked of them in this particular item of business." At that point, no one appeared to have entered the queue to ask, "Yeah, should we ask if the committee has everything they need before we vastly broaden their charge, midway through their work?" Now I want to clarify that the emotions I experienced and I think were shared by many on the committee were mostly confusion and attentiveness to what the assembly was asking of us. I understood expanding our work as an expression of confidence in our ability to meet good goals. I will say again and again that we have an amazing committee with amazing people and I believe I speak for all of us when I say we'll do the work that needs to be done. But by way of observation on how collective whiteness functions in our spaces, even with the best of intentions around this action, it still seems to fit into the pattern of having the impact of folks of color carrying the work asked of a majority white denomination, and in this particular case, as doesnnot hearing the Black woman who just spoke and checking in to see if the majority person of color committee needed anything to adapt to the new charge given them by a majority white assembly. Again, cultures steeped in white supremacy will stop at good intentions, without fully exploring impact. At the time of this writing we are still collaborating on how this changes our approach.
Putting a little more salt on this meat, there is something about a denomination that asks other people to do the work but is resistant when our own skin is in the game. This was on stark display upon the celebrations of 00-29 "On the Church in This Moment in History – Responding to the Sin of Racism and a Call to Action" when it successfully passed, but then it came to the attention that racism against Black women and girls went explicitly unaddressed in that item.
I have been learning more and more that there is a growing awareness now that #BlackLivesMatter applies in our cultural imagination more to unarmed Black men, while leaving victimized Black women and girls (including Black trans women and girls) out of the discourse. One of the taskforces that was postponed because of the pandemic was the "Disparities Experienced by Black Women and Girls Task Force," which had some pretty robust recommendations that now need to be postponed to 2022. Diligently, this was raised by the body that something was left out and a motion to reconsider was made, supported by valuable perspective from Rev. Kerri Allen, Moderator of the Disparities Experienced by Black Women and Girls Task Force, and the Young Adult Advisor Delegates. Considering that we are experiencing a second pandemic of police violence that is killing Black people RIGHT NOW, I understood the move to reconsider as a way to say "I see you and your work, I see you Black women and girls, while we can't take up as much of the fight as we want to now, we acknowledge that we are in this."
I want to invite you to consider the impact that it has when the response is "you know what, it's getting late, this really isn't important enough to render Black women and girls visible on our anti-racism action as a denomination at this time." I experienced the crushing vote not to reconsider as a message that "Black Women's and Black Girls' Lives DON'T Matter as much as my bedtime."
However, the assembly had a night to sleep and come back and figure out a way to rectify it in the morning. Sure enough, a motion came to suspend the rules to make reparation for the harm done the night before, which I felt was an amazing way to recenter Black women, Black voices, Black lives, Black work, and Black validation by the majority white assembly.
When that rectifying motion lost by twenty some votes (out of approximately 470), I saw friends and colleagues who earlier had been wounded by a kick from the left foot, were now being kicked again by the right.
Well, that was it. That ended the assembly. But it didn't.
One of the saddest things I have learned in Mid-Council ministry is that right when you think it can't get any worse, the church WILL show you how it can get worse.
The celebrated final anti-racism Item 00-29 that ultimately intentionally neglected explicit mention of Black women and girls had required the assembly to end with a moment of silence for "8 minutes and 46 seconds as a symbolic representation in solidarity with our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) siblings, and of corporate lament and personal introspection of our complicity in perpetuating systemic racism and racial injustice before the adjourning of the 224th General Assembly (2020)." During that time, a teaching elder commissioner felt the need to derail that moment by holding up a sign in his video that said "Pre-born Lives Matter." His screen was blocked and I understand he was ejected from the meeting.
I want to stop and consider the impact of that moment.
When I look at the robust anti-racist action Item 00-29 that the assembly approved, do you know what the easiest thing of ALL of the items to achieve was? Nine minutes of inaction. With your video off. On a zoom call. At your home.
White people, this was our chance to do what we are best at. SIT THERE AND DO NOTHING. It was literally the easiest f@$&ing thing you could have done as a white person.
During a time specifically meant to provide solidarity with the Black women who were effectively silenced (twice), it was presented that pre-born lives, lives that PHYSICALLY DO NOT EVEN EXIST, are more important than Black lives. In other words, it was a statement that NOTHINGNESS is more important than the lives of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
And THAT, my friends, was how the 224th General Assembly came to a close.
I have a world of respect for the way Moderator Elona Street-Stewart moderated through the tone of that moment.
Now you might say that that was just ONE person, that is an unfortunate act of whiteness by one person. I disagree.
"It's just one person acting up" was said earlier when in the assembly another teaching elder, a white man, spoke with shameful condescension to the moderator, a Black man, not once but twice, verbatim (for those who missed what sounded and looked to me like growling words and piercing eyes: "If I'm out of order, rule me out of order. Sir." "What did you say?" Pause, and again growling words and piercing eyes, but slower. "If I'm out of order, rule me out of order. SIR.").
So how did the Whole Body respond to Just One Guy? As a pattern, whiteness is so good at naming injustices that happen somewhere else, especially if it requires the labor of someone else, but when it happens right in front of us, we (I use that to say white people and also to include myself) are silent. There should have been twenty white people in the queue calling our brother out. Alas, it was a Black man who spoke to the inappropriateness of the moment, again leaving it to people of color to address white supremacy in a majority white assembly.
And that's why the "it was just an isolated incident" doesn't work. Those moments of passive- or micro- or any other softening word we use in front of the word aggression all reflect behavior that is just the fastest growing weed that pops up in the soil we all share. Soil that constantly refuses to actually acknowledge its complicity in having a weed problem. In other words, we white people all own that behavior. That behavior is a product of our system, and we gave that behavior power of vote and voice at a General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). What accountability measures do we have in place when behavior like this pops up? What protocols will we white people use to address whiteness run amock in our spaces? Or will we leave that to people of color as well?
This is especially notable for a particular assembly that claims it was 68% liberal/progressive. Being progressive is not a vaccine against being participants in white supremacy. If anything the "I'm one of the good ones" attitudes that come with being progressive (this includes a self-critique) makes us even more blind to our own racism.
This is why we need to be careful leaving this assembly that we are mindful how we celebrate how well we performed in using our words to condemn racism, when we yet to show a willingness across our majority-white denomination to truly put our skin in the game and confront the white supremacy in our spaces.
Because on the whole, we show a stunning record of passing bold words against racism. Now, since the assembly expressed interest in asking our committee to take a look at our history around our response to racism, here is a little taste, only from the last seven General Assemblies.
GA2020—passage of 00-29, "On the Church in This Moment in History – Responding to the Sin of Racism and a Call to Action" passed in virtual plenary by a vote of 407-72. YAY! NEWS ARTICLES ON THE ACHIEVEMENT
GA2018—passage of 11-11, "Declare an Imperative for the Reformation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in being a Transformative Church in This Intercultural Era," passing in committee 50-0, then in plenary, 440-59
"…Immediately denounce the persistent and demonic presence of racism and the misuse of power and privilege in our individual and institutional lives…Strongly encourage mid councils and congregations to hold white privilege recognition, cultural humility, and antiracism trainings throughout the church and commit themselves to disrupting racism and intersectional inequality, including intercultural and intracultural realities…Urge the session of each congregation, as well as each mid council, seminary, Presbyterian Women's groups, and other entities, to take action to be intercultural in their life, work, and worship…Encourage synods and presbyteries to institute dismantling racism programs and encourage all staff and clergy to take the training every three years in like manner of PC(USA) mandated sexual abuse policy…Provide regular white privilege recognition, cultural humility, and antiracism trainings at presbytery gatherings…"
2016—passage of item 11-22, "Facing Racism: A Vision of the Intercultural Community—From the Presbyterian Mission Agency", passed 62-0 in committee, and passed in plenary by voice vote
"… do a personal self-examination of its participation in structures that support and maintain racism regardless of the good intentions of individual Presbyterians…urge mid councils to provide an annual one-day event dedicated to antiracism, similar to sexual harassment, abuse prevention, and officer trainings…encourage congregations to offer at least one annual adult education series on an article or book written by a person of color…"
2014—passage of Item 08-06, "A Resolution to Develop a Churchwide Antiracism Policy—From the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns," passing 64-1 in committee, then passed by consent agenda
"…that mid councils provide antiracism training and dialogue for staff, teaching elders, committee members, and congregations…that congregations provide antiracism training and dialogue for staff and members, to strengthen evangelism and mission, to increase awareness of racial justice issues in their communities, and to discern racial justice issues in their own staffing….tools, assessment instruments, and training materials for the presbyteries and congregations in order to develop clear and effective understanding of systemic racism, including white privilege, power, and prejudice in relation to race."
2012––passage of Item 11-17, "Privilege, Power and Policy: The Church as an Employer—From the Climate for Change Task Force," passing 51-0 in committee, then in plenary by voice vote
"…urges synods and presbyteries to adopt affirmative action, supplier diversity, and cultural proficiency policies and practices consistent with the General Assembly, to promote the denomination's continuous work and commitment to be a diverse, inclusive, antiracist and culturally proficient church…"
2010– passage of Item 10-07," A Resolution to Explore the Intersection of Gender and Race" passes 52-0 in committee, then in plenary by voice vote
"…request that presbyteries explore local resources and conduct training in cultural proficiency on the intersection of race with gender…"
2008—The passage of "Hearing and Singing New Songs to God: Shunning Old Discords and Sharing New Harmonies." Item 09-13, #13, passed, 67-3 in committee, then by voice vote in plenary
"Reaffirm the General Assembly policy commitments to race and gender justice, including the church's commitments to ensure racial ethnic and women's representation in decision-making bodies. Urge all nominating committees, committees on representation, and policy-making bodies to be mindful of the intersections of race, gender, and class."
As you look over these actions on anti-racism passed over the last seven General Assemblies, what do we see? What patterns do you notice? It's almost as if we seem to LOVE to do things, but at the same time we don't like to get things done.
Something they teach us in systems theory is that a system is designed to get the results it gets—or not get.
In other words, systems designed to create white supremacy will continue to create white supremacy.
And this is why I say that white supremacy was on display and continues to be on display by our majority-white denomination, even in this General Assembly that by all other measures and on paper comes across as a tremendous success. But again, I told you my focus was particularly on white supremacy, and white supremacy is sneaky because it works between the lines.
Now, I WANT to believe that all these truly commendable anti-racism efforts are cumulative, building on each other, making us stronger and bolder, and that we are indeed going somewhere. That we are going three steps forward for every two steps back again and again. I am reminded of the metaphor of the person hammering a brick wall, again and again and again and again, and one day, due to exceptional persistence, the hammer will break through to the other side.
I hope that would be the case. Because what I don't want to do as a member of the Special Committee on Racism Truth and Reconciliation is co-author this BEAUTIFUL REPORT that condemns racism in the church from top to bottom, and the assembly passes it with a vote of 460-13, with YAY! NEWS ARTICLES ON THE ACHIEVEMENT and then…the pattern continues of bold words and little action at the 226th, 227th, 228th, 229th, 230th, 231st, and 232nd PC(USA) General Assemblies.
I hope this helps us share understanding for why I was so tired after this GA, why it was harder for me to lift up the celebrations sooner.
But I also share this because I want you to understand how freaking resilient our frontline laborers are to still be in this work. And we are going to continue to stay in this, even if it takes to the 257th PC(USA) General Assembly to defeat racism in our church.
I thank you for your love and labor for the sake of having beloved community among us, even if we need to tear some things down before we can build them back up.
And as the 224th General Assembly winds to a close, its work is truly just beginning.
For the love of the Church,
Rev. Ryan J. Landino,
Lead Presbyter for Transformation of Great Rivers Presbytery
Member of the Special Committee on Racism Truth and Reconciliation
I reserve the right to edit upon recommendation from my good colleagues on the Special Committee on Racism Truth and Reconciliation should it help to more accurately reflect our experience.
[Edit: 7/2/20] While I have reserved editing ability for typos and additional feedback from my committee members, there are some specific editing commentary I wished to provide so I can make this a clearer and safer read, and secondarily to ensure that lessons learned may be preserved in this space.
Previously, I had used descriptors of "resource person and moonlighting superheroine Rev. Denise Anderson," "resource person and Amazon Warrior Ruling Elder Valerie Izumi," and "heavy metal rock star Rev. Fran Lane-Lawrence" to describe my colleagues in this work. While there has not been communicated to me the experience of harm, however, I am nonetheless removing these descriptions. I confess here that using this language asks of the reader the presumption of acceptable playfulness without context of knowing whether such familiarity has been earned. It carries with it too a history of white men using uncalled-for descriptions and even pet names in reductionist ways against women and Black women in order to diminish their professional authority (notably in courtroom settings). There is also the issue of categorizing a Black woman with imagery rooted in Black women's bodies, particularly with the Amazon Warrior image for Valerie. I believe the truth of the strength, wisdom, and character of these three siblings in Christ is self-evident in other ways, and after consulting with Valerie, Denise, and Fran each, as a measure to reduce the risk of perpetuating additional harm, we share wisdom that these descriptors should be removed.
In the original writing, I had named "victimized women, girls, and trans women," and it has been brought to my attention that the way that sentence is constructed communicates that women are separate from trans women, effectively stating that trans women are not women. I have corrected the language to say "Black women and girls (including Black trans women and girls)" as a corrective to more accurately communicate my understanding that trans women are indeed women—corrected with appreciation.
Published by Sixty Second Preacher
Rev. Ryan J. Landino, Lead Presbyter for Transformation of Great Rivers Presbytery (90+ PCUSA churches in western and central Illinois), lifelong learner on privilege issues, Sixty Second Sermon preacher	View more posts
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10 thoughts on "Watching White Supremacy: On the 224th General Assembly, from a member of the Special Committee on Racism Truth and Reconciliation"
Rev. Charles K. Nyaga (Dr.). says:
I am a POC pastor and I couldn't agree more. I am a life long Presbyterian and honestly very sad to read your blog-because it is truthful. I have lived experiences of everything mentioned above. Last year, 2019, I became tired of trying raise my voice in predominantly white Presbyterian congregations alongside well-meaning white pastors. I am tired, really really tired of people who think and believe that God gave them a front row seat to whip POC to utter submission with a smile on their (POC) faces. Your blog needs to be circulated widely because racism in our denomination is baked in-and I know it is real. God bless your challenging work.
Sixty Second Preacher says:
What you share about your story is so consistent with what we have been hearing from so many Presbyterian leaders of color in our white dominant spaces. Thank you for sharing the gift of your experience and your blessing on our work! – Ryan
Andrew Yeager-Buckley says:
This might be one of the most powerful post general assembly articles/ noticings/ observation pieces I've ever read. I missed probably 80% of the assembly so this provides context for a lot of the painful commentary I was finding on twitter. It's something that the Presbyterian Historical Society should archive to properly capture this moment that I hope we will learn from. We can't continue to repeat these patterns over and over again.
I have so many thoughts on #12 and not many of them give me hope that much will change in 2 or 12 years unless we take a completely different approach to commissioner/ advisory delegate training. What would it look like to have delegates elected a year in advance and the training involve much more than a GA 101 with some polity.
This quote from your post really spoke to me and is SO TRUE!
"Being progressive is not a vaccine against being participants in white supremacy. If anything the "I'm one of the good ones" attitudes that come with being progressive (this includes a self-critique) makes us even more blind to our own racism."
pastorlisaj says:
As a TEC to this most recent GA, I agree with you 100% on much of what you said. I was shaking with anger when I saw the sign held up by the TEC from Texas, for example, and am currently gathering signatures from around the denomination on a letter to send to this man's presbytery leadership.
My only gentle reminder: There may have been white people in the queue to attempt to call out some of the more frustrating and inappropriate moments (when the white male TEC disrespected Co-moderator Bentley, for example), bit we were not called on. I know myself and a number of YCW sisters in ministry had put in general questions, process questions, and points of order in many of these moments, but we were not called on. Such was the most aggravating part of a completely virtual GA.
revdrdari says:
Thank you, both for this thoughtful post, and the work you are doing on the Special Committee. This is very helpful for a TE who was watching from home and didn't quite have the words for why things felt so bad at this GA.
HAT says:
One of the things I notice, with some horrified dismay, is the number of things we were supposed to have been doing at the Session level that our congregation, at least, totally did not do or even begin to do. My guess is, because we didn't bother to find out that the GA had decided we needed to do them in the first place.
I'm not sure what exactly that says about our commitment to "the connectional church" (and we even pay our per capita!), or our awareness that participation in the church will entail learning things we didn't know we didn't already know, or the fact that Presbyterian and proactive both start with PR for a reason, or what, but at a miminum it has made me re-think what needs to be on the Session agenda for July.
Amy Spanne says:
HAT – There is very little connection between the week in and week out work of our session and congregation and what happens at GA. Our Presbytery has a few delegates and people who are very wrapped up in GA work, but they rarely appear at any congregation to speak about their work, in spite of being invited. I suppose it's our fault for not working harder at the relationship, but it does seem it should go two ways. When I attend Presbytery meetings it feels like they sit at the "cool kids table" in the lunchroom and we're just the nerds in the corner. They are definitely very busy people of good will, so I can't be too hard on them. We're all doing the best we can. But the connection is not there.
It's comforting to know we're not alone. And I agree about the systemic problems, too. Plus, to be honest, we are not right up to date with some resolutions that we know about and are committed to putting into effect, eventually. [We are still working on our real manual of operations. I probably shouldn't admit that on the internet.]
Still, with respect to the resolutions that mandated anti-racism training for congregations in particular, I'm afraid it illustrates just how "business as usual" really plays in to that "institutional racism" that we all [I imagine] love to target when the institutions are not ones we're responsible for. I am forever complaining about "not really being able to do anything about" whatever. Here was a chance to "do something," that was literally ours to do, and we not only had permission, we had instructions, and we still missed it. So now I'm thinking – well, that's ONE thing we could do, anyhow.
Mark Nicholas says:
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Just as individuals need to be called out for their actions the denomination needs to be held accountable. There is more to this than just feeling good about what we did and going home to what we have been doing. Mark in Midland, TX.
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Anirban Lahiri surged into a four shot lead of the CIMB Classic following a superb third round on Saturday.
The Indian sensation carded a scintillating seven under 66 around TPC Kuala Lumpur, leaving him on 19 under and moving him four ahead of Scotland's Russell Knox and defending champion Justin Thomas.
Lahiri was off to a flyer, with birdies on three of his opening five holes. He picked up two more on ten and eleven, before a slip up on the par four 12th lead to a double bogey.
Undeterred, Lahiri rallied to birdie the 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th to secure his place at the top of the leaderboard with one round to play.
First 54-hole lead on TOUR.
Seeking first win on TOUR.
"It's very satisfying, to finish the way I did definitely a big positive," revealed the 29-year-old, who has 18 professional wins but is still searching for his first PGA title after a year on tour.
Thomas would a endure a tumultuous round, where he was four over par when standing on the 14th tee. But golf is a funny game and five consecutive birdies brought him back into contention to defend his title.
Further down the field, Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and American duo Derek Fathauer and James Hahn are locked on 14 under for the tournament, while Scott Piercy is alone in seventh on 13 under.


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"Your Pet Needs a Dental"
It has probably happened to you or someone you know. You take your pet to the veterinarian; they look at your pets teeth and tell you your pet needs a dental. A price is often quoted and either you make an appointment or because you are confused and worried about the risks you don't make the appointment and go on your way. This guide will help you understand what is being recommended and why.
Veterinarians are guilty of using a shorthand way of describing a procedure that is very important to your pet's health and should encompass a group of diagnostic procedures and medical procedures that improve your pet's health and relieve oral pain.
Anesthesia: Almost everyone cites anesthesia as their biggest concern and number one reason to not pursue dental work. It is natural to be concerned about your pet and there is some risk with anesthesia but if you do not have dental work done in a timely manner your pet could suffer with infection, constant pain, some types of heart disease, and some cases of kidney disease as a result of their dental disease. Many will die as a result of complications from what started as a simple dental problem. There is much lower risk of serious anesthesia complications than the risk of serious complications from untreated dental disease. Lakewood Animal Hospital is also concerned about anesthesia and using good technique reduces the risk substantially.
Oral Examination: You may think this was already done on your initial visit but nothing replaces a careful examination once the pet is relaxed during the period of anesthesia. This times allows for examination of the tissues around the teeth, the roof of the mouth and the tissue pockets around each tooth.
Dental Scaling: This is the removal of the tartar (a yellowish-brown crust) and calculus (off white mineralized crust) from the teeth. The visible tooth is scaled as well as under the gum where the most dangerous disease hides. According to where you are working on the tooth, scaling is done with an ultrasonic scaler or hand instruments.
Polishing: Using a low speed handpiece and dental paste the teeth are polished to remove microscopic irregularities in the tooth surface to prevent even faster build up of tartar than occurred before the dental scaling.
The above constitutes a 'routine dental' but a majority of patients need more than the above care. Below is listed additional care that may be recommended to provide your pet with the best care.
Dental Radiographs (X-Rays): Dental disease occurs under the gum line. That is why your dentist does radiographs and that is why your pet needs them. It can help us tell when your pet needs an extraction or when the tooth can be saved. A tooth that needs extraction due to a root abscess that is not visible to the naked eye could be left behind to cause your pet unnecessary pain and discomfort. Dental radiographs can also find early disease that would allow treatment other than extraction. The use of dental radiography is more commonly used every year in our profession but is still not a standard practice in veterinary medicine.
Extractions: Extractions are an unfortunate reality when periodontal disease has gone beyond a certain point or when a tooth has fractured exposing the central pulp of the tooth. If a fractured tooth is a good candidate for salvage, we also encourage referral to a qualified veterinary dentist for root canal therapy.
Specialty Care: As was mentioned above, we encourage the use of a qualified veterinary dentist for root canals and special peridontal therapy. A Board Certified Veterinary Dentist is a veterinarian who has obtained advanced training beyond regular licensure and has passed certification exams demonstrating exceptional competency and skill in the diagnosis and treatment of oral disease in pets. Although we have made extensive investment in training and equipment for dental care, we provide basic dental care. We need to refer you for specialty care (with a specialist) for more complicated cases.
For additional information about Dental Care for your pet, visit Oral ATP by clicking on the logo below!


Fifty Ways to Be a Lover!
Someone asked me what words I want to be spoken at my funeral. My first response was that I want someone to say….. "He moved! He's alive!" But I doubt that will happen.
I think I would want the people who knew me best to say, "He was a lover!" Not in a lover in the classic sense of a ladies man, but I want to be known as someone who loved people. I haven't got it all together but I,m working hard to build that reputation.
1. Be patient with people, especially if they work for the airline or TSA.
5. Keep your eyes open for opportunity bring happiness to others.
6. Be even tempered. When you are angry, measure your words. Chill!
9. Name evil for what it is, DEADLY, and avoid it like the plague.
10. Celebrate what is true and beautiful.
11. Fiercely protect good people and the truth.
12. Trust and believe in others even at the risk they might let you down.
Philip Yancey recently said that the power of love is most dramatically demonstrated in Hospice where people know that they have only days to live. The currency in a hospice is not influence, money, or power. It is the number of visitors that a patient has. Love is what counts when everything else is gone.
Want to be a lover? I do, but I have a long way to go. How about you? I value your comments!
Thanks for your comment Mark, I will try to pull the trigger often!
Awww …. that was a wonderful writing! I really enjoyed that !
Love is honestly and truly the greatest gift of all.
Thank you Ken! You are a awesome man!
Karen, Sorry about the burns, but grateful for you comment. True that we must be careful, but also true that if we choose to love we will be burned. It's okay to have the hell burned out of you, just don't let those people burn the joy out of you. Thank you so much for your insightful comment. Come back often.
I decided several years ago to try to become a "lover", as you wrote. To me, this meant NOT making funny wise-cracks about or to people in my life. I want to be remembered as a loving giver to my husband, children, and grandchildren, even when they disappoint me. I don't want to be remembered as that lady who made fun of her husband and picked at him behind his back (boy, he was REALLY henpecked!), but want to reflect the kind of love I truly feel for him. I want young people to look at us and say "I want my relationship to be like theirs." I know there are some relationships that I'd rather avoid because of the negativity that exudes from them, so I do just that when possible. Some people may say I'm being unfriendly, but I'm trying to stay positive, and I can't do that around "negative waves", really!
Anyway, Ken, thank you for the 12 points. I'm going to try to put them into practice.
Thank you for commenting. Sounds like you will be remembered for the love you are practicing. New video will be out in the spring. Check our website for local theaters that will be showing it in March.
Your headline lied to us! But the 12 suggestions you provided were great.
Not holding a grudge is probably one of the most important. Grudges are like landmines. A misstep with a small amount of pressure can set it off, even if the issue was small.
Yeah, I lied but I confessed right up front. So true about the grudge land mines. Thanks for the insight and for visiting my blog.
Your welcome Lisa. Thank you for participating.
Ken, Thank you for this. I love it.
Recently I was looking at the same verses 1 Corinithians 13:4-7, but at a different angle.
For instance, if you turn each of them into a circumstance where people are being mistreated, what is the loving way for a Christian to respond to solve the problem (ie. a Biblical problem solving approach). For, as we see in the last verse, "LOVER NEVER FAILS". So if someone is not being treated right, but the victim responds in a loving way, then all relationships can be successful, right?
Good point Felicity, However there is no promise that all relationships can be successful, only that we demonstrate the love of Christ by being obedient to love like he loved…… even when the love is not returned. We don't have to hang around people who mistreat us. But we are directed to love even our enemies. I haven't got that skill down yet, but I am working on it. Thank you for your commment.
Oops, the verse is 1 Corinthians 13, verse 8 and it says "LOVE NEVER FAILS".
For instance, here are some solutions my wise siser suggested to me.
*How can we respond in a loving way if someone is NOT patient; We can give that person an extra amount of patience.
*How can we respond in a loving way if someone is NOT kind; We can give that person an extra amount of kindness.
*How can you respond in a loving way if someone is annoyed because you have certain advantages that they don't have; We can be generous with our belongings.
*How can we respond in a loving way when others are proud of their belongings; We can help them thank God for what they have, and be humble about our own belongings.
*How can we respond in a loving way when others make bad choices that hurt others, and cannot see that they have done anything wrong; Even though these people are lonely and disliked, we can show acceptance.
*How can we respond if someone is rude to us; We can put these people first and serve them, (ie we can display our own knowledge of good manners towards them).
*How can we respond in a loving way if someone can only think about themselves; We can be extra thoughtful to these people.
*How can we love others who get upset/angry easily; We can remain calm and arrange a meeting with the facts to talk about it later.
*How can we respond in a loving way when we are around critical people who are keeping track of our mistakes; We can forgive, for they will eventually make a similar mistake of their own and when that happens, we can be quick to forgive.
This is just some of what I have learned in how to love others.
I will meditate on the love chapter all of my life, for I feel it has all of the answers for long lasting relationships.
I loved being loved, and my husband of 35+years is doing a great job of loving me. He tells me more than once a day, and shows love to me in many ways. One big way, he says, is that he gives me money to spend on others, myself, and him! How do I love him back? with respect, honor and unselfishness. This has been a 35+year learning curve for me. I could only do this based on God's word and His work in my life. It has not always been easy but God's grace has been evident, present and working every day in my life. I have been called by a co worker, a woman of conviction. That hit me with a dose of reality, yet a victory praise prayer back to God. This proves His working in my life on a daily basis to love people, even my difficult ones, and that is another entry, entirely!
Gayle, Sounds like you have a great husband. Learning to love is a lifetime curve. Someday when we see Him we will know it to it's fullest.
Thank you for the great reminder. I'm efforting.
Jerry, You are welcome. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
share a hug:-) and a smile!
as singing and commedian Aron Wilburn,he is nuts!!
I would like to here what your wife has to say about you. Thanks agian. we have our resavations for New years in Naashville to see you.
This is good. I try to think of others more.
Oh, Ken, this is a wonderful post about loving! 12 simple ways to show love for others. Thank you so much for sharing it. I always love your take on things.
I realise that's my aim/goal too – I am reminded to have a 'Gratitude Attitude' when things are less than great, and to watch where my focus is – on Him, or on the circumstances? Also to 'Wait well', and 'bloom where I am planted'- but being on the plus side of loving and encouraging others is a big one!
You want to be careful Ken, if the world takes on board your 12 suggestions the whole world just may become one big happy family causing unemployment to skyrocket. Imagine a world without lawyers, judges, police, divorce court, children services, abortion clinics, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. There would be pandemonium and YOU would be the cause. How would that made you feel?
Seriously however, you make perfect sense, I love my lady with all my being, it's my 'job', and what a breathtakingly wonderful job it is, and I get to demonstrate it so many times a day, a touch, a smile, a hug, a word, a…. :)…. The great news is she has the same job… yee har…. ain't love grand… Praise Our Lord.
Laugh! Dont take life so serious!
Good advice! That is part of love for sure.
Loved it and so so true.
I saw your title and thought "Wow! This will be insightful!" I couldn't believe I got to the end of the list and there were only 12. But it was still a great list.
I really appreciated your second point. Helping others to be better is a great aspiration rather than just trying to better yourself. It is difficult but it sure does show love.
Ken, you have reitterated what the Lord is putting in my heart! Thank you for the confirmation! Oh, and being an example instead of just PREACHING it!
It was good to hear from you last week.
I would have to say that #6 is extremely important in my life. God has given me the task of bringing happiness and laughter to others even in adversity. I think that if we look for happiness and bring happiness to others we embody the eleventh comandment, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." For how can we give the gift of happiness without also giving the gift of love?
Great goal! Thanks for the inspiring words! I've seen a sign that reads "Always be kinder than necessary". Goes along with your thoughts well.
Great words of wisdom, (and I know the author of all greatness and wisdom is our Lord Jesus Christ!) I discovered upon reading this that Hey, Im already doing all these things, I must be a great person, BUT how twisted and conceited is that, If I am even a little bit great it is ONLY the love of Christ that He allows to show through me. How awesome is our God, thank u for always making me laugh! Have a blessed day.
I wrote to you last year and was given an email back in return answering my questions by a lovely lady, but my wishes haven't come true! I was told in an email that you were trying to schedule in a tour of Australia! Yes I'm in Australia and we love your work here. When are you coming to Australia!?!?
We'd love to have you here and will wait for the show. I hope you can share the love here through your work.
Mu husband and I saw you live in Colorado.
and can make any situation funny.
Thank you for this blog & for being a people lover yourself. I have been visiting my 18 yr old son in the hospital for 4 months, after an accident left him with brain injury. Today I took your latest Ken Davis & Friends dvd to watch with him. We had the best laughs we have had in months. He loved your humor even before his accident (he loved your Bananas Comedy Club routine) & I loved to see him laugh deeply for the first time in months! Thanks for your ministry. May God continue to use it to bless the Body.


text:
Bury St. Edmunds Bulldogs
Young wing Johnny Ward left the game injured in the first half against Cannons and was unable to continue, with what seemed to be a potentially serious knee injury.
We've heard from Johnny today, who's been told by the doctors it seems he's hyperextended his knee, causing some strain around the joint.
While it's a painful injury, and he's naturally disappointed to miss any part of the season, the current prognosis is for a couple of weeks' rest before further review, and we've got our fingers crossed that we'll see Johnny working his way back in the near future.
On behalf of everyone at the club, we'd like to wish Johnny all the best in his recovery, and we look forward to seeing him back on-court with us soon.
Return to Play Update: 20th December 2020
Following yesterday's announcement from the government and our governing body regarding the new strain of the Coronavirus and the impact this has had on London and the South East, our management commi
Return to Play Update: November 2020
With the latest Lockdown due to come to an end in the coming days, the club's Management Committee has taken the step of confirming that there will be no return to the court across the club until 2021
2020/21 Season Update
Following recent meetings with the club's coaches, COVID-19 officer and Welfare Officers, we have come to the decision to withdraw our U14 Boys, U14 Girls and U16 Boys from the National Basketball Lea
bulldogsbasketball@hotmail.co.uk

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Southern Weekend Warns of Whitewash in Nie Shubin Wrongful Execution Case
On April 28, Southern Weekend published a detailed article arguing that the Nie Shubin wrongful execution case must be resolved, following rumors that the Hebei provincial government has concluded its investigation into the case and may not label the original verdict "incorrect." News that Wang Shujin, a suspect in a series of murders, voluntarily confessed to the 1994 killing for which Nie Shubin was executed 10 years ago has caused an uproar in recent months (see related stories 1, 2).
According to the Southern Weekend article, members of the official investigation team have provided no details on the investigation results, and local police officials involved in the case have removed information about Wang Shujin from the police Web site. Meanwhile, local police officials appear to be suggesting that Wang Shujin may be fabricating his story, or that Nie could still have been a co-conspirator in the murder. As the article notes, these arguments do not stand up to scrutiny. The article suggests that these arguments do not stand up to scrutiny, and that the real problem may be that police have no evidence other than his confession that Wang Shujin is the murderer. As such, they may fear that if they exonerate Nie posthumously and Wang changes his testimony at trial, they will be left without a convict. In addition, courts reportedly continue to rebuff efforts by Nie Shubin's family to obtain a copy of their son's original guilty verdict, which they need to file for a petition or retrial of Nie's case.
Southern Weekend notes that the Nie case has recently been overshadowed by coverage of the She Xianglin wrongful conviction case.


Johannesburg – National police on Tuesday put the official death toll during the past week's looting and violence directed at foreign-owned shops at five.
This is despite their own reports in the past week saying seven people were killed in violence involving foreign nationals in Gauteng. The killing of a Somali businessman in Nhlungwane, KwaZulu-Natal, was also not included in the death toll.
"It is five," Lt-Gen Solomon Makgale said. He also claimed there was a distinction between deaths directly related to looting, and the unrest.
"No one has been killed outside Gauteng," he said.
7) Malawian shopkeeper Dan Mokwena, 74, was attacked and killed as he slept.
Makgale said the Swaneville bystander was not added to the police's death toll as he was not involved in looting. He was killed as a foreign national allegedly fired at a crowd stoning his shop on Thursday night. He was in a tavern with a friend when they heard noises outside and went to investigate. This was when he was shot.
Makgale said Mokwena's death was not linked to looting. The Star reported that he was attacked and killed as he slept in his shop in Soweto in the early hours of Wednesday.
KwaZulu-Natal Safety MEC Willies Mchunu said a Somali businessman in eNhlugwane was killed on Saturday.
"It alleged that an unknown man burst into the shop, opened fire, killing the shop owner. The suspect fled and no goods were stolen," Mchunu said.
Makgale said there was a difference between the looting, such as in Soweto, and other crime that happened daily.


- 01 night in Pamukkale 4* hotel with breakfast and dinner.
- 03 nights in Istanbul 4* hotel with breakfast .
Local flight tickets from Istanbul - Izmir and Cappadocia to Istanbul that will cost totally €145.00EU - Drinks on the meals - Self expences in Hotel rooms (Minibar- Laundry-Telephone etc) - Tips to Guide and Driver.
Additional Info: Reservation must be made minimum 45 days in advance.


History: How, When and Where, From Trade to Territory, Ruling the Countryside, Tribals, Dikus and Vision of a Golden Age, When People Rebel, Colonialism and the City, Weavers Iron Smelters and Factory Owners, Civilising the Native, Educating the Nation, Women Caste and Reforms, The Changing World of Visual Arts, The Making of the National Movement, India After Independence.
Geography: Resources, Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources, Mineral and Power Resources, Agriculture, Industries, Human Resources.
Civics: The Indian Constitution, Understanding Secularism, Why Do We Need a Parliament, Understanding Laws, Judiciary, Understanding Our Criminal Justice System, Understanding Marginalisation, Confronting Marginalisation, Public Facilities, Law and Social Justice.
Mathematics: Rational Numbers, Linear Equation in One Variable, Understanding Quadrilaterals, Practical Geometry, Data Handling, Squares and Square Roots, Cubes and Cube Roots, Comparing, Quantities, Algebraic Expressions and Identities, Visualising Solid Shapes, Mensuration, Exponents and, Powers, Direct and Inverse Proportions, Factorisation, Introduction to Graphs, Playing with Numbers.
Physics: Force and Pressure, Friction, Sound, Chemical Effects of Electric Current, Some Natural, Phenomenon, Light, Stars and Solar System.
Biology: The Living World, Biological Classification, Plant Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Morphology of Flowering Plants, Anatomy of Flowering Plants, Structural Organization in Animals, Cell, Bio-molecules, Cell Cycle and Cell Division, Transport in Plants, Mineral Nutrition, Photosynthesis in Higher Plants, Respiration in Plants, Plant Growth and Development, Digestion and Absorption, Breathing and Exchange of Gases, Body Fluids and Circulation, Excretory Products and their Elimination, Locomotion and Movement, Neural Control and Coordination, Chemical Coordination and Integration.
Macro Economics: Basic Economic Concepts: Scarcity, Choice and Opportunity Cost, Production possibility curve, Comparative Advantage, Absolute Advantage, Specialization and trade, Economic Systems, Property Rights and Role of Incentives, Marginal analysis, Demand, Supply and Market Equilibrium, Macroeconomic Supply Forms of market and price determination under perfect competition with Simple Application issues: business cycle, unemployment, inflation, growth. National income accounts: Circular flow, Gross Domestic Product, Components of Gross Domestic Product, Real versus Nominal Gross Domestic Product. Fiscal and Monetary Policies: Demand Side effects, Supply Side effects, Policy mix, Government deficits and debt.
Biology: Reproduction in Organisms, Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants, Human Reproduction, Reproductive Health, Principles of Inheritance and Variation, Molecular Basis of Inheritance, Evolution, Human Health and Disease, Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production, Microbes in Human Welfare, Biotechnology Principles and Processes, Biotechnology and its Applications, Organisms and Populations, Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Conservation, Environmental Issues.


text:
Effect of impact damage on fatigue performance of structures reinforced with GLARE bonded crack retarders
Abdul Khadar Syed, Michael E. Fitzpatrick, James E. Moffatt, Jeremy Doucet, Isidro Durazo-Cardenas
Faculty of Engineering, Environment & Computing
Fibre-Metal Laminates (FML) such as GLARE are of interest as bonded crack retarders (BCR) to improve the fatigue performance of aircraft structures. The degradation of the performance of the crack retarder in service if subjected to damage is a critical factor in designing with this concept. Bonded assemblies of an aluminium alloy substrate reinforced with a GLARE strap were prepared, and were subjected to low velocity impact damage onto the GLARE, with impact energies ranging from 10 to 60 J. The thermal residual stresses developed during the bonding process of the GLARE to the aluminium were determined using neutron diffraction, and the change in the thermal residual stresses owing to impact damage onto the GLARE was evaluated. Pre- and post-impact fatigue performance of the BCR assemblies has been investigated. The results show that the BCR provides an improvement in fatigue life, but the reduction is impaired following impact damage. The results show that monitoring of impact damage will be critical in the damage tolerance assurance for aerospace structures containing bonded crack retarders.
NOTICE: this is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in International Journal of Fatigue. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in International Journal of Fatigue, [80, (2015)] DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2015.06.006
© 2015, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
International Journal of Fatigue
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2015.06.006
This article is not available on the repository.
Bonded crack retarders
Impact fatigue
10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2015.06.006
post printAccepted author manuscript, 1.13 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Effect of impact damage on fatigue performance of structures reinforced with GLARE bonded crack retarders'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Fatigue Mathematics
Damage Mathematics
Crack Mathematics
Fatigue of materials Chemical Compounds
Cracks Chemical Compounds
Performance Mathematics
Residual Stress Mathematics
Thermal Stress Mathematics
Institute for Future Transport and Cities - Associate
Faculty of Engineering, Environment & Computing - Pro-Vice-Chancellor Engineering Environment and Computing
Abdul Syed
Institute for Future Transport and Cities - Assistant Professor (Research)
Syed, A. K., Fitzpatrick, M. E., Moffatt, J. E., Doucet, J., & Durazo-Cardenas, I. (2015). Effect of impact damage on fatigue performance of structures reinforced with GLARE bonded crack retarders. International Journal of Fatigue, 80, 231-237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2015.06.006
Effect of impact damage on fatigue performance of structures reinforced with GLARE bonded crack retarders. / Syed, Abdul Khadar; Fitzpatrick, Michael E.; Moffatt, James E.; Doucet, Jeremy; Durazo-Cardenas, Isidro.
In: International Journal of Fatigue, Vol. 80, 2015, p. 231-237.
Syed, AK, Fitzpatrick, ME, Moffatt, JE, Doucet, J & Durazo-Cardenas, I 2015, 'Effect of impact damage on fatigue performance of structures reinforced with GLARE bonded crack retarders', International Journal of Fatigue, vol. 80, pp. 231-237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2015.06.006
Syed AK, Fitzpatrick ME, Moffatt JE, Doucet J, Durazo-Cardenas I. Effect of impact damage on fatigue performance of structures reinforced with GLARE bonded crack retarders. International Journal of Fatigue. 2015;80:231-237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2015.06.006
Syed, Abdul Khadar ; Fitzpatrick, Michael E. ; Moffatt, James E. ; Doucet, Jeremy ; Durazo-Cardenas, Isidro. / Effect of impact damage on fatigue performance of structures reinforced with GLARE bonded crack retarders. In: International Journal of Fatigue. 2015 ; Vol. 80. pp. 231-237.
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title = "Effect of impact damage on fatigue performance of structures reinforced with GLARE bonded crack retarders",
abstract = "Fibre-Metal Laminates (FML) such as GLARE are of interest as bonded crack retarders (BCR) to improve the fatigue performance of aircraft structures. The degradation of the performance of the crack retarder in service if subjected to damage is a critical factor in designing with this concept. Bonded assemblies of an aluminium alloy substrate reinforced with a GLARE strap were prepared, and were subjected to low velocity impact damage onto the GLARE, with impact energies ranging from 10 to 60 J. The thermal residual stresses developed during the bonding process of the GLARE to the aluminium were determined using neutron diffraction, and the change in the thermal residual stresses owing to impact damage onto the GLARE was evaluated. Pre- and post-impact fatigue performance of the BCR assemblies has been investigated. The results show that the BCR provides an improvement in fatigue life, but the reduction is impaired following impact damage. The results show that monitoring of impact damage will be critical in the damage tolerance assurance for aerospace structures containing bonded crack retarders.NOTICE: this is the author{\textquoteright}s version of a work that was accepted for publication in International Journal of Fatigue. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in International Journal of Fatigue, [80, (2015)] DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2015.06.006{\textcopyright} 2015, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
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AU - Durazo-Cardenas, Isidro
N1 - This article is not available on the repository.
N2 - Fibre-Metal Laminates (FML) such as GLARE are of interest as bonded crack retarders (BCR) to improve the fatigue performance of aircraft structures. The degradation of the performance of the crack retarder in service if subjected to damage is a critical factor in designing with this concept. Bonded assemblies of an aluminium alloy substrate reinforced with a GLARE strap were prepared, and were subjected to low velocity impact damage onto the GLARE, with impact energies ranging from 10 to 60 J. The thermal residual stresses developed during the bonding process of the GLARE to the aluminium were determined using neutron diffraction, and the change in the thermal residual stresses owing to impact damage onto the GLARE was evaluated. Pre- and post-impact fatigue performance of the BCR assemblies has been investigated. The results show that the BCR provides an improvement in fatigue life, but the reduction is impaired following impact damage. The results show that monitoring of impact damage will be critical in the damage tolerance assurance for aerospace structures containing bonded crack retarders.NOTICE: this is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in International Journal of Fatigue. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in International Journal of Fatigue, [80, (2015)] DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2015.06.006© 2015, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
AB - Fibre-Metal Laminates (FML) such as GLARE are of interest as bonded crack retarders (BCR) to improve the fatigue performance of aircraft structures. The degradation of the performance of the crack retarder in service if subjected to damage is a critical factor in designing with this concept. Bonded assemblies of an aluminium alloy substrate reinforced with a GLARE strap were prepared, and were subjected to low velocity impact damage onto the GLARE, with impact energies ranging from 10 to 60 J. The thermal residual stresses developed during the bonding process of the GLARE to the aluminium were determined using neutron diffraction, and the change in the thermal residual stresses owing to impact damage onto the GLARE was evaluated. Pre- and post-impact fatigue performance of the BCR assemblies has been investigated. The results show that the BCR provides an improvement in fatigue life, but the reduction is impaired following impact damage. The results show that monitoring of impact damage will be critical in the damage tolerance assurance for aerospace structures containing bonded crack retarders.NOTICE: this is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in International Journal of Fatigue. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in International Journal of Fatigue, [80, (2015)] DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2015.06.006© 2015, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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text:
AHIP Wants Consumers to Know What They're Really Buying
Short-term medical insurance can be great, but so is clear labeling, a top trade group official says.
By Allison Bell | August 26, 2018 at 06:31 PM
Cathryn Donaldson (Photo: AHIP)
America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) wants everyone to understand that major medical insurance is different from limited-benefit health insurance, short-term medical insurance, and other arrangements often suggested as alternatives.
Cathryn Donaldson, AHIP's director of communications, talked about the group's views on the purported alternatives during a recent interview in New York.
"We welcome [companies] selling those products," Donaldson said.
(Related: HealthCare.gov Should Say How It's Using Insurers' Cash: AHIP)
Short-term medical insurance, for example, can be valuable to people who need something to fill in gaps in major medical coverage, she said.
But Donaldson said AHIP wants to make sure issuers and agents do a good job of telling consumers what products do and don't do.
"We want people to make sure they know what they are," Donaldson said.
Disclosure rules are especially important for health benefits products that are not actually insurance, Donaldson said.
She cited health care cost-sharing ministries, and any new plans set up under the Trump administration's new association health plan regulations, as examples of arrangements that, under federal rules, do not have to follow the same kinds of underwriting and financial stability rules that an insured plan would have to follow.
AHIP is not talking much these days, however, about an issue that seemed like a major concern a year ago: a shorter individual major medical insurance open enrollment period.
Open Enrollment Period Changes
An "open enrollment period" system is a system that puts limits on when people have an easy time buying health insurance.
The idea is to scare healthy people into signing up for coverage during the open enrollment period, and paying for coverage year-round, because of a fear that, otherwise, they could suddenly end up with serious health problems outside the open enrollment period, and no way to get health coverage until the start of the next open enrollment period.
Regulators, insurers and Affordable Care Act public exchange managers set up an open enrollment period system for the individual major medical market to compensate for ACA rules that eliminated many of insurers' old defenses against medical claim risk, such as refusing to cover people with serious health problems.
The ACA individual market rules began to apply for coverage that took effect on or after Jan. 1, 2014.
For 2014, the administration of former President Barack Obama scheduled the open enrollment period to start Oct. 1, 2013, and end March 31, 2014.
Later, open enrollment periods ran from Nov.1 through Jan. 31.
For 2018, the Trump administration used an open enrollment period that from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15.
The administration is planning to stick with a Nov. 1 start date and a Dec. 15 end date for the 2019 open enrollment period.
When the 2018 open enrollment period started, many insurers hoped having a shorter enrollment period would put pressure on healthy consumers to sign up for health coverage promptly, by increasing the odds that consumers who procrastinated would end up getting serious health problems during the off season.tes worried that a shorter open enrollment period would simply hurt enrollment.
In the end, consumers seemed to cope with the shorter open enrollment period reasonably well: enrollment was only 5% lower for 2018 than it was for 2017, in spite of the shorter enrollment period and a 90% cut in promotional spending.
So, how did so many consumers know to sign up for coverage by Dec. 15?
"I think there was a lot of work done by our members to make sure people understood that," Donald said.
This year, the open enrollment period scheduling does not seem to be a member area of focus, Donaldson said.
AHIP does see evidence that officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are listening to AHIP members' concerns.
Alex Azar, the HHS secretary, spoke at an AHIP board meeting, Donaldson said.
— Read Matt Eyles to Succeed Marilyn Tavenner As AHIP President, on ThinkAdvisor.
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How Infrastructure ETFs Can Help Advisors Build Better Client Portfolios
Christopher Huemmer | June 27, 2019
Getting educated on this important asset class can diversify investments brick-by-brick.


There's always a war ongoing with the promotions between different online casinos and the best out of the list of most popular promotions is the no deposit bonus. Given that all the web-based waging establishments today are accessible within a few search and clicks, what they all differ from each other aside from their contents, design and features, are their promotions. The more scrumptious promotion they offer, the more possibility that customers will swarm to them. The specific bonus mentioned as the most popular today, earned its rightful fame because of the fact that it is literally 'free money' from the site itself, with no need for you to deposit your own.
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Though casinos may offer no deposit bonus themselves, they still differ in what amount they can slash out from their own pocket for the sake of enticing customers. This is the reason why most promotions on this category doesn't exceed $50. They range from $5 up to $50 and they can definitely never surpass deposit promotions.
Another advantage point for the no deposit promotions is the fact that this will allow customers and wagers to try out the games of the site themselves before having any real risk for their money. With this, they'll be able to firmly know if the site is the right one for them or not. However, it is always imperative to know the specifics of the promotion they have like their rules for withdrawing or even if they are general promotion or for specific games only.


text:
namespace spvtools {

// Builds and returns an ir::Module from the given SPIR-V |binary|. |size|
// specifies number of words in |binary|. The |binary| will be decoded
// according to the given target |env|. Returns nullptr if erors occur and
// sends the errors to |consumer|.
std::unique_ptr<ir::Module> BuildModule(
    spv_target_env env, MessageConsumer consumer, const uint32_t* binary,
    size_t size);

// Builds and returns an ir::Module from the given SPIR-V assembly |text|.
// The |text| will be encoded according to the given target |env|. Returns
// nullptr if erors occur and sends the errors to |consumer|.
std::unique_ptr<ir::Module> BuildModule(
    spv_target_env env, MessageConsumer consumer, const std::string& text,
    uint32_t assemble_options = SpirvTools::kDefaultAssembleOption);

}  // namespace spvtools

#endif  // SPIRV_TOOLS_OPT_BUILD_MODULE_H_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


We are proud to have Dr. Usman Fazli as part of our team. Dr. Fazli specializes in the field of Endodontics and brings a wealth of experience to our practice. He graduated from Boston University, Goldman School of Dental Medicine with a DMD degree in 2004 and then completed a one year AEGD (Advanced Education in General Dentistry) residency from University of Rochester, Eastman Dental Center. Having practiced general dentistry for 5 years, Dr. Fazli decided to pursue his passion for Endodontics and returned to Boston University to complete a two-year post-doctoral training in this field.
Dr. Fazli is a careful listener and has a caring, gentle and friendly personality. His extensive background working as a general dentist gives him a unique perspective in understanding the comprehensive treatment needs of each patient, and gives him the ability to bridge the gap between his expertise as an Endodontist and other dental providers involved with the oral rehabilitation of their patients.
Having been trained by the best instructors in the field of Endodontics, Dr Fazli practices cutting edge micro-Endodontics using the most contemporary techniques and materials. The use of a surgical microscope when performing non-surgical and surgical endodontic procedures, allows Dr. Fazli to visualize in detail the internal structure of the root allowing him to perform procedures with great precision and a very high success rate.