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KANCHANA NATARAJAN Breath in Bhogarís 7000. English Rendering by Layne Little 27. Though Pokar says he is Chinese, his name is found in the list of Tamil siddhas. 28. PS700, Kanda iv Verses 996-999, p. 640 29. Zvelebel Kamil V, The Poets of the Power (Rider and Company, London, 1973), p.132 30. Translation is mine. PS7000, Kanda 1, Verse 173 p. 28. 31. PS7000, Kanda 2, Verse 654 p. 266 32. Zvelebil, Kamil.V, The Siddha Quest for Immortality (Oxford, 1996), p. v 33. PS7000, Kanda 1,Verse 6, p. 2 34. See ìDivine Semení and Alchemical Conversion of Iramatevar, p 262 35. According to Gordon White, Pokar taught alchemy to a ruler in China by name Kong. The Alchemical Body, p 61 36. PS7000, Kanda 7, Verse 282 p. 845 37. Ibid., kanda 2 Verse 800p. 288-89 38. Ibid., kanda 2 Verses 281-84, p. 206 39. PS7000, kanda 3 verse 486, p.398 40. Ibid., kanda 3 Verses 50711, p. 401 41. Translation is mine. PS7000, kanda 2 Verse 524, p. 245, 42. Ibid., kanda 3, Verses 203-227, pp.353-57 43. PS7000, kanda 3 , Verse 230 p. 357 44. See ëDivine Semení The Alchemical Conversion of Iramatevar p266 45. PS 7000, Kanda 1, Verse, 39, p 7, Translation Layne Little. 46. Ibid., Verse 33 47. Ibid., Verses 307-321, p. 50-52 48. See Zvelebil Kamil.V., The Poets of The Powers, (Rider and Company, London, 1973), pp. 50-51 49. PS7000, Kanda 1,Verse 322, p. 51 50. In some texts like Sattaimuni suttiram, the human body is regarded as the earth and the sublimated semen is muppu the primordial salt. See R.Venkataraman, A History of The Tamil Siddha Cult, pp 131-132 51. PS7000, kanda 2, Verses 682-707p. 270-73 52. Ibid., kanda 2, Verses 160-188 pp. 186-91; & kanda 1, Verses 817-20 p. 187, etc. 53. See Gordon White, op. cit., p. 277 54. PS7000, kanda 1, verses 817-820, p.13 55. See Gordon White, op. cit., p 40 WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE: A NON-FOUNDATIONAL NARRATION Enakshi Mitra For later Wittgenstein, language cannot be founded upon something more primordial than language itself, something that has a definite origin and boundary that marks it off and yet has a magical power of pulling the entire corpus of language to come to rest on it. None of the usually proposed foundations ñ universals, physical ostension, mental images, verbal rules, nervous excitements, brain-patterns, or even forms of life, can be claimed to have a pre-linguistic or extralinguistic character that can serve as the desired origin and justification of language. Later Wittgensteinís engagement with the foundations of language is an exercise of dissolving this putative cleavage, of weaving the foundation and the founded into an indissoluble whole. In this paper we have tried to catch some glimpses of this enormous philosophical labour carried out by him the labour of flattening out the hidden depths of language (proposed by classical philosophers) into an open expanse ñ into an unimaginably rich and complex plethora of uses, ever indeterminate and ever incomplete.1 We need to start with his account of concept formation and family resemblances as an effective strategy to grapple with this vexed program of foundationalism. To say the least, it is an explicit attack on the classical foundations of language and conception ñ the eternal and timeless universals of Plato 166 ENAKSHI MITRA and Aristotle, and Merkmal definitions cased in necessary and sufficient conditions, supposedly shared by all the defined items. Wittgenstein often describes the process of concept-formation in terms of fibers ëoverlapping and crisscrossingí, ëcommon featuresí that ëappearí and ëdrop outí, features that he characterises as ëfamily-resemblancesí. (PI 66, 67) The account is often prone to certain misinterpretations, its deeper implications not always effectively worked out. We shall, however, consciously start with a minimalist interpretation of the notion of family resemblance and the ìfibre-on-fibreî account of concepts. Ironically this leaves us with a multiplicity of temporary and short-ranged features which might be called local foundations in lieu of classical ëuniversalsí. This would retain the overworn dichotomy between particulars and properties, and perhaps also a cumbrous version of the Augustinian model of concept-formation, the model that Wittgenstein has rejected both in detail and in principle. In fine, the theory of concept-formation that apparently emerges from Wittgensteinís texts will turn out to be nothing but an uninspiring dilution of the classical foundationalism. We shall attempt to work our way out of this impasse, through an extensive critique of the Augustinian model. We shall have to focus particularly on the dubious transparency of ostensive and verbal definition and the false dichotomy between simple and complex ñ the myths that forge a false cleavage between language and reality ( i.e., the foundation and the founded), ultimately claiming to bridge the two in an isomorphic relation. We hope to end this paper with a rough idea of Wittgensteinís vision of language, as to how the foundational mechanisms of ostension, rules, descriptions on the one hand and the external reality on the other penetrate into each other into an open and endless flow of uses. WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 167 The minimalist interpretation of family-resemblances It is both customary and convenient to start with the concept of games, an ingenious choice to dissipate our notion of a fixed and unitary essence lying beneath the usage of all general words. Wittgenstein cites the examples of boardgames, card-games, ball-games and Olympic games. The features we consider important in the board-games like throwing dice, moving counters on the board manifestly drop out in the card-games and others appear. These again start dropping out in ball-games. Obviously we have to look for certain other commonalties of apparently a broader range ñ like amusement, competition, winning and losing, skill and luck. Bull-fight and boxing often involving bloodshed and casualties do not satisfy the amusement condition. Moreover, the kind of amusement we find in chess drops out from noughts and crosses; another fiber ñ let it be called ëamusementí again reappears, which will again drop out from the next kind of game we come across. Winning and losing ñ the element of competition (an apparently invariable feature in all games) do not feature in patience. Considering the fact that skill in chess is so different from skill in tennis, we cannot posit skill as a recurring feature of all games. Moreover, skill in a very general sense is altogether dropped out from games like ring-a-ring-a roses. ë[W]e see a complicated network of similarities overlapping and crisscrossing: sometimes overall similarities, sometimes similarities of detailí. (PI 66) In PI 67 Wittgenstein further observes: ëAnd we extend our concept of number as in spinning a thread we twist fiber on fibre. And the strength of the fibre does not reside in the fact that some one fibre runs through its whole length, but in the overlapping of many fibresí. The talk of overlapping fibre on fibre naturally leads to the following picture most commonly used by Wittgensteinís commentators. 168 ENAKSHI MITRA ABC CDE DEF FGH g1 g2 g3 g4 Fig. 1 (Using small ëgí for games and capital letters for the overlapping features like ëamusementí, ëwinning and losingí, ëskill in chessí, ëskill in tennisí etc.) The particulars that we call ëgameí do not even share a common necessary condition, not to speak of a common sufficient condition. Nor can we construct a subset from the given set of overlapping features and claim it to be the necessary and sufficient conditions of any game whatsoever. The fibres go on overlapping in an ever-expanding horizontal line, never converging to a single point. There is also no reason to suppose that all persons start with the same set of fibres, with exactly the same sets mediating between in the same order. Different languageusers would spin concepts in different lines like ñ HFA AEB BCG CGD g1 g2 g3 g4 Fig. 2 and also in many other conceivably alternative tracks. Wittgenstein has not only challenged the notion of a unitary essence but also of a fixed essence. The process of old fibres disappearing and new fibres cropping up is one of continuous expansion, and not a permutation and combination of a pre-given finite set. Wittgenstein describes these overlapping features or fibres as ëfamily-resemblancesí. (PI 67) Large families where we can survey a number of siblings and cousins, their parents, grandparents and their offsprings together, clearly exhibit WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 169 how features like build, shape of the eyes and nose, structure of the jaws, curve of the lips, colour of the eyes, gait, temperament, etc., overlap and crisscross in the same way. None of the above features at any point can be attributed to all the members in common. Thus though starting with the instance of game, Wittgenstein privileges the case of family as well, as an exemplary case to understand how other concepts, i.e., concepts other than game too, are spun through overlapping and crisscrossing fibres, and not on the basis of a putative set of necessary and sufficient conditions. And a family expands for ever, its new members continually being born, and old members passing away, generating new features to be added to the network and old features dying out. Since Wittgenstein warns us not to think that there must be a singular identity behind all uses of general words and instead wants us to ëlook and seeí, we cannot now just stop with two examples ñ we have to examine some simple and familiar concepts, specially those which unlike ëgameí, and ëfamilyí, do seem to have an essence in common. To take the example of ëgoldí ñ a neat, scientific concept, dressed up in a complete set of necessary and sufficient conditions.2 A definite spectral line, a certain atomic number (79), a certain atomic weight, a characteristic odour, a certain degree of malleability, a certain melting point, and entering into certain chemical combinations and not others. Suppose something occurred with the same atomic number but was not yellow but purple, not malleable, had a different melting point, and produced a different series of spectral lines. Many chemists who take the atomic number itself to be the sole defining characteristic still call it gold. Others who consider each of the above conditions to be necessary cannot call it by the same name ñ a position rather dubious in view of the fact that an isotope has a different weight from that normally characterising the element, yet chemists call it ëXí (X, but an isotope of X), as long as it has other 170 ENAKSHI MITRA characteristics of X. And we can stretch our imagination a little further to the emergence of different metals, each with a different set of ëgoldishí fibers, overlapping and crisscrossing, but not a single fiber commonly running through all of them. Conceived in this way one cannot rule out the possibility of newer and newer samples of gold with newer and newer fibers, hitherto unrecorded. This is one reason why one cannot posit a ëdisjunctive propertyí shared in common by all particulars of the same name ñ whatever fibers you may have incorporated in that disjunctive set, you cannot ever put a last member. On the other hand, speaking of such common properties a disjunctive set with an indefinite number of elements ñ is only ëplaying with wordsí. ëOne might just as well say: ìSomething runs through the whole thread ñ namely the continuous overlapping of those fibersîí. (PI 67) These are the kinds of philosophical sophistries that we find parodied in nonsense prose like Alice in Wonderland, where the King, hearing that Alice knew nothing whatever about a theft, noted down ëNothing Whateverí as a very important evidence.3 With a little stretch of imagination we can even dispense with a common starting point ñ a minimal necessary condition of something being a sample of gold ñ viz. itís maintaining a definite size at a given time, its availability to stable and continued perception etc. Such conjectures are designed not to evoke a sense of amusement or perverse excitement, but to break through a certain fetishised notion of conception, understanding and communication. To have a concept (that is, to identify a group of particulars as falling under it), or to understand the meaning of the relevant term, or to communicate that meaning to others, we need not and cannot have a precise set of defining characteristics ready at hand, that once for all sets the mind at rest. Besides, redefining a term ëfor a special purposeí (PI 69) virtually puts the word out of circulation, i.e., out of general use, leaving a few exceptional circumstances. Suppose we want WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 171 to re-define the length of the corridor in our university department (which we know to be X meters), in terms of how many paces it takes to walk through. For this ëspecial purposeí we define one pace as 75 centimeters and match up the two definitions as X meters = Y paces (PI 69). But apart from serving this very special purpose it cannot be made to put an absurd demand on everybodyís pace to measure up exactly to 75 centimeters every time they walk, thus making the very concepts of ëpaceí and ëwalkí unusable. Delimiting, loosening, adding or dropping fibres, shuffling or reshuffling, whether conscious or unconscious, idiosyncratic or pragmatic, has a significant sociological dimension4. This becomes specially palpable when a person or a particular community, under the influence of specific needs, interests, or of a particular history, culture, or physiology, may identify same objects (i.e., what other people call ësameí object) under different concept. Secondly, he / they can identify ëdifferentí objects (i.e., what other people call ìdifferentî objects) under the ësameí concept. A very interesting example given by Bambrough may profitably be used to clarify these points. He asks us to imagine a tribe ñ the ëSouth Sea Islandersí, whose island is thickly clad with a rich variety of trees, and for whom trees are of greatest importance in their life and work5. Their ways of classifying trees do not conform to the botanistsí principle of classification. They do not classify trees as orange trees, date-palms or cedars, but as ëhouse-building treesí, ëboatbuilding treesí, or in terms of their height, thickness, or maturity ñ features that are specially relevant to the necessities of their life. Here of course as in all other cases, the botanist identification of, say, ëmango treeí and the islanderís classification of ëboat-building treesí work, not with a unitary essence, but with overlapping fibres. But while the botanistsí fibers of classification either go undetected, or are deemed irrelevant by the islanders, similar charges will apply to us or the botanist. The South-sea islander assimilates 172 ENAKSHI MITRA the same trees (say mango) under different concepts; say one mango tree he calls a boat-building tree, another mango tree he classifies under house-building trees, and so on. On the other hand, he also assimilates different trees (mango, pine, and oak) under the same concept of a boat-building tree. At any point of time, an existing network of concepts is already invaded, or rather made intricate, by more and more tracks and features. It should be clear that the fibers do not only move through a horizontal track of time, jumping from tree1 to tree2 , from preceding moments to successive ones. There is, as already stated, a complicated network of fibres that both overlap and crisscross, a network that has no point of origin, where games cannot be numbered in an ordinal series of 1, 2, 3, . . . , and each individual at any moment is a crosssection of many fibres simultaneously crossing over each other. The following figure may be taken as a rough indication of what this network is like and how it expands: Fig. 3 Here again we take ëgí for individual games, houses or trees (this time without being numbered); A, B, C as features; and the dotted lines as some of the possible modes of expansion. g g g g g RUV RQD FGE ARE ABC ESU g WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 173 We do not always have to imagine a remote island with a remote way of life to appreciate the diverse modes of concept formation. Modern society with its widely ramified professions, technologies, and industries, offer ample examples on the issue. Animals are divided in one way by the zoologist, another by fur-industry, still in another way by the leather-industry. Houses are identified in one way by the architect, in another way by the gas-inspector, and in still another by the fire-department. We may now concentrate on more unfamiliar examples cited by Wittgenstein himself on different modes of concept formation. In RFM V 42, he imagines a person or a group of persons who observe a surface only as coloured red, white, and blue, and does not observe that it is also red. A kind of colour-adjectives were used for things that are partially red, partially blue, and partially white ñ they are said to be ëbuí. And someone can be trained to observe that it is ëbuí, and not to observe whether it is also red, blue or white. Such a man could only report ëbuí and ënon-buí. Here Wittgenstein invites us to imagine that the ëobservation happens by means of a psychological sieve, which for example only lets through the fact that the surface is blue-white-red (the French tricolour) or that it is notí. Here the person obviously misses out the distinction between separate fibres, he assimilate the three distinct colours, red, white, and blue under one colour concept ñ ëbuí; he obfuscates the distinction between the other colours, and calls each of them as ënon-buí. Perhaps Wittgenstein is suggesting that the person is thoroughly indoctrinated in a single and indissoluble ideal of French revolution and assimilates red, white and blue under a single concept, while all other colours fall out as irrelevant. The situation is somewhat like the South sea islanders who considered three different kinds of trees ñ mango, pine, and cedar to be the same. They assimilate the separate fibres like the shape of the trunk, or the quality of the wood under the same fibre, say ëmaturityí, and identify the three different trees under the same class-name. 174 ENAKSHI MITRA It is time to take a pause and reflect a bit on this foregoing account with its rather excess of examples. Several questions prop up at this juncture. (a) Are these fibres ëcommon featuresí of a different status ñ temporary and of a smaller range, unlike the eternal and ubiquitous universals of the Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy? Unfortunately on a few occasions, Wittgensteinís phrases do provide some fuel for this kind of interpretation. ëNow pass to card games... many common features drop out, and others appear. When we pass next to ball-games, much that is common is retained, but much is lostí. (PI 66, italics mine). The metaphor of physical overlapping of one fibre on another, transferred to the context of concept formation (PI 67) may also have some misleading suggestions. On a fragmentary reading of Wittgensteinís texts the notorious ontology of common features, over and above the individuals and identically shared by them, remains unscathed. (b) Is Wittgenstein putting forth a sociological or anthropological theory of language whereby people are socially determined to hold particular sets of beliefs, by selecting / rejecting, permuting/ combining from a repertoire of real features given out there? To put it more precisely, Wittgensteinís account might give the impression that there are bare featureless identities in the shape of either bare particulars or bare universals that can only be named, and these form the primordial and presocial basis of all alternative modes of description. I.e. when one conceives a chair or a tree under several alternative modes one is only combining these bare identities in various combinations.6 A proper appreciation of Wittgensteinís view would need us to nullify each of these questions. The Augustinian model This myth of detachable common identities, whether eternal or temporary, one or many, all-pervasive or restricted, is appended with another myth ñ the Augustinian model in which all language, all signs are supposed to work. According WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 175 to this model or theory each sign reaches out to its corresponding object in reality, which is its reference, and stamps a label on it. Laying out the basic points of the theory we shall find that most classical theories of language adhere to it in principle, in spite of their internal differences7: (a) Linguistic expressions can be roughly divided into proper names and common-names (descriptions). Proper names pick out unique individuals, common names like ëtableí pick out definite properties like tablehood etc. from among other properties. While for Plato, the word ëTableí picks out an Ideal Tablehood from the third realm, for Aristotle it refers to a property immanent in all individual tables in the mundane world. (b) While for Russell proper names pick out bare particulars and universals directly, for Frege they need the mediation of a definite property uniquely belonging to that individual, for reaching out to their corresponding reference.8 (c) For the British empiricists too the sign ëtableí would either be the name of an abstract mental image or a logically abstractable essence, or on the most noncommittal Nominalist version, it would still name ñ not a single individual, but a single group of individuals arbitrarily selected, which professedly do not share any common characteristics. (d)Words pin down their meanings either directly, or through physical ostension, mental image, silent speech, or verbal rules phrased in definite descriptions. The crux of the Augustinian model that Wittgenstein seeks to dismiss is the mutual externality of language and reality ñ an idea which all the above schools of philosophy share in common. If one wishes to graft the model into a sociological theory of language, the theory would roughly come to this: All levels of identification ñ whether it is identifying a bare particular or a bare property are pre-social; it is at the level 176 ENAKSHI MITRA of permuting/ combining, selecting/ rejecting from the real features that the process of socio-cultural conditioning comes into play. Wittgensteinís Critique of the Augustinian model A short exposition of Wittgensteinís reactions to the supposed sanctity of verbal rules will be an effective prelude to this critique extensive in its purview and graphically detailed in its analysis. Failure of verbal definitions Can a common name say, ëdogí including the term ëquadrupedí in its standard definition, be able to hook on unfailingly to a single, detachable feature of fourleggedness commonly shared by all the dogs? We have to detail out our definitions, introduce sharper rules in terms of the specific shape of the legs, the structure of the bones, the texture of the hair on its legs, in order to demarcate the fourleggedness, say of a Dalmatian from that of a Doberman. But even then, the respective bones Dalmatian1 and Dalmatian2 may have different kinds of dents or undulations, the texture of the hair in their legs may have different degrees of smoothness or varying shades of colour The bonestructures of Dalmatian1 and Dalmatian2 have to be further analysed and specified as being similar in respect of another feature or identity, say a common angle of bent at the midjoints, which again when shown to exhibit further individual variations has to be analysed and specified to be similar in respect of another identity, say ëYí. Whatever rules we may specify, however we may detail out the features of similarity, words will lead to words and to further words. This often gives the impression that while reality itself is neat, round, and smoothly bounded, it is language that is inadequate to capture reality. Language is full of holes, cracks and crevices, whatever words we use to plug these holes and cracks, WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 177 themselves have fresh cracks ñ and so on. This way of looking at things have naturally led philosophers to rely on ostensive definitions as the last resort. Failure of Ostensive Definitions It is with very simple examples that ostensive definitions start losing their sanctity. Pointing to a pencil, I may say ëThis is toveí (BB p 2) (Wittgenstein deliberately chooses a fictitious word which does not have a lexical meaning). This ostensive definition can be variously interpreted to mean: This is pencil This is round This is wood This is one This is hard, etc. This is the angle of light To go back to our example of Dalmatians, how can I point to their common coat apart from the individual spot-patterns that each Dalmatian has? How can I point to the common texture of their hair apart from the varying degree of softness or roughness? Suppose there are two or more Dalmatians sitting in a sun-room, in different positions and postures, the sun falling at different angles, and making a different filigree of light and shade on the body of each. How will an ostensive procedure be able to cut out their common Dalmatian coat, except perhaps by being backed up by such phrases like ìDo not look at the size, shape, number, or configuration of black spots, just note that the dogs are all white with black spots?î ìDo not look at the light and shade effect on their body; just feel the texture of their hair.î Now is there only one way of taking the words ëcolourí, ëlengthí, or ëtextureí, ëblack and white spotsí, ëcoatí, or ëhairí? (PI 29). To take ëcolourí for instance, I point to a transparent green glass on the table and then to the same glass painted 178 ENAKSHI MITRA in a picture on the wall, and say ëThis colour is greení. What do I mean by ëcolourí in this case? Do I mean the colour in the transparency, or the opaque green as painted on a wooden door or as a pigment on the palette? On the first alternative, the colour of the green glass and that of the painted glass will not be the name, for it is the complex of colour-patches that depicts the glass in the picture that is its colour. The second alternative too has no greater prospect of presenting a pure opaque green colour as a single object of ostension. (Remarks on Colour, I 18) Colour takes different dimensions, depths and hue depending on the thing that has the colour and depending on its environment; one cannot find a self identical saturated sample of green, or white that can be captured by ostension. As Wittgenstein observes in ROC I 61, ëWe are inclined to believe the analysis of our colour concepts would lead ultimately to the colours of places in our visual field, which are independent of any spatial or physical interpretation; for here there is neither light nor shadow, nor highlight, etc., etc. ...í Of the two Dalmatians, I may see one as being white with black spots, and the other black with white spots, putting black and white alternatively in the background and foreground. Lights falling on their body at different angles and different intensity will produce tonal variations of white and grey on the different parts of the body. There will be intractable variations if the light happens to filter through curtains of different colours. Difference in the sitting postures, movement of muscles too cause subtle redistribution of shades. A painter who depicts each of these dogs in his characteristic posture and position with the individual light and shade pattern of his body, has to use a different combination of colours on his palette for each of them. The ostensive definition along with the explanatory phrase ìLook at the common white and black coatî will be of little help to him. Similar remarks would apply to the alternative modes of identification with even stronger force. How would the WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 179 islander pick out the characteristic feature of the boatbuilding trees, say, the maturity of wood, girth of the trunk in isolation from the colour of the wood, its thickness or texture? To take Wittgensteinís own example in PI 47, how can one alternately point to two exclusive features of the tree ñ first to its broken outline composed of straight bits and then to the complexity of its colours? Any ostensive technique that may be adopted would lead to words, and words to further ostension, and neither can be privileged as the originary foundation. Opacity of Acts of Ostension The myth of bare particulars or of self-identical detachable features out there in reality, waiting to be captured by proper names, needed another myth of there being uniform acts of putting labels on to each of these entities. On this view, each of the acts identifying colour as opposed to shape, or shape as opposed to number or the angle of light exhibits a characteristic essence. It just needs a little introspection to expose the absurdity of such suppositions. We sometimes attend to the colour by putting our hand up to keep the outline from view, or by not looking at the outline of the thing; sometime by staring at the object and trying to remember where we saw the colour before. We identify the shape sometimes by screwing up our eyes so as not to see the colour clearly, and in many other ways. And even if there were a characteristic process of attending to the shape ñ say, following the outline with oneís finger or eyes, this by itself would not constitute what we call identifying the shape in contrast to its colour. (PI 33) It is weirder to talk of a single act of identifying the common black and white coat of a Dalmatian ñ an act which brushes away the variant effects of light and shade, variant sizes and shapes and configurations of their spots. Can it possibly be by screwing our eyes to have a blurred image of black and white, which will, so to speak abstract from individual variations in colour and spot-patterns? 180 ENAKSHI MITRA Such a blurred image which has rather stronger potentials to throw out similarity-relations in numerous directions has still less chance of catching a single detachable correlate. Wittgenstein had further argued in PI 85 ñ ëDoes the sign-post leave no doubt open about the way I have to go? Does it shew which direction I am to take when I have passed it; whether along the road or the footpath or cross-country? But where is it said which way I am to follow it; whether in the direction of its finger or (e.g.) in the opposite one? ñ And if there were not a single sign-post, but a chain of adjacent ones or of chalk-marks on the ground ñ is there only one way of interpreting them?í There is not a single way of interpreting a single act of pointing with the finger. I cannot only read in the direction of the wrist to finger, or from the finger to the wrist, but also in the direction in which his knuckles move (i.e., upwards) ñ the direction in which a sliver of sunlight falls on his palms, or even the direction in which the hair stands on his arms. And whatever corrective techniques he may adopt ñ rubbing his knuckles, flattening out the bristles of his hair, patting my back every time I do it in the ërightí way, putting a cross in the ëwrongí direction ñ all these pictures are again available to innumerable ways of reading. All ostensive procedures of identification are pictures that are ruptured from within, they disseminate into an unending flow of more and more words, and more and more pictures. Failure of inner ostension For the Augustinians, the fact that verbal language and gesture-language fail to capture a unique meaning only shows that we need something stronger, something ëdeeperí or ëinnerí, to effect the correlation between the word and its self-identical meaning. They find it in the mental imageries and internal acts of ëmeaningí or ëunderstandingí. For them, while physical icons or acts of ostension may miss WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 181 its target a mental ostension gets unfailingly hooked on its unique meaning. Here the Augustinians are obviously saddled with a mental picture as a ësuper-likenessí or a super-picture which makes it an image of this and of nothing else. (PI 389) They need to appreciate the fact that like the physical picture, a mental picture too, say of a white dog-skin with black spots can be read in many different ways, it cannot by itself get hooked on to its unique meaning-entity, the unique Dalmatian coat, so to speak. Nor is there a mental act of meaning or intending as a conscious process running concurrently with the physical process of speaking. It may at best reduce to an array of unspoken words, mouthed silently, which plainly cannot have any magical quality to perform a feat that a physically uttered sentence cannot. We cannot hold up a single act or occurrence ñ whether mental or physical ñ a characteristic ëfeelingí of meaning, a sincere tone of voice, or an earnest facial expression ñ as a plausible agent to do the trick. Reference and Meaning: A Grammatical Interplay It might be objected that the foregoing account shows a failure of various devices in fixing meaning, not a failure of ostensive definition in fixing reference. Pointing or ostending, which by its very nature pins down a simple object, cannot possibly pin down a complex property, a configuration or arrangement of simples. Features like common texture of hair, degrees of softness or roughness, broken outline composed of straight bits, arrangement of colour-patches, girth of wood, maturity of trunk, (marks of a tree alluded to in a previous section) are on ultimate analysis configuration of simples that are duly available to sophisticated version of ostension (say Russellian acquaintance.) To whatever extent Wittgenstein may experiment with deviant modes of conception, he can at best introduce newer and newer 182 ENAKSHI MITRA modes of configuration; he cannot outgrow the logical demands of ultimate simples underlying all possible modes of deviance. The way Wittgenstein breaks through this classical divide between reference and description may be condensed under the following points: i) The difference between reference and description consists in an interactive play ñ where the referring game is the mere preparatory move (like putting pieces on the board) and descriptions comprise of more elaborate and complex activities. ii) However, learning the games of referring are by no means achieved through a transparent encounter with putatively given objects. This simple or elementary character of the referring games is relative ñ relative to that particular simple/complex interplay in which it is embodied. The elementary move of referring in one game can figure as quite a sophisticated and complex move of description in another game. iii) In other words simplicity and complexity are not absolute in Wittgensteinís philosophy. The constant metamorphosis of simple into complex and vice versa also breaks through the claims of unique analysis and ultimate terminus of analysis popularized in logical atomism. iv) Thus reference is constructed in and through the uses, the referred object does not pre-exist as a given chunk to make the referring use possible We shall try to argue that even within each of these naming-describing interplays the reference never pre-exists but fleshes out in and through each description. Wittgenstein points out that the Augustinian model of reference and description stands on a par with taking each letter of a script to stand for a particular sound, or as signs of emphasis or marks of punctuation. On this conception the particular language or script turns out to be merely a WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 183 description of sound-patterns along with their various modes of intonation and punctuation. Or to take another example: a person completely innocent of the intricate mechanism of a locomotive will equate all the levers ñ the switch, crank, brake, pump with their external projections jutting out from various parts of the cabin and all looking alike.( PG 20, also PI 4) So far as the builderís assistant simply fetches specific building materials viz. slab, blocks etc., at the call of the builder ( PI 2), so far as he does not know how to operate with the inner structure or composition of each of the building stones, or to integrate them into a continuous structure, he is at the rudiments of the entire process of building. The operations of all these persons will not go beyond passive assortments of the parts (of language, machine or the building). Wittgenstein himself has mentioned these games as referringñgames along with a few others: i. The teacher utters the words in the course of ostensive teaching, pointing alongside to the relevant objects. ( PI 6) ii. The teacher calls out names like ëchairí, ëtableí, ëplateí, ësofaí, ëchessboardí and the child is taught to touch the relevant object. (We construct this game on the model of the above.) iii. One memorises words and their meanings. (PI 47) iv. A word is uttered and the subject is asked to recall the image of the corresponding object. (PI 6) v. Putting pieces on the board before playing. (PI 49) The point of these examples is to harp on the preparatory or rudimentary character of reference vis a vis the complex activity of description with the all important reminder that they are not preparations for a passive combination into descriptions. Thus the flaw in the Augustinian model of language is exposed to be on the same footing with such 184 ENAKSHI MITRA theories that envisage language-speaking or other activities as comprising of two primary functions ñ first the elementary move of gathering materials, and second, the act of passively assorting these inert chunks. It is strange why Wittgenstein seems to be quite content in characterizing the Augustinian model of language as merely an error of omission. ëAugustine, we may say, does describe a system of communication; only not everything that we call this language is this system...it is appropriate, but only for this narrowly circumscribed region... .í It is like defining ëgameí as consisting in moving objects about on a surface according to certain rules, thus restricting oneself only to board-games leaving out the others.(PI 3, also see 2, 4. ) In PG 19, (p. 57) he qualifies the simplicistic nature of Augustinian model: ëSo it could be said that Augustine represents the matter too simply; but also that he represents something simpler.í The first move would be like restricting oneself only to say, board-games, the second move would be like stopping short at putting pieces in the board. It is quite evident that these game of putting the pieces on board, fetching building materials, linking each letter with only denoting a sound in so far as they have no tendency to move to the actual steps of playing, to the intricate stages of construction, or to using a set of signs as representing not sound-patterns but full-bodied reality they cannot even be called simpler games in any sense. The simplicity of these so-called simple moves can only be appreciated in so far as they do not remain as truncated fragments but are seen as incorporated into the full-fledged games. And the way the simple is incorporated into the complex, or reference is incorporated into description is obviously not through a passive assortment but in a dynamic interplay of an extremely complex nature. To grow out of this passive assortment or linear combination-model is to grow out of the absolute distinction of the simple and the complex and purportedly unique WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 185 modes of analysis popularized by Logical Atomism.(PI 4649) A chair can be seen as made of bits of wood, or of atoms and molecules, or (normally) as composed of a back-rest and seat propped up on four legs, or as a unitary design resisting any analysis (PI 47). The visual image of this tree can be looked upon as a complex of colour patches, or as a broken outline composed of straight bits. A curved line can be said to be composed of an ascending segment and a descending segment. A chessboard is normally seen as a unique composition made out of thirty two white and thirty two black squares. But we can also see it as colours black and white and a schema of squares. There is no inherent simplicity in the respective elements of each mode of complexity, say, of the chessboard. ëIs the colour of a square of a chessboard simple, or is it composed of pure white and pure yellow? And is white simple or does it consist of colours of the rainbow? Is this length 2 cm simple or does to consist of 1 bit 3 cm long and one bit 1 cm long measured in the opposite direction?í (PI 47). ëIs it unimaginable for someone to see the group | | | | | (e.g.) as the group | | || | | with the two middle strokes fused, and should accordingly count the middle stroke twice? (True, it is not the usual case)í (RFM I 168). ëThe question ìIs what you see composite?î makes good sense if it is already established what kind of complexity that is, which particular use of the word is in question.í Asking ìIs the object composite?î outside a particular language-game is like asking whether the verb ëto sleepí meant something active or passive. (PI 47). The phenomenon of seeing a tree for example in different ways can be accounted for in two ways: Either we are baptising the entire tree say by the proper name ëTerryí in which case ëTerryí can internalize its reference in so many different ways (two of which we have already cited). On the other hand we can also say that we are not baptising the tree, but baptising each of its so-called elements. To take another example: Suppose there are some squares of different 186 ENAKSHI MITRA colours like red, green, white and black arranged like a chessboard. We can have the words, R, G, W, B corresponding to these squares and a sentence say ëRRBGGGRWWí describing an arrangement of this sort (PI 48). Here the sentence above is a complex of names and thus a description of the configuration of the squares. But none of the squares which figure as names in this usage is inherently simple, in other language-games each of them can be said to be a composite, consisting perhaps of two rectangles, colours and shapes. Thus what is a name ëRí in this context, may well be a description or a sentence describing the configurations of two rectangles, in another context. To say that we cannot define or describe certain elements but simply name them will only mean a limiting case where a complex consists of one square. Here its description seems to give the illusion of being the name of the colored square. Similarly the above expression RRBGGGRWW can embody a preparatory referring move in a game where the entire figure taken as a single unit enters into certain relations or interactions with other similar figures. Adopting this track of argument it will be easy to appreciate that the block, pillars, slabs etc. can be looked upon as a complex of colour-patches (where the sub-atomic cohesion into a hard impenetrable chunk is kept out of the purview), or as pattern of light and shade, and so on. So the builderís assistant in playing out the referring game of fetching the building-blocks in the customary fashion is only exercising a simplicity that is relative in at least two senses. First, playing this referring-game the assistant is already R R B G G G R W W WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 187 embedded (though in an imperfect and incomplete fashion)into the activity of building which opts out of the other two kinds of games just mentioned. Playing the referring ñ games in the other two modes for instance would have incurred different modes of activity ñ scraping it into layers of different chromes and lumping them together in a single compact pile, and placing each block in the same relative position with the sun and the shadow. (These referring games will throw up the more complex games of descriptions say of comparing two stones in terms of the variety of shades that each comprises of, or uniting one light and shade pattern with another.) On similar lines, the customary referring game of the builderís assistant can be recast into an appreciably complex, sophisticated and elaborate game of description the assistant taking note of how each utterance of the builder hits on his ears, tracing the movement of his limbs in lifting the slab, the configuration of his arms and the building materials, pattern of muscular tension in carrying the materials. Such activities form the assumed backdrop and not the substantial content of the referring game played by the assistant. As Strawson9 pointed out, stating that one is making a referring use or stating the conditions under which he is making it, forms no part of the significance of referring-games. However, when the simple game of the assistant is recast in a complex game of describing (in the manner indicated), some suitably simple move of referring ( i.e. referring to oneís limbs, muscles, etc) crops up to even the balance. The relation between reference and description is a pattern of contrastive interplay where though there is a constant switch-over of roles, it perhaps never permits a disturbance in the basic requirement of a dual tension. One can undertake similar exercises of transforming the other games of referring narrated in (i) to (v) into descriptions and thus recasting the pattern of each simple-complex interplay. 188 ENAKSHI MITRA Reference as ëShowní in multiple fashions Reference turns out not to be a singular pre-semantic encounter with a simple object lying out there, nor is meaning or understanding achieved by a compact set of statements drawing from the supposed transparency of verbal rules and definite descriptions. Both these phenomena spread out in a plethora of linguistic and non-linguistic activities, spilling over the present to ëa variety of actions and experiences of different kinds before and afterí. (BB p. 145 and also PI 35). We have seen that while with reference these activities recede to the background, meaning spreads out in explicit statements and explanations. Wittgenstein says that the referring game of ostension cannot take off unless the ëoverall role of the word in language is clearí. (PI 30) One cannot offer or respond to an ostensive definition, say of a chess-piece unless one is already initiated into games, the specific variety of boardgames, the conventions of moving the pieces around the board. The sortals that often come to accompany ostensive definitions, like ëcolourí, ëshapeí, ëlengthí indeed show the ëgrammarí, the ëpost at which we station the wordí.(PI 29) But this does not imply that grammar is uniquely ëshowní as the reference presupposed by all actual and possible descriptions, in the manner that the unique and ultimate logical form of all language was claimed to be ëshowní in the Tractatus. (4.121, 4.1212, also NB p107) The later Wittgensteinís leanings towards multiple ways of shownness surface in such statements that there is no ëone way of taking the word ìcolourî or ìlengthî í, and any attempt to disambiguate them through definitions will go on ad infinitum.(PI 29) .Similarly there is no one way in which the alternative grammars of a chessboard or the tree are to be taken. Alternative or deviant grammars do not entail but themselves flesh out bit by bit through deviant descriptions just as in the case of the normal ones. WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 189 The idea of a pre-linguistic, primordial referent that foreshadows all possible descriptions is indeed hard to resist. Kripke says that baptism captures the necessary identity of a particular as originating from a particular stuff ñ the material stuff like the specific pieces of wood in case of a table, and the eggs and sperms of the parents in case of a human individual10. Now the question is what the referential identity of the parents is, and the gametes which according to Kripke are supposed to recur in all counterfactuals stipulated about the referent? Any attempt to pin it down by ostension or further definite description would launch a patently indefinite regress. And the identityñconditions cannot hark back on the original reference (the human individual in question) on pain of obvious circularity. This clearly shows that each renewed recognition of an individual as the same reference of the proper name is not linear addition to the given transworld identity; rather each preceding stage of the individual is reshaped and enriched by the subsequent ones11. Equipped with these fresh insights we can now venture a more imaginative treatment of PI 66. The examples of ëgamesí and ëfamilyí were strategically deployed to show how the phenomenon of external ruptures gives way to internal ruptures. Let us recall the statement: ëLook at the parts played by skill and luck; and at the difference between skill in chess and skill in tennis.í It does not merely show how a property viz. skill gets replaced by the property of luck, or how the property of ëskill in chessí drops out to make way for ëskill in tennisí, but how the property of skill itself breaks open to dissolve the very dichotomy between a property and a particular, i.e., between description and reference. This is another way to see similarity or resemblance in a new light ñ not as grounded upon non-relational ërespectsí or features or identities that foreshadow different routes of similarityrelations. To learn the reference or meaning of a particular word, through ostension or definition, one has already gone 190 ENAKSHI MITRA through a vast, complicated and indefinite network of relations ñ similarity relations without a non-relational respect. Shorn of these ërespectsí, i.e., ostensible common features, and also of unique and unfailing acts of ostension, the concepts used in our language, as well as the concept of language itself turn out to be a motley of language-games, behaviours and practices, without any common structure or content. ëInstead of producing something common to all that we call language, I am saying . . . that they are related to one another in many different ways. It is because of this relationship, or these relationships, that we call them all ìlanguageîí. (PI 65) The italic emphasis on ërelatedí is indeed designed to wean us away from the non-relational identity, the foundational core of relations. Failure of measurement as ostending to a quantitative identity Do all these reference/description patterns rest on a uniform quantitative boundary? Is there a single chunk of an object on which we play out all these modes of simplecomplex interactions? Wittgensteinís examples on various modes of simplicity (and the further contrivances we have attempted in those lines) seek to swerve from such constraints. Yet some of Wittgensteinís statements in connection with the teaching of words like ëslabí are a bit problematic: ëThis ostensive teaching of words can be said to establish an association between the word and the thingí... [I]t may mean various things: but one very likely thinks first of all that a picture of the object comes before the childís mind when he hears the word.í(PI 6, italics mine) Also in the course of dissipating any putative essence shared by the acts of ostension, Wittgenstein says: ëOnly think how differently we learn the use of words ìto point to this thingî, ìto point to that thingî, and on the other hand ìto point to the colour, not the shapeî, ìto mean the colourî and so on.í (PI 35) Is Wittgenstein dismissing a global essence supposedly WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 191 shared by all acts of ostension (pointing to things, colour, shape etc.) at the cost of admitting a local essence shared by all acts of pointing to a thing? Does this mean that pointing to one thing as distinct from others harks back on a readily available quantitative chunk of an object which is absent in pointing to colours or shapes? Now we may argue that instead of suggesting a quantitative identity easily available for reference Wittgenstein is suggesting that the numerical identification of things is not simply given, but a game we have to learn through an elaborate ostensive programming. One cannot point to a piece in a game as a piece in a game, similarly one cannot point to a thing as a countable object numerically distinct from another through a single and transparent act of ostension. Nor can reference be determined through measurement. A little reflection will show that a measuring scale fares no better than physical or inner ostension. Any attempt to pin down a fixed originary moment of complete identification ñ be it with ostension, or rational intuition, or measurement ñ will produce an endless regress of origins. In the first place let us recall that to identify an object say as ëblueí through ostension, we must already have identified it as having some feature, coloured, shaped, or hard, etc. Similarly to put the measuring scale against the object one needs to identify the two points within which the object lies, i.e., to have already determined its quantity. Secondly, we also need to identify the beginning and end-point of the measuring scale, which cannot be further decided by another scale without repeating the problem. Similarly we also need to conceptualise the ostensive procedure itself ñ as an act of pointing with the finger, or a movement of the eye-ball, or a mental image. Thirdly, the comparison between the measuring device and the measured object can no more be decided by measurement, than the comparison between the ostender and the ostended be decided by ostension. Whether the act of pointing be matched up with the table 192 ENAKSHI MITRA lying in the direction of the finger, or with the bed lying in the direction of the wrist, or whether the mental image of the ashtray be matched up with purple colour of the actual ashtray lying in front, or with its oval shape, cannot be passed over to further ostensious. Measurement too would involve at least two more identifications ñ (a) Coinciding the left end of the object with that point of the scale from which the markers begin, and (b) Determining the two marks of the scale between which the right end of the object lies.12 Thus the limits of an object, the coincidence of points, their relative position ñ in short reference ñ is presupposed and not decided by measurement. It seems that Wittgenstein does not want to retain the quantitative identity of the thing on which the different games are built, or the different modes of understanding are effected. Rather it may reasonably be held that his view of the dialectic interplay between the simple and complex also breaks through absolute distinction between the small and the large ñ of determinate quantitative boundaries where the large is supposed to be built out of the small static units through a process of linear addition. Wittgenstein points out that expressions like ëdivision of a line by a point outside ití, and ëcomposition of forcesí clearly show that sometimes we tend to look upon a greater area as composed by a division of the smaller and a smaller area as composed of greater area. (PI 48) The second example brings an interesting analogy between matter and meaning into play. Neither matter nor meaning should be looked upon as a composite, tightly packed up with hard little balls or absolute, simple elements. Matter is to be conceived as a swarm of electrical particles, widely separated from each other and rushing about in great speed ñ thus creating a network or field of forces. The particles are not inert little balls, resting smugly in an equally inert, external and empty space. They are forces which can be said to occupy space only by buffeting away anything that tries to enter. Thus they are not in space, WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 193 they create space, they are space. And in this sense they create a ëcomposition of forcesí, where the smaller area can be said to be composed out of greater areas. One cannot look upon matter or meaning as assorted out of smaller elements inertly adding up to progressively larger ones, for the smaller can only be understood as exploding into or creating bigger space. Reference does not hark back on an inert, simple quantitative identity underlying all modes of descriptions; but the way in which that putative identity is invaded by its other ñ the space of description. Language, Behaviour and Reality What we have been trying to appreciate is that reference, meaning and understanding consist in a plethora of activities, which cannot be conceived in any fashion unless they are seen to incorporate the reality into themselves, very much in the same fashion as the mechanisms of a locomotive absorb their seemingly external projections. (PG 20, PI 4) The acts of uttering marks, writing signs or moving oneís limbs traditionally presuppose an immaculate object waiting out there to be somehow linked, manipulated or maneuvered by these acts. The Nyaya-Vaisesikas conceive behaviour or actions as a cause of conjunction or disjunction ñ say the act of my walking away from this room to the next causes a disjunction from one part of space and conjunction with another part13 (space figuring as an eternal and allpervading substance for this school). On this theory behaviors or actions are envisaged as bridges conjoining the agent with the object ñ the two entities lying external to each other. For Wittgenstein on the other hand behaviour does not connect signs with the signified by making a bridge through a supposed empty space in between. We have to appreciate how it constructs the sign and the signified into a new space. Conceiving the chair and my body in the normal fashion amounts to bridging them up in the usual way ñ sticking out 194 ENAKSHI MITRA my limbs to it or fixing a plank between the two. But if I conceive a chair as an amalgamation of pieces bereft of its normal function it may be loosened up into a horizontal chain reaching up to my body. Again to conceive the chair as an assortment of streaks or colour-patches is to create another new space ñ a spread of wooden strips, each with a different streak or a different shade. Conceiving both my body and the chair as certain designs or as composition of forces will invoke newer bridges creating newer spaces. Indeed to build a bridge literally between the two banks of the river is to carve out a new space, it does not fill up the supposed empty space yawning between the two pre-given banks so to speak. The new space that our bridge creates serves our purpose best, but it has no theoretical power to block other constructs. The multiple ways of bridging do not follow from a specific conception of the object, but in each case the object is fleshed out in and through the bridge. The next step is to realize how the non-linguistic behaviours ( absorbing our body and objects into a new space) get sophisticated and extended into linguistic behaviours, viz. the action of uttering sounds by different parts of our speech-organ. Dead phonemes and their combinations do not constitute language, it is the active utterances of these sounds, the movement of the speechorgan, movement of facial muscles, gestures with our eyes and limbs ñ all imbued with images and feelings ñ that our non-linguistic behaviours extend to. Once language is seen as an extension of non-linguistic behaviours it can be seen as internalizing reality in the way behaviours do. Initially it will be easier to trace out pain-language as an extension of pain-behaviour before we can readily appreciate language in general as an extension of nonlinguistic behaviours. Pain-expressions are neither names nor descriptions of pain-sensations delinked from common public space with common public coordinates. Any expression purporting to name, directly or indirectly (i.e., WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 195 through an intermediary of a private description) a private referent i.e., a private feeling of pain has to invoke words from the public vocabulary i.e., use a public bridge or link to the putatively private sensation. But a private feeling claimed to reside on the other side of the public bridge cannot retain its professed privacy. Thus pain-behaviors, whether overt or covert, are not external manifestations, but exhaust the entire substance of our ëinnerí feelings and emotions ñ nothing of our inner world remains as an irreducibly pure content untouched by actual behaviors. (PI 243-315)14 We deliberately refrain from invoking ëpossibleí behaviours in this context for a sensation resting on unrealized possibility of behavioural manifestation lapses into the same absurdity Wittgenstein is trying to avoid. This view also steers clear of the behaviourist position and demonstrates pain-language as not a description, but an extension of pain-behaviour. Interestingly behaviorism itself turns out to be a version of the Augustinian model taking signs and physical behaviours as mutually external ñ words being names of behavioral items, which are combined into sentences or descriptions. Further, behaviourism itself fails to make the desired connection between language (the word ëpainí) on the one hand and pain-behaviours on the other (the purported meaning of signs.) The bridge of physical ostension which for the behaviourists is the only resource available, does not withstand the critique of Augustinian model. For Wittgenstein, language does not name or describe behaviour but itself is behaviour, it does not represent meaning but is itself the meaning. This equation of language and behaviour will be patently opposed to the Fregean standpoint where understanding or speaking is to apprehend non-sensible thoughts residing in the third realm thoughts that just happen to get clothed in the sensible garb of signs. Frege will put signs, behaviours or actions as physical events in the first realm. Meaning for Frege involves an ëintention to representí (i.e., intention to 196 ENAKSHI MITRA be true of) which can conceivably belong only to thought. Behaviours and actions cannot perform this function of meaning, it is the thought viz. ëThese behaviours and actions represent this reality (truly or falsely)í that needs to be invoked to account for meaning and communication.15 For Wittgenstein on the other hand, there are no preinterpretive and absolute ëthoughtsí in the third realm that enters into the sensible garb of signs or generate the nonlinguistic behaviours. Rather it is the non-linguistic instinctive behaviours that get their sophisticated extension and replacement into the utterance of signs and sets the pattern of a thought.(Z, 541,545)16 This internal blend of language, behaviour and reality get effectively reinforced in Wittgensteinís reflections on the notion of understanding. For him understanding cannot take us from signs to extra linguistic reality (Russell), or from signs to transparent sign-independent thoughts in the third realm (Frege). Understanding is rather moving from a relatively strange set of signs to an easily surveyable symbolism.(PG p 40) In understanding a musical piece we are never expected to learn or be able to say what it is all about, what is crucially involved is rather understanding why these bars should be played in this way, why the pattern of variation of loudness should be just like this. Understanding music is translating a musical picture to a picture in another medium. Similar remarks apply to understanding a proposition which is virtually understanding a picture. (PG p 41) The difference between understanding a picture and not understanding it is internal to the picture itself. To survey these two cases of ënot understanding a pictureí a. I do not understand the pictureí. ñ I say this when I am not able to envisage the flat colours as going out of itself to represent anything. b. ëI do not understand the pictureí. I say this when WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 197 though I am able to see it in its representational aspect I am not able to identify what reality it is supposed to represent. In neither of the above cases the failure to understand the picture is the failure to go beyond the picture to an external reality. Likewise, the success in understanding the picture is also internal to the picture. Similarly the failure or success in understanding a proposition is internal to the sign-system that constitutes the proposition. (PG p 42 ) Had signs been an inessential garb of reality and understanding been a passage from one to the other, then one could easily have replaced any word in a sentence by any other. E.g. ëI see a black patch thereí can successively be replaced by a, b, c, d, e, f. ( PG p 44) The fact that we cannot make this substitution shows that the meaning of ëIí is not a piecemeal entity which previously linked with the isolated phonetic content of ëIí now needs to be linked to another sign. It shows that ëIí has spilled over its phonetic bounds to absorb other words and contexts into a full-fledged reality. As the replacement of ëIí by ëaí cannot replace these rich layers of association ë[we] cannot think the sense of the above sentence straightaway in the new expressioní. This relentless and tortuous grapple with foundations rules out all possibility of reading Wittgenstein as presenting a theory of socio-cultural relativism, where different modes of conception are different ways of permuting and combining a given set of pre-social identities. While the talk of ëcustomsí, ëinstitutionsí and ëforms of lifeí (PI 198199,205,337, RFM I-63 ) temporarily shifts the focus to sociocultural factors, they are in the long run, strategic reminders that one cannot find a starting point or origin where all explanations end, but that one can only spread out the whirl of organism in a progressively enriched and full-bodied expanse. On ultimate analysis, language, behaviour and reality 198 ENAKSHI MITRA cannot be externalized from and yet expected to entail each other through a logical mechanism. Such foundationalist ambitions may be paralleled with that of freezing the oceanwaves a moment before they break and then professing to extract the crushed expanse of the foams of its frozen reservoir. It is extremely important to realize that behaviour itself as a pure reference severed from all uses and behaviours ironically lapses into the ghostly fragment ñ an iron rod severed from the entire mechanism, ëwhen language is like an engine idling, not when it is doing work. (PI 132) While meaning cashes out into linguistic and non-linguistic behaviours, behaviour itself is not a pre-behavioral chunk given out there. Thus in fine language and behaviour forge a non-foundational blend that internalizes and does not represent the supposedly extra-linguistic reality. NOTES 1. The abbreviations used for Wittgensteinís texts are as follows: The Blue and the Brown Books (BB), Notebooks (NB), Philosophical Investigations (PI), Philosophical Grammar (PG), Remarks on Colour, (ROC), Remarks on Foundations of Mathematics (RFM), Tractatus Logico Philosophicus (TLP), Zettel (Z). 2. I have been obliged to borrow many examples from John Hospers, An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis for their wonderful variety and simplicity. 3. Lewis Caroll, Aliceís Adventures in Wonderland, Wordsworth Classics, Great Britain, 2001, p 136. 4. We shall have to submit at the end that Wittgenstein is not offering a sociological foundation of language. 5. See R. Bambrough, ëUniversals and Family Resemblanceí, George Pitcher (ed.), Wittgenstein: The Philosophical Investigations, pp. 202 ñ 203. 6. This theory is propounded by Russell in his Philosophy of Logical Atomism, Logic And Knowledge, R.C.Marsh (ed.) Routledge And New York, 1994. 7. I acknowledge the influence of Baker and Hackerís treatment of this issue (Baker and Hacker, 1980, volume 1, p. 33, p. 45 ñ 59) 8. Frege states this quite explicitly in ëSinn und Bedeutungí, ëThe Thought: A Logical Enquiryí in Michael Beaney (ed), The Frege Reader. 9. ëOn Referringí, in R. Ammerman (ed), Classics of Analytic Philosophy. 10. Naming and Necessity, Lecture III, p 112 ñ 114. WITTGENSTEIN ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE 199 11. Kripke holds that the concept of reference or reality is too rich to be specified in terms of anything else (ostension or definite description) and thus all circularities or regresses involved in specifying the identityconditions of an individual only shows the inadequacy of language in capturing reality. This view as we have noted is flatly opposed to Wittgensteinís. On the other hand, Kripkeís emphatic rejection of a tertium quid (ostension or definite description) for reaching out to reference brings him closer to Wittgenstein in certain respects. However, for Kripke the referent causes the usage of rigid designators and repeats itself as a unique transworld identity in all descriptions. For Wittgenstein on the other hand, language internalizes reference in inexhaustively different ways. 12. This analysis of measurement is derived largely from R.S. Jones, Physics as Metaphor, pp. 18 ñ 30. 13. Prasastapada Bhasyam, Part I,5. 14. I am greatly indebted to C.E.M. Dunlopís ìWittgenstein on Sensation and Seeing Asî in Synthese for the treatment of pain. 15. Frege, Gottlob, ëThe Thought: A Logical Enquiryí. 16. Norman Malcolmís article ëThe Relation of Language to Instinctive Behaviourí has helped me shape up this line of argument. BIBLIOGRAPHY Wittgenstein, Ludwig Texts Remarks on Colour, ed. G.E.M. Anscombe, (trans.: Linda. L. McAlister and Margaret Schattle), Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1950. Remarks on the Foundations of Mathematics, ed. G.H. Von Wright (trans.: G.E.M. Ascombe), Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1956. Notebooks 1914 ñ 1916, ed. G.H. Von Wright and G.E.M. Anscombe (trans.: G.E.M. Anscombe), Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1961. The Blue and The Brown Books, ed. R. Rhees, Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1975. Zettel, ed. G.E.M. Anscombe and G.H. Von Wright (trans.: G.E.M. Anscombe), Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1981. Tractatus Logico Philosophicus (trans.: C.K. Ogden), London
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A long solo blast by Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays apparently cleared the entire ballpark at Brighthouse Field. Roberto Hernandez of the Philadelphia Phillies (the former Fausto Carmona) gave up the homer in the top of the first inning. It was a sinker that didn't sink, hit a ton into a helpful wind, to make for an epic start to spring training.
Bautista has hit 152 home runs over the past four seasons, including 28 in 2013.
The Blue Jays lead 4-3 in the fifth inning, with the game being broadcast on MLB Network. It's one of six major league preseason games being played Wednesday.
Big BLS H/N: @CorkGaines on Twitter
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David Brown edits Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter!
Follow @AnswerDave
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Q:
Flex PopUpManager: How can I detect the existence of a modal popup?
My Flex 3 application has some modal dialogs displayed via the PopUpManager, but there are times when I'd like other view components to know there is popup displayed. The PopUpManager doesn't have any method for actually checking the existence of popups. Is there any other way to detect this in flash/flex without writing my own global manager?
(also systemManager.popUpChildren.numChildren == 0 even when there's a modal popup)
Cheers.
A:
I think it depends on the way you are adding the popup, check the documentation :
http://livedocs.adobe.com/flex/3/langref/mx/managers/PopUpManager.html
create or add popup takes four parameters and fourth parameter is a child list
childList:String (default = null) —
The child list in which to add the
popup. One of
PopUpManagerChildList.APPLICATION,
PopUpManagerChildList.POPUP, or
PopUpManagerChildList.PARENT
(default).
So try adding all the popup's to a particular child-list and then play around with the size of the list.
A:
In case you have no control on the popups that are created (i.e. you've got a library component that creates popups and the component has not been made by you so you cannot modify it) you can still find all the popups in the application without adding them to a specific list. If interested in a different approach, you can check my blog post at http://www.devahead.com/blog/2009/12/getting-all-the-popups-in-a-flex-application/
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The present invention relates to a method of measuring the rate of oxidation on the surface of a metal melt, especially a melt of aluminum or of an aluminum alloy.
The oxidation behavior of metal melts can be strongly influenced by dissolved metallic elements, which can be present as impurities and/or alloying components. For example, the presence of lithium or magnesium in an aluminum melt leads to an increase in the rate of oxidation.
In foundries, the oxidation of metal melts is made apparent by the formation of dross. Dross formation can become a significant cost factor as a consequence of the loss of metal which occurs. Therefore, efforts are being made to reduce the quantity of dross to a minimum. The formation of dross is decisively influenced by the rate of oxidation of the metal melt, that is, the speed with which an oxide skin forms.
The measurement of the rate of oxidation of a metal melt is usually carried out as follows: the oxide skin is removed from the melt surface at different intervals of time and, after dissolving out the metallic components, is filtered, roasted, weighed out and analyzed.
In light of the foregoing it would be highly desirable to provide a method for measuring the rate of oxidation at the surface of a metal melt and also determine the concentration in the metal melt of the elements influencing the rate of oxidation in a simple manner.
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The TM - 15 paintball marker is an excellent choice for any woodsball or mil-sim enthusiast. It's high performance body is strong, yet light enough in weight for all-day action. Equipped with features usually found on much more expensive markers, The BT TM - 15 features a true electropneumatic operating system as well as reduced sound signature for stealth firing in any of the multiple firing modes. With the standard multiple Picatinny rails, accessory options are nearly endless. Internal airline operation eliminates external hoses. Plus, front and rear sights ensure you get your shot.
Stealth Body Design Works in Conjunction with the Barrel to Reduce Sound Signature
Flip-Up Front and Rear Sights
14" Barrel with Sound Reduction Porting
Clamping Feed Elbow
Universal, Mini Style Barrel Threads
Single-Finger Trigger (Double Trigger Kit Available)
Multiple Picatinny Rails Allow for Extra Accessories
Quick-Change Battery in the Removable Magazine
Collapsible/Adjustable Rear Stock
Low Pressure Operation (200psi)
No External Hoses; Internal Airline Operation
Warning: You must be 18 or older to order this product. In ordering this product, you certify that that you are at least 18 years old and satisfy your jurisdiction's legal requirements to purchase this product. Empirepaintball.com relies on this representation in completing this sale. California Residents: This product may be mistaken for a firearm by law enforcement officers or others, and altering its color or branding the product in public may be considered a crime.
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10. Indian Legal Education vis-à-vis Legal Education in other Countries
11. Legal Education vis-à-vis other Technical/Professional Education
Call for the Papers
Research papers are invited from the academicians, political scientists, sociologists, practitioners, research scholars and students on the issues related to above mentioned sub-themes. It is also proposed that the selected papers will be published in the form of an edited book with ISBN No.
Note
Last Date for Submission of Abstracts by Post/E-mail (Softcopy): February 6, 2016.
Last Date for Submission of Full Paper February 16, 2016.
Soft Copy of the Submissions should be addressed to [email protected]. Hard Copy of the Submissions may be sent along with a CD to: The Dean, College of Law and Governance, Mody University of Science & Technology, Lakshmangarh-332311, (Rajasthan).
Details of Sessions of Colloquium will be posted on the web-site.
Spot registration is also permitted but in such case seminar kit is not guaranteed.
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Please read the memo I constructed using the previously forwarded work. You
will see that I took the opposite tactic in approving the loan as opposed to
the
original memo that recommended denial.
Read it and see if you disagree or not. As you will see, I base most of the
rationale on the pro forma 1996 financial statements. However, I kept most of
the dissenting language in the memo to highlight our reservations and/or
concerns.
My guess is that we can go either way since our beloved professor stated last
week that there is no wrong answer. However, we some of the numbers in the
spreadsheet forwarded to me, I couldn't recreate some of your stats and there
were no formulas behind the numbers. That is why I changed some of the
numbers
in the memo to reflect my calculations.
Please provide me with any feedback.
**********************************************
Mark D. Guinney, CFA
Consultant
Watson Wyatt Investment Consulting
345 California Street, Ste. 1400
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 733-4487 ph.
(415) 733-4190 fax
- Clarkson Case Memo final.doc
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INTRODUCTION {#SEC1}
============
Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is a widespread phenomenon that generates transcript isoforms with different lengths of 3′ untranslated regions (3′UTR) by recognizing different polyadenylation signals (PASs) ([@B1]). More than 70% of human genes have multiple polyadenylation sites ([@B2]). As a common post-transcriptional modification mechanism, APA events may cause the alteration of important regulatory elements, such as miRNA binding sites and RNA protein binding sites, thus impacting the stability, localization and translation rate of mRNAs ([@B3]). APA modulation has been investigated in cells, tissues and different diseases. Previous studies have shown that APA often functions in a tissue- or cell-specific manner ([@B4],[@B5]), and several APA dysregulations have been identified in human diseases ([@B6]), including cancers ([@B10]). A significant global 3′UTR shortening has been found in cancer cell lines and tumor samples, compared with normal samples ([@B11]). Another study pointed out that shortening or lengthening of 3′UTR might lead to a worse prognosis in some cancers. For example, kidney cancer samples with the shorter isoforms *TMCO7* and *PLXDC2* were found to have lower survival rates ([@B12]). However, research on the APA role and APA regulation in cancer is still at an early stage.
As the most common genetic variant, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are major contributors to the differences in human disease susceptibility ([@B13]). Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of SNPs associated with complex traits and diseases. Currently, most studies of the disease/trait-related SNPs remain at statistical level, and the biological mechanism underlying them is still largely unknown ([@B14]). Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, such as eQTL and meQTL analysis, is a method used to evaluate the effects of genetic variants on intermediate molecular phenotypes, and has been demonstrated as a powerful tool to decipher the function of SNPs and prioritize genetic variants within GWAS loci ([@B15]). Recent studies have confirmed the associations between several APA quantitative trait loci (apaQTLs) and cancer. For example, the presence of a SNP in a canonical PAS within *TP53* (AATAAA to AATACA) has been found to be highly associated with the processing of the impaired 3′ end of *TP53* transcripts and increase the susceptibility to cancers including cutaneous basal cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, glioma and colorectal adenoma ([@B20]). However, large-scale genome-wide analyses of apaQTL have rarely been reported, and no database for apaQTLs in cancer is available. Recently, Feng *et al.* have used Percentage of Distal polyA site Usage Index (PDUI) to quantify APA events for 10,537 tumor samples across TCGA 32 cancer types ([@B21]). Therefore, it is feasible to add APA as an additional dimension to the existing cancer genomic analysis.
In this study, by using the genotype and PDUI data, we developed a new computational pipeline to systematically perform apaQTL analyses across 32 cancer types. We further identified apaQTLs associated with patient overall survival time and apaQTLs located in GWAS linkage disequilibrium (LD) regions. The SNP2APA database (<http://gong_lab.hzau.edu.cn/SNP2APA/>) was constructed for browsing, searching and downloading the apaQTL data.
MATERIALS AND METHODS {#SEC2}
=====================
Collection and processing of genotype data {#SEC2-1}
------------------------------------------
We downloaded the genotype data across 32 cancer types from the TCGA data portal (<https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov/>) ([@B22]), which contained 898,620 SNPs called by Affymetrix SNP 6.0 array. We extracted 9082 samples with both genotype data and APA data available (Figure [1A](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). To increase the power for apaQTL discovery, IMPUTE2 was used to impute autosomal variants of all samples in each cancer type with haplotypes of 1000 Genomes Phase 3 as the reference panel ([@B23],[@B24]). After imputation, SNPs of each cancer type were selected in terms of the following criteria ([@B25]): (i) imputation confidence score, INFO ≥0.4, (ii) minor allele frequency (MAF) ≥5%, (iii) SNP missing rate \<5% for best-guessed genotypes at posterior probability ≥0.9 and (iv) Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium *P*-value \> 1 × 10^−6^ estimated by Hardy-Weinberg R package ([@B26]).
{#F1}
Collection and processing of data for APA events {#SEC2-2}
------------------------------------------------
To quantify dynamic APA events, we used the PDUI value as the indicator and downloaded them from The TC3A Data Portal (<http://tc3a.org/>) for 32 cancer types (Figure [1B](#F1){ref-type="fig"}) ([@B21]). PDUI value was a novel, intuitive ratio for quantifying APA events based on RNA-Seq data ([@B12]). PDUI was calculated by the number of transcripts with distal polyA site divided by the total number of transcripts with both distal and proximal polyA sites. The greater PDUI represented the more transcripts using the distal polyA site, and vice versa. For example, value 1 indicated that all transcripts of the gene used the distal polyA site, while value 0 indicated that all transcripts of the gene used the proximal polyA site. For each cancer type, APA events were selected as follows: (i) the missing rate of PDUI data \<0.1, (ii) the standard deviation of PDUI \> 5%. After filtering, an average of 4143 APA events per cancer type were included for the further analyses. To minimize the effects of outliers on the regression scores, the PDUI values of each gene across all samples were transformed into a standard normal based on rank ([@B25]).
Obtaining of covariates {#SEC2-3}
-----------------------
To improve the sensitivity in QTL analyses, we collected several known and unknown confounders as covariates for apaQTL analysis ([@B25]). We first used the smartpca in the EIGENSTRAT program ([@B27]) to perform principal component analysis (PCA) of the genotype data for each cancer type. The top five principal components in genotype data were included as covariates for correcting the ethnicity differences. We additionally used PEER software ([@B28]) to analyse the APA data and obtained the first 15 PEER factors as covariates which were used for eliminating the possible batch effects and other confounders. Finally, other common confounders such as gender, age and tumor stage ([@B25],[@B29],[@B30]), were also included as covariates for apaQTL analysis.
Identification of *cis-* and *trans*-apaQTL using MatrixEQTL {#SEC2-4}
------------------------------------------------------------
For each cancer type, we evaluated pairwise associations between autosomal SNPs and APA events through linear regression by MatrixEQTL ([@B31]), a software for efficient QTL analysis. The SNP locations (hg19) were downloaded from dbSNP database (<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/SNP>) and distal PAS locations were extracted from the APA datasets. The SNPs with false discovery rates (FDRs) \<0.05 calculated by MatrixEQTL and the absolute value of correlation coefficient (*r*) ≥0.3 were defined as apaQTLs (Figure [1C](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). Of them, we further defined the apaQTLs within 1 Mb from the distal PAS as the *cis*-apaQTLs ([@B25]), while defined the apaQTLs beyond that region or on another chromosome as the *trans*-apaQTLs.
Identification of survival-associated apaQTLs {#SEC2-5}
---------------------------------------------
To prioritize promising apaQTLs, we further examined the association between apaQTLs and patient survival time. The clinical data including survival time of patient were downloaded from TCGA data portal. For each apaQTL, the samples were divided into three groups by genotypes: homozygous genotype (AA), heterozygous genotype (Aa), and homozygous genotype (aa). Then the log-rank test was performed to examine the differences in survival time, and Kaplan--Meier (KM) curves were plotted for intuitive visualization of the survival time for each group. Finally, apaQTLs with FDR \<0.05 were designated as survival-associated apaQTLs.
Identification of GWAS-associated apaQTLs {#SEC2-6}
-----------------------------------------
GWAS has been successfully used for identifying thousands of disease susceptibility loci, but it remains a challenge to pinpoint the causal variants and decipher their underlying mechanisms. To facilitate the interpretation of GWAS results, we integrated apaQTLs with the existing GWAS risk loci to explore trait/disease-associated apaQTLs. We downloaded all the risk tag SNPs identified in GWAS studies from GWAS catalog (<http://www.ebi.ac.uk/gwas>, accessed September 2018) ([@B32]). Then the SNPs in linkage disequilibrium (LD) regions with GWAS tag SNPs were extracted from SNAP (<https://personal.broadinstitute.org/plin/snap/ldsearch.php>) ([@B33]). The parameters were set as follows: (i) SNP dataset: 1000 Genomes, (ii) *r^2^* (the square of the Pearson correlation coefficient of LD) threshold: 0.5, (iii) population panel: CEU (Utah residents with northern and western European ancestry), (iv) distance limit: 500 kb. Finally, we defined apaQTLs that overlapped with these GWAS tag SNPs and LD SNPs as GWAS-associated apaQTLs.
DATABASE CONSTRUCTION AND CONTENT {#SEC3}
=================================
All results mentioned above were stored into MongoDB database (version 3.4.2) in the form of relation tables. A user-friendly web interface, SNP2APA (<http://gong_lab.hzau.edu.cn/SNP2APA/>), was constructed to support data browsing, searching, downloading and PAS online prediction (Figure [1D](#F1){ref-type="fig"} and [E](#F1){ref-type="fig"}), based on Flask (version 1.0.3) framework with Angularjs (version 1.6.1) as the JavaScript library. It was running on Apache2 web server (version 2.4.18). We have tested SNP2APA on various web browsers, including Chrome (recommended), Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, Windows Edge and Safari of macOS.
Data summary of SNP2APA {#SEC3-1}
-----------------------
In total, SNP2APA included 9082 tumor samples across 32 cancer types with both genotype data and APA data available for apaQTL analysis. The sample sizes for each cancer type ranged from 36 in cholangiocarcinoma (CHOL) to 1,091 in invasive breast carcinoma (BRCA) with a median of 221 (Table [1](#tbl1){ref-type="table"}). After genotype imputation and quality control, 4 390 660 SNPs on average per each cancer type were included for further analysis, ranging from 2 746 335 for BRCA to 5 143 663 for acute myeloid leukemia (LAML). After filtering APA events by both the rate of missing PDUI value \>0.1 and PDUI standard deviation \>0.05, we obtained an average of 4143 APA events per cancer type, ranging from 519 for thyroid carcinoma (THCA) to 6978 for stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD).
######
Summary of apaQTLs in SNP2APA
*Cis* *Trans*
------ ------- ----------- ------ -------- --------- -------- ------ ----- ------
ACC 77 3 567 954 3114 3026 135 2864 1566 158 1422
BLCA 408 4 190 525 3780 17 072 218 16 472 883 82 819
BRCA 1 091 2 746 335 5379 11 941 212 11 376 501 7 470
CESC 299 4 291 784 3268 14 767 211 14 358 773 114 745
CHOL 36 4 012 152 3564 1 710 54 1610 1980 34 1153
COAD 285 4 499 815 3356 15 797 231 15 264 1341 231 1280
DLBC 48 4 845 461 3658 1630 67 1580 2640 126 2171
ESCA 184 4 457 611 4510 27 484 615 26 009 665 122 644
GBM 150 4 556 998 5353 36 614 801 34 381 575 126 539
HNSC 518 4 254 665 4646 19 960 254 19 162 715 18 655
KICH 66 3 771 774 4477 3047 136 3010 1477 128 1313
KIRC 525 4 577 720 4906 20 978 240 19 596 905 25 867
KIRP 290 4 895 360 4355 19 494 280 18 258 2390 330 2156
LAML 122 5 143 663 3754 7675 159 7588 517 81 501
LGG 515 4 634 138 5251 29 267 330 27 826 1150 41 1008
LIHC 369 4 158 963 3127 10 779 159 10 511 842 131 738
LUAD 511 4 384 429 4471 19 628 241 18 763 1210 23 1160
LUSC 500 3 744 419 5126 21 804 296 20 915 718 14 673
MESO 87 4 784 882 3999 9077 237 8447 1082 120 1019
OV 291 2 963 431 6174 21 159 382 19 702 285 57 285
PAAD 178 4 996 008 4466 20 351 462 19 177 1065 178 951
PCPG 178 4 721 561 3696 25 042 571 23 185 1133 131 1130
PRAD 494 4 828 721 4704 30 998 332 29 312 1842 15 1796
SARC 258 4 088 267 3910 13 158 232 12 582 897 320 536
SKCM 103 4 854 570 4179 12 811 310 11 672 1766 144 1702
STAD 414 4 310 492 6978 23 045 334 21 499 478 97 465
TGCT 150 4 825 013 4616 20 876 487 19 369 1118 204 1068
THCA 503 4 877 853 519 2999 35 2896 10 9 9
THYM 120 4 940 146 3773 12 939 325 12 255 971 117 957
UCEC 176 4 950 486 2588 8903 288 8788 987 212 920
UCS 56 3 888 385 3733 2206 99 1999 1185 143 1112
UVM 80 4 737 552 3149 8021 186 7516 552 66 457
*cis*- and *trans*-apaQTLs in SNP2APA {#SEC3-2}
-------------------------------------
SNP2APA mainly provided four kinds of datasets: *cis*- and *trans*-apaQTLs, survival apaQTLs and GWAS-associated apaQTLs (Figure [2A](#F2){ref-type="fig"} and [B](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). In the *cis*-apaQTL analysis, a total of 467 942 *cis*-apaQTLs across 32 cancer types were identified at the level of FDR \< 0.05 and \|*r*\| ≥ 0.3, with a median of 14 811 apaQTLs per cancer type, minimum of 1580 in lymphoid neoplasm diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBC), and maximum of 34 381 in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). In the *trans*-apaQTL analysis, a total of 30 721 *trans*-apaQTLs across 32 cancer types were identified at *P*-value \< 1 × 10^−8^ and \|*r*\| ≥ 0.3, with a median of 936 apaQTLs per cancer type, minimum of nine in thyroid carcinoma (THCA), and maximum of 2171 in DLBC.
{#F2}
Survival and GWAS associated apaQTLs {#SEC3-3}
------------------------------------
To prioritize promising apaQTLs, we associated apaQTLs with the survival data of patients downloaded from the TCGA portal. A total of 2154 apaQTLs associated with overall survival time across 32 cancer types at FDR \< 0.05, were identified and included in SNP2APA. For example, we found that rs10247994 was highly associated with patient overall survival time in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) (Figure [2C](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). The significant differences in PDUI values among corresponding genotypes of rs10247994 were observed, indicating that this SNP might play an important role in regulating the APA event of *PUSH* gene in KIRC (Figure [2C](#F2){ref-type="fig"}).
We further mapped apaQTL results to SNPs in GWAS regions and identified a total of 151 342 apaQTLs overlapping with GWAS LD regions with one or multiple traits. For example, rs2303282, as a risk SNP, was reported to be associated with BRCA ([@B34]). In our study, we found that rs370151 was in LD with the rs2303282 (LD *r*^2^ = 0.87) and was highly associated with APA event of *AMFR* gene. *AMFR* was reported to encode a tumor motor stimulating protein receptor ([@B35]). Thus, it could be inferred that rs370151 might play an important role in breast cancer by affecting APA events (Figure [2D](#F2){ref-type="fig"}).
THE FUNCTION AND USAGE OF SNP2APA DATABASE {#SEC4}
==========================================
SNP2APA provided a user-friendly web interface (<http://gong_lab.hzau.edu.cn/SNP2APA/>) that enabled users to browse, search, and download four datasets: *cis*-apaQTLs, *trans*-apaQTLs, survival-apaQTLs, and GWAS-apaQTLs. In addition, we designed a 'Pancan-apaQTL' page for batch search and visualization. A 'PAS Predict' page was constructed for online predicting whether a SNP could destroy or create the PAS of APA.
On the homepage, we provided a quick search option for users. After inputting an interested SNP, gene or APA event, users could obtain the corresponding results presented as four dynamic tables containing the information of *cis*-apaQTLs, *trans*-apaQTLs, survival-apaQTLs and GWAS-apaQTLs. By querying the *cis*/*trans*-apaQTL page, we could obtain a table containing the information of SNP ID, SNP genomic position, SNP alleles, APA events, gene symbol of APA, APA position, beta value (effect size of SNP on PDUI value), *r* value and *P*-value of apaQTL (Figure [2E](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). For each record, a vector diagram of the boxplot was embedded to display the association between SNP genotypes and PDUI values. By querying the survival-apaQTL page, the SNP ID, SNP genomic position, SNP alleles, sample size, log-rank test *P*-value, and median survival time of different genotypes will be displayed. For each record, a vector diagram of the KM-plot was provided for visualizing the association between SNP genotypes and overall survival time. On the 'GWAS-apaQTL' page, the information of the SNP, related APA event, gene symbol of APA and related traits would be available.
On the 'PanCan-apaQTL' page, users could submit multiple SNPs or gene symbols of APA events. Then they would obtain two heatmaps displaying the correlation coefficient (*r*) of *cis*-apaQTLs and *trans*-apaQTLs across the cancer types (Figure [2F](#F2){ref-type="fig"}).
PAS is the most important regulatory element during the regulation of APA events ([@B3]). To further explore the impact of SNP on PAS, we developed a web-based tool by utilizing Dragon PolyA Spotter (<http://www.cbrc.kaust.edu.sa/dps/Capture.html>) ([@B36]) and designed the 'PAS Predict' page. On this page, users could submit a wild-type sequence and the corresponding mutant sequence to predict the effect of SNP on polyadenylation signals (PAS) so as to determine whether SNP could destroy or create the PAS (Figure [2G](#F2){ref-type="fig"}).
In SNP2APA, four main datasets for each cancer type are freely available from the 'Download' page. The 'Help' page provided the basic information on database, pipeline of database construction, result summary, and contact. SNP2APA was open to any feedback with email address provided at the bottom of the 'Help' page.
CONCLUSION AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS {#SEC5}
================================
We developed SNP2APA as a resource providing comprehensive apaQTLs across 32 cancer types. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first database systematically evaluating the effects of the genetic variants on APA, especially in multiple cancer types with a large sample size. In recent years, increasing studies have suggested that APA is likely to play important roles in cancer. Therefore, it is urgent to add APA as an additional dimension to existing cancer genomic analysis. In this version of TC3A, by using genotype and APA data of 9082 tumor samples, we provided numerous apaQTLs among multiple cancer types and identified abundant apaQTLs associated with patient survival time or located in known GWAS loci. To explore the impact of SNPs on PAS, we also designed an online tool for users to predict functional apaQTLs. The SNP2APA database will greatly facilitate the interpretation of risk SNPs identified in genetic studies. In the future, with the increasing number of RNA-Seq datasets and genotype data from large consortium projects, we will continue to update the SNP2APA database. We believe that our database will be of particular interest to researchers in the field of genetic variants and APA in cancer.
FUNDING {#SEC6}
=======
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) \[31970644 to J.G., 31822030 and 31771458 to A.Y.G.\]; Huazhong Agricultural University Scientific & Technological Self-innovation Foundation \[11041810351 to J.G.\]. Funding for open access charge: Huazhong Agricultural University Scientific & Technological Self-innovation Foundation \[11041810351\].
*Conflict of interest statement*. None declared.
[^1]: The authors wish it to be known that, in their opinion, the first two authors should be regarded as Joint First Authors.
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Corrected*
The world has learned to take things US president Donald Trump says with a pinch of salt. In celebration of a day more synonymous with pints of beers and shamrocks, president Trump caused some confusion quoting words from what he appeared to believe was an Irish proverb in a St. Patrick’s Day reception with Enda Kenny, the Irish prime minister.
“As we stand together with our Irish friends, I’m reminded of that proverb–and this is a good one, this is one I like. I’ve heard it for many, many years and I love it,” Trump said. ”Always remember to forget the friends that proved untrue, but never forget to remember those that have stuck by you,” Trump said, uncharacteristically reading from a script.
Like many other outlets, Quartz reported the “Irish proverb” was part of a poem titled “Remember to forget” authored by Albashir Adam Alhassan, a Nigerian poet. Alhassan had posted the poem on the site, Poemhunter. Speaking with media, including CNN, Alhassan said he posted the poem online “over 10 years ago.”
But further checks show the poem, complete with lines Trump quoted, has actually been around for decades, appearing in an April 1936 report from The International Stereotypers & Electrotypers’ Union Journal without attribution. The author of the poem remains unknown.
Proverb debacle aside, president Trump eagerly pledged to be ”an ever-faithful partner and an always loyal friend” to the Irish.
But the US president’s pacifist rhetoric did not stop prime minister Kenny from calling out Trump’s tough immigration policies which he had also criticized during the presidential campaign. “There are millions out there who want to play their part for America—if you like, who want to make America great,”Kenny said, referring to immigrants (including Irish) now facing uncertain times in Trump’s America. “All they want is the opportunity to be free.”
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St. Rumbold's Cathedral
St. Rumbold's Cathedral () is the Belgian metropolitan archiepiscopal cathedral in Mechelen, dedicated to Saint Rumbold, Christian missionary and martyr who had founded an abbey nearby. His remains are rumoured to be buried inside the cathedral. State-of-the-art examination of the relics honoured as Saint Rumbold's and kept in a shrine in the retro-choir, showed a life span of about 40 years and a death date between 580 and 655, while tradition had claimed 775 AD.
Construction
Construction of the church itself started shortly after 1200, and it was consecrated in 1312, when part had become usable. From 1324 onwards the flying buttresses and revised choir structure acquired characteristics that would distinguish Brabantine Gothic from French Gothic. After the city fire of 1342, the Master Mason Jean d'Oisy managed repairs and continued this second phase, which by the time of his death in 1375 formed the prototype for that High Gothic style. His successors finished the vaults of the nave by 1437, and those of the choir by 1451.
During the final phase of 1452-1520, the tower was erected, financed by pilgrims and later by its proprietor, the City. Designed to reach 600 Mechlinian feet or about 167 metres, higher than any church tower would ever attain (Ulm Minster has measured 161 metres since the 19th century), the very heavy St. Rumbold's tower was built on what had once been wetlands, though with foundations only three metres deep its site appears to have been well-chosen. After a few years, in 1454, its chief architect Andries I Keldermans constructed the Saint Livinus' Monster Tower (or St.-Lievensmonstertoren as it is called in Dutch) in Zierikzee (in the present-day Netherlands), where leaning or sagging of the tower (now 62 metres but designed for ca. 130) could wreck the church. This concern led to fully separate edifices, a solution also applied in Mechelen. At both places, in the early 16th century the upper part of the tower was abandoned, not for technical but for financial reasons. St-Rumbold's should have been topped by a 77-metre spire but only seven metres of this were built, hence the unusual shape. A deliberately weak connection closed the gap between tower and church upon finishing the construction.
The church has functioned as a cathedral since 1559. In the 18th century, each capital's surrounding ornament of sculpted cabbage leaves, that had been an inspiration for numerous Brabantine Gothic churches, was replaced with a double ring of crops. In 2005, after engineers had figured out the support capacity of ground and tower, there was talk of completing the entire spire from the original drawings.
St. Rumbold's Tower
The flat-topped silhouette of the cathedral's tower is easily recognizable and dominates the surroundings. For centuries it held the city documents, served as a watchtower, and could sound the fire alarm.
Despite its characteristic incompleteness, this World Heritage monument
is 97.28 metres high and its 514 steps are mounted by thousands of tourists every year, following the footsteps of Louis XV, Napoleon, King Albert I, and King Baudouin with queen Fabiola in 1981.
Of the original carillon's set of 49 bells, which are still in working order, each has its own name. Some of the most notable are Salvator, which weighs 8884 kg; Jehsus, which was built in 1460; and the Liberation, which was the newest addition in 1947. Thirty-nine steps above this instrument, there is a second complete carillon on which concerts are played during the summer months. The total weight of both these carillons is over 80 tonnes and there are 98 bells in all.
Many of the region's cities have a nickname for their populace. The Mechlinians are said to have had ancestors running up their great Tower and passing on buckets of water to extinguish a blazing fire behind the perpendicular windows, where it turned out to be mere moonlight through sprightly clouds, hence are called Maneblussers ('Moon Extinguishers').
Church interior
The main entrance, underneath the tower, leads into the nave of the cathedral (approximately 118 metres long).
Apart from small heraldic shields dating from the Thirty Knights of the Golden Fleece chapter meetings presided in the church by young Philip the Handsome while his Burgundian inheritance was still under guardianship of his father, few original movables survive. Forty preciously decorated Gothic altars and all other furniture disappeared during the religious troubles of 1566-1585. Though the cathedral was spared in the 1566 Iconoclasm, Mechelen was sacked in the 1572 three-days Spanish Fury by slaughtering troops under command of Alva's son Fadrique, and suffered the English Fury of pillaging by rampant mercenaries in the service of the States General in 1580.
The interior features a Baroque high altar and choir by Lucas Faydherbe (with twenty-five paintings illustrating the life of Saint Rumbold), as well as paintings by Anthony van Dyck, sculptures by Lucas Faydherbe, Michiel Vervoort, and stained-glass windows,
including one depicting —though with a white face— the Black Madonna painting in the church.
Churchyard
In 2010, prior to the construction of an underground car park by Saint Rumbold's north side, 4,165 skeletons were unearthed during archeological excavations of the cemetery.
Events at the Cathedral
St. Rumbold's was the venue for the 2008 wedding of Count Rodolphe de Limburg Stirum to Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria, daughter of Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg.
Papal visit
In 1985, on his 65th birthday, Pope John Paul II celebrated a mass at St. Rumbold's. Jo Haazen, then the City's carillon player, heard him state: "Your tower is not complete."
See also
Flor Peeters, cathedral organist between 1923–1986
Notes
References
External links
Brussels Cathedral site
(Chapters with topic pages related to St. Rumbold, the Cathedral, and the Tower)
Category:Flemish art
Category:Bell towers in Belgium
Category:Gothic architecture in Belgium
Category:Roman Catholic cathedrals in Belgium
Category:Churches in Mechelen
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200 Cal.App.2d 879 (1962)
RUTH M. HILTON, Plaintiff and Respondent,
v.
ROLLIN L. McNITT, as Executor, etc., Defendant and Appellant.
Civ. No. 25423.
California Court of Appeals. Second Dist., Div. Two.
Mar. 5, 1962.
Edythe Jacobs for Defendant and Appellant.
Richards, Watson, Smith & Hemmerling for Plaintiff and Respondent.
ASHBURN, J.
Rollin L. McNitt, as executor of the will of Hal H. Hilton, deceased, appeals from a judgment in favor of decedent's divorced wife establishing and allowing her claim for $7,500 against his estate, which claim grew out of a property settlement agreement. It was made on July 25, 1953; Mr. Hilton died July 25, 1954, and Mrs. Hilton remarried on September 18, 1954. The judgment now on appeal was rendered after a second trial of the action.
The troublesome terms of the agreement are the following: "Ruth M. Hilton wife and Hal H. Hilton husband, hereby agree that ... it is their mutual desire to effect a final and complete settlement of their respective property rights with reference to their marital status and to each other, and to effectuate such final and complete settlement they agree particularly as follows: I. Husband shall pay to wife for her support and maintenance $300 a month, payable on the first of each and every month commencing with the 1st day of August, 1953, and continuing until the first day of July 1956." Other pertinent provisions are set forth in footnote 1. [fn. 1]*881
Having filed an action for divorce, Mrs. Hilton obtained an order to show cause re attorney fees, court costs, alimony pendente lite and allowance for support, returnable on Monday, July 27, 1953. The agreement was made on Saturday, July 25th. On the same day the parties executed a stipulation drawn by Mr. Brewer, the wife's attorney, which was entitled "Stipulation in re alimony, attorney fees, court costs, title and possession of property." It follows generally the terms of the agreement but says in paragraph 1: "That the defendant Hal H. Hilton shall pay to the plaintiff Ruth M. Hilton the sum of Three Hundred and No/100 Dollars ($300.00), per month, commencing on August 1, 1953, and continuing thereafter on each and every month, on the first day of such month, until the first day of July, 1956"--nothing about "support and maintenance." The stipulation was endorsed by the trial judge, "approved and so ordered." The interlocutory judgment, which was granted on August 21, 1953, says: "It is further ordered that defendant pay to the plaintiff the following sums: $300.00 per month commencing October 1st, 1953, and on the 1st day of each month thereafter until the 1st day of July, 1956"--nothing about support and maintenance.
At the time of Mr. Hilton's death there was one $300 payment past due. Mrs. Hilton (now Mrs. Tracy), seasonably filed a claim against the estate for $7,500, representing the entire amount past due and thereafter to accrue under the *882 agreement. It was allowed to the extent of $300 only, whereupon this action was brought.
Upon a first trial the court held: "[T]hat said agreement compromised and settled the community property rights of the parties, which rights and the extent of the community property were in dispute; that the parties to said contract intended said provision for $300 per month to be and the same was an indivisible part of said property settlement agreement; that said contract was and is an inseverable and integrated property settlement agreement," and "[i]t is not true that said contract obligation to pay the sum of $300 per month to plaintiff was one for support or maintenance as distinguished from a contractual obligation in lieu of community property rights. ..." Judgment was rendered in favor of plaintiff pursuant to the court's conclusion that "the provision in said contract for payment of the sum of $300 per month, by Hal H. Hilton to plaintiff, to and including July, 1956, was not terminated by the death of the decedent or by the remarriage of the plaintiff, and said provision is binding upon and an obligation of decedent's estate."
Upon appeal the Supreme Court ruled as matter of law that an integrated property settlement agreement made after the effective date of the amendment of 1951 to section 139, Civil Code, is governed by said amendment, the pertinent portion of which reads: "Except as otherwise agreed by the parties in writing, the obligation of any party in any decree, judgment or order for the support and maintenance of the other party shall terminate upon the death of the obligor or upon the remarriage of the other party." The court in its opinion (Hilton v. McNitt, 49 Cal.2d 79 [315 P.2d 1]), said at page 81: "The executor contends that an integrated property settlement agreement is subject to section 139 of the Civil Code as amended in 1951 and that provisions in a property settlement agreement or in a decree for support and maintenance terminate on death or remarriage unless there is a provision in the agreement or decree which negates the intention that the payments should so terminate. With this contention we agree." At page 82: "Inasmuch as the amendment is specific to the effect that 'Except as otherwise agreed by the parties in writing' the obligation of the husband shall cease upon his death or the remarriage of the wife we must hold that since neither the agreement nor the decree here provided that the monthly support payments were to continue beyond the death of the obligor or the remarriage of the obligee plaintiff may *883 not prevail except for the month which was due and owing prior to decedent's death. ... In view of the language of the amendment that 'except as otherwise agreed in writing' the payments for support and maintenance terminate upon the death of the obligor or remarriage of the wife we are of the opinion that such payments terminated upon the death of the obligor. We hold, therefore, that the 1951 amendment to section 139 is applicable whether or not the property settlement agreement is integrated and inseverable. In other words, if monthly payments are provided for support and maintenance or alimony such payments will cease by force of the language of section 139 of the Civil Code unless the parties agree in writing that the payments are to continue despite the remarriage of the wife or the death of the husband." Three justices joined in a concurring and dissenting opinion authored by Mr. Justice Traynor, which says in part: "In my opinion, however, the obligation in the present case did not terminate on death or remarriage, for the parties 'otherwise provided.' True, they did not specifically mention death or remarriage, or any other contingency, but by providing that the payments should continue until the 'first day of July, 1956' they agreed that the payments were not to terminate for any reason before that date. By specifying that date, they necessarily precluded any other." (P. 84.) But the majority "reversed with directions to the trial court to enter judgment in accordance with the views herein expressed."
Thereupon counsel for plaintiff, the respondent on that appeal, filed a vigorous petition for rehearing which made the point among others that the trial court had erred in excluding the testimony of Mr. Brewer, who drew the instruments and participated in the negotiations leading to the agreement, and that his testimony "would lend additional substantial support to respondent's contention that the payments to have been made by Mr. Hilton were in lieu of his wife's claimed interest in certain community property"; that this point "has not been discussed during the course of this appeal inasmuch as respondents prevailed at the trial and before the District Court of Appeal"; also, "[i]f the Supreme Court is of the opinion that the evidence previously admitted at the trial of this action does not support the present finding, surely Mrs. Hilton should have an opportunity for a retrial with all relevant evidence before the trier of fact!" Counsel prayed inter alia "that the Supreme Court modify its decision herein and remand the cause for a new trial." The court denied a rehearing *884 but struck the words "with directions to the trial court to enter judgment in accordance with the views herein expressed," thus leaving the decision a flat reversal, which connotes a right to a new trial (4 Cal.Jur.2d, 666, p. 551). [1] "It has long been the law of this state that an unqualified reversal remands the cause for a new trial (Faulkner v. Hendy, 107 Cal. 49, 54 [40 P. 21]), and places the parties in the trial court in the same position as if the cause had never been tried, with the exception that the opinion of the court on appeal must be followed so far as applicable (Sharp v. Miller, 66 Cal. 98 [4 P. 1065]; Estate of Pusey, 177 Cal. 367 [170 P. 846])." (Central Sav. Bank of Oakland v. Lake, 201 Cal. 438, 443 [257 P. 521].)
[2a] As all the justices of the Supreme Court construed the agreement as matter of law and the majority held that the payments thereunder terminated upon the death of Mr. Hilton, that phase of the case normally would not be open to recanvassing upon a new trial--the doctrine of law of the case would forbid. But that rule is not universally applicable. [3] England v. Hospital of Good Samaritan, 14 Cal.2d 791, 795 [97 P.2d 813], explains as follows: "The doctrine of the law of the case is recognized as a harsh one (2 Cal.Jur. 947) and the modern view is that it should not be adhered to when the application of it results in a manifestly unjust decision. (United Dredging Co. v. Industrial Acc. Com., 208 Cal. 705 [284 P. 922].) However, it is generally followed in this state. [2b] But a court is not absolutely precluded by the law of the case from reconsidering questions decided upon a former appeal. Procedure and not jurisdiction is involved. Where there are exceptional circumstances, a court which is looking to a just determination of the rights of the parties to the litigation and not merely to rules of practice, may and should decide the case without regard to what has gone before." Vangel v. Vangel, 45 Cal.2d 804, 809 [291 P.2d 25, 55 A.L.R.2d 1385], is to the same effect.
The ruling of the Supreme Court upon its face precludes oral evidence in aid of interpretation of the agreement in question because all justices agreed upon the one proposition that the written agreement was to be construed as matter of law. Cases cited by respondent to the effect that it is always open to a trial court to determine whether a property settlement agreement is an integrated one or whether any of the agreed payments are severable ones for support and maintenance (e.g., Messenger v. Messenger, 46 Cal.2d 619 [297 P.2d *885 988], Fox v. Fox, 42 Cal.2d 49 [265 P.2d 881], Dexter v. Dexter, 42 Cal.2d 36 [265 P.2d 873], Taliaferro v. Taliaferro, 125 Cal.App.2d 419 [270 P.2d 1036]) are not quite in point, for none of them involved parol evidence upon the meaning of an instrument which a reviewing court had construed as matter of law. The Supreme Court did not expressly or impliedly rule out the law of the case by its modification of the opinion. There must be some good reason for departing from the law of the case. Counsel cite no precedent which recognizes the propriety of a trial judge's receiving oral evidence upon the meaning of a writing which has been construed on appeal as a matter of law, and we know of no such case.
But we apprehend that the revealing of an ambiguity, a latent one (see 18 Cal.Jur.2d, 276, p. 765), that was not before the appellate court, well may afford ground for departing from the rule, especially where, as here, failure to do so might result in injustice to one of the parties. It is evident from the present record that we have a serious and bona fide dispute as to the meaning of the settlement agreement and that brings into play the rule of Beneficial etc. Ins. Co. v. Kurt Hitke & Co., 46 Cal.2d 517 [297 P.2d 428], and similar cases. It is said in Hitke, at page 524: " 'As the court said in California Emp. Stab. Com. v. Walters, supra [64 Cal.App.2d 554 (149 P.2d 17)], "[t]he very fact, however, that plaintiff questioned the meaning of certain words and clauses used in framing the agreement in itself shows that it was ambiguous ...." ' " (Italics by court.) [4] Reid v. Overland Machined Products, 55 Cal.2d 203, 210 [10 Cal.Rptr. 819, 359 P.2d 251], says: "When the language used in the contract is fairly susceptible to the construction claimed by one of the parties, extrinsic evidence may be considered, not to vary or modify the terms of the agreement, but to aid the court in ascertaining its true meaning. (Beneficial etc. Ins. Co. v. Kurt Hitke & Co., 46 Cal.2d 517, 524 [297 P.2d 428].)" [2c] Under this doctrine there was basis for the court's receiving parol evidence at the second trial, and it is immaterial whether the judge pursued this line of reasoning or not; if he ruled correctly that is all the law requires.
[5] Plaintiff from the beginning of the suit was claiming that commissions payable to the husband aggregated $49,000 and were community property; he claimed they did not exceed $9,000. Plaintiff herself was barred by the dead man's statute (Code Civ. Proc., 1880, subd. 3) from testifying, but her *886 attorney, Mr. Brewer, participated in the negotiations with Mr. Hilton and was qualified to testify. He said that on Saturday, July 25, 1953, two days before the hearing on the order to show cause, Mr. and Mrs. Hilton called at his office and after some period of silence on the part of everybody Mr. Brewer said: "I understood you came here to make a property settlement. Has any been made? Mrs. Hilton said, 'No.' I said, 'What are we here for?' So Mr. Hilton said, 'Well, I have been through all this once before. I am not going to pay any alimony, I can't pay any alimony.' He said, as I recall, he said he was on a drawing account and he hadn't made any sales for many months, drawn no commission, that he was in debt and couldn't pay his debts, he had to have something to live on and to entertain customers." We quote the principal portions of the remainder of Mr. Brewer's testimony: "I said, 'Well, if you are not to pay anything and you can't pay anything, I think the best thing for you to do is go see a lawyer, I shouldn't be talking to you, anyway, it was your request for a meeting.' He said, 'I have already seen a lawyer.' I said, 'Well, did you talk to him about this, the things you told me?' He said, 'Yes, I have.' I said, 'Well, why isn't he here?' He said, 'Well, I didn't want him to come here; he told me to go ahead with it.' I said, 'I am sorry, but this kind of talk is a waste of my time, and I am not going to spend any more time on it. We are through with our conversation,' something to that effect, because obviously there was nothing to talk about. So he said that, well, he would give her something. I said, 'Well, if you have a proposition to state, state it, and let us get this over with, because, obviously we are never going to get anywhere.' So it is my recollection he said he would give her two hundred a month for a year. And I told him I would rather withdraw from the case than even discuss such things, because obviously the community property was very great and how about that? Well, he wasn't going to admit, he said, 'I am not going to admit there is any community property.' I said, 'How about the retained commissions?' He said that was $9,000, but he said, 'That is something that just the company has control of.' I said, 'Well, of course, there is supposed to be a lot of sales have been made on which commissions are due but haven't become due because of lack of delivery, and also there are commissions due.' And he denied that there was any such at all. ... And I said, 'Well, even if we reached an agreement, we would have to have you go to a lawyer and have it okayed.' *887 He said, 'I don't need that and I don't want it, I have been through all this before. I am not going to pay any alimony.' I said, 'Well, then, we will just have to go to court. I am certain you understand what will happen up there.' He said, 'Yes, I know.' So finally I said, 'Well, if there is nothing to talk about, let's adjourn this meeting.' ... We will meet you in the courthouse on Monday.' So then he said, 'Well, I told you I am not going to pay any alimony.' I said, 'Well, all right, but how about community property? What about that?' 'Well,' he said, 'there wasn't any.' ... And finally he said, well, he would make it a little more. I said, 'No. How about taking them [commissions] as of community property, that would be five hundred a month, that is for four years, that would be $24,000, it was just about half of the sums which I set up here in this affidavit of 19,000 plus 5,000 plus 25,000, and she gets one of the cars, you get one of the cars. ... Then I think it was Mrs. Hilton said, well, she would take her share of the property--oh, I overlooked one thing he said. He said he couldn't pay anything in cash to divide community property, he would have to pay it in payments. I think it was Mrs. Hilton finally said she would take four hundred a month for five years, which would be--for four years--which would be considerable less than the other that I had suggested. Mr. Hilton said no he wouldn't do that. I again said, 'Mr. Hilton, I think you should see your own attorney and we should meet you up there; after you have had his advice maybe we can get somewhere.' He said, 'No, I want to settle this today.' He had said that several times, very anxious to settle that that day. Finally, he said he would give this three hundred a month for three years, I believe it was, something like that, at any rate, I have it here, that is, from October 1st to the 1st of July, 1956. It amounted to a little over $10,000 as her share of the community property, and he was not going to go for any alimony, he was very bitter about it. He said, 'I am very bitter about the way I got taken in my other divorce,' ... And she said, 'Well, I will take it.' So I said, 'Well, this is a pretty bad deal, I will try to see if I can get it out, and I don't know whether I can or not.' ... I said, 'I will have to get out a stipulation, you will have to sign it, you will have to appear on Monday and tell the Court this is satisfactory to you, because you don't have an attorney, and I won't go through with it except under those circumstances.' And then I drew this stipulation and the property *888 settlement agreement, at that time didn't have much time, and I gave the girl a little form to go by and outlined to her the figures to put in, and things like that, the data, and she followed the form. ... I told him again he should present it to his lawyer first. He said, 'no,' he wanted to sign it and get rid of it, and he did sign it, both papers, on that day. ... Well, he was there, as I recall it, on Monday, and he stood up, and I talked to the Court in his presence."
The language of paragraph I of the agreement and the matter immediately preceding it (quoted above), are strongly suggestive of the use of a form which Mr. Brewer had handed his secretary. Other portions of the agreement (footnote 1) are consistent with either party's interpretation of paragraph I.
It is settled law, not affected by the 1951 amendment to section 139, Civil Code, that a property settlement agreement which provides for periodic payments of the wife's share of the property and for no other payments is not an "integrated agreement" (which term is defined in Plumer v. Plumer, 48 Cal.2d 820, 824 and 825 [313 P.2d 549]) and the prescribed payments do not terminate upon death or remarriage. See Ettlinger v. Ettlinger, 3 Cal.2d 172, 177 [44 P.2d 540]; Puckett v. Puckett, 21 Cal.2d 833, 840 [136 P.2d 1]; Adams v. Adams, 29 Cal.2d 621, 625 [177 P.2d 265]; Plumer v. Plumer, supra, 48 Cal.2d 820, 823; Hamilton v. Hamilton, 94 Cal.App.2d 293, 299 [210 P.2d 750]; Hawkins v. McLaughlin, 196 Cal.App.2d 318, 322-323 [16 Cal.Rptr. 572]; 3 Witkin, Summary of California Law (7th ed.) section 136, page 2679.
The evidence substantially supports the trial judge's finding that "[i]t is not true that the payments made by decedent under the terms of said property settlement agreement or judgment were for the support or maintenance of plaintiff. It is true that said payments were made by decedent as installments on account of plaintiff's interest in the community property of the parties and on account of the settlement of plaintiff's interest in the marital property of the parties." Referring to the written stipulation the court also found upon sufficient evidence: "[I]t is not true that such payment was for the support or maintenance of plaintiff or that such payment was a provision for alimony. It is true that such provision for payment was intended by the parties to be and the same was solely in lieu of plaintiff's interest in the community property of the parties and in settlement of plaintiff's interest *889 in the marital property, and not otherwise." There is nothing startling about this conclusion, for the courts, in canvassing the question of whether an agreement was integrated, have repeatedly held that a provision made avowedly for support and maintenance was in fact a division of community property payable in installments, as witness Ettlinger v. Ettlinger, supra, 3 Cal.2d 172, 177-178; Dexter v. Dexter, supra, 42 Cal.2d 36, 39, 41-42; Fox v. Fox, supra, 42 Cal.2d 49, 52-53; Messenger v. Messenger, supra, 46 Cal.2d 619, 625, 628; Tuttle v. Tuttle, 38 Cal.2d 419, 422 [240 P.2d 587]; Hamilton v. Hamilton, supra, 94 Cal.App.2d 293, 299.
This was not, as contended by appellant's counsel, the making of a new contract for the parties or a revision of the existing writing. It was but a determination of what the parties really meant by what they said. The holding that the agreement to make the $300 payments did not terminate upon death of the husband or remarriage of the wife is sustained by the facts and the law.
Judgment affirmed.
Fox, P. J., and Herndon, J., concurred.
NOTES
[fn. 1] 1. It is agreed that certain real property on Lake Hollywood Drive, in Los Angeles, is separate property of the wife; that all furniture and furnishings of the home, part of which was community property, should go to her; that she should have the 1952 Cadillac and the husband the 1948 Cadillac. He also agreed to pay to Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, within two years, a loan of $3,500 and to pay the interest meantime; also to pay current household bills and small debts to stores, etc. and certain insurance premiums amounting to $210 which would be due on August 11, 1953; also to pay to James V. Brewer, attorney for the wife, $750 in installments. Paragraph VIII: "Wife does hereby sell, assign, transfer, convey and set over to the husband, all commissions and retained commissions which husband has with his employer, including a retained commission which the husband represents to be the sum of $9000." The wife agrees to make payments due or to become due on the Lake Hollywood Drive property. Paragraph X: "Each of the parties in consideration of the agreements of the other herein expressed hereby waives, releases and relinquishes to the other all claims each may now have, or might hereafter otherwise acquire against the other, as husband or wife, or otherwise, arising out of the marital relation." Paragraph XI: "Each party does hereby release, relinquish and waive to the other any and all claims he or she may have, or may hereafter acquire against the other except as herein specified, for support and maintenance, or attorney's fees and costs, or otherwise, and does hereby release, relinquish and waive all rights to administer upon the estate of the other after the death of such other, and does release, relinquish and waive unto such other party and his or her successors and next of kin or heirs at law any right or claim for family allowance, homestead, support or maintenance, or otherwise, against such other's estate, and agrees not to hereafter claim any interest in the other's property." Paragraph XIII: "All property, whether real, personal or mixed, which the parties severally now hold, or may acquire by virtue of or pursuant to this agreement, together with any increment thereon, and all property which either of the parties hereto may hereafter acquire, shall be and remain the separate property and estate of the party so holding, acquiring or to acquire the same, free from any claim or claims of the other." Paragraph XVI: "This agreement may, subject to the court's approval, be made a part of any decree of divorce between the parties."
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This week on the show, we’re
drinking NINE different beers
from Bell’s
Brewery. For us in SoCal, that’s pretty awesome, considering
they just recently added distribution to southern California (May,
2014)...
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Shift + F10 right-clicks.
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Isolation and characterization of complementary DNAs encoding human manganese-containing superoxide dismutase.
cDNAs coding for human manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (Mn SOD) have been isolated from a human liver and a dibutyryl cyclic AMP differentiated U937 cDNA library constructed in vector lambda gtll. The nucleotide sequences of the insert cDNAs had an opening reading frame coding for 222 amino acid residues. The first 24 amino acids of the primarily translated polypeptide might constitute the leader peptide for transport of the precursors to the mitochondria. Differentiation of the U937 cells with dibutyryl cyclic AMP resulted in a 70% decrease in Mn SOD mRNA. The amino acid sequences of the mature Mn SODs of human, rat and mouse are highly conserved, while the sequences of the leader peptides of these species are moderately conserved.
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Due to recent advances in technology, computer users are now able to enjoy many features that provide an improved user experience, such as playing various media and multimedia content on their personal or laptop computers. For example, most computers today are able to play compact discs (CDs) so users can listen to their favorite musical artists while working on their computers. Many computers are also equipped with digital versatile disc (DVD) drives enabling users to watch movies.
In some multimedia environments, a computer has access to a computer-readable medium storing compressed media files. Common media file types include Moving Picture Experts Group audio layer-3 (MP3) files and WINDOWS MEDIA® technologies audio (WMA) and video (WMV) files. The computer typically organizes the media files into playlists when the compressed media files are played on the computer. The files may be organized according to metadata or other property data associated with the media content. Metadata for a digital media file such as an audio file usually includes general information pertaining to the media file itself. This information is typically stored within the file. For example, an audio file may have metadata tags for the song title, song artist, album title, and a rating. In another example, in the case of audio media files, the files may be organized by album, artist, genre, date, or some user-specified selection and ordering of metadata. A user navigates through this organization using menus and graphical displays to render the desired media files.
Often, users store media content on a variety of devices including personal computers, portable consumer electronic devices (e.g., MP3 players), removable hard drives, and network shares. Many of these devices have limited capabilities for metadata processing, updating, using, and querying, while other devices have no such capabilities at all. There is a need for a system that enables the central organization of media content stored on a plurality of devices even if all the media content is not physically stored on the same device (e.g., a computer-readable medium). Further, there is a need for a system that permits metadata for media content stored on a device external to a computing device to be augmented and promoted into the computing device such that the metadata may subsequently be treated (e.g., organized) as if the media content is stored on the computing device.
Accordingly, a system for creating entities on a device that mirror media content stored on a plurality of other devices is desired to address one or more of these and other disadvantages.
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Simo Parpola has suggested that the oldest versions of the Sephirot extend from Assyrian theology and mysticism. Noting the general similarity between the Sephirot of the Kabbalah and the tree of life of Assyrian mysticism, he reconstructed what an Assyrian antecedent to the Sephirot would look like.[2] Matching the characteristics of Ein Sof on the nodes of the Sephirot to the gods of Assyria, he found textual parallels between these Assyrian gods and the characteristics of the Jewish God.
The Assyrians assigned specific numbers to their gods, similar to the way the Kabbalah assigns numbers to the nodes of the Sephirot. However, the Assyrians used a sexagesimal number system, whereas the Sephirot use a decimal system. Using the Assyrian numbers, additional layers of meaning and mystical relevance appear in the Sephirot. Normally, floating above the Assyrian tree of life was the god Assur—this corresponds to Ein Sof, which is also, via a series of transformations, supposedly derived from the Akkadian word Assur.
Parpola re-interpreted various Assyrian tablets in the terms of these primitive Sephirot, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, and concluded that the scribes had been writing philosophical-mystical tracts rather than just adventure stories. Traces of this Assyrian mode of thought and philosophy eventually reappeared in Greek Philosophy and the Kabbalah.
Parpola is also the chairman of The Finland Assyria Association (Suomi-Assyria Yhdistys).[3]
Contents
Views on modern Assyrians
Parpola is a strong advocate of Assyrianism, supporting the link between the modern Assyrians and their ancient ancestors. He argues for a direct link between the ancient Assyrians and those who call themselves and their Aramaic language Assyrian today.[4]
See also
Sefiroth, for Parpola's reconstruction of an Assyrian Kabbalistic Sefiroth
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This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants DA020032 and DA026434. The computations were supported in part by the National Science Foundation through TeraGrid advanced computing resources provided by TRAC MCB080077.
Experimental studies using co-immunoprecipitation and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer suggest that the δ-opioid receptor (δOR)[1](#fn2){ref-type="fn"} physically associates with itself, and with other members of the opioid receptor family ([@ref1]−[@ref3]). These methods, however, do not have the capability to determine the stability and mobility of these or other G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) dimers or oligomers in the cell membrane.[^1]
A recent single-molecule study, using internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, has shown that it is possible to track the position of large numbers of individual molecules of a typical family A GPCR, the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor, in living cells, over a period of several seconds ([@ref4]). The results of this study point to a transient formation of M1 receptor dimers (lifetime of ∼0.5 s at 23 °C) and to an estimate of ∼30% total receptor molecules present in the cell as dimers. Transient association of GPCRs was also the main conclusion of recent fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) studies of β1-adrenoceptors ([@ref5]) and dopamine D2 receptors ([@ref6]), wherein antibody-cross-linked receptors did not immobilize associated protomers, unless the association was established covalently by oxidative cross-linking.
The ability of GPCR dimers and oligomers to associate and dissociate rapidly suggests relatively small standard free energy differences between dimeric and monomeric GPCRs compared to those of protein complexes stabilized by multiple specific bonds. However, the nature of the interaction, whether transient or long-lasting, is unknown for the majority of GPCR dimers and oligomers, including opioid receptor complexes. Equally important is to understand the effect of the receptor sequence at the dimerization interface on the association−dissociation rate of the complex.
Here, we performed coarse-grained (CG) ([@ref7]) umbrella sampling molecular dynamics (MD) simulations ([@ref8]) of mouse δOR in an explicit palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) and 10% cholesterol/water environment to obtain estimates of the free energy difference between δOR monomers and homodimers involving the fourth transmembrane (TM) helix, from which to derive lifetime predictions. The focus on TM4 is justified by a number of published experimental studies on several GPCRs ([@ref9]−[@ref20]), including our early correlated mutation analyses of opioid receptor sequences ([@ref21],[@ref22]), suggesting a direct primary association of lipid-exposed surfaces of these helices.
Materials and Methods {#sec2}
=====================
Molecular Modeling {#sec2.1}
------------------
The TM region of mouse δOR was built by homology modeling with Modeler 9v3 ([@ref23]), using the X-ray crystal structure of β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) at 2.4 Å resolution (Protein Data Bank entry [2RH1](2RH1)) as a structural template ([@ref24]), and the β2AR-δOR sequence alignment deposited in the GPCR database ([@ref25]), which is based on highly conserved functional residues in the TM segments. Specifically, the TM region of mouse δOR was defined by residues 46^1.29^−76^1.59^, 83^2.38^−111^2.66^, 118^3.22^−152^3.56^, 162^4.39^−185^4.62^, 210^5.35^−247^5.71^, 250^6.24^−287^6.61^, and 298^7.33^−318^7.53^, with the superscript indicating the Ballesteros−Weinstein generic numbering scheme ([@ref26]). δOR intracellular loops 1−3 (IL1−3, respectively) and extracellular loops 1−3 (EL1−3, respectively) were generated using the enhanced ab initio loop prediction approach implemented in the Rosetta 2.2 code ([@ref27]). The protein N-terminus (residues 1−45) and C-terminus (residues 335−372) were not included in the receptor model. Initial configurations of δOR homodimers interacting across the TM4 interface were generated by manually positioning the protomers in a configuration compatible with symmetric contacts between residues at position 4.58.
System Setup and Equilibration {#sec2.2}
------------------------------
The resulting δOR models were coarse grained (CG) according to the prescription of the Martini force field ([@ref7],[@ref28]). An additional set of elastic potentials was included for beads lying within a distance cutoff (*d*~Cut~) of each other in the receptor models, following the elastic network approach recently implemented by Periole and colleagues ([@ref29]). Values for *d*~Cut~ and the elastic constants for helical and random coil regions were determined by comparison of the residue fluctuations of a monomeric δOR simulated for 50 ns using the Optimized Potentials for Liquid Simulations-All Atom (OPLS-AA) force field in an explicit POPC/10% cholesterol bilayer with the same quantity obtained from a 50 ns simulation of the CG model. An extensive parameter search allowed us to fix the values as follows: *d*~Cut~ = 0.9 nm, *k*~H~ = 1000 kJ mol^−1^ nm^−2^, and *k*~L~ = 250 kJ mol^−1^ nm^−2^. In a slight deviation from the method of Periole and colleagues, the strength of the force constant of the elastic network was determined by the secondary structure of each of the receptor residues. If the residue was determined to have a defined secondary structure \[by DSSP ([@ref30])\], e.g., α-helix (including α- and 3~10~-helix), as in the case of the TM regions of δOR, then a force constant of 1000 kJ mol^−1^ nm^−2^ was applied. For a sequence of more than two residues with undefined secondary structure (i.e., coil, bend, hydrogen bonded turn, or other undefined structure), a force constant of 250 kJ mol^−1^ nm^−2^ was applied. This allowed the secondary structure of the helices in the receptor to be maintained without compromising the flexibility of the loop regions.
A large membrane patch of 523 POPC lipids and 10% cholesterol \[also described using the Martini prescription ([@ref7],[@ref28])\] that could accommodate the dimeric configuration of δOR was equilibrated for 100 ns, prior to insertion of the dimer into the membrane following the protocol described in ref ([@ref31]). Specifically, this protocol consists of subsequent compression and equilibration steps of the lipids following an initial expansion of the membrane in the *x*−*y* plane. The embedded receptor/membrane system was then hydrated, and counterions were added to neutralize the total charge. The final system (11.9 nm × 11.9 nm × 8.2 nm in size) consisting of 11052 beads was first equilibrated by progressively releasing constraints on the protein backbone beads and then by a final unconstrained run of 50 ns.
Umbrella Sampling Simulations {#sec2.3}
-----------------------------
The reaction coordinates used to describe the relative position of interacting δOR protomers A and B during simulation are depicted in Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}. Specifically, the relative position of the two protomers was described by (i) the distance *r* between centers of mass C~A~ and C~B~ of the two TM regions; (ii) the rotational angle θ~A~, defined by the projection onto the plane of the membrane of the center of mass of TM4~A~ (defined by residues 162^4.39^−185^4.62^) C~A~ of the protomer bearing TM4, and C~B~ of the second protomer; and (iii) the equivalent rotational angle θ~B~. To limit the exploration to the TM4 interface centered at position 4.58, the two rotational angles θ~A~ and θ~B~ were constrained to explore an ∼25° interval around their centers by steep repulsive potentials. This interval was selected to allow the system to explore alternative homodimeric configurations of δOR exhibiting symmetric contacts between residues at position 4.58.
{#fig1}
To take full advantage of the size of the simulation box, the *x*−*y* projection of center of mass C~A~ of protomer A was kept fixed to its position, while the projection of center of mass C~B~ of the second protomer was allowed to move along the line joining C~A~ and C~B~, which is (approximately) parallel to the diagonal of the membrane *x*−*y* plane. These and the other constraints on the system were imposed using the Plumed plug-in ([@ref32]) to the Gromacs 4.0.5 code ([@ref33]).
During the simulations, the pressure was controlled with a semi-isotropic Berendsen barostat with a compressibility of 4.50 × 10^−5^ and a reference value of 1.0 atm. The temperature was controlled with the V-rescale thermostat to average 300 K, and a time step of 0.02 ps was used throughout the simulation.
For the umbrella sampling runs, 43 starting points at different distances (one point every 0.05 Å between 3.00 and 4.90 Å; to achieve uniform overlap of the probability distributions, six additional points were chosen at 3.125, 3.175, 3.225, 3.275, 3.325, and 3.775 Å) were extracted from unpublished CG well-tempered metadynamics simulations of δOR homodimers with TM4 at the interface, in which a bias potential had been applied to the distance between protomers while rotational angles were constrained to remain within an ∼25° interval. These structures were equilibrated for 50 ns and simulated for additional 250 ns, harvesting the value of the distance each 2 ps. The resulting histograms showed continuous overlap, and the unbiased probability was reconstructed using the Weighted Histogram Analysis Method (WHAM) ([@ref34]) and the WHAM code from the Grossfield Lab (University of Rochester, Rochester, NY) to calculate the free energy as a function of the distance around the transition states. To assess the accuracy of the calculated free energy, we performed commitment analysis ([@ref35]) on the identified transition states at *r* values of 3.28 and 3.75. Specifically, we started 100 independent unbiased simulations from points at different distances, and verified that each transition state corresponded to equiprobable commitment to the adjacent basins.
Thermodynamics of δOR Dimerization {#sec2.4}
----------------------------------
Estimates of the dimerization constant for the symmetric TM4 interface of δOR homodimers in the lipid bilayer were obtained using an approach pioneered by Roux ([@ref36]−[@ref38]). In line with the formalism reported in the Supporting Information of ref ([@ref37]), and using coordinates describing the interacting protomers, the dimerization constant was expressed as a function of the unconstrained free energy *W*, according to the following equation:where *r* is the distance between the interacting protomers, Ω = (θ~A~,θ~B~) are the rotational angles describing their relative orientation (see Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}), (*r*~M~,Ω~M~) refer to a reference monomeric conformation, *k*~B~ is the Boltzmann constant, *T* is the temperature, and the integration is restricted to dimeric states (*D*). When the relative orientation between protomers is constrained to a region Ω~0~, the free energy *w*(*r*) is given bywhere the integral is limited to the constrained region Ω~0~ and *C* is an arbitrary constant. As in the work reported in ref ([@ref37]), we define the *w*(*r*) to be zero in the bulk (i.e., at *r*~M~ = 4.90 nm), such that the constant *C* in the equation above can be expressed asSubstituting eqs [2](#eq2){ref-type="disp-formula"} and [3](#eq3){ref-type="disp-formula"} into eq [1](#eq1){ref-type="disp-formula"}, we derive the following equation:where the integral is extended up to the maximum distance *r*~D~ allowed for dimeric states.
For accurate calculation of a thermodynamically meaningful standard free energy (on the mole fraction scale) of δOR dimerization within the lipid bilayer, we applied the formalism described in detail in ref ([@ref39]). Specifically, the binding free energy is expressed by the following equation:where Δ**G**~X~*°* is the mole fraction standard state free energy change, *R* is the universal gas constant, *T* is the temperature in Kelvin, and *K*~X~ is the association equilibrium constant on the mole fraction concentration scale. Thus, following the formalism described in ref ([@ref39]), we expressed this equilibrium constant as a function of the mole fractions of dimeric (*N*~D~/*N*~Tot~) and monomeric (*N*~M~/*N*~Tot~) species in the membrane phase, according to the following equation:Because the lipid concentration is much greater than the protein concentration, we can approximate the total number of molecules in the membrane phase of area *A* (*N*~Tot~) with the number of lipids (*N*~L~) and calculate the *K*~X~ according to the following equation:whereis the dimerization constant.
Kinetics of δOR Dimerization {#sec2.5}
----------------------------
We calculated the dissociation rate *k*~off~ of δOR dimers involving the TM4 interface, according to the following equation:where *K*~D~ is the dimerization constant and *k*~on~ is the association rate. The latter was approximated using its diffusion-limited value, following the Smoulchowski theory in two dimensions ([@ref40]). Specifically, at long times, this rate is given by the following expression:where *D*~c~ = *D*~A~ + *D*~B~ = 2*D*~T~ is the sum of the diffusion constants of the two protomers A and B in the δOR dimer, *R* = 2*R*~0~ is the sum of the protein radii, γ is the Euler−Mascheroni constant, and *t* refers to typical experimental time scales explored to detect diffusion. If one starts from an initial value \[D\]~0~, for short times, the concentration of δOR dimers over time is given by the equationThus, the half-time of δOR dimers in the lipid bilayer can be calculated as
Conversion of Lowest-Energy CG Dimeric Structures to All-Atom Representations {#sec2.6}
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
We recovered the atomic details of the structures representing metastable dimeric states of δOR by applying the protocol proposed in ref ([@ref41]), which uses a simulated annealing algorithm. The resulting all-atom structures were then embedded into a pre-equilibrated all-atom membrane and solvated in a fashion similar to that described above for the CG systems. These systems were energy minimized and equilibrated by performing cycles of MD under successively relaxed position restraints (1000, 100, 10, and 0 kJ mol^−1^ nm^−2^) for a few picoseconds. After the embedding, the system was equilibrated with a 10 ns unbiased MD with the OPLS-AA force field, and contact maps were obtained by averaging the Cβ distance matrix over the equilibration run.
Results {#sec3}
=======
Estimates of the free energy difference between δOR monomers and homodimers involving TM4 interfaces, within an explicit POPC/10% cholesterol/water environment, were derived from CG ([@ref7]) umbrella sampling MD simulations, according to the protocol described in [Materials and Methods](#sec2). Figure [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"} shows the free energy *w* of the constrained dimeric system involving the TM4 interface, reconstructed as a function of *r.* Two different dimeric states of δOR (D~1~ and D~2~ in Figure [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}) involving the TM4 interface were identified, which are separated from each other by a transition state at *r*~TS1~ = 3.28 nm, and from the monomeric state (*r* ≥ 4.90 nm) by a transition state at *r*~TS2~ = 3.75 nm. The insets in Figure [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"} show the results of the commitment analysis ([@ref35]) conducted on the two identified transition states to assess the accuracy of the calculated free energy. As these plots show, each transition state corresponded to equiprobable commitment to the two adjacent basins, leaning in favor of the results.
{#fig2}
The two dimeric states, D~1~ and D~2~, exhibited a similar free energy, although D~1~ appears to be slightly more stable than D~2~ (by ∼1 kcal/mol). These states are also very similar in structural terms. Figure [3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"} shows, as an example, a representative structure from the D~1~ basin, corresponding to a symmetric (average θ~A~ ≅ 20° and θ~B~ ≅ 23°) tight (*r* = 3.15 nm) δOR homodimer. As shown in this figure, TM4 from one protomer inserts into a groove on the opposite protomer formed by helix TM2, the C-terminal half of TM3, and TM4. Intracellular loop 2 (IL2) is also close to this interface. A list of the TM4 residues forming symmetric intermolecular contacts is presented in Table [1](#tbl1){ref-type="table"}. The structures in basin D~2~ (see a representative in Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}) are similar in the overall orientation of the protomers but correspond to a less compact (*r* = 3.40 nm), slightly asymmetrical interface, where θ~A~ ≅ 20° and θ~B~ ≅ 15°. Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"} also shows a comparison of the relative position of the TM4 helices of the two protomers in the two different conformations, D~1~ and D~2~, after alignment of one of the two protomers.
{#fig3}
{#fig4}
###### Residues of TM4 That Form Symmetric Contacts between δOR Protomers in the Two Identified Dimeric Conformations[a](#tbl1-fn1){ref-type="table-fn"}
residue distance in D~1~ (Å) distance in D~2~ (Å)
------------ ---------------------- ----------------------
P162^4.39^ 4.2 6.8
A163^4.40^ − 6.9
K166^4.43^ 4.0 4.2
I170^4.47^ 7.1 5.8
W173^4.50^ 6.6 8.8
S177^4.54^ 6.3 7.1
V181^4.58^ 5.5 7.1
V185^4.62^ 4.5 4.3
Distances (\<12 Å) of the Cβ atoms of the pairs of residues in dimer structure D~1~ are reported in the second column, while the same distances in the D~2~ structure are given in the third column. To restrict the table to residues whose side chains are pointing toward each other, only pairs for which the Cβ atoms are closer than the Cα atoms were reported.
Using *r*~D~ = *r*~TS2~ = 3.75 nm, the value of the free energy *w*(*r*) calculated with eq [4](#eq4){ref-type="disp-formula"} of [Materials and Methods](#sec2) from the curve reported in Figure [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}, and the product of the allowed ranges for θ~A~ and θ~B~ in radians \|Ω~0~\| = 0.20, we obtain a *K*~D~ of ≅1.02 μm^2^ for the δOR homodimer with TM4 at the interface. This value, added to eq [5](#eq5){ref-type="disp-formula"} of [Materials and Methods](#sec2) together with the surface density of the POPC/cholesterol patch used in the simulations (*N*~L~/*A* ∼ 1.65 × 10^6^ μm^−2^), allows us to calculate a standard state free energy change for the δOR homodimer with the TM4 interface \[Δ*G*~X~° = −*RT* ln(1.68 × 10^6^) = −8.54 kcal/mol\].
Using a diffusion coefficient *D*~T~ value of 0.08 μm^2^/s determined experimentally for μOR ([@ref42]), we calculated the sum of the diffusion constants of the two protomers A and B in the δOR homodimers; i.e., *D*~c~ = *D*~A~ + *D*~B~ = 2*D*~T~ ∼ 0.16 μm^2^/s. Placing this value into eq [10](#eq10){ref-type="disp-formula"} of [Materials and Methods](#sec2), together with the sum of the protein radii (*R* = 2*R*~0~ ∼ 3 nm), the Euler−Mascheroni constant (γ ≅ 0.57), and using a mean value over the time interval of the experimental time scale explored to detect MOR diffusion \[i.e., 2 ms ≤ *t* ≤ 30 s ([@ref42])\], we obtained a mean association rate *k*~on~ of ≅0.16 μm^2^/s. Using the calculated dimerization constants (*K*~D~) in combination with the experimental diffusion coefficient *D*~T~ value of 0.08 μm^2^/s reported in ref ([@ref42]), we calculated dissociation rates (*k*~off~) of ≅0.15 s^−1^ from eq [9](#eq9){ref-type="disp-formula"} of [Materials and Methods](#sec2). Placing these values into eq [12](#eq12){ref-type="disp-formula"}, we calculated a half-time of ≅4.4 s.
Discussion {#sec4}
==========
The physical and chemical basis for opioid receptor interactions in the membrane is currently unknown. Here, we conducted CG umbrella sampling MD simulations to obtain theoretical estimates of the thermodynamics and kinetics of the dimerization of δOR involving the TM4 region, within an explicit POPC/10% cholesterol/water environment. These estimates were used to calculate theoretical dimerization constants that allowed us to obtain standard free energy of dimerization values on the mole fraction scale. According to Fleming ([@ref39]), the latter corresponds to a thermodynamically meaningful free energy for the protein association within a membrane, since it can apply equivalently in all experimental systems. Notably, the calculated mole fraction standard state free energy of δOR dimerization (−8.54 kcal/mol) is very close to the corresponding experimental value of −7.0 kcal/mol for the association of glycophorin A transmembrane helices in C8E5 micelles at 25 °C ([@ref39]). Using the total protein concentration of ≅1 μm^−2^ that resulted from the single-molecule study of M1 muscarinic receptors ([@ref42]), the free energy difference between dimeric and monomeric δOR is much smaller (Δ*G*° ≅ 0.02 kcal/mol). If ≅1 μm^−2^ is a typical total protein concentration value, we could use it in combination with the calculated *K*~D~ to calculate the mole fraction of dimers, *f*~D~. Thus, placing 2\[D\] = *f*~D~*C*° and \[M\] = (1 − *f*~D~)*C*° into the equation *K*~D~ = \[D\]/\[M\]^2^ = *f*~D~/\[2(1 − *f*~D~)^2^*C*°\], we would obtain an *f*~D~ of ≅0.50. Though not identical to the value recently proposed experimentally for M1 muscarinic receptors (30%) ([@ref4]), this calculated value is remarkably close.
In combination with a diffusion coefficient determined experimentally for μOR ([@ref42]), which is in line with values of 0.1 μm^2^/s determined experimentally for several other GPCRs, including rhodopsin ([@ref43]), β-adrenoceptors ([@ref44]−[@ref46]), and M1 muscarinic receptor ([@ref4]), our theoretical estimates of the dimerization constants of δOR homodimers involving TM4 helices allowed us to calculate short lifetimes of δOR dimers in the membrane (4.4 s), in line with the rapid association and dissociation of M1 muscarinic receptors assessed by single-molecule studies ([@ref4]). Notably, the half-time of DOR would be even shorter (1.8 s) if we used the experimental time scale explored to detect diffusion of the M1 muscarinic receptors (i.e., 50 ms ≤ *t* ≤ 5 s) ([@ref4]). Whether this suggested short lifetimes of δOR homodimers within the membrane have implications for the functional role of these receptor complexes and/or the specificity of their interactions remains to be established. Of particular interest is also the examination of the effect of different protein sequences and/or hydrophobic environments on the association rate of GPCRs, which are currently under investigation in our laboratory.
[^1]: Abbreviations: 3D, three-dimensional; β2AR, β2-adrenergic receptor; COM, center of mass; CG, coarse-grained; CV, collective variables; δOR, δ-opioid receptor; EL, extracellular loop; GPCRs, G protein-coupled receptors; IL, intracellular loop; κOR, κ-opioid receptor; MD, molecular dynamics; μOR, μ-opioid receptor; OPLS-AA, Optimized Potentials for Liquid Simulations-All Atom; POPC, palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine; TM, transmembrane; WHAM, Weighted Histogram Analysis Method.
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William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton (c. 1540 – 1606) was the son of Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven and Margaret Erskine, a former mistress of James V of Scotland.
Career
Connections
Sir William's half-brother from his mother's liaison with the king was James Stewart, Earl of Moray, Regent of Scotland from 1567 until his assassination in January 1570. Sir William's cousin was another Regent of Scotland James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, and was closely associated with him in his career, the two men being occasionally confused in the histories.
William's father was killed at the battle of Pinkie in September 1547. William suffered from breathing difficulties all his life. His wife was Agnes Leslie, daughter of George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes, by whom he had eleven children. The Leslies were active in Scottish Reformation.
Lochleven's prisoner
William Douglas was the owner of the island Loch Leven Castle, where Mary, Queen of Scots had met John Knox in April 1563. Since 1546, he and his mother had built the "Newhouse of Lochleven" on the shore of Loch Leven where Kinross House now stands. The "Newhouse" eventually replaced the island castle as the centre of the estate.
In June 1567, Queen Mary was imprisoned in the island castle following her surrender at the Battle of Carberry Hill. On 24 July she was forced to sign abdication papers at Lochleven in favor of her infant son James VI. William Douglas had a legal paper drawn up on 28 July 1567, which stated that he was not present when the Queen signed her "demission" of the crown and did not know of it, and that he offered to convey her to Stirling Castle for her son's coronation which was the following day, which offer she refused. Mary also signed that paper. However, in 1581 Mary wrote that William was one of her few remaining enemies in Scotland, and should have witnessed that she was compelled to assent to her resignation. The Scottish government directed by his half-brother paid William Douglas £1,289-12d for keeping the Queen.
William's wife, Lady Agnes Leslie, became the Queen's chief female companion during her ten and a half months of imprisonment, accompanying her throughout the day and often sleeping in her bedchamber. Queen Mary had an opportunity of greater liberty following the birth of Agnes's child when she was recovering from her pregnancy. She chose to escape on 2 May 1568 from Lochleven with the aid of Sir William's brother George and a young orphaned cousin named William Douglas who also lived at the castle and may or may not have been the earl's illegitimate son. When Sir William learned of his royal captive's escape, he was so distressed that he attempted to stab himself with his own dagger.
Ruthven Raid and Earl of Morton
The title Earl of Morton was declared forfeit in 1581 when Regent Morton, the 4th earl, was attainted; and the title was granted to John Maxwell, 7th Lord Maxwell, a grandson of the 3rd earl. While Regent Morton was on trial in January 1581, William and other leading members of the family were not allowed to come to Edinburgh, and in March he was ordered to live north of Cromarty. A year later he joined in the Raid of Ruthven, and when this faction was defeated he was exiled in France at La Rochelle, returning in 1586.
The 17th century historian David Hume of Godscroft relates that Agnes Leslie wrote to her husband saying she would prevent their son Robert from joining him at the Lords Enterprisers attempt to take Stirling Castle in 1584, saying it was a foolish work that would ruin them. William replied that their course was honourable, and intended for the good of the church, and he trusted in providence. Robert and their son-in-law Laurence Oliphant were banished to France despite their mother's efforts, and were lost at sea in a battle with "Hollanders" or pirates.
In 1586, the attainder on the Morton earldom was reversed and the title returned to the 4th earl's family. By the 4th earl's will, on the death of Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus in 1588, William Douglas succeeded to the earldom of Morton, which brought him additional lands and houses including Dalkeith Palace, Aberdour Castle, Auchterhouse and Drochil Castle. In May 1590 he hosted the Danish Admiral Peder Munk at the Newhouse of Lochleven. Munk had been at Falkland Palace to accept the property as part of the dowry of Anne of Denmark.
William wrote a short history of the Scottish reformation and reigns of Mary and James VI briefly mentioning the Siege of Leith, the Battle of Carberry Hill, the murder of David Rizzio, and the Ruthven Raid.
Marriage and children
On 26 November 1554 he married Lady Agnes Leslie, Countess of Morton (born after 1541-died ca. 1606), the daughter of George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes and as a direct descendant of King James II in her maternal line. The contract for their marriage was signed on 19 August 1554. The couple made their home at Lochleven Castle, which was a fortress situated on an island in the middle of the loch, and where his widowed mother also resided.
Sir William and Agnes together had eleven children:
Christian Douglas, married firstly Laurence, Master of Oliphant, (lost at sea in March 1585) by whom she had issue; she married secondly Alexander Home, 1st Earl of Home.
Robert Douglas, Master of Morton, (lost at sea in March 1585), married Jean Lyon of Glamis, by whom he had two sons, including William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton. First it was rumoured that Laurence Oliphant and Robert had been killed by pirates or drowned, then it was thought they were slaves in Algiers. In 1601, Robert Oliphant went to Algiers to look for his kinsman, carrying a letter of introduction to Sultan Mehmed III written by Queen Elizabeth, who also recommended her ambassador John Wroth help the search.
James Douglas, Commendator of Melrose, married firstly Mary Kerr, by whom he had issue; secondly Helen Scott, by whom he had issue; and thirdly Jean Anstruther, by whom he had issue.
Sir Archibald Douglas of Kilmour (died 1649), married Barbara Forbes (born 31 January 1560), by whom he had one son.
Sir George Douglas of Kirkness (died December 1609), married Margaret Forrester.
Euphemia Douglas, married Sir Thomas Lyon of Auldbar, Master of Glamis.
Agnes Douglas, Countess of Argyll (1574- 3 May 1607), on 24 July 1592 married as his first wife Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll, the son of Colin Campbell, 6th Earl of Argyll and Agnes Keith, by whom she had one son and two daughters.
Elizabeth Douglas, married Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll, by whom she had issue.
Jean Douglas.
Mary Douglas, married Sir Walter Ogilvy, 1st Lord Ogilvy of Deskford, by whom she had issue.
Margaret Douglas, married Sir John Wemyss of Wemyss.
Agnes's seven daughters were said to have been so beautiful that they were known as "the pearls of Lochleven".
In 1586, the earldom of Morton which had been forfeited in 1581 following the execution and attainder of the 4th Earl of Morton for being one of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley's murderers, returned to the Douglas family. In 1588, upon the death of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Morton, Sir William became the 6th Earl of Morton. From that time onward Agnes was styled the Countess of Morton. Sir William received the charter for the earldom on 20 July 1589.
William died sometime around the year 1606, which was the same year his wife died.
Notes
References
External links
Category:Earls of Morton
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
Category:1606 deaths
Category:Year of birth uncertain
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Pumice stones at the ready … from the arty mule to the holiday slipper, here are some of the best examples of the heel-flashing trend
Getting ready for that summer pedicure? No, me neither. But there is good news for those who identify as lazy when it comes to their feet. This season, toes will be a rare site in fashionable circles, and toe cleavage is practically illegal, according to the denizens of the front row. This year’s look is all about the closed-toe mule, you see. A quick swipe with the pumice stone is all you need. Here are four of the most fashionable heel-flashers around.
The woke ballerina flat
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Flat mules with bow, Stradivarius, £19.99.
When Maria Grazia Chiuri came to Dior in July 2016, she put feminism front and centre of her own new look. Ballet flats, it’s fair to say, are a bit too cutesy to scream intersectionality or any other zeitgeisty term. Instead, Chiuri gave them a rework by tweaking the bow to the side of the shoe, adding a point to the front and emancipating your heels. Other brands have followed suit. Meet your take-you-everywhere summer shoe - that includes marching on anti-Trump protests, obvs.
The holiday slipper
Facebook Twitter Pinterest XL pompoms at the Carven show, Paris fashion week, SS 2018. Photograph: Peter White/Getty Images
Asos has a whole category entitled “holiday shoes”. We like its style. The backless loafer introduced by Gucci – complete with shearling – in 2015 has morphed into the kind of shoes that demand attention, or at least a rooftop and a caipirinha before lunch. Maximalist styles ranging from XL pompoms to rainbow stripes are all invited, and all on the high street, too.
The arty mule
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Juniper ball heel mules, £62, Topshop. Photograph: Topshop
Anyone who follows Simon Porte Jacquemus on Instagram will find not employing the adjective “adorable” tricky. Paris’s golden boy, who posts videos of tulips on bicycles and donkeys on the beach, along with himself in oversized picture hats, has also had a hand in making shoes with heels that could quite easily pass in a Ettore Sottsass exhibition. Topshop and other brands are exploring other heel shapes. Expect ball-heeled mules at gallery openings this summer.
The Seven Year Itch slingback
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Slingback checkered shoes,
£49.99, Mango. Photograph: Mango
It doesn’t get much better than your shoe of choice enjoying the Marilyn Monroe seal of approval. The actor wore slingbacks in that 1955 subway grate scene in The Seven Year Itch. OK, those were open-toed, but 2018’s version has all the mid-century charm without any toe issues. Prada’s came with punk attitude but gingham gives a bit of classic wholesomeness that the 50s would totally get. It also looks great with that other Monroe fashion favourite, denim.
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[Impact of oxidative stress on renal dopamine D(1) receptor dysfunction in offspring of diabetic rat dams].
Objective: To explore the effects of oxidative stress on renal dopamine D(1) receptor dysfunction in offspring of diabetic rat dams. Methods: The pregnant Sprague Dawley (SD) rats (n=10) were randomly divided into the diabetic group (a single intraperitoneal injection of 35 mg/kg streptozotocin on day 0 of gestation) and control group (injected with the equal volume of 0.9% saline on day 0 of gestation) according to the random number table (n=5 each group). The offspring rats were divided into 4 groups including offspring of control dams treated with vehicle, offspring of control dams treated with antioxidant, offspring of diabetic dams treated with vehicle and offspring of diabetic dams treated with antioxidant (n=10 each group). After birth, the offspring rats were treated with normal drinking water or antioxidant (tempol, 1.0 mmol/L) from the age of 4 weeks until the end of the study (20 weeks). The blood pressure was monitored continuously by non-invasive tail-cuff method. The renal oxidative markers including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) activity and D(1) receptor agonist (fenoldopam)-mediated urinary and sodium excretion were detected. Furthermore, the protein expression of renal G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2), GRK4, dopamine D(1) receptor and the phosphorylation level of D(1) receptor were detected. Results: The mean arterial pressure of offspring from the diabetic dams treated with vehicle was significantly higher than that of offspring from control dams treated with vehicle (P=0.013), while the mean arterial pressure of offspring from diabetic dams treated with antioxidant was significantly lower than that of offspring from the diabetic dams treated with vehicle (P=0.038). The fenoldopam-mediated urinary flow and urinary sodium excretion rate were significantly lower in offspring of diabetic dams treated with vehicle than those in offspring of control dams treated with vehicle (P<0.01), which were significantly higher in offspring of diabetic dams treated with antioxidant as compared to offspring of diabetic dams treated with vehicle (both P<0.01). There was no significant difference in fenoldopam-mediated urinary flow and urinary sodium excretion rate in offspring of control dams treated with antioxidant or vehicle (urinary flow: P=0.772; urinary sodium excretion rate: P=0.716). Compared with offspring of control dams treated with vehicle, the renal MDA activity was significantly increased, while the SOD activity was significantly decreased in offspring of diabetic dams treated with vehicle (MDA: P<0.01; SOD: P=0.013). The renal MDA activity was significantly decreased, while the SOD activity was significantly increased in offspring of diabetic dams treated with antioxidant in comparison with offspring of diabetic dams treated with vehicle (MDA: P<0.01; SOD: P=0.035).The renal GRK2 and GRK4 protein expression in offspring of diabetic dams treated with vehicle were significantly higher than those in offspring of control dams treated with vehicle (P<0.01), while the expression levels of renal GRK2 and GRK4 in offspring of diabetic dams treated with antioxidant were significantly downregulated compared with offspring of diabetic dams treated with vehicle (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the protein expression of dopamine D(1) receptor among 4 groups (P=0.735). The level of dopamine D(1) receptor phosphorylation in offspring of diabetic dams treated with vehicle was significantly higher than that in offspring of control dams treated with vehicle (P<0.01), while the dopamine D(1) receptor phosphorylation level was significantly lower in offspring of diabetic dams treated with antioxidant compared to that in offspring of diabetic dams treated with vehicle (P<0.01). Conclusion: Oxidative stress is involved in the dopamine D(1) receptors dysfunction in the offspring of diabetic dams.
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The vast, largely unmapped terrain of a middle-aged mom’s creative life gets a witchily weird, uncompromisingly assured showcase in Georgian director Ana Urushadze’s exhilaratingly offbeat oddity. Premiering in Locarno, awarded in Sarajevo and now playing in competition at the 54th Antalya Film Festival, “Scary Mother” is also Georgia’s Oscar submission for the foreign language film category. And though its cerebral chilliness, emotional remove and narrative abstruseness might make it a hard sell in that context (Urushadze is perhaps unlikely to get quite as far as her father, Zaza, did with 2013’s Oscar-nominated “Tangerines”), this is nevertheless a startling debut that wholly earns its place as standard-bearer for one of the most exciting and distinctive national cinemas to have emerged in recent years.
Gradually the film’s narrative beats of crisis, rebirth and creative obsession emerge as a meta-fiction in which the protagonist’s journey suggests a witty parallel to that of Urushadze herself; as a Georgian woman, and a first-time feature filmmaker, presumably she has contended with issues similar to those facing her main character, a 50 year-old family woman in the throes of completing her first novel and living amid the poured concrete apartment blocks of dystopian-brutalist suburban Tbilisi.
More Reviews
The novelist is Manana, rivetingly played by Nata Murvanidze, whose entire demeanor can shift from frightened and insular to hawklike and predatory in an instant. As the film begins, Manana has for some time been in self-imposed exile from her family, despite being under the same roof, holed up writing her novel in a blue-accented bedroom (Mindia Esadze’s cinematography is usually low-contrast and understated but the occasional use of bold color-coding is an intriguing visual flourish). “I miss my mother,” says her daughter, Dea (Anastasia Chanturaia), drily. “I miss your mother too,” replies her father, Manana’s husband, Anri (Dimitri Tatishvili). Still, he indulges Manana’s literary ambitions, even sleeping on a temporary bed so she has an inviolate writing space, and if he paternalistically berates her for letting herself go — her hair is unkempt, her clothes shapeless and her arms covered with notes scribbled in ink — it is always gently. Until, that is, Manana, egged on by Nukri (Ramaz Ioseliani), her oddball friend and “editor” (actually the owner of a nearby stationery shop), shares her “masterpiece” with her family.
Nervously reading from her manuscript in a breathless high-speed monotone, Manana reveals that her novel is a Joycean stream-of-consciousness in which a first-person narrator looses ribbons of invective against people analogous to Manana’s real family and details pornographic encounters with neighbors and acquaintances. Her family is horrified, despite her increasingly unconvincing assurances that it’s not autobiography (“I imagined an unhappy woman in my place” she tells Anri). Soon she leaves the apartment altogether, moving into a red-lit backroom in Nukri’s store while she searches for an ending.
Manana’s grip on reality starts to slip, or is it simply that a new, weirder reality starts to intrude? She dreams she’s a Manananggal, a mythical creature of Filipino lore that’s torn into two pieces — one human, one monstrous bird-creature that emits a clicking noise when on the hunt — which accounts for the staticky noises worked into Nika Pasuri’s cleverly minimalist, ominous score. Meanwhile Manana’s translator father Jarji (Avtandil Makharadze) becomes obsessed by the text without knowing the identity of its author, leading to a climactic scene between the two which, with dizzying loop-the-loop skill, brings the narrative back in on itself in unexpectedly intricate ways.
Audiences are used to seeing stories about the ungovernable, all-consuming creative urge — indeed, alongside Darren Aronofsky’s “Mother!,” Urushadze’s film suggests that 2017 might be something of a banner year for disturbingly wry evocations of the monstrously self-interested, semi-cannibalistic creative ego. But these accounts usually locate that lofty artistic instinct within men, who are seduced away from their families and responsibilities by capricious muses that instill in them an implacable sense of the Importance of their work. To see that self-centeredness embodied by a middle-aged, middle-class wife and mother of three is refreshingly subversive.
Women often combat patriarchal oppression through bargaining and reassurance, pretending that freedom, once granted, will not be used to undermine existing institutions and priorities. But Urushadze’s admittedly uneven, cool-to-the-touch “Scary Mother” is thrillingly unconcerned with that kind of politeness: Instead it suggests that truly self-expressive freedom cannot be a partial concept; it is absolute and it includes within it the freedom, seized on by the monomaniacal Manana, to become whatever the truest version of yourself might be, even if it’s a bat-winged monster who devours children and is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to its insatiable appetite.
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The vast, largely unmapped terrain of a middle-aged mom’s creative life gets a witchily weird, uncompromisingly assured showcase in Georgian director Ana Urushadze’s exhilaratingly offbeat oddity. Premiering in Locarno, awarded in Sarajevo and now playing in competition at the 54th Antalya Film Festival, “Scary Mother” is also Georgia’s Oscar submission for the foreign language film […]
The vast, largely unmapped terrain of a middle-aged mom’s creative life gets a witchily weird, uncompromisingly assured showcase in Georgian director Ana Urushadze’s exhilaratingly offbeat oddity. Premiering in Locarno, awarded in Sarajevo and now playing in competition at the 54th Antalya Film Festival, “Scary Mother” is also Georgia’s Oscar submission for the foreign language film […]
The vast, largely unmapped terrain of a middle-aged mom’s creative life gets a witchily weird, uncompromisingly assured showcase in Georgian director Ana Urushadze’s exhilaratingly offbeat oddity. Premiering in Locarno, awarded in Sarajevo and now playing in competition at the 54th Antalya Film Festival, “Scary Mother” is also Georgia’s Oscar submission for the foreign language film […]
The vast, largely unmapped terrain of a middle-aged mom’s creative life gets a witchily weird, uncompromisingly assured showcase in Georgian director Ana Urushadze’s exhilaratingly offbeat oddity. Premiering in Locarno, awarded in Sarajevo and now playing in competition at the 54th Antalya Film Festival, “Scary Mother” is also Georgia’s Oscar submission for the foreign language film […]
The vast, largely unmapped terrain of a middle-aged mom’s creative life gets a witchily weird, uncompromisingly assured showcase in Georgian director Ana Urushadze’s exhilaratingly offbeat oddity. Premiering in Locarno, awarded in Sarajevo and now playing in competition at the 54th Antalya Film Festival, “Scary Mother” is also Georgia’s Oscar submission for the foreign language film […]
The vast, largely unmapped terrain of a middle-aged mom’s creative life gets a witchily weird, uncompromisingly assured showcase in Georgian director Ana Urushadze’s exhilaratingly offbeat oddity. Premiering in Locarno, awarded in Sarajevo and now playing in competition at the 54th Antalya Film Festival, “Scary Mother” is also Georgia’s Oscar submission for the foreign language film […]
The vast, largely unmapped terrain of a middle-aged mom’s creative life gets a witchily weird, uncompromisingly assured showcase in Georgian director Ana Urushadze’s exhilaratingly offbeat oddity. Premiering in Locarno, awarded in Sarajevo and now playing in competition at the 54th Antalya Film Festival, “Scary Mother” is also Georgia’s Oscar submission for the foreign language film […]
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Grasshopper
Grasshopper is a great solution if you're a small business that is looking for the appearance and basic functions of a business grade PBX, without applying anything other than cell phones or standard landlines.
Grasshopper doesn't need any hardware onsite, like older, more traditional PBX or SIP phones that most other hosted PBX solutions rely on. Rather, Grasshopper simply creates a PBX software instance on servers, which link extensions to existing phone numbers. This means that Grasshopper is very cheap in comparison to other SMB PBX services. However it does have the drawback of being very limited, if your business needs to grow beyond basic PBX functionality.
Extensions
Grasshopper’s Extensions are links to other phone numbers, such as a landline or a cellphone. Grasshopper has options available for extensions that allow incoming calls to be announced as a call through the Grasshopper system. Grasshopper then prompts the caller for a name and then replays that name to you before connecting the call, or it can be configured to connect the call immediately upon answering. Extensions can also be configured to have call time restrictions, such as only active between 9am-5pm Monday through Friday. Extensions can also be defined with multiple forwarding numbers, and instructed to ring all numbers until answered, or ring each number, in order, for a specific period of time.
A great thing about using Grasshopper, is that any extensions can be defined in the same manner for individual people. for instance to route to an employee first of all on their desk phone, and if not answered, then on their cellphone. The extension can also be configured as a department extension and linked in the IVR system i.e. 'Press 1 for Sales' where extension 1 is a department extension, which rings multiple forwarding numbers, in order, when a call is received.
Directory
Usefully, Grasshopper also offers a dial-by-name directory, which requires configuration of every user's first and last name linked to their extension. Grasshopper plans also includes virtual fax services. If an incoming fax is detected, it will be converted to a PDF and then emailed to one or more configurable email addresses. This is a really useful feature for businesses that are moving towards being a paperless office.
Pricing
Grasshopper uses a subscription pricing model with plans starting from £10 for the Pay As You Grow plan. This entry level plan offers 0 Minutes per month, 4p per minute Overage charge. With 1 included number and unlimited extensions. There is also a £25 activation charge. Next up is the RAMP plan. This is charged at £20 per month, and for this you get 1,000 Minutes per month inclusive, with a 3.5p per minute Overage charge. It comes with 1 included number and unlimited extensions. Finally there is the MAX plan. This is priced at £150 per month. For this you receive 10,000 Minutes per month, with a 2p per minute Overage charge. You get 3 included numbers, unlimited extensions, and unlimited voice studio as well.
Bottom Line
Overall, Grasshopper is a great choice for fledgling businesses, or those companies, which intend to remain very small. It has some great basic features and the pricing plans are reasonable. However, for those businesses that need more advanced features or ones that are likely to grow quickly, Grasshopper probably isn't suitable.
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The role of mucosal immunity in prevention of HIV transmission.
Vaccines designed to prevent mucosal transmission of HIV should establish multiple immune effectors in vaccine recipients, including antibodies which are capable of blocking HIV entry at mucosal epithelial barriers and of preventing initial infection of target cells in the mucosa. Immunological analyses of HIV-resistant humans and data obtained in nonhuman primate vaccine studies indicate that both secretory and serum antibodies may play an important role in protection against mucosal transmission of HIV or SIV, whereas cytotoxic T cells are required for clearance of mucosal infection and prevention of systemic spread. This review summarizes the roles of IgA and IgG antibodies in preventing mucosal infection by other viral and bacterial pathogens, and then discusses the various mechanisms by which antibodies might contribute to protection against HIV at mucosal surfaces. These include prevention of mucosal contact, blocking attachment of virus or infected cells to epithelial cells, interception of virus during transepithelial transport, neutralization of virus in the mucosa, and elimination of locally infected cells through antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxic reactions. The regional nature of mucosal immune responses is reviewed in light of its relevance to HIV vaccine development. We conclude that mucosal immunization should be considered a component of vaccine strategies against HIV.
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The Seattle Seahawks (2-4) are coming off back-to-back losses in which they let leads slip through their fingers in the fourth quarter. The defending NFC champs are desperate for a win, which could be very bad news for the San Francisco 49ers (2-4), their opponent on Thursday night.
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I went to a place drenched with the Guru’s love. The people’s mission was to foster a space where the Guru touched the hearts of the youth who came. Without a doubt they accomplished their mission. This occurred at a ranch surrounded by snow at the Toronto Sikh Retreat.
The five workshops were Internal Revolution, External Revolution, Being an Inspired Activist, Gender Equality Revolution, and Art Expression. The Internal Revolution touched on how Sikhi revolutionized the concept and experience of God, much like what I’ve learned from Yogiji’s lectures. The presenter spoke of naam, naad, maya and their relationship to the gunas, and summarized it all by showing a SikhNet video by Guruka Singh. I thought that was really cool because he tapped into Yogiji’s teachings.
The External Revolution workshop showed how the Khalsa changed the world from after the passing of Guru Gobind Singhji until the present. The presenter gave us the history with such detail and insight. He spoke of how during and after the Guru’s time, being a Sikh was illegal and thousands were killed. He spoke of the times where Sikhs could only stay alive by hiding in the jungle, and yet were organized in jathas and misls. A person was chosen to become a jethedar based on their merit such as playing the most inspiring kirtan or doing seva. These Sikhs would also come out of the jungle to free the slaves being taken to other lands. Then there was a time period where Sikhs focused on fighting for and keeping their land, during Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s rule. He said a decline in morals occurred and people converted to Sikhism to gain money and power. After Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death, the Sikhs fought to keep their lands and his legacy. This resulted in a major defeat in the first Anglo-Sikh War. Although we learned much more, the theme became clear: When Sikhs stood up for others out of love, our efforts brought great victories to the people; when Sikhs fought on behalf of their own attachments, we lost brutally. The question then became, what are we standing for today?
This led into the workshops about –isms: activism and feminism and how these are synonymous with Sikh Dharma. As our aim is to see God in all or we can’t see God at all (they quoted Yogiji here), then naturally would flow an active effort to help others as our Gurus did. This group had a plethora of ways they served, from uniting with the Native Americans in Canada on the First Nations issue that spoke to the heart of sovereignty to the Seva Food Bank that provides nutritious food to low-income families. Their projects and actions spoke from their hearts and love for the Guru’s teachings.
For the workshop about feminism and Sikhi, we did an interesting activity that showed us the balance of the feminine and masculine in our Gurus and great sevadars. We learned about the feminine in baani and watched that wonderful Sikhnet video by Shanti Kaur Khalsa called “Time for Women to Lead!” We also had discussions about recent topics like Balpreet Kaur’s graceful response on reddit.com.
One of my favorite parts (along with sledding and archery) was the Gurdwara programs that happened every morning and evening. The Saturday night program brought tears to many of our eyes. A humble young man with a pink collared shirt sat behind the harmonium. I don’t remember what he said, but the vibrations that came from his voice as he spoke and sang transformed the room. I could feel the Guru’s presence so alive, and it reminded me of the Gudwara programs at summer solstice after morning sadhana. After the hukum and prasad, the organizers gave people a chance to share their feelings and thoughts. One person said that although he had grown up as a Sikh, he had never felt such love from the path and the sangat. The Guru had indeed touched his heart.
I felt grateful to find many similarities between this retreat and solstices, such as the devotion and love and how people spoke in terms of energy and vibrations. The organizers saw the light in others and created a supportive, safe space to bring that forth, by Guru’s grace. To me, they personified the history and reality of Sikhi and were true “Aquarian beings.”
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Massachusetts Personal Bankruptcies Up.
According to a report earlier this month by the American Bankruptcy Institute, consumer bankruptcies are up so far this year. For example, there were 92,669 bankruptcies filed in January, however, there were 102,686 filed in February. Last year there were 5,847 Massachusetts bankruptciesfiled in the first quarter. According to the ABI, the cause for the continued high rate is “high unemployment and a still-poor housing sector.” The Wall Street Journalnoted that this is an 11% increase from the previous month. On the other hand, Massachusetts bankruptcy attorney Neil Burns notes personal bankruptcies are down from a year ago. The above numbers include Chapter 7 no asset bankruptcies, Chapter 11, and Chapter 13 consumer reorganization bankruptcies. Last year there were over 1.6 million bankruptcies; we are below that rate so far this year. The total Chapter 7 bankruptcies for 2010 was 1.1 million. The ABI notes that the number of bankruptcies has increased each year since the new law was put into effect, 2005.
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807 F.Supp. 1571 (1992)
DAIDO CORPORATION, Daido Kogyo Co., Ltd., and Enuma Chain Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Plaintiffs,
v.
The UNITED STATES; the Department of Commerce; Barbara H. Franklin, Secretary of Commerce; Timothy J. Hauser, Acting UnderSecretary of Commerce for International Trade; Alan Dunn, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Import Administration, Defendants,
and
The American Chain Association, Intervenor-Defendant.
Court No. 92-07-00429.
United States Court of International Trade.
November 25, 1992.
Tanaka Ritger & Middleton, Patrick F. O'Leary, Washington, DC, for plaintiffs.
*1572 Stuart M. Gerson, Asst. Atty. Gen., David M. Cohen, Director, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civ. Div., U.S. Dept. of Justice and, Jeffrey M. Telep, Office of the Chief Counsel for Import Admin., U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Washington, DC (Patrick Gallagher, of counsel), for defendants.
Covington & Burling, David E. McGiffert and David R. Grace, Washington, DC, for intervenor-defendant.
OPINION AND ORDER
AQUILINO, Judge:
The background of this action, commenced by the plaintiffs for extraordinary equitable relief, is set forth in the court's slip op. 92-129, 16 CIT ___, 796 F.Supp. 533 (1992), familiarity with which is presumed. As stated therein, the action has its genesis in the Treasury Department's finding of dumping sub nom. Roller Chain, Other Than Bicycle, From Japan, 38 Fed.Reg. 9,926 (April 12, 1973), and plaintiffs' subsequent, continuing efforts to obtain revocation of this finding before the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce ("ITA").
According to Roller Chain, Other Than Bicycle, From Japan; Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Determination Not To Revoke in Part, 56 Fed.Reg. 50,092 (Oct. 3, 1991), the ITA decided not to effectuate a 1977 determination by Treasury to revoke as against the plaintiffs, pending conduct of a review of the period April 1, 1990 to March 31, 1991 pursuant to 19 U.S.C. § 1675. However, on May 22, 1992 the ITA
notified plaintiffs that there would be a delay in the 1990-91 review due to lack of funding [and f]urther ... announced initiation of a new administrative review for the April 1, 1991-March 31, 1992 period ... requested by the American Chain Association.... Consequently, ... Commerce sent plaintiffs a 1991-92 review questionnaire with a response deadline of July 6, 1992. Plaintiffs' request ... for deferral of the questionnaire responses pending completion of the 1990-91 review and finalization of the revocation was rejected by Commerce....
16 CIT at ___, 796 F.Supp. at 535. This action ensued, with plaintiffs' seeking relief by way of a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction and/or writ of mandamus.
Among other things in slip op. 92-129, the court concluded that there is no dispute as to jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1581(i)(4). 16 CIT at ___, 796 F.Supp. at 536. Also, defendants'
long-standing disregard for statutory deadlines in administrative reviews has repeatedly been judicially condemned and required judicial intervention.... Here, plaintiffs' urgent need for a writ of mandamus has to a large extent been obviated by Commerce's commitment to plaintiffs and to the court at the hearing on July 8, 1992 to make the necessary allocation of funding to the 1990-91 review and adhere to the following timetable: September 1, 1992 for the preliminary results; November 15, 1992 for the final results.... Plaintiffs have accepted the foregoing timetable. Consequently, imposition of the extraordinary remedy of mandamus is deemed unwarranted at this time. However, the court will accede to plaintiffs' request to retain jurisdiction in this case and plaintiffs' application for mandamus will be held in abeyance pending the outcome of Commerce's conformance to the stipulated deadlines for issuing the preliminary and final results of the review.
Id. (citations omitted).
As for plaintiffs' application for a preliminary injunction against ITA conduct of an administrative review for 1991-92 before final determination of whether or not to revoke based on the review results for the preceding year, the court denied the relief requested, albeit on condition that,
should plaintiffs claim during the pendency of this action that the alleged threat of retaliatory refusal to revoke for failure to answer the questionnaires by the extended deadline has materialized in the course of the 1990-91 review, this court will reconsider plaintiffs' requested *1573 injunctive and mandamus relief for such retaliation.
16 CIT at ___, 796 F.Supp. at 538.
I
Since issuance of slip op. 92-129, the ITA has published Roller Chain, Other Than Bicycle, From Japan; Preliminary Results of Antidumping Finding Administrative Review, 57 Fed.Reg. 41,471, 41,472 (Sept. 10, 1992), finding weighted-average margins for 1990-91 of 0.02 percent for Daido Kogyo and 0.00 for Enuma and reciting that it had been the agency's
original intention to revoke the finding with respect to Daido and Enuma subsequent to completion of the administrative review of the 1986-1987 period.... However, in Freeport Minerals Co. v. United States, 776 F.2d 1029 (Fed.Cir., 1985), the Court ... emphasized the need to base revocation determinations on "current data", and held that such determinations should not be based on information more than three years old. By the time the final results of the 1986-1987 review were published ..., the data on which the tentative revocation would be based were more than four years old. Accordingly, we concluded at that time that we would conduct a review of a more recent period before deciding whether to revoke the finding with respect to these two companies.
Notwithstanding this stated, original intention, plus written company commitments to an immediate suspension of liquidation and reinstatement of the finding of dumping should sales at less than fair value resume, the ITA went on to report:
... [B]ecause of confidential information in our possession, we are unable to make a determination at this time that sales at less than fair value will not occur in the future. Therefore, we will not consider revocation at this time.
Id., 57 Fed.Reg. at 41,473.
The plaintiffs have returned to court with a motion for release of the confidential information referred to, complaining that "this hurdle seems insurmountable because the ITA has consistently rebuffed [their] efforts to gain access to this so-called `confidential' information."[1] In addition, they have returned with a renewed application for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, posturing that the ITA "has done almost everything imaginable to prevent [them] from getting a fair shot at revocation."[2]
Though plaintiffs' papers are replete with such hyperbole, the court discerned enough in them to warrant issuance of an order restraining the defendants temporarily from taking any further steps on administrative review of either 1990-91 or 1991-92 and also directing the government to show cause why it should not be enjoined preliminarily (1) from issuing a final determination for 1990-91 "until [p]laintiffs have the opportunity to challenge, through the briefing and hearing process, the so-called `confidential' information" and (2) from requiring responses to questionnaires issued for 1991-92. A hearing has since been held in open court on these issues.
II
Attached to a case brief submitted by the American Chain Association to the ITA in conjunction with administrative review of 1986-87 was a document apparently written months earlier by an unnamed individual and received by its attorneys concerning questionnaire responses filed by respondents Daido et al. Counsel's transmittal represented the information to be
highly sensitive in nature, and its disclosure could ... prove deleterious should the Commerce Department decide to inquire *1574 further into the matter.... [P]ublic disclosure at this juncture could needlessly prejudice and/or embarrass Daido Kogyo, Enuma Chain, and Daido Corporation (U.S.A.). In light ... of these considerations, the ACA submits that the information qualifies for confidential treatment under 19 C.F.R. § 353.32(a). ... In view of the ... Commerce Department's policy interest in encouraging knowledgeable parties to come forward in antidumping proceedings, information that could be used to identify the author of the letter deserves the strictest protection. We therefore request that this information be exempt from release under Administrative Protective Order.[3]
The agency acquiesced in this request, deciding not to release the information on grounds that it has authority to exempt from disclosure matter of a type for which there is a clear and compelling need to withhold, citing 19 C.F.R. §§ 353.33 and 353.34(a), and that the information sought "is in fact of such a highly sensitive nature that it clearly should not be released."[4] The government continues to oppose discovery, contending now that the information the plaintiffs seek should be protected "pursuant to the informant's privilege, the investigative files privilege, and because of a clear and compelling need to prevent disclosure."[5]
A
The Trade Agreements Act of 1979, as amended, provides for disclosure under protective order of confidential information submitted to the ITA, in general, as follows:
Upon receipt of an application ..., the administering authority ... shall make all business proprietary information presented to, or obtained by it, during a proceeding (except privileged information, classified information, and specific information of a type for which there is a clear and compelling need to withhold from disclosure) available to interested parties who are parties to the proceeding under a protective order ... regardless of when the information is submitted during a proceeding....
19 U.S.C. § 1677f(c)(1)(A).
After the plaintiffs had become formal parties to the proceedings for administrative review of the year April 1, 1990-March 31, 1991, counsel for the American Chain Association resubmitted the informer's document. Upon release of the preliminary results of that review, quoted in part I above, plaintiffs' attorney demanded disclosure of "the `confidential information' which has caused the ITA to not consider the Companies' request for revocation", arguing that it had become the "pivotal fact" in denial of revocation.[6] The agency's response apparently was to notify counsel that it would grant his "APO request" but not to the extent of producing the information.[7]
On the question of privilege attaching to a government informer, traditional teaching has been to the effect that the
privilege applies only to the identity of the informer, and not to his communication *1575 as such. Of course, if disclosure of the contents of his statement would tend to disclose the identity of the informer, the communication itself should come within the privilege, but solely to the extent necessary to preserve the informer's anonymity.
VIII Wigmore on Evidence § 2374, at 765 (McNaughton rev. 1961) (emphasis in original; footnotes omitted). In Roviaro v. United States, 353 U.S. 53, 59-61, 62, 77 S.Ct. 623, 627-28, 628-29, 1 L.Ed.2d 639 (1957), the Supreme Court discussed the phenomenon in the following manner:
What is usually referred to as the informer's privilege is in reality the Government's privilege to withhold from disclosure the identity of persons who furnish information of violations of law to officers charged with enforcement of that law.... The purpose of the privilege is the furtherance and protection of the public interest in effective law enforcement. The privilege recognizes the obligation of citizens to communicate their knowledge of the commission of crimes to law-enforcement officials and, by preserving their anonymity, encourages them to perform that obligation.
The scope of the privilege is limited by its underlying purpose. Thus, where the disclosure of the contents of a communication will not tend to reveal the identity of an informer, the contents are not privileged. Likewise, once the identity of the informer has been disclosed to those who would have cause to resent the communication, the privilege is no longer applicable.
A further limitation on the applicability of the privilege arises from the fundamental requirements of fairness. Where the disclosure of an informer's identity, or of the contents of his communication, is relevant and helpful to the defense of an accused, or is essential to a fair determination of a cause, the privilege must give way....
* * * * * *
We believe that no fixed rule with respect to disclosure is justifiable. The problem is one that calls for balancing the public interest in protecting the flow of information against the individual's right to prepare his defense. Whether a proper balance renders nondisclosure erroneous must depend on the particular circumstances of each case, taking into consideration the crime charged, the possible defenses, the possible significance of the informer's testimony, and other relevant factors.[8]
Roviaro was a criminal case, but an informer's identity can be privileged in civil matters. See generally Developments in the Law, Privileged Communications, 98 Harv.L.Rev. 1450 (1985), and cases cited therein. Indeed, some courts have concluded that the privilege is stronger in civil cases, while others have applied the same standard to both kinds of actions. Compare, e.g., In re United States, 565 F.2d 19, 22 (2d Cir.1977), cert. denied sub nom. Bell v. Socialist Workers Party, 436 U.S. 962, 98 S.Ct. 3082, 57 L.Ed.2d 1129 (1978), with Hodgson v. Charles Martin Inspectors of Petroleum, Inc., 459 F.2d 303, 305 & n. 2 (5th Cir.1972). Whatever the approach, this Court of International Trade clearly has jurisdiction to enforce it in an action such as this. See 19 U.S.C. § 1677f(c)(2); 28 U.S.C. § 1581(f) and § 2641(b).
Generally, as the nature of the asserted privilege implies, an informer is in privity with law-enforcement officer(s). But that is not the scenario at bar. Rather, the tipster sent its document to counsel for the American Chain Association as well as to other persons. There was no delivery to the government, nor is an expectation of such transmittal readily apparent from the document itself. On the other hand, given the Association's direct involvement in the administrative proceedings, it cannot be said that what ultimately happened, to wit, forwarding to the ITA followed by substantive reaction, was out of the question. In short, the court cannot conclude in light of this involvement that lack of privity between informer and government prevents the latter from now asserting its privilege. Cf. Martin v. Albany Business Journal, *1576 Inc., 780 F.Supp. 927 (N.D.N.Y.1992); McCormick on Evidence § 111, at 408 (4th ed. 1992).
Regarding the delivery of the confidential version of defendants' memorandum to opposing counsel, the
traditional judicial approach places the risk of inadvertent disclosure on the holder of the privilege. Under this approach, any disclosure, whether intentional or not, is deemed a waiver.
98 Harv.L.Rev. at 1660, citing In re Grand Jury Investigation of Ocean Transp., 604 F.2d 672, 675 (D.C.Cir.), cert. denied sub nom. Sea-Land Service, Inc. v. United States, 444 U.S. 915, 100 S.Ct. 229, 62 L.Ed.2d 169 (1979); United States v. Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Co., 15 F.R.D. 461, 465 (E.D.Mich.1954); VIII Wigmore on Evidence § 2325, at 633. But not all courts have followed this approach. In Mendenhall v. Barber-Greene Co., 531 F.Supp. 951, 955 n. 8 (N.D.Ill.1982), for example, the court characterized it as "atavistic, generating (in much the same way as a flawed pleading in the era of common law pleading) harsh results out of all proportion to the mistake of inadvertent disclosure."
There is no indication that the occurrence herein was anything other than a mistake. Moreover, since the informer privilege aims to protect identity, which is not directly stated on the documents appended to defendants' confidential memorandum, and since their contents apparently did not go beyond counsel to someone possibly better able to discern that identity, the court cannot conclude that effective waiver of the protection of the critical fact has taken place. Cf. 2 Weinstein's Evidence para. 510[04], at 510-26 (1992) ("once the identity of the informer is disclosed `to those who would have cause to resent the communication' no further reason remains for applying the privilege"), citing Roviaro, supra.
That the reason for applying the privilege remains intact, however, is not an automatic basis for denial of any and all discovery. Clearly, the informer's document at bar contains references tending to reveal identity, the nature of which could cause the type of emotion sought to be avoided. Therefore, those references should not be disclosed, but, on the other hand, the court is not persuaded that other information therein is so inextricably intertwined with its source's identity as to protect it from formal revelation to plaintiffs' counsel in the pursuit of their interests.
B
The government, in the pursuit of its interests, has apparently started investigation of the references in the informer's document which is beyond the scope of the ITA proceedings. This activity, in turn, has begun to generate documents of its own, including those inadvertently delivered to plaintiffs' counsel. The defendants attempt now to cloak all of the confidential information with investigatory privilege. To properly do so,
(1) there must be a formal claim of privilege by the head of the department having control over the requested information; (2) assertion of the privilege must be based on actual personal consideration by that official; and (3) the information for which the privilege is claimed must be specified, with an explanation why it properly falls within the scope of the privilege.
In re Sealed Case, 856 F.2d 268, 271 (D.C.Cir.1988), citing Black v. Sheraton Corp. of America, 564 F.2d 531, 542-43 (D.C.Cir.1977), and Friedman v. Bache Halsey Stuart Shields, Inc., 738 F.2d 1336, 1341-42 (D.C.Cir.1984).
The court has reviewed confidential affidavit(s) submitted on behalf of the government and finds its attempted assertion in compliance with the foregoing standards. Hence, the court must balance the public interest in nondisclosure against plaintiffs' need for access to the privileged information. In Black, the court stated that "[j]udicial recognition of an executive privilege depends upon `a weighing of the public interests that would be served by disclosure in a particular case.'" 564 F.2d at 545, quoting Nixon v. Sirica, 487 F.2d 700, 716 (D.C.Cir.1973). The factors to be considered in such an analysis were set forth at length in Friedman, 738 F.2d at 1342-43, *1577 quoting Frankenhauser v. Rizzo, 59 F.R.D. 339, 344 (E.D.Pa.1973), to wit:
(1) the extent to which disclosure will thwart governmental processes by discouraging citizens from giving the government information; (2) the impact upon persons who have given information of having their identities disclosed; (3) the degree to which governmental self-evaluation and consequent program improvement will be chilled by disclosure; (4) whether the information sought is factual data or evaluative summary; (5) whether the party seeking discovery is an actual or potential defendant in any criminal proceeding either pending or reasonably likely to follow from the incident in question; (6) whether the police investigation has been completed; (7) whether any intradepartmental disciplinary proceedings have arisen or may arise from the investigation; (8) whether the plaintiff's suit is non-frivolous and brought in good faith; (9) whether the information sought is available through other discovery or from other sources; and (10) the importance of the information sought to the plaintiff's case.
At this seemingly-early moment of investigation, the plaintiffs have not (and probably could not have) tipped the scale on these factors in their favor. Hence, defendants' asserted privilege must stand, at least for now. However, this particular privilege does not protect from discovery the informer's document, which from the beginning has been in the hands of others and which is at the heart of the ITA's current proceedings.
C
Nonetheless, the defendants take the position that there is a clear and compelling need within the meaning of 19 U.S.C. § 1677f(c)(1)(A), supra, to withhold its disclosure.
When the agency attempts to rely on this provision, the court will consider the matter de novo to determine whether such a need in fact exists. E.g., Bethlehem Steel Corp. v. United States, 13 CIT 617, 618, 718 F.Supp. 70, 71 (1989); D & L Supply Co. v. United States, 12 CIT 732, 734, 693 F.Supp. 1179, 1181 (1988). And in rendering a decision, the court must balance the interests of the government in preventing disclosure with those of the party demanding access. In this instance, the agency has indicated, at least preliminarily, that the document in question is the linchpin of its determination not to revoke. As long as this is the case, to preclude opposing counsel from formal knowledge of any of its contents clearly would tend to foreclose the kind of meaningful opportunity to participate contemplated by the Trade Agreements Act of 1979, as amended.
Indeed, it has been held that the fact that information is confidential is insufficient on its own to prove clear and compelling need to withhold it from disclosure. E.g., Allied Tube & Conduit Corp. v. United States, 13 CIT 698, 706, 721 F.Supp. 305, 312 (1989), aff'd, 898 F.2d 780 (Fed.Cir.1990). Where there exist adequate safeguards to prevent such information from passing beyond the eyes for which access is appropriate, the
mere possibility that information could be inadvertently disclosed under an APO is not enough to overcome the statutory policy favoring disclosure. Moreover, the imposition of sanctions for even inadvertent disclosures militates against this possibility.
Komatsu Forklift Manufacturing Co. v. United States, 13 CIT 578, 582-83, 717 F.Supp. 843, 846 (1989) (citation omitted). Furthermore, the fear that the information provided to an attorney might find its way to the client is not enough to prevent disclosure, although other cases have considered the possible chilling effect court-ordered disclosure might have on future investigations. E.g., American Brass v. United States, 12 CIT 1068, 1073, 699 F.Supp. 934, 938 (1988). In sum, while the government has a clear interest in protecting sources in order to encourage others to come forth with information, that interest cannot be equated automatically with a compelling need to withhold, which appears to be the attempt here.
III
Plaintiffs' application (and existing temporary restraining order) are aimed not *1578 only at the ITA's administrative review of the period April 1, 1990 to March 31, 1991 but also at April 1, 1991 to March 31, 1992, initiation of which was noticed on May 22, 1992, 57 Fed.Reg. 21,769. Apparently, agency questionnaires for that later year issued the same day to the plaintiffs. Their counsel quickly requested that the "ITA withdraw the ... questionnaires pending completion of the 1990-1991 review and finalization of the revocation"[9] upon the following representation:
The sending of the 1991-1992 period questionnaires and requiring submission of answers thereto by July 6, 1992 creates additional and presumably unnecessary burdens on the Companies. If the 1990-1991 period final results are published and the dumping finding revoked this summer, the Companies will have expended considerable time and money unnecessarily answering questionnaires. As indicated above, the ITA has not seen fit in the past to require the Companies to answer questionnaires for periods not part of the process connected with the pending finalization of the revocation. Moreover, the above quoted comments from the 1986-1987 period final results clearly emphasize that future investigations were to be limited to "a" obviously meaning one "review of a more recent period". That review can be completed as soon as the ITA resolves its money problems. In the interim, the Companies should not be burdened by the need to answer additional questionnaires.[10]
The ITA declined the request to withdraw but did extend its deadline two weeks until July 20, 1992, by which time this action already had been commenced. On September 10, 1992 the agency sent the plaintiffs a letter reminding them that slip op. 92-129, 16 CIT ___, 796 F.Supp. 533, supra, had "not relieved ... their responsibility to respond"[11] to the May 22 questionnaires. Counsel then presented a request to extend their time to answer until January 15, 1993, whereupon the ITA reacted on September 22, 1992 that responses were due no later than the next day, September 23rd.
That deadline has passed without plaintiffs' compliance, with the indication that the agency will now resort to best information otherwise available within the meaning of 19 U.S.C. § 1677e(c) in carrying out its administrative review of 1991-92. This expectation has led counsel to now project that his clients will "get saddled with a BIA dumping margin for 1991-1992, which, in turn spawns an alternative basis for permanently denying revocation and grounds for mooting the 1990-1991 period lawsuit." Plaintiffs' Nov. 5 Memorandum, p. 8.
Plaintiffs' instant application sets forth a suggested schedule of events which proposes a deadline for answering the 1991-92 questionnaires, "if necessary", some 62 days after the deadline suggested for the final results of the review of the preceding year. Neither the defendants nor the intervenor-defendant have indicated any willingness to attempt to accommodate their adversaries' perceived predicament, which, as the court recognized in slip op. 92-129, 16 CIT ___, 796 F.Supp. 533, clearly is not entirely of their own making.
Whatever the particular responsibilities, the defendants and intervenor-defendant oppose grant of any stay, which can only occur when an applicant therefor establishes a threat of immediate irreparable harm, the likelihood of success on the merits, that the public interest would be better served by issuing rather than by denying an injunction, and a balance of hardship in its favor. E.g., S.J. Stile Associates Ltd. v. Snyder, 68 CCPA 27, 30, C.A.D. 1261, 646 F.2d 522, 525 (1981); Federal-Mogul Corporation v. United States, 16 CIT ___, ___, 808 F.Supp. 839, 840 (1992).
With regard to the requisite threat of immediate irreparable harm, the plaintiffs take the position that completion of *1579 the administrative review of 1991-92 before court consideration of the final determination as to the prior year has run its course could effectively preclude judicial relief of the kind they seek. They refer to Zenith Radio Corporation v. United States, 710 F.2d 806, 810 (Fed.Cir.1983), wherein the court concluded
that liquidation would ... eliminate the only remedy available to Zenith for an incorrect review determination by depriving the trial court of the ability to assess dumping duties on Zenith's competitors in accordance with a correct margin on entries in the '79-'80 review period. The result of liquidating the '79-'80 entries would not be economic only.... Zenith's statutory right to obtain judicial review of the determination would be without meaning for the only entries permanently affected by that determination. In the context of Congressional intent in passing the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 and the existing finding of injury to the industry underlying T.D. 71-76, we conclude that the consequences of liquidation do constitute irreparable injury.
While that case focused on the irrevocability of liquidation, its import reaches this action as well, to wit, in the absence of an injunction the plaintiffs could lose their statutory right to meaningful court review of ITA denial of revocation, which can have consequences extending years into the future. Cf. 19 C.F.R. § 353.25 (1992) (revocation permissible in the absence of dumping for a period of "at least three consecutive years"). Indeed, this court has held that time is an element of irreparability. Bomont Industries v. United States, 10 CIT 431, 437, 638 F.Supp. 1334, 1339 (1986).
The threat of immediate irreparable harm, as perceived by the plaintiffs, is based on application of best information otherwise available in the absence of questionnaire responses for 1991-92 which counsel predict could lead to dumping margins of 15.92 or 43.29 percent[12] in contrast to years heretofore reviewed when margins found to exist were de minimis. While the court abstains from any view at this time on the propriety of reliance on best information otherwise available for that year, it is constrained to conclude that that potential does amount, at a minimum, to a present threat of irreparable harm to the plaintiffs.[13]
Both the governing statute, 19 U.S.C. § 1675(c), and the above-cited regulation make clear that revocation is discretionary on the part of the ITA, even when the specified conditions exist. Cf. Manufacturas Industriales de Nogales, S.A. v. United States, 11 CIT 531, 666 F.Supp. 1562 (1987). Hence, a showing of likelihood of success on the merits in an action like this is more onerous. On the other side, the findings in slip op. 92-129 16 CIT ___, 796 F.Supp. 533, are hardly complimentary of the defendants on those controlling issues. Moreover, this and other courts have held that although the
extraordinary remedy of a preliminary injunction is not available unless the moving party's burden of persuasion is met as to all four of the above factors, the showing of likelihood of success on the merits is in inverse proportion to the severity of the injury the moving party will sustain without injunctive relief.
Smith Corona Corp. v. United States, 11 CIT 954, 965, 678 F.Supp. 285, 293 (1987), quoting Hyundai Pipe Co. v. U.S. Department of Commerce, 11 CIT 238, 243, 1987 WL 8807 (1987), and citing Ceramica Regiomontana, S.A. v. United States, 7 CIT 390, 395, 590 F.Supp. 1260, 1264 (1984), and American Air Parcel Forwarding Co. v. *1580 United States, 1 CIT 293, 300, 515 F.Supp. 47, 53 (1981).
At this stage, that proportion favors the plaintiffs. Not only is this evident, but at the hearing the defendants had difficulty mustering reasons tending to support themselves on the remaining two requisites for injunctive relief. They could not show hardship if the court were to grant plaintiffs' application, nor did they even attempt to prove that the public interest would be better served by denial of the requested interim relief. This is no doubt the case because that interest is always the fair and efficient administration of U.S. trade laws, which is essentially what the plaintiffs have been pleading for. Furthermore, the first rule of practice of this Court of International Trade is to secure the just, speedy and inexpensive determination of every action.
IV
To summarize the foregoing, it is the decision of the court to grant plaintiffs' motion to compel disclosure to the extent that those portions of the informer's document which do not tend to indicate its identity will be available under protective order to counsel for the plaintiffs, and only to counsel, at or after 2 p.m. on November 30, 1992. The attorneys for the defendants and for the intervenor-defendant may appear in room 769 of the courthouse at 2 p.m. on that day to review the proposed redactions prior to release of the remainder of the document's contents. In all other respects, plaintiffs' motion to compel disclosure must be, and it hereby is, denied.
It is further the decision of the court to deny plaintiffs' application for a preliminary injunction in regard to the ITA's administrative review of the year April 1, 1990 to March 31, 1991, and it hereby is denied. And it is further the decision of the court to grant plaintiffs' application in regard to the agency's administrative review of the year April 1, 1991 to March 31, 1992: The defendants and their officers, employees, agents, servants, sureties and assigns are thus hereby enjoined from any further review of importation of roller chain, other than bicycle, from Japan during the period April 1, 1991 to March 31, 1992 pending completion of similar proceedings for the preceding year April 1, 1990 to March 31, 1991 and any judicial review of the result(s) thereof.
So ordered.
NOTES
[1] Memorandum in Support of Plaintiffs' Motion for Release of Confidential Information, p. 2 (footnote omitted). This motion was accompanied by a motion to amend plaintiffs' complaint, essentially to assert jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1581(f). That motion is hereby granted.
[2] Memorandum of Law in Support of Plaintiffs' Application for Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction [hereinafter referred to as "Plaintiffs' Nov. 5 Memorandum"], pp. 1-2 (Nov. 5, 1992).
[3] Attachment 2 to Affidavit of Patrick F. O'Leary, p. 2 (Letter from David R. Grace to Secretary of Commerce (June 28, 1991)).
[4] Attachment 5 to Affidavit of Patrick F. O'Leary, p. 2 (July 5, 1991) (footnote omitted).
[5] Defendants' Memorandum in Opposition to Plaintiffs' Motion for Release of Confidential Information, p. 2 (footnote omitted).
[6] Attachment 23 to Affidavit of Patrick F. O'Leary, p. 2 (Sept. 3, 1992).
[7] See Attachment 27 to Affidavit of Patrick F. O'Leary.
The plaintiffs then filed their motion with the court to compel disclosure. The defendants prepared public and confidential versions of their response to this motion, the latter of which has attached allegedly-privileged documents, including that of the informer. Apparently, that version was inadvertently served on plaintiffs' counsel, as well as filed with the court. Allegedly believing he was under "no obligation not to look at the `confidential' document [, a]ccordingly, [he] reviewed" it. Affidavit of Patrick F. O'Leary, para. 39. When defendants' attorneys discovered the mistake and demanded return of their confidential memorandum in opposition, Mr. O'Leary complied upon a representation that he had not disclosed the contested information to his clients. See id., para. 40 and attachment 30 thereto.
[8] Footnotes omitted.
[9] Attachment 18 to Affidavit of Patrick F. O'Leary, p. 2 (May 27, 1992).
[10] Id.
[11] Attachment 26 to Affidavit of Patrick F. O'Leary.
[12] See, e.g., Plaintiffs' Nov. 5 Memorandum, p. 7.
[13] In reaching this conclusion as for 1991-92, the court is unable to extend it to cover 1990-91. That is, denial of a stay of publication of a final determination for that year would not constitute harm of the degree indicated for 1991-92 in view of the alternative avenue for relief available to parties in plaintiffs' position under 19 U.S.C. § 1516a(a)(2), particularly if the subsequent administrative review is to be stayed. Then again, plaintiffs' having waited until September 1992 to formally request production of the informer's document may not have been considered untimely by the agency in granting them an administrative protective order on September 14th, but that timing hardly enhances their standing now to delay publication of the final determination for which this action was originally commenced.
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Leave campaigner Boris Johnson is set to enter No. 10 on Wednesday, but Brexiteers may be concerned about the new premier’s position on immigration, control of which is a sticking point for Eurosceptics.
The Conservative Party leader’s comments on amnesty for illegals have been of most concern for those who voted Leave to stop the uncontrolled free movement of people from the EU, with the politician having said at least five times in his recent political career that illegal aliens who have been in the country for a decade should be granted the right to stay.
Johnson Calls for Amnesty #1: Grant an “earned amnesty” to the 400,000 illegals living in London
In 2008, the mayor of London called for a review into the feasibility of giving amnesty to the city’s then-400,000 illegal aliens. No, this was not the mayorality of Labour’s ‘Red Ken’ Livingstone (2000 to 2008), but the newly elected Boris Johnson of the Conservative Party.
In November 2008, then-Mayor Johnson called for an “earned amnesty” for the hundreds of thousands living illegally in the city, which as London mayor, he had no power to implement. A Johnson spokesman had said: “Roughly 400,000 people living here illegally are unable to be themselves or contribute to society or pay their taxes.”
The calls went against Tory policy, with a party spokesman telling The Guardian at the time: “We will have to agree to differ on this. One-off amnesties have been tried elsewhere and the evidence is that they do not work, but lead to more.”
Johnson Calls for Amnesty #2: They’re already here, so give them amnesty so they can pay taxes
Mayor Johnson made the call again in his second term in office in 2013, where he essentially said that because they were already here and successive governments had failed to deport them, they might as well be regularised so they can, as he asserted five years before, pay their taxes.
Speaking on LBC on July 2nd, 2013, Johnson said: “We effectively have it [amnesty]… If you have been here for 10 or 12 years, I’m afraid the authorities no longer really pursue you. They give up. Why not be honest about what is going on?”
“Ultimately, you have got to reflect reality,” Mr Johnson continued, adding: “Otherwise they are not engaged in the economy, they are not being honest with the system, they are not paying their taxes properly and it is completely crazy.”
Johnson Refuses to Commit to Lowering Immigration https://t.co/QvvXIE3bl7 — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) July 17, 2019
Johnson Calls for Amnesty #3: Take back control and vote to leave the EU… and grant amnesty to more than one million illegals
Whilst Boris Johnson was campaigning with the establishment Vote Leave campaign under the slogan of ‘Vote Leave, Take Control’ — suggesting taking control back over laws, immigration, and trade from the EU — just days from the vote, he again called for amnesty for illegals.
On June 19th, 2016, Mr Johnson said: “Let us take back of control of our borders with a sensible, fair, and impartial system. But let me take on this issue absolutely directly because I am pro-immigration, I am the proud descendent of Turkish immigrants.
“And let me stun you, by saying that I am not only pro-immigration, I am in favour of an amnesty for illegal immigrants who have been here more than 12 years, unable to contribute to this economy, unable to pay taxes, unable to take proper part in society.”
Just a year later, the former director of immigration enforcement, David Wood, told MPs that there are more than one million illegal aliens in the UK who will likely never be deported.
Johnson Calls for Amnesty #4: In the panic of the political fallout of Windrush, Boris calls for amnesty. Again.
The Conservative government came under criticism in 2018 from leftists in the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties for the ‘Windrush scandal’ — in which a small number of legal migrants, around 60, from the Commonwealth had been wrongfully deported.
In April of that year, the then-foreign secretary Johnson told Cabinet colleagues that there needed to be a “broader” amnesty for those from the Commonwealth, such as Pakistan and Ghana, who were in the country illegally, which if the government had taken his advice would have resulted in between 500,000 and 700,000 aliens being giving legal right to remain in the UK.
In response, chairman of think tank Migration Watch UK Lord Andrew Green called it an “appalling lack of judgement”.
Johnson Calls for Amnesty #5: Leadership candidate Johnson’s latest call for amnesty branded “manna for traffickers”.
In recent weeks, the candidate for Tory leadership, and prime minister, again called for amnesty for illegals who have been in the country for 15 years.
Speaking to the Daily Mail on July 5th, Mr Johnson said that he was considering the “amnesty”, claiming the plan would stop a repeat of the Windrush scandal — the Tory conflating illegal aliens from the Commonwealth with legal immigrants, many born British subjects abroad, who arrived in the UK between 1948 and 1973.
Migration Watch vice chairman Alp Mehmet said the proposal would be “manna for traffickers” and said it “makes no sense” as there is “no comparison” between those small numbers of people up in Windrush and more than one million illegals.
“An amnesty for them would be manna for traffickers. It would encourage further illegal inflows, reward illicit behaviour, be costly to UK taxpayers and be grossly unfair to migrants who follow the rules,” Mr Mehmet said, adding: “Amnesties do not work, as Spain and Italy have proved.”
Migration Watch Slams Boris Plan to Give Amnesty to Illegal Aliens: 'Manna for Traffickers' https://t.co/KPTexhaX3B — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) July 6, 2019
Pre-Brexit Boris calls for Turkey to join the EU so there can be more Islam in Europe
It is not just Mr Johnson’s views on amnesty that could concern Brexiteers over a Prime Minister Johnson, as his comments appear to betray a soft spot for open immigration, as well.
Member states of the European Union are subject to the ‘four freedoms’: freedom of capital, goods, services… and people.
Before the UK voted to leave the EU, rejecting those four areas, Buzzfeed pulled up footage from a decade before of Boris Johnson calling for membership of near-east, Muslim-majority Turkey to the European Union, meaning free movement for millions of Turks so they can live in the bloc, including in the UK.
In the 2006 BBC documentary The Dream of Rome, Johnson called for the reunification of the classical empire and for Europe to shake off its thousand-plus years’ identity as a Christian land.
The Conservative politician said: “Istanbul is now a Muslim town, but what are we saying if we perpetually keep Turkey out of the European Union just because it’s Muslim?… Are we really saying about ourselves and about Europe that it must be forever coterminous with nothing but Christendom? Well, try going to Bradford and saying that.”
Speaking with fervour, Mr Johnson continued: “And when that great moment comes, and the two halves of the Roman Empire, east and west, are at last reunited in an expanded European Union, then the territory of Turkey will be rejoining a union that certainly has the pretensions of restoring that grand old Roman unity.”
The prospective Brexiteer prime minister refuses to commit to lowering immigration
Just two weeks ago, Johnson refused to commit to lowering net migration — a promise, unfulfilled, made by two previous prime ministers in three consecutive Conservative governments.
During a leadership debate, Mr Johnson was asked whether he would lower immigration in a post-Brexit Britain, the frontrunner said he was not “going to get into a numbers game”, saying instead: “What I think we will have is control, which is what the people voted for and it’s high time we got it.”
This would appear to contradict what Mr Johnson said during the 2016 referendum campaign. When asked at the time whether he wanted to bring immigration down to the “tens of thousands”, he said: “Yes, I do.”
The change of position came after Migration Watch UK criticised Johnson’s plan for an Australia-style, points-based immigration system, which Lord Green said “just ducks all the key issues. There is no mention whatever of reducing net migration let alone how it might be achieved. Three-quarters of the public wish to see a significant reduction in immigration, including 88 per cent of Conservative Party members. Their views deserve to be respected.”
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PDE5 inhibitors protect against post-infarction heart failure.
Heart failure (HF) is one of the main causes for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study was designed to examine the effect of PDE-5 inhibition on cardiac geometry, function and apoptosis in post-infarct HF. Our data revealed that treatment of the PDE-5 inhibitor sildenafil, beginning 3 days after left anterior descending coronary artery ligation, attenuated LV remodeling, cardiac dysfunction, cardiomyocyte apoptosis and mitochondrial anomalies including ATP production, mitochondrial respiratory defects, decline of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and compromised mitochondrial ultrastructure. Sildenafil partially ameliorated the downregulation of Sirt3 protein and acetylation of PGC-1alpha in peri-infarct myocardial regions. In cultured neonatal mouse ventricular myocytes subjected to hypoxia for 24 hrs, sildenafil suppressed apoptosis, promoted ATP production and elevated MMP, along with the increased Sirt3 protein expression and decreased PGC-1alpha acetylation. Interestingly, knock down of Sirt3 attenuated or nullified sildenafil-offered beneficial effects. Our findings demonstrated that sildenafil exerts its cardioprotective effect against post-infarction injury by improving mitochondrial ultrastructure and function via the Sirt3/PGC-1alpha pathway. This observation should shed some lights towards application of sildenafil in energy-related cardiovascular diseases.
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Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Brain Surgery
Those of you who know me personally, know that I'm a pretty private person, especially when it comes to my family and friends. And for those of you I've never met, even though I write a blog and dish all kinds of personal stories, I never/rarely write about private issues and what I write on here about people who are still alive and kicking is done with their permission. Sometimes I take the piss out of people on my blog - which is really tricky because what's written tongue-in-cheek often gets misinterpreted and taken at face value. But I trust that my readers (and I thank all who read my writings) are cutting edge enough to get my sense of humor.
Anybody figure out that I'm skirting an issue here? Yup, I am. Dragging it out because it's really hard to write about. Way outside the realm of things I wish to share. Jesus fuck. It's so surreal at this point that I think it's actually a lie. Some kind of cosmic joke. Or something I dreamed - I mean nightmared - that I'm writing as if it's real. Thinking I'll get a call from someone asking me what the fuck I'm going on about. Maybe Mick Jagger will call and say, "It's just your imagination, running away with you." Please, I'll take any one of those scenarios over the one I know to be true.
Okay, Chesher, get on with it.
I have a daughter. Her name is Jaimie. She is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley. Not only is she beautiful and funny, she is also a straight A student (except a B+ that some ho-bag temp teacher gave her because...well, it doesn't really matter but she deserved an A). Jaimie wasn't happy that her 4.0 got blown out to a 3.95 or whatever it is now. She is hoping to go to Columbia (the university in NY, not the country) for grad school. She reads smart person books and enjoys them. You know the ones. Those books you get assigned in school and choose to read the Cliff notes because you can't get past the verbage. I think they call them The Classics. She's way, way, way smarter than me. She uses her brain. That's why I call her my acadamia nut.
And that's why this is such a hard pill to swallow. Why it makes this the hardest sentence I've ever had to write. Because if I write it, I can't deny it's truth.
My daughter is going to have brain surgery next Wednesday morning.
Just the thought of it makes me feel like I have to puke. Writing it down and reading the words makes the blood in my body surge through my veins at double-speed, while simultaneously draining my body of all life. And then it just makes me cry.
I'll talk more about what's going on with her brain in subsequent posts but for now I'll just say she has acquired hydrocephalus - feel free to click on the link to read more about it.
Right now I need to ask for your help. Since starting Everybody I Shot Is Dead over two years ago, I have invested every penny I've had into the project and borrowed beyond my means to bring it to fruition, leaving myself no cushion in case of emergencies (yes, I'm that stupid). While I'm hoping to break even by the end of the year, at the moment I'm just managing to get by and keep the wolves at bay in these trying economic times. So now I need to raise a bunch of benjamins to pay the over-and-above expenses our insurance won't cover, my travel expenses to NoCal, the three-plus weeks of lost income while I'm up there taking care of my girl during her recovery, etc, etc.
Please understand I'm not looking for any handouts here. That's not how I roll. I'm here to offer you some great deals on my wares. The only favor I'm asking is that if you have any plans to purchase something from me in the future, that you do it now instead of later. If you're going to be looking for a birthday gift for someone who has everything, please consider a print or book or t-shirt. And instead of waiting 'til the last minute to do your Holiday shopping, how about getting it done early, right here, right now. Any little bit will help.
If even you can't buy anything, you can still help us out in other ways. Here's some suggestions:
1. Send your positive thoughts to Jaimie via email - [email protected] - even if she doesn't know you she'll appreciate hearing from you. She's a crazy-brave girl but she's not without fear. A few kind words will help her get through this ordeal.
2. Say a prayer for her and keep her in your thoughts, especially on Wednesday morning (PST).
3. Email your friends with a link to this post.
And, if you are a blogger, please post a link and encourage your readers to stop by.
Here's a listing of the cool stuff you can get at below wholesale prices:
Original Photographic Prints
I took these photos of the prints today...they do not represent the quality of the prints. To see a more accurate representation of the print quality click here.
Jerry Garcia11x14 Signed Open Edition Framed (approx 17x20)$175 plus shipping ($15 US)(item ref: garcia70oeF)(only one available at this price)
Papa John Creach11x14 Signed Open Edition Framed (approx 17x20)$175 plus shipping ($15 US)(item ref: creach138oeF)(only one available at this price)
Papa John Creach11x14 Signed Open Edition Framed (approx 17x20)$175 plus shipping ($15 US)(item ref: creach143oeF)(only one available at this price)
Dennis Wilson/Beach Boys11x14 Signed Open Edition Framed (approx 17x20)$175 plus shipping ($15 US)(item ref: wilsonD57oeF)(only one available at this price)This is the actual photo seen on the NBC Mo Rocca interview.
Frank Zappa11x14 Signed Open Edition Framed (approx 17x20)$175 plus shipping ($15 US)(item ref: zappa49oeF)(only one available at this price)This is the actual photo seen on the NBC Mo Rocca interview.
George Harrison11x14 Signed Open Edition Framed (approx 17x20)$175 plus shipping ($15 US)(item ref: harrison123oeF)(only one available at this price)This is the actual photo seen on the NBC Mo Rocca interview.
Badfinger11x14 Signed Open Edition Framed (approx 16x18)$175 plus shipping ($15 US)(item ref: badfinger44oeF)(only one available at this price)
Badfinger11x14 Signed Open Edition Framed (approx 16x18)$175 plus shipping ($15 US)(item ref: badfinger41AoeF)(only one available at this price)
Tom Evans/Badfinger11x14 Signed Open Edition Framed (approx 16x18)$175 plus shipping ($15 US)(item ref: evans40BoeF)(only one available at this price)
Mike Gibbins/Badfinger11x14 Signed Open Edition Framed (approx 16x18)$175 plus shipping ($15 US)(item ref: bibbins47oeF)(only one available at this price)
Pete Ham/Badfinger11x14 Signed Open Edition Framed (approx 16x18)$175 plus shipping ($15 US)(item ref: ham43oeF)(only one available at this price)
Maureen Starkey and kids at Friar Park
11x14 Signed Open Edition Framed (approx 16x18)$175 plus shipping ($15 US)(item ref: starkey4oeF)(only one available at this price)
These prints are not currently available on my website. If you are interested in ordering one or more of the above prints, please email [email protected] with questions and fro purchasing instructions. International orders are welcome on the unframed prints - shipping will be quoted on request. The above prints are available on a first-come first-served basis.
If you miss out on your favorite 11x14 open edition print above or you don't see the musician you want to hang on your wall, you won't be left out. All 11x14 prints of any Everybody I Shot Is Dead photograph shown here will be available for $95 plus shipping through the end of August. Email [email protected] to order now. I will try and have ordering of these directly through my website soon.
Deborah, just found out today about this from Shawna. I am so sorry that your family is going through such a tough time. I've got that Beautiful daughter Jaimie at the top of my prayer list. God Bless you TOO sweet Deborah. If there's anything any of us can do please let us know. I know Shawna and Jules feel the same way. Love ya bunches! Londie
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Spatial, sequence-order-independent structural comparison of alpha/beta proteins: evolutionary implications.
We present a unique sequence-order independent approach which allows examination of three dimensional structures, searching for spatially similar substructural motifs. If the amino acids composing the motifs are contiguous in the primary chain, that is, they follow each other in the sequence, a common ancestor and a divergent evolutionary process may be implied. On the other hand, if the three-dimensional substructural motif consists of amino acids whose positions in the sequences vary between the different proteins, a convergent evolution might have taken place. Starting from different, ancient sequences, mutations may have occurred that brought about formation and conservation of a truly structural motif. Such a motif might be particularly suitable for fulfilling a specific function. Clearly, in order to be able to carry out such a task one needs a technique which allows comparisons of protein structures absolutely independent of their amino acid sequence-order. Our novel, efficient, computer vision based technique treats atoms (residues) as unconnected points in space, using strictly the atomic (either all atoms or only the C alpha atoms) coordinates. The order of the residues is completely disregarded. Detection, cataloging and analysis of "real" three-dimensional, sequence-order independent motifs in the crystallographic database is expected to be an invaluable tool for protein folding. Here we demonstrate the power of the technique by applying it to alpha/beta proteins. Our studies indicate that for some of the proteins, the "classical" structural alignments (conserving the amino acid order) are the optimal ones. Nevertheless, for others, truly spatial (out of sequential-order) amino acid equivalencing results in a better geometrical match.
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Hibs keeper Marciano set for debut after securing work permit
DAVID HARDIE
Neil Lennon today confirmed goalkeeper Ofir Marciano is poised to make his long-awaited Hibs debut against Morton on Saturday after clearing the final immigration hurdle by securing a work permit.
The 26-year-old Israeli internationalist was immediately pitched into action, playing in the “mini derby” as Hibs and Hearts Under-20s shared a 2-2 draw at the new Oriam sports complex.
And that, insisted Lennon, will stand the on-loan FC Ashdod player in good stead as he prepares for his first Scottish Championship match. After enduring a three-week delay in getting clearance to play Marciano, Lennon said: “We’re glad to have got all that out of the way.
“It’s been a bit frustrating for Ofir, it’s been a game of patience but George Craig [Hibs head of football operations] has been working really hard in the background to get it over the line.”
Lennon has already stated that Marciano, who has ten caps to his name, will be his No.1, but has been delighted in his absence by the performances of Ross Laidlaw as Hibs have begun their bid for promotion with three straight wins.
He said: “There’s a good chance Ofir will start on Saturday but Ross has done very, very well. Ofir has been brought in as my No.1 but I’m very pleased with Ross and he can be pleased with the way he has coped. He was brought in to challenge and that’s exactly what he is doing.”
Having been made to wait, Lennon believed it was important Marciano got a game under his belt as quickly as possible, the Hibs boss present to witness not only the Israeli’s first public appearance for the club but the return after a knee injury of midfielder Fraser Fyvie who also played the full 90 minutes.
He said: “Ofir needed a game. The standard of it was good, the tempo was good and you had two sets of players having a right go with lots of quality on both sides and Ofir played well in the main.”
And although he has yet to experience a Scottish style game, Lennon believes Marciano knows what is in store. He said: “He went to the Champions League match between Celtic and Happoel Be’er Sheeva last week and that would have given him an insight into the intensity, the tempo and the physicality of our game.
“We’ve also done some work on the training ground on that side of things, so it won’t be a big surprise for him.”
Although defender Liam Fontaine will be out for two to three weeks with the calf strain which prevented him travelling to Paisley last weekend, Lennon admitted that, with Danny Handling his only long-term injury, he’s happy with how his squad is shaping up with Andrew Shinnie and Brian Graham the latest arrivals likely to be followed by “a little bit more business” before the transfer window shuts.
Lennon revealed he’s spoken to one-time Motherwell midfielder Tom Hateley, currently a free agent, but said: “The ball is in his court. I know he is speaking to other clubs and that’s fine, I don’t have a problem with that. We’ll have to wait and see.”
“But the squad is looking a lot stronger. Fraser has been out since the Motherwell game in pre-season so it’s great to have him back. He played well in the wee derby. He was a bit unsure about playing the 90 but we said to play as long as he needed or wanted, but he’ll benefit from the full 90.
“I was pleased with what I had on the bench against St Mirren because in previous weeks we’ve looked a bit light. Brian and Andrew have come in to be part of the squad but they obviously see themselves as first-team starters.”
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Q:
How can keep quotes on strings from string resources
This is followup of a previous question (Android: Json string with spaces gives "Unterminated object at" exception)
When I get a string from a resource file it removes the " unless it is escaped (\") is there a way around this?
For example:
Java:
String jString = getResources().getString(R.string.event);
Json:
<resources>
<string name="event">
{"Array":[{"Name":"One two three"},{"Name":"Two"},{"Name":"Three"}]}
</string>
</resources>
jString has a value of {Array:[{Name:One two three},{Name:Two},{Name:Three}]} and I want it to have the following value {"Array":[{"Name":"One two three"},{"Name":"Two"},{"Name":"Three"}]}.
A:
You can place the JSON document in res/raw/ and then use openRawResource(int) to get an InputStream from which you can read the JSON.
But depending on the data, I'd prefer saving it in a <string-array> or something like that.
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# locally computed
sha256 c56e5edd53c921768a033906426329279ca8ae6537c5d735c42b948e9778b05c tidsp-binaries-23.i3.8.tar.gz
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Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen
Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen is a Copenhagen-based, Danish chamber ensemble specializing in the performance of modern compositions. It was founded in 1990 and is highly esteemed for the high quality of its work. Artistic Director of the ensemble since 2014 is Jesper Lützhøft while Pierre-André Valade is Principal Guest Conductor.
The ensemble takes its name from J. R. R. Tolkien's fiktive Middle-earth plant Athelas, a herb with healing powers twice used by Aragorn to save Frodo in the Lord of the Rings.
History
Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen was founded in 1990 by two composers and a conductor out of frustration that no existing orchestras took an interest in performing new compositions. From 1997–2000, when he set off to lead the Copenhagen Philharmonic, Giordano Bellincampi was chief conductor.
In 2000 it was appointed as National ensemble, a status followed by considerable extra subsidies from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. In 2001 the ensemble collaborated with Thomas Sandberg and the composer Anders Nordentoft on the experimental opera performance On the Planet.
2003 saw crisis when it lost its status due to ministerial budget cuts, and the subsidies dwindled to one third of previous levels, while most of the leadership retired. Anders Beyer was appointed as new artistic director of the ensemble. He introduced several initiatives to make the ensemble more visible and establish new collaborations.
In 2008 Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen collaborated with Danish Dance Theatre on the installation Labyrint created by Tim Rushton.
On 4 May 2009, joined for the occasion by the singer Misen Groth, the ensemble performed Jacob Groth score for the film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in Cannes as the official opening concert of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
Current members
Andras Olsen – trombone
Liza Gibbs Fox – oboe
Anna Klett – Clarinet
Manuel Esperilla/Kristoffer Hyldig – piano
Axel Ruge – double bass
Idinna Lützhøft – violin
Mina Luka Fred – viola
Karen Skriver Zargabis – flute
Jonas Wiik – trumpet
Anne Søe – violin
Maria Boelskov Sørensen – harp
Mathias Friis-Hansen/Mathias Reumert – percussion
Signe Haugland – bassoon
Thomas Ekman – horn
Adam Stadnicki – cello
References
External links
Official website
Category:Chamber music groups
Category:Musical groups established in 1990
Category:Sinfoniettas (orchestras)
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Friday, 14 October 2016
ARE YOU USING THE CASH MACHINES (ATM)? DON’T TAKE THE RECEIPT AFTER THE TRANSACTION! HERE’S WHY!
According to Daily Mail there are some researchers that have shown that the individuals who were handling with the special paper utilized for the ATM more than 2 hours and with no gloves, had increased levels of Bisphenol A (BPA) in their urine. On the other hand the individuals who had gloves did not have increase of this chemical compound.
Earlier, the scientists have associated the Bisphenol A with some hormonal disorders, problems with conception and brain development at the kids. Bisphenol A can be found in the canned foods, some fabrics and in the hard plastics just like the one is utilized for making baby’s bottles.
This chemical compound is likewise utilized in making of the special ATM paper, POS- machines in the markets, and this leads to the fact that most of the people are having these papers in their hands.
It is still not known which level of Bisphenol A in the urine is critical. The results could have significance of the individuals who are working every day with these papers, such as cashier.
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South West African Labour Party
The South West African Labour Party, initially known as the Federal Coloured People's Party, was a political party in Namibia. It was formed in 1973, and led by Andrew Kloppers. In October 1974, it won the elections to the South West Africa Coloured Council. It participated in the Turnhalle Constitutional Conference and subsequently joined the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance.
References
Category:Defunct political parties in Namibia
Category:Labour parties
Category:Political parties established in 1973
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Bullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma: a sporadic case produced by a new KRT10 gene mutation.
Bullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma is an unusual type of inherited ichthyosis by mutations in the genes that encode K1 and K10. We report the case of a girl with typical clinical and histopathologic findings of bullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma, who was found to have a new mutation in KRT10 gene, Glu445Lys at position 445, affecting the 2B region of the KRT10 protein, the end of the rod domain, where many other keratin mutations associated with hereditary skin disease have been reported. This new mutation contributes to add to the catalog of bullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma mutations known.
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LG: Google Isn’t Purchasing 35% Stake In Business
These days, it seems anything can spark the stock market alight, and send stock prices soaring higher than usual. Of course, such is the nature of a twitchy and uncertain global economy. Still, some rumors that spark these spikes in stock prices are a little more wild than others and a fantastic rumor just did the rounds in South Korea, sending the stock of one South Korean tech giant soaring by as much as 14%. Someone, somewhere thought that Google would be purchasing a 35% stake in LG. The South Korean giant has now officially come forward and denied the rumor as nothing more than your average round of speculation.
The rumor goes that Google were to purchase 35% of LG for a cool 2.5 Trillion Won, which is roughly $2.2 Billion or so. While a stake of 35% wouldn’t ensure Google a majority, and therefore nothing close to controlling the company, it would of course give the search giant some considerable sway with the company’s direction, and no doubt lead to closer workings with Google and LG on future products. Even so, a 35% stake in LG would cause a shockwave throughout the Android ecosystem. If partners like Samsung and HTC were unhappy when Google bought fledgling Motorola years ago, imagine how they’d feel getting nice and cosy with LG? A rising star in the Android world and a competitive consumer electronics company the world over. ‘Samsung’ is perhaps the one word that would ensure such a deal wouldn’t take place. While Google might not enjoy how Samsung market their phones – with very little mention of Google or Android at all – or do with their software, the company is the number one reason Android is as big as it is today. No matter how good LG is, or how well they’re doing right now, Google wouldn’t risk upsetting one of their biggest and most influential partners in the mobile space.
LG and Google have enjoyed a fairly close relationship over the years as it is, with the Nexus 4, the Nexus 5 and of course the original G Watch all powered by LG, it’s clear the two have a working relationship. There seems to be little reason for Google to purchase a large stake in LG, or any mobile partner for that matter, they’ve ‘been there and done that‘ with Motorola, and even though LG is a very different beast it’s a head scratcher as to why Google would need to invest quite so heavily in a faithful partner.
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The Protocolised Management in Sepsis (ProMISe) Trial
Since 2002, the surviving sepsis campaign (SSC) has stated that best practice in sepsis care includes: early recognition, source control, appropriate/timely antibiotic therapy, resuscitation with intravenous fluids (IVF) and vasoactive medications. Resuscitation of the septic patient in the emergency department has been largely based off the 2001 Rivers trial [1]. This single center study’s focus was to optimize tissue oxygen delivery following several parameters including, central venous pressure (CVP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and central venous oxygen saturation (SCVO2) to guide IVF, vasoactive medications, and packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions. Well today, part 3 of the sepsis trilogy was published in the saga of Early Goal Directed Therapy (EGDT) versus “usual” care. The 3 parts to this saga consist of:
What were the conclusions of the ProCESS and ARISE trials?
For a full description of these studies checkout: The New Age of Sepsis Management, but the synopsis of these two studies is simple and straight forward: If patients are identified EARLY, given IVF EARLY, and antibiotics EARLY, then the pathway used afterwards (i.e EGDT, Protocolized, or “usual care”) is less important in management and resuscitation.
What were the mortality rates in the EGDT study vs the ProCESS and ARISE trials?
EGDT = 31 – 47%
ProCESS = 18.2 – 21% 60 day mortality rate
ARISE = 18.6 – 18.8% 90 day mortality rate
Summary: The 2001 Rivers study put sepsis on the map and has changed how we manage sepsis (i.e. We are more aggressive in identifying these patients, and our “usual care” has changed to early identification, early IVFs and early antibiotics), which may explain why we have lower mortality rates now compared to the 2001 Rivers et al study
The Protocolised Management in Sepsis (ProMISe) Trial [4]
What they did:
Pragmatic, open, multi center, randomized controlled trial of 56 emergency departments in the United Kingdom
1260 patients were assigned to EGDT (6-hour resuscitation protocol) vs “usual” care
Outcomes:
Primary: All-cause mortality at 90 days
Results:
The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) Score (Predictor of morbidity severity and mortality estimation) at 6 hours was higher in the EGDT arm vs “usual” care arm (6.4 +/- 3.8 vs 5.6 +/- 3.8).
The number of patients requiring advanced cardiovascular support was 37.0% in the EGDT arm vs 30.9% in the “usual” care arm (p = 0.026)
The number of days in the ICU was 2.6 days in the EGDT arm vs 2.2 days in the “usual” care arm (p = 0.005).
The average cost of care was $17,647 in the EGDT arm vs $16,239 in the “usual” care arm, but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.26)
Limitations:
Slower recruitment of patients on weekends and after business hours with only 1/3 of patients being recruited during these times
Interventions could not be blinded, but patients were centrally randomized to conceal treatment group and ultimately minimize bias
Conclusions: In patients identified early with septic shock, the use of EGDT vs “usual” care did not result in a statistical difference in 90 day mortality.
Discussion Points from the ProMISE Study:
This study was set in a real-world context with 29% of recruiting hospitals being teaching facilities. 20% of EDs overall in England are teaching facilities, which means the population studied, would be a generalizable sample of patients to the country as a whole
This study calculated that an enrollment of 1260 patients would have an 80% power to detect a relative reduction of 20% in risk and absolute risk reduction of 8% in risk for the EGDT group in 90 day mortality. This study only had a 29% mortality rate as opposed to a predicted 40% mortality rate, so small differences in EGDT vs “usual” care may be missed from the results of this study
The number of days in the ICU was 2.6 days in the EGDT arm vs 2.2 days in the “usual” care arm (p = 0.005). I am not sure of the clinical relevance of this as the difference was less than 1/2 a day.
Looking at the results, a significant portion of “usual” care patients still get arterial catheters (62.2%), CVCs (50.9%), and vasopressors (46.6%). What this tells me is that our “usual” care has components of the EGDT algorithm engrained in it. Sick patients need fluids, antibiotics, and supportive therapies (i.e. Early critical care and resuscitation), but they don’t need CVP and SCVO2 monitoring to dictate their care .
Clinical Take Home Message:
As already confirmed by the ProCESS and ARISE trials, if patients are identified EARLY, given IVF EARLY, and antibiotics EARLY…the “ABCs” of resuscitation and critical care, then the pathway used afterwards (i.e EGDT, Protocolized, or “usual care”) the “DEF” after resuscitation is less important in the resuscitation of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.
References:
Rivers E et al. Early Goal-Directed Therapy in the Treatment of Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock. NEJM 2001. PMID: 11794169 ProCESS Investigators. A Randomized Trial of Protocol-Based Care for Early Septic Shock. NEJM 2014. PMID: 24635773 ARISE Investigators. Goal-Directed Resuscitation for Patients with Early Septic Shock. NEJM 2014. PMID: 25272316 Mouncey PR et al. Trial of Early, goal-Directed Resuscitation for Septic Shock. NEJM 2015. PMID: 25776532
Post Peer Reviewed By: Anand Swaminathan, MD (Twitter: @EMSwami)
Others Thoughts:
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Sonographically guided microwave coagulation treatment of liver cancer: an experimental and clinical study.
Percutaneous microwave coagulation was performed with a modified system in animal experiments and in a clinical study to evaluate this technique as a treatment option for liver cancer. As an in vitro study, a microwave electrode was inserted 5-6 cm into separated egg white, homogenate of pig liver, and pig liver, with different power outputs and different lengths of inner conductors. In the animal experiment, the sonographically guided coagulation was performed percutaneously nine times and at laparotomy 43 times on 17 adult dogs. The thermal needles were placed parallel to and 5 mm, 8-12 mm, and 15 mm from the electrode. Clinically, 41 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and 10 patients with hepatic metastases were treated with a 60-W microwave emission for 240-300 sec. Microwave coagulation using the modified system at 60 W for 300 sec produced a necrosis volume of 3.7 x 2.6 x 2.6 cm. The coagulated volume was elliptic when the exposed inner conductor of the electrode was 27 mm. The temperature at the periphery was 62.0 +/- 5.8 degrees C. During a mean follow-up period of 23 months, in 41 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, 79% (46/58) of lesions became smaller, and the intratumoral blood flow disappeared in 89% (47/53). All tumors showed decreased density on unenhanced CT, and 84% (32/38) of tumors showed no enhancement on contrast-enhanced CT. In 21 patients with an elevated alpha-fetoprotein level, the level decreased in all 21 and was normalized in 17. A second biopsy on 19 patients showed complete destruction of tumor in 18. In 10 patients with hepatic metastases, the mean follow-up period was 13 months. Shrinkage of lesions occurred in 84% (21/25), and the blood flow inside the tumor disappeared in 75% (12/16) of lesions. Seventy-three percent (8/11) of the nodules showed no enhancement. A second biopsy on six patients showed complete necrosis in five. Sonographically guided microwave coagulation performed with this modified system was an effective and safe treatment for liver cancer.
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The objective of the DMID Clinical Research Operations and Management Support (CROMS) contract is to provide clinical trial management support to DMID's clinical research program. Support services include clinical site assessment, assistance with site Clinical Quality Management Plans, clinical site monitoring, pharmacovigilance and safety oversight committee support;general logistical support and maintenance of information management systems.
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2000–01 National Division Three North
The 2000–01 National Division Three North was the first season (fourteenth overall) of the fourth division (north) of the English domestic rugby union competition using the name National Division Three North. New teams to the division included Dudley Kingswinford who were promoted as the champions of Midlands Division 1 and Tynedale who were champions of North Division 1 with no northern based teams being relegated from the 1999-00 Jewson National League One. The league system was 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw with the promotion system changing for this season with a playoff system being introduced. The champions of both National Division Three North and National Division Three South would automatically go up but the runners up of these two divisions would meet each other in a one off match (at the home ground of the side with the superior league record) to see who would claim the third and final promotion place to National Division Two for the following season.
The season was a very fractured one due to the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak which primarily affected the two northern-most clubs in the division - Aspatria and Tynedale - leading to a large number of fixtures being cancelled in the latter half of the season. The league champions were Stourbridge who pipped Sedgley Park to the league title by just one point to gain promotion to the 2001–02 National Division Two. Sedgley Park would join them soon after when they won their promotion playoff game at home against the 2000-01 National Division Three South runners up Launceston in front of over 1,000 fans. The foot-and-mouth outbreak made relegation far from straightforward as initially the bottom two were Aspatria and Tynedale, who had played 18 games each - less than any of the other teams in the division. In Tynedale's case this was particularly hard as they were only 1 point behind 12th placed Sandal but had played six games less. In the end the RFU had to re-think relegation and used a complicated process based on early season form which meant that 14th placed Aspatria and 11th placed Walsall went down. Aspatria dropped to North Division 1 while Walsall went into Midlands Division 1.
Participating teams and locations
Final league table
Results
Be aware that some of the early season scores from Rugby Statbunker may be incorrect (possibly due to an automatic scoring system used on that website) as they are different from those reported in the Telegraph. I have used references from the Telegraph wherever possible which should tie in with the results from the England rugby website.
Round 1
Round 2
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 23 September 2000.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 23 September 2000.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 23 September 2000.
Round 3
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 October 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
Round 2 & 3 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 10 September 2000.
Game brought forward from 10 February 2001.
Game rescheduled from 10 September 2000.
Game rescheduled from 10 September 2000.
Round 4
Round 5
Round 3 (rescheduled game)
Game rescheduled from 16 September 2000.
Round 6
Round 7
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
Round 12
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 February 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 February 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 February 2001.
Round 13
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 March 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 February 2001.
Round 14
Round 15
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 March 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to ?.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 February 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 March 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 March 2001.
Round 16
Round 17
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 7 April 2001.
Round 18
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 7 April 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 April 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 February 2001.
Game initially postponed but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 March 2001.
Round 19
Rounds 3, 7, 11 & 15 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 30 December 2000.
Game rescheduled from 30 December 2000.
Game rescheduled from 4 November 2000.
Game rescheduled from 30 December 2000.
Game rescheduled from 16 September 2000.
Game rescheduled from 4 November 2000.
Game rescheduled from 2 December 2000.
Round 20
Game brought forward to 23 September 2000.
Game initially postponed but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Aspatria's season and leading to them being relegated.
Game initially postponed but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
Rounds 12, 13 & 18 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 9 December 2000.
Game rescheduled from 20 January 2001.
Game rescheduled from 9 December 2000.
Game rescheduled from 16 December 2000.
Game rescheduled from 9 December 2000.
Round 21
Rounds 13, 15 & 18 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 16 December 2000.
Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 but would be postponed again until 28 April 2001.
Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 but would be postponed again until 28 April 2001.
Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 but would be postponed again until 14 April 2001.
Game initially rescheduled from 20 January 2001 but would be ultimately cancelled due to fixture congestion.
Round 22
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 May 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 19 May 2001.
Round 23
Postponed. Game rescheduled to ?.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 28 April 2001.
Game initially postponed but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 April 2001.
Round 24
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 19 May 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 19 May 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 May 2001.
Round 25
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 26 May 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 26 May 2001.
Rounds 15, 17 & 18 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 20 January 2001.
Game initially postponed but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Aspatria's season and leading to them being relegated.
Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 but postponed again till 5 May 2001.
Round 26 (includes rescheduled game)
Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000, then 3 March 2001.
Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 May 2001.
Game initially postponed but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
Rounds 18 & 23 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 20 January 2001.
Game rescheduled from 7 March 2001.
Rounds 15 & 23 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 17 March 2001.
Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 and then 3 March 2001 before finally being cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Aspatria's season and leading to them being relegated.
Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 and then 3 March 2001 before finally being cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
Rounds 22 & 24 & ? (rescheduled games)
Game initially rescheduled from 30 December 2000 and then again from 7 April 2001.
Game rescheduled from 14 April 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Aspatria's season and leading to them being relegated.
Game rescheduled from 10 March 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
Game rescheduled from 24 March 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to fixture congestion.
Rounds 22 & 24 (rescheduled games)
Game initially rescheduled from 24 March 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Aspatria's season and leading to them being relegated.
Game initially rescheduled from 24 March 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
Game initially rescheduled from 10 March 2001 but ultimately cancelled due to fixture congestion.
Round 25 (rescheduled games)
Game initially rescheduled from 31 March 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Tynedale's season and leading to them being relegated.
Game initially rescheduled from 31 March 2001 but would ultimately be cancelled due to foot & mouth crisis in northern England cutting short Aspatria's season and leading to them being relegated.
Promotion play-off
The league runners up of National Division Three North and South would meet in a playoff game for promotion to National Division Two. Sedgley Park were runners-up in the north and because they had a better league record than south runners-up, Launceston, they hosted the play-off match.
Total season attendances
Not including promotion playoff game.
Individual statistics
Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers
Top try scorers
Season records
Team
Largest home win — 79 pts
79 - 0 New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
Largest away win — 42 pts
53 - 11 Doncaster away to Sandal on 14 October 2000
Most points scored — 79 pts
79 - 0 New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
Most tries in a match — 13
New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
Most conversions in a match — 13
New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
Most penalties in a match — 7
Tynedale away to Liverpool St Helens on 2 September 2000
Most drop goals in a match — 2
Liverpool St Helens away to Bedford Athletic on 18 November 2000
Player
Most points in a match — 34
Paul Brett for New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
Most tries in a match — 4 (x2)
Mike Wilcox for Sedgley Park at home to Whitchurch on 2 December 2000
Steve Belis for New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
Most conversions in a match — 13
Paul Brett for New Brighton at home to Morley on 9 December 2000
Most penalties in a match — 7
Alan Moses for Tynedale away to Liverpool St Helens on 2 September 2000
Most drop goals in a match — 2
Simon Worsley for Liverpool St Helens away to Bedford Athletic on 18 November 2000
Attendances
Highest — 1,500 (x2)
Dudley Kingswinford at home to Stourbridge on 16 December 2000
Stourbridge at home to Dudley Kingswinford on 31 March 2001
Lowest — 100 (x2)
Aspatria at home to Sedgley Park on 18 November 2000
Aspatria at home to Tynedale on 2 December 2000
Highest Average Attendance — 691
Doncaster
Lowest Average Attendance — 145
Aspatria
See also
English Rugby Union Leagues
English rugby union system
Rugby union in England
References
External links
NCA Rugby
2000–01
Category:2000–01 in English rugby union leagues
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Q:
Xen and Windows 7 domU, can't find CD/DVD drivers
Simple question. When installing Windows 7 under Xen as domU with Fedora 20 dom0, it stops before installing asking for the CD/DVD drivers. I just can't get it past this point. KVM does it too through qemu unless I specify ide for everything.
Is there a solution for xen? Here's my config:
builder = "hvm"
name = "win7"
memory = "4096"
vcpus = 4
disk = [ 'tap:qcow2:/data/vms/w7.qcow2,hda,w','file:/home/aiden/Desktop/w7.iso,hdc:cdrom,r']
boot="dc"
sdl=1
xen_platform_pci=1
pci=['01:00.0']
Been going around in circles trying to get Windows 7 to install all day. Any help appriciated.
A:
... I guess I should put this as an answer...
Verify your .iso file is valid. Truncated or corrupted .iso files can cause issues when attempting to mount them in the guest OS.
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The winner: The Martian
With £4.90m plus £1.63m in Wednesday and Thursday previews, Ridley Scott’s The Martian delivers the biggest UK opening since Inside Out in July. The success brings cheer to the UK cinema sector, which saw admissions falter in late September. The box office jumped 54% from the previous weekend – and that’s not even including the healthy previews that occurred on Saturday and Sunday for Hotel Transylvania 2.
The £6.53m result is almost identical to Matt Damon’s best ever UK opening, 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum, which debuted with £6.55m, including previews of £1.24m. Ignoring sequels and supporting roles (such as Ocean’s Eleven and Interstellar), Damon’s previous best debut was 2013’s Elysium, with £3.13m, including £974,000 in previews. The Departed, featuring Damon in a co-lead alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson, began with £2.30m in 2006.
The Martian – video review Guardian
Director Scott’s last film Exodus: Gods and Kings opened Boxing Day weekend 2014 with £2.61m. Ignoring previews, The Martian delivers Scott’s best opening since Prometheus began in June 2012 with £6.24m. The Martian’s opening was bigger than 2010’s Robin Hood (£5.75m including £1.39m previews), and much bigger than both 2007’s American Gangster (£2.56m) and 2005’s Kingdom of Heaven (£2.53m). In fact, if previews are included in The Martian’s tally, the film has delivered Scott his biggest ever opening, just ahead of Hannibal’s £6.40m in 2001 – albeit not adjusted for inflation.
The Martian’s debut is also highly comparable with Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, which began in November 2013 with £6.24m including previews of £619,000. Sensational word-of-mouth and awards recognition propelled Gravity to a stunning £32.7m.
The counter-programming alternative
Given Nancy Meyers’ track record of serving mature female audiences with the likes of What Women Want, Something’s Gotta Give and It’s Complicated, releasing her latest film The Intern against The Martian seemed like a smart choice. This time, however, the audience was harder to pinpoint for a workplace comedy starring Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro as, respectively, the founding chief executive and a “senior” intern at an online fashion retailer.
The Intern – video review Guardian
If the intention was to add the Devil Wears Prada demographic to Meyers’ regular constituency, the achieved result falls short of that ambition. The Intern has opened in the UK with £759,000 from 431 cinemas. That’s less than It’s Complicated’s debut of £1.10m from 434 venues back in January 2010. Before that, The Holiday began with £2.83m including £479,000 in previews back in December 2006.
The arthouse hit: Macbeth
Delivering broad cinema audiences for Shakespeare is a significant challenge, and hits – such as Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet – are rare. In 2012, Ralph Fiennes’s well-regarded Coriolanus ended its run with £901,000, which is below the total achieved by the live relay of Tom Hiddleston in the same role at London’s Donmar Warehouse theatre (£1.22m, including encores). When you consider the cost of film production versus the cost of filming a play that is already running, the economics persuasively favour the latter.
Macbeth - video review Guardian
Pushed aggressively by distributor StudioCanal into 399 cinemas, Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, begins with a sturdy £747,000 including £13,000 in previews. The screen average may look soft at £1,871, but it’s inevitably dragged down by some weak numbers at regional multiplexes. At arthouse venues such as the Curzon, Picturehouse and Everyman chains, as well as upscale multiplexes, it’s a hit. Next Thursday 15 October, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet will be beamed into cinemas live from London’s Barbican. It will be fascinating to see how the numbers compare with Macbeth.
The big fallers
Many of the films released the previous weekend suffered pretty calamitous falls. Miss You Already was one of the better performers, down 57%, while 99 Homes did better still with a 52% drop. Serial-killer thriller Solace fell a disturbing 82%, fuelled by a loss of cinemas (332 down to 249) and showtime slots. Anton Corbijn’s Life, starring Robert Pattinson and Dane DeHaan, collapsed by 90%, suggesting that this true story about a Life magazine photographer and James Dean has failed to capture audiences’ imagination as a theatrical proposition.
Life – video review Guardian
The sustained hit: Legend
Passing the £15m barrier on Saturday, Legend now stands at £15.37m, and looks to challenge Mad Max: Fury Road (£17.4m) as Hardy’s biggest ever UK hit in a lead role. The film is also poised to enter the Top 10 18-certificate box-office hits in the UK, currently led by Fifty Shades of Grey. Legend will easily overtake The Imitation Game (£16.4m) to become the second-biggest hit ever for distributor StudioCanal, behind last year’s Paddington.
Legend – video review Guardian
The future
As mentioned above, the box office is up 54% since last week, largely thanks to The Martian. It’s also 3% ahead of the equivalent weekend from 2014, when newcomer Gone Girl topped the chart. Friday sees Robert Zemeckis’s The Walk, already playing on Imax and large-format screens, expand to cinemas nationwide. The day before, Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario, starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro, looks to capitalise on very positive reviews for a drug-war thriller set on the US-Mexico border. On Wednesday, Suffragette, starring Carey Mulligan, will be beamed into 25 Cineworld cinemas nationwide from its UK premiere at the London film festival, before its full opening next Monday. Alejandro Amenábar’s Regression, starring Emma Watson and Ethan Hawke, opens this Friday. Alternatives include Cary Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation, arriving in Curzon cinemas a week ahead of its Netflix premiere, and the documentaries The Nightmare and Red Army.
The Walk – video review Guardian
Top 10 films, 2-4 October
1. The Martian, £6,531,734 from 582 sites (new)
2. Legend, £1,054,608 from 508 sites. Total: £15,368,399
3. Everest, £849,790 from 510 sites. Total: £8,729,419
4. The Intern, £758,713 from 431 sites (new)
5. Macbeth, £746,642 from 399 sites (new)
6. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, £600,965 from 444 sites. Total: £7,869,480
7. Il Trovatore – Met Opera, £234,890 from 164 sites (live event, new)
8. Miss You Already, £201,890 from 399 sites. Total: £1,109,453
9. Singh Is Bliing, £193,467 from 70 sites (new)
10. Inside Out, £179,840 from 454 sites. Total: £38,149,512
Other openers
Dragonball Z: Resurrection of F, £151,087 (including £94,628 previews) from 74 sites
Puli, £143,425 (including £20,799 previews) from 51 sites (new)
Ghosthunters, £10,762 from 94 sites
3 ½ Minutes, Ten Bullets, £7,938 (including £4,769 previews), 8 sites
Why 3½ Minutes and 10 Bullets is the one film to watch this week Guardian
Life of Josutty, £5,172 from 14 sites
Fidelio: Alice’s Journey, £2,686 from 8 sites
By Our Selves, £2,198 from 9 sites
Dressed as a Girl, £850 from 10 sites
Convenience, £669 from 2 sites
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Nicaragua expels OAS missions investigating violent protests
The gοvernment wrοte in a letter to the Organizatiοn of American States , which oversees the grοups, that the missiοns had been suspended fοr failing to meet their objectives.
The gοvernment did nοt immediately respοnd to a request fοr cοmment.
The IACHR said in a statement that its Mechanism of Special Mοnitοring fοr Nicaragua would cοntinue to operate frοm Washingtοn.
“The IACHR reiterates that the situatiοn in Nicaragua will cοntinue to be a priοrity and reaffirms its cοmmitment to the victims of human rights violatiοns,” the statement said.
Nicaragua is reeling frοm οne of its wοrst pοlitical crises since President Daniel Ortega regained pοwer in 2007.
Since April, thousands have taken to the streets in the Central American cοuntry to demand Ortega’s resignatiοn. Ortega’s oppοnents accuse the veteran leftist of attempting to cement an authοritarian family dynasty alοng with his wife, Rosario Murillo, whom he chose to be his vice president.
At least 322 people have died and mοre than 500 have been imprisοned over eight mοnths of anti-gοvernment prοtests, accοrding to human rights οrganizatiοns.
Ana Maria Tello, the cοοrdinatοr of the MESENI, told repοrters that the fοreign ministry had instructed the grοups to leave Nicaragua immediately.
The suspensiοn of the missiοns was annοunced οne day befοre the presentatiοn of a final repοrt οn the violence that took place between April 18 and May 30.
In October, οne of the OAS grοups criticized the public prοsecutοr’s inability to find those respοnsible fοr the deaths of prοtesters.
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Q:
Unpredicted language behavior i++
I tried to do the following
i=0;
if (i++ % Max_Col_items == 0 && i !=0)
{
}
and discovered that it increased i in the middle
i % Max_Col_items == 0;
i=i+1;
i !=0;
when I though it would add increase i in the end:
i % Max_Col_items == 0;
i !=0;
i=i+1;
Can any one find explanation of how i++ works in C#?
A:
i++ will give you the original value, not the incremented, You will see the change on the next usage of i. If you want to get the incremented value then use ++i.
See the detailed answer by Eric Lippert on the same issue
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MUMBAI, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Indian hotel aggregator Oyo said on Thursday it has raised $250 million from new and existing investors in a fresh round of funding led by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank’s Vision Fund.
Oyo will use the funds to expand its business in international markets, the company said in a statement. Founded in 2013, Oyo currently operates in 230 Indian cities, Malaysia and Nepal.
Existing investors Sequoia India, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Greenoks Capital participated in the funding round, while Hero Enterprise joined as a new investor.
The SoftBank Vision Fund, the world’s largest private equity fund, said last month it will invest in India’s top homegrown e-commerce firm Flipkart, becoming one of its top shareholders. (Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
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Life after hypomethylating agents in myelodysplastic syndrome: new strategies.
Hypomethylating agents, azacitidine and decitabine, are successfully used for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). In spite of improvement in survival, MDS is still incurable without hematopoietic stem cell transplant, and in case of absence/loss of response to hypomethylating agents, outcome is poor. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the new approach to MDS, elucidate the advancements in understanding factors predictive of response to hypomethylating agents, the progress of research to better stratify individual patients, and optimize therapeutic choices, the availability and efficacy of new drugs. The prognostic importance of recurrent somatic mutations has been elucidated (i.e., ASXL1, TP53 and SF3B1 mutations) and the power to predict response to hypomethylating therapy ascribed to specific mutations (TET2 mutations). The most challenging agents among the numerous evaluated are those with a strong biological background, targeting specific molecular alterations (IDH2 mutation) or altered signaling pathways. Hematopoietic stem cell transplant remains the only curative option, and wider choice of donor (sibling, unrelated, cord blood, haploidentical) and different approaches to conditioning renders it feasible for a higher percentage of elderly patients with MDS. Few new molecules have reached phase III, the majority being in phase I/II studies. Most importantly, prognostic tools have profoundly improved whereas attitude of hematologists is changing rapidly. http://links.lww.com/COH/A9.
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You are here
THE Creator is known by many names. His wisdom is always recognizable, and his presence made manifest in the love, tolerance and compassion present in our community. His profound ability to guide us from a war-like individualism so rampant in American society to a belief in the glory and dignity of the Creator’s human family, and our obligations to and membership within that family. This describes the maturation of a spiritual personality, and perhaps the most desirable maturation of the psychological self, also.
My road to Shahadah began when an admired director, Tony Richardson, died of AIDS. Richardson was already a brilliant and internationally recognized professional when I almost met him backstage at the play Luther at age 14.
Playwriting for me has always been a way of finding degrees of spiritual and emotional reconciliation, both within myself and between myself and a world I found rather brutal due to childhood circumstances. Instead of fighting with the world, I let my conflicts fight it out in my plays. Amazingly, some of us have even grown up together!
So, as I began accumulating stage credits (productions and staged readings), beginning at age 17, I always retained the hope that I would someday fulfill my childhood dream of studying and working with Richardson. When he followed his homosexuality to America (from England) and a promiscuous community, AIDS killed him, and with him went another portion of my sense of belonging to and within American society.
I began to look outside American and Western society to Islamic culture for moral guidance.
My birthmother’s ancestors were Spanish Jews who lived among Muslims until the Inquisition expelled the Jewish community in 1492. In my historical memory, which I feel at a deep level, the call of the muezzin is as deep as the lull of the ocean and the swaying of ships, the pounding of horses’ hooves across the desert, the assertion of love in the face of oppression.
I felt the birth of a story within me, and the drama took form as I began to learn of an Ottoman caliph’s humanity toward Jewish refugees at the time of my ancestors’ expulsions. God guided my learning, and I was taught about Islam by figures as diverse as Imam Siddiqi of the South Bay Islamic Association; Sister Hussein of Rahima; and my beloved adopted Sister, Maria Abdin, who is Native American, Muslim and a writer for the SBIA magazine, Iqra. My first research interview was in a halal [meat regarded as lawful in Islamic law] butcher shop in San Francisco’s Mission District, where my understanding of living Islam was profoundly affected by the first Muslim lady I had ever met: A customer who was in hijab, behaved with a sweet kindness and grace and also read, wrote and spoke four languages.
Her brilliance, coupled with her amazing (to me) freedom from arrogance, had a profound effect on the beginnings of my knowledge of how Islam can affect human behavior.
Little did I know then that not only would a play be born, but a new Muslim. The course of my research introduced me to much more about Islam than a set of facts, for Islam is a living religion. I learned how Muslims conduct themselves with a dignity and kindness which lifts them above the American slave market of sexual competition and violence. I learned that Muslim men and women could actually be in each others’ presence without tearing each other to pieces, verbally and physically. And I learned that modest dress, perceived as a spiritual state, could uplift human behavior and grant to both men and women a sense of their own spiritual worth.
Like most American females, I grew up in a slave market, comprised not only of the promiscuous sicknesses of my family, but the constant negative judging of my appearance by peers beginning at ages younger than seven. I was taught from a very early age by American society that my human worth consisted solely of my attractiveness (or, in my case, lack of it) to others. Needless to say, in this atmosphere, boys and girls, men and women, often grew to resent each other very deeply, given the desperate desire for peer acceptance, which seemed almost if not totally dependent not on one’s kindness or compassion or even intelligence, but on looks and the perception of those looks by others.
While I do not expect or look for human perfection among Muslims, the social differences are profound, and almost unbelievable to someone like myself.
I do not pretend to have any answers to the conflicts of the Middle East, except what the prophets, beloved in Islam, have already expressed. My disabilities prevent me from fasting, and from praying in the same prayer postures as most [Muslims].
But I love and respect the Islam I have come to know through the behavior and words of the men and women I have come to know in AMILA (American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism) and elsewhere, where I find a freedom from cruel emotional conflicts and a sense of imminent spirituality.
I support and deeply admire Islam’s respect for same sex education; for the rights of women as well as men in society; for modest dress; and above all for sobriety and marriage, the two most profound foundations of my life, for I am 21 and half years sober and happily married. How wonderful to feel that one and half billion Muslims share my faith in the character development which marriage allows us, and also in my decision to remain drug- and alcohol-free.
In a society which presents us with constant pressure to immolate ourselves on the altars of unbridled instinct without respect for consequences, Islam asks us to regard ourselves as human persons created by God with the capacity for responsibility in our relations with others. Through prayer, charity and a commitment to sobriety and education, if we follow the path of Islam, we stand a good chance of raising children who will be free from the violence and exploitation which is robbing parents and children of safe schools and neighborhoods, and often of their lives.
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If you are looking to make 2013 YOUR year, this workshop could be the pivotal point!
This workshop is wonderful as it empowers you with the life skills that you can carry through with you at any age, so that you take ownership and create the life you want to lead. Made me feel powerful and confident.
What an incredible gift to have.
You have led this workshop several times now…How is this workshop different from the past ones?
In 2013 the parameters have changed and the energy is different. As much as people might feel nothing happened end of 2012, it actually did.
A lot of people might feel different but they are not sure what it is. Or they might feel that what they were doing before isn’t quite working anymore. There are some very subtle changes.
In this workshop, we are really going to address the change. We will look at why some things aren’t working anymore and how we can make them work much better.
What is the biggest change that people have to address moving from the paradigm of pre- to post-2012 and living and manifesting the life they want?
It’s to do with not being too attached, to how things work out, and to trust that the best outcome is going to come. It’s not necessarily what you may have imagined or thought would happen. But a better outcome. Why settle for something you think you want if something much much better for you is coming?
A level of greater possibility has opened up post-2012.
Another thing people might be noticing is that their thoughts are manifesting much more quickly. Things are really speeding up in some ways.
Many people think the Law of Attraction, and manifesting in general, just doesn’t work. Why is it that some people manifest their lives so easily and others keep hitting a wall? Is there one important element they may be missing?
Yeah, absolutely. It may sound rude but if it’s not working, it is an operator error. [Julie laughs as she’s been there and can relate]
[Editor’s note: It may come across as a bit harsh but it’s really true. We may not realize what emotions or thoughts we have connected with a vision. Sometimes people are still focused on the lack, on their vision not showing up…yet, rather than feeling the joy, the passion, the freedom, etc of the vision already here.]
The one thing that is possibly missing is the emotion someone is putting out. A lot of people have read books and books about the Law of Attraction and know they are supposed to have a vision. They think the vision will just manifest. But what someone actually manifests is what their energy is about, in other words, what emotion they are radiating – because emotion is how we attract.
It is your vision but also how you feel. Together, they are very powerful.
And sometimes we think we haven’t actually accomplished or manifested the thing we want but we already have. We may not have looked at our emotion and energy. We may not have realized that what we asked for has already come because we are looking for the “picture-perfect” version.
What would be your easiest or biggest tip for people to keep on track with the desired emotional and vibration level? Everyone wants to be joy and light but not everyone can zone in and keep it for very long.
The thing is – anything you want to achieve, you have to practice.
A daily practice of anything is important, whether it is meditation, which can lead you to non-resistant thought and being in a place of peace and receptivity… or visualization, which can shift your emotion to a more positive place.
You have to practice it and bring it into your reality.
You also have to look at what it is that you are wanting. For anything you want to create in your life, you have to look at the reason why you want to have it. For example, why do you want that job? Maybe it’s not because it will make you happy. Maybe it’s to impress your parents or you feel it’s expected of you in some way. Sometimes we self-sabotage our own outcomes because at a deeper level what we are trying to create is not right for us, not what our soul wants for us.
For those people interested in your workshop but afraid of changing their lives…or afraid of not fitting in with the people around them anymore…what would your advice be?
When you step into something with energy, it is a very different way of creating change.
It’s not making a drastic change. It’s not about telling people to quit their job or quit their marriage…No one is saying that.
What the workshop is about is showing people a way to align with the energy of what they want.
It’s about people starting to think about what it is that they want and how to begin to create energetically the life they want.
Creating energetic shifts is different than leaping into outcomes.
It is very important to look at where you are not happy and what kinds of things would make you happy and start to set the energy for these things. Let the energy lead you, often quite gently, into the outcomes that you do want.
How can people reconnect with their clarity?
When we say clarity, it doesn’t have to be clarity of vision. You don’t have to know exactly what you want. For me, it’s about how exactly I want to feel and how I want my life to feel. Freedom. Joy. Passion. Love. Knowing what emotions I want to feel is different from knowing exactly how that would show up in my life.
That’s a good point about knowing how you want to feel.
Many people are cut off from their emotions so they have no clarity of vision and no clarity of emotions. If someone has suffered emotional trauma, emotional scarring, it can be a challenge to be open again. What are some ways to ease back into their emotional wholeness, be safe and comfortable in feeling again?
It’s important to have a daily practice. It’s about being in a space. It’s about being able to let go of what you don’t want. For anyone, I would say meditation is really important. It’s not about the guru you go to or the particular methodology. What’s important is the practice of doing something daily, where you start to shift into a different space.
And it doesn’t have to be a very long meditation, right?
No, it doesn’t have to be. It’s about you trusting that you can move back into that space when you need to. The thing about meditation that’s often misunderstood is this – it is not about “meditating better”. It’s about watching your life get better as you make the commitment to spend some time with YOU every day.
When you have experienced something that doesn’t feel in your control, having a daily practice gives you a sense of something you can do. It’s a repatterning of the old emotions.
What would you say is the essence of 2013?
Freedom.
Creating Your Best Life is a workshop for anyone who is ready to take charge of their life and make positive change. This is not a workshop for just sharing your vision – Julie Ann provides techniques that everyone can incorporate into their daily life. After all, it’s in the moment of crisis, difficult times, and uncertainty that we can make powerful choices. Or at least have tools at the ready to pull out to keep on track with inviting our vision to show up. Being in the company of people also looking for the next level is a wonderful way to be brave and stay true to what you desire.
The workshop takes place Monday & Tuesday March 25 & 26 2013 from 9.30am to 3.00pm at Balanced Living (779 Bukit Timah Singapore).
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Comments
I took this course/workshop with Julie Ann and it was amazing. I finally felt that “I got it right”, which proved to be the case, considering all that I manifested subsequently. I keep wondering how it would be if I really committed to a daily practice, as I still struggle with just a few times a week 🙂 Overall LOVED the workshop, its energy and everything about it! I highly recommend it 🙂 And not only for the “method’, but for the profound openness and understanding that it offers. Since then I sometimes find myself thinking: “I know how the universe works”. “Scary” ! But beautiful 🙂
I heard about the manifestation workshop Julie was conducting through a meditation communication grapevine, and knew I had to attend. As with all personal development workshops I attend, I answered a calling to be present. I knew I would obtain the knowledge that I was seeking, whether consciously or unconsciously.
In fact I was happy to take back even one piece of information that could add to my growth. That was the philosophy I took with me as I made my way to Balanced Living, chosen venue for the 2-day workshop.
I’d met Julie previously on two occasions, so I knew I was in for a treat, in terms of her style and demeanour. She exudes warmth and has a gentle approach, as a person, and teacher. These traits, Julie carried through for the duration of the workshop, making sure the energies were well balanced in the space we were holding for our personal and combined intent. I felt this to be powerful and all encompassing.
Having some prior knowledge of manifestation technique, I was keen to sharpen my skills and perhaps take home a formulaic approach to manifesting. “Why not?” I thought. “It needn’t be complicated!”
The first day was more academic, – looking at the concept of manifestation from different angles, as presented by various authorities on the subject. Julie explained theories and concepts related to the art, bringing in some of her own experiences as well as those of others, often mirroring issues that some or all in the group could relate to. It also facilitated breaking the ice with participants, – as questions arose and experiences were shared. All this contributed to setting the tone for day 2. This was when we sent our manifestations out to the universe using our new found tools.
The workshop was conducted in an informal setting. We sat on cushions and mats or chairs, sipping teas, freshly prepared juices or fruit infused water. The space was conducive to learning, and Julie made sure our questions were answered.
I left feeling lifted, light and thrilled, by the nuggets of knowledge I had gleaned, all instrumental to my ongoing journey in life. Thank you Julie for making it so much fun to continue creating the reality I desire, and believe I will experience!
Thanks so much for your feedback Sheela, and for giving everyone an experience of the workshop with your words and energy. It was wonderful to have you there and as you said, we all learned a lot from each other. Lots of love Julie Ann
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor surge protection device for protecting circuit systems in communication apparatuses, computers, and the like from an overvoltage and overcurrent such as lightning surge and switching surge.
2. Description of the Related Art
Surge protection devices of this type have been achieved by combining pnpn thyristor elements and pn diode elements on a substrate to provide a desired circuit. These techniques are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,104,591, 5,512,784, and 4,644,437.
In a surge protection device having the above arrangement, however, a plurality of parts, i.e., pnpn surge protection elements and pn diode elements are mounted on a substrate. This complicates the mounting process, increases the product size, and makes the product expensive.
Also, the conventional technique comprising a monolithic structure of pnpn thyristor elements and pn diode elements is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,075,277.
Unfortunately, this technique is applicable only to a circuit configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, in which a pnpn thyristor element Thy4 is inserted between AC terminals of a diode bridge. That is, the technique cannot be applied to a circuit in which the pnpn thyristor Thy4 is inserted between DC terminals of a diode bridge.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a monolithic surge protection semiconductor device in which a balance circuit is formed in the same semiconductor substrate.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a surge protection semiconductor device in which diodes are isolated by a double isolation region.
It is a further another object of the present invention to provide a compact, long-life surge protection semiconductor device.
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A blog dedicated to chronicling the history of SC Green White, a soccer club founded in Chicago in 1956.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
1963
Green White was always strong indoors, but all the stars seemed to align for Green White during the 1963 season. The Kaempf brothers returned to the club, and along with the Laxgang brothers (Joe and Stefan, photo), they led the team to the indoor title.
This is the way Willi Franz remembered it when he wrote about it the following year: "Sunday after Sunday Green White played in the Major Division indoor game of the week at the Chicago Armory in front of 3000 fans. Finally, in the last game of the 1963 season, the team scratched and clawed their way to a 0-0 tie against a very strong Schwaben AC team (the eventual outdoor Major Division champs), and with that point, clinched their very first championship of the Major Divison."
After the big game, the club threw a big "Hallen Siegesfeier" (or indoor soccer victory party). And judging by the money they pulled in at the bar that night, the players and fans were in a very celebratory mood.
Green White off the field
With Michael Melcher still at the helm as the president, the club membership continued to grow. Original members married and had children (see the growing list below), and others joined as well. Helmut Filian was one of them. “I joined Green White in 1963. I was 19 years old at the time, and had just moved into the country. I lived a half block away from the clubhouse, and the next day I was there. I played for awhile when we practiced at the Forest Preserve over on Foster, but I was more of a supporter, and a club member, then a player. And then later, I helped out with the kids program.”
By now, the club was not only drawing fans at their games, they were drawing crowds for their social events. The Fasching Ball, a full-dress costume ball, was a big hit (photo), as was the "Weinachtsfeier" (or Christmas party). They were also staging an annual "Stiftungsfest" or anniversary party. The 7th anniversary party was held on July 27th in 1963. Green White was still hampered by their insufficient facilities, but that was in the process of being rectified. More on that in the coming years.
1963 also marks the first year that the club named a Miss Green White. Her duties included representing the club at the various different German functions in Chicagoland (and there were many). The first girl lucky enough to wear that Miss Green White crown was Helga Peltzer. (Spoiler alert: She'll also wear the crown in 1964 and 1965)
GW Weddings in 1963
Horst & Herta Melcher
Joe & Helen Hertl
*Also married in 1963, Adam and Anne-Marie Harjung, and Klaus and Hilde Kilian.
~The Loyola Ramblers shocked the college basketball world by winning the NCAA championship.
~On December 29, 1963, the Bears intercepted New York Giants quarterback Y.A. Title five times and won the NFL championship. 45,801 fans came out to witness the 14-10 victory on an incredibly chilly afternoon at Wrigley Field. (And some say that Wrigley hasn't seen a championship!) Bill Wade scored both touchdowns.
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Mission Statement
Each month we will present a year in Green White history, and we're counting on fellow members from the past and present to help make sure we get the story correct. When we reach current day we intend on publishing this material in book form.
Contact Me
If you have an addition, correction, or picture e-mail me at [email protected]
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-102)/44)*1005/(-16650) and 83/4 + (-6)/(-3).
444
Let m = 350 + -309. Suppose -m*t = -43*t + 96. What is the least common multiple of ((-24)/32)/((-1)/8) and t?
48
Let x = 12350 + -12189. Calculate the smallest common multiple of 1748 and x.
12236
Let i be 12 + 1/(7/14). What is the common denominator of 71/20 and i/(-133) - 699/2565?
180
Let s = 6976/9 + -780. Calculate the common denominator of -67/904 and s.
8136
Suppose s = -11*s + 9628 + 2384. Calculate the least common multiple of s and 273.
3003
Suppose -790*x + 795*x = 4*k + 120, -2*x + 4*k + 48 = 0. Calculate the least common multiple of 162 and x.
648
Let z = 77 + -69. What is the lowest common multiple of z and (81/(-18))/((-18)/384)?
96
Let p(g) = -g**3 - 3*g**2 - 5*g - 43. Suppose -3*i + 4*s = 23, -5 = -4*i - 4*s - 17. Calculate the lowest common multiple of 88 and p(i).
352
Let z = -106/1163 - -1089967/104670. Let j = 137/9 - z. What is the common denominator of j and 1 + 134/(-4) + -1?
10
Let l = 2869 + -2976. Suppose 0 = -0*k + 2*k - 254. Let d = l + k. Calculate the smallest common multiple of d and 94.
940
Let x(h) = -497*h + 29. Let y be x(6). Let j = -47157/16 - y. Find the common denominator of 109/40 and j.
80
Suppose 3*j - 17 = 4*u, 2*u = -u - 5*j - 20. What is the smallest common multiple of (-2)/6 + u*114/(-9) and 9?
63
Suppose -139*l + 149*l = 1400 + 2310. Calculate the smallest common multiple of 15 and l.
5565
Let d = -4119 - -160723/39. What is the common denominator of d and 19/1962?
25506
Let z be (-20)/5 - (-4 - 1) - -222. Suppose h + 5*f - 45 = 0, -5*f = -5*h - 88 + z. What is the smallest common multiple of h and 1?
30
What is the common denominator of 37/414 and (-2 + (-1095)/(-405))*(-6)/(-8)?
828
Suppose 0 = 7*r - 10*r + 6132. Suppose 3*b = t + 1356, 0 = -5*b - t + 216 + r. Suppose -5*d + b = -98. What is the lowest common multiple of d and 10?
110
What is the lowest common multiple of 50 and 3090/(-1 + 2) - (378 - 388)?
3100
Suppose 0 = 8*o - 14 - 2. Let c be 2/((2 - -1)/(9/o)). Suppose -s = 2*f - 15, 28 = 4*f + c*s - 1. What is the smallest common multiple of 2 and f?
8
Let z(f) = -2*f + 4. Let v be z(5). Let b be (-31543)/21*(v - 36/(-8)). Let y = b - 2256. Calculate the common denominator of y and 99/26.
182
Let z be (-6)/(-3) - (0 - 257). Suppose 0 = -4*b + z - 83. Let f = -686496 - -686524. Calculate the least common multiple of b and f.
308
Let t = 9605664 - 16800306857/1749. Let i = -3/583 + t. What is the common denominator of i and 74/9?
99
Let z = -2222387/156 - -14247. Calculate the common denominator of z and 3 + (-138)/42 - 5/(3465/(-786)).
1716
Let a(t) = t**2 + 38*t + 138. Let g be a(-34). Suppose g*s = -24*s + 130. Calculate the lowest common multiple of 19 and s.
95
Let i = 13 + -19. Let a(u) = 2*u**2 - 9*u - 86. Calculate the lowest common multiple of a(i) and 10.
40
Suppose 3*d + 3 = 2*d, -4*w + d = -3363. Calculate the least common multiple of 147 and w.
5880
Let t = 238/3 - 179/6. Suppose -f = 3*i - 9, 6*f - 9*f - 5*i + 7 = 0. Find the common denominator of 4/(f/(-342)*246) and t.
82
Suppose 2*z = 59*z + 246 - 930. Calculate the lowest common multiple of z and (6/(-8))/(2/(-288)).
108
Find the common denominator of ((175/42)/25*-284)/((-40)/6) and 19/66.
330
Suppose v - 2*a - 14 = 0, -5*v - 2176*a = -2172*a - 28. What is the least common multiple of v and 194?
776
Suppose -2*p + 29 = 11. Let h(n) = 2*n - 1. Let x(o) = o + 1. Let s(f) = 6*h(f) + 3*x(f). What is the lowest common multiple of s(3) and p?
126
Suppose -1 = -t - 5. Let u be ((-10)/t)/(4/4696). Let d = -64521/22 + u. Find the common denominator of d and -5/18.
198
Let y(d) = -d**3 + 3*d**2 + 9*d + 17. Let x be y(6). Let w = -29 - x. Calculate the smallest common multiple of w and 28.
56
Suppose -4*s - 4*k + 68 = -0*k, 5*k + 55 = 2*s. Let f = -2450 - -2564. Calculate the smallest common multiple of s and f.
1140
Let x(l) = 13*l + 42. Let m be x(-4). Calculate the common denominator of (-29)/(-21) + m/(11 + -6) and 73/6.
42
Let r(t) = t + 2. Let f be r(1). Suppose f*l - 64 + 58 = 0. Calculate the smallest common multiple of 68 and 2/2*(-2 + l*8).
476
Let t = -15 + 21. Suppose 6*m - 2480 = -3*m - 11*m. What is the lowest common multiple of m and t?
372
Suppose -9*y + 267 = -4*g, -31*y + 24 = -29*y + 5*g. What is the smallest common multiple of y and 9168?
82512
Let b = -5 - -18. Suppose -5*r - 11 = 2*t + b, 2*r - 5*t = 2. What is the lowest common multiple of 3 and (r/(-4))/(4/32)?
24
Suppose -105*q = -108*q + 90. What is the smallest common multiple of 40 and q?
120
What is the common denominator of ((-2997)/(-1836))/((-27)/(-8)) and 151/204?
612
Suppose -51*a + 56*a = 1375. Suppose -19*q + a = -276. Calculate the lowest common multiple of q and 6.
174
Let o(x) = x**3 + 12*x**2 - 8*x - 23. Let d(w) = 2*w - 51. Let m be d(20). Calculate the smallest common multiple of 10 and o(m).
930
Let d(h) = -19*h**2 + 626*h + 63. Calculate the smallest common multiple of 600 and d(33).
600
Let r = -115 + 251. Suppose -r = -y + 5*y. Let t = 56 + y. What is the lowest common multiple of t and 22?
22
What is the least common multiple of 182 and 65*(32/160)/(3/9)?
546
Find the common denominator of -14/4077 and 23 + (-1148)/49 + (-858)/105.
20385
Let u = -6479 - -7637. What is the smallest common multiple of u and 1544?
4632
Calculate the common denominator of 131095/3006*(-6)/220 and 97/1100.
3300
Suppose -190720 = -172*l - 64*l + 76*l. What is the least common multiple of l and 298?
1192
Let c(r) = 7*r - 17. Let w be c(-9). Let s = w - -48. Let o = s + 34. What is the smallest common multiple of 38 and o?
38
Suppose 3*b = -k + 2*b + 184, 3*k + 2*b = 550. Let s(n) = -3460*n - 3450. What is the least common multiple of s(-1) and k?
910
Suppose 2*x = 4*s + 6484, 4*x + 5*s - 15025 + 2109 = 0. What is the lowest common multiple of 1617 and x?
3234
Let c = -459 - -857/2. Let m be (-161676)/(-20) + 2/(-4). Let r = m + -8075. Calculate the common denominator of r and c.
10
Let m = 5304331/227403722 - -2/160823. Find the common denominator of -9/2222 and m.
15554
Let b(q) = 3*q**2 - 142*q + 87. Let p be b(45). Calculate the common denominator of 11/12 and ((-178)/(-56))/(p/133).
48
Let f = 14195 + -1022033/72. What is the common denominator of f and -161/4560?
13680
Let y = -24851 + 422513/17. Calculate the common denominator of -43/302 and y.
5134
Suppose z - 4*z - 4579 = -2*i, -2*z - 3*i - 3057 = 0. Let k = 13727/9 + z. What is the common denominator of k and -4/9?
9
Find the common denominator of 300534/(-13572) - (-22)/1 and 35/1083.
62814
Let y(u) = 1914*u**2 + 217*u + 217. Calculate the least common multiple of 2871 and y(-1).
5742
Let v be ((-1)/(-2))/((-1)/(-6)). Let d be v*((4 - 1) + (-100)/15). What is the common denominator of 101/10 and ((-6)/8)/(-3) + 6 + d?
20
Let n = 4/2237 + 42395/60399. Let f = -4/319 - -1703/8613. Find the common denominator of n and f.
27
What is the common denominator of 5/(-10) - (-3211)/570 and 139/18?
90
Suppose -3 = -5*a - 13, -5*h = 5*a + 25. Let d = 1125093/2 + -562551. What is the common denominator of h/12 - (-16)/9 and d?
36
Find the common denominator of 74/423 and ((-25389)/4230 - -6)/(-1).
4230
Let h = -1/77105 - -114563/539735. Calculate the common denominator of h and -27/98.
490
Let p = 51580171/5152 + 40357/161. Let i = 10265 - p. Calculate the common denominator of ((-39)/(-24) - 1)*-30 and i.
32
Let q be -722 - (-3)/9*9. Let s = q + 4255/6. Let g = -24967/1264 + 3/1264. Calculate the common denominator of s and g.
12
Let j(g) = 15*g + 207. Calculate the smallest common multiple of j(3) and 462.
2772
Let i = 1896139549 - 17019748568971/8976. Let a = i - -56/561. Find the common denominator of -19/92 and a.
1104
Suppose 333 = 2*f + 5*x, -20*x + 16*x - 534 = -3*f. What is the least common multiple of f and 580?
1740
Let w be 6/(-8) - 29057/28. Let x = 1073 + w. What is the common denominator of (-2 - (-408)/18)/((-80)/18) and x?
20
Let w(i) = -i**3 - 10*i**2 - 10*i - 6. Let s be w(-9). Calculate the common denominator of ((-5436)/88)/9 + s and 48/(-312) - 2142/104.
44
Let x = 6588 + -131653/20. Let o = -7752359/128 - -60566. Calculate the common denominator of o and x.
640
Find the common denominator of 83/266 and 8/((-7296)/1458) - (-2 + 0).
10
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Medical board director accuses Gibbons of ‘ineptitude’
CARSON CITY ‹ Tensions escalated Tuesday between Gov. Jim Gibbons and the state Board of Medical Examiners officials he wants to replace, with the panel's executive director saying Gibbons is trying to use the board as "the scapegoat for his ineptitude" in addressing a hepatitis scare.
An emergency meeting has been called by the state Board of Medical Examiners for noon Wednesday to determine the next steps in its investigation of the dangerous practices at a Las Vegas clinic that resulted in at least six patients contracting hepatitis C.
Tony Clark, executive director of the examiners board, said his staff has tried to question at least six physicians who worked at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, but attorneys for the doctors refused them.
In addition to the six hepatitis cases already detected at the center, 40,000 other patients have been notified that they should be tested.
Health district officials told Clark County commissioners Tuesday they are "pretty confident" that a seventh case of hepatitis C, dating back to 2006, has been discovered at the Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center of Nevada at 4275 Burnham Ave. in Las Vegas. It is owned by Dr. Vishvinder Sharma and Dr. Om Hari.
Gibbons, meanwhile, said he still has not received the requested resignations of Clark and three members of the nine-member board. If they fail to resign, Gibbons said, he will look at how they could be fired.
Clark said he has sent Gibbons 14 names of northern Nevada doctors to sit temporarily on the board in place of the three in question for potential disciplinary cases.
But the governor wants the three board members and Clark to step down, saying they failed to "live up to their obligations" in overseeing the clinics.
The governor also has directed Mike Willden, director of the state Department of Health and Human Resources, to fire Lisa Jones, head of the Bureau of Licensing and Certification that oversees the clinics. Jones, a 29-year employee with the state, had been the bureau chief for five months when the unsanitary conditions came to light.
Gibbons says he wants Clark’s resignation because he did not act promptly in taking disciplinary action against those involved in the clinic.
“Gibbons does not know what my job is,” Clark responded.
As soon as the story broke about the six infected individuals and the 40,000 clinic patients being notified, Clark said he assigned an investigator.
He said the governor was trying to minimize the fact that Desai was an election supporter, a campaign contributor and an adviser to the governor when he took office.
“Maybe the governor ought to resign,” Clark said.
Desai voluntarily agreed to stop practicing. But Clark said he could not get the other doctors who worked at the clinic to limit their practices.
Local government, not the governor and his administration, closed the clinic, he noted.
“We have done everything we could to protect the public,” Clark said. “He’s (Gibbons) making us the scapegoat for his ineptitude.”
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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said Wednesday during his presentation to the UN National Assembly that his country is a permanent victim of diplomatic, economic and media aggression by the United States.
“I bring the voice of a country that has refused to surrender throughout history, to injustice, to empires, yesterday slave and colonial; today also neocolonial slavers. I bring the voice of a historic people, who rose up from the aborigines, from the native peoples who for centuries resisted the domination of the colonial empires, “he said at the beginning of his speech.
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abstract: 'The effects of nuclear re-interactions in the quasi elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering are investigated with a phenomenological model. We found that the nuclear responses are lowered and that their maxima are shifted towards higher excitation energies. This is reflected on the total $\nu$-nucleus cross section in a general reduction of about $15\%$ for neutrino energies above 300 MeV.'
address: 'Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Lecce and INFN, 73100 Lecce - Italy'
author:
- 'C. Bleve, G. Cò, I. De Mitri, P. Bernardini, G. Mancarella, D. Martello, and A. Surdo'
title: 'Effects of nuclear re-interactions in quasi elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering'
---
=100
Introduction
============
Many works on the measurements of atmospheric and solar neutrino fluxes pointed out several anomalies which could hardly be explained without assuming the phenomenon of flavour oscillation [@pon57; @zub98]. In particular, the flux of solar $\nu$’s is shown to be depleted in the whole energy spectrum [@zub98; @ber99], while anomalies in the angular distributions and event rates come out from different experiments which measure the fluxes of $\nu$’s produced by $\pi$, $K$ and $\mu$ decays in the cascades initiated by primary cosmic rays in the atmosphere [@fuk98; @amb98; @all99]. The continuously growing interest in the physics of neutrino oscillations drove an increasing effort in the studies of the various aspects related to the aforementioned measurements. The correct analysis of the data requires a good knowledge of the $\nu$–nucleon cross section in a wide range of energies.
The total cross section is usually calculated by summing three separated contributions each of them evaluated using different models which take into account the dominant physical effects in the various energy regions. At energies above 3 GeV the cross section is well described by deep inelastic scattering processes within the parton model. The intermediate energy region, from 1 to 3 GeV, is dominated by the nucleon resonances. In this region, the appropriate degrees of freedom to describe the cross section seem to be nucleons and mesons. At energies below 1 GeV it is possible to neglect the nucleon excitations but it is necessary to consider nuclear effects.
A deep knowledge of the cross section for $\nu$-induced reactions on nuclear targets is needed for the correct analysis and interpretation of the experimental data [@cav97; @bat98]. The total inclusive cross section and, therefore, the expected number of events could change. Moreover the kinematics of the final state is modified by nuclear recoil, Fermi motion and re-scattering. Therefore the knowledge of these effects provides the ultimate limit to some experimental issues. One of these is the reconstruction of the direction of the incoming neutrino, and then its pathlength from the production point [@3dflux]. Another is the background rejection based on parameters like the missing momentum in the transverse plane, used for $\nu_\tau$ detection/tagging on long/short baseline experiments [@ast99].
Recently, the scattering off nuclei like $^{12}$C, $^{16}$O (i.e. the main constituents of scintillator and water Cerenkov detectors) has been the object of many investigations [@mar99; @vog98].
In this work we shall concentrate on the quasi elastic regime of $\nu$ charged current interactions $$\label{qel}
\nu_{l} + n \rightarrow l^- + p
~~~~~~~~~~\mbox {and} ~~~~~~~~~~
\bar {\nu}_{l} + p \rightarrow l^+ + n .$$ The interest in these particular channels lies on two different aspects:
- The quasi elastic scattering is the dominant process at $\nu$ energy below 1 GeV. In long baseline or atmospheric $\nu$ experiments, this energy region is sensitive to low values of $\Delta$m$^2$ (i.e. $10^{-3} \div 10^{-2} \, eV^2$), which is indicated as the preferred solution for atmospheric $\nu$ anomaly.
- The kinematics of the final state can be easily reconstructed in several types of detectors and provides a very clean signal if compared to the case of deep inelastic scattering which produces showering events.
The quasi elastic regime is characterized by nuclear excitation energies, i.e. the energy lost by $\nu$, whose values range from 30 MeV up to about 300 MeV. In this energy region the scattering is dominated by the direct interaction of the $\nu$ with a single nucleon, i.e. the elementary processes of (\[qel\]), while the other nucleons act as spectators. Anyway the $\nu$-nucleon cross section has to be corrected because the nucleon is not free but embedded in the nucleus.
At a first sight, the quasi elastic cross section seems to be well described by mean–field (MF) models, like Hartee–Fock, shell model and Fermi gas model. These models neglect the collective nuclear excitations which are important at excitation energies smaller than 30 MeV, but they are not present at higher energies. In MF models the electro-weak excitation of the full nuclear system is described as the transition of a nucleon from a state below to one above the Fermi surface. In this way the binding of the nucleon in the nucleus and the Pauli blocking are taken into account. A 20 years experience in the study of quasi elastic electromagnetic excitations has shown that this picture is unable to provide an accurate quantitative description of experimental data. The agreement with the experiment is obtained if the rescattering between the emitted nucleon and the rest nucleus is considered in addition to the MF effects [@ama99].
In this paper we investigate the effects of the nucleon re-interaction on the quasi elastic $\nu$ cross sections for all the types of neutrinos, using the phenomenological folding model developed in refs. [@smi88; @co88]. In sect. \[remodel\] we present the folding model and we apply it to the nuclear Fermi gas model in sect. \[speapl\]. The results of the calculations are shown and discussed in sect. \[resdis\] and conclusions are presented in sect. \[conclu\]. Since in its original formulation the folding model was constructed to correct response functions, we recall in the Appendix the relationships between response functions, Green’s functions and cross sections.
Re-interaction effects {#remodel}
======================
A general analysis of charge–changing semi–leptonic weak interaction in nuclei can be done in close analogy with electron scattering off nuclei [@wal75]. The hypotheses usually done in the derivation of the electron scattering cross section can also be applied to the case of the scattering of weak interacting probes. A first hypothesis consists in assuming that the process can be well described already at the first order Feynmann diagram i.e. by considering only those diagrams where a single gauge boson is exchanged. In a second hypothesis the exchanged boson is assumed to interact with a single nucleon in the nuclear interior. The nuclear transition amplitude is obtained by summing the transition amplitudes of the single nucleons. In the second quantization language this means that we consider one–body transition operators only. A further hypothesis consists in assuming that the nucleus makes a transition between states of definite angular momentum.
In the nuclear MF model, these states are Slater determinants of the single particle states. Since we have chosen to restrict ourselves to the case where there is only one-particle in the continuum the nuclear final state $|f >$ will be described by a pure one–particle one–hole (1p–1h) excitation: $$|f > \rightarrow | \Phi_f> = a_{p}^+ a_h |\Phi_i>,
\label{sla1p1h}$$ where $|\Phi_f>$ and $|\Phi_i>$ indicate the Slater determinants describing the initial and final MF states.
As already mentioned in the introduction, the application of the MF model to the description of quasi elastic electron scattering data is unsatisfactory. The great experimental work done in this field has allowed the separation of the two response functions, the charge and the current responses forming the inclusive electron scattering cross section (Rosenbluth separation). MF calculations overestimate the charge responses and underestimate the current ones (for a review see for example [@ama99]).
The studies done to clarify this puzzle have shown that the main correction to the MF responses is coming from the re–interaction of the emitted nucleon with the rest of the nucleus. This effect is only partially taken into account by the Random Phase Approximation (RPA), a theory which describes collective excited states as linear combination of 1p-1h and 1h-1p excitations of the ground state. In the quasi elastic region, i.e. at nuclear excitation energies above $\sim$100 MeV, continuum RPA calculations done with a finite range effective nucleon–nucleon interaction produce responses which do not differ very much from the MF responses [@co88; @bub91; @eng93]. More important are those re–interaction effects beyond the RPA description which, in the electron scattering literature, are called Final State Interactions (FSI). The FSI take into account the possibility that, after the interaction with the probe, the nucleus remains in a highly excited state which can be described only in terms of many–particle many–hole excitations. In this case FSI lower by $15 \div 20\%$ the MF responses.
We think that FSI may play an important role also in the description of weak quasi elastic responses. We have considered FSI using the model developed in [@smi88; @co88], which we shall briefly present in the following.
The full Hilbert space $\cal H$ can be divided in a subspace ${\cal H}_0$ composed by all the 1p-1h Slater determinants defined in eq. (\[sla1p1h\]) and a complementary subspace ${\cal H}_c ={\cal H } - {\cal H}_0$. The 1p-1h excited states are eigenvectors of the MF hamiltonian $H_0$ $$H_0 |\Phi_f> = E^{MF}_f |\Phi_f> \,\,,$$ and lead to the MF expression of the response: $$\begin{aligned}
S^{MF} (|{\bf q}| , \omega)
&=& \sum_f <\Phi_f|{\cal O}({\bf q})|\Phi_i>
<\Phi_f|{\cal O}({\bf q})|\Phi_i>^\dagger
\delta(E_f-\omega) \\
& =& \displaystyle{-\frac{1}{\pi}}
Im <\Phi_i| {\cal O}^+({\bf q})
G^0( \omega )
{\cal O}({\bf q})|\Phi_i> \,\,.
\label{resmf}\end{aligned}$$ where we have indicated with $G^0( \omega )$ the MF Green’s function (see Appendix).
To evaluate the modifications of $S^{MF}$ due to presence of ${\cal H}_c$ we introduce projection operators $P$ onto ${\cal H}_0$ and $Q$ onto ${\cal H}_c$. The effects of ${\cal H}_c$ can be taken into account by considering the effective hamiltonian: $$H_{eff}(\omega) = PHP - PHQ \,\,
\displaystyle{\frac{1}{QHQ - \omega - i \eta}} \,\,QHP
= PHP - U(\omega) \,\,.$$ If the hamiltonian $H_0$ is composed by one-body hamiltonians, like in the MF case, only the two–body term $V=H-H_0$ can connect the ${\cal H}_0$ and ${\cal H}_c$ Hilbert subspaces, therefore the many-particle many–hole excited states forming ${\cal H}_c$ act only as doorway states. Since the operators ${\cal O}({\bf q})$ are one–body operators they act only on the ${\cal H}_0$ subspace.
Using the effective hamiltonian in the Green’s function ( eq. (\[fullgreen\]) in the appendix) and inserting a full set of eigenstates of $H_0$, we obtain the following expression for the response function: $$\begin{aligned}
S (|{\bf q}| , \omega) & = & \displaystyle{\frac{1}{\pi}}
Im \sum\limits_{f,f'}
< i| {\cal O}^+({\bf q}) |\Phi_f> \, \left[
\displaystyle{\frac{1}{E_f - \omega - \Sigma_{f f'}(\omega) - i \eta}
} \right. \nonumber \\
&~& +
\left. \frac{1}{E_f + \omega - \Sigma_{f f'}(- \omega) + i \eta} \, \right]
<\Phi_{f'} | {\cal O}({\bf q})|i> \,\, ,
\label{reseff}\end{aligned}$$ where we have used $< \Phi_f | PHP|\Phi_{f'}> =< \Phi_f | H_0|\Phi_{f'}> = E_f \delta_{ff'}$ and we have defined $\Sigma_{f f'}( \omega )=< \Phi_f | U(\omega) |\Phi_{f'}>$.
We introduce the assumption that in quasi elastic energy range the term $\Sigma_{f f'}$ does not strongly depend on the individual MF states $|\Phi_f>$ but rather on the full phase space available at the energy $\omega$. In other words we make the assumption: $$\Sigma_{f f'}( \omega ) \longrightarrow \Sigma (\omega) \delta_{ff'} \,\, ,$$ where $ \Sigma(\omega)$ is a complex function of the transferred energy: $$\Sigma (\omega) = \Delta (\omega) - \frac{i}{2} \Gamma(\omega) \,\,.
\label{sigma}$$ Using the above expressions in eq.(\[reseff\]) we obtain: $$S (|{\bf q}| , \omega) =
\sum\limits_{f }
|< \Phi_f | {\cal O}({\bf q}) |i>|^2
\left[ \rho (E_{f}, \omega) + \rho (E_{f}, - \omega) \right] \,\, ,
\label{resfin}$$ where we have defined: $$\rho (E, \omega) =
\displaystyle{\frac{1}{2 \pi} \frac{\Gamma (\omega)}
{ \left[ E - \omega - \Delta (\omega) \right]^2 +
\left[ \Gamma (\omega) /2 \right]^2}} \,\, .
\label{confun}$$ In the expression (\[resfin\]) the nuclear ground state is still eigenstate of the full hamiltonian $H$, but it is usually replaced by the nuclear ground state provided by $H_0$. Making this substitution and considering that the quasi elastic region is in the continuum excitation region of the nucleus, we can rewrite the full response function as a convolution of the MF response (\[resmf\]) with the lorentzian functions $\rho(E,\omega)$: $$S (|{\bf q}| , \omega) =
\int_0^\infty dE \, S^{MF} (|{\bf q}| , E)
\left[ \rho (E, \omega) + \rho (E, - \omega) \right] \,\,
\label{rescon}$$ The FSI produce three effects on the MF response: a lowering of the maximum value of the response, a widening of the width and a shift of the position of the peak due to the $\Delta (\omega)$ term.
The functions $\Delta (\omega)$ and $\Gamma (\omega)$ are connected by a dispersion relation: $$\Delta (\omega) = \frac{1}{2 \pi} P \int_{- \infty}^{+ \infty}
d \omega ' \frac{\Gamma(\omega ')}{\omega ' - \omega} \,\, ,$$ where we have indicated with $P$ the principal value integral. Therefore our calculations would only require the knowledge of $\Gamma( \omega)$ which can be related to the imaginary part of the single particle self-energy.
Our description of the nuclear excitation does not consider the non locality of the mean field. A simple way to take into account this important correction is the introduction of a $q$–dependent nucleon effective mass $M^*(q)$ [@mah82]. For a given value of $M^*/M$ the following scaling relation holds: $$S_{M^*} (|{\bf q}| , \omega) = \frac{M^*}{M} S_{M} (|{\bf q}| ,
\frac{M^*}{M} \omega) \,\,.
\label{resmef}$$
Application to the Fermi gas model {#speapl}
==================================
In the previous outline of the folding model we have not specified the characteristics of the MF hamiltonian $H_0$ (the only requirement was that it should be a sum of single particle hamiltonians).
Finite nuclear systems are realistically described by MF hamiltonians of Hartree–Fock and shell model type where the single particle wave functions are calculated solving the single particle Schrödinger equation for a spherically symmetric potential. On the other hand, the excitation energy and 3-momentum transfer values characterizing the quasi elastic region are such that surface and collective excitations of the nucleus are not important. Therefore it is plausible to use in this region a simpler MF model, the Fermi gas (FG) model, which describes the nucleus as a translationally invariant system composed by an infinite number of nucleons whose momentum distribution is given by: $$n(|{\bf p}|) = \displaystyle{\frac{{\cal T}}{\frac{4}{3} \pi k^3_F}} \Theta
(k_F - |{\bf p}|) \,\, ,$$ where $\Theta$ is the Heaviside function, ${\cal T}$ = Z or N, $k_F$ is the Fermi momentum and ${\bf p}$ the nucleon 3-momentum.
In this system the full hamiltonian is the sum of free single particle hamiltonians and the single particle wave functions used to form Slater determinants are plane waves. The nucleon single particle energies $\epsilon (|{\bf p}|)$ are related to their 3-momentum by $$\epsilon (|{\bf p}|) = \sqrt{ |{\bf p}|^2 + M^2} - w \,\, ,$$ where $p=(p_0,{\bf p})$ is the nucleon 4-momentum, $M$ its rest mass and we have subtracted a constant binding energy $w$. The nucleus excitation energy is given by the difference between the particle and hole single particle energies. In the Fermi gas model the observable quantities are calculated per unit of volume and per nucleon. Their values should remain constant in the limit of infinite volume and nucleon number.
The relevance of nuclear finite size in the quasi elastic region has been studied in [@ama94] by comparing electromagnetic shell model and FG responses. It has been found that the FG model generates nuclear responses rather close to those of the shell model as long as the value of the Fermi momentum is taken as the average value with respect to the nuclear matter density $n(r)$: $$<k_F>=\Big( \frac{3}{2} \pi^2 \Big)^{1/3}
\frac { \int dr\,r^2\,[n(r)]^{4/3} } { \int dr\,r^2 \, n(r) }
\,\, .
\label{avekf}$$ Neutrino–nucleus quasi elastic cross section was first evaluated in a FG model by Smith and Moniz [@smi72], and the final expression contains the various responses (as it does the expression given in eq. (\[fullcross\])). Since the interaction matrix elements show a very weak dependence on the initial nucleon 3-momentum ${\bf p}$, we make the common approximation of writing the cross section in a factorized form: $$\left( \frac{d \sigma (|{\bf q}|, \omega )} {d \Omega_l d E_l} \right)_{FG} =
\sum_{i=1}^A
\left( \frac{d \sigma (|{\bf q}|, \omega ) } {d \Omega_l}
\right)_{(\nu,N_i)} \,
R^i_{FG} (|{\bf q}|, \omega ) \,\, ,
\label{fgcross}$$ where $A$ is the number of nucleons forming the target nucleus, ${d \Omega_l}$ is the differential solid angle around the direction of the outgoing lepton, and $$\left( \frac{d \sigma (|{\bf q}|, \omega ) } {d \Omega_l} \right)_{(\nu,N)}
\label{crossnun}$$ is the neutrino cross section on free nucleons. In eq. (\[fgcross\]) the nuclear effects, Fermi motion, binding and Pauli blocking, are taken into account by the $R_{FG} ({\bf q}, \omega )$ function whose expression is [@sar95]: $$R^i_{FG} (|{\bf q}|, \omega ) =
\displaystyle{ \frac{1}{\frac{4}{3} \pi k_F^3}}
\int \displaystyle{\frac{d^3p M^2_i}{p_0 p'_0}}
\delta (p_0 + \omega - p'_0)
\Theta (k_F -
|{\bf p}|) \Theta (|{\bf p'}| - k_F) \,\, ,$$ where $p=(p_0,{\bf p})$ and $p'=(p'_0,{\bf p'}={\bf p}+{\bf q})$ are the initial and final nucleon 4-momenta. The validity of the approximation leading to the factorized form of the cross section has been checked in ref. [@sar95] where it was found that in the quasi elastic region the expression (\[fgcross\]) numerically differs from the full expression given in ref. [@smi72] by a few percent.
The folding model described in the previous section should be applied to the response functions using different folding functions $\rho(E,\omega)$ for every response function according to their spin and isospin dependence. In the quasi elastic region these differences among responses are rather small, therefore we have used the same folding function for all them. Since the cross section is a sum of responses, we have applied the folding directly to the cross section: $$\begin{aligned}
\left( \frac{d \sigma (|{\bf q}|, \omega )} {d \Omega_l d E_l}
\right)_{M^*}
&=&
\int_0^\infty d\tilde{E} \,
\left( \frac{d \sigma (|{\bf q}|,\tilde{E} )}
{d \Omega_l d E_l} \right)_{FG}
\,
\left[ \rho (\tilde{E} , \omega) +
\rho ( \tilde{E}, - \omega) \right]
\nonumber
\\
&=&
\sum_{i=1}^A
\left( \frac{d \sigma (|{\bf q}|, \omega ) } {d \Omega_l}
\right)_{(\nu,N_i)} \,
R^i (|{\bf q}|, \omega ) \,
\label{fxsect}\end{aligned}$$ following eqs.(\[rescon\]) and (\[resmef\]), with the definition $\tilde{E}=(E M^*)/M$ .
Results and discussion {#resdis}
======================
The only free parameter required by the FG model is the value of the Fermi momentum which can be related to the average density of the real nuclear system through eq. (\[avekf\]). In all our calculations we have used $k_F = 220 $ MeV/c which corresponds to the average density of nuclei with mass number $ 15 < A
< 50 $.
Once the FG cross section has been calculated, the other inputs we need are related to correction for the re–interaction: the $\Gamma(\omega)$ function of eq. (\[sigma\]) and the effective nucleon mass $M^*$. From a theoretical point of view $\Gamma ( \omega)$ can be evaluated by considering many–particle many–hole nuclear excitations, however we have used an estimate based on a comparison with experiments. The data we have considered for positive values of $\omega$ are those related to the imaginary part of the nuclear mean field whose parameters have been fixed to fit nucleon–nucleus elastic scattering cross sections. For negative values of $\omega$ we have considered the energy width of the single particle levels, measured in knock–out reactions like $(e,e'p)$ or $(p,d)$. We have obtained $\Gamma (\omega)$ by making the average of the single particle energy width $\gamma(\omega)$ : $$\Gamma (\omega) = \frac{1}{\omega} \int^\infty_0 d \epsilon
\left[ \gamma(\epsilon+\omega) + \gamma(\epsilon - \omega) \right] \,\, .$$ In order to reproduce the empirical values of the single particle widths, we have used the expression: $$\gamma ( \epsilon) = a \cdot \frac{\epsilon^2}{\epsilon^2 + b^2}
h(\epsilon) \,\,,
\label{spgam}$$ with $a=11.5$ and $b=18$ [@mah82]. Unfortunately the data are limited to $|\epsilon|<100 \,$MeV, therefore the high energy behaviour, controlled by $h(\epsilon)$, is affected by strong uncertainties. We have used two extreme parameterizations compatible with the data: $$\begin{aligned}
h(\epsilon) & = & 1
\label{he1}
\\
h(\epsilon) & = & \frac{c^2}{\epsilon^2+c^2}
\label{hefun}\end{aligned}$$ with $c=110$.
The value of the effective nucleon mass is another input of our calculation. It has been determined by using the expressions proposed in the polarization potential model of ref. [@pin88]: $$\frac{M^*}{M} = \frac{1}{1+2M \Delta U/(q^2+q_0^2)}
\label{emass}$$ with $$q_0^2 =\frac{2M \Delta U}{M/M^*_0 -1} \,\,\ ,$$ where $\Delta U$=50 MeV is the depth of the potential well. The above expressions have been built such as $M^*/M=1$ in the limit for $q \rightarrow \infty$ and $M^*=M^*_0$ for $q \rightarrow 0$. Various nuclear structure studies [@mah82; @pin88; @vau72] indicate that $M^*_0/M$=0.8, and this is the value we have used in our calculations.
The effects of the re-scattering are evident in fig.\[figres\] where we show $R({\bf q}, \omega )$ of eq. (\[fxsect\]) calculated for $|{\bf q}|$=600 MeV/c as a function of $\omega$. The dotted line represents $R_{FG}({\bf q}, \omega )$, eq.(\[fgcross\]). The other two lines have been obtained performing the folding with $h(\epsilon)$ given by eq. (\[hefun\]), the dashed line with $M^*/M=1$, and the full line using the value of the effective mass given by the procedure discussed above. A comparison between dashed and dotted lines shows that the re–interaction is moving strength from the peak region towards both lower and higher energy regions. The total strength is conserved i.e. the areas underlined by the two curves in the figure are equal. The peak position is slightly shifted towards higher energy values owing to the presence of $\Delta(\omega)$ in the denominator of the folding $\rho(E,\omega)$ functions. The differences between dashed and full lines are due to the nucleon effective mass which produces a further spreading, a lowering of the peak value and a shift of the peak to a higher energy.
The sensitivity of our results to the expression chosen to set $\Gamma(\omega)$ and to the effective mass, can be seen in fig.\[figunc\], where we show the $\nu_\mu$–nucleus cross sections per nucleon as a function of the neutrino energy. The dashed lines have been obtained setting $M^*/M=1$ while the full lines have been calculated using the expression (\[emass\]). In both cases the upper curves have been obtained using $h(\epsilon)=1$ in eq. (\[spgam\]) while the lower lines have been produced with the expression (\[hefun\]). As expected the use of the effective mass lowers the values of the cross section at all energies. It is also clear that the use of $h(\epsilon)=1$ enhances the effect of the folding, since this means that the re-scattering is active whatever is the energy of the emitted nucleon. In the other choice the re-scattering effects are switched off when the energy of the emitted nucleon is above 200 MeV. We think that the calculations with $M^*$ given by eq.(\[emass\]) are the most realistic ones. On the other hand, we do not have any good reason to prefer one of the two possible choices for $h(\epsilon)$. The expression (\[hefun\]) would be favored by the speculations about the so-called color transparency [@ber81] claiming that the nucleus is transparent to high energy emitted nucleons. However these speculations do not have, so far, experimental support. The results presented in figs.\[figallmu\] and \[figexp\] have been obtained using effective mass and eq. (\[hefun\]). We should remark, in any case, that the maximum difference between the upper and lower full lines in fig.\[figunc\] is of 5%.
Our study has been made under the assumption of no uncertainties in the elementary $\nu$–nucleon cross section. This hypothesis, common to all the calculations of this type, is not fully correct, since this elementary cross section depends upon the electromagnetic and axial nucleon form factors. In our calculations we have used the dipole form for the electromagnetic form factors, and we have checked that changes produced by the more sophisticated parameterization of ref. [@hoh76] were within the numerical accuracy of the calculations. Since we have adopted the dipole expression, the only free parameter is the axial mass M$_A$. In the calculations presented so far we used the axial mass value of $M_A=1.00$ GeV/c$^2$ which has been adopted also in ref. [@lip95]. This value is compatible with the analysis of the neutrino nucleus total cross section data of refs. [@kit83; @bel85]. On the other hands, these studies, and also other ones done on different target nuclei, show an uncertainty on the axial mass value of 15$\%$. To test the sensitivity of the cross section to the axial form factor we have calculated the $\nu_{\mu}$-nucleus cross section by changing the axial mass value by a 15%. These results are presented in fig. \[figaxial\] where it is shown that the changes on the cross section are of the same order of magnitude of the changes on the axial mass. This is not a specific feature of our model, but it is a systematic error which affects all the theoretical evaluations of the $\nu$-nucleus cross sections by shifting all the predicted values. Comparisons between different models have to be done by using the same value of the axial mass.
The total quasi elastic neutrino and antineutrino cross sections for the three flavours are presented in fig.\[figallmu\] where the dashed lines show the FG results and the full lines have been obtained with our folding model. As expected, the effect of the FSI is analogous for all the cases, since it depends on the nuclear structure and not on the details of the interaction.
In Fig.\[figexp\] we compare the $\nu_{\mu}$-nucleus cross section data [@kit83; @bel85; @bar77; @bru90; @bak82; @vov79; @far84; @all90] with the FG result [@lip95] and with that of our model including FSI. The contributions of the nucleon resonances and the deep inelastic scattering to the total cross section (calculated in the framework of the FG model) are also shown. The $15\%$ lowering of the quasi elastic peak, due to Final State Interactions is clearly visible. Finally a crude estimate of the effect of the lowering of the quasi-elastic peak on the total upward muon flux, produced by atmospheric neutrinos, has also been done. Above a $\mu$ energy threshold of 100 MeV, the integral muon flux is reduced by $\sim 5 \%$.
Summary and conclusions {#conclu}
=======================
The $\nu$-nucleus scattering in the quasi elastic region leaves the nucleus in a highly excited state which decays mainly by nucleon emission. This decay is not properly treated in MF nuclear models, where the emitted nucleon does not interact with the residual nucleus. We have presented a phenomenological model to correct the MF cross sections for this effect. The re-interaction model has been applied to FG differential cross sections. It could also be applied to more sophisticated MF models. However, for quasi elastic scattering, our calculation takes into account, in a simple way, the main physical ingredients since in this energy region collective nuclear excitations and finite size effects are not important [@co88; @bub91; @eng93; @ama94].
We have shown that the re-interaction spreads the cross section strength at both higher and lower energies, with respect to the pure MF result. This produces a general lowering effect of about $15\%$ in the cross section.
1.cm [**Aknowledgement**]{}\
We whish to thank P. Lipari and G. Battistoni for useful discussions.
1.cm
Appendix
========
In this appendix we briefly recall the link between response function, Green’s function and cross sections. The commonly used approximations adopted in the derivation of the neutrino or antineutrino cross section on nucleus are: first order pertubation theory, impulse approximation and ultra-relativistic limit (i.e. the terms containig the leptons rest masses are neglected). With these assumptions the cross section can be written, in the lab frame, as [@wal75]: $$\begin{aligned}
\displaystyle{ \frac{d^2 \sigma}{d \Omega_l d E_l}} &=&
\frac{g^2 E^2_l}{2\pi^2} \frac{4 \pi}{2J_i+1}
\Big\{
cos^2 \frac{\theta}{2}
\Big[ \sum_{J=0}^{\infty}
|<J_f|| {\cal M}_J - \frac{\omega}{|{\bf q}|}
{\cal L}_J ||J_i>|^2
\Big] \nonumber \\
&~&
+\Big(\frac{q^2}{2{\bf q}^2}cos^2 \frac{\theta}{2}
+sin^2 \frac{\theta}{2}
\Big) \nonumber \\
&~&
\times \Big[ \sum_{J=1}^{\infty}
\Big(|<J_f||{\cal J}^{el}_J ||J_i>|^2 +
|<J_f||{\cal J}^{mag}_J ||J_i>|^2 \Big)
\Big] \nonumber \\
&~&
\mp sin\frac{\theta}{2} \frac{1} {|{\bf q}|}
\Big(q^2 cos^2 \frac{\theta}{2} + {\bf q}^2 sin^2 \frac{\theta}{2}
\Big)^{\frac{1}{2}} \nonumber \\
&~&
\Big[\sum_{J=1}^{\infty} 2 Re
<J_f||{\cal J}^{mag}_J ||J_i><J_f||{\cal J}^{el}_J ||J_i>^*
\Big]
\Big\} \,\, ,
\label{fullcross}\end{aligned}$$ where the $\mp$ should be used for neutrino or antineutrino scattering respectively. In the above expression we have indicated with $g$ the universal weak coupling constant, with $E_l$ the energy of the emitted lepton, with $q \equiv (\omega, {\bf q})$ the four-momentum transfer, with $\theta$ the angle between incoming and outgoing leptons, with $|J_i>$ and $|J_f>$ the initial and final states of the nuclear system characterized by their total angular momenta $J$. The quantities ${\cal M}_J$, ${\cal L}_J$, ${\cal J}^{mag}_J$, and ${\cal J}^{el}_J$ are multipole expanded operators obtained by separating the hadronic tensor in charge, longitudinal and transverse electric and magnetic operators. As discussed above, these operators are expressed in terms of one–body operators within the nuclear many–body Hilbert space.
In the expression (\[fullcross\]) of the cross section the leptonic variables are separated from the hadronic ones. The information about the hadronic part is fully contained in the reduced matrix elements of the transition amplitude from the nuclear ground state $|J_i>$ to the excited state $|J_f>$. In eq. (\[fullcross\]) the sums over all the possible values of $J$ have been included since we are interested in an energy range above the nucleon emission threshold. The nuclear states form a complete basis since they are eigenstates of the nuclear hamiltonian $H$, therefore it is possible to relate the transition matrix elements to the linear response function as it is usually defined in many–body theories [@kad62]: $$\begin{aligned}
S (|{\bf q}| , \omega)
&=& \sum_f <f|{\cal O}({\bf q})|i>
<f|{\cal O}({\bf q})|i>^\dagger
\delta(E_f-\omega) \\
& =& \displaystyle{\frac{1}{\pi}}
Im <i| {\cal O}^\dagger({\bf q})
G( \omega )
{\cal O} ({\bf q})|i>.
\label{resdef}\end{aligned}$$ $G( \omega )$ is the many–body Green function: $$G (\omega ) =
\frac{1}{H- \omega - i \eta} - \frac{1}{H+ \omega + i \eta},
\label{fullgreen}$$ where we have indicated with $H$ the full many-body hamiltonian. In the above equations $|i>$ and $|f>$ indicates the initial and final nuclear states, $E_f$ the eigenvalue of $|f>$, and ${\cal O} ({\bf q})$ a generic many–body operator.
We are interested in nuclear excitation energies whose values are well above the nucleon emission threshold i.e. in reactions disintegrating the nucleus. Generally the nuclear final state can be very complicated, for example, it can be composed by a set of unbound nucleons or various nucleon clusters. We make the simplifying assumption that the nuclear final state is formed by one particle in the continuum and a residual nucleus composed by $A-1$ nucleons. Even within this assumption the evaluation of the nuclear transition amplitudes, or of the nuclear responses, is rather difficult if one attempts to solve the nuclear many–body problem using the full interacting hamiltonian $H$.
A successful model used to obtain a simplified solution of the full problem is the MF model, where the nucleons are supposed to move in an average potential independently from each other. This means that in the above equations the hamiltonian $H$ is substituted with a MF hamiltonian $H_0$ which is formed by a sum of single particle hamiltonians whose eigenvectors form a basis of single particle states.
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B. Pontecorvo, J. Exptl. Theoret. Phys. [**33**]{}, 459 (1957), \[Sov. Phys. JETP [**6**]{}, 429 (1958)\]. K. Zuber, Phys. Rep. [**305**]{}, 6 (1998), and references therein. V.S. Berezinsky, Nucl. Phys. Proc. Suppl. [**80**]{}, 17 (2000). Y. Fukuda et al. (SuperKamiokande coll.), Phys. Rev. Lett. [**81**]{}, 1562 (1998). M. Ambrosio et al. (MACRO coll.), Phys. Lett. [**B434**]{}, 451 (1998). W. Allison et al. (Soudan2 coll.), Phys. Lett. [**B449**]{},137 (1999). D.Cavalli et al., ICARUS-TM-97/18 (1997sco). G.Battistoni at al., hep-ph/9801426 (1998). G.Battistoni et al., Astropart. Phys. [**12**]{}, (2000) 315. See for instance P.Astier et al. (NOMAD coll.), Phys. Lett. [**B453**]{}, 169 (1999). J. Marteau, Eur. Phys. Jour. [**A5**]{}, 183 (1999) J. Marteau, J. Delorme and M. Ericson, hep-ph/9906449. P. Vogel, proc. of [*5$^{th}$ International Symposium on Weak and Electromagnetic Interactions in Nuclei: WEIN ’98*]{}, Santa Fe, NM, USA (1998), and references therein J.E. Amaro, G. Cò and A.M. Lallena, nucl-th/9902072. R.D. Smith and J. Wambach. Phys. Rev. [**C38**]{}, 100 (1988). G.Cò, K.Q. Quader, R. Smith and J. Wambach, Nucl. Phys. [**A485**]{}, 61 (1988). J.D.Walecka, [*Semi–leptonic weak interactions in nuclei*]{}, in Muon Physics, eds. V.W. Hughes ans C.S. Wu (Academic Press, New York, 1975). L.P. Kadanoff and G. Baym,[*Quantum Statistical Mechanics*]{}, (W.A. Benjamin, New York , 1962); P. Nozière,[*The theory of interacting Fermi Systems*]{}, (W.A. Benjamin, New York , 1964); D. Pines and P. Nozière,[*The theory of quantum liquids*]{}, (W.A. Benjamin, New York , 1966). M. Buballa, S. Drożdż, S. Krewald and J. Speth, Ann. Phys. (N.Y.) [**208**]{}, 346, (1991). J. Engel, E. Kolbe, K. Langanke and P. Vogel, Phys. Rev. [**D48**]{}, 3048 (1993). C. Mahaux and N Ngô, Nucl. Phys. [**A378**]{}, 205 (1982). J.E. Amaro, G. Cò and A.M. Lallena, Int. Jour. Mod. Phys. [**E3**]{}, 735 (1994). R.A. Smith and E.J. Moniz, Nucl. Phys. [**B43**]{}, 605 (1972). F. Sartogo, Tesi di Dottorato, Dip. di Fisica, (Università di Roma ’La Sapienza’, 1995), unpublished. D. Pines, K.Q. Quader and J. Wambach, Nucl. Phys. [**A477**]{}, 365 (1988). D. Vautherin and D. Brink, Phys. Rev. [**C5**]{}, 626 (1972); J.P. Jeukenne, A Ljeune and C. Mahaux, Phys. Rep. [**25**]{}, 83 (1976).
G. Bertsch, S.J. Brodsky, A.S Goldhaber and J.R. Gunion, Phys. Rev. Lett. [**47**]{}, 267 (1981); G.R. Farrar, L.L. Frankfurt, H. Liu and M.I. Strickmann, Phys. Rev. Lett. [**61**]{}, 686 (1988); B. Jennings and G.A. Miller, Phys. Rev. [**D44**]{}, 692 (1991).
G. Höhler, E. Pietarinen, I. Sabba–Stefanescu, F. Borkowski, G.G. Simon, V.H. Walter and R.D. Wendling, Nucl. Phys. [**B114**]{}, 505 (1976).
P. Lipari, M. Lusignoli and F. Sartogo, Phys. Rev. Lett. [**74**]{}, 4384 (1995).
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S.V. Belikov et al. , Z. Phys. [**A320**]{}, 625 (1985).
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N.J. Baker et al., Phys. Rev. [**D25**]{}, 617 (1982). A.S. Vovenko et al., Sov. J. Nucl. Phys. [**30**]{}, 527 (1979). D.B. MacFarlane et al., Z. Phys. [**C26**]{}, 1 (1984). D. Allasia et al., Nucl. Phys.[**B343**]{}, 285 (1990).
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Friday, August 9, 2013
Today marks 25 years since the most famous trade in NHL history. On August 9, 1988, the Edmonton Oilers traded Wayne Gretzky, Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski to the LA Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round picks and cash.
The deal became known simply as "The Trade", and its effects are still being felt to this day. The day still resonates with hockey fans so strongly that even now, a quarter of a century later, the anniversary is getting extensive media coverage.
But how well do you really know The Trade? Here are some lesser known facts and figures from the most famous transaction in hockey history:
Before the trade, every NHL trade deadline broadcast would begin with the host saying "You know what they say, folks, if Wayne Gretzky can be traded then anyone can! But of course Wayne Gretzky cannot, in fact, be traded, so…" followed by an eight-hour test pattern.
The main piece coming back to Edmonton in the trade never did produce the sort of offensive numbers that fans had been hoping for, although in fairness it's hard to score goals when you are a giant bag full of money.
Everyone who has ever asked you if you remember where you were the day Gretzky was traded didn't remotely care about your answer, and was just waiting for you to stop talking so they could tell you their own boring story.
The ultra-exclusive "Players Who Were Once Traded for Wayne Gretzky Club" was created on that day, but shut its doors permanently years later when Roman Vopat showed up.
In addition to Los Angeles, Gretzky was also offered to both Detroit and Vancouver, but balked at the latter option when it became clear that they mainly just wanted him to ride around in the back of a pickup truck holding a torch and looking annoyed.
Gretzky insisted that any trade also include his good friend Mike Krushelnyski, or "Krusher" as his teammates called him, as well as Marty McSorley, or "Ol' Super Curvy Stick Although I'm Sure That Won't End Up Being Important".
Whenever anyone would ask Bruce McNall if he felt like the trade was so lopsided that he'd ripped off the Oilers in a massive fraud, he'd shift awkwardly in his chair and mutter "No, that feels slightly different".
Oilers coach and GM Glen Sather originally threatened to resign rather than be a part of a deal that he fundamentally wanted no part of, presumably because he wasn't sure how to eventually give it a buyout.
At the time of the trade, Janet Jones was already pregnant with Paulina Gretzky, which I don't have a joke for but am including just so I can add "SEO guru" to my resume.
Gretzky was so fundamental in helping the NHL become successful in the southern US that to this day the league owes him a debt they can never hope to repay, or at least we assume that's why Gary Bettman's office is filled with photos of Gretzky with "I.O.U." scrawled on them.
News of the trade blindsided Gretzky, which would explain why news of the trade was then punched repeatedly in the face by Dave Semenko.
Everyone remembers the way Gretzky's emotional farewell press conference brought tears to the eyes of those in the room, except for Kerry Fraser, who has no recollection of Gretzky ever causing fluid to leak out of anyone's face.
Experts at the time of the deal insisted that hockey fans would never see anything like it again, and they were right, assuming that by "it" they meant "anything even vaguely interesting happening in August".
Featuring 70 posts including 24 chapters of exclusive new material, The Best of Down Goes Brown is now available.
14 comments:
"Everyone remembers the way Gretzky's emotional farewell press conference brought tears to the eyes of those in the room, except for Kerry Fraser, who has no recollection of Gretzky ever causing fluid to leak out of anyone's face"
A little known fact about the trade is that the night before the trade Wayne was staying in LA at Alan Thicke's house baby sitting his son Robin. Wayne could be heard on the phone with McNall repeating ``You know you want me!`` which everyone found annoying...except for Robin Thicke apparently...
Try as I might, I don't get the joke about no self-respecting Oilers' star wearing a Flames jersey. All I can think of is Grant Fuhr, but if that's the reference I'm not even sure it really qualifies as a joke.
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alpha-Tocopheryl quinone is converted into vitamin E in man.
The conversion of alpha-tocopheryl quinone into alpha-tocopherol in humans has been demonstrated. A male subject was given an oral dose of 400 mg of alpha-3,5-[(C2H3)2]-tocopheryl quinone with an evening meal. Analysis of plasma 15 h later by lipid extraction and subsequent GC-MS single ion monitoring revealed the presence of alpha-[5,7-(C2H3)2]-tocopherol at a concentration of 0.4 microM, representing 0.8% of the total tocopherol in the plasma sample. This experiment clearly demonstrates that orally administered alpha-tocopheryl quinone is converted in a low overall yield to alpha-tocopherol in humans. The conversion to alpha-tocopherol of that portion of the quinone dose which was actually absorbed into the blood stream may, however, have been fairly efficient.
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Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will address the rally in Narmada district's Dediapada town.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will address a rally in Dediapada town of the tribal-dominated Narmada district in Gujarat on May 1. The rally is organised as part of the party's ongoing 'Adivasi Adhikar Abhiyan', state unit Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki said today.Besides being the International Labour Day, May 1 also happens to be the foundation day of Gujarat. State Congress leaders today held a meeting at the party headquarters in Ahmedabad to formulate a strategy to strengthen the party at booth level, ahead of the Assembly polls due later this year.The meeting was attended by Mr Solanki, AICC spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil and former Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhwadia, apart from several leaders.During the meeting, it was decided that the party would raise the issues concerning fishermen through a campaign called "Kinara Bachao (Save the Coastline)".The campaign, to be led by Mr Modhwadia, would kick off from the coastal town of Mandvi in Kutch district on May 3, the party stated in a release.
While addressing the party workers and leaders, Mr Gohil stressed that instead of worrying about EVM machines, the party cadres need to focus on reaching out to people in a positive manner, it said.Both Mr Solanki and Mr Modhwadia urged the party leaders, especially observers of each Assembly seat, to step up their efforts for the elections, due in December, by establishing direct contact with voters in their respective constituencies, stated the release.
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Kinetic disposition of ethanol in the neonatal piglet and hemodynamic effects in the presence and absence of 4-methylpyrazole.
The hemodynamic effects of acute ethanol intoxication and the kinetic disposition of ethanol are reported for the first time in neonatal piglets under nitrous oxide anesthesia. Two hours after a single dose of ethanol (1.4 g/kg), blood pressure decreased from 76 +/- 4 to 71 +/- 4 mm Hg (p less than 0.05) and heart rate increased from 194 +/- 10 to 227 +/- 8 beats/min (p less than 0.05; means +/- SE). By 5 hr, blood pressure dropped to 67.5 +/- 4 mm Hg and heart rate increased to 239 +/- 8 beats/min. In piglets pretreated with 4-methylpyrazole, an alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor, there was a transient increase in blood pressure (p less than 0.05) and a decrease in heart rate (p less than 0.05) immediately after the end of the ethanol infusion. However, the hemodynamic alterations observed 2 hr after ethanol treatment alone were prevented with 4-methylpyrazole. These findings indicate that ethanol metabolites play a significant role in hemodynamic alterations observed after acute ethanol intoxication. The mean ethanol metabolic rate derived from plasma data was 94 +/- 9 mg/liter/hr. This corresponded to an apparent Km of 68 +/- 3 mg/liter and a Vm of 123 +/- 11 mg/liter/hr. The Vd was 0.966 +/- 0.031 liter/kg. The metabolic rate for ethanol, derived from plasma data, correlated with in vitro alcohol dehydrogenase activity at pH 7.4 and 25 and 37 degrees C. The optimum pH for hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activity was 9.9.
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Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersNYT editorial board remembers Ginsburg: She 'will forever have two legacies' Two GOP governors urge Republicans to hold off on Supreme Court nominee Sanders knocks McConnell: He's going against Ginsburg's 'dying wishes' MORE on Tuesday accused the Nevada Democratic Party of abusing its power to unfairly hurt his campaign, and denied accusations of promoting violence among his supporters.
He blasted his critics within the party who have accused him of promoting violence, calling such accusations “nonsense.”
“Within the last few days there have been a number of criticisms made against my campaign organization,” Sanders said in a statement.
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“Party Leaders in Nevada, for example, claim that the Sanders campaign has a ‘penchant for violence.’ That is nonsense. Our campaign has held giant rallies all across this country, including in high-crime areas, and there have been zero reports of violence.”
He said he condemns violence and harassment, before adding that shots were fired into his campaign office in Nevada earlier this year.
Sanders said that at the Nevada Democratic convention on Saturday, “the Democratic leadership used its power to prevent a fair and transparent process from taking place."
“If the Democratic Party is to be successful in November, it is imperative that all state parties treat our campaign supporters with fairness and the respect that they have earned,” the Vermont senator added.
The Nevada convention saw violent outbursts over rules that appeared to favor Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonJeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Momentum growing among Republicans for Supreme Court vote before Election Day Warning signs flash for Lindsey Graham in South Carolina MORE, who came away with more pledged delegates.
The Las Vegas convention had to be shut down Saturday after some Sanders supporters, angry over delegate allocation, resorted to throwing chairs. Some also booed Sen. Barbara Boxer Barbara Levy BoxerThe Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Facebook - Biden, Harris launch Trump offensive in first joint appearance Bottom line Polls show big bounce to Biden ahead of Super Tuesday MORE (D-Calif.) while she gave a speech in support of the former first lady.
Sanders supporters were frustrated that Clinton, who won the state’s caucuses in February, was able to pick up additional delegates, despite the fact that they packed the convention.
The state party's chairwoman, Roberta Lange, reported death threats from backers of the Independent senator.
Many Democrats called on Sanders to condemn the outbursts, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid Harry Mason ReidGraham signals support for confirming a Supreme Court nominee this year Trump signals he will move to replace Ginsburg 'without delay' Senate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden MORE (D-Nev.), who endorsed Clinton shortly after she won the Nevada caucuses in February.
Earlier on Tuesday, Reid and Sanders spoke about the incident.
“He and I had a very long conversation,” Reid told reporters. “I laid out to him what happened in Las Vegas. I wanted to make sure he understands what went on there. The violence and all the other bad things that has happened there.
“He said that he condemns that. I’m confident he does. I’m confident he’ll be saying something about it soon,” he added. “I’m hopeful and very confident that Sen. Sanders will do the right thing.”
Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz also asked Sanders on Tuesday to condemn the violence.
“We will be reaching out to the leadership of both of our campaigns to ask them to stand with the Democratic Party in denouncing and taking steps to prevent the type of behavior on display over the weekend in Las Vegas,” she said in a statement.
And the White House spoke out against the violence.
“The president on a number of occasions has spoken out against violence and has certainly said a political dispute like this can never be used to justify violence or a threat of violence,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Tuesday.
- Updated at 4:03 p.m.
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Introduction {#s1}
============
α-Proteobacteria of the genus *Anaplasma* are obligately parasitic, intracellular, tick-transmitted pathogens of humans and other animals. *Anaplasma phagocytophilum* resides within neutrophils of numerous domestic animals, wildlife, and humans, and induces cytokine-mediated fever, malaise, myalgia, hematological and hepatic abnormalities, and occasionally central nervous system disease, susceptibility to secondary infection, organ failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and death variably in horses, humans, cattle, goats, sheep, and dogs [@pone.0008265-Dumler1]. In the United States, reservoir hosts include white-footed mice (*Peromyscus leucopus*), chipmunks (*Tamias* spp.), tree squirrels (*Sciurus* spp.), and possibly woodrats (*Neotoma fuscipes*)[@pone.0008265-Telford1], [@pone.0008265-Nicholson1], [@pone.0008265-Nieto1], [@pone.0008265-Nieto2]. Over the course of infection with *A. phagocytophilum*, hosts acquire temporary resistance to disease as they develop immunity specific for the major antigen, major surface protein 2 (Msp2). However, the bacterium then utilizes a novel recombination mechanism shuffling "functional pseudogenes" of the pfam01617 family (common within Anaplasmataceae) sequentially into an expression cassette with conserved 5′ and 3′ ends, bypassing host immunity and contributing in some host species to persistent infection [@pone.0008265-Barbet1]. In this case, pseudogenes, the equivalent of repeat DNA donor regions, are considered functional in that they serve as donor DNA into a functional expression cassette.
A hyper-recombination phenotype such as that expressed by *A. phagocytophilum* to generate antigenic variability may be an evolved response to complex ecologies in which there is intense selection (immune) pressure from its hosts [@pone.0008265-Palmer1]. The mechanism for the production of pseudogenes could be that remnant gene fragments occur as a side-effect of inaccurate duplication. However, the accumulation of pseudogenes represents a balance between their production, retention because of selection, and removal due to selection or drift [@pone.0008265-Palmer1]. There are costs to accumulating and using functional pseudogenes in recombination to avoid immunity [@pone.0008265-Friedberg1]. Such costs could include the metabolic expense required by the bacteria to replicate potentially extraneous DNA and the danger of producing unfit progeny either through inaccurate recombination or through recombination yielding a suboptimal phenotype that does not successfully escape host immunity.
Patterns of pseudogene accumulation and utilization have been incompletely described for *Anaplasma* spp. Important differences exist between *A. phagocytophilum* and its closest relative, *A. marginale.* For the former species, more than a hundred functional pseudogenes have been found within a fully sequenced genome, while in contrast *A. marginale* contains only five to seven *msp2* pseudogenes [@pone.0008265-DunningHotopp1], [@pone.0008265-Brayton1]. It is not clear in either species whether some of the pseudogenes are likely to be used (or have been used) more often than others, and whether there is any pattern to their spatial organization within the genome, either by being clustered in certain regions or by having some nearby genes or patterns of DNA in common with each other. In the present study, we evaluate the evolutionary history of functional pseudogenes within the only fully sequenced *A. phagocytophilum* genome. Specifically, we estimate the phylogeny of the *msp2* pseudogene family of the *A. phagocytophilum* HZ genome, investigate the spatial distribution of pseudogenes and whether there are spatial clusters on the chromosome where pseudogenes are over-represented, and evaluate the incorporation of pseudogenes into expression cassettes, based on genetic identities of pseudogenes with expressed *msp2* genes across 199 expression cassette sequences.
Results {#s2}
=======
Ninety-one *A. phagocytophilum* functional pseudogenes of the pfam01617 family were analyzed using maximum parsimony, yielding a tree that included eight major clades containing highly similar sister taxa but which were quite divergent from others, represented by many nucleotide changes at deeper nodes and longer branch lengths ([Figure 1](#pone-0008265-g001){ref-type="fig"}). The most parsimonious tree had a total branch length of 7662 with a mean sequence length of 793.9 bps (range = 192--1355 bps). The mean G+C content was 44.6% (A = 28.7%, C = 17.2%, G = 27.5%, T = 26.6%) compared to the G+C content of the entire *A. phagocytophilum* genome (41%). Following alignment with Prankster, 6452 characters were included in the parsimony analysis that included 4664 constant characters, 886 characters that were parsimony-uninformative, and 902 parsimony-informative characters.
{#pone-0008265-g001}
Based on calculation of protein identity, 44 of 94 pseudogenes (46.8%) were almost identical (approximately 100%) to at least one expression cassette, while 26/94 (27.7%) had high identity (≥90%) ([Figure 2a](#pone-0008265-g002){ref-type="fig"}). However, maximum identities varied considerably, ranging from 16.8 to 100%. There were two peaks in this representation of pseudogene identities, one above 90% identical to an expressed gene and a second peak from 60--70% identities. The mean maximum identity across all pseudogenes was 80.4% (21.4 s.d.), and the mode was 100%. Of the 46 pseudogenes with high identity to some expression cassette, in almost all cases, there was only high identity to a single cassette. Pseudogenes with moderate (50--87%) vs. high (\>90%) identity to some expression cassette were compared with respect to the host to which they matched most highly by chi-square statistical tests ([Table 1](#pone-0008265-t001){ref-type="table"}). Moderately matched pseudogenes disproportionately included those matching most highly to deer-origin (strain Ap-1) and European-origin sources, while highly matching pseudogenes were more likely matched to humans, horses, and dogs (P = 0.001).
{#pone-0008265-g002}
10.1371/journal.pone.0008265.t001
###### Pseudogene identity with host type.
{#pone-0008265-t001-1}
Strain Ap-1 Human-origin Equine-origin Canid- origin European (diverse hosts) Wild rodent-origin
--------------- ---------- -------------- --------------- --------------- -------------------------- --------------------
High identity 11 (22%) 5 (10%) 12 (24%) 7 (14%) 13 (26%) 1 (2%)
Low identity 11 (30%) 3 (8%) 6 (16%) 4 (10%) 12 (32%) 1 (0%)
Numbers (and percentages) of pseudogenes with maximum identity to an expression cassette from six different host categories, divided into high maximum identity (90% or greater) compared with moderate to low (50--87%).
The transposed summary comparing number of expression cassettes that matched to each pseudogene was bimodal ([Figure 2b](#pone-0008265-g002){ref-type="fig"}). Most (109, 54.8%) expression cassettes matched highly (≥90%) to at least one pseudogene, while a second peak from 60--70% identity included 63 cassettes (31.7%). The identities ranged from 57.6--100%, with a mean of 84.0% (16.1 s.d.) and a mode of 100%.
There was some clustering on the parsimony tree of pseudogenes that had high percentage identity with expression cassettes ([Figure 1](#pone-0008265-g001){ref-type="fig"}). The largest clades with all highly identical terminal branches were clades I and III. In clade I, 19 of 27 (70%) taxa had from 90--100% identity to some expression cassette, with 14 of these matching to cassettes from either North American horses, carnivores, or humans; none of the taxa in this clade had less than 60% identity. For clades II and III, respectively 13 of 25 (52%) and 15 of 22 (68%) of taxa were highly identical to an expression cassette, although in clades II and III, several taxa had very low identities. Four clades contained all taxa with low or not-used identities, each of which represented sister-groups to the rest of the tree.
Spatial and statistical analysis of the *A. phagocytophilum* HZ pseudogenes revealed two statistically significant (P = 2.2×10^−16^) clusters of pseudogenes, one from positions 26311--227059 bp and the other from 957413--1462420 bp, both bracketing the hypothesized origin of replication ([Figure 3](#pone-0008265-g003){ref-type="fig"}). There were six isolated pseudogenes at positions 303903--684696 located outside of the clusters. Combining clusters 1 and 2, all except six isolated pseudogenes were present in only 50% of the length of the genome. There were 25 short runs of two-five tandemly arranged pseudogenes where pseudogenes were either directly adjacent to each other or within one gene of the next pseudogene. These short runs almost never clustered together on the parsimony tree except for genes Aph_662, 663, and 664; and 935 and 936. Both of these short runs had low or essentially no identity with any yet sequenced expression cassette. Of the 25 runs, 8 (32%) showed concordance in identity with expression cassettes, with one having members all with low identity, three having members from 60--70% identity, and four having members all with high identity.
{#pone-0008265-g003}
When the positions on the genome were compared between those pseudogenes with high identities to expression cassettes compared to those with low percent identities, the six non-clustered pseudogenes had a mean of 52.8% identity, compared with a mean of 72.2% for the first cluster and 84.1% for the second cluster. These differences were statistically significantly different (P = 0.009). Importantly, statistical analysis suggested that an individual pseudogene was more likely to be a sequence donor if it was closer to the *msp2* expression site ([Figure 4](#pone-0008265-g004){ref-type="fig"}). These pseudogenes near the expression cassette and origin were represented in 1--7 expressed genes (i.e. had greater than or equal to 90% similarity to the expressed genes), but more distant pseudogenes only were used from 1--2 times ([Figure 4](#pone-0008265-g004){ref-type="fig"}). Using ranked correlation, genomic distance from the expression cassette accounted for 21% of the variance in the ranking of maximum identity to some expression cassette (P = 2.4×10^−6^). There was no discernable pattern to how pseudogenes clustered on the parsimony tree relative to their positions on the genome.
{#pone-0008265-g004}
Discussion {#s3}
==========
In this study, we identify a select group of *A. phagocytophilum* HZ *msp2* functional pseudogenes that have matched preferentially to human, canine, and equine expression cassettes; show that pseudogenes cluster predominantly in one spatial run near the origin and expression cassette; and find that genetically related pseudogenes are not necessarily located in close proximity on the genome but may share similar percent identity with expression cassettes. Taken together, these findings are consistent with natural selection acting to retain in one cluster in the HZ genome specific pseudogenes with high identities to *msp2* cassettes from *A. phagocytophilum* strains from select hosts (horses, dogs, and humans). This could occur even though recombination shuffles pseudogenes in the genome, separating pseudogenes that share genetic origins.
Central questions surrounding major surface proteins in the *Anaplasma* genus are to what degree different species utilize available genetic variability to evade host immunity and why *A. phagocytophilum* maintains an order of magnitude higher number of functional pseudogenes compared with *A. marginale* (and in fact most other rickettsias). Both species have relatively small genomes (1.2--1.5 MB) and have single *msp2* expression cassettes that encode polycistronic mRNA [@pone.0008265-Barbet1], [@pone.0008265-Barbet2]. The majority of changes produced by gene conversion are in a central hypervariable region of *msp2* of about 280 bp. Variant Msp2 proteins are expressed during periods of bacteremia in association with production of serum immunoglobulins and serve to evade host immunity [@pone.0008265-Brayton2], [@pone.0008265-Granquist1], [@pone.0008265-Wang1]. There are diverse *msp2* variants across naturally-infected animals, including humans in the U.S., wildlife reservoir species from the U.S., and sheep and dogs in Europe [@pone.0008265-Barbet1]. Thus pseudogenes serve an important role in protecting *Anaplasma* species of bacteria from the host, yet it was not clear how they originate, how they are related, and whether some are used differentially in expression.
Pseudogenes arise in the *A. phagocytophilum* genome by mechanisms that are not well understood and function by being shuffled into an expression cassette using the nonreciprocal RecF pathway [@pone.0008265-Lin1]. Other organisms use related mechanisms of pseudogene incorporation into expression sites [@pone.0008265-Taylor1]. For the *Borrelia hermsii* variable major protein (vmp), there is duplicative unidirectional, nonreciprocal transfer of nucleotides from a donor gene to create a new expression site downstream of a promoter. A second mechanism is reconstitution of a pseudogene to a functional expression site by homologous recombination to juxtapose fragments of *vmp7* with the pseudogene, making it a full gene [@pone.0008265-Donelson1]. Other prokaryotic examples of pseudogene incorporation into variable antigens occur in the agents of gonorrhea (*Neisseria gonorrhoeae*) and Lyme disease (*B. burgdorferi*), which undergoes extensive gene conversion through recombination between the *vlsE* expression site and any of 15 adjacent silent *vls* cassettes located on a linear plasmid [@pone.0008265-Zhang1]. Important in all these systems is what determines the frequency of usage of individual sequence donors for recombination into an expression site. In *B. hermsii*, usage frequency is related to the degree of homology between extragenic sequence elements in the donor locus and similar regions in the recipient expression locus [@pone.0008265-Barbour1]. In African trypanosomes, it may be related to the probability of activation of donor gene sequence from structurally different genomic loci, e.g. from minichromosomes or tandem gene arrays in larger chromosomes [@pone.0008265-Morrison1]. Evidence presented in this study suggests that in *A. phagocytophilum*, usage frequency may be determined by genomic distance of the pseudogene from the expression locus.
Once pseudogenes are created, they may be retained in the bacterial genome if there is positive selection on them. For example, in *Wolbachia* which is a related member of the family Anaplasmataceae, the major surface protein contains four hypervariable regions, with recombination shuffling DNA to create a mosaic gene [@pone.0008265-Baldo1]. Although purifying selection operates to minimize variability, the hypervariable regions show evidence of strong directional selection, possibly consistent with selection applied to the *msp2* of *A. phagocytophilum*. In general, bacteria have consistently small genomes based on an interplay of two evolutionary forces: deletional bias and drift to remove unnecessary DNA opposed by selection on genes (or functional pseudogenes) to retain useful DNA [@pone.0008265-Mira1]. Smaller genomes derive from larger genomes [@pone.0008265-Andersson1]. Intracellular bacteria tend to evolve distinctly smaller genomes than extracellular ancestors, presumably reflecting selective benefits for fewer genes as unnecessary environmental but also DNA repair and replication genes are deleted.
The present study analyzes patterns of functional pseudogenes in the fully sequenced HZ genome. Availability of additional fully sequenced genomes will enhance our understanding of mechanisms of pseudogene evolution, but several patterns may be identified at least preliminarily from the HZ genome. Patterns detected are consistent with positive selection to retain functional pseudogenes in a restricted area of the genome, selection to remove some mutated or degraded pseudogenes, and underlying roles of recombination and drift assorting and removing pseudogenes after they are created. An alternative explanation could be increased local duplication but this would not account for the observation that pseudogenes most closely related phylogenetically were not necessarily positioned proximally in the genome. Rather, phylogenetic analysis showed that closely positioned taxa on the genome were not adjacent on the tree, suggesting recombination to move pseudogenes around once produced. There were several clades in which all members had similar identities with expression cassettes with others all containing essentially unmatched pseudogenes. Interestingly in at least one clade, even though pseudogenes were closely related phylogenetically and were not positioned near each other on the genome, they did match to a very high degree with expression cassettes from dogs, horses, and humans. The finding that most of the pseudogenes had 90--100% identity with some expression cassette, over-representing cassettes from humans, horses, and dogs, has two key implications. First is that these pseudogene variable regions were essentially completely incorporated into a cassette, as opposed to a mosaic product of segmental gene conversion. The latter product of segmental gene conversion has been reported for *A. marginale* but in low frequency, only after host-imposed immune pressure, and with an important fitness disadvantage in the absence of immunity, compared with simple recombinants of whole hypervariable region domains [@pone.0008265-Barbet2], [@pone.0008265-Futse1]. Secondly, the match to humans, horses, and dogs possibly reflects the source of the complete sequenced genome, i.e. a human-origin strain and a bias toward sampling acute infections in these species. It is interesting that within the "high-matching" species, some of the lowest matches are to humans, possibly consistent with a more recent exploitation of this niche or host. It is possible that matches will be higher for European cassettes for functional pseudogenes in a homologous European genome or Ap-1 cassettes if the genome originated from a deer strain. This is consistent with recent data from Japan. Analysis of *msp2* genes from *I. ovatus* and *I. persulcatus* showed high diversity in *I. persulcatus-*derived strains but less so for *I. ovatus,* while all tick strains occurred as a single clade, with a sister clade consisting of strains from deer [@pone.0008265-Wuritu1]. Alternatively, some cassettes may be inherently more fit, which is consitent with the data from *A. marginale*, where the frequency of use of *msp2* alleles was non-random with, as an example one allele present in 29% of all produced variants [@pone.0008265-Futse1].
There were some pseudogenes with low to negligible matches to any reported cassette. This could be because we have obviously not sampled all expression cassettes that have occurred in nature or because these pseudogenes are mutated, degraded versions of functional pseudogenes. Although 94 pseudogenes were included in this analysis, the original published genome reported 113. Of these, all show some homology with the pf01617 gene family, but many of the predicted proteins lacked characteristic LAKT residues and conserved 5′ features that facilitated alignment or other sequence features that would allow them to contribute to variable antigen expression. These low identity and degraded pseudogenes appear not to be functional for antigen variation and likely will be removed from the genome by drift and selection.
The spatial distribution of pseudogenes is non-random, with numerous runs of 2--5 pseudogenes in tandem, almost all lying within only half of the genome, and more expressed pseudogenes lying near the HZ expression cassette than expected by chance. It may be that the presence of a pseudogene or some other local feature creates a template hotspot facilitating hypermutability, duplication, and gene conversion. Alternatively, globally distributed inversions could operate to promote reorganization of pseudogenes, but those not retained within the cluster are removed by selection. Clustering does occur for *A. marginale* pseudogenes as well, although there are far fewer of them than in *A. phagocytophilum* and *A. marginale* pseudogenes are not preferentially recombined as a function of their proximity to either the origin or the expression cassette, in contrast to the data presented here. However, some of the difference may be due to the statistical power for *A. marginale:* the presence of fewer pseudogenes could make it more difficult to detect clustering even if it occurred. In general, unlike in many other bacteria, rickettsial genes, including those responsible for genomic organization and replication, exist dispersed in the genome as a result of frequent recombination, making the clusters of functional pseudogenes that much more unusual [@pone.0008265-Ioannidis1]. This suggests that natural selection could operate to retain a cluster of functional pseudogenes in one location. The localized repeats could suggest local gene duplication reminiscent of the tandem placement of pseudogenes for surface antigens in *Ehrlichia* spp. [@pone.0008265-Ohashi1]. However, it is interesting in the present study that very few of the members of short runs were in the same clades. It may be consistent, however, with the previously suggested hypothesis that localized gene duplication removes constraints on the duplicated gene and is rapidly followed by mutation and recombination [@pone.0008265-Futse2].
The nature of the selection pressure for *A. phagocytophilum* pseudogenes varies across hosts. It is unlikely that extensive selection occurs on the pseudogenes during residence in the tick. *Ixodes* spp. ticks transmit the infection and hard ticks only feed once per stage, thus ticks must acquire the infection as larvae or nymphs and transmit infection in the subsequent stage (as nymphs or adults). Infection does not appear to cause injury to ticks and ticks do not attenuate infection. In vertebrate hosts, acute, self-limiting infection is typical for some hosts: despite the ability of *A. phagocytophilum* to vary antigens, host immunity succeeds in containing infection within 2--4 weeks in horses, humans, and cattle. One study showed the emergence of variant Msp2 antigens over the course of infection in horses, nevertheless horses limited the infection to under a month [@pone.0008265-Wang1]. Hosts for which chronic infection has been described include rodent reservoirs such as woodrats and chipmunks, as well as sheep and dogs in some cases [@pone.0008265-Nieto1], [@pone.0008265-Foley1], [@pone.0008265-Castro1], [@pone.0008265-Stuen1], [@pone.0008265-Egenvall1]. Because infection-limiting hosts seemingly impose strong negative selection on *A. phagocytophilum*, there is strong positive selection for pseudogenes to contribute to immune evasion, which could partly account for the benefit of having numerous functional pseudogenes. However, the potential for combinatorial diversity with so many pseudogenes is vast, and the available pseudogenes in *A. phagocytophilum* far exceed those in *A. marginale*. It may be that the large number of pseudogenes in *A. phagocytophilum* is driven partly by the complex ecology in which this pathogen exists, with so many diverse hosts and differing selection pressures. Evolutionary analysis has suggested that *A. marginale* and *A. phagocytophilum* split into separate species 43,000,000--78,000,000 years ago and that *A. marginale* is basal [@pone.0008265-Foley2]. Thus, fewer pseudogenes could be the ancestral character, and occur in a bacterium that is host-specialized and only infects cervids and bovids. This would support the notion that ecological complexity of *A. phagocytophilum*, with such a diverse array of chronic and infection-limiting hosts, could be an important factor determining the number of pseudogenes retained in the genome.
A complex interplay of duplication, recombination, drift, mutation, and selection has created a landscape of more than one-hundred functional and degraded pseudogenes in the *A. phagocytophilum* HZ genome. Pseudogenes cluster in space but closely positioned pseudogenes may not be closely related. There is a large group of pseudogenes that match closely with cassettes disproportionally arising from US dogs, humans, and horses and pseudogene usage appears related to distance from the expression site. An important next step to this analysis will be comparison of our findings with patterns from other strains as additional *A. phagocytophilum* genomes are sequenced, particularly from Old World strains and reservoir hosts. Additionally, the placement of these results into the genus-wide context by comparing *A. phagocytophilum* with *A. marginale* will help clarify how pseudogenes evolve and solve the puzzle as to why an obligately parasitic rickettsia would maintain such a large repertoire of functional pseudogenes as seen in the *A. phagocytophilum* HZ genome.
Materials and Methods {#s4}
=====================
Ninety-four *msp2* pseudogene DNA sequences were obtained for the New York state, US human-origin strain *A. phagocytophilum* HZ (NC 007797)[@pone.0008265-DunningHotopp1]. Ninety-one of these sequences could be aligned using Prankster (<http://www.ebi.ac.uk/goldman-srv/prank/prankster/>) using the Hasegawa-Kishino-Yano (HKY85) substitution model and program defaults. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted using the program PAUP\* [@pone.0008265-Swofford1] to construct a parsimony tree with default values. Gaps were considered missing. The unrooted tree was edited and displayed using FigTree v1.2 (<http://tree.bio.ed.ac.uk/software/figtree/>).
To determine the 1∶1 amino acid sequence identities between the pseudogenes and expression cassette sequences, 199 complete *A. phagocytophilum msp2* expression site gene sequences were included in the study. The source of these sequences including host origin are described in three earlier publications [@pone.0008265-Barbet1], [@pone.0008265-Granquist1], [@pone.0008265-Morissette1]. (Although more expression cassette sequences were available, only one per animal was used for the analysis in this paper). Expression cassettes and the 94 HZ pseudogenes were translated to amino acids, and then a Fasta file was analyzed with MatGat V2.02 (Matrix Global alignment tool)[@pone.0008265-Campanella1] using the BLOSUM 50 model. These 94 pseudogenes were chosen because they contained 5′ or 3′ conserved regions and a LAKT motif that allowed for analysis. The percentage identities determined by MatGat for an all-against-all comparison were exported to a Microsoft (Redmond, WA) Excel spreadsheet. Summary statistics of percent identities were obtained in the program R (R-Development Core Team, <http://www.r-project.org>). The maximum identity for each pseudogene against all possible expression cassettes was determined and the mean, standard deviation, mode, and range of maximum identities calculated. These statistics give the likelihood that any particular pseudogene was used in any expression. Maximum identities were discretized for analysis as nearly perfect (99--100% identity between a pseudogene and an expression cassette), high identity (90--98%), moderate (70--89%), low moderate (60--69%), low (40--59%), and not used (\<40%). A transposed summary also was created to evaluate the maximum identity of all pseudogenes against each given expression cassette, to capture the likelihood that any given cassette could have sampled from particular vs. multiple pseudogenes. In order to determine whether pseudogenes that had high or nearly perfect identity with expression cassettes were more likely to match with particular types of hosts compared with pseudogenes with moderate and low moderate identities, a chi-square contingency test was performed with the following hosts: deer, human, horse, carnivore, European animals, and woodrats.
For spatial analysis of the distribution of pseudogenes on the two genomes, we used a Wald-Wolfowitz runs test in the R package "lawstat" with units in the analysis = genes. An ANOVA test was used to compare mean percent identities of pseudogenes with expression cassettes in the three identified spatial clusters on the genome. A Spearman rank correlation coefficient was calculated in order to assess whether maximum identities of pseudogenes near the expression site were higher than for those more distantly positioned pseudogenes. For all tests, a value of P≤0.05 was considered evidence of statistical significance.
We thank Sophia Papageorgiou and Tim Carpenter for assistance with analysis and Jonathan Eisen for helpful suggestions.
**Competing Interests:**The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
**Funding:**Funding was provided by the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences Evolution of Infectious Disease program \# RO1 GM081714. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
[^1]: Conceived and designed the experiments: JF NN AB. Performed the experiments: JF NN. Analyzed the data: JF NN AB PF. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: JF. Wrote the paper: JF NN AB.
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Background
==========
The inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) are a family of structurally related proteins with anti-apoptotic functions. To date, eight family members have been identified all carrying a functional baculovirus IAP repeat (BIR) domain. Members of the IAP family include Survivin, c-IAP1, c-IAP2, and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) which directly bind and inhibit caspases 3, 7, and 9 \[[@B1]\]. XIAP (hILP/MIHA/BIRC4) is the most potent caspase inhibitor of all family members \[[@B2],[@B3]\]. XAF1 and Smac/DIABLO regulate XIAP activity, which indicates an important function of this protein in maintaining proper apoptotic functions within the cell.
Apoptosis can be initiated via the intrinsic and/or the extrinsic pathway \[[@B4]\]. The intrinsic pathway is activated by intracellular stress such as growth factor withdrawal, hypoxia, and DNA damage. In this pathway the caspase cascade is triggered by cytochrome c release from the mitochondria. On the other hand the extrinsic apoptotic pathway is triggered by death receptors such as Fas/CD95, TNF receptor, and the TRAIL receptor. Activation of these death receptors usually involves caspase 8 activation which in turn activates effector caspases-3 and -7 \[[@B5],[@B6]\]. Overall, activation of these two pathways is not distinctly separated as activation of one usually involves the other.
Resistance to apoptosis is a hallmark of various (canine) cancers \[[@B5]\]. Indeed in various (chemoresitant) tumors the XIAP protein has been shown to be induced when compared to normal tissue \[[@B7]-[@B9]\]. XIAP knock-out mice have shown that the absence of XIAP does not have a negative effect on the development of normal tissues \[[@B10]\]. On the other hand, down-regulation of XIAP with antisense techniques provides antitumor activity in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) xenografts \[[@B11]\]. Furthermore studies with stable expression of short-hairpin RNAs (shRNA) against XIAP dramatically increased sensitivity of cell-lines to chemotherapies \[[@B12]\]. Thus, XIAP may represent a novel and tumor-selective therapeutic target for anticancer drug design \[[@B13]\].
In this study we describe the use of siRNA\'s directed against XIAP for sensitizing canine cell-lines to TRAIL and doxorubicin reduced cell-viability. Whereas TRAIL treatment will provide proof of principle, sensitizing tumor cells to doxorubicin will greatly benefit the use of this chemotherapeutical in canine tumors. We chose three cell-lines derived from bile duct-, mammary-, and bone tumor-tissue which could provide the basis for the therapeutic use of siRNA\'s. Taken together, in order develop anti-neoplastic therapeutic protocols in dog tumors, which represent good clinical models \[[@B14]\], we investigated the effect of XIAP siRNA on different apoptotic agents in canine tumor cell-lines.
Results
=======
Establishing a XIAP down-regulation
-----------------------------------
Using the Lipofectamine reagent in combination with magnetic assisted transfection (MATra), we transfected the cell-lines with siRNA designed from the canine XIAP gene sequence. The cellular uptake of oligoribonucleotides was initially determined using fluorescent labeled dsRNA (Invitrogen). The transfection-efficiency was optimized and proved to be greater than 95% of the cells as displayed by green fluorescence FITC labeled siRNA (data not shown). When treated with the optimal amount of siRNA (50 nM), the XIAP expression was markedly reduced in all cell-lines with the highest decrease at 72 hours (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). At this time point the mRNA-levels were decreased to 16 percent in BDE cells, 19 percent in D17 cell-lines, and 9 percent in P114 cell-lines lines, compared to control. At 72 hours Western blotting (Figure [1B](#F1){ref-type="fig"}) yielded a 57 kDa immunoreactive band of XIAP in the control and nonsense siRNA transfected samples. Specificity was proven in controls without first antibody, which was deemed negative (not shown). Densitometric analysis indicated a strong reduction of XIAP protein in the XIAP siRNA treated samples. Cells treated with nonsense siRNA exhibited a similar expression pattern as the control cells (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). Viability assays (MTT) indicated an equal cellular homeostasis in controls towards XIAP down-regulated cells in all three cell-lines (data not shown).
{#F1}
Treatments
----------
We have measured the effect of XIAP depletion by siRNA-mediated gene silencing on TRAIL and doxorubicin induced cell death. As shown in Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}, siRNA transfection increased the sensitivity for TRAIL of all three cell-lines used. This effect was highest in BDE cells, whereas P114 cells and D17 were less sensitized by siRNA treatment. XIAP-depleted BDE cells (Figure [2A](#F2){ref-type="fig"}) showed the strongest increase in TRAIL-sensitivity; a 14-fold reduction of the ED~50~. The P114 and D17 cell-lines showed an increase in sensitivity of six and five-fold, respectively (Figures [2B](#F2){ref-type="fig"} and [2C](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). For doxorubicin treatment (Figure [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}), again the largest increase in sensitivity was seen in the BDE cells showing a more than eight-fold reduction in the ED~50~. The P114 and D17 cell-lines showed an increase in sensitivity of three and five-fold, respectively (Figures [3B](#F3){ref-type="fig"} and [3C](#F3){ref-type="fig"}).
{#F2}
{#F3}
Gene expression of IAP family members and cellular homeostasis
--------------------------------------------------------------
In Figure [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}, the effect of XIAP siRNA on XIAP, cIAP-1, and cIAP-2 mRNA levels is depicted. Results showed that none of these IAP-family members, other than XIAP, were affected. XIAP mRNA levels were decreased down to 20 percent in BDE cells, 15 percent in P114 cells, and 20 percent in D17 cells. Nonsense siRNA did induce c-IAP1 levels (165 percent) and Smac/Diablo levels (142 percent) in D17 cells. Measurement of parameters for cellular homeostasis revealed an increase in p53 levels in BDE cells and D17 cells in the nonsense siRNA treated cells. The introduction of siRNA\'s in P114 cells seemed to induce cell-cycle and increase viability through inductions in CCND1, decreases in p27kip, and decreases in caspase-3 mRNA levels in XIAP and nonsense siRNA treated cells.
{#F4}
Discussion
==========
In the present study we observed a strong decrease of TRAIL- and doxorubicin-induced cell viability with XIAP siRNA in canine cell-lines. We have used three different tumor cell-lines in order to be able to conclude about the general applicability of the outcomes of this study. The first cell-line studied, a canine liver epithelial cell-line of biliary origin (BDE) can be considered as an *in vitro*counterpart of cholangiocarcinoma. The P114 cell-line was derived from a mammary tumor \[[@B15]\], and the third cell-line was derived from a canine osteosarcoma (D17). In order to show the proof of principle that XIAP depletion in canine cell-lines decreases the sensitivity to anti-neoplastic drugs, a treatment with TRAIL was used. As TRAIL solely induces apoptosis through the extrinsic pathway, an increase in sensitivity will show a decreased capacity of inhibiting caspase-3 and -7. Second doxorubicin, a DNA damaging drug which type is frequently being used for treatment of canine tumors, was used.
Although we did not see an reduction of cell-viability in our cell-lines when XIAP was down-regulated (data not shown), as described by several papers \[[@B16],[@B17]\], we could demonstrate an increase in the sensitivity for different chemotherapeutic treatments. The fact that the introduction of XIAP siRNA\'s alone does not seem to reduce cell-viability indicates a need for triggering the cells by chemotherapy. XIAP has been proposed as a possible treatment of various cancers \[[@B18]\]. Our results showed a strong increase in sensitivity of all three tumor cell-lines to TRAIL treatment up to fourteen fold in XIAP siRNA treated BDE cells. This indicates that the measured results represent a general effect. The fact that all canine cell-lines were increasingly sensitized through XIAP depletion holds promises that therapeutic low concentrations TRAIL may be effectively used without effecting somatic cells.
Doxorubicin hydrochloride, a cytotoxic anthracycline antibiotic, is commonly used in veterinary clinical treatments for various cancers \[[@B19]\]. However, many dog tumors appear to be resistant to doxorubicin. In the *in vitro*experiments of Macy et al. \[[@B20]\], five out of twenty-one carcinomas were deemed sensitive (24 %), whereas three out of thirteen (23 %) sarcomas showed sensitivity to a 14 day treatment with 1 μg/ml doxorubicin. Because of this insensitivity to high amounts of doxorubicin, a pretreatment with XIAP siRNA could be beneficial for many canine tumors, lowering the concentrations needed for a beneficial effect in sensitive tumors and could even make insensitive tumors treatable. Although this added effect remains to be proven *in vivo*, the application of siRNA\'s against XIAP in combination with a chemotherapeutic agent such as doxorubicin seems a realistic option based on the present results. *In vivo*experiments with siRNA\'s already have been used in various models \[[@B21]-[@B24]\]. In these experiments results show that injected siRNA\'s are stable and can be found in the blood for long periods, down-regulating long half-life proteins over several days \[[@B25]\]. However, the use of targeted drug-delivery systems should still be considered for siRNA delivery \[[@B26]\] or chemotherapy \[[@B27]\], which further enhances specificity and potentially reduces drug-associated side-effects.
Measurements on gene expression of IAP family members and cellular homeostasis genes did not reveal major differences in cell-cycle progression. In the P114 cell-line, however, the introduction of siRNA\'s in general seemed to induce the cell-cycle and cellular viability. Although this may imply an adverse effect *in vivo*the MTT measurements did not reveal differences in viability of the groups (data not shown). The IAP family members under study (besides XIAP) did not show many significant differences in gene-expression. In D17 cells however, a significant increase in c-IAP1 and Smac/Diablo was seen in the nonsense-treated cells. The effect of these differences remains elusive, but the antagonistic properties of these proteins could explain why little if any effect was observed in cell viability. Taken together, some differences were seen in cellular homeostasis or IAP family members although the majority indicated an absence of off-target effects. However, unpublished results on TRAIL-treated cells did show differences in gene-expression in c-IAP1. When treated for 5 hours with 50 ng/ml TRAIL, c-IAP1 induced two to three-fold in the D17 cell-line and six to seven-fold in the P114 cell-line, whereas no effect was seen in the BDE cells. This indicates that the reduction in XIAP mRNA when treated with TRAIL, could be counteracted with an increase in c-IAP1. Furthermore, the cell-line with the highest induction in c-IAP1 (seven-fold increase in P114) has the least sensitivity for TRAIL treatment. This result corroborates the hypothesis as described by Harlin et al. where XIAP knock-out mice did not show any negative side effects during development \[[@B10]\]. In this paper no compensation due to increased gene-expression of other family members such as c-IAP1 was seen in untreated cells with XIAP depletion.
The use of siRNA\'s directed against XIAP to increase chemosensitivity of tumors has been described in several papers \[[@B28]-[@B30]\]. Furthermore, clinical trials have started with antisense oligonucleotides to treat solid tumors and hematologic malignancies by Aegera pharmaceuticals (Montreal, Canada) \[[@B31]\]. This study not only corroborates the found results in these papers, the use of osteosarcoma and breast carcinoma derived cell lines could indicate other fields of interest. Concerns mentioned in these papers indicate the possible role of other IAP family members after the targeting of XIAP\[[@B32]\]. As mentioned previously, in the tumor cell lines chosen here, no compensatory effect was seen in the IAP family members indicating a possible positive outcome in the treatment of these tumors.
The use of spontaneously occurring tumors in companion animals as models for human cancer has already been described previously \[[@B14]\]. In this study several tumor cell lines have been suggested as models that offer the best comparative interest, including canine osteosarcoma and mammary tumors. Canine mammary tumour, canine osteosarcoma and possibly also canine hepatocellularcarcinoma \[[@B33]\] resemble human pathologies at the molecular level. Especially the first two are relatively frequently observed in dogs. Therefore we had chosen these cell lines as *in vitro*models for a-proof-of-principle. These *in vitro*results provide a rational for the use of XIAP inhibition (either with siRNA or other small molecules) in *in vivo*therapies in dogs.
Conclusion
==========
The use of XIAP siRNA to increase the sensitivity of canine tumors for chemotherapy holds great potential. In this study we showed an increase in sensitivity in canine cell-lines derived from osteosarcoma, mammary carcinoma, and cholangiocarcinoma for TRAIL and Doxorubicin reduced cell-viability. These *in vitro*results provide a rational for the use of XIAP siRNA in *in vivo*therapeutical use in dogs.
Methods
=======
Cell-lines
----------
Canine bile duct epithelial (BDE) cells were acquired from the Amsterdam Medical Center, Experimental Liver cell bank (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) \[[@B34]\]. BDE cells were grown in DMEM (Life Technologies, Inc., Invitrogen, Breda, The Netherlands) supplemented with 580 mg/l glutamine, 10 μg/ml gentamicin, and 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS; Harlan Sera-Lab, Loughborough, United Kingdom) at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO~2~in air. P114 canine mammary tumor cells were acquired from Dr. Rutteman from the department of clinical sciences of companion animals, faculty of veterinary medicine, Utrecht university, the Netherlands. P114 cells were grown in DMEM:F12 medium (Invitrogen, Breda, The Netherlands) containing 580 mg/l glutamine, 10 μg/ml gentamicin, and 10% FBS at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO~2~in air \[[@B15]\]. The canine osteosarcoma cells (D17) were acquired from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC, Cat.no. CRL-6248) and were maintained in DMEM medium (Invitrogen) supplemented with 580 mg/l glutamine, 10 μg/ml gentamicin, and 10% FBS at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO~2~in air. For all experiments cells were seeded in a concentration of 4 × 10^3^cells per well in a 96-well plate 24 hours before transfection.
Establishment of the down-regulation of XIAP in canine tumor cell-lines
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
For silencing experiments, Stealth™ dsRNA molecules were obtained from Invitrogen. A specific sequence for canine XIAP silencing (5\'-CCAUGUGCUAUACAGUCAUUACUUU-3\') was selected after general recommendations (Invitrogen) and was designed from the canine XIAP gene sequence (Genbank accession no. [AY603038](AY603038)). A nonsense sequence was used as a negative control (5\'-GCAGGUGCUAGUACAAGUCCGACAA-3\'). Transfection was performed with the Magnet Assisted Transfection (MATra) technique (IBA BioTAGnology/Westburg b.v., Leusden, The Netherlands), in combination with lipofectamine2000™ (Invitrogen), according to the manufacturer\'s instructions. In short, 50 nM siRNA molecules were transfected into the cell-lines in the presence of an optimized concentration Lipofectamin2000™ (1.2 μl/ml), for 20 minutes on the plate magnet under cell-culture conditions. After transfection, growth media including antibiotics replaced the transfection media. Control samples were mock transfected with lipofectamine2000™ and magnetic beads from the MATra technique.
Treatments
----------
For TRAIL treatment, a serial dilution of 400 to 0 ng/ml recombinant TRAIL (R&D Systems Europe Ltd., Abingdon, United Kingdom) was used in DMEM media (Invitrogen) including 10 % FCS, glutamine (580 mg/l), and gentamycin (10 μg/ml). Treatment started 48 hours after transfection. After a 24 hour treatment proliferation and viability was measured with a MTT assay (5 mg/ml). For doxorubicin treatment, a serial dilution of 100 to 0 μg/ml doxorubicin hydrochloride (Pharmachemie b.v., Haarlem, The Netherlands) was used diluted in growth medium. Treatment started 48 hours after transfection. After 24 hour treatment proliferation and viability was measured with a MTT assay (5 mg/ml). The experiment was repeated four times, averages of the four independent experiments were used in the analysis. Statistical significance of differences in viability of the XIAP siRNA treated cell-lines at different drug concentrations compared to control cells were determined by an one-way ANOVA using the Dunnett multiple comparisons test. P \< 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Analysis was performed using SPSS software (SPSS Benelux, Gorinchem, the Netherlands).
RNA isolation and Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction
-----------------------------------------------------------------
For each group (control, XIAP siRNA, or nonsense siRNA) the RNA of six independent experiments was isolated. Total cellular RNA was isolated with the Qiagen RNeasy Mini Kit according to the manufacturer\'s instructions (Qiagen, Leusden, The Netherlands). In short, RNA was isolated from each sample by adding 100 μl lysis buffer (RLT containing 1 % (v/v) β-mercaptoethanol) directly after decanting the media. The RNA samples were treated with DNase-I (Qiagen RNase-free DNase kit). In total 3 μg of RNA were incubated with poly(dT) primers at 42°C for 45 min, in a 60 μl reaction volume, using the Reverse Transcription System from Promega (Promega Benelux, Leiden, The Netherlands).
Quantitative measurements of the mRNA levels
--------------------------------------------
Quantitative real-time PCR was performed on a total of 10 gene products; GAPDH, HPRT, XIAP, c-IAP1, c-IAP2, Smac/Diablo, p53, caspase-3, p27kip, and CCND1. Technical triplicates were measured for each cDNA in the real-time-PCR analysis. The abundance of mRNA was measured by real-time quantitative PCR using appropriate primers (Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}) as previously described \[[@B35]\]. In short, Q-PCR was based on the high affinity double-stranded DNA-binding dye SYBR^®^green I. For each experimental sample, the amount of the gene of interest and of the two independent endogenous references (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT)) was determined from the appropriate standard curve in autonomous experiments. If relative amounts of GAPDH and HPRT were constant for a sample, data were considered valid and the average amount was included in the study (data not shown). Results were normalized according to the average amount of the endogenous references. The normalized values were divided by the normalized values of the calibrator (healthy group) to generate relative expression levels \[[@B36]\]. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was performed to establish a normal distribution and a Levene\'s test for the homogeneity of variances. If samples were normally distributed, the statistical significance of differences between diseased and control animals was determined by using the Student\'s *t*-test. A p-value \< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Analysis was performed using SPSS software (SPSS Benelux, Gorinchem, the Netherlands).
######
Nucleotide Sequences of Canine Specific Primers for Real-Time Quantitative PCR.
Gene Primer Sequence (5\'-3\') Tm (°C) Product size (bp) Accession number
------------- ---------- --------------------------------------- --------- ------------------- ------------------------------------
GAPDH Forward TGT CCC CAC CCC CAA TGT ATC 58 100 [AB038240](AB038240)
Reversed CTC CGA TGC CTG CTT CAC TAC CTT
HPRT Forward AGC TTG CTG GTG AAA AGG AC 56 100 [L77488](L77488 )/[L77489](L77489)
Reversed TTA TAG TCA AGG GCA TAT CC
XIAP Forward ACT ATG TAT CAC TTG AGG CTC TGG TTT C 54 80 [AY603038](AY603038)
Reversed AGT CTG GCT TGA TTC ATC TTG TGT ATG
c-IAP1 Forward AGG CGT CCC CGT GTC CGA GAG 68 96 [XM_858260](XM_858260)
Reversed TAG CAT CAG GCC GCA GCA GAA GC
c-IAP2 Forward AGG CCA ATG TAA TTA ATA AAC AGG A 62 94 [DQ223014](DQ223014)
Reversed AAC TAA GAC AGT ATC AAT CAG TTC TCT C
Smac/DIABLO Forward AGC AGA AGC TGC ATA TCA AAC TGG AG 62 90 [XM_534661](XM_534661)
Reversed ACT TCC TGC ACC TGC GAC TTC AC
p53 Forward GCC CCT CCT CAG CAT CTC ATC 67 100 [NM_001003210](NM_001003210)
Reversed GGC TCA TAA GGC ACC ACC ACA C
Caspase 3 Forward ATC ACT GAA GAT GGA TGG GTT GGT 58 140 [AB085580](AB085580)
Reversed GAA AGG AGC ATG TTC TGA AGT AGC ACT
Bcl-2 Forward TGG AGA GCG TCA ACC GGG AGA TGT 61 87 [AB116145](AB116145)
Reversed AGG TGT GCA GAT GCC GGT TCA GGT
p27KIP Forward CGG AGG GAC GCC AAA CAG G 60 90 [AY455798](AY455798)
Reversed GTC CCG GGT CAA CTC TTC GTG
CCND1 Forward ACT ACC TGA ACC GCT 56 151 [AY620434](AY620434)
Reversed CGG ATG GAG TTG TCA
Western blot analysis
---------------------
Samples were homogenized in 350 μl RIPA buffer containing 1 % Igepal, 0.6 mM Phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 17 μg/ml aprotinine and 1 mM sodium orthovanadate (Sigma chemical Co., Zwijndrecht, The Netherlands) for 30 minutes on ice. Protein concentrations were obtained using a Lowry-based assay (DC Protein Assay, BioRad, Veenendaal, The Netherlands). Fifteen μg of protein of the supernatant were denatured for 3 min at 95°C and electroforesed on 15 % Tris-HCl polyacrylamide gels (BioRad) and the proteins were transferred onto Hybond-C Extra Nitrocellulose membranes (Amersham Biosciences Europe, Roosendaal, The Netherlands) using a Mini Trans-Blot^®^Cell blot-apparatus (BioRad). The procedure for immunodetection was based on an ECL Western blot analysis system, performed according to the manufacturer\'s instructions (Amersham Biosciences Europe). The membranes were incubated with 4 % ECL blocking solution and 0.1 % Tween 20 (Boom B.V., Meppel, The Netherlands) in TBS for 1 hour under gentle shaking. Primary antibodies were incubated at 4°C overnight. For XIAP a mouse anti-dog XIAP (BD Biosciences, Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands) was used in a dilution of 1:1,000 in TBST with 4% BSA. As a loading control a mouse anti-dog Beta-Actin antibody was used in a 1:2,000 dilution in TBST with 4% BSA. After washing, the membranes were incubated with a goat anti-mouse (R&D Systems/Westburg b.v.) in TBST with 4% BSA for 1 hour at room temperature. Exposures were made with Kodak BioMax Light-1 films (Sigma chemical Co.).
Competing interests
===================
The author(s) declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors\' contributions
=======================
BS made the experimental plan, designed siRNAs, performed Q-PCR measurements, and wrote the manuscript. MJ performed cell culture studies, transfections, viability assays, and helped to interpret the data. BA helped perform the Western blot experiments and helped in drafting of the manuscript. GR delivered the cell lines and helped setup the initial studies. JR revised the manuscript. LP participated in the design of the study, assisted in coordination of the work, and helped draft the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Acknowledgements
================
The authors would like to thank Dr. Erik Teske for his assistance in the statistical work.
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]]>Comment on Goodbye … for now, anyway by [email protected]://mlblogsmarkitdown.wordpress.com/2006/12/22/goodbye-for-now-anyway/#comment-612
Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:38:54 +0000http://markitdown.mlblogs.com/archives/2006/12/goodbye_for_now.html#comment-612Mike, Derek had a 2-week fling with Bea Arthur a couple of years ago.
He will send her over your house tonight by 7:30.
]]>Comment on Goodbye … for now, anyway by [email protected]://mlblogsmarkitdown.wordpress.com/2006/12/22/goodbye-for-now-anyway/#comment-611
Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:35:48 +0000http://markitdown.mlblogs.com/archives/2006/12/goodbye_for_now.html#comment-611I just posted a comment on Mark’s new blog. His first post is there and its up and running.
]]>
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Great charts. At the risk of sounding too bullish, the form resembles early to mid 1999... with IoT providing the new market for the next big growth spurt.
If someone had infinite time, it would be interesting to do charts back to the 1980s showing the total chip sales for
PCs
Autos (we started selling chips and fiber optic to auto market in the late 80s I believe)
Calculators and Palm Pilot information devices
Printers
Laptops
Cell phones
Wifi connected devices like surveillance cameras and Nest thermostats
Wearables (20 or so months ago I bought a $600 Garmin triathlon smart watch with two wireless heart rate monitors that I love and use now to help me get more sleep - measure something and it improves.)
IoT - Mites? and other tiny devices that somehow expand and connect to the internet but use low power.
Self driving autos so you can text or watch video (illegally but....) while the car drives
Robots to make coffee and other tasks such as drive you to work.
Intuitively, I know this is just going to keep expanding which is why I got into the business back in the late 1970s... and started to invest extra funds into the industry in the 90s.....
The next purchase on my radar screen is an OLED TV. Ideally, I'd like to get it from Costco but Frys has the latest models and good prices if you buy on their special flyer sale days.
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ANOHANA: THE FLOWER WE SAW THAT DAY
109 min | NR
Adapted for the big screen from the beloved anime series, ANOHANA is the tale of 5 childhood friends who drifted apart following the death of their mutual friend, Meiko “Menma” Honma. These friends come together once again when Menma appears before one of them, saying she cannot pass on to the afterlife unless she is granted one last wish. Produced by the highly acclaimed studio A–1 Pictures (MAGI: THE LABYRINTH OF MAGIC, OREIMO 2), the ANOHANA film moved the hearts of 3 million viewers across Japan when it was released in theaters there.Tickets are $15 available in advance at the box office and online. Each admission ticket includes a chance to win an exclusive giveaway items, while supplies last.
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pyxley.charts package
=====================
Subpackages
-----------
.. toctree::
pyxley.charts.datamaps
pyxley.charts.datatables
pyxley.charts.mg
pyxley.charts.nvd3
Submodules
----------
pyxley.charts.charts module
---------------------------
.. automodule:: pyxley.charts.charts
:members:
:undoc-members:
:show-inheritance:
Module contents
---------------
.. automodule:: pyxley.charts
:members:
:undoc-members:
:show-inheritance:
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Henrico Police report the county’s 12th positive rabies case of the year.
Henrico Police have confirmed a positive rabies case–marking the 12th such incident this year in the county–this time involving a pot-bellied pig.
On Sunday, December 7th, Henrico Police’s Animal Protection Unit responded to the 8700 block of River Road for an animal related call for service. The caller informed police that he had observed a raccoon attack one of his pot-bellied pigs.
The raccoon remains were submitted to the Virginia Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services for testing, where positive rabies test results were confirmed late Tuesday.
The pot-bellied pigs had been previously vaccinated for rabies and will receive boosters and be quarantined at their residence, according to police. There were no additional exposures reported to either other animals or humans.
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Related Blog – 10 quotes by Saygin Yalcin AKA The Self Made Billionaire of DubaiSaygin is the Founder & CEO of the Middle East’s (ME) first & largest car buying service, SellAnyCar.com and Founder of the first & larg…
Tom Hanks is a popular American actor and is one of the highest paid all-time box office stars. He stole the limelight through his performance in ‘Splash’, a romantic comedy directed by Ron Howard. With his role as…
Henry Cavill is a British actor best known for playing the titular superhero Superman in the movie ‘Man of Steel.’ Once dubbed the unluckiest man in Hollywood after losing out roles in the Batman series, Superman ser…
Gal Gadot is a famous Israeli actress and model, best known for her character of Gisele Yashar in the ‘Fast & Furious’ film series. Listed at number 5 on the Shalom Life’s 50 most talented, intelligent, funny, and g…
Mark Vincent, popularly known as Vin Diesel in Hollywood, is an American actor, director, producer, voice-over artist, and screenwriter. He had an inclination towards acting from a very young age and remained…
Chris Pratt is a popular American actor who gained international fame with his stellar performances in films like ‘The Lego Movie’, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Jurassic World’. Unlike other actors who struggle to…
Priyanka Chopra is an Indian film actress and singer who has emerged as one of the most popular and high-profile celebrities in India. Born in Jamshedpur, a small town in India, to physician parents, she was schooled…
There have been many teen stars, but one of the few who has stood out in the recent years is Zac Efron. Interested in acting from a young age, he was an active participant in his high school’s stage productions. A…
Jessica Alba is an American actress who gained fame for her outstanding role in the television series ‘Dark Angel’. A prolific actress today, Alba had wanted to become an actress from an early age, She was only fiv…
Channing Tatum is an American actor and producer. He became famous at the beginning of the XXI century, starring in Hollywood films.An actor, producer, and model Channing Tatum was born on April 26, 1980, in Cullman,…
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is a former cricketer and captain of the Indian team. The world famous cricketer had set many records in his career and is considered one of the greatest batsmen of all times. He is the…
Short InformationForrest Gump is a fictional character who first appears in the 1986 novel by Winston Groom. Forrest Gump also appeared on screen in the 1994 film of the same name directed by Robert Zemeckis. Forrest…
Captain of the Indian national team, Sunil Chhetri is an Indian professional footballer who was born on 3rd August 1984 in Secunderabad, India. He plays as a striker for the Indian national team and Indian club…
Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian film actor and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema (Bollywood). He was educated at the famous Lawrence School Sanawar. The son of veteran Hindi film actors…
Jermaine Lamarr Cole, known by his stage name J. Cole, is an American rapper, mixtape producer, and music producer. He was brought into the limelight by Jay Z himself and thanks to his sheer skills and understanding…
His trademark smile and his unquestionable oratory talent have won the hearts of over 7 million people worldwide. A televangelist, Joel Osteen is a famous American preacher and is the Pastor of Lakewood Church. He…
Pierre David Guetta is a French DJ, music producer and singer-songwriter who has recently managed to conquer the American charts by producing and teaming up with big names like R&B singer Usher and rapper Nicki…
Irrfan Khan is an Indian film actor primarily known in Bollywood. He has appeared in several Hindi movies like The Warrior, Maqbool, Haasil, Paan Singh Tomar and Rog to name a few. He has featured in few British…
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Q:
C++ const pointers - Unexplained behaviour
I have this piece of code:
const int x = 7;
const int &y = x;
int *z = (int*)&y;
*z = 8;
cout << x<< endl;
cout << y<< endl;
cout << *z<< endl;
Which produces the following output:
7
8
8
I know that one should not remove the const as I did above. However, why does x print out 7? I've only created a single var, so if the output shows 7 and 8, then then there should be 2 vars created. How come there be 2 different numbers printed.
A:
I know that one should not remove the const as I did above.
Right. Doing so is undefined behaviour, which means anything can happen. (More precisely, creating z is not undefined behaviour; modifying x through it is.)
However, why does x print out 7? I've only created a single var, so if the output shows 7 and 8, then then there should be 2 vars created. How come there be 2 different numbers printed.
Reasoning about undefined behaviour is weird - but it can be useful to understand what is happening for debugging purposes. It this case, what has almost certainly happened, is that the compiler has optimized:
cout << x<< endl;
to
cout << 7 << endl;
because there is no way you can legitimately modify the value of x. You then illegitimately modify the value of x, and manage to print out the new value.
Important Note
Do not attempt to rely on this behaviour; as I said above, it is only useful for debugging purposes. If the compiler changes it might get better at optimization and just print 7 for all values (because *z = 8 is undefined behaviour), or it might put x in read-only memory (and cause a access violation), or it might end up printing 8 for all values, or anything else might happen.
A:
However, why does x print out 7?
Modifying a const object has undefined behaviour.
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Creates a sense of euphoria in mind, body and spirit. Filled with thousands of micro-beads for customised support and correct alignment of your neck and spine. Unlike air filled travel pillows, micro-beads do not deform in aeroplanes and always remain fully intact.
Creates a sense of euphoria in mind, body and spirit. Filled with thousands of micro-beads for customised support and correct alignment of your neck and spine. Unlike air filled travel pillows, micro-beads do not deform in aeroplanes and always remain fully intact.
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Q:
Security risks posed by specifying technologies used
I am developing on-line tools for non-commercial use, which are hosted on dedicated hardware. I would like to include logos indicating the technologies I used (Apache or Python for example), at the bottom of the page.
What are the security risks/implications, if any, of "advertising" this information? It is better not to reveal that the web server is Apache, and that I used Python and jQuery, for example?
A:
Not really. There are dozens of websites which can reveal this information. And anyone who wants to hurt you will be able to determine what they need to know. Keeping your stack patched up with the latest security fixes is what's important. The components of the stack can be easily sniffed out.
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Jaimie A.
Cape Town – Southern Suburbs
“I matriculated from Herschel Girls’ School in 2007 with 5 distinctions, including 80% for Afrikaans and then went on to complete her BSc in Occupational Therapy at the University of Cape Town. My experience in tutoring Afrikaans consists of one-on-one sessions at least weekly with learners in Grades 5, 6, 9 and 11, all as a second language.”
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Q:
Are these two congruences equivalent?
Consider the following:
$\forall c\in\mathbb{Z}^{+}, a \equiv b \pmod n \Leftrightarrow a \equiv b,b+n,b+2n,..,b+(c-1)n \pmod {cn}$.
It seems false, so I suspect there is a typo in the statement, could anyone tell me where is it?
Thanks a lot.
A:
It's correct: $\rm\: a\equiv b\pmod{n}\ $ iff $\rm\ \exists\ i:\ a = b + i\ n\:.\:$ By the Division Algorithm $\rm\: i = j + k\ c\:,\ \ 0\le j < c\:,\:$ so $\rm\: \exists\ i:\ a = b + i\ n\ $ iff $\rm\ \exists\ k,\:j,\ 0\le j < c:\ a = b + j\ n + k\ (c\:n)\:\equiv\: b + j\ n\pmod{c\:n}\:.$
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The present invention relates to a system for providing an alarm message for maintenance personnel when a temperature exceeding a specified level is experienced in a refrigeration unit. In accordance with the present invention, the part of the system in the location of the refrigeration unit is compact and employs no permanent wiring. Preferably, radio transmission of an alarm signal to a remote location permits location of heavier equipment of the system in that remote location from which pre-recorded alarm messages can be transmitted.
Prior art systems have measured an inferred indication of temperature, rather than temperature itself. Such systems have employed devices which sense vacuum, freon pressure, operable time of the refrigeration compressor, motor and other portions of the refrigeration unit to determine when the refrigeration unit loses its cooling capacity. Transmitters at the location of a sensor transmitting a radio frequency signal representative of sensed information have been known. Furthermore, automatic telephone dialers responsive to a signal from a remote transmitter to dial a pre-programmed number, and a message playing unit to play a pre-programmed alarm message over the open telephone line dialed have been known. Temperature sensing switches of the type preferred by the applicant have been suggested by H. Gjerken in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,363, for fire alarm systems. However, the systems involved are relay systems which would be objectionable in a super market, for example, because of bulk and probably because of the requirement of making permanent wiring.
Also, monitoring systems for monitoring refrigerated display cases have been suggested in the prior art, such as by Norman B. Bergeron in U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,749. However, there is no commercial device available for this purpose. The Bergeron system is also like other known prior art in that it provides no remote signal. While Bergeron shows a plurality of systems with a central cabinet there is no suggestion of remoteness and apparently Bergeron intends that the apparatus shall be used directly at the location of the refrigeration unit. The alarm is a light which must be observed by someone, presumably either on the scene, or more likely, periodically monitoring the location.
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(London, UK) The UK based Autism Awareness Campaign has urged British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chancellor of the Exchequer Alastair Darling to reach out to the vulnerable and help families with autism during what is now a time of crisis. According to campaigners, the credit crunch will hurt the poor, the most vulnerable sections of society and this will include parents, carers and people with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.
Ivan Corea, head of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK said:’ Parents and carers have re-mortgaged their homes, taken expensive loans and borrowed money from friends and family in order to help their children – many have paid for expensive therapies – in the absense of public services in education, health, specialist speech therapy and respite care. The credit crunch will hit them hard. The Chancellor Alastair Darling must come up with contingency plans in order to help families with autism. He must help the poor,’ he said.
Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder affecting over 500,000 people with autism in Britain, over 90,000 children are on the spectrum. According to UK researchers 1 in 100 children have autism.
Banks and building societies are refusing to pass on the mortgage rate cuts despite a £50 billion pound bail out from the Bank of England. The Autism Awareness Campaign has asked the financial world a question – who will bail out people with disabilities including families with autism? Banks too need to show the wider public how they plan to help the vulnerable if the credit crunch worsens – families with autism are faced with the terrible prospect of repossessions and may even sink under the burden of paying for heavy loans. Autism campaigners in the United Kingdom are urging members of parliament of all parties in the Palace of Westminster to ‘speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves,’ and reach out to the poor who are in desperate need.
A new charity, the UK AUTISM FOUNDATION is being launched in order to help the poor in the UK and also in Africa and Asia. Autism Campaigners have also called on United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the UN General Assembly to take action over autism and help the poor in the Third World who are being hit hard by the rise in food prices and the rise in the cost of rice.
The United Nations marked the first ever World Autism Awareness Day on 2nd April – the day was a huge success for the UN. The Autism Awareness Campaign UK appealed to UN agencies such as UNICEF and the UNDP together with Britain’s DFID to reach out to families with autism who are below the poverty line. Millions suffer without proper public services.
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USCCB president emphasizes bishops’ role of serving family of church
Share this story
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, gives his address Nov. 10. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)
By Patricia Zapor • Catholic News Service • Posted November 10, 2014
BALTIMORE (CNS) — Acknowledging that families come with complications, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reminded his fellow bishops Nov. 10 that their role is to accompany their family of the church through their fears and concerns.
“Evangelizing means witnessing to our hope in Jesus,” said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, in opening the USCCB’s annual fall general assembly in Baltimore. It was his first address as conference president.
“As pastors, we accompany so many families who face their own fears and concerns and who yearn to experience the love of Jesus in and through his loving family — the church,” he said. “Together, brothers, we seek to walk with these families and to build their confidence in faith.”
Archbishop Kurtz framed his remarks around a conversation he had recently with Italian journalist Paolo Rodari, who has a brother with Down syndrome. Archbishop Kurtz for many years was responsible for the care of his late brother, who also had Down syndrome.
The two discussed how they learned to communicate with their brothers through the things that were important to their siblings — film and books — and that they otherwise could be difficult to understand.
“Paolo has learned to understand Giovanni, because they’re family,” Archbishop Kurtz said, continuing the metaphor as an example of what the bishops are called to do — “walk with our brothers and sisters, helping them grow closer to Jesus through his mercy.”
He noted that Pope Francis has said the church is “a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel.”
Archbishop Kurtz spoke about the recently concluded extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family, saying it resulted in positive steps to “witness to the beauty of church teachings on marriage,” to “deepen the way we accompany those struggling with the many challenges families face today,” and encourage married couples to “have confidence in their ability to faithfully live the Gospel of the family.”
He said the bishops “must especially seek out those who suffer under the weight of the difficulties of seeking to come closer to Christ,” quoting Pope Francis’ call to approach the coming year before the synod work continues as “joyful messengers of challenging proposals, guardians of the goodness and beauty which shine forth in a life of fidelity to the Gospel.”
The archbishop commented about some of his experiences over the last year as USCCB president — such as visiting the Philippines with Catholic Relief Services to see the relief work after Typhoon Haiyan, and the conference’s work on issues such as religious freedom and respect for life.
“We all strive to be faithful pastors, so we know what this looks like,” he said. “Think of the home visits we’ve all done in parishes. When I’d come to someone’s home, I wouldn’t start by telling them how I’d rearrange their furniture. In the same way, I wouldn’t begin by giving them a list of rules to follow.
“Instead, I’d first spend time with them, trying to appreciate the good that I saw in their hearts. I’d acknowledge that, like them, I was in the process of conversion toward greater holiness,” the archbishop said. “I would then invite them to follow Christ and I’d offer to accompany them as we, together, follow the Gospel invitation to turn from sin and journey along the way. Such an approach isn’t in opposition to church teachings; it’s an affirmation of them.”
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Writing In the Aftermath of Tragedy
Writing In the Aftermath of Tragedy
When awful things happen in the world, we’re encouraged — often pressured — to take action. To DO something, both to help those in need and to take steps to prevent similar tragedies from occurring again.
Action is important. We can’t just sit around tweeting about how things need to change, then go on with our lives as if that’s going to be enough to actually make a difference.
Yet, as writers, we actually have access to a potentially influential toolkit many others can’t unlock.
We have the power of our words.
Words alone, of course, are not enough to trigger a shift in the way things are. But they’re often enough to trigger curiosity, and changes in thought — maybe even considerations about altering opinions and/or behaviors.
That’s right — your words can help convince someone, multiple someones, to spread the word. To act.
In the wake of Las Vegas earlier this week, I approached my editor about covering the topic of blood donation — something not enough outlets were talking about at the time.
I figured it might convince whoever the piece might reach to give blood, if they were able, because that’s what was needed. That was a very important way people not even local to the incident could help.
Part of me felt guilty for turning something terrible into a story idea. I considered not even bothering, because I didn’t — still don’t — like even the possibility that I’m using someone else’s pain for some kind of gain, even indirectly.
But one thing we have to remember, when writing in the aftermath of terrible things, is that our words can still help people. No matter what we’re writing about, it’s often another way to help.
Don’t shy away from your ideas because you don’t think they’ll reach anyone, or because you’re convinced it’s been talked about enough already. You don’t have to be the one to break the news. You can add to the conversation. Join in the call to act. You might be the fifteenth post someone reads about the same topic, but yours could finally push them over the edge, and convince them to do something.
That’s the thing about online publishing. You just never know who you might reach — and who might take away more from your words than they initially expected to.
Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is a staff writer with The Cheat Sheet, a freelance editor and writer, and a nine-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food and nerdy things.
Help Novelty Revisions become a more valuable resource for aspiring writers.
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Quantitative monitoring of capsular contraction around smooth and textured implants.
The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of textured silicone implants in reducing the incidence of capsular contracture. Each of 10 female New Zealand, albino rabbits received 2 saline-filled implants, 1 on either side of the lateral chest wall. The surface of 1 implant was smooth silicone, whereas the other implant's surface was textured silicone. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the implants were performed at 0, 9, 17, 26, 34, and 40 weeks after implantation. Data from the MRI scans were used to calculate the effective surface area of implants at each analysis interval. This technique provided a noninvasive method of monitoring implant contraction as a function of time. Eight rabbits completed the study. Four of 8 smooth implants developed contractures, whereas none of the textured implants developed contracture. For the 4 smooth implants that developed contractures, MRI scans calculated 72 +/- 12% contraction at 17 weeks, but the Baker palpation test detected only mild firmness. From 17 to 40 weeks, the mean percentage of contraction for these implants changed minimally, but their mean Baker score increased from mild to severe (II to IV). Quantitative data from MRI scans were much more predictive of final implant contraction than palpation (Baker test), applanation tonometry, or indentation tonometry. The latter two tests only detected the final stages of severe implant contraction.
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Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Our First Oklahoma Christmas
And I hope there are many more to come. But this year was our first Christmas in Oklahoma at my parents house. We had a lot of fun and I loved being able to spend the nights there. I always loved going to my grandparents house in Granbury for the holidays. We all (meaning my family, my aunt and uncle and my cousins) would stay at my grandparents house. And it was the best. I loved being with everyone all the time - night and day. So I was so excited to spend the night with my now "extended" family at my parents house. We had lots of fun, ate lots of food, and made some new memories. It was wonderful!
The Christmas tree with all the presents. One of my favorite things of the Christmas holidays is seeing all the pretty presents under the tree. And amazingly, the kids left them alone - for the most part! :)
Our Christmas "morning" which was actually the 30th. It didn't matter what day it was. It was so fun to see the kids excitement with it all. I mean, just look at Reagan's face. So fun.
And then there was Lindsey. She's not excited is she?
And then the lull brought about Reagan getting a bit sleepy. Even with all the new presents she got so tired. After this was an early lunch and naptime for both her and Andrew.
My parents got around 14 inches of snow on Christmas Eve. There was still plenty of snow once we got there. Robert even got to workout on vacation by shoveling my parents driveway. The grandkids had fun going out in the snow, building small snowmen, and tromping through the snow making deep footprints.
Reagan was happy staying on the porch watching the others play though.
A trip to Edmond means a visit to Pops. We went for dinner one night and now we can honestly say, go for breakfast instead. While dinner was good, breakfast is so good there. We highly recommend Pops.
My parents just bought this tent for the kids to play in at their house. But I do believe that my mom spent just as much time in there as the kids did.
To fill some of the time while we were visiting, my mom and I came up with the idea to make bird feeders out of toilet paper rolls, peanut butter, and bird seed. It was fun to let her be the one to have the mess at her house. Here is Lindsey making her bird feeder.
And Andrew really wanted to taste it so that is what he did. I don't think that bird seed is poisonous to humans but I'm not too sure about how good it tastes either.
And Reagan got a bit messy with hers. She just grabbed the roll and the peanut butter oozed through her fingers. What fun!
Then we all went outside to hang the feeders on the trees for the birds. Hopefully they found the food.
Daddy helped Reagan with hers. Look at the pretty red berries on the trees. There were a couple of cardinals that would come by to eat some. It was such a pretty scene with the snow, trees, berries, and the cardinals.
We had such a great time. Loved it all. And I look forward to all of us getting together again soon.
About Me
I am a stay at home mom with one wonderful 10 year old girl and one beautiful 7 year old girl. I have been married to an amazing guy for fourteen years who loves all his girls so much and doesn't mind being outnumbered at all.
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A Dutch railway announced that it will pay reparations to survivors and families of Holocaust victims who were transported on Dutch trains to Nazi death camps, according to Deutsche Welle.
The multimillion-dollar proposal to benefit several thousand survivors was unveiled by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) CEO Roger van Boxtel while speaking at an event in the Utrecht Railway Museum.
Under the proposal, Holocaust survivors are to receive €15,000 ($17,080). They include about 500 Jews, Roma and Sinti survivors who were transported to the extermination camps but survived. Relatives and widows of those who died can expect to be paid between €5,000 and €7,500. In a statement, NS said it had reserved "several tens of millions of euros" for the payments. -DW
In January, former Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen supervised a committee established to determine compensation levels, a task he said was difficult to undertake. "An amount of money to compensate for suffering cannot be stated," he said. Cohen had organized an information and contact service for those who are eligible to receive funds.
The committee said it saw the payments as “a moral gesture by which NS wishes to express the recognition of its share in the individual suffering inflicted by the occupying forces on those involved and their direct surviving relatives.” The move was prompted by an activist and Holocaust survivor, Salo Muller, whose parents died in the camps. Mr. Muller has campaigned for years for NS to recognize the role played by its transports and the suffering they caused. -NYT
The money will be used to "acknowledge what had happened and the role NS had played," according to DW.
An estimated 100,000 Dutch Jews — or 70% of the total number of Jewish people living in the Netherlands before World War II — were deported on the trains to Westerbork, in the north of the country. From there the Nazis transported them east across the border into Germany and to the death camps. With the payments scheme, NS follows similar measures taken in France which made payments in 2014 to Jewish victims of the Holocaust. -DW
In 2011, France's state railway company SNCF apologized to Holocaust victims after US lawmakers attempted to block it from winning contracts if the firm did not acknowledge its role transporting victims to concentration camps. France set up a $60 million fund in 2014 to compensate victims.
German railroad, not so much
Germany's national railroad, Deutsche Bahn (DB) railroad, admitted in 2008 that it played a central role in the Nazi's plans during WWII, earning the rail company the modern equivalent of €445 million ($506 million US). That said, DB has resisted both class action and individual lawsuits for compensation over the years - and hired a New York law firm and PR agency to monitor political developments in the United States which might be later used as the basis for future lawsuits.
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J-Will Sits in the Fourth Quarter? That Sounds Familiar.
Tools
The Palm Beach Post's analysis of the Detroit/Miami NBA semifinals touches on a familiar story: Former Griz bad boy Jason Williams is sitting out the fourth quarter in favor of his backup.
"In Monday's Game 4, Williams did not score in 27 minutes, missing each of his four field-goal attempts. That followed seven-point outings in Games 2 and 3.
"Overall, Williams is shooting 11-of-23 against Detroit and has made only 2-of-12 three pointers. The ex-Florida Gator has been nearly invisible in the fourth quarter in the series. He's played nine minutes in the final period, including only one minute the past two games, sitting in favor of back-up Gary Payton.
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What is DigitalBits? The protocol layer blockchain is designed to support consumer digital assets. In particular, branded currencies that you can spend on rewards and offerings. That said, the company is planning to take the feature to a completely new level.
In the last couple of years, notable brands such as Facebook and Walmart have entered the crypto/blockchain space. These companies are developing grand projects like Libra, among others.
With this, branded currencies look to play a significant role in developing the blockchain landscape. To that end, DigitalBits, which is aiming to create a platform for the provision of branded currencies, seems to be right on time.
Robust technology
The DigitalBits blockchain uses a construct of the Federated Byzantine Agreement, a robust consensus mechanism. It allows for high scalability (+10 000 TPS) across a decentralized network. The protocol will support a wide variety of on-chain assets. Effectively, allowing for a number of branded currencies to co-exist.
The protocol seeks to optimize the backend infrastructure of existing consumer applications. Additionally, it will enhance connectivity for the company’s large and established ecosystems.
There is another important aspect here: it has to do with consumer behavior. The protocol will become part of existing user-friendly applications. This means that the consumers will start using blockchain without even knowing it. They won’t have to learn new processes and complicated technologies. Instead, they will enjoy the advantages of blockchain technology immediately.
It also ensures the existing communities on these apps stay connected. Thus reduces the switching costs associated with moving to a new platform
This way, DigitalBits aims to facilitate the transition to blockchain technology and paves the way for its mass adoption.
What is a branded currency?
A branded currency may be defined as “a store of value and a medium of exchange, sponsored by a specific brand or merchant, in a physical and/or digital form and used for the functional purpose of being a coupon, loyalty point, gift card or stablecoin.”
For more information on branded currencies, click here.
The problem and solution
As per a study by Reuters, nearly 80% of Americans stand enrolled in at least one loyalty program. The majority of consumers choose programs that help them save money when buying groceries, clothes, and medical drugs. Yet, both brands and consumers face frictions.
Consumer friction
Participants of US-based loyalty programs generate points and rewards worth $50+ million annually. Around one-third of this sum, approximately $16.6 billion, is never used. Partially, because programs operate in silos, restricting the movement of value. In other words, consumers can’t spend that money on the offerings they want.
Additionally, consumers have complained about how difficult it is to redeem those points. They state that sometimes it takes too long to figure out the whole thing. As a result, they often abandon the process without spending the points.
Reuters also analyzed the behavior of consumers who turned down lucrative loyalty programs. Almost 40% stated the reason why was that they were not regular customers of the brand. At the same time, around 12% noted that they were concerned about the platform’s security.
Brand friction
D2C marketing is currently on the rise. Brands are facing fierce competition from new and agile players, some of which directly connect with the consumer. Consequently, they understand their needs better and are able to adjust quickly. This puts pressure on CPG brands (large brands that distribute through retail locations).
DigitalBits solution
DigitalBits seeks to address the challenges faced by both brands and consumers. Its blockchain platform facilitates the frictionless movement of assets within the ecosystem. The latter includes brands, merchants, consumers, and payment providers.
Brands will be able to launch their own unique branded currencies on-chain. In some cases, they may resemble stablecoins.
As a result, users will be able to manage their assets within existing applications. This will spur adoption and reduce friction.
Furthermore, brands will be able to directly connect with the consumer. That is because each transaction will deposit a value-backed coin into the respective consumer application. Effectively, this creates an interactive system between the brand and the consumer. In some cases, it even removes the retailer (ie. Middlemen) from the system.
Besides, brands can benefit from additional marketing intelligence and consumer insight. At the same time, the consumer gains access to customized promotions and actual monetary value. Unlike traditional point programs, this value may be spent anywhere, not just with the issuing brand.
The market & adoption
In 2017, approximately 3.8 billion unique loyalty program memberships (a 15% increase compared to 2015) were held within the United States alone. With a population of approximately 327 million, this suggests the average consumer is involved in a minimum of 11 memberships. Over the years, this figure has been growing. Thus, the potential is tremendous.
That said, DigitalBits is taking a step-by-step approach. The team understands the revolutionary nature of blockchain. However, they are also aware of the fact that the technology is still an intimidating subject for the average consumer. S/he doesn’t understand such terms as public and private keys, wallets and so on.
To date, consumers have been forced to start learning the process, adopt new habits, and understand and navigate unfamiliar interfaces. This is where implementation with a novel approach can not only ease the adoption of blockchain technology, but can solve an actual problem that exists in mainstream society. The team behind DigitalBits understands this.
Breaking the silos
There will not be one branded currency to rule them all, and as increasingly more brands select DigitalBits as their blockchain of choice, there will be a multitude of branded currencies existing on-chain.
To avoid the issue of silos, DigitalBits’ built-in decentralized exchange leverages multi-hop technology, allowing trades to be completed up to 6 intermediary hops. This reduces the need for direct markets, and creates the possibility for trades to be fulfilled by moving through a number of different assets, if needed.
This feature will play a crucial role in making branded currencies liquid. Eventually, creating a flexible ecosystem, where consumers can spend the points they earned buying coffee and get a discount on an airline ticket.
The XDB token
The DigitalBits blockchain uses the utility token, XDB, to perform a number of different functions. This diverse function set positively impacts token velocity, a subject of growing importance within the blockchain industry.
Anti-Spam features
When opening new accounts, users need to stake a minimum of 10 XDB. This authenticates the account and activates the send function.
As brands begin to join the network, this may lead to large amounts of XDB being locked up.
Transaction Fees
Each transaction on the network is subject to a small transaction fee (0.00001 XDB).
Both authenticating accounts and transaction fees act as anti-spam features, deterring malicious entities that may look to clog the network.
3. Bridge Token
XDB can act as a bridge token to facilitate transfers and trades between asset pairings. Especially the ones that may not have a large direct market.
Leveraged for fast, low-cost payments and remittances Node Operator Program
Currently in development, the DigitalBits’ proposed Node Operator Program will utilize XDB to incentivize entities to run instances of DigitalBits core.
2019 IN REVIEW
2019 proved to be a fulfilling year for DigitalBits. The progress spanned across technical developments, partnerships, and user growth.
Partnership milestones
iCash Rewards
iCash and iBank Digital announced that they are exploring the use of the DigitalBits blockchain for tokenizing the iCashRewards loyalty point. Platform users will be able to utilize their iCash loyalty token as payment on iBankEX within the iCash Ecosystem. They will benefit from reduced transaction and exchange fees.
Notably, Toronto and New-York based MLG Blockchain has decided to accept iCash Loyalty Cards as payment for their advisory services.
Pundi X Global Network
Pundi X, a leading provider of blockchain-powered devices, announced recently the integration of XDB to its global ecosystem. This made the token usable within Pundi X’s powerful suite of financial products. Both users and merchants can use XDB on XPOS. The latter is the first blockchain-powered point-of-sale device. And the transactions can be carried out within the XWALLET app, and spent via XPASS cards and smartphones.
The company has shipped the XPOS device to over 30 countries. Eventually, 100 000 devices will be distributed across the global retail market by 2021.
This partnership has a tremendous long-term opportunity. Integration with Pundi X significantly enhances the utility of XDB. introduces a new found asset class for the PundiX ecosystem focused on branded currencies
Looking forward
The initial set-up ranging from early partnership concepts, payment off-ramps, and community growth seems to be a strategic move to position DigitalBits as the Blockchain for Brands. That said, the project has set the foundation for the potential 2020 unveiling of major brands, with official announcements to follow in the coming months
More official announcements are coming soon.
Organizational milestones
DigitalBits was successful in its fundraising efforts across 2018 and 2019.
A number of notable contributors spanning business, blockchain, and technology have supported DigitalBits, including:
Richard Rofe – Arcadia Crypto Ventures
Anthony Coscio – TokenStack Partners
Bradley Rotter – LP at Pantera Capital
Ari Paul – Blocktower Capital
Matthew Roszak – Bloq
James Lowry – Storj Token
Lars Rensing – Ark Ecosystem
Exchange listings
Since August 2019, IDEX, Bilaxy, Hotbit, and Sistemkoin have all listed XDB. Thus, allowing for user growth and liquidity. With increasing industry recognition, it is likely that other exchange platforms will be adding support for XDB soon.
All in all, 2020 looks promising for DigitalBits. Q1 of 2020 is especially exciting with a major announcement in store. Its inclusive of partnerships focused on the development of major brands’ own branded currencies.
In Q2 and Q3, the team appears to be focusing on major technical developments. This will begin with the official launch of the TNCS and Algorithmic Pool.
Altcoin Buzz will be covering the progress of DigitalBits over the course of 2020, so stay tuned for more updates.
DISCLAIMER:
The information discussed by Altcoin Buzz is not financial advice. This information is for educational, informational and entertainment purposes only. Any information or strategies are thoughts and opinions relevant to accepted levels of risk tolerance of the writer/reviewers and their risk tolerance may be different than yours. We are not responsible for any losses that you may incur as a result of any investments directly or indirectly related to the information provided.
Do your own due diligence and rating before making any investments and consult your financial advisor. The researched information presented we believe to be correct and accurate however there is no guarantee or warranty as to the accuracy, timeliness, completeness. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are high-risk investments so please do your due diligence. This interview, overview or update article has been compensated for media cooperation and has been sponsored for by the interviewed or reviewed organization. Copyright Altcoin Buzz Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.
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[^1]: This paper was written in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a course, The History of Protein Chemistry, given by Dr. H. B. Vickery.
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Will Cash Disappear? - known
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/11/14/business/dealbook/cashless-economy.html
======
aidenn0
Cash has diminished so greatly over my lifetime. When I was a kid, I remember
my grandfather would carry over $1000 in cash on business trips, since he
could charge basically just the hotel and _some_ restaurants. Even at hotel
and restaurants, tips were cash only. He would keep maybe $100 in his billfold
and the rest would be 100 dollar bills hidden about his person.
This was the mid 80s.
$100 in tens and twenties would be nearly $300 in twenties and fifties. Ten
100 dollar bills would now need to be thirty (or we would need a 300 dollar
note). If my grandfather went on three trips in the same calendar month,
inflation adjusted for 2017, he'd get audited by the Bank Secrecy act ($10k in
cash transfers in the same month).
For cash to get relegated to a curiosity at this point only requires the
government to not change anything (larger denominations, increase the limits
for triggering money laundering audits &c.)
~~~
RickS
This highlights a really fascinating problem that I'd love to know more about,
if anyone has info:
Are regulatory thresholds (cash or otherwise) pinned to inflation or some kind
of purchasing index? Do they all just tighten around our neck at ~3% year? I'm
not cynical enough to assume this is by design, but perhaps am enough to think
that once it's in there, the bug becomes a feature in the eyes of regulators.
~~~
aidenn0
In the US, most aren't, but some are. When they are tied to inflation it's
usually the CPI.
In some cases not tying it to the CPI appears to be lack of foresight, in
other cases it's a compromise, just like e.g. tax cuts that expire.
The party that wishes to not raise the threshold is hoping that they will have
more political clout down the road, the party that does have power can
conserve political capital and get a "win" in the eyes of their constituency.
------
AnimalMuppet
On an earlier go-round with this topic here on HN, somebody said that cash
matters because it means that nobody else can stop your transaction. Credit
cards, checks, Paypal... in each case there's a third party that has the power
to block the payment, but with cash, nobody (other than the two parties
involved) can do anything to block it. That can be a really big deal, in some
circumstances.
I forget who said it, or I'd give them credit...
~~~
purplerabbit
If my understanding is correct, cryptocurrency transactions cannot be blocked
either. So this advantage may not be exclusive to cash, assuming you have an
internet connection.
~~~
onion2k
Right now the median BTC transaction fee is about $10. I don't think many
people would accept that on every transaction they do. Any way around it
(pooling transactions for example) would mean losing the 'cannot be blocked'
benefit.
~~~
aboodman
The transaction fee for Bitcoin Cash is like ten cents. High transaction fees
have nothing to do with crypto currencies fundamentally.
~~~
MrRadar
Except that they do. Right now each Bitcoin transaction uses the same amount
of energy as the average household does in a _week_ (255 kWH according to
[https://digiconomist.net/bitcoin-energy-
consumption](https://digiconomist.net/bitcoin-energy-consumption) which is
more than I personally use in a month). Even assuming you're mining with very
low-cost electricity ($0.04/kWH) that's $10.20... or about the cost of a BTC
transaction according to the grandparent post. This high energy use is the
cost of being decentralized, centralized systems like Visa, Mastercard, and
ACH use _much_ less energy per transaction than that.
~~~
aboodman
There are multiple existence proofs that you are wrong: Bitcoin Cash,
Ethereum, etc.
------
mc32
It probably will, for the most part, and, along with it, a little corner of
privacy. It's a small one, and defeatable, but it takes effort on the
adversary's part to gather that info, rather than being real time and
retrievable at whim.
~~~
sametmax
> It's a small one
I beg to differ. No cash means:
\- kids will have even less opportunities to be kids. We are creating a word
where they can't screw around. It's terrible for their growth.
\- you have no workaround for any situation that doesn't fit the box
perfectly. No way to speeds things up. Removing by passes mean a rigid and
unforgivable system.
\- you remove any possibility to try alternative systems, since by definition
alternatives don't work in the way the current one does. Actually they often
offend the current system. But you need those alternative to exists over-wise,
you get stuck.
\- of course, it also means morality is going to become law. Unable to hide,
people leaving differently will be exposed.
\- you'll get dependent on electronics. It means you need to have the
privilege to have access to equipment and services otherwise you are excluded
from society. Also in case of infrastructure failure, society is on hold.
This not a "little corner of privacy", it's "a huge part of what's allow us to
function in this imperfect world".
An imperfect system needs workarounds. It's very important. Otherwise you'll
get worst than a Gilliam's Brazil dystopia.
~~~
alkonaut
> kids will have even less opportunities to be kids. We are creating a word
> where they can't screw around.
How is the screwing around related to cash? Can you elaborate?
> An imperfect system needs workarounds.
Can you give an example?
~~~
sametmax
> How is the screwing around related to cash? Can you elaborate?
Kids need to do forbidden things hidden from adults to grow. They need
experiment. Make mistakes. Create their own set of values and ability to solve
problem independently. Without cash, it increases the number of things they
can't do without their parents. E.G: buying birth control, consuming illegal
products, going out in places the parents disagree with, etc.
No parents are perfect. All of them are wrong on some things, and have some
kind of unbalance in the way they interact with the children. It's life.
Growing for kids mean learning from their parents, and learning to distance
themself from their parents. Two sides of the same coin.
> An imperfect system needs workarounds.
Say you are in an saoudi dictatorship. Without cash, paying for drinks at a
secret gay bar becomes very hard. It's the same for us. They are many things
our system frown uppon. That doesn't mean it's bad.
Another thing: you are an administrator, and you know you can fix the school
door now with cash and create a fake paper trail later. Or pay the right way
and wait 6 months.
Obviously our system should be fixed. Cash is not the solution. But changing
the system is a hard, long and unreliable process. So meanwhile, cash helps to
get along.
~~~
alkonaut
> Without cash, it increases the number of things they can't do without their
> parents.
I always had a debit card and bank account, and in my teens I withdrew cash
and spent it. You are probably right that I would have thought twice about
some of those spends if I knew my parents could see the transactions (which
they would since I wasn't 18).
> Say you are in an saoudi dictatorship. Without cash, paying for drinks at a
> secret gay bar becomes very hard. It's the same for us.
Can't disagree here: eletronic money with a paper trail requires not just
stable and trustworthy government and public institutions, it requires some
trust also that _future_ governments and institutions are trustworthy. The
tradeoff between convenience and privacy is always a factor, and if lack of
privacy is lack of security then the choice is clear.
I think the solution to many of these problems is simply "cash on card". You
have a debit card connected to your bank account, but you can transfer a sum
to "virtual cash" on the card. That then works like cash, but without the
cash. It could be cryptographically based for example, and would mean the
receiver of the transaction doeesn't see the source. And on a statement from
the account it only shows up as the withdrawal when the e-cash was purchased.
------
m00s3
One data point: As a Canadian, I rarely have cash in my pocket. I can go
months at a time without handling cash. Mainly I encounter it these days when
I buy & sell stuff privately (via Used.ca or Facebook or whatever). Otherwise
I basically use Visa/Apple Pay for everything.
~~~
Florin_Andrei
Beggars are gonna have a very hard time.
~~~
televod
I've seen a panhandler (in the US) flying a sign sporting a GoFundMe campaign
URL.
I could see phone-to-phone contactless payment becoming commonplace in the
same scenario.
------
oicu812
I don't want to go cashless and would like the return of the $500 dollar bill.
[http://time.com/money/5008950/bring-back-500-bill-cash-
cashl...](http://time.com/money/5008950/bring-back-500-bill-cash-cashless/)
~~~
ghaff
I’d settle for $100 bills for travel not being a hassle to obtain. Go into a
teller and they often don’t have any or at most one or two in many banks.
------
dosshell
Also, many stores in Sweden does not accept cash.
All stores I have visited the last year accepted card or Swish but around 15 %
of them did not accept cash. The argument is that cash is expensive to handle
and it increases the risk of robbery.
I have only heard about some old people (bank trust issue) and people with
economic problems (no credit card) that feel like this is a problem.
~~~
pwinnski
I'm not sure it's legal to refuse cash in the U.S., but I still can't remember
the last time I used it anywhere but a pop-up food stand.
~~~
icebraining
Yeap, it's legal: _" There is, however, no Federal statute mandating that a
private business, a person or an organization must accept currency or coins as
for payment for goods and/or services. Private businesses are free to develop
their own policies on whether or not to accept cash unless there is a State
law which says otherwise."_
[https://www.treasury.gov/resource-
center/faqs/Currency/Pages...](https://www.treasury.gov/resource-
center/faqs/Currency/Pages/legal-tender.aspx)
~~~
ghaff
However, some states apparently block it. For example, there's a law in
Massachusetts that apparently prohibits accepting credit only.
------
yladiz
In my lifetime I doubt that cash will go away, even in the highly developed
countries that I've lived in. In the US and Europe it's used in smaller
transactions, like a concert or dance event, where paying with card is
significantly slower than cash, and beyond that you can definitely find cash
only places, especially outside of a major city. If you travel outside of the
US or Europe, many places deal only with cash, like Thailand or central Asia.
I know that it's posited as better against corruption, but there are still
some people that don't want a bank account and would prefer checks/cash for
their pay and I don't see that going away anytime soon unless it becomes
illegal (which won't happen).
------
upofadown
People that buy and pay for things online don't (and mostly can't) use cash.
So without separating out the online and offline purchases this could be
misleading.
I do so few transactions offline that I just use cash for those few, low
value, transactions. Since there are many places in the physical world that
just take cash I might as well just use the one thing. I have a working debit
card (the bank pretty much insists) but the added convenience isn't worth the
low risk of getting it skimmed and the small loss of privacy.
Eventually we will have to start making a distinction between electronic cash
and the physical kind. Cash is still a distinct sort of thing, no matter what
physical form it takes.
------
brett40324
One thing that comes to mind after reading all the comments, is the seemingly
very healthy and lucrative ATM business. Also, in the US, cashier's checks,
money orders, and sending money via services like Western Union accept cash
only. Most? state lottery sales are cash only as well. With these industries
and use cases, i lean toward the notion that "cash is king" and will exist as
paper notes and metal coinage for another 2 or 3? decades.
------
aivarsk
On a funny note I showed this slide in a talk about why mobile payments will
never replace cash and cards:
[https://i.imgur.com/l8OyoeD.png](https://i.imgur.com/l8OyoeD.png)
------
SurrealSoul
Man, I drove through Chicago recently and all their toll booths are cash only.
I hope this change goes nation wide fast
~~~
ghaff
That water's way past the bridge. The strong trend is hugely toward
eliminating all cash at toll booths. It's also largely academic from a privacy
perspective because they're taking pictures of your license plate anyway.
~~~
AskewEgret
Yes, exactly.
The toll roads in Illinois aren't actually cash-only. They just don't accept
credit cards at the toll booth because of the long transaction times.
If you want to pay by credit card, just go through the toll booth. You get 7
days to pay via credit card or personal check with no penalty!
[1] [https://www.illinoistollway.com/tolling-
information/unpaid-t...](https://www.illinoistollway.com/tolling-
information/unpaid-tolls)
------
santaclaus
That would be so awesome, but even in the tech-centric bay I still come across
lots of cash only places.
~~~
Casseres
Not awesome for those value privacy. There are companies out their building
profiles about you based on what you buy.
Target may know when someone is pregnant even before that person tells her own
family.
~~~
GFischer
Very famous case:
[https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-
targ...](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-
figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/#2497be416668)
------
rb808
Cash is pretty popular in Puerto Rico right now. I doubt it will disappear.
~~~
alkonaut
Disaster is both a good time to have cash, and a bad time. Cash could be
destroyed or lost. And most of us don't have "cash" we have bank accounts and
ATMs. By the time we realize the disaster struck and the infrastructure is
gone, the ATMs are already empty.
It might actually be faster to get cell phone networks back up than it is to
get the infrastructure behind ATM's back (roads, people distributing money and
so on). So until then, only the preppers with enough cash for a long period of
time have cash. That said, if I lived in an area where there was any risk at
all of flood, earthquake or tropical weather, I'd have a large wad of cash
somewhere.
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Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, a generator, a gearbox, a nacelle, and one or more rotor blades. The rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known foil principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy in the form of rotational energy so as to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy that may be deployed to a utility grid.
To ensure that wind power remains a viable energy source, efforts have been made to improve the overall performance of wind turbines by modifying the size, shape and configuration of wind turbine rotor blades. One such modification has been to increase the length of the rotor blade so as to increase the energy captured by the wind. Longer rotor blade, however, are associated with increased transportation costs due to transportation regulations and shipping limits.
Another such modification has been to alter the configuration of the tip of the rotor blade. In particular, blade tips may be specifically designed to enhance or improve various aspects of a rotor blade's performance. For example, certain blade tips may be designed to operate efficiently in specific wind classes. Additionally, blade tips may be configured to enhance specific operating conditions of the wind turbine, such as by being configured to lower torque, reduce noise, or capture the maximum possible energy.
Given that different operating advantages may be provided to a wind turbine depending on the configuration of the rotor blade (i.e. by increasing its length or modifying the blade tip), it would be advantageous to have a joint design for securing blade segments together that allowed for quick and efficient assembly and disassembly thereof.
However, known joint designs are typically complex, expensive to produce, and are manually intensive to install and maintain. For example, joint designs that utilize an adhesive provide permanent joints that cannot be modified with changing wind conditions. In addition, joint designs that utilize bolts typically require periodic maintenance to ensure that the bolts maintain a required torque.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved joint assembly for securing multiple blade segments of a rotor blade that addresses the aforementioned issues.
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Some differences between the lottery rules of each country
The Lottery is an global sport that is found in a great deal of countries around the world, plus it’s become one of the most popular and lucrative games of chance. It’s for this reason that many men and women would rather play lottery prior to any other game of chance just like from the casinos.
Being So hot, and having many gains, each country was given the task of regulating these games, made its own laws and rules to stop people from fraud at any time. It is because of this that we’re able to say that every nation has different principles, which must be met if you would like to find the prize in the lottery.
It Is very important to point out that in all the countries in this match is Played, it’s essential that the person who buys the lottery ticket has. The age of majority established in the legislation of that nation.
Lottery regulated by the government?
There are countries where the private lottery has been banned and the government is responsible for carrying out the nagaland lottery sambad apps. This type of game offers players a series of advantages over the traditional lottery. Among some of these advantages we can highlight the following:
• If you buy a lottery ticket, you check the nagaland lottery result and you turn out to be the winner, the prize you will receive much faster than you think.
• The nagaland state lottery result is usually announced in some official media such as television channels, radio, newspapers, etc., thus avoiding the confusion that many lottery companies in the same country can have.
• The game of nagaland state lottery is considered much more reliable than private lottery games, due to the fact that they are controlled by the country where it is played.
These are some of the things that represent the nagaland lottery sambad of this game. It should be noted that this type of lottery game may have better prizes, due to the fact that less commissions or taxes are paid at the time of winning.
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DTMF Based Home Automation Project with Circuit Diagram Circuit Diagram and Explanation. Circuit diagram for DTMF controlled home automation project is shown above. In this circuit we have used a DTMF decoder namely MT8890 IC which converts dial pad tone into the four bit digital output. LIGHT, FAN and TV are connected to Q1,Q2 and Q3 of DTMF decoder IC through a relay driver namely ULN2003. 5 volt ... DTMF (Dual Tone Multi Frequency) decoder Circuit schematic ... DTMF (Dual Tone Multi Frequency) decoder Circuit schematic using M8870 Gallery of Electronic Circuits and projects, providing lot of DIY circuit diagrams, Robotics & Microcontroller Projects, Electronic development tools DTMF Decoder Application Circuits with Working Principle DTMF Decoder Application Circuit and Working Procedure. DTMF keypad is placed out on a 4 cross 4 matrices, in which each row represents low frequency, each column represents high frequency, with DTMF, each key passed on a phone generates two tones of the specific frequencies one tone is generated from a high frequency tones and low frequency ... dtmf circuit : Telephone Circuits :: Next.gr This circuit is a circuit diagram of a remote control using DTMF. Actuality we achieve the use of DTMF (dual tone multi frequency) signals (used the phone to punch in numbers) as the influence of the code. DTMF tones used for the abundance accentuation of.... Build a MT8870 DTMF Telephone Dial Tone Decoder Circuit ... Build a MT8870 DTMF Telephone Dial Tone Decoder Circuit Diagram. This is a simple MT8870 DTMF Telephone Dial Tone Decoder Circuit Diagram.In this circuit one common DTMF receiver IC is the Motorola MT8870 that is widely used in electronic communications circuits. Dual Tone Multi Frequency: Circuit, Working, and Applications Dual Tone Multi Frequency Decoder Circuit Working. The operation of Dual Tone Multi Frequency is when a caller produces a call tone that includes two frequencies. It is conveyed through the communication media or telephone line. The telephone exchange switch room uses a DTMF decoder to decode the frequencies of the caller into digital code. Duel Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF Electronic Circuits This circuit differs from similar circuits in view of its simplicity and a totally different concept of generating the control signals __ Designed by Radioland.net. DTMF RECEIVER Today, most telephone equipment use a DTMF receiver IC. One common DTMF receiver IC is the Motorola MT8870 that is widely used in electronic communications circuits. DTMF Decoder Using MT8870 – Circuit Wiring Diagrams DTMF is a popular project especially in DSP (digital signal processing) subject. DSP software algorithm can be implement to generate as well as to decode DTMF tone. It is very interesting, and I will try to cover that aspect in near future. For now we do the hardware way. DTMF Circuits This the first DTMF circuit I build. DTMF Based Home Automation System using Microcontroller DTMF Controlled Home Appliances Circuit Principle: The main principle of this circuit is to control appliances like light and fan using DTMF technology. DTMF encoder is present in your mobile and decoder is HT9107B IC. Mobile jack is connected at 1nf capacitor. Mobile jack consists of two wires (Red and black). DTMF – Circuit Wiring Diagrams To test the DTMF IC 8870 KT3170, proceed as follows: Connect local telephone and the circuit in parallel to the same telephone line. Switch on S1. (Switch on auxiliary switch S2 only if keys A, B, C, and D are to be used.) Now push key ‘*’ to generate DTMF tone. Push any decimal key from the telephone keypad. DTMF Controlled Robot without Microcontroller But the circuit diagram mentiones the DTMF Decoder IC as HT9170B. Since the pins are same, there won’t be any problem. But please refer to the datasheet. Also, the circuit diagram mentions the Motor Driver as L293D but the motor driver used here is L298N. Please refer the datasheet for pin diagram. DTMF Controlled Robot Circuit Design. The ... DTMF Proximity Detector Circuit Diagram [59476] Circuit ... DTMF Proximity Detector Circuit Diagram Circuit and Wiring Diagram Download for Automotive, Car, Motorcycle, Truck, Audio, Radio, Electronic Devices, Home and House Appliances published on 20 Mar, 2014. How to make DTMF decoder connected to cell phone mobile Mini Project Engineering Dual tone multi frequency signaling (DTMF) is used for telecommunication signaling over analog telephone lines in the voice frequency band between telephone handsets and other communications ... DTMF Cell Phone controlled Home appliances Engineering ... DTMF Cell Phone controlled Home appliances Engineering automation project Gallery of Electronic Circuits and projects, providing lot of DIY circuit diagrams, Robotics & Microcontroller Projects, Electronic development tools 8 channel DTMF Link: Decoder Schematic Circuit Diagram In the decoder designed for the DTMF Link project, a Holtek HT9170B does the main job. The natural counterpart of the HT9200B used in the associated encoder (described elsewhere in this publication), the HT9170B is a Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) receiver with an integrated digital decoder and band split filter functions.
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When Robert Menendez arrived in the U.S. Senate in 2006, he was a relative pauper in a chamber often called a millionaires’ club. The New Jersey Democrat ranked 97th out of 100 senators in terms of his personal wealth, according to financial records filed that year and compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.
So Menendez’s decision last month to use his personal funds to reimburse a prominent political contributor $58,500 for two flights to the Dominican Republic came at a major cost. The repayment amounts to between 32 percent and 87 percent of the assets Menendez reported holding in bank accounts and stock, according to his latest financial-disclosure form, which was filed last year.
Menendez repaid Florida eye doctor and political donor Salomon Melgen only after his free flights aboard Melgen’s plane became public and the subject of a Senate ethics complaint. A local New Jersey Republican group filed a complaint last November, alleging the senator had broken Senate rules by “repeatedly flying on a private jet to the Dominican Republic, and other locations.” Menendez reimbursed Melgen the $58,500 two months later, on Jan. 4, according to his office.
In telling his own story, Menendez likes to talk about his scrappy roots. The first paragraph of the biography on his official Senate website notes that he is the son of immigrants who grew up in a tenement in Union City, N.J. Menendez, 59, rose from the local school board to mayor to state legislator to House member to U.S. senator. He recently became the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
As Menendez has accumulated political power, however, he has not accumulated great wealth. His 2011 financial disclosure, filed last May, lists checking and savings accounts that held somewhere between $66,003 and $165,000. (Congressional disclosure forms list assets in ranges.) He also owned stock in a single company, Metropolitan Life Insurance, worth between $1,001 and $15,000. A rental property he owned in Union City generated between $15,001 and $50,000 in income in 2011. (The property itself was valued at between a quarter-million and a half-million dollars, with Me-nendez still owing somewhere between $50,001 and $100,000 on the mortgage, the disclosure report shows.)
Story continues
It would appear to be a comfortable enough living, especially with a senator’s annual $174,000 salary. But not so comfortable that cutting a $58,500 check couldn’t have a profound impact.
Menendez’s office declined to comment on the senator’s personal finances or the details of how he managed to pay back the $58,500 for the two flights.
On Monday, Menendez told CNN that paying for the flights simply “fell through the cracks.”
“When it came to my attention that payment had not taken place, I personally paid for them in order to meet my obligation,” he said.
Government watchdogs are dubious. They say Menendez’s financial situation adds fuel to questions about his motives and whether the free flights he accepted were a simple oversight.
“For a senator that’s not a Rockefeller, that’s real money,” said Meredith McGehee, policy director for the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center. “It kind of makes you wonder.… If he knew in advance that the trips were going to cost him $60,000, would he have done it?”
In the years after the Jack Abramoff scandal, which involved trips abroad for politicians, McGehee said it “stretches credibility” that Menendez was unaware he was receiving a gift while boarding a private flight to a Caribbean island. “You’re about to walk on a private plane, and you’re a public official—and that doesn’t occur to you?” she said.
Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, another watchdog group, was even less charitable.
“He waited until he was caught to pay them back,” she said. “If you rob a bank—and you’re caught—you don’t say, ‘Take the money back and forget about it.’ ”
In a statement, Menendez’s office defended the senator and said all flights had now been paid for. “Dr. Melgen has been a friend and political supporter of Senator Menendez for many years,” the statement said. “Senator Menendez has traveled on Dr. Melgen’s plane on three occasions, all of which have been paid for and reported appropriately.” (The third trip was previously paid for and reported by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which Menendez chaired in 2009 and 2010, as the senator was traveling to raise funds.)
The tale of Menendez and Melgen has taken dramatic twists and turns in recent weeks. A conservative website, The Daily Caller, first alleged last fall that Menendez had visited prostitutes during the Dominican trips with Melgen. The accusations didn’t draw wide media attention until the FBI raided Melgen’s Florida offices last week, though it is not clear the raid had any connection to Menendez. Menendez told CNN: “The bottom line is, all those smears are absolutely false.” The FBI would not comment.
Melgen and his wife have been longtime political contributors to Menendez, dating back to the 1990s, giving tens of thousands of dollars. When Menendez chaired the DSCC in 2009, the Melgens gave the committee a combined $60,400. And in 2012, Melgen’s company gave $700,000 to a super PAC dedicated to electing Senate Democrats. That group, Majority PAC, spent $582,500 on Menendez’s behalf en route to his reelection last fall.
In addition to the political giving, the Melgens supported a legal defense fund that Menendez created in 2011 to fend off a tea-party-backed recall effort. The state high court dismissed the recall effort, and Menendez used his legal fund, called the Fund to Uphold the Constitution, to pay his lawyers.
“During the proceedings, the senator appreciated those who helped defray the costs of defending our democratic system from this frivolous, right-wing attack,” Menendez spokesman Paul Brubaker said.
Salomon and Flor Melgen gave a combined $40,000 in 2011 and 2012 to the legal fund, making them its largest donors.
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Last updated on .From the section African
Algeria won the 2019 Nations Cup in Egypt but there are concerns about the next tournament clashing with the Club World Cup.
Fifa's decision to play the 2021 Club World Cup in June and July could "kill" the Africa Cup of Nations, says Togo coach Claude le Roy.
Set to take place in China with an expanded 24 teams, the club tournament's new timing and format pose problems for Africa's showpiece event.
Cameroon is due to host the next Afcon finals in June and July 2021.
"It's terrible for the projection of this beautiful competition - the Nations Cup," said Le Roy.
Speaking to BBC Sport Africa, the Frenchman - who has coached at a record nine Afcon finals, winning the tournament with Cameroon in 1988 - added: "Fifa's decision that June is a good time to host the Club World Cup means they are killing the Nations Cup."
French coach Claude Le Roy has led teams at nine Africa Cup of Nations finals since his debut in 1986
Two years ago, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) chose to move the Nations Cup from its long-standing January-February slot to June-July - primarily to avoid repeated club-versus-country rows.
But now, European clubs who were unhappy about having to release players in the middle of a season may have to confront similar issues.
If the threat of a European boycott is averted, eight clubs from that continent will line up for the 2021 Club World Cup, as well as three from Africa.
While the final format is still to be decided, reports suggest the European teams could feature the winners of both the Champions League and Europa League from 2018 to 2021.
Meanwhile, the three African teams are set to come from both the finalists of the African Champions League, as well as the winners of a play-off between the losing semi-finalists.
With these varying sides likely to feature many African internationals, Nations Cup club-versus-country battles are set to return.
Yet they can only reappear every four years rather than two, since the revised Club World Cup will be a quadrennial event as opposed to the Nations Cup's biennial nature.
"The Club World Cup has an exclusive window in the international match calendar, so a balanced solution will be found and the dates will be compatible," a Fifa spokesperson told BBC Sport Africa.
"The participation model to determine the clubs that qualify from each confederation will be finalised in a consultation process between Fifa and the six confederations.
"The format will be confirmed in due course."
A Fifa Task Force report into the newly revised Club World Cup mentioned moving the 2021 Nations Cup kick off to July - namely, after the former has ended.
But this move would bring its own problems, because players involved in the Nations Cup contingent would then miss their clubs' crucial pre-season preparations, which intensify that month before the start of many European domestic leagues in August.
"If you move the Nations Cup to July, it's worse than before [when played in January-February] for the clubs," said Le Roy.
"The players will miss the pre-season preparations with their clubs and this part of the season is the most important for the players because of the new season."
"If we transfer a little bit later in July, not one player will be coming back for the pre-season preparations and they will rest for 1-2 weeks and begin the season later than the whole players."
Managers often talk of the importance of the pre-season to a campaign.
Meanwhile, other stakeholders in African football share concerns.
"It's not a good time to play the Club World Cup," Khaled Mortagy, a board member with Africa's record club champions Al Ahly of Egypt, told BBC Sport Africa.
"Even from a marketing perspective, they have to co-ordinate big tournaments with all associations in order to maximise profit."
The BBC has contacted Caf, whose income is largely derived from the Nations Cup, for comment on the scheduling of the 2021 Club World Cup but has yet to hear back.
Fifa's role in the timing has also been questioned by Le Roy.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino was helped into power by African votes and has often spoken of his desire to help the continent.
However, Le Roy criticised the gap 'between the speeches of Infantino explaining that Fifa is here to help Africa and the reality off the field'.
In August, Fifa sent its own Secretary General - Fatma Samoura of Senegal - to take up an unprecedented 'General Delegate' for Africa role in a bid to improve Caf's governance.
"Since Africa is under the supervision of Fifa, do you think that Africa can have a real impact in decisions of world football?" asked Le Roy, who has led Congo, DR Congo, Ghana, and Senegal as well as Togo to Nations Cups.
"I love football more and more as a game but I hate more and more the world of football."
Last week, Fifa confirmed that the 2021 Club World Cup will take place in China.
The 2019 and 2020 editions will remain as annual seven-club tournaments, featuring the various continental champions as well as the local one from host nation Qatar.
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An extinct pig which was indigenous to Shetland has been seen for the first time in more than 100 years.
A model of the grice - which was the size of a large dog and had tusks - has been created after work by researchers and a taxidermist.
The pig, which attacked lambs, was kept domestically until the 1800s, when landowners forced islanders to keep fewer swine and the breed died out.
The model will go on display at the new Shetland Museum and Archives.
The grice was covered with long stiff bristles over a fleece of coarse wool.
In order to reconstruct it, Dr Ian Tait, curator of collections at Shetland Museum, trawled through published sources to find various descriptions, and investigated artefact and archaeological findings.
No-one alive today has seen a Shetland grice. The result has been well worth all the hard work.
Their work was put together to produce a detailed description of what the pig looked like.
The job of bringing the pig back to life was then handed to taxidermist David Hollingworth.
They decided to use an immature wild boar, adding tusks and a ridge of four inch long black hairs down the animal's back.
The pig was domesticated but died out in the 1800s
Dr Tait said: "No-one alive today has seen a Shetland grice, so making this reconstruction relied on months of research, finding out how large the animal was and what colour and shape it was. The result has been well worth all the hard work.
"We are confident that the reconstruction is an excellent interpretation of the pig breed that lived in Shetland for many centuries.
"We're delighted that visitors to the museum will now be able to see for themselves an animal that had such a large part in Shetland's farming history."
Shetland Museum and Archives is due to open to the public in spring 2007.
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Dad Hats
Dad Hats & Dad Caps
Dad hats are low profile, unstructured, 6 panel caps typically made from 100% cotton and has an adjustable strap. There are acrylic blends out there but those give the dad hat silhouette a more structured look. As a rule of thumb, the more acrylic in the material, the stiffer the material is going to be. So if you're looking for a relaxed fit, try the 'Clean Up' model from 47 right here at CraniumFitteds.com.
Dad hats became popular by the younger crowd in 2016 and has not slowed down since, as people scramble to build up their dad hat collection. The look has been adopted by countless celebrities and athletes. This phenomenon has spread to all four corners of the world with many foreigners adopting the look, including countries like Japan, Australia, Europe, and Latin America. At CraniumFitteds.com, we carry teams from MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, NFL, and Collegiate from brands like 47, American Needle, and Mitchell and Ness.
Which Dad Hat To Choose
Our most popular dad hat model is hands down the 'Clean Up' model by 47. Again, it has a nice cotton crown with a cool, comfortable, and relaxed fit. This hat look pairs nicely with current men's streetwear fashion as it has a more toned down look because of the low profile and curved visor. Another brand that makes a similar dad hat, is American Needle. They also use 100% cotton giving their hat an unstructured relax fit as well.
How Clean & Maintain Your Dad Hat
To clean your dad hat from fabric fibers, dust, and lint, it's best practice to use a hat brush rather than trying to grab the dust and fibers with tape. The reason you don't want to use tape is because it leaves sticky residue on your dad hat which is like a magnet for more dust and fibers. You want to just use a brush and/or some compressed air to blow the dust off. This leaves your dad hat clean and free from tape residue, giving your hat a lasting clean look. In theory, you could throw it in the washing machine since it's unstructured, although we advise against it, but you don't need to go that route as there are cap cleaners out there for you to clean your dad hat with.
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Africa
Is Burundi's Slow-Motion Genocide Finally Over?
This Burundian woman, photographed at her home on Dec. 11, 2003, was raped by Hutu rebels. Human-rights groups noted an increase in reported rape cases over 2003 and found that the crime, whether perpetrated by rebels or government soldiers, had become an entrenched feature of the crisis (Photo: Gianluigi Guerica/AFP-Getty Images).
Burundi’s ethnic civil war is nearing a conclusion, according to the country’s president, Domitien Ndayizeye. Now entering its 11th year, the conflict has killed at least 300,000 people and forced more than 1 million to flee their homes.
Speaking to journalists in Paris on Jan. 16, Ndayizeye said his country has reached “the point of no return on the road to peace and security.” He heads a transitional, power-sharing government that comprises both the majority Hutu and the minority Tutsi people.
The first stop on Ndayizeye’s European tour was a donors’ conference in Brussels. The European Union, the United States, and multilateral institutions like the International Monetary Fund pledged a total of 810 million euro (US$1.03 billion) to fund the reconstruction of Burundi over three years.
Ndayizeye said his priorities are, above all, “peace and security.” The first step, already underway, is the demobilization and integration of rebel forces into the national army; the second step, also underway, is the revitalization of the economy to “cement the peace;” the third step will be “free, transparent, and democratic” elections.
While in Paris, Ndayizeye was received by French President Jacques Chirac. He then traveled to Amsterdam for meetings with representatives of the Forces Nationales de Libération (FNL), the only armed rebel group that has yet to join the transitional government.
He claimed to have proof that the FNL was responsible for the Dec. 29, 2003, assassination of the apostolic nuncio to Burundi, Michael Courtney. Describing it as an “act of desperation,” he said the best way to honor his memory would be “to obtain peace.”
“The elections will take place no matter what,” he said. “If the FNL is willing to join the peace process, then nothing stands in the way of their benefiting from the same things as everyone else.”
Sharing Power
Located at the headwaters of the Nile, Burundi is smaller than the state of Maryland. It has roughly the same ethnic mix (85 percent Hutu, 14 percent Tutsi) as its better-known neighbor, Rwanda. But in Burundi the Tutsi minority still rules the country, having controlled the police and armed forces since it won independence from Belgium in 1962.
The most recent cycle of killing began June 1993 with the election of Melchior Ndayaye—the first Hutu to become president of Burundi. He was assassinated after four months in office by a group of Tutsi officers. Extremist Hutus killed thousands of Tutsis in revenge. The Tutsi army then swept through the countryside, using their weapons on Hutus.
The peace process, set in motion at the Tanzanian town of Arusha in August 2000 and mediated by former South African President Nelson Mandela, calls for the division of government between Hutus and Tutsis. The transition began in November 2001 when Tutsi Pierre Buyoya ceded the presidency to Ndayizeye, a Hutu secretary-general of the main opposition pro-Hutu party Le Front pour la Démocratie au Burundi (FRODEBU).
It did not spark a coup, as many feared, on the part of the Tutsi-dominated armed forces. The principal Hutu rebel force, the Forces de Défense de la Démocratie (FDD) signed the agreement last November.
A complex power-sharing formula based on ethnicity is meant to institutionalize respect for the rights of the Tutsi minority by the Hutu majority. “The institutions established by the Arusha agreement call for minimum and maximum quotas,” Ndayizeye explained. “Thus, Arusha will not allow more than 67 percent of a district’s communal administrators to be from the same ethnic group. One person in three on a ballot will belong to a different ethnic group. This is the spirit that will prevail in future elections.”
Land Time Bomb
Although hopes for an end to the fighting are high, the humanitarian situation is no less alarming than before. Roughly 1 million uprooted Burundians are waiting to go home to land that has, for the most part, been expropriated. An emergency team from the U.N. refugee agency left Geneva in mid-January for Burundi to take steps toward re-establishing field offices in key provinces for their possible return.
But the transitional government and international community are still not doing nearly enough to “defuse” the “land time bomb,” according to a report by the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think-tank. That Burundi is one of the most densely populated countries in the world makes the question of resolving the land dispute even thornier.
If preparations are not made quickly, the report warns, the peace process could end in slaughter rather than reconciliation. When 50,000 Hutu refugees returned to Burundi spontaneously in 1993 and recovered land taken by Tutsi families, it helped to set in motion the assassination of President Ndadaye and a decade of ethnic strife.
“Provisional” Immunity for War Crimes
An additional protocol to the Arusha accords, signed on Nov. 2, 2003, grants “provisional” immunity to its signatories from prosecution for war crimes. Rights groups say rebels and government troops alike are guilty of the rape and massacre of civilians. Presumably, the same form of immunity will be extended to the FNL if it joins the peace process.
In its December 2003 report on Burundi, “War Crimes May Go Unpunished,” the New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch warned that “peace agreements ignoring past atrocities rarely succeed,” a pointed reference to the immunity provisions. Human Rights Watch noted that neither the rebels nor the government forces “will have to fear punishment for crimes committed except in the distant future—and probably not even then.”
Amnesty International published two reports in December timed to anticipate the Burundi donors’ conference. In a press release, the human-rights organization stated that “despite positive political changes, many Burundians…remain trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of violence, human-rights abuses, poverty, and humiliation.” For a political settlement in Burundi to succeed, Amnesty International argued, human-rights issues must be “centrally addressed in every stage in the process.”
Thérence Sinunguruza, Burundi’s minister of foreign affairs and former minister of justice, told World Press Review that the government favors the creation of an international commission of inquiry into human-rights violations, “to ascertain exactly what has happened in Burundi since our independence. If crimes of genocide have been committed, we will ask for the involvement of the International Criminal Court.”
Asked if Burundi was “consecrating impunity” with the immunity protocol, President Ndayizeye—a former political prisoner—exclaimed “No!” three times. He repeated that there are plans for both an international commission and a national commission of truth and reconciliation on the South African model to “study the reality of what has gone on in Burundi and allow its institutions to make a decision...Why should that stop us from getting on with our lives now?”
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After successfully delivering Columbus, Atlantis is back on Earth
ESA PR 10-2008. NASA’s space shuttle Atlantis, which successfully delivered ESA’s Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station, has safely returned to Earth with its crew of seven. Landing was at 14:07 UTC (15:07 CET) on 20 February at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
On this STS-122 mission, the shuttle spent nearly 13 days in space, including 9 days docked to the Station to conduct a major ISS assembly task: delivery of Europe’s first permanent human outpost in orbit. The 7-m long 12.8-tonne Columbus module, a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary laboratory, was attached to the Harmony (Node 2) module on 11 February.
Once leak checks and initial electrical, fluid and data connections were completed, the module’s hatch was opened on 12 February, marking Europe’s new status as a full partner and co-owner of the ISS. Outfitting work inside Columbus began only a few hours later, as the laboratory entered its commissioning phase, which was commanded and controlled by the Columbus Control Centre (Col-CC) located in Oberpfaffenhoffen near Munich, Germany.
Columbus is attached to the starboard side of Harmony
Two ESA astronauts, Hans Schlegel of Germany and Léopold Eyharts of France, were ferried to the Station by Atlantis and both contributed directly to this success. As a member of the STS-122 crew, Hans Schlegel performed one of the three spacewalks during the mission with fellow astronaut Rex Walheim of NASA. He also coordinated the other two spacewalks, supporting the Columbus module’s transfer from the shuttle payload bay to the ISS, plus the transfer of two payload suites, SOLAR and EuTEF, to external platforms on the Columbus module. Hans Schlegel returned to Earth with Atlantis.
After formal crew responsibility hand-over tasks following the docking of Atlantis with the Station, Léopold Eyharts became part of the resident ISS crew (Expedition 16), trading places with NASA astronaut Dan Tani. He provided support for Columbus docking from inside the Harmony module, activating the motorised bolts to secure the junction, and assisted the third spacewalk by operating the station’s robotic arm.
Unlike Schlegel, Eyharts remained on the ISS when Atlantis undocked two days ago. He will spend the next month in space to complete the Columbus module’s commissioning and to perform a series of experiments, both in the laboratory and in the other science facilities already operating in the Station. Léopold Eyharts is scheduled to return to earth with the next shuttle ISS mission (Endeavour/STS-123), at the end of March.
ESA builds up its contribution to the ISS
ESA astronaut Hans Schlegel during his first spacewalk
With the addition of Columbus, the pressurised volume of the Space Station was increased by a mere 15%, but its science capacity was nearly doubled. Two modules of the Japanese laboratory will be added in March and May, and a Russian Multi-Purpose Laboratory Module (MLM) will follow in 2011.
A new era is also beginning for ESA’s activities onboard. As a fully-fledged partner of the ISS programme, ESA will now not only enjoy the benefits of Columbus but will also have to contribute to ISS operations. This will be achieved through the launch of unmanned servicing missions carried out by the Automated Transfer Vehicle, designed to deliver speares, scientific experiments, crew support equipment (food, clothing), fluids and propellant and to perform reboost to compensate for orbital decay of the ISS. The first ATV, Jules Verne, will be launched by an Ariane 5 on 8 March.
ESA astronaut Léopold Eyharts on board the International Space Station
But ESA will also benefit from the Station by conducting experiments within its many science facilities, and by regularly sending European astronauts to perform long-duration stays onboard as members of the resident crew. Two ESA astronauts are already training for such missions: Frank de Winne of Belgium who will fly as a member of the ISS Expedition 19 crew in 2009; and André Kuipers of the Netherlands who will be his backup. More will follow.
Further European-built ISS elements are still under preparation to be launched to the ISS within the decade, such as the Material Science Laboratory (MSL), the Muscle Atrophy Resistive Exercise System (MARES), the European Robotic Arm (ERA), the Node 3 module and the Cupola observation deck.
As Columbus is coming to life, so too is the network of nine User Support and Operations Centres (USOCs), which has been set up all over Europe to facilitate the interface between researchers and the science payloads onboard, and to allow investigators to control their experiments and receive real-time data on their results, through an interconnection provided via the Columbus Control Centre.
Columbus Control Centre
Commissioning of the European laboratory has proceeded well and faster than planned. The two external payloads SOLAR and EuTEF have been deployed outside Columbus and already provide data. WAICO, the first experiment to be conducted inside the lab, will start this week inside Biolab. The Geoflow experiment will start up in early March inside the Fluid Science Laboratory.
Over the coming weeks and months, the USOC network’s activity will increase dramatically as the science equipment and experiments already onboard Columbus are commissioned and switched to operational status, and as more science payloads are delivered to the module by the upcoming logistics missions.
Columbus was designed to support some 500 experiments per year for ten years, in cell and plant biology, astrobiology, human physiology, fluid and material sciences, fundamental physics, astronomy, remote sensing and technology. For the European science community and industrial R&D, a new era of research has just begun.
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Is premarital sex okay?
So lately a few college-age people have written to ask what I think about premarital sex. (Those who wrote are Christian, but I would answer the same if they weren’t.)
Ah, spring. As the great Shakespeare put it, “Tis the humpiest of seasons.”
Anyway, right. So:
I am not against premarital sex. I do think pre-love sex is almost necessarily problematic. We are not designed to be content when our bodies are engaged to a greater degree than our hearts.
But sex with a person with whom you are absolutely in love is not an offense against God or your higher nature.
Absolute love, however, means absolute commitment. And being absolutely committed to a person means being ready and willing to spend your life with them.
Line le’ bottom: If you love someone enough to sleep with them, then for your own emotional (not to mention physical) well-being, you should love them enough to marry them. And they should feel the same way about you. And each of you should have proven to the other that your relationship is of that very special order.
You should be proud of that relationship. You should be so proud of it that you formalize it, and publicly announce it.
And in this society, at this time, that means exchanging rings.
Generally speaking, I would recommend waiting to have full intercourse until you are engaged. (And note, please, the vital distinction between engaged and married. They’re most definitely not the same thing. And I assume this goes without saying, but before marriage always practice safe sex.)
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Andrew D. Sargent via Facebook
It’s ok as long as you’re willing to be stoned to death for it – according to the old testament.
Leonard Smith via Facebook
It is destructive in many ways and it seems no real good come of it but it is real and not likely to go away. I think a fairer question would be to ponder extra marital sex. The young are not the only ones who grope each other outside of marriage.
नैओमी गोंज़ालेज़ via Facebook
people can have lifelong commitments without marriage, I mean the divorce rate in this country shows that marriage, although viewed as an absolute commitment by society is in practice not that. plus more and more young people are delaying marriage (if they choose to get married at all). Marriage is a nice societal construct, but def not the be all sign for absolute commitment.
Mariah
Thank you, John.
My husband and I were engaged, lived together, but could not get married for various reasons that need not be discussed here for several years before we were finally married last May. We were engaged for four years and 2 days when we were finally able to tie the knot. Each of us came from a very traditional Catholic family, both of which tried in their own ways to be supportive but were increasingly uncomfortable as we unexpectedly welcomed 1, and then a 2nd child, still unwed. We have never broken up, we’ve been committed the entire time, and I even stopped correcting people when they called him my husband. He, several times, introduced me as his wife, despite not having a marriage certificate. Even our church recognized as a committed couple raising a family.
We were finally married last May, and all that really changed is my last name, and our savings account- depleted by the wedding. Still, I’m glad we did it. We would happily have married less than a year after he asked me to marry him, if we were able. It was very frustrating to be told by a couple members of my family that we were living in sin.
I’ve since learned, one member of my family can find sin in anyone, and will write you a strongly-worded letter about how you’re going to hell for it whenever he sees fit. Now we’re going to hell because I have used birth control, and my husband recently had a vasectomy. You know, because I should be perpetually pregnant in God’s eyes. Nevermind wanting to sufficiently provide for the children we have, right? Now we’re married, and that’s alright, but we’re committing adultery AND abortion in one by preventing pregnancy, so therefore we’re going to hell even more than before.
Whatever.
Mariah DiPlacido via Facebook
Agreed! And thank you for this post.
http://www.facebook.com/jo.hilder Jo Hilder via Facebook
If we are telling young people that sex before marriage is the worst sin they can commit against each other, we are lying. The terrible things that too-young married couples are capable of doing to each other when they marry do they won’t be “living in sin” can be far, far worse.
Lynne Jacobson via Facebook
Of course it’s okay. As long as you are not hurting self or others either physically or emotionally. Don’t risk getting sick. Don’t risk pregnancy.
Robert Wood via Facebook
@नैओमी गोंज़ालेज़ Divorce rates in the US have been on the decline. Secular marriage was never meant to be about absolute commitment, it’s basically just a co-habitation contract+ when you get right down to it. Usually what happens with this contract is that views get latched onto it that just aren’t there. The Christian ideal of marriage is not the same as this contract. And in the Christian ideal, its best to not even get the contract.
Kirsten A.S. Mebust via Facebook
I think it’s a reasonable response. I also think we do nothing much culturally to help people understand the differences between sexual desire and “being in love” and long-term commitment. Have you got some ideas about how to do that?
Paul Spencer via Facebook
Go through a divorce and find out that marriage is only a business contract.
Stephen Alan Whitehead via Facebook
John, in a slightly lighter vein. Sex before a wedding is not recommended.. if it’s going to keep the Minister, guests, choir, organist, photographer and caterer waiting. The wedding planner may also sue.
Pre-martial sex is one of the many things that’s none of my business. Besides, sometimes when people have pre-marital sex, they get married and stay married. Sometimes, single people have cute babies; no reason to judge.
vj
Great response, John. I also particularly liked the approach advocated by Peet in a comment last year (I am a terrible nerd – I keep a file on my computer of all the things you and your comment-leaving-readers write that really resonate with me…):
“The basics of a healthy relationship:
1. It is mutually public. You’re not sneaking around, you aren’t embarrassed with who you’re with, you want other people to see what a lucky guy/gal you are.
2. It is mutually exclusive. You’re not betraying the person you’re with. You’re devoted to one person.
3. It is mutually committed. You aren’t using someone until you find someone you think is better. You haven’t put a time limit on the relationship. You’re together through good and bad times. You’ve got each others’ back, for good.
That’s it. If your relationship falls within those parameters, as far as I’m concerned, you’re good to go, sex wise.”
Waiting for marriage worked for me and my husband (we were 22!), but I realize that for many people it doesn’t – the above parameters seem like a pretty good non-official-marriage way of testing if you and/or your relationship are ready for physical intimacy, and I wouldn’t object if my kids used them as the basis for their relationship decisions.
Erich Buehler
Hmmm. Aren’t we also then supposed to stone people to death for braiding their hair, or picking up sticks on Saturday….. Not saying yea or nay to the original issue here, just saying the Old Testament argument won’t hold up unless you’re an ultra-orthodox Jew, and I’m not convinced even then.
Penny Visalli via Facebook
Very well stated.
http://www.facebook.com/leigh.kelly Leigh Pinkston Kelly via Facebook
Yeshua defined marriage when he said, “What The Lord has joined together, let no man put asunder.” Two people haven’t been joined by The Lord until they have children together. In an era before contraceptives, that meant sex and child bearing were pretty closely connected, hence the prohibition on divorce. (Annulment was usually fairly easy to get if there had been no consummation though.) Today, with our long life spans, it is essential that we chose partners who are satisfying sexually as well as emotionally and the only way to really do that is to “test drive” the proposed spouse by cohabiting for several years (with or without a contract) prior to having children. A lot of unhappy marriages could be avoided that way.
Lymis
I won’t weigh in too much with my own take on the actual subject, because I think it will be out of line with the general consensus.
But one thing I think we do need to reasonably do is make a distinction between “premarital sex” among people who are very young and still discovering who they are and far more likely to have unrealistic expectations that having the slipper fit guarantees a happy ending and don’t have the life experience to separate arousal, infatuation, intimacy and love, and the often significantly different experience of people who do have more life experience, more grounding, and a different perspective on life.
In other words, I think “is premarital sex okay” is a very different discussion with two sixteen year-olds than it is with two 40-year olds., or two 80 year-olds, no matter where you come down with regards the actual answer.
We often assume that either the only discussion that needs to be had is with the youngsters or that the answers that apply to teenagers map onto everyone else, and I think often that’s an error.
Leslie
I appreciate you moderate position on this issue. But, even saving it for the engagement (I know you said “generally speaking”) isn’t always the answer. I’m in my mid-20′s and have never had sex. Not for any particular “moral” reason, but I suppose, in part, because I’ve never been in love. I’m increasingly aware of how weird it is to still be a virgin a few years away from 30, though, so I’m trying to get a move on. At the same time, I have zero interest in getting married in the next 5 years. Even if I meet the right guy. I’m just not ready to give up my freedom.
It’s a different world today, and I consider marriage to be a big deal. But, I don’t want the white picket fence or the 2 1/2 kids. At least, not now (or anytime close to now). That doesn’t make me immoral. I just want something different from my life. I still plan on saving sex for a committed relationship, but waiting until marriage (or even an engagement) might turn me into the next 40-year-old virgin. I think I’ll pass God will understand.
Gary
Great points Lymis. I am more in line with you on this than with John. I find nothing in the bible that declares it to be sin unless the law of love is broken. Therefore it becomes a matter of opinion and circumstances. I totally agree that it is an entirely different thing between 40 year olds as opposed to 16 year olds. But one thing I see way too often in the fundamental church is the advice to two 20 year olds in a relationship that are no where near ready for marriage to go ahead and marry anyway because sex would be a mortal sin. This is just so irresponsible to me on many levels. I am not saying they should just go ahead and have sex…but I am saying that depending on circumstances it may be preferable to marriage. And since I do not see sex as a sin when handled responsibly…I don’t even view it as the lesser of two evils.
Melody
No offense, but what’s with the cynical comments regarding the Old Testament? I reread the post and found nothing in John’s advice about God or the Bible. It seems he’s speaking more in terms of what he thinks would be best in real life, not what God or the Bible says is right or wrong.
Gary
Not exactly. Only if you were a woman who was the property of a husband or a father…or if you took the property of a husband or father without paying the price. But a man who had sex with a prostitute (or various other women) had no issues. The law was more about property rights than about morality.
Laurie Parham O’Neill via Facebook
“Two people haven’t been joined by The Lord until they have children together.” WHAT? Are you kidding me? Do you realize how many people you hurt terribly by saying that?
I’m sorry…I mistook your comment. I thought you were referring to the morality of it and not the fertility issues many couples face.
mike moore
Back in olden tymes, Joe Jackson sang, “It’s Different for Girls.” Sounds like it may also be different for nice straight guys.
I loved my years of dating and getting naked just for the sheer fun of it. Making out like high-schoolers even when we were long out of high school. Clothes littered in the living room and down the hall. Not quite making it to bedroom. Skin-on-skin for the first time. Later, the exhausted tangle of sheets and bodies. The trip to raid the fridge afterwards, sometimes asking the question, “so what’s your last name?”
People liked to say to me, “someone always gets hurt,” but for my friends and me, that simply wasn’t true. Or, it was true in the exact same way that my chaste friends always got hurt in their dating game … they’d date for a month, or two, or six, and one of them would think they’d found “the one” at, inevitably, the same moment when the other announces they want to break up.
26 years ago, after having a ton of fun (and, often, true intimacy … guys I’m still friends with almost 30 years later) bouncing around beds for 7-8 years, I had a “first date” one night. After dinner, we blew off the movie we’d planned to see and went back to his place to rip each other’s clothes off. We’ve been together ever since.
Sex is best with someone you really love, no argument there. But for some of us, a naked romp was just way (waaaay) more fun than watching “Miami Vice” or “Cheers.”
Gary
Which by the way is the reason why Jesus simple law of love is so superior to the old law in every way.
http://audioarchives.blogspot.com spinetingler
“Is premarital sex okay?”
If not, you’re doin’ it wrong. Try more lube.
http://thaliasmusingsnovels.com/ Lore
One problem with the question of premarital sex is defining sex in the first place. In the world of the Old Testament, sex was penetration. A gold-star lesbian would have been considered a virgin in many ancient cultures.
My own thoughts on premarital sex: Do everything you can to protect yourself from STDs. Don’t do something that could result in pregnancy unless you know your partner is committed to raising a child with you or you’re in a socioeconomic position to raise one on your own. Beyond that, consider the effects of sexual activity on your own and your partner’s emotional health. Would adding sexual activity to your relationship dynamic make the relationship more healthy and functional or less so? And if the relationship isn’t healthy or functional to begin with, you have bigger issues than whether or not to have sex.
Elsa Wiens via Facebook
There is absolutely a spiritual component to sex – when there is one. That is my distinction between having sex and making love. And it’s got nothing to do with whether or not you are married.
I know this first hand, having done it both ways. The one person I never should have had sex with was the one I was legally married to.
Pre-marital sex is essential to our physical and emotional safety. Never, never again, would I get married to someone without finding out ‘what’s in it’ for me. Some people get up to some very weird stuff in bed: so if the rules say you’re not allowed to find that out ahead of time, and then you’re not allowed to get out of it through divorce – you are (pardon the expression) screwed. Sex is way too important to leave it up to chance like that. Our lives are way too important to blindly follow rules put into place centuries ago.
What does ‘what God has joined together’ mean, anyway? If that means any sex act, then rape victims have to stay with their rapists. Even if it’s incest. How can something decided upon by a human being (and don’t forget, in biblical times this meant a male human) be seen as God doing it? In those times women were property. If a man divorced his wife, she was thrown out onto the streets with no means of support.
The biblical rules were not talking about a mutual and equal relationship. They couldn’t have been, because there was no such thing. Those rules were in place to protect women, so men couldn’t just use them and throw them away. Which in those days was very dangerous.
We live in different times. Why is there 50% divorce rate? Because we CAN. We don’t have to stay in painful marriages anymore. Women can support themselves, although once they have children it becomes more difficult. Still, it is possible because there is a system of support in place, even though it is not ideal yet.
Now that we CAN get divorced, we have to figure out how to do relationships properly if we don’t want to. Ooops, got sidetracked there.
Recent article I read about couples who live together before marriage and have already made a commitment to marriage(life time together in a monogamous relationship usually will stay together; however those who shack up without that commitment already in place then their relationship is pretty well doomed to end. It is ignorant(blind) to think having multiple sex partners(even before conception) does not effect you adversly in some way(for future relationships). There is a certain amount of extra(?) intimacy involved in knowing you or your partner are sharing somthing you have waited and kept sacred for only one other person. Just a few random thoughts.
Mike are you gay? I wonder if this dynamic is different for men. For women, sex outside of the context that John’s painted can get emotionally tough.
LSS
After the initial wtf?! reaction, and then re-reading your comment (and agreeing wholeheartedly with the part about it being optimal to not have children until you know you are really going to stay together), i have this question, well actually questions:
(1) are you getting the “not joined until children are produced” idea from the Bible or from elsewhere? And either way, what is your source? It sounds a little familiar but not like something that would necessarily apply now.
(2) based on this idea, couples who marry and choose not to have kids, as well as couples where one or both are infertile, are not really married. What about that?!
DR
Where did John reference the Old Testament??
LSS
Also the people who choose not to have kids. Also the same-sex couples… How is God even going to join them, according to that theory?!
Dh and i never planned to have kids. We’ve been married for nearly 7 years. If “la migra” had followed that theory, his fiancé visa would have been invalidated and he wouldn’t have gotten his citizenship.
I just think something is missing, maybe she meant that was an old testament idea or a cultural idea of the time and didn’t specify.
Melody
I know, right? Seems some readers have chips on their shoulders and are using this topic as a platform for that.
Kristi Knox via Facebook
I see. I misunderstood. I apologize, Leigh. Previous post will now disappear. :/
Scott McDaniel via Facebook
Is premarital sex okay? Yes, it’s FABULOUS
नैओमी गोंज़ालेज़ via Facebook
Also remember in biblical times at least in the period of the hebrew bible men had multiple wives and concubines…
Michelle M
First of all, I don’t know if Laurie Parham thinks this idea is somehow in Scripture, because it’s not.
Secondly, this comment is hurtful to me, a woman who had children with an abuser and is now divorced from said abuser. I am in no way “joined in the Lord” to my ex, and quite frankly, I never was, even when we were married. We are co-parents; that is all. This comment also hurts a woman who was raped, got pregnant, and chose to keep the baby. This also hurts a single mom who was abandoned by the father of her children. With Laurie’s Pollyana-esque comment, these woman are joined together (by the Lord!?) with these evil men. When you are joined together “by the Lord”, the assumption is that you can never be free. And that’s wrong. This also goes for fathers who are horribly wronged by the mother of their children.
While it is true that having a child connects two people, they are connected by their own choices, not because God connected them. God didn’t make them jump in the sac right when she was ovulating. Sometimes one parent must break free from the other parent for their sake and/or the sake of the child.
The idea that children is God’s way of joining two people together makes God seem like a controlling ass who tries to permanently connect people who are wrong for each other just for fun. And He’s not.
I guess what bothers me the most about this comment is that some churches will tell people to hang on to their horrible exes because “God is going to change them” and “God is going to work a miracle, you’ll see”. And the innocent party ends up turning away from God in their pain and hurt because they can’t believe God would force them to be so miserable.
Michelle M
Oh no, I used the wrong name! My apologies, Laurie Parham! I am in agreement with you. This comment is for Leigh Pinkston Kelly.
Gary
Many believe the mystery Paul spoke of regarding the two becoming one flesh was referring to children…one flesh from two. Perhaps this was what she had in mind?
way gay. and, at least among my friends, sex does indeed seem very different for women. thus, Joe Jackson.
नैओमी गोंज़ालेज़ via Facebook
So how we view marriage love and sex differs depending on time period, culture etc. Not every society has viewed premartial sex or sex with multiple people as harmful or bad.
Gary
Oh I agree. I am not sure she meant it in the way it has been taken…but if she chooses she can clarify her comment.
Theresa Pickel via Facebook
Yes premarital sex is ok and so is living together before you get married than there are no surprises.
http://www.facebook.com/katie.geddes Katie Geddes via Facebook
I am 50 years old, never married. Am I really supposed to be a virgin?
M
I have a couple of thoughts on the topic. In no way am I basing this off of what John said, so please don’t respond by saying “John didn’t say that” because I already know.
I was raised to believe that premarital sex was one of the worst things that I could do. My parents weren’t the ones who pushed that on me, but I heard the message, loud and clear, when I was at church. My youth group obsessed on it and I grew more and more afraid of anything that had to do with sex. I ended up having sex when I was 20 and the horrible guilt and feeling that I failed God, that came along with it, was way worse than the fact that the relationship I was in failed. I didn’t think I was going to marry the guy. I think I just wanted to get rid of being a virgin. I was sick of thinking about it. I was sick of worrying about it. I think I did it, just because it was easier than all the fear.
I am married now. I got married at 30. Sadly, my I have deep rooted issues with sex that I am starting to believe came from the Church. I have a hard time being sexual. I get embarrassed easily and feel shame, anytime I try to be sexy with my husband. I find him extremely attractive, but it is hard to undo years of being told that “sex is bad”. I know they said, “unless you are married” but after years of not being married, all you focus on is “sex is bad”. I think I need to go find a therapist to talk to . My husband is wonderful and understanding, but I don’t want to live in a passionless marriage and I know he does not want to either.
I also know that I am not alone in this. I think that teaching children that sex is not a game and that you should be in love is fine. No one wants 15 year olds to have sex and some sort of preventative measure needs to be taken, I’m just not sure that instilling the fear of God’s wrath into them, is the most healthy way to do it.
I believe that girls are targeted more than boys and that so much of our worth is based on our virginity, when we are younger. I had friends who had sex as teenagers and figured that they were ruined now, so why not just keep having sex? Our traditional ways of teaching children about sex are damaged.
I also believe that making the human body an object of shame, instead of beauty, can be incredibly harmful to our own self image. I recently heard a mother freak out because her child saw a work of art that had a woman with one breast exposed. All she was teaching her little girl is that breast are shameful. I understand you need to teach modesty and decency, but I think it is more important to teach children where their worth comes from. To often they are told that it comes from their bodies and what they do with them, which often sets them up for failure. Not enough of them learn that their worth comes from God and that He loves them. If we can teach proper self worth, I think that less children will search for it, in the arms of someone else.
I have no answer for how to teach worth. I am not a parent and I can’t imagine how difficult it is to raise a child. I just hope that I am able to find a way to guide them, on this topic, that is not based of fear.
@Keith I dated a man who believed the things you mention. I was the person who was divorced and had a few committed partnerships that included sex before I met him. Yes it affected me: it made me more aware, experienced and knowledgeable about myself, how to be a good partner, and what I wanted and needed in a relationship. He tried to follow to the letter the teaching of the church on sex (for all intents and purposes, he was a virgin). He didn’t have the self-knowledge that comes from truly giving of yourself, because he thought it was “wrong” and “bad” to experience what most adults do even within the confines of a committed relationship. While he desperately wanted it, he didn’t have enough awareness or experience to make a life decision on the magnitude of marriage. And our relationship failed. I hope he remembers that next time he tries to judge a person like me.
Patricia Dittmar Boese via Facebook
I’ve seen too many friends who believe otherwise with their children rushing into marriage at a young age and one time a friend with a 25 year old daughter who had not been kissed until she was engaged. When I asked about it, she said that the man was supposed to teach her how to kiss the way he liked. I always thought that at a young age if you could keep your hands off each other for a long engagement than maybe there wasn’t enough chemistry there and there’s no way I’d want kids marrying simply to have sex at 19. I vote for responsible pre-marital sex while speaking to them about the real implications of connection that go so much beyond the physical. I always thought if you could put it in a card game form like Pokemon (simple to understand) then they could see that casual sex might take away “mana” life points, etc. But sexual compatibility is a huge factor in marriage. It definitely needs to be checked out and you shouldn’t seal the deal without finding out first if you are good together. You wouldn’t buy a car without driving it and heck, you can get rid of those easily.
Poppy
You are so right! I hope you get the support you need because you deserve a full, healthy sex life free of shame.
Logan Judd via Facebook
We shouldn’t be as uptight about premarital sex as we should about irresponsible premarital sex. Who cares about premarital sex, as long as the two are being responsible about it (using protection, contraception if they don’t want kids, etc.)?
Gary
Awesome comments. Hope you are able to find the help you seek. You both deserve it.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
No offense or anything, for real. But you might want to give some serious thought to why you equate getting married to losing your freedom.
http://www.facebook.com/lois.arata Lois Arata via Facebook
Sometimes my eyes play tricks on me and when i first read the title of this post I thought it read ‘It’s premarital sex day’, hahahaha! YIPEE!
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
I’d like to see that file!
Jay
I am afraid that I do not agree with the line ‘And in this society, at this time, that means exchanging rings.’ I believe that commitment has nothing to do with being married and, for many members of the LGBT community all over the world, they are denied the luxury of being married. Does this make them less committed then married couples? No.
I have known couples that have married, and divorced, in the space of three and sixteen years. I also know couples that have been together, solidly, and unmarried, for many more years than that.
Commitment comes from love, respect, good communication and consideration. Marriage is a bonus (often, for those that can afford it).
http://www.facebook.com/divadarya Darya Teesewell via Facebook
Then again, one might view sex as a purely physical function; satisfaction of a basic drive. If you are committed to someone and have sex outside your commitment;that probably be hurtful or fatal to the commitment. That said, there’s a lot of ways to partner.
Hallie Mac via Facebook
I think this is the first time I’ve disagreed with John. Loving what Elsa Wiens said!
Tim
I know some people, whose personal identifying details I’m going to keep secret but have given me permission to tell you all the sketch of the story, who would beg to differ. Both women.
I largely agree with the point of your premise, John, but there is a lot of complexity it doesn’t correct for.
First, I know someone who was abused as a child and didn’t have sex until her wedding night after the abuse and was in the hospital that night and missed her honeymoon because they were both so uneducated about those nether regions that they didn’t notice how much damage she had undergone–she had severe scar tissue problems and had to have 3 surgeries and wait almost a year after the last before being fully intimate with her husband again–which almost led to a divorce.
Another woman had a similar problem, except they both had some experience before they got into this relationship. They vowed not to go there until they got married because they didn’t want to flub up their relationship by complicating it too early. Needless to say, they were not compatible physically. It was just too painful for her to be intimate with him, which would have been good to know when they started dating.
In other words, I do think we need to tie sex to at least the idea that we could go all the way to the altar with the person, John, but for our own education, safety, and knowledge we need to have some experience and know that sex is indeed possible before one makes that commitment, otherwise, people lose too much.
From my experimenting as a gay man (and I know you mean the equivalent of marriage for us) and my physiological issues that stem from being severely abused, I know what I can and can’t do sex-wise. I also know what to tell my partner to expect (and a lot of it is disconcerting). Problem is, if I hadn’t been loose as a young adult (18-22, am almost 26 now) I wouldn’t know these things. I wish I had had a guy during that time that I could have trusted, and perhaps envisioned a life with, to explore these things, but I knew better from those women’s experience than to wait until I was 30 or 35 and postitively contemplating a life together.
Many Sunday blessings,
Tim from Kansas
Judy
I was also raised in a church that taught that premarital sex was a sin. For me, that was one of the few things of my fundamentalist upbringing that I am glad I listened to. I met the love of my life in college and married at age 21. Both of us waited until the wedding night for sex. I do not feel that it at all inhibited my sexuality with him, but rather enhanced it, because we shared something special that had never been shared with anyone else. From a health aspect, it definitely has advantages m in that neither of us has to worry about sexually transmitted diseases. From an emotional health aspect, we do not worry that one of us is comparing sexual prowess of former lovers with the present one.
I do not think the actual piece of paper is what makes it special, it is instead the act of standing in front of God and witnesses and declaring a commitment to each other. While the legal paper is denied our LGBT brothers and sisters, they too can still make a public affirmation of commitment. I had hoped that our children would follow our lead, but they chose not to, convinced that we were old fashioned and that waiting for a commitment was not necessary. While I do not think premarital sex is a sin, I think that they have missed out on a joy that my husband and I have shared.
After thirty four years of marriage, we are still pretty sexual for old married farts.
Gordon
No one can overstate the power of sexual attraction when you’re young. Hell, it still amazes me, and I’m in my 50′s now! It’s primal…it’s biological…and we all know that those two things will trump religious teaching every time. I don’t have any children, but for some reason my nieces and nephews have, over the years, thought that makes me an expert on what’s going on in young minds and hearts. One of them, when she was just 18, came to me and said that her father (my brother) was badgering her about her relationship with her boyfriend. Bro said, if you’re having sex or even thinking about having sex, you need to get married. I asked my niece if she was in love with her boyfriend and if she wanted to marry him. She said she didn’t know. I didn’t ask her if she was having sex, because I’m not stupid. So, I reminded her of her Aunt Jo, my sister.
Jo met Derrick when she was a freshman in college. My parents lived in the Middle East then, and Jo was pretty much on her own – except for me, her big brother who lived in the same town and stayed as close as she would let me. (I’m six years older.) I met Derrick and after about 15 minutes I knew this was not a guy I wanted my sister to have anything to do with. I kept that to myself, though, because as anyone with a little sister (or brother!) knows, the last thing they will benefit from is an older sibling telling them what to do. It doesn’t matter if it’s boyfriends or clothes. We have to keep our place.
Anyway, my sister dated this boob for about six months and then announced she was dropping out of college and moving to Long Beach to live with him. I knew I couldn’t convince her not to go, so I actually advocated for it because I knew the relationship would run its course, it would end and she would get back to her life in Oregon. I also told her she couldn’t lie to our parents about what she was doing and she needed to tell them she was dropping out of school and moving to Long Beach. She did. My parents immediately leaped into action and came home. I was relieved because I figured they would talk some sense into her and, hopefully, convince her to slow down…not move so fast…make the morning last… and all that jazz. BUT, within a few days of my parents’ return home, I get a call from little sis and she has great news: She’s getting MARRIED! Rather than face up to the fact that their little girl was having sex with her boyfriend, my parents concluded that she needed to get married before she could live with him. And, in spite of all I tried to do to talk sense into anyone who would listen to me, she did marry Derrick. And she has had more than 25 years of heartbreak. I’m talking abuse, drugs, infidelity, restraining orders, etc. Every trashy reality TV example of a bad marriage has at one time or another visited itself on Jo. She is now raising her only child’s baby because he and the mother are too screwed up to do it. Oh, it is a mess my friends. A royal mess.
A wedding is a magical thing and marriage is an amazing commitment that is to be honored and celebrated. Neither has ANYTHING whatsoever to do with sex or religion. And, before any of you start admonishing me about Jo’s choices and blah blah blah: She’s heard all of that. From me. We are still close, although my loathing for her husband has made that hard over the years. Ah, family. Right?
Christine McQueen
I’m wondering if anyone here was as naive as I was at 19. I say that because, the first time I had sex, I literally didn’t even know what was happening until it was over! I thought all we were doing was “making out” – kissing and fondling.
Fast forward six months to when I met the man I fell in love with and married six weeks later. I knew he was the man for me when, at our first “make out” session, he didn’t seem to notice the one physical flaw I had spent most of my teen years trying to hide. And when I asked him about it, his reply sealed my love because it wasn’t what I’d ever heard from most, both male and female. Had we waited for sex until the engagement, there likely would never have been an engagement, much less a marriage.
A Person
John, I know you said “Generally speaking (and please remember I said that when you’re complaining at me), I would recommend waiting until you are engaged to have sex.” What would you consider exceptions to this? I have medical problems that will make it difficult or impossible for me to have sex in the traditional way; I’m not sure I can get treated for them. I would rather try to have sex with my significant other before we got married, so they could understand what our sex life would be like and make an informed decision about whether to commit to me for life, than wait until after we got engaged or married to find out that our relationship was never going to work because of our sex life.
http://www.sparrowmilk.blogspot.com Shadsie
I remember my reaction to my mother on the phone when she announced to me a niece of mine being pregnant:
Mom: “They’re planning on getting married, he’s going to do the right thing by her.”
Me: “But she’s so young… Is she sure he’s right for her? You know, in this day and age, a girl doesn’t automatically have to marry a guy just because he gives her a kid.”
Some conversation later had me trusting my niece’s judgement, because she’s a smart girl, but “if he hurts her, I’ll fly out there and do things to his face.” Something like that. Just me being a protective aunt. This is the second niece of mine to do baby-before-marriage. It’s actually not an uncommon route in my family. That and the fact that one of my happily married younger cousins just had a third (or was it fourth)? kid prompted me to say “What’s in the water out there?”
I’m only 32 years old and I have GRAND-nephews.
You can say that’s why I’m an advocate of commitment, if nothing else – the “stay side by side” even if things aren’t on paper because, you know, protection doesn’t always work and other options can be unplesant – though it helps to have supportive family. (Mine has problems, but is ultimately thick).
After all, mine supports my… unusualness. People are right when they say “marriage is for those who can afford it” in this day and age. It’s the reason why the man I’ve been living with for over six years now and I aren’t officially married. I do have a ring… There are complicated finanical issues involved that keep us from being on paper. At the same time, however, premarital sex isn’t a problem for us. Neither of us are particularly interested. We’re asexuals who fell in love, apparently. Maybe someday, but it’s not like we have any overriding urges – it’s not like there’s no attraction, it’s just we like the relationship as it is. Besides, the birth control I take for a particular health problem is something I’d have to pay more attention to if we did anything, and that’s a hassle. Considering the state of my mental health, a kid would be the worst thing for us… but seriously, don’t come to me for advice, I’m a freak.
I guess I’m saying is that, just in case of stuff happening, if you’re going to do stuff, it’s good to have a commitment, and even better to have a family who will be there for you in case commitments fall through.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
Yes, A., I certainly think it’s safe to say your situation is exceptional. There is no one way for this sort of thing; certainly your path is a unique one, and needs its own set of rules for traversing.
Gordon
By the way…one of my many regrets in this whole saga was insisting that my sister tell my parents she was moving in with this guy. In hindsight, I would have lied through my teeth if that would have kept her from marrying him.
http://www.facebook.com/q123robin Bonnie Palmer via Facebook
like a wise person once said: ITS NOT PREMARITAL SEX IF YOU NEVER GET MARRIED.
DR
JOE JACKSON!
DR
I love this. I’m actually ok with believing that God puts some constraints around sex in order to protect us and help us integrate it in the way He intended it. I don’t know all of why sex exists or why God created it to be experienced in the ways we do but for me, there is a lot of freedom and dignity in approaching it the way you’ve stated here.
Martha Jean
I think it is most likely that young adults are going to have sex, often as a biological urge, and maybe it’s better to build a spiritual sense of strength and teach them to learn to listen to what they really want (not other’s coercion or expectations). Also, teach them to be safe if they choose premarital sex, and let them know how, like you, they will learn from their mistakes. Fear, punishment, sin, and ignorance are unlikely ways to ever have a loving, growing relationship with a partner, married or not.
SquirrelyGirl
Absolute perfection John! I was determined to remain a virgin until I got married. But didn’t realize until years later that “saving yourself marriage” and “saving yourself for the one you love” is two entirely different things. A perfect wedding with all the pomp and circumstance does not a marriage make. When eventually I met the man I should have been with (had I not been so determined to get married and so I COULD have sex! And we truly believed that int the south in the 70′s) –I felt bad that I had not “saved myself” for him! By society’s standards it was perfectly okay for me to have sex with someone I wasn’t truly in love with … because we stood in a church somewhere and they blessed us and said it was okay to have sex now.. WHOO HOOO…we could hardly wait. Truth is… it was not a relationship based on love but a relationship based on what people in our church had told us it should be. It didn’t last long. So listen to John Shore kiddos…without true commitment and love..no amount of sex will ever be enough and marriage just so you can have sex will never be good at all.
I personally won’t buy a loaf of bread without squeezing it– and it costs a buck and only has to be pallitable for a week at most… How would an individual know whether they were gay if they resisted all their urges on the assumption that sex would be wonderful when it happened simply because they had a marriage blessed by God… I try not to discuss my views with young Christians as I would not want to be accused of leading them astray. That is my logical appraisal of a spiritual state… and I have been married for 16 years and divorced at the age of 21. (I believed it was better to marry than to burn with lust) my views have mellowed (like good wine) with age.
John I really like your blog posts in the main — this one I disagree with pretty strongly. It seems like you have decided that your own experiences of sex and love are universal. People are very different, and experience the act of sex and the sharing of love in many different ways. Also, even if one is someone who believes in finding a soul-mate and life-partner (and I am), sexual compatibility is very important. One really good way to find out if someone is sexually compatible is to go to bed with them. In my view, as long as everyone is being honest and careful of each other’s physical and emotional well-being, I don’t see any spiritual or moral problem with pre-marital sex. I don’t see how Jesus would have a problem with it. In my view, He has bigger fish to fry than where you stick it.
Allie
Just as we can’t judge what the apostles would have thought about committed gay relationships from what they said about coercive pagan sexual practices, we can’t judge what the Bible might have said about sex with a greatly reduced risk of pregnancy. At the time Biblical writers were calling any woman who lost her virginity outside of marriage a “whore,” having sex meant having a baby, and given the lack of available occupations for women, having a baby without a man was not a good idea. And for men, having sex with a woman outside marriage meant fathering a child you didn’t plan to take care of.
That’s not the case today. Birth control is not 100%, but used properly it is pretty darned close. It’s still not a great idea to risk catching a disease, but you can also catch a fatal disease from a doorhandle.
If God were to come to me and offer to erase all my sexual experiences that happened outside of marriage, I would think God had turned into the Devil, because only the Devil could be so mean. Those are some of the greatest moments of my life and I don’t regret even one of them. They didn’t make me value myself less, they didn’t unfit me for marriage (19 years now, very happy, perfectly faithful) and I am in touch with several of my past partners and know they feel the same way.
Sex is like glue – it bonds things, and if you don’t want them bonded, you might not want to get it on everything. It’s risky – there are diseases out there and 50% of all American babies are unplanned – and even smart girls suddenly act like morons when it comes to using birth control. But geez. The payoff is huge. Let’s stop lying about that. Sex feels great and it makes you feel great and most people most of the time don’t regret having it or wish they had been more biblical about it or more in love. It’s largely poisonous so much of the time because people who enjoy it are told it ought to be poisonous, so they talk themselves into thinking they shouldn’t have done it.
textjunkie
I am so glad I do not have kids and am not actually responsible for having to make a decision about this! I was raised in a Christian family, taught that sex outside of marriage was not God’s will for anyone, sex is a beautiful expression of love within the context of marriage, and balancing that against sexual libido led to a lot of soul-searching, bible verse searching, quibbling, teasing, and just flat-out weird behavior. In retrospect, the tension between the two drives drove me completely nuts for most of my adolescence and college years.
I think it’s a set of expectations that only work in cultures where kids are getting married at 13, 14, 15 years old. Once that’s no longer the case, we need a different set of rules. Your suggestion that sex is ok in the context of engagement is one suggestion; I think that’s still too much of a burden, but I don’t have a morally consistent counter-suggestion. I’m not at all certain how “special” I think sex should be. Certainly if I had kids I’d want them waiting until 17, 18, and being absolutely committed to safe sex, and having enough self esteem that they won’t have sex just because they want someone to like them, or to be cool, or because they are bored, or because someone else is manipulating them into it. Is it so special they should wait until they are sure they want to spend the rest of their lives with this person? Nope, because at 18 they will happily convince themselves that they are going to get married, just to be able to have sex. And *that* would be the real tragedy, not having sex with the wrong person.
textjunkie
This!!
Michael wbl
you know im actually a (college aged) virgin, but after i decided to have sex with my first girlfriend in highschool (she wanted it i didnt) and she then promptly broke up with me, ive found that ive lost the meaning of sex. i dont care much either way if i have it or not or who with. i try to care but i honestly cant. i sometimes wish i could care again, and i often hope that the girl i lose my virginity to will genuinely love me, and i her. alas, in college and with no one to terribly interested in me, i think that will most likely not happen.
LSS
it could take a while. It took dh over 5yrs to help me relax about being romantic. But it can happen.
LSS
Oh wow. I thought if it had a literal physical meaning it was insert tab A in slot B. (Or other configurations, of course.) this may just be my literalmindedness but i figured if you were as close as 2 bodies could be, penetration was the only closer you could get… and the physical aspect echoed the closeness of trust that you would want to have in order to get that close anyway. That sounds kind of tacky but when i thought i had figured it out, it seemed like a pretty great idea.
Gary
Indeed!
http://brickandtimber.wordpress.com/ DR
I totally disagree. I think Jesus cares about everything that we do that involves our head and our heart and the potential for damaging either (or someone else’s). Sex is super powerful, to reduce it to something that we “stick it” in feels a little degrading, frankly.
http://www.facebook.com/DianeReischling Diane Re via Facebook
@Kate Holland – I disagree with your disagreement. “Where you stick it” seems to be kind of a diminishing way to talk about something that is so impactful on just about every level for a human being. There are thousands of people who’ve modeled this approach who are happily in love and happy with their spouse.
LSS
There *is* life after college. Some people find their first (lasting relationship, sexual experience, or both) around age 30… and some even later.
Gary
She didn’t say He doesn’t care…just that He would not have a problem with what you choose. Remember she did point out “as long as everyone is being honest and careful of each other’s physical and emotional well-being, I don’t see any spiritual or moral problem with pre-marital sex. ”
I think you are taking the comment out of her intended context. Law of love…this is clearly what Jesus cares about.
Diane Re: please forgive me if my words offended you. I absolutely did not intend to deny that waiting until marriage can be a very meaningful and right choice for some people. I just think that there are a multitude of personality types, some of whom may make choices about sex and love based on different criteria. My point was, if people are respectful and caring in their approach, I see no harm in different choices. This wasn’t meant to diminish the experience of people who chose to wait to make love until they are engaged or married. I have respect for that choice too — I just don’t see it as the only legitimate one. And I was being flip with that last sentence — again, I am really sorry if it was inappropriate or caused offense. It was just me joking about something that causes me some real discomfort in some aspects of my faith. I worry that we spend a lot of time thinking about sex and religion, and ignoring the larger and more radical implications of what Jesus was saying about the way we treat our fellow human beings. But that’s a different conversation. Once again, please accept my humble apologies if I angered you.
I am glad that you and your readers have broached the subject. The church certainly needs to rethink the mesage of abstinence and qualify that for people – not sure what I am going to say to my son when he is of age. Having said that there are practical evolutionary reasons why we have emotions tied to the act of sex – I would refer everyone to Richard Wright’s book The Moral Animal. In other words, there is still an emotional impact to having sex outside of marriage, but fewer practical concerns than there used to be in the ancenstral evolutionary environment. Also, as you pointed out in other blogs, Jesus was more concerned with social justice than our sexuality…
DR
I find her description of sex very degrading and I think it diminishes its power. We clearly disagree and the Law of Love is exactly what I am talking about.
DR
Michael, lots of people these days find love in their 30s and even 40s! Don’t lose heart, it’s pretty normal to find love after college. xoxo
http://www.facebook.com/DianeReischling Diane Re via Facebook
No worries at all Kate, that context helped a lot. Thanks for taking the time to explain (and I agree with you).
Yes she was being a little flip…for which she has now apologized. No reason to turn her comment into something she did not intend.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
I simply didn’t understand her objection. I can’t imagine to what she’s referring when she writes, “It seems like you have decided that your own experiences of sex and love are universal.” That … doesn’t match what I said at all.
Gary
Yeah I didn’t get that from your post at all. You simply shared what you believe on this very subjective of subjects. She perhaps thought your views were a little restrictive. (Not deliberately trying to speak for her here.) But as I said, this subject is very subjective.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
People often react not to what I actually wrote, but to what, for whatever reasons they might, they’ve rushed to assume that I said, or meant. That’s really common.
DR
Gary, I had a reaction to it and I stated it. I didn’t take her comment out of context, she actually needed to clarify her context and she did that. You disagree. I don’t care that you do. We have differing perspectives on this issue and you’re entitled to your opinion but you’re kind of policing my comment to an odd degree and that’s more about you than me. That I read something differently in the comment doesn’t mean I took it out of context. Please move on. Thank you.
DR
I’m not really sure why you’re speaking on behalf of Kara, here. She clarified her point without your help and seems to be doing just fine on her own.
DR
(Kate. Not Kara.)
Gary
Policing your comment? Seriously? Never mind your policing her comment…that part must be ok?
Look DR…I have absolutely no issue with you disagreeing with me. (Though I doubt we disagree nearly as much as you imply.) None the less it is a blog where give and take is the norm…even when YOUR objections are called into question. Your “move on” comment is one I find very demeaning.
DR
You’re clearly fixated on something here that I don’t get. So I’ll leave you to it.
DR
I love this comment. Though the fear of getting pregnant actually did “protect” me from sex at an age where I know it would have really hurt me. Fear can be a gift to protect us from ourselves and our attachments but when sex is *grounded* in the things you’ve mentioned, that’s terrible. I think that’s why John’s perspective resonates with me so much, it provides enough security and perspective to really experience sex with abandon and love, not fear.
Gary
I responded to John’s comment to me. Why are you policing my comment? But I assure you…just as much as you don’t care of my disagreeing with you…I don’t care if you disagree with me.
Look DR, I have great respect for much of what you write on this blog. There is no need for us to start a pissing match here. But if you can’t handle a little give and take it is going to be difficult…no?
Dude, honestly – I’m totally bewildered by your comments, they seems so out of character. I had an exchange with Kate, we found some common ground on and I moved on the second she clarified a few things. I’ve no interest in defending my perspective or explaining myself to you anymore. It’s pretty obvious she and I figured it out ourselves. I don’t care if you think this is “passive aggressive” or not, I’m focusing on the actual substance of the post. Not this (anymore). This is creeping me out.
DR
Wow.
DR
I love this entire comment, especially this:
“Sex is like glue – it bonds things, and if you don’t want them bonded, you might not want to get it on everything.”
Gary
Seriously? You totally misrepresented her comment and I called you on it. Great that you believe you and she worked it out…but seriously get a grip. Your overly defensive posture here is both counter productive and insulting. “Creeping me out”? Tell me that statement is meant to be anything other than aggressively insulting.
Get over yourself.
DR
This is the kind of tragedy that happens and causes such painful divorce! I wonder if the “you need to get married” isn’t more about following what those parents believe God’s Law to be, but more about what it might look like to their community?
Gary
I’m done with this nonsense.
DR
No, it’s honest. It’s creeping me out. You can believe that or not, that’s not my call. Your hostility about this is really unsettling but what’s more unsettling is that I keep commenting and keeping it alive on a thread that could probably benefit from us not going back and forth on something we are experiencing completely differently. Good night, Gary.
DR
I’ve been thinking about this post a lot today, for some reason. If anything, I am wondering about the role of fear in our lives with something as powerful as sex. I think as adults, this is a topic that is layered and complex (as most are when we acknowledge them for what they are). As kids? With something like sex that is so powerful? I wonder if fear around it might be more of a gift in certain scenarios then others. I think of how fear prevents kids from doing a lot of things they’d do without thinking (even adults, really).
What boundaries do we put around sex for kids? That’s probably more for parents to decide. My sister was here this weekend, she has 4 kids and this was something we talked a lot about. My brother is one who instills a lot of fear around grades, sex, etc. He’s got amazing relationships with his kids but it’s a sore spot. My sister is intentional about not being fear-based in her parenting but in some ways, that causes problems. Kids can’t always cognitively make the right choices that set them up well in the long-term.
I write this very glad that I’m not a parent. It’s hard enough to manage this for myself, let alone kids.
sayla1228
While motives are important in understanding the context of a message, it doesn’t wipe out the ‘unintended’ impact of the message at all. While DR has her own procivilities regarding Kate’s comment for good reasons, Kate don’t react well with John Shore’s post at all feeling that John’s post is imposing something that isn’t true in her experience even though the last couple sentences shows he understood and respected that people have their own views of pre-martial sex. I don’t see John making his views the universal view at all
Gary
I agree that John was not trying making his views universal.
DR
Most of the people I know fell in love way after college! I wonder if it’s the norm, now? It seems like adolescence has extended itself and the new age of marriage is mid-30s (though my experience isn’t universal). It would be interesting to know what the age norms are for marriage.
Allie
John, my husband and I were talking about the post about your virginity, and he made a point which I thought was worth passing on.
You enjoyed that experience, you don’t regret it, and you don’t feel as an adult looking back that it did you any harm. Would it have been improved if you had loved that high school teacher enough to marry her, and vice-versa? Because it seems to me, and it seems to my husband, that that would have been DISASTROUS, it would have harmed you in a lasting way, it would have been exactly what people mean when they talk about how a relationship between a school age boy and a teacher is exploitative and crazy, because one is in a different stage of life than the other.
Point being, sometimes casual sex is less harmful and more okay (which to me means more Biblical, since what God wants is for us not to fuck ourselves and other people up) than committed love sex. Sometimes casual sex is great fun that harms no one and committed sex means one or both of you ought to be committed.
otter
Funny how both you and John make perfect sense…. but in different situations. He describes the ideal pairing but you are clearly living in reality….My takeaway is we all are blessed with intuition….so USE it. Rules don’t work in every situation….. Waiting can be as wrong a choice as casual sex.
Thanks for a sane post.
Donald Rappe
The expression pre-marital sex sounds so much more hopeful than extra-marital sex. The meaning of the word sex has become so ambiguous that anything a person says on the subject can be easily misconstrued. I do believe that there should be plenty of pre-marital foreplay. This answers a lot. If you can’t get foreplay going, how likely are you to be compatible? If you can and you find lots of good self lubrication and erection how incompatible sexually could you be? I think the question of sexual compatibility should be known before people pledge their troth to each other.
vj
I think you’ve got the right meaning. There is a NT passage that includes that admonishment to believers to NOT ‘unite’ themselves with a prostitute, because ‘he who has relations with a prostitute becomes one flesh with her’ – I don’t think there is any reasonable way to interpret that as having anything to do with the possibility of conception and producing a child as a result….
vj
vj
Mostly agree with both of you, but I do think we need to consider the Biblical advice that ‘it is better to marry than to burn with passion’ is at least the source of why most churches do consider that pre-marital sex is a Bad Idea. There may well be cultural considerations that applied then that are different today, but that should at least give us pause when it comes to giving (hopefully *not* unsolicited!) advice on the matter…
vj
I agree! Hence it is advisable to be emotionally mature enough to at least have some sort of mutual commitment to one another before engaging in sex – for many couples, that includes waiting until they are married, but in a modern context that it not necessarily the only type of commitment.
vj
“Those rules were in place to protect women, so men couldn’t just use them and throw them away.”
YES – I’m so glad somebody else gets this!
Gary
Yeah I tend to agree with you vj concerning the one flesh but who knows for sure? The child as one flesh is simply an explanation I have heard thrown about many times.
Gary
Good set of parameters there for most people. Though not all consider sex to be quite such a major deal so long as the respect and trust are present and no one takes unnecessary risks physically or emotionally. But I find it personally Hard to fault those who have a more liberated approach if it works for them so long as all involved agree.
As for me…your basics of a healthy relationship work well in our poly 4-some with a couple of modifications.
1. It is mutually public only so much as is practical. Way too much baggage with our lifestyle choice.
2. We are mutually exclusive…but committed to more than one. We most certainly do not betray the people we are with.
Like you…my wife and I waited for each other and at least in part for marriage. (There was still a little something left for the wedding night, though admittedly not much) We were young (19 & 20) and have been married for 29 years next month. I have only (biblically) known my wife and my 2nd of 5 1/2 years and same is true for her. But we were very fortunate in that we were a great match and incredibly compatible. The percentage of couples as young as we were and so fortunate seems to be very small. To find the balance we have in our quad is even rarer I think. In truth…I think most people make some mistakes along the way and experiment a bit more. But if they are not what I would call a user…then I personally cannot fault anyone for their sexual choices. Between them and god.
Tony John via Facebook
the way I see it its not about sex – its about love, monogamy and commitment.
Lorela Delos Santos Franklin via Facebook
Wow mr. John shore! Very well said. I will be so outcasted, but I do agree with you. Publicly.
Fake Name
I usually post under my own name but for this one I’m going to go anonymous. I was one who waited until marriage and so did my husband. We were married when I was 24 and he was 25. Our wedding night turned out to be very difficult, though we enjoyed plenty of premarital foreplay, as one commenter above put it. I could not figure out why it was so hard to do the actual act when we’d always enjoyed messing around so much. I thought it was my fault. It wasn’t until literally YEARS later that I realized my husband is hung a little differently than most men (I think this is true, but since he is still my only partner I can’t be entirely sure). To be blunt (hence the fake name), when erect, his penis is at a downward angle, which can make many standard positions rather difficult. We also had to use a condom right off because I was on a medication that lowered the efficacy of the Pill, so I think that didn’t help. Anyway, we have worked around the issue and been creative, but I often wish we’d given sex a try before the wedding night so I would have known our difficulties in advance. I also wish I’d been able to figure out what exactly the difficulty was and how to deal with it sooner. I’d had minimal sex education and had no idea why the mechanics were so troublesome. I now have 3 sons (yeah, I figured out a good position for getting pregnant) and I know I couldn’t tell them all that I just wrote here but I do hope to teach them that waiting is not always the best option.
When marriage is talked about in the bible were they actually talking about how it’s done today with getting a marriage license and the ceremony or were they talking about committment of love.
Sally Eyman Price via Facebook
It was more a property transaction, I think.
anonymous for a moment
Why not just look up pictures online to find out about your husband’s anomaly (if it even is one)? I know my husband was always showing me a lot of pictures (he would send me porn links because i’m a recovering prude and it was funny to hear me shriek in shock at seeing it) but some of it was educational like sex manuals, just to give me the idea that this stuff even existed out there.
I know your husband’s anatomy is not the point, but i guess i mean the “internet is for porn (and also education)” idea as being useful for the rest of those like us but younger. … I am shocked how i am not the only one who had “minimal sex education” … I mean there’s all kinds of stuff out there, even if you just look at the manuals and medical stuff. i know there are many reasons to be against porn industry for ethical reasons, that part i only included cos it was funny, but one can very well just stick with the educational materials.
Fake Name 2
Your story kind of mirrors what happened to us. I personally had a grand total of two sex partners (one in a very brief relationship that was not intended to be a one-night stand, so I do completely agree with making sure there is a commitment) before getting together with my wife, but she had waited till she was over 30. She doesn’t really like sex, it turns out. So we “bought the cow” notwithstanding it doesn’t give “milk”, and I have always wondered if the waiting were part of the problem.
Timothy, in most cases when the Bible talks about marriage, it is talking about polygyny, forced marriage, the marriage of older men to ‘children and concubinage. The only people enjoined to have ‘only one wife’ are bishops.
LSS
Yeah i was wondering about that, especially when one commenter said you [John Shore, not Allie] were applying your own experiences as universal and it seemed, in the light of that post, that you were actuallly doing the opposite. Was the difference because you weren’t a christian then? And you are writing to youths who are already christian who had asked you this question? And you don’t want to mess up their consciences or whatever?
LSS
If you go to a christian college, they may tell you (well, they did at mine and for some reason i think it might be common) that if you don’t find your future mate there, you probably will never find one. Because it’s the greatest concentration of “like-minded” or “similar worldview” people that you will ever live in for the rest of your life. I think it was a very damaging thing that they told us that. Some of my best friends in college and i all found great people to marry LONG after college, like you said, in the area of 30s ages or maybe late 20s.
anonymous for a moment
How long has she been trying? It definitely worked that way for me and it took me like 5yrs to relax. Seriously. my husband has the patience of a saint… Or something.
http://brickandtimber.wordpress.com/ DR
Oh my goodness. What a terrible thing to push young adults into. Wow.
nai
except that Jesus was a law who followed the Old Testament and probably viewed himself more as a reformer than someone started a new religion. Furthermore, all of his teachings of love are found in the “Old testament” (Hebrew Bible).
Gary
My Christian college said the very same thing and as far as I know they still do. Definitely agree with DR. Horrible.
Nancy Johnson via Facebook
John, I agree with what you have written here and it is what I have taught my three children. However, I would add that while it is desirable to wait until one is this mature to engage in sexual intercourse, we human beings – as you have said yourself with your own experience and I can say the same – have rather strong sexual urges that are difficult to suppress. So what I also taught my children is that if they were going to be sexually active, it is better to admit it and take precautions than to pretend it is not going to happen. Pregnancies are far easier and less painful to prevent than they ever will be to deal with once they occur.
Nancy Johnson via Facebook
And I know you wrote something about “safe sex “but I think sometimes that piece is missed. We probably all know stories of someone who was not going to have sex until she was ready, and then ended up pregnant and either had a baby and kept it, gave the baby up for adoption, or had an abortion. None of those are easy and all of them are life-changing events. Good old Ben Franklin and his ounce of prevention!
Gary
I agree and always attempt to take biblical advice. One of the most difficult things about doing so however is making sure I know as much context and culture as possible so as not to follow the direct opposite of what was genuinely being said. (This is a HUGE blind spot most of us agree much of the church presently has with homosexuality)
One of the cultural differences present when this was written was the availability of sexual satisfaction through pagan and idolatrous practices. A man could go to a cult temple and have sex with temple prostitutes so satisfy his sexual needs. This was obviously very displeasing to God. It was far better to marry so sexual satisfaction was available if the alternative was sexual idolatry. But when we read into this passage a prohibition of sex outside of marriage it neither takes this culture into account nor much other scriptural evidence to the contrary.
Admittedly it is tough to know if we have enough information to properly understand scripture. But this is why I believe the guiding principle Jesus gave us (the law of love) is to be our ultimate guide. Jesus did say if we keep that we have kept the law.
Gary
I don’t see it as a new religion either…rather the culmination of the old. Jesus declared He came to fulfill the law…which He did at the cross, and let us all know with that wonderful declaration “It It Finished!”
The teachings of love are universal I believe…which is why they are found in the OT as well as most of the other world religions. And Jesus was constantly pointing out the failure of applying the letter of the law (legalism) over the intent of the law (love).
Lymis
Just picking up on your last point, why in the world would it be you that told your sons about it? Seems like that’s a “dad” sort of discussion to have – especially since they have the same anatomical issue, they got it from him.
LSS
Crap, i was almost hoping i was wrong about that (*_*) but somehow i didn’t think so.
You didn’t go to GCC, did you? That would be funny.
vj
Amen! I believe that there is credible research that indicates ‘graduates’ of True Love Waits type of programs are actually MORE likely to end up with unintended pregnancies than teens who (a) get decent sex-education and (b) are not under so much pressure to not have sex – it seems that if/when they ‘succumb’ to having sex, they are not adequately prepared to take the measures needed to prevent pregnancy….
vj
I think I might have to add this bit to my file…..
Gary
No, but I wish it was limited to just one college. Unfortunately I think it is very common among fundamental Christian colleges.
vj
I do agree that the key (in all things, really) is non-coercive mutual agreement (as it seems your 4-some have) and shared expectations – which, I think, are not always easy to achieve (even within marriage, as others have pointed out).
I know that for me, as a believing but un-churched teen, the primary motivation for me to decide against having sex (aside from the opportunity not presenting itself, although I do think it’s good to at least think about these things before they become imminent) was reading repeated ‘agony aunt’ letters, in a local magazine, of the ‘my boyfriend said that if I loved him I would sleep with him, so I did, then he dumped me’ variety…. I concluded that the ‘commitment’ side of things was pretty important to me!
Peggy
John, I love your answer! It is along the same line as what my father told me, but much more eloquent. Being from the Midwest, he said, “Any animal on the farm can have sex…doesn’t make you special.”. Luckily I understood what he was trying to say and I let it guide me. Have it mean more than the physical act. However, I have a 9 year old daughter and my idea is to lock her in her room at 12 and arrange a marriage at 30. My liberal, pacifist husband says he will just sit at the dining room table cleaning his gun when a young man comes to call. Amazing how having children can remove all brain activity from your head!
Gary
I resonate totally with your reasons as a teen for waiting. Mine were similar but definitely also included the whole fear of burning for all eternity in hell component.
I agree with another poster who mentioned the failure of the “True Love Waits” efforts in churches leading to more unwanted pregnancies because of the lack of education and deep seated shame associated with sex. I actually wish our youth would wait until they are emotionally mature enough to handle sexuality in a healthy way. But of course the reality is the hormones are incredibly strong as teenagers and most kids will experiment.
We raised our own daughter with the expectation that sex was an absolute forbidden sin in God’s eyes and to avoid it at all costs. Then when she came to her mother and I late one night sobbing that she was worthless and disgusting in God’s eyes…we found out she had had sex a few times over the course of a week without protection. She was one of the lucky ones who did not get pregnant or an std.
As I look back on that incident…I see the damage that my views caused. My daughter felt totally worthless in God’s eyes…and she put herself at risk for becoming a teen mom. Wow. Talk about failing her as a parent.
Gary
And as I look back I see it was you who posted on the true love waits stats. lol
Kudos.
Linnea
I respectfully disagree with John on this one. I’m in my mid-30′s, have had several sexual relationships, and no harm done. I don’t know if I’ll ever get married, though I did think I’d marry my first boyfriend. Didn’t happen.
I think it’s more important that your relationship is honest and respectful, and that you have emotional intimacy as well as physical intimacy, and that you’re comfortable discussing things like birth control, disease prevention, etc. The whole “wait until marriage” thing is seriously outdated. Does it work for some people? Sure, but not for everyone. I don’t agree with jumping into bed with everyone you’re attracted to, but if there’s a spark there and you’re together for at least a few months, go for it.
Gary
I posted the following excerpt to you a couple pages back…but it really goes here on this comment so I am pasting a cleaned up (grammatically) portion here.
I totally agree with you concerning the failure of the “True Love Waits” efforts in churches leading to more unwanted pregnancies because of the lack of education and deep seated shame associated with sex. I actually wish our youth would wait until they are emotionally mature enough to handle sexuality in a healthy way. But of course the reality is the hormones are incredibly strong as teenagers and most kids will experiment.
We raised our own daughter with the expectation that sex was an absolute forbidden sin in God’s eyes and to avoid it at all costs. And of course she went through the “True Love Waits” propaganda at our church. Then when she came to her mother and I late one night sobbing that she was worthless and disgusting…we found out she had had sex a few times over the course of a week without protection. She was one of the lucky ones who did not get pregnant or an std, but needless to say there was emotional damage. (More so from the our and the church’s teaching than from the actual sex)
As I look back on that incident…I see the damage that my views caused. My daughter felt totally worthless in God’s eyes and ours…and she put herself at risk for becoming a teen mom. Wow. Talk about failing her as a parent.
Diana A.
You have to know yourself though. I learned the hard way that casual sex does not work for me. Unless I love, respect and trust the guy, I simply don’t get aroused.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
I didn’t say to wait to get married.
DR
!!!!!
Diana A.
One thing I will recommend is that you date/make friends with/get to know a lot of different women. Don’t let a perceived lack of interest on the part of the woman get in the way of developing a friendship with her. Some of us are slow-burners. Respect her boundaries and your own and I think you’ll eventually find yourself caring again.
Tom Weller
I’m convoluted on this one John. I’m engaged in writing another book, this one entitled Christianity is NOT a religion. Little c christians love to use the S word to define so many of our current issues, including gay marriage. And so, I have delved into the issue to determine why it is so convenient to set good ole number 7 above the other 11 commandments…..Hmmmmmm.
I have established an hypothesis that it is not who sleeps with who that is of issue, but WHEN AND HOW! This plays to the definition of promiscuity versus loving sexual behavior. It is my contention that good ole number 7 admonishes us to avoid promiscuity, leaving sexual behavior reserved for a “committed” relationship. There is a lot of evidence on both sides of this equation, but it would seem that “marriage” is the line of demarcation as it were. I’m not at all sure I agree with that line, but, I’m learning more each day and enjoy hearing opinions on the issue. When good ole number 7 was presented to the ancient Hebrews, they were a wandering tribe, barely able to sustain themselves and therefore could spend time only on the essentials. We have, on the other hand, become a hedonistic society, self absorbed with our own pleasures. Obviously as always, somewhere in the middle lies the answer between the two extremes. For now, it would appear by the research I’ve done, that your definition is adequate, and yet faulty, subject to a case by case analysis of the people and motives involved. Complicated? YES, absolute NO! I’ll be monitoring this discussion John. Thank you for addressing this issue.
This made me throw up, it is completely wrong. Sex is only designed for heterosexual marriage. I don’t care if its the day before your wedding, anything before the union is formed is fornication and sexual immoral. Premartial sex spoils the relationship and could destroy your life (i.e. Having a kid with someone you’re not married to.)
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
It’s why I don’t write on this subject: people just … kind of lose it a little. Like, here’s a response just into my FB page (meaning it’ll show up here on my blog soon enough): “This made me throw up, it is completely wrong. Sex is only designed for heterosexual marriage … .” Because … I said anything about that at all? Crazy. But most people—like you, Diana A!—are encouragingly sane. But if there’s one subject that more quickly pushes more people’s buttons, I don’t know what it is.
Jesse Tee via Facebook
Brandon – Get down off the cross, already. Someone else needs the wood. If YOUR belief system tells you that premarital and/or same-sex sexual activity is wrong, that’s your own OPINION. Gay people exist. Get over it.
charles m
if there was no possibility of conception, it wouldnt really diminish the expression- it is one of commitment really- there are all sorts of other physical activities which can be physically fulfilling- but sex is something sort of special though, and I think John nailed the overarching idea of “if you are going to commit to the expression- be committed to the person”.
@Jesse I’ll take that as a compliment “Luke 9:23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
charles m
if I can add to that previous comment, the commandment said “do not commit adultery” which takes the issue of sex into one of trust and integrity- its a matter of not hurting your partner, who believes in your fidelity and commitment to their relationship to you- not the act of sex itself. Whether that is an issue in more casual settings is individually subjective, and a matter of how God might be speaking to the individuals involved.
LSS
But everybody who gets engaged gets married, right?! (~_^)
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
UNLESS THEY FIND OUT THEY’RE SEXUALLY INCOMPATIBLE.
Being, you know, the entire point of taking such care to make that distinction.
Gary
I am puzzled by what appears to be a strong reaction here to some of the comments expressing a level of dissent with this post of John’s. The topic of sexuality for a Christian is extremely subjective. There will be (and are) opinions all over the board. If one of the purposes of this blog is to allow the healthy exchange of ideas and opinions…then why the defensive posture?
Perceived levels of acceptable morality vary tremendously among believers, and scripturally we are told to allow each other the right to determine for ourselves what is right for us. This is not the same kind of discussion we have when the issue is homosexuality and someone comes in spouting hurtful bigotry. There is clear harm done by those who would maintain it is a sinful abomination. They literally are promoting that we cause harm to an entire segment of the population. But no one here is promoting victimizing anyone. There should be a much higher level of tolerance on a subject such as this.
We all get that John DID NOT SAY “wait to get married”. None the less many of us have come from environments where that was an absolute demand…hence we discuss that perspective in our comments. It in no way implies that we have lost our ability to read and comprehend above a 3rd grade level and keep forgetting what he said. And characterizing our comments as such is quite disingenuous it seems to me. (And perhaps a bit insulting?)
John I love your perspective on this. It is refreshingly genuine compared to what I have been raised on. But that does not mean that my perspective on what represents acceptable morality is going to match yours to a T. You put your opinion out there in the form of moral advice to others when you made the following comments.
“Absolute love, however, means absolute commitment. And being absolutely committed to a person means being ready and willing to spend your life with them.”
“Line le’ bottom: If you love someone enough to sleep with them, then for your own emotional (not to mention physical) well-being, you should love them enough to marry them. And they should feel the same way about you. And each of you should have proven to the other that your relationship is of that very special order.”
Like it or not everyone…John spoke in absolute terms concerning how he believes a Christian should behave. I don’t object to his doing so. Not just because it is his blog…but because it is a valid opinion that should be given voice. But not everyone is going to agree with these statements in their entirety. Many here do not necessarily agree with the notion that we must be “ready and willing to spend your life with them” with regards to our sexuality. Granted…it just so happens that I do plan to spend my life with both of the two women I have had sex with. But this is because it is what works for us…not because I believe it represents what everyone else “should” or must do.
John was asked for his opinion. He gave it. I think it is a healthy and good opinion. There are other opinions present here as well that also represent valid choices. Perhaps a little more respect is due for healthy disagreement over victimless issues?
Michael Hogan via Facebook
@Brandon – I had sex with my wife before we were married, and I don’t feel that my relationship was “spoiled,” or my life was “destroyed.” This sounds more like rhotoric, than anything you can back up with facts.
Gary
This type of homophobic bigotry is exactly the kind of comment we need to aggressively combat. These are the views that lead to tragedy. Not whether or not I have to commit to someone for life to have sex with them.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
Gary: Thanks; I appreciate the defense. But, to be clear, I was not speaking “in absolute terms concerning how [I believe] a Christian should behave.” My advice was meant no more for Christians than anyone else. All my writing is consistently informed by my insistence that Christians do not necessarily have a morality of a nature any different—and certainly not any higher—than that of anyone else.
Don M. Burrows via Facebook
Good thing Brandon cited Luke (which at 14:26 seems to suggest no marital/familial relationships are OK with Jesus) rather than Song of Songs, whose lovers meeting surreptitiously in the fields for a (literal?) roll in the hay would find such black-and-white views of “fornication” puzzling.
You’re Taking Luke 14:26 COMPLETELY out of context and to be fair our English doesn’t do the Greek justice. And the purpose of Songs of Solomon was to present marriage as it should be as God’s design. A quick google search would have sufficed.
Gary
You qualified that the questions you received were from Christians which is what I picked up on and headed into that context. I like your comments even better now that you have framed them as you have. Not that I am in complete step with them…but I do like them.
Brandon: You might want to take a moment to find out who Don Burrows is before you start talking to him about contexts of original Biblical texts. You’re playing with the big boys now.
Diana A.
Like!
Jesse Tee via Facebook
Hee hee!
Don M. Burrows via Facebook
Thanks, Brandon. I’m pretty well versed in Greek. The verb is μισέω, “to hate,” the very one (in its noun form) used in “misogyny” and other terms that mean to hate or despise. The full verse is Εἴ τις ἔρχεται πρός με καὶ οὐ μισεῖ τὸν πατέρα ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὰ τέκνα καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τὰς ἀδελφάς, ἔτι τε καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ, οὐ δύναται εἶναί μου μαθητής | Translated literally: “If anyone comes to me and he does not hate his own father and his mother and his wife and his children and his brothers and his sisters, still indeed his very own soul, he is not able to be my disciple.” I’m confident there are Christian apologetic ways to interpret that verse to make it less jarring; I’m also confident that they probably do violence to the text itself, which offers no such softening. I’ll stick to the commentaries and scholars who research and publish this material and skip the Yahoo answers forum, thanks very much. A “quick Google search” might suffice for you; for all others, I suggest you reference any secular scholarly commentary on Song of Songs, which isn’t invested in making it say something metaphorical (something it never asks us to do), and you will find that it is ancient erotic love poetry, and that the couple in it are not in fact married (though they may be engaged). It’s a great work. So is Luke. But neither of them (nor any other book of the Bible) neatly and without complication props up the sexual ideologies of present-day, right-wing Americans.
Don M. Burrows via Facebook
Ha, thanks John. I can’t wait to tell that one to my wife. Seriously, I can’t wait. I’m going to e-mail her now and say “see — someone says I’m a big boy!”
Elsa Wiens via Facebook
Brandon, I’ll repeat what I said on the blog: Sex is too important to leave it to chance like that. Our lives are too important. Sexual incompatibility is a HUGE source of pain in marriage. HUGE. It is irresponsible and immoral to require people to wait until they are stuck ’til death do us part’ to find out. Many, many men and women live in misery because of this. Is that okay with you Brandon? It’s not okay with me. God did not put me on this Earth to live in that kind of misery. If you choose to do it, go right ahead, but don’t put that curse on everyone else.
Sex can be an amazingly beautiful and rich experience. It is one of the few that you can engage in, with someone else, that encompasses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of our selves. Marriage does NOT sanctify it. It is already sacred, and a marriage ceremony or certificate does not ensure anything about its morality or it’s quality. I and many others can testify to this.
Sex within marriage, just as sex outside of marriage, can be beautiful or ugly, it can be consensual or rape, can be respectful or humiliating. Ideally, these things must be discovered before the marriage takes place, so that being stuck with the destructive and painful possibility is minimized.
Tracy Smith via Facebook
Mary had a baby by someone she wasn’t married to…
Tracy Smith via Facebook
And does the author mean “premarital” or “nonmarital” sex. Premarital sex is sex with someone you later plan to marry, while non-marital sex is all sex out of marriage, with marriage not necessarily being in the equation in the future. I don’t have a problem with either, so long as those engaging in it are on the same page about the nature of the relationship and take the proper precautions. Strict honesty is the key. So far as love goes, love and sex are two different things. While they can exist together and it’s a wonderful thing when it does, they can exist separately and also be a great thing. We have to remember that marrying for love is a relatively recent thing, not dating much before the 17th century or so. For much of history, marriage was mainly a practical arrangement and love, if it happened, was icing on the cake, and not the reason to get married in the first place.
Tracy Smith via Facebook
Oh, and college age people are not “kids”. College age people can enter the military to defend our country, get married without permission, be responsible for their debts, and so on. “Kids” are not legally able to do any of these things
The cool thing about Christianity is that we have a living God and don’t have to base all of our beliefs off of a translation. Even without the apologetic interpretation I can tell you that its not in God’s nature hate and I’m sorry if other “christians” today have said something different, but God isn’t mad at you, he’s madly in love with you.
I often read Songs of Solomon as a neat little representation for Christ and his bridegroom (The Church), but to each his own.
Soulmentor
Take if from a gay man……that penile shape, while not uncommon, is NOT the norm. It IS a problematic condition, something about the cellular structure of the underside of the penis that shortens the underside, thus pulling it into a downward curve. It even has a name but I can’t think of any links now. Years ago I saw some online discussion of a surgical procedure that can remedy it but not without risks of damage that can cause even more problems. It’s actually kind of an unfortunate handicap, especially in situations like yours where you have no frame of reference about what it’s supposed to look and be like and you don’t know what to do with it. Perhaps it was best that way for you in your case because, if you had known it in advance, like in early dating, might it have turned you off to the man you now love?
And it’s quite possible, if you think of it, that your man didn’t know either that it was an abnormality if he too had no sexual frame of reference from seeing other men in arousal either in real life or porn.
In any case, you worked out what was not only difficult for you but no doubt somewhat humiliating for your husband, and are to be admired for the love that made that possible.
And isn’t it amazing how a discussion of premarital sex can prompt so many tangenital issues.
Leslie
No offense taken, for real. I appreciate the insight. Maybe I should’ve been more specific: marriage would be too confining for what I currently want from life (travel and independence). I have wonderful family, but my brother’s disabilities required us to be basically housebound aside from school and work. I love him very much and wouldn’t trade him for anything. But, in the next chapter of my life, what I want most is to see the world and do some of the things that weren’t possible when I was a kid.
Fake Name
Well, I was in a bit of a hurry this morning so I didn’t go into great detail, but it was from pictures on the internet that I figured out he was a little different. It wasn’t even porn but a link from an article about the wide range of what constitutes “normal”. My husband is still “normal,” though apparently part of a smaller percentage of men. The article was all about how it’s o.k. to have different kinds of penises and linked to a normal-guy-submitted website of various kinds of organs. So I did see some different ones, just not in person.
I don’t intend to have any need to have talks that their dad could have with them. Just meant that if they ask me I would not tell them they should necessarily wait for marriage. I basically mean I’m not going the route my parents did with the wait, wait, wait and the alternative of not waiting is so horrible, etc.
Fake Name
Thank you, Soulmentor. I try to avoid calling it “not normal” though I suspected it wasn’t normal, since he is my dear husband now. I have also thought that if we’d had sex earlier it might have ended the relationship before our otherwise great marriage and lovely children. It’s also almost comical to me that it took me so long to realize what the issue was. Over a decade, in fact. I’d even asked friends for advice but no one else cottoned on to what the real problem was because I didn’t even know how to explain what was wrong. I’m all for better sex ed than I had (which is a whole other tangential issue, I suppose).
LSS
(~_^) <— winking face, to denote sarcasm in original comment. I haven't personally known a whole lot of engaged couples that didn't then marry, but i'm pretty sure some break up instead of marrying.
Sexual imcompatibility, if people were sure about it, would seem like a good reason to not go all the way to marriage. There might be other ones, too, such as getting to know the person more and finding out OTHER incompatibilities.
For what it's worth, i think your general principle makes a lot of sense. not saying it's perfect for everyone (which neither are you, obviously), but if a young and single student said that was their view about sex, i would probably be relieved for them that it wasn't at either extreme.
Soulmentor
This is a moot issue for me now. I look at your blog pic and think Ah, those early times!!!!! So long gone now. My advice would be to let the love happen (responsibly of course) when it happens; make the memories because the time comes when there is little hope for new thrills and memories.
Trouble with memories is that while you can remember you did or had this or that, you can’t recreate them to FEEL them again. One still desires what one can no longer have. Some things seem to not die. It’s just not fair.
LSS
In the situation in his story, it seemed like there *was* respect and trust, but maybe not love, at least not the kind that makes you spend your lives together. Maybe friendship only?
That wouldn’t be enough for me, either. For me, even knowing what i know now about my former puritanical boundaries, it would still *have* to be the “ready to spend your life with them” level of love…
but having present the elements of respect and trust, is kind of different from Casual Sex, also.
http://www.enesvy.com Nicole
A previous commenter brought up stoning. FYI.
LSS
Oh ok i am glad that worked out.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
*sigh.*
yes. good point.
http://www.enesvy.com Nicole
Agreed. A committed relationship would require compromise that right now, as a single woman, I’m not sure I’m willing to make. I like being able to do what I want to do when I want to do it. It’s a childish attitude, I know, but until I meet a man I truly love, I’m not interested in giving up the life I have.
John, are you saying you have more freedom in marriage than as a single person? I’d be very interested in hearing about it.
नैओमी गोंज़ालेज़ via Facebook
lol. Brandon really that’ show you respond to Don? I would comment further but Don really hit the nail on the head.
नैओमी गोंज़ालेज़ via Facebook
It’s also interesting how you consider a book in the Hebrew Bible written many, many years before the birth of Christ, and years before the existence of what we now term “the church” to be about Christ and the bridegroom. That is simply historically inaccurate. You said nothing whatsoever that refutes Don in fact it simply proves that perhaps you need to spend a bit more time studying the historical context of the books and verses you so carelessly site.
D. Trac..
Is it ok according to the Bible? The article could have begun and ended there.
John Shore you’ve made up a God that thinks like you. I’d like to see your Bible. Must have pages torn out, or passages whited out and your own ideas written over the top. It may not bother YOU if people ‘fornicate’ but it bothers God because its bad for humans and he loves us enough to mention a lot, specifically, so we don’t miss it.
D. Trac..
sex compatibitly is toooooooo important. Oh yes, God puts so much empahsis on the mechanics that he wants you to test drive your a few prospective spouses. YOU PEOPLE ARE UTTERLY DELUDED. Just another fanciful, wishful thinking treatise by someone who wants to call themself a Chrsitian while the fornicate
BTW is pole dancing ok for Christians too, if its done “tastefully and artistically”? Perhaps your church can install a pole in its fellowship room Frankly most of you already have one there, based on your obsessions with all things sex related.
ok delete me as usual
Gary
I’d like to see YOUR bible frankly. Because I have been a student and teacher of the bible for 30 years and what you say simply ain’t there. Seems you are the one who has “made up a God that thinks like you” because you are reading a lot into passages that is not warranted.
Hint: You may want to begin with studying the proper meaning of words like “fornicate”.
Gary
Ok – This has just gotten too ridiculous to respond to. Clearly you are a troll.
The Old Testament was written as a book foretelling the coming of a savior, it isn’t that far fetched.
DR
With over different denominations of Christianity – many of which split due to issues with interpreting Scripture – it’s pretty clear to most reasonable people that the “Is it ok according to the Bible” filter actually means “Is this ok according to what my specific pastor in my specific church in my specific denomination”. The problem you’ll more than likely have moving forward is believing that your specific pastor in your specific church in your specific denomination defines “what the Bible says” in any kind of declarative way. You’ve been able to enjoy that privilege for a long time, but now those days are over.
DR
I don’t recall your user name here and I’m here quite a bit. Perhaps you’re one of the Christians who demands his/her own standard of what “Christian” means in a hostile, creepy way – gets banned for it – and then lies about his/her identity, recreates another user name and evades the boundaries that the owner of the blog has set. Because you know – you’re so “moral”.
Diana A.
True that!
DR
Many of us believe that sex outside of a specific construct does, actually, create “victims” (using your terminology). That is our experience and so we’re adding that perspective to the dialogue.
Melody
Sorry, troll. You have us confused. You’re the deluded one who can’t let go of your hate and bigotry. If you hate John’s writings so much, get lost.
Melody
Brandon, get off your self-righteous high horse and get over your self-made martyr syndrome. You can’t prove your outdated, bigoted views are truth, just because your English version of a Greek Bible tries to confirm your views. You aren’t being persecuted. You’re being confronted for your ignorance and prejudice. No one here is ashamed of Jesus. Jesus is ashamed of you.
Soulmentor
*******John Shore you’ve made up a God that thinks like you.******
Xenophanes, Greek poet, philosopher, theologian once posited that if horses had gods, they would look like horses.
And probably think and act like them too. I’m as sure you get the point as I am that you don’t want to.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
“D. Trac” is the same cowardly fundy troll who has previously used the names jess, PDCH, cannby, detractor—each having its own email address. Will block. Sorry that, cockroach-style, I let him skitter back in.
JD Miller
I heard a story about a preacher who gave a sermon to a group of college students, telling them not to spend an eternity in hell for an hour of lovemaking.
He was overwhelmed by the students who came up after the sermon to ask, “How do you make it last an hour?”
Peggy
Tracy, at 47 I can honestly say I was a college kid, aside from all the things I was legally old enough to do. Hind site.
http://www.nightwares.com/ Warren
Marriage is a social institution. Sex is a force of nature. When they come into conflict, it’s not the social institution that ‘wins’ the battle. It might be a good idea for us to recognize this reality.
A better, more important question might be, ‘why do we think marriage is so important, and why do we behave as though there are never acceptable alternatives to it?’
Is it OK? Heck, it’s fantastic. Moreover, you might as well get all the premarital sex you can because once you’re married, well . . . . : )
http://www.buzzdixon.com buzz
Proof abstinence isn’t 100% effective, either…
http://www.facebook.com/john10423 John Gragson via Facebook
the SOS has always been explained to me as a bit of poetry–erotic at that. i’m not entirely sure why it’s even in the Bible. that much said, if Brandon gets that “it’s not in God’s nature to hate”, and that you needn’t base your understanding of God on a single translation, i don’t see why he is convinced that “Sex is only designed for heterosexual marriage.”
http://www.buzzdixon.com buzz
I think 99% of all sexual incompatibility problems would be revealed through honest, frank discussions of what one expects from / is willing to put up with in a spouse.
Money concerns are the big marriage killer.
http://www.barnmaven.com Barnmaven
Sex adds an amazing layer of complexity to a relationships for most people. Not everyone, sure, and as long as there are people who insist to me that their consentual sexual relationships with people they aren’t madly in love with are truly not a problem I’ll take them at their word for it. For me, though, love and sex always came as a package. When I had sex with people I didn’t truly love, feelings of love soon followed and weren’t necessarily reciprocated. Much of the pain and self-hatred of my early 20′s was lived out in my poor sexual choices, which did nothing but make me feel worse about myself.
I got lucky in middle age, that’s all I can say. Mr. Barnmaven and I enjoy a very delightful intimate relationship – and a very deep and trusting love. I can’t go back and undo my younger years, but I hope I can give my daughter a better road map than I had. I also hope that I can prepare her enough so that if she does delve into sex before she is in that committed relationship that she protects herself from pregnancy and disease and that she at leasts picks her partners wisely.
Tom Blegen via Facebook
sex has been around longer than marriage…
http://www.barnmaven.com Barnmaven
Brandon, my savior already arrived. He died on the cross to make sure everyone knew the depth and breadth of love that God has for all of his creation. You and me and every single one of us. Fortunately, that crazy mad love He has for all of us isn’t contingency-based.
I’m working on a follow-up to that post, one that looks at Christ’s teachings re it being better to foreswear all sexual desire >if possible< and focus purely on things of the spirit, with marriage being the best substitute for celibacy (i.e., find a mate you can cherish and provide an avenue for romantic / sexual expression so both of you will have time / energy for things of the spirit rather than spend most of one's time pursuing purely physical pleasure at cost of one's spiritual growth).
Shawna W
I couldn’t agree with you more! This sounds exactly like something that could have been written from my perspective. Especially the early 20′s self-hatred thing. Kudos and thanks
Amber Glo Fry via Facebook
They once did a survey on this in Sweden and the participants were stumped on the term “pre-marital sex”…hadn’t heard of it before…since, I guess…they don’t categorize sex by pre-marital, during-marital or after-marital there.
Cathy Elings-Sysel via Facebook
oops. 25 years too late…LOL
http://www.facebook.com/enjoeyme Joey Boyd via Facebook
sexual compatibility is a huge factor in any marriage and all that should be figured out before the wedding night.
Larry Petry via Facebook
you can’t deny that we all stand within a hyper-sexualized culture. It seems we value sexual gratification as a very good (“extremly important”), if not, Ultimate good. What if we stepped back and considered, in the great vast scale of things, that sexual gratification may not be as crucial a life priority as we (our culture) thinks?
Gary
I love this!
Shawna W
“mechanics”? You must be joking. You are obviously unhappy in your “mechanics” department if that’s what you think a healthy, happy sex life is about. As Elsa mentioned above, a healthy sexual relationship envelopes the “physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of our selves.”, not just the mechanics of it. There is no piece of paper with some signatures on it that can change that. Just because 2 people who truly love each other and are having intercourse are not legally bound by a piece of paper, does not make them “fornicators”. And if these two said people want to try pole dancing in the comfort of their own homes, does that mean they’ll go to hell too? Curious to know what your Bible says about pole dancing….enlighten us, please. You’re the one who is deluded.
DR
This is so awesome.
Gary
It certainly can create victims. Just like consuming alcohol can lead to destructive uses of it and create victims. But consuming it responsibly does not create such victims and scripture promotes it’s consumption in various places.
I have never engaged in what I would call recreational sex. That is sex outside of a deep and loving relationship. But many have and do and absolutely defend their right to do so given the “construct” of equal expectations and responsible behavior. I don’t consider a person who chooses for themselves what is right and appropriate to do with another to be a victim of that other person. There actions may have consequences they were not prepared for…but what choices in life don’t have such a possibility?
Gary
“Their” actions…typos…grrrrr.
DR
It’s so creepy how these people come onto this blog with the posture that they are attacking those of us who are “true Christians” as they ride their “I’m a real Christian” white horse on in to conversation. Only to be banned because of how terribly rude they are and then actually LIE to get back in. It screams “cognitive dissonance”. How maddening for non-religious people to have to deal with this everyday.
Shawna W
Oh, yeah, because having a child out of wedlock is utterly life-destroying. Dude, aren’t you the least bit shameful of the crap you’re typing?
I knew times that lasted longer than that…..all with men!!!!!! The trick to that is to include Love. When Love is in the mix, you never want to stop.
DR
I don’t consider a person who chooses for themselves what is right and appropriate to do with another to be a victim of that other person.>>>
“Victim” is a word that often implies we are dealing with behavior done to us by someone who intended to do harm. And as you’ve said, the contract of equal expectations and responsible behavior takes any culpability off the table. For example if I set up a scenario where I have a friends with benefits type of sexual scenario – where the man is super clear upfront that he doesn’t want a relationship with me, that he likes me but he’s not looking for exclusivity or intimacy beyond sex – then I know the deal. Am I a “victim” of my own choices if I go for it, thinking I can handle that and my heart just isn’t equipped in hindsight to handle it? That perhaps, it wasn’t designed to handle that? I’m hurt. And I’m going to shut down as a result and possibly hurt others because I’m operating from a hurt place. Is it “technically” the fault of the man for jumping in and going for it? No, of course not. No blame, no culpability. But at least for me and a lot of women I know, we betray our deeper heart desire for intimacy when we make that decision and false hope gets in the way of making a better decision.
DR
(Brandon’s Facebook is pretty revealing).
DR
For whatever it’s worth, he’s in high school.
DR
You’re such a mirror for the restlessness in peoples’ hearts. It’s got to be weird to have this happen so much.
Gary
I know…totally floors me. Hence Ghandi’s famous line so resonates with me when he said “I like your Christ. I don’t like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
Melody
Wow. He’s open to the public, huh? I remember when Facebook started allowing high schoolers and thinking what a bad idea that was, particularly since they made such bad arguments on debate forums. Guys like Brandon remind me of Zophar–a teenager trying to tell Job, a seasoned and experienced man, what to think of God. The youthful arrogance makes me want to vomit.
Christine
So much for poly people just being permiscuous. Lol. How many people who would reject you for it have had way more sexual partners than you – and you’re still committed to both of yours! How messed up.
Gary
What???
vj
Lovely!
http://www.buzzdixon.com buzz
“Would it have been improved if you had loved that high school teacher enough to marry her, and vice-versa?”
Paging Mr. Gingrich…
http://www.buzzdixon.com buzz
Serious question:
For purposes of this discussion, how are we defining sex?
Home run, that’s a given…
But third base? Second base? First?
What about bunting? Or the infield pop fly rule?
Is it sex if you suit up?
Joking aside, where are we drawing the lines?
Anthony B Warren via Facebook
To speak or not to communicate, that is a problem. Perhaps it is careless for someone to so freely flounder on a intimate physical level. I am not a historian, or much of a religious sort or in a relationship currently, but I am with my own opinion. From what I’ve read and heard, marriage seemed to have some sort of societal impact on the welfare of the families involved, less so of a consideration on the actual individuals concept of self. Perhaps this gave the two something more to work with than just themselves. That being said, I doubt that we can continue that stance on marriage. There is only so much land, electricity, water, textiles, etc that can be bought and sold and we are becoming far more numerous than 2k years ago. Elsa Wiens mentioned that someone can encounter misery once married, which I’ll have to fully agree with. Some reasons are perhaps superficial or more in depth than either person can relate to. I don’t think it’s too far flung to incorporate civil rights into this discussion. However I would like to refrain from enveloping it much more than a mentioning of the relationship. If I were to get caught up on the simplicity of pre-marital sex, I would be denying the societal impact of marriage as well. In this country we’ve place more value on a marriage based on ethnicity and culture than on the functional aspect of a relationship deemed to be sacred. However I don’t think it’s a good idea to throw down that battle axe of expectations that marriage can bring. Sometimes I wonder if I’m more in love with Disney than Disney can ever admit to loving anything about me, and unfortunately the same goes with religion. I don’t want to be mystified into some formulaic marriage routine, I am not your cookie dough to be satisfying your egotistical depravity. You are an individual as well and rightly so. Not that there is absolutely no similarity, I just don’t think I need too much intimacy with someone who isn’t there for me such as a partner would be. I would like to be in a relationship with someone, and longer than a few months or just a few years. Sex isn’t everything, but there are times I want to convey that it means more than just an instant gratification that it can tend to be. Not communicating at all or some sort of a one-sided aspect of a conversation that can so intimately affect a persons life, can be quite damaging. With all due respect, I understand this expectation of relating has worked for you and perhaps will continue to do so. I however doubt the guy I’ll be with could fully agree with you on this matter. I do value my potential partners views and opinions, so I will end this here. Peace be with you.
http://www.buzzdixon.com buzz
Methinks he’s referring to the story of Adam & Eve, where God created woman to be man’s equal and helpmeet, with procreation added as an afterthought. however, since animals — and for that mater, plants — had already been created as fully developed species before the introduction of humanity, creationism does teach that sex was around before marriage.
karen
I had to laugh. As an American that lived in sweden for 4 years until just very recently, you are right they would have NO earthly idea whatsoever! Many – if not most, people are not married there, yet enter into this long term commitment known as SAMBO- basically being the legal explanation for two people that are long-term committed -share mortgages,assets, and children without the pesky ordeal of walking down the aisle and adding an expense they have no money for anyway- such as a wedding.
They meet, they have sex, they move in together, and before long there’s kids. No less commitment than a “marriage”, but certainly not something that they feel they have to do so that society considers them a couple.
Marriage-as we know it in the States is roughly a legal arrangement anymore. YOu can add all the romance and the religion, and whatever vows you want to it-but go through a divorce , and you’ll realize that it’s just a bag of legal mombo-jumbo in the end.
gretchen
John, you did a great job in saying this, and I’m glad it was said by a MAN who has had experience in and out of love.
C.S. Lewis once said that each time we have intercourse without love, we harden our hearts.
Thanks again!
Gary
I agree with everything you just stated and it is why I personally have avoided casual sex. But many choices in life have consequences that may not be what we anticipated. I have said previously that I believe sex should be handled with a very high level of respect and care. There is much potential for emotional as well as physical consequences with it.
My point has nothing to with determining what is right for you or anyone else for that matter. In fact…that is the point I am trying to make here. When sex is appropriate is a very personal and subjective decision without any absolutes for right or wrong outside of what I always fall back on…the law of love. Not everyone agrees with John’s view that you should be willing to spend your life with someone before you have sex with them. (This has been my personal choice in the matter in fact) Great advice for many…others can handle the risks associated with sexual activity from a bit more liberated point of view perfectly fine.
Thanks for sharing those stories, Tim, including your own. These are important issues to consider. I hope you can all find happiness sex-wise.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
Interesting use of the word “liberated.”
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
For the sake of this post, I was real careful to stipulate “full intercourse.” I figured that was about as clear as I could make it. (Buzz Dixon! You rock.)
vj
Oh wow, that’s awful to have gone thru that. I’m so glad your daughter did at least come to you, and I’m sure you guys put some effort into helping her overcome her feelings of worthlessness. I am also reminded of the phenomenon (I think addressed in a book a few ago?) of our hyper-sexualized culture actually ‘condemning’ girls/young women in a lose-lose situation: if they remain virgins they are ‘prudes’, if they have sex they are ‘sluts’; and that if a young woman has sex, that’s the only yardstick by which she is measured/valued – regardless of her intellectual or other achievements. Totally sucks!!
I’m glad you shared this incident – it reminds me that I need to make sure my own kids understand that whatever they decide, I won’t judge/condemn them… (my own mom once told me that she would be happy to organize me some birth control if I decided to have sex; it pretty much freaked me out at the time – I’m much more conservative than she was! – but at least I knew I had options).
vj
vj
I know, right? How did we end up in a society where who/how many sexual partners a person has/had is the most important yardstick by which we measure a person’s character? I am so much more than my sex-life!!!
Christine
Erection and lubrication alone do NOT sexual compatibility make…
Leslie
Yeah, it’s a shame that this “sex is evil and forbidden” teaching is spewed so heavy-handedly to kids. Adults may not realize it, but kids (especially young kids) really do absorb everything you tell them and retain it for life (even if they intellectually disagree with it).
I went to Catholic school for a bit, but didn’t get exposed to the purity sham. Thank God. Some of the girls I know who did still feel anxious around sex… with their husbands. My mom always told me: “sex is best with someone you love” and that, interestingly enough, is what what preserved my virginity through high school… and college… and grad school…
vj
Another potentially tragic consequence of the very rigid ‘True Love Waits’-type of approach (which, thankfully, your family was spared) is that when these teens DO get pregnant they (a) feel that they cannot face their parents and (b) are tempted to have abortions [which are generally frowned upon by the very parents and church leaders that place the no-sex pressure on them in the first place]. A young woman left a comment recently on one of John’s other posts in which she confided that she had an abortion because she knew her dad would freak if he found out she was pregnant; from the details of her comment, I’m guessing that her dad is opposed to abortion, yet his own rigidity has resulted in his own daughter having one. I just feel so terribly sad for this young woman to have to go through this ALONE.
Yeah, not normal. (I know WAY too much about penises for being a lesbian…) The downward angle will mean the tip of the pensis will not rub against the G-spot during missionary-position vaginal sex and may put too much pressure on the delicate vaginal/anal wall to be comfortable. That position with that shape penis is highly unlikely to result in a vaginal orgasm. Different positions is definitely the way to go. If you’re looking for additional information, find a good health-centered sex store. They’ll likely have educational material specifically aimed at finding positions and other solutions for this type of situations. Expert advice never goes astray.
Even if no one ever had premarital sex (yes, like saying even if the world WAS flat), why would we not want to promote this type of education in advance? We should put greater value on people actually getting to enjoy sex when they do have it, whenever that is.
Christine
Neither.
Leslie
A more civilized approach to sex all around would solve this country’s teen pregnancy problem. I can’t help comparing our prudish attitudes toward sex in the States to those of Japan… where teen pregnancy is non-existent. Comprehensive sex-ed nationwide would be great, along with eliminating all taxpayer funding abstinence-only programs. If the “True Love Waits” crowd wants to brainwash more youth, they can do it on their own dime.
Gary
Marriage as it should be as God’s design? The SOS??
Well if that is the standard for God’s design…then we should all be having pre-marital sex and should not be exclusive with each other once we are married. That is if, as you suggest, the Song Of Solomon is supposed to be our guide.
LOL
Christine
LOL. I love it when people think google searches hold all the answers to our moral, theological, and epistemological questions. The Internet era teaches us how to find, but maybe not how to filter….?
Gary
Not my word originally. Comes from a group of Christians who believe in sexual freedom within the context of the law of love. They refer to themselves as “Liberated Christians” as in liberated from false teaching concerning sexuality found in most churches.
Christine
Read this comment first. Yes, context is everything… LOL
Allie
That would be Paul’s teachings, not Christ’s.
Christine
Yay for actual scholars. If only all such forums had people who read ancient Greek… *sigh*
Gary
Yes I had a best friend in high school who went through an abortion purely because of the expectations shame and being ostracized by the church. Only in this case she was planning to deliver and place her child up for adoption, but her Christian parents forced her to get an abortion rather than deal with the stigma they knew they would face. I struggled with so many implications of that experience for many years. You cannot imagine all the emotional baggage my friend has had to carry with her.
I agree this is not meant to open an abortion debate…but merely illustrative of the complete havoc such horrible and destructive views cause.
Allie
See, I’ve always been perplexed by people who find that “hate your relatives” verse a sticking point. I have seen too, too many mothers who told their daughters, “Let your dad rape you, he pays the bills,” one too many sets of parents on the news paying for high-priced lawyers for sonny the murderer. Jesus isn’t saying anything you have to make excuses for, he’s saying that evil is evil even when it’s the people you love doing it, and part of being a Christian is to stop making yourself an exception and look at things fairly.
Christine
I like the article. Thanks. A certain personal wisdom can go a long way, and, of course, we are the ones to live with ours actions, so we should understand and feel confident in our choices. And, I agree that at some point, a stanch and inflexible view will to some extent shut down this self-understanding.
Aimée Clifford via Facebook
Oh, cool, something else an atheist and a Christian agree on.
Christine
We’ve move from absolutely-obvious-if-you’d-bothered-to-google-it to “it isn’t that far fetched”. Sounds like progress to me.
Allie
I think John’s opinion as voiced here is generally a good guideline which will work well in many situations for most people. The only thing that bothers me is that there’s evidence it’s NOT his real opinion, as based on his statements about sex elsewhere. He gives the example of his own first sexual encounter, in which he certainly did not love his partner enough to want to stay with her forever, as a positive experience. And I believe that pretending to believe something you don’t really believe is a bad idea.
Gary
So true. Many of the most pious Christians I know have had tons of more sexual experience than I have and almost brag about it. Go figure…lol.
Gary
Indeed. It is a part of me…but it is not me.
Diana A.
In D. Trac’s case, God apparently looks, thinks and acts like a horse’s pa–oh wait, that isn’t a very Christian sentiment, is it?
Christine
Funny. I don’t recall Adam and Eve’s wedding…. hmmmm. I just remember them messing everything up and then God telling them to go start doing it…. curious…
Diana A.
Thank you!
Gary
How to find but not how to filter. What a marvelous statement. Absolutely true!!
Christine
Sounds Romans 14-esque. Not sure why. Would they see that scriptural view as being relevant to their views on sexual mores?
Diana A.
I think that it is his real opinion. Just because he made different decisions back in the day and has no real regrets about them doesn’t mean that he doesn’t see the potential for harm in those cases.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
Yes, pretending to believe in something you don’t really believe is a bad idea. I can’t imagine who but a child would argue that.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
Diana A: Once again, you’re hired.
Diana A.
Cool!
http://www.facebook.com/naywittsy Naomi Witts via Facebook
@ Elsa. You know I’ve heard people use the argument of sexual ‘imcompatability’ or different ‘styles’ being the deal breaker and I think that people using this point need to explore the deeper issues behind these kinds of statements. God is an amazing God that designed sex to bond two people together with this kind of act of love that is not only pleasurable but fun and exciting… and varied. Sex is so good that it can be varied and changed and can take a lifetime to explore the possibilities and depth of with another person. I think His design for sex between two committed-for-life people is a strong ingredient for a good marriage…. and hopefully a great life-long relationship. It’s not the ONLY ingredient though…. and if two people have entered into a commitment where a difference is sexual style or taste in the bedroom is enough to make these people reconsider their love and commitment to each other…. well I’m sorry to say that the problem isn’t just with the bedroom… it’s with the other important ‘ingredients’ being neglected in a marriage; ie. friendship, communication, conflict resolution, time spent together, etc, etc. I would even say that commitment to their own needs has become more important than commitment to the other person.
I’m definitely NOT condoning rape or saying that a person who has been deceived into an abusive ‘marriage’ is ok at all… and the bible’s teaching is clear that such unfaithfulness (either by an unfaithful treachery or unfaithfulness means another person is not bound any longer in these situations). However, to say that a bad sex life is reason enough to leave and not stay and work through the problems is not really giving marriage the depth it deserves.
I am married… and I know that sex is such a strong element.. it sets the temperature for a marriage and can colour it hot or cold, gloomy or warm. However, human beings are not pieces of rock or cement… unchangeable identities that cannot move or adapt to another person…. nor is sex made in a way that if two people like different spices in the curry so to speak.. they can’t have their tastes changed and still enjoy the curry if you get my meaning. If two people have really entered into a marriage that is truly about deep commitment and have spent time building on their relationship… they know each other enough and have explored each other emotionally enough to know whether the spark is there or not huh. People don’t need to have had sex to know that being lovers is going to be awesome or not. Movies and books are made on this kind of pull…. and there are thousands. But the pull is not just sexual.. it is about chemistry between two people full stop. If people get married based on a bond that is purely sexual and there are no other foundations to weather the storms that will come.. then that’s a very sad thing indeed… and if two people have let the fire become a barely there spark so that the temperature of the marital house is not only cold but gloomy and distorting their view of the other person.. then that is sad too.. but the spark can be flamed into a roaring blaze again if it’s not left to die?
Marriage is a serious commitment.. and if people are entering into it lightly and not seriously.. or including sex in a relationship that was made for bonding in a committed way? This messing with some strong stuff… and so logically there are serious consequences. Calling the problems about incompatibility is kind of like saying you are going to let the olives on a pizza mean you cannot eat the pizza instead of picking out the olives really. I think trust in God’s design and plan for two people in a marriage is another issue that could be addressed also? <3
Gary
Romans 14 is very much a big part of the liberated view mindset. With freedom comes responsibility and a big part of that responsibility is respecting the views of others and not leading them into freedoms for which they are not ready.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
Um … I’m gonna say … not given that fact that I’m afraid I don’t know what about Rod is just now particularly interesting. I assume I’ve missed something?
http://www.buzzdixon.com buzz
No, definitely Christ (tho Paul did elaborate on it). IRC, it’s in Luke (my notes are on my computer), the passage re some are lucky to be born eunuchs, some can become eunuchs, for everyone else there’s marriage.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
This is very well said, Bar. Thanks for it.
http://icarusalways.blogspot.com/ daemon
Well written, but what would you say to Christians guys who are gay and are not allowed to get married in their home states? Are we to remain abstinent until the government give us permission to be married?
I think you might be missing what most people are calling sexual compatibility. I don’t think people are saying that people should split up if they just have a different “style or taste”. The comments are full of much more serious issues than this.
DR
Yeah, the word “liberated” got me too. But I think get the intent, to be free from some of the really oppressive doctrine around sex that we’ve over corrected.
DR
I would bet you a million dollars that in 10 years, young Brandon has a handsome fella on his arm.
Christine
How I do love the practical applications of that chapter when good instances arise. Here is one of those places where maybe it does indeed make sense. Food for thought. Thanks for elaborating.
Protect your heart the same as your body. Living up to the Puritan Ethic is impossible!
Michael wbl
i went to a christian college last year and they did not say anything even remotely like that.
vj
Do also bear in mind that John’s early experiences were while he was not a Christian, and this particular post was written in response to a question from Christian students.
If encountering the Living God didn’t change what we think/feel about stuff, what would be the point? There is a difference between being at peace with one’s past decisions (there is no point in wallowing in regret, ‘what ifs’ or ‘if onlys’) and being able to recognize that those choices are maybe not what should be recommended to others – the joys of hindsight, etc.
Gary
Yeah I would imagine not all are as fundamental as the one I went to. In mine it was usually in some of the sermons at the required chapel services for all on campus students.
http://kellythinkstoomuch.wordpress.com KellyK
I think you raise some valid points, and marriage should absolutely be about much more than sex, and two people who love each other should be willing to work through sexual issues and find areas where they are compatible.
I also think there are different levels of incompatibility. To use your analogies, there’s a difference between not liking olives and being able to pick them off the pizza and disliking pizza so much that you need to eat something else in a different room because the mere presence of pizza makes you nauseous.
I think it’s possible for two people to have some incompatibilities and work around them. If your partner likes A, B, and C, and you like C, D, and E, then you end up doing a lot of C–and maybe experimenting with some of the other letters to see if they can be done in ways that you both enjoy. But what do you do if your partner likes A, B, and C, and you hate all of those things, but really want X, Y, and Z, which they have no interest in? (A lot of the time the expectation is on the woman to just lie back and pretend she likes it, which I have all kinds of problems with. I’m not accusing you of that, but when we say that sexual incompatibility is something people should just get over, it’s often women who are expected to be more accommodating.)
There’s also physical incompatibility. What if it’s not just that you don’t like A, B, or C, but they hurt? Or they just aren’t physically possible for whatever reason. A lot of the comments on this thread have talked about disabilities, or physical scarring from past abuse. I don’t think those issues can really be compared to not liking the same things on your pizza.
Also, you don’t necessarily know what you like or want until you have some actual experience, which complicates things further. If you’re talking about sexual compatibility when you’re both virgins, it’s kind of hazy and theoretical, about what you think you might like.
I don’t think any of these things are necessarily insurmountable, but I also don’t think we should assume they’re easy, or that people who have issues with compatibility just aren’t trying hard enough.
I do think that if two people are going to wait until they get married for sex, they need to be realistic about it. They shouldn’t think that their wedding night will be perfect and amazing. It’s totally possible that the sex will be awful, and it will take them both some time to figure out how to make each other happy in that area. If they have this fantasy that because they waited like they were supposed to, everything will be perfect, then they’re in for a huge disappointment.
I also think waiting should be something they’re both committed to and believe in, not something they should do just because their family members tell them they should.
Gary
Yes DR that’s it exactly. I can see how the usage in my context could be confusing though. (Not sure what you mean by over corrected though)
Lymis
I’ve given this question a lot of thought since John posted it, and while I’ve known my answer more or less from the beginning, I wasn’t quite sure why I was having problems with the question.
It seems to me it’s the wrong question. Or maybe, more clearly, it’s the right question asked the wrong way. And it the question is flawed, then it’s really hard to get the right answer, because you have to keep tucking in parts and cutting off others to get it to fit a question it really wasn’t intended to answer.
The question shouldn’t be “is pre-marital sex okay?” It should be “Is non-marital sex okay?”
In a way, it becomes a weird moral circular question. It’s phrased as “pre-marital” because it carries the assumption that everyone is going to get married, that marriage is a given, and that having sex before marriage is jumping the gun. But the reason people are assumed to to be going to get married is because sex is so very important in human lives. Everyone is going to be married to have sex, but everyone has sex to be married. And even that isn’t quite as much of a problem, except that it carries some assumptions about marital sex.
Is pre-dinner snacking okay? The common wisdom is that no, of course it isn’t, because it will “ruin your dinner.” And when you unpack it, the assumption is that the snack will be some sort of junk food, high calorie, low nutrition, eaten mindlessly, while dinner is going to be good nutritious food, and sometimes the assumption includes that it will be a quality social moment and bonding for a family or a relationship. That snacking inherently damages that dinner.
But reality doesn’t work that way. An apple or some other healthy snack is in some ways good in and of itself. And if a healthy snack at the right time means you can wait until you get home to have that healthy dinner rather than just grabbing dinner at whatever fast food restaurant you pass, then that snack actually improves your chances of a good dinner. And it can be a part of a series of healthy and responsible lifestyle choices around food. And if circumstance don’t support having that wonderful healthy formal dinner, then consciously chosen healthy snacks are better than a crappy and toxic dinner you rush into because you’re too hungry to wait.
Sure, if you use what I just said to “justify snacking” and then extend that to nothing but candy and chips, it’s unhealthy. But if you just talk in terms of “snacking” without talking about what and when and why, then you’re doomed to have a discussion that is only partially meaningful.
A lot of the rules for sexual morality were set up in a time when puberty was later, marriage was far earlier, and there was no reliable contraception, and for the most part, single women couldn’t survive, and were effectively property. Having even consensual sex outside of a marriage put a woman literally at risk for her life, potentially ruined her prospects for survival, and destroyed her market value in terms of transferring from her father to someone else. And that ignores the consequences for the child. When those rules were laid down, we were asking someone to wait a couple of years before having sex before entering a marriage that was primarily focused on survival.
Now we are asking someone in a society that inundates them with sexual imagery to hit puberty at 12 or 13, and wait until they are in their early twenties, or with school and career, often until they are in their late 20′s, to start having sex, in a society that doesn’t put nearly the life-destroying weight on a loss of virginity, in which mostly reliable birth control is available, and in which the main point of marriage is emotional bonding and mutual compatibility and support.
I think John comes very close when he said that it isn’t the actual marriage that is as critical as the deep connection – the idea of waiting until you would be willing to be engaged rather than waiting until marriage. But I still think that misses the point.
I think that healthy non-marital sex requires being able to see and value the other person as a person, one with whom you are going to share an intimacy that does carry potentially serious and life-changing consequences. I think sex rises above “junk food” when it involves vulnerability and the recognition of the other person’s fundamental humanity. Seeing yourself and the other person as people who have the potential and the need, and yes, the right, to make that same level of interpersonal commitment, and recognizing the value and sacredness of what you are sharing, whether it is in the context of actually making that commitment to each other or not.
And that if having a loving, fully human sexual relationship with someone whose humanity you honor keeps you from making an inappropriate commitment to someone you don’t love and can’t bond with, or rushing into a marriage that you aren’t ready for, including bringing children into the world into a toxic marriage or unstable setting, then I think that counts as a positive good in its own right, not just a “necessary evil” or “tolerable sin.”
As the controversies over same-sex marriage have heated up, the bigots have ended up revealing their own flawed view of marriage – gay people “can’t” get married because what defines marriage is the coming together of two interchangeable and unimportant people for the express purpose of having unprotected sex to produce children. Marriage isn’t about love, because gay people can love each other, but not marry. It isn’t about finances, or support, or non-procreative sex, or even being good friends and caring for each other. In their view, it really doesn’t even seem to matter if they’ve even met, and things like personality don’t matter – just the genitals.
I can’t help but see a lot of the fetish for “saving yourself for marriage” to be a part of that same underlying idea. Not even so much because of what people think they think, but because of what people actually say they think. It would be one thing if the discussion was framed as love and commitment, and that the reason marriage is the bright line divider is seeing it as the height of the recognition of that commitment and love. But then a teen get’s pregnant with a stranger and “the right thing to do” is get married, or nobody blinks twice at a television show that auctions off a millionaire while millions of committed gay couples who have been together for decades are perverts who will destroy marriage – and it’s pretty clear that what is being discussed isn’t in any way about love and commitment.
I can absolutely support a discussion about judging sexual morality by the intentions, openness, vulnerability, compassion and humanity of those involved. I can’t support framing it in a way that makes pressuring a pregnant teen to marry “the right answer” while dismissing as trivial life life commitments of loving couples who cannot or choose not to formally marry. There’s something wrong with the question, and a wrong question can never give a truly right anwwer.
Gary
This may be the best comment I have seen on a blog. EVER!!
Truly outstanding discussion Lymis. And what makes it so superb is that it genuinely has the potential to help a lot of people struggling with this very real issue in their lives.
Simply Awesome.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
As always, I appreciate what you’ve said, vj. But, for what it’s worth, my ideas about what is and isn’t moral, and why, and all that, did not change at all when I became Christian.
Gary
That’s cool John. Now the obvious question is why is there an apparent disconnect in your advice to those asking the question and your own personal experience? Perhaps I am reading into it. You said you don’t regret and I should not assume you meant it represents a good choice necessarily.
mike moore
thanks, John, for almost causing me a heart attack!
after 12 hours of racing thru airports and flight time, I land last night, innocently hit my iPhone and find I’ve got almost 200 e-mails!!! fortunately, they were almost entirely about premarital sex and made for a most interesting ride to my hotel.
keep shaking it up!
Lymis
John, you’re overlooking the huge number I’ve times I say that you get something dead right and how well you put it. Of course if I write an in-depth comment specifically about your writing I’ll get to some point of disagreement. The rest of the time, it’s because you’re spot on!
In this case, I’m not so much disagreeing with you as with the whole body of commentary on what I still think is answering the wrong question. As far as it goes, you’ve got a great answer to that question. And if it doesn’t feel like the wrong question to you, then I can certainly understand that.
It’s entirely possible that a huge part of my take on this is that it was quite literally impossible for me to have marital sex until I was 48 years old – unless I was willing to live a lie and marry a woman. So my personal questions of sexual ethics and morality couldn’t simply assume marriage as the inevitability, or at least the freely available option, that people who take the “pre-marital” part as a given can.
It changes the question dramatically. And because I was forced to look at it from an entirely different perspective, I’ve found that I notice things in the discussion that other people seem to think they are having that many of them don’t seem to notice are biases and preconceptions that they are operating out of.
In a lot of ways, it comes down to the fundamental need to treat your partner like a real live human being, as real and human, complex, and vulnerable as you are yourself. That “loving your neighbor as yourself” in a specific context. Morality is never about what bodies are doing. It’s always about what hearts and minds are doing.
LSS
well good (^_^) it was only just in case they told you that, so you wouldn’t think it was true.
It is ok. If you want to be real, you have to admit that sex with some people is better than with others. Sexual compatibility is an important part of marriage; once the craziness of the initial hormones of a new relationship have stopped, sex is what will keep the intimacy of your relationship alive.
Soulmentor
Please note: I did not say it was “not normal”. I said it is not the norm. Big diff. I hate the words “normal” and “abnormal” and think they should be stricken from the English language except to refer to them in discussion about their appropriate usage. They are used mostly abusively and inaccurately, which can’t be helped if one uses them because there IS no normal or abnormal. There is only what is, alongside societal norms.
While some things are wrong, evil, improper, disrespectful or whatever, anything that exists is “normal” , tho not always the social “norm”.
Michael wbl
at mine only about 30 people went to the chapel services and the remaining thousands of people used the break between classes to get lunch
Gary
I wish. It was a requirement of ALL students at mine.
LSS
i know, right?! we had to go to a certain number of ours, maybe half-ish? it felt like quite a lot of them because one had to wake up early for it, but was probably not that many.
LSS
we can replace by TYPICAL and ATYPICAL.
LSS
yeah that’s what i am trying to ask, too. i would think it was too nosy, but this is your blog and you told us both… your experiences and your recommendations.
Michael wbl
fortunately valparaiso university is fairly progressive as christian schools go. they took a lot of effort to avoid shoving lutheranism down their students throats.
vj
OK, sorry to have assumed… NOW I’m curious, though, what, if anything, DID change? I’m interested, because I’ve been a believer for almost as long as I can remember, and you had a later-in-life encounter with Jesus, so I’m intrigued by how that impacted on you personally. And on that topic, you did once say that you were writing your memoirs/autobiography – still a book that I’d love to read
vj
I think a better way to express my curiousity (OK, nosiness!) is that all my pre-Christian memories are also pre-teen memories, whereas you have a couple of decades of pre-Christian life experience, and I’m intrigued by how that plays out – both in general, and in your specific case, ‘cos you’ve given us some interesting glimpses on your blog…
vj
Agree!
Gary
“Always about what hearts and minds are doing.”
Perfect Lymis. Totally agree.
DR
Here’s where I struggle with your comment. Marriage is in many faith traditions, a sacrament. Granted, for the GLBT community they can’t marry so this conversation doesn’t make sense for them but for straight Christians, there is a quality of commitment and holiness that is coupled with the concept of marriage. Marriage, for Christians, has been the covenant that seeks to be the end goal of relationship, the standard for commitment. When the GLBT community is allowed to marry (and we all agree it’s oppressive and unjust that they can’t), won’t marriage continue to be the standard for commitment?
Lymis
I certainly hope that it will. I think it will take a generation or so for the gay community to treat it as being as much of a given as straight people do, but the fact that gay people are, for the most part, raised by straight people will go a long way toward bringing both the expectations of young gay people and the expectations for young gay people in line with those of young straight people pretty rapidly once the homophobia is out of the way.
And that will be a wonderful thing. It will shift things from having society lined up to oppose gay love and commitment to having it support it, and adding in the recognition that holiness can be as present in same-sex relationships as opposite sex ones is long overdue.
But that’s all discussing marriage. The question was about sex. Even if the level of intimacy and commitment that are present in the best of marriages is the ideal, and even if a marriage is the ideal vessel for creating and maintaining that intimacy, it seems to me a real problem when we start making the ideal the minimum allowable.
Back to the food metaphor, I could say that the ideal is a balanced, wonderfully prepared, healthy meal shared in community with family and friends. But I’d never say that it’s immoral to eat any other way. And even refusing to condemn other dining choices doesn’t keep me from saying that if you eat every meal every day behind the wheel of your car, you’re cheating yourself out of some of the most important things about food and eating.
Similarly, saying that I think that sex isn’t moral only within marriage doesn’t keep me from advising against the kinds of sexual choices that are shallow and dehumanizing.
And, of course, even if I said marriage is the ideal, I’m really saying that ideal marriage is the ideal – we all know marriages that are abject disasters, emotionally shredding, and toxic to anyone around them.
So it seems to me that we are using “marriage” as a proxy for things like commitment and treating your partner like they matter, that their happiness is important, and like you’re going to have to wake up next to them tomorrow and the day after and the day after and live with the consequences of how you’ve treated them. And of course, marriage is far, far more than that.
But I see so often people saying and meaning “get married” and then speaking as if a shotgun marriage as the result of a pregnancy is the same “ideal” as the conscious choice to combine two lives in love in the presence of God and the community. And I see all too often the pressure on people to marry – anyone – rather than make the “immoral” choice of being sexually active before you find someone you are willing to make a sacred commitment to.
I’d rather we separate the concepts out, and talk about the real concerns in their own right. Because I think marriage with the wrong partner for the wrong reasons (and just getting to have “moral” sex is definitely a wrong reason in my opinion) is a far worse choice with potentially far worse consequences than having a loving, honorable, and compassionate non-marital sexual relationship with someone you don’t make a permanent commitment to. And I don’t see that as approving selfish sex that treats the other person as non-human.
http://Www.unnameablecuriosity.wordpress.com Christine
No, Gary, you’re wrong! THIS might be the best post ever.
Well thought-out, Lymis, just great. You show clearly the terms are being conflated. Indeed, we need two different conversations.
Elsa
I totally agree. You have articulated this beautifully, Lymis, and you are right, it was the wrong question. And for too long the discussion of marriage has been focussed on the wrong issues.
Thank you for this!
Michael wbl
gary i literally only read this comment because you approved it. normally i skip long comments because they tend to be worthless and inflamatory. this was a phenomenal exception. thanks for encouraging me to readit.
Michael wbl
lymis, maybe YOU should start a blog. I would follow it.
LSS
the comments of this blog are generally an exception to that, well, of course it depends on the person and what is behind their words.
http://www.asad123.com Asad123
Great comment. I like how you extend the discussion and bring up new, complex issues. As you explained, compatibility is not a simple yes/no question. Compatibility is like a spectrum with many possibilities.
When people choose to wait before marriage, that can be a beautiful thing. But it’s not magic. A man might feel that because he waited until marriage to lose his virginity that he deserves to have a good sex life. But how many things in life work the first time you try them? It takes practice and a desire to improve. No matter what you decide, there are no easy answers and no guarantees of happiness.
Emery
Hi John,
I love reading your blog!
I was curious about a few things in this article:
1) Is this a faith statement?
“I do think pre-love sex is almost necessarily problematic. We are not designed to be content when our bodies are engaged to a greater degree than our hearts.”
Because, not to be rude, this seems like something that would be very difficult to claim with biology.
2) “But sex with a person with whom you are absolutely in love is not an offense against God or your higher nature.”
What is a person’s “higher nature”? Is this a concept we see in Christian tradition, or is this a personal belief?
3) Having sex with, and being married to, someone you romantically love (a concept that varies in meaning from culture to culture) is a fairly new Western concept, and still does not exist in some areas of the world (in fact, in many cultures romantic love is looked on as silly and childish), so why do you believe this is something that God is actually concerned with, seeing that you will also not find this concept in Christian scripture or tradition? Is this simply a faith claim?
4) Many cultures in the world did not have marriage ceremonies until recent years. Marriage ceremonies were only apart of complex societies. Out of the examples of relationships that we find in the bible, a wedding is not found to have began their relationships. Not to mention, the family that we often see portrayed in the bible is a man, however many wives he has, however many concubines he has, his children and his slaves. Even in the bible sex was not with one other person for life. And while you did begin the article by saying, “I am not against premarital sex,” you concluded saying, “You should be proud of that relationship. You should be so proud of it that you formalize it, and publicly announce it.” Why do you think this ceremony has any significance to God?
5) While in one of your last statements, you seemed to recognize that marriage is simply a product of culture by saying, “And in this society, at this time, that means exchanging rings.” I was curious why you find our culture’s standards on relationships important? And if you do find our culture’s standards on relationships important, I was curious how you balanced this belief out with your views on the LGBTQIAP community and polyamorous persons?
6) And I guess my last question is about this statement:
“I would recommend waiting to have full intercourse until you are engaged.”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you saying that everything except for intercourse is an entirely different animal? I was curious why you made a distinction, because the brain responds in the same manner to all sexual activity. Does this have to do with biology, or is this a personal conviction?
I hope you don’t find my manner of questioning rude. I just wanted to be clear with my words.
I would love to hear back from you!
Emery
Sorry! I didn’t realize just how long this was.
Linnea
Sorry if I misread it, John. That’s what it sounded like.
vj
My thoughts exactly
DR
Got it. Love this, thanks!
Gary
There is a lot of wisdom scattered in the comments here.
vj
Michael, you should ALWAYS read a comment from Lymis! They are often long, but that’s because he has so much good stuff to say, and he always says it beautifully….
Michael wbl
and i enjoy reading them often more than the actual article, but this was exceptional.
Michael wbl
i plan to
Melody
And who gets to define correct theology? Certainly not you. You care more about legalism and literalism than what really matters. Get lost, troll.
Thomas
So where in the bible does God condone or bless homosexual behavior again?
Andy
Well said!!! My feelings exactly … Though never expressed so perfectly.
Melody
This is about premarital sex, don’t change the subject. And why are you so obsessed with that, FRANK? It doesn’t matter whether it did when it was written, because that applied to a specific group of people in a specific time in history. You only want it to still apply because of your unabashed hatred for gays and for anyone with more liberal leanings than you. Do us all a favor (yourself included) and SHUT UP.
Thomas
Yes it’s about premarital sex. The marital part is one man and one woman in a lifetime covenant created and still upheld by God. Sex outside of this bond is harmful and not blessed by God. It’s quite simple really.
Diana A.
So don’t engage in it then.
DR
Life is simple for people who don’t think and who don’t truly pursue the Truth of Christ.
Kathryn
I would like the pre-mariral sex conversation to be expanded to include (and ACCEPT) women’s relational needs. To include the many health-issues that men and (mostly) women face (did you know that women are TWICE as likely to develop mental health problems and TWICE as likely to contract STI’s than men?).
Sex is a health issue: anyone who wants to dumb it down to “Is it okay?” is severely limiting their own understanding of a very complex issue that can affect them for the rest of their lives.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
Yikes, K. It’s a blog post, not a comprehensive treatment of the matter.
mike moore
Kathryn, being a little harsh, I think.
First question is always, “is sex OK?”
Once that big question is answered, then comes the conversations about “do you have any STD’s? birth control? are you man-scaped? do you enjoy clown sex?”
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnshore/ John Shore
It’s true. One should take care to establish, define, and at least intellectually resolve all issues related to normative sexual relations before finally settling down, concentrating, and then boldly daring to face the full ramifications of what exactly it is that is happening when Bozo gets boinked.
Martha J
I like clarifying questions. They make me think about why I believe what I believe.
Sheila
I have been a widow for several years. I was faithful to my husband for almost 18 years of marriage. If the time comes I have bonded with a man enough to get to the point that I am thinking of being engaged and getting married..oh yes I am taking him out for a test drive at least once. Case in point I have met a christian man I really like. We spend time together as friends by mutual choice. We feel no need to rush into a sexual relationship. Our desire to have a Christ based relationship outweighs the need for a sexual relationship.
That will come in time if it is meant to.
Alexi Trevor Malmgren
in australia we have couples who live together for decades without a formal ceremony . 60% of aussi couples never marry . most ausies with a spare $10grand would rather put it toward a house than a lavish wedding with evey uncle bert and aunty mavis thye havn’t seen sine there were 3 .
http://youtube.com/user/BowmanFarm Brian Bowman
One of my favorite authors on the subject:
Copulation is spiritual in essence—or it is merely friendly exercise. On second thought, strike out “merely.” Copulation is not “merely”—even when it is just a happy pastime for two strangers. But copulation at its spiritual best is so much more than physical coupling that it is different in kind as well as in degree. [...] But most sorrowfully–many people never achieve spiritual sharing even with the help of male-female advantage; they are condemned to wander through life alone.
“UNFAIR: Christians and the LGBT Question,” by John Shore
"The touching, brave, and frequently heartbreaking letters in UNFAIR should be required reading for any Christian who claims that gay people can’t also be Christians–and for LGBT people who feel there’s some conflict between their sexual orientations or gender identities and their faith." — Dan Savage, "It Gets Better," "American Savage." Read more about UNFAIR.
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Optimization of furin inhibitors to protect against the activation of influenza hemagglutinin H5 and Shiga toxin.
Proprotein convertases (PCs) are crucial in the processing and entry of viral or bacterial protein precursors and confer increased infectivity of pathogens bearing a PC activation site, which results in increased symptom severity and lethality. Previously, we developed a nanomolar peptide inhibitor of PCs to prevent PC activation of infectious agents. Herein, we describe a peptidomimetic approach that increases the stability of this inhibitor for use in vivo to prevent systemic infections and cellular damage, such as that caused by influenza H5N1 and Shiga toxin. The addition of azaβ(3)-amino acids to both termini of the peptide successfully prevented influenza hemagglutinin 5 fusogenicity and Shiga toxin Vero toxicity in cell-based assays. The results from a cell-based model using stable shRNA-induced proprotein convertase knockdown indicate that only furin is the major proprotein convertase required for HA5 cleavage.
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This shows a cycle path which is too narrow and has inadequate separation from the road. Our local standards call for a minimum of 2.5 m width for single direction cycle paths with 1.5 m separation from the road. For two direction paths, 4 metres is required. It looks likethis. We're also not shown how this integrates with junctions. Something like this would be better.
This is again rather too narrow, and has an "interesting" turn left or right for cyclists wanting to go from the advanced stop box onto the cycle path. Left they've got a 90 degree bend, right there is a small island in the middle of the street.
Cyclists in the UK quite often have problems with buses, and cycling in bus lanes in Britain can be a thrilling experience. A bus lane is not a "cycling superhighway" even if there is a blue stripe in it. (Over here they keep you away from buses for good reason, even when there are works on the cycle path). PRESTO, a European programme to encourage cycling "For everyone as a daily transport mode" specifically recommends against combining buses and bikes.
This cycle path disappears and reappears on the pavement, and gives cyclists an opportunity to collide with bollards. Again it's much too narrow and inadequately separated from the road.
Merely putting blue paint on low quality infrastructure will not result in a boom in cycling. The majority need cycling to both feel safe and be convenient before they will take part. There are many much betterexamples which London could try to emulate.
22 comments:
My first thought when I looked at the very first picture was that the size of each lane seemed to be the same size as is standard in Denmark (Which is probably smaller than in the Netherlands, but I am not sure about that) and that it therefore was good, and the separation level seem to be the same as in Denmark too.
As a Dane, I do not think that Danish conditions are a bad thing (and in London, it is still an improvement) but thanks to your blog, I am aware that there are plenty of opportunities to improve the infrastructure in both London and Denmark
When looking at the rest of the pictures, I do agree with your points though.
You're right, this scheme is a complete joke and makes a laughing stock of any ambition London might have to become a cycling city.
Worth bearing in mind is the fact that London is much more densely built-up than many European cities, with far narrower streets even out into the suburbs, which makes the implementation of wide segregated cycle lanes difficult.
Given that, however, I'd rather they either invested this funding in providing one cycle route of a high standard, or just didn't bother. This is a huge amount of publicity for almost no actual gain.
Feather in the cap politics. We have that here. How can we make it look like we're being progressive without impinging on the motorists "right of way!"? I must that what you have pictured is better than what we ended up with.
I do agree with your attitude. Push for exactly what you need. No point in starting out with compromises because you'll only end up with the scraps. I hope Obama is learning that lesson.
If this is what London has planned for the future, there is going to be no future in cycling safely there. Very disappointing.
We have a similar situation here in Australia, except green paint is the order of the day.
I watched the video of the cyclist being cut-off twice by that bus and I must say that made my pulse race — from fear. Disgusting. I hope that further action was taken against that bus driver. It was the equivalent of waving a loaded gun in the cyclist's face. Just awful behaviour.
The Superficial Cycleways are already a standing joke in London cycling circles, universally regarded as a "failed project".
The usual obstacles, I'm afraid: craven submission to car culture, and anti-cycling residents. Take that second pic, for instance - the one with the 90-degree bend you point out.
The sensible, fast, logical, safe, quiet route - the one we campaigned about for several years - goes straight across (the way the ghost cyclist on the right of the picture is going).
But to do this needs a cycle path through a pedestrianised housing estate. There's loads of room - it's an empty paved area the size of a football pitch - but the residents say no because of "pavement cycling yobs". So councillors say no, too.
So no quiet, safe cycle path - instead, a 90-degree bend and another blue-paint swindle.
I love the one with the narrow cycle tracks and 3 lanes for cars. If the graphic artists who created this view were able to only show the drivers/persons inside the cars it immediately became obvious how much out of proportion this huge amount of car space is.
@David: my thoughts exactly and it's what I was afraid of from the get go.
@Anon: London is NOT exceptional in density, that's a myth and an excuse used often. The Netherlands has towns and cities FAR denser than London and still it was made possible to allow so many modes of traffic (tram, bus, car, parking, bicycles, peds). Amsterdam would be just one good example.
Thing is, it's all about really understanding how to have all these modes 'work together', in an integral way. Like David points out, you can't just slap an inadequate blue lane on a street without dealing with the rest of that street's grid. Making it appear like Copenhagen doesn't mean it is. Far from it.
A city that takes cycling seriously needs to have the political will (balls = knowing what you're doing, based on facts) to change the status quo and deal with safe segregation and integration of all traffic modes, set priorities and base further steps on those. Not skip over that, implement cosmetic changes and hope people will buy it.
People who drive will, because they are exempt. People who cycle won't, because they will continue to feel unsafe and marginalized.
This does seem to be the project for 'really bad design renderings': every single image that TfL have so far released looks like a school project.
This is a marketing campaign, nothing more, nothing less. Most of these cycle 'lanes' exist already and are just being painted blue. Will it make motorists more aware of their existence? Maybe. Will it bring about a revolution in cycling levels? Hardly.
Whilst the package of projects that go with it (more free training, better 'feeder' provision from ajoining cycle lanes) are commendable, this is hardly revolutionary stuff. (and is costing £22 MILLION pounds! How can paint be that expensive?)
Outside of the circle of 'cycling bloggers' I'm sure that some people will be duped and think these are marvelous, and it MIGHT encourage them to cycle more (subjective safety here David) but for those in the know this is a pretty pathetic attempt, and in places pretty reprehensible in terms of good street design.
*sigh*
The sad thing is, this could have been a really GREAT project, but, well, the first 2 'superhighways' are just a bit crap really aren't they?
It is clear that space is not to be taken from the motorised traffic. Some roads in London are six lanes wide which means we can have decent and fair space allocated to pedestrians and cyclists. Some explanation is needed as to why so much space is given to the motorist. One of the main design objectives should be to make a cycle route faster than the car route, which means nice direct lines and priority at junctions.Mark Garrett, Bristol UK
Anonymous said: "Worth bearing in mind is the fact that London is much more densely built-up than many European cities, with far narrower streets even out into the suburbs, which makes the implementation of wide segregated cycle lanes difficult."
This really is nonsense. I live in a suburb on the edge of London and the scope for cycling infrastructure on the Assen model definitely exists. There are major roads where very wide pavements have been used for car parking, leaving cyclists to pass along a narrow cycle lane, usually 1.5 metres wide, hemmed in by parked cars on one side (with the ever present danger of 'dooring') and close, overtaking lorries, vans, buses and cars on the other.
The difficulties aren't technical but political. The default position of my local transport planners is that car parking is the number one priority. My local councillors don't dissent from this. With elections coming up the three main parties are keen to position themselves as friends of the motorist.
Cycling infrastructure in London is a cosmetic add-on, designed to create the impression that something is being done for cyclists. In reality few people want to cycle on roads which they understandably perceive as hostile, dangerous territory for cycling.
I enjoy being out on my bike but it's never a truly relaxing experience, as I am constantly on the alert for danger. I'm intrigued that one commenter is shocked by the video of a cyclist being cut up by a bus. I think most cyclists in London would tell you that being cut-up by an overtaking vehicle is a very, very common experience.
yep ok its not great, but its better than before and if it encourages cyclists then it makes thing safer just by increasing numbers.
I really take your point its not as good as the high dutch standards, but lets bear a few things in mind. As you often rightly point out the dutch infrastructure was built up over 20-25 years, London is just getting started. Remember Greater Londons population is ~ the same size as all of Holland, so give em a few years eh? Also, while the street size thing is a myth the sheer scale of urban density and land value is different to that of Holland. Finally, its earlier days most people in the UK do believe that cars deserve more space than people, so it is a brave-ish step that will increase hostility towards cyclng.
Lets be honest cycling in London is booming, facilities are increasing , its better now than it was and hopefully the improvement will continue.
The something-is-better-than-nothing argument is a dangerous one. The narrow blue strip of tarmac can be viewed as a ghetto, a place for cyclists to be condemned to. This is especially true if cycling in that lane is not realistic, and let's face facts, it isn't. Motorists now have a valid reason for shouting at you when you're riding in the middle of the road (perhaps because you feel it's a lot less deadly than on the blue paint).
This is why a lot of cyclists are still integrationalists: They don't want to give up their right to a large part of the road. I (as a segregationist/integrationist hybrid-model proponent) think it's OK to give up my right to that large chunk of asphalt, but only if I get something better in return (i.e. a small chunk of asphalt that is nicer, safer, more spacious and car free.). The London cycle lanes tend to be narrower, deadlier and have more parked cars and other debris on them than the road surface we're asked to surrender. That's just a lousy deal.
In the same style, TfL has released a report on cycling in outer London (or rather the absence of it): http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/businessandpartners/benefits-of-cycling-report.pdf
Have a look at the "barriers to cycling and solutions". You can read:"Pb: Fear of traffic andfeelings of vulnerabilitySolutions:- Targeted cyclist training- Encouraging children and young peopleto cycle- Develop and promote quieter routes tonovice cyclists"
Improving conditions for cyclists on major corridors by providing proper infrastructure is not at all the priority.. I feel that encouraging teenagers to cycle on busy and unadequate roads of outer london is "criminal"...
Cycledad: Is it booming ? Really ? The stats for the entire country don't show a rise in British cycling.
J..: I exactly understand your point. When I lived in the UK and my local off road cycle facilities looked like this, I rode on the road too.
Oldboy: I agree with you. It simply isn't reasonable to expect people to want their children to cycle in the conditions which exist right now, and it will remain unreasonable until the proposals, and conditions on the streets, improve an awful lot from what we've seen so far.
Cycling related road improvements in London?, and you believed them ?!
London's roads are run by TFL and they would not profit from hoards of cyclists taking to them. They are far more interested in extending the congestion charge zone all the way to Heathrow so they can cream every bit of traffic from the airport to the city..
Cycling in London is booming, the stats show it and its pretty obvious when your on any street. Other govmt stats have shown rises in certain age groups and decreases in others.eg male 30-40yr olds is up , kids are down. This probably is a reflection of the road-only cycling model that we have in the Uk.
There is a difference between the national picture and specific locations. What i see is that in areas where cycling makes sense there is an increase in cycling and i hope that these increases become self fulfilling in these areas. In areas with no critical mass there is no doubt a decline. This is my gut feel. As such you can go to London or Cambridge turn up somewhere on a bike and no-one thinks your weird. I'd rather have these hubs than a 1% national rise.
Don't get me wrong i'd love it if we had dutch style paths all across the UK but we cant do that overnight. I don't think these cycle superhighways are great but i do think that overall they are an improvement.
Extremely envious of the bicycle facilities over there. In Southend on Sea, Essex, we are getting a new cycle path that is two way and will only be 0.9m wide in each direction. Motor vehicles will be allowed to park right up to the lane and their doors will open onto the cycle path. The only seperation will be a raised white line!
@blighty rider - that's very, very poor. If it's not too late you should point out that goes against the recommendations they are *supposed* to follow - Which I believe is minimum 1.5m, absolute min 1.2m for short sections. Not sure about door opening, but surely for a 2 way path that would fail a safety audit?
@Cycledad:Sorry, but I have to disagree on the proposed superhighways being an improvement of any sort - not only are they mostly a recolouring of existing cycle lanes, but in some cases they promote extremely dangerous cycling practices (undertaking of traffic near junctions and on narrow roads, for example). Add to that the fact that their more prominent colour is likely to encourage motorists to behave as if cyclists are meant to be cycling on the superhighways only, rather than being entitled to the entire width of the road. This can likely lead to motorists driving much more dangerously around cyclists, as well as raise the chances for aggressive behaviour against cyclists.
I realize that the highways currently painted on are merely tests, but I would expect the tests at least to work as they are fully intended to, which they don't. The bit of the superhighway close to where I work is intermittent, badly planned and cuts off suddenly right before a pinch point, leaving cyclists using it dangerously exposed to vehicles merging onto a slightly narrower lane.
I will echo the comments that the intentions are good, but good intentions are always only good intentions and not automatically improvements.
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Stereotactic volumetric radiofrequency lesioning of intracranial structures for control of intractable seizures.
Computed tomography (CT) scans provide three-dimensional information about intracranial structures, which can be used to place stereotactically guided radiofrequency (RF) lesions and destroy a targeted volume of tissue. This technique was used for lesioning of the corpus callosum (CC) or the amygdala-hippocampus complex (AHC) in 9 patients with intractable seizures. The procedures were monitored by intraoperative CT scans. Lesions were made in the AHC in 7 patients and the CC in 2 patients. In addition, multiple subpial transection (MST) was performed in 6 patients. The longest follow-up is 29 months with a median of 19 months. Five patients (56%) are free of seizures, 3 patients (33%) have greater than 90% reduction in seizure activity and 1 patient (11%) has greater than 50% but at most 90% reduction in seizure activity. There were no complications except for temporary hemiparesis following MST in 1 patient. The results suggest that stereotactic volumetric RF lesioning of the AHC and the CC may be safe and effective in controlling intractable seizures.
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