All the videos of the project activities will be available here.
Let's start with the introduction of Erasmus+ Programme!
Here is an animation cartoon video that explains all the dimensions of the programme in general.
This playlist will help you understand how Erasmus+ Programme works in detail. Click here to see the playlist of the videos.
Let's get to know the project partners as well!
Most of the activities related to media work are undertaken by the Turkish partner, YOUTHART. Here are some videos they have made. Click here to see the playlist of the videos.
Let's get to know YOUTHART Media now!
YOUTHART Media Collage from CitizensMediaEU on Vimeo.
Here is an example of a project video made by YOUTHART Media. This project titled "Sport Window" was realized by the current partners of U STEP project, GEMS, the Dojo Org and YOUTHART. Enjoy the video!


YANAKIKU is a J-pop duo with a mission to share the wonders of Japan with the world.
The exotic and electrifying "YANA" and overload of cuteness "KIKU" are the originators of "KIMOCOS = Kimono meets Cosplay." Together on stage, this twin vocal unit delivers a must-see performance.
After their debut in 2012, YANAKIKU was invited to perform at many popular events around the world, including "HYPER JAPAN 2013 (London, UK)," "Furusato Festival (Tokyo Dome, Japan)," "New Year Event with Japanese Artists2014 (Seoul, South Korea)," "AnimeparTy 2nd (Shanghai, China)," "J-POP SUMMIT 2014 (San Francisco, USA)," "11th TOKYO INTERNATIONAL MUSIC MARKET (Anison-Idol Night)(Tokyo, Japan)" and many more.


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Чемпионат мира по конькобежному спорту в классическом многоборье 2003 года — совместный мужской и женский чемпионат мира по конькобежному спорту, который прошёл с 8 по 9 февраля на стадионе «Руддаленс Идроттсплатс» в Гётеборге (Швеция).

Общие сведения

Итоговая таблица

Среди мужчин

Среди женщин

Ссылки

Международные соревнования по конькобежному спорту в Швеции
Февраль 2003 года
Международные спортивные соревнования в Гётеборге
Чемпионаты мира в Швеции
Чемпионаты мира по конькобежному спорту по классическому многоборью

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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//
//  ========================================================================
//  Copyright (c) 1995-2015 Mort Bay Consulting Pty. Ltd.
//  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
//  All rights reserved. This program and the accompanying materials
//  are made available under the terms of the Eclipse Public License v1.0
//  and Apache License v2.0 which accompanies this distribution.
//
//      The Eclipse Public License is available at
//      http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html
//
//      The Apache License v2.0 is available at
//      http://www.opensource.org/licenses/apache2.0.php
//
//  You may elect to redistribute this code under either of these licenses.
//  ========================================================================
//

package org.eclipse.jetty.util.security;

/* ------------------------------------------------------------ */
/**
 * @deprecated use {@link org.eclipse.jetty.util.B64Code}
 */
@Deprecated
public class B64Code extends org.eclipse.jetty.util.B64Code
{
    public B64Code()
    {
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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UMass Leads Research on Dual-Use Solar-agriculture Installation
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technology Office announced recently that a team led by Dwayne Breger at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been selected for a three-year, $1.8 million award to study the effects of co-locating solar energy panels and agriculture operations at up to eight different farms across the Commonwealth. The work will be in partnership with other stakeholders.
Breger, who is also director of UMass Clean Energy Extension, says, "Our objective with this award is to have the opportunity to do robust research to address the dearth of data on the impact of this solar approach to agricultural productivity and farm viability. We need data on how the agriculture will perform, and how the project economics will affect individual farms and the state agricultural economy as a whole."
He adds, "Right now, many communities don't have the necessary experience to understand and manage the solar development that is coming, and farmers don't have science-based facts to fully assess the opportunities that developers are proposing to them. Our project will do the research to allow us to help farmers and communities make informed decisions about the solar opportunities that are coming their way."
Both the Massachusetts Departments of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) and Energy Resources (DOER), are keenly interested in this project, since outcomes will provide the science to inform policy development.
"The dual use of land for farming and solar energy has gotten many people excited about its potential. Now, with this new project, we'll be able to begin developing data to quantify the agronomic and economic effects on farming to determine whether that excitement is warranted or not," adds Jody Jellison, director of the UMass Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment and UMass Extension.
Breger and research colleagues at UMass Extension, the UMass Cranberry Station, the campus's Department of Resource Economics and the American Farmland Trust will study the economic and social impact of solar-agriculture co-location on farms by establishing site trials and assessing crop productivity, soil health, and micro-climatic conditions. Sites will grow a range of crops including pumpkins, strawberries, greens, winter squash, cranberries, hay, grazing, other vegetables and other small fruit.
Farm partners are in Grafton, Carver, Dighton, Plympton, Hadley, Colrain, and Charlemont. Solar developer partners BlueWave Solar, Pine Gate Renewables and Hyperion Systems are dedicating portions of their commercial dual-use solar installations at these farms for research site trials enabling a robust research scope over varied agricultural conditions. Most site trials will get underway in March 2021 in time for the first planting, Breger says.
MDAR Commissioner John Lebeaux says his agency is thrilled and thankful that DOE selected the experienced and diverse UMass team for this important land use research. He notes this study will balance important information for Massachusetts farms wishing to keep their valuable agricultural land in active, marketable production while implementing clean energy. (News Office 12/3/20, Business West 12/8/20)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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A monkey stick (also called a mendoza, mendozer, Murrumbidgee river rattler, lagerphone or zob stick) is a traditional English percussion instrument, used in folk music. The origins of the name are not known but it is believed to stem from an association with Roma, Spanish and Italian buskers who were popular in London in the Victorian era. Alternatively, the name "Monkey Stick" could come from modern practice, in homage to the trained monkeys formerly used by buskers to solicit money from passersby. Some musicians have taken to fixing a small stuffed toy monkey to the tops of their instruments.

The instrument is constructed from a stout pole with metal "jingles" fastened at intervals along the shaft. These are commonly beer-bottle tops with a 1 inch washer in between the tops and the shaft to enhance the quality of the sound. Originally the end of the shaft is believed to have been covered with a rag to give some protection to the floor. A boot that might be attached to the base of the pole is a recent 'Zob Stick' addition.

When played on a wooden floor (common in ale-houses), the sound produced is a combination of a bass drum and tambourine. It can also be played with an additional small notched or serrated stick held in the other hand, allowing it to not only be shaken or hammered onto the ground, but also "bowed" to produce a combined clicking and rattling sound. Bands such as Groanbox, Zapoppin' and Dr. Busker have incorporated the monkey stick into their recordings and live shows.

Other names and versions
In Australia, this instrument constructed with beer-bottle tops is known as a lagerphone. The same name and construction is found in New Zealand. The town of Brooweena in Queensland, Australia claims to hold the unofficial record when 134 people simultaneously played the lagerphone in 2009.

In Newfoundland, it is referred to as an "ugly stick". In the Dutch province of Friesland this type of instrument is known as a 'kuttepiel'. In the American upper-Midwestern states of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the closely related stumpf fiddle or pogocello originated in Czech communities and adds small cymbals, strings, and a drum. A similar instrument, the batih, is found in Ukraine.

The "zob stick" variation of this instrument was constructed and named in 1968 by percussionist and songwriter Keef Trouble of the band Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts and Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs, and included a sprung-boot attached to the bottom of the pole and a metal sleeve round its centre, to be hit with a serrated wooden stick. It is now, with the term 'Lagerphone', the most commonly used name for this instrument. The term 'zob' was taken from the British naval slang term for "penis".

See also
Turkish crescent
Bush band
Ugly stick
Boomba

References

External links
Groanbox
Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts (Web Site featuring Keef Trouble and the original 'Zob Stick'.)
 The Lagerphone Pages by Keith Sayers (Canberra February 2014)

Hand percussion
European percussion instruments
English musical instruments
Metal percussion instruments
Oceanian percussion instruments
Percussion instruments played with specialised beaters
Shaken idiophones or rattles
Street performance
Uses of boots


As a thank you for serving the nation, the country gives back to the military personnel by making it more affordable for them to purchase a home. In other words, military benefits could make buying a home 36 percent less expensive than renting. However, these benefits sometimes seem too good to be true and many people rush into buying their first home. You wouldn't go out in the field without the proper checks and verifiable intelligence, so why would you buy a house without the same information? Check out some of these tips to help you score the home of your dreams.
The first step in buying a home is to determine your budget. Typically, you will want to buy a home that including payments and insurance does not exceed 35-45 percent of your gross annual income. Remember though, these are not the only costs associated with buying a home. You will also have to dish out money for things such as home appraisal and inspection so be sure to include this in your calculations. You will also want a lender to pull your full credit report so that you can determine whether your score is good enough for a loan. If you don't feel comfortable with your credit score, you might want to rent until you bring it back up.
Veterans and active-duty service members are eligible for a VA loan if you have served 90 consecutive days on active duty during wartime, 181 consecutive days on active duty during peacetime, or 6 or more years in the National Guard or Reserves. The benefit of a VA loan is that it makes buying a home more affordable by offering no down payment, no mortgage insurance, lower interest rates and more lenient credit requirements. However, not every realtor is familiar with the VA system, so you need to make sure that you find an agent that is aware of how to navigate these waters. The VA won't underwrite any house, so your realtor must be sure that you find a home that meets the VA property requirements. You can ask another vet for a referral, or look for reliable military affiliate real estate agents online for the most knowledgeable professionals.
Just like any purchase, it's always a good idea to shop around and compare VA loan rates from multiple lenders. It's true that this can cause your score to fall a couple of points, but it doesn't occur every time and it's better to be safe than sorry. You will also want to shop around for different houses to ensure you're getting the best deal. When you decide on the home of your dreams, be sure to do a home inspection. You will want to get a clear look into the things that may be lurking in the darkest parts of the home and it will also allow you to negotiate terms and costs of the home.
Buying the home of your dreams is possible with the right strategy. Take these tactics into consideration and you'll be lounging in your new home in no time at all.
Waste Management: How Do Military Commissaries Fare?
Whether we like it or not, garbage and its disposal is everyone's business. Every year, the world churns out 1.3 billion tons of municipal solid waste and this figure is expected to reach 2.2 billion tons annually (World Bank). In the US, we produced 254 million tons of garbage, recycled and composted about 87 million tons or a recycling rate of 34.3% in 2013 according to the EPA. The military economy alone is responsible for 2.8 % of GDP according to the DoD Office of Economic Adjustment. It also produces waste but works diligently to reduce waste production.
The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) of the DoD operates over 245 commissaries across the globe. Its environmental management system (EMS) ensures protection of the environment by reducing and recycling waste. Last year, DeCA recycled nearly 1.12 million pounds of paper, roughly 421,000 pounds of metal and more than 3.7 million pounds of plastic.
Food recycling is also an important part of its efforts with 1.5 million pounds of bones/fats and nearly 30,000 pounds of (kitchen) grease recycled. It donated 2.7 million pounds of edible but unsalable food through its food bank donation program in 2016. This year or as of March 2017, DeCA had already given nearly 2 million pounds of food to the program. Treatment and diverting waste are not the only activities the agency promotes. It also sells organic foods and green products that are considered environmentally-friendly such as reusable shopping bags. DeCA continues to achieve and even surpass its waste management targets.
Whether living on or off the base or shopping at commissaries, there are several ways that individuals and families can help reduce carbon footprint and solid waste disposal. As waste disposal units are popular and installed in over 50% of American homes (US Census Bureau, 2009), food waste is treated in the sewage system diverting much of it from landfills.
The mantra of waste management is to reduce, reuse and recycle. Go for reusable shopping bags and buy products with the least packaging. Where it is not possible to avoid waste residuals, segregate as much as possible. Educating yourself and others around you helps increase waste management awareness and prevent a lot of trash from ending up in landfills.
Waste management is key to this planet's survival. Unless we want to be buried by our own garbage, everyone is encouraged to make proper trash disposal their business. The concerted efforts of military commissaries and surrounding communities can have a significant impact on the wellbeing of the environment.
As a military spouse, you spend a lot of time stressing over things every PCS. From finding a new home to meeting new friends, it is extremely hard to settle in every time you move. However, how would you like to have one less thing to worry about? Finding a job is probably one of the biggest struggles for a military spouse. But with 43 percent of Americans spending at least sometime working remotely, the ability to work from home is becoming more possible.
Military spouses have a very unique life that requires a lot of flexibility. A remote job can help improve the flexibility in your life by allowing you to work when you want and where you want. It also allows you to have continuity in your career. You will be able to maintain the same job whenever you have to move.
If you're ready to make the change to a remote work life, check out these jobs that are sure to allow you to make money no matter where you are.
Virtual Assistant: More and more companies are outsourcing the role of the admin or assistant to cut on overhead costs. In this role, you can do many jobs from scheduling and bookkeeping to event planning all while in your PJs.
Social Media Manager: More than 50 million businesses use Facebook to connect with their customers. Social media is an important aspect of a company's brand, presence, and marketing. Therefore, there are many jobs in the market related to maintaining social media sites. If you're savvy with applications like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, this might be a good field for you.
Survey Taker: Survey site companies invest billions of dollars into online market research. They pay you to help companies determine product marketability and consumer behavior. All you need is a phone or computer and you can get paid for every survey you complete. Some of the best paid survey sites include Swagbucks, Harris Poll, Inbox Dollars, and MyPoints.
Freelance Writer: A freelance writer earns an average of $24.70 an hour from the comfort of their own home. This includes bloggers, ghost writers, and the academic writers. Find something that you love to write about and get your work out there. The best way to get attention is to create a blog. Since you're a military spouse, one great idea is to provide advice to other spouses or military families. Once you've built up your portfolio, start applying to some paid freelance jobs or consider ways to make money directly on your blog.
Photographer: One of the great things about moving so much is that you get to see parts of the world that others do not have the opportunity to see. Why not bank on this and start up a career in photography? If you have a good eye, you could sell your pictures online. Simply create your own online portfolio and reach out to potential customers.
With the increase in technology, working from home is a reality for many people. Figure out which of these jobs calls to you and start your journey towards a new career.
During February 22-27, the nonprofit called America Saves promotes Military Saves Week to encourage military families to save money, reduce debt, and build wealth. It's a perfect time to review your savings habits, make changes, and set goals to create greater peace of mind and improve your long-term financial stability.
Consider these facts: Only 50% of Americans say they have a savings plan with goals; and surveys show that money is the top source of psychological stress for adults. Money issues not only create stress, they strain relationships, lead to conflict, and are a leading cause of divorce. However, this doesn't have to be the case if you create a realistic budget and a financial plan–and stick to them.
Keep a daily record of all expenses. Then, analyze where you spent money needlessly, such as that latte on the way to work or eating out daily for lunch.
Pay off high-cost debt immediately. Loans and credit cards with high interest rates, for example, can eat up savings fast.
Stick to a budget for special occasions such as birthdays, vacation trips and holidays. Going into debt for these events is not worth it.
Change shopping habits to reduce impulsive purchases that may set you back on budget goals.
These tips are just the beginning. If you want more resources and ideas, go to www.militarysaves.org and begin your journey to financial security.


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Appeals Court: Out of Court Agreements to Reduce Child Support Are Not Enforceable, But Some Exceptions Exist
By Nicole K. Levy
Attorney Nicole K. Levy reviews a recent Massachusetts Appeals Court decision that may include an incorrect legal standard.
This blog started out as an analysis of recent unpublished Appeals Court decision, Ceurvels v. Murphy (2018), which provided a useful jumping off point for discussing informal agreements to reduce child support, which are problematic under Massachusetts law. As the blog proceeded, however, another issue came to the forefront: a possible error of law in the Appeals Court decision itself.
In an effort to cover both subjects, I have broken the blog into two parts. In Part 1, I discuss the issue of informal agreements to reduce child support, and the (very) limited circumstances in which Massachusetts courts might enforce such agreements. In Part 2 of the blog, I review a potential error that I detected in the recent unpublished Appeals Court opinion, Ceurvels v. Murphy (2018).
Part 1. The Problematic Nature of Informal Agreements to Modify Child Support
Once judgement enters for child support in Massachusetts, any agreement between the parents to reduce child support must generally be approved by a judge in order to be enforceable. Informal, "out of court" agreements between parties to reduce child support are not usually enforceable. This is because a statute, G. L. c. 119A, § 13(a), prohibits Massachusetts Probate Court Judges from retroactively modifying any child support obligations or child support arrearage that accrued prior to the filing a of Complaint for Modification. In other words, unless parties take steps to have their child support agreement formally entered by a court as part of a modification case, the original child support order will remain in effect, regardless of any informal agreement between the parties to reduce child support.
We blogged about the narrow exception to the unenforceability of informal child support agreements around the time the Appeals Court decision in Rosen v. Rosen (2016) case was announced. Today, we will look at another case that seems to provide an exception – or at least a way around – the ordinary rule that informal child support agreements are not enforceable.
Ceurvels v. Murphy: Inability to Pay and Informal Agreements to Reduce Child Support
In a recent unpublished decision, Ceurvels v. Murphy (2018), the Massachusetts Appeals Court held that a father was not in contempt for failing to pay child support to the mother after the parties entered an informal agreement to reduce child support that was never entered as an order by the Court. In its decision, the Appeals Court cited the Rosen opinion, noting that ordinarily, "an agreement to reduce child support that has not been approved by the court cannot constitute a defense to a complaint for civil contempt."
As we will discuss further below, the Rosen case created a very narrow exception to the ordinary rule against the enforceability of informal child support agreements. In Ceurvels, the parties entered a divorce settlement that required the father to pay $500 per week. At a hearing on the mother's post-divorce Complaint for Contempt, the father admitted to paying as little as $250 per week at times. The Appeals Court record suggests that the father's underpayment was the result of an informal agreement with the mother to reduce child support which was never entered as an order in the probate and family court.
The narrow exception presented in the Rosen case was not present in the Ceurvels case. However, the father in Ceurvels still avoided being found in contempt for failing to pay back child support. The key argument in the father's case was his defense that he lacked the ability to pay to pay the current child support of $500 per week and/or the arrears that had accrued since he alleged the mother had agreed to accept less child support. In its analysis, the Appeals Court noted:
In addition to establishing that the father was in "disobedience of a clear and unequivocal command," the mother also bore the burden of establishing that the father had a present ability to pay. Birchall, petitioner, 454 Mass. 837, 852-853 (2009), quoting from Judge Rotenberg Educ. Center, Inc. v. Commissioner of the Dept. of Mental Retardation (No. 1), 424 Mass. 430, 443 (1997).
(The Appeals Court's reliance on the Birchall standard may not have been appropriate. It is not clear, however, if an inappropriate application of the Birchall standard affected the outcome of the case. I discuss this issue in Part 2 of the blog below. The remainder of Part 1 maintains the focus on informal agreements to reduce child support.)
The Court went on to find that the mother failed to present evidence to the trial court proving that the Father had the ability to pay:
[T]he father testified that he was unemployed and unable to meet the financial obligations to which he agreed in the divorce settlement. This testimony is uncontroverted. Additionally, as conceded by the mother, she did not establish the extent of the father's unpaid child support, nor the time periods he had failed to pay the full amount. On this record, therefore, we cannot conclude the judge abused his discretion in finding that the mother had failed to establish that the father was in contempt.
The mother, who represented herself at the hearing (but had an appellate attorney), argued that the trial court judge abused his discretion by failing to schedule the contempt for an evidentiary hearing, but the Appeals Court noted that the mother needed to object to the lack of an evidentiary hearing when the parties appeared before the court for the original contempt hearing. The Appeals Court also noted:
[T]he judge gave the mother ample opportunity to supplement the record, which resulted in the mother raising additional issues once the judge began winding down the hearing but did not result in the proffer of any other evidence regarding the father's finances or his nonpayment.
The Risks Associated with Informal Agreements to Reduce Child Support
When we consider the risks involved with informal child support agreements, most of the risk falls on the party who is paying child support at a reduced rate. When child support payers enter informal agreements to pay reduced child support, they often assume that the recipient will be required to honor the agreement if the parties later return to Court. In the vast majority of cases, however, the child support payer is in for a rude awakening: The Court is unlikely to enforce an informal agreement to reduce child support, and the payer will be on the hook for all of the unpaid arrears that have built up while he or she has paid child support at a reduced rate.
As noted above, in 2016's Rosen decision, the Appeals Court created a narrow exception to the ordinary rule against enforcing informal agreements to reduce child support. In order to satisfy the Rosen exception, however, a child support payer must meet every element of a rigorous, six-part test:
[T]he support payor must demonstrate that (1) the support recipient agreed (a) to transfer custody of the child to the payor for an extended period of time not contemplated in the original custody order, and (b) to accept the payor's direct support of the child as an alternative method of satisfying the payor's child support obligation; (2) the custody transfer was not the result of duress, coercion, or undue influence exerted by the payor against either the recipient or the child; (3) the payor provided the child with adequate support and maintenance while the child was principally domiciled in the payor's home; (4) the recipient was relieved of supporting the child during the period in question; (5) the alternative support arrangement was not contrary to the child's best interests; and (6) granting a credit to the payor for his or her direct support of the child would not result in injustice or undue hardship to the recipient.
In most cases involving informal agreements to reduce child support, the Rosen exception/defense simply isn't available. However, the Ceurvels decision demonstrates that the risk is not totally one-sided when parties enter informal agreements to reduce child support. Ceurvels shows that a child support recipient who agrees to accept less child support than provided in a judgement also faces some risk.
Inability to Pay Defense and Informal Child Support Agreement: What's the Connection?
Under Massachusetts law, a party cannot be found in contempt for failing to pay child support if he or she lacks the ability to pay the child support owed. If a parent receiving child support has agreed to allow the other parent to pay child support at a reduced rate for a lengthy period of time, the natural consequence is large child support arrears. The larger the child support arrears, the easier it may be for a defendant to claim he or she lacks the ability to pay the child support is due in a contempt case.
Judges might not be able to enforce informal agreements for reduced child support, but they will often have more sympathy for a defendant whose failure to pay full child support was part of an agreement with the child support recipient versus a party who unilaterally decreases child support payments. Similarly, judges may be more skeptical to plaintiffs who agreed to accept less child support, only to change their mind and seek the arrears at a later date. (Nothing in the Appeals Court's recitation of facts suggests these issues were present in Ceurvels; indeed, the Appeals Court decision suggests that the parties had an agreement to reduce child support, but provides no further details.)
Part 2: Did the Ceurvels Decision Contain A Rare Legal Error from the Appeals Court?
The Ceurvels opinion is notable because it may contain a rare legal error from the Appeals Court. The Appeals Court decision includes the following statement of law and citation:
In addition to establishing that the father was in "disobedience of a clear and unequivocal command," the mother also bore the burden of establishing that the father had a present ability to pay. Birchall, petitioner, 454 Mass. 837, 852-853 (2009), quoting from Judge Rotenberg Educ. Center, Inc. v. Commissioner of the Dept. of Mental Retardation (No. 1), 424 Mass. 430, 443 (1997). (Emphasis added.)
However, the Appeals Court assertion – that a plaintiff in a contempt for non-payment of child support has the burden of proving the defendant's ability to pay child support – seems to be contradicted by the plain terms of the Massachusetts contempt statute, G.L. c. 215, § 34, which indicates that it is the defendant who must prove that he or she has an inability to pay child support:
At the hearing of a complaint for civil contempt, the defendant shall have the burden of proving his or her inability to comply with the preexisting order or judgment of which the complaint alleges violation.
So which legal standard is correct for proving an inability to pay child support? Is it the Birchall standard, which places the burden for proving an inability to pay on the plaintiff? Or is it G.L. c. 215, § 34, which explicitly places the burden of proof on the defendant?
Footnote 13 of the Birchall decision suggests the Appeals Court may have not have applied the correct standard in Ceurvels, where Footnote 13 of Birchall provides:
As a matter of common law, the burden of proof for civil contempt in ordinary commercial cases, like in the supplementary process setting, is on the complainant. See, e.g., Judge Rotenberg Educ. Ctr., Inc. v. Commissioner of the Dep't of Mental Retardation (No. 1), 424 Mass. 430, 443 (1997); United States Time Corp. v. G.E.M. of Boston, Inc., 345 Mass. 279, 282 (1963). The Legislature has assigned a different burden, however, in family law matters concerning, for instance, arrearages in alimony and child support. See G. L. c. 215, § 34 ("At the hearing of a complaint for civil contempt, the defendant shall have the burden of proving his or her inability to comply with the pre-existing order or judgment of which the complaint alleges violation"); Diver v. Diver, 402 Mass. 599, 603 (1988); R.W. Bishop, Prima Facie Case § 63.3, at 299 (5th ed. 2005). (Emphasis added.)
The Birchall decision entered in 2009. Since 2009, other published and unpublished Appeals Court decisions seem to have affirmed that the burden of proof for showing an inability to pay child support falls on the defendant, as required under G.L. c. 215, § 34, and not on the plaintiff, per Birchall. For example, in MM v. DA (2011), the Appeals Court noted in a child support arrearage case, "that it was the father's burden, as he acknowledges, to show an inability to pay". Similarly, in PTC v. BKG (2013), the Court cited G.L. c. 215, § 34 as the legal standard after a father failed to pay court-ordered legal fees:
The father had the burden of proving that he was incapable of complying with the order. See G. L. c. 215, § 34; Diver v. Diver, 402 Mass. 599, 603 (1988). `[T]he judge was warranted in finding that the [father] had disobeyed [the] order. . . . Nothing in the record demonstrates that, as a matter of law, the [father] satisfied his burden of proving his inability to comply with the judge's orders.' Diver, supra.
Similarly, the Court noted the following in Elsaid v. Elsaid (2014):
At the hearing on a complaint for civil contempt, the defendant has the burden of proving his or her inability to comply with the preexisting order or judgment of which the complaint alleges violation. See G. L. c. 215, § 34.
To be clear, this blog is merely an informational review of the case law. The author has not briefed of issue of the Birchall standard vs. the applicability of G.L. c. 215, § 34 to inability to pay arguments in child support cases. These are complex issues, and a complete analysis of the legal standard would exceed the scope of an informational blog. Assuming, however, that G. L. c. 215, § 34 should have assigned the burden of proof in the Ceurvels case to the father, this may have impacted the Court's analysis - if not the final outcome of the case - in significant ways.
Could Ceurvels Have Been Decided Differently on Appeal?
In Ceurvels, the core of the Appeals Court's analysis of the contempt issue focused on the plaintiff mother's failure to meet her burden of proof to show that the father had the ability to pay the child support order:
Although the judge did not include any comment about the mother's lack of proof on this element in the rationale for his judgment, the father testified that he was unemployed and unable to meet the financial obligations to which he agreed in the divorce settlement. This testimony is uncontroverted. Additionally, as conceded by the mother, she did not establish the extent of the father's unpaid child support, nor the time periods he had failed to pay the full amount. On this record, therefore, we cannot conclude the judge abused his discretion in finding that the mother had failed to establish that the father was in contempt.
As noted above, the case law suggests that the burden to prove an inability to pay falls on a child support payer under G.L. c. 215, § 34. It is unclear from the text of the decision whether the Appeals Court would have found that the father met his burden to prove an inability to pay child support, if G.L. c. 215, § 34 were the applicable standard. The Court simply did not analyze the facts from this perspective. If we contrast the analysis in Ceurvels with another case, Dolansky v. Dolansky (2013), the differences appear somewhat problematic:
While asserting that there was no evidence at the contempt hearing (which he did not attend) concerning his ability to pay the alimony and attorney's fees arrearages, the husband glosses over the burden of proof on the issue. General Laws c. 215, § 34, inserted by St. 1982, c. 328, provides that `[ a]t the hearing of a complaint for civil contempt, the defendant shall have the burden of proving his or her inability to comply with the pre-existing order or judgment of which the complaint alleges violation.' See Diver v. Diver, 402 Mass. 599, 603 (1988) ('burden of proof on the ability issue is on the defendant'). `Upon a showing that a defendant in a civil contempt proceeding is in arrears on his adjudicated support obligations, the defendant must come forward with evidence of a present inability to comply with the order or judgment, and if no such proof of inability is forthcoming the defendant can be found in civil contempt.' Poras v. Pauling, 70 Mass. App. Ct. 535, 540 (2007), quoting from Kindregan & Inker, Family Law & Practice §§ 72:3, 72:4 (3d ed. 2002). The husband has failed to meet his burden demonstrating that he is unable to comply with the court order. The judge did not err in finding him in contempt. (Emphasis added.)
Again, it is very possible that the Appeals Court could have found that the father in Ceurvels met his burden of proof to establish that he lacked the ability to pay the child support order. After all, the Court notes that the mother in Ceurvels offered no evidence or testimony to counter the father's claim that he lacked the ability to pay. However, if the burden properly belonged to the father, it is also possible that this could change the Court's analysis to alter the outcome.
About the Author: Nicole K. Levy is a Massachusetts divorce lawyer and Massachusetts family law attorney for Lynch & Owens, located in located in Hingham, Massachusetts and East Sandwich, Massachusetts. She is also a mediator for South Shore Divorce Mediation.
Schedule a consultation with Nicole K. Levy today at (781) 253-2049 or send her an email.
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Sep 17 E-Filing Largely a Failure in Massachusetts Probate & Family Courts
E-Filing System Failing in Massachusetts Probate & Family Courts Six years after investing in statewide e-filing system, only a ...


text:
The Major of the Tower of London, later also styled Resident Governor, was an officer of the Tower of London, subordinate to the Constable and the Lieutenant.

List of majors of the Tower
 Richard White
 1747: Charles Rainsford
 1750: Charles Henry Collins
 1778: John Parr
 1785: John Shrimpton
 1788: Lloyd Hill
 1793: Matthew Smith
 1812: Lachlan Maclean
 4 July 1816: John Henry Elrington
 31 March 1857: Frederick Amelius Whimper
 29 August 1870: George Bryan Milman
 2 July 1909: Henry Pipon
 1 July 1923: Daniel Burges
 1 July 1933: William Frederick Oliver Faviell
 1 July 1945: Edward Hamilton Carkeet-James
 1 July 1955: Leslie Frederic Ethelbert Wieler
 1 July 1961: Sir Thomas Pierce Butler
Butler was additionally appointed Keeper of the Jewel House on 5 February 1968, and the two posts have remained united since.

References

Tower of London


text:
TPC Kuala Lumpur's Upgraded West Course set for PGA Tour Test
Steven Sim Chee Keong (second right) with Tengku Dato' Sri Zafrul Aziz (second left), Effendy Shahul Hamid (far left) and Todd Rhinehart (far right).
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: TPC Kuala Lumpur's newly-upgraded West Course will take centre stage when the CIMB Classic celebrates its ninth edition from October 11-14.
Title-holder Pat Perez has confirmed his return to Malaysia to defend his title after a dominant four-shot victory over fellow-American Keegan Bradley in 2017.
With a US$7 million prize fund, Malaysia's biggest annual sporting showpiece will feature 60 professional golfers from the PGA Tour's 2017-18 FedEx Cup final points standing.
The sole PGA Tour-sanctioned tournament in Southeast Asia is primed to serve another exciting week of world-class golf following the renovation work at TPC Kuala Lumpur, a Golf Course Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.
CIMB Classic 2018 was launched by Malaysia's Deputy Youth and Sports Minister, His Honourable Steven Sim Chee Keong, together with Tengku Dato' Sri Zafrul Aziz, Group CEO, CIMB Group, Datuk Ahmad Shah Hussein Tambakau, Chairman of Tourism Malaysia, Effendy Shahul Hamid, CEO of Group Commercial Banking and Group Asset Management & Investments, CIMB Group and Todd Rhinehart, Vice President and Executive Director of PGA Tour.
Tengku Dato' Sri Zafrul Aziz said: "Since the launch of the CIMB Classic eight years ago, we are proud and feel privileged that our flagship sporting showcase has helped profile Malaysia to a truly global audience of over one billion homes and 226 countries via live broadcast annually.
"The tournament has placed the country as a prime stage for world-class sports given Malaysia's central location for golf fans in ASEAN and beyond to visit and experience world-class golf action at their doorstep. The CIMB Classic has also grown the game in Malaysia by inspiring and providing opportunities for Malaysian professional golfers to achieve their best."
Two Malaysian golfers will once again have the opportunity to compete against stars from the PGA Tour. One slot has been allocated to the winner of the CIMB National Championship, which is scheduled to take place from September 25-28 at TPC Kuala Lumpur. Subsequently, the highest ranked Malaysian on the Official World Golf Ranking as of October 1 will also earn the right to play in the CIMB Classic which was inaugurated in 2010.
Since its first staging, the CIMB Classic has attracted top professional golfers such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Ernie Els.
It has also proved to be a successful launch-pad for many of the game's newest stars. Justin Thomas won his first PGA Tour tournament at the 2015 CIMB Classic before returning to successfully defend his title in 2016. He has since gone on to win a total of nine PGA Tour tournaments, including a Major victory, and reached the world number one ranking in May. Other young stars who have used the CIMB Classic to launch their careers on the PGA Tour include Japanese number one Hideki Matsuyama and Indian Anirban Lahiri.
Rhinehart said: "As a leading ASEAN universal bank, CIMB has proven to be a terrific partner for the PGA Tour. Our players always enjoy coming to Malaysia and we look forward to another memorable CIMB Classic.
"We are pleased to announce Pat Perez will return to defend his title and we will unveil other leading names over the coming weeks. Our tournament here has been headlined by proven champions and rising stars over the years and I'm convinced golf fans in Malaysia will have another wonderful experience when they visit TPC Kuala Lumpur in October. Apart from world-class golf, we will offer engaging activities for everyone in the family to enjoy themselves beyond the golf action."


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BSW looks like it will be incredibly useful. However, the interface seems a bit daunting to me. As it has now undergone several revisions, and has numerous features and commands, and as there are numerous threads on the forum dedicated to various questions and issues, I am wondering if there exists a good starting point for the average end user to try to figure out what BSW is and how to use it. So far, I don't see a wiki or documentation available (or have I just missed it?). Is the forum the best bet, currently, for trying to figure out how to make use of BSW?
Now that I'm back in the US, I plan to spend some time on this. Here's hoping that works out.
It makes sense for me to do the video.. I think I'll have some time Friday to do it.
I tried several times but can't understand a thing! Video would be great help.
I ended up being busy with other things over the weekend, but a video is on my list to do.
In the meantime, you could try following the example on the wiki.. It might be enough to get you started.
Hello - I am new to this forum - and new to book scanning - new to acrobat - not very techncial and very new to posting in forums - so apologises ahead, if I use the wrong language/wrong place/wrong style.
i do love books though. So any help anyone wishes to send my way - I am very appreciative of.
I have read both apps sections on the 2 tools - BSW and ST - plus wiki and have questions. I am not sure which is best area, so I put under instructions as I could not find the answer anywhere. I have got ST working but am struggling with BSW. I would like to use BSW as many of my images required the same processing before i ocr + recreate pdf.
I am stumped as I dont get some basics - COMPRESSION (what sets it/how to) - IMAGE TYPES (text layers v images, and the different types) - the best workflow sequence.
1- cannot get BSW to install on my macbook. I can use java version but I am not online often. I have DL successfully and now I have a bunch of scripts. install.txt tells me to do stuff with java, but java comes with SL 10.6x I found (thanks to anoymous1 post directing me to http://javatester.org/version.html) to determine version. I also have the firefox java plugin.
how do I run "java -Xmx1024 -jar BookScanWizard.jar"
-- in terminal window? what do i type?
2- dont understand how to get a "loseless" compression PDF and how compression works. I understand ST uses uncompressed TIFF. I don't know what BSW exports out to.
2.1) I don't know when is compression important - e.g. in final step or the entire way thru the process? (e.g. is it better to scan at high quality (600dpi with illustrations 300dpi if text - black and white - and turn off all compression parameters?) to TIFF and then set the compression in "create PDF tool"
2.3) what is the best settings for compress loseless in Adobe acrobat profession 10.x?
e) loseless means = no loss of quality and small in size, correct?
e.g. in djvu export to TIFF has 3 options "force bitonal G4 compression - Allow lossy JPEG compression and then set jpeg quality number x - allow deflate compression"
2.7) if I scanned to PDF rather than to TIFF image (as it is quicker in scanning mechancis (e.g. scanner does not finish routine, is ready for next page turn), is there any loss in quality?
3.1 I could not see in ST or BSW that speaks to layering. I understood unless we layer the text and the image separately the compression is impacted. am I mistaken? or is layer nothing to do with image type?
I get ST uses TIFF and why (per the post) but with flat bed scanners, TIFF files cause fuzzy as they scan 1 directional, so for big books, I scan to jpeg 300dpi and then extract to TIFF.
-- does this cause any loss in quality?
3.3) don't understand what JPEG2000 image type is - its in acrobat under optimised PDF option (colour/grayscale) - it is also in my scanner. But it is not in BSW or ST.
3.4) for covers and back of book what is the suggested image settings for a beautiful looking high gloss colour image?
4.1 what is "keystone"? BSW mentions it. I have no idea what it is.
4.6 - is it best to add cover last (as colour and different resolution to rest of pages) - ST did not do a clean cut on edges - or probably me as the border function did not make sense to me. I find cropping much easier.
4.7 - is the only way to get correct page numbers and table of contents in the "created PDF" to set them in WORD first? or is there some other ideas out there??
You should still be able to use the webstart version even if you are offline. I'm not exactly sure where it installs on a mac, but on a PC, it creates a shortcut in the Programs lists. Thats going to be easier than installing it manually. The manual version is meant for those that are wanting to run things from the command line.
The override DPI is used to specify the DPI of your source document. Its equivalent to setting the DPI in ScanTailor. However, there's other, automatic ways of setting the DPI in BSW, so if you are using those (like using the focal length of the camera, or scanning a barcode page first). So if you are doing one of those, you don't need to specify the DPI. If you are using a scanner, just enter whatever DPI your scanner was set to.
The destination DPI depends on what you are doing with the scan. If you are keeping the output as grayscale or color, my opinion is 300 DPI is sufficient. If you are converting to bitonal (black and white), you may find 450 or 600 will give you better quality. There's a tradeoff between file size and quality. (a 600 DPI is 4 times as big as a 300 dpi image).
Compression is tough to understand because there are tradeoffs and paramters to adjust.. so it isn't a real simple topic to begin with. The reason we do compression is to reduce the file size.
There's two kinds of compression.. Loseless, and lossy. Loseless will only modestly reduce the image quality. (say by 30%). Loseless can reduce things much better, but it can introduce changes (called artifacts) in the compressed image. If a reasonable compression value is chosen, the changes shouldn't be very noticeable. If you are dealing with bitonal text or line drawing images, loseless compression works quite well, and creates a small, loseless file. For color or gray scale, uncompressed images are quite large. (A letter size color document at 600 DPI is around 55 megs for a single page).
Normally, you want to bother with compression at the output, as you generally dont' care if an intermediate file is large (as those will just get deleted when you are finished). Also, you want to avoid lossy compressing thing things multiple times, as you will loose a bit of quality each time you do that (think of making a copy of a copy of a VHS tape).
When you create a PDF, you can choose the compression you want.
I don't use adobe acrobat, so I can't really say what to use. If you give me the options, I can help you choose.
If you have access to adobe acrobat, I think that is the best tool to use. It can read any format that BSW can create, and gives you many options. If you have specific questions on using it, create a new question in the software forum.
Tiff and tif are the same format. The format is officially tiff, but then you have the old ms-dos filenames, that could only have 3 letters, which lead to the .tif name.
loseless means no loss in quality and smaller in size. Lossy compression will compress much smaller, but you loose some quality. I think you are better with lossy compression unless you are dealing with bitonal images.
G4: a good lossless compression but only works for bitonal images.
deflate: a lossless compression that uses the same compression that .ZIP uses.
2.7: It probably is using lossy jpg compression in creating the pdf directly from the scanner, so yes, I'd expect some loss of quality.
2.8. I think I've answer that above... if you have further questions, let me know.
3.1: Adobe acrobat does some fancy stuff where it breaks apart the background from the text and handles each separately. In that way, the background can be compressed greater without affecting the image (using lossy compression). ST & BSW don't layer data. DjVu and Adobe acrobat have options to use them.
3.2 There's many options with tiff files (which means it can have different compression types, etc). PNG files are simpler. If a program handles PNG, then it can handle pretty much any PNG file. However, there's so many options with tiff files, that it is common to have tiff files that can't be read by certain programs. As far as which to use.. it doesn't really matter, as long as the software you are using can read them. I'm not sure why your scanner behaves differently on tiff vs. png and jpeg.
3.3: BSW can handle jpeg2000 images. (Though it is done using the SaveImage operation, instead of using the default .tiff output). It reads jpeg2000 files normally. jpeg2000 has the advantages that it provides better compression over jpeg, and provides a losseless compression. It also can compress to a certain size. So if you wanted your pages to each be 100K, jpeg2000 is the best way of doing that. The disadvantage is that jpeg2000 isn't universally supported. Browsers don't ready jpeg2000 images natively.
3.4. Standard lossly compression works fine.
Only bother with compression on the final creation of the PDF. Use lossy compression for grayscale or color images.
In Acrobat, I'd recommend using the JBIG2 lossless or lossy option rather than G4. It's a much more efficient compression, which will ensure much smaller filesizes. Lossless is perfectly lossless (and so identical to G4 in terms of the image you get), while lossy tries to identify similar characters and replaces them. It reduces the filesize even further, but you do run a risk of it making a few mistakes and replacing some similar-looking characters that aren't supposed to be identical. You can find the settings for that in the "convert to PDF" section of Acrobat's preferences.
If I'm remembering right, Acrobat X now defaults to JBIG2 lossless for monochrome compression instead of G4 like in older versions. If you import TIFFs that are monochrome, like a TIFF G4 from BSW, it will use the compression settings from the "convert to PDF" option's "TIFF" section.
thankyou misty and Steve - VERY helpful. I will try offline the java version tonight.


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A great sponsor, cool weather, good marshaling, competitive batches, a challenging route and stunning venue is a recipe for a fantastic race. The Battery Centre Midmar Notts was moved out to the Noodsberg area for safety reasons and did very well to draw over 400 competitors on its debut. We think this route is here to stay. It has a nice fast start, going into hills and ending on a flat profile, so is very forgiving and is sure to grow in popularity once the roadies get to know about it.
Tessa Hesse: On behalf of Cascades Race Team, huge congrats on a race really well organised!
Mohamed Chohan: Thank you to your team and especially Justin who assisted us with a puncture, a thumbs up!
Jaco Pelser: Well organised race, great route, thank you from the Elites.
Registration was very disappointing. The young man who registered me registered my chip under another name. When I asked him to please check he said its loaded fine. Then the lady next to him gave me the wrong stickers. I was given stickers for the 65km when I was doing the 90km, which caused me problems at the start. Luckily with the chip I went back in to another kind gentle man who reprogrammed my chip to my name.


text:
A Miracle of St. John Cassian in 1974 in Nicosia, ...
The Relics of Saint John Cassian in Marseilles
The Cave of Saint John Cassian in Romania
St. John Cassian on the Scriptural References to T...
Synaxarion of Saint John Cassian the Roman
Saints Marana and Kyra, Two Female Ascetics of Syr...
Like the Prodigal Son, We Must Come to our Senses ...
The Triodion is a Theater and We Must Choose our R...
Holy New Martyr Elias of Trebizond (+ 1749)
Saint Thalelaios the Cilician
Saints Asklepios and James, Hermits of Syria
Synaxarion of Saint Photini the Samaritan Woman an...
Saint Photini, the Chosen Evangelist
The Holy Water of Saint Photida and the Faith of t...
Saint Maximus the Confessor on Heretics
Saint Alexander the Roman, Who Was Martyred in Dri...
Synaxarion of Saint Tarasios, Patriarch of Constan...
The First and Second Finding of the Honorable Head...
The Tightrope of the Triodion
Saint Polycarp of Smyrna Resource Page
Synaxarion of Saint Polycarp of Smyrna
The Letter of the Church of Smyrna Concerning the ...
The Pharisaical Abbot: A Didactic Story From the L...
Saints Thalassios and Limnaios of Syria
Saint Baradatos of Antioch
Finding of the Relics of Apostles and Martyrs at E...
The Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee (St. ...
The Beloved Priest of Saint Porphyrios Has Reposed...
An Annual Miracle of Saint Anthimos of Chios on hi...
Are You a Publican or a Pharisee?
Life and Sayings of Holy Abba Bessarion of Egypt
Saint Agathon, Pope of Rome (+ 681)
Photios the Great and the Eighth Ecumenical Synod ...
Saints Eugenios and Makarios the Confessors
On Coexisting With People of Other Religions
Synaxarion of our Holy Father Leo, Pope of Rome
Saint Flavian, Patriarch of Constantinople (+ 449)...
St. Theodore of Byzantium and the Miraculous Deliv...
Holy Theodoroi Resource Page (Theodore the Stratel...
Synaxarion of Saint Theodore the Tiro and Great Ma...
A Historic Athonite Icon of Saint Haralambos in th...
Holy New Martyr John the Koulakiotis (+ 1776)
Saint Eusebius the Hermit of Asikha
Feast of the Corinthian Co-workers of the Apostle ...
Saint Abraham, Bishop of Carrhae
Saint Maron of Cyrus
Saint Philemon, Bishop of Gaza
Saint Eulogios, Archbishop of Alexandria (+ 607)
The Last Time the Head of the Russian Church Met t...
Holy New Martyr Christos the Gardener (+ 1748)
The Holy Monastery of Saint Vlasios in Trikala, Co...
The Sacred Relic and Shrine of Saint Theodora the ...
Saint Theodora the Empress of the Romans, Who Rest...
St. Haralambos and the Earthquake That Struck Pyrg...
The Healing of Elder Iakovos Tsalikes by St. Haral...
Synaxarion of Saint Haralambos the Hieromartyr and...
Saint Zeno the Letter Carrier of Caesarea
Saint Romanos of Cilicia the Wonderworker
Holy Hieromartyrs Markellos of Sicily, Philagrios ...
Synaxarion of Holy Great Martyr Theodore the Strat...
Synaxarion of the Holy Prophet Zechariah the Sickl...
The Story Behind the Restoration of the Church of ...
Saints Emmelia, Nonna and Anthousa - Mothers of th...
The Difference Between Spiritual Advice and a Spir...
Saint James the Ascetic of Cyrus
Saint Boukolos, First Bishop of Smyrna
Saint Savvas the New of Sicily (+ 995)
Saint Theodosios the Ascetic of Antioch
Synaxarion of Saint Agatha the Martyr
Saint Nicholas the Studite and Confessor (+ 868)
Synaxarion of Saint Isidore of Pelusium
St. Nicholas the Studite and the Uspensky Gospel B...
The Reception of the Lord and Sarantismos
Holy Prophet Azariah as a Model for our Lives
Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) is Canonized
Synodal Act of Canonization of Saint John the New ...
Becoming Visionaries of the Face of the Divine Chi...
The Presentation, Meeting or Reception of Christ?
Synaxarion for the Reception of the Lord
Saint Tryphon the Wonderworker Resource Page
Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Tryphon the Wonderwo...
Saint Peter the Hesychast of Galatia
Photios the Great and the Eighth Ecumenical Synod (3 of 7)
Pope John VIII of Rome (872-882)
...continued from part two.
3. The Issues Faced by the Eighth Ecumenical Synod
The Ecumenical Synod of 879-880, which is designated as the Eighth Ecumenical Synod, dealt with the issues which arose in the previous period, namely the ratification of the elevation of Photios to the Patriarchal Throne, the removal of the anathemas of the Synod of 869-870, the recognition of ecclesiastical traditions and customs of each Local Church (among which was the "all at once" ordination of Bishops), the validity of decisions of each Local Church, the place of the Bishop in the Church, the relationship between Bishops and monastics (as is shown in the sacred Canons drafted by this Ecumenical Synod), the canonical jurisdiction of the province of Bulgaria, and the condemnation of the heresy of the Filioque.
Below, however, we will highlight four important points which, in my opinion, are the quintessence of this important Synod.
a) The Two Forms of Ecclesiology, East and West
At the beginning of the Synod, during the initial discussions, it became clear that the ecclesiology of the Western Church conflicted with the ecclesiology of the Eastern Church. The Pope thought he was the head of the entire Church, that he had primacy of authority throughout the Church, while the Orthodox recognized the primacy of his ministry, without giving him authority into other ecclesiastical jurisdictions.
Western society had been affected by feudal conceptions which the Franks brought into Europe, according to which there is a pyramid organization to the State. This pyramid organization was adopted by the Church of Rome and the Pope regarded himself as the ecumenical Father and Governor over all the Local Churches, and he would either approve or not the decisions of Synods. We can trace this mindset and difference to the non-acceptance of the Pope of two basic Canons, namely the 34th Canon of the Holy Apostles and the 28th Canon of the Fourth Ecumenical Synod.
The 34th Apostolic Canon establishes a synodal constitution of the Church, according to which in the basic doctrinal and ecclesiastical issues, the so-called "non-essentials", the Protos does not act independently from the other Bishops of the Province, and Bishops do not make decisions without the opinion of the Protos. What applies to the administration system of Metropolitans applies to the synodical Inter-Orthodox administration system of the Church. Also, the 28th Canon of the Fourth Ecumenical Synod determined, among other things, that the Bishops of barbarian administrations should be ordained by the Throne of the most-holy Church of Constantinople.
In practice the Pope of Rome did not accept these two basic Canons, because he considered himself above Synods, and also considered that he was able as a leader of the universal Church to enter into the internal affairs of other ecclesiastical authorities, such as the issue of the election and restoration of Patriarch Photios, and in the ordinations of the Bishops of Bulgaria. The differences of these two ecclesiologies became clear in the discussions of the first Meeting, when the papal legates insisted on passing their own ecclesiology to the Synod, and this also appeared in the Meetings subsequent to the first. But as the discussions progressed and they were reaching their final decisions, the ecclesiology of the Eastern Church entirely prevailed.
We will list some characteristic excerpts from the dialogue of the initial days of the Meeting, where these differences are most intensely apparent.
After the first addresses of Peter, the Cardinal and Vicar of Pope John, he said to Photios: "Saint Peter is visiting us," which means that in the person of the Pope the Apostle Peter himself is visiting the Synod, the Pope being his successor and the deputy of Christ to the entire Church. Patriarch Photios responded: "May Christ our God, through the chief of the disciples Peter, whose memory you give reverence to, have mercy on all of us and show us worthy of His kingdom." Clearly Patriarch Photios here is speaking of the pontificate of Christ which is held by the Apostle Peter, just as it is with all of the Apostles, since the pontificate of each Apostle goes back to Christ.
Cardinal Peter continued by calling the Pope ecumenical: "The most-holy and ecumenical Pope John venerates your holiness." Patriarch Photios responded in a theological and spiritual way: "His veneration towards me is returned with heartfelt longing, and I entreat that he grant unto me his holy prayers and honorable love, and may this be a genuine love between us and sincere arrangement before our common Master."
The Cardinal continued the dialogue, referencing the decision of the Pope: "He wants to have your honorableness as a brother, co-liturgist and mutual priest." Patriarch Photios responded by referencing Christ Who fulfills all things and calls the Pope only a Spiritual Father by extension and not as a supervisor: "May He who fulfills all good things, Christ our God, complete His will by heavenly counsel, and we record him as being our brother, co-liturgist and our spiritual father."
Then the Cardinal tried to enforce the Primacy of the Pope over the entire Church, referring to the letter the Pope sent to Photios, so that all may recognize that the Pope has diligent care for the Church of Constantinople. It is a very clear allusion to the canonical rights the Pope thought he had over another ecclesiastical jurisdiction: "He sent your holiness a letter, that all may know through it the care and attention he procures for your holy Church of God, and for the love and faith he has for your holiness." Patriarch Photios appropriately responded that he knew of this care of the Pope before the letter, but now the letters "are not lessons, but an addition and verification of what had already been known." The pontifical interest of the Pope for the Church of Constantinople is found in his position as "father and carer", though he does not have a canonical right. The Pope imitated Christ, "the first and great high priest", Who emptied Himself and took on the form of a servant. Therefore the Pope took interest "as being absent from this predetermined schismatic error, all having as our common head Christ our true God glued by His one bread resulting in His body."
Then Photios asked about the health of the Pope. The Cardinal said: "He is well through your holy prayers." And then Photios asked about the Church of Rome that belonged to the Pope, apparently to confront the notion regarding the ecumenicity of the Pope and his intervention in other ecclesiastical jurisdictions: "How is his holy Church of God and all the pontiffs and priests he has?" The Cardinal understood the point of this question and turned the conversation over to the situation of Photios: "All is healthy through your holy prayers, but what do you have to say about the love and faith the most holy Pope has towards your holiness?" Then Photios referred to how love is expressed through works: "Words have authority when visible actions make them apparent, and with the most holy Pope, our spiritual father, his actions overthrow his words...." Here the Pope is described by the sacred Photios as a "spiritual father", and not as the Shepherd of the entire Church.
The Cardinal then turned towards the Bishops present at the Synod, and conveyed the greetings of the Pope, and that by his presence at the Synod, through his representative, "the most holy Pope visits us," conveying also the desire of the Pope for there to be peace and unity in the Church, recognizing Photios as Patriarch: "Brethren and co-liturgists, in a caring manner as a father towards his children he seeks this, as well as being a good shepherd of his sheep, through his letter and representatives admonishing and guiding and visiting us, wishing that the entire holy Church of God be united and become one flock and one shepherd." He is expressing clearly once again the Primacy of the Pope over the entire Church, considering himself the Shepherd of all Christians, who are his flock. With this authority he urges the Bishops to recognize Photios as Patriarch.
Metropolitan John of Heraclea then responded in the name of all the Bishops that the issue of recognizing Photios as Patriarch was solved by the very Church of Constantinople, which had the canonical competence to deal with this issue, and Photios was already restored to the Throne, wherefore he was their true Shepherd and Ecumenical Patriarch: "His holy prayers come forward to one flock, and we have one true Shepherd, who is venerable and blameless, Photios our most holy Master and Ecumenical Patriarch." Thus, in this manner, they denied the canonical authority of the Pope over the Church of Constantinople.
This happened during the First Session of the Synod. In the next one the Minutes record how the papal legates tried to pass the ecclesiastical views of the Pope, but eventually the position of the Eastern Church fully prevailed, since these papal views were not adopted by the Synod, as they were included in the "Commonitory", and thus was rejected the primacy of the authority of the Pope over all the Church.
Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Labels: Catholicism and Papacy, Ecclesiology, Eighth Ecumenical Synod, Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos, St. Photios the Great


It was roughly 14 years ago that WB, Kate and I packed Mikie up and moved him to Kerrville, Texas to attend Shriner University. Enrolled and settled in, I not only sobbed, but wailed the entire way home. Some 950 miles and about 16 hours of drama which probably traumatized my then 4-year old baby girl. Do kids that age really know what parents go through when sending one off to college, one who you know is not ready to leave the nest?
Mike thought he was ready and WB was more than ready. I harbored a tremendous amount of resentment until I realized several years ago that Mike had forgiven his step-daddy. I can now forgive Bill for never wanting anyone or anything to interfere with what he perceived as time for him. He was always selfish that way and still is. Some things will simply never change.
Mike and I were together and mostly alone until WB and I married. With our nuptials came a whole new program. Within just a short time span during Mike's adolescence, there was a house fire, a baby, a new family, a new house, an adopted daughter from down the street, a drivers license, and a different level of responsibility for his mother. My time for him once constant became partitioned off into tiny sections, here and there. From an only child with all the attention to one of 7.
Bill had 4 children (Susie, Amy, Wade and Brandon) and I had Mike. These were our natural children ages 13-28 when we married. Then add a baby and another teenager.
The dynamics of this blended family were stressful from the first day. I remember walking in the door from our Las Vegas honeymoon with a call from WB's ex-wife, "welcoming me into the family". How dare she! It was from that moment forward that I began trying to create a wall around our unit to try and separate the then from the now. It is very hard to create new traditions with kids already old enough to be married with children of their own. The new wicked stepmother took some heat, for years and years and years.
I was a young, strong and independent single mother and not at all totally innocent. I owned my own home, was successful in my business and was substantially full of piss and vinegar. Early on we had struggles, as it seems everybody was jockeying for position. Not only did we have children's' feelings to consider, try throwing in a couple of ex-wives.
The constant innocent throughout was Katie Bug. I couldn't fix what had happened in the past and it was evident to me that WB and I would never agree on the parenting of the older kids. She was something and somebody we could rally around. So we settled in on raising Kate, together. She absolutely flourished and is a constant reminder to all what that level of parenting produces.
That she has experienced heartbreak over the last several years is an understatement, but WB and I unknowingly prepared her for most anything life decided to throw her way. She may have found it unsettling that I did not wail and sob when moving her into her dorm room a month ago today, but that day was a most joyful and exciting time for us. Bittersweet sure, but this was something two under-educated rednecks had made right, together.
Well educated, well traveled, exposed, abundantly loved and over-nurtured. My motto, "the child with the best toys wins" does not mean Barbie dolls and electric ATV's. Instead, its definition to me was giving it everything we had and concentrating on what we could do something about. Still no wailing and sobbing here.
It is uncanny to see how this family is pulling together around WB's illness. One may wonder why it could not have happened sooner and then perhaps recognize that it may have been impossible. At first I am sure we struggled with denial, some shame and remorse, but now it is simple acceptance. This is what it is. We can make it better for each other, but we cannot make it go away.
I have opened the door to 'receive' the gifts of love this family has for their Big Daddy. Each of us carry special and sometimes separate memories of Bill's influence on our lives as his legacy is far reaching and his antics renowned.
Postings continue to change in scope as I feel the need to digress from time to time. Without traveling back, I cannot truly and accurately expose how we got to where we are. Additionally, if the blog is only about the illness, it will never provide the bread crumb trail for this or any other family to follow.
Just last night I received an email from a dear friend who said, "please call me, I am worried about Bill." WHOOP, I am sorry friend, but that's our job. If you are paying attention and spend any time trying to understand this, you will find that if you're doing any worrying, it needs to be going on for the caregiver(s). It is why each and every visit to the doctor ends with this question to me, "how are you doing?" It took me a while to get, but now its as plain as the nose on my face. If the caregiver throws in the towel or breaks, the whole thing comes tumbling down. The patient eventually knows nothing or comprehends the sacrifice. I do not wear this title on my chest as a badge for honor or glory. Once again, it just is what it is.
Six of our children know this and are taking on as much of the responsibility as they can. Some are scattered across the country with families of their own. Kate understands that this portal is part of mama's therapy and reminded me just the other day that I needed to update her daddy's blog. She knows that I abandoned my personal space to chart daily living with AD, therefore these diatribes will try and encompass it all. It is interesting to read back over posts from just a month ago to see the roller coaster of emotions we go through. Anger, fear, helplessness, resolve, understanding, acceptance. WB would say its like "Pete and Repeat". He's right, it will surely repeat itself again.
I cannot expect an elevated understanding by all and still try and accept today the things I can do something about. It is certainly with remorse and grief that we live with daily, but it reminds us constantly that fate does not discriminate.
That said, I expect the baby of this brood to eventually query the rest of her family, gather all of this fodder up and then someday package it into a tightly woven memoire. Actually, I expect no less.


text:
Q: Limit $\lim_{t\to\infty}\frac{10t^3+3t-18}{6-kt^3} = 2$ I am working on the limit problem:
$\displaystyle\lim_{t\to\infty}\dfrac{10t^3+3t-18}{6-kt^3} = 2$
so far I believe I have broken down the numerator correctly by doing:
$\displaystyle\lim_{t\to\infty}\dfrac{t^3(10+\dfrac{3}{t^2}-\dfrac{18}{t^3})}{6-kt^3} = 2$
However I am ending up with $0-0$ in the denominator which I know shouldn't be happening. How do I distribute the $t^3$ so that I don't end up with $t^3(\dfrac{6}{t^3}-\dfrac{k}{t^3})$ which gives me $0-0$ after the $t^3$ cancel each other out?

A: $$
\lim_{t\to\infty} \frac {10t^3+3t-18}{6-kt^3} = \lim_{t\to\infty} \frac {10 \left( 1+\frac 3{10t^2}-\frac 9{5t^3}\right )}{-k \left( 1-\frac 6{t^3}\right )} = -\frac {10}k
$$
Now, just find $k$ from
$$
-\frac {10}k = 2 \implies k = -5
$$

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
At Climate Change Summit, Germany to Seek Private Funds for Projects in India, Africa
File photo of German Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Mueller (Reuters)
Germany's minister Gerd Mueller said it was imperative to help countries such as Brazil, India, China and Africa to develop their ability to provide electricity.
Berlin: Germany will unveil an initiative at UN talks on climate change this week to attract more private investment in projects in Africa and elsewhere, Development Minister Gerd Mueller said.
Mueller told the RND newspaper network that Germany would "send a strong signal" at the UN climate conference in Katowice, Poland with its Alliance for Development and Climate initiative and a pledge to spend an additional 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) on climate protection.
Expectations are muted for this week's meetings given divisions within Europe, and tension between the United States and China.
Delegates from about 195 nations will seek to produce a "rule book" to flesh out details of the Paris Agreement of 2015, which the United States, at the behest of President Donald Trump, has announced it will quit.
Mueller said it was imperative to help countries such as Brazil, India, China and many nations in Africa to develop their ability to provide electricity for their growing populations without relying on coal production.
"We can help spark leaps in development," he said. "We have the technology and the knowledge."
More than 70 companies had already signed up for the new German initiative, he said, which seeks to boost private funds for climate projects in developing countries and emerging economies.
"Even without a concrete date for the end of coal production, Germany will send a strong signal in Katowice," Mueller said.
The African population was expected to double to 2.5 billion people by 2050, which would trigger construction of 1,000 more coal-burning power plants, unless countries like Germany helped bolster investment in alternative energy sources, he said.
The European Union's climate chief last week called for the bloc to aim for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The BDI Federation of German Industry warned Europe against adopting overly ambitious targets, noting that Europe accounted for only 10 percent of global CO2 emissions.
Asked about the EU target, BDI President Dieter Kempf told the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung newspaper, that moving toward net-zero emissions in Europe would require more investment.
"A completely, or largely emission-free economy would carry an enormous price," he said.
Tags: africaBrazilChinaclimate changeGerd MuellergermanyIndiaUN climate change summitUN climate talks
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