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August 18, 2014 UncategorizedAbraham, alternative lifestyles, Babylonian Exile, Bible, Church, Covenant, David, discipleship, dying churches, Exodus, faith, gay and lesbian, gospel, Holy Spirit, intentional communities, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jerusalem, late stage capitalism, Lectionary, peace, peacemaking, poor, prayer, Psalms, Religion, resurrection, revival, Saint Paul, sexuality, St. Matthew, Sunday Lessons, theology, transgendered, young peoplerevolsen
ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
PRAYER OF THE DAY: O God, with all your faithful followers of every age, we praise you, the rock of our life. Be our strong foundation and form us into the body of your Son, that we may gladly minister to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
This is an exciting time in which to be the church. Many who hear me say this might think me mad. After all, prospects for the mainline church in which I grew up have never looked grimmer. Lutherans are old. At 58, I still feel like a kid in the congregation I serve. We are not reaching people 30 and younger. There is no mystery as to why this is so. Most of our members grew up in an age when everyone went to church because it was the thing to do. No one questioned Sunday worship any more than they would have questioned saluting the flag or brushing their teeth. It's just what we all did. Even those of us who didn't worship and saw no earthy reason for it usually lied and said we did. After all, going to church on Sunday was part and parcel of being a good citizen.
Those days are gone and that is a problem for us. It is a problem because most of our current members cannot explain to a rational adult why he or she should give up a leisurely Sunday morning with coffee, a bagel and the paper to attend a worship service. Especially is this so when that person is unfamiliar with the church generally and a stranger to the congregation in particular. "Why," such stranger might ask, "would I go to a place where nobody knows me just to take part in a complicated ritual that I don't understand and then have somebody stick a plate under my nose asking me for money? Look, I know you love your church. I know you hate to see it die. I know you want me to join and give you some "new blood" and financial support. But your church's need is not my problem. I don't ask you to help me pay my rent. Don't expect me to help you keep your church afloat."
And that's not the worst of it. Our church has not endeared itself to younger people over the decades. In 2011 the Barna Group released results of a study focusing on young people and the church with some very troubling news. One characteristic of teens and young adults is their exposure to numerous ideas and world views outside the parameters of family, church and community. These young people are looking for ways to make sense of this data overload. But they are not looking to the church. That is because they view the church as narrow minded, fear driven and closed to anything new. In particular, young people view the church as antagonistic to science. For this reason, young people often characterize the church as shallow, detached from reality and mired in traditions no longer relevant to their lives.
Perhaps the biggest disconnect between the church and young people is the church's preoccupation with sexual issues and its tendency to resolve those issues by appealing to a ridged, rule based morality impervious to questioning and dialogue. Frankly, congregations that insist on excluding or treating as second class members people who are gay, lesbian or transgendered might just as well kiss the upcoming generation good-by. I am thankful that my own church, at the denominational level anyway, has finally made unequivocally clear that all such persons are welcomed as fully and completely as any other person called by the Holy Spirit into the Church of Christ. I am thankful that I no longer have to endure the embarrassment of explaining to my own children why their friends are not welcome in the church I serve and represent as a pastor. For congregations and individuals who are "not there yet" I have but three words: get over it.
So given all this bad news for my church, how can I possibly believe that this is a great time to be the church? I say that because there are marvelous movements of Spirit led revival and faith to be found all over the country. Church is coming alive in many new ways as people called by the Spirit form intentional communities designed for the living out of discipleship. Throughout the whole people of God in this country there is a developing understanding of church as who you are rather than where you go. At house churches, intentional communities and re-awakened parishes in every state young people are discovering a faith that is not just an add-on to their already busy and overcommitted lives, but a thriving reality at the very center of their lives. Rather than simply offering help for coping with life as it is, these new communities are inviting people to follow Jesus into alternative lifestyles that are faithful, sustainable and life-giving. I discuss some of those movements in my comments on our lesson from Isaiah. They are small, scattered and idiosyncratic. Yet I think they may very well be the seed of the church for the 21st Century.
In the midst of mainline decline and collapse, the ancient words of the prophet can yet be heard: "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" Isaiah 43:19. Yes, this is a wonderful time in which to be the church!
This reading is taken from the second section of the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55) authored in the main by an anonymous prophet speaking a message of salvation to the Jewish exiles living in Babylon during the 6th Century B.C.E. His was the task of alerting his fellow exiles to the new opportunity created for them to return home to Palestine opened up by Persia's conquest of Babylon. On the one hand, the prophet makes a joyous declaration of salvation for Israel and announces the potential for a new start. On the other hand, the prophet makes clear that God is doing with Israel something entirely new. This will not be a return to "the good old days" when Israel was a powerful and independent people under the descendants of David. That, according to the prophet, "is too light a thing" for the people of God. Israel and the servant prophet are to be given "as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." Isaiah 49:6. For more specifics on the Book of Isaiah generally, See Summary Article by Fred Gaiser, Professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN.
Following several other commentators, Professor Claus Westermann holds that this section of the text has become disordered in the course of transmission. He would reconstruct it, working the verses from our reading into various surrounding sections of text. The finished product reads as follows:
[Isaiah 51:1a] Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord.[Isaiah 50:10-11] Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant, who walks in darkness and has no light, yet trusts in the name of the Lord and relies upon his God? But all of you are kindlers of fire, lighters of firebrands. Walk in the flame of your fire, and among the brands that you have kindled! This is what you shall have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.
[Isaiah 51:4-6] Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples. I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my salvation has gone out and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended.
[Isaiah 51:7a] Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people who have my teaching in your hearts; [Isaiah 51:1] Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. [Isaiah 51:7b-8] do not fear the reproach of others, and do not be dismayed when they revile you. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; but my deliverance will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.
Westermann, Claus, Isaiah 40-66, The Old Testament Library (c. 1969 SCM Press Ltd.) pp 232-234. This arrangement has the virtue of solving several other perceived problems with other sections of the Isaiah text, forging them, along with fragments of our lesson, into a nicely balanced three strophe poem. With all due respect to Professor Westermann, I am suspicious of employing any interpretive tool, including form criticism, for no better purpose than to make the text more "intelligible." Just because something is difficult to understand does not mean that it is void of meaning. Perhaps the language is obscure because the matter at hand lies at the border of mystery. If that is the case, deconstructing the language is probably the last thing you want to do. Furthermore, it is to my thinking entirely unjustifiable to break up a passage that makes perfectly good sense standing alone in order to solve problems elsewhere in the text. Accordingly, I will take the lesson as we have it.
"You who pursue deliverance" in verse 1 refers to the Babylonian exiles. Just as the Israelite slaves cried out for deliverance in Egypt, so now the exiles seek deliverance from their captivity. The prophet chooses his words carefully to evoke precisely this parallel. Throughout his/her oracles, Second Isaiah likens the return from exile to Israel's exodus from Egypt. E.g. Isaiah 43:1-7; Isaiah 43:15-17. But in the next verse, the prophet reaches back even further in Israel's history to the age of the matriarchs and patriarchs. "Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for when he was but one I called him, and blessed him and made him many." Vs. 2. This is the only verse in the Hebrew Scriptures outside of Genesis referencing Sarah. Second Isaiah is filled with feminine metaphors for God's faithfulness to Israel. Isaiah 42:14; Isaiah 46:3; Isaiah 49:1, 5, 15; Isaiah 54:1. Thus, it is not surprising that s/he should include Sarah along with Abraham in this instance.
The prophet is addressing the group of exiles that have been receptive to his/her call to make the journey back to Palestine from Babylon. In all probability, this was a small congregation. Yet the prophet is not dismayed by the meager response of the people to his/her challenge. After all, when God called Abraham and Sarah, they were but two individuals. Moreover, we also know that they were childless and past child bearing age. The prospects for fulfilment of the promise that their descendants would outnumber the stars seemed remote, to put it mildly. Yet just as God raised up the people of Israel from this unpromising beginning, so God will make of this little band of exiles a new people in that ancient land promised to Abraham and Sarah so long ago. With God, size doesn't matter, but only faithfulness.
In verses 4-5 the prophet promises that God's "deliverance draws near speedily." Significantly, however, that salvation is described as "a law" going forth from God. The word for law here is "Torah," a term that means so much more than our word "law." Torah is "teaching," a constellation of faithful disciplines and precepts, the study and practice of which leads to wisdom, understanding and communion with the God of Israel. See Psalm 119. It is through the faithful obedience of Israel to Torah in the land of promise that God's salvation will be made known to the ends of the earth. Simply by being God's people, Israel will forward God's salvation.
I believe that the church in America is only beginning to discover (or re-discover?) the insight revealed in Second Isaiah and more specifically throughout the new Testament, namely, that the proper mission of the church is first and foremost being the church. We are moving away from a 1950s and 1960s vision of the church as a union of faithful congregations supporting mission and ministry done by professionals and specialized agencies. No one is looking anymore for a church that will give them spiritual resources to cope with the demands of 21st Century life. Churches still selling this useless snake oil are in decline-and deservedly so. The new model of church where I see most energy, creativity and enthusiasm for ministry is among intentional communities of faith that embody an alternative to life under late stage capitalism dictated by the schedules of public school activities, the demands of the work place/profession and that illusive nirvana, "financial security."
For example, Church of the Sojourners in San Francisco, California seeks to respond to Christ's call by living together family-style, sharing their homes, resources and friendship. Though not maintaining that their lifestyle is absolutely required for committed discipleship, the Sojourners find that such common living provides them with numerous daily opportunities for forgiveness, humility, service, gratitude, worship, prayer, and other practicalities of sainthood, thereby helping them to grow into "the full measure of the stature of Christ." So too, Reba Place Fellowship began in 1957 as three people sharing life and possessions in one house just north of Chicago. Since then, it has grown into several communities. Today members of Reba live in an urban "village" in Evanston, and in its communal offshoot in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. Both branches have a mix of apartment buildings, single family houses, and commercial buildings sheltering a variety of cooperative ventures. Perhaps the most fascinating and exciting example of this model is Koinonia Farm. Established in 1942 by Clarence and Florence Jordan and Martin and Mabel England, Koininia is a Christian community located in Americus, Georgia. Sharing a life of prayer, work, study, service and fellowship, residents seek to embody peacemaking, sustainability, and radical sharing.
The above communities are few and far between, but they are growing and inspiring the development of other such communities. Hewn as they are from the rock of faithful patriarchs, matriarchs, prophets and apostles, I have no doubt that God will use them mightily to carry on the church's mission into the future. As for the rest of us, "the kingdom of God will come without our prayers" or anything else we have to offer. So says our Catechism. But I pray that it may come also among us mainliners; that we will rediscover our radical roots in the cross and resurrection of Jesus; that we will find ourselves "in that number when the saints go marching in" rather than sitting on the curb watching the parade go by.
Though it begins as a psalm of pure praise, verses 3 and 7 reveal that the psalmist is giving thanks for deliverance from enemies. Some commentators claim that the psalmist's declaration of praise "before the gods" dates this psalm somewhere in Israel's pre-exilic history in which the reality of gods other than Yahweh was assumed, though their power and status was inferior to that of Israel's God. But in the post exile work of Second Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55) , the prophet calls these foreign gods to account before Yahweh only to show that they are in fact not gods at all. Isaiah 41:21-24. The psalmist's assertion that "All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, for they have heard the words of thy mouth; and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord" echo the same theme found throughout Second Isaiah. See, e.g., Isaiah 49:7, 22; Isaiah 55:4-5. Consequently, I do not believe that any conclusions about dating can be drawn from this phrase.
The psalmist boldly declares that, though s/he walks "in the midst of trouble, thou dost preserve my life." Vs. 7. Taken alone, this verse might be understood to mean that God will shield the psalmist from all adversity giving him or her a charmed life. But God promises nothing of the kind and the psalmist is well aware of that. The psalmist knows that his/her life is wholly God's possession. As such, it finds fulfillment in God's purposes, not the hopes, dreams and expectations of the psalmist. Hence, the declaration of faith in the final verse: "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands." Vs. 8. This prayer that God will establish God's purpose for one's life is the very soul of humility. Far too much of life is spent trying to prove to ourselves and to everybody else that we count for something. It is unbearable to think that we might be only a pawn on the chessboard of life, the understudy for a minor character in an off, off Broadway play who never makes it to the stage. Unbearable, that is, until you finally realize that "though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly." Vs. 6. God does not measure accomplishments (which often turn out to be less impressive than we imagine them to be), but faithfulness. When we are finally able to recognize that our marriages, our children, our careers and everything else is God's project to be employed solely for God's purposes, life becomes fun again. We are no longer under pressure to "make it come out right." We don't need to fret about whether we are accomplishing anything "significant" or "important." Instead, it is possible to enjoy and take a measure of satisfaction in doing what is given us well, resting in the knowledge that however insignificant, unimportant or unsuccessful our tasks may seem, they are precisely what God needs for God's own purposes.
Verses 3-8 deserve special attention because they distill in concrete practice what Paul has been speaking about for the last eleven chapters. Because all are under the sway of sin and all are liberated by God's gracious act of mercy in Jesus Christ, no one is in any position to boast over against any other fellow disciple. In light of this reality, "sober judgment" leads to but one conclusion: we are no longer individuals with conflicting rights to be carefully balanced and adjudicated to maintain justice and peace within our community. We are members of one body belonging to Jesus and existing to serve him as head. Accordingly, whatever our gifts may be, they are precisely what the Body needs and are to be exercised in his service.
This vision of community is seldom reflected in our churches which, both on the congregational and denominational levels, operate under corporate, hierarchical models. I follow (at a distance) a Facebook page for Lutheran clergy and have discovered that issues of "power" and "who is in charge" come up with depressing regularity. Resort to the congregational constitution seems to be the default strategy for resolving conflict. I am so weary of congregations complaining that their rights have been violated and denominational leaders complaining that their authority is not sufficiently respected. I can hear the exasperated and unheeded voice of St. Paul in the distance: "Do not be conformed to the world…" vs. 2.
"Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Vs. 2. One reason we fear terrorists so much is that we know they have no fear of death. How do you fight an enemy that is not afraid to die? A man willing to sacrifice his body by strapping on a bomb and blowing himself up to take out the enemy is not likely to be detoured by the death penalty! That, too, is why the Roman Empire was so fearful of the church. Disciples of Jesus didn't cower when threatened with death. They could not be intimidated by torture. They turned the cross, Rome's chief symbol of terror, into a sign of victory! The more forcefully Rome employed its imperial might against the church, the more obvious its impotence became. The shock and awe strategy failed spectacularly as the blood of the martyrs became the seed of the church. If only Christians had the faith of terrorists! If only disciples of Jesus were as ready to sacrifice their lives in the service of the poor, in reconciliation of enemies and in practicing radical hospitality to the homeless as terrorists are ready to die in battle!
The focus on Jesus' Messianic identity, which began at Matthew 13:54 where Jesus is rejected in his home country, comes to its climax in our lesson for Sunday where Peter makes his confession: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Vs. 16. Jesus asks his disciples who they believe "the Son of man" to be. The disciples' response indicates that they must understand Jesus to be speaking of himself in the use of this term. They note that some think Jesus is a resurrected John the Baptist. Herod has already expressed this belief. Matthew 14:2. They also point out that others believe Jesus to be Elijah, whose possible return was left open by his assumption into the heavens. II Kings 2:9-12. By the time of the prophet Malachi, the return of the prophet Elijah was a standard expectation. Malachi 4:5-6. Jeremiah is mentioned, principally as a representative of the latter prophets believed to have returned under Jesus' identity. Perhaps this is because Jeremiah, more than any other Hebrew prophet, experienced consistent persecution and rejection. In any event, these persons all serve in a negative manner to specify for the reader who Jesus is not.
Unlike the response given by Peter in Mark, Matthew has Peter confessing Jesus not merely as Israel's long awaited Messiah, but as the Son of the living God. Vs. 16. This statement is not the fruit of Peter's own deductive reasoning. It comes to him by revelation. Vs. 17. Peter's confession answers the question of Jesus' fellow countrymen in Matthew 13:54 ("Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?").
The Greek word "Christos" is used for the Hebrew term "Meshioch" transliterated "Messiah." It means "anointed one," frequently referring to a king, though it was also used to designate the patriarchs, a prophet or a priest. (See Psalm 105:15; I Kings 19:16; Psalm 133:2). By the 1st Century, the term was commonly used to denote a successor of King David who was expected to restore the fortunes of Israel, though this was by no means the exclusive expression of messianic hope. Thus, while Peter's confession of Jesus as Messiah is correct, the nature of Jesus' messiahship will not become clear until after his suffering, death and resurrection.
"Son of God" is a term used for Israel's kings as evidenced by the enthronement hymn, Psalm 2. "You are my son, today I have begotten you." Psalm 2:7. As will become evident in Matthew's Transfiguration account, the term means much more than this as applied to Jesus. Matthew 17:1-8. Here, too, Matthew will unpack the full meaning of this title in the action to come.
Many trees have been felled and much ink spilt over the interpretation of verses 18-21. Just as the Roman church has insisted that Jesus' declaration: "you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church" establishes the primacy of Peter and the doctrine of apostolic succession, so protestants have for the most part maintained that the "rock" upon which the church is built is Peter's confession of Jesus, not Peter himself. The passage does not fully support either position. It is clear from the word play at work "Petros" (Peter) and "petra" (rock) that Jesus is referring to Peter himself as in some way foundational for the church. Yet Matthew, like Mark, employs Peter as the spokesperson for the rest of the disciples. So, just as his remarks to Jesus represent the questions of the twelve, Jesus' response must also be seen as directed to all of them. The church, then, is founded upon the witness of the Apostles; however, the case for the primacy of Peter among them is wanting in my opinion. This passage is silent about matters of apostolic succession. That is not to say a biblical case cannot be made in its favor, but only that one who would make it must look elsewhere in the scriptures for support. I think that commentator John Nolland sums it up best:
"The attempt to draw form Mt. 16:18 conclusions as to whether Peter has successors is doomed to failure. It is to press the imagery too hard to assign an exclusive foundational role to Peter. Peter has the privilege of being named in this role, but others participated with him in all that he did and was. In addition, in every new situation there will be those who play a foundational role for Jesus' building of his church. But sharing the role produces too many partners and successors. On the other hand, the apostles are clearly called upon to play an unrepeatable role, and Peter clearly has some kind of primacy among them. Here there is a genuine claim to exclusivity, but not one that allows any specific place for a successor. But this is not to say that this tradition about Peter should not have inspired the church to focus on its fidelity to the foundations of the faith in terms of a Peter figure from generation to generation."Nolland, John, The Gospel of Matthew, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (c. 2005 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.) p. 670.
Matthew is the only gospel that uses the term "ekklasia," the Greek word our English Bibles translate as "church." The word means "gathered group" or "assembly." Matthew's understanding of the church is fleshed out in the Sermon on the Mount as well as Matthew 23:1-12. Thus, whatever leadership role is given to the twelve in this passage must be exercised in a way consistent with this vision. One of Jesus' chief criticisms of the religious leaders in his day is set forth in Matthew 23:13: "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men…" The keys to the kingdom are given to Peter precisely so that the kingdom may be opened to all people. Thus, however one might interpret the power to "bind" and "lose" given to Peter in verse 19, it cannot be understood as license to blockade the kingdom. Even when the church finds it necessary to excommunicate and treat a former member as a "gentile and a tax collector" (Matthew 18:17), one must keep in mind the manner in which Jesus consistently reached out to gentiles and tax collectors. To excommunicate a member is therefore to assume enhanced responsibility and concern for that member.
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The Snowden-Effect, Wikileaks and Watergate
February 3, 2014 • Press Freedom • by Stephan Russ-Mohl
At a first glance, president Obama's recent speech about the NSA seems to support arguments by Dan Gillmor, one of America's most prominent Internet gurus. He believes that the fallout from the information leaked by Edward Snowden represent "a classic example of journalistic critical mass".
In a contribution for the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University he writes that "the governments running this massive surveillance dragnet were hoping the issue would fade away". However, after the sustained and co-ordinated media coverage provided by the Guardian, the New York Times, and Der Spiegel,"they are surely now understanding that it won't happen anytime soon."
According to Gillmor, "we learned that the NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ had been spying on a variety people and organizations that had no plausible connection to terrorism — confirmation that our surveillance targets had included, among others, business and economic interests."
He continues: "The stories were all based on the same documents, leaked earlier in the year to journalists by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. And they were yet another shoe dropping in a saga that shows no signs of dwindling public attention."
No sign of dwindling public attention? It is interesting how differently social scientists can interpret the same events. Here is my version: President Nixon had to step down because of house-breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic Party at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. and because of lying about this issue. President Clinton got nearly impeached because of his sexual adventures with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. Barack Obama is politically responsible for the world wide surveillance of millions of citizens, including other, friendly leaders such as Angela Merkel.
In the case of the NSA leaks, American constitutional law may well have been broken, but Obama is still in office – unchallenged by a press which obviously has lost its power as well as its bite. Is a break-in into an office or a consented sexual adventure really a more serious crime than the revelations that the American president has either no control over his secret services, or he agrees complacently to their excessive and illegal instrusion of privacy and abrogation of the American constitution?
I would argue that despite its significance the Snowden story has so far not passed the attention threshold to create a "critical mass". The Washington Post found out recently with a simple Google search that the terms "Snowden" and "Datagate" did not make it to one of the top ten topics of the year 2013. Names like Nelson Mandela, Paul Walker and Miley Cyrus were more popular than Snowden. The Playstation 4, iPhone 5 and the Harlem Shake got more attention than the data and surveillance scandal.
How lethargic are the citizens as well as the media in the Western world, if the most elementary constitutional rights like the protection of the private sphere and press freedom can be threatened, yet provoke so little interest? Unfortunately, the media – with a few exceptions like The Guardian, Der Spiegel and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung – have not yet given the Snowden story the kind of attention it deserves.
However, I do agree with Gillmor's conclusions: "In a world of increasingly fragmented media creation, critical mass is more difficult. Social networks — viral marketing — can help." He adds: " Achieving critical mass "obliges journalists to rethink old traditions, especially competitive ones. 'Exclusives' can be counterproductive if they lead other journalists to ignore or downplay the news, whether out of jealousy or inability to get the confirming source material for their own coverage." In a globalizing, but fragmentized media environment, newsrooms need to cooperate, and the Guardian has set a great example how such transnational "coopetition" may work.
But haven't the media failed if people in London, Vienna, Berlin, Zurich, Paris and in New York, Washington and San Francisco still don't follow the example of Ukrainians, if they don't defend their most basic civil rights on the streets, even when chilled to their bones about what they may lose? The "critical mass" to protect privacy is obviously missing, and the era of enlightenment, privacy and press freedom may soon be over. The Internet may turn from a media laboratory into a prison.
If we want democracy to survive threats from out of our self-appointed terrorism "protectors" in the secret services, we, the citizens of the media-saturated Western world must start to defend our freedom and civil society against the attacks of stubborn, self-aggrandizing government bureaucracies.
The "old" media would have to play a key role here. According to studies from the Project for Excellence in Journalism they are still producing most of the content which circulates in the "new" media. However, they are playing their watchdog role in the U.S. quite differently to the times when the New York Times and the Washington Post disclosed the contents of Pentagon Papers, leading to the Watergate scandal that ended the Vietnam war and the career of President Nixon.
The media researchers Elizabeth Blanks Hindman (Washington State University) and Ryan J. Thomas (University of Missouri) recently analyzed what the editorials of American newspapers wrote about Wikileaks. Surprisingly, many of them positioned themselves against Wikileaks and in favor of the national security policy of the U.S. and described themselves as "the sole and legitimate stewards of the public interest". The Wikileaks revelations came before Snowden's disclosures about total worldwide surveillance by the NSA and their British accomplices. It may, however, explain why Snowden has had so little effect on the public, so far.
An earlier version of this article has been published in the Austrian weekly Die Furche (Nr. 4/2014)
Photo credit: Steve Rhodes / Flickr Cc
Tags: Assange, Clinton, Dan Gillmor, Edward Snowden, impeachment, Journalism, journalistic investigation, media, media role, Nieman Lab, Nixon, NSA, Obama, Politics, Snowden, watergate, watergate scandal, Wikileaks
Stephan Russ-Mohl
European Journalism Observatory co-founder and until 2018 Professor of Journalism and Media Management at the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. Frequent contributor to Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) and Der Tagesspiegel (Berlin), as well as to the specialist publications Schweizer Journalist and Der österreichische Journalist.
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text:
North Korea: Nukes vs. War?
Categories: Articles, Featured, Korea, Security
Nuclear weapons have held the world hostage for more than 70 years. Although they possess terrifying power and the world has come close to nuclear war on several occasions, these weapons have only been used twice, in 1945, by the United States against Japan.
Advocates of deterrence believe that nuclear weapons actually kept the peace during the Cold War. The United States and Soviet Union, according to this theory, did not attack each other directly because of the fear that one side or the other would launch an ICBM, the conflict would quickly escalate, and the world would go up in smoke.
Over the course of the nuclear era, there have been plenty of conventional wars. Those conflicts have left millions dead, injured many more, and created today's unprecedented refugee crisis.
Nuclear weapons possess great potential evil. Conventional wars represent persistent, everyday evil.
The United States has expended a great deal of energy to prevent other countries from acquiring nuclear weapons. It hasn't eliminated its own arsenal, nor has it of late vigorously pursued arms control agreements with Russia that would achieve global disarmament any time soon. Meanwhile, the United States has initiated or supported a disproportionate number of wars around the world, including ones in Afghanistan and Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
In general, the United States has prioritized nuclear non-proliferation over the prevention of war.
That helps to explain the muted U.S. reactions to the recent Pyongyang summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. But it doesn't make those reactions any less frustrating.
As a result of the third inter-Korean summit, the two countries have agreed to a remarkable set of security measures. The two Koreas will cease military exercises along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), establish a no-fly zone above the MDL, and establish a maritime peace zone around the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea. Even more dramatically, they announced a plan to turn the most visible symbol of inter-Korean division and hostility – the border area at the 38th parallel – into a peace zone, beginning with the withdrawal of 11 guard posts from the DMZ, the demilitarization of the Joint Security Area, and the creation of a joint team to recover remains within the zone.
And what was the predominant U.S. reaction to these momentous changes? Even though Kim Jon Un did make several proposals to move forward on nuclear disarmament, U.S. politicians and pundits focused on what was missing, namely unilateral moves before the United States reciprocates. These skeptics somehow expect North Korea to provide an inventory of the country's nuclear capabilities, relinquish its existing weapons, or shut down its plutonium and highly enriched uranium processing facilities simply to show good faith and in the hopes that Washington will remove economic sanctions. In other words, the U.S. skeptics are not interested in the give-and-take of negotiations. They want some sign that North Korea is bending to pressure.
For instance, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) tweeted: ""Surprise, surprise: North Korea wants concessions from the U.S. for steps far short of denuclearization. Glad the admin has made no commitments. Maximum pressure campaign should proceed."
His Republican colleague in the Senate, Lindsey Graham (R-SC) tweeted much the same thing: "While North Korea has stopped testing missiles and nuclear devices, they have NOT moved toward denuclearization."
"Talk is cheap," said Bruce Bennett of Rand Corporation. "What Washington has been looking for is action."
The Trump administration has praised the results of the recent inter-Korean summit. But here, too, U.S. officials have talked about the need to advance the denuclearization agenda.
Obviously, the U.S. preoccupation with nuclear non-proliferation has blinded the foreign policy elite to what is ultimately a more profound development. The two Koreas are not waiting for a peace treaty to replace the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953. They're not relying on a U.S. declaration that hostilities have ended. They are actively dismantling the very mechanisms of war on the Korean peninsula.
I don't necessarily believe that nuclear deterrence kept the peace during the Cold War. First of all, the nuclear powers were exceptionally lucky not to have blown each other up. Second, there were plenty of hot wars during that period, including the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and several of these wars could have escalated to the use of nuclear weapons.
For these and other reasons, I think it's important to push for nuclear disarmament. Nuclear weapons, even if they haven't been used in more than 70 years, are extraordinarily dangerous.
But ultimately, the most important task is to prevent war – to prevent the circumstances that would give rise to the potential use of nuclear weapons. In this way, the two Koreas have gotten the order correct. They are focusing on dismantling war structures before the talks on nuclear weapons have really started.
This is a profound lesson for Americans. Instead of seeing the inter-Korean talks as a prelude to the "more important" discussions on nuclear weapons, the United States should see the denuclearization negotiations as supporting Korean efforts to end war on the peninsula.
As long as Washington's preoccupation with nukes goes hand in hand with conflict reduction between the two Koreas, the non-proliferation agenda is part of the solution. But if denuclearization gets in the way of peace – if squabbling over the particulars of North Korea's nuclear program disrupts the progress North and South have made on reducing tensions – then it's part of the problem.
Hankyoreh, October 1, 2018
#MeToo Goes Global
Do Bullies Always Win?


St Vincent Explorers!: St Vincent Year 3's went to Quinney's Bush on Thursday and Friday. A great time was had by all and huge thanks to Nicki, Jamie, Ralph and Adele for your help. Some photos.
St Vincent Year 3's went to Quinney's Bush on Thursday and Friday. A great time was had by all and huge thanks to Nicki, Jamie, Ralph and Adele for your help. Some photos.


Test image the plane created from front face of default cube. It still has the cube's origin. And is located at the origin. An empty is placed at origin and rotated 90 degrees in Z.
The first copy will be rotated 1 x 90 degrees in Z, the second 2 x 90 and so on.
To add more pillars in the scene, make a group or in 2.80 a collection instance. Involves adding objects of pillar to a group (or collection) and adding a group instance from add object menu.
Plane added to collection named "Pillar", A pillar can now be added at any time with shift A add collection instance, and choose Pillar. Every pillar in scene is made from one single 4 vertex plane mesh. Notice the option to offset an instance such that when placed its origin is at the base for example.
Align the plane along the line x = y such that each end is (forgetting z) at (L, 0) and (0, L) in x and y. On a 45 degree angle from both x and y axis.
Mirroring in X creates a V, mirroring in Y a diamond.
Best way to mirror duplicate a rigged object?
Why does a duplicated object not mirror correctly?


It knows when you are sleeping, it knows when you're awake, it knows when you come home from work and what time you like to start your day. No, it's not Santa Clause—it's the Nest thermostat, now available from Bonfe. The Nest Learning Thermostat uses smart technology to observe and adapt to your family's habits in order to make your home as comfortable and energy efficient as possible. Your thermostat dictates over half your energy bill. With Nest, your thermostat actively works to help you save energy. Nest saves an average of 10-12% on heating and 15% on cooling annually, meaning that in just two years it pays for itself.
After just one week of use, Nest learns your habits and programs itself. Like the house to be cooler at night? Nest will turn down the temperature when you head to bed.
Nest uses sensors and your phone's location to tell when you leave the house, and then switches into Auto-Away mode to save energy while you're gone.
You can control your thermostat from anywhere using the Nest app. Your kids texted you that they're heading home from school? You can tell Nest to turn up the temp so they're welcomed home by a warm house.
Daily Energy History and monthly Home Report allow you to track how much energy you use every day, how much you've saved, and how you can save more.
The Safety Temperatures feature will send an alert to your phone if your home becomes overly hot or cold. If extreme low temperatures cause your home temp to drop while you're away, risking frozen pipes, Nest will automatically start heating and will send you another alert when temperatures have returned to normal.
Sunblock senses when direct sunlight is elevating the temperature inside your home and automatically adjusts so that your homer remains at your ideal temperature level.
Cool to Dry moderates humidity levels in your home. If humidity is high, the AC will kick in to reduce humidity levels, even while you're away.
Early On monitors what time you wake up in the morning so that you wake up to a perfectly warm (or cool) house—whatever your personal preferences are.
Changing your air filters regularly is part of keeping up with maintenance so that your heating and cooling systems can perform their best. Nest's Filter Reminders will make sure you always remember, based on how long and how much your system has been running.
The Nest Learning Thermostat automatically syncs with other Nest products, such as the Nest Cam security system and Nest Protect, the smart smoke and CO alarm that informs you where danger is before it becomes a serious problem and will automatically turn off your furnace or fan to minimize the danger. Control each of your Nest products right from your phone with the Nest app.
Great post! I think that if someone is hesitant to buy, your quick fact in the beginning should sell them. It learns your habits in a week. What other device do you have in your home that does that? Thanks for sharing!
I'm glad you liked the post, Eric!


text:
Siena poll: Declining support for New York's bail changes
https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/Boba-tea-emoji-designer-Yiying-Lu-SF-14487429.php
Meet the SF designer of the Twitter Fail Whale and 5 food emojis
Tamara Palmer
Updated 9:51 am PDT, Monday, October 7, 2019
Yiying Lu, San Francisco based artist, who designed the Boba, the Dumpling
Photo: Photo Illustration: Blair Heagerty / SFGate
When Yiying Lu speaks, her accent is the remixed result of being born in Shanghai, educated in Sydney and London and living in San Francisco for the past decade. That global perspective has influenced her work as an emoji designer and resulted in the official illustrations for dumplings, chopsticks, fortune cookies and Chinese takeout boxes (plus Twitter's classic 'fail whale'). Her creations have become a universal language throughout the world.
Lu, who is one of the founders of the emoji-democratizing org known as Emojination, now has an essential new emoji to share with the world: the boba drink, due to hit mobile phones in 2020.
The boba emoji first took shape around four years ago as a birthday gift to an executive at the venture fund and seed accelerator 500 Startups, where Lu worked as the creative director. She knew there was a need for a boba emoji, but she didn't relish the idea of once again going through Unicode Consortium's surprisingly tedious proposal process that's required to make emojis official across platforms.
"I was halfway through the proposal but then I got really caught up because all of these take a lot of time to write, and writing is not my forte," Lu said, sipping a boba drink at a new San Francisco shop called SimplexiTea. "Making art is easy but writing and doing research, it's almost like a PhD paper."
At first Lu worked alone on the proposal, but was soon joined by a team of computer science students and professors from Chicago. She left the writing of the largely up to her newfound team, save for one key section that points out the origins of the word boba as a Taiwanese slang word for big breasts.
"I did my research, it's very important!" she joked. "I'm more about language evolution and stuff so, yeah, I was very proud of that. We need to evangelize it. That was my contribution, apart from the art: the womanhood! Bring it into context: think about it, the milk is always coming from the mom! Even almond milk is coming from Mother Earth; you've got to honor that. You've got to honor the female power."
Lu stops short of endorsing any one boba purveyor in San Francisco. She's a fan of many shops, but her ideal cup is admittedly hard to find.
"I like tea that's in your face," she said. "I feel like if it's a really good boba, the tea will give you that punchiness. That's what I usually get when I go to Asia. I feel like boba should have really good ingredients. A really good boba is not too sweet; that's very important. It's always got the perfect amount of sweetness, but the tea needs to be really strong. You can actually taste the flavor of tea, and I feel like that is something I'm looking for always."
Lu has also recently created the "San Francisco Seal of Approval," a take on the iconic "I [Heart] New York" logo that features one of her characteristically uplifting and whimsical animal creations. She's designed related seals for San Francisco's 19 sister cities, which include Lu's beloved Shanghai and Sydney. She considers it her life's calling to bridge international cultural barriers with her visual art and her extensive speaking work.
"I'm not only the bridge between art and tech, I'm also the bridge between work and life, beauty and meaning and the East and West," she said during a TEDx talk in Palo Alto in June.
"People are like, 'Are you a designer? Are you a creative speaker? Who are you?'" she says. "'Well, I'm an alien with extraordinary ability, that was on my Visa.' But I think I got very lucky to be able to have the capacity to do the things I love to do and also help to shape the culture."
"In a way it's like being an architect," she reckoned. "You're actually using creativity and innovation to help to move the ecosystem."
Tamara Palmer is a freelance writer in the Bay Area.


text:
\section{Introduction}
\label{sec:intro}

Very high-energy gamma-rays with energies around TeV
are powerful tools to investigate the cosmic accelerators.
They arise from either leptonic
(cosmic microwave background (CMB) or other soft seed photons
up-scattered by accelerated electrons and their bremsstrahlung emission)
or hadronic (the
decay of neutral pions, arising from the collision of high energy
protons and interstellar matter) processes.
The strong evidence for electron acceleration up to more than
$\sim10$~TeV has been obtained with X-ray observations
of, for example, young supernova remnants (SNRs) that are
believed to be the most probable cosmic-ray accelerators in our Galaxy
\citep[e.g.,][]{koyama1995,koyama1997,
bamba2003a,bamba2003b,bamba2005a,bamba2005b}.
On the other hand, we have not yet derived firm evidence for
proton acceleration; although TeV gamma-rays have
been detected by several of young SNRs, such as
RX~J1713.7$-$3946 \citep{enomoto2002,aharonian2004}
and RX~J0852.0$-$4622 \citep{katagiri2005,aharonian2005c},
their origin is not yet fully understood
\citep[e.g,][]{pannuti2003,lazendic2004,ellison2001,bamba2005b,
uchiyama2005,uchiyama2007,yamazaki2008}.

Recently, a survey of the inner part of our Galaxy
has revealed several new TeV $\gamma$-ray sources
\citep{aharonian2002,aharonian2005,aharonian2005b,aharonian2006}.
Some of them have no counterpart in the X-ray regime.
Then, the flux ratio, defined by
\[
R_{\rm TeV/X}=\frac{F_\gamma(1-10~{\rm TeV})}{F_X(2-10~{\rm keV})}~~,
\]
is more than $\sim10$ \citep{yamazaki2006,bamba2007a,matsumoto2007}.
On the other hand, young supernova remnants (SNRs) and pulsar wind nebulae
have $R_{\rm TeV/X}$ less than $\sim2$.
It is interesting that
the TeV unidentified sources with large $R_{\rm TeV/X}$
may show evidence for
hadron acceleration because the leptonic inverse-Compton model requires
an unusually small magnetic field strength ($\ll1~\mu$G).
So far, several TeV gamma-ray objects have been followed up
in X-rays, which provide us a lot of hint
on the emission process of TeV gamma-rays
\citep[e.g.,][]{tian2007,bamba2007a,matsumoto2007,matsumoto2008}.

{{HESS~J1745$-$303~}} is one of such TeV unidentified sources.
It was discovered by the Galactic plane survey of
High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.)
\citep{aharonian2006}, and subsequent follow-up observation
was performed recently \citep{aharonian2008}.
The observed flux from the whole object is estimated as
$F_\gamma(1-10~{\rm TeV})\sim5.2\times10^{-12}$~erg~s$^{-1}$cm$^{-2}$
The low Galactic latitude and the fact that the source is spatially
extended strongly argues for a Galactic origin of {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}}.
{{HESS~J1745$-$303~}}  mainly consists of three bright emission regions
\citep[named region~A, B, and C;][]{aharonian2008},
and the angular size of the whole object is
$\sim0.3^\circ\times0.5^\circ$,
which is one of the largest TeV unID sources.
{{HESS~J1745$-$303~}} has direct positional coincidence with an unidentified EGRET
source \citep[3EG~J1744$-$3011,][]{hartman1999}, which implies
proton acceleration because the leptonic IC model for the TeV
emission usually predict very dim GeV $\gamma$-rays.
\citet{aharonian2008} suggested that
a molecular cloud coincides with the TeV emitting region,
although the precise distance to the molecular cloud is unknown.
This region was also observed with {\it XMM-Newton},
which gives an upper-limit on the diffuse X-ray emission,
$4.5\times10^{-13}$~erg~cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$,
 from the region~A which is the main part of {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}} and
has a TeV energy flux of
$8.0\times10^{-13}$~erg~cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$.
Then, the TeV-to-X-ray flux ratio, $R_{\rm TeV/X}$, is larger
than $\sim2$.

In this paper, we report on the deep mapping observations of {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}}
with X-ray satellite {\it Suzaku} \citep{mitsuda2007}.
Section~\ref{sec:obs} introduces the observations. Our analysis
is explained in \S~\ref{sec:analysis}, and we
discuss our findings in \S~\ref{sec:discuss}.

\section{Observations and Data Reduction}
\label{sec:obs}

We carried out mosaic observations of HESS~J1745$-$303
with {\it Suzaku}.
The mapping used four pointings as listed in Table~\ref{tab:obslog}.
{\it Suzaku} has two active instruments,
four X-ray Imaging Spectrometers \citep[XIS0--XIS3;][]{koyama2007}
each at the focus of an X-Ray Telescope \citep[XRTs][]{serlemitsos2007}
and a separate Hard X-ray Detector \citep[HXD;][]{takahashi2007}.
All four spectrometers were active in the first observation,
whereas only three could be used subsequently
due to a problem with XIS~2.
XIS1 is a back-illuminated (BI) CCD,
whereas the others are front-illuminated (FI).
The XIS was operated
in the normal full-frame clocking mode.
The spaced-row charge injection \citep{nakajima2008}
was used in the later three observations (Table~\ref{tab:obslog}).
The data reduction and analysis were made
using HEADAS software version 6.4.,
version 2.2.7.18 of the processed data,
and XSPEC version 11.3.2.
We filtered out data obtained during passages through the
South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA),
with elevation angle to the Earth's limb below 5$^\circ$,
or with elevation angle to the bright Earth's limb below 13$^\circ$.
in order to avoid the contamination of emission from the bright Earth.
In this paper, we concentrate on the XIS data analysis,
because HESS~J1745$-$303 is located near the Galactic plane,
and the HXD data is
contaminated by the Galactic ridge X-ray emission
\citep[GRXE; c.f.,][]{koyama1989,yuasa2007}
and bright point sources,
which are quite difficult to remove correctly.

\section{Results}
\label{sec:analysis}

\subsection{Images}

We made mosaic intensity maps in the 0.5--2.0~keV,
2.0--8.0~keV, and 6.3--6.5~keV bands
of the four pointing observations as described in
the following.

The raw mosaic images were made in each energy band.
In order to estimate the continuum emission in the narrow iron intensity band,
we derived the spectrum over the entire region
and fitted 3--8~keV photons
with a power-law plus narrow Gaussians
which represent emission lines.
The 2--3~keV band photons were not used in order to avoid the influence of
soft discrete emission (two SNRs; described later).
The best-fit photon index was $\sim 1--1.3$.
We compared the count rates of the power-law component
in the 2.0--8.0~keV and 6.3--6.5~keV bands,
the latter is 1.15\% of the former,
and normalized the 2.0--8.0~keV image with the ratio.
The normalized continuum image was subtracted from the
6.3--6.5~keV image, which is the ``neutral iron intensity image''.

The non-X-ray background (NXB) image
for each energy band was generated from the NXB database
provided by the Suzaku team.
The NXB images were chosen to make the average geomagnetic cu-off rigidity
same as that of the observation,
and extracted from the same region in the detector.
In this procedure,
{\tt xisnxbgen} package developed by \citet{tawa2008} was used.
After subtracting NXB images from the raw images,
we combined the NXB-subtracted images using {\tt ximage} package.

The exposure maps were made
for 0.5--2.0 and 2.0--8.0~keV bands
with the {\tt xissim} package \citep{ishisaki2007}.
For the neutral iron line map,
the 2.0--8.0~keV energy range was used.
The exposure maps were also combined.
Dividing the NXB-subtracted images with the exposure maps,
we made the mosaic images
shown in Figure~\ref{fig:images}.
Our observations cover  all of the region~A of {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}}.

On the eastern edge of {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}},
we can see some diffuse components in the soft X-ray band,
(see Figure~\ref{fig:images}(a)).
They coincide with two radio SNRs,
G359.0$-$0.9 and G359.1$-$0.5
\citep{larosa2000,bamba2000}.
Some point sources are also seen,
as reported by \citet{aharonian2008}.
However, no excess was found within the {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}} region.
The hard band image (Figure~\ref{fig:images}b) also shows no diffuse source.
In the neutral iron line map (Figure~\ref{fig:images}c), on the other hand,
some excess is shown around region~A.

\subsection{Spectra}

\subsubsection{The X-ray spectrum of the region~A}

We selected source and background regions (``Src'' and ``Bgd1--3'' hereafter)
as shown with solid lines in Figure~\ref{fig:regions},
to make the upper-limit of the X-ray emission
of HESS~J1745$-$303 region~A.
The background regions were divided to 3 regions
(Bgd1--3 in Figure~\ref{fig:regions}).
Two types of background should be considered,
NXB and the GRXE
\citep[for example]{yamauchi1993}.
The latter has positional dependence along the Galactic longitude.
We thus used Bgd1 and 2 regions
to make the average longitude of each region similar.
The 3--8~keV count rates of XIS~0
are $(6.0\pm 0.05)\times 10^{-4}$
and $(7.0\pm 0.1)\times 10^{-4}$~cnts~s$^{-1}$arcmin$^{-2}$
for the source and  the background regions, respectively.
For making the upper-limit of the X-ray flux
in the source region,
the response and auxiliary files were constructed using
{\tt xisrmfgen} and {\tt xissimarfgen} \citep{ishisaki2007}
in the HEADAS package,
with the assumption that
the emission comes from the source region uniformly.
The photons from the background regions were subtracted
from the source spectra.
We fit the background-subtracted spectra
in the 2--10~keV band
with a power-law model with fixed $\Gamma = 2$,
which is significantly harder value than
the TeV emission \citep{aharonian2008},
and to derive the 90\% upper-limit of
2.1$\times 10^{-13}$~ergs~cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$.
The larger photon indices were also used to estimate
the systematic errors of the upper-limit
and derived the smaller value.

We also derived the surface brightness of the neutral iron emission line
in each region.
Only the FI CCD data were used since the BI CCD has larger background
in the hard X-ray band.
We fitted 5--8~keV spectra with a power-law component,
narrow Gaussians for neutral, He-like, and H-like iron lines,
and for Mn-K, and Ni-K lines as NXB emission.
The best-fit models and parameters of the neutral and He-like iron lines
in each region are
shown in Figure~\ref{fig:spectra} and Table~\ref{tab:iron}.
The surface brightness of He-like iron is almost constant
between these regions.
We added all background regions to increase statistics
and derived the average values of line intensity.
After the procedure,
the neutral iron line is significantly stronger in the source region
than those in background regions,
whereas the He-like iron line is compatible in both regions.
The total excess of the line in these regions
is $1.1\times 10^{-5}$~ph~s$^{-1}$cm$^{-2}$.

\subsubsection{G359.0$-$0.9 and G359.1$-$0.5}

For the spectral analysis of the two SNRs,
we used the regions with dashed-lines in Figure~\ref{fig:regions}.
Background photons were accumulated from the source-free regions
in the same observation.
The background-subtracted spectra are shown in Figure~\ref{fig:snrs}.
The spectra are rather soft
and there are emission lines from highly ionized Si and S
in both spectra.
These facts indicate that these emissions are thermal,
which is consistent with the ASCA results \citep{bamba2000}.
We then fitted these spectra
with non-equilibrium ionization collisional plasma model
\citep[{\tt nei} in XSPEC;][]{borkowski2001}
with absorption.
For the absorption model,
we used the cross sections of
\citet{morrison1983} and assumed solar abundances \citep{anders1989}.
The XIS team reported the gain uncertainty of a few eV
\citep[c.f.,][]{koyama2007},
thus the gain is allowed to vary within a few percent separately.
\citet{bamba2000} reported that
the spectrum of G359.1$-$0.5 was well described with
the two-temperature model
with high-S abundance in the higher temperature component.
So we have added another thermal component in the present analysis.
We treated some abundances in Table~\ref{tab:snrs} as free parameters
and fixed the others at 1 solar.
The best-fit models and parameters are shown in Figure~\ref{fig:snrs}
and Table~\ref{tab:snrs}.

The results are consistent with the {\it ASCA} results,
but the abundance and the ionization time scale are better determined
thanks to the better energy resolution of XIS.
We expect a difference in flux,
since our observations do not cover the entire remnants.
The absorption column of G359.0$-$0.9 is smaller than
sources in the Galactic center (GC), thus
this SNR is likely a foreground source.
On the other hand, G359.1$-$0.5 shows a very large
absorption column, which implies
that it is in the GC region.

\section{Discussion}
\label{sec:discuss}

\subsection{The neutral iron line and molecular clouds}

\citet{aharonian2008} reported that HESS~J1745$-$303 region~A
had spatial coincidence with a molecular cloud \citep{bitran1997}.
We suggest that the TeV emission is also associated with
the neutral iron line emission,
although we cannot unambiguously conclude that due to the poor statistics.
The positional coincidence of the neutral iron line and the molecular cloud
reminds us of reflected
X-rays originating in the past activity in the GC
\citep[e.g.,][]{inui2008}.
If the molecular cloud is optically thin,
the line emission intensity, $I_{\rm Fe}$,
should be proportional to the mass of the molecular cloud
and the viewing angle from the GC, so that
\[
I_{\rm Fe} \propto
\frac{M_{\rm MC}}{(D\theta)^2} \ \ ,
\]
where $M_{\rm MC}$, $\theta$, and $D$ are the mass of the molecular cloud,
the angular size of the molecular cloud viewed from the GC,
and the angular separation between the cloud and the GC,
respectively \citep{nobukawa2008}.
We compared the masses of the molecular cloud
coincident with source~A of HESS~J1745$-$303
and the most famous X-ray reflection nebula,
Sgr~B2 \citep{murakami2001}.
The latter shows neutral iron line emission with an intensity of
$5.6\times 10^{-5}$~ph~s$^{-1}$cm$^{-2}$.
Table~\ref{tab:MC} shows the characteristics of these molecular clouds.
For the molecular cloud at region~A of HESS~J1745$-$303, we obtain
$I_{\rm Fe}\sim7\times10^{-6}$~ph~s$^{-1}$cm$^{-2}$
on the assumption of time-independent ejected X-ray luminosity at the GC.
This estimated value is compatible with the observed one,
$1.1\times 10^{-5}$~ph~s$^{-1}$cm$^{-2}$.
Therefore, we conclude that this molecular cloud is a new example of
X-ray reflection nebula
and that the molecular cloud is located in the GC region.
We believe that hard X-ray observations are the strong tools
to judge whether the molecular clouds are in the GC region or not.

\subsection{The upper-limit of the nonthermal Component of X-rays and
               Possible Emission Mechanism of TeV Gamma-rays}

We derive a 90\% X-ray flux upper-limit for the HESS~J1745$-$303 region~A
in the 2--10~keV band of $2.1\times 10^{-13}$~ergs~s$^{-1}$cm$^{-2}$,
which is tighter than the {\it XMM} results \citep{aharonian2008}.
The flux ratio between 2--10~keV and 1--10~TeV,
$R_{\rm TeV/X}$, is larger than 4,
which could be larger than
TeV emitting shell-type SNRs and PWNe
\citep{bamba2007a,matsumoto2007,yamazaki2006}.

In the following,
 we discuss  specific models of the emission mechanism
to reproduce the observed results of X-ray and TeV gamma-rays for
the region A of HESS~J1745$-$303.
In particular, we focus on whether or not
the upper limit of nonthermal X-ray emission,
 which is derived in the present work,
gives us significant constraints on the theoretical models.
We consider hadronic and leptonic models separately.
Since {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}} is near  the Galactic center,
the GeV emission may be  overlaid with the intense Galactic diffuse
emission and uncertainty is very large. Hence we neglect it here
for simplicity, and take into account
only  X-ray and TeV gamma-ray bands.

\subsubsection{Hadronic gamma-ray emission model}
\label{sec:hadronic}

In hadronic models,
TeV gamma-rays originate from accelerated protons.
It is assumed that the proton energy spectrum has a form of
$E^{-p}\exp(-E/E_{\rm max,p})$ with an index, $p$, and
cut-off energy, $E_{\rm max, p}$.
Here, the value of $p$ is highly uncertain,
so we adopt $p=2$ as a typical value.
The high-energy protons collide with target protons in the
ISM or molecular cloud, generating neutral ($\pi^0$)
and charged ($\pi^{\pm}$) pions.
The former decays into gamma rays, while the decay
of the latter causes secondary electrons and positrons
producing bremsstrahlung, inverse Compton,
 and synchrotron emission.

Although it may be likely that the region~A
of {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}} is associated with a
molecular cloud and target matter density
$n$ is high, the low-$n$ case cannot be, at present, excluded.
So, we consider two cases,
in which $n=1$~cm$^{-3}$ and $n=5\times10^3$~cm$^{-3}$,
independently.
The value of $n$ in the latter case is adopted according to
\citet{aharonian2008}.
Generally speaking, in the former, bremsstrahlung emission
is not dominant in the TeV gamma-ray band, while it may often be dominant
in the latter.

At first we consider the case $n=1$~cm$^{-3}$
(see the left panel of Fig.~\ref{fig:spectrum}).
Since the value of $n$ is small, emissions from
secondary electrons is dim in the gamma-ray band, so that
the $\pi^0$-decay  emission dominates.
We find that as long as $n\lesssim10^2$~cm$^{-3}$,
the bremsstrahlung emission of secondary electrons and
positrons is not dominant in the gamma-ray band.
We fix $E_{\rm max, p}=18$~TeV in order to fit the observed
 spectral shape in the TeV energy range.
Then, as can be seen in the left panel of
Fig.~\ref{fig:spectrum},
derived upper limit on nonthermal X-rays are explained
if the magnetic field $B\lesssim100$~mG.
This is rather loose limit on the magnetic field.
Because of the small value of $E_{\rm max, p}$,
the maximum energy of secondary electrons and positrons
is small, $\sim1$~TeV, so that
the large value of $B$ is necessary for bright
synchrotron X-rays emitted by them.
This comes from the fact that
the characteristic frequency
of electron/positron synchrotron radiation is given by
\[
 h\nu_{\rm syn}\sim6~{\rm keV}
\left(\frac{B}{50~{\rm mG}}\right)
\left(\frac{E_{{\rm e}^\pm}}{1~{\rm TeV}}\right)^2~~,
\]
where $E_{{\rm e}^\pm}$ is the energy of secondary
electrons or positrons.
For assumed distance of 8.5~kpc,
the total energy of accelerated protons is estimated as
$\sim6\times10^{50}$~erg.

Next we consider the case $n=5\times10^3$~cm$^{-3}$
(see the right panel of Fig.~\ref{fig:spectrum}).
If the magnetic field strength is small
($B\lesssim10^2~\mu$G),
the bremsstrahlung emission from secondary
electrons and positrons is
comparable to the $\pi^0$-decay gamma-ray emission.
However, in the strong field cases,
the synchrotron cooling effect significantly suppresses
the number of $e^\pm$, resulting small contribution
to the gamma-rays.
On the other hand, the synchrotron radiation of
secondary $e^\pm$ is brighter for larger $B$.
Similar to the case of $n=1$~cm$^{-3}$,
the magnetic field is no larger than $\sim100$~mG.
\citet{robinson96} derived the relatively high
magnetic field value, 0.2--0.6~mG, which is measured
from the Zeeman splitting of maser lines.
The molecular cloud associated with the region~A
might have the similar magnetic field strength,
and then, $\sim$mG field and the number density
of the cloud $n\sim5\times10^3$~cm$^{-3}$
is roughly consistent
with the previous result on other  molecular
clouds \citep{crutcher91}.
As long as the field strength in the cloud is
$B\sim$~mG or less, the expected flux of secondary synchrotron
radiation in the X-ray band is rather small and below
the observed upper limit.
For assumed distance of 8.5~kpc,
the total energy of accelerated protons is estimated as
$\sim1.2\times10^{47}$~erg.
Then, the mean energy density of high-energy protons
at region~A of {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}} is calculated as $\sim6.0$~eV~cm$^{-3}$
if we assume the volume of the molecular cloud of
$1.2\times10^{58}$~cm$^3$ \citep{aharonian2008},

\subsubsection{Leptonic gamma-ray emission model}

In the leptonic model, TeV gamma-rays
arise via bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton process
(with CMB seed photons)
emissions of  primarily accelerated electrons, and
X-rays arise from their synchrotron radiation.
Again we assume that the electron energy spectrum
has a form of
$E^{-p}\exp(-E/E_{\rm max,e})$ with an fixed index, $p=2.0$, and the
cut-off energy, $E_{\rm max, e}$.
As well as the hadronic model, both low- and high-$n$ cases
are discussed.

First we consider the case $n=0.1$~cm$^{-3}$
(see the left panel of Fig.~\ref{fig:spectrum2}).
In this case, the TeV gamma-ray band is dominated by the
IC emission.
In order to explain the observed hard TeV spectrum,
we adopt  $E_{\rm max, e}=10$~TeV.
Then, the relatively weak magnetic field, $B\lesssim6$~$\mu$G,
 is necessary in order for the flux  of synchrotron X-rays
to be smaller than the observed upper limit.
We find that for an assumed distance of 8.5~kpc,
the total energy of accelerated electrons is estimated as
$\sim6\times10^{48}$~erg, which is very large compared with
the typical young SNRs \citep[e.g.,][]{bamba2003b}.

Next we consider the case $n=5\times10^3$~cm$^{-3}$
(see the right panel of Fig.~\ref{fig:spectrum2}).
In this case, the TeV gamma-ray band is dominated by the
bremsstrahlung emission.
When the magnetic field is larger than $\sim100~\mu$G,
the synchrotron cooling effect is significant and
the electron spectrum is modified enough for the emission
spectrum in the TeV gamma-ray band to deviate
from the observed one.
As long as $B\lesssim10^2$~$\mu$G,
we can fit the TeV gamma-ray spectrum with
bremsstrahlung emission, and the synchrotron X-rays
below the observed upper limit.
For assumed distance of 8.5~kpc,
the total energy of accelerated electrons is estimated as
$\sim6.0\times10^{45}$~erg and $\sim2.3\times10^{46}$~erg
for $B=10$~$\mu$G and $B=100$~$\mu$G, respectively.
If we assume the volume of the molecular cloud of
$1.2\times10^{58}$~cm$^3$ \citep{aharonian2008},
the mean energy density of high-energy protons
at region~A of {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}} is calculated as $\sim0.31$~eV~cm$^{-3}$
and $\sim1.2$~eV~cm$^{-3}$ for $B=10$~$\mu$G and $B=100$~$\mu$G,
respectively.

In the case of $n=5\times10^3$~cm$^{-3}$,
the energy-loss time scale, $t_{\rm loss}$,
for TeV-emitting electrons via
synchrotron and bremsstrahlung radiation is
less than $\sim3\times10^3$~yr.
Then, the diffusion length scale is estimated as
$\sqrt{2Kt_{\rm loss}}\lesssim0.26\eta^{1/2}
(B/10~\mu{\rm G})^{-1/2}
(E_e/{\rm TeV})^{1/2}$~pc,
where we assume the Bohm type diffusion,
$K=cE_e\eta/3eB$.
Even if $\eta\sim10^2$,
this length scale is much smaller than the
source size of region~A of {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}}
($\sim40$~pc assuming the distance of 8.5~kpc),
which implies that the high-energy electrons
coming from a nearby accelerator
cannot penetrate into deep interior of a molecular cloud.
On the other hand, when $n=0.1$~cm$^{-3}$,
relatively large energy of accelerated electrons is required.
So, the leptonic models considered above may be unlikely.
However, in order to derive the  firm conclusion, we need
to discuss further detail with
more information on {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}}, such as
the intrinsic source size, the number density of
target matter, more precise spectrum in all wavelength
(from radio to GeV--TeV gamma-rays), and so on.

\subsection{Source of High Energy Particles}

Spatial coincidence of a molecular cloud and the TeV gamma-rays
at region~A of HESS~J1745$-$303
suggests that the TeV emission is possibly due to accelearated protons
interacting the molecular cloud.
The source of high energy protons is still unknown.
The past GC activity might be able to make protons
\citep{aharonian2006b}.
However, it is rather difficult due to the low mass of the molecular cloud
in our region.
Nearby SNRs and pulsars, on the other hand, could be high-energy
proton injectors.
G359.1$-$0.5 is an energetic SNR and interacting with the molecular cloud
\citep{uchida1992} and is located in the GC region.
We confirmed that
the distances to this SNR and the molecular clouds are similar,
but we could not find any signature of the interaction
in X-rays.
Hidden SNRs by the molecular cloud
also could be the source of accelerated particles.
The average absorption column of the molecular cloud is
$\sim 10^{23}$~cm$^{-2}$,
which is enough to hide the soft X-ray emission from the SNRs.
For further study, more detailed radio observations are needed.
G359.0$-$0.9 is an unrelated source
with its significantly smaller distance \citep{bamba2000}.
A pulsar B1742$-$30 has been argued as a possible cosmic ray injector
\citep[e.g.,][]{lemiere2008},
but the estimated distance \citep[2.1~kpc;][]{taylor93}
is significantly smaller than that of {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}}.
We thus concluded that the pulsar B1742$-$30
is also unrelated to {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}}.

\section{Summary}

Deep mapping observations of a part of {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}}
have been carried out with {\it Suzaku}.
The main part of {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}}, region~A, is entirely covered
in the present observation.
We made a tight upper limit of hard X-rays of the {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}} region,
$2.1\times 10^{-13}$~ergs~s$^{-1}$cm$^{-2}$
in the 2--10~keV band.
The flux ratio between 1--10~TeV and 2--10~keV is larger than 4,
which could make {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}} one of the ``dark particle accelerators''.
An excess of the neutral iron emission line on this region
is found.
This possible excess should be due to the X-ray reflection
from a molecular cloud by the past active GC.
This provides strong evidence for the interaction between
 the molecular cloud --- {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}} system in the GC region.
With the small flux in the hard X-ray band and coincidence with
a molecular cloud,
the TeV emission from {{HESS~J1745$-$303~}} could be due to protons encountered
the molecular cloud.

\acknowledgments
We would like to thank the referee for useful comments and
suggestions.
The authors also thank H.~Murakami,
A.~Kawachi, T.~Oka, and Y.~Fukui, for their useful comments
on molecular clouds and X-ray reflection nebulae.
This work was supported in part by
 Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research
of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science
and Technology, No.~19$\cdot$4014 (A.~Bamba),
No.~18740153 and No.~19047004 (R.~Yamazaki),
and also supported in part by PPARC grant, PP/D000394/1, EU grant
MRTN-CT-2006-035863, the European Union through the Marie Curie
Research and Training Network ``UniverseNet'',
MRTN-CT-2006-035863 (K.~Kohri).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
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Essex Europe, SEEIM - issue 2, 2018
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This event was described as an important step in Essex's further development and was attended by the Christopher Koo Chairman of the Essex parent company South Korean LS Group, leader in the electric power and electronic, material and energy with around USD 19 billion of turnover. On this occasion Mr. Koo stated that exceptional performance is always achieved while following certain rules or guidelines. That is why mutual respect, care, integrity and trust are the core foundation on how LS Group and Essex do their business and approach their customers located on around the world. Next milestone event, the Opening ceremony, is scheduled for the November 2018.
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This is a panoramic view of the Wacahoota Florida methodist church and cemetery. It is located southwest of Gainesville in one of the earliest areas of Florida to be settled, in other words it's not swamp land. If you are into old Florida towns this is close to Micanopy and McIntosh. You can find some really neat old houses and barns in the area, the difficulty is getting to them as most are on private property and may be partially screened by trees. It's still a great place to get off of I-75 and see some of the real Florida, at least what little is left of it.


A year ago, Volkswagen had to admit it had rigged emissions in its diesel models in the US. Since then, the German carmaker has been fighting to win back lost confidence. A long road lies ahead, writes Henrik Böhme.
Sometimes you get the impression people at Volkswagen are happy about the "diesel matter," as the emissions-rigging scandal has euphemistically been dubbed at VW's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. The crisis has "opened new doors," CEO Matthias Müller said a few days ago at a staff meeting at VW's home plant.
That may be one way to look at it, but there is no guarantee Europe's biggest carmaker will come out of this crisis stronger. A year ago, the company was the most successful global player in the automobile industry, and it was anything if not ambitious.
It was obsessed by the preposterous idea of becoming the global industry's number one. And it was organized like the Russian Empire under the czars, with CEO Martin Winterkorn at the top and everybody else far below. Since then, the scandal has shaken the carmaker to its foundations.
We are talking about a company whose diesel Jetta TDI model was named the most environmentally friendly (!) car of 2007 by the US-based "Green Car Journal" because of its "revolutionary diesel technology." But this was only possible because VW had used cheating software. And that was detected only years later, in 2013, by researchers at West Virginia University.
It took two more years for Volkswagen to admit the emissions fraud. All this will not be forgotten by American consumers. They will make VW pay a heavy price for its betrayal and they will do so for many years to come.
Take a look at Deutsche Bank, once an icon of Germany's economy, forced to pay billions of dollars to atone for its misdeeds committed before the world financial crisis began. It has been confronted with a huge $14 billion claim by the US Justice Department to compensate for cases that happened 10 years ago.
Volkswagen's decision-makers should take a close look here. It is already clear that they will never again sell a diesel car in the US. The recent billion-dollar settlement is just the beginning. Many more US states will file lawsuits, followed by investment firms and pension funds.
In Germany, the legal battle has not even started. But when the first lawsuits are announced, there will be months of negative coverage - making all VW's efforts to win back trust difficult. With every headline, people will be reminded: These are the crooks who betrayed us!
Today, nobody can tell how much money VW will need to settle things and clean up this mess. The carmaker has put aside almost 17 billion euros, which is far from enough. If estimates of 35 billion euros prove to be true, VW will not make a profit for years.
But this money is badly needed to get in shape for the automotive future with electric cars and self-driving vehicles. Müller has put forward an ambitious plan. But a complete overhaul of such a complex corporation with 12 brands, more than 100 plants around the world and 600,000 employees will take more than just a year.
It will take time, patience and - of course - a lot of money. If every fourth car manufactured by the Volkswagen Group is powered by an electric motor, then one-quarter fewer combustion engines and conventional transmissions will be needed. An electric motor needs less maintenance and has fewer parts than an internal combustion engine. Thus, fewer workers are required to build it.
So, a year on, Volkswagen is caught in a chokehold of its own making. An investigation is underway, but VW's US law firm won't be able to deliver a solution before the end of this year. But even this probe will open old wounds.
Product recalls in the US and Europe are underway, but many diesel owners are still waiting for an appointment at a VW dealership. Considering that the level of compensation for US customers is unthinkable in Europe, many VW owners here will feel like second-class customers - and rightly so.
It is amazing that car buyers are still keeping faith with Volkswagen. The dramatic decline in the core brand's sales many had feared never happened. That's the only sliver of hope VW can build on at the moment.
But Dieselgate will be the front-seat passenger in Wolfsburg for a long time.
Join the discussion and add your comment below. Thread closes after 24 hours.


Wrestling with questions in my faith has consistently led to growth. I have lots of questions about Christianity and how it works. Typically these questions float around subconsciously in my mind and I may randomly stumble across an answer in a book, sermon or lecture. Sometimes I write the question down and seek it out intentionally. However . . .
What shapes you as a person? What shapes your moods, character, thought processes, personality?
Friends, coworkers and family play a large role in shaping who a person becomes. But besides people, there are a multiple influences that shape who you are, how you think and how you respond to the world.
Sermons I've heard . . .
Psalm 139, Questions and "Being Known"
It is a human to want to be known. To be known in a way where the people around you understand the different parts of your personality, for some reason, brings peace of mind. To "be known" may not be as necessary as having food or water for survival, but it is certainly a part of staying mentally sane. I talk to my former room-mates . . .
Do college students need church?
We should not underestimate the mentoring that churches provide to the stressed out college student.
As a community college English instructor, I often hear conversations about what we can do to help students graduate. We want students to complete their degrees as efficiently as possible so they can move on to a four-year university or immediately into their career path. Educators today are skilled at helping students gain work ethic, . . .
During my senior year of high school that I achieved the goal of becoming semi-popular. High school is more like a hierarchy than a democracy. My senior year I had tasted what it felt like to be near the top of that hierarchy. Some of it conscious and some of it unconscious, I had struggled for three years of high school to be admired by . . .


StorageMemoryPool is created along with MemoryManager (as onHeapStorageMemoryPool and offHeapStorageMemoryPool pools).
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StorageMemoryPool initializes the internal registries and counters.


Welcome to glowpaints.com is a place where you will get the complete product range of Photoluminescent Pigment and other related products (glow in the dark powder and other related products). We manufacture and distribute a wide range of glow in the dark products of good quality that conforms the internationally approved standards.
Our Photoluminescent pigments are safe, non-toxic, and non-radioactive and these pigment powders glow 10x brighter and longer than the traditional Zinc Sulfide and Copper mixed phosphorescent powder material. The photoluminescent pigment powder can be added to many mediums, such as coat, paint, ink, plastic, ceramics, glass etc. The products that are added this pigment will give good luminance and are used for different applications like signage boards, ceramic tiles, interior decoration, gift items, etc.
The Photoluminescent tape and rigid sheet are non-toxic, non-radioactive, high visible, self-extinguishing, and recharging material, which is best suitable for making all kinds of safety sign and related purposes. These are widely used in subway, railway, airport, high building, and others.
Our Glow powder is available in different grades and colors. These pigments glow between 1 and 15 hours depending on the grade. All of our glow in the dark products can be re-charged just by exposing it to light, preferably light that contains ultra violet rays like that of sunlight or UV Black Light. It can be re-used over and again without any significant drop in luminance, for many years.
Apart from glow in the dark powder and glow in the dark paint, we also have other specialized products like glow Ceramic tile which can be used on ceramic tiles, glow thread and fiber which is used for making glow cloth, ropes or carpet, PL Vinyl Film which is used for art purposes or for making signs, Glow Photo Paper which can be used in any inkjet printer to print full color photos that glow. Many more products are available.
We sell and supply our glow in the dark products to retailers and distributors, worldwide. We are looking for Distributors.
We are the exporters of different products including Photo luminescent pigments, Glowing Products like paintings, glow paintings, glowing candles, glowing ceramic tiles, Photo luminescent Film, Tape, Thread and Yarn. Also we are into women garments of latest models and designs, silk sarees and in textiles like bath towels, etc.


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