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Secretory IgA (sIgA) is found in external secretions such as colostrum, respiratory and intestinal mucin, saliva, tears and genitourinary tract mucin and is often the first line of defense against infectious agents.
Monoclonal antibodies, specific for different diseases are available to combat infection. However, these monoclonal antibodies are predominantly of the IgG and IgM subclasses, which can be injected into a patient after an infection has been contracted. Monoclonal IgA would be a preferred agent and could be used for treatment and to prevent an infection before it enters the body of the host. Currently available monoclonal IgA is of limited therapeutic use since stable, secretory forms can only be produced in limited amounts and the non-secretory forms are unstable with relatively short half-lives in vivo.
IgA occurs in various polymeric forms including monomers (H.sub.2 L.sub.2), dimers (H.sub.4 L.sub.4) and even higher multimers (H.sub.2n L.sub.2n). In addition to heavy and light chains, the polymeric forms of IgA also usually contain J chains. The heavy, light and J chains are all produced by a lymphoid cell. Secretory IgA found at the mucosal surface also contains a secretory component (SC) which is attached during transport of the IgA across the epithelial lining of mucosal and exocrine glands into external secretions.
In vivo, sIgA is the product of two different cell types, the plasma cell and the epithelial cell. Plasma cells synthesize and assemble .alpha. H-chains and L chains with J chains into polymeric IgA. The polymeric IgA secreted by the plasma cell binds to a polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR) expressed on the basolateral surface of the mucosal epithelium. The IgA-pIgR complex is transcytosed to the apical surface. During transit, a disulfide bond is formed between the IgA and the pIgR. At the apical surface, the IgA molecule is released by proteolytic cleavage of the receptor. This cleavage results in a fragment, approximately 70,000 molecular weight, being retained on the IgA molecule. This fragment is the SC fragment, which is attached by disulfide bonds to the IgA molecule. The IgA-SC complex is thereby released into external secretions.
Passive administration of IgA could provide protection against a wide range of pathogens including bacteria and viruses such as HIV and respiratory syncytial virus. Hybridoma produced IgA antibodies applied directly to mucosal surfaces or transported into external secretions after injection into blood are protective, but have been found to be rapidly degraded (Mazanec et al., J. Virol. 61 2624, 1987; Mazanec et al., J. Immunol. 142 4275, 1989; Renegar et al., J. Immunol. 146 1972, 1991). In vitro, sIgA is more resistant to proteases than serum IgA (Brown et al., J. Clin. Invest. 49 1374, 1970; Lindh, J. Immunol. 114 284, 1975) suggesting that sIgA would be a more effective molecule for therapeutic use. However, co-culture systems containing hybridomas and polarized monolayers of epithelial cells (Hirt et al., Cell 74 245-255, 1993) and in vitro mixing of purified polymeric IgA (pIgA) and SC (Lullau et al., J. Biol. Chem. 271 16300,1996) have succeeded in producing only analytical quantities of sIgA.
Methods to purify large quantities of dimeric IgA (dIgA) and SC have been developed and noncovalent association of dIgA and SC has been shown by mixing dIgA and SC. However, the formation of disulfide bonds between dIgA and SC in vitro was inefficient. While the initial association between pIgA and SC is noncovalent, subsequent covalent association between IgA and SC requires cellular enzymes.
Nicotiana tabacum plants producing sIgA have been produced by successive sexual crossing of four transgenic Nicotiana tabacum plants producing: murine .kappa. L chain; a hybrid Ig H chain containing an .alpha. chain with an additional IgG CH.sub.2 domain; murine J chain; and rabbit SC. (Ma et al., Science 268 716-719, 1995). Though the assembly of sIgA in plants has been demonstrated, plant cells attach different sugar residues to proteins than do mammalian cells. This difference in glycosylation patterns may influence the biological properties of sIgA in vivo. In addition, the SC bound to IgA in the plant cells has been shown to be only 50 kDa, which is about 15-20 kDa lower than the expected molecular weight. These results suggest the SC fragment had undergone proteolytic degradation.
There is a need for a method of converting IgA produced in cell cultures, to sIgA which is more stable and more resistant to proteolytic attack. This sIgA should be able to be produced in amounts which make commercial production of the antibody for therapeutic use practical. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | USPTO Backgrounds |
Q:
Entity Framework adding item to ICollection error
I have two simple classes, User and Task:
class User
{
public int UserId { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public string Email { get; set; }
}
class Task
{
public int TaskId { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public DateTime CreatedAt { get; set; }
public virtual ICollection<User> Followers { get; set; }
}
The Task class has a property Followers which is an ICollection<User>
Here is the db context class:
class MyContext : DbContext
{
public DbSet<User> Users { get; set; }
public DbSet<Task> Tasks { get; set; }
protected override void OnModelCreating(DbModelBuilder mb)
{
mb.Entity<User>().HasKey(u => u.UserId);
mb.Entity<Task>().HasKey(t => t.TaskId);
}
}
and here is the code in the Main program:
var db = new MyContext();
var user = new User();
user.Name = "John Doe";
user.Email = "jd@email.com";
db.Users.Add(user);
db.SaveChanges();
var follower = db.Users.Where(u => u.Name == "John Doe").FirstOrDefault();
var task = new Task();
task.Name = "Make the tea";
task.CreatedAt = DateTime.Now;
task.Followers.Add(follower); // ERROR
db.Tasks.Add(task);
db.SaveChanges();
The trouble is I am getting an error when trying to add the follower to the task.
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
What am I doing wrong?
A:
The problem is that the Followers collection is null. Instead of newing up your classes, let EF create them for you ...
var user = db.Users.Create();
and
var task = db.Tasks.Create();
If you're still getting problems then your proxies are not being created. You can initialise the collections in the class constructors, make each of them a HashSet<T>. It would be better though to identify why the proxies are not getting generated ...
public class Task
{
public Task()
{
Followers = new HashSet<User>();
}
public int TaskId { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public DateTime CreatedAt { get; set; }
public virtual ICollection<User> Followers { get; set; }
}
A:
try this. just initialize Follower
var db = new MyContext();
var user = new User();
user.Name = "John Doe";
user.Email = "jd@email.com";
db.Users.Add(user);
db.SaveChanges();
var follower = db.Users.Where(u => u.Name == "John Doe").FirstOrDefault();
var task = new Task();
task.Name = "Make the tea";
task.CreatedAt = DateTime.Now;
task.Followers = new Collection<User>()
task.Followers.Add(follower);
db.Tasks.Add(task);
db.SaveChanges();
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | StackExchange |
Key Points {#FPar1}
==========
Concurrent use of prescription drugs and herbal medicinal products (HMPs) among older adults is substantial, with prevalence varying widely between 5.3 and 88.3%.The most commonly combined prescription medicines were antihypertensive drugs, β-blockers, diuretics, anticoagulants, analgesics, antidiabetics, antidepressants and statins. And the most frequently used HMPs were *Ginkgo biloba*, garlic, ginseng, St John's wort, Echinacea, saw palmetto, evening primrose oil and ginger.There is still limited knowledge of the extent and manner in which older adults combine prescription drugs with HMPs.
Introduction {#Sec1}
============
The world population is ageing. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2050 the population of people aged ≥ 60 years will double and around 400 million people will be ≥ 80 years of age \[[@CR1]\]. By 2040, nearly one in four people (24.2%) in the UK will be aged 65 years or older \[[@CR2]\]. With pharmacotherapy facilitating an ageing population \[[@CR3]\], older populations rely on complex polypharmacy to manage chronic health conditions \[[@CR4]\]. Older adults are the biggest consumers of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines \[[@CR5]--[@CR7]\], and it is also well-recognised that self- medication \[[@CR8], [@CR9]\] and consumption of non-prescription medicines, particularly herbal and other dietary supplements, is widespread among older adults \[[@CR10]--[@CR16]\]. Polypharmacy \[[@CR17]--[@CR19]\] increases the risks of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and interactions \[[@CR20], [@CR21]\]. With healthcare systems increasingly burdened with more hospitalisations and prolonged hospital stays due to ADRs \[[@CR22]\], potential herb--drug interactions are major clinical and economic concerns.
In the UK, prescriptions dispensed for those aged over 60 years accounted for 51.2% of the total net cost for all prescriptions in 2014 \[[@CR23]\]. In addition, up to one-quarter of adults use herbal medicinal products (HMPs) \[[@CR6], [@CR24], [@CR25]\]---medicinal products where the active ingredients consist exclusively of herbal substances or herbal preparations \[[@CR26]\]. HMPs are covered by Directive 2001/83/EC on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use ("Directive on human medicinal products") \[[@CR26]\]. They are mostly bought over the counter, by self-prescription, and are generally not disclosed to healthcare practitioners \[[@CR6], [@CR24], [@CR25]\]. ADRs could occur due to interactions between conventional drugs and HMPs, some of which may have serious consequences \[[@CR15], [@CR27]--[@CR29]\]. For example, St. John's wort (*Hypericum perforatum*) taken with serotonin reuptake inhibitors increases the risk of serotonin syndrome in older adults \[[@CR27]\]. Despite concerns of possible harmful interactions, little is known about the concurrent use of these medicines by older adults.
The aim of this systematic review was to identify and evaluate the literature on concurrent prescription and HMP use among older adults to assess (1) prevalence, (2) patterns, (3) potential interactions and other safety risks, and (4) factors associated with this use.
Methods {#Sec2}
=======
The full review protocol has previously been published \[[@CR30]\]. This review was conducted according to the principles of systematic review \[[@CR31]\] and is reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines \[[@CR32]\].
Eligibility Criteria {#Sec3}
--------------------
Literature searches identified studies assessing the prevalence and patterns of concurrent HMPs or herbal dietary supplements used with prescription medicines. Cross-sectional studies, case reports and case series were included. However we excluded PhD theses, editorials, commentaries, in vitro experiments and animal studies. Studies assessing herbal medicine as part of a therapeutic system or system of medicine such as traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Kampo, Siddha, Unani and homeopathic herbal remedies were also excluded from the review. As were studies assessing the concurrent use of vitamins, minerals and non-herbal dietary supplements or combination products containing herbal and non-herbal substances with prescription medicines.
The WHO defined 'elderly' as individuals over the age of 65 years in developed countries, and over 60 years in developing countries. For the purpose of this review, we have adopted the minimum age of 65 years since the majority of studies identified from our literature searches were conducted in developed countries. Therefore, studies with participants aged 65 years or older, studies with a mean participant age ≥ 65 years, or studies from which data for participants aged ≥ 65 years could be extracted were included in this review.
Search Methods for Identification of Studies {#Sec4}
--------------------------------------------
The following databases were searched until May 2017: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) via EBSCO, Cochrane Library, Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE) via OVID, MEDLINE via OVID, the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED) via EBSCO, PsycINFO via OVID, and Web of Science. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and text words included 'herbal medicine', 'prescription drugs' and 'aged'. The scientific names and common names of herbs most documented for concurrent use were applied to ensure a broad search strategy.
No restrictions were placed on language of publication, and reference lists of all identified studies were checked for relevant studies not identified by the electronic searches. Lateral searches were also conducted using the related citation function in PubMed and cited by function in Google Scholar to capture all relevant articles. The search strategy is available as electronic supplementary Appendix S1.
Data Collection and Analysis {#Sec5}
----------------------------
### Selection of Studies {#Sec6}
Retrieved references from all the databases were downloaded into Endnote files and then merged. All duplicate studies were recorded before discarding. Two reviewers (TA and BW) scanned all titles and abstracts for potential relevance. Any article for which there was uncertainty about relevance was retained and the full text assessed. Using a predesigned eligibility checklist, two reviewers (TA and BW) independently assessed full-text articles against the eligibility criteria and recorded an eligibility code. Studies that did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded and the reasons recorded. Disagreements on eligibility were resolved through discussions between the two reviewers (TA and BW), and the third reviewer (CG) was consulted if no consensus was reached. Full texts of all articles that met the eligibility criteria were obtained and downloaded into Endnote.
### Data Extraction and Management {#Sec7}
A data extraction form was designed for the review, then piloted and amended to ensure that all the required information could be extracted. Data from individual studies were extracted by the first reviewer (TA) using this form, and validated by the second reviewer (BW). Key information extracted included:Publication details: authors, year of publication, country in which the study was conducted.Study design: study type, recruitment and data collection method.Participants: demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, sampling and sample size, previous medical diagnosis, etc.Primary outcomes: prevalence of concurrent use, name and number of HMPs and prescription drugs, pattern of use, and number and types of adverse reactions or potential interactions.Secondary outcomes: disclosure, satisfaction or dissatisfaction, and cost expended on HMPs.Study limitations: response bias, selection bias, representativeness of sample, etc.
### Quality Assessment of Included Studies {#Sec8}
The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklists for appraising studies reporting prevalence data \[[@CR33]\] and for case reports \[[@CR34]\] were used to screen selected studies prior to inclusion in the review. Two reviewers independently assessed each of the included studies against the criteria on the JBI checklist to minimise bias and establish methodological validity. The JBI checklist for prevalence studies was the preferred assessment tool because it can be used across different study designs reporting prevalence. The checklist also addresses issues of internal and external validity critical to prevalence data. Any disagreements between reviewers were resolved through discussion.
### Data Synthesis {#Sec9}
We used the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) three-stage approach to mixed method research to synthesise data \[[@CR35]\]. A first synthesis was conducted to address the prevalence, pattern of use and patient characteristics associated with concurrent use of HMPs and prescription medicines. The second synthesis focused on safety issues and other factors associated with concurrent use, i.e. disclosure, satisfaction and cost/resources. Finally, using thematic synthesis, we identified key themes and commonalities. Findings were summarised as a narrative account addressing each of the review questions. A detailed discussion of the limitations of the included studies and the implications of our findings was also provided.
Results {#Sec10}
=======
Results of the Search {#Sec11}
---------------------
The literature searches identified 20,837 titles and abstracts. Initial screening of titles and abstracts identified 2199 potentially relevant articles; a total of 2106 articles were excluded for not satisfying all the inclusion criteria. Full texts of the remaining 93 articles were obtained to assess for eligibility. At the end of the eligibility process, 71 articles were excluded for the following reasons: type of intervention (e.g. non-herbal combinations, non-oral; *n* = 9), age (*n* = 24), study type (*n* = 19), and no concomitant use (*n* = 19). Twenty-two studies met our inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review (Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}).Fig. 1Study selection process
Study Characteristics {#Sec12}
---------------------
Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"} is a summary of included studies, providing information on study setting, sample characteristics, prevalence of concurrent use, and most reported prescription medicines and HMPs, as well as interactions or potential interactions reported from such combinations.Table 1Summary characteristics of the included studies (*n* = 22)Study, countryStudy design/data collection methodSample size, ageDefinition or description of HMPPrevalence of concurrent use (%)Most reported HMPsMost reported prescription medicines^a^Number of potential herb--drug interactions; detailsBatanero-Hernán et al. \[[@CR36]\], SpainCross-sectional survey/semi-structured interview384, ≥ 65 years\
M = 129\
F = 255\
Mean age or range NSNS88.3Chamomile, anise, lime blossom tea, squaw mint or mosquito plant, red tea, valerian, plantago, senna, alder buckthorn, balm mintParacetamol, omeprazole, benzodiazepines, lactulose, antacids, statins, NSAIDs, ventolin, antipsychotics, Alzheimer drugs22; potential risk of haemorrhage from valerian with drugs metabolised by CYP3A4; plantago interferes with the absorption of statins, acenocoumarol, digoxin, paracetamol and metformin, senna with digoxinBlalock et al. \[[@CR38]\], USAPopulation-based epidemiological study/semi-structured interview1423, ≥ 65 years\
Mean age 63 yearsHerbs/natural products, excluding vitamins and minerals19.9Garlic, *Aloe vera*, *Ginkgo biloba,* Echinacea, ginseng, St John's wort, ginger, saw palmettoMetoprolol, atenolol\
Atorvastatin, simvastatin\
Conjugated estrogens\
Omeprazole, lansoprazole\
hydrochlorothiazide, lisinopril, enalapril168; inhibition of CYP3A4 substrates (e.g. atorvastatin, simvastatin) by garlic, *Ginkgo biloba*, Echinacea, St John's wortCanter and Ernst \[[@CR49]\], UKCross-sectional/self-completed questionnaire271, ≥ 50 years\
137, ≥ 65 years\
F = 84 \
M = 53\
Mean age or range NSNSNSGarlic, *Ginkgo biloba*, Echinacea, evening primrose oil, St John's wort, ginseng, *Aloe barbadensis*, devils claw, cranberry, saw palmettoAspirin, bendroflumethiazide, β-adrenoceptor antagonist, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, ACE inhibitor, levothyroxine sodium, calcium channel antagonist, proton-pump inhibitorNot possible to extract data for subjects ≥ 65 years of ageDelgoda et al. \[[@CR53]\], JamaicaCross-sectional survey/semi-structured interview365\
32, ≥ 70 years\
Mean age or range NSNSNSDifferent types of mints cerasee, garlic and gingerAtenolol, metformin, ventolin, nifedipine, enalapril, glucophage, hydrochlorothiazide, ranitidine, voltaren, natrilixNSDergal et al. \[[@CR48]\], CanadaCross-sectional survey/semi-structured interview195, ≥ 65 years\
M = 84\
F = 111\
Mean age 73 yearsNatural health products17*Ginkgo biloba*, garlic and EchinaceaAspirin, trazodone, amlodipine, lorazepam*n* = 11 in 9 patients\
Increased risk of bleeding (8), increased risk of coma, enhanced sedative effects of benzodiapines, and blood-pressure medicationDjuv et al. \[[@CR51]\], NorwayCross-sectional survey/self-completed questionnaire381, ≥ 18 years\
32, ≥ 70 years\
Mean age 54.5 yearsNS40Bilberry, green tea, *Aloe vera*, Echinacea, garlic, ginger, *Ginkgo biloba*, cranberryAntihypertensive and diuretics, antihyperlipidemic agents, anticoagulants, analgesics, antihistamines, antidiabetics, antidepressantsNot possible to extract data for subjects ≥ 65 years of ageElmer et al. \[[@CR54]\], USASecondary data analysis/population-based analysis from a cohort study5052, ≥ 65 years\
M = 2009\
F = 3043\
Mean age 75 yearsCAM products9.5Garlic, *Ginkgo biloba*, ginseng, alfalfa, saw palmetto, Echinacea, Aloe vera, St. John's wort, bilberryNSAIDs, warfarin, antihypertensive, statins, omeprazole, nifedipine, furosemide, oral hypoglycaemics*n* = 294; elevated drug effect, decreased drug effect, risk of bleeding, affects blood coagulationIzzo and Ernst \[[@CR16]\], UKSecondary data analysis/systematic review90, ≥ 65 years\
M = 51\
F = 39\
Mean age 68 yearsNSNSSt. John's wort, ginseng, garlic, *Ginkgo biloba* and kavaWarfarin, sertraline, aspirin, caffeine, chlorzoxazone, debrisoquine, midazolam*n* = 47; decreased INR, abnormal bleeding, fatal intracerebral haemorrhage, nausea, anxiety, restlessness, irritabilityKaufman et al. \[[@CR17]\], USACross-sectional, survey/telephone interview2590, ≥ 18 years\
494, ≥ 65 years\
M = 243\
F = 251\
Mean age or range NSDietary supplements16Ginseng, *Ginkgo biloba*, garlic, St. John's wort, Echinacea, saw palmettoAcetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, conjugated estrogens, lisinopril, atenolol, levothyroxine sodium, hydrochlorothiazide, furosemide, atorvastatin, calciumNot assessedLantz et al. \[[@CR39]\], USACase reports5, ≥ 65 years\
F = 2 \
M = 3\
Mean age 77.4 yearsDietary supplementNSSt. John's wortSertraline, calcium carbonate, conjugated estrogens aspirin, multivitamin, cyproheptadine, nefazodone*n* = 5; central serotonergic syndromeLoya et al. \[[@CR40]\], USACross-sectional survey/semi-structured interviews130, ≥ 65 years\
M = 30\
F = 100\
Mean age 71.4 yearsNS34.6Chamomile tea, garlic, flaxseed, artemisia tea (wormwood), *Ginkgo biloba*Aspirin, metformin, paracetamol, atorvastatin, levothyroxine sodium, hydrochlorothiazide, alendronic acid, metoprolol, lisinopril, losartan*n* = 220; the majority had potential to result in alterations in either blood glucose or blood pressureLy et al. \[[@CR41]\], USACross-sectional survey/self-completed questionnaire123, ≥ 65 years\
M = 98\
F = 25\
Mean age 78 yearsNS22.8Garlic, *Ginkgo biloba*, saw palmetto, Echinacea, ginsengAntihypertensives, antidiabetic drugs, aspirin or another NSAID, corticosteroids*n* = 5; four involved *Ginkgo biloba* and aspirin, one involved garlic and warfarin. All can increase the risk of bleedingNahin et al. \[[@CR42]\], USACross-sectional survey/self-completed questionnaire3072, ≥ 75 years\
M = 1653\
F = 1419\
Mean age or range NSDietary supplement83Garlic, *Ginkgo biloba*, saw palmetto, Echinacea,Aspirin, statin, β-blocker, ACE inhibitors, NSAIDs, thyroid agents, oestrogen, cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, thiazide diuretics, vasodilatorsNSParkman \[[@CR43]\], USACase reportM = 1, 68 yearsNSGinseng, *Ginkgo biloba*, valerianCoumadin (warfarin)*n* = 3; nosebleeds, bruises on shins and forearms, and serious headachePeklar et al. \[[@CR50]\], IrelandCross-sectional survey/face-to-face interviews8081, ≥ 50 years\
3446, ≥ 65 years\
M = 3706\
F = 4375\
Mean age 63.8 yearsDietary supplement14Evening primrose oil, garlic, ginsengBisphosphonates, antineoplastic drugs, other analgesics, antiarrhythmic, opioid analgesics*n* = 5; increased risk of bleeding from evening primrose, garlic and ginseng combined with an antithromboticPeng et al. \[[@CR44]\], USACross-sectional survey/self-completed questionnaire458\
260, ≥ 65 years\
M = 244\
F = 16\
Mean age or range NSDietary supplement38Garlic, *Ginkgo biloba*, saw palmetto, ginseng, St. John's wort, DHEA supplements (soy, wild yam), Echinacea,Ibuprofen, fluoroquinolone, levofloxacin, warfarin, hydrochlorothiazide, digoxin, fosinopril sodium, lisinopril, paroxetine*n* = 48; increased risk of bleeding due to lowered platelet aggregation, effectiveness of diuretic lowered, lowered anticoagulant effect, increased serotonin levelsQato et al. \[[@CR5]\], USACross-sectional survey/interviews2976, ≥ 57 years\
1960, ≥ 65 years\
M = 920\
F = 1040\
Mean age or range NSNS52Saw palmetto, flax, garlic, *Ginkgo biloba*Aspirin, hydrochlorothiazide atorvastatin, levothyroxine, lisinopril, metoprolol, simvastatin, atenolol, amlodipine, metformin*n* = 12; increased risk of bleedingShane-McWorter and Geil \[[@CR37]\], USACase reports2, ≥ 52 years\
M = 1, 72 yearsNSSt. John's wort, Asian ginsengMetformin, nateglinide, rosiglitazone, losartan, warfarin, digoxin, atorvastatin, paroxetine, acetaminophen*n* = 3; reduced blood pressure-lowering effect, decreased INR, decreased digoxin effectSingh and Levine \[[@CR47]\], CanadaCross-sectional survey/telephone interviews11, 424, ≥ 18 years\
Mean age or range NSNatural health product5.3Echinacea, garlic, evening primrose oil, *Ginkgo biloba*, ginseng, flax seed oil, St John's wort, apple cider vinegarASA, statins, NSAIDs, calcium channel blockers*n* = 124; increased bleeding risk, increased blood pressure reduction, reduced drug level, reduced glucose controlTurkmenoglu et al. \[[@CR52]\], TurkeyCross-sectional survey/semi-structured interview1418, ≥ 65 years\
M = 462\
F = 956\
Mean age or range NSNS63.3Lime, nettle, sage, mint, thyme, flaxseed, linseed, senna, green tea, rosehip, chamomileCardiovascular, digestive and metabolism drugs, musculoskeletal, nervous system drugs, haematopoietic, systemic hormonal drugs, respiratory system drugsNot assessedYoon and Horne \[[@CR45]\], USACross-sectional survey/semi-structured interviewF = 86, ≥ 65 years\
Mean age 74.9 yearsNS45.3*Ginkgo biloba* or combinations, garlic and clovesMultivitamins, calcium, vitamin E, vitamin C, aspirinNot assessedYoon and Shaffer \[[@CR46]\], USASecondary analysis of dataF = 58, ≥ 65 years\
Mean age 75.6 yearsNSNSGarlic, *Ginkgo biloba*, ginseng, St. John's wortIbuprofen, ASA, nabumetone, estrogen, progesterone, amlodipine, fentanyl, albuterol, warfarin, ticlopidine*n* = 43; increased risk of GI bleeding, metabolism of calcium inhibited, antidiabetic activity, decreased contraceptive or hormone replacement efficacy*ASA* acetylsalicylic acid, *NSAIDs* non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, *ACE* angiotensin-converting enzyme, *HMG-CoA* 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A, *CAM* complementary and alternative medicine, *INR* international normalised ratio, *GI* gastrointestinal, *M* male, *F* female, *NS* not stated, *HMP* herbal medicinal product, *DHEA* dehydroepiandrosterone, *CYP* cytochrome P450^a^Ten most commonly reported
All included studies were published in the English language, except one study published in Spanish \[[@CR36]\]. Thirteen of the included studies were conducted in the USA \[[@CR5], [@CR17], [@CR37]--[@CR46], [@CR54]\], two in Canada \[[@CR47], [@CR48]\] and two in the UK \[[@CR16], [@CR49]\]. Only one study each was conducted in Ireland \[[@CR50]\], Norway \[[@CR51]\], Turkey \[[@CR52]\], Spain \[[@CR36]\] and Jamaica \[[@CR53]\]. The majority of studies (*n* *=* 16) were described as cross-sectional \[[@CR5], [@CR17], [@CR36], [@CR38], [@CR40]--[@CR42], [@CR44], [@CR45], [@CR47]--[@CR53]\], eight of which identified concurrent use of prescriptions with other medications using semi-structured interviews \[[@CR17], [@CR36], [@CR38], [@CR40], [@CR45], [@CR47], [@CR52], [@CR53]\]; others interviewed older people, and then checked and recorded their medications \[[@CR5], [@CR17], [@CR42], [@CR48], [@CR50], [@CR54]\]. Self-completed questionnaires were adopted in five studies \[[@CR41], [@CR42], [@CR44], [@CR49], [@CR51]\], with participants self-reporting on the questionnaire all the medicines they were taking. Three studies \[[@CR16], [@CR46], [@CR54]\] were secondary analyses of data from previous research and three were case reports \[[@CR37], [@CR39], [@CR43]\] of possible interactions between herbal dietary supplements and prescription medicines. Only four studies have been published in the last 5 years \[[@CR36], [@CR50]--[@CR52]\]. Seventeen studies were published between 2000 and 2010, and one case report was published in 1999 \[[@CR39]\].
The 22 studies included in this review had a total of 18,399 participants aged 65 years or over. The average age of participants ranged from 63 to 78 years, and the number of participants ranged from one (case report) to 5052. Only in ten studies was the focus on those aged 65 years or older, with the other studies conducted among the general population aged ≥ 18 years, but data for participants aged ≥ 65 years could be extracted.
Participants were predominantly females in 12 studies, varying between 51% \[[@CR17]\] and 100% \[[@CR46], [@CR55]\]. Male participants were the majority in five studies \[[@CR16], [@CR41]--[@CR44]\]. The number of males and females in the different age categories were not specified in four studies \[[@CR38], [@CR47], [@CR51], [@CR53]\]. One study each was conducted among older adults in hospitals \[[@CR52]\] and nursing homes \[[@CR36]\]. The remaining studies were conducted among general populations (i.e. community-dwelling older adults) \[[@CR5], [@CR16], [@CR17], [@CR37]--[@CR41], [@CR46], [@CR47], [@CR49]--[@CR51], [@CR53], [@CR55]\], outpatients of memory clinics \[[@CR42], [@CR48]\], emergency department \[[@CR43]\] and veteran centre \[[@CR44]\].
We ensured only studies that actually evaluated HMPs were included by looking at the definition where provided and the herbal medications reported. However, no consistent term exists for HMPs and different terms are used in different countries. For example, in Canada, HMPs are referred to as natural health products (NHPs), i.e. "Substances or combination of substances consisting of molecules and elements found in nature and homeopathic preparations sold in dosage forms for the purpose of maintaining or improving health, and treating or preventing diseases/conditions, and includes herbal medicines, vitamins and minerals" \[[@CR56]; p. 2\]. Both Canadian studies included in this review \[[@CR47], [@CR48]\] used the term 'natural health products'. Only one study from the US \[[@CR38]\] used 'herbs/natural products', but excluded vitamins and minerals.
Elmer et al. \[[@CR54]\] used the term complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) products, defined as "products such as herbal (botanical) products or non-botanical dietary supplements (e.g. glucosamine) excluding vitamins and minerals". Five studies \[[@CR17], [@CR39], [@CR42], [@CR44], [@CR50]\] used the definition of dietary supplement according to Directive 2002/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, 2002 \[[@CR26]\], i.e. "potentially any product intended for ingestion as a supplement to regular diet, including vitamins or minerals (at any dose level), herbal products, and nutraceuticals". Twelve studies \[[@CR5], [@CR16], [@CR37], [@CR40], [@CR41], [@CR43], [@CR46], [@CR49], [@CR51]--[@CR53], [@CR55]\] provided no definition or an explanation of HMP. All potentially eligible studies were therefore individually screened to ensure they met this inclusion criterion independent of the definition used.
Synthesis of Results {#Sec13}
--------------------
### Prevalence of Concurrent Prescription Drugs and Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPs) Among Older Adults {#Sec14}
Fifteen studies reported prevalence of concurrent use, while no such information was provided in four articles \[[@CR16], [@CR46], [@CR49], [@CR53]\] and three were case reports where prevalence cannot be calculated \[[@CR37], [@CR39], [@CR43]\]. Prevalence of concurrent use varied widely between 5.3% \[[@CR47]\] and 88.3% \[[@CR42]\].
Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"} shows the most concurrently combined prescription medicines and HMPs from the included studies. The common groups of prescription medicines concurrently combined with HMPs were antihypertensive drugs, β-blockers, diuretics, antihyperlipidemic agents, anticoagulants, analgesics, antihistamines, antidiabetics, antidepressants and statins.
The most commonly used HMPs as reported in the included studies were Ginkgo (*Ginkgo biloba*), garlic (*Allium sativum*), Ginseng (*Panax ginseng*), St John's wort (*Hypericum perforatum*), Echinacea (*Echinacea purpurea*), saw palmetto (*Serenoa repens*), evening primrose oil (*Oenothera biennis*) and ginger (*Zingiber officinale*). In some studies, non-herbal dietary or nutritional supplements \[[@CR37], [@CR41], [@CR42], [@CR47], [@CR49], [@CR50]\], vitamins and minerals \[[@CR17], [@CR42], [@CR44], [@CR50]\] and OTC conventional medicines \[[@CR40], [@CR48], [@CR53], [@CR54]\] were also concurrently used by participants in addition to prescription drugs and HMPs. In one study \[[@CR42]\], 82.5% of participants receiving prescription medicines also used at least one non-herbal dietary supplement, while 54.5% used three or more.
### Potential Interactions and Safety Issues {#Sec15}
Potential interactions from reported combinations of prescription drugs and HMPs were evaluated using different methods. Some studies used a combination of two or more of the following methods: review of possible interactions from previously published clinical data, case reports and textbooks \[[@CR16], [@CR41], [@CR42], [@CR47], [@CR51], [@CR54]\], and comprehensive online databases such as Micromedex (<https://www.micromedexsolutions.com>), Natural Medicines (<https://naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com/>, formerly Natural Standard) and Stockley's Drug Interactions (<http://www.pharmpress.com/product/MC_STOCK/stockleys-drug-interactions>) \[[@CR5], [@CR40], [@CR42], [@CR44], [@CR46], [@CR50]\].
Due to how data were presented in two studies \[[@CR49], [@CR51]\], it was not possible to extract potential interactions for participants aged ≥ 65 years. No evaluation of potential interactions was done in five studies \[[@CR17], [@CR42], [@CR45], [@CR52], [@CR53]\], while a total of 1010 individual interactions or potential interactions were reported in 15 studies. The potential risks of bleeding due to the use of *Ginkgo biloba*, garlic or ginseng with aspirin and warfarin were the most reported \[[@CR5], [@CR36], [@CR37], [@CR41], [@CR43], [@CR44], [@CR46], [@CR48], [@CR50], [@CR54]\], or with other antithrombotic drugs \[[@CR50]\]. Other interactions reported included the risk of decreased international normalised ratio (INR) \[[@CR16], [@CR37]\], alterations in either blood glucose or blood pressure \[[@CR40]\], nausea and dizziness \[[@CR39]\], anxiety \[[@CR16]\], headaches \[[@CR39], [@CR43]\], restlessness and irritability \[[@CR16]\]. An important and risky mode of herb--drug interaction is the inhibition of cytochrome P450 3A4 substrates (e.g. atorvastatin, simvastatin, amlodipine, verapamil) by garlic, *Ginkgo biloba*, Echinacea and St John's wort \[[@CR38]\]. For example, St. John's wort could reduce the blood pressure-lowering effect of losartan, or decrease the effects of digoxin \[[@CR37]\].
Interactions were rated by the authors as 'major or high risk', 'moderate' or 'minor'. The majority of potential interactions reported in the included studies were minor and of unknown clinical significance or uncertain risk for an adverse interaction \[[@CR16], [@CR54]\]. These interactions were cited in the literature based only on theoretical evidence \[[@CR47]\]. Potential major herb--drug interactions reported were between non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and *Ginkgo biloba*, resulting in an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeds due to decreased platelet aggregation \[[@CR46]\]. Other major interactions occurred between drugs and non-herbal supplements \[[@CR50]\], or involved the use of non-prescription drugs \[[@CR5]\].
### Concurrent Use and Associated Factors {#Sec16}
The majority of studies included in this review did not assess concurrent use with demographic or clinical variables. For the 11 studies that assessed demographic or clinical factors \[[@CR5], [@CR17], [@CR38], [@CR45], [@CR47], [@CR49]--[@CR54]\], the following can be summarised:
#### Ethnicity {#Sec17}
Only one study assessed the differences in concurrent use between different ethnic groups. African Americans used significantly more garlic (*p* = 0.003), although no significant difference was observed in the use of ginseng or *Ginkgo biloba* between African Americans and White participants \[[@CR54]\].
#### Sex and Age {#Sec18}
An important sex difference in medication use among older adults was observed in seven studies \[[@CR5], [@CR17], [@CR38], [@CR47], [@CR49]--[@CR51]\]. Women used more herbal supplements than men \[[@CR5], [@CR49]\], while a significantly higher prevalence of use of five or more prescription medications among women aged 57 through 64 years was reported in two studies \[[@CR5], [@CR17]\]. Consequently, more women than men concurrently use HMPs with prescription medicines \[[@CR5], [@CR38], [@CR50], [@CR51]\]. Qato et al. \[[@CR5]\] found up to 60% of women in the oldest age groups used prescription medications in combination with herbal dietary supplements. Furthermore, increased odds for a co-user to be female (34 vs. 18%, *p* = 0.001) and older (more than one in every three were older than 50 years of age) was also confirmed by Djuv et al. \[[@CR51]\].
Two studies \[[@CR45], [@CR50]\] found no association between age and concurrent use. Singh and Levine \[[@CR47]\] reported that older users who combined prescriptions with NHPs, and females, were more likely to have potential interactions than males who combined prescriptions with NHPs (63 vs. 48%).
#### Disease State or Clinical Condition {#Sec19}
Five studies \[[@CR47], [@CR50]--[@CR53]\] compared concurrent use with disease state or clinical conditions. Herbal product use was slightly higher among participants who experienced ongoing health problems (31.1%) than healthy older adults (24.9%), although the difference was not significant. Consequently, herbal product use was significantly higher among participants who reported continuous drug use compared with those who did not use any drugs \[[@CR52]\]. Increased levels of co-use were associated with the use of analgesics or a dermatological drug \[[@CR51]\], and chronic diseases were associated with an increased likelihood of concurrent prescription and supplement use \[[@CR50]\]. High blood pressure and diabetes were also strongly associated with potential interaction \[[@CR47]\]. However, Delgoda et al. \[[@CR53]\] found no significant association between concurrent herb--drug use and a participant's disease.
#### Education and Household Income {#Sec20}
Only four studies \[[@CR47], [@CR50], [@CR52], [@CR53]\] assessed the educational level or household income of participants with concurrent use. Concurrent herb--drug use was greater among individuals who had an education no higher than secondary level \[[@CR50], [@CR53]\], and higher education was associated with a lower probability of potential interaction \[[@CR47]\]. Therefore, compared with post-secondary graduates, participants with less than a high-school education were 70% more likely to exhibit at least one potential interaction \[[@CR47]\].
The prevalence of concurrent herb--drug use was also greater among individuals from households with a lower household income or with no form of health insurance \[[@CR53]\]. Having private medical insurance was associated with an increased likelihood of using HMPs \[[@CR50]\]; however, Turkmenoglu et al. \[[@CR52]\] found no significant associations between HMP use and income.
#### Disclosure of HMP Use to Healthcare Professionals {#Sec21}
Only six of the included studies asked participants if the use of HMPs was disclosed to their doctors or other healthcare professionals \[[@CR41], [@CR44], [@CR45], [@CR51]--[@CR53]\]. No distinct trend was observed among the six studies and disclosure varied widely between 12% \[[@CR52]\] and 78% \[[@CR44]\]. A study of 1418 older adults \[[@CR52]\] reported that 42.2% (*n* *=* 180) of concurrent users believed herbal products were not harmful and therefore did not need to discuss these with their healthcare providers. Although 51 participants (12%) always reported herbal use to their physician, 40% (*n* = 169) would only disclose herbal product use to healthcare providers if asked, and 2.8% (*n* *=* 12) would only disclose herbal product use if they had a problem. In another study \[[@CR44]\], 78% of participants reported HMP use, although 58 of the 99 concurrent users said they were not questioned by healthcare practitioners on their HMP use. Approximately 64% of co-users (*n* = 18) of HMPs and prescription drugs disclosed use in one study \[[@CR41]\], while in another study, almost 80% of users of HMPs did not disclose use \[[@CR51]\].
#### Expenditure on HMPs and Satisfaction {#Sec22}
Only two studies conducted in the US in 2002 and 2004 \[[@CR41], [@CR44]\], respectively, considered the cost or resources spent on HMPs by older adults. The majority of concurrent users (64 and 83%) spent \$25 or less on HMPs per month, approximately 15% spent between \$25 and \$50 per month \[[@CR44]\], and only 3 of 28 (11%) \[[@CR41]\] and 1 of 99 (1%) \[[@CR44]\] concurrent users spent more than \$100 per month on HMPs.
Quality Appraisal {#Sec23}
-----------------
Considering the paucity of research in this area, a cut-off score of 4 was accepted for each JBI checklist to ensure there were sufficient studies to review while maintaining the strength of methodological quality. Typically, research in this area is not randomised; a score of 7 and above indicated high quality, while a score of 4--6 indicated moderate quality. All 22 studies were of sufficient quality and were included in this review.
Discussion {#Sec24}
==========
This systematic review included a total of 22 studies that investigated concurrent use of prescription medicines with HMPs. The majority of studies were conducted in the US, with only four of the studies being conducted in the last 5 years. It can be concluded from the results presented that the prevalence of concurrent prescription and HMP use among older adults is substantial. The most commonly combined prescription drugs by older adults are antihypertensive drugs, β-blockers, diuretics, antihyperlipidemic agents, anticoagulants, analgesics, antihistamines, antidiabetics, antidepressants and statins. And the HMPs most commonly combined include *Ginkgo biloba*, garlic, ginseng, St John's wort, Echinacea, saw palmetto, evening primrose and ginger. Furthermore, there are demographic and clinical factors associated with concurrent prescription and HMP use. Women, as well as individuals in the oldest age groups, with chronic conditions, less than a high-school education and receiving a low income, are more likely to be concurrent users. The most common potential interaction was the risk of bleeding from combinations of *Ginkgo biloba*, garlic or ginseng with aspirin and warfarin, all of which are frequently used by older adults.
The included studies varied greatly in terms of participants, products and outcome measures. Generic terms such as 'elderly' or 'older persons' are commonly used \[[@CR57]\], but there is no concrete definition of these terms. While ageing is an inevitable process measured by chronological age, its impact varies across populations \[[@CR58]\]; therefore, different definitions and chronological age are adopted in clinical studies. While some authors regarded 'older adults' or 'elderly' as those aged 65 years and older, others used the cut-off point of 60 years, or even 75 years, which affected both how participants were grouped and the synthesis of data. Furthermore, many studies looked at adult populations including 'older adults' or 'elderly', but did not, or only partially, report results separately for this age group. In the latter case, only results that were clearly reported for adults aged 65 years and older were included in our analysis. We therefore had to exclude a number of potentially relevant articles due to either a lack of definition or separate reporting.
The heterogeneity in definitions adopted for HMPs and the inconsistencies on what is included as an HMP demonstrates the lack of precision around what may or may not be seen as an HMP. While one study \[[@CR54]\] adopted the term 'complementary and alternative medicine', excluding vitamins and minerals, other studies adopted the terms 'natural health product' and 'dietary supplements', including both vitamins and minerals. Moreover, many did not differentiate between HMPs and dietary supplements, but rather included all types of medications, including vitamins, minerals, and herbal and non-herbal dietary supplements. We only included studies of HMPs that were explicitly named in the Results section. This variation did not allow for comparisons across studies to be conducted, and also blurred what might be seen as nutritional interventions to improve overall health and those that are used explicitly for medicinal purposes to address specific medical conditions.
The prevalence of concurrent prescriptions and HMP use among adults aged 65 years and older ranged from 5.3 to 88.3%. Several factors might explain the discrepancies in the prevalence of concurrent use reported in studies included in this review. First, variation in the range of prevalence reflected the different definitions, types of HMPs assessed, and participants. Second, many of the studies relied on patient recall of the prescription and herbal medicines they use, possibly resulting in recall bias. In some studies \[[@CR5], [@CR17], [@CR42], [@CR48], [@CR50], [@CR54]\], participants took bottles and containers of medicines they were taking along to interviews, for documentation by the research teams.
One of the outliers, an analysis of the 2000--2001 Canadian National Population Health Survey, reported only 5.3% concurrent use of NHPs with prescription medications \[[@CR47]\]. This difference in prevalence may be explained by underreporting or recall bias due to how the data were collected. Participants were asked for the medications and NHPs used in the previous 24 h. This is unusual compared with other surveys on this topic where current and previous use over 2 weeks \[[@CR42]\] and up to 12 months was requested \[[@CR38], [@CR41], [@CR49]\]. Therefore, the data may have revealed only a percentage of respondents exposed to an NHP during a limited time period. In addition, herbs and other NHPs are widely used in a variety of foods, beverages, and multivitamin supplements, but because these were not specifically asked about in the survey, it is possible that their use was not reported. Therefore, the true prevalence of concurrent prescription--NHP interactions in the study population may be higher than reported.
The other outlier is a Spanish study that reported a prevalence of concurrent use of 88.3%. The study assessed both commercially prepared HMPs and home remedies concurrently used with prescription medicines among community-dwelling older adults and those resident in care homes. All medicinal plants, including teas and spices, widely consumed in Spain were included in the analysis, which may have contributed to the high prevalence rate recorded in this study.
Three \[[@CR5], [@CR42], [@CR45]\] of the five studies \[[@CR5], [@CR36], [@CR42], [@CR45], [@CR52]\] with the highest prevalence rates, ranging between 45.3 and 83%, were conducted in the US. These high prevalence rates could be due to the healthcare system or the sociocultural characteristics of the location where research was conducted. For the American studies, patients potentially used HMPs and non-prescription drugs for prevention or self-treatment \[[@CR45]\] as alternatives to expensive medical consultations and prescription drugs. Second, only one \[[@CR42]\] of the five studies provided a definition of what is regarded as an HMP. Considering the inconsistencies in what HMPs include, it is possible that other non-herbal dietary products were considered.
Demographic characteristics, as well as health status, have been associated with the use of herbal medicines and natural products. Sex, age, ethnicity and health status may result in greater use of herbs and natural products \[[@CR38]\]. Although only 50% of the studies included in this review compared demographic characteristics and health status with concurrent use, the results confirm earlier findings \[[@CR11]\] that the use of herbal medicines varies widely between countries and ethnic groups. For example, the two Canadian studies \[[@CR47], [@CR48]\] reported lower rates compared with studies from the US. In addition, the rate of combining prescription medications and dietary supplements was higher among women than men across all age groups \[[@CR5], [@CR17]\]. These trends were also reported in earlier studies \[[@CR59], [@CR60]\].
Sex differences in concurrent use among older adults may be explained by the higher prevalence of chronic conditions among women compared with men \[[@CR61]\]. Concurrent use was greater among older adults from households with a lower household income, no health insurance and no post-secondary education, which may be due to the type of healthcare system, i.e. paid for or free at the point of delivery. It is therefore reasonable to assume that in such countries, participants may rely more on HMPs, or use them as alternatives to expensive medical consultations.
Although there is increased awareness of interactions between conventional drugs and HMPs, the lack of agreement about how to identify HMPs or rigorous clinical evidence hinders researchers, clinicians and consumers in making informed decisions about safe combinations of conventional drugs and HMPs \[[@CR62]\]. The majority of the evidence on herb--drug interactions is from case reports. Arguably, the scarcity and poor quality of primary research may mean that interactions of serious consequences associated with concurrent use of HMPs are unknown and unrecognised \[[@CR63]\]. The evidence from this review would suggest that there is potential for harm.
There is a potentially high rate of unreported use of HMPs among older adults. Only 28% of included studies asked participants if the use of HMPs was disclosed to healthcare professionals. Our findings confirm previous research \[[@CR64]--[@CR66]\] that only approximately one-third of HMP users disclose use to healthcare professionals. Disclosure of herbal medicine use is crucial to avoiding herb--drug interactions and non-adherence to prescription medications. The reasons for non-disclosure of HMP use, as reported in this review and confirmed by other studies, includes a perceived negative attitude of clinicians to complementary medicine use \[[@CR66], [@CR67]\], clinicians do not ask \[[@CR66], [@CR68], [@CR69]\], and the notion that HMPs are 'harmless' \[[@CR68]\].
Limitations {#Sec25}
-----------
The main limitation of this review is the heterogeneity or non-definition of HMPs in available studies, which prevented a meta-analysis. Second, we had to exclude a large number of studies because either the use of HMPs was unclear or results reported were not age-specific to enable us to extract data for subjects aged ≥ 65 years. Finally, only four of the included studies were published in the last 5 years \[[@CR36], [@CR50]--[@CR52]\]; 17 were published between 2000 and 2010, and one case report was published in 1999 \[[@CR39]\]. The increasing use of HMPs worldwide could mean that the review underestimates the range and scale of the issues.
Implications for Practice {#Sec26}
-------------------------
Evidence from this review indicates that a large number of older adults concurrently use prescription drugs and HMPs, and the majority do not disclose this to healthcare practitioners. However, the findings do demonstrate that certain combinations of prescription drugs and HMPs can have serious consequences. Therefore a better understanding of the extent and manner in which older adults combine prescription drugs and HMPs in their health regimens, and the associated risks, is important for healthcare practitioners.
Conclusions {#Sec27}
===========
The prevalence of concurrent use of prescription drugs and HMPs by older adults is generally substantial, although variations in the extent of use are reported. These variations can be explained by methodological factors, including definition of HMPs, participant selection, sociodemographic factors and differences in healthcare systems. Concurrent use of prescription drugs and HMPs is associated with risks, some with potentially serious consequences. The most reported interactions in older adults were risk of bleeding due to the use of *Ginkgo biloba*, garlic or ginseng in combination with aspirin and warfarin or other antithrombotic drugs. Underreporting is substantial and adds to the problem, considering that in most countries there are no appropriate safeguards to minimise the potential harm. By identifying the most commonly used combinations, healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, can be informed on how to appropriately identify and manage patients at risk. It also highlights the need for targeted patient information provided by healthcare professionals and pharmacists as part of routine consultations. Further research is needed to explore why older people use HMPs alongside their prescribed medication, and how their decisions regarding preferred treatments can be documented and discussed by prescribing clinicians, in order to identify and manage the potential risk of herb--drug interactions.
Electronic supplementary material
=================================
{#Sec28}
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material. Supplementary material 1 (DOC 224 kb)
**Electronic supplementary material**
The online version of this article (10.1007/s40266-017-0501-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
The authors wish to thank José J. Mira for extracting data from the Spanish article.
This systematic review is part of TA's Ph.D. in Health Research at the University of Hertfordshire. The review was her original idea, with support and advice from BW and CG in the development and refinement of the review questions. LW designed the search strategy and conducted the literature searches. TA and BW screened and selected the relevant studies, extracted the data, performed the quality appraisal and synthesised the data. TA wrote the first draft of the article, and BW and CG contributed to the subsequent writing of the article. All authors reviewed and agreed with the results and conclusions of the review.
Funding {#FPar2}
=======
No sources of funding were used to assist in the preparation of this article.
Conflicts of interest {#FPar3}
=====================
Taofikat Agbabiaka, Barbara Wider, Leala Watson and Claire Goodman declare that they have no conflicts of interest relevant to the content of this review.
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Central |
Q:
getGlobalVisibleRect of current visible screen
I want to get the global coordinates of the current whole screen, not of a particular view in my fragment. I want to display an enlarged profile picture when a user clicks on its thumbnail. How do I do that?
This is the function I am using-
final Rect startBounds = new Rect();
final Rect finalBounds = new Rect();
final Point globalOffset = new Point();
getView().getGlobalVisibleRect(finalBounds, globalOffset);
But I want the picture to be enlarged taking the whole visible screen, not in the center of any provided view..
A:
Set onclick listener for image view and add a popup window to show an image. It will provide a full-screen image view.
imageView.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
@Override
public void onClick(View view) {
// Code to show image in full screen:
new PhotoFullPopupWindow(context, R.layout.popup_photo_full, view, URL, null);
}
});
you can find all the data about this when u nevigate http://www.tutorialsface.com/2017/10/whatsapp-like-full-screen-imageview-android-with-zoom-blur-bg-in-popup-window-example-tutorial/ tutorial.
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | StackExchange |
Máximo Kirchner y Pablo Moyano acordaron trabajar en la construcción de un amplio espacio político que tendrá su expresión sindical este miércoles, en el acto convocado por los camioneros contra el modelo económico del gobierno.
Según pudo saber Infobae, los contactos telefónicos entre ambos dirigentes comenzaron a fines de 2017 para articular la resistencia callejera y parlamentaria a la reforma laboral, y se mantienen por estos días de manera directa o a través de terceros.
Como si se tratara de un Tetris, el líder de La Cámpora y Moyano Jr. están abocados a encastrar cada una de las piezas que dará musculatura al frente opositor, y que sin dudas hará sus primeros palotes el 21-F en la Avenida 9 de Julio y Belgrano.
Fruto de esas negociaciones, asoma en el firmamento la figura de Juan Grabois. El titular de la Confederación de Trabajadores de la Economía Popular (CTEP) es uno de los enlaces más activos de los movimientos sociales con el sindicalismo combativo.
En un reciente encuentro con el más revoltoso de los Moyano, donde emergieron duras críticas a Mauricio Macri y su gabinete, Grabois bregó por "ponerle fin a estos chetitos tecnócratas". En su arenga muchos analistas políticos creen ver la letra del Papa.
El dirigente social es consultor del Pontificio Consejo de la Justicia y de la Paz de la Santa Sede y su organización integra el "Tridente de San Cayetano", junto a Barrios de Pie y la Corriente Clasista y Combativa.
El Sumo Pontífice es una referencia central en las tertulias peronistas. Y logra lo impensado ¿Algunos ejemplos? Que Hebe de Bonafini lo invoque, después de años de vituperarlo, o que Alberto Fernández lo ensalce, luego de abrazarse temporalmente al laicismo.
Hasta Moyano hijo lo eleva en sus plegarias sindicales, exhibiendo aquel retrato en Santa Marta, a donde llegó el año pasado luego de hacer explícito su apoyo a la precandidatura de Gustavo Vera, otro amigo del Papa.
La articulación de Máximo con Pablo, y de éste con Grabois, alteró el mapa político-sindical y profundizó las contradicciones del PJ ¿Por qué? Porque los ímpetus de aglutinamiento no le sientan bien a todos.
El espacio de Sergio Massa dio muestras de ser el más afectado. Primero se desmarcó de Felipe Solá y Daniel Arroyo, quienes se habían prestado a participar en un "encuentro de unidad" de las distintas vertientes del peronismo.
Sergio Massa en una encrucijada: no quiere romper el vínculo con Margarita Stolbizer pero tampoco alejarse de Moyano
¿Puede el Frente Renovador cerrar trato con el kirchnerismo y al mismo tiempo mantener la sociedad política con Margarita Stolbizer, quien presentó varias denuncias contra Cristina? Massa por ahora no está dispuesto a sacrificar su acuerdo con la líder del GEN, aunque tampoco quiere quebrar su relación con los Moyano.
Claro que este difícil equilibrio ya produjo una suerte de implosión, y las esquirlas llegaron hasta Florencia Arietto.
La "chica brava" se abrió camino en la política vernácula como jefa de Seguridad de Independiente, haciendo fuertes denuncias contra el ex jefe de la CGT
Tras su incorporación al massismo, Arietto bajó el perfil, acaso por compartir espacio político con Facundo Moyano, el más mediático del clan. Pero al reverdecer las investigaciones contra el líder de los camionero, volvió a levantar la voz para no quedar pegada, algo que generó cortocircuitos internos. "Yo no me voy a ensuciar", atizó por radio Mitre, segura de su decisión.
En el massismo también milita Graciela Camaño, quien hizo mutis por el foro. No así su marido, el inefable Luis Barrionuevo. El gastronómico había coincidido con Moyano en sus críticas al gobierno. Y hasta las plasmó en un documento llamado "declaración de Mar del Plata". Sin embargo, a último momento decidió bajarse de la movilización. El obstáculo fue Máximo. "Nosotros no tenemos nada que ver con La Cámpora ni con el kirchnerismo", justificó.
Los gordos de la CGT esgrimieron el mismo argumento. El vacío al camionero coincidió con los acuerdos flexibles y los aumentos salariales no mayores al 15 por ciento que algunos dirigentes gremiales firmaron accediendo al pedido del Presidente. A ellos Pablo Moyano, poco afecto a la diplomacia, los tildó de "cagones".
Hernán Escudero y Walter Correa, secretarios generales de los gremios de curtidores y docentes privados, integraron la lista de Unidad Ciudadana
Así las cosas, la ruptura cegetista es un hecho y los camioneros, con el guiño del kirchnerismo, buscan reemplazar a la actual conducción tripartita por otra más aguerrida, que contenga a la CTA. No es casual: la central de Hugo Yasky dirá presente en la protesta convocada por Moyano.
Yasky no fue el único dirigente sindical que integró la lista de Unidad Ciudadana en los últimos comicios. Lo propio hicieron Walter Correa y Hernán Escudero, secretarios generales de los gremios de curtidores y docentes privados, respectivamente. Justamente a través de esta dupla es que Pablo comenzó su acercamiento a Máximo.
En noviembre de 2017, la propia Cristina dejó entrever su buena sintonía con el joven camionero. "Con Pablo Moyano nos une la esperanza", sorprendió la ex presidenta en un tuit, copiando un enlace de FM La Patriada, donde el gremialista le marcaba la cancha a la dirigencia del PJ.
"Esperemos que gobernadores, diputados y senadores que cantan la marcha y tienen cuadros de Perón y Evita no voten esta reforma laboral en contra de los trabajadores", había advertido Moyano Jr.
Las odas de amor anteceden a la embestida judicial contra el gremio de camioneros pero se profundizaron después de ésta. "Apretar para precarizar", tituló La Cámpora el comunicado de condena a las denuncias contra Hugo Moyano por presunto lavado de dinero. El respaldo de Máximo tomaba así ribetes formales.
En noviembre del año pasado, la ex presidenta tendió un puente a Pablo Moyano desde su cuenta de Twitter
"Si Cristina me llama y me dice 'Negro, ¿por qué no te venís a tomar un café?', voy", fue la devolución de gentilezas del camionero en una entrevista con C5N. "Voy a juntarme con el que esté de acuerdo en que están sucediendo cosas que se deben modificar", siguió abriendo la puerta cuando Mirtha Legrand le preguntó anoche si finalmente se produciría esa cumbre.
Sus insultos a Macri de todos modos ya llegaron a los oídos de Cristina por interpósita persona. En una conversación telefónica, Alberto Fernández escuchó al camionero repetir como una letanía que no había robado nada y que el Presidente lo tenía harto.
Fue música para los oídos de la ex mandataria, quien, bajo un discurso anti-ajuste, mandó a los suyos a engrosar las columnas que se movilizarán para respaldar a Hugo.
Ni La Cámpora reflotará en el acto la palabra "traidor", que supo endilgarle al líder sindical, ni éste ninguneará a Máximo llamándolo "Mínimo", como solía hacer.
Tampoco Pablo volverá a ironizar sobre el hijo de Cristina como "el candidato al campeonato mundial de la playstation".
Al contrario, el miércoles se portarán como carmelitas descalzas, porque la necesidad de construir un espacio común produce milagros. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
---
abstract: |
Detection of an image boundary when the pixel intensities are measured with noise is an important problem in image segmentation. From a statistical point of view, the challenge is that likelihood-based methods require modeling the pixel intensities inside and outside the image boundary, even though these are typically of no practical interest. Since misspecification of the pixel intensity models can negatively affect inference on the image boundary, it would be desirable to avoid this modeling step altogether. Towards this, we develop a robust Gibbs approach that constructs a posterior distribution for the image boundary directly, without modeling the pixel intensities. We prove that the Gibbs posterior concentrates asymptotically at the minimax optimal rate, adaptive to the boundary smoothness. Monte Carlo computation of the Gibbs posterior is straightforward, and simulation results show that the corresponding inference is more accurate than that based on existing Bayesian methodology.
*Keywords and phrases:* Adaptation; boundary detection; likelihood-free inference; model misspecification; posterior concentration rate.
author:
- 'Nicholas Syring[^1] and Ryan Martin[^2]'
bibliography:
- 'mybib\_i.bib'
title: 'Robust and rate-optimal Gibbs posterior inference on the boundary of a noisy image'
---
Introduction {#S:intro}
============
In image analysis, the boundary or edge of the image is one of the most important features of the image, and extraction of this boundary is a critical step. An image consists of pixel locations and intensity values at each pixel, and the boundary can be thought of as a curve separating pixels of higher intensity from those of lower intensity. Applications of boundary detection are wide-ranging, e.g., @malik.2004 use boundary detection to identify important features in pictures of natural settings, @Li.2010 identifies boundaries in medical images, and in @yuan.2016 boundary detection helps classify the type and severity of wear on machines. For images with noiseless intensity, boundary detection has received considerable attention in the applied mathematics and computer science literature; see, e.g., @Ziou.Tabbone.1998, @Maini.Aggarwal.2009, @Li.2010, and @anam.2013. However, these approaches suffer from a number of difficulties. First, they can produce an estimate of the image boundary, but do not quantify estimation uncertainty. Second, these methods use a two-stage approach where the image is first smoothed to filter out noise and then a boundary is estimated based on a calculated intensity gradient. This two-stage approach makes theoretical analysis of the method challenging, and no convergence results are presently known to the authors. Third, in our examples, these methods perform poorly on noisy data, and we suspect one reason for this is that the intensity gradient is less informative for the boundary when we observe noisy data. In the statistics literature, @gu.etal.2015 take a Bayesian approach to boundary detection and emphasize borrowing information to recover boundaries of multiple, similar objects in an image. Boundary detection using wombling is also a popular approach; see @Liang.etal.2009, with applications to geography [@Lu.Carlin.2004], public health [@Ma.Carlin.2007], and ecology [@Fitz.etal.2010]. However, these techniques are used with areal or spatially aggregated data and are not suitable for the pixel data encountered in image analysis.
In Section \[S:setup\], we give a detailed description of the image boundary problem, following the setup in @Li.Ghosal.2015. They take a fully Bayesian approach, modeling the probability distributions of the pixel intensities both inside and outside the image. This approach is challenging because it often introduces nuisance parameters in addition to the image boundary. Therefore, in Section \[S:main\], we propose to use a so-called *Gibbs model*, where a suitable loss function is used to connect the data to the image boundary directly, rather than a probability model [e.g., @Catonib; @zhang.2006; @jiang.tanner.2008; @syring.martin.mcid; @walker.2016].
We investigate the asymptotic convergence properties of the Gibbs posterior, in Section \[S:post\_concentration\], and we show that, if the boundary is $\alpha$-Hölder smooth, then the Gibbs posterior concentrates around the true boundary at the rate $\{(\log n)/n\}^{\alpha / (\alpha + 1)}$, which is minimax optimal [@mammen.1995] up to the logarithmic factor, relative to neighborhoods of the true boundary measured by the Lebesgue measure of a symmetric difference. Moreover, as a consequence of appropriately mixing over the number of knots in the prior, this rate is adaptive to the unknown smoothness $\alpha$. To our knowledge, this is the first Gibbs posterior convergence rate result for an infinite-dimensional parameter, so the proof techniques used herein may be of general interest. Further, since the Gibbs posterior concentrates at the optimal rate without requiring a model for the pixel intensities, we claim that the inference on the image boundary is robust.
Computation of the Gibbs posterior is relatively straightforward and, in Section \[S:computation\], we present a reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo method; $\mathtt{R}$ code to implement to the proposed Gibbs posterior inference is available at <https://github.com/nasyring/GibbsImage>. A comparison of inference based on the proposed Gibbs posterior to that based on the fully Bayes approach in @Li.Ghosal.2015 is shown in Section \[S:Simulations\]. For smooth boundaries, the two methods perform similarly, providing very accurate estimation. However, the Gibbs posterior is easier to compute, thanks to there being no nuisance parameters, and is notably more accurate than the Bayes approach when the model is misspecified or when the boundary is not everywhere smooth. The technical details of the proofs are deferred to Appendix \[S:proofs\].
Problem formulation {#S:setup}
===================
Let $\Omega \subset {\mathbb{R}}^2$ be a bounded region that represents the frame of the image; typically, $\Omega$ will be a square, say, $[-\frac12, \frac12]^2$, but, generally, we assume only that $\Omega$ is scaled to have unit Lebesgue measure. Data consists of pairs $(X_i, Y_i)$, $i=1,\ldots,n$, where $X_i$ is a pixel location in $\Omega$ and $Y_i$ is an intensity measurement at that pixel. The range of $Y_i$ is context-dependent, and we consider both binary and real-valued cases below. The model asserts that there is a region $\Gamma \subset \Omega$ such that the intensity distribution is different depending on whether the pixel is inside or outside $\Gamma$. We consider the following model for the joint distribution ${P_\Gamma}$ of pixel location and intensity, $(X,Y)$: $$\begin{aligned}
X & \sim g(x), \notag \\
Y \mid (X=x) & \sim {f_\Gamma}(y) \, 1(x \in \Gamma) + {f_{\Gamma^c}}(y) \, 1(x \in \Gamma^c), \label{eq:gamma}\end{aligned}$$ where $g$ is a density on $\Omega$, ${f_\Gamma}$ and ${f_{\Gamma^c}}$ are densities on the intensity space, ${F_\Gamma}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^c}}$ are their respective distribution functions, and $1(\cdot)$ denotes an indicator function. That is, given the pixel location $X=x$, the distribution of the pixel intensity $Y$ depends only on whether $x$ is in $\Gamma$ or $\Gamma^c$. Of course, more complex models are possible, e.g., where the pixel intensity distribution depends on the specific pixel location, but we will not consider such models here. We assume that there is a true, star-shaped set of pixels, denoted by $\Gamma^\star$, with a known reference point in its interior. That is, any point in $\Gamma^\star$ can be connected to the reference point by a line segment fully contained in $\Gamma^\star$. The observations $\{(X_i, Y_i): i=1,\ldots,n\}$ are iid samples from ${P_{\Gamma^\star}}$, and the goal is to make inference on $\Gamma^\star$ or, equivalently, its boundary $\gamma^\star = \partial \Gamma^\star$.
The density $g$ for the pixel locations is of no interest and is taken to be known. The question is how to handle the two conditional distributions, ${f_\Gamma}$ and ${f_{\Gamma^c}}$. @Li.Ghosal.2015 take a fully Bayesian approach, modeling both ${f_\Gamma}$ and ${f_{\Gamma^c}}$. By specifying these parametric models, they are obligated to introduce priors and carry out posterior computations for the corresponding parameters. Besides the efforts needed to specify models and priors and to carry out posterior computations, there is also a concern that the pixel intensity models might be misspecified, potentially biasing the inference on $\Gamma^\star$. Since the forms of ${f_\Gamma}$ and ${f_{\Gamma^c}}$, as well as any associated parameters, are irrelevant to the boundary detection problem, it is natural to ask if inference can be carried out robustly, without modeling the pixel intensities.
We answer this question affirmatively, developing a Gibbs model for $\Gamma$ in Section \[S:main\]. In the present context, suppose we have a loss function $\ell_\Gamma(x,y)$ that measures how well an observed pixel location–intensity pair $(x,y)$ agrees with a particular region $\Gamma$. The defining characteristic of $\ell_\Gamma$ is that $\Gamma^\star$ should be the unique minimizer of $\Gamma \mapsto R(\Gamma)$, where $R(\Gamma) = {P_{\Gamma^\star}}\ell_\Gamma$ is the risk, i.e., the expected loss. A main contribution here, in Section \[SS:loss\], is specification of a loss function that meets this criterion. A necessary condition to construct such a loss function is that the distribution functions ${F_\Gamma}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^c}}$ are stochastically ordered. Imagine a gray-scale image; then, stochastic ordering means this image is lighter, on average, inside the boundary than outside the boundary, or vice-versa. In the specific context of binary images the pixel densities ${f_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${f_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$ are simply numbers between 0 and 1, and the stochastic ordering assumption means that, without loss of generality, ${f_{\Gamma^\star}}> {f_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$, while for continuous images, again without loss of generality, ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}(y) < {F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(y)$ for all $y \in {\mathbb{R}}$. If we define the empirical risk, $$\label{eq:empirical.risk}
R_n(\Gamma) = \frac1n \sum_{i=1}^n \ell_\Gamma(X_i, Y_i),$$ then, given a prior distribution $\Pi$ for $\Gamma$, the Gibbs posterior distribution for $\Gamma$, denoted by $\Pi_n$, has the formula $$\label{eq:gibbs}
\Pi_n(B) = \frac{\int_B e^{-n R_n(\Gamma)} \, \Pi(d\Gamma)}{\int e^{-n R_n(\Gamma)} \, \Pi(d\Gamma)},$$ where $B$ is a generic $\Pi$-measurable set of $\Gamma$’s. Of course, only makes sense if the denominator is finite; in Section \[S:main\], our risk functions $R_n$ are non-negative so this integrability condition holds automatically.
Proper scaling of the loss in the Gibbs model is important [e.g., @walker.2016; @syring.martin.gibbs], and here we will provide some context-specific scaling; see Sections \[S:post\_concentration\] and \[SS:scaling\]. Our choice of prior $\Pi$ for $\Gamma$ is discussed in Section \[SS:prior\]. Together, the loss function $\ell_\Gamma$ and the prior for $\Gamma$ define the Gibbs model, no further modeling is required.
Gibbs model for the image boundary {#S:main}
==================================
Loss function {#SS:loss}
-------------
To start, we consider inference on the image boundary when the pixel intensity is binary, i.e., $Y_i \in \{-1,+1\}$. In this case, the densities, ${f_\Gamma}$ and ${f_{\Gamma^c}}$, in must be Bernoulli, so the likelihood is known. Even though the parametric form of the conditional distributions is known, the Gibbs approach only requires prior specification and posterior computation related to $\Gamma$, whereas the Bayes approach must also deal with the nuisance parameters in these Bernoulli conditional distributions. The binary case is relatively simple and will provide insights into how to formulate a Gibbs model in the more challenging continuous intensity problem.
A reasonable choice for the loss function $\ell_\Gamma$ is the following weighted misclassification error loss, depending on a parameter $h>0$: $$\label{eq:mce_w}
\ell_\Gamma(x,y) = \ell_\Gamma(x,y \mid h) = h \, 1(y=+1, x \in \Gamma^c) + 1(y=-1, x \in \Gamma).
$$ Note that putting $h=1$ in gives the usual misclassification error loss. In order for the Gibbs model to work the risk, or expected loss, must be minimized at the true $\Gamma^\star$ for some $h$. Picking $h$ to ensure this property holds necessitates making a connection between the probability model in and the loss in . The condition in below is just the connection needed. With a slight abuse of notation, let ${f_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${f_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$ denote the conditional probabilities for the event $Y=+1$, given $X \in \Gamma^\star$ and $X \in \Gamma^{\star c}$, respectively. Recall our stochastic ordering assumption implies ${f_{\Gamma^\star}}> {f_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$.
\[prop:min.binary\] Using the notation in the previous paragraph, if $h$ is such that $$\label{eq:h.bound}
{f_{\Gamma^\star}}> \frac{1}{1+h} > {f_{\Gamma^{\star c}}},$$ then the risk function $R(\Gamma) = {P_{\Gamma^\star}}\ell_\Gamma$ is minimized at $\Gamma^\star$.
Either one—but not both—of the above inequalities can be made inclusive and the result still holds. The condition in deserves additional explanation. For example, if we know ${f_{\Gamma^\star}}\geq \frac{1}{2} > {f_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$, then we take $h=1$, which means that in we penalize both intensities of $1$ outside $\Gamma$ and intensities of $-1$ inside $\Gamma$ by a loss of $1$. If, however, we know the overall image brightness is higher so that ${f_{\Gamma^\star}}\geq \frac{4}{5} > {f_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$ then we take $h = 1/4$ in and penalize bright pixels outside $\Gamma$ by less than dull pixels inside $\Gamma$. To see why this loss balancing is so crucial, suppose the second case above holds so that ${f_{\Gamma^\star}}=4/5$ and ${f_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}= 3/4$, but we take $h = 1$ anyway. Then, in , $1(y=+1, x \in \Gamma^c)$ is very often equal to $1$ while $1(y=-1, x \in \Gamma)$ is very often $0$. We will likely minimize the expected loss then by incorrectly taking $\Gamma$ to be all of $\Omega$ so that the first term in the loss vanishes. Knowing a working $h$ corresponds to having some prior information about ${f_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${f_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$, but we can also use the data to estimate a good value of $h$ and we describe this data-driven strategy in Section \[SS:scaling\].
Next, for the continuous case, we assume that the pixel intensity takes value in ${\mathbb{R}}$. The proposed strategy is to modify the misclassification error by working with a suitably discretized pixel intensity measurement, reminiscent of threshold modeling. In particular, consider the following version of the misclassification error, depending on parameters $(c, k, z)$, with $c,k>0$: $$\label{eq:mce_cont_w}
\ell_\Gamma(x,y) = \ell_\Gamma(x,y \mid c, k, z) = k \, 1(y > z, x \in \Gamma^c) + c \, 1(y \leq z, x \in \Gamma).
$$ Again, we claim that, for suitable $(c, k, z)$, the risk function is minimized at $\Gamma^\star$. Let ${F_\Gamma}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^c}}$ denote the distribution functions corresponding to the densities ${f_\Gamma}$ and ${f_{\Gamma^c}}$ in , respectively. Recall our stochastic ordering assumption implies ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z) < {F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z)$.
\[prop:min.continuous\] If $(c, k, z)$ in satisfies $$\label{eq:ckz.bound.1}
{F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z) < \frac{k}{k+c} < {F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z),
$$ then the risk function $R(\Gamma) = {P_{\Gamma^\star}}\ell_\Gamma$ is minimized at $\Gamma^\star$.
Again, either one—but not both—of the above inequalities in can be made inclusive and the result still holds. The parameters $k$ and $c$ in determine the scale of the loss as mentioned in Section \[S:intro\], while $z$ determines an intensity cutoff. According to the loss in , if a given pixel is located at $x\in \Gamma^c$, and with intensity $y$ larger than cutoff $z$, it will incur a loss of $k>0$. This implies that the true image $\Gamma^\star$ can be identified by working with a suitable version of the loss . A similar condition to , see Assumption \[A:ckz\] in Section \[S:post\_concentration\], says what scaling is needed in order for the Gibbs posterior to concentrate at the optimal rate. Although the conditions on the scaling all involve the unknown distribution ${P_{\Gamma^\star}}$, a good choice of $(c, k, z)$ can be made based on the data alone, without prior information, and we discuss this strategy in Section \[SS:scaling\].
Prior specification {#SS:prior}
-------------------
We specify a prior distribution for the boundary of the region $\Gamma$ by first expressing the pixel locations $x$ in terms of polar coordinates $(\theta,r)$, an angle and radius, where $\theta \in [0,2\pi]$ and $r > 0$. The specific reference point and angle in $\Omega$ used to define polar coordinates are essentially arbitrary, subject to the requirement that any point in $\Gamma^\star$ can be connected to the reference point by a line segment contained in $\Gamma^\star$. @Li.Ghosal.2015 tested the influence of the reference point in simulations and found it to have little influence on the results. Using polar coordinates the boundary of $\Gamma$ can be determined by the parametric curve $(\theta, \gamma(\theta))$. We proceed to model this curve $\gamma$.
Whether one is taking a Bayes or Gibbs approach, a natural strategy to model the image boundary is to express $\gamma$ as a linear combination of suitable basis functions, i.e., $\gamma(\theta) = \hat{\gamma}_{D, \beta}(\theta) = \sum_{j = 1}^{D} \beta_j B_{j,D}(\theta)$. @Li.Ghosal.2015 use the eigenfunctions of the squared exponential periodic kernel as their basis functions. Here we consider a model based on free knot b-splines, where the basis functions are defined recursively as $$\begin{aligned}
B_{i,1}(\theta) & = 1(\theta \in [t_i, t_{i+1}]) \\
B_{i,k}(\theta) & = \frac{\theta - t_i}{t_{i+k-1} - t_i}B_{i,k-1}(\theta) + \frac{t_{i+k}-\theta}{t_{i+k} - t_{i+1}}B_{i+1, k-1}(\theta),\end{aligned}$$ where $\theta \in [0,2\pi]$, $t_{-2},t_{-1},t_{0}$ and $t_{D+1}, t_{D+2}, t_{D+3}$ are outer knots, $t_{1}, ..., t_{D}$ are inner knots, and $\beta = (\beta_1, ..., \beta_{D}) \in ({\mathbb{R}}^+)^D$ is the vector of coefficients. Note that we restrict the coefficient vector $\beta$ to be positive because the function values $\gamma(\theta)$ measure the radius of a curve from the origin. In the simulations in Section \[S:Simulations\], the coefficients $\beta_2, ..., \beta_D$ are free parameters, while $\beta_1$ is calculated deterministically to force the boundary to be closed, i.e. $\gamma(0) = \gamma(2\pi)$, and we require $t_{1} = 0$ and $t_{D} = 2\pi$; all other inner knots are free. Our model based on the b-spline representation seem to perform as well as the eigenfunctions used in @Li.Ghosal.2015 for smooth boundaries, but a bit better for boundaries with corners; see Section \[S:Simulations\].
Therefore, the boundary curve is $\gamma$ is parametrized by an integer $D$ and a $D$-vector $\beta$. We introduce a prior $\Pi$ on $(D,\beta)$ hierarchically as follows: $D$ has a Poisson distribution with rate $\mu_D$ and, given $D$, the coordinates $\beta_1,\ldots,\beta_D$ of $\beta$ are iid exponential with rate $\mu_\beta$. These choices satisfy the technical conditions on $\Pi$ detailed in Section \[S:post\_concentration\]. In our numerical experiments in Section \[S:Simulations\], we take $\mu_D=12$ and $\mu_\beta = 10$.
Gibbs posterior convergence {#S:post_concentration}
===========================
The Gibbs model depends on two inputs, namely, the prior and the loss function. In order to ensure that the Gibbs posterior enjoys desirable asymptotic properties, some conditions on both of these inputs are required. The first assumption listed below concerns the loss; the second concerns the true image boundary $\gamma^\star = \partial \Gamma^\star$; and the third concerns the prior. Here we will focus on the continuous intensity case, since the only difference between this and the binary case is that the latter provides the discretization for us.
\[A:ckz\] Loss function parameters $(c, k, z)$ in satisfy $$\label{eq:ckz.bound.2}
{F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z) < \frac{e^k-1}{e^{c+k}-1} \quad \text{and} \quad {F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z) > \frac{e^k - 1}{e^k - e^{-c}}.$$
Compared to the condition that was enough to allow the loss function to identify the true $\Gamma^\star$, condition in Assumption \[A:ckz\] is only slightly stronger. This can be seen from the following inequality: $$\frac{e^k - 1}{e^k - e^{-c}} > \frac{k}{k+c} > \frac{e^k-1}{e^{c+k}-1}.$$ However, if $(c,k)$ are small, then the three quantities in the above display are all approximately equal, so Assumption \[A:ckz\] is not much stronger than what is needed to identify $\Gamma^\star$. Again, these conditions on $(c, k, z)$ can be understood as providing a meaningful scale to the loss function. Intuitively, the scale of the loss between observations receiving no loss versus some loss, expressed by parameters $k$ and $c$, should be related to the level of information in the data. When ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z)$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z)$ are far apart, the data can more easily distinguish between ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$, so we are free to assign larger losses than when ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z)$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z)$ are close and the data are relatively less informative.
The ability of a statistical method to make inference on the image boundary will depend on how smooth the true boundary is. @Li.Ghosal.2015 interpret $\gamma^\star$ as a function from the unit circle to the positive real line, and they formulate a Hölder smoothness condition for this function. Following the prior specification described in Section \[SS:prior\], we treat the boundary $\gamma^\star$ as a function from the interval $[0,2\pi]$ to the positive reals, and formulate the smoothness condition on this arguably simpler version of the function. Since the reparametrization of the unit circle in terms of polar coordinates is smooth, it is easy to check that the Hölder smoothness condition below is equivalent to that in @Li.Ghosal.2015.
\[A:true\] The true boundary function $\gamma^\star: [0,2\pi] \to {\mathbb{R}}^+$ is $\alpha$-Hölder smooth, i.e., there exists a constant $L=L_{\gamma^\star} > 0$ such that $$\label{eq:holder}
|(\gamma^\star)^{([\alpha])}(\theta) - (\gamma^\star)^{([\alpha])}(\theta')| \leq L |\theta - \theta'|^{\alpha - [\alpha]}, \quad \forall \; \theta,\theta' \in [0,2\pi],$$ where $(\gamma^\star)^{(k)}$ denotes the $k^\text{th}$ derivative of $\gamma^\star$ and $[\alpha]$ denotes the largest integer less than or equal to $\alpha$. Following the description of $\Gamma^\star$ in the introduction, we also assume that the reference point is strictly interior to $\Gamma^\star$ meaning that it is contained in an open set itself wholly contained in $\Gamma^\star$ so that $\gamma^\star$ is uniformly bounded away from zero. Moreover, the density $g$ for $X$, as in , is uniformly bounded above by $\overline{g} := \sup_{x \in \Omega} g(x)$ and below by $\underline{g} := \inf_{x \in \Omega} g(x) \in (0,1)$ on $\Omega$.
General results are available on the error in approximating an $\alpha$-Hölder smooth function by b-splines of the form specified in Section \[SS:prior\]. Indeed, Theorem 6.10 in @Schumaker.2007 implies that if $\gamma^\star$ satisfies , then $$\label{eq:bsplineapprox}
\text{$\forall$ $d > 0$, $\exists$ $\beta_d^\star \in ({\mathbb{R}}^+)^d$ such that $\|\gamma^\star - \hat\gamma_{d,\beta_d^\star}\|_\infty \lesssim d^{-\alpha}$.}$$ Since $\gamma^\star(\theta)>0$, we can consider all coefficients to be positive; i.e. $\beta_d^\star \in ({\mathbb{R}}^+)^d$ and see Lemma 1(b) in @shen.ghosal.2015. The next assumption about the prior makes use of the approximation property in .
\[A:prior\] Let $\beta_d^\star$, for $d > 0$, be as in . Then there exists $C, m > 0$ such that the prior $\Pi$ for $(D,\beta)$ satisfies, for all $d > 1$, $$\begin{aligned}
\log \Pi(D > d) & \lesssim -d \log d, \\
\log \Pi(D=d) & \gtrsim -d \log d, \\
\log \Pi(\|\beta - \beta_d^\star\|_1 \leq kd^{-\alpha} \mid D=d) & \gtrsim -d\log\{1/(kd^{-\alpha})\}, \\
\log \Pi(\beta \not\in [-m,m]^d \mid D=d) & \lesssim \log d - C m.\end{aligned}$$
The first two conditions in Assumption \[A:prior\] ensure that the prior on $D$ is sufficiently spread out while the second two conditions ensure that there is sufficient prior support near $\beta$’s that approximate $\gamma^\star$ well. Assumption \[A:prior\] is also needed in @Li.Ghosal.2015 for convergence of the Bayesian posterior at the optimal rate. However, the Bayes model also requires assumptions about the priors on the nuisance parameters, e.g., Assumption C in @Li.Ghosal.2015, which are not necessary in our approach here.
In what follows, let $A {\triangle}B$ denote the symmetric difference of sets in $\Omega$ and $\lambda(A {\triangle}B)$ its Lebesgue measure.
\[thm:rate\] With a slight abuse of notation, let $\Pi$ denote the prior for $\Gamma$, induced by that on $(D,\beta)$, and $\Pi_n$ the corresponding Gibbs posterior . Under Assumptions \[A:ckz\]–\[A:prior\], there exists a constant $M > 0$ such that $${P_{\Gamma^\star}}\Pi_n(\{\Gamma: \lambda(\Gamma^\star {\triangle}\Gamma) > M{\varepsilon}_n\}) \to 0 \quad \text{as $n \to \infty$},$$ where ${\varepsilon}_n = \{(\log n)/n\}^{\alpha/(\alpha+1)}$ and $\alpha$ is the smoothness coefficient in Assumption \[A:true\].
Theorem \[thm:rate\] says that, as the sample size increases, the Gibbs posterior places its mass on a shrinking neighborhood of the true boundary $\gamma^\star$. The rate, given by the size of the neighborhood, is optimal according to @mammen.1995, up to a logarithmic factor, and adaptive since the prior does not depend on the unknown smoothness $\alpha$.
Computation {#S:computation}
===========
Sampling algorithm {#SS:rjmcmc}
------------------
We use reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo, as in @green.1995, to sample from the Gibbs posterior. These methods have been used successfully in Bayesian free-knot spline regression problems; see, e.g., @denison.1998 and @dimatteo.2001. Although the sampling procedure is more complicated when allowing the number and locations of knots to be random versus using fixed knots, the resulting spline functions can do a better job fitting curves with low smoothness.
To summarize the algorithm, we start with the prior distribution $\Pi$ for $(D,\beta)$ as discussed in Section \[SS:prior\]. Next, we need to initialize values of $D$, the knot locations $\{t_{-2}, ..., t_{D+3}\}$, and the values of $\beta_2, ..., \beta_D$. The value of $\beta_1$ is then calculated numerically to force closure. We choose $D = 12$ with $t_{-2} = -2$, $t_{-1} = -1$, $t_{0} = -0.5$, $t_{13} = 2\pi+0.5$, $t_{14} = 2\pi+1$, $t_{15} = 2\pi+2$ and $t_{1}, ..., t_{12}$ evenly spaced in $[0,2\pi]$. We set inner knots $t_{0} = 0$ and $t_{D} = 2\pi$ while the other inner knot locations remain free to change in birth, death, and relocation moves; we also set $\beta_2 = \beta_3 = ...= \beta_{12} = 0.1$. Then the following three steps constitutes a single iteration of the reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to be repeated until the desired number of samples are obtained:
1. Use Metropolis-within-Gibbs steps to update the elements of the $\beta$ vector, again solving for $\beta_1$ to force closure at the end. In our examples we use normal proposals centered at the current value of the element of the $\beta$ vector, and with standard deviation $0.10$.
2. Randomly choose to attempt either a birth, death, or relocation move to add a new inner knot, delete an existing inner knot, or move an inner knot.
3. Attempt the jump move proposed in Step 2. The $\beta$ vector must be appropriately modified when adding or deleting a knot, and again we must solve for $\beta_1$. Details on the calculation of acceptance probabilities for each move can be found in @denison.1998 and @dimatteo.2001.
R code to implement this Gibbs posterior sampling scheme, along with the empirical loss scaling method described in Section \[SS:scaling\], is available at <https://github.com/nasyring/GibbsImage>.
Loss scaling {#SS:scaling}
------------
It is not clear how to select $(c, k, z)$ to satisfy Assumption \[A:ckz\] without knowledge of ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$. However, it is fairly straightforward to select values of $(c, k, z)$ based on the data which are likely to meet the required condition. First, we need a notion of optimal $(c, k, z)$ values. If we knew ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$, then we would select $z$ to maximize ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z) - {F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z)$ because this choice of $z$ gives us the point at which ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$ are most easily distinguished. Then, we would choose $(c, k)$ to be the largest values such that holds. Intuitively, we want large values of $(c, k)$ so that the loss function in is more sensitive to departures from $\gamma^\star$.
Since we do not know ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$, we estimate ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z)$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z)$ from the data. In order to do this, we need a rough estimate of $\gamma^\star$ to define the regions $\Gamma^\star$ and $\Gamma^{\star c}$. Our approach is to model $\gamma$ with a b-spline, as before, and estimate $\gamma^\star$ several times by minimizing using several different values of the loss scaling parameters $(c,k,z)$. Specifically, set a grid of $z$ values $z_1, z_2, ...,z_g$, and for each $z_j$, find $(c, k) = (c_j, k_j)$ that satisfy $$\frac{k_j}{k_j+c_j} = \frac{|\{i: y_i \leq z_j\}|}{n}.$$ Next, estimate $\gamma^\star$ by minimizing using $(c_j, k_j, z_j)$. The estimate of $\gamma^\star$ provides estimates of the regions $\Gamma^\star$ and $\Gamma^{\star c}$ which we use to calculate the sample proportions $$\hat F_{\Gamma^\star} := \frac{|\{i: y_i \leq z_j, x_i \in \hat{\Gamma}^\star\}|}{|\{i:x_i \in \hat{\Gamma}^\star\}|}\, \hspace{3mm}{\rm{ and }}\hspace{3mm}\, \hat F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}:= \frac{|\{i: y_i \leq z_j, x_i \in \hat{\Gamma}^{\star c}\}|}{|\{i:x_i \in \hat{\Gamma}^{\star c}\}|}.$$ Then, the approximately optimal value is $z = \arg\max_{z_j} \hat F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}(z_j) - \hat F_{\Gamma^\star}(z_j)$. Finally, choose the approximately optimal values of $(c, k)$ to satisfy replacing ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z)$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z)$ by their estimates $\hat F_{\Gamma^\star}(z)$ and $\hat F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}(z)$.
Based on the simulations in Section \[S:Simulations\], this method produces values of $(c, k, z)$ very close to their optimal values. Importantly, the estimated $(c, k)$ are more likely to be smaller than their optimal values than larger, which makes our estimates more likely to satisfy . This is a consequence of the stochastic ordering of ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$. Unless the classifier we obtain by minimizing is perfectly accurate, we will tend to mix together samples from ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$ in our estimates. If we estimate ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z)$ with some observations from ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and some from ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$, we will tend to overestimate ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z)$, and vice versa we will tend to underestimate ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z)$. These errors will cause $(c, k)$ to be underestimated, and therefore more likely to satisfy .
Numerical examples {#S:Simulations}
==================
We tested our Gibbs model on data from both binary and continuous images following much the same setup as in @Li.Ghosal.2015. The pixel locations in $\Omega = [-\frac12,\frac12]^2$ are sampled by starting with a fixed $m \times m$ grid in $\Omega$ and making a small random uniform perturbation at each grid point. Several different pixel intensity distributions are considered. We consider two types of shapes for $\Gamma^\star$: an ellipse with center $(0.1, 0.1)$, rotated at an angle of 60 degrees, with major axis length $0.35$ and minor axis length $0.25$; and a centered equilateral triangle of height 0.5. The ellipse boundary will test the sensitivity of the model to boundaries which are off-center while the triangle tests the model’s ability to identify non-smooth boundaries.
We consider four binary and four continuous intensity images and compare with the Bayesian method of @Li.Ghosal.2015 as implemented in the [*BayesBD*]{} package [@BayesBD] available on CRAN .
- Ellipse image, $m=100$, and ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$ are Bernoulli with parameters 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.
- Same as B1 but with triangle image.
- Ellipse image, $m=500$, and ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$ are Bernoulli with parameters 0.25 and 0.2, respectively.
- Same as B3 but with triangle image.
- Ellipse image, $m=100$, and ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$ are $N(4, 1.5^2)$ and $N(1, 1)$, respectively.
- Same as C1 but with triangle image.
- Ellipse image, $m=100$, and ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$ are $0.2\, N(2, 10) + 0.8 \,N(0, 1)$, a normal mixture, and $N(0, 5)$, respectively.
- Ellipse image, $m=100$, and ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$ are $t$ distributions with 3 degrees of freedom and non-centrality parameters 1 and 0, respectively.
For binary images, the likelihood must be Bernoulli, so the Bayesian model is correctly specified in cases B1–B4. For the continuous examples in C1–C4, we assume a Gaussian likelihood for the Bayesian model. Then, cases C1 and C2 will show whether or not the Gibbs model can compete with the Bayesian model when the model is correctly specified, while cases C3 and C4 will demonstrate the superiority of the Gibbs model over the Bayesian model under misspecification. Again, the Gibbs model has the added advantage of not having to specify priors for or sample values of the mean and variance associated with the normal conditional distributions.
We replicated each example scenario 100 times for both the Gibbs and Bayesian models, each time producing a posterior sample of size 4000 after a burn in of 1000 samples. We recorded the errors—Lebesgue measure of the symmetric difference—for each run along with the estimated loss function parameters for the Gibbs models for continuous images. The results are summarized in Tables \[table:errors\]–\[table:loss\]. We see that the Gibbs model is competitive with the fully Bayesian model in Examples B1–B4, C1, and C2, when the likelihood is correctly specified. When the likelihood is misspecified, there is a chance that the Bayesian model will fail, as in Examples C3 and C4. However, the Gibbs model does not depend on a likelihood, only the stochastic ordering of ${F_{\Gamma^\star}}$ and ${F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}$, and it continues to perform well in these non-Gaussian examples. From Table \[table:loss\], we see that the empirical method described in Section \[SS:scaling\] is able to select parameters for the loss function in close to the optimal values and meeting Assumption \[A:ckz\].
[lcccccccc]{}
Model & B1 & B2 & B3 & B4 & C1 & C2 & C3 & C4\
Bayes &
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: Average errors (and standard deviations) for each example.[]{data-label="table:errors"}
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0.04
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0.11
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Gibbs &
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: Average errors (and standard deviations) for each example.[]{data-label="table:errors"}
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[lcccc]{} & C1 & C2 & C3 & C4\
&
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1.45
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: Average (and optimal) values of the parameters $(c, k, z)$ in .[]{data-label="table:loss"}
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1.47
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: Average (and optimal) values of the parameters $(c, k, z)$ in .[]{data-label="table:loss"}
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0.80
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: Average (and optimal) values of the parameters $(c, k, z)$ in .[]{data-label="table:loss"}
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0.71
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: Average (and optimal) values of the parameters $(c, k, z)$ in .[]{data-label="table:loss"}
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2.30
(2.36)
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: Average (and optimal) values of the parameters $(c, k, z)$ in .[]{data-label="table:loss"}
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2.29
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: Average (and optimal) values of the parameters $(c, k, z)$ in .[]{data-label="table:loss"}
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0.26
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: Average (and optimal) values of the parameters $(c, k, z)$ in .[]{data-label="table:loss"}
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0.71
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: Average (and optimal) values of the parameters $(c, k, z)$ in .[]{data-label="table:loss"}
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2.43
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: Average (and optimal) values of the parameters $(c, k, z)$ in .[]{data-label="table:loss"}
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2.39
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: Average (and optimal) values of the parameters $(c, k, z)$ in .[]{data-label="table:loss"}
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-1.83
(-1.76)
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: Average (and optimal) values of the parameters $(c, k, z)$ in .[]{data-label="table:loss"}
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0.46
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: Average (and optimal) values of the parameters $(c, k, z)$ in .[]{data-label="table:loss"}
\
Figures \[fig:compare\] and \[fig:compare2\] show the results of the Bayesian and Gibbs models for one simulation run in each of Examples B1–B2 and C1–C4, respectively. The $95\%$ credible regions, as in @Li.Ghosal.2015, are highlighted in gray around the posterior means. That is, let $u_i = \sup_\theta \{|\gamma_i(\theta) - \hat{\gamma}(\theta)|/s(\theta)\}$, where $\gamma_i(\theta)$ is the $i^{\text{th}}$ posterior boundary sample, $\hat{\gamma}(\theta)$ is the pointwise posterior mean and $s(\theta)$ the pointwise standard deviation of the $\gamma(\theta)$ samples. If $\tau$ is the $95^{\text{th}}$ percentile of the $u_i$’s, then a $95\%$ uniform credible band is given by $\hat{\gamma}(\theta) \pm \tau \, s(\theta)$. The results of cases B2 and C2 suggest that free-knot b-splines may do a better job of approximating non-smooth boundaries than the kernel basis functions used by @Li.Ghosal.2015. In particular, the RJ-MCMC sampling method with its relocation moves allowed knots to move towards the corners of the triangle, thereby improving estimation of the boundary over b-splines with fixed knots.
![From top, Examples B1–B2. In each row, the observed image is on the left, the Bayesian posterior mean estimator [@Li.Ghosal.2015] is in the middle, and the Gibbs posterior mean estimator is on the right. Solid lines show the true image boundary, dashed lines are the estimates, and gray regions are 95% credible bands.[]{data-label="fig:compare"}](B1.pdf "fig:"){width=".8\textwidth"} ![From top, Examples B1–B2. In each row, the observed image is on the left, the Bayesian posterior mean estimator [@Li.Ghosal.2015] is in the middle, and the Gibbs posterior mean estimator is on the right. Solid lines show the true image boundary, dashed lines are the estimates, and gray regions are 95% credible bands.[]{data-label="fig:compare"}](B2.pdf "fig:"){width=".8\textwidth"}
![Same as Figure \[fig:compare\], but for Examples C1–C4. []{data-label="fig:compare2"}](C1.pdf "fig:"){width=".8\textwidth"} ![Same as Figure \[fig:compare\], but for Examples C1–C4. []{data-label="fig:compare2"}](C2.pdf "fig:"){width=".8\textwidth"} ![Same as Figure \[fig:compare\], but for Examples C1–C4. []{data-label="fig:compare2"}](C3.pdf "fig:"){width=".8\textwidth"} ![Same as Figure \[fig:compare\], but for Examples C1–C4. []{data-label="fig:compare2"}](C4.pdf "fig:"){width=".8\textwidth"}
Proofs {#S:proofs}
======
Proof of Proposition 1 {#p:prop1}
----------------------
By the definition of the loss function in , for a fixed $h$ and for any $\Gamma \subset \Omega$, we have $$\begin{aligned}
\ell_\Gamma(X,Y) - \ell_{\Gamma^\star}(X,Y) & =h \, 1(Y=+1, X \in \Gamma^c) - h \, 1(Y=+1, X \in \Gamma^{\star c})\\
& \qquad +1(Y=-1, X \in \Gamma) - 1(Y=-1, X \in \Gamma^\star) \\
&=h \, 1(Y=+1, X \in \Gamma^\star \setminus \Gamma) - 1(Y=-1, X \in \Gamma^{\star} \setminus \Gamma)\\
& \qquad +1(Y=-1, X \in \Gamma \setminus \Gamma^\star) - h\,1(Y=+1, X \in \Gamma \setminus \Gamma^\star).\end{aligned}$$ Then the expectation of the loss difference above is $$P(X \in \Gamma^\star \setminus \Gamma) \, (h{f_{\Gamma^\star}}+ {f_{\Gamma^\star}}- 1)+ P(X \in \Gamma \setminus \Gamma^\star) \, (1-{f_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}- h {f_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}),$$ where the probability statement is with respect to the density $g$ of $X$. By Assumption 2, the density $g$ is bounded away from zero on $\Omega$, so the expectation of the loss difference is zero if and only if $\Gamma = \Gamma^\star$. The expectation can also be lower bounded by $$P(X \in \Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star) \, \min\{h{f_{\Gamma^\star}}+ {f_{\Gamma^\star}}- 1, 1-{f_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}- h {f_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}\}.$$ Given the condition in Proposition 1, both terms in the minimum are positive. Therefore, $R(\Gamma) \geq R(\Gamma^\star)$ with equality if and only if $\Gamma = \Gamma^\star$, proving the claim.
Proof of Proposition 2 {#p:prop2}
----------------------
The proof here is very similar to that of Proposition 1. By the definition of the loss function in , for any fixed $(c,k,z)$ and for any $\Gamma \subset \Omega$, we get $$\begin{aligned}
\ell_\Gamma(X,Y) - \ell_{\Gamma^\star}(X,Y) & = k \, 1(Y\geq z, X \in \Gamma^c) - k \, 1(Y\geq z, X \in \Gamma^{\star c})\\
& \qquad +c \, 1(Y<z, X \in \Gamma) - c \, 1(Y<z, X \in \Gamma^\star)\\
&=k \, 1(Y\geq z, X \in \Gamma^\star \setminus \Gamma) - c \, 1(Y<z, X \in \Gamma^{\star} \setminus \Gamma)\\
& \qquad +c \, 1(Y<z, X \in \Gamma \setminus \Gamma^\star) - k \, 1(Y\geq z, X \in \Gamma \setminus \Gamma^\star).\end{aligned}$$ Then, the expectation of the loss difference above is given by $$P(X \in \Gamma^\star \setminus \Gamma) \, \{k - k{F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z) - c{F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z)\} + P(X \in \Gamma \setminus \Gamma^\star) \, \{c{F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z) - k + k{F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z)\},$$ where the probability statement is with respect to the density $g$ of $X$. As in the proof of Proposition 1, this quantity is zero if and only if $\Gamma = \Gamma^\star$. It can also be lower bounded by $$P(X \in \Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star) \, \min\bigl\{k - k{F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z) - c{F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z), c{F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z) - k + k{F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z) \bigr\}.$$ Given the condition in Proposition 2, both terms in the minimum are positive. Therefore, $R(\Gamma) \geq R(\Gamma^\star)$ with equality if and only if $\Gamma = \Gamma^\star$, proving the claim.
Preliminary results {#p:thm}
-------------------
Towards proving Theorem \[thm:rate\], we need several lemmas. The first draws a connection between the distance between defined by the Lebesgue measure of the symmetric difference and the sup-norm between the boundary functions.
\[lem:lebesgue.L1\] Suppose $\Gamma^\star$, with boundary $\gamma^\star = \partial \Gamma^\star$, satisfies Assumption \[A:true\], in particular, $\underline{\gamma}^\star := \inf_{\theta \in [0,2\pi]} \gamma^\star(\theta) > 0$. Take any $\Gamma \subset \Omega$, with $\gamma = \partial\Gamma$, such that $\lambda(\Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star) > \delta$ for some fixed $\delta>0$, and any $\widetilde\Gamma \subset \Omega$ such that $\tilde\gamma = \partial\widetilde\Gamma$ satisfies $\|\tilde\gamma - \gamma\|_\infty < \omega \delta$, where $\omega \in (0,1)$. Then $$\lambda(\widetilde\Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star) > \frac{4\delta}{\underline{\gamma}^\star} \Bigl( \frac{1}{\operatorname{diam}(\Omega)} - \pi \omega \Bigr),$$ where $\operatorname{diam}(\Omega) = \sup_{x,x' \in \Omega} \|x-x'\|$ is the diameter of $\Omega$. So, if $\omega < \{\pi \operatorname{diam}(\Omega)\}^{-1}$, then the lower bound is a positive multiple of $\delta$.
The first step is to connect the symmetric difference-based distance to the $L_1$ distance between boundary functions. A simple conversion to polar coordinates gives $$\begin{aligned}
\lambda(\Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star) & = \int_{\Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star} \, d\lambda \\
& = \int_0^{2\pi} \int_{\gamma(\theta) \wedge \gamma^\star(\theta)}^{\gamma(\theta) \vee \gamma^\star(\theta)} r \,dr \, d\theta \\
& = \frac12 \int_0^{2\pi} \{\gamma(\theta) \wedge \gamma(\theta^\star)\}^2 - \{\gamma(\theta) \vee \gamma(\theta^\star)\}^2 \, d\theta \\
& = \frac12 \int_0^{2\pi} |\gamma(\theta) - \gamma^\star(\theta)|\,|\gamma(\theta) + \gamma^\star(\theta)| \,d\theta.\end{aligned}$$ If we let $\underline{\gamma}^\star = \inf_\theta \gamma^\star(\theta)$, then it is easy to verify that $$\underline{\gamma}^\star \leq |\gamma(\theta) + \gamma^\star(\theta)| \leq \operatorname{diam}(\Omega), \quad \forall \; \theta \in [0,2\pi].$$ Therefore, $$\label{eq:lebesgue.L1}
\tfrac12 \underline{\gamma}^\star \|\gamma - \gamma^\star\|_1 \leq \lambda(\Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star) \leq \tfrac12 \operatorname{diam}(\Omega) \|\gamma - \gamma^\star\|_1.$$ Next, if $\lambda(\Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star) > \delta$, which is positive by Assumption \[A:true\], then it follows from the right-most inequality in that $\operatorname{diam}(\Omega) \|\gamma-\gamma^\star\|_1 > 2\delta$ and, by the triangle inequality, $$\operatorname{diam}(\Omega) \{\|\gamma - \tilde\gamma\|_1 + \|\tilde\gamma - \gamma^\star\|_1\} > 2\delta.$$ We have $\|\gamma-\tilde\gamma\|_1 \leq 2\pi\|\gamma - \tilde\gamma\|_\infty$ which, by assumption, is less than $2\pi \omega \delta$. Consequently, $$\operatorname{diam}(\Omega) \{2\pi\omega \delta + \|\tilde\gamma - \gamma^\star\|_1\} > 2\delta$$ and, hence, $$\|\tilde\gamma - \gamma^\star\|_1 > \frac{2\delta}{\operatorname{diam}(\Omega)} - 2\pi\omega\delta.$$ By the left-most inequality in , we get $$\lambda(\widetilde\Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star) > \frac{4\delta}{\underline{\gamma}^\star \operatorname{diam}(\Omega)} - \frac{4\pi\omega \delta}{\underline{\gamma}^\star} = \frac{4\delta}{\underline{\gamma}^\star} \Bigl( \frac{1}{\operatorname{diam}(\Omega)} - \pi \omega \Bigr),$$ which is the desired bound. It follows immediately that the lower bound is a positive multiple of $\delta$ if $\omega < \{\pi \operatorname{diam}(\Omega)\}^{-1}$.
The next lemma shows that we can control the expectation of the integrand in the Gibbs posterior under the condition on the tuning parameters $(c,k,z)$ in the loss function definition.
\[lem:num\] If holds, then ${P_{\Gamma^\star}}e^{-(\ell_\Gamma -\ell_{\Gamma^\star})} < 1-\rho\lambda(\Gamma^\star {\triangle}\Gamma)$ for a constant $\rho \in (0,1)$.
From the proof of Proposition 2, we have $$\begin{aligned}
\ell_\Gamma(x,y) - \ell_{\Gamma^\star}(x,y) & = k \, 1(y \geq z, x \in \Gamma^\star \setminus \Gamma) - c \, 1(y<z, x \in \Gamma^{\star} \setminus \Gamma) \\
& \qquad +c \, 1(y<z, x \in \Gamma \setminus \Gamma^\star) - k \, (y\geq z, x \in \Gamma \setminus \Gamma^\star).\end{aligned}$$ The key observation is that, if $x \not\in \Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star$, then the loss difference is 0 and, therefore, the exponential of the loss difference is 1. Taking expectation with respect ${P_{\Gamma^\star}}$, we get $$\begin{aligned}
{P_{\Gamma^\star}}e^{-(\ell_\Gamma -\ell_{\Gamma^\star})} & = P_g(X \not\in \Gamma^\star {\triangle}\Gamma) \\
& \qquad + \{e^{-k}(1-{F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z))+e^c{F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z)\} P_g(X \in \Gamma^\star \setminus \Gamma) \\
& \qquad + \{e^{-c}{F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z)+e^k - e^k{F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z)\} P_g(X \in \Gamma \setminus \Gamma^\star).\end{aligned}$$ From , we have $$\kappa := \max\{ e^{-k}(1-{F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z))+e^c{F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z), e^{-c}{F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z)+e^k - e^k{F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z) \} < 1,$$ so that $$\begin{aligned}
{P_{\Gamma^\star}}e^{-(\ell_\Gamma - \ell_{\Gamma^\star})} & \leq 1 - P_g(X \in \Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star) + \kappa P_g(X \in \Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star) \\
& = 1 - (1-\kappa) P_g(X \in \Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star). \end{aligned}$$ Then the claim follows, with $\rho = (1-\kappa) \underline{g} < 1$, since $P_g(X \in \Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star) \geq \underline{g} \lambda(\Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star)$.
The next lemma yields a necessary lower bound on the denominator of the Gibbs posterior distribution. The neighborhoods $G_n$ are simpler than those in Lemma 1 of @shen.wasserman.2001, because the variance of our loss difference is automatically of the same order as its expectation, but the proof is otherwise very similar to theirs, so we omit the details.
\[lem:den\] Let $t_n$ be a sequence of positive numbers such that $nt_n \rightarrow 0$ and set $G_n = \{\Gamma: R(\Gamma)-R(\Gamma^\star)\leq Ct_n\}$ for some $C>0$. Then $\int e^{-[R_n(\Gamma)-R_n(\Gamma^\star)]}\,d\Pi \gtrsim \Pi(G_n)\exp(-2nt_n)$ with $P_{\Gamma^\star}$-probability converging to $1$ as $n\rightarrow \infty$.
Our last lemma is a summary of various results derived in @Li.Ghosal.2015 towards proving their Theorem 3.3. This helps us to fill in the details for the lower bound in Lemma \[lem:den\] and to identify a sieve—a sequence of subsets of the parameter space—with high prior probability but relatively low complexity.
\[lem:li.ghosal\] Let ${\varepsilon}_n$ be as in Theorem \[thm:rate\] and let $D_n = (\frac{n}{\log n})^{\frac{1}{\alpha+1}}$. Then, $\|\gamma^\star - \hat\gamma_{D_n, \beta^\star}\|_\infty\leq C{\varepsilon}_n$ for some $C>0$, $\beta^\star = \beta_{D_n}^\star \in ({\mathbb{R}}^+)^{D_n}$ from . \[lem:prior\]
1. Define the neighborhood $B_n^\star = \{(\beta,d): \beta \in \mathbb{R}^d, d=D_n, \|\gamma^\star - \hat\gamma_{d, \beta}\|_\infty\leq C{\varepsilon}_n\}$. Then $\Pi(B_n^\star) \gtrsim \exp(-an{\varepsilon}_n)$ for some $a > 0$ depending on $C$.
2. Define the sieve $\Sigma_n = \{\gamma: \gamma = \hat\gamma_{d,\beta}, \beta \in {\mathbb{R}}^d, d\leq D_n, \|\beta\|_\infty\leq \sqrt{n/K_0}\}$. Then $\Pi(\Sigma_n^c) \lesssim \exp(-Kn{\varepsilon}_n)$ for some $K,\, K_0>0$.
3. The bracketing number of $\Sigma_n$ satisfies $\log N({\varepsilon}_n, \Sigma_n,\|\cdot\|_\infty)\lesssim n{\varepsilon}_n$.
Proof of Theorem \[thm:rate\]
-----------------------------
Define the set $$\label{eq:proof1}
A_n = \{\Gamma: \lambda(\Gamma^\star {\triangle}\Gamma) > M{\varepsilon}_n\}.$$ For the sieve $\Sigma_n$ in Lemma \[lem:li.ghosal\], we have $\Pi_n(A_n)\leq\Pi_n(\Sigma_n^c) + \Pi_n(A_n \cap \Sigma_n)$. We want to show that both terms in the upper bound vanish, in $L_1({P_{\Gamma^\star}})$. It helps to start with a lower bound on $I_n = \int e^{-n\{R_n(\Gamma) - R_n(\Gamma^\star)\}} \, \Pi(d\Gamma)$, the denominator in both of the terms discussed above. First, write $$I_n \geq \int_{G_n}e^{-n\{R_n(\Gamma) - R_n(\Gamma^\star)\}} \, \Pi(d\Gamma)$$ where $G_n$ is defined in Lemma \[lem:den\] with $t_n = {\varepsilon}_n$ and $C>0$ to be determined. From Proposition 2 and Lemma \[lem:lebesgue.L1\] $$\begin{aligned}
R(\Gamma) - R(\Gamma^\star)&\leq P_g(X \in \Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star) \min\{ k - k{F_{\Gamma^\star}}(z) - c{F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z), c{F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z) + k{F_{\Gamma^{\star c}}}(z) \} \\
& \leq \tfrac12 \, V \, \overline{g} \, \operatorname{diam}(\Omega) \, \|\gamma - \gamma^\star\|_1 \end{aligned}$$ where $V=V_{c,k,z}$ is the $\min\{\cdots\}$ term in the above display. Let $B_\infty(\gamma^\star; r)$ denote the set of regions $\Gamma$ with boundary functions $\gamma = \partial \Gamma$ that satisfy $\|\gamma - \gamma^\star\|_\infty \leq r$. If $\Gamma \in B_\infty(\gamma^\star; C_0 {\varepsilon}_n)$, then we have $$\|\gamma - \gamma^\star\|_1 \leq 2\pi \overline{g} C_0 {\varepsilon}_n$$ and, therefore, $R(\Gamma) - R(\Gamma^\star) \leq C {\varepsilon}_n$, where $C = C_0\pi V\overline{g}^2 \operatorname{diam}(\Omega)$. From Lemma \[lem:den\], we have $I_n \gtrsim \Pi(G_n) e^{-2C{\varepsilon}_n}$, with ${P_{\Gamma^\star}}$-probability converging to $1$. Since $G_n \supseteq B_\infty(\gamma^\star; C_0 {\varepsilon}_n)$, it follows from Lemma \[lem:li.ghosal\], part 1, $$I_n \gtrsim \Pi\{B_\infty(\gamma^\star; C_0 {\varepsilon}_n)\} e^{-2C {\varepsilon}_n} \gtrsim e^{-C_1 n {\varepsilon}_n},$$ with ${P_{\Gamma^\star}}$ probability converging to one, and where $C_1 > 0$ is a constant depending on $C_0$ and $C$.
Now we are ready to bound $\Pi_n(\Sigma_n^c)$. Write this quantity as $$\Pi_n(\Sigma_n^c) =\frac{N_n(\Sigma_n^c)}{I_n} = \frac{1}{I_n} \int_{\Sigma_n^c} e^{-n\{R_n(\Gamma) - R_n(\Gamma^\star\}} \, \Pi(d\Gamma).$$ It will suffice to bound the expectation of $N_n(\Sigma_n^c)$. By Tonelli’s theorem, independence, and Lemma \[lem:num\], we have $$\begin{aligned}
{P_{\Gamma^\star}}N_n(\Sigma_n^c) & = \int_{\Sigma_n^c} {P_{\Gamma^\star}}e^{-n\{R_n(\Gamma) - R_n(\Gamma^\star)\}} \,\Pi(d\Gamma) \\
& =\int_{\Sigma_n^c} \bigl\{ {P_{\Gamma^\star}}e^{-(\ell_\Gamma - \ell_{\Gamma^\star})} \}^n \,\Pi(d\Gamma) \\
& \leq \int_{\Sigma_n^c} \bigl\{ 1 - \rho \lambda(\Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star) \}^n \, \Pi(d\Gamma) \\
& \leq \Pi(\Sigma_n^c).\end{aligned}$$ By Lemma \[lem:li.ghosal\], part 2, we have that $\Pi(\Sigma_n^c) \leq e^{-K n {\varepsilon}_n}$.
Next, we bound $\Pi_n(A_n \cap \Sigma_n)$. Again, it will suffice to bound the expectation of $N_n(A_n \cap \Sigma_n)$. Choose a covering $A_n \cap \Sigma_n$ by sup-norm balls $B_j=B_\infty(\gamma_j;\omega M_n{\varepsilon}_n)$, $j=1,\ldots,J_n$, with centers $\gamma_j=\partial\Gamma_j$ in $A_n$ and radii $\omega M_n {\varepsilon}_n$, where $\omega < \{\pi \operatorname{diam}(\Omega)\}^{-1}$ is as in Lemma \[lem:lebesgue.L1\]. Also, from Lemma \[lem:li.ghosal\], part 3, we have that $J_n$ is bounded by $e^{K_1n{\varepsilon}_n}$ for some constant $K_1 > 0$. For this covering, we immediately get $${P_{\Gamma^\star}}N_n(A_n \cap \Sigma_n) \leq \sum_{j=1}^{J_n} {P_{\Gamma^\star}}N_n(B_j).$$ For each $j$, using Tonelli, independence, and Lemma \[lem:num\] again, we get $${P_{\Gamma^\star}}N_n(B_j) = \int_{B_j} \{ {P_{\Gamma^\star}}e^{-(\ell_\Gamma - \ell_{\Gamma^\star})} \}^n \, \Pi(d\Gamma) \leq \int_{B_j} e^{-n \rho \lambda(\Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star)} \, \Pi(d\Gamma).$$ By Lemma \[lem:lebesgue.L1\], for $\Gamma$ in $B_j$, since the center $\gamma_j$ is in $A_n$, it follows that $\lambda(\Gamma {\triangle}\Gamma^\star)$ is lower bounded by $\eta M{\varepsilon}_n$, where $\eta=\eta(\Gamma^\star)$ is given by $$\eta = \frac{4}{\underline{\gamma}^\star} \Bigl( \frac{1}{\operatorname{diam}(\Omega)} - \pi \omega \Bigr) > 0.$$ Therefore, from the bound on $J_n$, $${P_{\Gamma^\star}}N_n(A_n \cap \Sigma_n) \leq \sum_{j=1}^{J_n} {P_{\Gamma^\star}}N_n(B_j) \leq e^{- n \eta M {\varepsilon}_n} \, J_n \leq e^{-(\eta M - K_1) n {\varepsilon}_n}.$$ Finally, we have $$\begin{aligned}
\Pi_n(A_n) & \leq \Pi_n(A_n \cap \Sigma_n) + \Pi_n(\Sigma_n^c) \\
& = \frac{N_n(A_n \cap \Sigma_n)}{I_n} + \frac{N_n(\Sigma_n^c)}{I_n} \\
& \leq \frac{N_n(A_n \cap \Sigma_n)}{e^{-C_1n{\varepsilon}_n}} \, 1(I_n > e^{-C_1n{\varepsilon}_n}) + \frac{N_n(\Sigma_n^c)}{I_n} \, 1(I_n \leq e^{-C_1n{\varepsilon}_n}) \\
& \leq \frac{N_n(A_n \cap \Sigma_n)}{e^{-C_1n{\varepsilon}_n}} + 1(I_n \leq e^{-C_1n{\varepsilon}_n}).\end{aligned}$$ Taking ${P_{\Gamma^\star}}$-expectation and plugging in the bounds derived above, we get $${P_{\Gamma^\star}}\Pi_n(A_n) \leq e^{-(\eta M - K_1-C_1)n{\varepsilon}_n}.$$ If $M > (K_1 + C_1)/\eta$, then the upper bound vanishes, completing the proof.
[^1]: Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago
[^2]: Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, [rgmarti3@ncsu.edu]{}
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | ArXiv |
1980 Arizona Wildcats football team
The 1980 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first season under head coach Larry Smith, the Wildcats compiled a 5–6 record (3–4 against Pac-10 opponents), finished in a tie for sixth place in the Pac-10, and were outscored by their opponents, 275 to 215. The team played its home games in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.
The team's statistical leaders included Tom Tunnicliffe with 1,204 passing yards, Hubert Oliver with 655 rushing yards, and Tim Holmes with 545 receiving yards. Linebacker Jack Housley led the team with 104 total tackles.
Schedule
Game summaries
at Iowa
Arizona State
References
Arizona
Category:Arizona Wildcats football seasons
Arizona Wildcats football team | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Wikipedia (en) |
Rivaroxaban is as efficient and safe as bemiparin as thromboprophylaxis in knee arthroscopy.
The aim of this study is to compare effectiveness and safety profile of rivaroxaban with bemiparin in 3-week extended prophylaxis after knee arthroscopy. Four hundred and sixty-seven patients were included in this review divided in two groups. One followed prophylaxis with rivaroxaban and the other one with bemiparin. All patients were interviewed and explored at 1 and 3 months postoperatively, looking for symptomatic signs of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). In case of suspicion, diagnostic tests were performed. Collected data were age, sex, gender, diagnosis, time with ischemia, body mass index, concomitant diseases, concomitant therapy, DVT signs, treatment satisfaction, minor and major complications, treatment adherence and tolerability. No thromboembolic events were observed in any of the groups. In one case treated with rivaroxaban, the drug had to be withdrawn due to epistaxis. Our study showed that extended prophylaxis with 10 mg of rivaroxaban once daily for 3 weeks resulted as effective as bemiparin in knee arthroscopy thromboprophylaxis. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Abstracts |
I feel bad for the guy.
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I stole my girlfriend's dirty panties - And sent them to my buddy in prison
Check out all our blank memes | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
Tuesday, October 02, 2018 – Tuesday Thoughts and Three Things I Did Not Know
Tuesday, October 02, 2018 – Tuesday Thoughts and Three Things I Did Not Know
Here are three things I did not know.
I did not know I would need to consult the Urban Dictionary to define Devil’s Triangle and Boofing when learning about a Supreme Court nominee. I wonder if those terms will be in future history books. How does a history teacher deal with these type current events? Maybe Boofing could be taught in health class. I don’t know.
All of this written in the high school yearbook and told in college antics.
The worst I have in my high school yearbook is somebody wrote about a group of us wrapping somebody’s house in toilet paper one night on Halloween. FYI – My mother already knew about it and I was pretty sure I was grounded at the time and the yearbook reminder was not needed.
For all of my high school friends and all of my college friends – especially sorority sisters and fraternity friends – please know as far as I know any one of you can qualify for the Supreme Court.
Here is another thing I did not know.
Technology has just gone bat crap crazy. There are objects called Sex Robots. When I hear the term robot, I think of R2D2 or C3PEO or even the robot maid on The Jetson’s. A sex robot brothel is trying to locate in Houston. With Houston’s no zoning laws or ordinances it will probably be located in same block as an elementary school, massage parlor, gun store and a church. I am going to have to consult The Urban Dictionary again. There are so many things I did not know about this and quite frankly I do not want to know. I am pretty sure that no one who goes there or purchases a robot will run for public office or a hold high level decision-making position. But you never know. Frankly, I would rather have a robot maid.
Here is the last thing for today that I did not know.
If you eat a chocolate cupcake with blue icing, it will turn your poo poo green. Try it and see. Made you laugh, didn’t it? | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Q:
Stackdriver vs ELK for app engine
Im a little confused about this because the docs say I can use stackdriver for "Request logs and application logs for App Engine applications" so does that mean like web requests? Does that mean like millions of web requests?
Stackdriver's pricing is per resource so does that mean I can log all of my web servers web request logs (which would be HUGE) for no extra cost (meaning I would not be charged by the volume of storage the logs use)?
Does stackdriver use GCP cloud storage as a backend and do I have to pay for the storage? It just looks like I can get hundreds of gigabytes of log aggregation for virtually no money just want to make sure Im understanding this.
I bring up ELK because elastic just partnered with google so it must not do everything elasticsearch does (for almost no money) otherwise it would be a competitor?
A:
Things definitely seem to be moving quickly at Google's cloud division and documentation does seem to suffer a bit.
Having said that, the document you linked to also details the limitations -
The request and application logs for your app are collected by a Cloud
Logging agent and are kept for a maximum of 90 days, up to a maximum
size of 1GB. If you want to store your logs for a longer period or
store a larger size than 1GB, you can export your logs to Cloud
Storage. You can also export your logs to BigQuery and Pub/Sub for
further processing.
It should work out of the box for small to medium sized projects. The built in log viewer is also pretty basic.
From your description, it sounds like you may have specific needs, so you should not assume this will be free. You should factor in costs for Cloud Storage for the logs you want to retain and BigQuery depending on your needs to crunch the logs.
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | StackExchange |
Utah-based "ex-gay" Mormon support group Evergreen International has merged with North Star, a similar group, as the state awaits a decision from SCOTUS Justice Sonia Sotomayor on whether its marriage equality status will be upheld, the Salt Lake Tribune reports:
Before doing so, Evergreen International turned over some of its resources and mailing lists — said to number up to 30,000 participants, including many from Spanish-speaking countries — to a newer LDS-based gay support group, North Star.
Combining the two groups, organizers say, will create "the largest single faith-based ministry organization for Latter-day Saints who experience same-sex attraction or gender-identity incongruence and will also provide increased access to resources for church leaders, parents, family and friends."
North Star claims it does not advocate reparative therapy, but it does not object to it either:
As to the question of changing or diminishing sexual orientation, North Star takes no position, says the group’s newly named president, Ty Mansfield (pitcured).
"If someone had a positive experience with reparative therapy or change, we are OK with them sharing that," says Mansfield, a marriage and family therapist in Provo. "If they had a negative experience, they can share that, too."
From the North Star press release:
Founded in 1989 as a non-profit education and resource organization by individuals who were experiencing unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA/SGA) in their own lives, Evergreen International was founded on the belief that the atonement of Jesus Christ enables every soul the opportunity to turn away from all sins or conditions that obstruct their temporal and eternal happiness and potential. Evergreen attests that individuals can overcome homosexual behavior and can diminish same-sex attraction, and is committed to assisting individuals who wish to do so. Evergreen provides education, guidance, and support and is available as a resource to family, friends, professional counselors, religious leaders, and all others involved in assisting individuals who desire to change.
Founded in 2006, North Star is a peer-led, community-driven organization—a grass-roots effort with a mission to empower men and women who experience same-sex attraction and gender identity issues, as well as their friends, spouses, or other family members, to more authentically and healthily live the gospel of Jesus Christ. North Star is successful because of the efforts of many individuals who contribute their time, talents, and hearts to various aspects of its mission. Though it is not a membership-based organization, North Star serves as a resource to the community through its website (NorthStarLDS.org), eighteen on-line discussion groups organized around specific user demographics, bi-monthly firesides, an annual conference, wives retreats, couples retreats, the Voices of Hope Project, and more. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
The New Technology
Along with the advancement of science and technology, technological innovations grew together with it, ensuing to the emergence of recent equipment and gadgets. Technology additionally encourages students to spend their time doing other activities such as playing video video games and participating in social networking. Whether or not you’re a newbie or skilled, our applications provide vital expertise for profession changers, executives, entrepreneurs, and small-enterprise owners, and industry groups, and critical hobbyists, in areas resembling fashion business, design, pc technology, and advertising.
A contemporary example is the rise of communication technology, which has lessened barriers to human interaction and as a result has helped spawn new subcultures; the rise of cyberculture has at its basis the development of the Web and the pc 15 Not all technology enhances tradition in a inventive manner; technology also can assist facilitate political oppression and war through instruments comparable to guns.
Maria Montessori (1870-1952), internationally renowned child educator and the originator of Montessori Methodology exerted a dynamic impression on educational technology through her growth of graded materials designed to provide for the correct sequencing of subject material for each individual learner. 14 Moreover, technology is the appliance of math, science, and the humanities for the benefit of life as it is identified.
It is by the human developmental stage of fake play and using The MovieMaking Course of, that a artistic alliance and progressive resolution will be found between the world of human wants and the age of technology. Your technology should work with existing technologies, processes and infrastructure in your organisation, and adapt to future calls for. The 1960’s saw the launch of colour television all through the United States, but it is the new millennium which has lastly seen the explosion of 3D cinema films and the arrival of technology which permits individuals to watch them in their houses and even while travelling to and from work.
Based on it, academic technology is a scientific way of designing, finishing up and evaluating the whole strategy of teaching and studying when it comes to particular targets primarily based on analysis. Engineering is the objective-oriented means of designing and making instruments and programs to take advantage of natural phenomena for sensible human means, often (however not all the time) utilizing outcomes and strategies from science. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
534 So.2d 32 (1988)
STATE of Louisiana
v.
Arthur F. DUMAINE.
No. 88-KA-0720.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.
October 27, 1988.
Rehearing Denied December 14, 1988.
*33 Harry F. Connick, Dist. Atty., Sandra Pettle, Asst. Dist. Atty., New Orleans, for appellee.
James David McNeill, New Orleans, for defendant and appellant.
Before BYRNES, WILLIAMS and PLOTKIN, JJ.
WILLIAMS, Judge.
The defendant, Arthur Dumaine, was charged by bill of information with negligent discharge of a firearm, a violation of La.R.S. 14:94. Defendant was found guilty as charged and was sentenced to one year at hard labor. Defendant appeals.
Defendant is an attorney and notary. He maintained an office in his home at 4029 Old Hammond Highway.
On Sunday, May 3, 1987, two of defendant's friends and their children went to defendant's house to swim in his pool. Defendant drank beer throughout the afternoon.
At about 5:30 p.m., Troy Williams, a black male, knocked on defendant's door to have defendant notarize a document for him. Williams had never met defendant before but was referred to him by an acquaintance. When the defendant opened the door, he appeared to be intoxicated. Upon seeing Williams, Dumaine kissed him as if he knew him, Dumaine then asked Williams to help him put a cover over his car. Williams did so and the two men entered defendant's house. Once inside, the defendant began to talk about blacks, crime and Vietnam. He asked Williams if he had any brothers or sisters who were criminals. He then told Williams that he had something to stop crime. He reached behind a bookshelf and pulled out a revolver. He then went into his front yard with Williams and, without looking for oncoming traffic, he fired the gun across old Hammond Highway into a vacant lot. Although there were no people or cars in the vacant lot, there were people in the vicinity where the shots were fired.
Following the incident, Williams called the police and thirty to thirty five officers responded, including a SWAT team. Defendant *34 refused to leave his house for approximately one to one and one-half hours. Finally, police apprehended the defendant. A search of the house did not reveal the gun.
On appeal, defendant asserts several assignments of error. Defendant claims that the trial court erred in denying his motion to quash the bill of information because it fails to allege that the defendant's discharge of a firearm actually resulted in death or bodily harm.
The statute under which defendant was charged reads:
Illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities is the intentional or criminally negligent discharging of any firearm....where it is foreseeable that it may result in death or great bodily harm to a human being. La.R.S. 14:94.
The language of the statute does not require that death or bodily injury actually occur but only that it be foreseeable that death or bodily injury occur. The bill of information makes that allegation. This argument, therefore, is without merit.
In the alternative, defendant claims that if La.Rev.Stat. 14:94 only requires that injury be foreseeable rather than actual then the statute violates the due process clause because it is unconstitutionally vague and overly broad.
A statute is "void for vagueness" when it does not give a person of ordinary intelligence fair notice of what conduct is forbidden. State v. Griffen, 495 So.2d 1306 (La. 1986). The issue, therefore, is whether a reasonable man could determine when it is foreseeable that the discharge of a weapon might result in death or bodily harm.
In examining the facts of this case, we find that the defendant, a lawyer and presumably a citizen of ordinary intelligence, would certainly be able to foresee the danger to human life inherent in shooting a gun in a well populated area, across a fairly busy highway. Further, we find that the defendant could foresee that his actions might cause bodily harm even if the shots were fired into a vacant lot. The constitutional challenge is without merit.
In his remaining assignments of error, defendant claims that there was insufficient evidence to support the conviction.
Defendant first claims that the court erroneously relied upon the uncorroborated testimony of the State's only witness to the offense in resolving defendant's guilt because the testimony was contradicted by six defense witnesses.
It is not the duty of this court to assess the credibility of the witnesses. At trial, Williams, the State's witness, was the only witness to the firing of the gun. The defense witnesses were defendant's neighbors and a family member who were not present when the gun was fired. The defense witnesses merely testified that they did not hear a gunshot. The State's witness did not know the defendant and had no apparent reason to lie. The judge obviously believed Williams' testimony and this court will not disturb the credibility determination.
The defendant also contends that insufficient evidence was presented to show that it was foreseeable that defendant's firing of the gun could result in death or bodily injury. The defendant lived in a well-populated urban area. Several neighbors were standing on the street close to his home. Children were playing in the vicinity. Without looking for oncoming traffic, defendant shot the gun from his front yard across a well travelled highway. As we have already stated, a reasonable person would conclude that injury was foreseeable. This assignment of error, therefore, is without merit.
Finally, the defense criticizes the judge for referring to a statement allegedly made by defendant to Williams and to defend ant's inebriated condition, claiming that, at least with reference to the alleged comments, the judge violated defendant's constitutional right to remain silent. Noting that this case was tried by the judge and not a jury, we find that the judge's comments on the testimony could not have prejudiced the trier of fact and, consequently, his comments on the evidence were harmless.
*35 For the foregoing reasons, the defendant's conviction and sentence is affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | FreeLaw |
Totally. That's cool but looks to be lacking in several areas. Namely the conn rod big end bearing isn't in the gas/oil flow. It would burn up after awhile. Cost. it is like 325 eruos. 500.00 dollars. And why wouldn't you just add a Reed valve set up to the rotary induction?
Totally. That's cool but looks to be lacking in several areas. Namely the conn rod big end bearing isn't in the gas/oil flow. It would burn up after awhile. Cost. it is like 325 eruos. 500.00 dollars. And why wouldn't you just add a Reed valve set up to the rotary induction?
Dave
You better get to informing all the major manufacturers of 2 stroke road race and motocross engines that the Stellaspeed tuners really know where it's at. They've had cylinder inducted reed valves on many engines. I've never seen a "gas flowed" crank on any of them. And these included the ones that are 80cc and make 28 hp stock.
The advantages may include no obstruction of intake by the crank and more direct cylinder cooling by the fuel, among other reason. If that's only 500.00, it's a bargain
ya that is going to suck. It sucked when I had one go at 55ish. I almost lost it actually while I was doing 90 degree fishtails. Tubless rims...that is all I gotta say if your going to be going that fast.
Have any of you seen the RB22 kit yet? I'd love to see one first hand and how it compares to the TS1. There's a few people on the LCUSA board who have them up and running but I've yet to see one in person.
Totally. That's cool but looks to be lacking in several areas. Namely the conn rod big end bearing isn't in the gas/oil flow. It would burn up after awhile. Cost. it is like 325 eruos. 500.00 dollars. And why wouldn't you just add a Reed valve set up to the rotary induction?
Totally. That's cool but looks to be lacking in several areas. Namely the conn rod big end bearing isn't in the gas/oil flow. It would burn up after awhile. Cost. it is like 325 eruos. 500.00 dollars. And why wouldn't you just add a Reed valve set up to the rotary induction? | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Q:
How to speed up Batch API Operations?
I've run into this both with 3rd party contrib modules as well as some of my own operations. I'm curious at the various ways to speed up my/contrib batch operations?
Assume they work with nodes (import/update etc) and we're dealing with parsing lists of nodes in the 10,000+ range (although I've had to deal with 15 million rows.. which yes - I'm just screwed on..)
Is it quicker to attach to drupals cron.php job and run "headless"? Using Drush? or is this simply a question of how efficient and quick parsing I can develop my code and there are no outside influences or batch specific optimization tips ...
Currently I've run into operations that (using some rough calculation) could take 24+ hours...
Thanks!
A:
This doesn't work for contrib code, but if it's your code and you know it well, I recommend writing a drush command to do the work. Within drush, limit drupal_bootstrap() to the appropriate bootstrap level. I can't recall the actual numbers, but a very large percentage of time for every drupal request is spent in bootstrap, and you can save a lot of time there.
Furthermore, check out the guts of the Migrate module. I don't know how it does it's mojo (never taken the time to grok it), but it can blaze through huge batches of nodes very quickly.
A:
Every batch call is an HTTP request. So you need to find the perfect blend of how many iterations you can process before another HTTP request gets fired. Two things to consider are memory and max execution time. You'll want to process as many iterations as possible per batch to reduce the number of HTTP requests as they are most likely the culprit to your slow batch.
If your batch is just too heavy to run efficiently you could try using a queue instead. There is a good batch vs. queue presentation here http://sf2010.drupal.org/conference/sessions/batch-vs-queue-api-smackdown. Queues do not provide user feedback and can be run in parallel.
If you require user feedback you are tied to batch, but you could even use queue in your batch to try to optimize it.
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | StackExchange |
Velamentous cord insertion
In velamentous cord insertion, the umbilical cord inserts in the chorion rather than in the mass of the placenta. The exposed vessels are not protected by Wharton's jelly and hence are vulnerable to rupture. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Bansgaon (Assembly constituency)
Bansgaon is a constituency of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly covering the city of Bansgaon in the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India.
Bansgaon is one of five assembly constituencies in the Bansgaon (Lok Sabha constituency). Since 2008, this assembly constituency is numbered 327 amongst 403 constituencies.
Currently this seat belongs to Bharatiya Janta Party candidate Vimlesh Paswan who won in last Assembly election of 2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Elections defeating Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Dharmendra Kumar by a margin of 22,873 votes.
Member of Legislative Assembly (MLAs)
References
Category:Assembly constituencies of Uttar Pradesh | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Wikipedia (en) |
Why were the nineties so preoccupied with fatherhood?
Some decades are summed up easily, the accretion of cliché and cultural narrative having reached such a point that we hardly need say anything at all. The sixties: hippies, drugs, revolution, rock-and-roll. The eighties: Young Republicans, greed is good, massive perms, Ronald Reagan. This is reductive, obviously, but it’s also helpful cultural shorthand. The nineties, like the seventies, have a less unified narrative: there’s gangster rap, Monica Lewinsky, Columbine, Kurt Cobain, O.J., MTV, white slackers on skateboards, and the LA riots, but they’re all disparate, disconnected. There was no counterculture powerful enough to write the narrative from below, no one mass-cultural or political trend hegemonic enough to make itself the truth. Some enjoy calling this diffusion postmodernism, though most everyone else agrees those people are assholes.
But there was, I contend, a current that ran through the culture of the nineties, a theme that has not to my knowledge been recognized as such. That theme is the heroic dad.
The nineties have sometimes been framed as an assault on family values, what with the Culture Wars and the president’s penis’s interchangeability with a cigar and all, but it was the nineties that saw the dad ascendant in popular culture. By 1990, even the youngest baby boomer was twenty-six, and most of them were solidly in their thirties and forties. They were losing their grip on cool. And they were having kids. It was only natural that they’d want to dramatize the experience. Granted, Bill Cosby, arguably the most quintessential dad in TV history, reached his peak popularity in the mideighties—but the early nineties saw an explosion of hit dad-based sitcoms: Coach, Married … with Children, The Simpsons, Home Improvement, Major Dad. These continued to proliferate throughout the decade; witness Full House and Everybody Loves Raymond, among many others. Many of these were just trying to get a piece of the megasuccess of The Cosby Show and Roseanne. But when those sitcoms are discussed, they’re often applauded for their working-class heroes, while the recentering of dad is less often highlighted. (This is exactly how Reaganite politics worked, too: use lip service to the working class to retrench economic power.)
The trend is more obvious in Hollywood, where the dadventure—don’t look for that term elsewhere; I’m making it up right here—found greater traction than ever in the nineties. You’ll recognize the dadventure if you give it some thought; it’s a subgenre in which the protagonist is a capital-F Father, one whose fatherhood defines both his relationship to the film’s other characters and supplies the film’s central drama. In a dadventure, the stability of the family is threatened—whether by violence or drama, it’s almost always because of some negligence around the dadly duties—and only dad can save the family by coming face to face with his fatherly responsibilities. In the end, he learns just how much fun being a dad can be.
Between 1978 and 1988, there were a total of three dadventures that made the box-office top-ten for their respective years: Mr. Mom, Back to School, and Three Men and a Baby. But then came the nineties: between 1989 and 1999, ten dadventures hit the box-office top ten, and they’re worth listing in full:
Look Who’s Talking
Parenthood
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Hook
Father of the Bride
Mrs. Doubtfire
The Santa Clause
The Flintstones
Jumanji
Big Daddy
Since then, from 2000 through 2013, there have been only four: Cheaper By the Dozen, The Pursuit of Happyness, Despicable Me, and Despicable Me 2. (Of course, this tally probably ignores a whole range of films wherein dadliness is defined on Freudian, structural, or mythic levels—where the drama of fatherhood undergirds the film’s meaning without banging you over the head with it. But those are way harder to count, and anyway, shush.)
We all know that culture is aimed, predominantly, at the young: they’re the ones who spend all their disposable income on beer, who don’t have major financial commitments, whose brand loyalty is still up in the air. So why in the nineties, a decade where the counterculture was definitively subsumed by marketing and “selling out” was the major cultural no-no, did dad worship become a profitable trend? Didn’t Gen X just roll its eyes, tell dad to shut up, and move to Austin?
The boomers, the first “generation” constituted as a mass cultural, economic, and political force, were accustomed to being talked about, and it was hard to let go of their cultural centrality. The only problem is that they were the ones who, in their youth, used mass culture to unseat mom and dad, who believed that intergenerational antagonism was a sign of political seriousness. What to do now that they were the squares? And how to face their looming mortality?
If only they could convince their kids they were cool, maybe they could convince themselves.
* * *
One of the most charming dadventures ever made, and the film that most blatantly reveals the belief structure and form of the genre, is 1991’s Hook, a kind of dadly Peter Pan fan fiction turned into a major Hollywood hit by Steven Spielberg.
In it, Robin Williams, history’s number one dadventure star, plays an all-grown-up Peter Pan: he’s left Neverland and is now a successful corporate lawyer (not a joke) who goes by the name Peter Banning. His family life is a mess—he works too many hours to see the wife and kids. But when his two young children are kidnapped by none other than Captain Hook, Peter, who has completely forgotten his eterna-boy identity, has to return to Neverland and remember how to think lovely, wonderful, youthful thoughts in order to restore his powers and save them.
That’s right: Peter Pan, perhaps the most #nodads male figure in the history of English literature, has become a corporate lawyer, but his innate fatherly love for his kids is enough to restore him as an eternal child. Meanwhile, Captain Hook’s evil plan centers, for some reason, on convincing the kids that dad’s a dick. In what is meant to be a climactic evil-might-just-win scene, Hook gets Peter’s son to smash clocks while screaming every instance of neglect and cruelty his dad put him through. That should be evidence enough that Hook is an act of boomer self-assurance intended mainly for the dads in the audience. But it’s the sad tale of the orphan Rufio, who took leadership of the Lost Boys in Peter’s absence, that really perfects the narrative.
No eternal boy-gang can go without a leader, and Rufio—the triple-mohawked Mad-Max punk who runs the Lost Boys as if they’re a queer postapocalyptic skater gang—is way cooler than Pan ever was. Rufio, as you may be able to tell by my enthusiasm for him even twenty years later, is the only point of identification for the kids this film is ostensibly for. He’s the film’s heart, its real hero. Rufio inevitably beefs with Peter, because here’s Pan, as square as square comes, a dad in a boy’s world, claiming to be the mythical departed leader of the gang. It’s only when Rufio is brutally murdered by Hook that our lust for vengeance accommodates us to Robin Williams—i.e., dad—as an actual hero, and even then we accept him only grudgingly.
It’s a sneaky but hardly subtle move. Rufio’s last words are “I wish I had a dad like you,” thus framing all of the punk, skater, and boy-gang impulses within one of the decade’s most common political lines: societal problems are caused by poor fathering or the absence of fathers. (This is an accusation leveled most often against communities of color—and it’s no coincidence that the actor who plays Rufio, Dante Basco, is Filipino American.) The kids, it seems, just need to accept that growing up is cool and being a dad is cooler: cooler, at any rate, than being a postapocalyptic punk forever-boy. It’s a nice try, but in 2014, you never see anyone dressing up as Robin Williams’s Banker Pan—come Halloween, everyone’s going as Rufio.
Hook is hardly an atypical dadventure; it’s just particularly barefaced. There’s a whole wealth of nineties culture positioning fatherhood as the real adventure, the really cool thing to do. This is, let’s hope, reflected male boomer horror: the horror of having found oneself in the very position one has spent one’s whole cultural life posing against.
But the nineties was also a decade in which the United States projected itself as a global father. As the only superpower after the collapse of the USSR, all its actions, military and economic, were always framed as beneficial for the people they affected, even when it was exercising “tough love.” NAFTA ? Good for Mexican exports. Invading Kuwait? Bombing Kosovo? Humanitarian intervention. Everything was justified by dad logic: the U.S. was only doing it for the other countries’ own good, even if those other countries didn’t like it.
The point is not to claim that Warren Christopher was basing foreign policy on Mrs. Doubtfire. But is it not possible to see the nineties, beneath its postmodern mashup of clashing countercultures and co-option, as a period of return to the fifties cult of the dad, a reentrenchment of the patriarch brought on by the very generation who tried to dethrone him in the first place?
The eighties, at least, were drenched in cocaine and neon, slick cars and yacht parties, a real debauched reaction. But nineties white culture was all earnest yearning: the sorrow of Kurt Cobain and handwringing over selling out, crooning boy-bands and innocent pop starlets, the Contract With America and the Starr Report. It was all so self-serious, so dadly.
Today, by some accounts, the nineties dad is cool again, at least if you think normcore is a thing beyond a couple NYC fashionistas and a series of think pieces. Still, that’s shiftless hipsters dressed like dads, not dads as unironic heroes and subjects of our culture. If the hipster cultural turn in the following decades has been to ironize things to the point of meaninglessness, so be it. At least they don’t pretend it’s a goddamn cultural revolution when they have a kid: they just let their babies play with their beards and push their strollers into the coffee shop. In the nineties, Dad was sometimes the coolest guy in the room. He was sometimes the butt of the joke. He was sometimes the absence that made all the difference. But he was always, insistently, at the center of the story.
Willie Osterweil is a writer and editor at The New Inquiry. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
Thierry Détant
Thierry Roger Marc Détant (born 23 November 1965) competed as a track cyclist for the Netherlands at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Born in Amsterdam, he participated in the men's 1 km time trial, finishing 18th.
See also
List of Dutch Olympic cyclists
List of people from Amsterdam
References
Category:1965 births
Category:Living people
Category:Dutch male cyclists
Category:Olympic cyclists of the Netherlands
Category:Cyclists at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Category:Cyclists from Amsterdam | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Wikipedia (en) |
Alfons Heck
Alfons Heck (3 November 1928 – 12 April 2005) was a Hitler Youth member who eventually became a Hitler Youth Officer and a fanatical adherent of Nazism during the Third Reich.
In the 1970s, decades after he immigrated to the United States via Canada, Heck began to write candidly of his youthful military experiences in news articles and two books.
Thereafter, he entered into a partnership with Jewish Holocaust survivor Helen Waterford, each presenting their differing wartime circumstances before more than 200 audiences, most notably in schools and colleges.
Early life
Heck was born in the Rhineland. He was raised by his grandparents at their farm in the crossroads wine country community of Wittlich, Germany. When he entered school at the age of 6, he and his classmates were first exposed to effective Nazi indoctrination by their virulently-nationalistic teacher. Four years later, Heck and his classmates joined the five million in the Hitler Youth.
Heck was a good student and found learning easy. He was appointed leader of about ten other boys. By then, his indoctrination and his devotion to the proud future of Hitler's Third Reich were nearly complete.
He understood that the first rule of service to a greater Germany was to follow orders without question, and he was willing to report "suspicious actions" or comments, even by friends or family, to his leader.
Flying Hitler Youth
At 14, all Deutsches Jungvolk were required to join the senior Hitler Youth branch, the Hitlerjugend. In part to avoid becoming an infantry officer, Heck applied to the elite Flying Hitler Youth (Flieger Hitlerjugend), although he was apprehensive about its year-long glider plane training. But within weeks he became obsessed with flying and landing gliders. His life course had changed. He would not study to be a priest, as his grandmother had hoped.
Heck devoted himself to the task of becoming a Luftwaffe fighter pilot. He had been taught to believe that living under Bolshevik-Jewish slavery was too horrible to contemplate, leaving German victory as the only alternative. Capture seemed to him worse than death. He thought that only a glorious death over the battlefield stood in the way of his sharing in Germany's inevitable triumph. His final transformation to fanaticism had begun.
He described this extended period of glider training from late 1942 until early 1944 as the happiest of his life. At 16, Heck became the youngest scholar to receive a diploma from Aeronaut's Certificate in Sailplane Flying.
Heck recalls the audience response to Hitler:
We erupted into a frenzy of nationalistic pride that bordered on hysteria. For minutes on end, we shouted at the top of our lungs, with tears streaming down our faces: Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil! From that moment on, I belonged to Adolf Hitler body and soul.
However, the Allied invasion of France in 1944 caused his group of 180 Flying Hitler Youth, of which Heck had become the officer in charge, to be returned to the Wittlich area to organise the excavation of large anti-tank barriers on the nearby defensive Westwall. Battlefield losses raised Heck's Hitler Youth rank to Bannführer, nominally in charge of 3,000 Hitler Youth workers in the town and its 50 surrounding villages. One of his antiaircraft crews shot down a damaged B-17 bomber trying to return to its base. Later, he gave orders in a combat engagement against advancing Americans in which participants on both sides were killed. He was considered by friends and superiors to be ambitious and ruthless.
At one point, he gave orders to have an elderly Luxembourg priest shot if he dared return to the school that Heck had commandeered for his workers. The priest did not return. In another incident, he drew his pistol to shoot a Hitler Youth deserter but was prevented from doing so by a Wehrmacht sergeant. Heck admitted at the time, as well as afterwards, that he had become intoxicated by the power he wielded.
As the approaching Americans consolidated their gains, the 16-year-old Bannführer was ordered back to his Luftwaffe training base. Once there, with the suspension of training, flight candidates were being ordered to the front lines to face the American infantry. However, a Luftwaffe officer, likely for the purpose of preserving Heck's life, ordered Heck to organise the retrieval of needed radar equipment near Wittlich and then to take a four-day leave in his home town. This enabled Heck to don civilian clothes before surrendering to the advancing Americans. Unaware of his Hitler Youth rank, the American soldiers used Heck as a translator until French military authorities began occupying the area. The French arrested Heck, who served six months of hard labor before finally being released.
Heck was awarded an Iron Cross for his war efforts as a Hitler Youth member.
Later life
Heck was unable to believe that the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazi regime had actually taken place. Despite the difficulty of traveling within occupied Germany, he made his way to Nuremberg to witness what he could of the trials of former Nazi officers and officials. He later emigrated to Canada, working in several British Columbia sawmills. He then moved to the US, where, living in San Diego, he became a Greyhound long-distance bus driver.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Alfons Heck remained silent about his wartime activities and his involvement in the Hitler Youth, but he read hundreds of books about the Third Reich, tracing the lives of surviving Nazi leaders and maintaining an interest in West German politics. He came to feel that his generation of young Germans had been callously betrayed by Nazi strategists. Of the nine and a half million German war dead, two million were teenagers, both civilians and Hitler Youth. In 1971, at the age of 43, he became disabled by heart disease. Without a productive future and increasingly frustrated by his contemporaries' failure to speak out, Heck began attending writing classes so that he might record what it was like to have been a pawn of Nazi militarism.
Heck died of heart failure at the age of 76 on April 12, 2005.
Works
In 1985, he published A Child of Hitler: Germany in the Days When God Wore a Swastika (Arizona: Renaissance House, 1985), an account of his life under Nazism. He continued with The Burden of Hitler's Legacy (Frederick, Colorado: Renaissance House, 1988).
Heck began touring with Waterford in 1980 to talk about their experiences before, during, and after the war. The aligned speakers became friends as they visited more than 150 universities over nine years, urging youths to avoid Hitler-type brainwashing. Colorado publisher Eleanor Ayer, who published Waterford's autobiography "Commitment to the Dead" in 1987, wrote Waterford and Heck's intertwined stories in her 1995 book Parallel Journeys.
In 1989, Heck appeared in the BBC Documentary The Fatal Attraction of Adolf Hitler. In 1991, he featured in HBO's documentary Heil Hitler Confessions Of A Hitler Youth. The film won an ACE for best documentary. In 1992, Heck was awarded an Emmy for "outstanding historical programming."
In 1991, an HBO documentary based on his books titled Heil Hitler! Confessions of a Hitler Youth was released. With Heck's narration and using archived footage, it attempted to explain how millions of the German youth of the Third Reich followed Nazi propaganda and became some of the most extreme Hitler followers.
Heck also provided testimony on parallels between the attraction of Nazism and Islamism and was featured in the documentary Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West.
References
External links
http://thephoenix.com/Boston/News/55446-A-child-of-Hitler/?page=1#TOPCONTENT
Category:1928 births
Category:2005 deaths
Category:Hitler Youth members
Category:German emigrants to Canada
Category:German emigrants to the United States
Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Wikipedia (en) |
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Q:
How to select columns after group by in entitiy frame
I am trying to select multiple columns after groupby operation in EF.
Here is what I want to do:
this._context.dbtablename
.Select(u => new { u.name, u.age, u.grade })
.GroupBy(x => x.grade)
.Select(g => new { name = g.?, age = g.??, grade = u.key, Count = g.Count() })
Example:
name age grade
A 12 8
B 12 9
C 11 10
D 11 9
I want to have:
name age grade
A 12 8
B 12 9 ----> "name" is B or D, "age" is "12" or "11", does not matter.
C 11 10
Can I achieve it?
A:
each grouped item has a key and collection so you can use first() or firstordefault() to get first item in each group
this._context.dbtablename
.Select(u => new { u.name, u.age, u.grade })
.GroupBy(a => a.grade)
.Select(a => new { name = a.First().name, age = a.First().age, grade = a.Key, count = a.Count() });
or min() or max()
.Select(a => new { name = a.Min(b => b.name), age = a.Min(b => b.age), grade = a.Key, count = a.Count() });
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Do you think the Buggery Law should be?
The Safe House Homeless LGBTQ Project 2009 a detailed look & more
In response to numerous requests for more information on the defunct Safe House Pilot Project that was to address the growing numbers of displaced and homeless LGBTQ youth in Kingston in 2007/8/9, a review of the relevance of the project as a solution, the possible avoidance of present issues with some of its previous residents if it were kept open. Recorded June 12, 2013; also see from the former Executive Director named in the podcast more background on the project: HERE also see the beginning of the issues from the closure of the project: The Quietus ……… The Safe House Project Closes and The Ultimatum on December 30, 2009
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Once again the Star News toys with public opinion to sell papers it seems:
Portmore residents have lashed out against a lesbian club said to operating in the municipality and are adamant that they do not want any such club or activity in their community.Recently, in a local Sunday newspaper, a man placed an advertisement for girls between 18 and 30 years old to form a lesbian club named 'Circle Square' in Portmore. However, this did not gone down well with the residents of the municipality.
"Not under God's earth! God don't want that at all ... It's abominable in God's sight. I'm pleading to them don't let that come off the ground," the Reverend Elisha Thomas, a pastor in Portmore, said. "They must remember that it was homosexuality that brought the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah."
woman to manMark Smith from Portsmouth was angry in his remarks. "No sah! That cah gwan eno. We lick out pan things like that. Me seh, man to a woman and woman to man. Woman to woman cah work," he stated.
"Brimstone and fire pan them," a Rastafarian man yelled when quizzed about this particular club.One woman who requested anonymity said that recently she was approached by six women who were trying to persuade her to attend a party which caters to women only. The woman sent them on their way, but not before one of the women, a thick lady with a husky male voice, said: "It nuh done yet, me must get yu'. They quickly walked away as men, seeing the action, approached them.The Portmore police said they have no knowledge of a lesbian club."The first time I heard of this club was in the Star newspaper. If we get any information about this club, you will be first to know," a senior officer at the Greater Portmore Police Station said.
highly religious cityWhen contacted, Mayor of Portmore, Keith Hinds, said that while he cannot tell people what their sexual preference should be, he is adamant that he will not tolerate lesbians showcasing their activities in the municipality. He requested that these people read their Bible which condemns such practices. "We must remind them that Portmore is a highly religious city and people will not think too keenly on things like these," he said.
Friday, December 12, 2008
After 20 years, Parliament is now in sync with the laws of the land. This is an important victory for the masses; not that anyone will hang, but we learnt a lot from the exercise. First, 49 MPs made a decision; there is hope yet. Next, the 15 MPs who voted against hanging elevated their personal views above the consciences of their constituents. They dissed us.
We put them in the House to speak for us but they did not. I expect the few MPs like Mr Thwaites whose constituents have known his outlook for decades but others have not earned our trust. Then, 10 MPs ran for cover (one justifiably sick) and disenfranchised their constituents, some 18 per cent of the electorate.
This is massive as elections are won by much less. Some absentees took a stand before the vote, no problem there. But who are the rest? Are they cowards, afraid to upset their cronies, or just people with no consciences? Because of them, almost a fifth of us had no say in the most serious vote in a decade.
Shame on them! Let them feel the power of our outrage when next they ask us to vote for them. We need reforms to make MPs accountable to their constituents and Parliament needs a proxy vote system so samfie MPs cannot hide their views. More anon. Let's focus our energies and pressure Parliament to put good crime prevention and detection in place.
The soul of our nation is hurting. We are full of hate and double standards and we react to homosexuality as a bull to a red flag. A friend told me that those who condemn gays the loudest have the most to hide. Even our politicians are afraid to put gay issues to debate. Our MPs have eminent gay friends of long standing yet they are afraid to even sip a Red Stripe with them. Is the gay life contagious? Let us have another conscience vote.
Gay is here to stay. There were gays in Bible days and every nation has its aberrations; for example, twins, the savant, lesbians, idiots, gays and geniuses. Not many, but they are born daily. Last year, animal scientists isolated a gene to help farmers cull gay sheep, to cut feed costs and raise profit. They were pilloried amid fears that the research might be applied to humans.
I do not understand why our men are so angry at gay people. A man who will not inform on a thief or murderer will go out of his way to curse or harm a gay person. He swears he knows who-and-who is gay but when I ask, " Really, so did it hurt you a lot?" they go silent or get angry with me. How else do they know who is gay, if not by a try?
Up to, say, age 10, I was blissfully unaware that a "teapot" (my mother's name for penis) had any use but to "wee wee" (her name too), and with all the zipping and unzipping it was a nuisance. At senior school I was taught that said "teapot" also made babies and since then, I have done my teachers proud! There was a boy in class we called "Lady P" as he liked to clown with girls and to bake.
I do not believe at age 9 or any age, this boy made a decision to be gay. In our boyish way, we knew he was different. We had no words for it, we were not insecure and we loved him as he was our link to the girls. Today, we know he is gay, he works on Fashion Avenue, NY.
We are still friends and he is happy, which he never was in Jamaica. We did not call him cruel names. We were boys and friends. Lady P did not make himself gay; no human did. We need to show love and compassion to HIV/AIDS victims, gays, the poor, young and old. We must abandon hate.
How good are we if we love only lovely people?We are also ambivalent about ganja - the Hindu name for cannabis, "ganjika" in old Sanscrit. The Indians took it to the sugar estates in the 1860s and it spread, but is not used by 70 per cent of us as the tourist books claim, and while this notoriety may suit us now, we may live to regret it.
I am ashamed of the homophobic, the obscene lyrics, male prostitutes (call them "rent-a-dread" if it makes you feel better), ganja-smoking, intolerant image we project.
I was chagrined as my project team was feted by officials at a snow-bound cottage on Lake Muskoka in Ontario, Canada, and guess what? They called me "Jamaican ganja expert" to roll spliffs. I hated the stereotype, but I was cornered and for pride of country, I rolled a brace of the best.
What will we do about ganja - legalise? decriminalise? eradicate? In the UK, cannabis is a low-level Class C drug (Class A is crack, heroin, cocaine - life in prison and unlimited fines), and the police ignore discreet use. In the USA, ganja is Schedule 1,
at the top with heroin, mescaline and fines and jail time is highest. From one extreme to the other. Our Indian cane cutters used ganja as relief during hard labour; what irony, poor people today use ganja as relief from ennui and unemployment.
The verdict on ganja is still out, but we all know friends and children who used ganja said "it a nuh nutten" and today these stunted people can't cope with reality. Local ganja makes us lethargic and unproductive; imported cocaine empowers criminals to evaginate victims mercilessly and make our nation a target for global gangs.
The USA and UK are now self-sufficient in ganja and we no longer have strategic value, so let us do what is best for our people. Let us have a conscience vote on ganja.
Furthermore, let us introduce the coca plant and the poppy flower for ethical agriculture. Unlike ganja, these are legal; world prices are high and the derivatives are widely used in foods, industry and medication. Let investors set up FDA-approved agriprocessing and create rural jobs and development.
The abortion conflict is imported from America, and God knows, we don't need a new war. Outsiders must never again dictate to our men and women how we manage our bodies - be it liposuction, facelifts, castration, breast reduction,
abortion, vasectomy or a nose job. Japan gives incentives for people to go home and make babies. China does the opposite. For two centuries up to 1833 we did not control our bodies; we were told when to breed, with whom and when to abort. It must not happen here. never again!
Dr Franklin Johnston is an international project manager with Teape-Johnston, currently on assignment in the UK.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Local women seeking to establish relationships with other women are no longer waiting to meet them by chance. They have taken to recruiting them by forming clubs and advertising for membership.For the last few weeks, one such club has been advertising in a Sunday publication for women between 18 and 30 years old to join the club, named Circle Square, which THE STAR has learnt is based in Portmore, St Catherine.
When THE STAR contacted the club via a telephone number posted in the advertisement, a male answered. The news team, pretending to be interested in joining the club, called on several occasions and were told by the man that the club is for women who are interested in women.Bring females together
The man, who gave his name as Tony and said he was the recruiter and first asked callers if they were interested in women. Callers were also asked if they had ever slept with a woman. After he was sure that the callers were really interested, he then explained the club's intentions."The concept behind the club is to bring females together who have a common interest. It's not dating thing or anything like that, we just have individuals who want to come together and have fun," he said.
Tony said all future members had to be screened by him before they are allowed to meet the other women. "We don't want the sketel-like behaviour," he said.When asked why there was an age limit, he said it was set by the club members. Although he would not say how many women are in the club, he said the membership was a 'good amount'.THE STAR's callers were also asked about their addresses and were told that this information was required because the club does not bring together women from the same community as it has caused problems in the past. He said people have pretended in the past to be interested and when they joined and saw those in the club, it caused problems. "I do not want anyone to scrutinise you," he said.
Based on information discussed on the telephone, THE STAR learnt that screening is done in other locations away from the club and if persons pass the interview, then they are taken to meet the other women.
As the world celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the UN General Assembly will hear a statement in mid-December endorsed by more than 50 countries across the globe calling for an end to rights abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity. A coalition of international human rights organizations today urged all the world's nations to support the statement in affirmation of the UDHR's basic promise: that human rights apply to everyone.
Nations on four continents are coordinating the statement, including: Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, France, Gabon, Japan, the Netherlands, and Norway. The reading of the statement will be the first time the General Assembly has formally addressed rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity."In 1948 the world's nations set forth the promise of human rights, but six decades later, the promise is unfulfilled for many," said Linda Baumann of Namibia, a board member of Pan Africa ILGA, a coalition of over 60 African lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) groups. "The unprecedented African support for this statement sends a message that abuses against LGBT people are unacceptable anywhere, ever."The statement is non-binding, and reaffirms existing protections for human rights in international law. It builds on a previous joint statement supported by 54 countries, which Norway delivered at the UN Human Rights Council in 2006.
"Universal means universal, and there are no exceptions," said Boris Dittrich of the Netherlands, advocacy director of Human Rights Watch's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights program. "The UN must speak forcefully against violence and prejudice, because there is no room for half measures where human rights are concerned."The draft statement condemns violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization, and prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It also condemns killings and executions, torture, arbitrary arrest, and deprivation of economic, social, and cultural rights on those grounds."Today, dozens of countries still criminalize consensual homosexual conduct, laws that are often relics of colonial rule," said Grace Poore of Malaysia, who works with the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. "This statement shows a growing global consensus that such abusive laws have outlived their time."The statement also builds on a long record of UN action to defend the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. In its 1994 decision in Toonen v. Australia, the UN Human Rights Committee - the body that interprets the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), one of the UN's core human rights treaties - held that human rights law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. Since then, the United Nations' human rights mechanisms have condemned violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, including killings, torture, rape, violence, disappearances, and discrimination in many areas of life. UN treaty bodies have called on states to end discrimination in law and policy.
Other international bodies have also opposed violence and discrimination against LGBT people, including the Council of Europe and the European Union. In 2008, all 34 member countries of the Organization of American States unanimously approved a declaration affirming that human rights protections extend to sexual orientation and gender identity."Latin American governments are helping lead the way as champions of equality and supporters of this statement," said Gloria Careaga Perez of Mexico, co-secretary general of ILGA. "Today a global movement supports the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and those voices will not be denied."
So far, 55 countries have signed onto the General Assembly statement, including: Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic, Chile, Ecuador, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Uruguay, and Venezuela. All 27 member states of the European Union are also signatories."It is a great achievement that this initiative has made it to the level of the General Assembly," said Louis-Georges Tin of France, president of the International Committee for IDAHO (International Day against Homophobia), a network of activists and groups campaigning for decriminalization of homosexual conduct. "It shows our common struggles are successful and should be reinforced."
"This statement has found support from states and civil society in every region of the world," said Kim Vance of Canada, co-director of ARC International. "In December a simple message will rise from the General Assembly: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is truly universal."The coalition of international human rights organizations that issued this statement include: Amnesty International; ARC International; Center for Women's Global Leadership; COC Netherlands; Global Rights; Human Rights Watch; IDAHO Committee; International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC); International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Association (ILGA); and Public Services International.
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is a leading human rights organization solely devoted to improving the rights of people around the world who are targeted for imprisonment, abuse or death because of their sexuality, gender identity or HIV/AIDS status. IGLHRC addresses human rights violations by partnering with and supporting activists in countries around the world, monitoring and documenting human rights abuses, engaging offending governments, and educating international human rights officials. A non-profit, non-governmental organization, IGLHRC is based in New York, with offices in Cape Town and Buenos Aires. Visit http://www.iglhrc.org/for more information
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
December 10, 2008 marks ten years since the founding of the Jamaica Forum forLesbians, All-sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG), Jamaica’s foremost lesbian, gay andtransgender rights advocacy group. The anniversary will be commemorated with achurch service on the weekend. As J-FLAG celebrates this milestone, it pauses to reflecton the challenges and successes that have shaped its journey thus far.
Started by a group of 12 business people, educators, lawyers, public relationspractitioners, advertisers and human rights activists, J-FLAG was launched in the weehours of December 10, 2008. The organisation was born out of the need to advocatefor the protection of lesbians, gays and transgenders from state-sanctioned andcommunity violence. In this regard, J-FLAG’s call was for the fair and equal treatment ofgays and lesbians under the law and by the ordinary citizen.
The organisation’s birth was condemned and decried by most as a foolhardy venturethat would result in a backlash against members of the country’s lesbian, gay, bisexualand transgender community. On the other hand, it was welcomed by a few as a boldattempt to recognise lesbians, gays and transgenders as members of plural Jamaicansociety.
After ten years of existence, J-FLAG can boast of having survived in one of the mostinhospitable environments for gays, lesbians and transgender people. Indeed, much ofJ-FLAG’s work has revolved around the rescuing of community members from violentsituations or attempting to deal with the aftermath of such situations. In fact, theviolent death of Brian Williamson, one of the co-founders of J-FLAG—and for years itsvoice and face—and the recent departure of Gareth Henry, a former programmesmanager of the organisation, testify to the dangerous environment in which theorganisation operates.
Yet J-FLAG has been able to do what was, ten years ago, unthinkable in Jamaica. It hasvisited and made presentations on sexuality and human rights to a variety of local andinternational organisations, including religious, civic and human rights groups as well astertiary educational institutions and the police. It has also met with and given interviewswith radio and newspaper reporters. But perhaps its most significant achievements havebeen the submission to parliament regarding the addition of sexual orientation as acategory for which there should be constitutional protection against discrimination andthe assistance, in 2006, to relaunch the Caribbean Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals andGays (C-FLAG).
Over the ten years of its existence, J-FLAG has stood as a singular voice in Jamaicacalling for the respect of lesbians, gays and transgenders as citizens with the samerights and value as heterosexual Jamaicans. For the next phase of its journey, theorganisation will continue calling Jamaicans to a deeper understanding of their pluralityand their democracy; it will continue seeking to raise the level of debate in the societyabout the meaning of tolerance and the acceptance of difference. Accordingly, J-FLAGwill attempt to forge new relationships with a wider cross-section of organisationscommitted to strengthening democracy and the promotion of respect for all Jamaicans,regardless of sexual orientation, gender, creed, religion or social status.-30-
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Should you ask, Jenny Jagdeo will tell you that she's "a woman who has had corrective surgery".She untangles the gender bender from a breezy balcony in San Fernando, while the after-work traffic beeps and buzzes in the background.
(OMG she is FIIIEEERRRCCCCEEE!!!)
"I tell people that I was born a woman in a man's body," she explains with a voice of half-husk, half brass. "At no point in my life have I ever seen myself as being male."Her hands are soft. There's no squareness of jaw or suppressed stubble to whisper that she is anything other than her image suggests. Her body and lashes are both extra long with a gentle curve. She's gorgeous when she smiles. And the 35-year-old pulls no punches while sharing a story of equal parts heartbreak and triumph.
It started in Friendship Village. She describes her childhood as "perfect". But that isn't because she had once been a perfect little boy. Jenny now reminisces that neither neighbours nor schoolmates gave her a hard time.
"They could see a difference in me but they never discriminated against me in any way. It was like a little girl growing up in front them. I didn't play boyish games, wear boyish clothes or do boyish things," she remembers. "At that tender age it was there."But when, around 12, a rush of hormones washed sexual attraction to the surface, Jenny struggled."When puberty takes you and you start feeling attracted to a certain sex," she explains, "that is when you realise: 'well now trouble start'."Jenny had heard about men who had sex with other men. But even as a preteen she knew that her dilemma wasn't just about who she would eventually sleep with. It went to the core of how she felt who she was. She makes the distinction with halting clarity."There are gays who are guys that like other guys. Transvestites are males who dress like females. Being transsexual, though, is being a woman but not having the body of a woman. I could not live in a man's body and be with a man. If I had to do that I would rather die. I had the choice of being gay. That was so depressing to me that it made me sick."Her adolescence was traumatic, culminating with a suicide attempt at 18. The sex reassignment surgeries she'd researched and longed for felt like fiction. One saw the odd cross dresser sashaying around San Fernando. But she was clear that duct tape and eye shadow wouldn't make her whole.Jenny guesses that her parents and siblings had long reconciled that she was homosexual. But until she opened up to a psychiatrist after trying to kill herself, she hadn't let anyone on that her raging, internal conflict was about gender rather than sexuality. She acknowledges that when she started wearing women's clothes, it was traumatic for her family."That went down rocky roads," she says with a loaded chuckle. "My father sought help from aunts and my grandmother. His friends and people in the public would tell him: 'your son gay', 'your son dressing like a woman' or 'something is wrong with your child'. But I had my family's support even though it was stressful on them," she says.By then, abuse from strangers was secondary to the savage war waged between her body and mind."I reached a stage where I decided that this is my life and no one is going to take it away," she says. Resolve was informed by hope. The psychologist and two psychiatrists who treated her over the course of three years had named her internal war: gender identity disorder.Jenny also found a friend who understood and inspired her. That friend had had a sex change."You can't just wake up one morning and say you want the operation," Jenny says. The journey began with the detailed reports of her mental health caregivers. She was then referred to a doctor who performed a "hormone transplant". This involved removing the testicles and starting a course of female hormones. For Jenny it was a second puberty-just as dramatic but a better fit.They were subtle, valued changes. Small breasts. Smoother skin. Less facial hair. Mood swings. Two years on she had a surgery to create a vagina.It takes time to adjust. At first the rooms that would suddenly go silent when she entered, then fill with hushed gossip, were difficult."It was so uncomfortable because you would see the lips moving and not be sure what they were saying. Half way into a session I used to want to leave but then I realised I had to make myself comfortable for other people to be comfortable with me. If I show fear, fear will always be there," she reasons.She accepted an invitation to a new church on that premise. Although she grew up Hindu, Jenny was open to Christian fellowship. She assumed the invitation was a gesture of acceptance. It turned out to be a campaign to have her revert. And it ended badly when a group rallied to get her thrown out. Jenny assures that the experience didn't shake her faith."What did I do that was so wrong?" she asks. "What evil have I done to anyone?"She's had her share of taunts and they've overwhelmingly come from women."Men are mostly fascinated," she says, "but some women have some sort of jealousy that you can transform into a beautiful woman and they aren't. But why is that? These women do not take the time to make themselves look good because they say they have a husband and children. No, love. That is not true. How hard is it to keep your hair beautifully groomed, wear lovely clothes and put some make-up on your face? True beauty comes from the inside. But these people do not focus on that. They'd rather ridicule you."Then there are the men. Screening romantic partners is a painstaking job. She says she "interviews" them to be clear about their intentions. Asked at what point she reveals that she was born physically male, Jenny responds that there's no need."Everybody in San Fernando knows me. It's no big secret," she says. Jenny's pet peeve is that many view her as a novelty. She supposes that the terms "sex change" and "transsexual" create the impression in men's minds that she has undergone a transformation solely for the sake of sleeping with them."It's not like you're a woman and they treat you like a woman. They treat you like a sex object and expect you to be some sort of sex siren. But what can I do that a normal woman can't?" she asks.What of the sexual identity of men who are interested in her? Jenny denies that they are homosexual and says that she tries to weed out the bisexuals."A homosexual is a homosexual. He only wants to be with men and can't stand the sight of a woman. As for bisexuals, the minute I find out that he may want to see me as a man too, I put a full stop. I express and show myself as a woman and when a man looks at me he is straight to the bone. His friend might tell him 'boy, I see you talking to that thing. You know that was a man' and wonder if he is gay. But there is nothing about being gay in that," she sets out.Jenny is also resolute about demanding blood tests for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) when a relationship progresses. It doesn't endear her to some suitors but she says that she has seen the ravages of AIDS and, besides, has enough on her plate without throwing HIV into the mix.She acknowledges that many of her transgender peers find themselves either involved in sex work or being supported by men because they can't find mainstream jobs. Jenny has channeled training in dress making, hair styling and make-up application into a career. She is in high demand, designing and sewing for everything from bridal parties to beauty pageants and working as a freelance make-up artist in "Hair by Jowelle" a high end salon owned by Trinidad's most famous transsexual.
The positive, if not smooth, trajectory of her life was jolted by a devastating medical condition this year. A pinched nerve that had been wrongly diagnosed as arthritis for a couple years suddenly rendered her paralysed in the lower body. She was told that it would have to heal itself. After a few miserable, immobile weeks, she decided it was time to walk. And she did. Now she uses a stick. To passersby it's a tragedy. Her doctors know it's a triumph."Through willpower we can do anything," she says. "The greatest power on this earth is your mind."Life has taught her that through hard lessons.
Handle on crime indeed and people having to flee their homes because some dons are upset at a police raid in thier area, hmph handle on what former Commissioner now Minister of National Security, Trevor Macmillan?
Check out yesterday's Star Headline.............sad
LEAVE NOW OR DIE St Catherine: Almost 200 residents of Gravel Heights, St Catherine, fled their homes yesterday after they were labelled as informers and ordered to leave the area by gunmen.
A policeman watches as these residents move their belongings from Gravel Heights, St Catherine, following a warning by gunmen yesterday (Sunday)
For the first time in its history, the UN General Assembly will consider a declaration urging the decriminalisation of homosexuality worldwide.
The UN must pass this week's historic declaration calling for the decriminalisation of homosexuality worldwide - Peter Tatchell.
A declaration calling for the global decriminalisation of homosexuality is scheduled to be put before the United Nations General Assembly this Wednesday, which is Human Rights Day and the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It will be the first time in its history that the UN General Assembly has ever considered the issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) human rights.
Although not be binding on the member states, the declaration will have immense symbolic value, given the six decades in which homophobic persecution has been ignored by the UN.
If you want to understand why this decriminalisation declaration is so important and necessary, ponder this:
Even today, not a single international human rights convention explicitly acknowledges the human rights of LGBT people. The right to physically love the person of one's choice is nowhere enshrined in any global humanitarian law. No convention recognises sexual rights as human rights. None offer explicit protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Yet 86 countries (nearly half the nations on Earth) still have a total ban on male homosexuality and a smaller number also ban sex between women. The penalties in these countries range from a few years jail to life imprisonment. In at least seven countries or regions of countries (all under Islamist jurisdiction), the sentence is death: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Mauritania and parts of Nigeria and Pakistan.
Many of the countries that continue to criminalise same-sex relationships are in Africa and Asia. Their anti-gay laws were, in fact, imposed by the European powers during the period of colonialism. With the backing of Christian churches and missionaries, the imperial states exported their homophobia to the rest of the world. In many of the conquered lands, little such prejudice had previously existed and, in some cases, same-sex relations were variously tolerated, accepted and even venerated. This importation of western homophobia happened in countries like Ghana, Jamaica, Nigeria and Uganda, which now absurdly decry homosexuality as a "white man's disease" and "unAfrican", while vehemently denying and suppressing all knowledge of their own pre-colonial era indigenous homosexualities.
Unsurprisingly, the Vatican and the Organisation of Islamic States are leading the fight against the UN declaration. The opposition of the Pope is truly sickening, depraved and shameless.
Of course, the Vatican has form. In 2004, it teamed up with Islamist dictatorships in the UN Commission on Human Rights to thwart a resolution sponsored by Brazil that opposed homophobic violence and discrimination. The Holy See is so viciously homophobic that it opposed the UN condemnation of the murder of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people:
Last week, the Papal envoy to the UN, Monsignor Celestino Migliore, explained the "logic" of this opposition when he announced the Vatican's rejection of this week's decriminalisation declaration. The Monsignor argued that the UN declaration would unfairly "pillory" countries where homosexuality is illegal; forcing them to establish "new categories (gay people) protected from discrimination." Such laws would "create new and implacable acts of discrimination....States where same-sex unions are not recognized as 'marriages,' for example, would be subject to international pressure," according to The Times newspaper in London:
In other words, protecting LGBT people against discrimination is an act of discrimination against those who discriminate. Since the Vatican is against discrimination, it opposes discrimination against countries that discriminate. This is the mediaeval mindset of the Pope and his placemen.
Never mind, there are already plenty of countries committed to supporting the UN decriminalisation declaration.
It will be tabled in the General Assembly on Wednesday by France with the backing of all 27 member states of the European Union; plus non-EU European nations such as Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Ukraine, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, Armenia and Macedonia. Russia and Turkey are not signing.
The call for the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships also has the support of the Latin American states of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay - but not, notably, Columbia, Guyana or Venezuela.
Only three African nations - Gabon, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau - are endorsing the declaration so far. South Africa has not signed up. No Caribbean nation has offered its support - not even Cuba.
Although New Zealand and Australia are committed to the declaration, the United States is not. But Canada is a sponsor.
No country in the Middle East, apart from Israel, endorses the declaration, and in Asia only Japan has agreed to approve it. China and India are silent on where they stand.
The initiative for the UN universal decriminalisation declaration came from the inspiring French black activist and gay rights campaigner, Louis-Georges Tin, the founder of the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). He lobbied the French government, which agreed to take the lead in getting the declaration tabled at the UN. Member organisations of the global IDAHO network then petitioned their individual governments to support it.
What is truly remarkable is that IDAHO is just a loose, unfunded global grassroots LGBT activist network, with no office, no staff and no leaders. It has pulled off something that none of the well paid LGBT professionals, working for often lavishly financed LGBT non-governmental organisations, have managed to come even close to achieving.
A reminder as to why this UN declaration matters occurred last Friday, a sad anniversary. On 5 December 2007, Makvan Mouloodzadeh, a 21-year-old Iranian man, was hanged in Kermanshah Central Prison, after an unfair trial.
A member of Iran's persecuted Kurdish minority, he was executed on charges of raping other boys when he was 13. In other words, he committed these alleged acts when he was minor. According to Iranian law, a boy under 15 is a minor and cannot be executed. At Makvan's mockery of a trial, the alleged rape victims retracted their previous statements, saying they had made their allegations under duress. Makvan pleaded not guilty, telling the court that his confession was made under torture. He was hanged anyway, without a shred of credible evidence that he had even had sex with the boys, let alone raped them. The lies, defamation and homophobia of the debauched Iranian legal system was exposed when hundreds of villagers attended Makvan's funeral. People don't mourn rapists.
Makvan's fate is just one example of the thousands of state-sponsored acts of homophobic persecution that happen worldwide ever year. It shows why Wednesday's UN declaration is so important - and so long overdue.
Kingston, Jamaica, December 5, 2008 – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued preliminary observations today regarding its in loco visit to observe the human rights situation in Jamaica, which took place December 1-5 at the invitation of the government.
During its visit the Commission focused particular attention on the situation of citizen security in the country (including the operation of the criminal justice system and the conditions of persons deprived of liberty), and on the human rights of women, children, and persons suffering discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation.
The IACHR observed an alarming level of violence in Jamaica that has affected all sectors of society for many years. The persistence of this widespread violence has had severely negative consequences for the human rights of the Jamaican people. The Commission’s preliminary observations conclude that although the government has undertaken certain constructive efforts to address the problem, these remain insufficient. They are hampered by inadequate resources, a failure to sufficiently address the severe shortcomings of the security forces and the judicial process, and the lack of integral, effective policies to ameliorate the social conditions that generate the violence.
The profound social and economic marginalization of large sectors of the Jamaican population not only contributes to sustaining the high levels of violence, but also results in the poorest and most excluded sectors of the population being disproportionately victimized by the overall situation of insecurity. In the same way, the deep inequalities pervading Jamaican society exacerbate the state’s failure to adequately protect and guarantee the human rights of women, children and other vulnerable groups. In particular, the IACHR found the violent persecution and fear to which gays and lesbians are subject in Jamaica to be deplorable.
The Commission’s preliminary observations identify a number of other human rights issues of particular concern, including severe problems in the administration of justice, conditions of detention and incarceration, the treatment of the mentally disabled, and freedom of expression. In particular, the Commission urges the government of Jamaica to address immediately the inhuman conditions of detention that the IACHR observed at the lockup facility of the Hunts Bay police station.
The complete text of the Commission’s preliminary observations follows. During 2009 the IACHR will prepare a full, final report on its visit, with specific recommendations.
The IACHR delegation to Jamaica included Commissioners Paolo Carozza, Luz Patricia Mejia, Felipe Gonzalez, and Clare Roberts, as well as the IACHR Executive Secretary Santiago Canton and Secretariat staff. The Commission offers its thanks to the government and people of Jamaica for their assistance with the visit. In particular, the Commission wishes to note that the government officials with whom it met provided information with transparency, and were frank and open in recognizing the seriousness of the human rights challenges.
PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS ON THE COMMISSION’S VISIT TO JAMAICA
Kingston, Jamaica, December 5, 2008 — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) concluded today a visit to Jamaica, which took place December 1-5 at the invitation of the government. At this time the Commission offers its preliminary observations on the visit and will prepare a full report to be issued during 2009.
The Commission verified an extremely high level of violence in Jamaica, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world. The historical response of the State has been inadequate, due to the absence of an integral policy to address and prevent violence, the failure to dedicate sufficient resources to the problem, and the absence of an effective response by the police, judiciary and other authorities. This has led to a progressive deterioration of the human rights situation in the country. This critical situation disproportionately affects the poorest sectors of the population, as well as women, children and people who face discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The Commission is aware that the roots of many of these problems are found in social and economic conditions, and that they will only be solved over time through the collective efforts of Jamaican society.
The widespread violence affects all sectors of Jamaican society. More specifically, this violence has resulted in over 1,500 deaths over the last year, including both civilians and members of the security forces. Of the total reported deaths, statistics indicate that, since 2004, over 700 people have been killed by police officers. According to these statistics, during 2007 police shot and killed 272 people, and shot and injured another 153 people. As of September 2008, reports indicate that police had shot and killed 158 people since the beginning of the year.
While in Jamaica, the Commission was informed that a number of these deaths took place in circumstances consistent with extrajudicial executions at the hands of police officers. Sources indicated that victims are often young men or boys from the inner cities and that in some instances they are unarmed and pose no threat to police. In addition to the use of lethal force, the Commission was informed that police use measures of excessive force and arbitrary arrest and detention, further aggravating the situation of fear and victimization of the population.
Within this context of violence, police officers, many of whom serve with dedication and place themselves in harm’s way to serve their communities, also become victims. Government sources informed the Commission that over the last 12 years, an average of one police officer has been killed every month, and that in the last four years, 20 police officers have been killed per year.
The Commission received some reports of greater receptivity on the part of the police to dialogue with representatives of civil society about needed reforms. However, the high number of police shootings of civilians and the lack of clarification and accountability in many cases have contributed to a situation of impunity that undermines the credibility of the police and the confidence of the public. This lack of credibility, in turn, seriously limits the capacity of the police to respond to crime, creating a vicious cycle that must be broken if progress is to be made in the restoration of peace and order.
The main victims of violent crime in Jamaica are people living in poor, overcrowded inner-city areas and affected by high rates of unemployment and lack of access to education, health and housing. More than a third of the population of Kingston lives in these communities, which have suffered many years of State neglect. This failure of the State has been accompanied by the proliferation of armed gangs that exercise social control through ruthless violence. High level government officials reported to the Commission that in some parts of the island these gangs have close ties to the political parties of Jamaica.
Administration of justice
There is broad consensus in Jamaica on the urgent need to reform the administration of justice, which has proven ineffective in responding to the needs of the people, and which contributes to the perpetuation of violence by failing to hold perpetrators accountable. While in Jamaica, the Commission heard about high levels of impunity for violent crime and, in particular, for police shootings in circumstances that have not been clarified. The Commission also heard repeatedly the cry for justice. Furthermore, the State has failed to provide basic due process to people caught up in the criminal justice system.
The Commission received consistent reports that the police and judiciary frequently treat persons from socioeconomically disadvantaged sectors of society with discrimination and disrespect. Sources reported on specific initiatives of both the state sector and civil society aimed at improving this situation, but it remains a severe problem. Justice is administered with one standard for the rich and another for the poor.
In this connection, persistent levels of deadly violence and impunity, including the lack of accountability for abuses of the police, have created an environment of fear and intimidation amongst all sectors of the population which causes individuals to refrain from pursuing a legal remedy before the courts. This fear and the lack of confidence, in turn, have been identified by police and judicial authorities as key challenges in obtaining witness testimony for criminal trials.
The information gathered by the Commission indicates that most of the institutions that participate in the administration of justice lack the necessary resources to perform their work, and that the design of the system and procedures applied require major reforms. The Commission was able to verify how problems in the different stages of criminal investigations form a chain of causality, with deficiencies in one stage creating deficiencies in later stages.
Looking at the first steps in a murder investigation, for example, the Commission was informed by State sources that the police often fail to collect information necessary for the Pathology Unit of the Ministry of National Security to carry out an adequate forensic examination. The Commission confirmed that the lab is understaffed and underfunded. While the recommended average number of autopsies per pathologist is 250 to 300 per year, the Commission learned that pathologists in this lab each conduct approximately 800 per year. In these circumstances, the reports are incomplete and delayed, and therefore less useful as proof in the investigation and subsequent proceedings. The Commission has been informed that there is a new public morgue currently under construction; its completion is urgently required.
The National Forensic Laboratory also plays an important role in criminal investigations, and the Commission was able to observe that it too lacks the resources necessary to produce full and thorough analyses and reports in all cases. While the Commission was able to observe updated ballistics equipment, it was also able to observe the lack of sufficient human resources. The Commission received information that a significant number of cases remain in a backlog due to the insufficient resources of the office.
There are serious limitations on access to competent representation for people arrested or brought before the courts. The Legal Aid Act that came into force in 2000 was a positive step forward. However, in many instances, criminal defendants cannot afford legal representation and legal aid is not always available. Moreover, for those who are able to obtain such aid, there are not sufficient standards or supervision in place to ensure uniform quality of representation. The Commission also received information to the effect that certain charges are excluded from the coverage of legal aid, and has yet to receive information about how indigent persons under such charges obtain representation. Once again, people with limited economic resources are those most affected by this problem.
The Commission was informed of severe deficiencies in the criminal justice process, ranging from the inability to assure witness protection to extended delays in criminal cases. Persons who have been arrested and detained may have to wait days, weeks or even months before they are presented before a judicial officer. Various sources indicated that delays in investigation and in reaching a decision as to charging and prosecution are a contributing factor in the failure to resolve these cases. The Commission was informed that the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Coroner’s Court both have a backlog of cases pending decision, some dating back to 2000.
Users of the justice system reported consistently that access to a remedy is neither simple nor prompt. While government authorities indicated that additional judges had been hired, a number of judicial authorities reported that the demand exceeds their capacity. Just with respect to the mechanics of the process, lawyers reported that it may take a year to produce the transcript from the court of first instance that is necessary to present a case before the Court of Appeals. The court system in Jamaica suffers from serious deficiencies in specialized training and access to information. The Commission observed that some judges do not have current copies of the legislation in force that they must apply, and that some don’t have access to computers or the internet. The Commission was informed of an instance in which legislation that was changed in 2004 was nonetheless applied until 2005 because judges lacked access to the updated law.
Impunity in cases of lethal use of force by police is of special concern to the Commission. According to the information received by the Commission, only one police officer has been convicted in recent years for an extrajudicial killing. Only a minimal percentage of police officers are charged in cases of police killings, and in the cases of those who are tried the process is fraught with obstacles, and usually ends in acquittal. Various sources indicated that the Bureau of Special Investigations lacks the resources to investigate claims of unlawful killings and abuse by police, is not proactive, and that its officers remain part of the police force generating a perception that the Bureau is not sufficiently independent. The government itself recognizes that the Police Public Complaints Authority does not engender public confidence.Authorities indicated that the Parliament is deliberating on the creation of a new Independent Commission of Investigation to investigate killings at the hands of police. The Commission emphasizes that it is crucial that any investigative body of this nature be invested with the independence and autonomy, including resources, necessary to discharge its mandate.
Both government and civil society recognize the urgent need to implement a comprehensive policy to address the serious deficiencies in the administration of justice. In this respect, the Commission wishes to emphasize the importance of the work done by the Jamaican Justice System Reform Task Force and the urgent need to implement key recommendations contained in its Preliminary Report, released in May 2007.
In addition, the Commission has received information about several bills pending in Parliament to address these challenges, and highlights the importance of carrying out the process of reform with transparency, consultation with civil society, and compliance with international standards. In this regard, even though the government indicated that these bills are public documents, civil society representatives expressed having had some difficulty in being able to obtain them. The Commission has also received information about initiatives being developed and implemented by the Ministry of Justice to meet the pressing challenges. Certain features of these reform initiatives may be helpful in improving the effectiveness of the justice system, such as the proposed creation of a Special Coroner. Other reform bills, and in particular the proposal to extend the period of detention without bail to 60 days, cause the Commission concern that the serious problems of due process and prolonged arbitrary detention may only be exacerbated.
The death penalty
The Commission is aware that the death penalty has been and remains an important point of consideration and debate in Jamaica. Accordingly, the Commission considers it opportune to clarify how the death penalty is dealt with in the inter-American human rights system.
The Convention subjects the application of the death penalty to specific conditions and restrictions. For example, certain heightened requirements of due process must be strictly observed and reviewed; the penalty must be limited to the most serious crimes; and considerations relative to the circumstances of the defendant and the crime must be taken into account. The Convention does not allow the death penalty to be reestablished in states that have abolished it, and in this way looks toward a gradual reduction in its application. The application of this penalty is subject to strict scrutiny in all respects.
In this regard, the Inter-American Commission, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council have all established that the imposition of the death penalty as the mandatory punishment in capital cases is incompatible with regional and constitutional guarantees. As a result of this case law, a number of Caribbean countries including Jamaica have implemented reforms in law or practice to require that judges give consideration to the circumstances of the crime and the defendant. The Commission has also issued case reports establishing that the imposition of the death penalty on persons who were juveniles at the time of the crime in question is incompatible with international standards.
Rights of persons deprived of liberty
The Inter-American Commission consistently monitors the situation of human rights of persons deprived of liberty. Throughout the hemisphere, the Commission has insisted upon the importance of policies oriented toward the rehabilitation and reincorporation of prisoners in society. In this respect, the Commission has recently approved a document on Principles and Best Practices on the Protection of Persons Deprived of Liberty in the Americas that seeks to orient public policies to guarantee the right of detainees to humane treatment and dignity.
In Jamaica, the delegation visited prisons, police holding cells and other detention facilities. The Commission was able to examine the conditions of St. Catherine Adult Correctional Center and found that positive measures were put in place to ensure an adequate level of hygiene, while the medical center, with five full-time doctors, six seasonal doctors and 40 beds, provides antiretroviral treatment to dozens of inmates with HIV, although some other drugs are not always readily available. Skills training programs are available to a fourth of the prison population, and they are able to train at the prison facilities, which include a bakery, a wood shop and a metal craft shop, among others. Nevertheless, many of the areas of this prison facility were overcrowded, with 1,240 inmates in a prison built for 850, and the delegation saw up to four people in an individual cell.
The problem of overcrowding is even more critical in the police holding cells, where arrested people are locked-up with persons detained on remand in completely inadequate spaces. The delegation visited the holding cells of Spanish Town and Hunts Bay police stations and found that the detainees have to share dark, un-ventilated and dirty cramped cells. Police officers in Spanish Town reported that the mentally-ill detainees were locked-up in the bathroom of the holding section. The delegation was particularly shocked by the inhumane conditions found at Hunts Bay police station, where the detainees, crowded in numbers of up to six persons per cell, live amongst garbage and urine with absolutely no consideration for their dignity. The Commission calls for urgent action to be taken to transfer the persons detained at Hunts Bay to a place that offers adequate standards of detention.
At this time, the Commission specifically recommends that the State comply with the applicable international human rights standards and take the necessary measures to resolve the problem of overcrowding in prisons and police holding cells. The State must also make efforts to improve the quantity and quality of food so as to ensure adequate nutrition. Additional efforts are needed to allocate more resources to the medical attention of inmates in order to guarantee that they have access to adequate medical, psychiatric and dental care, and to appropriate medication. The Commission welcomes the efforts of the government to put into place rehabilitation programs, and encourages the expansion of such initiatives so that more inmates benefit. Efforts should also be made to expand educational and cultural activities available in prisons, and so that persons deprived of liberty can maintain direct and personal contact through regular visits with members of their family, partners and legal representatives.
Rights of women
During its visit, the Commission has confirmed that some important steps have been taken in Jamaica to protect the right of women to be free from discrimination and violence, including the ratification of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women, the adoption of legislative reforms, and the establishment of support services. These efforts, however, have yet to change the lives of the many women who continue to face different forms of discrimination, and those subjected to violence in the home, sexual harassment, rape and incest. Further, the Commission was informed that, while more women participate in the political process, they have yet to hold elected office in greater numbers.
The enactment of the Domestic Violence Act and subsequent amendments, as well as the more recent Spousal Property Act, have brought about key changes in the legal framework applicable to gender-based violence and discrimination. However, other necessary changes, such as reforms to provisions concerning rape and other sexual crimes, remain pending. Organizations working with the rights of women reported that the government has been open to dialogue about their concerns, and has consulted some such organizations in relation to justice reform initiatives, as well as draft legislation brought before Parliament concerning the rights of women.
The State must act to translate its obligations under national and international law into practice. Direct service providers reported that women do not trust the judicial system as a mechanism to prevent or respond to gender-based violence. Sources concurred in indicating that the courts are slow and the processes cumbersome. Various sources indicated that victims of sexual violence, for example, may be subjected to bias or disrespect in all stages of the process.
Both State and civil society representatives reported that the situation of poverty and exclusion found, for example, in many inner city areas has a disproportionate impact on women. These sources reported that the economic situation of women and their families is affected by greater rates of unemployment and lower salaries than men, and that this produces especially serious consequences for the many single mothers, aunts and grandmothers raising children.
Rights of children
Children are especially vulnerable to the widespread violence that affects Jamaican society. Children are being targeted for kidnappings accompanied by murder and/or rape. Since 2003, a total of 398 children have been killed by violent means either due to gang warfare or attacks, abductions, rape and murder. Another 441 have been injured by guns. A large percentage of people affected by violent crime are people under the age of 18. In particular, many of those reportedly killed by police are adolescent youths.
While some cases of violence against children have been investigated and clarified during the last five years, many remain unsolved, pointing to a failure of the State to apprehend child predators and murderers. For example, of the 71 child-murder cases recorded last year, 41 remain unsolved. This year, of the total 63 cases to date, only 16 have been cleared up.
With respect to the conditions of children in State institutions, the Commission received information that approximately 2,402 children are housed at 57 Children’s Homes and Places of Safety supervised by the Jamaican government’s Child Development Agency. According to information received by the Commission, the Jamaican government’s child-care system suffers from disturbing levels of sexual, physical and mental abuse of children at the hands of caregivers, and urgently requires reforms and additional resources.
The Commission received information that the conditions of detention of juveniles in police holding cells and detention centers fail to comply with international standards. In particular, the Commission found that juveniles are held in overcrowded centers and are mixed with adults. The Commission also received information on corporal punishment and other forms of degrading treatment applied to them. The duration of the punishment established in certain cases is also of particular concern to the Commission, as are the reports on lack of legal counsel. The IACHR emphasizes that international standards provide that deprivation of liberty in the case of children may only be applied as an exceptional measure, and that there is accordingly a need to implement alternative mechanisms to imprisonment.
Discrimination based on sexual orientation
The Commission strongly condemns the high level of homophobia that prevails throughout Jamaican society. This homophobia has resulted in violent killings of persons thought to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transsexual, as well as stabbings, mob attacks, arbitrary detention and police harassment. The resulting fear in turn makes it difficult for people within this group to access certain basic services, for example, medical services that might reveal their sexual orientation. Defenders of the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals have been murdered, beaten and threatened, and the police have been criticized for failing in many instances to prevent or respond to reports of such violence. The State must take measures to ensure that people within this group can associate freely, and exercise their other basic rights without fear of attack.
During its visit, the Commission received reports on four murders in circumstances suggesting homophobia over a period of a year and a half. One such murder was reportedly a consequence of the firebombing of the house of a person thought to be homosexual, and another man perceived to be homosexual was chopped to death by machete. The IACHR reminds the government and the people of Jamaica that the right of all persons to be free from discrimination is guaranteed by international human rights law, specifically the American Convention on Human Rights. The IACHR urges Jamaica to take urgent action to prevent and respond to these human rights abuses, including through the adoption of public policy measures and campaigns against discrimination based on sexual orientation, as well as legislative reforms designed to bring its laws into conformity with the American Convention on Human Rights.
Rights of persons with disabilities
The Commission received information about the situation of persons with mental disabilities, notably the lack of adequate, specialized facilities for the care and protection of this population, and acts of violence and discrimination committed against them. In particular, during its visit to Spanish Town, the Commission was informed that there are roughly 10,000 mentally disabled persons living in St. Catherine, without access to a specialized facility for their care and protection. While visiting police station lock-ups in Spanish Town and the St. Catherine’s prison facility, the Commission documented at least 4 mentally disabled persons being held in the police station lock-ups. Further, the Commission received information about acts of deadly violence perpetrated against persons with mental disabilities, some of whom live on the streets.
Rights of persons with HIV/AIDS
The Commission received information about the situation of discrimination against HIV-infected persons in Jamaican society. Approximately 27,000 persons in Jamaica are reported to be infected with HIV, 73% of these are between the ages of 20 and 49. The Commission was informed that once an HIV-infected person’s family and community are made aware of his/her status, they are often rejected from their homes and communities. Further, HIV infected persons are reportedly denied equal access to healthcare due to discrimination based on their medical status. Public education and prevention outreach with the HIV infected population is difficult because this illness remains a social taboo in Jamaican society and largely associated with gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals, who also suffer severe discrimination. Given that Jamaica’s legislation criminalizes sodomy, gay persons living with HIV are especially vulnerable to discrimination and violence. Finally, HIV persons who are homeless constitute a particularly vulnerable population in need of a more adequate State response.
Right to freedom of expression
The Commission met with media directors, journalists and officials of the Media Association of Jamaica and the Press Association of Jamaica, where it received information on issues related to legal standards that affects the exercise of the right of freedom of expression. In this regard, the Commission received information on legislative changes that have been recommended by a government-created task force and wishes to emphasize the importance of ensuring that the recommendations of this report receive expeditious consideration by the Parliament.
Work of nongovernmental organizations
The Commission wishes to commend the many nongovernmental organizations involved in defending human rights in Jamaica. The Commission visited a number of local centers providing basic services and support for disadvantaged sectors of society, as well as initiatives designed to restore peace at the local level, or care for those with HIV/AIDS or severe disabilities. In all of these instances the Commission was very impressed by the constructive work being done.
Conclusions
On the basis of the information received from multiple sectors including governmental authorities, representatives of NGO’s and civil society, as well as victims or their family members, the IACHR has concluded that Jamaicans are caught in a deeply-rooted situation of violence and human rights violations. The measures taken by the State up until now have not had significant results in changing this situation, which disproportionately affects the economically disadvantaged and socially marginalized sector of society.
The Commission emphasizes that international instruments, including the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man and the American Convention on Human Rights, establish the right to equal and effective protection of the law. All States have an obligation to respect and guarantee the free and full exercise of rights and freedoms without discrimination. Jamaica has an obligation to protect all its inhabitants and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by all persons.
Human rights and citizen security are not opposing values. To the contrary, they are mutually reinforcing. In a context of extreme citizen insecurity and violence, such as that which prevails in Jamaica today, people are unable to exercise certain basic rights. The State has a duty to protect the citizenry, take reasonable measures to prevent violence, and respond to violent crime with due diligence and proportionality. The State must apply these duties equally to all by designing and implementing integral policies that guarantee citizen security and human rights, including political and civil rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights.
While one of the Commission’s main objectives during this visit was to observe the situation of citizen insecurity, this issue cannot be evaluated in isolation of other factors that contribute to the high level of violence in Jamaican society. As stated by the United Nations in a general report on the Millennium Development Goals “Poverty increases the risks of conflict through multiple paths…. Many slums are controlled by gangs of drug traffickers and traders, who create a vicious cycle of insecurity and poverty. The lack of economically viable options other than criminal activity creates the seedbed of instability and increases the potential for violence.”
In this respect, the Commission emphasizes the close link between corruption and the effective enjoyment of the human rights of the people. During this visit, the Commission was constantly reminded by government officials and civil society representatives that one of the major problems affecting Jamaican development is a pervasive corruption that seriously undermines the extraordinary potential of the country and is a constant obstacle for millions of Jamaicans to overcome poverty. In addition, corruption has a direct impact on the ability of the State to allocate resources to address the most serious problems affecting the Jamaican people. A significant reduction in malfeasance in respect of public funds could begin to ameliorate the lack of resources that the Commission observed in key areas of government, such as in the administration of justice, education, health and housing. The Government reported taking specific steps in this regard, including the arrest this year of over 70 police officers linked to alleged corruption.
The Commission identified many problems that are a result of the lack of resources that pervade all State institutions, with a profound negative impact on the enjoyment of human rights of all Jamaicans, especially the poor. In this regard, the Commission notes the difficulties in obtaining statistics regarding many of the challenges mentioned in these observations, and highlights that these statistics are necessary in order to diagnose the nature and scope of the problems, and evaluate the impact of public policies, which in turn would help government authorities decide on an efficient allocation of resources.
Finally, the Commission recommends that the State give consideration to the acceptance of the contentious jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. This would provide an additional source of support for future advances in favor of the protection of human rights, and would also allow Jamaica to contribute its experience to the development of regional human rights system.
The Commission commends the openness of the government to engage with civil society and encourages it to maintain this positive attitude. The Commission is aware that many of the problems identified during its visit are structural ones and have affected Jamaican society for many years. In this sense, the Commission recognizes that no solutions will be immediate and that Jamaican society will have to work together to design and implement appropriate answers. The Commission’s hopes that this visit, the preliminary observations and the country report that the IACHR will prepare in the coming months will help the government and the people of Jamaica in developing a national plan to advance the protection of human rights.
On the visit
The IACHR delegation that visited Jamaica was made up of its Chairman, Paolo Carozza, of the United States; its First Vice Chairperson, Luz Patricia Mejía, of Venezuela; its Second Vice Chairman, Felipe González, of Chile; and Commissioner Sir Clare K. Roberts, of Antigua and Barbuda, as well as the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Santiago A. Canton, and staff members of the Executive Secretariat. The IACHR is the principal organ of the Organization of American States (OAS) responsible for promoting the observance and protection of human rights in the region, in accordance with the obligations established in the American Convention on Human Rights, which Jamaica ratified in 1978. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who act in a personal capacity, without representing a particular country, and who are elected by the OAS General Assembly.
During the visit, the Commission met with representatives of the Jamaican government and members of civil society. The Commission met with the Prime Minister, Bruce Golding; the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kenneth Baugh; the Minister of Justice, Dorothy Lightbourne; the Minister of National Security, Trevor MacMillan; the Commissioner of the Police, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin; the Public Defender, Earl Witter; the Chief of Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force, Major General Stewart E. Saunders; the Director of Public Prosecution, Paula Llewellyn; the Director of the National Forensic Laboratory, Judith Mowatt; the Executive Director of the Bureau of Women’s Affairs, Faith Webster; the Head of the Bureau of Special Investigations, A. C. P. Gause; the Executive Chairman of the Police Public Complaints Authority, Justice Lloyd Ellis; the Vice President of the Resident Magistrates Association, Cresencia Brown, among others.
The delegation also had meetings with the Coroner of Kingston, the Pathology Unit at the National Security Ministry, and the Police Superintendent for Spanish Town, and visited the Council on Legal Aid in Kingston. In Montego Bay, the delegation visited the Legal Aid Office and held meetings with the Mayor, Charles Sinclair; Magistrate of the Family Court Rosalie Toby; the head of the Peace Management Initiative in Montego Bay, Bishop Dufour, and a representative from the Police Civilian Oversight Authority, Reverend Jackson and civil society organizations. Furthermore, the Commission visited St. Catherine Adult Correctional Center, the holding cells of Spanish Town and Hunts Bay police stations and St. Andrew’s Juvenile Remand Center. In addition, the Commission held discussions with representatives of different sectors of civil society, including Jamaicans for Justice, Independent Jamaican Council for Human Rights, The Farquharson Institute of Public Affairs, Jamaica Forum for Lesbians All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG), Women Inc, Women’s Media Watch, Association of Women’s Organizations in Jamaica, Jamaica Women’s Political Caucus, Women Empowering Women, Women’s Resource and Outreach Centre, Youth Opportunities Unlimited, Jamaican Coalition for Rights of the Child, and Justice and Peace Center in Montego Bay, and met with religious leaders, including Monsignor Richard Albert in Spanish Town and Missionaries of the Poor in Kingston. The Commission also held meetings with the Jamaican Bar Association, Southern Bar Association of Jamaica, and The Norman Manley Law School Legal Aid Clinic. In addition, the Commission co-organized a promotional activity with the Ministry of Justice and Jamaicans for Justice, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Norman Manley Law School aiming to deepen and strengthen institutional cooperation ties in order to promote awareness of the inter-American human rights system in the Caribbean.
The Commission extends its sincere appreciation to the government and people of Jamaica for their assistance with this visit. The IACHR thanks the government for providing the cooperation and facilities required to carry out the visit. It thanks the people of Jamaica, including the representatives of nongovernmental and civil society organizations who provided information and hospitality during the visit. The Commission also extends its appreciation to the OAS Country Office for its helpful assistance and cooperation. The IACHR expresses its special appreciation for the important financial support of the European Commission and Luxembourg, whose donations helped to make the visit possible.
War of words between pro & anti gay activists on HIV matters .......... what hypocrisy is this?
War of words between pro & anti gay activists on HIV matters .......... what hypocrisy is this?
A war of words has ensued between gay lawyer (AIDSFREEWORLD) Maurice Tomlinson and anti gay activist Dr Wayne West as both accuse each other of lying or being dishonest, when deception has been neatly employed every now and again by all concerned, here is the post from Dr West's blog
This is laughable to me as both gentleman have broken the ethical lines of advocacy respectively repeatedly especially on HIV/AIDS and on legal matters concerning LGBTQ issues
Urgent Need to discuss sex & sexuality II
Following a cowardly decision by the Minister(try) of Education to withdraw an all important Health Family Life, HFLE Manual on sex and sexuality I examine the possible reasons why we have the homo-negative challenges on the backdrop of a missing multi-generational understanding of sexuality and the focus on sexual reproductive activity in the curriculum.
Calls for Tourism Boycotts are Nonsensical at This Time
(2014 protests New York)
Calling for boycotts by overseas based Jamaican advocates who for the most part are not in touch with our present realities in a real way and do not understand the implications of such calls can only seek to make matters worse than assisting in the struggle, we must learn from, the present economic climate of austerity & tense calm makes it even more sensible that persons be cautious, will these groups assist when there is fallout?, previous experiences from such calls made in 2008 and 2009 and the near diplomatic nightmare that missed us; especially owing to the fact that many of the victims used in the public advocacy of violence were not actual homophobic cases which just makes the ethics of advocacy far less credible than it ought to be.
See more explained HERE from a previous post following the Queen Ifrica matter and how it was mishandled
Newstalk 93FM's Issues On Fire: Polygamy Should Be Legalized In Jamaica 08.04.14
debate by hosts and UWI students on the weekly program Issues on Fire on legalizing polygamy with Jamaica's multiple partner cultural norms this debate is timely.
Also with recent public discourse on polyamorous relationships, threesomes (FAME FM Uncensored) and on social.
The Truth Has Been Told
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Life is filled with options and each one that we choose affects our lives
in incalculable ways. I started this blog a little over a year ago in an
effort t...
4 years ago
What do you think is the most important area of HIV treatment research today?
Do you think Lesbians could use their tolerance advantage to help push for gay rights in Jamaica??
Violence and venom force gay Jamaicans to hide
Violence and venom force gay Jamaicans to hide
a 2009 Word focus report where the history of the major explosion of homeless MSM occurred and references to the party DVD that was leaked to the bootleg market which exposed many unsuspecting patrons to the public (3:59), also the caustic remarks made by former member of Parliament in the then JLP administration.
The agencies at the time were also highlighted and the homo negative and homophobic violence met by ordinary Jamaican same gender loving men.
The late founder of the CVC, former ED of JASL and JFLAG Dr. Robert Carr was also interviewed.
At 4:42 that MSM was still homeless to 2012 but has managed to eek out a living but being ever so cautious as his face is recognizable from the exposed party DVD, he has been slowly making his way to recovery despite the very slow pace
Thanks for your Donations
Hello readers,
thank you for your donations via Paypal in helping to keep this blog going, my limited frontline community work, temporary shelter assistance at my home and related costs. Please continue to support me and my allies in this venture that has now become a full time activity. When I first started blogging in late 2007 it was just as a pass time to highlight GLBTQ issues in Jamaica under then JFLAG's blogspot page but now clearly there is a need for more forumatic activity which I want to continue to play my part while raising more real life issues pertinent to us.
Donations presently are accepted via Paypal where buttons are placed at points on this blog(immediately below, GLBTQJA (Blogspot), GLBTQJA (Wordpress) and the Gay Jamaica Watch's blog as well. If you wish to send donations otherwise please contact:glbtqjamaica@live.com
Activities & Plans: ongoing and future
To continue this venture towards website development with an E-zine focus
Work with other Non Governmental organizations old and new towards similar focus and objectives
To find common ground on issues affecting GLBTQ and straight friendly persons in Jamaica towards tolerance and harmony
Exposing homophobic activities and suggesting corrective solutions
To formalise GLBTQ Jamaica's activities in the long term
Continuing discussion on issues affecting GLBTQ people in Jamaica and elsewhere
Welcoming, examining and implemeting suggestions and ideas from you the viewing public
Present issues on HIV/AIDS related matters in a timely and accurate manner
Information & Disclaimer
lgbtevent@gmail.comIndividuals who are mentioned or whose photographs appear on this site are not necessarily Homosexual, HIV positive or have AIDS.
This blog contains pictures that may be disturbing. We have taken the liberty to present these images as evidence of the numerous accounts of homophobic violence meted out to alledged gays in Jamaica.
Faces and names witheld for the victims' protection.
This blog not only watches and covers LGBTQ issues in Jamaica and elsewhere but also general human rights and current affairs where applicable.
This blog contains HIV prevention messages that may not be appropriate for all audiences.
If you are not seeking such information or may be offended by such materials, please view labels, post list or exit.
Since HIV infection is spread primarily through sexual practices or by sharing needles, prevention messages and programs may address these topics.
This blog is not designed to provide medical care, if you are ill, please seek medical advice from a licensed practioner
Thanks so much for your kind donations and thoughts.
As for some posts, they contain enclosure links to articles, blogs and or sites for your perusal, use the snapshot feature to preview by pointing the cursor at the item(s) of interest. Such item(s) have a small white dialogue box icon appearing to their top right hand side.
Steps to Take When Contronted or Arrested by Police
b) Only give name and address and no other information until a lawyer is present to assist
c) Try to be polite even if the scenario is tensed) Don’t do anything to aggravate the situation
e) Every complaint lodged at a police station should be filed and a receipt produced, this is not a legal requirement but an administrative one for the police to track reports
f) Never sign to a statement other than the one produced by you in the presence of the officer(s)
g) Try to capture a recording of the exchange or incident or call someone so they can hear what occurs, place on speed dial important numbers or text someone as soon as possible
h) File a civil suit if you feel your rights have been violatedi) When making a statement to the police have all or most of the facts and details together for e.g. "a car" vs. "the car" represents two different descriptions
j) Avoid having the police writing the statement on your behalf except incases of injuries, make sure what you want to say is recorded carefully, ask for a copy if it means that you have to return for it
Sexual Health / STDs News From Medical News Today
This Day in History
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All Angles Show on 1st Anniversary of Dwayne Jones's (Gully Queen) Murder
Host Dionne Jackson Miller takes a look at the issues of the murder of Dwayne Jones aka Gully Queen one year ago and some other related issues to do with homelessness, displacements and forced evictions of LGBT youths with guests, issues to do with passing in public, honesty & integrity about one's real gender scream for attention in this presentation which warrants better programs from LGBTQ advocacies & interventions specific to transgender individuals navigating public life in Jamaica as misdirected homophobic violence can lead to more incidents such as the tragic murder of Gully Queen
Crisis communication is not intended to answer all questions or fill all needs it is just a basic outline of options you might consider if and when you are in the midst of a crisis and need help.
Crisis is any situation that threatens the integrity or reputation of your company or NGO, usually brought on by adverse or negative media attention. These situations can be any kind of legal dispute, and misrepresentations that could be attributed to your company. It can also be a situation where in the eyes of the media or general public your company did not react to one of the above situations in the appropriate manner. This definition is not all encompassing but rather is designed to give you an idea for the types of situations where you may need to follow a plan.
For purposes of this post the omission of same gender loving women in large part is not intentional or meant to exclude them but as there are hardly any documented records of such instances but more so on the side of MSM in my archives, men who have sex with men in the broader context. Exploitative same sex relational matters do often result in some injury from an unconfirmed standpoint when the grapevine system gets wind of them but when jealousy is the reason those conflicts tend not to often lead to a murder, it seems that there has been a preoccupation with more powerful or middle class victims whose cases are used to legitimize homophobia as if only such persons suffer same. A discussion of sorts has carried on in response to a Gleaner letter some days ago where the writer implored LGBT persons to report incidents to predominantly JFLAG while trying to differentiate intimate partner violence from genuine homophobic cases.
The same cop who has factored in so many run-ins with the youngsters in the Shoemaker Gully (often described as a sewer by some activists) has delivered on a promise of his powerpoint presentation on a solution to the issue in New Kingston, problem is it is the same folks who abandoned the men (their predecessors) from the powerful cogs of LGBT/HIV that are in earshot of his plan.
This ugly business of LGBTQ homelessness and displacements or self imposed exile by persons has had several solutions put forth, problem is the non state actors in particular do not want to get their hands dirty as the more combative and political issues to do with buggery's decriminalization or repeal have risen to the level of importance more so than this. Let us also remember this is like the umpteenth meeting with the cops, some of the LGBT homeless persons and the advocacy structure.
The selectivity of the anti gay religious voices on so called societal ills is examined in this podcast as other major issues that require the "church" to have spoken up including sexual abuse by pastors in recent times yet mere silence on those matters is highlighted.
Why are these groups and so called child rights activists creating mass hysteria and have so much strength for HOMOSEXUALITY but are quiet on corruption in government, missing children, crime in the country and so much more but want to stop same gender loving persons from enjoying peace of mind and PRIVACY?
Also is the disturbing tactic of deliberately conflating paedphilia with same gender sex as if to suggest reforming the buggery law will cause an influx of buggered children when we know that is NOT TRUE.
THE DELIBERATE MISUSE OF THE “SEXUAL GROOMING” TERM BY ANTIGAY FANATICS TO PROMOTE THEIR HYSTERIA
Just as I researched on-line in NOT EVEN five minutes and found a plethora of information and FACTS on Sexual Grooming (and thanks to Dr Karen Carpenter for some valuable insight I found out what Sexual Grooming was) so too must these fanatics go and do the same and stop creating panic in the country.
The hysteria continues from the Professor Bain so called protests to protect freedom of speech and bites at the credibility of the LGBT lobby collectively continues via Duppies Dupe UWI articles when the bigger principle of the conflict of interest in regards to the greater imperative of removing/preserving archaic buggery laws in the Caribbean dependent on which side one sits is of greater import when the professor’s court testimony in Belize went against the imperative of CHART/PANCAP goals is the more germane matter of which he was former head now temporarily reinstated via a court ex-parte injunction. The unnecessary uproar and shouting from the same hysterical uninformed quarters claiming moral concerns ....... MORE CLICK HERE
Former Prime Minister's call for tolerance not genuine ..................
I find it remarkable how politicians when they are not in the seat of power suddenly find all the morality in the world yet when active they are selective and politically pander to the right group(s) or individuals. Social and moral values decline he laments are on the decline yet he and others found it lucrative for political power found it necessary to use the very same decline or shifting values for retention of same.
I am not going to accept this call from PJ just like that on the face of it, self aggrandizement here as he seems to have forgotten what he has helped to put us through with regards to fuelling homophobia and homo-negativity while being a powerful member of the PNP and as the longest serving Prime Minister
Promised Conscience vote on Buggery law not a priority right now (yet again) says PM
.............another delay, I mean push back, I mean fear of losing another election due to giving gay rights in the eyes of some and with a church breathing down the Simpson Miller administration on flexi-work week matters, the cry for jobs from even within her party, calls for care for the poor on her part, criticisms of too much travelling and no results to show, Goat Island shenanigans, Chinese money dangling like a carrot infront of a donkey (with no LGBT rights demands attached I might add) I am NOT surprised at this.
Forgive me if I am cynical here more than usual but please!
The PM was cornered by journalists in the house as carried on TVJ: SEE MORE HERE with reactions from other advocates and a timeline on the shifting goal post of the conscience vote (suggested or promised as you see it)
Homeless MSM/Transgender persons tell their story via a documentary on Wicked Hype's site, faulty is the interviewer and the background noise but focus on the substance of the voices of the interviewed. Sad that the solutions that should be coming from the LGBT lobbyists are not there as they ought to and pay attention to the No One Cares statement, it is as if the agencies do not exist, the interviewer clearly tried to get to the support element out but it never came in terms of powerful monied LGBT lobby groups. Check out the reference to Amsterdam and the rebuff of the Prime Minister.
BUSINESS DOWNTURN FOR THE WEED-WHACKING PROJECT FOR FORMER DISPLACED ST CATHERINE MSM
As promised here is another periodical update on an income generating/diligence building project now in effect for some now seven former homeless and displaced MSM in St Catherine, it originally had twelve persons but some have gotten jobs elsewhere, others have simply walked away and one has relocated to another parish, to date their weed whacking earning business capacity has been struggling as previous posts on the subject has brought to bear and although some LGBT persons residing in the parish have been approached by yours truly and others to increase client count for the men costs such as gas and maintenance of the four machines that are rotated between the enrolled men are rising weekly literally while the demand is instead decreasing due to various reasons.
Gender Identity/Transgenderism Radio Discussion Jamaica March 2014
Radio program Everywoman on Nationwide Radio 90FM March 20th 2014 with Dr Karen Carpenter as stand-in host with a transgender activist and co-founder of Aphrodite's P.R.I.D.E Jamaica and a gender non conforming/lesbian guest as well on the matters of identity, sex reassignment surgery and transexuality.
One Sydney Bartley the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Culture has filed an action in the Supreme Court claiming that accusations made against him sexually molesting a boy (age not given at this time) are not true and baseless and that the attempts to separate him from his post are improper, rumours have been swirling for months since late last year of late night in office romps with young males but no definitive proof has been brought to bear with even the Minister of Youth Lisa Hanna said to be resolute in not returning to the office until he had vacated same via taking early retirement leave, the Prime Minister is said to have been also briefed on the matter. CLICK HERE
Supreme Court Throws out Tolerance Ad/PSA case ...... full judgement now available for download
CLICK HERE The Jamaican Supreme Court threw out the case brought against television stations CVM TV, TVJ and PBCJ on November 15th on their refusal to air an ad/PSA (paid ad used in the case) recorded with the claimant Maurice Tomlinson and Yvonne Macallah Sobers of Families Against State Terrorism, FAST asking for tolerance. Radio Jamaica's Dionne Jackson Miller on her show Beyond The Headlines discussed the ruling with the attorneys for the parties involved. Bear in mind that radio Jamaica is the sister station to one of the TV stations that was sued by Mr Tomlinson (audio included) please pay particular attention to the lawyer for Public Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica, PBCJ Miss Taverna Chambers comments @ 15:35.....
Promised Conscience Vote on Buggery in Jamaica was a fluke, Sexual Offences Bill to be updated 2014
(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE) SO WE WERE DUPED EH? - the suggestion of a conscience vote on the buggery law as espoused by Prime Minister (then opposition leader) in the 2011 leadership debate preceding the last national elections was a dangling carrot for a dumb donkey to follow, many advocates and individuals interpreted Mrs Simpson Miller's pronouncements as a promise or a commitment to repeal or at least look at the archaic buggery law but I and a few others who spoke openly dismissed it all from day one as nothing more than hot air especially soon after in February member of parliament Damian Crawford poured cold water on the suggestion/promise and said it was not a priority as that time. and who seems to always open his mouth these days and revealing his thoughts that sometimes go against the administration's path. I knew from then that as existed before even under the previous PM P. J. Patterson (often thought to be gay by the public) also danced around the issue as this could mean votes and loss of political power. Mrs Simpson Miller in the meantime was awarded a political consultants' democracy medal as their conference concludes in Antigua
The day after Queen Ifrica made her pro-marriage/anti gay comments at the National Grand Gala on August 6th 2013 Nationwide Radio hosted JFLAG's ED Dane Lewis and the two reggae/dancehall acts Queen Ifrica and Tony Rebel who JFLAG labelled as vitriolic by the lobby group but in the final analysis Mr Lewis capitulated in the exchange as when called to justify where the artists called for death to gays there was no proper defence.
Just goes to show that the younger cohort of activists do not understand the intricacies of the stop murder music campaign and that there are categories..
Listen carefully and objectively please and see if the action by another group of LGBT Jamaicans overseas known as JAGLA who went to get Queen Ifrica's work permit in Canada cancelled leading to many persons now accusing the lobby of becoming oppressors than tolerant and therefore undeserving of any equality..
Taboo Yardies: Film explores deep roots of homophobia in Jamaica
CLICK HERE for the clip as Producer Selena Blake explains her seminal work documentary Taboo Yardies that explores in a real way homo-negative feelings in Jamaica with interviews with real people and a former Prime Minister Bruce "Not in My Cabinet" Golding and other advocates.
Tanya Stephens (photo) makes her presentation as the homeless MSM whose issues were supposedly a part of the symposium had no representative present on May 17th IDAHOT celebrated worldwide, why were the men left out? JFLAG offers another statement from the press release conveyor belt but it does not fly with str8-allies & older LGBT activists up in arms at this bizarre move
Dwayne Jones (Gully Queen) Last Appearance prior to his murder
Here is the last video of Dwayne Jones aka Gully Queen inadvertently done by a television crew when they came across the homeless youths at an abandoned housing scheme in Western Jamaica, little did we know in death he would make such international headlines. GO HERE for the full video
Alleged Gay men in St Catherine Home CVM TV 01 08 13
Mob descends on home in St Catherine to beat alleged gay men in house, police arrive to avert the doom, well at least they were professional and are to be commended for this one, now if they could just do so for other similar cases that would be good.
GO HERE for the full video please and others on GLBTQJA Youtube channel.
DSM-5 Falls Short on gender dysphoria revision, ICD 11 Update
There are two primary issues in medical diagnostic policy for trans people. The first is harmful stigma and false stereotyping of mental defectiveness and sexual deviance, that was perpetuated by the former categories of Gender Identity Disorder (GID) and Transvestic Fetishism (TF) in the DSM-IV-TR. The second is access to medically necessary hormonal and/or surgical transition care, for those trans and transsexual people who need them. The latter requires some kind of diagnostic coding, but coding that is congruent with medical transition care, not contradictory to it. I have long felt that these two issues must be addressed together –not one at the expense of the other, or to benefit part of the trans community at the expense of harming another.
2012 Year in Review
A look back at 2012 and some of the issues affecting LGBT life and Advocacy on the island (CLICK IMAGE) from GLBTQJA on Blogger
More anti-gay deception on sexual practices in gay Jamaica
Anti gay & abortionist Dr Wayne West is taken to task for his continued universalising of fisting, felching, scat and chariot racing as normative in our culture and hence the reason for high rates of HIV infection within the MSM populations by using overseas studies that have very little bearing on our reality ................ the deception has been spotted and so exposed in this entry (CLICK IMAGE)
The UTECH Gay Student Abuse Matter
Follow This Post for more on sister blog Gay Jamaica Watch (CLICK IMAGE)
We Are Jamaicans ...........Trans visibility finally lifted
CLICK HEREGreat, now how long will this last and will Whitney get the needed assistance for hormonal and surgery needs for her SRS course(s)? .......... pity she won't be here on the island anymore as a voice as the systems afforded her a chance to leave Jamaica to the US, the underground railroad is on so how are we to fight with dwindling numbers and leaders in advocacy more so interested in planting Jamaican LGBT persons overseas just to prove a point? ........... she departed our shores November 2013
Jamaican Church says it won't support same sex unions (as if LGBT Jamaicans asked for that)
CVM TV carried this story on October 20, but at no time did the LGBT community in this country ever out-rightly asked for gay marriage rights and recognition, WHERE IS THIS DISHONEST PREAMBLE COMING FROM?
Anti Gay views on Homosexuality And Abortion In The Society
originally aired September 25, 2012 on TVJ with Dr Wayne West and Shirley Richards of the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship, LCF hosted by Ian Boyne, GO HERE for the full interview
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Homeless MSM evicted from Cargill Avenue (evening edition)
28/08/12 CVM TV again rebroadcast a story of homeless msms and the deplorable living conditions coupled with the almost sensationalistic narrative of the alleged commercial sex work the men are involved in. Gay Jamaica Watch has been following this issue since 2009 when the older populations of MSMs who were for the most part displaced due to forced evictions and homo negative issues and their re-displacement by agencies who on the face of it refused to put in place any serious social interventions to assist the men to recovery. VIDEO HERE PLEASE
More on Cargill Avenue Homeless MSMs Eviction
CVM TV continued their coverage on Aug 30, 2012 of the story in their midday newscast of the Cargill eviction matter but disturbingly the men supposedly denied that they were commercial sex workers, CSWs which we know better, also the voice who indicated they were "Peer educators" clearly was lying, why would peer educators live in bushes? The real homeless men lost a golden opportunity to speak on their issues to the nation and by extension the world but instead the moment was hijacked by some other persons.
Only the truth will make our advocacy effective, homeless or not. CLICK HERE for the report
DIscussing some LGBT issues from Jamaica on Australian gay radio
Check out my recent radio interview on Australian LGBT Radio as hosted by Squirrel, Tom & Matt
All Angles - Jamaica & Homophobia
with Arlene Harrison Henry, Reverend Clinton Chisholm and Dr Wayne West on homophobia in Jamaica with theocracy as a backdrop aired originally on Television Jamaica, TVJ, Ms Henry was on point in this program
Voice From The Street - Crime against Jamaican homosexuals (Homophobic or non homophobic?)
The Jamaica Observer vox pop after recent pronouncements by ACP Les Green (now abroad) and Betty Ann Blaine who says the gay lobby is in essence lying about homophobic murders.
Most persons still believe killings with LGBT victims are caused by lover's quarrels. A few persons say real homophobic killings exist based on the cross dressing and effeminacy in public.The deceased pattern of nudity was suggested at (1:04) in the clip one female went as far to suggest they are already in parliament (2:42)
UNAIDS Director says the PNP offers hope for the repealing of the buggery law …… but some concerns
UNAIDS Regional Director of the support team in the Caribbean Dr Ernest Massiah says the return of the Peoples National Party PNP in Jamaica offers hope that the tide will turn where the repealing of the Buggery Law is concerned this he interprets as a pre-election commitment by the then opposition leader now ruling Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to review the legislation which I still see as a suggestion by her in answering the question posed by Dionne Jackson Miller in the leadership debate in 2011 in the run up to the general election in December last.(CLICK IMAGE FOR FULL POST ON WORDPRESS)
The PNP's first 100 days ............. buggery review looks far away
It is strange that there has been no detailed analysis of this government's first 100 days in office by the mainstream media except on radio to some extent via Nationwide FM so far, which is something that we have grown accustom to albeit there was no clear guide from the party what they wanted to achieve in this traditional marker for new administrations Also see the analysis on MP Crawford's sarcastic view on the promised buggery review by his own party & leader (CLICK IMAGE)
PNP's Damion Crawford on Homosexuality's legality .
Says Gays maybe in Cabinet but too coward to come out, he also snarls at the buggery review motion being moved in Parliament as SUGGESTED by his boss PM Portia Simpson Miller (click image to see more)
Don Anderson Poll March 2012 on Buggery Review
When Anderson asked Jamaicans for their perception on reviewing the buggery law, a big 61 per cent said they would "be less favourably inclined", while only seven per cent said they would "be more favourably inclined". For a significant 23 per cent reviewing the law, "would not make a difference" while nine per cent said they had no answer.
Are the alleged older fondlers actually lesbians or are they just exercising psychological intimidation over the younger students? ....It was earlier last year that the Observer published an article by Janice Budd claiming lesbian gangs were terrorizing schools
Recent Homophobic Attacks
Who am I - Mr. H
41 year old easy going dude just looking to chat and relate on LGBT matters of interest, Full time LGBT Blogger, Community Activist and House Music DJ on the circuit for 17 years; concerned about where our nation and by extension our community is heading.
Looking to make meaningful connections with groups and individuals for visible results, not interested in the superficial anymore.
An objective and critical look at the social issues in LGBT life in Jamaica from advocacy through to entertainment.
What to do
a. Make a phone call: to a lawyer or relative or anyone b. Ask to see a lawyer immediately: if you don’t have the money ask for a Duty Councilc. A Duty Council is a lawyer provided by the state d. Talk to a lawyer before you talk to the police e. Tell your lawyer if anyone hits you and identify who did so by name and number f. Give no explanations excuses or stories: you can make your defense later in court based on what you and your lawyer decided g. Ask the sub officer in charge of the station to grant bail once you are charged with an offence h. Ask to be taken before a justice of The Peace immediately if the sub officer refuses you bail i. Demand to be brought before a Resident Magistrate and have your lawyer ask the judge for bail j. Ask that any property taken from you be listed and sealed in your presence Cases of Assault:An assault is an apprehension that someone is about to hit you
The following may apply:1) Call 119 or go to the station or the police arrives depending on the severity of the injuries2) The report must be about the incident as it happened, once the report is admitted as evidence it becomes the basis for the trial3) Critical evidence must be gathered as to the injuries received which may include a Doctor’s report of the injuries.4) The description must be clearly stated; describing injuries directly and identifying them clearly, show the doctor the injuries clearly upon the visit it must be able to stand up under cross examination in court.5) Misguided evidence threatens the credibility of the witness during a trial; avoid the questioning of the witnesses credibility, the tribunal of fact must be able to rely on the witness’s word in presenting evidence6) The court is guided by credible evidence on which it will make it’s finding of facts7) Bolster the credibility of a case by a report from an independent disinterested party. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Thousands of trees could be planted across Wrexham in an ambitious eco project.
Council chiefs want to see one fifth, or 20%, of all urban areas around the county covered by trees over the next 10 years.
Environment bosses say benefits include preventing climate change, clearing up air pollution, helping to stop flooding and encouraging more wildlife.
The proposals come after Natural Resources Wales, Forest Research and Wrexham piloted the first study in Wales to find the true value of the county borough’s urban trees.
The i-Tree Eco study found in total, Wrexham’s trees saved the local economy more than £1.2m every year by:
• Intercepting 27 million litres of rainfall from entering the drainage system, equivalent of saving £460,000 in sewerage charges.
• Absorbing 1,329 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• Improving people’s health by removing 60 tonnes of air pollution which in turn saves the health services £700,000.
Now Wrexham council chiefs want to improve on that and plant more trees, spearheaded by the local authority, but with the help of communities, businesses and groups to fund the project.
Public consultation
But before any decisions are made, Wrexham council’s lead member for the environment, Cllr David A Bithell, said they want to consult with the public first.
“We want to know what people’s views are, because we know trees can be an emotive issue and will be coming back to councillors again later in the year,” he said.
Wrexham council leader, Mark Pritchard, added: “The aim is to plant thousands of trees, that would be British species and would be another way of protecting our open spaces.”
A report to a Wrexham council scrutiny committee, which will be discussed next Wednesday, said towns such as Llangollen have a 28% tree canopy cover, Neath 23% and Pontypool, 24%.
But the Wrexham county borough average tree canopy cover is 17%, with the figure varying widely between different areas. Coedpoeth has just 6% tree cover, Wrexham town centre 13% and Cefn Mawr, 24%.
The result of a survey of tree cover across all of Wales’ towns and cities, the first of its kind in the world, was also unveiled in Wrexham last September.
Trees provide vital service to communities
It found trees only covered 17% of land in Wales’ urban areas in 2009, which was average compared to other towns and cities across the world.
However, tree cover varies widely across Wales – from only 6% in Rhyl to 30% in Treharris.
The study also identified in a quarter of towns in Wales, the tree canopy cover had declined between 2006 and 2009 – with more than 11,000 large trees lost.
Dafydd Fryer from Natural Resources Wales said: “Trees are essential to life and provide natural services to improve the quality of life of people in our towns and cities.
“They provide a vital service to communities by cleaning the air of pollution, reducing flood risk and offsetting carbon dioxide emissions by absorbing them from the atmosphere.
“The study shows that if we can manage and plan where and which species of trees we plant in our towns and cities – and look after the trees we already have - then they can help make our communities sustainable.” | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
"…an author with an exceptional talent for characterization and world building.” –THE LIBRARY JOURNAL; "…the master of fantasy characterization and plot…on a grand scale.” –BOOKS MONTHLY; “Tarantino and Tolkien have a literary love child and his name is John R. Fultz." –THE BOOKBAG; "SEVEN PRINCES is as good as it gets.” –B&N SCI-FI/FANTASY BLOG
Hey there! Thanks for dropping by JohnRFultz.com! Take a look around and grab the RSS feed to stay updated. See you around!
Return of the Monster…
Cover art for the new Monster Magnet album "Mastermind", coming to planet earth on Oct. 25. The BullGod is the band's space-rock mascot.
Oh, my brothers and sisters. There comes a time when all the Rock Dreams and Psychedelic Fantasies of your life emerge and blend with a shifting reality paradigm that manifests something truly Great and Special. There is a time when the Cosmos opens its starry mouth and smiles at us, spitting glorious glowing meteors through transistorized frequencies. There comes a time when the Sonic Threshold dilates and gives birth to a continuum of swirling planetoids and the Music of the Spheres resonates like colliding asteroids to thunder in the chambers of the mind with the pulsing of rogue supernovae…and we must open our ears and let the Big Beautiful Universe spill into our consciousness on waves of Almighty Sound…
That time has come around again…the time of a brand-new album release from the gods of psychedelic space-rock, the great and powerful MONSTER MAGNET. In an age of declawed radio, corporate-manufactured psuedo-rock, and the celebration of mediocrity that is mainstream music, the MONSTER rises once more from its crucible of dead stars to light up the cosmos with a new dose of sonic fury.
The album is slated for release on October 25. Legions of MonMag fans across the world will be eagerly awaiting the disc, myself included. This is one of The Great Rock Bands of Our Time, people. The NEW YORK TIMES actually calls them a “mind-expansion team.” If you haven’t discovered them, now is your chance. If you’re already a MonMag fan, you know the deal. Get your speakers fixed and get ready to fly, brothers and sisters. Brother Dave and his cosmic crew are back in town…
Frontman Dave Wyndorf recently spoke to thesilvertongueonline.com about the new album: “It’s a big, beefy ball of demented anthems and power rock. The music itself is exaggerated and muscular. Like classic rock gone insane! Giant hooks, giant sounds. The rockers are direct and intense. The ballads, trippy and strange. It’s guitar heaven…the lyrics read like a fever-dream of life in the 21st century. Cynicism, optimism, satire, sex, deluded fantasies and dead-on reality. They’re all here – sometimes even in the same song!”
Here is the “Mastermind” track list. The titles alone give you a glimpse of Dave’s cosmo-psycho-mythic sensibilities:
01. Hallucination Bomb
02. Bored With Sorcery
03. Dig That Hole
04. Gods and Punks
05. The Titan Who Cried Like A Baby
06. Mastermind
07. 100 Million Miles
08. Perish In Fire
09. Time Machine
10. When The Planes Fall From The Sky
11. Ghost Story
12. All Outta Nothin’
"Dopes to Infinity" -- one of the World's Greatest Rock Albums.
In my book, MonMag’s 1995 album DOPES TO INFINITY is one of the all-time great rock albums. It is the SGT. PEPPERS of post-Black Sabbath heavy metal. While the band has had some lineup changes since that album’s sheer sonic perfection was released upon the world, the core of singer/songwriter Dave Wyndorf and lead guitarist Ed Mundell remains. I’ve seen these guys in concert three times and they have blown my mind every single time. Their live shows are visual and sonic feasts of rock and roll decadence with custom-made films running throughout the performance to accent the juggernaut that is their stage show. As long as MonMag is alive, ROCK can never truly be dead.
It’s a shame American audiences don’t appreciate them quite as much as Eurpoean audiences seem to (except for the late 90s hit “Space Lord”, which was all over radio for a couple of years back in the day). But Europe has a longer memory when it comes to great music and great bands. America is too much a slave to the “new”, the “trendy”, and the “popular.” Ugh.
Monster Magnet shows are a psychedelic feast for the eyes and ears.
Give me the independent bands that are free to explore their own sounds without catering to some marketing department’s demands. Give me undiluted power chords that rattle the walls and lyrics that make my brain spin in its casing. Give me raw energy and Marshall stacks and burning guitars and radioactive daydreams and cosmic visions and a planet-of-the-apes-and-a-third-eye-kind-of-thing. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Q:
How to trigger an event in a JavaFX Application (Stage) when some keys are pressed on the KeyBoard?
I'm trying to setup a backdoor on an application which I'm working on.
I want to load a new Window when the user presses "CTRL + ALT + F12".
This is what I have tried so far though it is terribly bad.
//packages
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.KeyEventDispatcher;
import java.awt.KeyboardFocusManager;
//...
private void setupBackPass(){
HashMap<KeyStroke, Action> actionMap = new HashMap<KeyStroke, Action>();
KeyStroke key1 = KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.ALT, KeyEvent.CTRL_DOWN_MASK);
actionMap.put(key1, new AbstractAction("action1") {
@Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
System.out.println("Ctrl-ALT pressed: " +e);
}
});
KeyboardFocusManager kfm = KeyboardFocusManager.getCurrentKeyboardFocusManager();
kfm.addKeyEventDispatcher(new KeyEventDispatcher() {
@Override
public boolean dispatchKeyEvent(KeyEvent e) {
KeyStroke keyStroke = KeyStroke.getKeyStrokeForEvent(e);
if(actionMap.containsKey(keyStroke)){
final Action a = actionMap.get(keyStroke);
final ActionEvent ae = new ActionEvent(e.getSource(), e.getID(), null);
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
@Override
public void run() {
}
});
return false;
}
});
});
}
Am not sure how to do it but I would like it that if the keys are pressed then a Super admin window should be opened.
A:
From the code you posted, it looks like you are using Swing and not JavaFX. It also looks like you are trying to use Key Bindings. As explained in that link, you need to modify both the input map and the action map. Also, you don't create an action map, you use the existing one. Again, that is explained in the page that I provided a link to.
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | StackExchange |
Prevalence and associated risk factors for Giardia lamblia infection among children hospitalized for diarrhea in Goiânia, Goiás State, Brazil.
The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and to identify risk factors associated with Giardia lamblia infection in diarrheic children hospitalized for diarrhea in Goiânia, State of Goiás, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was conducted and a comprehensive questionnaire was administered to the child's primary custodian. Fixed effects logistic regression was used to determine the association between infection status for G. lamblia and host, sociodemographic, environmental and zoonotic risk factors. A total of 445 fecal samples were collected and processed by the DFA methodology, and G. lamblia cysts were present in the feces of 44 diarrheic children (9.9%). A variety of factors were found to be associated with giardiasis in these population: age of children (OR, 1.18; 90% CI, 1.0 - 1.36; p = 0.052), number of children in the household (OR 1.45; 90% CI, 1.13 - 1.86; p = 0.015), number of cats in the household (OR, 1.26; 90% CI, 1.03 -1.53; p = 0.059), food hygiene (OR, 2.9; 90% CI, 1.34 - 6.43; p = 0.024), day-care centers attendance (OR, 2.3; 90% CI, 1.20 - 4.36; p = 0.034), living on a rural farm within the past six months prior hospitalization (OR, 5.4; CI 90%, 1.5 - 20.1; p = 0.03) and the number of household adults (OR, 0.59; 90% CI, 0.42 - 0.83; p = 0.012). Such factors appropriately managed may help to reduce the annual incidence of this protozoal infection in the studied population. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Abstracts |
Google's new OnHub home Wi-Fi router: What is it and who might need it? - stevep2007
http://www.networkworld.com/article/2972815/internet-of-things/google-onhub-home-wi-fi-router-what-is-it-and-who-might-need-it.html?nsdr=true
======
stevep2007
Home Wi-Fi routers are often designed as unattractive, dumbed-downed versions
of enterprise routers. Google's just-announced OnHub router takes a different
approach – designed for consumers to connect everything to Google's and other
clouds, it actually looks pretty sweet.
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | HackerNews |
Q:
Windows 7 versus Windows XP multithreading - Delphi app not acting right
I'm having a problem with a Delphi Pro 6 application that I wrote on my Windows XP machine when it runs on Windows 7. I don't have Windows 7 to test yet and I'm trying to see if Windows 7 might be the source of the trouble. Is there a fundamental difference between the way Windows 7 handles threads compared to Windows XP? I am seeing things happen out of sequence in my error logs on Windows 7 and it's causing problems. For example, objects that should have been initialized are uninitialized when running on Windows 7, yet those objects are initialized on Windows XP by the time they are needed.
Some questions:
1) Are there any core differences that could cause threads/processes to behave differently between the two operating system versions?
2) I know this next question may seem absurd, but does Windows 7 attempt to split/fork threads that aren't split/forked on Windows XP?
3) And lastly, are there any known issues with FPU handling that can cause XP programs trouble when run on Windows 7 due to operational differences in wait state handling or register storage, or perhaps something like Exception mask settings, etc?
4) Any 32-bit versus 64-bit issues that could be creating trouble here?
5) I do use multiple threads but the background threads are fully protected by Critical Sections. Any differences here that I should be concerned about?
-- roschler
A:
Since Windows XP, Microsoft has changed how locks are released so that they don't necessarily transition to the next waiting thread in FIFO order. It's possible that this change may have revealed a race condition in your code that didn't show up under XP.
Some details can be found in Joe Duffy's blog here: Anti-convoy locks in Windows Server 2003 SP1 and Windows Vista
(Unfortunately, I couldn't dig up an actual MS-hosted article - it seems this should be mentioned in some sort of KB article or something)
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | StackExchange |
Print view: Fracking: a new "f" word enters the language ENVIRONMENT OP-ED: Fracking: a new “f” word enters the language by Chris Bolgiano Monday, 12 July 2010 Congress approved the so-called Halliburton Loophole in 2005, exempting fracking from federal standards for clean water. A new “f” word has entered our language that has nothing to do with sex but everything to do with exploitation. From New York to Tennessee, above the gassy geological formation called Marcellus shale, people are debating the practice of fracking. Fracking is short for "hydraulic fracturing" to extract natural gas from shale. It involves drilling a hole a mile down, then thousands of feet horizontally, and pumping down millions of gallons of water laced with sand, salt and chemicals to crack the shale. Gas is forced up, along with roughly 25 percent of the contaminated wastewater, often hot with radioactivity. Shale gas fields are called ‘plays,’ but developing them is serious business. Since 2005, when Congress approved the so-called Halliburton Loophole to exempt fracking from federal standards for clean water, companies from Oklahoma to Japan have spent millions of dollars to frack rural communities innocent of any knowledge about the practice. By some estimates, fracking Marcellus and other shales across North America could satisfy our desire for gas for the next 45 years. Fracking is ongoing in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York. Now Texas-based Carrizo Company wants to frack Bergton, Va., long famous as one of the most idyllic pastoral communities in the Shenandoah Valley. At first the attraction between gas companies and communities is mutual: landowners, often poor, gain income from leases, stores gain business, counties gain tax base. The industry courts communities with assurances that the chemicals used compose only one part per hundred of the fracking fluid, are environmentally friendly, and will be treated at the local sewage plant. For global warming worriers, the sexiest aspect is the reduction in greenhouse gases emitted by burning natural gas compared to oil; for others, it’s the fact that gas is domestic, reducing our bondage to hostile foreign countries. For many, the romance quickly pales. Fracking chemicals include formaldehyde, benzene, and others known to be carcinogenic at a few parts per million. Municipal plants can’t handle fracking wastewater, and it’s stored in open pits until trucked elsewhere. If enough fresh water can’t be sucked from streams on site, trucks haul it in. Eighteen-wheelers rolling 24/7 pulverize country roads and cause accidents, like the one that spilled 8,000 gallons of toxic materials into a Pennsylvania creek last year. And they emit enough carbon to seriously shrink the greenhouse gas advantage of fracked gas. In early June, a blowout at one of the thousand-plus fracking wells in Pennsylvania spewed flammable gas and polluted water 75 feet high for sixteen hours. Explosions are occurring from causes similar to BP’s Gulf debacle. In early June, a blowout at one of the thousand-plus fracking wells in Pennsylvania spewed flammable gas and polluted water 75 feet high for sixteen hours. One of our most recent local headlines reads, “W.Va. Gas Well Blast Injures 7; Flames Now 40 Feet.” Fracking’s impact on surface and groundwater outlasts any explosion. People from New York to Texas complain that their wells deteriorated after fracking started nearby. Pennsylvania officials ordered Cabot Gas Corporation to pay fines, plug wells, and install treatment systems in 14 houses where methane contaminated drinking water. New York state officials see fracking as so risky that they imposed far stricter environmental regulations within watersheds that supply ten million people with drinking water. They feared an outright ban would provoke lawsuits from landowners eager to sign leases. The recent request by a company that transports gas in Pennsylvania to be declared a “utility” would give it the power to condemn property for pipelines. Landowner rights are sacred in Appalachia, but the recent request by a company that transports gas in Pennsylvania to be declared a “utility,” which would give it the power to condemn property for pipelines, puts a new twist on the issue. And what about my right to continue drinking clean water from my well on my property? The likelihood of leaks of toxic materials into waters are enhanced when drilling occurs in the 100-year flood plain, as is proposed in Bergton. In 40 years that region has seen many disastrous floods, and the mountainous Bergton area is always among the hardest hit. A flood would sweep a well pad with containers of chemicals, fuels, and open wastewater pits into the headwaters of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, and ultimately into the Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay. Given the risks, fracking seems merely to prolong our addiction to fossil fuel, when renewable energy is within reach: solar panel costs have fallen by half, and offshore wind turbines offer huge energy efficiencies. But history insists on repeating itself. For centuries, Appalachia has been raped by outside interests wresting iron, timber, and coal from these mountains. Once again, people from elsewhere are taking huge profits and leaving a pittance and a lot of ugly pits behind, while politicians stall efforts to repair the regulatory loophole. They are risking through accident or carelessness the poisoning of water for millions of people, generations into the future. Chris Bolgiano is the author or editor of five books. This commentary is distributed by Bay Journal News Service.
Copyright © 2010 The Baltimore News Network. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Baltimore Chronicle content is expressly prohibited without their prior written consent. Baltimore News Network, Inc., sponsor of this web site, is a nonprofit organization and does not make political endorsements. The opinions expressed in stories posted on this web site are the authors' own. This story was published on July 12, 2010. This story was published on July 12, 2010. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
Local similarity in evolutionary rates extends over whole chromosomes in human-rodent and mouse-rat comparisons: implications for understanding the mechanistic basis of the male mutation bias.
The sex chromosomes and autosomes spend different times in the germ line of the two sexes. If cell division is mutagenic and if the sexes differ in number of cell divisions, then we expect that sequences on the X and Y chromosomes and autosomes should mutate at different rates. Tests of this hypothesis for several mammalian species have led to conflicting results. At the same time, recent evidence suggests that the chromosomal location of genes on autosomes affects their rate of evolution at synonymous sites. This suggests a mutagenic source different from germ cell replication. To correctly interpret the previous estimates of male mutation bias, it is crucial to understand the degree and range of this local similarity. With a carefully chosen randomization protocol, local similarity in synonymous rates of evolution can be detected in human-rodent and mouse-rat comparisons. However, the synonymous-site similarity in the mouse-rat comparison remains weak. Simulations suggest that this difference between the mouse-human and the mouse-rat comparisons is not artifactual and that there is therefore a difference between humans and rodents in the local patterns of mutation or selection on synonymous sites (conversely, we show that the previously reported absence of a local similarity in nonsynonymous rates of evolution in the human-rodent comparison was a methodological artifact). We show that linkage effects have a long-range component: not one in a million random genomes shows such levels of autosomal heterogeneity. The heterogeneity is so great that more autosomes than expected by chance have rates of synonymous evolution comparable with that of the X chromosome. As autosomal heterogeneity cannot be owing to different times spent in the germ line, this demonstrates that the dominant determiner of synonymous rates of evolution is not, as has been conjectured, the time spent in the male germ line. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Abstracts |
Microsoft’s greatest racing franchise returns and is better than ever now cross-combined with the freedom of the wide open road, expansive environments and the world’s best cars recreated to participate in the Forza Horizon Festival. Celebrating speed, music and style, in what is not just a racing game, but a journey where “competition meets culture” through a reimagined take on Colorado USA.
Unlike the massively popular and equally as sophisticated Forza Motorsports series, Forza Horizon takes a different approach with the racing series and unleashes a whole new breath of fresh air into it that makes the game similarly as easy to pick up and play for newcomers to the franchise, and just as special and authentic in many ways for the seasoned hardcore Forza player. With an open world and open road environment that centres entirely on a Horizon Festival that is bright, funky and extremely competitive; it is only for the best of the best and will put your racing skills to the test across a vast selection of terrains. Easing you into it gently with pre-festival joining races, before luring you into a Star Showdown where you’ll be required to put all your driving skills into a class A performance during a one on one race against some serious celebrity style Festival competitors!
Developed by UK based studio Playground Games, Forza Horizon is not just about driving at full speed down the wide open road with the music blaring from any of the radio stations you get to pick from; you are encouraged to participate in a series of Festival Events, Street Races, Car Showcases, and Star Showdowns which is just for starters as the game expands further when played online. Using the same physics of Forza 4, the gameplay and handling of the vehicles in Horizon still aims for the realism approach, although the whole game itself is a depiction of fun, daring and danger to see how far you will push yourself through the Festival to come out as a clear winner. The presentation style and theme through-out is that this game is an upbeat racing party with a bad attitude!
Although as an open world action-racer you cannot help but see many of the similarities between Forza Horizon and Atari’s Test Drive Unlimited, but Horizon takes what is a popular approach with the open world, open road racing and makes it feel fresh and unique. Forza Horizon could go a very long way as a standalone series aside from the Forza Motorsport circuit based games, the festivals, the music, the daring action driving scenarios and the competitiveness between drivers will have you wanting to spend more and more of your time on this than most other racing simulators – it’s not about the winning, it focusses heavily on the taking part and the adventure in exploring the area around you, the terrains you drive over, how you can handle your drift’s, hair pins and tracks through day or night. The better you play, the more skills you can showcase and even take on a race against planes! You’ll be awarded sponsorship’s for skilled gameplay as you progress and eventually you will up the ranks through the Horizon Festival as you increase your popularity levels.
Wristbands are the main awards through-out the Horizon Festival as the colour you’re wearing says a lot about your rank and skill level. The more races you partake in and win, the more points you’ll be awarded and of course – Credits, so that you can unlock and buy new cars to add to your collection as well as being awarded new wristbands, which in turn unlocks even more events per that level. The game has both classic and stunning new vehicles from your Alpha Romeo to your Aston Martin, Mazda’s, Mercedes, Lamborghini’s and the very sexy 2013 Viper GTS. The available cars from the start is very limited, but grows rapidly the further you progress naturally unlocking the ability to upgrade parts from Garages as well as buying and selling cars from the Autoshow. Everything that you need to get the most out of your Festival experience is centred all in the one area of your map on the Festival grounds, with the races and events themselves taking place out of the main grounds and around the surrounding Colorado areas. You can additionally set a route and cruise on by to your location admiring the scenery and stunning lighting effects as you pass by. For extra points you can try to get caught by a speed camera, or drift around bends, avoid near misses or indulge in a bit of head-on-collision.
The ability to don your best created decals, logo’s, and vinyl’s with a paint job of many colours still sits, and is one of the best ever tools to pimp out your automobile in some fancy artwork. Forza is renowned for its customisation options and storefront for designing your cars to suit you and depending upon the time and your artistic flair – it might end up an in-game masterpiece that could sell like hotcakes…or possibly not! Fully fitted with a Design Creator and Store Front you can create a Vinyl Group for your car and plaster all over it, even import saved Vinyl Groups from Forza 4 – or sell your design online to bring in some extra in-game cash.
…and talking of online – if you have access to Xbox LIVE Gold, you can expand your racing even further by putting your skills and experience to the test against other players and friends over Xbox LIVE. There are seven different race modes to find an online open session or to create one – from a Circuit Race, Point to Point Race, Street Race, Infected, Cat and Mouse, King and Free Roaming. Whilst the Free Roaming is challenge based, the more arcade style over general straight forward racing to win is that of King, Infected and Cat and Mouse. King will make one player the King whilst the other racers try to ram the car to then become King which is a racing equivalent of Juggernaut. Infected is very similar except all infected cars have to ram into the non-infected cars to make them infected, and finally Cat and Mouse is a team based event where the Cat team are trying to slow down the Mice. It makes a nice change from a typical race and ensures that Forza Horizon online could never go stale. The only downside is that whilst online Forza Horizon doesn’t allow for any co-operative online gameplay in the main Festival – single player sadly is well and truly a solo experience.
Visually, Forza Horizon is a shining light – quite literally, the bright effects and sun glare add realism to the games sunny Colorado backdrops that can distract from the actual racing. The jaw dropping effects and scenes in both daylight and night time capture the spirit of what would feel like an American road trip that graphically ignites the imagination. Intricate detail, realistic environments and perfectly replicated cars to get your hands on, upgrade or even smash to pieces.
Forza Horizon is the best racing game ever seen on the Xbox 360 to date, and it’s one we think others will spend a long time trying to beat; an outstanding addition to the Forza series that deserves to be a massive success. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
[Patients surviving 5 years after curative oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer].
To analyse the clinical and pathological parameters of 5-year survival patients after curative oesophageal resection for cancer and to identify factors predictive of long-term survival. The data of 370 patients who underwent oesophagectomy with curative intent from January 1982 for oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (n = 320) or adenocarcinoma (n = 50) were reviewed. After excluding postoperative deaths (n = 20), these patients were surviving (S group, n = 113) or dead (NS group, n = 237) with a 60-month follow-up. Uni- and multivariate analysis allowed comparison between the two groups. Postoperative mortality and morbidity rates were 4.0% and 37.6%, respectively. Parameters related to 5-year survival were: absence of preoperative malnutrition or dysphagia, transhiatal resection, no reoperation, limited tumour, histological response to neoadjuvant treatment, absence of lymph node capsular invasion, number of invaded lymph nodes < or = 4, invaded lymph node ratio < or = 0.1, absence of tumour recurrence or metachronous primary cancer. On multivariate analysis, factors predictive of 5-year survival were: absence of preoperative dysphagia (P < 0.001), stage 0-I-IIA tumour (P<0.001) and absence of metachronous cancer (P = 0.016). Complete surgical resection allows 5-year survival. Factors predictive of long-term survival assessed in preoperative evaluation, dysphagia and tumour stage, should be useful to select patients for neoadjuvant treatment. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Abstracts |
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Dave Krieger: John Elway near a hard place with Tim Tebow plans
Broncos coach John Fox, vice president John Elway, and general manager Brian Xanders go over the team's plans for the offseason and for next season on Monday. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)
Perhaps the most telling testimony to Tim Tebow's vast celebrity is that he made John Elway's first season as an NFL executive an afterthought.
In fact, about the only time Elway got any attention this season was when he ran afoul of Tebow's legion of admirers by failing to hold a ceremony awarding him the keys to the franchise.
But the titanium backbone we saw so often in Elway the player evidently is still there. Nowhere is it more obvious than in his evaluation of Tebow, which continues to be smart and moderate and uninfluenced by the legion of loudmouths on both sides who want him to make a premature decision for the long term.
His announcement Monday committing to Tebow as the starter going into training camp next season — but going no further — was a perfect example. It won't be enough for Tebow's ardent fans, and it will be too much for his strident critics. But based on the evidence to date, it is the right stance to take.
Tebow was a great story this season, but he completed only 46.5 percent of his passes. That has to improve.
"We're hired to put the best football team on the field and to win football games," Elway explained, in case anyone had forgotten.
"Obviously, he's got a great following and there's a lot to Tim Tebow, not only what he is as a football player but what he is as a man. And I think that's why he has such a great following, is both, because he's a great role model. But the bottom line is ... to put the best football players on that field that give us the best chance to win."
When I mentioned to Elway that basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West has often said that being an executive is harder than being a player because of the lack of direct control, he nodded in recognition.
"There's a lot to that. Especially being a quarterback, you have so much control because you're touching that football down-in and down-out and it's such an important position.
"With my experience in the Arena Football League, I got a little bit of a taste, so I think I got a lot of my frustrations out while I was going through that, realizing that once the ball kicks off, you really don't have much control.
"For me, though, it's the next best thing, to be able to have some of the control outside the lines. You have none inside. But to be involved and be a part of a team and be a part of the process to help get this team back to where Pat (Bowlen) wants it, I think it's a great thing and I enjoy doing that."
He paused.
"Now, I will say this: Being in my position is a heck of a lot better on the body than the old job."
Elway doesn't pretend he enjoyed the hectoring he took on Twitter and elsewhere this season, but unlike Dan Marino, who got a taste of the workload as an NFL executive and quickly turned to the cushy life of a TV talking head, Elway is all in.
"There's no question we had some tough situations this year, obviously, with the quarterback situation," he said. "But I think for the most part I enjoyed that. I learned a tremendous amount."
His commitment is to make the right calls for Bowlen, the owner who raised the Vince Lombardi trophy 14 years ago and declared, "This one's for John." Elway seems determined to return the favor.
He continues to believe that Super Bowls are won from the pocket and he continues to acknowledge that Tebow is not now the pocket passer he will have to become if the Broncos are to return to the ranks of the elite.
But he also appreciates Tebow's competitive spirit and will to win. He's open to the possibility that Tebow can train himself to do the things he can't do yet. And he intends to help him this offseason by conveying as much of the knowledge he gleaned during 16 years in the league as he can.
"Believe me, I'm hopeful," Elway said. "Anytime you can get a franchise guy and a quarterback that can be your guy for 10 to 12 years, that's what you want as an organization. We're hopeful that Tim's that guy. We know, obviously, that we have some work to do, and he knows that too, but he made great strides this year."
Despite the inexplicable certainty on both sides of the debate, we don't know yet if Tebow is the right man for that job long term. Most everyone who has come into contact with him, including Elway, hopes he is.
What we do know with more certainty than we did a year ago is that Elway is the right man for his job. Despite tidal waves of public opinion washing over the team's complex at Dove Valley, Elway remains focused on a single goal — getting the Broncos back to competing for championships.
Lockheed says object part of 'sensor technology' testing that ended ThursdayWhat the heck is that thing? It's fair to assume that question was on the minds of many people who traveled along Colo. 128 south of Boulder this week if they happened to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a large, silver projectile perched alongside the highway and pointed north toward town. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
PHOENIX (CN) – After raping a teenager, a Catholic youth leader promised he would stop raping girls if she didn’t tell police, so she kept quiet – but he broke his promise and sexually assaulted her friend, his first alleged victim claims in court.
Maraen Foley claims in the lawsuit that Catholic youth leader Brandon Eckerson forcibly raped her two days before Christmas in 2012. She was 18.
Eckerson “convinced plaintiff not to say anything further to anyone about his sexual exploitation of her; in exchange he promised to never again sexually assault anyone. It was understood that if plaintiff discovered he violated this sworn promise she would go to the police,” Foley claims in the complaint in Maricopa County Court.
She says he broke that promise: that in June this year she learned that he had recently sexually assaulted another girl in the program, so she went to police.
She claims in the lawsuit that Eckerson’s bosses at the highest level of the Diocese knew of the rape but did not report it to law enforcement because Vatican policy threatened them with excommunication if they did.
She sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix; its Bishop, the most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted; the Rev. Patrick Robinson, priest at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Scottsdale, supervisor of the church’s CORE program; and Eckerson, who worked for CORE.
Foley claims in the lawsuit that Eckerson, as leader of her CORE group, asked her about “her life, seeking intimate details, including dating and sexual relationships.” She says Eckerson’s meetings included “permissive sexual dialogue, contact, spanking, slapping, gropings and ridicule.”
Eckerson took his group off church grounds to bars and restaurants, where alcohol was served to minors, including her, Foley claims in the lawsuit. She says that if the bars refused to serve minors, alcohol was brought back to the Blessed Sacrament campus, where they drank it.
“Brandon Eckerson’s inappropriate sexual exploitation culminated in the forcible rape of plaintiff on December 23, 2012,” the complaint states.
She says she told a doctor about the rape, “who in compliance with state law sent notice to Blessed Sacrament Parish, which circulated an email on the subject.” Blessed Sacrament’s priest, defendant Robinson, “knew that Brandon Eckerson was a danger to the volunteer members of the CORE Program,” and “shared that concern with other members of Blessed Sacrament Parish and the Phoenix Diocese,” but the Parish and Diocese failed to report him to police, to civil authorities, or to parishioners, and let Eckerson keep leading the youth group, Foley says in the complaint.
After he raped her, Foley claims, “Brandon Eckerson contacted plaintiff and affirmatively stated that he would lie to church authorities about what happened.”
The lawsuit continues: “Through manipulation, lies and deceit, Brandon Eckerson convinced plaintiff not to say anything further to anyone about his sexual exploitation of her; in exchange he promised to never again sexually assault anyone. It was understood that if plaintiff discovered he violated this sworn promise she would go to the police.”
Foley says she was close friends with other members of the group, one of whom told her in June this year that Eckerson had “recently sexually assaulted her.”
Foley reported him to police, who arrested Eckerson in July and criminally charged him, according to the complaint.
It adds: “Then, and only then, did the Diocese terminate him from the CORE program.”
Foley claims the defendants knew Eckerson was a danger to youth even before he raped her. But “The Diocese had a policy of concealment in response to discovery of sexual exploitation,” the complaint states.
It continues: “There is a 1962 ‘confidential’ policy document issued by the Vatican to all Catholic Bishops, including the Archbishop of the Diocese, [which] instructed that allegations or incidents of sexual misconduct were to be maintained in the ‘strictest’ secrecy, and threatened those who violated this policy with excommunication. The 1962 policy evolved from an earlier 1922 document, which, in turn, was based on policies and practices of the Catholic Church dating back to the Middle Ages.”
Foley seeks punitive damages for negligence, outrage, breach of fiduciary duty, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and past and future medical care.
She is represented by J. Tyrrell Taber, with Aiken Schenk Hawkins & Ricciardi.
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Pelvic hematoma after intercourse while on chronic anticoagulation.
A 41-year-old anticoagulated woman presented with increasing pelvic pain that had begun two days prior during intercourse. An ultrasound and computerized tomographic (CT) scan confirmed the diagnosis of pelvic hematoma. The hematoma resolved spontaneously with normalization of clotting studies. The emergency physician should consider this rare cause of pelvic pain in selected anticoagulated patients. The need for a thorough history in emergency patients is emphasized, as well as the value of ultrasound and CT scan in the diagnosis of this disorder. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Abstracts |
Steam and SteamVR
Steam is always hardware agnostic. Any VR title you purchase on Steam is playable on all SteamVR compatible VR headsets. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
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Guest was investigative journalist Patricia Negron and my partner in crime in taking down the Global Pedophile Network. We covered the latest details on the destruction of the Pedophile Network and the perverts – from the Hollywood celebrities to the Vatican to the politicians in Washington and Saudi Arabia to the journalists and reporters in the MSM and the current …
August was the biggest month ever for U.S. gasoline consumption. Americans used a staggering 9.7 million barrels per day. That’s more than a gallon per day for every U.S. man, woman and child. The new peak comes as a surprise to many. In 2012, energy expert Daniel Yergin said, “The U.S. has already reached what we can call`peak demand.” Many others agreed. The U.S. Department …
ISTANBUL — American proxies are now at war with each other in Syria. Officials with Syrian rebel battalions that receive covert backing from one arm of the U.S. government told BuzzFeed News that they recently began fighting rival rebels supported by another arm of the U.S. government. The infighting between American proxies is the latest setback for the Obama administration’s …
Saudi Arabia’s decision to send troops to Syria is “final” and “irreversible,” Saudi military spokesman Ahmed Al-Assiri told reporters Thursday evening as he confirmed earlier comments about sending troops to the country. But Russia has warned the move could mark the beginning of a new “world war.” Assiri added that Riyadh is “ready” and will fight with the United States-led coalition to …
The chasm between reality and the U.S. political/media elite continues to widen with Official Washington’s actions toward Iran and Russia making “the world’s sole remaining superpower” look either like a Banana Republic (on Iran) or an Orwellian Dystopia (regarding Russia). On Iran and the international negotiations to rein in its nuclear program, the American people witnessed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu … | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
The scene in the division lobby on Tuesday night was a far cry from the merry scenes of a month ago when a mix of Brexiteers, pro-remain MPs and “stop banging on about Europe” Tories came together to back an amendment calling for changes to the backstop. The hope had been that the unlikely coalition that came together that night would hold firm and vote for May’s revamped deal when it was returned with changes on the backstop. In the end, May did win some legally binding changes but they weren’t enough to keep this motley crew together. Her deal was defeated by 149 votes, with 75 Conservatives voting against. Those MPs – a mix of hardcore Brexiteers and ultra remainers – were the subject of fear and loathing from their party colleagues on a long and tense night in parliament.
One cabinet minister was overheard in the voting lobby saying that they could “fucking spit” on the MPs voting down the deal. Other ministers were quick to repeat claims that their Brexiteer colleagues are kamikaze MPs who wouldn’t be happy with anything.
To say relations in the Tory party are at a low ebb would be an understatement. Yet by the end of the week, you can expect things to be even worse. By voting down May’s deal, Conservative MPs have sparked a chain of undesirable events. First MPs will vote to try to take no deal off the table. Then they will vote to try to delay Brexit by seeking an extension to article 50. The expectation is that both votes will pass. What remains unknown is how much damage the process would inflict on the Conservative party. The concern in government is that it will be huge.
There will be no hiding place in these votes, which will bring longstanding divisions to the surface. A free vote on no deal means many cabinet ministers who vote in favour will become alien to those remain-leaning MPs who believe it must be stopped at all costs. For over two years, the prime minister has attempted to act as a unity candidate, bringing together the leave and remain forces in her party. The general view was that if the party could pass a deal – however painful that process would be – they could then draw a line, install a new PM free of battle scars and stop banging on about Europe.
That idea is now for the birds. With an article 50 extension looking likely, even the departure of May would not resolve the issue of Brexit, which would dominate the ensuing leadership contest. There is a concern among backbenchers that the path May now finds herself on could lead to a permanent split in the party. There are no good options left for the prime minister or her party.
May will not want to go down as the Tory leader who split the party in two. This is why some ministers wonder whether, with no Brexit breakthrough, the UK will head to a public vote. “Were she to do as the remain forces in cabinet want and move to a softer Brexit position, it would split the party,” says one Brexiteer who voted for her deal. “She won’t do that.”
May is also unlikely to plump for no deal. If she did that, there would be mass resignations from her cabinet – and potentially a rush of backbench MPs quitting to join their former pro-EU colleagues in the Independent Group. If May cannot bring about a third vote on her deal in which it passes, a general election may be seen as the least worst way out. But with no agreement on what will be in the manifesto or who will lead them into it, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen next.
Some have even begun to think the unthinkable – that a spell in opposition might give the party the breathing space its members need to recharge and rediscover what they have in common. “We can’t go on like this,” sighed one backbencher. The threat of Corbyn means that for most MPs, however, the only option is to keep on marching forward in the hope that something turns up. But with both sides moving further apart, this week could go down in history as the point in which some form of split became inevitable.
• Katy Balls is the Spectator’s deputy political editor | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
839 So.2d 720 (2003)
In re ESTATE OF Robert C. TENSFELDT, Deceased.
Robert William Tensfeldt, John Tensfeldt, and Christine Tensfeldt, Appellants,
v.
Constance M. Tensfeldt, Appellee.
Robert William Tensfeldt, John Tensfeldt, and Christine Tensfeldt, Appellants,
v.
Constance M. Tensfeldt, Appellee.
Nos. 2D01-5675, 2D01-5679.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District.
January 15, 2003.
Rehearing Denied March 20, 2003.
*721 Tracy S. Carlin of Foley & Lardner, Jacksonville; and Mark J. Wolfson, Tampa, for Appellants.
Jeffrey D. Fridkin and D. Keith Wickenden of Grant, Fridkin, Pearson, Athan & Crown, P.A., Naples, for Appellee.
ALTENBERND, Judge.
In these consolidated appeals, Robert William Tensfeldt (William), John Tensfeldt (John), and Christine Tensfeldt (Christine), the children of the decedent, Robert C. Tensfeldt (Robert), appeal two orders. The first order dismissed an adversary proceeding by the children that alleged Robert C. Tensfeldt had breached a contract to make a will. The second order awarded Constance M. Tensfeldt (Constance), the surviving spouse of Robert C. Tensfeldt, an elective share of the probate estate. We reverse the order dismissing the adversary proceeding except to the extent that it dismissed count II seeking enforcement of a foreign judgment. Although that count was barred by the statute of limitations, the children's action as third-party beneficiaries for *722 breach of a contract to make a will was not barred by the statute of limitations or any doctrine of merger. We affirm the order awarding Constance Tensfeldt an elective share because she made a timely election pursuant to section 732.212, Florida Statutes (1997). We also conclude that the amount of the elective share is unaffected by, and takes precedence over, the children's claim for breach of contract to make a will, and therefore the order properly calculated the disbursement of the elective share.
Robert and Ruth Tensfeldt were married for more than thirty years. They had three children: William, John, and Christine. Robert and Ruth Tensfeldt divorced in Wisconsin in 1974. The judgment of dissolution incorporated a settlement agreement in which Robert agreed to provide for his three adult children in his will. The settlement agreement stated that Robert "shall execute and shall hereafter keep in effect, a will leaving not less than two-thirds (2/3) of his net estate outright to the three adult children of the parties." The agreement defined the "net estate" as the "gross estate passing under his Will (or otherwise, upon the occasion of his death) less funeral and burial expenses, administration fees and expenses, debts and claims against the estate, and Federal and State taxes." The children were not parties to the Wisconsin divorce proceeding and did not sign the settlement agreement. They were, however, expressly identified as third-party beneficiaries in this agreement. See Lowry v. Lowry, 463 So.2d 540 (Fla. 2d DCA 1985) (holding children were third-party beneficiaries of stipulation in divorce decree which required father to maintain life insurance policies for benefit of his first children).
In 1975, Robert married Constance Tensfeldt. There are apparently no children from this marriage. Robert and Constance moved to Florida in 1985. In 1992, Robert executed a new will in Florida that did not comply with the 1974 settlement agreement. The new will did not disinherit his children, but it gave them lesser immediate bequests and provided for substantial assets to be placed into a marital trust for the benefit of Constance during her lifetime. It is not clear from our record whether the children knew prior to Robert's death that he had executed this will.
Robert died on April 22, 2000. In June 2000, his 1992 will was submitted for probate, and, as directed by that will, Constance and William were appointed co-personal representatives. Notice of administration was published for the first time on August 30, 2000. In November 2000, the co-personal representatives petitioned the court for an extension of time to file the inventory, and the probate court extended the time until January 31, 2001.
On November 20, 2000, William, John and Christine, and their mother, Ruth, filed a claim for the amounts owed under the settlement agreement in the divorce. On December 5, 2000, Constance, as co-personal representative of the estate, filed an objection to this claim.[1] As a result, the three children and their mother filed a timely complaint to resolve the dispute on January 3, 2001. During the pendency of that adversary proceeding, Ruth Tensfeldt died. She is no longer a party to the action or to this appeal.
In the adversary proceeding, the children alleged that Robert and Constance *723 had placed approximately $3,000,000 of Robert's property into joint ownership that gave Constance a right of survivorship. In addition, they alleged that the estate contained another $6,000,000. According to the children, all of these assets should be included in the "net estate" of Robert as defined in the divorce agreement, thus entitling them to two-thirds of the total or $6,000,000. In contrast, they estimate that they will receive approximately $1,000,000 outright under the 1992 will.[2] Count I of the complaint alleged breach of contract because Robert did not have the appropriate will in effect on the date of his death, count II sought enforcement of the Wisconsin judgment, and count III sought a constructive trust because the children anticipated that Constance would file a request for an elective share and they maintained that their $6,000,000 claim had priority over the elective share.
Constance filed a motion for summary judgment in the adversary proceeding. She argued that the children's cause of action accrued when Robert breached the divorce agreement by executing the nonconforming will in 1992. Because this occurred more than five years before the filing of the adversary proceeding, she claimed the action was barred by the statute of limitations set forth in section 95.11 (2)(b), Florida Statutes (Supp.1992). In the alternative, she argued that the contract had actually merged into the 1974 Wisconsin judgment. Thus, any action under the contract was barred by the judgment, and any action on the twenty-six-year-old judgment was barred by the statute of limitations. See § 95.11(2), Fla. Stat. (1973). Without explaining its reasoning, the probate court granted this motion for summary judgment and dismissed the adversary proceeding.
In the probate proceeding, Constance filed an election to take elective share on February 7, 2001, while the adversary proceeding was pending. Initially, neither the estate nor the children objected to the timeliness of this election. William, as co-personal representative of the estate, did file a partial objection to the election. This partial objection stated, "The undersigned do not object to the Election in its form and to Mrs. Tensfeldt's right to make such an election." Rather, the partial objection related to Constance's stated intent to obtain an elective share and to seek her interest as a beneficiary of the marital trust,[3] and the determination of whether the children's claim to two-thirds of Robert's "net estate" had priority over the elective share. In June 2001, however, the children filed a brief in support of the objection to elective share, arguing that the election was untimely.
The probate court ultimately determined that the election of elective share was timely under section 732.212, Florida Statutes (1997), because the adversary proceeding based upon the children's claim was a matter affecting the extent of the estate subject to election and extended the time for the filing of the election. The probate court entered an order authorizing a disbursement of $1,600,000 to Constance *724 as a partial distribution of elective share. Because the adversary proceeding had been dismissed, this disbursement was calculated without reference to the children's potential claim and the probate court did not consider whether the children's claim was in the nature of a creditor's claim that would take preference over the elective share. The children then appealed both the order dismissing the adversary proceeding and the order authorizing disbursement of the elective share.
I. THE ADVERSARY PROCEEDING IS NOT BARRED BY A STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS
In the adversary proceeding, the children maintained that Robert breached his written agreement to provide for them in his will. The statute of limitations on such a claim runs from the date the cause of action accrues. See § 95.031, Fla. Stat. (1999). Constance argued that the cause of action accrued in 1992, when Robert executed the nonconforming will. The children asserted that the cause of action did not accrue until Robert died without a conforming will in place. We conclude the cause of action accrued only upon Robert's death.
In Briggs v. Fitzpatrick, 79 So.2d 848 (Fla.1955), the supreme court held that a similar claim did not accrue until the death of the promisor. Briggs involved an oral agreement for nursing services in exchange for a future payment from the promisor's estate. The supreme court reasoned that the "payment" under the agreement was not due until the promisor's death, and therefore the breach occurred only upon the death. Id. at 851.
The majority rule throughout other jurisdictions appears to be that a cause of action for breach of a contract to make a will accrues at the death of the promisor if the conforming will is not in place at that time. See Battuello v. Battuello, 64 Cal. App.4th 842, 75 Cal.Rptr.2d 548 (1998); Alvarez v. Coleman, 642 So.2d 361, 375 (Miss.1994); Catching v. Lashway, 84 Or. App. 602, 735 P.2d 13, 16 (1987); Estate of Carroll, 436 N.E.2d 864, 866 (Ind.Ct.App. 1982); Rape v. Lyerly, 287 N.C. 601, 215 S.E.2d 737, 749 (1975).[4] In line with the supreme court precedent and the majority rule, we hold that a cause of action for breach of a contract requiring the promisor make a will devising a percentage of his or her estate does not accrue until the death of the promisor.
This holding also conforms to this court's precedent regarding the somewhat related claim of tortious interference with an expectancy. This court has ruled that a beneficiary does not have a vested claim for tortious interference with an expectancy until the testator's death. See Claveloux v. Bacotti, 778 So.2d 399 (Fla. 2d DCA 2001); Whalen v. Prosser, 719 So.2d 2 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998).[5] Thus, in that context, no cause of action accrues until the testator's death. Although an expectancy in that context is not typically based upon *725 a written agreement, many of the same principles underlying Claveloux and Whalen support our ruling here. As a practical matter, a testator has broad power to revise and replace a will at any time. An injunctive action prior to death ordering the testator not to change his or her will would be difficult to enforce and the relief would be difficult to craft. In this case, for example, no action seeking damages could have been brought against Robert during his lifetime because nothing in the agreement prohibited him from alienating his property prior to his death. Therefore, no damages could be calculated until his death resulted in the creation of an estate.
Constance also argues that the divorce agreement was "merged" into the final judgment of dissolution in Wisconsin. She asserts the children cannot bring any action to enforce the contract; they can only seek to enforce the judgment. We reject this argument. First, the children were not parties to any action in Wisconsin, and therefore any merger does not affect their interests as third-party beneficiaries of the divorce agreement. Cf. Diamond R. Fertilizer Co., Inc. v. Lake Packing P'ship, 743 So.2d 547 (Fla. 5th DCA 1999) (holding, in related doctrine of merger of cause of action into judgment, that merger did not apply when parties were not the same). Second, the divorce agreement specifically stated the parties' intent that the contract would not merge into the final judgment, but would survive any judgment or decree. See Alati v. Alati, 591 So.2d 679 (Fla. 4th DCA 1992) (holding similar language in settlement agreement prevented merger and therefore action for support pursuant to agreement was not barred). The divorce decree in Wisconsin may give greater recognition to the rights the children received in their parents' stipulation, but the existence of that judgment does not bar any action for breach of this written promise by the children.
We note, however, that count II of the children's complaint in the adversary proceeding was properly dismissed. This count perfunctorily sought "enforcement" of the Wisconsin judgment. Because the Wisconsin decree is a foreign decree, never domesticated in Florida, the statute of limitations barred any action to enforce the decree in this state. See § 95.11(2), Fla. Stat. (1973); Winland v. Winland. 416 So.2d 520 (Fla. 2d DCA 1982).[6] Therefore, we affirm the dismissal of the adversary proceeding only as it relates to count II of the complaint for enforcement of the Wisconsin divorce decree. Because counts I and III of the adversary proceeding are not barred by the statute of limitations or any doctrine of merger, we remand for further proceedings on those counts.
II. THE ELECTION OF ELECTIVE SHARE WAS TIMELY
In the second of these consolidated appeals, the children assert that Constance is not entitled to claim an elective share of Robert's estate because her election to take elective share was untimely. At the outset of our analysis, we note that the statutes regulating the timing of this election have been substantially revised since Robert's death. This case is controlled by section 732.212, Florida Statutes (1997).
*726 In 1999, before Robert's death, the legislature substantially amended provisions regarding the elective share. See ch. 99-343, Laws of Fla. Those amendments replaced section 732.212 with section 732.2135, Florida Statutes (2001). However, the legislature specified that those amendments applied only to proceedings involving deaths after October 1, 2001. Ch. 99-343, § 13, Laws of Fla. If the new statute were applicable, the election in this case would be timely.
Section 732.212 provides:
The election shall be filed within 4 months from the date of the first publication of notice of administration, but, if a proceeding occurs involving the construction, admission to probate, or validity of the will or on any other matter affecting the estate whereby the complete extent of the estate subject to the elective share may be in doubt, the surviving spouse shall have 40 days from the date of termination of all the proceedings in which to elect.
The election in this case was filed more than four months after the first publication of the notice of administration. Thus, it is timely only if the period is extended by a "proceeding ... on any matter affecting the estate whereby the complete extent of the estate subject to the elective share may be in doubt." The statute does not define "proceeding" nor specify when a proceeding "occurs."
Certainly, the children's claim for two-thirds of the estate and their position that this claim has priority over the elective share is a claim affecting the estate for purposes of this statute. The children argue that the election is untimely because they did not formally file the complaint in the adversary proceeding until January 3, 2001, a few days after the expiration of the four-month period for claiming an elective share commenced by the notice of administration. Thus, the children's argument is predicated on the fact that they delayed their own action until the final days of the period in which to file an adversary proceeding.
The children cite Loewy v. Green (In re Estate of Loewy), 638 So.2d 144 (Fla. 4th DCA 1994), in support of their argument that the election was untimely. In Loewy, the surviving spouse filed a "petition for construction of the will" after the expiration of the four-month period. Although that petition was dismissed as legally insufficient, the spouse asserted it "reopened" the time period for seeking an elective share. The Fourth District disagreed, holding, "[W]e cannot read the statute to reach such an absurd result that would effectively nullify the legislative effort to impose finality on proceedings." Id. at 145.
Loewy is distinguishable. In this case, the children, not the surviving spouse, placed in controversy the extent of the estate subject to the elective share. Moreover, that controversy commenced when the children filed a statement of claim, within the four-month period during which an election could be made. Given the amounts in controversy, it was clear that the children were proceeding with their claim, and the children's adversary proceeding reflected their assumption that Constance would seek an elective share.
The specific question in this case is when a "proceeding occurs" under section 732.212. We have found no case squarely addressing this issue and we recognize that the amendments to the statutes will limit any precedential effect of this case. We conclude, however, that the probate court had the authority in this case to decide that the proceeding had "occurred" by the time the estate filed an objection to the children's claim. Such an interpretation of the statute appears consistent with the intent of the statutory provision allowing extensions when the extent of the estate *727 is in question and is also consistent with Florida's strong public policy favoring protection of the surviving spouse. See Via v. Putnam, 656 So.2d 460, 464 (Fla. 1995).
Although we reverse the summary judgment in the adversary proceeding, thus permitting the children to pursue their action for breach of contract, and remand for further proceedings, this decision does not require reversal of the order distributing $1,600,000 to Constance. The children's breach-of-contract action seeks a remedy equivalent to that which they would have received if they were beneficiaries to the will and entitled to receive two-thirds of the net estate. Although the children seek to describe their claim as a creditor's claim that would take precedence over the elective share, see § 733.707, Fla. Stat. (2000), the Florida Supreme Court has held otherwise. Via, 656 So.2d 460. Had the children been properly listed as beneficiaries in the will, Constance's elective share would have taken precedence over their bequest. The children are not entitled to receive, as creditors, a remedy superior to that which they would have received if their father had complied with the 1974 agreement.
Accordingly, we affirm the orders on appeal in the probate proceeding that relate to the elective share. We reverse the order dismissing the adversary proceeding, except to the extent that it dismisses count II of that proceeding, and we remand the adversary proceeding for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.
FULMER and COVINGTON, JJ., Concur.
NOTES
[1] The co-personal representatives obviously are making conflicting claims against the estate in their personal capacities. This created some difficulties for the attorney representing the estate. The parties have apparently resolved this conflict, and it creates no issue on appeal.
[2] The exact value of the children's inheritance under the will is difficult to calculate because, in addition to their outright distributions upon Robert's death, they are the beneficiaries of a substantial portion of the marital trust after Constance's death. The value of that bequest will depend upon how long Constance lives, the amount of income she receives from the trust during her lifetime, and whether she is permitted to take any principal distributions.
[3] See Bravo v. Sauter, 727 So.2d 1103 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999) (holding surviving spouse's election to take elective share did not negate her right to income from remaining assets of estate which poured over into inter vivos trust).
[4] There are cases in other jurisdictions permitting an action for breach of a contract to make a testamentary devise during the lifetime of the promisor, or holding that such a cause of action accrued during the promisor's lifetime. However, those cases often involve a promise to devise a specific piece of property and a clear repudiation of that promise when the specific piece of property is conveyed to a third party, making performance by the promisor impossible. See, e.g., Somerville v. Epps, 36 Conn.Supp. 323, 419 A.2d 909, 911 (1980); Engelbrecht v. Herrington, 101 Kan. 720, 172 P. 715 (1917). That is not the issue presented here, where Robert instead agreed to devise a percentage of his net estate.
[5] See also Reed v. Fain, 122 So.2d 322 (Fla. 2d DCA 1960), aff'd on other grounds, 145 So.2d 858 (Fla.1961) (noting that daughter's expectancy in her father's homestead did not become vested until father died).
[6] We have some question as to whether the principles applied to traditional money judgments to bar enforcement due to a statute of limitations also apply to judgments with executory provisions. This is not a traditional money judgment. In this case, the judgment required future performance of certain obligations. It seems odd that a statute of limitations could bar enforcement of such executory provisions even before the date on which performance was required. However, Winland v. Winland. 416 So.2d 520 (Fla. 2d DCA 1982), involved a similar judgment and we are bound by its holding.
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | FreeLaw |
Only 70 days into his presidency, Ronald Reagan faced an assassination attempt. While he was in surgery and the vice president was mid-flight over Texas, Secretary of State Alexander Haig famously declared in front of the press, “As of now, I am in control here, in the White House.”
Haig’s statement was a surprise to everyone else in the Reagan administration – as well as to anyone with a passing familiarity with the line of succession outlined in the Constitution.
Haig’s presumption of power was the logical culmination of weeks of jockeying for influence within the young administration, with the secretary of state convinced that he should wield control over all aspects of foreign policy. Chief of Staff Jim Baker had this response to Haig’s early memo on the foreign policy process: “Why, what you propose here would give you control over all foreign policy matters; that does not work. The president has that authority.”
Haig’s impromptu press conference would make him the butt of many jokes (including this brilliant parody by Dan Aykroyd on Saturday Night Live). Reagan ultimately recovered, but Haig’s reputation never did. He ultimately resigned from his position a little over a year later.
John Bolton has a Haig-sized ego. He aspires to control the ebb and flow of foreign policy in the Trump administration. He is often at odds with his colleagues from the State Department and Pentagon. And he is dealing with a president who, if not asleep much of the time, is only intermittently focused on national security issues.
Recently, Bolton too seemed to have his “I’m in control here” moment. With the conflict intensifying in Venezuela, the national security advisor leaked the opposition plan for the army to defect en masse from the Maduro government in favor of challenger Juan Guiado. Bolton’s tweets reportedly angered President Trump, who felt “boxed into a corner,” particularly after the defections didn’t materialize and Nicolas Maduro did not flee the country.
The Trump administration is currently facing the consequences of its erratic foreign policy. Put a pin in the map of the world and you’ll either hit an example of U.S. foreign policy failure or, at best, another part of the globe that the administration is studiously ignoring. Conflicts are escalating with Iran and Venezuela. US support of Saudi Arabia and Israel is producing enormous backlash in the region. The trade war with China is back on after the failure of the latest round of negotiations. Talks with North Korea have stalled, and Pyongyang is losing patience.
John Bolton has a rather consistent answer to all of these foreign policy challenges: maximum pressure. He’d like to see regime change in Venezuela, Iran, and North Korea. He’d risk war to achieve these ends.
But the riskiest war that Bolton is courting is the one with his boss. Will Bolton’s ambition overreach itself and produce the same kind of ignominious result that Alexander Haig experienced nearly 40 years ago?
Bolton in Wonderland
John Bolton is that most dangerous of political operators. He is bombastic on the outside and ruthless on the inside. He has the passion of an ideologue and the patience of a realist.
“Bolton has spent decades in federal bureaucracies, complaining often of hating every minute,” Dexter Filkins writes in a recent New Yorker profile. “He has established himself as a ferocious infighter – often working, either by design or by accident, against the grain of the place to which he’s assigned.” Bolton is not above making threats or throwing his weight around. He loves to make liberals, diplomats, and anyone who stands in his way squirm.
As national security advisor, Bolton has arrived after a number of so-called adults have fled the administration (or been tweeted out of office): H.R. McMaster, Rex Tillerson, Jim Mattis, John Kelly. With these obstacles out of the way, Bolton has virtually unrestricted access to the president.
The former national-security officials that Filkins interviews are uniformly aghast at what Bolton has done in his position: reduce coordination, eliminate briefings, encourage chaos. Remember: he hates bureaucracy. But there is method in his madness: he wants to reduce the background chatter so that his own voice is loud and clear in Trump’s ear.
In this looking-glass world, Trump is the Queen of Hearts, who reacts with fury at the world around her. “The embodiment of ungovernable passion,” Lewis Carroll called the queen who rules over Alice in Wonderland. She threatens people left and right with decapitation. Bolton, meanwhile, is the Mad Hatter, presiding over an intimate foreign policy tea party where he is as crazy as a march hare. Once, when the Mad Hatter sang to his sovereign, he received a death sentence as well and only survived through the intercession of Time.
Bolton has been singing to Trump for more than a year and he hasn’t yet been excommunicated. But push might just be coming to shove.
Deal, No Deal
Of all the places where John Bolton would like to go to war, Iran is currently in the lead position.
The national security advisor was in office for less than two months before Trump announced that he was pulling the United States out of the nuclear deal with Iran, a key Bolton objective. Since then, Bolton has been part of the team that has put the squeeze not only on Iran (with additional economic sanctions) but any country with the temerity to continue any kind of economic engagement with Tehran (with the threat of secondary sanctions). Last year, Bolton also asked the Pentagon to prepare a menu of military options for striking Iran, scaring even some seasoned administration officials.
But it was earlier this month that Bolton upped the ante considerably. On May 5, he assumed the prerogative of the commander-in-chief by issuing a direct threat to Iran.
In response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings, the United States is deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the US Central Command region to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force. The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces.
Bolton was apparently motivated by a tip from Israel that Iran was preparing an attack on US interests in the region. But the national security advisor was not speaking only for himself. The May 5 statement came from the White House, so it had the full backing of the administration. Pentagon head Patrick Shanahan, CENTCOM Commander Kenneth McKenzie, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Joseph Dunford have all endorsed the deployments.
At the same time, Trump is presenting an entirely different face to Iran. Just as he turned on a dime in his policy toward North Korea – from “fire and fury” to lovey-dovey with Kim Jong Un – the president last week told reporters:
What they should be doing is calling me up, sitting down; we can make a deal, a fair deal. … We’re not looking to hurt Iran. I want them to be strong and great and have a great economy. But they should call, and if they do, we’re open to talk to them.
The administration even reached out to the Swiss to provide Iran with the president’s phone number (as if Iran didn’t already know how to reach Trump).
This might seem like so much political theater designed to confuse, terrify, and ultimately cow the Iranians into signing a humiliating agreement with Washington – if not for what happened in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.
A Useful Pretext
John Bolton warned on May 5 that Iran should think twice about attacking US interests or face retaliation. One week later, Saudi Arabia reported that an act of sabotage damaged two of its oil tankers, and the United Arab Emirates claimed that the attackers targeted four ships in total. Gulf officials didn’t speculate on who might have been behind the attacks.
The US government has not been so reluctant to point fingers. A preliminary US intelligence assessment has identified Iran as the culprit. Trump, in his characteristic children’s book language, has said, “It’s going to be a bad problem for Iran if something happens.” And now Saudi Arabia is reporting that the Houthis have conducted two drone strikes on its oil facilities. The Houthis are aligned with Iran.
Bolton has what he wants: a pretext for launching a retaliatory strike against Iran. The Strait of Hormuz incident is the equivalent of the yellowcake allegations that helped cement the case for war in Iraq (which turned out to be false) or the chemical weapons allegations that Bolton tried to use to drum up support for a war against Cuba (which also turned out to be false).
Iranians, and many others besides, would like to believe that Trump is being led toward war by Bolton, that the president ultimately wants to make a deal with Iran. Given Trump’s resemblance to the Queen of Hearts, however, it would not be a good idea to bet on his reasonableness.
On the other hand, Bolton might have stuck his neck out a little too far this time. This just might be his Haig moment. He is encroaching on the executive’s power. He is setting up the United States to intervene on the side of a country, Saudi Arabia, that is increasingly reviled around the world for its human rights record.
Like so many of his predecessors who dared to disagree with their boss, Bolton this time might lose his head.
John Feffer is director of Foreign Policy In Focus and the author of the dystopian novel Splinterlands. Originally published in Hankyoreh. Reprinted with permission from Foreign Policy In Focus. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
STRUGGLING businessman Nathan Tinkler wants to sell the Newcastle Jets soccer team to save his ownership of the Knights.
The financial whirlwind that has shaken the former mining billionaire could lead to foreign ownership of the soccer club and only a 50 per cent share of the NRL club for Tinkler.
The Jets licence is said to be worth about $5 million. That cash would be poured back into the Newcastle Knights and almost ensure Tinkler can retain a 50-50 shareholding.
News_Image_File: Nathan Tinkler wants to sell the Newcastle Jets soccer team to save his ownership of the Knights
The Jets valuation comes after the Melbourne Heart were sold to the Abu Dhabi royal family, the owners of Manchester City, for $11 million.
The Western Sydney Wanderers are about to be sold for $10 million to a local consortium that includes Asian interests.
I’m told Tinkler’s agents have been in Asia for some time actively trying to find a buyer for the club.
News_Rich_Media: Daily Telegraph NRL writer Barry Toohey discusses news that Nathan Tinkler has relinquished sole ownership of the Newcastle Knights.
He’s also being advised by John Singleton in Australia.
The A-League’s connections to Asia via the Asian Champions League and 2015 Asian Cup are sparking interest. The Hunter’s coal export links to Asia are another key element.
But if Tinkler does end up relinquishing control there will be a strong push to convert the Jets into a member-owned club.
FFA boss David Gallop is watching closely. At this stage players and staff are being paid on time, unlike the Knights players. There are mixed views about Tinkler’s ownership future with the Knights.
News_Image_File: Nathan Tinkler wants to sell the Newcastle Jets to save his ownership of the Knights
The club knows there is a better chance of keeping super coach Wayne Bennett if Tinkler remains.
He becomes a free agent and can head back to Brisbane if Tinkler is forced out.
50 YEARS OF CHEERLEADING
This is the 50th year of cheergirls in rugby league. The girls were first introduced back in 1964 by the Western Suburbs club.
As you can see from these great old photos, outfits have changed quite dramatically over the years.
News_Image_File: Cheerleaders celebrate 50 years of performing at rugby league matches.
Some rugby league clubs have changed their attitudes to the girls on the sidelines but for many people they remain the highlight of the entertainment.
We thought it was fitting to honour them in the game’s heritage round.
GALLERY: 50 YEARS OF CHEERLEADING
ACT OF A GENEROUS YOUNG MAN
SIX weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon this column was stuck without a sport star’s kitbag we run at the bottom of this page every Sunday.
News_Rich_Media: The Whitney Berry wife of deceased jockey Nathan Berry tries to stay strong in light of the 23 year olds shock death just 48 hours before the Golden Slipper.
I ring racing editor Ray Thomas and, at a minute’s notice, jockey Nathan Berry comes to the rescue before the first race at Randwick, proudly posing with his riding gear.
He was that sort of person who, according to those who knew him, would do anything for anyone.
News_Image_File: Tommy Berry wears his late brother Nathan's pants during race 1 at Golden Slipper Day.
To lose such a wonderful young man at such a tender age is a terrible, terrible tragedy.
EAGLES MAKE INSURANCE BUY
MANLY has all but secured young fullback Peter Hiku on a new contract.
This can be seen as insurance in case Brett Stewart walks out with his brother Glenn at the end of the season.
News_Rich_Media: As the Glenn Stewart contract saga continues to drag on, Manly teammate, Matt Ballin, has joined the chorus of voices calling on the NRL to help clubs retain long-serving players.
The brothers are extremely close to Bulldogs coach Des Hasler.
Dessie is desperately looking for a great fullback and experience in the forwards.
A Stewart brothers package deal is not out of the question.
LICHAA DOGGED ABOUT HIS MOVE
WITH the Andrew Fifita deal off at the Canterbury Bulldogs, we’re now hearing boom Sharks hooker Michael Lichaa is having second thoughts about his three-year contract at Belmore.
Part of the appeal of signing at Canterbury was to play alongside the State of Origin and Kangaroos prop.
News_Image_File: Michael Lichaa is having second thoughts about his three-year contract at Belmore.
Lichaa is not happy about playing NSW Cup at the Sharks. He has until June to change his mind and stay at the Sharks if Peter Sharp gives him another crack in first grade.
PRAYERS FOR A RACING BATTLER
RACING can be a tough game. It’s not all about backing a winner or the glitz and glamour of yesterday’s Golden Slipper.
Spare a thought for battling South Coast trainer Erwin Takacs, who has been in a coma in Wollongong hospital for nine weeks.
Erwin was seriously injured when one of the four horses he trains played up as it was about to be exercised.
He was either kicked in the head or dragged by the horse. There were no witnesses, so no-one is sure.
It happened on January 26 and he’s been in a coma ever since as his family prays for a miracle recovery.
A FOCUSED MUNDINE
IT’S hard to believe this is the same Anthony Mundine we’ve grown to love or hate in the build up to his career-defining fight in Newcastle on Wednesday night.
News_Image_File: Boxer Anthony Mundine ahead of his fight against Joshua Clottey on April 9.
His usual colourful entourage has been reduced to three or four essential team members and the traditional pre-fight Mundine theatrics replaced by a steely focus to the task at hand.
Josh Clottey is the real deal having previously fought the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.
SAINT
Wayne Bennett no longer needs a premiership to be judged on his contribution to the Newcastle Knights.
As time goes by he will be remembered more than anything else for his magnificent leadership during the Alex McKinnon tragedy.
News_Rich_Media: Wayne Bennett has urged Newcastle to continue to support Alex McKinnon after the Knights recorded an emotional 30-0 win over the Sharks at Hunter Stadium.
It’s done more for Newcastle than any premiership ever will.
SINNER
Inconsistent penalties for lifting tackles.
Last year the NRL issued a “one punch and you’re off” edict. No-one has thrown one since.
How about we now introduce a “one lift and you’re off” edict. It’s the only way to get rid them.
SPOTTED I
Blues Origin coach Laurie Daley in deep conversation with Sonny Bill Williams in the cafe at Allianz Stadium.
News_Image_File: Sonny Bill Williams of the Roosters is tackled during a game against the Roosters and Bulldogs
SPOTTED II
Cricket star David Warner, back in Coogee for a lightning visit, having coffee with mates at Tropicana Cafe before jetting off to his next assignment in Dubai next week.
SHOOSH III
The Wests Tigers are chasing unwanted Bulldog Krisnan Inu for a mid-season switch.
Des Hasler is so keen to get rid of him that he’ll probably provide a Cabcharge docket from Belmore to Leichhardt.
PARKING MAD
Here is further proof that parking-fine officers are the world’s biggest narks.
Sydney FC defender Sasa Ognenovski was posing for Sunday Telegraph photographs with his 1971 Chevrolet in Centennial Park last week when a ranger threatened to book him unless he moved.
News_Image_File: Sydney FC defender Sasa Ognenovski reveals his true love restoring classic cars — pictured with the 1974 Chevrolet he drives to training. Pictured in Centennial Park.
KIWIS’ BITTER PILL
Don’t be surprised if the Kiwis get flogged by the Kangaroos in the Test match next month.
We’re hearing Kieran Foran and Sonny Bill Williams are still furious at being named in World Cup Stilnox controversy and at one stage even considered boycotting the game.
EELS’ EASTER PRESENT
The Parramatta Eels are doing everything possible to make it more affordable to attend Easter Monday’s ANZ Stadium game against the Wests Tigers.
News_Rich_Media: Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin admits that Parramatta were the better side after the Broncos went down to the Eels at Suncorp Stadium.
Family tickets are available for just $20 tomorrow night, only between 5pm and 9pm, through Ticketek. The match will be used as a fundraiser and awareness builder for struggling NSW farmers.
Originally published as Buzz: Tinkler shops Jets for Knights | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
Introduction
============
Overheating of buildings is currently a hot topic in the Western World. A significant amount of energy is needed for air conditioning and ventilation of public and commercial buildings. Nevertheless, up to 80% of the occupants are dissatisfied with the thermal environment, even though buildings meet thermal comfort criteria as determined by the ASHRAE Standard 55 and ISO Standard 7730. Physiological parameters such as sex, age, body composition and metabolic rate can have a great effect on an individual\'s perception of the thermal environment. A study among young Europeans indicated that the preferred ambient temperature might vary as much as 10 °C between individuals. However, it is not yet clear how an individual\'s thermal comfort zone (TCZ) relates to the physiological thermo-neutral zone (TNZ). Moreover, unlike thermoregulatory adaptations to strong repetitive heat challenges, it is unknown to what extent humans adapt to more mild warm ambient conditions in terms of subjective perception and thermo-regulatory physiology. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship of an individual\'s TNZ and TCZ as well as the influence of 7 days of mild heat acclimation on TNZ and TCZ. Since the study is still ongoing, preliminary data will be presented.
Methods
=======
Twelve young, healthy males will visit the laboratory of Maastricht University for 10 consecutive days. At day 1 and 2, protocols \'neutral-to-warm\' and \'neutral-to-cold\' will be conducted. Both will consist of 60 minutes baseline at 30 °C, followed by a transient temperature change with 10 K.h to 40 °C for the \'neutral-to-warm\' protocol and to 15 °C for the \'neutral-to-cold\' protocol, respectively. Relative humidity will not be controlled in this setting. Participants will be situated in a climate chamber in supine position, wearing underwear only.
Mild heat acclimation (7 days) will start immediately after the \'neutral-to-cold\' protocol and participants will be exposed to 34 °C for 6 h per day. At day 9 and 10, protocols \'neutral-to-warm\' and \'neutral-to-cold\' will be repeated. Energy expenditure will be measured by means of indirect calorimetry (Quark RMR, COSMED, Italy). Thermal comfort will be evaluated using a 7-point visual analogue scale ranging from -3 very uncomfortable to +3 very comfortable.
Results
=======
Preliminary data show that the protocols \'neutral to warm\' and \'neutral to cold\' allow for approximation of an individual\'s TNZ and TCZ. Energy expenditure data of the first participants shows inter-individual differences in basal metabolic rate, TNZ range and upper and lower critical temperatures. For the participants measured so far, prolonged exposure to mild heat (34°C, 6 h for 7 consecutive days) seemed to influence thermal perception and the TNZ. However, there is variation in response between individuals.
Preliminary conclusion
======================
The range and positioning of the human TNZ and TCZ vary among individuals. Prolonged mild heat exposure seems to be an effective way to extend or shift TCZ and TNZ. More data is needed to further elucidate the relationship between TNZ and TCZ. During the conference, definitive results of all subjects will be presented.
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Central |
Eden Espinosa, Jane Monheit, Christiane Noll and Scott Alan were supposed to perform Alan's song 'Always' at the 'Broadway Blows Back' concert, raising funds for victims of Hurricane Sandy. The producers decided to move the performance back to December 10th, which Alan was unable to attend, so the group has recorded the song to promote the upcoming concert. Watch the video below, and check out the benefit event on the 10th! | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Is the branched graft technique better than the en bloc technique for total aortic arch replacement?
Total aortic arch replacement remains a surgical challenge. For the reimplantation of the supra-aortic vessels, either the en bloc (island) or branched graft technique (BGT) is used. The BGT has been proposed to have several advantages over the classical island technique. The purpose of this study was to compare the perioperative and mid-term follow-up results of these two methods. From March 2006 to December 2010, 103 patients (74.8% male, age 59 ± 12 years) underwent total aortic arch replacement. In 45.6% of the patients (n = 47), branched grafts (Group A, 35 males, 58 ± 13 years) were used, while 54.4% of the patients (n = 56) underwent en bloc technique (Group B, 42 males, 60 ± 12 years). Concomitant procedures were performed as necessary. Twenty-nine (28.2%) patients had an aortic aneurysm [Group A: n = 12 (25.5%), Group B: n = 17 (30.4%)] and 74 (71.8%) patients had an aortic dissection [Group A: n = 35 (74.5%), Group B: n = 39 (69.6%)]. Thirty-one (30.1%) of these patients [Group A: 17 (36.2%), Group B: 14 (25%)] had undergone previous cardiac operations. Cardiopulmonary bypass, cross-clamp and circulatory arrest times were 243 ± 71, 140 ± 55 and 53 ± 28 min in Group A and 249 ± 76, 147 ± 54 and 57 ± 30 min in Group B, respectively (P = n.s.). The overall 30-day mortality was 10.6% in Group A and 16.1% in Group B (P = n.s.). The postoperative stroke rate was 4.3% in Group A and 3.8% in Group B, respectively (P = n.s.). Rethoracotomy due to bleeding was 27.7% in Group A and 23.2% in Group B (P = n.s.). At a mean follow-up of 4.0 years, 61.7% of the patients in Group A were alive and 29.8% had undergone operations on the downstream aorta. In Group B, 60.7% of the patients were alive at a mean follow-up of 4.4 years and 20.0% had undergone operations on the downstream aorta. None of the patients in Group B developed further pathological changes in the 'island' or the proximal supra-aortic vessels. The BGT is not inferior perioperatively or in the mid-term follow-up compared with the classical island technique. Thus, this technique can be used during total arch replacements in most aortic arch pathologies. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Abstracts |
Q:
Python flassger: Get query with extended conditions ? (more, less, between...)
I develop a python application based on flask that connects to a postgresql database and exposes the API using flassger (swagger UI).
I already defined a basic API (handle entries by ID, etc) as well a a query api to match different parameters (name=='John Doe'for example).
I would like to expand this query api to integrate more complex queries such as lower than, higher than, between, contains, etc.
I search on internet but couldn't find a proper way to do it. Any suggestion ?
I found this article which was useful but does not say anything about the implementation of the query: https://hackernoon.com/restful-api-designing-guidelines-the-best-practices-60e1d954e7c9
Here is briefly how it looks like so far (some extracted code):
GET_query.xml:
Return an account information
---
tags:
- accounts
parameters:
- name: name
in: query
type: string
example: John Doe
- name: number
in: query
type: string
example: X
- name: opened
in: query
type: boolean
example: False
- name: highlighted
in: query
type: boolean
example: False
- name: date_opened
in: query
type: Date
example: 2018-01-01
Blueprint definition:
ACCOUNTS_BLUEPRINT = Blueprint('accounts', __name__)
Api(ACCOUNTS_BLUEPRINT).add_resource(
AccountQueryResource,
'/accounts/<query>',
endpoint='accountq'
)
Api(ACCOUNTS_BLUEPRINT).add_resource(
AccountResource,
'/accounts/<int:id>',
endpoint='account'
)
Api(ACCOUNTS_BLUEPRINT).add_resource(
AccountListResource,
'/accounts',
endpoint='accounts'
)
Resource:
from flasgger import swag_from
from urllib import parse
from flask_restful import Resource
from flask_restful.reqparse import Argument
from flask import request as req
...
class AccountQueryResource(Resource):
""" Verbs relative to the accounts """
@staticmethod
@swag_from('../swagger/accounts/GET_query.yml')
def get(query):
""" Handle complex queries """
logger.debug('Recv %s:%s from %s', req.url, req.data, req.remote_addr)
query = dict(parse.parse_qsl(parse.urlsplit(req.url).query))
logger.debug('Get query: {}'.format(query))
try:
account = AccountRepository.filter(**query)
except Exception as e:
logger.error(e)
return {'error': '{}'.format(e)}, 409
if account:
result = AccountSchema(many=True).dump(account)
logger.debug('Get query returns: {}({})'.format(account, result))
return {'account': result}, 200
logger.debug('Get query returns: {}'.format(account))
return {'message': 'No account corresponds to {}'.format(query)}, 404
And finally the epository:
class AccountRepository:
""" The repository for the account model """
@staticmethod
def get(id):
""" Query an account by ID """
account = AccountModel.query.filter_by(id=id).first()
logger.debug('Get ID %d: got:%s', id, account)
return account
@staticmethod
def filter(**kwargs):
""" Query an account """
account = AccountModel.query.filter_by(**kwargs).all()
logger.debug('Filter %s: found:%s', kwargs, account)
return account
...
A:
I don't know about your exact problem, but I had a problem similar to yours, and I fixed it with:
query = []
if location:
query.append(obj.location==location)
I will query this list of queries with
obj.query.filter(*query).all()
Where in above examples, obj is the name of a model you have created.
How is this help? this will allow you to fill in the variables you have dynamically and each query has its own conditions. you can use ==, !=, <=, etc.
note you should use filter and not filter_by then you can as many operators as you like.
you can read link1 and link2 for documents on how to query sqlalchemy.
edit:
name = request.args.get("name")
address = request.args.get("address")
age = request.args.get("address")
query = []
if name:
query.append(Myobject.name==name)
if address:
query.append(Myobject.address==name)
if age:
query.append(Myobject.age >= age) # look how we select people with age over the provided number!
query_result = Myobject.query.filter(*query).all()
if's will help you when there is no value provided by the user. this way you are not including those queries in your main query. with use of get, if these values are not provided by the user, they will be None and respected query won't be added to the query list.
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | StackExchange |
Thursday, November 11, 2010
2nd Asian Conference on Organic Electronics@Seoul National University
Last week, we hold the 2nd ACOE in SNU. The number of attendee from Korea, Taiwan and Japan was exceeded over 100. While the conference was compact, we focused on discussions on our recent results through not only the single session of oral presentation but also lunch, dinner and coffee breaks. I felt that scientific quality in Korean Universities is quite high and actually the great success in OLED business accelerates R&D in Korea. In Japan, on the other hand, we faced on many problems such as an aging society with a low birthrate, the strong yen-caused recession, and reduced motivation for science and technologies in young generation. We need to establish a novel national strategy to work with other countries. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Hot CFNM femdoms tugging a dude's dick in the club
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They just love to party and this stud is about to get teased like never before. Feast your eyes on all of these naughty CFNM femdoms taking turns on tugging his dick in the club while hoping for some drops of cum. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
The Millennial Commune - applecore
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/02/realestate/the-millennial-commune.html
======
Gmo
I've lived in a shared house for 7 years. To me, one of the advantage of a
shared house is to be with people that are different than you, because you all
have different experiences and can share and learn from that.
Of course, it's essential to have a good feeling with the others, but I feel
like this is going way too far, with just you ending up with others alike, and
no diversity. Granted, that's what they sell : “highly curated community of
like-minded individuals.”
~~~
dasil003
The idea of curating people is nauseating to me.
It speaks to one of the largest failures of technology, which is that the
techno utopians from Gen X believed the Internet would herald a new age of
informed democracy and rational debate. Instead what we got is a balkanization
of ideas where no one has to ever hear anything vaguely uncomfortable and we
can all stay ensconced in our little tribes.
~~~
angersock
So, curating people--or whatever other term you want to use for "picking your
roommates carefully"\--is damned important, and always has been.
If you have a roommate that loves throwing parties, and everyone else is maybe
super tired from working, you're gonna have a bad time.
If you have roommates that don't believe in cleaning, ever, then you're gonna
have a bad time.
If you have roommates that spend a lot of time torrenting and your internet
gets shut off, you're gonna have a bad time.
If you have roommates that are really into drug culture, you could well end up
having a bad time (seen this happen once or twice).
You can all be totally different in, say, politics or sexuality or income or
whatever (provided rent is still being made), but it gets super shitty super
fast if the basic "Hey, this is our home, don't cause problems" stuff isn't
nailed down.
~~~
dasil003
Well wait a second, _is_ picking your roommates carefully the same as the
curation they are talking about here? Because it doesn't feel that way to me.
It feels like they are trying to capitalize on the age-old concept of having
roommates, and slathering on a thick coat of shiny lacquer in the form of a
business model based on the painfully trendy idea of curation. I can't put my
finger on it exactly, maybe it's just the article that's to blame, but there's
something here that feels more akin to high school cliquishness than screening
potential roommates, and that's what I'm objecting to.
~~~
angersock
Well, let's be clear here: their main curation requirement seems to be "Can
you spend up to 48K a year in rent?".
~~~
dasil003
Hm, I'm not going to go back to read the article but I distinctly remember the
word "like-mindedness". But let's give you the benefit of the doubt for
argument's sake, then the only crime is the douchiness of calling that
"curation".
------
morgante
Calling these spaces communes is ironic considering how incredibly capitalist
they are.
1\. Regulatory failure leads to a lack of reasonable real estate options in
growing cities.
2\. Striving young people want to move to the major cities for career reasons
anyways.
3\. Aspiring capitalists deploy capital to convert existing housing stock into
microunits while charging a premium.
Nothing in this is communist at all.
~~~
seiji
It's almost as if they've rebranded feudalism as "sharing."
Proper sharing would be a fully connected graph topology. Modern "sharing" is
hub-and-spoke where the hub extracts rent on all transactions because they
either made a website (lol, "tech company") or have absconded capital and sell
it back to you (time limited) at a profit.
~~~
tdaltonc
This seems like a comment for a post about Uber. I don't see how it's relevant
here.
~~~
seiji
Oh, the article itself is about people buying a single resource the sub-
renting it out. So that's the feudalism part.
The connected network part was also similar because you have to go through
these co-living space capitalist-hippy administrators to actually live in the
co-living space. So some of the co-living spaces are co-living as defined by
"you passed our landlord's test" but others are "everybody must like you to
live here."
If this was relating to Uber, we'd also mention they are doing the entire
"break local laws and hope city hall doesn't care" trick by introducing
oversubscribed short term housing which is against city policy.
~~~
jsprogrammer
The houselord is merely being compensated for the value created through its
curation.
------
thatsso1999
The living spaces described aren't communes in any way, shape or form. This is
just paying to have roommates you don't know with some perks. _actual_
cooperatives/communes are occupied by their member-owners, who have full
control over their space. It's laughable that this being marketed as edgy
socialist living when it's just a big apartment with some nice branding.
An actual co-op shares food purchases, requires labor like cooking and
cleaning, and the members share democratic control over the house's finances.
There is no actual reason why you need microleases - the co-op I live in has 6
month leases at a minimum, and on average most members live here for two
years. People stay for so long because actual cooperatives foster a culture of
cooperation and a community full of real friendships, giving its members a
deep, lasting connection with the space and their fellow housemates.
Microleases seem like they create a transitory and shallow culture with people
coming and leaving all the time and not actually making any connection with
the space, partially because you can't leave your mark on the space since you
don't own it.
There are very large and active communities of both residential and commercial
cooperatives in Berkeley, Michigan, and Austin (where the co-op I live in is),
and I think this is because there is cheaper land and individual houses. It's
close to impossible for starting true residential cooperatives in downtown NYC
because the landlord often owns the entire building, which would require an
enormous amount of money to acquire, and would lead to enormous cooperatives
which would be difficult to run. There _are_ very large, apartment-style
cooperatives - there are at least 5 co-ops in Austin with over 100 people each
- but there are many more that are house style with 15-30 people. I think the
ones in Berkeley and Michigan tend to be closer to 30-40 people, but they're
still just big houses.
The cooperative movement is alive and well and has been for decades.
Capitalists trying to jump onto the sharing economy bandwagon just dilute the
message and create the wrong impression of what actual shared living is - raw
democratic control over your space. Cooperatives have amazing potential in the
internet age, but seem to have been largely forgotten by modern day
technologists. A non-profit Uber, cooperatively controlled by both drivers and
developers, is an obvious example of a great system that would work very well
and be immensely popular with drivers. There are a lot of knotty problems to
work out, but nothing insurmountable. If 100+ drug-addled college kids can
democratically run an entire apartment complex successfully for 3 decades (and
even make money, too!), surely today's technologists can build software that
allow many more people to democratically run much larger systems.
------
plonh
This is a renters coop.
In a coop, the owners approve/reject apartment sales. This is the same, except
the residents are renters, while the owners still pick who is allowed in.
I am surprised this doesn't run afoul of Equal Housing (anti-discrimination)
laws, since the people rejecting applicants aren't the residents.
------
xacaxulu
Yeah, I'd still rather be able to walk around naked in my kitchen and sleep
with my significant other without people listening. I don't need to live in an
adult hostel to have friends and meet interesting people.
~~~
plonh
Sure, many prefer to live in a big well built private home, but we can't
afford it. Even individual apartments doing provide that much audio privacy,
in USA construction.
------
jfb
The NYT seems to be the perfect machine for exposing the uttermost
eyerollingist of douchebags.
------
te_chris
Congratulations entitled young Americans, you've invented flatting.
------
paulhauggis
This is a result of the ridiculous rent in places like sf. Why not figure out
a way to lower the rent?
~~~
toomuchtodo
The only solutions are:
1\. Build more housing (won't happen) 2\. Rent control (doesn't work, mostly.
Distorts the market) 3\. The bubble pops (most likely)
~~~
morgante
> Build more housing (won't happen)
Why not? Eventually non-owners will form a majority of voters and will vote to
remove ridiculous restrictions.
Generational rent-seeking can only persist for so long.
~~~
mahyarm
In SF, the majority of voters are already renters. Something like %70. But the
people who live there are oddly irrational and think building will somehow
raise the rent because it would be all 'luxury' apartments, and thus 'raise'
the price. And these are the "perma renters" who have been forced out or
closed to forced out due to their lower incomes.
The renter political majority are the people who got laws such as rent control
in. And the other very landlord unfriendly laws that make ~ %30 of residential
rental stock unoccupied in SF due to fears of bad renters costing far more
than their income. Also their are other laws that let petty NIMBYs prevent
neighbors building stuff in their empty lots, so they can extract concessions
out of them, or just avoid the personal inconvenience of construction during
working hours. A good chunk of people in SF are unemployed / not in the labor
force. Something around %30. 'Tech workers' are a very small minority of the
population, but are the new immigrants aggravating the supply problems.
Then you have old money in SF organizing political groups to block building on
the water front so their waterfront condo views will not be block and so on.
The multiple competing interests in SF lead to the general regulatory failure
there of not building nearly enough. SF has always been a city with it's head
far up it's ass, it was very bad in other ways in the 70s too, with similar
'renter friendly' laws causing more problems than solutions.
~~~
theseatoms
> But the people who live there are oddly irrational and think building will
> somehow raise the rent because it would be all 'luxury' apartments, and thus
> 'raise' the price.
Is this for real? So clearly false. (Increasing supply will somehow increase
demand by even more?) I have to assume these ideas have been spread by the
vested interests that you've noted.
~~~
PhasmaFelis
I'm no expert, but isn't that what typically happens with gentrification? Make
the neighborhood more desirable by whatever means, more middle/upper-class
people want to live there, local landlords raise the rent on existing units
despite no actual change in their quality?
I've read about folks who worked for years to clean up their low-end
neighborhoods, organize a neighborhood watch, drive out the dealers, etc, and
as things improve the landlord jacks the rent up until they have to move to a
slum area again. That's not about "luxury apartments" specifically, just about
how manifestly screwed you are if you're not at least middle-class.
~~~
morgante
Gentrification often comes down to increasing demand without increasing
supply. If supply weren't artificially restricted, it would be profitable to
expand the housing stock instead of completely displacing existing residents.
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | HackerNews |
'Crimson Peak': Charlie Hunnam on Inspiration from the Works of Arthur Conan Doyle and More
Back when Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak was filming in Toronto, I got to visit the set with a few other reporters. While I’ve been lucky enough to visit a number of movies during production and have seen some pretty incredible things up close, what I saw on the set of Crimson Peak was near the top of the list. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
The message was supposed to direct parents to the Illinois Board of Education website, at ISBE.net. Instead, an errant "L" in the Web address ushered visitors to a "private invite-only space for women over 18."
CPS spokeswoman Becky Carroll said the error was unintentional.
"As soon as it was brought to our attention we sent out a letter with a corrected link, and apologized for any inconvenience it may have cause," she said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The owner of the erotic site told the Sun-Times she did get some new sign-ups from the unexpected surge in traffic. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
MARTI Electronics
Marti Electronics, a division of BE, manufactures RF Remote Pick-Up equipment for the broadcast industry. Marti has been supplying such hardware since 1960 with few competitors in its very vertical market. Because this equipment was so ubiquitous for so many years, the words "Marti" and "RPU" have become almost synonymous among broadcast engineers.
Marti is headquartered in Quincy, Illinois.
Footnotes
Category:Electronics companies of the United States | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Wikipedia (en) |
---
abstract: '[ In this paper, the first of a series, we study the stellar dynamical and evolutionary processes leading to the formation of compact binaries containing white dwarfs in dense globular clusters. We examine the processes leading to the creation of X-ray binaries such as cataclysmic variables and AM CVn systems. Using numerical simulations, we identify the dominant formation channels and we predict the expected numbers and characteristics of detectable systems, emphasizing how the cluster sources differ from the field population. We explore the dependence of formation rates on cluster properties and we explain in particular why the distribution of cataclysmic variables has only a weak dependence on cluster density. We also discuss the frequency of dwarf nova outbursts in globular clusters and their connection with moderately strong white dwarf magnetic fields. We examine the rate of Type Ia supernovae via both single and double degenerate channels in clusters and we argue that those rates may contribute to the total SN Ia rate in elliptical galaxies. Considering coalescing white dwarf binaries we discuss possible constraints on the common envelope evolution of their progenitors and we derive theoretical expectations for gravitational wave detection by LISA. ]{}'
author:
- |
N. Ivanova $^1$[^1], C. O. Heinke$^2$[^2], F. A. Rasio$^2$, R. E. Taam$^2$, K. Belczynski$^{3}$[^3], & J. Fregeau$^{2}$\
$^1$Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8, Canada\
$^2$Northwestern University, Dept of Physics & Astronomy, 2145 Sheridan Rd, Evanston, IL 60208, USA\
$^3$New Mexico State University, Department of Astronomy, 1320 Frenger Mall, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003-8001, USA
title: 'Formation and evolution of compact binaries in globular clusters: I. Binaries with white dwarfs.'
---
\[firstpage\]
binaries: close – binaries: general – globular clusters: general – – stellar dynamics.
Introduction
============
From the earliest observations of X-ray binaries in globular clusters (GCs) it has been noted that they must be very efficient sites for the production of compact binary systems [@Clark75]. The key to the overabundance of compact binaries in clusters, as compared to the field, is close stellar encounters. The processes that influence the binary population in dense stellar environments include the destruction of wide binaries (“ionization”), hardening of close binaries, physical collisions, and exchange interactions, through which low-mass companions tend to be replaced by more massive participants in the encounter. As a result of these processes, in the dense cores of globular clusters, binaries are strongly depleted and their period distribution is very different from that of a field population [@Ivanova05]. This effect is stronger for binaries including a compact object, like cataclysmic variables (CVs).
The issue of the dynamical formation of CVs has been extensively discussed. Considering the CV formation via tidal captures, [@Bailyn90_tc] showed that dynamical formation of CVs is not expected because more massive donors lead to unstable mass transfer. On the other hand, [@DiStefano94] predicted the existence of many CVs formed via tidal captures, as many as an order of magnitude more than would be predicted by standard binary evolution, making CVs a probe of the dynamical processes in the cluster. Detection of CVs in globular clusters proved difficult [e.g. @Shara96], but a population was detected using the [*Hubble Space Telescope*]{} [@Cool95], along with a population of “nonflickerers” [@Cool98] which are understood to be young helium white dwarfs with C/O white dwarf companions [@Hansen03].
In the past few years, substantial progress has been made in optical identification of [*Hubble Space Telescope*]{} counterparts to [*Chandra*]{} X-ray sources in several GCs. Valuable information was obtained for populations of CVs, chromospherically active binaries and quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries (qLMXBs) [@Grindlay01a; @Pooley02a; @Edmonds03a; @Bassa04; @Heinke03a]. For the first time we can compare populations of such binaries in globular clusters (GCs) and in the Galactic field, and infer their rates of formation and population characteristics. In particular, 22 CVs have now been identified in 47 Tuc, allowing identification of several differences between typical CVs in globular clusters and CVs in the Galactic field. These differences include relatively high X-ray luminosities compared to field systems [@Verbunt97]; a lack of novae, and of the steady, bright blue accretion discs signifying novalike CVs, in GCs [@Shara95]; relatively low frequencies of dwarf nova outbursts (DNOs), the typical identifiers of CVs in the Galactic disc [@Shara96]; and a higher ratio of X-ray to optical flux than in most field CVs [@Edmonds03b]. These differences produce puzzles: the lack of novae, novalikes, and DNO suggests very low mass transfer rates, while the high X-ray luminosities indicate moderate mass transfer rates. The X-ray to optical flux ratio suggests the CVs are DNe, but the lack of DNO argues against this. It was suggested that CV discs in GCs are more stable due to a combination of low mass transfer rates and moderately strong white dwarf magnetic moments [@Dobrotka05]. This hints that the evolutionary paths of CVs in GCs and in the field are different. Comparisons of the numbers of CVs in clusters of different central densities also supports the idea that CVs are produced through dynamical interactions [@Pooley03], though there is an indication that CV production may depend more weakly on density than the production of low-mass X-ray binaries containing neutron stars [@Heinke03a].
This is the first of two papers where we summarize results of our studies on compact binary formation in GCs, some preliminary results of which were reported in @Ivanova04a [@Ivanova04b; @Ivanova04c]. In this paper we focus on the formation of compact binaries with a white dwarf, and in the second paper (Paper II) we will describe dynamical formation and evolution of binaries with a NS companion. We explore a large spectrum of globular cluster models, where for the first time we take into account (i) the mechanism of binary formation through physical collisions using results from smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and (ii) the effect of metallicity on the formation and subsequent evolution of close binaries. In Section 2 we provide a complete review of the physical processes of formation and destruction of mass-transferring WD binaries. In Section 3 we outline the methods and assumptions. The major formation channels, and population characteristics for CVs and AM CVn systems (double WD systems where one WD experiences Roche lobe overflow) in different clusters are presented and discussed in Section 4. We conclude in the last section by addressing the connection between our results and the observations.
Mass-transferring WD-binaries in a dense cluster
================================================
There are several ways to destroy a primordial binary in a globular cluster. For instance, in a dense region a soft binary will very likely be “ionized” (destroyed) as a result of a dynamical encounter. A hard binary, in contrast, can be destroyed through a physical collision during the encounter. The probability of such an outcome increases strongly as the binary becomes harder [@Fregeau04]. In addition to dynamical processes, a primordial binary can be destroyed through an evolutionary merger or following a SN explosion. Overall, even if a cluster initially had 100% of its stars in binaries initially, the binary fraction at an age of 10-14 Gyr will typically be as low as $10\%$ [@Ivanova05].
To understand the evolution of a primordial binary in a dense environment and the probability of a binary becoming a CV, two steps are required: (i) compare the evolutionary time-scales with the time-scale of dynamical encounters; (ii) analyze what is the consequence of an encounter (this depends strongly on the hardness of the binary).
The time-scale for a binary to undergo a strong encounter with another single star (the collision time) can be estimated as $\tau_{\rm coll}=(n\Sigma v_\infty)^{-1}$. Here $\Sigma$ is the cross section for an encounter between two objects, of masses $m_i$ and $m_J$, with relative velocity at infinity $v_\infty$ and is given as $$\Sigma = \pi d_{max}^2 (1+v_{p}^2 / v_{\infty}^2)\ ,$$ where $d_{max}$ is the maximum distance of closest approach that defines a significant encounter and $v_{p}^2 = 2G (m_i + m_j)/d_{max}$ is the velocity at pericenter. Assuming that a strong encounter occurs when the distance of closest approach is a few times the binary separation $a$, $d_{max}\le k a$ with $k\simeq 2$, we obtain
$$\begin{aligned}
\label{tcoll_pd}
\tau_{\rm coll} = 3.4 \times 10^{13} \ {\rm yr} \ \ k^{-2} P_{\rm d}^{-4/3} M_{\rm tot}^{-2/3} n_5^{-1}
v_{10}^{-1} \times \\ \nonumber
\left( 1+913 {\frac { (M_{\rm tot} + \langle M\rangle )} {k P_{\rm d}^{2/3} M_{\rm tot}^{1/3} v_{10}^2}}\right) ^{-1}\end{aligned}$$
Here $P_{\rm d}$ is the binary period in days, $M_{\rm tot}$ is the total binary mass in $M_\odot$, $\langle M\rangle$ is the mass of an average single star in $M_\odot$, $v_{10}=v_{\infty}/(10\,{\rm km/s})$ and $n_5=n/(10^5\,{\rm pc}^{-3})$, where $n$ is the stellar number density.
The hardness of a binary system, $\eta$, is defined as $$\label{eta_def}
\eta = {\frac {G m_1 m_2} {a \sigma^2 \langle m\rangle }}\ ,$$ where $a$ is the binary separation, $\sigma$ is the central velocity dispersion, $m_1$ and $m_2$ are the masses of the binary components, and $\langle m\rangle$ is the average mass of a single star. Binaries that have $\eta < 1$ are termed soft, and those with $\eta > 1$ are termed hard.
Primordial CVs and AM CVns.
---------------------------
The typical formation scenario for CVs in the field (low density environment) usually involves common envelope (CE) evolution. In Fig. \[cv\_field\] we show parameters of primordial non-eccentric binaries that successfully become CVs. To obtain this parameter space, we used the binary population synthesis code [StarTrack]{} [@Bel02; @Bel05b][^4]. We evolved $5\times10^5$ binaries considering specifically that region of primordial binaries which, according to preliminary lower resolution runs, leads to CV formation. Our primary stars have masses between 0.5 $M_\odot$ and 10 $M_\odot$, the secondaries have masses according to a flat mass ratio distribution with initial periods distributed flatly between 1 and $10^4$ days. For demonstration purposes in Fig. \[cv\_field\], we use initially circular orbits, because the parameters leading to different formation channels can be more clearly distinguished. For our actual cluster simulations we use eccentric binaries; in comparison to Fig. \[cv\_field\], eccentric primordial binaries can have higher initial periods and still produce CVs. Progenitors of CVs with a MS donor are located in the left bottom corner, with $M_{\rm p}\la 4\,M_\odot$ and $\log P\la 2.5$. In other cases the donor star is a red giant (RG) or a (subgiant) star in the Hertzsprung gap. For primordial binaries located in a small but dense area at the left middle part of Fig. \[cv\_field\], $\log P\sim 2.7$ and $M_{\rm p}\sim 1\,M_\odot$, a CE does not occur. We note that the lifetime of a binary in the CV stage with a RG donor is about 1000 times shorter than in the case of a MS donor.
![ Distribution density of CV progenitors (initial masses of primary stars $M_{\rm p}$ and binary periods $P$) for non-eccentric binaries in the Galactic field, with Z=0.001. The total normalization of CV progenitors is scaled to unity, the grey color shows $\log_{10}$ of the normalized distribution density. The thick solid line indicates the binary period where the collision time of the binary is equal to the main sequence lifetime of the primary (using a core number density $n=10^5\,{\rm pc}^{-3}$, a central velocity dispersion 10 km/s and an average object mass of $0.5 \,M_\odot$). Dash-dotted lines are lines of constant binary hardness and dashed lines are lines of constant collision time. []{data-label="cv_field"}](fig1.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
![Distribution density of AM CVn progenitors (initial masses of primary stars $M_{\rm p}$ and binary periods $P$) for non-eccentric binaries in the Galactic field, Z=0.001. Notation as for Fig. \[cv\_field\]. []{data-label="amcv_field"}](fig2.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
In the core of a GC with core density $\rho_{\rm c} \sim 10^5$ pc$^{-3}$, a binary with an initial period typical of a CV progenitor will experience a dynamical encounter before its primary leaves the MS (see Fig. \[cv\_field\], where all CV progenitors lie above the line indicating equality of $\tau_{coll}$ and $\tau_{MS}$). The unaltered primordial channel for CV formation is therefore likely to succeed only for binaries that enter the dense cluster core after their CE event; the post-CE binary is compact enough to avoid an encounter. The contribution of the primordial channel depends therefore on the time – before or after the moment of CE – when primordial CV binaries will segregate into the central dense core. In more detail, an average initial binary in the GC is $\sim 0.7 M\odot$, which is significantly smaller than the pre-CE mass of a primordial CV binary (see Fig. \[cv\_field\]). Post-CE primordial CV binaries are also heavier than typical binaries in the halo (for which the average binary mass is $\sim 0.4 M\odot$). In both cases, primordial CV binaries, as heavier objects, will tend to sink toward the cluster core on the cluster half-mass relaxation time.
The situation is similar for the formation of AM CVn systems from primordial binaries (see Fig. \[amcv\_field\]). In this case, the main formation channel requires the occurrence of two CE events (see also [@Bel05a]), and the primordial binary is expected to be even wider. However, the second channel, with two stable MT stages (at the start of the RG stage of the primary, and when the secondary becomes a helium giant), is provided by relatively compact progenitor binaries. These binaries are expected to evolve in the same way in a GC as in the field.
Dynamical formation of CVs
--------------------------
A binary consisting of a MS star and a WD can be formed via several kinds of dynamical encounters: via an exchange interaction, via a tidal capture (TC) of a MS by a WD, or via physical collisions between a red giant (RG) and a MS star. A fraction of these dynamically formed MS-WD binary systems will start MT and become a CV. In this section we examine in detail the possible channels for CV creation.
The main angular momentum losses in a close MS-WD binary occur via magnetic braking (MB) and gravitational wave (GW) emission, both of which lead to orbital decay. In eccentric binaries, the binary orbital separation will be affected by tides, and the post-circularized periastron is larger than the pre-circularized periastron (unless tidal synchronization is significant). In Fig. \[mswd-nonecc\] we show the maximum initial periods (at the moment of the binary formation) of a non-eccentric MS-WD binary that can start MT within 2 Gyr, and within 10 Gyr, due only to GW or only to MB (for illustrative purposes, we show time-scales for two prescriptions of magnetic braking, one is standard MB according to [@RVJ] (RVJ) and the second is the MB based on dipole-field model according to [@Ivanova03] (IT03)). A maximum initial period such that a binary is able to start MT without having any other encounters is only $\sim$2 days. On Fig. \[mswd-ecc\] we again show the maximum initial periods of binaries that may start MT, but now including all angular momentum losses (GW, MB and tides), and compare the cases of non-eccentric and eccentric binaries. On this figure we also show the difference in maximum initial period between metal-poor and metal-rich GCs. In metal-poor clusters only stars with $M\la 0.85\,M_\odot$ have developed outer convective zones, allowing MB and convective tides to operate [@Ivanova06]. This effect can potentially be dramatic; for instance, among non-eccentric binaries with a MS star of $1\,M_\odot$, the range of post-exchange periods that leads to CV formation is a factor of 6 larger if the donor has Z=0.02, compared to Z=0.001. For eccentric binaries, this ratio is higher, as tidal circularization via radiative damping will reduce binary eccentricity (and therefore increase the periastron) more effectively than GW can shrink the binary orbit.
![The fate of non-eccentric MS-WD binaries produced by, e.g., dynamical encounters, where the primary is a WD of 0.6 $M_\odot$. $P$ is the post-encounter (or post-CE) orbital period and $M_{\rm MS}$ is the mass of a MS secondary. The short-dashed lines show the binary periods for constant collision times and the dotted lines delineate the binaries that will shrink within 2 and 10 Gyr due to gravitational wave emission. The long-dashed line indicates the upper period limit for binaries that will begin MT within 2 Gyr with the RVJ MB prescription, while the dash-dotted lines indicate those that will begin MT within 2 and 10 Gyr with IT03 MB. Below the solid line the binary is in contact. \[mswd-nonecc\] ](fig3.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
![The fate of post-encounter MS-WD binaries where the primary is a WD of 0.6 $M_\odot$, for post-exchange eccentricities 0 and 0.66. $P$ is the post-encounter orbital period and $M_{\rm MS}$ is the mass of the MS secondary. Thick lines delineate the maximum periods for binaries which will begin MT within 2 Gyr. Thin lines of the same type show the period at which that binary will begin MT. \[mswd-ecc\] ](fig4.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
![Formation of WD-MS binaries via physical collisions and tidal captures. The hatched area shows binaries formed via TC with a 0.6 $M_\odot$ WD. In the dense hatched area, the MS star did not overflow its Roche lobe at the minimum approach during the TC. The dashed lines show binaries formed via physical collisions of a MS star and a 0.8 $M_\odot$ RG, for different core masses, using parameterized results of SPH simulations (for illustrative purposes, we show only the case of the impact parameter to be 0.54 of the RG radius with corresponding post-collisional eccentricity of 0.7). The dotted lines show binaries formed via physical collisions of MS star and a 0.8 $M_\odot$ RG, for different core masses, assuming common envelope approach ($\alpha_{\rm CE} =\lambda=1$). \[mswd-formation\] ](fig5.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
A circular binary is most likely to be formed via tidal capture (TC), where a post-capture circularization is assumed. Using the approach described in [@Zwart_TC_93], we can estimate the post-capture binary parameters for a MS-WD binary (see Fig. \[mswd-formation\], where WD mass is assumed to be 0.6 $M_\odot$). The upper limit here corresponds to the closest approach at which tidal interactions are strong enough to make a bound system, and the lower limit corresponds to the closest approach at which the MS star overfills its Roche lobe by 1/3. We note that the parameter space for tidally captured binaries where the MS star does not overfill its Roche lobe at the closest approach is very small (see Fig. \[mswd-nonecc\]). We note that this is an optimistic estimate, as the captured star can also be destroyed during the chaotic phase of the tidal energy damping [@Mardling95_chaos2]. Most tidally captured binaries can be brought to contact by MB before either the next encounter occurs, or the MS star evolves away from the MS.
An eccentric binary can be formed via an exchange encounter or a physical collision; eccentricity can also be increased via the cumulative effect of fly-by encounters. For binaries formed through MS-RG collisions, the post-exchange binary separation $a_{\rm f}$ as well as post-exchange eccentricity $e_{\rm f}$ depends on the closest approach $p$ [@Lombardi_2006] and can be estimated using results of SPH simulations. These simulations were done for physical collisions of a NS and a RG, and therefore are not straightforwardly applicable for the physical collisions of a MS star and RG. We therefore study how strongly the choice of the treatment can affect the final results. We consider the two following prescriptions:
- Using a common-envelope (CE) prescription:
$${\frac{(M_{\rm rg}+M_{\rm ms})v_{\infty}^2}{2}} + \alpha_{\rm CE} {\frac{GM_{\rm wd}M_{\rm ms}} {2 a_{\rm f}}} =
{\frac {G M_{\rm rg} (M_{\rm rg}-M_{\rm wd} )} {\lambda R_{\rm rg}}}
\label{af_sph}$$
Here $M_{\rm rg}$, $M_{\rm ms}$ and $M_{\rm wd}$ are the masses of the RG, MS star, and RG core that will become a WD, in $M_\odot$; $R_{\rm RG}$ is the RG radius; $\alpha_{\rm CE}$ is the CE efficiency parameter; and $\lambda$ is the CE parameter that connects a star’s binding energy with its parameterized form. We assume that after a common envelope event the binary is not eccentric.
- Using parameterized results from SPH simulations:
$$e_{\rm f} = 0.88-{\frac {p} {3 R_{RG}}}$$
$$a_{\rm f} = {\frac {p} {3.3 (1-e_{\rm f}^2)}}
\label{af_ce}$$
As the parameterized SPH simulations were done for a limited set of mass ratios, we also check the energy balance. When we consider the case of the second treatment, we choose the minimum binary separation from eq. (\[af\_sph\]) and (\[af\_ce\]), as at small masses the extrapolated prescription from SPH simulations can lead to the formation of binaries with artificial energy creation. Also, in the case when a MS star at the pericenter overfills its Roche lobe, we destroy the MS star instead of forming a binary. This is consistent with the results of SPH simulations for physical collisions of a RG and a MS star (J. Lombardi 2005, priv. communication).
In Fig. \[mswd-formation\] we also show possible binary periods for binaries formed via physical collisions with a red giant. Note that it is hard to form a relatively close MS-WD binary (one that is able to start MT within a few Gyr) with a WD more massive than 0.3 $M_\odot$ via either prescription. Also, in binaries with the mass ratio $\ga 3$, Roche lobe overflow leads to delayed dynamical instability and a binary merger. This limits the MS star mass to $\la 0.9\,M_\odot$. Therefore, the CV progenitors from the channel of physical collisions of RGs and MS stars are expected to initially have rather low mass WD accretors, and donor star masses $\la 0.9\,M_\odot$. Therefore, metallicity variations should not affect this channel strongly. The evolutionary stage during He core burning lasts almost the same time as the RG branch, however, He core stars of $\la 2\,M_\odot$ are a few times more compact than at the end of the RG branch and have a larger core than during RG evolution. Therefore a collision between a He core burning star and a MS star also favors the formation of a WD-MS binary that is close enough to become a CV. This channel mainly provides binaries with a WD mass at the start of accretion of about 0.5 $M_\odot$ (just a bit above the core mass at the time of He core flash).
On the other hand, there are not many single WDs of such small masses present in a GC core. A WD with mass $\la 0.3\,M_\odot$ cannot (yet) be formed in single star evolution – it must evolve via a CE event or a physical collision. A binary containing such a WD is very hard and has $\tau_{\rm coll}\ge 10$ Gyr. If an encounter occurs, it is more likely to result in a merger rather than an exchange. We therefore expect that most CVs with a low mass WD companion will be formed either through a CE event (in a primordial binary or in a dynamically formed binary with $P\sim 10-100$ days), or as a result of a physical collision, but not via direct exchange encounter.
A typical binary formed via an exchange encounter has $e\approx 0.7$. In order to become a CV within 2 Gyr (or before the next encounter), it should have a post-encounter period of a few days (see also Fig. \[mswd-ecc\]). According to energy conservation during an exchange encounter [@Heggie96], and assuming that during an exchange encounter the less massive companion is replaced by the more massive intruding star, the post-encounter binary separation will be larger than pre-encounter. The domain of pre-encounter binaries that will be able to form a CV-progenitor binary via only exchange encounter is therefore limited to very short period binaries (with correspondingly long collision times), and these binaries are very likely to experience a physical collision rather than an exchange [@Fregeau04].
Let us consider the possibilities for an initially wider dynamically formed binary than shown on Fig. \[mswd-ecc\] to evolve toward MT. For definiteness, we consider a binary consisting of a 1 $M_\odot$ MS star and a 0.6 $M_\odot$ WD with an initial period of 10 days. There are two kinds of post-formation dynamical effects that can happen during fly-by encounters: (i) binary hardening; (ii) eccentricity pumping. Even if each hardening encounter could reduce the orbital separation by as much as $50\%$, the hardening of this binary from 10 days to 1 day (at this period MB starts to be efficient) will take about 20 Gyr. In the case of eccentricity pumping (assuming no binary energy change), the mean time between successive collisions stays at $\tau_{\rm coll}\le1$ Gyr and therefore a binary can experience many encounters. If the acquired eccentricity $e\ge0.95$, the binary can shrink through GW emission even if its initial period is larger than 10 days. The last possibility for such a wide dynamically formed binary to become a CV is a CE event that happens in a post-exchange MS-MS binary.
Dynamical formation of AM CVns
------------------------------
![The fate of post-encounter WD-WD binaries where the primary is a WD of 0.6 $M_\odot$. $P$ is the post-encounter orbital period and $M_{\rm WD}$ is the mass of the WD secondary. The dashed lines show the binary periods for constant collision times and the dotted lines delineate the binaries that will begin MT within 2 Gyr due to GW emission for different post-encounter eccentricities. The solid lines show binaries of different eccentricities that can be formed through a collision between a WD of 0.6 $M_\odot$ and a RG of 0.8 $M_\odot$ ( $\alpha_{\rm CE} \lambda=1$). \[wdwd\] ](fig6.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
For the evolution of WD-WD binaries, we adopt that only GW are important as a mechanism of angular momentum loss and neglect the possibility of tidal heating. The maximum possible periods for different post-encounter eccentricities are shown on Fig.\[wdwd\].
Let us first examine a WD-WD binary formation via direct exchange. Again, as in the case of MS-WD binaries, a typical eccentricity is $e\sim0.7$ and the separation is comparable to the pre-exchange separation. The collision time for both pre-encounter and post-exchange binaries is so long that both binary hardening and exchanges are very rare events. The main difference with MS-WD binaries is that post-exchange WD-WD binary periods that will allow a binary to evolve to mass transfer (MT) are several times smaller for the same eccentricities. Therefore, the exchange channel producing a post-exchange binary consisting of two WDs seems to be very unlikely.
A more important channel seems to be the case of an exchange encounter that leads to the formation of a MS-WD binary. If the MS star is massive enough to become a RG during the cluster lifetime, such a binary can evolve through CE and form a close WD-WD binary.
The second important channel is again a physical collision, involving a single WD with a RG (see Fig. \[wdwd\], where we show possible outcomes of a such a collision). We note that both treatments (parameterized SPH results and CE prescription) lead to the formation of WD-WD binaries that are roughly equally likely to start the MT.
We therefore expect that only a post-CE system can become an AM CVn, where the post-CE system could be from a primordial binary, a post-collision binary, or a dynamically formed binary.
Methods and assumptions
=======================
For our numerical simulations of globular clusters we use a Monte Carlo approach described in detail in @Ivanova05. The method couples the binary population synthesis code [StarTrack]{} [@Bel02; @Bel05b], a simple model for the cluster, and a small $N$-body integrator for accurate treatment of all relevant dynamical interaction processes [[FewBody]{}, @Fregeau04]. The main update of the code is the treatment of physical collisions with a RG, for which we now use the parameterized results of SPH simulations from @Lombardi_2006 as described in §2.2. In our code we keep a complete record of all events that happen to any cluster star, dynamical (like collisions, tidal captures and exchanges, as well as changes of the binary eccentricity or the binary separation after a fly-by encounter), or evolutionary (like common envelope events, mass transfers, or SN explosions). This helps to analyze the final populations and understand what factors played the most significant role in their formation.
The “standard” cluster model in our simulations has initially $N=10^6$ stars and initial binary fraction of 100%. The distribution of initial binary periods is constant in the logarithm between contact and $10^7$ d and the eccentricities are distributed thermally. We want to stress here that about 2/3 of these binaries are soft initially (the binary fraction provided by only hard binaries gives an initial binary fraction of about $20\%$ if the 1-D velocity dispersion is 10 km/s) and most very tight binaries are destroyed through evolutionary mergers. Our initial binary fraction is therefore comparable to the initial binary fractions that are usually used in $N$-body codes, where it is assumed for simplicity that very soft binaries will not live long as binaries and will only slow down the simulations. For more detailed discussion on the choice of the primordial binary fraction, see [@Ivanova05].
For single stars and primaries we adopted the broken power law initial mass function (IMF) of @Kroupa02 and a flat mass-ratio distribution for secondaries. The initial core mass is 5% of the cluster mass and, assuming initial mass segregation, an average object in the core is about twice as massive as an average cluster star. At the age of 11 Gyr the mass of such a cluster in our simulations is $\sim 2\times 10^5\,M_\odot$ and is comparable to the mass of typical globular clusters in our Galaxy.
We adopt a core number density $n_{\rm c}=10^5 \ {\rm pc}^{-3}$ (this corresponds to $\rho_{\rm c}\approx 10^{4.7}\,M_\odot \ {\rm pc}^{-3}$ at the ages of 7-14 Gyr), a half-mass relaxation time $t_{\rm rh}=1$ Gyr and a metallicity $Z=0.001$. The characteristic velocities are taken as for a King model $W_0=7$ for the cluster of this mass. We take a one-dimensional velocity dispersion $\sigma_1=10$ km/s and an escape velocity from the cluster $v_{\rm esc}=40$ km/s. If, after an interaction or SN explosion, an object in the core acquires a velocity higher than the recoil velocity $v_{\rm rec}=30$ km/s, an object is moved from the core to the halo. The ejection velocity for objects in the halo is $v_{\rm ej,h}=28$ km/s.
In addition to the “standard” model we also considered cluster models with the following modifications:
- a metal-rich cluster with $Z=0.02$ (“metal-rich”);
- central density $n_{\rm c}=10^4 \ {\rm pc}^{-3}$ (“med-dens”) or $n_{\rm c}=10^3 \ {\rm pc}^{-3}$ (“low-dens”)
- initial binary fraction 50% (“BF05”);
- RVJ magnetic braking (“fast MB”);
- treatment of physical collision using a CE prescription (“CE coll”);
- 47 Tuc-type cluster, characterized by a higher density $\rho_{\rm c}=10^{5.2}\,M_\odot \ {\rm pc}^{-3}$, higher metallicity $Z=0.0035$, $\sigma_1=11.5$ km/s, $v_{\rm esc}=57$ (with the recoil velocity of 52 km/s and $v_{\rm ej,h}=24$ km/s) and $t_{\rm rh}=3$ Gyr (“47 Tuc”).
“47 Tuc” model describes the GC where currently the largest CV population is identified. In order to find a better match with the observations, we examined several variations of this model. In particular, we considered a model with an initial binary population of 50% (“47 Tuc+BF05”), and a model with an initial binary population is 50%, and the initial core has a smaller mass - 2%, reflecting the effect of a longer half-mass relaxation time on the initial population (“47 Tuc+SCBF05”). We also examined the sensitivity of the final CV production to the CE efficiency parameter, considering the case with $\alpha_{\rm CE}\lambda=0.1$ (“47 Tuc+$\alpha_{\rm CE}\lambda$”).
In order to estimate the effects of dynamics on the population we also ran the same population as in our “standard” model (Z=0.001), but without dynamics (“non-dyn”). In order to compare to a field population, we considered the population of stars with solar metallicity Z=0.02 and with different times of star formation, assuming flat star formation rate through last 10 Gyrs (“field”). In “non-dyn” model all stars are formed at the zero age, like in GCs.
Numerical results
=================
Formation channels of CVs
-------------------------
### Main formation channels in the “standard” model {#form-chan}
In Fig. \[cv-scen-blue\] we show the formation channels for all CVs that are present in a typical cluster (our “standard” model) at the age of 10 Gyr. Most of these CVs are too dim to be detected, and we consider separately the population of CVs that can be detectable according to present observational limits, considered specifically for the globular cluster 47 Tuc. For the limiting X-ray luminosity, we take $L_{\rm x}\ga 3\cdot 10^{30}$ ergs s$^{-1}$ [@Grindlay01a], and the limiting bolometric luminosity of the donor $L_{\rm d}\ga 0.06 L_{\odot}$, set by the limiting magnitude of HST in the cluster core [@Edmonds03a].
We label channels in the following way: the first character indicates the last major dynamical event affecting the binary before it becomes a CV in the core, as follows: (1) entering the core (primordial binary); (2) companion exchange during a binary encounter; (3) merger during a binary encounter; (4) physical collision with a RG during a binary encounter that resulted in a tight binary formation with a RG core as a companion; (5) tidal capture; (6) physical collision of a single MS star with a single RG. The second character indicates a sub-channel by which the binary was modified after the last major dynamical event occurred: (a) stands for all sub-channels where no strong evolutionary or dynamical event occurred; (b) eccentricity of the formed binary was increased via binary-binary encounters; (c) common envelope occurred; (d) a previous MT episode played the most important role in the orbital decay.
The [*primordial channel*]{} ([**channel 1**]{}) – provides $37\%$ of all CVs that are present in the cluster core ( 42% of detectable CVs). We call this channel primordial as the binary keeps both its initial companions, and no mergers ever occurred to either of them. Only 3/4 of CVs formed via this channel are “purely” primordial in the sense that they did not experience a significant dynamical encounter throughout their life ([**1a**]{}, see also Fig. \[cv-scen-blue\]); most of these “purely” primordial CVs evolved via CE before they entered the core. As was predicted in § 2.1, very few CVs come from the channel where CE occurred after a binary entered the core ([**1c**]{}). 1/5 of all primordial CVs would not evolve via CE or start a MT unless their eccentricity was increased via fly-by encounters ([**1b**]{}). A small fraction of primordial CVs evolved without a CE but with only a MT episode on to a MS star ([**1d**]{}), as was described in § 2.1.
The binary encounters ([**channel 2, 3 and 4**]{}) are responsible for the formation of $46\%$ of all CVs, and the same fraction of detectable CVs. In most cases the binary that participated in the binary encounter was not a primordial binary, but a dynamically formed binary. In more than half of cases, a future accretor had been a companion in at least 3 different binaries before it acquired its final donor.
The most effective path is the [*binary exchange channel*]{} ([**channel 2**]{}) – it provides 32% of all CVs. Within this channel, $\sim 40\%$ of post-exchange binaries evolved toward the MT without further significant dynamical or evolutionary events ([**2a**]{}), in 20% of them CE occured ([**2c**]{}) and in 40% of them the MT started as a result of the eccentricity pumping during subsequent fly-by encounters ([**2b**]{}). This is the most efficient channel for eccentricity pumping.
Exchange encounters that lead to CV formation typically occur between the following participants: (i) a single, relatively heavy WD (about $0.7-1.4\,M_\odot$) and a MS-MS binary of total mass $\la 1\,M_\odot$; (ii) a single, relatively massive MS star (about turn-off mass) and a MS-WD or WD-WD binary. In the latter case, CE often follows the exchange encounter. The number of successful encounters between MS star and WD-WD binary is relatively small, and no successful four-body encounter occurred. Nearly all binaries that proceed via sub-channels 2a or 2b are WD-MS binaries, and all binaries in sub-channel 2c are MS-MS binaries after the last strong binary encounter. A post-exchange binary typically has a heavier WD than a primordial (post-CE) binary has.
A further $13\%$ of CVs are formed in binaries that experienced a physical collision during the last three- or four-body encounter – [*binary collisional channel*]{} ([**channel 3**]{}), while in 1% of cases a physical collision with a RG occurred during the encounter and a binary with the stripped RG core was formed ([**channel 4**]{}). In the evolution of post-collisional binaries the eccentricity change plays a smaller role compared to post-exchange binaries; MT is started due to the evolutionary angular momentum losses.
The [*tidal capture channel*]{} ([**channel 5**]{}) contributed very little in our standard model. When we looked at all CVs that were formed via TC over all GC ages, we find that a typical WD that captured a MS star is $\sim 1.0\pm0.2\,M_\odot$. In our simulation we allowed a star to overfill its Roche lobe radius by up to 1/3 during the tidal capture encounter and survive. If all encounters where a MS star overfills its Roche lobe lead to the stars’ merger, then the contribution of tidal captures would be even smaller.
Finally, the [*channel of physical collision with RGs*]{} ([**channel 6**]{}) provides $15\%$ of all CVs but much smaller fraction of detectable CVs. Eccentricity pumping played a very small role in both TC and physical collision channels. Typical participants of a successful physical collision (leading to CV formation) are a MS star of $0.3-0.9~M_\odot$ and a RG of about $1-1.7\,M_\odot$ with a core around $0.3\,M_\odot$ or a He core burning giant with a core mass around $0.5\,M_\odot$. CVs formed by this channel are similar to post-CE CVs from primordial binaries. We also compared the results of CVs productions in our large model with $10^6$ stars and in the model with three times less stars. We noted that, with the increase of the resolution, the total number and the number of detectable CVs per unit of the core mass is slowly decreasing. Branching ratios between sub-channels within a channel can vary slightly, but an overall picture is the same.
We outline our main findings:
- [Only $\sim 25\%$ of CVs were formed in binaries that would become CVs in the field.]{}
- [In $\sim 20\%$ of CVs the main reason for a binary to become a CV were fly-by encounters. These CVs cannot be predicted in simulations where only strong encounters are taken into account.]{}
- [In $\sim 15\%$ of CVs, the WD was formed during dynamical removal of the RG envelope. As this removal is not “clean”, and about 0.1 $M_\odot$ [see @Lombardi_2006] can remain bound to the RG stripped core, the characteristics of the WD can differ from those formed via a common envelope. ]{}
- [ $60\%$ of CVs did not evolve via CE, which is the most common formation channel for field CVs.]{}
- [Tidal captures did not play a significant role.]{}
channel 1a 1b 1c 2a 2b 2c 3a 3b 3c 4a 5a 6a
--------------------------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ----- ---- -- -- -- --
standard 0.271 0.077 0.013 0.135 0.129 0.052 0.090 0.006 0.039 0.013 0.026 0.148 209 47
metal-rich 0.204 0.056 0.031 0.148 0.143 0.046 0.051 0.015 0.015 0.020 0.031 0.230 265 16
med-dens 0.327 0.253 0.167 0.111 0.012 0.056 0.031 0.019 0.006 0.006 0.000 0.006 193 35
low-dens 0.404 0.066 0.456 0.037 0.000 0.007 0.015 0.000 0.015 0.000 0.000 0.000 156 26
fast MB 0.190 0.103 0.017 0.086 0.190 0.172 0.034 0.017 0.000 0.017 0.052 0.103 79 15
CE coll 0.212 0.106 0.006 0.159 0.194 0.041 0.041 0.029 0.029 0.006 0.000 0.176 230 47
BF05 0.206 0.119 0.024 0.135 0.135 0.056 0.040 0.032 0.024 0.024 0.008 0.175 162 36
47 Tuc 0.135 0.094 0.000 0.250 0.146 0.073 0.042 0.042 0.021 0.031 0.000 0.156 275 37
47 Tuc+BF05 0.143 0.057 0.014 0.171 0.143 0.029 0.014 0.043 0.029 0.000 0.043 0.300 190 35
47 Tuc+SCBF05 0.071 0.114 0.000 0.100 0.114 0.057 0.014 0.014 0.014 0.014 0.029 0.443 237 27
47 Tuc+$\alpha_{\rm CE}\lambda$ 0.170 0.057 0.011 0.182 0.125 0.045 0.034 0.011 0.011 0.023 0.023 0.307 253 40
non-dyn 124 16
field 117 3
Notations for channels – see text in § \[form-chan\] and also Fig. \[cv-scen-blue\]. “Total” is the number of CVs and “Detec” is the number of detectable CVs, both numbers are scaled per 50 000 $M_\odot$ stellar population mass in the core.
### Formation channels in different clusters
In Table \[tab-channels\] we give details on the formation channels for different cluster models at the same age of 10 Gyr. We note that these numbers fluctuate with time and are not defined precisely (see more below in §\[cv-ages\]), however some trends can be identified. We also show the numbers of CVs that are formed in a metal-poor environment (“non-dyn”) and in the field. The definition of “detectable” CVs is not very consistent here, as observational limits for field CVs are not the same as for GCs (and much more poorly defined), but we use the same limits for comparison. It can be seen that dynamics in the “standard” model leads to an increase of the total CV production by less than a factor of two.
In the case of the “metal-rich” model, the turn-off mass at 10 Gyr is larger than in the “standard” model – there are more massive stars in the core; the ratio between the total numbers of CVs in two models is roughly the ratio between their turn-off masses at this age.
As was expected, the role of purely primordial CVs (channel 1a) decreases in importance when density increases (see “standard”, “med-dens” and “low-dens” models), although their absolute number is about the same for all three models – once a CV is formed outside the core, it is hard to destroy it in the core. On the other hand, the number of systems that experience CE after entering the core (1c) increases as the density decreases, since it is easier for pre-CE systems to survive in a less dense environment. The production of almost all channels via dynamical encounters decreases with density, except for channel 1b, where only non-strong encounters are involved. Overall, the total number of CVs in the core does not depend strongly on the core density, as the dynamical destruction of primordial binaries that would produce CVs, and the dynamical production of CVs, compensate each other.
The “fast MB” model shows the greatest difference with the “standard” model in the total number of CVs that are present in the cluster core: the “standard” model has about 3 times more CVs, both total and detectable, although the number of CVs that are ever formed in the core is slightly smaller. The “fast MB” model employs the prescription of MB with faster angular momentum loss than in the case of the standard model, and therefore the duration of the CV stage is shorter.
The “CE coll” model does not show significant differences with our “standard” model.
The “BF05” model shows that CV formation is reduced mainly for primordial CVs and for CVs produced via binary encounters. The number of CVs produced via physical collisions between single stars is about the same.
The results for “47 Tuc” are due to a mixture of several conditions: the higher core number density favors dynamical formation, and the higher metallicity gives a wider mass range over which MB operates on the donor star. Variation of initial conditions, such as a smaller binary fraction, does not lead to significant differences except that the relative role of binaries becomes smaller than the role of physical collisions. Some decrease in the number of detectable CVs occurs when we start with a smaller initial core.
channel 1a 1b 1c 2a 2b 2c 3a 3b 3c 4a 5a 6a
--------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ----- ---- -- -- -- --
1 Gyr 0.250 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.250 0.250 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.250 15 7
2 Gyr 0.111 0.074 0.037 0.259 0.111 0.185 0.000 0.000 0.037 0.000 0.000 0.185 84 37
3 Gyr 0.185 0.046 0.015 0.154 0.169 0.123 0.015 0.000 0.015 0.031 0.015 0.231 170 62
4 Gyr 0.200 0.078 0.022 0.167 0.133 0.133 0.022 0.000 0.011 0.022 0.011 0.200 203 76
5 Gyr 0.190 0.076 0.029 0.162 0.086 0.095 0.057 0.010 0.019 0.019 0.019 0.229 210 62
6 Gyr 0.214 0.077 0.026 0.162 0.103 0.060 0.051 0.009 0.026 0.026 0.017 0.231 211 56
7 Gyr 0.268 0.049 0.016 0.163 0.114 0.041 0.049 0.008 0.024 0.024 0.016 0.220 204 43
8 Gyr 0.284 0.061 0.014 0.128 0.122 0.068 0.054 0.007 0.041 0.020 0.014 0.182 228 44
9 Gyr 0.268 0.067 0.013 0.128 0.134 0.060 0.074 0.007 0.047 0.020 0.013 0.161 214 40
10 Gyr 0.271 0.077 0.013 0.135 0.129 0.052 0.090 0.006 0.039 0.013 0.026 0.148 209 47
11 Gyr 0.253 0.084 0.006 0.157 0.139 0.054 0.078 0.006 0.042 0.012 0.030 0.139 212 51
12 Gyr 0.209 0.088 0.005 0.165 0.181 0.049 0.066 0.016 0.033 0.005 0.027 0.154 221 41
13 Gyr 0.203 0.091 0.005 0.188 0.162 0.056 0.066 0.030 0.030 0.010 0.025 0.132 228 34
14 Gyr 0.199 0.131 0.000 0.184 0.155 0.039 0.068 0.044 0.029 0.010 0.019 0.121 229 43
Notations are as in Table \[tab-channels\].
### Formation channels at different cluster ages {#cv-ages}
![Formation of CVs via different channels. The solid line shows the case of “standard” model, dotted line shows “metal-rich”.[]{data-label="cv-form4w"}](fig8.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
![Appearance of CVs (time that MT starts) formed via different channels. Notations as in Fig. \[cv-form4w\] []{data-label="cv-appear4w"}](fig9.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
![Destruction of CVs. Notations as in Fig. \[cv-form4w\]. []{data-label="cv-destr4w"}](fig10.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
In Fig. \[cv-form4w\] we show the formation rate of CVs via different channels throughout the life of a cluster (indicating the time when a dynamical event occurred, or, for primordial binaries, the time when a CE happened). In Fig. \[cv-appear4w\] we show the rate of appearance of CVs (start of mass transfer) as a function of time.
The primordial channel produces most of its CVs at the beginning of the cluster evolution, though the appearance of primordial CVs is distributed flatly in time. This contrasts with binary encounter channels, where the formation occurs rather flatly in time, but the rate of CV appearance grows after 7 Gyr. A similar delay in the appearance can be seen for CVs formed via tidal captures.
In Fig. \[cv-destr4w\] we show the number of CVs that stop MT for different reasons: (1) end of MT due to the star’s contraction (usually occurs with CVs where a donor is a RG) or evolutionary merger of the binary; (2) explosion of the WD as Ia SN or sub-Chandrasekhar SN explosion, or accretion induced collapse (AIC); (3) end of MT due to a strong dynamical encounter. Most CVs stop MT due to an evolutionary reason, while the number of SN explosions is also relatively high and is comparable to the number of CVs destroyed by dynamical encounters [for more detail on how SN Ia are calculated, see §4.4 and @Bel05_sn].
In Table \[tab-channels-age\] we show a detailed representation of CV formation by different channels in the “standard” model at different cluster ages. We note a peak in the number of detectable CVs at the age of 4 Gyr, and that the total number of CVs increases steadily until the age of 8 Gyrs and then stays constant. The weight of different channels in the relative numbers of appearing CVs does not change dramatically during the cluster evolution.
Population characteristics of CVs
---------------------------------
### Periods and masses
![The mass-distribution of hydrogen accreting WDs. The hatched area corresponds to dynamically formed binaries; the solid filled area to systems formed directly from primordial binaries. The top panel shows the case with no dynamics (different ages), the second panel from the top shows the compiled field case, the third panel shows the core of the cluster in the “standard” model and the bottom panel shows the cluster core in the model “47 Tuc”. []{data-label="cv_mass"}](fig11.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
![The period-distribution of hydrogen accreting WDs. The hatched area corresponds to dynamically formed binaries; the solid filled area to systems formed directly from primordial binaries. The top panel shows the case with no dynamics (different ages), the second panel from the top shows the compiled field case, the third panel shows the core of the cluster in the “standard” model and the bottom panel shows the cluster core in the model “47 Tuc”. Solid triangles indicates the periods of CVs that are identified in 47 Tuc from observations. []{data-label="cv_per"}](fig12.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
On Fig. \[cv\_mass\] and \[cv\_per\] we show mass and period distributions for “standard” and “47 Tuc” cluster models, as well as for the population evolved without dynamics. A remnant of the primordial population of CVs in cluster cores follows the distribution of primordial CVs evolved without dynamics at the same age. However the distribution of dynamically formed CVs shows signs of younger (non-dynamical) CV populations, and also is more populated at the high mass end. For 47 Tuc we also show the periods of the identified CVs, which have a distribution consistent with the period distribution of the “detectable” CVs in our simulations.
### MT rates and X-ray luminosities
![Simulated distribution of orbital periods versus 0.5-2.5 keV X-ray luminosity for “47 Tuc” model (at the age of 11 Gyr). Stars are CVs that could be detected, while open circles are CVs that cannot be detected (generally due to the optical faintness of the donor). The size of the symbol corresponds to the WD mass (the largest is for WDs more massive than 1 $M_\odot$, the smallest symbol is for WDs less massive than 0.6 $M_\odot$, and the medium symbol is for WDs with masses between 0.6 and 1 $M_\odot$ ). []{data-label="pl_stan"}](fig13.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
![Observed distribution of orbital periods vs. 0.5-2.5 keV X-ray luminosity for CVs in globular clusters. Known CVs in globular clusters, with known X-ray luminosities but without known orbital periods, are plotted at P=0 hours or less. CVs that have undergone recorded dwarf nova outbursts are indicated with circles, CVs with strong He II $\lambda4686$ emission (suggesting strong magnetic fields, see text) with stars (some are both). Three objects with uncertain periods or CV status (W34 in 47 Tuc might be a millisecond pulsar) are marked as open triangles; other CVs are indicated with filled triangles. Data include 23 CVs from 47 Tuc [@Edmonds03a; @Edmonds03b], 8 from NGC 6397 [@Edmonds99; @Grindlay01b; @Kaluzny03; @Shara05], 7 from NGC 6752 [@Pooley02a; @Bailyn96_ngc6752], two from M22 [@Pietrukowicz05], two from M15 [@Hann05], one from M5 [@Hakala97; @Neill02], one from M4 [@Bassa04], and one from M55 [@Kaluzny05].[]{data-label="pl_obs"}](fig14.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
We compare the distribution of orbital periods versus 0.5-2.5 keV X-ray luminosity for our simulation of 47 Tuc and observations of CVs in globular clusters (see Fig. \[pl\_stan\] and Fig. \[pl\_obs\])[^5]. Observationally, few CVs have measured orbital periods. For real CVs with unknown periods, only the X-ray luminosity is shown. To obtain the X-ray luminosity of simulated CVs for comparison to observations, we use the accretion model from [@Patterson85] for 0.5-4 keV and scale the luminosity to 0.5-2.5 keV assuming a flat energy distribution within the band:
$$L_{\rm x}(0.5-2.5{\rm \ keV}) = 0.066 \frac{GM_{\rm wd}\dot M}{2 R_{\rm wd}} \ ,$$
where $\dot M$ is the mass transfer rate and $R_{\rm wd}$ is the radius of the WD. The simulations show reasonable agreement with the observations.
However, this picture so far does not explain the rare occurrence of DNOs in globular clusters CVs, in comparison to the field. Therefore, other properties of these systems must be explored to identify the distinguishing characteristics.
![MT rates in CVs. Hatched areas indicate detectable CVs. For our no-dynamics model the detectable CV histogram is increased by a factor of 10, while for “47 Tuc” it is increased by a factor of 3. “47 Tuc” is shown at the age of 11 Gyr.[]{data-label="mt_cv"}](fig15.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
In Fig. \[mt\_cv\] we show MT rates in CVs in “standard” model, in the “47 Tuc” model and for the field. Although MT rates in our GC simulations do not exceed $10^{-9} {\rm\,M_\odot/yr}$, and field CVs can have higher MT rates, this result may be due to small number statistics. We therefore do not find significant differences between MT rates in GC CVs and field CVs. For our GC CVs, all MT rates are such that the accretion disc is partially ionized and unstable, in accordance with the disc instability model. We adopt the viscosity parameters $\alpha_{\rm hot}=0.1$ and $\alpha_{\rm cold}=0.01$, for hot and stable disc states respectively. Therefore, all our CVs should produce DNOs.
[@Dobrotka05] proposed that a combination of low MT rates and moderately strong magnetic fields can explain the absence of DNOs in GCs. Lower mass transfer rates would lead to a rarer occurrence of DNOs, and strong magnetic fields would lead to truncation of the inner disc keeping the disc in the cold stable state. As we do not find systematically lower MT rates for our GC CVs, (in fact our MT rates are two orders of magnitude higher than found in [@Dobrotka05]), we estimated the minimum magnetic field required to suppress DNOs (see Fig. \[cv\_b\]), using the criterion from ([@Dobrotka05]):
$$B_{\rm supp} \ga 5.7\times 10^5 {\rm G} \left ( \frac{\dot M}{10^{-10} \frac{M_\odot}{yr}} \right )^{1.16}
\left (\frac{M_{\rm wd}}{M_\odot} \right) ^{0.83} \left (\frac{0.01R_{\odot}}{R_{\rm wd}} \right) ^{3} .$$
We find that $B_{\rm supp}$ is a slowly increasing function of the WD mass and, for most of the WDs with masses below 1 $M_\odot$, is even below $10^6$ G. WDs with $B\la 10^6$ G are not regarded as highly magnetic. It can also be seen that a $10^7$ G field is enough to prevent DNOs in all CVs with the WDs less massive than 1.1 $M_\odot$ and the field of $~10^8$ G is strong enough to stop DNOs for WDs of all masses.
![The minimum magnetic field $B_{\rm supp}$ required to prevent dwarf nova outbursts for CVs in our simulations. Open circles show CVs in the “standard” model, filled triangles show CVs in the “metal-rich” model, and stars indicate CVs in the “47 Tuc” model.“47 Tuc” is shown at the age of 11 Gyr, other models are shown at the age of 10 Gyr.[]{data-label="cv_b"}](fig16.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
Formation Channels of AM CVns {#sec-amcv}
-----------------------------
channel 1a 1b 1c 2a 2b 2c 3a 3b 3c 4a 5a 6a
--------------------------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ----- --
standard 0.385 0.068 0.000 0.051 0.090 0.030 0.013 0.013 0.064 0.064 0.009 0.265 316
metal-rich 0.379 0.089 0.000 0.031 0.071 0.022 0.018 0.004 0.009 0.009 0.000 0.348 303
med-dens 0.732 0.141 0.056 0.010 0.010 0.015 0.005 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.076 236
low-dens 0.680 0.085 0.178 0.008 0.004 0.036 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.178 283
fast MB 0.450 0.077 0.000 0.036 0.068 0.045 0.009 0.005 0.027 0.027 0.000 0.266 303
CE coll 0.474 0.123 0.000 0.035 0.082 0.023 0.006 0.012 0.018 0.018 0.012 0.211 231
BF05 0.271 0.090 0.005 0.053 0.080 0.016 0.011 0.032 0.011 0.011 0.000 0.404 242
47 Tuc 0.246 0.070 0.000 0.026 0.070 0.035 0.035 0.018 0.009 0.009 0.000 0.491 327
47 Tuc+BF05 0.174 0.110 0.000 0.018 0.101 0.037 0.000 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.009 0.514 296
47 Tuc+SCBF05 0.217 0.101 0.000 0.029 0.043 0.043 0.000 0.000 0.014 0.014 0.000 0.551 233
47 Tuc+$\alpha_{\rm CE}\lambda$ 0.252 0.078 0.000 0.000 0.117 0.029 0.019 0.010 0.058 0.058 0.000 0.427 296
non-dyn 169
field 110
Notations for channels is the same as for CVs (see text in § \[form-chan\] and also Fig. \[cv-scen-blue\]). “Total” is the number of AM CVns, the number is scaled per 50 000 $M_\odot$ stellar population mass in the core.
![The mass-distribution of helium accreting WDs. The hatched area corresponds to dynamically formed binaries; the solid filled area to systems formed directly from primordial binaries. The top panel shows the case with no dynamics (different ages), the second panel from the top shows the compiled field case, the third panel shows the core of the cluster in the “standard” model and the bottom panel shows the cluster core in the model “47 Tuc”. []{data-label="amcv_mass"}](fig17.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
In Table 3 we show the main formation channels for AM CVns that occur in different clusters, classifying channels in an analogous manner to Sec. 4.1.1. The main differences with the formation of CVs are: (i) post-CE channels (including primordial) are more important; (ii) the role of physical collisions for AM CVns is increased; (iii) binary encounters played a much less significant role.
In most physical collisions the participants are a RG of $0.9-2.2\,M_\odot$ (the core mass is $0.2-0.3\,M_\odot$) and a WD $\ga 0.6\,M_\odot$. In $\la 20\%$ of physical collisions the participants are a He core burning giant of $1.7-2.2\,M_\odot$ (the collision in this case leads to the formation of a He star of $0.4-0.55\,M_\odot$) and a heavier WD, generally $\ga 0.9-1.1\,M_\odot$.
Overall, this channel provides AM CVns with accretors of masses from $0.8\,M_\odot$ to $1.4\,M_\odot$ at a cluster age of 10 Gyr. The field population of AM CVns would have accretors with masses typically between $0.65\,M_\odot$ and $1.0\,M_\odot$ [Fig. \[amcv\_mass\], see also @Nelemans_2001_amcvns; @Bel05_lisa]. The peak in the accretor mass distribution is shifted from $\sim 0.7\,M_\odot$ in the field population to $0.9\,M_\odot$ in the cluster population.
Explosive events {#sec-expl}
----------------
event SN Ia supraCh subCh AIC NS$_{\rm DD}$ NS$_{\rm AIC}$
--------------------------------- ------- --------- ------- ------ --------------- ----------------
standard 2.0 9.3 7.3 3.21 118 79.2
metal-rich 3.48 8.2 11.7 2.73 117 91.4
med-dens 0.48 2.4 8.0 1.45 89 64.7
low-dens 0.00 2.9 9.8 0.72 80 61.3
fast MB 3.48 8.2 11.7 2.73 117 91.4
CE coll 0.74 7.7 8.9 2.97 117 85.1
BF05 1.56 3.6 4.2 2.45 70 45.5
47 Tuc 1.22 4.9 9.3 2.44 88 70.3
47 Tuc+BF05 1.54 2.2 6.4 0.66 65 42.1
47 Tuc+SCBF05 0.66 2.4 6.2 0.88 50 36.3
47 Tuc+$\alpha_{\rm CE}\lambda$ 2.20 3.2 8.8 1.71 87 59.6
non-dyn 0.00 0.7 3.2 0.00 70 69.4
field 0.50 7.7 15.1 1.58 122.17 22.8
: Rate of explosive events.[]{data-label="tab-channels-expl"}
“SN Ia” is the number of Type Ia SN (single-degenerate channel only), “supraCh” is the number of double WD mergers where the total mass is more than $1.4\,M_\odot$, “subCh” is the number of sub-Chandrasekhar nuclear runaways, “NS” is the number of NSs that can be potentially formed via double-degenerate (NS$_{\rm DD}$) or AIC (NS$_{\rm AIC}$) channels until the age of 10 Gyrs. For cluster models, rates and numbers are given per Gyr per 200,000 $M_\odot$ total cluster mass and are averaged for the ages of 8-12 Gyr. For non-dynamical models, rates and numbers are given for the age of 10 Gyr and for the field model rates and numbers are given after 10 Gyr of continuous star formation.
As the mass distribution of accreting WDs is shifted towards higher masses compared to the field population, it is important to check what effect this has on the rates of: (i) Type Ia supernova (SN Ia, here we mean the single degenerate channel only); (ii) double WD mergers (those for which the total mass $\ge M_{\rm Ch}\simeq 1.4\,M_\odot$); (iii) sub-Chandrasekhar supernovae; and (iv) accretion induced collapse (AIC).
The type of event that occurs depends on the mass and composition of the white dwarf and the rate of mass transfer. If this is a carbon-oxygen (CO) WD and experiences stable accretion, it will accumulate mass until it reaches the Chandrasekhar limit and then explodes as a type Ia supernova. In the case of specific MT rates the accretion leads to the accumulation of He in the shell [@Kato99_ia]. If sufficient mass is accumulated, it will lead to the ignition of the CO or ONeMg core and disruption of the WD as a sub-Chandrasekhar-mass Type Ia supernova [see @Taam80_subch; @Livne91_subch; @Woosley94_subch; @Garcia99_subch; @Ivanova_04d]. In the case of accretion on to ONeMg WDs, upon reaching the Chandrasekhar limit the WD will undergo accretion-induced collapse and form a NS.
If the donor is another WD and the mass transfer is not stable, the mass of the merger product can exceed the Chandrasekhar limit – these so-called supra-Chandrasekhar mergers could lead either to a Type Ia supernova (double-degenerate channel), or to a merger induced collapse of the remnant to form a NS and perhaps a millisecond radio pulsar [@Chen93]. It was argued as well that in the latter case and, if one of the WD is magnetic, such mergers will lead to magnetar formation. Such objects may be responsible for the production of the giant flares emitted by soft $\gamma$-repeaters, which can be identified with early type galaxies. These flares may contribute to a fraction of the observed short duration burst population at higher redshift [@Levan06_SGR].
If NSs are born with natal kicks, most of them will be ejected from the shallow cluster potential, leaving few NSs to explain the observed number of millisecond pulsars [@Pfahl02]. In the case of accretion or merger induced collapse, the NSs are likely to be formed without a significant kick [@Podsi04_aic], and this can relieve the NS “retention problem”. If double WD mergers do not lead to collapse, they must contribute to the rate of Type Ia supernovae, with potential cosmological implications [for a review see @Leibundgut01].
The production of supra-Chandrasekhar mergers in our galaxy was discussed in [@Hurley02] and was estimated to be 2.6 per year in the Galactic disc (this is 8.6 per cluster per Gyr in our units). Several free parameters can have strong effects on this result, such as the common envelope prescription, the initial mass function, or the adopted star formation history. There are also differences between our models and those of [@Hurley02]: (i) their cut-off mass for WD binaries is at the initial mass of $0.8\, M_\odot$; (ii) they choose $\alpha_{\rm CE}=3$; (iii) they adopted continuous star formation through 15 Gyr (c.f. ours 10 Gyr); and (iv) our model for accretion on to WDs is more up-to-date [for details, see @Bel05b]. Overall, we find that our formation rates for the field are not significantly different from those of @Hurley02 (see Table \[tab-channels-expl\]). We also find that our rates are smaller if the star formation is taken not as flat, but with one (or several) star formation bursts that ended several Gyrs ago.
The enhanced production rate of double WD mergers in dense stellar clusters was first discussed in detail by @Shara02, who applied this to open clusters. They found that the supra-Chandrasekhar WD merger rate can be increased by an order of magnitude (although their statistics were based on only a few events). We did not find such an increase compared to the field population, where star formation is continuing, though we found some increase compared to the case without dynamical interactions (see Table \[tab-channels-expl\]). However, we note that our total number of supra-Chandrasekhar WD mergers is large. In fact, if indeed all those mergers lead to formation of NSs, and those NSs are retained by the cluster, then this channel provides about 6% of all NSs ever created. The NSs thus created become comparable in numbers to the NSs that were born with natal kicks and retained. The production of NSs via this channel can be reduced by reducing the efficiency of the common envelope. In this case, more binaries will merge during the CE phase and less supra-Chandrasekhar mergers will occur. We found however that even the reduction of $\alpha_{\rm CE}\lambda$ to 0.1 led only to a moderate decrease of the “current” (at about 10 Gyr) production rate of supra-Chandrasekhar mergers, while their total production is only a bit smaller (see different models for 47 Tuc in the Table \[tab-channels-expl\])). In addition, the production of NSs via AIC is comparable to the production of NSs via merger induced collapse, and therefore also appears to be a significant source of NSs in GCs. The question of how many NSs can be created via different channels in GCs is very important, and will be addressed in more detail in Paper II.
We estimate the contribution of SN Ia produced in GCs to total galactic SN rates. Assuming that $\sim 3\times 10^{7}\,M_\odot$ is contained in galactic GCs ($\sim 150$ galactic GCs), we find that the single-degenerate channel from GCs can provide at best 1 SN per $\sim 10^6$ yr per galaxy, and the contribution of GCs is only several times higher if the double-degenerate channel (supra-Chandrasekhar) also results in SN. In spiral galaxies the rate of SN Ia is 0.04-0.1 per century per galaxy [@Mannucci05_Iarate], and therefore the contribution of GCs is not important. However, GCs can play a larger role in elliptical galaxies, where no star formation is going on and the rate of SN Ia provided by the field population is smaller. In addition, in ellipticals the specific frequency of GCs per galaxy luminosity unit is significantly higher than in spirals [up to 8.6 compared to 0.5 in Milky Way, see e.g. @Kim04_xlf]. Also, it has been shown that the observational SN Ia rate consists of two components – a prompt piece that is proportional to the star formation rate, and an extended piece that is proportional to the total stellar mass [@Scannapiec05_Ia]. This is consistent with the behavior of the formation rates of both single degenerate and double degenerate channels in GCs, which peak during the first Gyr of the cluster evolution and have a flat distribution at later times. We therefore propose that GCs can increase the theoretically predicted rates of SN Ia in elliptical galaxies.
Coalescing compact binaries as LISA sources
-------------------------------------------
![Distribution density (averaged over time) of LISA binaries, in the space of binary periods and chirp masses, from our “standard” model (integrated over cluster ages from 9 to 13 Gyr).[]{data-label="lisa-bin"}](fig18.eps){height=".35\textheight"}
AM CVns discussed in §\[sec-amcv\], as well as most double white dwarf mergers discussed in §\[sec-expl\] (with the exclusion of a small fraction of mergers that are results of physical collision during hard binary encounters) are coalescing binaries driven by gravitational radiation. Prior to their mergers, or before and during the MT, they can be detectable as gravitational wave sources by LISA. Their detectability is significantly enhanced when their orbital periods become smaller than about $2000\,$s [@Ben01; @Nelemans05_lisa], so their signals can be distinguished from the background noise produced by Galactic binaries. As the positional accuracy of LISA will be much greater for binaries with such short periods, these sources can be associated with specific globular clusters in our Galaxy.
From our simulations we find that at any given moment, a typical cluster of 200,000 $M_\odot$ will contain 10 LISA sources on average, and at least 3 LISA binaries at any given moment; during 1 Gyr a cluster forms 180 LISA systems. A massive cluster like 47 Tuc, with mass $\sim 10^6\,M_\odot$, will have at least 10 LISA sources at any given moment, and 40 LISA binaries on average. At an age of 10 Gyrs such a cluster can produce as many as 3-15 NS-WD LISA binaries per Gyr (a typical cluster produces 1-3 NS-WD coalescing binaries per Gyr).
With the total mass in GCs of about $ 3\times 10^{7}\,M_\odot$, as many as 1500 LISA binaries can be present in all Galactic GCs (this number will decrease if the CE efficiency is smaller). The most optimistic upper limit for the galactic formation rate of NS-WD binaries in GCs is several hundred per Gyr. The lifetime of a NS-WD binary in the LISA-band during the MT is $\sim 10^8$ yr. The time prior to the onset of MT depends on the binary eccentricity, but is usually much shorter [@Ivanova05_ucxb]. With our predicted formation rates, as many as 10-50 NS-WD LISA binaries can be detected in GCs. This number is probably too optimistic, as fewer than 10 ultra-compact X-ray binaries (mass-transferring NS-WD binaries with orbital periods less than an hour) have been identified in GCs, implying that the formation rate of LISA-sources should be smaller. (One explanation could be that many globular clusters are less dense than our “standard” model and NS-WD formation is thus less frequent.) We shall address the issue of the formation rates of binaries with NSs in more detail in Paper II. Here we will only note that the LISA binaries will spend spend most of their time in the LISA band among their MT tracks, with chirp masses $\la 0.25 M_\odot$ (see Fig. \[lisa-bin\]).
Discussion
==========
With our simulations we predict that the formation rates of CVs and AM CVns in globular clusters are not very different from those in the field population. The numbers of CVs and AM CVns per mass unit are comparable to numbers in the field if the whole cluster population is considered, and they are only 2-3 times larger in the core than in the field. Dynamical formation is responsible only for 60%-70% of CVs in the core. This fraction decreases as the density decreases, and the role of primordial CVs becomes more important. We rule out tidal captures as an effective mechanism for CV formation in GCs unless the rate of TCs is significantly underestimated. Instead we propose that the population of GC CVs reflects a combination of primordial CVs, CVs in post-exchange binaries, and products of physical collisions of MS stars with RGs. There are also primordial CVs which are located in the halo and have never entered the core. The GC core density variation indeed does not play a very large role, in contrast to the case of NS binaries, where almost all systems are formed dynamically [@Ivanova04a] and whose numbers have a strong dependence on the cluster collision rate [@Pooley03]. We expect to have one detectable CV per $1000\,M_\odot$ in the core of a typical cluster and about one detectable CV per $1000-2000\,M_\odot$ in a 47 Tuc type cluster. Thus we predict 35-40 CVs in the core of 47 Tuc, in quite reasonable agreement with observations, where 22 CVs in 47 Tuc have been identified [@Edmonds03a]. Even better agreement between our simulations and the observed number of CVs can be obtained if we assume that the initial core mass in 47 Tuc is smaller than 5% of the cluster.
Although the formation rates do not differ strongly, we found significant differences in the populations, and note that these differences may have observational consequences. Indeed, cataclysmic variables in globular clusters have an unusual array of characteristics, which make them difficult to classify as members of the standard classes of CVs recognized in the galaxy. Their X-ray luminosities seem to be rather high, compared with CVs in the field [@Verbunt97]. They exhibit dwarf nova outbursts only rarely, compared to well-studied dwarf novae: only 1 dwarf nova was found in 47 Tuc by @Shara96 in a survey which would have detected 1/3 of known dwarf novae if they were located in 47 Tuc, while @Edmonds03a identify 22 firm CVs in 47 Tuc. Finally, the X-ray to optical flux ratios of CVs in globular clusters are relatively high, comparable to those of dwarf novae [@Edmonds03b].
One solution to this problem was the suggestion that CVs in globular clusters tend to be primarily magnetic in nature, compared to CVs in the field [@Grindlay95]. Magnetic CVs have no discs (AM Her or polar CVs), or truncated discs (DQ Her CVs or intermediate polars, IPs), because of the effect of the WD magnetic field. As a result, the disc instability is nonexistent or suppressed. Magnetic CVs are believed to produce X-rays through an accretion shock above the polar cap, producing high X-ray luminosities, while nonmagnetic CVs produce an optically thick boundary layer, saturating their X-ray emission [@Patterson85]. Strong He II $\lambda$ 4686 lines were observed in the spectra of three CVs in NGC 6397 [@Edmonds99], indicating a strong source of FUV radiation. This FUV radiation could indicate either evidence for an intermediate polar interpretation, or a very high mass transfer rate; the second interpretation is favored for the FUV-bright, 27-hour period CV AKO9 in 47 Tuc [@Knigge03]. Another argument in favor of the intermediate polar interpretation is the excess $N_H$ (in addition to that expected along the line of sight) observed towards many CVs in 47 Tuc [@Heinke05a]. Excess $N_H$ in CVs that are not observed at high inclinations has been considered a signature of the accretion curtains observed in the magnetic systems known as intermediate polars.
However, only two globular cluster CVs have shown clear evidence of magnetic fields in their X-ray lightcurves so far [X9 and X10 in 47 Tuc @Grindlay01a; @Heinke05a]. This may not mean that these systems are not magnetic, since the number of X-ray photons detected from globular clusters is generally small (compared with nearby, well-studied CVs). In addition, it has been suggested that the accretion in SW Sex and VY Scl CVs is governed by the WD magnetic field, without evidence of pulsations [@Rodriguez-Gil01; @Hameury02]. Another problem for the magnetic interpretation is that IPs tend to be optically brighter than typical CVs in globular clusters, which have lower ratios of X-ray to optical flux more typical of dwarf novae than IPs [@Edmonds03b]. A final problem is the observation of dwarf nova outbursts in two of the three CVs in NGC 6397 possessing strong He II emission [@Shara05]. A proposed resolution to these problems is a combination of a low mass transfer rate (which will reduce the optical brightness and increase the X-ray to optical flux ratio) with an intermediate polar nature [@Edmonds03b]. @Dobrotka05 calculated the dwarf nova recurrence times for CV discs with various mass transfer rates and WD magnetic moments, and found a parameter space that fulfilled the requirements of globular cluster CVs. Left unanswered was why globular cluster CVs might tend to have stronger magnetic fields than field systems.
Our work provides a possible answer to this question. Globular cluster dynamics has a strong effect on the composition of the binaries that form CVs, tending to place more massive WDs into binaries that will become CVs (Fig. 11). Increasing the mass of WDs in CVs increases the energy that can be extracted at a given mass transfer rate, thus increasing the X-ray luminosity and X-ray to optical flux ratio of the CVs. This effect is complementary to the effects of higher magnetic fields. However, higher mass WDs also have a higher probability of showing strong magnetic fields [@Vennes99; @Liebert03; @Wick05]. Thus the dynamical origin of WDs in globular cluster CVs may be responsible for the observational peculiarities of globular cluster CVs; their relatively high X-ray luminosities and X-ray to optical flux ratios, and their low rates of dwarf nova outbursts.
The tendency for higher mass white dwarf accretors in GC CVs in comparison to the field also affects the production of the superhump phenomenon. This behavior results from the precession of the outer disc due to the excitation of resonances within the disc caused by the 3:1 commensurability of motions in the disc with the companion’s orbital period [see @Whitehurst91]. Such systems are characterized by mass ratios (of donor to accretor) of less than 0.25-0.33. Systems of this type in the field are rarely observed at orbital periods above the period gap, but the higher white dwarf masses of CVs in GCs would increase their likelihood in GCs.
We examined also several other consequences of having a dynamically modified population of close binaries including WDs. In particular, considering supra-Chandrasekhar mergers, we found that too many NSs may be formed if these mergers lead to merger-induced collapse. We suggest that either this mechanism does not lead to NS formation, or the CE efficiency is overestimated. By our estimates, GCs do not contribute strongly to the SN Ia rates in spiral galaxies, however they may significantly increase these rates in elliptical galaxies. We have also shown that GCs can be excellent sites for LISA observations since many GCs will contain several LISA sources at any given moment, although most of those systems will have low chirp masses.
Acknowledgments {#acknowledgments .unnumbered}
===============
This work was supported by NASA Grant NAG5-12044 (FAR), NSF Grant AST-0200876 (RET), and Chandra Theory Grant TM6-7007X (JF) at Northwestern University, KB acknowledges supprot by KBN grant 1P03D02228. All simulations were performed on the McKenzie cluster at CITA which was funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
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[^1]: E-mail:nata@cita.utoronto.ca
[^2]: Lindheimer Fellow
[^3]: Tombaugh Fellow
[^4]: For the calculations in this study, we have used the StarTrack code prior to the latest release [@Bel05b]. However, the most important updates and revisions of input physics, in particular the ones important for evolution of binaries with white dwarfs, were already incorporated in the version we have used.
[^5]: Note that our “47 Tuc” represents a cluster similar to 47 Tuc but 5 times less massive
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | ArXiv |
Monday, June 03, 2013
Today's Evolutionary Psychology Post
It began (via a tweet from Martha Bridegam) with a now-deleted nasty fat-shaming tweet by a professor of evolutionary psychology, though Jay Rosen saved the tweet.
You can follow the discussion about that on Twitter. The tweeter, Geoffrey Miller apologized for the tweet.
Miller is also tweeting an enormous bunch of interesting and weird stuff about presumed sex differences in competitiveness, how women become more musically creative when they think of long-term mating (how on earth do you measure something like that????) and how men run so much faster and throw so much better than women and so on.
There's a meeting of evo-psychologists and all this is what they do. Naturally.
But among those tweets was a link to a 2011 post at Psychology Today, the bargain basement of all psychologyish leftovers, and I read it.
It's about monogamy, and how come we are no longer polygynous (one man with several women)*. I will quote the explanation we are given, which is based on the idea that monogamous groups can grow larger than polygynous groups so they win all those violent battles for world dominance:
Why can monogamous groups grow larger? Because men want wives, and if you need a lot of men on your team, you must offer them something that they want. In monogamous groups, unlike polygynous ones, high status males cannot hoard large numbers of women for themselves. The more equal distribution of women in monogamous groups means that more men can acquire wives, and fewer men have to leave the group to search for wives elsewhere. And the larger the group, the more men there are to fight in battles and to pay taxes for the funding of wars. Socially imposed monogamy, therefore, emerged in the West as a reciprocal arrangement in which elite males allowed lower-ranking males to marry, in exchange for their military service and tax contributions.
All bolds are mine. They are used to highlight the fact that this author, Michael E. Price, has a basic theory which assumes that high status males decided on everything and that wives were sorta bought and sold to get the services of the lower-ranking males.
To see what I mean, let's write that same quote with one word changed. Woman=Beer:
Why can monogamous groups grow larger? Because men want beer,
and if you need a lot of men on your team, you must offer them something
that they want. In monogamous groups, unlike polygynous ones, high status males cannot hoardmany barrels of beer for themselves. The more equal distribution of beer in monogamous groups means that more men can acquire beer
and fewer men have to leave the group to search for beer elsewhere.
And the larger the group, the more men there are to fight in battles and
to pay taxes for the funding of wars. Socially imposed monogamy,
therefore, emerged in the West as a reciprocal arrangement in which elite males allowed lower-ranking males to drink more beer, in exchange for their military service and tax contributions.
Now, that's a possible theory, sure. But what it really hinges on is the assumption that the only people with any real power in those groups were the high status men and that the women in the group did not respond in any way to the incentives the system provided. They acted like beer barrels.
There are alternative stories about the role of polygamy in the human past. Although it is true that the institution of polygyny has existed in many societies and the institution of polyandry is known to have existed in relatively few, the really important question is the numbers of actual monogamous vs. polygynous marriages in any one society. What I mean by that is this: Even a society which is formally counted as polygynous may have had very few marriages of that type in any one time period and many more monogamous marriages.
If this is the case, it is incorrect to state that humans were predominantly polygynous in the past, as Price suggests:
To answer that, we should examine the types of small-scale societies in which nearly all of our evolution has occurred. When we do so, we find that these hunter gatherer and tribal societies have, throughout the world, historically practiced polygamy. Although most men in these societies strive for polygamy, however, only a minority can achieve it, because maintaining a large family requires an often prohibitively high degree of wealth and status. Further, because it is generally difficult to store and hoard wealth in small-scale societies, even men who do achieve polygamy can usually afford no more than two or three wives. It wasn't until the emergence of large-scale agricultural civilization, a few thousand years ago, that wealth-hoarding became possible and powerful men began accumulating large harems of hundreds or thousands of women. This pattern occurred in similar ways all over the world, as Laura Betzig describes in Despotism and Differential Reproduction. So once the ecological constraints on polygamy were lifted, high status men began accumulating many more wives than they had in small-scale societies.
Bolds are mine.
This quote is confusing to interpret. First, note that Price's evidence seems to be that polygyny was rare in the distant past. Then quite recently "powerful men began accumulating large harems of hundreds of thousands of women", and Price interprets this to mean that the ecological constraints were removed.
But if polygyny actually was rare earlier, what caused the presumed evolutionary adaptation in all men to want many wives? I guess we could pedal back to the story about sperm-is-cheap and the idea that men are more promiscuous by nature. That is not the same thing as supporting multiple wives, however, assuming that the wives had to be supported and were not actually additional labor resources.
And the ecological constraints of the presumed Environment of Evolutionary Adaptations (EEA, the hypothetical place and time in which human gender adaptations are assumed to have been fixed in evolutionary psychology) surely were part of the environment which affected those adaptations?
This matters quite a bit. The usual assumption is that evolutionary adaptations were fixed when humans lived in small nomadic hunter-gatherer groups. It is more difficult to explain how polygyny of the support-all-your-wives type Price assumes could have been profitable. Note, also, that nomadic hunter-gatherer groups in the recent past have been found to be fairly egalitarian, which makes the concept of polygyny as an evolutionary adaptation for high-status men problematic.
Whatever the case might be, Price argues that humans were predominantly polygynous on grounds which have nothing to do with the question whether the numerical majority of humans were in polygynous or monogamous marriages. Which is an odd argument, in my view.
Those large harems of hundreds of thousands of wives, by the way, were extremely rare. I'm willing to bet all my chocolate reserves on the assertion that marriages were overwhelmingly monogamous even when one Sultan or pharaoh had humongous harems.
What's the point of this post? To demonstrate the hidden parts of the theory used here, in particular the assumption that societies were utterly hierarchical in the sense of being ruled by high-status men, even though the groups in the EEA are more likely to have been fairly egalitarian. And perhaps also to note alternative explanations for the rarity of polygyny among humans. Those do exist.
For instance, decreased sexual dimorphism in humans is one offered explanation. In other animals, large size differences between males and females (with the former being larger) usually denote polygyny, small or nonexistent size differences usually denote monogamy. Some argue that human females and males have evolved to become closer in size and that this could explain the increase in monogamy. What the benefits of this might have been are discussed in the linked article.
A theory off the top of my hat concerns genetic diversity. Extremely polygynous societies might have doomed themselves to extinction because of lack of such diversity. This is most likely not such a great theory, but I'm thinking of the impact of over-breeding with one male as the sire in a few dog breeds in the US. If that male carries genetic weaknesses, they are spread widely and rapidly.
Finally, from an economic point of view (or perhaps a demographic point of view), societies with extreme polygyny are inherently unstable. What's to be done with all those spare men who can never find a mate? They could be kicked out of the group as appears to be done in the old polygynous Mormon sect, but that would only work in a system where neighboring groups weren't equally polygynous.
None of my amateur theories are intended to be regarded as real explanations. I list them, because they are not considered in the original post at all.
-----
*Strictly speaking, the post discusses a moderate form of polygyny where some men have many wives, some are monogamously partnered and some have no partner.
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Because of changes created by Blogger, older permalinks to my archived posts no longer work. My apologies for that. The year-and-month in the old permalinks are correct, however, so you may be able to find the post you are looking for with some work. Alternatively, e-mail me for the currently functioning permalink. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
In an astonishing political development, as a CNN/WMUR poll shows Bernie Sanders defeating Hillary Clinton by an astounding 27 points in the New Hampshire primary and an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll finds him defeating Donald Trump in the general election by a whopping 15 points, a long list of prominent Clinton supporters has launched an all-out negative attack against Mr. Sanders reminiscent of the red-baiting attacks Richard Nixon once deployed against liberals.
First, a caution to readers: these polls show definite trends that should bring joy to the hearts of Sanders supporters and dread to the hearts of Team Clinton, but trends in campaigns and results in polls will shift many times in a presidential election.
Second, an observation on the meaning of the Sanders surge: these and other polls demonstrate what I have long argued is the great truth that will be revealed in the 2016 election. There is a progressive populist majority in America that exists beneath the tectonic plates of American politics that Mr. Sanders to his advantage is galvanizing in his campaign and Ms. Clinton to her disadvantage has been resisting in hers.
Third, a word of advice to Team Clinton: calm down and back off the panicked attacks against Mr. Sanders that are highlighted in a New York Times story in which one Democratic Senator who supports Ms. Clinton, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, reached a new low by suggesting that Republicans will run an ad against Mr. Sanders alongside the hammer and sickle which, in other words, would paint him as a communist.
Team Clinton needs to get a grip on their panicked attacks against Mr. Sanders.
Fourth, a key fact: the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll really did find Mr. Sanders defeating Mr. Trump by 15 points, confirming an earlier Quinnipiac poll showing him defeating Mr. Trump by 13 points, with other polling by NBC/Wall Street Journal showing the Vermont senator defeating the Republican frontrunner by similar margins in general election match-up in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Fifth, perhaps the most fascinating impact of the huge Sanders surge is that the mainstream media, which for most of the campaign has instituted a de facto news blackout against Mr. Sanders, is now painting him as David who may slay the Goliath of the Clinton machine and giving him a megaphone to promote his progressive populist message.
Remember that song “What a difference a day makes”?
Sixth, Ms. Clinton is now making the huge mistake of attacking Mr. Sanders from the right with Republican-style attacks against him as being a tax and spend liberal for advocating issues that many or most Democratic voters support such as single payer health care. This is what Ms. Clinton did in the last Democratic debate.
Seventh, what appears to be a scorched earth attack by Ms. Clinton and her team against Mr. Sanders for being too liberal is the worst possible move for a candidate with high negative ratings and low trust ratings who will need every Sanders voter to turn out on election day in November if she is ultimately the Democratic nominee.
The bonehead move of the year award goes to DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and whoever whispered in her ear to seek the fewest possible debates with the lowest possible audience.
Eighth, I predict any scorched earth attack by Ms. Clinton and her team against Mr. Sanders will lead to a humongous surge in small donations to the Sanders campaign. Expect news stories over the next week to document that the more Ms. Clinton attacks Mr. Sanders the more his small donor base will rally behind him, and the more her allies attack Mr. Sanders for being a socialist—or even a communist as Senator McCaskill’s innuendo implied—the more the large and growing small donor movement behind Mr. Sanders will expand and donate even more money to his campaign.
Ninth, Team Clinton appears to be going berserk in their panicked attacks against Mr. Sanders. They need to calm down and get a grip. Ms. Clinton has offered long and detailed proposals that are generally progressive and highly worthy. They do not go as far as the Sanders proposals, but they move in the same direction, and she would be well-advised to stop attacking Mr. Sanders and start vigorously advocating her own proposals.
Tenth, the bonehead move of the year award goes to Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and whoever in the Clinton campaign whispered in her ear to seek the fewest possible debates with the lowest possible audience.
This ill-fated plan to rig the nominating process violates everything Democrats stand for and has now backfired against Ms. Clinton. Who ever heard of a political party that wants the smallest audience to hear its message, or a national political committee such as the DNC showing such extreme bias for any candidate as it did for Ms. Clinton and against Mr. Sanders on the debate issue?
Eleventh, Mr. Trump can continue to boast of his poll ratings, but it is media malpractice for any journalist to not directly challenge him about why Mr. Sanders is kicking is butt in general election match-ups in a number of recent polls, and why Ms. Clinton has begun to kick his butt as well in those polls, though (and this is important) by a smaller margin than Mr. Sanders.
Ladies and gentlemen, we now have a real campaign where the voice of the people will now be heard. Let the real debate begin and let the voters decide.
The progressive populist message is now front and center on the great stage of national politics, and this is good news for Democrats and great news for America.
SEE ALSO: Hillary’s EmailGate Goes Nuclear
Disclosure: Donald Trump is the father-in-law of Jared Kushner, the publisher of Observer Media. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
Ankit Kaushik
Ankit Kaushik (born 5 September 1991) is an Indian cricketer. He made his Twenty20 debut for Himachal Pradesh in the 2012–13 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on 5 April 2015. He made his List A debut for Himachal Pradesh in the 2016–17 Vijay Hazare Trophy on 25 February 2017. He made his first-class debut for Himachal Pradesh in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy on 14 October 2017.
He moved to Chandigarh cricket team for the 2019–20 Domestic season. In December 2019, in Chandigarh's match against Bihar in the 2019–20 Ranji Trophy, he scored his maiden century in first-class cricket.
References
External links
Category:1991 births
Category:Living people
Category:Indian cricketers
Category:Himachal Pradesh cricketers
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:Chandigarh cricketers | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Wikipedia (en) |
[Tuberculous lymphadenitis: a sarcoidosis-like variation].
By means of polymerase chain reaction technique to amplify DNA sequence specific for mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. TB-PCR), BCG immunohistochemistry (BCG-IHC) as well as acid fast stain (AF), mycobacterium other than tuberculosis (MOTT) and mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. TB) were detected in paraffin blocks from 12 cases diagnosed by consultant pathologists as lymph node "sarcoidosis". Of the 5 cases which consulting pathologists unanimously agreed to the lymph node "sarcoidosis" diagnosis, 1 case showed BCG-IHC (+) and M. TB-PCR (+); Of the 7 cases which most of the consulting pathologists agreed to be "sarcoidosis", 1 case showed AF (+), BCG-IHC (+) and M. TB-PCR (+). The results suggest: (1) some tuberculous lymphadenitis cases may present as "sarcoidosis"-like lesions; (2) lymph node sarcoidosis may be related to MOTT and M. TB infection. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Abstracts |
America has currently no plan for its nuclear waste. It did, however, at one point, have a supremely ambitious plan to bury it in a mountain for 10,000 years. From color-changing radioactive cats to rotting kitty litter, this essay from Method Quarterly explores the mythical and the mundane problems of nuclear waste.
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To tell the mythology of Yucca Mountain, we might as well start with the fees. In 1983, a small fee of just a tenth of a penny per kilowatt-hour began appearing on electricity bills in America. The money was meant for Yucca Mountain, a wrinkle of land on the edge of the Nevada Test Site that was being turned into a massive tomb for the atomic age. Here, waste from nuclear power plants and weapons would be stored for at least 10,000 years until radioactivity faded to safe levels. Governments could fail and civilizations could fall, but Yucca Mountain was supposed to remain.
How to Buy Everything Apple Announced This Week: Apple Watch Series... Read on The Inventory
In 2014, after the Department of Energy had amassed $30 billion for the nuclear waste disposal fund, it quietly stopped collecting the fee. It stopped because a court told it to, because the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository did not exist. Five miles of tunnels—out of the intended 40—had already been carved into the rock, but there was no radioactive waste stored there. After blowing past its planned opening date of January 31, 1998 by an embarrassing margin, the Obama administration in 2010 abandoned the languishing plans to build Yucca Mountain. Three-and-a-half years later, a court ruled the federal government couldn't keep collecting fees for a site it had no intention of building.
That's one way to see Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository's continued nonexistence, as yet another political boondoggle: 30 billion dollars of taxpayer money collected to build a mythical mountain.
But Yucca Mountain is more than that. The ambition behind it far exceeds the two- or four- or even six-year terms of any politician. Here we were trying to build a structure that would last longer than the Great Pyramids of Egypt, longer than any man-made structure, longer than any language. When forced to adopt a long view of human existence—when looking back on today from 10,000 years into the future—it's hard not to view Yucca Mountain in near-mythical terms. We can imagine future earthlings pondering it the way we ponder the Parthenon or Stonehenge today—massive structures imbued with an alien spirituality.
Ten thousand years may be the time scale of legends, but nuclear waste storage is a very real and practical problem for humans. It is a problem where incomprehensibly long time scales clash with human ones, where grand visions run up against forces utterly mundane and petty.
Inside Yucca Mountain. Image: U.S. Department of Energy.
Radiation remains an almost spooky threat: an invisible, silent, and odorless danger. In contaminated sites, you see men draped in full-body suits divining for radiation with Geiger counters. To someone who did not know the purpose of this, they might resemble robed members of an atomic priesthood appealing to some invisible power.
At high enough levels, radiation sears through the body, damaging tissue in ways that are immediately obvious. At low but still dangerous levels, you can't feel, hear, or see radiation passing through you, but it may knock loose a strand of DNA, creating a mutation that gets copied over and over in dividing cells until the day one of those cells becomes cancerous. It bides its time like a curse that can take years or decades to manifest.
In 1981, the Department of Energy convened a task force on how to communicate with the future.
The panel of consulted experts included engineers, but also an archeologist, a linguist, and an expert in nonverbal communication. Dubbed the Human Interference Task Force, they were tasked with figuring out how to keep future humans away from a deep geological repository of nuclear waste—like Yucca Mountain.
The repository would need some kind of physical marker that, foremost, could last 10,000 years, so the task force's report considers the relative merits of different materials like metal, concrete, and plastic. Yet the marker would also need to repel rather than attract humans—setting it apart from Stonehenge, the Great Pyramids, or any other monument that has remained standing for thousands of years. To do that, the marker would need warnings. But how do you warn future humans whose cultures and languages will have evolved in unknown ways?
In addition to the physical marker, the task force recommends "oral transmission" to preserve their warning for future generations. Even as language itself mutates, the argument goes, the stories we tell endure. Imagine Homer's epics or Beowulf, but on an even longer time scale. The report, in characteristically dry language, imagines that the future population around Yucca Mountain might tell stories that "include perpetuation of knowledge about a 'special' place."
Thomas Sebeok, the linguist consulted by the Human Interference Task Force, goes into further detail in a separate report. He proposes seeding and nurturing a body of folklore around Yucca Mountain, and even inventing annual rituals where these stories could be retold. These folktales need not explain the science of radiation; they simply need to hint at a great danger.
"The actual 'truth' would be entrusted exclusively to—what we might call for dramatic emphasis—an 'atomic priesthood,'" Sebeok writes. This group, he says, would need to include "a commission of knowledgeable physicists, experts in radiation sickness, anthropologists, linguists, psychologists, semioticians, and whatever additional expertise may be called for now and in the future."
In the decades when Yucca Mountain was still under development, some of the most intense interest in the repository came from 800 miles up the West Coast in Hanford, Washington. The Hanford Nuclear Reservation produced nearly all of the plutonium that went into the U.S.'s nuclear arsenal during the Cold War. Then, it was decommissioned. Now, it is the site of the largest environmental cleanup project in the country.
Fifty-six million gallons of radioactive waste sit in 177 steel tanks buried underground. The waste ranges from soupy to sludgy, and it has the unfortunate habit of leaking out of the aging tanks into the groundwater.
This wasn't the plan, of course. The idea was to build a vitrification plant on site, where radioactive waste could be mixed with molten glass and poured into steel columns—making the impermeable nuclear coffins that would then be entombed in Yucca Mountain. But the cleanup at Hanford has been horribly mismanaged. The vitrification plant, due to open in 2011, is still half complete. Of course, even if we manage to safely solidify and seal the radioactive waste at Hanford, we still don't have anywhere to put it.
Meanwhile, the radioactive waste keeps leaking.
Go back down the West Coast from Hanford, head inland for 200 miles, and you'll hit Carlsbad, New Mexico, home to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a nuclear waste repository in the deserts of the Southwest that was actually built.
Unlike Yucca Mountain, though, WIPP is only designed to handle low-level waste. While it can lock away the stuff that has come in contact with radioactive material, it can't safely store the byproducts of nuclear reactors themselves. Gloves, tools, and other equipment used to handle plutonium and uranium are packed in drums, which are then stored in rooms tunneled into the natural salt deposit. Over time, the salt will ooze around the barrels, encasing the waste in a mineral tomb.
The problem of long-term waste storage at WIPP is real but still theoretical. It's only when WIPP is shut down and sealed off that the plan to warn away future humans will be set in motion. For now, the tentative design is a series of 25 foot-tall granite monuments engraved with warnings in seven languages.
But, like Yucca Mountain, WIPP has been the subject of many more fantastical and evocative proposals. In 1991, it too convened a multidisciplinary panel to study the problem of communicating with the future. The resulting report laid out proposals that ranged from an architect's "landscape of thorns" to a warning message that begins like this:
This place is a message…and part of a system of messages…pay attention to it!
Sending this message was important to us. We considered ourselves to be a powerful culture.
This place is not a place of honor…no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here…nothing valued is here.
What is here is dangerous and repulsive to us. This message is a warning about danger.
In February, a drum of radioactive waste at WIPP ruptured underground causing radioactive material to snake its way up a ventilation shaft and expose 21 workers on the surface 2,000 feet above the drum. WIPP has since shut down and may not reopen for years.
With Yucca Mountain gone, the Department of Energy had actually considered sending Hanford's to-be-vitrified high-level waste down to WIPP. This plan clearly wasn't going to happen either.
How can a drum just rupture? The official investigation points to a chemical reaction between nitric acid and trace metals in the drum. But this reaction only happens at high temperatures, which has cast suspicion on one other component in the drums: kitty litter.
Kitty litter is routinely used to help stabilize radioactive waste, but a contractor had recently switched from using a plastic-based litter to a wheat-based one. The rotting wheat may have created just enough heat to set off the chemical reaction that ruptured the drum.
In 1984, the German journal Zeitschrift für Semiotik (Journal of Semiotics) published a dozen responses from academics speculating on how to communicate across 10,000 years. The proposals range from the mundane to the bizarre and fantastical. One respondent proposes making the storage barrels impossible to open without great technical skill. Another involves creating a series of warnings in concentric circles that would expand as languages evolve. Thomas Sebeok is in there, elaborating on his system of rituals around an atomic priesthood and their rituals. But a pair of semioticians, Françoise Bastide and Paolo Fabbri, take the germ of Sebeok's idea for a nuclear folklore to a singularly strange conclusion.
Their solution is "ray cats," creatures bred to change color in the presence of radiation—like walking, purring, yarn-chasing Geiger counters. But this is just the first part of the proposal. Alongside the cats, Bastide and Fabbri propose that we invent a body of folklore, passed on through proverbs and myths to explain that when a cat changes color, you better run.
Still more wonderful and unexpected is that someone has taken Bastide and Fabbri at their word and actually written a song about ray cats. The podcast 99% Invisible commissioned Berlin-based artist Chad Matheny, aka Emperor X, to compose a "10,000-Year Earworm to Discourage Settlement Near Nuclear Waste Repositories" for an episode on nuclear waste. The song, writes Matheny, had to be "so catchy and annoying that it might be handed down from generation to generation over a span of 10,000 years."
Ray cats may not exist. A ten thousand year nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain may not exist. But a song about them does.
There are no fantastical creatures at Hanford, but there are rabbits and pigeons and swallows and tumbleweeds. The security buffer around the operating Hanford Nuclear Reservation has since been converted into a national monument untouched by agriculture and development. It's a lovely place to go hiking.
But to Hanford's Biological Control Program, the wildlife are potential "biological radiological vectors," and therefore represent a huge nuisance. Rabbits, badgers, and gophers that somehow ingest leaked radioactive material can spread their radioactive poop across thousands of acres. The radioactive creatures have to be hunted down, and their poop safely cleaned up by people in suits. Even tiny termites and ants can unearth radioactive material.
And then there are tumbleweeds, whose taproots can reach 20 feet down to suck up buried radioactive waste. In the winter, those taproots wither, and it's off the tumbleweeds go, tumbling miles away with the wind. In 2010, Hanford had to chase down 30 radioactive weeds.
Someday, our nuclear waste might actually be sealed off in a mountain capped with a giant monument warning future humans 10,000 years into the future. But for now, tumbleweeds—that casual symbol of tedium—keep tumbling away with our intractable nuclear waste.
This piece was originally published in Method Quarterly, a new publication that features stories about science in the making. You can read the first issue, Boundaries, online or in print. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
TORMENT OR ANNIHILATION?
Few teachings have troubled the human conscience over the centuries more than the traditional view of hell as the place where the lost suffer conscious punishment in body and soul for all eternity. The prospect that one day a vast number of people will be consigned to the everlasting torment of hell is most disturbing and distressing to sensitive Christians. After all, almost everyone has friends or family members who have died without making a commitment to Christ. The prospect of one day seeing them agonizing in hell for all eternity can easily lead thinking Christians to say to God: “No thank you God. I am not interested in Your kind of paradise!”
It is not surprising that the traditional view of hell as a place of eternal torment has been a stumbling block for believers and an effective weapon used by skeptics to challenge the credibility of the Christian message. For example, Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), a British philosopher and social reformer, faulted Christ for allegedly teaching the doctrine of hellfire and for the untold cruelty such a doctrine has caused in Christian history.
Russell wrote: “There is one serious defect to my mind in Christ’s moral character, and that is that He believed in hell. I do not myself feel that any person who is really profoundly humane can believe in everlasting punishment. Christ certainly as depicted in the Gospels did believe in everlasting punishment, and one does find repeatedly a vindictive fury against those people who would not listen to His preaching, an attitude which is common with preachers, but which does somewhat detract from superlative excellence. . . . I really do not think that a person with a proper degree of kindliness in his nature would have put fears and terrors of that sort into the world. . . . I must say that I think all this doctrine, that hellfire is a punishment for sin, is a doctrine of cruelty. It is a doctrine that put cruelty into the world and gave the world generations of cruel torture; and the Christ of the Gospels, if you take Him as His chroniclers represent Him, would certainly have to be considered partly responsible for that.”1
Russell’s charge that Christ is “partly responsible” for the doctrine of everlasting punishment which “gave the world generations of cruel torture” cannot be dismissed lightly as the fruit of an agnostic mind. If Christ really taught that the saved will enjoy eternal bliss while the unsaved will suffer eternal torment in hellfire, then we would have reason to question the moral integrity of His character. It is hard to imagine that the God whom Jesus Christ revealed as the merciful “Abba? Father” would wreak vengeance on His disobedient children by torturing them for all eternity!
It is not surprising that today we seldom hear sermons on hellfire even from fundamentalist preachers, who theoretically are still committed to such a belief. John Walvoord, himself a fundamentalist, suggests that the reluctance to preach on hellfire is due primarily to the fear of proclaiming an unpopular doctrine.2 In my view, the problem is not merely the reluctance of preachers today to tell the truth about hell, but primarily the awareness that the traditional view of hellfire is morally intolerable and Biblically questionable.
Clark Pinnock keenly observes: “Their reticence [to preach on hellfire] is not so much due to a lack of integrity in proclaiming the truth as to not having the stomach for preaching a doctrine that amounts to sadism raised to new levels of finesse. Something inside tells them, perhaps on an instinctual level, that the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is not the kind of deity who tortures people (even the worst of sinners) in this way. I take the silence of the fundamentalist preachers to be testimony to their longing for a revised doctrine of the nature of hell.”3 It is such a longing, I believe, that is encouraging theologians today to revise the traditional view of hell and to propose alternative interpretations of the scriptural data.
Objectives of This Chapter. The issue addressed in this chapter is not the fact of hell as the final punishment of the lost, but the nature of hell. The fundamental question is: Do impenitent sinners suffer conscious punishment in body and soul for all eternity, or are they annihilated by God in the second death after suffering a temporary punishment? To put it differently: Does hellfire torment the lost eternally or consume them permanently?
This fundamental question is examined first by analyzing the traditional view and then by presenting the annihilation view, to which I subscribe. The first part of the chapter analyzes the major Biblical texts and arguments used to support the literal view of hell as the place of a literal everlasting punishment of the wicked.
The second part of this chapter considers briefly two alternative interpretations of hell. The first is the metaphorical view, which regards hell as a place where the suffering is more mental than physical. The fire is not literal but metaphorical, and the pain is caused more by the sense of separation from God than by physical torments.4 The second is the universalist view of hell, which turns hell into a purging, refining fire that ultimately makes it possible for every person to make it into heaven.
The third part of this chapter presents the annihilation view of hell as a place of the ultimate dissolution and annihilation of the unsaved. Some call this view conditional immortality, because our study of the Biblical wholistic view of human nature shows that immortality is not an innate human possession; it is a divine gift granted to believers on condition of their faith response. God will not resurrect the wicked to immortal life in order to inflict upon them a punishment of eternal pain. Rather, the wicked will be resurrected mortal in order to receive their punishment which will result in their ultimate annihilation.
Some may question our use of “annihilation” for the destiny of the wicked, because the first law of thermodynamics says that nothing is destroyed but changed into something else. When corpses are burned, their smoke and ashes remain. This is true, but what remains is no longer human life. From a Biblical perspective, the fire that consumes the wicked annihilates them as human beings.
PART I: THE TRADITIONAL VIEW OF HELL
With few exceptions, the traditional view of hell has dominated Christian thinking from the time of Augustine to the nineteenth century. Simply stated, the traditional view affirms that immediately after death the disembodied souls of impenitent sinners descend into hell, where they suffer the punishment of a literal eternal fire. At the resurrection, the body is reunited with the soul, thus intensifying the pain of hell for the lost and the pleasure of heaven for the saved.
Graphic Views of Hell. Not satisfied with the image of fire and smoke of the New Testament, some of the more creative medieval minds have pictured hell as a bizarre horror chamber where punishment is based on a measure-for-measure principle. This means that whatever member of the body sinned, that member would be punished in hell more than any other member.
“In Christian literature,” writes William Crockett, “we find blasphemers hanging by their tongues. Adulterous women who plaited their hair to entice men dangle over boiling mire by their neck or hair. Slanderers chew their tongues, hot irons burn their eyes. Other evildoers suffer in equally picturesque ways. Murderers are cast into pits filled with venomous reptiles, and worms fill their bodies. Women who had abortions sit neck deep in the excretions of the damned. Those who chatted idly during church stand in a pool of burning sulphur and pitch. Idolaters are driven up cliffs by demons where they plunge to the rocks below, only to be driven up again. Those who turned their back on God are turned and baked slowly in the fires of hell.”5
These early images of hell were refined and immortalized by the famous fourteenth-century Italian poet, Dante Alighieri. In his Divina Commedia (Divine Comedy), Dante portrays hell as a place of absolute terror, where the damned writhe and scream while the saints bask in the glory of paradise. In Dante’s hell, some sinners wail loudly in boiling blood, while others endure burning smoke that chars their nostrils, still others run naked from hordes of biting snakes.
The more cautious approach of Luther and Calvin did not deter later prominent preachers and theologians from portraying hell as a sea of fire, in which the wicked burn throughout eternity. Renowned eighteenth-century American theologian Jonathan Edwards pictured hell as a raging furnace of liquid fire that fills both the body and the soul of the wicked: “The body will be full of torment as full as it can hold, and every part of it shall be full of torment. They shall be in extreme pain, every joint of them, every nerve shall be full of inexpressible torment. They shall be tormented even to their fingers’ ends. The whole body shall be full of the wrath of God. Their hearts and bowels and their heads, their eyes and their tongues, their hands and their feet will be filled with the fierceness of God’s wrath. This is taught us in many Scriptures. . . .”6
A similar description of the fate of the wicked was given by the famous nineteenth-century British preacher Charles Spurgeon: “In fire exactly like that which we have on earth thy body will lie, asbestos-like, forever unconsumed, all thy veins roads for the feet of Pain to travel on, every nerve a string on which the Devil shall for ever play his diabolical tune of hell’s unutterable lament.”7 It is hard to comprehend how the Devil can torment evildoers in the place of his own punishment.
Today, those who believe in a literal eternal hellfire are more circumspect in their description of the suffering experienced by the wicked. For example, Robert A. Peterson concludes his book Hell on Trial: The Case for Eternal Punishment, saying: “The Judge and Ruler over hell is God himself. He is present in hell, not in blessing, but in wrath. Hell entails eternal punishment, utter loss, rejection by God, terrible suffering, and unspeakable sorrow and pain. The duration of hell is endless. Although there are degrees of punishment, hell is terrible for all the damned. Its occupants are the Devil, evil angels, and unsaved human beings.”8
In making his case for hell as a place of eternal punishment, Peterson marshals the following witnesses: the Old Testament, Christ, the Apostles, and Church History (early church, Reformation, and the modern period). He devotes chapters to each of these witnesses. A similar approach is used by other scholars who support the traditional view of hellfire.9 A comprehensive response to all the alleged witnesses of eternal punishment of the wicked would take us beyond the scope of this study. Interested readers can find such a comprehensive response in The Fire that Consumes (1982) by Edward Fudge. The book, with a foreword by F. F. Bruce, is praised by many scholars for its balanced and fair treatment of the Biblical and historical data. Our response is limited to a few basic observations, some of which will be expanded in the second part of this chapter.
1. The Witness of the Old Testament
The witness of the Old Testament for eternal punishment rests largely on the use of sheol and two main passages, Isaiah 66:22-24 and Daniel 12:1-2. Regarding sheol, John F. Walvoord says: “Sheol was a place of punishment and retribution. In Isaiah [14:9-10] the Babylonians killed in divine judgment are pictured as being greeted in sheol by those who had died earlier.”10
Regarding sheol, our study of the word in chapter 5 shows that none of the texts supports the view of sheol as the place of punishment for the ungodly. The word denotes the realm of the dead where there is unconsciousness, inactivity, and sleep. Similarly, Isaiah’s taunting ode against the King of Babylon is a parable, in which the characters, personified trees, and fallen monarchs are fictitious. They serve not to reveal the punishment of the wicked in sheol, but to forecast in graphic pictorial language God’s judgment upon Israel’s oppressor and his final ignominious destiny in a dusty grave, where he is eaten by worms. To interpret this parable as a literal description of hell means to ignore the highly figurative, parabolic nature of the passage, which is simply designed to depict the doom of a self-exalted tyrant.
Isaiah 66:24: The Fate of the Wicked. The description of the fate of the wicked found in Isaiah 66:24 is regarded by some traditionalists as the clearest witness to eternal punishment in the Old Testament. The setting of the text is the contrast between God’s judgment upon the wicked and His blessings upon the righteous. The latter will enjoy prosperity and peace, and will worship God regularly from Sabbath to Sabbath (Is 66:12-14, 23). But the wicked will be punished by “fire” (Is 66:15) and meet their “end together” (Is 66:17). This is the setting of the crucial verse 24, which says: “And they shall go forth and look on the dead bodies of the men that have rebelled against me; for their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
R. N. Whybray sees in this text “an early description of eternal punishment: though dead, the rebels will continue for ever.”10 In a similar vein, Peterson interprets the phrase “their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched” as meaning that “the punishment and shame of the wicked have no end; their fate is eternal. It is no wonder that they will be loathsome to all mankind.”11
Isaiah’s description of the fate of the wicked was possibly inspired by the Lord’s slaying of 185,000 men of the Assyrian army during the reign of Hezekiah. We are told that “when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies” (Is 37:36). This historical event may have served to foreshadow the fate of the wicked. Note that the righteous look upon “dead bodies” (Hebrew: pegerim), not living people. What they see is destruction and not eternal torment.
The “worms” are mentioned in connection with the dead bodies, because they hasten the decomposition and represent the ignominy of corpses deprived of burial (Jer 25:33; Is 14:11; Job 7:5; 17:14; Acts 12:23). The figure of the fire that is not quenched is used frequently in Scripture to signify a fire that consumes (Ezek 20:47-48) and reduces to nothing (Am 5:5-6; Matt 3:12). Edward Fudge rightly explains that “both worms and fire speak of a total and final destruction. Both terms also make this a ‘loathsome’ scene.”12 To understand the meaning of the phrase “the fire shall not be quenched,” it is important to remember that keeping a fire live, to burn corpses required considerable effort in Palestine. Corpses do not readily burn and the firewood needed to consume them was scarce. In my travels in the Middle East and Africa, I often have seen carcases partially burned because the fire died out before consuming the remains of a beast.
The image of an unquencheable fire is simply designed to convey the thought of being completely burned up or consumed. It has nothing to do with the everlasting punishment of immortal souls. The passage speaks clearly of “dead bodies” which are consumed and not of immortal souls which are tormented eternally. It is unfortunate that traditionalists interpret this passage, and similar statements of Jesus in the light of their conception of the final punishment rather than on the basis of what the figure of speech really means.
Daniel 12:2: “Everlasting Contempt.” The second major Old Testament text used by traditionalists to support everlasting punishment is Daniel 12:2, which speaks of the resurrection of both good and evil: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Peterson concludes his analysis of this text, by saying: “Daniel teaches that whereas the godly will be raised to never-ending life, the wicked will be raised to never-ending disgrace (Dan 12:2).”13
The Hebrew term deraon translated “contempt” also appears in Isaiah 66:24 in which it is translated “loathsome” and describes the unburied corpses. In his commentary on The Book of Daniel, Andre Lacocque notes that the meaning of deraon both “here [Dan 12:2] and in Isaiah 66:24 is the decomposition of the wicked.”14 This means that the “contempt” is caused by the disgust over the decomposition of their bodies, and not by the never-ending suffering of the wicked. As Emmanuel Petavel puts it: “The sentiment of the survivors is disgust, not pity.”15
To sum up, the alleged Old Testament witness for the everlasting punishment of the wicked is negligible, if not non-existent. On the contrary, the evidence for utter destruction of the wicked at the eschatological Day of the Lord is resoundingly clear. The wicked will “perish” like the chaff (Ps 1:4, 6), will be dashed to pieces like pottery (Ps 2:9, 12), will be slain by the Lord’s breath (Is 11:4), will be burnt in the fire “like thorns cut down” (Is 33:12), and “will die like gnats” (Is 51:6).
Perhaps the clearest description of the total destruction of the wicked is found on the last page of the Old Testament in the English (not Hebrew) Bible: “For behold, the day comes burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch” (Mal 4:1). Here the imagery of the all-consuming fire which leaves “neither root nor branch” suggests utter consumption and destruction, not perpetual torment. The same truth is expressed by God’s next prophet, John the Baptist, who cried in the wilderness summoning people to repentance in view of the approaching fire of God’s judgment (Matt 3:7-12).
2. The Witness of Intertestamental Literature
The literature produced during the 400 years between Malachi and Matthew is far from being unanimous on the fate of the wicked. Some texts describe the unending conscious torments of the lost, while others reflect the Old Testament view that the wicked cease to exist. What accounts for these contrasting views most likely is the Hellenistic cultural pressure the Jews experienced at that time as they were widely dispersed throughout the ancient Near East.
Unfortunately, most people are not aware of the different views because traditionalists generally argue for a uniform Jewish view of the final punishment as eternal torment. Since Jesus and the apostles did not denounce such a view, it is assumed that they endorsed it. This assumption is based on fantasy rather than facts.
Eternal Torment. The Second Book of Esdras, an apocryphal book accepted as canonical by the Roman Catholic Church, asks if the soul of the lost will be tortured immediately at death or after the renewal of creation (2 Esd 7:15). God answers: “As the spirit leaves the body . . . if it is one of those who have shown scorn and have not kept the way of the Most High . . . such spirit shall . . . wander about in torment, ever grieving and sad . . . they will consider the torment laid up for themselves in the last days” (2 Esd 7:78-82).16
The same view is expressed in Judith (150-125 B. C.), also an apocryphal book included in the Roman Catholic Bible. In closing her song of victory, the heroine Judith warns: “Woe to the nations that rise up against my race; the Lord Almighty will take vengeance of them in the day of judgment, to put fire and worms in their flesh; And they shall weep and feel pain for ever” (Judith 16:17). The reference to the fire and worms probably comes from Isaiah 66:24, but while Isaiah saw the dead bodies consumed by fire and worms, Judith speaks of “fire and worms” as causing internal, unending agonies inside the flesh. Here we have an unmistakable description of the traditional view of hell.
A similar description of the fate of the wicked is found in 4 Maccabees, written by a Jew with Stoic leanings. The author describes the righteous ascending to conscious bliss at death (10:15; 13:17; 17:18; 18:23) and the wicked descending to conscious torment (9:8, 32; 10:11, 15; 12:19; 13:15; 18:5, 22). In chapter 9, he tells the story of the faithful mother and her seven sons who were all martyred under the tyranny of Antiochus Epiphanes (see 2 Macc 7:1-42). The seven sons repeatedly warn their wicked torturer of the eternal torment that awaits him: “Divine vengeance is reserved for you, eternal fire and torments, which shall cling to you for all time” (4 Macc 12:12; cf. 9:9; 10:12, 15).”The danger of eternal torment is laid up for those who transgress the commandments of God” (4 Macc 13:15).
Total Annihilation. In other apocryphal books, however, sinners are consumed as in the Old Testament. Tobit (about 200 B.C.), for example, describes the end time, saying: “All the children of Israel that are delivered in those days, remembering God in truth, shall be gathered together and come to Jerusalem and they shall dwell in the land of Abraham with security . . . and they that do sin and unrighteousness shall cease from all earth” (Tob 14:6-8). The same view is expressed in Sirach, called also Ecclesiasticus (about 195-171 B.C.) which speaks of “the glowing fire” in which the wicked will “be devoured” and “find destruction” (Eccl 36:7-10).
The Sibylline Oracles, a composite work, the core of which comes from a Jewish author of perhaps the second century B. C., describes how God will carry out the total destruction of the wicked: “And He shall burn the whole earth, and consume the whole race of men . . . and there shall be sooty dust” (Sib. Or. 4:76). The Psalms of Solomon, most likely composed by Hasidic Jews in the middle of the first century B. C., anticipates a time when the wicked will vanish from the earth, never to be remembered: “The destruction of the sinner is forever, and he shall not be remembered, when the righteous is visited. This is the portion of sinners for ever” (Ps. Sol. 3:11-12).
Josephus and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Traditionalists often cite Josephus’ description of the Essene belief about the immortality of the soul and the eternal punishment of the wicked to support their contention that such a belief was widely accepted in New Testament times. Let us look at the text closely before making any comment. Josephus tells us that the Essenes adopted from the Greeks not only the notion that “the souls are immortal, and continue for ever,” but also the belief that “the good souls have their habitations beyond the ocean,” in a region where the weather is perfect, while “bad souls [are cast in] a dark and tempestuous den, full of never-ceasing punishments.”17 Josephus continues explaining that such a belief derives from Greek “fables” and is built “on the supposition that the souls are immortal” and that “bad men . . . suffer immortal punishment after death.”18 He calls such beliefs “an unavoidable bait for such as have once had a taste for their [Greek] philosophy.”19
It is significant that Josephus attributes the belief in the immortality of the soul and in unending punishment not to the teachings of the Old Testament, but to Greek “fables,” which sectarian Jews, like the Essenes, found irresistible. Such a comment presupposes that not all the Jews had accepted these beliefs. In fact, indications are that even among the Essenes were those who did not share such beliefs. For example, the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are generally associated with the Essene community, speak clearly of the total annihilation of sinners.
The Damascus Document, an important Dead Sea Scroll, describes the end of sinners by comparing their fate to that of the antediluvians who perished in the Flood and of the unfaithful Israelites who fell in the wilderness. God’s punishment of sinners leaves “no remnant remaining of them or survivor (CD 2, 6, 7). They will be “as though they had not been” (CD 2, 20). The same view is expressed in another scroll, the Manual of Discipline which speaks of the “extermination” of the men of Belial (Satan) by means of “eternal fire” (1QS 2, 4-8).20
It is noteworthy that the Manual of Discipline describes the punishment of those who follow the Spirit of Perversity instead of the Spirit of Truth in an apparent contradictory way, namely, as unending punishment which results in total destruction. The text states: “And as for the Visitation of all who walk in this [Spirit of Perversity], it consists of an abundance of blows administered by all the Angels of destruction in the everlasting Pit by the furious wrath of the God of vengeance, of unending dread and shame without end, and of disgrace of destruction by fire of the region of darkness. And all their time from age to age are in most sorrowful chagrin and bitterest misfortune, in calamities of darkness till they are destroyed with none of them surviving or escaping” (1QS 4.11-14).21
The fact that the “unending dread and shame without end” is not unending but lasts only “till they are destroyed” goes to show that in New Testament times, people used such terms as “unending,” “without end,” or “eternal,” with a different meaning than we do today. For us, “unending” punishment means “without end,” and not until the wicked are destroyed. The recognition of this fact is essential for interpreting later the sayings of Jesus about eternal fire and for resolving the apparent contradiction we find in the New Testament between “everlasting punishment” (Matt 25:46) and “everlasting destruction” (2 Thess. 1:9). When it comes to the punishment of the wicked, “unending” simply means” until they are destroyed.”
The above sampling of testimonies from the intertestamental literature indicates that in this period, there was no consistent “Jewish view” of the fate of the wicked. Though most of the documents reflect the Old Testament view of the total extinction of sinners, some clearly speak of the unending torment of the wicked. This means that we cannot read the words of Jesus or the New Testament writers assuming that they reflect a uniform belief in eternal torment held by Jews at that time. We must examine the teachings of the New Testament on the basis of its own internal witness.
Did Jesus Teach Eternal Torment? Traditionalists believe that Jesus provides the strongest proof for their belief in the eternal punishment of the wicked. Kenneth Kantzer, one of the most respected evangelical leaders of our time, states: “Those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord cannot escape the clear, unambiguous language with which he warns of the awful truth of eternal punishment.”22
Australian theologian, Leon Morris, concurs with Kantzer and emphatically states: “Why does anyone believe in hell in these enlightened days? Because Jesus plainly taught its existence. He spoke more often about hell than he did about heaven. We cannot get around this fact. We can understand that there are those who do not like the idea of hell. I do not like it myself. But if we are serious in our understanding of Jesus as the incarnate Son of God, we must reckon with the fact that he said plainly that some people will spend eternity in hell.”23
Morris clearly affirms that Jesus taught the existence of hell. In fact, Jesus uses the term gehenna (translated “hell” in our English Bibles) seven of the eight times the term occurs in the New Testament. The only other reference is found in James 3:6. But the issue is not the reality of hell as the place of the final punishment of impenitent sinners. On this point, most Christians agree. Rather, the issue is the nature of hell. Did Jesus teach that hell?gehenna is the place where sinners will suffer eternal torment or permanent destruction? To find an answer to this question, let us examine what Jesus actually said about hell.
What Is Hell?Gehenna? Before looking at Christ’s references to hell?gehenna, we may find it helpful to consider the derivation of the word itself. The Greek word gehenna is a transliteration of the Hebrew “Valley of (the sons of) Hinnon,” located south of Jerusalem. In ancient times, it was linked with the practice of sacrificing children to the god Molech (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6; 23:10). This earned it the name “Topheth,” a place to be spit on or aborred.26 This valley apparently became a gigantic pyre for burning the 185,000 corpses of Assyrian soldiers whom God slew in the days of Hezekiah (Is 30:31-33; 37:36).
Jeremiah predicted that the place would be called “the valley of Slaughter” because it would be filled with the corpses of the Israelites when God judged them for their sins. “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the valley of Hinnom, but the valley of Slaughter: for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the beasts of the air, and for the beasts of the earth; and none will frighten them away” (Jer 7:32-33).
Josephus informs us that the same valley was heaped with the dead bodies of the Jews following the A. D. 70 siege of Jerusalem.26 We have seen that Isaiah envisions the same scene following the Lord’s slaughter of sinners at the end of the world (Is 66:24). During the intertestamental period, the valley became the place of final punishment, and was called the “accursed valley” (1 Enoch 27:2,3), the “station of vengeance” and “future torment” (2 Bar 59:10, 11), the “furnace of Gehenna” and “pit of torment” (4 Esd 7:36).
Though the imagery of the gehenna is common in the Jewish literature of this period, the description of what happens there is contradictory. Edward Fudge concludes his survey of the literature, saying: “We have seen a few passages in the Pseudepigrapha which specifically anticipate everlasting torment of conscious bodies and/or souls, as well as one such verse in the Apocrypha. Many other passages within the intertestamental literature also picture the wicked being consumed by fire, but it is the consuming, unquenchable fire of the Old Testament which utterly destroys for ever, leaving only smoke as its reminder. It is fair to say that, to those who first heard the Lord, gehenna would convey a sense of total horror and disgust. Beyond that, however, one must speak with extreme caution.”27
Jesus and Hell’s Fire. With this note of caution, let us look at the seven references to gehenna?hell fire that we find in the Gospels. In The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus states that whoever says to his brother “‘you fool!’ shall be liable to the hell [gehenna] of fire” (Matt 5:22; KJV). Again, He said that it is better to pluck out the eye or cut off the hand that causes a person to sin than for the “whole body go into hell [gehenna] (Matt 5:29, 30). The same thought is expressed later on: it is better to cut off a foot or a hand or pluck out an eye that causes a person to sin than to “be thrown into eternal fire . . . be thrown into the hell [gehenna] of fire” (Matt 18:8, 9). Here the fire of hell is described as “eternal.” The same saying is found in Mark, where Jesus three times says that it is better to cut off the offending organ than “to go to hell [gehenna], to the unquenchable fire . . . to be thrown into hell [gehenna], where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44, 46, 47-48). Elsewhere, Jesus chides the Pharisees for traversing sea and land to make a convert and then making him “twice as much a child of hell [gehenna]” (Matt 23:15). Finally, he warns the Pharisees that they will not “escape being sentenced to hell [gehenna]” (Matt 23:33).
In reviewing Christ’s allusions to hell?gehenna, we should first note that none of them indicates that hell?gehenna is a place of unending torment. What is eternal or unquenchable is not the punishment, but the fire. We noted earlier that in the Old Testament this fire is eternal or unquenchable in the sense that it totally consumes dead bodies. This conclusion is supported by Christ’s warning that we should not fear human beings who can harm the body, but the One “who can destroy both soul and body in hell [gehenna]” (Matt 10:28). The implication is clear. Hell is the place of final punishment, which results in the total destruction of the whole being, soul and body.
Robert Peterson argues that “Jesus is not speaking here of literal annihilation,” because in the parallel passage in Luke 12:5 the verb “destroy” is not used. Instead, it says: “Fear him who, after killing the body, has power to throw you into hell” (Luke 12:5). From this Peterson concludes: “The destruction mentioned in Matthew 10:28, therefore, is equivalent to being thrown into hell,”28 that is, eternal torment. The fundamental problem with his argument is that he assumes first that”being thrown into hell” means everlasting torment. Then he uses his subjective assumption to negate the self-evident meaning of the verb “to destroy?apollumi.” Peterson ignores a basic principle of Biblical interpretation which requires unclear texts to be explained on the basis of those which are clear and not viceversa. The fact that Jesus clearly speaks of God destroying both the soul and body in hell shows that hell is the place where sinners are ultimately destroyed and not eternally tormented.
“Eternal Fire.” Traditionalists would challenge this conclusion because elsewhere Christ refers to “eternal fire” and “eternal punishment.” For example, in Matthew 18:8-9 Jesus repeats what He had said earlier (Matt 5:29-30) about forfeiting a member of the body in order to escape the “eternal fire” of hell?gehenna. An even clearer reference to “eternal fire” is found in the parable of the Sheep and the Goats in which Christ speaks of the separation that takes place at His coming between the saved and the unsaved. He will welcome the faithful into His kingdom , but will reject the wicked, saying: “Depart from me, you cursed, into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; . . . And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt 25:41, 46).29
Traditionalists attribute fundamental importance to the last passage because it brings together the two concepts of “eternal fire” and “eternal punishment.” The combination of the two is interpreted to mean that the punishment is eternal because the hellfire that causes it is also eternal. Peterson goes so far as to say that “if Matthew 25:41 and 46 were the only two verses to describe the fate of the wicked, the Bible would clearly teach eternal condemnation, and we would be obligated to believe it and to teach it on the authority of the Son of God.”30
Peterson’s interpretation of these two critical texts ignores four major considerations. First, Christ’s concern in this parable is not to define the nature of either eternal life or of eternal death, but simply to affirm that there are two destinies. The nature of each of the destinies is not discussed in this passage.
Second, as John Stott rightly points out, “The fire itself is termed ‘eternal’ and ‘unquenchable,’ but it would be very odd if what is thrown into it proves indestructible. Our expectation would be the opposite: it would be consumed for ever, not tormented for ever. Hence it is the smoke (evidence that the fire has done its work) which ‘rises for ever and ever’ (Rev 14:11; cf. 19:3).”31
Third, the fire is”eternal?aionios,” not because of its endless duration, but because of its complete consumption and annihilation of the wicked. This is indicated clearly by the fact that the lake of fire, in which the wicked are thrown, is called explicitly “the second death’ (Rev 20:14; 21:8), because, it causes the final, radical, and irreversible extinction of life.
Eternal as Permanent Destruction. “Eternal” often refers to the permanence of the result rather than the continuation of a process. For example, Jude 7 says that Sodom and Gomorrah underwent “a punishment of eternal [aionios] fire.” It is evident that the fire that destroyed the two cities is eternal, not because of its duration but because of its permanent results.
Similar examples can be found in Jewish intertestamental literature. Earlier we noted that in the Manual of Discipline of the Dead Sea Scrolls, God hurls “extermination” upon the wicked by means of “eternal fire” (1QS 2. 4-8). The “Angels of destruction” cause “unending dread and shame without end, and of the disgrace of destruction by the fire of the region of darkness . . . till they are destroyed with none of them surviving or escaping” (1 QS 4. 11-14). Here, the shameful and destructive fire is “unending . . . without end,” yet it will last only “till they are destroyed.” To our modern critical minds, such a statement is contradictory, but not to people of Biblical times. To interpret a text correctly, it is vital to establish how it was understood by its original readers.
The examples cited suffice to show that the fire of the final punishment is “eternal” not because it lasts forever, but because, as in the case of Sodom and Gomorra, it causes the complete and permanent destruction of the wicked, a condition which lasts forever. In his commentary on The Gospel according to St. Matthew, R. V. G. Tasker expresses the same view: “There is no indication as to how long that punishment will last. The metaphor of ‘eternal fire’ wrongly rendered everlasting fire [KJV] in verse 41 is meant, we may reasonably presume, to indicate final destruction.”32
Fourth, Jesus was offering a choice between destruction and life when He said: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only few find it” (Matt 7:13-14).33 Here Jesus contrasts the comfortable way which leads to destruction in hell with the narrow way of trials and persecutions which leads to eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. The contrast between destruction and life suggests that the “eternal fire” causes the eternal destruction of the lost, not their eternal torment.
“Eternal Punishment.” Christ’s solemn declaration: “They will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt 25:46) is generally regarded as the clearest proof of the conscious suffering the lost will endure for all eternity. Is this the only legitimate interpretation of the text? John Stott rightly answers: “No, that is to read into the text what is not necessarily there. What Jesus said is that both the life and the punishment would be eternal, but he did not in that passage define the nature of either. Because he elsewhere spoke of eternal life as a conscious enjoyment of God (John 17:3), it does not follow that eternal punishment must be a conscious experience of pain at the hand of God. On the contrary, although declaring both to be eternal, Jesus is contrasting the two destinies: the more unlike they are, the better.”34
Traditionalists read “eternal punishment” as “eternal punishing,” but this is not the meaning of the phrase. As Basil Atkinson keenly observes, “When the adjective aionios meaning ‘everlasting’ is used in Greek with nouns of action it has reference to the result of the action, not the process. Thus the phrase ‘everlasting punishment’ is comparable to ‘everlasting redemption’ and ‘everlasting salvation,’ both Scriptural phrases. No one supposes that we are being redeemed or being saved forever. We were redeemed and saved once for all by Christ with eternal results. In the same way the lost will not be passing through a process of punishment for ever but will be punished once and for all with eternal results. On the other hand the noun ‘life’ is not a noun of action, but a noun expressing a state. Thus the life itself is eternal.”35
A fitting example to support this conclusion is found in 2 Thessalonians 1:9, where Paul, speaking of those who reject the Gospel, says: “They shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”36 It is evident that the destruction of the wicked cannot be eternal in its duration, because it is difficult to imagine an eternal, inconclusive process of destruction. Destruction presupposes annihilation. The destruction of the wicked is eternal?aionios, not because the process of destruction continues forever, but because the results are permanent. In the same way, the “eternal punishment” of Matthew 25:46 is eternal because its results are permanent. It is a punishment that results in their eternal destruction or annihilation.
The Meaning of “Eternal.” Some reason that “if the word ‘eternal’ means without end when applied to the future blessedness of believers, it must follow, unless clear evidence is given to the contrary, that this word also means without end when used to describe the future punishment of the lost.”37 Harry Buis states this argument even more forcefully: “If aionion describes life which is endless, so must aionios describe endless punishment. Here the doctrine of heaven and the doctrine of hell stand or fall together.”38
Such reasoning fails to recognize that what determines the meaning of “eternal” is the object being qualified. If the object is the life granted by God to believers (John 3:16), then the word “eternal” obviously means “unending, everlasting,” because the Scripture tells us that the “mortal nature” of believers will be made “immortal” by Christ at His Coming (1 Cor 15:53).
On the other hand, if the object being qualified is the “punishment” or “destruction” of the lost, then “eternal” can only mean “permanent, total, final,” because nowhere does the Scripture teach that the wicked will be resurrected immortal to be able to suffer forever. Eternal punishment requires either the natural possession of an immortal nature or the divine bestowal of an immortal nature at the time the punishment is inflicted. Nowhere does the Scripture teach that either of these conditions exists.
The punishment of the wicked is eternal both in quality and quantity. It is “eternal” in quality because it belongs to the Age to Come. It is “eternal” in quantity because its results will never end. Like “eternal judgment” (Heb 6:2), “eternal redemption” (Heb 9:12), and “eternal salvation” (Heb 5:9)?all of which are eternal in the results of actions once completed?so “eternal punishment” is eternal in its results: the complete and irreversible destruction of the wicked.
It is important to note that the Greek word aionios, translated “eternal” or “everlasting,” literally means “lasting for an age.” Ancient Greek papyri contain numerous examples of Roman emperors being described as aionios. What is meant is that they held their office for life. Unfortunately, the English words “eternal” or “everlasting” do not accurately render the meaning of aionios, which literally means “age-lasting.” In other words, while the Greek aionios expresses perpetuity within limits, the English “eternal” or “everlasting” denotes unlimited duration.
The Meaning of “Punishment.” Note should also be taken of the word “punishment” used to translate the Greek word kolasis. A glance at Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament shows that the word was used at that time with the meaning of “pruning” or “cutting down” of dead wood. If this is its meaning here, it reflects the frequent Old Testament phrase “shall be cut off from his people” (Gen 17:14; Ex 30:33, 38; Lev 7:20, 21, 25, 27; Num 9:13). This would mean that the “eternal punishment” of the wicked consists in their being permanently cut off from mankind.
As a final observation, it is important to remember that the only way the punishment of the wicked could be inflicted eternally is if God resurrected them with immortal life so that they would be indestructible. But according to the Scripture, only God possesses immortality in Himself (1 Tim 1:17; 6:16). He gives immortality as the gift of the Gospel (2 Tim 1:10). In the best known text of the Bible, we are told that those who do not “believe in him” will “perish [apoletai],” instead of receiving “eternal life” (John 3:16). The ultimate fate of the lost is destruction by eternal fire and not punishment by eternal torment. The notion of the eternal torment of the wicked can only be defended by accepting the Greek view of the immortality and indestructibility of the soul, a concept which we have found to be foreign to Scripture.
“Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth.” Four times in the Gospel of Matthew we are told that on the day of judgment “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 8:12; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; KJV). Believers in literal, eternal hell fire generally assume that the “weeping and gnashing of teeth” describes the conscious agony experienced by the lost for all eternity. A look at the context of each text suggests, however, that the “weeping and grinding of teeth” occurs in the context of the separation or expulsion that occurs at the final judgment.
Both phrases derive most likely from the weeping and gnashing of teeth associated with the Day of the Lord in the Old Testament. For example, Zephaniah describes the Day of the Lord in the following words: “The day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly” (Zeph 1:14; KJV).39 In a similar fashion, the Psalmist says: “The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away; the desire of the wicked shall perish” (Ps 112:10).40 Here the Psalmist clearly indicates that the gnashing of teeth is the outcome of the judgment of the wicked which ultimately results in their extinction.
Edward Fudge perceptively observes that “the expression ‘weeping and grinding of teeth’ seems to indicate two separate activities. The first reflects the terror of the doomed as they begin to truly realize that God has thrown them out as worthless and as they anticipate the execution of His sentence. The second seems to express the bitter rage and acrimony they feel toward God, who sentenced them, and toward the redeemed, who will forever be blessed.”41
CHAPTER IV – PART IV
The word “hell” (gehenna) does not occur in the writings of Paul. Instead, the apostle refers a few times to God’s judgment executed upon the evildoers at the time of Christ’s coming. Traditionalists appeal to some of these passages to support their belief in the eternal punishment of the lost. Earlier we examined the important passage of 2 Thessalonians 1:9, where Paul speaks of the “punishment of eternal destruction” that the wicked will suffer at Christ’s coming. We noted that the destruction of the wicked is eternal? aionios, not because the process of destruction continues forever, but because the results are permanent.
The Day of Wrath. Another significant Pauline passage often cited in support of literal unending hellfire is his warning about “the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. For he will render to every man according to his works: . . . to those who do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek” (Rom 2:5-9). The “wrath, fury, tribulation, distress” are seen by traditionalists as descriptive of the conscious torment of hell.42
The picture that Paul presents of “the day of wrath,” when the evildoers will experience wrath, fury, tribulation and distress is most likely derived from Zephaniah, where the prophet speaks of the eschatological Day of the Lord as a “day of wrath . . . a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom” (Zeph 1:15). Then the prophet says: “In the fire of his jealous wrath, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full, yea, sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth” (Zeph 1:18).
We have reason to believe that Paul expresses the same truth that the Day of the Lord will bring a sudden end to evildoers. Paul never makes any allusion to the everlasting torment of the lost. Why? Simply, because for him, immortality is God’s gift given to the saved at Christ’s coming (1 Cor 15:53-54) and not a natural endowment of every person. The Apostle borrows freely from the Old Testament’s prophetic vocabulary, but he illuminates the vision of the Day of the Lord with the bright light of the Gospel, rather than with lurid details of conscious eternal torment.
5. The Witness of Revelation
The theme of the final judgment is central to the book of Revelation, because it represents God’s way of overcoming the opposition of evil to Himself and His people. Thus, it is not surprising that believers in eternal hell fire find support for their view in the dramatic imagery of Revelation’s final judgment. The visions cited to support the view of everlasting punishment in hell are: (1) the vision of God’s Wrath in Revelation 14:9-11, and (2) the vision of the lake of fire and of the second death in Revelation 20:10, 14-15. We briefly examine them now.
The Vision of God’s Wrath. In Revelation 14, John sees three angels announcing God’s final judgment in language progressively stronger. The third angel cries out with a loud voice: “If any one worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also shall drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and he shall be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of his holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, these worshippers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name” (Rev 14:9-11).
Traditionalists view this passage together with Matthew 25:46 as the two most important texts which support the traditional doctrine of hell. Peterson concludes his analysis of this passage, by saying: “I conclude, therefore, that despite attempts to prove otherwise, Revelation 14:9-11 unequivocally teaches that hell entails eternal conscious torment for the lost. In fact, if we had only this passage, we would be obligated to teach the traditional doctrine of hell on the authority of the Word of God.”43 Robert Morey states categorically the same view: “By every rule of hermeneutics and exegesis, the only legitimate interpretation of Revelation 14:10-11 is the one that clearly sees eternal, conscious torment awaiting the wicked.”44
These dogmatic interpretations of Revelation 14:9-11 as proof of a literal, eternal torment reveal a lack of sensitivity to the highly metaphorical language of the passage. In his commentary on Revelation, J. P. M. Sweet, a respected British New Testament scholar, offers a most timely caution in his comment on this passage: “To ask, ‘what does Revelation teach ? eternal torment or eternal destruction?’ is to use (or misuse) the book as a source of ‘doctrine,’ or of information about the future. John uses pictures, as Jesus used parables (cf. Matt 18:32-34; 25:41-46), to ram home the unimaginable disaster of rejecting God, and the unimaginable blessedness of union with God, while there is still time to do something about it.”45 It is unfortunate that this warning is ignored by those who choose to interpret literally highly figurative passages like the one under consideration.
Four Elements of the Judgment. Let us now consider the four major elements in the angel’s announcement of God’s judgment upon the apostates who worship the beast: (1) The pouring and drinking of the cup of God’s wrath, (2) the torment with burning sulphur inflicted upon the ungodly in the sight of the angels and of the Lamb, (3) the smoke of their torment rising forever, and (4) their having no rest day or night.
The pouring of the cup of God’s wrath is a well-established Old Testament symbol of divine judgment (Is 51:17, 22; Jer 25:15-38; Ps 60:3; 75:8). God pours the cup “unmixed,” that is, undiluted, to ensure its deadly effects. The prophets used similar language:”They shall drink and stagger, and shall be as though they had not been” (Ob 16: cf. Jer 25:18, 27, 33). The same cup of God’s wrath is served to Babylon, the city that corrupts the people. God mixes “a double draught for her,” and the result is “pestilence, mourning, famine” and destruction by fire (Rev 18:6, 8). We have reason to believe that the end of Babylon, destroyed by fire, is also the end of the apostates who drink God’s unmixed cup.
The fate of the ungodly is described through the imagery of the most terrible judgment that ever fell on this earth?the destruction by fire and sulphur of Sodom and Gomorrah.”He shall be tormented with fire and sulphur, in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb” (Rev 14:10). The imagery of fire and sulphur that destroyed the two cities frequently is used in the Bible to signify complete annihilation (Job 18:15-17; Is 30:33; Ezek 38:22).
Isaiah describes the fate of Edom in language that is strikingly similar to that of Revelation 14:10. He says:”The streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into brimstone; her land shall become burning pitch. Night and day it shall not be quenched, its smoke shall go up for ever” (Is 34:9-10). As Revelation 14:10, we have here the unquenchable fire, the sulphur (brimstone), and the smoke that goes up forever, night and day. Does this mean that Edom was to burn forever? We do not have to go far to find the answer because the verse continues: “From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever” (Is 34:10).46 It is evident that the unquenchable fire and the ever-ascending smoke are metaphoric symbols of complete destruction, extermination, and annihilation. If this is the meaning of this imagery in the Old Testament, we have reason to believe that the same meaning applies to the text under consideration.
This conclusion is supported by John’s use of the imagery of the fire and smoke to describe the fate of Babylon, the city responsible for enticing God’s people into apostasy. The city “shall be burned with fire” (Rev 18:8) and “the smoke from her goes up for ever and ever” (Rev 19:3). Does this mean that Babylon will burn for all eternity? Obviously not, because the merchants and kings bewail the “torment” they see, and cry: “Alas, alas, for the great city . . . In one hour she has been laid waste. . . . and shall be found no more” (Rev 18:10, 17, 19, 21). It is evident that the smoke of the torment of Babylon that “goes up for ever and ever” represents complete destruction because the city “shall be found no more” (Rev 18:21).
The striking similarity between the fate of the apostates and the fate of Babylon, where both are characterized as tormented by fire whose smoke “goes up for ever and ever” (Rev 14:10-11; cf. 18:8; 19:3), gives us reason to believe that the destiny of Babylon is also the destiny of those who have partaken of her sins, that is, both experience the same destruction and annihilation.
” No Rest, Day or Night.” The phrase “they have no rest, day or night” (Rev 14:11) is interpreted by traditionalists as descriptive of the eternal torment of hell. The phrase, however, denotes the continuity and not the eternal duration of an action. John uses the same phrase “day and night” to describe the living creatures praising God (Rev 4:8), the martyrs serving God (Rev 7:15), Satan accusing the brethren (Rev 12:10), and the unholy trinity being tormented in the lake of fire (Rev 20:10). In each case, the thought is the same: the action continues while it lasts. Harold Guillebaud correctly explains that the phrase “they have no rest, day or night” (Rev 14:11) “certainly says that there will be no break or intermission in the suffering of the followers of the Beast, while it continues; but in itself it does not say that it will continue forever.”47
Support for this conclusion is provided by the usage of the phrase “day and night” in Isaiah 34:10, where, as we have seen, Edom’s fire is not quenched “night and day” and “its smoke shall go up for ever” (Is 34:10). The imagery is designed to convey that Edom’s fire would continue until it had consumed all that there was, and then it would go out. The outcome would be permanent destruction, not everlasting burning. “From generation to generation it shall lie waste” (Is 34:10).
To sum up, the four figures present in the scene of Revelation 14:9-11 complement one another in describing the final destruction of the apostates. The “unmixed” wine of God’s fury poured out in full strength suggests a judgment resulting in extinction. The burning sulphur denotes some degree of conscious punishment that precedes the extinction. The rising smoke serves as a continuous reminder of God’s just judgment. The suffering will continue day and night until the ungodly are completely destroyed.
The Lake of Fire. The last description in the Bible of the final punishment contains two highly significant metaphorical expresions: (1) the lake of fire, and (2) the second death (Rev 19:20; 20:10, 15; 21:8). Traditionalists attribute fundamental importance to “lake of fire” because for them, as stated by John Walvoord, “the lake of fire is, and it serves as a synonym for the eternal place of torment.”48
To determine the meaning of “the lake of fire,” we need to examine its four occurrences in Revelation, the only book in the Bible where the phrase is found. The first reference occurs in Revelation 19:20, where we are told that the beast and the false prophet “were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.” The second reference is found in Revelation 20:10, where John describes the outcome of Satan’s last great assault against God: “The devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” God’s throwing of the devil into the lake of fire increases its inhabitants from two to three.
The third and fourth references are found in Revelation 20:15 and 21:8, where all the wicked are also thrown into the lake of fire. It is evident that there is a crescendo as all evil powers, and people eventually experience the final punishment of the lake of fire.
The fundamental question is whether the lake of fire represents an ever-burning hell where the wicked are supposed to be tormented for all eternity or whether it symbolizes the permanent destruction of sin and sinners. Five major considerations lead us to believe that the lake of fire represents the final and complete annihilation of evil and evildoers.
First, the beast and the false prophet, who are cast alive into the lake of fire, are two symbolic personages who represent not actual people but persecuting civil governments and corrupting false religion. Political and religious systems cannot suffer conscious torment forever. Thus, for them, the lake of fire represents complete, irreversible annihilation.
Second, the imagery of the devil and his host who are devoured by fire from heaven and then cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, is largely derived from Ezekiel 38 and 39, where even the code names “Gog” and “Magog” are found, and from 2 King 1:10, which speaks of the fire that came down from heaven to consume the captain and the fifty soldiers sent against Elijah. In both instances, the fire causes the annihilation of evildoers (Ezek 38:22; 39:6, 16). The similarity of imagery suggests that the same meaning and function of fire as utter destruction applies to the fate of the devil in Revelation 20:10.
Third, it is impossible to visualize how the devil and his angels, who are spirits could “be tormented [with fire] day and night for ever and ever” (Rev 20:10). After all, fire belongs to the material, physical world, but the devil and his angels are not physical beings. Eldon Ladd rightly points out: “How a lake of literal fire can bring everlasting torture to non-physical beings is impossible to imagine. It is obvious that this is picturesque language describing a real fact in the spiritual world: the final and everlasting destruction of the forces of evil which have plagued men since the garden of Eden.”49
Fourth, the fact that “Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:14) shows that the meaning of the lake of fire is symbolic, because Death and Hades (the grave) are abstract realities that cannot be thrown into or consumed with fire. By the imagery of Death and Hades being thrown into the lake of fire, John simply affirms the final and complete destruction of death and the grave. By His death and resurrection, Jesus conquered the power of death, but eternal life cannot be experienced until death is symbolically destroyed in the lake of fire and banished from the universe.
“The Second Death.” The fifth and decisive consideration is the fact that the lake of fire is defined as “the second death.” Before we look at the usage of the phrase “second death,” it is important to note that John clearly explains that “the lake of fire is the second death” (Rev 20:14; cf. 21:8).
Some traditionalists interpret “the second death,” not as the ultimate death, but as the ultimate separation of sinners from God. For example, Robert Peterson states: “When John says that Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:14), he indicates that the intermediate state gives way to the final one. He also does this by revealing that the ‘lake of fire is the second death’ (Rev 20:14). As death means the separation of the soul from the body, so the second death denotes the ultimate separation of the ungodly from their Creator’s love. Accordingly, God reunites the souls of the unsaved dead with their bodies to fit the lost for eternal punishment. If eternal life entails forever knowing the Father and the Son (John 17:3), its antithesis, the second death, involves being deprived of God’s fellowship for all eternity.”50
It is hard to understand how Peterson can interpret “the second death” as eternal conscious separation from God when, as we noted in chapter 4, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that there is no consciousness in death. The “second death” is the antithesis of “eternal life,” but the antithesis of eternal life is “eternal death” and not eternal conscious separation from God. Furthermore, the notion of the souls of the unsaved being reunited with their bodies after the intermediate state, to make them fit for eternal punishment can only be supported on the basis of a dualistic understanding of human nature. From a Biblical perspective, death is the cessation of life and not the separation of the body from the soul. The meaning of the phrase “second death” must be determined on the basis of the internal witness of the book of Revelation and of contemporary Jewish literature rather than on the basis of Greek dualism, foreign to the Bible.
Throughout the book of Revelation, John explains the meaning of a first term by the use of a second. For example, he explains that the bowls of incense are the prayers of the saints (Rev 5:8). “The fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints” (Rev 19:8). The coming to life of the saints and their reigning with Christ a thousand years “is the first resurrection” (Rev 20:5). Following the same pattern, John explicitly explains that “the lake of fire is the second death” (Rev 20:14; cf. 21:8).
Some traditionalists wish to define the second death as the lake of fire, in order to be able to argue that the second death is not the final death, but eternal torment in the lake of fire. A quick reading of Revelation 20:14 and 21:8 suffices to show that the opposite is true. John unmistakenly states: “The lake of fire is the second death” and not vice versa. The meaning of the second death derives from and is dependent upon the meaning of the first death experienced by every human being at the cessation of life. The second death differs from the first death, not in nature but in results. The first death is a temporary sleep because it is followed by the resurrection. The second death is permanent and irreversible extinction because there is no awakening.
References to the “Second Death.” Since John clearly defines the lake of fire to be the second death, it is crucial for us to understand the meaning of “the second death.” This phrase occurs four times in Revelation but does not appear elsewhere in the New Testament. The first reference is found in Revelation 2:11: “He who conquers shall not be hurt by the second death.” Here “the second death” is differentiated from the physical death that every human being experiences. The implication is that the saved receive eternal life, and will not experience eternal death.
The second reference to “the second death” occurs in Revelation 20:6, in the context of the first resurrection of the saints at the beginning of the millennium: “Over such the second death has no power.” Again, the implication is that the resurrected saints will not experience the second death, that is, the punishment of eternal death, obviously because they will be raised to immortal life. The third and the fourth references are in Revelation 20:14 and 21:8, where the second death is identified with the lake of fire into which the devil, the beast, the false prophet, Death, Hades, and all evildoers are thrown. In these instances, the lake of fire is the second death in the sense that it accomplishes the eternal death and destruction of sin and sinners.
The meaning of the phrase “second death” is clarified by its usage in the Targum, which is the Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Old Testament. In the Targum, the phrase is used several times to refer to the final and irreversible death of the wicked. According to Strack and Billerbeck, the Targum on Jeremiah 51:39, 57 contains an oracle against Babylon, which says: “They shall die the second death and not live in the world to come.”51 Here the second death is clearly the death resulting from the final judgment which prevents evildoers from living in the world to come.
In his study The New Testament and the Palestinian Targum to the Pentateuch, M. McNamara cites the Targums of Deuteronomy 33:6, Isaiah 22:14 and 65:6, 15 where the phrase “second death” is used to describe the ultimate, irreversible death. The Targum on Deuteronomy 33:6 reads: “Let Reuben live in this world and die not in the second death in which death the wicked die in the world to come.”52 In the Targum on Isaiah 22:14, the prophet says: “This sin shall not be forgiven you till you die the second death, says the Lord of Host.”53 In both instances, “the second death” is the ultimate destruction experienced by the wicked at the final judgment.
The Targum on Isaiah 65:6 is very close to Revelation 20:14 and 21:8. It reads: “Their punishment shall be in Gehenna where the fire burns all the day. Behold, it is written before me: ‘I will not give them respite during (their) life but will render them the punishment of their transgressions and will deliver their bodies to the second death.”54 Again, the Targum on Isaiah 65:15 reads: “And you shall leave your name for a curse to my chosen and the Lord God will slay you with the second death but his servants, the righteous, he shall call by a different name.”55 Here, the second death is explicitly equated with the slaying of the wicked by the Lord, a clear image of final destruction and not of eternal torment.
In the light of the preceding considerations, we conclude that the phrase the “second death” is used by John to define the nature of the punishment in the lake of fire, namely, a punishment that ultimately results in eternal, irreversible death. As Robert Mounce points out, “The lake of fire indicates not only the stern punishment awaiting the enemies of righteousness but also their full and final defeat. It is the second death, that is, the destiny of those whose temporary resurrection results only in a return to death and its punishment.”56 The same view is expressed eloquently by Henry Alford who writes: “As there is a second and higher life, so there is also a second and deeper death. And as after that life there is no more death (Rev 21:4), so after that death there is no more life.”57 This is a sensible definition of the “second death,” as the final, irreversible death. To interpret the phrase otherwise, as eternal conscious torment or separation from God means to negate the Biblical meaning of “death” as cessation of life.
Conclusion. In closing this examination of the traditional view of hell as the place of a literal, everlasting punishment of the wicked, three major observations can be made. First, the traditional view of hell largely depends upon a dualistic view of human nature, which requires the eternal survival of the soul either in heavenly bliss or in hellish torment. We have found such a belief to be foreign to the wholistic Biblical view of human nature, where death denotes the cessation of life for the whole person.
Second, the traditionalist view rests largely on a literal interpretation of such symbolic images as gehennah, the lake of fire, and the second death. Such images do not lend themselves to a literal interpretation because, as we have seen, they are metaphorical descriptions of the permanent destruction of evil and evildoers. Incidentally, lakes are filled with water and not with fire.
Third, the traditional view fails to provide a rational explanation for the justice of God in inflicting endless divine retribution for sins committed during the space of a short life. The doctrine of eternal conscious torment is incompatible with the Biblical revelation of divine love and justice. This point is considered later in conjunction with the moral implications of eternal torment.
In conclusion, the traditional view of hell was more likely to be accepted during the Middle Ages, when most people lived under autocratic regimes of despotic rulers, who could and did torture and destroy human beings with impunity. Under such social conditions, theologians with a good conscience could attribute to God an unappeasable vindictiveness and insatiable cruelty, which today would be regarded as demonic. Today, theological ideas are subject to an ethical and rational criticism that forbids the moral perversity attributed to God in the past. Our sense of justice requires that the penalty inflicted must be commensurate with the evil done. This important truth is ignored by the traditional view that requires eternal punishment for the sins of even a short lifetime.
PART II: ALTERNATIVE VIEWS OF HELL
The serious problems posed by the traditional view of hell has led some scholars to seek for alternative interpretations. Brief consideration is given here to two fresh attempts to understand the Biblical data, and to redefine the nature of hell.
1. The Metaphorical View of Hell
The most modest revision of the traditional view of hell involves interpreting metaphorically the nature of the unending torment of hell. According to this view, hell is still understood as everlasting punishment, but it is less literally hellish, because the physical fire no longer tortures or burns the flesh of the wicked, but represents the pain of being separated from God. Billy Graham expresses a metaphorical view of hellfire when he says: “I have often wondered if hell is a terrible burning within our hearts for God, to fellowship with God, a fire that we can never quench.”58 Graham’s interpretation of hellfire as”a terrible burning within our hearts for God” is most ingenious. Unfortunately, it ignores that the”burning” takes place not within the heart, but without where the wicked are consumed. If the wicked had a burning within their hearts for God, they would not experience the suffering of the final punishment.
Figurative Imagery. In his compelling presentation of the metaphorical view of hell, William Crockett argues that Christians should not have to face the embarrassment of believing that “a portion of creation find ease in heaven, while the rest burn in hell.”59 His solution is to recognize that “hellfire and brimstone are not literal depictions of hell’s furnishing, but figurative expressions warning the wicked of impending doom.”60 Crockett cites Calvin, Luther, and a host of contemporary scholars, all of whom “interpret hell’s fire metaphorically, or at least allow for the possibility that hell might be something other than literal fire.”61
Crockett maintains that “the strongest reason for taking them [the images of hell] as metaphors is the conflicting language used in the New Testament to describe hell. How could hell be literal fire when it is also described as darkness (Matt 8:12; 22:13; 25:30; 2 Pet 2:17; Jude 13)?”62 He continues, asking a pertinent question: “Did the New Testament writers intend their words to be taken literally? Certainly, Jude did not. He describes hell as ‘eternal fire’ in verse 7, and then further depicts it as the ‘blackest darkness’ in verse 13. . . . Fire and darkness, of course, are not the only images we have of hell in the New Testament. The wicked are said to weep and gnash their teeth (Matt 8:12; 13:42; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28), their worm never dies (Mark 9:48), and they are beaten with many blows (Luke 12:47). No one thinks hell will involve actual beatings or is a place where the maggots of the dead achieve immortality. Equally, no one thinks that gnashing teeth is anything other than an image of hell’s grim reality. In the past, some have wondered about people who enter hell toothless. How will they grind their teeth?”63 The answer that some have given to the last question is that “dentures will be provided in the next world so that the damned might be able to weep and gnash their teeth.”64
On the basis of his metaphorical interpretation of hellfire, Crockett concludes: “Hell, then, should not be pictured as an inferno belching fire like Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. The most we can say is that the rebellious will be cast from the presence of God, without any hope of restoration. Like Adam and Eve they will be driven away, but this time into ‘eternal night,’ where joy and hope are forever lost.”65
Evaluation of the Metaphorical View. Credit must be given to the proponents of the metaphorical view of hell for pointing out that the images used in the Bible to describe hell, such as fire, darkness, voracious maggots, sulphur, and gnashing of teeth are metaphors and not actual descriptions of fact. When interpreting a text, it is important to distinguish between the medium and the message. Metaphors are designed to communicate a particular message, but they are not the message itself. This means that when interpreting the highly symbolic images of hell, we must seek to understand the message being conveyed instead of taking the images as a literal descriptions of the reality.
Proponents of the metaphorical view are correct in pointing out that the fundamental problem with the traditional view of hell is that it is based on a literalism that ignores the highly symbolic nature of the language used. But the problem with the metaphorical view of hell is that it merely wants to replace the physical torment with a more endurable mental torment. But, by the lowering the pain quotient in a non-literal hell, they do not substantially change the nature of hell since it still remains a place of unending torment.
Some may even question the notion that eternal mental torment is more humane than physical torment. Mental anguish can be as painful as physical pain. By making hell more humane, the metaphorical view has not gained much because it is still burdened with the same problems of the traditionalist view. People are still asked to believe that God tortures evildoers endlessly, though presumably less severely. In my view, the solution is to be found not in humanizing or sanitizing hell so that it may ultimately prove to be a more tolerable place for the wicked to spend eternity, but in understanding the nature of the final punishment which, as we shall see, is permanent annihilation and not eternal torment.
2. The Universalist View of Hell
A second and more radical revision of hell has been attempted by universalists, who have reduced hell to a temporary condition of graded punishments which ultimately leads to heaven.Universalists believe that ultimately God will succeed in bringing every human being to salvation and eternal life so that no one, in fact, will be condemned in the final judgment to either eternal torment or annihilation. This belief was first suggested by Origen in the third century, and it has gained steady support in modern times, especially through the writing of such men as Friedrich Schleiermacher, C. F. D. Moule, J. A. T. Robinson, Michael Paternoster, Michael Perry, and John Hick. The arguments presented by these and other writers in support of universalism are both theological and philosophical.
Theological and Philosophical Arguments. Theologically, appeal is made to “universalist passages” (1 Tim 2:4; 4:10; Col 1:20; Rom 5:18; 11:32; Eph 1:10; 1 Cor 15:22), which seem to offer hope of universal salvation. On the basis of these texts, universalists argue that if all human beings are not ultimately saved, then God’s will for “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4) would be frustrated and defeated. Only through the salvation of all human beings can God demonstrate the triumph of His infinitely patient love.
Philosophically, universalists find it intolerable that a loving God would allow millions of persons to suffer everlasting torment for sins committed within a span of a few years. Jacques Ellul articulates this view admirably, asking the following probing questions:”Have we not seen the impossibility of considering that the New Creation, that admirable symphony of love, could exist beside the world of wrath? Is God still double-faced: a visage of love turned toward his celestial Jerusalem and a visage of wrath turned toward this ‘hell?’ Are then the peace and joy of God complete, since he continues as a God of wrath and of fulmination? Could Paradise be what Romain Gary has so marvelously described in Tulipe, when he said that the trouble is not the concentration camp but ‘the very peaceable, very happy little village beside the camp’—the little village alongside, where people were undisturbed while millions died atrociously in the camp.”66
Purgatorial Process. Universalists argue that it is unthinkable that in the final judgment God would condemn to eternal torment the countless millions of non-Christians who have not responded to Christ because they have never heard the Christian message. The solution proposed by some universalists is that God will save all the unfaithful by enabling them to be gradually transformed through a “purgatorial” process after death.
This view represents a revision of the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory, which limits this remedial process only to the souls of the faithful. The universalists extend this privilege also to the souls of the unfaithful. Thus, beyond death, God continues to draw all the unsaved to Himself, until ultimately all will respond to His love and rejoice in His presence for all eternity.
An Appealing but Unbiblical View. No one can deny that the theological and philosophical arguments of universalism appeal to the Christian conscience. Any person who has deeply sensed God’s love longs to see Him saving every person and hates to think that He would be so vindictive as to punish millions of persons—especially those who have lived in ignorance—with eternal torments. Yet, our appreciation for the universalists’ concern to uphold the triumph of God’s love and to justly refute the unbiblical concept of eternal suffering must not blind us to the fact that this doctrine is a serious distortion of Biblical teaching.
First of all, the “universalist passages” declare the scope of God’s universal saving purpose, but not the fact of universal salvation for every human being. For example, in Colossians 1:19-23, God’s plan “to reconcile to himself all things” is said to include the Colossian believers, “provided that you continue in the faith.”
Similarly, in 1 Timothy 2:4, God’s desire for “all men to be saved” is expressed together with the fact of a final judgment that will bring “ruin and destruction” to the unfaithful (1 Tim 6:9-10; cf. 5:24; 4:8). God extends to all the provision of salvation, but He respects the freedom of those who reject His offer even though it causes Him utmost anguish.
Second, the argument that God ultimately will save all because the doctrine of everlasting torment for the unsaved is impossible to accept, inasmuch as it negates any sense of divine justice as well as the very peace and joy of paradise, is a valid argument. However, such an argument, as we have shown, rests upon an erroneous interpretation of the Biblical teaching about the nature of the final punishment of the wicked. Universal salvation cannot be right just because eternal suffering is wrong.
Third, the notion of a remedial punishment, or of gradual transformation after death, is totally foreign to the Scripture. The destiny of each person is firmly fixed at death. This principle is explicitly expressed by Christ in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-21). In Hebrews 9:27, also, it is clearly stated that “it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment.” For the impenitent sinners,”the prospect of judgment” is a “fearful” one, because they will experience not universal salvation but “a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries” (Heb 10:26-27).
Fourth, regarding the challenge of those who had no opportunity to learn and to respond to the message of Christ, it is not necessary either to surrender the belief in salvation solely through Jesus Christ or to consign all the non-Christians to everlasting torment. The less privileged may find salvation on the basis of their trusting response to what they have known of God. Paul mentions that the Gentiles who do not know the law will be judged according to the law which is “written in their hearts” (Rom 2:14-16).
Universalism, though attractive at first sight, is erroneous because it fails to recognize that God’s love for mankind is manifested not by glossing over sins, nor by limiting human freedom, but rather by providing salvation and freedom to accept it. This truth is aptly expressed in the best-known text about God’s love and the danger involved in rejecting it: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Conclusion. Both the metaphorical and universalistic views of hell represent worthy attempts “to take the hell out of hell.” Unfortunately, they fail to do justice to the Biblical data and thus they ultimately misrepresent the Biblical doctrine of the final punishment of the unsaved. The sensible solution to the problems of the traditionalist view is to be found, not by lowering or eliminating the pain quotient of a literal hell but, by accepting hell for what it is, the final punishment and permanent annihilation of the wicked. As the Bible says: “The wicked will be no more” (Ps 37:10) because “their end is destruction” (Phil 3:19).
THE ANNIHILATION VIEW OF HELL
“Sectarian Belief.” The annihilation view of hell has been associated mostly with “sects” like the Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and smaller Sabbatarian churches (Church of God Seventh-day, Worldwide Church of God, United Church of God, Global Church of God, International Church of God). This fact has led many evangelicals and Catholics to reject annihilationism a priori, simply because it is a “sectarian” belief and not a traditional Protestant or Catholic belief. Such a belief is regarded as an “absurdity”67 and the product of secular sentimentality.68
To a large extent, all of us are children of tradition. The faith we received was mediated to us by Christian tradition in the form of sermons, books, Christian education at home, school, and church. We read our Bible in the light of what we have already learned from these various sources. Thus, it is hard to realize how profoundly tradition has moulded our interpretation of Scripture. But as Christians, we cannot afford to become enslaved to human tradition, whether it be “Catholic” tradition, “Evangelical” tradition, or even our own “denominational” tradition. We can never assume the absolute rightness of our beliefs simply because they have been hallowed by tradition. We must retain the right and duty of testing our beliefs and reforming them in the light of Scripture when necessary.
Tactics of Harassment. The strategy of rejecting a doctrine a priori because of its association with “sectarian” churches is reflected in the tactics of harassment adopted against those evangelical scholars who in recent times have rejected the traditional view of hell as eternal conscious torment, and adopted instead the annihilation view of hell. The tactics, as already noted in chapter I, consist in defaming such scholars by associating them with liberals or with sectarians, like the Adventists. Respected Canadian theologian Clark Pinnock writes: “It seems that a new criterion for truth has been discovered which says that if Adventists or liberals hold any view, that view must be wrong. Apparently a truth claim can be decided by its association and does not need to be tested by public criteria in open debate. Such an argument, though useless in intelligent discussion, can be effective with the ignorant who are fooled by such rhetoric.”69
Despite the tactics of harassment, the annihilation view of hell is gaining ground among evangelicals. The public endorsement of this view by John R. W. Stott, a highly respected British theologian and popular preacher, is certainly encouraging this trend. “In a delicious piece of irony,” writes Pinnock, “this is creating a measure of accreditation by association, countering the same tactics used against it. It has become all but impossible to claim that only heretics and near-heretics [like Seventh-day Adventists] hold the position, though I am sure some will dismiss Stott’s orthodoxy precisely on this ground.”70
John Stott expresses anxiety over the divisive consequences of his new views in the evangelical community, where he is a renowned leader. He writes: “I am hesitant to have written these things, partly because I have great respect for long-standing tradition which claims to be a true interpretation of Scripture, and do not lightly set it aside, and partly because the unity of the worldwide evangelical community has always meant much to me. But the issue is too important to be suppressed, and I am grateful to you [David Edwards] for challenging me to declare my present mind. I do not dogmatize about the position to which I have come. I hold it tentatively. But I do plead for frank dialogue among evangelicals on the basis of Scripture.”71
Emotional and Biblical reasons have caused John Stott to abandon the traditional view of hell and adopt the annihilation view. Stott writes: “Emotionally, I find the concept [of eternal torment] intolerable and do not understand how people can live with it without either cauterizing their feelings or cracking under the strain. But our emotions are a fluctuating, unreliable guide to truth and must not be exalted to the place of supreme authority in determining it. As a committed Evangelical, my question must be and is not what my heart tells me, but what does God’s word say? And in order to answer this question, we need to survey the Biblical material afresh and to open our minds (not just our hearts) to the possibility that Scripture points in the direction of annihilationism, and that ‘eternal conscious torment’ is a tradition which has to yield to the supreme authority of Scripture.”72
In response to Stott’s plea to take a fresh look at the Biblical teaching on the final punishment, we briefly examine the witness of the Old and the New Testament by considering the following points: (1) death as the punishment of sin, (2) the language of destruction, (3) the moral implications of eternal torment, (4) the judicial implications of eternal torment, and (5) the cosmological implications of eternal torment.
1. Death as the Punishment of Sin
“The Wages of Sin Is Death.” A logical starting point for our investigation is the fundamental principle laid down in both Testaments: “The soul that sins shall die” (Ezek 18:4, 20);”The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). The punishment of sin, of course, comprises not only the first death which all experience as a result of Adam’s sin, but also what the Bible calls the second death (Rev 20:14; 21:8), which, as we have seen, is the final, irreversible death experienced by impenitent sinners. This basic principle sets the stage for studying the nature of the final punishment because it tells us at the outset that the ultimate wages of sin is not eternal torment, but permanent death.
Death in the Bible, as noted in chapter 4, is the cessation of life not the separation of the soul from the body. Thus, the punishment of sin is the cessation of life. Death, as we know it, would indeed be the cessation of our existence were it not for the fact of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:18). It is the resurrection that turns death into a sleep, from being the final end of life into being a temporary sleep. But there is no resurrection from the second death. It is the final cessation of life.
This fundamental truth was taught in the Old Testament, especially through the sacrificial system. The penalty for the gravest sin was always and only the death of the substitute victim and never a prolonged torture or imprisonment of the victim. James Dunn perceptively observes that “The manner in which the sin offering dealt with sin was by its death. The sacrificial animal, identified with the offerer in his sin, had to be destroyed in order to destroy the sin which it embodied. The sprinkling, smearing and pouring away of the sacrificial blood in the sight of God indicated that the life was wholly destroyed, and with it the sin and the sinner.”73 To put it differently, the consummation of the sin offering typified in a dramatic way the ultimate destruction of sin and sinners.
The final disposition of sin and the destruction of sinners was revealed especially through the ritual of the Day of Atonement, which typified the execution of God’s final judgment upon believers and unbelievers. The genuine believers were those Israelites who, throughout the year, repented of their sins, bringing appropriate sin offerings to the sanctuary, and who on the Day of Atonement rested, fasted, prayed, repented, and humbled their hearts before God. At the completion of the purification rites, these persons were pronounced “clean before the Lord” (Lev 16:30).
The false believers were those Israelites who, during the year, chose to sin defiantly against God (cf. Lev 20:1-6) and did not repent, thus failing to bring atoning sacrifices to the sanctuary. On the Day of Atonement, they did not desist from their toil nor did they engage in fasting, prayer, and soul searching (cf. Num 19:20). Because of their defiant attitude on the Day of Atonement, these persons were “cut off” from God’s people. “For whoever is not afflicted on this same day shall be cut off from his people. And whoever does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people” (Lev 23:29-30).74
The separation that occurred on the Day of Atonement between genuine and false Israelites typifies the separation that will occur at the Second Advent. Jesus compared this separation to the one that takes place at harvest time between the wheat and the tares. Since the tares were sown among the good wheat, which represents “the sons of the kingdom” (Matt 13:38), it is evident that Jesus had His church in mind. Wheat and tares, genuine and false believers, will coexist in the church until His coming. At that time, the drastic separation typified by the Day of Atonement will occur. Evildoers will be thrown “into the furnace of fire,” and the “righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt 13:42-43).
Jesus’ parables and the ritual of the Day of Atonement teach the same important truth: False and genuine Christians will coexist until His coming. But at the Advent judgment, typified by the Day of Atonement, a permanent separation occurs when sin and sinners will be eradicated forever and a new world will be established. As in the typical service of the Day of Atonement impenitent sinners were “cut off” and”destroyed,” so in the antitypical fulfillment, at the final judgment, sinners “shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction” (2 Thess 1:9).
Jesus’ Death and the Punishment of Sinners. In many ways, the death of Jesus on the Cross reveals how God ultimately will deal with sin and sinners. Christ’s death on the Cross is a supreme visible manifestation of the wrath of God against all human ungodliness and unrighteousness (Rom 1:18; cf. 2 Cor 5:21; Mark 15:34). What Jesus, our sinless Savior, experienced on the Cross was not just the physical death common to humanity, but the death that sinners will experience at the final judgment. This is why He was “greatly distressed, troubled . . . very sorrowful, even to death” (Mark 14:33-34).
Leon Morris reminds us that “It was not death as such that He feared. It was the particular death that He was to die, that death which is ‘the wages of sin’ as Paul puts it (Rom 6:23), the death in which He was at one with sinners, sharing their lot, bearing their sins, dying their death.”75 It is no wonder that Jesus felt forsaken by the Father, because He experienced the death that awaits sinners at the final judgment. At the time of His passion, Jesus went through a period of increasingly excruciating agony culminating in death. The suffering lasted several hours.
“There is no reason why we should not take this [Christ’s death] as the model and example of the final punishment of sin. We are not likely to go far wrong if we conclude that His suffering was the most extreme that will be inflicted on the most defiant and responsible sinner (?Judas Iscariot) and comprised therefore in itself, and covered, all lower degrees of desert. When the Lord Jesus at last died, full satisfaction was made for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), God’s holy law was vindicated and all sins potentially or actually atoned for. If He bore the punishment of our sins, that punishment cannot under any circumstances be eternal conscious suffering or misery, for He never suffered this and it is impossible that He could have. Thus the facts of the suffering and death of Christ Jesus prove conclusively that the punishment of sin is death in its natural sense of the deprivation of life.”76
Some argue that Christ’s death cannot be equated with the final punishment of sinners in hell because He was an infinite Person who could absorb infinite punishment in a single moment. By contrast, sinners must suffer eternal torment because they are finite. This artificial distinction between “finite” and “infinite” punishment and victims does not derive from Scripture but from medieval speculations based on feudalistic concepts of honor and justice.77 It also consists of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing infinities, which mathematically speaking is non-sense.
There are no indications in the Bible that God changed the nature of the punishment for sin in the case of our Lord from everlasting torment to literal death. Edward White correctly states: “If it be asserted that it was the presence of the Godhead within which dispensed with the infliction of endless pains, through the substitution of an Infinite Majesty for the infinitely extended misery of a finite being, we reply, that this is an ‘afterthought of theology’ which finds no place in the authoritative record.”78
The Cross reveals the nature of hell as the manifestation of God’s wrath that results in death. If Jesus had not been raised, He like those who have fallen asleep in Him would simply have perished (1 Cor 15:18), and not experienced unending torment in hell. His resurrection reassures us that believers need not fear eternal death, because Christ’s death marked the death of Death (2 Tim 1:10; Heb 2:14; Rev 20:14).
2. The Language of Destruction in the Bible
The Language of Destruction in the Old Testament. The most compelling reason for believing in the annihilation of the lost at the final judgment is the rich vocabulary and imagery of “destruction” often used in the Old and New Testaments to describe the fate of the wicked. The writers of the Old Testament seem to have exhausted the resources of the Hebrew language at their command to affirm the complete destruction of impenitent sinners.
According to Basil Atkinson 28 Hebrew nouns and 23 verbs are generally translated “destruction” or “to destroy” in our English Bible. Approximately half of these words are used to describe the final destruction of the wicked.79 A detailed listing of all the occurrences would take us beyond the limited scope of this chapter, beside proving to be repetitious to most readers. Interested readers can find an extensive analysis of such texts in the studies by Basil Atkinson and Edward Fudge. Only a sampling of significant texts are considered here.
Several Psalms describe the final destruction of the wicked with dramatic imagery (Ps 1:3-6; 2:9-12; 11:1-7; 34:8-22; 58:6-10; 69:22-28; 145:17, 20). In Psalm 37, for example, we read that the wicked “will soon fade like grass” (v. 2),”they shall be cut off . . . and will be no more” (vv. 9-10), they will “perish . . . like smoke they vanish away” (v. 20),”transgressors shall be altogether destroyed” (v. 38). Psalm 1, loved and memorized by many, contrasts the way of the righteous with that of the wicked. Of the latter it says that “the wicked shall not stand in the judgment” (v. 5). They will be “like chaff which the wind drives away” (v. 4). “The way of the wicked will perish” (v. 6). Again, in Psalm 145, David affirms: “The Lord preserves all who love him; but all the wicked he will destroy” (v. 20). This sampling of references, on the final destruction of the wicked is in complete harmony with the teaching of the rest of Scripture.
The Destruction of the Day of the Lord. The prophets frequently announce the ultimate destruction of the wicked in conjunction with the eschatological Day of the Lord. In his opening chapter, Isaiah proclaims that “rebels and sinners shall be destroyed together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed” (Is 1:28). The picture here is one of total destruction, a picture that is further developed by the imagery of people burning like tinder with no one to quench the fire: “The strong shall become tow, and his work a spark, and both shall burn together, with none to quench them” (Is 1:31).
Zephaniah stacks up imagery upon imagery to portray the destructiveness of the day of the Lord. “The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; . . . A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry . . . In the fire of his jealous wrath, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full, yea, sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth” (Zeph 1:14, 15, 18). Here the prophet describes the destruction of the Day of the Lord in the context of the historical judgment against Jerusalem. By means of the prophetic perspective, the prophets often see the final punishment through the transparency of imminent historical events.
Hosea, like Zephaniah, uses a variety of images to describe the final end of sinners. “They shall be like the morning mist or like the dew that goes early away, like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor or like smoke from a window” (Hos 13:3). The comparison of the fate of the wicked with the morning mist, the early dew, the chaff, and the smoke hardly suggests that sinners will suffer forever. On the contrary, such imagery suggests that sinners will finally disappear from God’s creation in the same way as the mist, dew, chaff, and smoke dissipate from the face of the earth.
On the last page of the Old Testament English Bible (not the Hebrew Bible), we find a most colorful description of the contrast between the final destiny of believers and unbelievers. For the believers who fear the Lord, “the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings” (Mal 4:2). But for unbelievers the Day of the Lord “comes, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all the evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of host, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch” (Mal 4:1). The day of the final punishment of the lost will also be a day of vindication of God’s people, for they “shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of [their] feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts” (Mal 4:3).
We need not interpret this prophecy literally, because we are dealing with representative symbols. But the message conveyed by these symbolic images is clear. While the righteous rejoice in God’s salvation, the wicked are consumed like” stubble,” so that no “root or branch” is left. This is clearly a picture of total consumption by destroying fire, and not one of eternal torment. This is the Old Testament picture of the fate of the wicked, total and permanent destruction and not eternal torment.
Jesus and the Language of Destruction. The New Testament follows closely the Old Testament in describing the fate of the wicked with words and pictures denoting destruction. The most common Greek words are the verb apollumi (to destroy) and the noun apoleia (destruction). In addition, numerous graphic illustrations from both inanimate and animate life are used to portray the final destruction of the wicked.
Jesus also used several figures from inanimate life to portray the utter destruction of the wicked. He compared it to the following: weeds that are bound in bundles to be burned (Matt 13:30, 40), bad fish that is thrown away (Matt 13:48), harmful plants that are rooted up (Matt 15:13), fruitless trees that are cut down (Luke 13:7), and withered branches that are burned (John 15:6).
Jesus also used illustrations from human life to portray the doom of the wicked. He compared it to: unfaithful tenants who are destroyed (Luke 20:16), an evil servant who will be cut in pieces (Matt 24:51), the Galileans who perished (Luke 13:2-3), the eighteen persons crushed by Siloam’s tower (Luke 13:4-5), the antediluvians destroyed by the flood (Luke 17:27), the people of Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by fire (Luke 17:29), and the rebellious servants who were slain at the return of their master (Luke 19:14, 27).
All of these figures denote capital punishment, either individually or collectively. They signify violent death, preceded by greater or lesser suffering. The illustrations employed by the Savior very graphically depict the ultimate destruction or dissolution of the wicked. Jesus asked: “When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?” (Matt 21:40). And the people responded: “He will miserably destroy [apollumi] those wicked men” (Matt 21:41).
Jesus taught the final destruction of the wicked not only through illustrations, but also through explicit pronouncements. For example, He said: “Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him [God] who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt 10:28). John Stott rightly remarks: “If to kill is to deprive the body of life, hell would seem to be the deprivation of both physical and spiritual life, that is, an extinction of being.”80 In our study of this text in chapter 3 we noted that Christ did not consider hell a the place of eternal torment, but of permanent destruction of the whole being, soul and body.
Often Jesus contrasted eternal life with death or destruction. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:28). “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt 7:13-14). Here we have a simple contrast between life and death. There is no ground in Scripture for twisting the word “perish” or “destruction” to mean everlasting torment.
Earlier we noted that seven times Christ used the imagery of gehenna to describe the destruction of the wicked in hell. In reviewing Christ’s allusions to hell, gehenna, we found that none of them indicates that hell is a place of unending torment. What is eternal or unquenchable is not the punishment but the fire which, as the case of Sodom and Gomorra, causes the complete and permanent destruction of the wicked, a condition that lasts forever. The fire is unquencheable because it cannot be quenched until it has consumed all the combustible material.
Paul and the Language of Destruction. The language of destruction is used frequently also by the New Testament writers to describe the doom of the wicked. Speaking of the “enemies of the cross,” Paul says that “their end is destruction [apoleia]” (Phil 3:19). Concluding his letter to the Galatians, Paul warns that “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction [phthora]; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from that Spirit will reap eternal life” (Gal 6:8, NIV). The Day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, “like a thief in the night, . . . then sudden destruction [olethros] will come upon them [the wicked]” (1 Thess. 5:2-3). At Christ’s coming, the wicked “shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction [olethron]” (2 Thess. 1:9). We noted earlier that the destruction of the wicked cannot be eternal in its duration because it is difficult to imagine an eternal inconclusive process of destruction. Destruction presupposes annihilation.
John Stott perceptively remarks: “It would seem strange, therefore, if people who are said to suffer destruction are in fact not destroyed; and, . . . it is ‘difficult to imagine a perpetually inconclusive process of perishing.’ It cannot, I think, be replied that it is impossible to destroy human beings because they are immortal, for the immortality and therefore indestructibility of the soul is a Greek and not a Biblical concept. According to Scripture only God possesses immortality in himself (1 Tim 1:17; 6:16); he reveals and gives it to us through the gospel (2 Tim 1:10).”81
In Romans 2:6-12, Paul provides one of the clearest descriptions of the final destiny of believers and unbelievers. He begins by stating the principle that God “will render to every man according to his works” (Rom 2:6). Then he explains that “to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek” (Rom 2:7-9).
Note that “immortality” is God’s gift to the faithful, awarded at the resurrection, and not an inherent human quality. The wicked do not receive immortality, but “wrath and fury,” two words associated with the final judgment (1 Thess. 1:10; Rev 14:10; 16:19; 19:15). Paul largely repeats the words and phrases found in Zephaniah’s classic description of the great day of the Lord, as “a day of wrath . . . distress and anguish” (Zeph. 1:15). God will “consume” the whole world with “the fire of his jealous wrath” and He “will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth” (Zeph. 1:18).
This is most likely the picture Paul had in mind when he spoke of the manifestation of God’s “wrath and fury” upon the wicked. This is indicated by the following verse where he says: “All who have sinned without the law will also perish [apolountai] without the law” (Rom 2:12). Paul draws a contrast between those who “perish” and those who receive “immortality.” In this whole passage, there is no allusion to eternal torment. Immortality is God’s gift to the saved, while corruption, destruction, death, and perishing is the wages of sin and sinners.
In view of the final destiny awaiting believers and unbelievers, Paul often speaks of the former as “those who are being saved [hoi sozomenoi] and of the latter as “those who are perishing [hoi apollumenoi]” (1 Cor. 1:18; 2 Cor. 2:15; 4:3; 2 Thess. 2:10). This common characterization is indicative of Paul’s understanding of the destiny of unbelievers as ultimate destruction and not eternal torment.
Peter and the Language of Destruction. Peter, like Paul, uses the language of destruction to portray the fate of the unsaved. He speaks of false teachers who secretly bring in heresies and who bring upon themselves “swift destruction” (2 Pet 2:1). Peter compares their destruction to that of the ancient world by the Flood and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah which were burned to ashes (2 Pet 2:5-6). God “condemned them to extinction and made them an example to them who were to be ungodly” (2 Pet 2:6). Here Peter states unequivocally that the extinction by fire of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as an example of the fate of the lost.
Peter again uses the example of the destruction of the world by the Flood, in dealing with scoffers who mocked at Christ’s promised coming (2 Pet 3:3-7). He reminds his readers that as the world “was deluged with water and perished” at God’s command by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men” (2 Pet 3:7).
The picture here is that the fire that will melt the elements will also accomplish the destruction of the ungodly. This reminds us of the tares of Christ’s parable that will be burnt up in the field where they grew. Peter alludes again to the fate of the lost when he says that God is “forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). Peter’s alternatives between repentance or perishing remind us of Christ’s warning: “unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). The latter will occur at the coming of the Lord when “the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up” (2 Pet 3:10). Such a graphic description of the destruction of the earth and evildoers by fire hardly allows for the unending torment of hell.
Other Allusions to the Final Destruction of the Wicked. Several other allusions in the New Testament imply the final destruction of the lost. We briefly refer to some of them here. The author of Hebrews warns repeatedly against apostasy or unbelief. Anyone who deliberately keeps on sinning “after receiving the knowledge of the truth,” faces “a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries” (Heb 10:27). The author explicitly states that those who persist in sinning against God ultimately experience the judgment of a raging fire that will “consume” them. Note that the function of the fire is to consume sinners, not to torment them for all eternity. This truth is reiterated consistently throughout the Bible.
Throughout his epistle, James admonishes those who do not practice the faith that they profess. He warns believers not to allow sinful desires to take root in the heart, because “sin when it is full-grown brings forth death” (James 1:15). Like Paul, James explains that the ultimate wages of sin is death, cessation of life, and not eternal torment. James speaks also of God “who is able to save and to destroy” (James 4:12). The contrast is between salvation and destruction. James closes his letter encouraging believers to watch for the welfare of one another, because “whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20). Again, salvation is from death and not from eternal torment. James consistently refers to the outcome of sin as “death” or “destruction.” Incidentally, James speaks of saving the “soul from death,” implying that the soul can die because it is part of the whole person.
Jude is strikingly similar to 2 Peter in his description of the fate of unbelievers. Like Peter, Jude points to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah “as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire” (Jude 7, NIV). We noted earlier that the fire that destroyed the two cities is eternal, not because of its duration, but because of its permanent results. Jude closes, by urging his readers to build themselves up in the faith, caring for one another. “Convince some, who doubt; save some, by snatching them out of the fire” (Jude 23). The fire to which Jude refers is obviously the same kind of fire that consumed Sodom and Gomorrah. It is the fire that causes the permanent destruction of the wicked, as envisioned by Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, Hebrews, and the entire Old Testament.
The language of destruction is present, especially in the book of Revelation, because it represents God’s way of overcoming the opposition of evil to Himself and His people. We noted earlier how John describes, with vivid imagery, the consignment of the devil, the beast, the false prophet, death, Hades, and all the wicked into the lake of fire, which he defines as “the second death.” We found that the phrase “second death” was commonly used to describe the final, irreversible death.
A text not mentioned earlier is Revelation 11:18, where at the sounding of the seventh trumpet John hears the 24 elders saying: “The time has come for judging the dead . . . and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” Here, again, the outcome of the final judgment is not condemnation to eternal torment in hell, but destruction and annihilation. God is severe but just. He does not delight in the death of the wicked, let alone in torturing them for all eternity. Ultimately, He will punish all evildoer, but the punishment will result in eternal extinction, not eternal torment.
This is the fundamental difference between the Biblical view of final punishment as utter extinction and the traditional view of hell as unending torment and torture, a view shared by many cruel pagan systems. The language of destruction and the imagery of fire that we have found throughout the Bible clearly suggests that the final punishment of the wicked is permanent extinction and not unending torment in hell. In the light of this compelling Biblical witness, I join Clark Pinnock in stating: “I sincerely hope that traditionalists will stop saying that there is no Biblical basis for this view [annihilation] when there is such a strong basis for it.”82
The Language of Destruction Is Metaphorical. Traditionalists object to our interpretation of the language of destruction which we have just surveyed, because they maintain that words like “perish,” destroy,” “consume,” “death,” “burned up,” “lake of fire,” “ascending smoke,” and “second death” are often used with a metaphorical meaning. This is true, but their figurative meanings derive from their literal, primary meanings. It is an accepted principle of Biblical interpretation that words occurring in non-allegorical prose are to be interpreted according to their primary meaning, unless there is some reason to attribute to them a different meaning.
Scripture never indicates that these words should not be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning when applied to the fate of the wicked. Our study of the usage of these words in Scripture and extra-Biblical literature has shown that they describe a literal, permanent destruction of the wicked. For example, John’s vision of the “smoke ascending forever” (Rev 14:11) occurs in the Old Testament to portray the silent testimony of complete destruction (Is 34:10) and not of eternal torment. Similarly, the “lake of fire” is clearly defined as the “second death,” a phrase used by the Jews to denote final, irreversible death. Incidentally, if the “lake of fire” annihilates Death and Hades, we have reason to believe that it hardly can preserve the lost in conscious torment for all eternity. We sincerely hope that traditionalists will find the courage to take a long, hard look at the Biblical data which envision hell as the permanent destruction of the lost.
3. The Moral Implications of Eternal Torment
The traditional view of hell is being challenged today not only on the basis of the language of destruction and the imagery of the consuming fire we find the Bible but also for moral, judicial, and cosmological considerations. To these we must now turn our attention. Let us consider, first, the moral implications of the traditional view of hell which depicts God as a cruel torturer who torments the wicked throughout all eternity.
Does God Have Two Faces? How can the view of hell that turns God into a cruel, sadistic torturer for all eternity be legitimately reconciled with the nature of God revealed in and through Jesus Christ? Does God have two faces? He is boundlessly merciful on one side and insatiably cruel on the other? Can God love sinners so much as He sent His beloved Son to save them, and yet hate impenitent sinners so much that He subjects them to unending cruel torment? Can we legitimately praise God for His goodness, if He torments sinners throughout the ages of eternity?
Of course, it is not our business to criticize God, but God has given us a conscience to enable us to formulate moral judgments. Can the moral intuition God has implanted within our consciences justify the insatiable cruelty of a deity who subjects sinners to unending torment? Clark Pinnock answers this question in a most eloquent way: “There is a powerful moral revulsion against the traditional doctrine of the nature of hell. Everlasting torture is intolerable from a moral point of view because it pictures God acting like a bloodthirsty monster who maintains an everlasting Auschwitz for His enemies whom He does not even allow to die. How can one love a God like that? I suppose one might be afraid of Him, but could we love and respect Him? Would we want to strive to be like Him in this mercilessness? Surely the idea of everlasting, conscious torment raises the problem of evil to impossible heights. Antony Flew was right to object that if Christians really believe that God created people with the full intention of torturing some of them in hell forever, they might as well give up the effort to defend Christianity.”83
Pinnock rightly asks: “How can Christians possibly project a deity of such cruelty and vindictiveness whose ways include inflicting everlasting torture upon His creatures, however sinful they may have been? Surely a God who would do such a thing is more nearly like Satan than like God, at least by any ordinary moral standards, and by the gospel itself.”84
John Hick expresses himself in a similar fashion: “The idea of bodies burning for ever and continuously suffering the intense pain of third-degree burns without either being consumed or losing consciousness is as scientifically fantastic as it is morally revolting. . . . The thought of such a torment being deliberately inflicted by divine decree is totally incompatible with the idea of God as infinite love.”85
Hell and the Inquisition. One wonders if the belief in hell as a place where God will eternally burn sinners with fire and sulphur may not have inspired the Inquisition to imprison, torture, and eventually burn at the stake so-called “heretics” who refused to accept the traditional teachings of the church. Church history books generally do not establish a connection between the two, evidently because inquisitors did not justify their action on the basis of their belief in hellfire for the wicked.
But, one wonders, what inspired popes, bishops, church councils, Dominican and Franciscan monks, Christian kings and princes to torture and exterminate dissident Christians like the Albigenses, Waldenses, and Huguenots? What influenced, for example, Calvin and his Geneva City Council to burn Servetus at the stake for persisting in his anti-Trinitarian beliefs?
A reading of the condemnation of Servetus issued on October 26, 1553, by the Geneva City Council suggests to me that those Calvinistic zealots believed, like the Catholic inquisitors, that they had the right to burn heretics in the same way God will burn them later in hell. The sentence reads: “We condemn thee, Michael Servetus, to be bound, and led to the place of Champel, there to be fastened to a stake and burnt alive, together with thy book, . . . even till thy body be reduced to ashes; and thus shalt thou finish thy days to furnish an example to others who might wish to commit the like.”86
On the following day, after Servetus refused to confess to be guilty of heresy, “the executioner fastens him by iron chains to the stake amidst fagots, puts a crown of leaves covered with sulphur on his head, and binds his book by his side. The sight of the flaming torch extorts from him a piercing shriek of ‘misericordia’ [mercy] in his native tongue. The spectators fall back with a shudder. The flames soon reach him and consume his mortal frame in the forty-fourth year of his fitful life.”87
Philip Schaff, a renowned church historian, concludes this account of the execution of Servetus, by saying: “The conscience and piety of that age approved of the execution, and left little room for the emotions of compassion.”88 It is hard to believe that not only Catholics, but even devout Calvinists would approve and watch emotionlessly the burning of a Spanish physician who had made significant contributions to medical science simply because he could not accept the divinity of Christ.
The best explanation I can find for the cauterization of the Christian moral conscience of the time is the gruesome pictures and accounts of hellfire to which Christians constantly were exposed. Such a vision of hell provided the moral justification to imitate God by burning heretics with temporal fire in view of the eternal fire that awaited them at the hands of God. It is impossible to estimate the far-reaching impact that the doctrine of unending hellfire has had throughout the centuries in justifying religious intolerance, torture, and the burning of “heretics.” The rationale is simple: If God is going to burn heretics in hell for all eternity, why shouldn’t the church burn them to death now? The practical implications and applications of the doctrine of literal eternal hellfire are frightening. Traditionalists must ponder these sobering facts. After all, Jesus said: “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matt 7:20, KJV). And the fruits of the doctrine of hellfire are far from good.
A colleague who read this manuscript questioned my attempt to establish a causal connection between the belief in eternal torment in hell and the policy of the Inquisition to torture and burn “heretics” who refused to recant their beliefs. His argument is that the final annihilation of the wicked by fire is no less cruel that their punishment by unending hell-fire. The problem with this reasoning is the failure to recognize that a capital punishment that results in death does not harden or cauterize the Christian conscience like a capital punishment that causes unending atrocious suffering. The difference between the two can be compared to watching the istantaneous execution of a criminal on the electric chair versus watching the unending execution of the same criminal on an electric chair that shock his ever conscious body for all eternity. It is evident that witnessing the latter over an indefinite period of time will either drive a person to insanity or cauterize the moral conscience. On a similar fashion the constant exposure of medieval people to artistic and literary portrayal of hell as a place of absolute terror and eternal torment, could only predispose people to accept the torturing of “heretics” by religious authorities who claimed to act as God’s representatives on this earth.
Attempts to Make Hell More Tolerable. It is not surprising that during the course of history there have been various attempts to make hell less hellish. Augustine invented purgatory to reduce the population of hell. More recently, Charles Hodge and B. B. Warfield have also attempted to lower the population of hell by developing a postmillenial eschatology and by allowing for the automatic salvation of babies who die in infancy. The reasoning appears to be that if the total number of those who are going to be tormented is relatively small, there is no reason to be unduly concerned. Such reasoning hardly resolves the problem of the morality of God’s character. Whether God inflicted unending torments on one million or on ten billion sinners, the fact would remain that God tormented people everlastingly.
Others have tried to take the hell out of hell by replacing the physical torment of hell with a more endurable mental torment. But, as we noted above, by lowering the pain quotient in a non-literal hell, the metaphorical view of hell does not substantially change its nature, since it still remains a place of unending torment.
Ultimately, any doctrine of hell must pass the moral test of the human conscience, and the doctrine of literal unending torment cannot pass such a test. Annihilationism, on the other hand, can pass the test for two reasons. First, it does not view hell as everlasting torture but permanent extinction of the wicked. Second, it recognizes that God respects the freedom of those who choose not to be saved. God morally is justified in destroying the wicked because He respects their choice. God desires the salvation of all people (2 Pet 3:9), but respects the freedom of those who refuse His gracious provision of salvation. God’s final punishment of the wicked is not vindictive, requiring everlasting torment, but rational, resulting in their permanent annihilation.
Our age desperately needs to learn the fear of God, and this is one reason for preaching on the final judgment and punishment. We need to warn people that those who reject Christ’s principles of life and the provision of salvation ultimately will experience a fearful judgment and “suffer the punishment of eternal destruction” (2 Thess. 1:9). A recovery of the Biblical view of the final punishment will loosen the preachers’ tongues, since they can proclaim the great alternative between eternal life and permanent destruction without fear of portraying God as a monster.
The Cosmological Implications of Eternal Torment
A final objection to the traditional view of hell is that eternal torment presupposes an eternal existence of a cosmic dualism. Heaven and hell, happiness and pain, good and evil would continue to exist forever alongside each other. It is impossible to reconcile this view with the prophetic vision of the new world in which there shall be no more “mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4). How could crying and pain be forgotten if the agony and anguish of the lost were at sight distance, as in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)?
The presence of countless millions forever suffering excruciating torment, even if it were in the camp of the unsaved, could only serve to destroy the peace and happiness of the new world. The new creation would turn out to be flawed from day one, since sinners would remain an eternal reality in God’s universe and God would never be “everything to every one” (1 Cor. 15:28). John Stott asks, “How can God in any meaningful sense be called ‘everything to everybody’ while an unspecified number of people still continue in rebellion against Him and under His judgment. It would be easier to hold together the awful reality of hell and the universal reign of God if hell means destruction and the impenitent are no more.”95
The purpose of the plan of salvation is ultimately to eradicate the presence of sin and sinners from this world. It is only if sinners, Satan, and the devils ultimately are consumed in the lake of fire and experience the extinction of the second death that we truly can say that Christ’s redemptive mission has been an unqualified victory. “Victory means that evil is removed, and nothing remains but light and love. The traditional theory of everlasting torment means that the shadow of darkness hangs over the new creation forever.”96
To sum up, we can say that from a cosmological perspective the traditional view of hell perpetrates a cosmic dualism that contradicts the prophetic vision of the new world where the presence of sin and sinners is forever passed away (Rev 21:4).
Conclusion. In concluding this study of the various views of hell, it is important to remind ourselves that the doctrine of the final punishment is not the Gospel but the outcome of the rejection of the Gospel. It is by no means the most important doctrine of Scripture, but it certainly affects the way we understand what the Bible teaches in other vital areas such as human nature, death, salvation, God’s character, human destiny, and the world to come.
The traditional view of hell as eternal torment is either Biblical or unbiblical. We have sought the answer in God’s Word and have found no Biblical support for it. What we found is that traditionalists have tried to interpret the rich language and imageries of destruction of the wicked in the light of the Hellenistic view of human nature and of ecclesiastical dogma rather than on the basis of accepted methods of Biblical interpretation.
Today the traditional view of hell is being challenged and abandoned by respected scholars of different religious persuasions, on the basis of Biblical, moral, judicial, and cosmological considerations. Biblically, eternal torment negates the fundamental principle that the ultimate wages of sin is death, cessation of life, and not eternal torment. Furthermore, the rich imagery and language of destruction used throughout the Bible to portray the fate of the wicked clearly indicate that their final punishment results in annihilation and not eternal, conscious torment.
Morally, the doctrine of eternal conscious torment is incompatible with the Biblical revelation of divine love and justice. The moral intuition God has implanted within our consciences cannot justify the insatiable cruelty of a God who subjects sinners to unending torments. Such a God is like a bloodthirsty monster and not like the loving Father revealed to us by Jesus Christ.
Judicially, the doctrine of eternal torment is inconsistent with the Biblical vision of justice, which requires the penalty inflicted to be commensurate with the evil done. The notion of unlimited retaliation is unknown to the Bible. Justice could never demand a penalty of eternal pain for sins committed during a mere human lifetime, especially since such punishment accomplishes no reformatory purpose.
Cosmologically, the doctrine of eternal torment perpetuates a cosmic dualism that contradicts the prophetic vision of the new world, from which sin and sinners have forever passed away. If agonizing sinners were to remain an eternal reality in God’s new universe, then it hardly could be said that there shall be no more “mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4).
The traditional view of hell as conscious torment is in trouble today. The objections to such a view are so strong and the support so weak that more and more people are abandoning it, adopting instead the notion of universal salvation in order to avoid the sadistic horror of hell. To salvage the important Biblical doctrine of the final judgment and punishment of the wicked, it is important for Biblically-minded Christians to reexamine what the Bible really teaches about the fate of the lost.
Our careful investigation of the relevant Biblical data has shown that the wicked will be resurrected for the purpose of divine judgment. This will involve a permanent expulsion from God’s presence into a place where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. After a period of conscious suffering as individually required by divine justice, the wicked will be consumed with no hope of restoration or recovery. The ultimate restoration of believers and the extinction of sinners from this world will prove that Christ’s redemptive mission has been an unqualified victory. Christ’s victory means that “the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4), and only light, love, peace, and harmony will prevail throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Neural plasticity and the brain renin-angiotensin system.
The brain renin-angiotensin system mediates several classic physiologies including body water balance, maintenance of blood pressure, cyclicity of reproductive hormones and sexual behaviors, and regulation of pituitary gland hormones. In addition, angiotensin peptides have been implicated in neural plasticity and memory. The present review initially describes the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the roles of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), matrix metalloproteinases, and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases in the maintenance and degradation of the ECM. It is the ECM that appears to permit synaptic remodeling and thus is critical to the plasticity that is presumed to underlie mechanisms of memory consolidation and retrieval. The interrelationship among long-term potentiation (LTP), CAMs, and synaptic strengthening is described, followed by the influence of angiotensins on LTP. There is strong support for an inhibitory influence by angiotensin II (AngII) and a facilitory role by angiotensin IV (AngIV), on LTP. Next, the influences of AngII and IV on associative and spatial memories are summarized. Finally, the impact of sleep deprivation on matrix metalloproteinases and memory function is described. Recent findings indicate that sleep deprivation-induced memory impairment is accompanied by a lack of appropriate changes in matrix metalloproteinases within the hippocampus and neocortex as compared with non-sleep deprived animals. These findings generally support an important contribution by angiotensin peptides to neural plasticity and memory consolidation. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Abstracts |
Enzyte
Enzyte is an herbal nutritional supplement originally manufactured by Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals. The marketing of Enzyte resulted in a conviction and prison term for the company's owner and bankruptcy of the company. The product is now marketed by Vianda, LLC of Cincinnati, Ohio. The manufacturer has claimed that Enzyte promotes "natural male enhancement," which is a euphemism for enhancing erectile function. However, its effectiveness has been called into doubt and the claims of the manufacturer have been under scrutiny from various state and federal organizations. Kenneth Goldberg, medical director of the Male Health Center at Baylor University, says, "It makes no sense medically. There's no way that increasing blood flow to the penis, as Enzyte claims to do, will actually increase its size."
In March 2005, following thousands of consumer complaints to the Better Business Bureau, federal agents raided Berkeley facilities, gathering material that resulted in a 112-count criminal indictment. The company's founder and CEO, Steven M Warshak and his mother, Harriet Warshak, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering, and in September 2008 they were sentenced to prison and ordered to forfeit $500 million in assets. The convictions and fines forced the company into bankruptcy, and in December 2008 its assets were sold for $2.75 million to investment company Pristine Bay, which continued operations.
Enzyte is widely advertised on U.S. television as "the once daily tablet for natural male enhancement." The commercials feature a character known as "Smilin' Bob," acted out by Canadian actor Andrew Olcott, who, in the commercials, always wears a smile that is implied to be caused by the enhancing effects of Enzyte; these advertisements feature double entendres. Some such commercials also feature an equally smiling "Mrs. Bob."
Because Enzyte is an herbal product, no testing is required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. An official of the Federal Trade Commission division that monitors advertising says the lack of scientific testing is "a red flag right away. There's no science behind these claims." The company has conceded that it has no scientific studies that substantiate any of its Enzyte claims.
Ira Sharlip, a spokesman for the American Urological Association, has said, "There is no such thing as a penis pill that works. These are all things that are sold for profit. There's no science or substance behind them."
Ingredients
Enzyte's formulation was reportedly developed for Vianda by Marilyn Barrett.
Enzyte is said to contain:
Asian Ginseng Root Extract
Grape Seed Extract
Epimedium (Horny Goat Weed)
Zinc oxide
Muira puama
Ginkgo biloba
Niacin
Copper
Most of the above ingredients are commonly available as over the counter herbal or dietary supplements, and most have anecdotal reports, but marginal or unproven scientific evidence, of efficacy on various systems in the human body. Several of the herbal ingredients are included only in very low quantities.
Yohimbe was previously included in the original formulation of Enzyte, produced until at least 2004. However, as yohimbe's legal status in Canada is unclear, Enzyte produced after 2004 no longer contains yohimbe extract.
Additionally, zinc is an ingredient in Enzyte. Some men who have low zinc levels in their body have had success using zinc supplements to treat erection problems.
Effectiveness
Currently, the effectiveness of Enzyte is unproven.
A civil lawsuit alleged Enzyte does not work as advertised. Despite manufacturer claims that Enzyte will increase penis size, girth, and firmness and improve sexual performance, there exists no scientific evidence that Enzyte is capable of making good on these claims. In fact, Enzyte has never been scientifically tested by the FDA or other independent third party. Accordingly, Enzyte is required by current U.S. law to be marketed as an herbal supplement and may not legally be called a drug. In keeping with FTC rulings, Enzyte is not allowed to claim these benefits in its advertising. However, as of June 2010, TV commercials for the product still use the phrase "natural male enhancement."
Federal indictment and trial
Thousands of consumer complaints were made to the Better Business Bureau about the company's business practices, especially the "autoship" program that repeatedly charged customers' credit cards for refills even after they canceled their orders. Federal agents raided Berkeley facilities in March 2005, gathering material that led to criminal charges. On September 21, 2006, Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals; its owner and president, Steve Warshak; and five other individuals were indicted by the United States, Southern District of Ohio, U.S. Attorney Greg Lockhart, on charges of conspiracy, money laundering, and mail, wire, and bank fraud. The indictment alleged that the company defrauded consumers and banks of US$100 million. The United States Food and Drug Administration, Internal Revenue Service, United States Postal Inspection Service, and other agencies participated in the investigation. The federal fraud trial began on January 8, 2008.
In testimony during the trial, a former executive with Berkeley testified that the enhancements the company claimed were achieved by use of Enzyte were fabricated, and the company defrauded customers by continuing to charge them for additional shipments of the supplement. He further testified that company employees were instructed to make it as difficult as possible for unhappy customers to receive refunds.
Conviction and sentencing
On February 22, 2008, Steven
Warshak was found guilty of 93 counts of conspiracy, fraud, and money laundering. On August 27, 2008, he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Arthur Spiegel to 25 years in prison and ordered to pay $93,000 in fines. Warshak was an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Elkton, Ohio. His company, Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, along with other defendants, was ordered to forfeit $500 million. His 75-year-old mother, Harriet Warshak, was sentenced to two years in prison but released on bond pending appeal after turning over her house, bank accounts, and other assets related to her crimes.
Both Steven and Harriet Warshak appealed their convictions. The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in United States v. Warshak (6th Cir. Dec. 14, 2010) 631 F.3d 266, upheld Steven Warshak's convictions and all convictions against Harriet Warshak except for money laundering and vacated their sentences, remanding the sentencing to the lower court.
On September 21, 2011, Steven Warshak's sentence was reduced from 25 years to 10 years. With credit for time served, he could be out in five years. His mother's sentence was reduced from two years to one day, and she never served any time in jail. Factors in reducing the sentence were that the amount of total loss by customers may have been less than $400 million and that the sentences of co-defendants were only two years. Warshak was released from prison on June 14, 2017 according to the Federal Prison Inmate Locator system.
Continued company operation
The Warshaks' convictions and fines forced the company into bankruptcy. In December 2008, its assets were acquired from bankruptcy court for $2.75 million by investment company Pristine Bay, which is affiliated with Cincinnati developer Chuck Kubicki. Kubicki said he wanted to save the jobs of the company's 200 employees and retain a major tenant in one of his properties in suburban Cincinnati at Forest Park, Ohio. He said he would change the company name but would keep the brand. In March 2009, Hamilton County commissioners unanimously voted to give a $195,000 property tax break to the company based on projected jobs.
On June 26, 2009, the company name was changed to Vianda LLC. In a press release, the company announced plans to expand, hiring as many as 400 additional workers. On December 14, 2009, Cincinnati Business Courier reported employment of 180, revision of sales projections of 400% growth to $120 million downward to an estimated 33% growth to $40 million, management team changes, and continued customer complaints of improper billing.
Company is currently under the leadership of Cheryl Jaeger starting in 6/1/2015 and the company is now located at 11260 Cornell Park Drive, Suite 706 Cincinnati, Ohio 45242 Company is also connected to the following companies DYNAMIC DIRECT, LLC, ENHANCED LIVING PRODUCTS, LLC, MOVNNON, LLC, PRISTINE BAY, LLC, and LAST SAY, LLC.
See also
Altovis
Erectile dysfunction
ExtenZe
Penis enlargement
Patent medicine
References
External links
Enzyte website
USAToday – Why is this man smiling? It's not Viagra
Kubicki Company Buy Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals
Category:Sexual health
Category:Dietary supplements
Category:Confidence tricks
Category:Health fraud | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Wikipedia (en) |
---
abstract: 'Given surjective homomorphisms $R\to T\gets S$ of local rings, and ideals in $R$ and $S$ that are isomorphic to some $T$-module $V$, the *connected sum* $R\#_TS$ is defined to be ring obtained by factoring out the diagonal image of $V$ in the fiber product $R\times_TS$. When $T$ is Cohen-Macaulay of dimension $d$ and $V$ is a canonical module of $T$, it is proved that if $R$ and $S$ are Gorenstein of dimension $d$, then so is $R\#_TS$. This result is used to study how closely an artinian ring can be approximated by a Gorenstein ring mapping onto it. When $T$ is regular, it is shown that $R\#_TS$ almost never is a complete intersection ring. The proof uses a presentation of the cohomology algebra $\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R\#_kS}(k,k)$ as an amalgam of the algebras $\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R}(k,k)$ and $\operatorname{Ext}^*_{S}(k,k)$ over isomorphic polynomial subalgebras generated by one element of degree $2$.'
address:
- 'Department of Mathematics, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, U.S.A.'
- 'Department of Mathematics, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, U.S.A.'
- 'Department of Mathematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, U.S.A.'
author:
- 'H. Ananthnarayan'
- 'Luchezar L. Avramov'
- 'W. Frank Moore'
title: Connected sums of Gorenstein local rings
---
[^1]
Introduction {#introduction .unnumbered}
============
We introduce, study, and apply a new construction of local Gorenstein rings.
The starting point is the classical fiber product $R\times_TS$ of a pair of surjective homomorphisms ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}\colon R\to T\gets S\ {:}\,{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}$ of local rings. It is well known that this ring is local, but until recently, little was known about its properties. In Proposition \[cmProd\] we show that if $R$, $S$, and $T$ are Cohen-Macaulay of dimension $d$, then so is $R\times_TS$, but this ring is Gorenstein only in trivial cases. When ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}={\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}$, D’Anna [@D] and Shapiro [@Sh] proposed and partly proved a criterion for $R\times_TR$ to be Gorenstein. We complete and strengthen their results in Theorem \[thm:danna\]: $R\times_TR$ Is Gorenstein if and only if $R$ is Cohen-Macaulay and $\operatorname{Ker}{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}$ is a canonical module for $R$.
Our main construction involves, in addition to the ring homomorphisms ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}$, a $T$-module $V$ and homomorphisms ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}\colon V\to R$ of $R$-modules and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}\colon V\to S$ of $S$-modules, for the structures induced through ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}$, respectively. When these maps satisfy ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}={\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}$, we define a *connected sum* ring by the formula $$R\#_TS=(R\times_TS)/\{({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(v),{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(v))\mid v\in V\}\,.$$
In case $R$, $S$, and $T$ have dimension $d$ (for some $d\ge0$), $R$ and $S$ are Gorenstein, $T$ is Cohen-Macaulay, and $V$ is a canonical module for $T$, one can choose ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}$ to be isomorphisms onto $(0:\operatorname{Ker}({\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}))$ and $(0:\operatorname{Ker}({\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}))$, respectively. In Theorem \[gorenstein\] we prove that if ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}={\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}$ holds, then $R\#_TS$ is Gorenstein of dimension $d$.
Much of the paper is concerned with Gorenstein rings of this form.
As a first application, we study how efficiently an artinian local ring can be approximated by a Gorenstein artinian ring mapping onto it. One numerical measure of proximity is given by the Gorenstein colength of an artinian ring, introduced in [@A1]. We obtain new estimates for this invariant. We use them in the proof of Theorem \[gcl1\] to remove a restrictive hypothesis from a result of Huneke and Vraciu [@HV], describing homomorphic images of Gorenstein local rings modulo their socles.
When $d = 0$ and $T$ is a field, the construction of $R\#_T S$ mimics the expression for the cohomology algebra of a connected sum $M\#N$ of compact smooth manifolds $M$ and $N$, in terms of the cohomology algebras of $M$ and $N$; see Example \[manifolds\]. This analogy provides the name and the notation for connected sums of rings.
The topological analogy also suggests that connected sums may be used for classifying Cohen-Macaulay quotient rings of Gorenstein rings. The corresponding classification problem is, in a heuristic sense, dual to the one approached through Gorenstein linkage: Whereas linkage operates on the set of *Cohen-Macaulay quotients of a fixed Gorenstein ring* $R$, connected sums operate on the set of *Gorenstein rings with a fixed Cohen-Macaulay quotient ring* $T$.
This point of view raises the question of identifying those rings $Q$ that are *indecomposable*, in the sense that an isomorphism $Q\cong
R\#_TS$ implies $Q\cong R$ or $Q\cong S$. In Theorem \[regular\] we show that if $T$ is regular and $Q$ is complete intersection, then either $Q$ is indecomposable, or it is a connected sum of two quadratic hypersurface rings. The argument uses the structure of the algebra $\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R\#_TS}(T,T)$, when $R$ and $S$ are artinian and $T$ is a field. In Theorem \[connected\] we show that it is an amalgam of $\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R}(T,T)$ and $\operatorname{Ext}^*_{S}(T,T)$ over a polynomial $T$-subalgebra, generated by an element of degree $2$. The machinery for the proof is fine-tuned in Sections \[sec:Cohomology algebras\] and \[sec:Cohomology of fiber products\].
Fiber products {#sec:Pdcts}
==============
The *fiber product* of a diagram of homomorphisms of commutative rings $$\label{diagramProd}
\begin{gathered}
\xymatrixrowsep{1pc}
\xymatrixcolsep{1pc}
\xymatrix{
R
\ar[dr]^{{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}}
\\
&{\quad}T{\quad}
\\
S
\ar[ur]_{{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}}
}
\end{gathered}$$ is the subring of $R\times S$, defined by the formula $$\label{eq:Prod}
R\times_TS=\{(x,y)\in R\times S\mid {\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}(x)={\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}(y)\}\,.$$
If $R{\ensuremath{\xleftarrow}}{\alpha_R}A{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\alpha_S}S$ are surjective homomorphisms of rings, then for $T=R\otimes_AS$, ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}(r)=r\otimes1$, and ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}(s)=1\otimes s$ the map $a\mapsto(\alpha_R(a),\alpha_S(a))$ is a surjective homomorphism of rings $A\to R\times_TS$ with kernel $\operatorname{Ker}(\alpha_R)\cap\operatorname{Ker}(\alpha_S)$, whence $$\label{eq:presentation}
R\times_TS\cong A/(\operatorname{Ker}(\alpha_R)\cap\operatorname{Ker}(\alpha_S))\,.$$
In the sequel, the phrase *$(Q,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}},k)$ is a local ring* means that $Q$ is a commutative noetherian ring with unique maximal ideal ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}$ and residue field $k=Q/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}$.
*The following setup and notation are in force for the rest of this section:*
\[setupProd\] The rings in diagram are local: $(R,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}},k)$, $(S,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}},k)$, and $(T,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}},k)$.
The maps ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}$ are surjective; set $I=\operatorname{Ker}({\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}})$ and $J=\operatorname{Ker}({\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}})$, and also $$P=R\times_TS\,.$$
Let $\eta$ denote the inclusion of rings $P\to R\times S$, and let $R\gets R\times S\to S$ be the canonical maps. Each (finite) module over $R$ or $S$ acquires a canonical structure of (finite) $P$-module through the composed homomorphisms of rings $R\gets P\to S$ (finiteness is preserved because these maps are surjective).
The rings and ideals above are related through exact sequences of $P$-modules $$\begin{gathered}
\label{eq:fiber1}
0{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}I\oplus J{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}R\oplus S{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}\oplus{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}\,} T\oplus T{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}0
\\
\label{eq:fiber2}
0{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}R\times_TS{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,\eta\,} R\oplus S{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,({\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}},-{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}})\,} T{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}0
\end{gathered}$$
A length count in the second sequence yields the relation $$\label{eq:lengthProd}
\operatorname{\ell}(R\times_TS)+\operatorname{\ell}(T) =\operatorname{\ell}(R)+\operatorname{\ell}(S)\,.$$
For completeness, we include a proof of the following result; see [@Gr 19.3.2.1].
\[local1\] The ring $R\times_TS$ is local, with maximal ideal ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}={\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}\times_{\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}$.
The rings $R$ and $S$ are quotients of $P$, so they are noetherian $P$-modules. Thus, the $P$-module $R\oplus S$ is noetherian, and hence so is its submodule $P$.
If $(r,s)$ is in $P$, but not in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}\times_{\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}$, then $r$ is not in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}$, so $r$ is invertible in $R$. Since ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}$ is surjective, there exists $s'\in S$ with ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}(s')={\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}(r^{-1})$. One then has ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}(s's)={\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}(r^{-1}){\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}(r)=1$, so $a=s's$ is an invertible element of $S$. Now $(r^{-1},a^{-1}s')$ is in $P$, and it satisfies $(r^{-1},a^{-1}s')(r,s)=(r^{-1}r,a^{-1}s's)=(1,1)$.
For any sequence ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ of elements of $P$ and $P$-module $M$, we let $\operatorname{H}_n({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}},M)$ denote the $n$th homology module of the Koszul complex on ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ with coefficients in $M$.
\[local2\] When ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ is a $T$-regular sequence in $R\times_TS$ and ${\overline}M$ denotes $M/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}M$ for each $(R\times_TS)$-module $M$, there is an isomorphism of rings $${\overline}{R\times_TS}\cong{\overline}R\times_{{\overline}T}{\overline}S$$ and there are exact sequences of $({\overline}{R\times_TS})$-modules $$\begin{gathered}
\label{eq:fiberOv1}
0{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}{\overline}I\oplus{\overline}J{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}{\overline}R\oplus{\overline}S{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,{\overline}{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}\oplus{\overline}{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}\,}
{\overline}T\oplus{\overline}T{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}0
\\
\label{eq:fiberOv2}
0{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}{\overline}{R\times_TS}{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\ {\overline}\eta\ }{\overline}R\oplus{\overline}S{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,({\overline}{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}},-{\overline}{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}})\,}{\overline}T{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}0
\qedhere \end{gathered}$$
The sequence ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ is $R\times_TS$-regular if and only if it is $R$-regular and $S$-regular.
One has $\operatorname{H}_n({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}},T)=0$ for $n\ge1$, so induces an exact sequence of Koszul homology modules, which contains . It also gives an isomorphism $$\begin{aligned}
\operatorname{H}_1({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}},P)&\cong\operatorname{H}_1({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}},R)\oplus\operatorname{H}_1({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}},S)\,,
\end{aligned}$$ which shows that ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ is $P$-regular if and only if it is $R$-regular and $S$-regular.
The exact sequence of Koszul homology modules induced by contains the exact sequence , which, in turn implies the desired isomorphism of rings.
We relate numerical invariants of $P$ to the corresponding ones of $R$, $S$, and $T$.
\[invariants\] When $Q$ is a local ring and $N$ a finite $Q$-module, $\dim_QN$ denotes its Krull dimension and $\operatorname{depth}_QN$ its depth of $N$. Recall that if $P\to Q$ is a finite homomorphism of local rings, then one has $\dim_PN=\dim_QN$ and $\operatorname{depth}_PN=\operatorname{depth}_QN$.
We set $\dim Q=\dim_QN$ and $\operatorname{depth}Q=\operatorname{depth}_QQ$; thus, there are equalities $\dim Q=\dim_PQ$ and $\operatorname{depth}Q=\operatorname{depth}_PQ$.
Recall that $\operatorname{edim}Q$ denotes the *embedding dimension* of $Q$, defined to be the minimal number of generators of its maximal ideal.
\[local3\] The following (in)equalities hold: $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eq:local3.4}
\operatorname{edim}(R\times_TS)&\ge\operatorname{edim}R+\operatorname{edim}S-\operatorname{edim}T\,.
\\
\label{eq:local3.1}
\dim(R\times_TS)&=\max\{\dim R\,,\dim S\}
\ge\min\{\dim R\,,\dim S\}\ge\dim T\,.
\\
\label{eq:local3.2}
\operatorname{depth}(R\times_TS)&\ge\min\{\operatorname{depth}R\,,\operatorname{depth}S\,,\,\operatorname{depth}T+1\}\,.
\\
\label{eq:local3.3}
\operatorname{depth}T&\ge\min\{\operatorname{depth}R, \operatorname{depth}S, \operatorname{depth}(R \times_T S) -1\}\,.
\end{aligned}$$
Lemma \[local1\] gives an exact sequence of $P$-modules $$0\to{\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}\to{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}\oplus{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}\to{\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}}\to 0$$ Tensoring it with $P/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}$ over $P$, we get an exact sequence of $k$-vector spaces $${\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}^2\to{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}^2\oplus{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}^2\to{\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}}/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}}^2\to 0$$ because we have ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}={\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}^2$, ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}={\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}^2$, and ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}}={\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}}^2$, due to the surjective homomorphisms $R\gets P\to S\to T\gets R$. These maps also give $\min\{\dim R\,,\dim S\}\ge\dim T$ and $\dim P\ge\max\{\dim R\,,\dim S\}$, while the inclusion $\eta$ from yields $$\max\{\dim_PR\,,\dim_PS\}=\dim_P(R\oplus S)\ge\dim_P P\,.$$ For and , apply the Depth Lemma, see [@BH 1.2.9], to .
For a local ring $(Q,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}},k)$ and $Q$-module $N$, set $\operatorname{Soc}N=\{n\in N\mid {\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}n=0\}$. When ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ is a maximal $N$-regular sequence, $\operatorname{rank}_k\operatorname{Soc}(N/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}N)$ is a positive integer that does not depend on ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$, see [@BH 1.2.19], denoted $\operatorname{type}_QN$. Set $\operatorname{type}Q=\operatorname{type}_QQ$; thus, $Q$ is Gorenstein if and only if it is Cohen-Macaulay and $\operatorname{type}Q=1$.
We interpolate a useful general observation that uses fiber producs.
\[lem:socle\] Let $(Q,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}},k)$ be a local ring and $W$ a $k$-subspace of $(\operatorname{Soc}(Q)+{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}^2)/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}^2$.
There exists a ring isomorphism $Q\cong B\times_kC$, where $(B,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak b}},k)$ and $(C,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak c}},k)$ are local rings, such that ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak c}}^2=0$ and ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak c}}\cong W$.
If $W=\operatorname{Soc}(Q)+{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}^2)/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}^2$, then $\operatorname{Soc}(B)\subseteq{\ensuremath{\mathfrak b}}^2$.
When $\operatorname{Soc}(Q)$ is in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}^2$, set $B=Q$ and $C=k$. Else, pick in $\operatorname{Soc}Q$ a set ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ that maps bijectively to a basis of $W$, then choose in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}$ a set ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{y}}}\subset{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}$, so that ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}\cup{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{y}}}$ maps bijectively to a basis of ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}^2$. Set $B=Q/({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}})$ and $C=Q/({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{y}}})$. One then has ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}=({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}})+({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{y}}})$, hence $B\otimes_QC\cong k$, and also $({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}})\cap({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{y}}})=0$, so $Q\cong B\times_k
C$ by . The desired properties of $B$ and $C$ are verified by elementary calculations.
The next two results concern ring-theoretic properties of fiber products.
\[cmProd\] Assume that $T$ is Cohen-Macaulay, and set $d=\dim T$.
The ring $R\times_TS$ is Cohen-Macaulay of dimension $d$ if and only if $R$ and $S$ are.
When $R\times_TS$ is Cohen-Macaulay of dimension $d$ the following inequalities hold: $$\begin{aligned}
\operatorname{type}R+\operatorname{type}S
&\ge\operatorname{type}(R\times_TS)
\\
&\ge\max\{\operatorname{type}R+\operatorname{type}S-\operatorname{type}T,\operatorname{type}_RI+\operatorname{type}_SJ\} \,.
\end{aligned}$$ If, in addition, $I$ and $J$ are non-zero, then $R\times_TS$ is not Gorenstein.
The first assertion follows directly from Lemmas \[local2\] an \[local3\], so assume that $P$ is Cohen-Macaulay of dimension $d$. Choosing in $P$ an $(P\oplus T)$-regular sequence of length $d$, from we get an exact sequence of $k$-vector spaces $$0{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}\operatorname{Soc}({\overline}{P}){\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}\eta\,}\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}R\oplus\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}S
{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,(\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}},-\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}})\,}\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}T$$ It provides the inequalities involving $\operatorname{type}R$ and $\operatorname{type}S$. Formula gives ${\overline}{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}(\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}I)=0= {\overline}{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}(\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}J)$, so the sequence above yields ${\overline}\eta(\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}P)\supseteq\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}I\oplus\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}J$. When $I\ne0\ne J$ holds, we get ${\overline}I\ne0\ne{\overline}J$ by Nakayama’s Lemma. Since ${\overline}R$ and ${\overline}S$ are artinian, one has $\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}I\ne0\ne\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}J$, whence $\operatorname{type}P\ge 2$.
When ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}\colon R\to R/I$ is the canonical map and ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}={\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}$, the ring $R \bowtie I=R \times_{R/I}R$ has been studied under the name *amalgamated duplication of $R$ along $I$*. We complete and strengthen results of D’Anna and Shapiro:
\[thm:danna\] Let $R$ be a local ring, $d$ its Krull dimension, and $I$ a non-unit ideal.
The ring $R \bowtie I$ is Cohen-Macaulay if and only if $R$ is Cohen-Macaulay and $I$ is a maximal Cohen-Macaulay $R$-module.
The ring $R \bowtie I$ is Gorenstein if and only if $R$ is Cohen-Macaulay and $I$ is a canonical module for $R$, and then $R/I$ is Cohen-Macaulay with $\dim(R/I)=d-1$.
We start by listing those assertions in the theorem that are already known.
Assume that the ring $R$ is Cohen-Macaulay.
\[parts1\] If $I$ is a maximal Cohen-Macaulay module, then $R \bowtie I$ is Cohen-Macaulay: This is proved by D’Anna in [@D Discussion 10].
\[parts2\] If $I$ is a canonical module for $R$, then $R \bowtie I$ is Gorenstein: This follows from a result of Eisenbud; see [@D Theorem 12].
\[parts3\] If $R \bowtie I$ is Gorenstein *and $I$ contains a regular element*, then $I$ is a canonical module for $R$: In D’Anna’s proof of [@D Theorem 11], this is deduced from [@D Proposition 3]; the italicized part of the hypothesis does not appear in the statement of that proposition, but Shapiro [@Sh 2.1] shows that it is needed.
\[parts4\] If $R \bowtie I$ is Gorenstein and $\dim R=1$, then $I$ contains a regular element: This is proved by Shapiro, see [@Sh 2.4]; in the statement of that result it is also assumed that $R$ reduced, but this hypothesis is not used in the proof.
Set $P = R \bowtie I$ and $d=\dim R$; thus, $\dim P=d$ by .
We obtain the first assertion from a slight variation of the argument for \[parts1\]. The map $R\to R\times R$, given by $r\mapsto(r,r)$, defines a homomorphisms of rings $R\to P$ that turns $P$ into a finite $R$-module. Thus, $P$ is a Cohen-Macaulay ring if and only if it is Cohen-Macaulay as an $R$-module; see \[invariants\]. This module is isomorphic to $R\oplus I$, because each element $(r,s)\in P$ has a unique expression of the form $(r,r)+(0,s-r)$. It follows that $P$ is Cohen-Macaulay if and only if $R$ is Cohen-Macaulay and $I$ is a maximal Cohen-Macaulay $R$-module.
In view of \[parts2\], for the rest of the proof we may assume $P$ Gorenstein.
Set $T= R/I$. We have $\operatorname{depth}T \geq d - 1\ge0$ by and Proposition \[cmProd\]. By the already proved assertion, $R$ is Cohen-Macaulay with $\operatorname{depth}R=d$, so we can choose in $P$ a $T$-regular and $R$-regular sequence ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ of length $d-1 $; for each $P$-module $M$ set ${\overline}M=M/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}M$. By Lemma \[local2\], ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ is $P$-regular, ${\overline}I$ is an ideal in ${\overline}R$ and there are isomorphisms of rings ${\overline}T\cong {\overline}R/{\overline}I$ and ${\overline}{P}\cong {\overline}R \bowtie {\overline}I$. As ${\overline}R$ is Cohen-Macaulay with $\dim {\overline}R=1$ and ${\overline}P$ is Gorenstein, \[parts4\] shows that ${\overline}I$ contains an ${\overline}R$-regular element. This yield $\dim {\overline}T = 0$, hence $\dim T = d - 1$, so $T$ is Cohen-Macaulay. Since $R$ is Cohen-Macaulay as well, we have $\operatorname{grade}_RT=\dim R-\dim T=1$, so $I$ contains a regular element, and hence $I$ is a canonical module for $R$, due to \[parts3\].
Connected sums {#sec:ConnSum}
==============
A *connected sum diagram* of commutative rings is a commutative diagram $$\label{diagramSum}
\begin{gathered}
\xymatrixrowsep{1pc}
\xymatrixcolsep{2pc}
\xymatrix{
& R \ar[dr]^{{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}}
\\
V \ar[ur]^{{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}} \ar[dr]_{{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}}
&& T
\\
& S \ar[ur]_{{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}}
}
\end{gathered}$$ where $V$ is a $T$-module, ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}$ a homomorphism of $R$-modules (with $R$ acting on $V$ through ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}$) and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}$ a homomorphism of $S$-modules (with $S$ acting on $V$ via ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}$).
Evidently, $\{({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(v),{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(v))\in R\times S\mid v\in V\}$ is an ideal of $R\times_TS$. We define the *connected sum of $R$ and $S$ along the diagram* to be the ring $$\label{eq:Sum}
R\#_TS=(R\times_TS)/\{({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(v),{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(v))\mid v\in V\}\,.$$ As in the case of fiber products, the maps in the diagram are suppressed from the notation, although the resulting ring does depend on them; see Example \[fermat\]. The choices of name and notation are explained in Example \[manifolds\].
*We fix the setup and notation for this section as follows:*
\[setupSum\] The rings in diagram are local: $(R,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}},k)$, $(S,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}},k)$ and $(T,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}},k)$.
The maps ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}$ are surjective; set $I=\operatorname{Ker}({\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}})$, $J=\operatorname{Ker}({\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}})$, also $$P=R\times_TS \quad\text{and}\quad Q=R\#_TS\,.$$
The maps ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}$ are injective, so there are exact sequences of finite $P$-modules $$\begin{gathered}
\label{eq:injection1}
0{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}V\oplus V{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,{{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}}\oplus{{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}}\,} R\oplus S{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}R/{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(V)\oplus
S/{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(V){\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}0
\\
\label{eq:injection2}
0{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}V{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,{\iota}\,} R\times_TS{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,{\kappa}\,}R\#_TS{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}0
\end{gathered}$$ where $\iota\colon v\mapsto({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(v),{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(v))$ and $\kappa$ is the canonical surjection.
A length count in , using formula , yields $$\label{eq:lengthSum}
\operatorname{\ell}(R\#_TS)+\operatorname{\ell}(T)+\operatorname{\ell}(V)=\operatorname{\ell}(R)+\operatorname{\ell}(S) \,.$$
\[trivial\] The ring $Q$ is local and we write $(Q,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}},k)$, unless $Q=0$. The condition $Q=0$ is equivalent to ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(V)=R$, and also to ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(V)=S$: This follows from the fact that $(P,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}},k)$ is a local ring with ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}={\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}\times_T{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}$, see Lemma \[local1\].
When $I=0$ one has $R\times_TS\cong S$, hence $R\#_TS\cong S/{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(V)$.
\[regularSum\] If a sequence ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ in $R\times_TS$ is regular on $R/{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(V)$, $S/{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(V)$, $T$, and $V$, then it is also regular on $R$, $S$, $R\times_TS$, and $R\#_TS$, and there is an isomorphism $${\overline}{R\#_TS}\cong {\overline}R\#_{{\overline}T}{\overline}S$$ of rings, where ${\overline}M$ denotes $M/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}M$ for every $R\times_TS$-module $M$.
The sequence induces an exact sequence of Koszul homology modules $$\label{eq:injection}
0{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}\operatorname{H}_1({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}, R)\oplus\operatorname{H}_1({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}, S){\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}0 {\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}{\overline}V\oplus {\overline}V{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,{\overline}{{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}}\oplus{\overline}{{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}}\,}{\overline}R\oplus {\overline}S$$ It follows that ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ is $R$-regular and $S$-regular. Lemma \[local2\] shows that it is also $P$-regular, so induces an exact sequence of Koszul homology modules $$0{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}\operatorname{H}_1({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}},Q){\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}{\overline}V{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\ {{\overline}\iota}\ }{\overline}P{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\ {\overline}\kappa\ }
{\overline}Q{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}0$$ Note that ${\overline}\iota$ is equal to the composition of the diagonal map ${\overline}V\to{\overline}V\oplus{\overline}V$ and ${\overline}{{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}}\oplus{\overline}{{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}}\colon {\overline}V\oplus{\overline}V\to{\overline}R\oplus {\overline}S$. Both are injective, the second one by , so ${\overline}\iota$ is injective as well. We get $\operatorname{H}_1({\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}},Q)=0$, so ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ is $Q$-regular. After identifying ${\overline}P$ and ${\overline}R\times_{{\overline}T}{\overline}S$ through Lemma \[local2\], we get ${\overline}Q\cong{\overline}R\#_{{\overline}T}{\overline}S$ from the injectivity of ${\overline}\iota$.
\[cmSum\] If the rings, $R/{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(V)$, $S/{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(V)$, $T$, and the $T$-module $V$ are Cohen-Macaulay of dimension $d$, then so are the rings $R$, $S$, $R\times_TS$, and $R\#_TS$.
The exact sequence implies that $R$ and $S$ are Cohen-Macaulay of dimension $d$. Proposition \[cmProd\] then shows that so is $P$; this gives $\dim Q\le d$. Let ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ be a sequence of length $d$ in $P$, which is regular on $(R/{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(V)\oplus S/{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(V)\oplus
T\oplus V)$. By Lemma \[regularSum\], it is also $Q$-regular, so $Q$ is Cohen-Macaulay of dimension $d$.
To describe those situations, where connected sums do not produce new rings, we review basic properties of Hilbert-Samuel multiplicities.
\[lem:multiplicity\] Let $(P,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}},k)$ be a Cohen-Macaulay local ring of dimension $d$.
When $k$ is infinite, the *multiplicity* $e(P)$ can be expressed as $$e(P)=\inf\{\operatorname{\ell}(P/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}P)\mid {\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}\text{ is a $P$-regular sequence
in }P\}\,;$$ see [@BH 4.7.11]. If $P\to P'$ is a surjective homomorphism of rings, and $P'$ is Cohen-Macaulay of dimension $d$, then by [@Sl Ch.1, 3.3] there exists in $P$ a sequence ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ that is both $P$-regular and $P'$-regular, and $e(P')=\operatorname{\ell}(P'/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}P')$ holds.
When $k$ is finite, one has $e_P(M)=e_{P[y]_{{\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}[y]}}\big(M\otimes_P P[y]_{{\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}[y]}\big)$.
The ring $P$ is regular if and only if if $e(P)=1$.
It is a quadratic hypersurface if and only if $e(P)=2$.
\[multiplicity\] Assume that the rings $R/{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(V)$, $S/{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(V)$, and $T$, and the $T$-module $V$, are Cohen-Macaulay, and their dimensions are equal.
When $R$ is regular one has $I=0$ and $R\#_TS\cong S/{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(V)$.
When $R$ is a quadratic hypersurface and $I\ne0$, one has $R\#_TS\cong S$.
Set $d=\dim T$. By Proposition \[cmSum\], $P$, $Q$, $R$, and $S$ are Cohen-Macaulay of dimension $d$. Thus, every $P$-regular sequence is also regular on $Q$, $R$, and $S$.
When $R$ is regular it is a domain; $\dim R=\dim T$ implies $I=0$, so \[trivial\] applies.
Assume $I\ne0$ and $e(R)=2$. Tensoring, if necessary, the diagram with $P[x]_{{\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}[x]}$ over $P$, we may assume that $k$ is infinite. By \[lem:multiplicity\], there is a $P$- and $R$-regular sequence ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ of length $d$ in $P$, such that $\operatorname{\ell}({\overline}R)=2$, where overbars denote reduction modulo ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$. [From]{} and $I\ne0$ one gets $\operatorname{\ell}({\overline}T)=\operatorname{\ell}({\overline}R)-\operatorname{\ell}({\overline}I)\le1$. This implies $\operatorname{\ell}({\overline}T)=1= \operatorname{\ell}({\overline}V)$, so Lemma \[regularSum\] and give $\operatorname{\ell}({\overline}Q)=\operatorname{\ell}({\overline}S)$.
Setting $K=\operatorname{Ker}(Q\to S)$, one sees that the induced sequence $$0{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}{\overline}K{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}{\overline}Q{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}{\overline}S{\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}0$$ is exact, due to the $S$-regularity of ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$, hence ${\overline}K=0$, and thus $K=0$.
A construction of canonical modules sets the stage for the next result.
\[dualizing\] The ideal $(0:I)$ of $R$ is a $T$-module, which is isomorphic to $\operatorname{Hom}_R(T,R)$. Similarly, $(0:J)\cong\operatorname{Hom}_S(T,S)$ as $T$-modules. If $R$ and $S$ are Gorenstein, $T$ is Cohen-Macaulay, and all three rings have dimension $d$, then $(0:I)$ and $(0:J)$ are isomorphic $T$-modules, since both are canonical modules for $T$; see [@BH 3.3.7].
\[gorenstein\] Let $R$ and $S$ be Gorenstein local rings of dimension $d$, let $T$ be a Cohen-Macaulay local ring of dimension $d$ and $V$ a canonical module for $T$.
Let ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}$, ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}$, ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}$, and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}$ be maps that satisfy the conditions in *\[setupSum\]* and, in addition, $${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(V)=(0:I) \quad\text{and}\quad {\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(V)=(0:J) \,.$$
If $I\ne0$ or $J\ne0$, then $R\#_TS$ is a Gorenstein local ring of dimension $d$.
The condition $I\ne0$ is equivalent to $J\ne0$.
Indeed $I=0$ implies $R=(0:I)={\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(V)$, hence ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(V)={\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(V)=T$. In particular, for some $v\in V$ one has ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(v)=1\in T$, hence $S=S{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(v)
\subseteq(0:J)$, and thus $J=0$. By symmetry, $J=0$ implies $I=0$.
The $T$-module $V$ is Cohen-Macaulay of dimension $d$, see [@BH 3.3.13]. The rings $R/(0:I)$ and $S/(0:J)$ have the same property, by [@PS 1.3]. Proposition \[cmSum\] now shows that the ring $Q$ is Cohen-Macaulay of dimension $d$.
Choose in $P$ an $(R/{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(V)\oplus S/{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(V)\oplus Q\oplus T\oplus
V)$-regular sequence ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ of length $d$. It suffices to show that $Q/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}Q$ is Gorenstein. The $T/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}T$-module $V/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}V$ is canonical, see [@BH 3.3.5], so reduction modulo ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ preserves the hypotheses of the theorem. In view of Lemma \[regularSum\], we may assume that all rings involved are artinian.
Now we have $\operatorname{Soc}V=Tu$ for some $u\in\operatorname{Soc}T$; see [@BH 3.3.13]. To prove that $Q$ is Gorenstein we show that $\kappa(\iota_R(u),0)$ generates $\operatorname{Soc}Q$. Write $q\in\operatorname{Soc}Q$ in the form $$q=\kappa(a,b)
\quad\text{with}\quad
(a,b)\in {\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}\times_T{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}={\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}\,.$$ As $S$ is Gorenstein, one has ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(u)\in\operatorname{Soc}S\subseteq J$. For every $i\in I$ this gives ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}(i)=0={\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(u)$. Thus, $(i,{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(u))$ is in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}$, so $\kappa(i,{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(u))\cdot q\in{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}\cdot q=0$ holds, hence $$(ia,0)=(i,{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(u))\cdot(a,b)=({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(x),{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(x))$$ for some $x\in V$. Since ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}$ is injective we get $x=0$, hence $ia=0$. As $i$ was arbitrarily chosen in $I$, this implies $a\in(0:I)$; that is, $a={\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(v)$ for some $v$ in $V$. By symmetry, we conclude $b={\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(w)$ for some $w\in V$. As a consequence, we get $$q=\kappa({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(v),{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(w))
\quad\text{with}\quad
v,w\in V\,.$$
Pick any $t$ in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}}$, then choose $r$ in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}$ and $s$ in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}$ with ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}(r)=t={\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}(s)$. Thus, $(r,s)$ is in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}$, hence $\kappa(r,s)$ is in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}$, whence $\kappa(r,s)\cdot q=0$. We then have $$\begin{aligned}
({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(tv),{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(tw))=(r{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(v),s{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(w))=(r,s)\cdot({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(v),{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(w))=({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(y),{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(y))
\end{aligned}$$ for some $y\in V$. This yields ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(tv)={\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(y)$ and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(tw)={\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(y)$, hence $tv=y=tw$, due to the injectivity of ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}$; in other words, $t(v-w)=0$. Since $t$ was an arbitrary element of ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}}$, we get ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}}(v-w)=0$, hence $v=w+t'u$ for some $t'\in T$. Choosing $r'$ in $R$ and $s'$ in $S$ with ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}(r')=t'={\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}(s')$, we have $(r',s')\in P$ and $$\begin{aligned}
q&=\kappa({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(w),{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(w))+\kappa({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(t'u),0)
\\
& =\kappa\big((r',s')\cdot({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(u),0)\big)
\\
& =\kappa(r',s')\cdot\kappa({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(u),0)
\end{aligned}$$ As $q$ can be any element of $\operatorname{Soc}Q$, we get $\operatorname{Soc}Q=
Q\cdot\kappa({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(u),0)$, as desired.
Examples and variations {#Examples}
=======================
We collect examples to illustrate the hypotheses and the conclusions of results proved above, and review variants and antecedents of the notion of connected sum.
Seemingly minor perturbations of diagram may lead to non-isomorphic connected sum rings. Next we produce a concrete illustration. See also Example \[sah\] for connected sums that are not isomorphic *as graded algebras*.
\[fermat\] Over the field ${\ensuremath{\mathbb{Q}}}$ of rational numbers, form the algebras $$R={\ensuremath{\mathbb{Q}}}[x]/(x^3)\,,
\quad
S={\ensuremath{\mathbb{Q}}}[y]/(y^3)\,,
\quad\text{and}\quad
T={\ensuremath{\mathbb{Q}}}\,.$$ Letting both ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}\colon R\to T$ and ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}\colon S\to T$ be the canonical surjections, one gets $$R\times_TS={\ensuremath{\mathbb{Q}}}[x,y]/(x^3,xy,y^3)\,.$$
Set $V={\ensuremath{\mathbb{Q}}}$ and let ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}\colon V\to R$ and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}\colon V\to S$ be the maps $q\mapsto qx$ and $q\mapsto qy$, respectively. The connected sum defined by these data is a local ring $(Q,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}},k)$ with $$Q={\ensuremath{\mathbb{Q}}}[x,y]/(x^2-y^2,xy)\,.$$
On the other hand, take the same maps ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}$, ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}$, and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}$ as above, and replace ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}$ with the map $q\mapsto pq$, where $p$ is a prime number that is not congruent to $3$ modulo $4$. We then get as connected sum a local ring $(Q',{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}',{\ensuremath{\mathbb{Q}}})$ with $$Q'={\ensuremath{\mathbb{Q}}}[x',y']/(x'^2-py'^2,x'y')\,.$$
We claim that these rings are not isomorphic. In fact, more is true:
Every ring homomorphism $\kappa\colon Q'\to Q$ satisfies $\kappa({\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}')
\subseteq {\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}^2$.
Indeed, any ring homomorphism of ${\ensuremath{\mathbb{Q}}}$-algebras is ${\ensuremath{\mathbb{Q}}}$-linear, so $\kappa$ is a homomorphism of ${\ensuremath{\mathbb{Q}}}$-algebras. The images of $x'$ and $y'$ can be written in the form $$\begin{aligned}
\kappa(x')&=ax+by+cy^2
\\
\kappa(y')&=dx+ey+fy^2
\end{aligned}$$ for appropriate rational numbers $a$, $b$, $c$, $d$, $e$, and $f$. In $Q$ this gives equalities $$\begin{aligned}
(a^2+b^2)x^2=a^2x^2+b^2y^2=\kappa(x'^2)=\kappa(py'^2)=p(d^2x^2+e^2y^2)
=p(d^2+e^2)x^2
\end{aligned}$$
We need to show that the only rational solution of the equation $$\label{eq:fermat}
a^2+b^2=p(d^2+e^2)$$ is the trivial one. If not, then $a^2+b^2\ne0$. Clearing denominators, we may assume $a,b,c,d\in{\ensuremath{\mathbb{Z}}}$ and write $a^2+b^2=p^ig$ and $d^2+e^2=p^jh$ with integers $g,h,i,j\ge0$, such that $gh$ is not divisible by $p$. By Fermat’s Theorem on sums of two squares, see [@Sm §5.6], $i$ and $j$ must be even. This is impossible, as forces $i=j+1$.
Now we turn to graded rings and degree-preserving homomorphisms.
Recall that the *Hilbert series* of a graded vector space $D$ over a field $k$, with $\operatorname{rank}_kD_n<\infty$ for all $n\in{\ensuremath{\mathbb{Z}}}$ and $D_n=0$ for $n\ll0$, is the formal Laurent series $$H_D=\sum_{n>-\infty}\operatorname{rank}_k(D_n)z^n\in{\ensuremath{\mathbb{Z}}}[\![z]\!][z^{-1}]\,.$$
\[gradedProd\] Let $k$ be a field and assume that the rings $R$ and $S$ in diagram are commutative finitely generated ${\ensuremath{\mathbb{N}}}$-graded $k$-algebras with $R_0=k=S_0$, and the maps are homogeneous. Equation then can be refined to: $$\label{eq:hilbertProd}
H_{R\times_TS}=H_R+H_S-H_T\,,$$ and the obvious version of Theorem \[cmProd\] for graded rings holds as well.
Assume, in addition, that in the diagram all maps are homogeneous. Equation then can be refined to: $$\label{eq:hilbertSum}
H_{R\#_TS}=H_R+H_S-H_T-H_V\,.$$
Diligence is needed to state a graded analog of Theorem \[gorenstein\]. Recall that for each finite graded $T$-module $N$ one has $H_M=h_N/g_N$ with $h_N\in\mathbb Z[z^{\pm 1}]$ and $g_N\in\mathbb Z[z]$, and that the integer $a(N)=\deg(h_N)-\deg(g_N)$ is known as the *$a$-invariant* of $N$.
\[gorensteinAnlog\] Let $R{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}} T{\ensuremath{\xleftarrow}}{{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}}S$ be surjective homomorphisms of commutative ${\ensuremath{\mathbb{N}}}$-graded $k$-algebras of dimension $d$, with $R_0=k=S_0$. Assume that $R$ and $S$ are Gorenstein, $T$ is Cohen-Macaulay, and $V$ is a canonical module for $T$.
A connected sum diagram , with ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}$ isomorphisms of graded modules, exists if and only if $a(R)=a(S)$. When this is the case the graded algebra $R\#_TS$ is Gorenstein of dimension $d$, with $a(R\#_TS)=a(R)$ and $$\label{eq:hilbertSumA}
H_{R\#_TS}(z)=H_R(z)+H_S(z)-H_T(z)-(-1)^dz^{a(R)}\cdot H_T(z^{-1})\,.$$
[From]{} [@BH 4.4.5] one obtains $$H_{\operatorname{Hom}_R(T,R)}(z)
=z^{a(R)}\cdot H_{\operatorname{Hom}_R(T,R(a))}(z)
=(-1)^dz^{a(R)}\cdot H_T(z^{-1})\,,$$ and a similar formula with $S$ in place of $R$. Thus, $\operatorname{Hom}_R(T,R)
\cong\operatorname{Hom}_S(T,S)$ holds as *graded* $T$-modules if and only if $a(R)=a(S)$. In this case, Theorem \[gorenstein\] (or its proof) shows that $R\#_TS$ is Gorenstein, and formula yields .
Generation in degree $1$ does not transfer from $R$ and $S$ to $R\times_TS$ or $R\#_TS$:
\[nonstandard\] Set $T=k[z]/(z^2)$ and form the homomorphisms of $k$-algebras $$R=k[x]/(x^5)\to T\gets k[y]/(y^5)=S
\quad\text{with}\quad
x\mapsto z \gets y\,.$$ Choose $V=T$ and define homomorphisms $R{\ensuremath{\xleftarrow}}{{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}} V{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}}S$ by setting ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(1)=x^3$ and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(1)=y^3$. The graded $k$-vector space $R\times_TS$ has a homogeneous basis $$\{(x^i,y^i)\}_{0\le i\le4}\cup\{(0,y^j)\}_{2\le j\le4}\,,$$ which yields $R\times_TS\cong k[u,v]/(u^5,uv^2,v^2-u^2v)$ with $\deg(u)=1$ and $\deg(v)=2$.
The canonical module of $T$ is isomorphic to $(x^3)\subset R$ and $(y^3)
\subset S$. Therefore, one gets $R \#_T S \cong k[u,v]/(v^2-u^2v,2uv-u^3)$, with degrees as above.
\[bimodules\] For the definition of connected sum given in to work in a non-commutative context, the only change needed is to require that the maps ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}$ in diagram be homomorphisms of $T$-*bimodules*.
When the maps in the diagram are homogeneous homomorphisms of rings and bimodules, the resulting connected sum is a graded ring.
Remark \[bimodules\] is used implicitly in the next two examples, which deal with graded-commutative, rather than commutative, $k$-algebras.
\[manifolds\] Let $M$ and $N$ be compact connected oriented smooth manifolds of the same dimension, say $n$. The connected sum $M\#N$ is the manifold obtained by removing an open $n$-disc from each manifold and gluing the resulting manifolds with boundaries along their boundary spheres through an orientation-reversing homeomorphism. The cohomology algebras with coefficients in a field $k$ satisfy $\operatorname{H}^*(M \#
N)\cong\operatorname{H}^*(M)\#_k\operatorname{H}^*(N)$, with $\varepsilon_{\operatorname{H}^*(M)}$ and $\varepsilon_{\operatorname{H}^*(N)}$ the canonical augmentations, $V=k$, and $\iota_{\operatorname{H}^*(M)}(1)$ and $\iota_{\operatorname{H}^*(N)}(1)$ the orientation classes.
What may be the earliest discussion of connected sums in a ring-theoretical context followed very closely the topological model:
\[sah\] Sah [@Sa] formed connected sums of *graded Poincaré duality algebras* along their orientation classes, largely motivated by the following special case:
A Poincaré duality algebra $R$ with $R_i=0$ for $i\ne0,1,2$ is completely described by the quadratic form $R_1\to k$, obtained by composing the map $x\mapsto x^2$ with the inverse of the orientation isomorphism $k{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\cong}R_2$. Such algebras are isomorphic if and only if the corresponding forms are equivalent, and the connected sum of two such algebras corresponds to the Witt sum of the corresponding quadratic forms.
Gorenstein colength {#Gorenstein colength}
===================
Let $(Q,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}},k)$ be an artinian local ring and $E$ an injective hull of $k$.
The *Gorenstein colength* of $Q$ is defined in [@A1] to be the number $$\operatorname{gcl}Q = \min\left\{\operatorname{\ell}(A)-\operatorname{\ell}(Q)\,\left|\,
\begin{gathered}
Q\cong A/I \text{ with $A$ an artinian}\\
\text{Gorenstein local ring}
\end{gathered}
\right\}\right..$$ One has $\operatorname{gcl}Q=0$ if and only if $Q$ is Gorenstein, and $$0\le \operatorname{gcl}Q\le\operatorname{\ell}(Q)<\infty\,,$$ as the trivial extension $Q\ltimes E$ is Gorenstein, see [@BH 3.3.6], and $\operatorname{\ell}(Q\ltimes E)=2\operatorname{\ell}(Q)$.
\[edim\] If $Q$ is a non-Gorenstein artinian local ring and $Q\to C$ is a surjective homomorphism with $C$ Gorenstein, then the following inequality holds: $$\operatorname{gcl}Q\ge\operatorname{edim}(Q)-(\operatorname{\ell}(Q)-\operatorname{\ell}(C))\,.$$
Let $A\to Q$ be a surjection with $(A,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}},k)$ Gorenstein and $\operatorname{\ell}(A)-\operatorname{\ell}(Q)=\operatorname{gcl}Q$. It factors through ${\overline}A\to Q$, where ${\overline}A=A/\operatorname{Soc}A$. Applying $\operatorname{Hom}_A(-,A)$ to the exact sequence $0\to{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}^2\to A/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}^2\to A/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}\to0$, one gets an exact sequence $$0\to(0:{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}})_A\to(0:{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}^2)_A\to\operatorname{Hom}_A({\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}^2,A)\to0$$ that yields $\operatorname{Soc}({\overline}A)\cong\operatorname{Hom}_A({\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}^2,A)$. As ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}$ annihilates ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}^2$, the second module is isomorphic to $\operatorname{Hom}_k({\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}^2,k)$. Set $K=\operatorname{Ker}({\overline}A\to C)$. Since $\operatorname{\ell}(\operatorname{Soc}(C))=1$, the inclusion $\operatorname{Soc}({\overline}A)/(K\cap(\operatorname{Soc}({\overline}A)) \subseteq\operatorname{Soc}(C)$ gives the second inequality below: $$\operatorname{\ell}(K)\ge\operatorname{\ell}(K\cap\operatorname{Soc}{\overline}A)\ge
\operatorname{\ell}(\operatorname{Soc}({\overline}A))-1=\operatorname{edim}A-1\ge\operatorname{edim}Q-1.$$ The desired inequality now follows from a straightforward length count: $$\operatorname{\ell}(A)-\operatorname{\ell}(Q)=(\operatorname{\ell}(K)+1)-(\operatorname{\ell}(Q)-\operatorname{\ell}(C))
\ge\operatorname{edim}Q-(\operatorname{\ell}(Q)-\operatorname{\ell}(C))\,.\qedhere$$
Rings of embedding dimension $1$ need separate consideration.
\[gorbysocle\] Let $(S,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}},k)$ be an artinian local ring with $\operatorname{edim}S\le1$.
The ring $S$ is Gorenstein, and one has $S\cong C/(x^n)$ with $(C,(x),k)$ a discrete valuation ring and $n=\operatorname{\ell}(S)$; thus, there is a surjective, but not bijective, homomorphism $B\to S$, where $B=C/(x^{n+1})$ is artinian, Gorenstein, with $\operatorname{\ell}(B)=\operatorname{\ell}(S)+1$.
\[CSandGC\] Let $(R,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}},k)$ and $(S,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}},k)$ be artinian local rings, with ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}\ne0\ne{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}$.
1. When $R$ and $S$ are Gorenstein, there is an inequality $$\operatorname{gcl}(R \times_k S)\ge\operatorname{edim}R+\operatorname{edim}S-1\,;$$ equality holds if $\operatorname{edim}R=1=\operatorname{edim}S$.
2. When $R$ is not Gorenstein, there are inequalities $$1\le\operatorname{gcl}(R \times_k S) \leq
\begin{cases}
\operatorname{gcl}R &\text{if}\quad\operatorname{edim}S=1\,;
\\
\operatorname{gcl}R+\operatorname{gcl}S-1 &\text{if}\quad\operatorname{gcl}S\ge1\,.
\end{cases}$$
The ring $R\times_kS$ is not Gorenstein by Proposition \[cmProd\], hence $\operatorname{gcl}(R\times_kS)\ge1$.
\(1) The ring $R\#_kS$ is Gorenstein by Theorem \[gorenstein\], so apply Lemma \[edim\] to the homomorphism $R\times_kS\to R\#_kS$ and use $\operatorname{edim}(R\times_kS)=\operatorname{edim}R+\operatorname{edim}S$.
\(2) Choose a surjective homomorphism $A\to R$ with $A$ artinian Gorenstein and $\operatorname{\ell}(A)=\operatorname{\ell}(R)+\operatorname{gcl}R$. If $\operatorname{gcl}S\ge1$, let $B\to S$ be a surjective homomorphism with $B$ artinian Gorenstein and $\operatorname{\ell}(B)=\operatorname{\ell}(S)+\operatorname{gcl}S$; if $\operatorname{edim}S=1$, let $B\to S$ be the map described in \[gorbysocle\]. In both cases there is a commutative diagram $$\xymatrixrowsep{0.8pc}
\xymatrixcolsep{1.5pc}
\xymatrix{
& A
\ar@{->>}[r]
& R
\ar@{->>}[dr]
\\
k
\ar@{->}[ur]
\ar@{->}[dr]
& & & k
\\
& B
\ar@{->>}[r]
& S
\ar@{->>}[ur]
}$$ where two-headed arrows denote surjective homomorphisms of local rings, and the maps from $k$ are isomorphisms onto the socles of $A$ and $B$. Both compositions $R\gets k\to S$ are zero, so there is a surjective homomorphism $A\#_kB\to R\times_kS$.
In the following string the inequality holds because $A\#_kB$ is Gorenstein, see Theorem \[gorenstein\], and the first equality comes from formulas and : $$\begin{aligned}
\operatorname{gcl}(R\times_kS)
&\le \operatorname{\ell}(A\#_kB)-\operatorname{\ell}(R\times_kS)\\
&=(\operatorname{\ell}(A)+\operatorname{\ell}(B)-2)-(\operatorname{\ell}(R)+\operatorname{\ell}(S)-1)\\
&=\operatorname{gcl}R+(\operatorname{\ell}(B)-\operatorname{\ell}(S)-1)
\end{aligned}$$ The desired upper bounds now follow from the choice of $B$.
As a first application, we give a new, simple proof of a result of Teter, [@Te 2.2].
\[squareZero\] A local ring $(Q,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}},k)$ with ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}^2 =0$ has $\operatorname{gcl}Q=1$ or $\operatorname{edim}Q\le1$.
The condition ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}^2=0$ is equivalent to ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}=\operatorname{Soc}Q$. Set $\operatorname{rank}_k{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}=s$.
One has $s=\operatorname{edim}Q$, so we assume $s\ge2$; we then have $\operatorname{gcl}Q\ge1$. Lemma \[lem:socle\] gives $Q\cong R\times_kS$ where $(R,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}},k)$ and $(S,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}},k)$ are local rings, ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}^2=0$, $\operatorname{edim}R=s-1$, and $\operatorname{edim}S=1$. If $s=2$, then $\operatorname{edim}R=1$, hence $\operatorname{gcl}Q=1$ by Proposition \[CSandGC\](1). If $s\ge3$, then $\operatorname{gcl}R=1$ holds by induction, so Proposition \[CSandGC\](2) yields $\operatorname{gcl}Q=1$.
Note that the conditions $\operatorname{gcl}Q=1$ and $\operatorname{edim}Q\le1$ are mutually exclusive; one or the other holds if and only if $R$ is isomorphic to the quotient of some artinian Gorenstein ring by its socle, see \[gorbysocle\]. Such rings are characterized as follows:
\[teter\] Let $(Q,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}},k)$ be an artinian local ring and $E$ an injective envelope of $k$.
Teter [@Te 2.3, 1.1] proved that there exists an isomorphism $Q\cong A/\operatorname{Soc}(A)$, with $(A,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}},k)$ an artinian Gorenstein local ring, if and only if there is a homomorphism of $Q$-modules $\varphi\colon{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}\to\operatorname{Hom}_Q({\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}},E)$ satisfying $\varphi(x)(y)=\varphi(y)(x)$ for all $x,y\in{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}$.
His analysis includes the following observation: $E\cong \operatorname{Hom}_{A}(Q,A)$, so the exact sequence $0\to k\to A\to Q\to0$ induces an exact sequence $0\to E\to A\to k\to0$. It yields $E\cong{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}$, and thus a composed $Q$-linear surjection $E\cong{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}\to{\ensuremath{\mathfrak a}}/\operatorname{Soc}(A)={\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}$.
Using Teter’s result, Huneke and Vraciu proved a partial converse:
\[HVthm\] If $\operatorname{Soc}Q\subseteq{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}^2$, $2$ is invertible in $Q$, and there exists an epimorphism $E\to{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}$, then $Q\cong A/\operatorname{Soc}(A)$ with $A$ Gorenstein; see [@HV 2.5].
We lift the restriction on the socle of $Q$.
\[gcl1\] Let $(Q,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}},k)$ be an artinian local ring, in which $2$ is invertible, and let $E$ be an injective hull of $k$.
If there is an epimorphism $E\to{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}$, then $Q\cong A/\operatorname{Soc}(A)$ with $A$ Gorenstein.
By Lemma \[lem:socle\], there is an isomorphism $Q\cong R\times_kS$, where $(R,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}},k)$ is a local ring with $\operatorname{Soc}(R)\subseteq{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}^2$ and $(S,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}},k)$ is a local ring with ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}^2=0$. Choose a surjective homomorphism $P\to Q$ with $P$ Gorenstein and set $E_R=\operatorname{Hom}_P(R,P)$ and $E_S= \operatorname{Hom}_P(S,P)$. We then have $E\cong\operatorname{Hom}_P(Q,P)$ and surjective homomorphisms $$E_R\oplus E_S{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,\alpha\,} E
{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,\beta\,}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}={\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}\oplus{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\,\gamma\,}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}$$ where $\alpha$ is induced by the composition $Q\cong R\times_kS
\hookrightarrow R\oplus S$, $\beta$ comes from the hypothesis, and $\gamma$ is the canonical map. Note that $\operatorname{\ell}(E)=\operatorname{\ell}(Q)>
\operatorname{\ell}({\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}})=\operatorname{\ell}(\beta(E))$ implies $\operatorname{Ker}(\beta)\ne0$; since $\operatorname{\ell}(\operatorname{Soc}E)=1$, we get $\operatorname{Soc}E\subseteq\operatorname{Ker}(\beta)$.
One has ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}^2\alpha(E_S)=\alpha({\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}^2E_S)=0$. This gives ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}\alpha(E_S)\subseteq\operatorname{Soc}(E)\subseteq\operatorname{Ker}(\beta)$, hence ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}\beta\alpha(E_S)=\beta({\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}\alpha(E_S))=0$, and thus $\beta\alpha(E_S)\subseteq\operatorname{Soc}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}$. [From]{} here we get $$\gamma\beta\alpha(E_S)\subseteq\gamma(\operatorname{Soc}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}})
\subseteq\operatorname{Soc}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}\subseteq\operatorname{Soc}R\subseteq{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}^2\,.$$ Using the inclusions above, we obtain a new string: $${\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}=\gamma\beta\alpha(E_R\oplus E_S)
=\gamma\beta\alpha(E_R)+\gamma\beta\alpha(E_S)
\subseteq\gamma\beta\alpha(E_R)+{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}^2\,.$$ By Nakayama’s Lemma, $\gamma\beta\alpha$ restricts to a surjective homomorphism $E_R\to{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}$.
As $E_R$ is an injective envelope of $k$ over $R$, and $\operatorname{Soc}R$ is contained in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}^2$, we get $\operatorname{gcl}R=1$ or $\operatorname{edim}R\le1$ from Huneke and Vraciu’s theorem; see \[HVthm\]. On the other hand, we know from Lemma \[squareZero\] that $S$ satisfies $\operatorname{gcl}S=1$ or $\operatorname{edim}S\le1$, so from Proposition \[CSandGC\] we conclude that $\operatorname{gcl}Q=1$ or $\operatorname{edim}Q\le1$ holds.
Finally, we take a look at the values of $\operatorname{\ell}(A)-\operatorname{\ell}(Q)$, when $Q$ is fixed.
Let $Q$ be an artinian local ring; set $\operatorname{edim}Q=e$ and $\operatorname{gcl}Q=g$.
If $e\le 1$ or $g\ge1$, then for every $n\ge 0$ there is an isomorphism $Q\cong A/I$, with $A$ a Gorenstein local ring and $\operatorname{\ell}(A)-\operatorname{\ell}(Q)=g+n$.
Indeed, the case of $e=1$ is clear from \[gorbysocle\], so we assume $e\ge2$. When $g\ge1$, let $R\to Q$ be a surjective homomorphism with $R$ Gorenstein and $\operatorname{\ell}(R)=g$. For $S= k[x]/(x^{n+2})$, the canonical surjection $R\times_kS\to R\times_kk\cong R$ maps $\operatorname{Soc}(R)\oplus\operatorname{Soc}(S)$ to zero, and so factors through $R\#_kS$. Theorem \[gorenstein\] shows that this ring is Gorenstein, and formula yields $\operatorname{\ell}(R\#_kS) = g+(n+2)-2$.
Cohomology algebras {#sec:Cohomology algebras}
===================
Our next goal is to compute the cohomology algebra of a connected sum of artinian Gorenstein rings over their common residue field, in terms of the cohomology algebra of the original rings. The computation takes up three consecutive sections.
In this section we describe some functorial structures on cohomology.
\[pi\] Let $(P,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}},k)$ be a local ring and $\kappa\colon P\to Q$ is a surjective ring homomorphism.
Let $F$ be a minimal free resolution of $k$ over $P$. One then has $$\operatorname{Ext}^*_P(k,k)=\operatorname{Hom}_P(F,k)
\quad\text{and}\quad
\operatorname{Tor}^P_{*}(k,k)=F\otimes_Pk\,.$$
*Homological products* turns $\operatorname{Tor}^P_{*}(k,k)$ into a graded-commutative algebra with divided powers, see [@GL 2.3.5] or [@Av:barca 6.3.5]; this structure is preserved by the map $$\operatorname{Tor}^{\kappa}_*(k,k)\colon\operatorname{Tor}^P_*(k,k)\to\operatorname{Tor}^Q_*(k,k)\,.$$
*Composition products* turn $\operatorname{Ext}^*_P(k,k)$ into a graded $k$-algebra see [@GL Ch.II, §3], and the homomorphism of rings $\kappa$ induces a homomorphism of graded $k$-algebras $$\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\kappa}(k,k)\colon\operatorname{Ext}^*_{Q}(k,k)\to\operatorname{Ext}^*_{P}(k,k)\,.$$
For each $n\in{\ensuremath{\mathbb{Z}}}$, the canonical bilinear pairing $$\operatorname{Ext}^n_{P}(k,k)\times\operatorname{Tor}_n^P(k,k)\to k$$ given by evaluation is non-degenerate; we use it to identify the graded vector spaces $$\operatorname{Ext}^*_P(k,k)=\operatorname{Hom}_k(\operatorname{Tor}^P_*(k,k),k)\,.$$
Let $\pi^*(P)$ be the graded $k$-subspace of $\operatorname{Ext}^*_P(k,k)$, consisting of those elements that vanish on all products of elements in $\operatorname{Tor}^P_{+}(k,k)$ and on all divided powers $t^{(i)}$ of elements $t\in\operatorname{Tor}^P_{2j}(k,k)$ with $i\ge2$ and $j\ge1$. As $\pi^*(P)$ is closed under graded commutators in $\operatorname{Ext}^*_P(k,k)$, it is a graded Lie algebra, called the *homotopy Lie algebra* of $P$. The canonical map from the universal enveloping algebra of $\pi^*(P)$ to $\operatorname{Ext}^*_P(k,k)$ is an isomorphism; see [@Av:barca 10.2.1]. The properties of $\operatorname{Tor}^{\kappa}_*(k,k)$ and $\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\kappa}(k,k)$ show that $\kappa$ induces a homomorphism of graded Lie algebras $$\pi^*(\kappa)\colon\pi^*(Q)\to\pi^*(P)\,.$$
The maps $\operatorname{Tor}^{\kappa}_*(k,k)$, $\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\kappa}(k,k)$, and $\pi^*(\kappa)$ are functorial.
The next lemma can be deduced from [@Av:Golod 3.3]. We provide a direct proof.
\[iota\] Given a local ring $(P,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}},k)$ and an exact sequence of $P$-modules $$\xymatrixrowsep{2pc}
\xymatrixcolsep{2pc}
\xymatrix{
0 \ar[r]
& V \ar[r]^{\iota}
& P \ar[r]^{\kappa}
& Q \ar[r]
& 0
}$$ there is a natural exact sequence of $k$-vector spaces $$\xymatrixcolsep{2pc}
\xymatrix{
0\ar[r]
&\pi^1(Q) \ar[r]^-{\pi^1(\kappa)}
&\pi^1(P) \ar[r]
&\operatorname{Hom}_P(V,k)\ar[r]^-{{\widetilde}\iota}
&\pi^2(Q) \ar[r]^-{\pi^2(\kappa)}
&\pi^2(P)
}$$
The classical change of rings spectral sequence $$\mathrm{E}^{p,q}_2=\operatorname{Ext}^p_{Q}(k,\operatorname{Ext}^q_{P}(Q,k))
\underset p{\implies}\operatorname{Ext}^{p+q}_{P}(k,k),$$ see [@CE XVI.5.(2)${}_4$], yields a natural exact sequence of terms of low degree $$\label{eq:edge}
\begin{gathered}
\xymatrixcolsep{1.8pc}
\xymatrixrowsep{0.3pc}
\xymatrix{
&{\qquad\qquad}0\ar[r]
&\operatorname{Ext}^1_{Q}(k,k) \ar[rr]^-{\operatorname{Ext}^1_{\kappa}(k,k)}
&&\operatorname{Ext}^1_{P}(k,k)
\\
{\ }\ar[r]
&\operatorname{Ext}^1_P(Q,k) \ar[r]^-{\delta}
&\operatorname{Ext}^2_{Q}(k,k) \ar[rr]^-{\operatorname{Ext}^2_{\kappa}(k,k)}
&&\operatorname{Ext}^2_{P}(k,k)
}
\end{gathered}$$
Next we prove $\operatorname{Im}(\delta)\subseteq\pi^2(Q)$. Indeed, $\operatorname{Tor}^P_2(k,k)$ contains no divided powers, so $\pi^2(P)$ is the subspace of $k$-linear functions vanishing on $\operatorname{Tor}^Q_1(k,k)^2$. Dualizing the exact sequence above, one obtains an exact sequence $$\xymatrixcolsep{1.8pc}
\xymatrixrowsep{0.3pc}
\xymatrix{
\ar[r]
&\operatorname{Tor}_2^{P}(k,k) \ar[rr]^-{\operatorname{Tor}_2^{\kappa}(k,k)}
&&\operatorname{Tor}_2^{Q}(k,k) \ar[rr]^-{\operatorname{Hom}_k(\delta,k)}
&&\operatorname{Tor}_1^P(Q,k)
\\
\ar[r]
&\operatorname{Tor}_1^{P}(k,k) \ar[rr]^-{\operatorname{Tor}_1^{\kappa}(k,k)}
&&\operatorname{Tor}_1^{Q}(k,k)\ar[rr]
&&0{\qquad\qquad}
}$$ of $k$-vector spaces. Since $\operatorname{Tor}_*^{\kappa}(k,k)$ is a homomorphism of algebras, it gives $$\operatorname{Tor}^Q_1(k,k)^2=(\operatorname{Im}(\operatorname{Tor}_1^{\kappa}(k,k))^2
\subseteq\operatorname{Im}(\operatorname{Tor}_2^{\kappa}(k,k))=\operatorname{Ker}(\operatorname{Hom}_k(\delta,k))\,.$$ Thus, for each $\epsilon\in\operatorname{Ext}^1_P(Q,k)$ one gets $\delta(\epsilon)(\operatorname{Tor}^Q_1(k,k)^2)=0$, as desired.
The exact sequence in the hypothesis of the lemma induces an isomorphism $$\label{eq:eth}
\eth\colon \operatorname{Hom}_P(V,k){\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\ \cong\ }\operatorname{Ext}^1_P(Q,k)\,.$$ of $k$-vector spaces. Setting ${\widetilde}\iota=\delta\eth$, and noting that one has $\pi^1(P)=\operatorname{Ext}^1_P(k,k)$ and $\pi^1(Q)=\operatorname{Ext}^1_Q(k,k)$, one gets the desired exact sequence from that for $\operatorname{Ext}$’s.
The following definition uses [@Av:Golod 4.6]; see \[Gol\] for the standard definition.
\[ex:Gol\] A surjective homomorphism $\kappa\colon P\to Q$ is said to be *Golod* if the induced map $\pi^*(\kappa)\colon\pi^*(Q)\to\pi^*(P)$ is surjective and its kernel is a free Lie algebra.
When $\kappa$ is Golod $\operatorname{Ker}(\pi^*(\kappa))$ is the free Lie algebra on a graded $k$-vector space $W$, with $W^i=0$ for $i\le1$ and $\operatorname{rank}_k W^i=\operatorname{rank}_k\operatorname{Ext}^{i-2}_P(Q,k)$ for all $i\ge2$.
\[TensorAlgebra\] Let ${\widetilde}V$ denote the graded vector space with ${\widetilde}V{}^i=0$ for $i\ne2$ and ${\widetilde}V{}^2=\operatorname{Hom}_P(V,k)$, let ${\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}({\widetilde}V)$ be the tensor algebra of ${\widetilde}V$, and let $$\iota^*\colon {\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}({\widetilde}V)\to\operatorname{Ext}^*_Q(k,k)$$ be the unique homomorphism of graded $k$-algebras with $\iota^2={\widetilde}\iota$; see Lemma *\[iota\]*.
If $\beta$, $\gamma$, $\kappa$, and $\kappa'$ are surjective homomorphisms of rings, the diagram $$\xymatrixrowsep{2pc}
\xymatrixcolsep{2pc}
\xymatrix{
0 \ar[r]
& V \ar[r]^{\iota} \ar[d]_-{\alpha}
& P \ar[r]^{\kappa} \ar[d]_-{\beta}
& Q \ar[r] \ar[d]_{\gamma}
& 0
\\
0 \ar[r]
& V' \ar[r]^{\iota'}
& P' \ar[r]^{\kappa'}
& Q' \ar[r]
& 0
}$$ commutes, and its rows are exact, then the following maps are equal: $$\iota^*\circ{\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}(\operatorname{Hom}_{\beta}(\alpha,k))=\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\gamma}(k,k)\circ{\widetilde}\iota'^*
\colon {\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}({\widetilde}{V}{}')\to \operatorname{Ext}^*_{Q}(k,k)\,.$$
If $V$ is cyclic and $\iota(V)$ is contained in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}^2$, or if the homomorphism $\kappa$ is Golod, then $\iota^*$ is injective, and $\operatorname{Ext}^*_Q(k,k)$ is free as a left and as a right ${\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}({\widetilde}V)$-module.
The maps ${\widetilde}\iota$ and ${\widetilde}\iota{}'$ are the compositions of the rows in the following diagram, which commutes by the naturality of the maps $\eth$ from and $\delta$ from : $$\xymatrixrowsep{2.5pc}
\xymatrixcolsep{3.5pc}
\xymatrix{
{\operatorname{Hom}_P(V,k)}\ar[r]^-{\eth}
&\operatorname{Ext}^1_P(Q,k) \ar[r]^{\delta}
&\operatorname{Ext}^2_Q(k,k)
\\
{\operatorname{Hom}_{P'}(V',k)}\ar[r]^-{\eth'} \ar[u]^{\operatorname{Hom}_{\beta}(\alpha,k)}
&\operatorname{Ext}^1_{P'}(Q',k) \ar@{->}[u]_{\operatorname{Ext}^1_{\pi}(\beta,k)}
\ar[r]^{\delta'}
&\operatorname{Ext}^2_{Q'}(k,k) \ar@{->}[u]_-{\operatorname{Ext}^2_{\gamma}(k,k)}
}$$
Set $W^2=\iota^2({\widetilde}V^2)$. The subalgebra $E=\iota^*({\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}({\widetilde}V))$ of $\operatorname{Ext}^*_{Q}(k,k)$ is generated by $W^2$. Lemma \[iota\] shows that $W^2$ is contained in $\pi^2(Q)$, so $E$ is the universal enveloping algebra of the Lie subalgebra $\omega^*$ of $\pi^*(Q)$, generated by $W^2$.
The Poincaré-Birkhoff-Witt Theorem (e.g., [@Av:barca 10.1.3.4]) implies that the universal enveloping algebra $U$ of $\pi^*(Q)$ is free as a left and as a right $E$-module. Recall, from \[pi\], that $U$ equals $\operatorname{Ext}^*_Q(k,k)$. Thus, it suffices to show that $\iota^*$ is injective. This is equivalent to injectivity of $\iota^2$ plus freeness of the associative $k$-algebra $E$; the latter condition can be replaced by freeness of the Lie algebra $\omega^*$.
If $V$ is contained in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}^2$, then $\operatorname{Ext}^1_{\kappa}(k,k)$ is surjective, so $\iota^2$ is injective by Lemma \[iota\]. If $V$ is, in addition, cyclic, then $W^2$ is a $k$-subspace of $\pi^*(Q)$, generated by a non-zero element of even degree. Any such subspace is a free Lie subalgebra.
When $\kappa$ is Golod, $\pi^1(\kappa)$ is surjective by \[ex:Gol\], so $\iota^2$ is injective by Lemma \[iota\]. Now $\operatorname{Ker}\pi^*(\kappa)$ is a free Lie algebra, again by \[ex:Gol\], hence so is its subalgebra $\omega^*$.
Cohomology of fiber products {#sec:Cohomology of fiber products}
============================
The cohomology algebra of fiber products is known, and its structure is used in the next section. To describe it, we recall a construction of coproduct of algebras.
\[coproduct\] Let $B$ and $C$ be graded $k$-algebras, with $B^0=k=C^0$ and $B^n=0=C^n$ for all $n<0$. Thus, there exist isomorphisms $B\cong{\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}(X)/K$ and $C\cong{\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}(Y)/L$, where $X$ and $Y$ are graded $k$-vector spaces, and $K$ and $L$ are ideals in the respective tensor algebras, satisfying $K\subseteq X\otimes_kX$ and $L\subseteq Y\otimes_kY$. The algebra $B\sqcup C={\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}(X\oplus Y)/(K,L)$ is a *coproduct* of $B$ and $C$ in the category of graded $k$-algebras.
Before proceeding we fix some notation.
\[convention\] When $(R,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}},k)$ and $(S,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}},k)$ are local rings, we let ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}\colon R\to k$ and ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}\colon S\to k$ denote the canonical surjections, and form the commutative diagram $$\begin{aligned}
\xi=&\qquad
\begin{gathered}
\xymatrixrowsep{1pc}
\xymatrixcolsep{2.5pc}
\xymatrix{
&R
\ar[dr]^{{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}}
\\
R\times_kS{\ }
\ar[dr]_{\sigma}
\ar[ur]^{\rho}
&&{\ }k{\qquad}
\\
&S
\ar[ur]_{{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}}
}
\end{gathered}
\\
\intertext{of local rings. The induced commutative diagram of graded $k$-algebras}
&\qquad \begin{gathered}
\xymatrixrowsep{1pc}
\xymatrixcolsep{2.2pc}
\xymatrix{
&{\quad}\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R}(k,k)
\ar[dr]^{\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\rho}(k,k)}
\\
k
\ar[ur]
\ar[dr]
&&{\quad}\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R\times_kS}(k,k){\quad}
\\
&{\quad}\operatorname{Ext}^*_{S}(k,k)
\ar[ur]_{\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\sigma}(k,k)}
}
\end{gathered}
\\
\intertext{see \eqref{pi}, determines a homomorphism of graded $k$-algebras }
\label{eq:xi}
\xi^*&\colon\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R}(k,k)\sqcup\operatorname{Ext}^*_{S}(k,k){\ensuremath{\longrightarrow}}\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R\times_kS}(k,k)\,.
\end{aligned}$$
The following result is [@Mo 3.4]; for $k$-algebras, see also [@PP Ch.3, 1.1].
\[coproduct cohomology\] The map $\xi^*$ in is an isomorphism of graded $k$-algebras.
To describe some invariants of modules over fiber products, we recall that the *Poincaré series* of a finite module $M$ over a local ring $(Q,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}},k)$ is defined by $${\ensuremath{P^{Q}_{M}}} = \sum_i \operatorname{rank}_k \operatorname{Ext}_Q^i(M,k)\,z^i\in{\ensuremath{\mathbb{Z}}}[\![z]\!]\,.$$
\[DrKr\] Dress and Krämer [@DK Thm.1] proved that each finite $R$-module $M$ satisfies $${\ensuremath{P^{R\times_kS}_{M}}}
= {\ensuremath{P^{R}_{M}}}\cdot\frac{{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}
+ {\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}
- {\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}\,.$$ Formulas for Poincaré series of $S$-modules are obtained by interchanging $R$ and $S$.
\[thm:FibProdGolHom\] Let $(R,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}},k)$ and $(S,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}},k)$ be local rings and let $\varphi\colon R \to R'$ and $\psi\colon S \to S'$ be surjective homomorphisms of rings.
For the induced map $\varphi\times_k\psi\colon R\times_kS
\to R'\times_kS'$ one has an equality $${\ensuremath{P^{R\times_kS}_{R'\times_kS'}}}=
\frac{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{R'}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}+{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{S'}}}{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}-{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}
{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}} + {\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}} - {\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}.$$
Set $I=\operatorname{Ker}(\varphi)$ and $J=\operatorname{Ker}(\psi)$. The first equality below holds because one has $\operatorname{Ker}(\varphi\times_k\psi)=I\oplus J$ as ideals; the second one comes from \[DrKr\]: $$\begin{aligned}
{\ensuremath{P^{R\times_kS}_{R'\times_kS'}}}
&=1+z\cdot({\ensuremath{P^{R\times_kS}_{I}}}+{\ensuremath{P^{R\times_kS}_{J}}})
\\
&=1+z\cdot\left(\frac{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{I}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}
{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}} + {\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}} - {\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}+
\frac{{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{J}}}{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}}
{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}} + {\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}} - {\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}\right)
\\
&=1+\frac{z}{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}} + {\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}} - {\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}\cdot
\left(\frac{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{R'}}}-1}{z}\cdot{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}+
\frac{{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{S'}}}-1}{z}\cdot{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}\right)
\\
&=\frac{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{R'}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}+{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{S'}}}{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}-{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}
{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}} + {\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}} - {\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}.
\qedhere
\end{aligned}$$
We recall Levin’s [@Le:Gol] original definition of Golod homomorphism in terms of Poincaré series. The symbol $\preccurlyeq$ stands for termwise inequality of power series.
\[Gol\] Every surjective ring homomorphism $R\to R'$ with $(R,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}},k)$ local satisfies $${\ensuremath{P^{R'}_{k}}}\preccurlyeq \frac{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}}{1+z-z{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{R'}}}}\,,$$ see, for instance, [@Av:barca 3.3.2]. Equality holds if and only if $R\to R'$ is *Golod*.
The following result is due to Lescot [@Ls 4.1].
\[cor:FibProdGolHom\] If $\varphi$ and $\psi$ are Golod, then so is $\varphi\times_k\psi$.
When the homomorphisms $\varphi$ and $\psi$ are Golod the following equalities hold: $$\begin{aligned}
\frac{1}{{\ensuremath{P^{R'\times_kS'}_{k}}}}
& = \frac{1}{{\ensuremath{P^{R'}_{k}}}} + \frac{1}{{\ensuremath{P^{S'}_{k}}}} - 1
\\
&= \frac{(1+z-z{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{R'}}})}{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}}+ \frac{(1+z-z{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{S'}}})}{{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}} - 1
\\
& = \frac{(1+z-z{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{R'}}} ){\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}} + (1+z-z{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{S'}}}){\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}} -
{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}
{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}
\\
& = \frac{(1+z)({\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}+{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}-{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}})
- z({\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{S'}}} + {\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{R'}}}-{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}})}{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}
\\
& = \frac{(1+z-z{\ensuremath{P^{R\times_kS}_{R'\times_kS'}}})\big({\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}} + {\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}} - {\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}\big)}
{{\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S}_{k}}}}
\\
&=\frac{1+z-z{\ensuremath{P^{R\times_kS}_{R'\times_kS'}}}}{{\ensuremath{P^{R\times_kS}_{k}}}}\,.\end{aligned}$$ The first and last come from \[DrKr\], the second from the definition, the penultimate one from the proposition. Stringing them together, we see that $\varphi\times_k\psi$ is Golod.
Cohomology of connected sums {#sec:Cohomology of connected sums}
============================
We compute the cohomology algebra of a connected sum of local rings over certain Golod homomorphisms, using amalgams of graded $k$-algebras.
\[amalgam\] Let $\beta\colon B\gets A\to C\,{:}\,\gamma$ be homomorphisms of graded $k$-algebras.
Let $B\sqcup_AC$ denote the quotient of the coproduct $B\sqcup C$, see \[coproduct\], by the two-sided ideal generated by the set $\{\beta(a)-\gamma(a)\mid a\in A\}$. It comes equipped with canonical homomorphisms of graded $k$-algebras $\gamma'\colon B\to B\sqcup_AC\gets C\,{:}{\hskip1.5pt}\beta'$, satisfying $\gamma'\beta=\beta'\gamma$. The universal property of coproducts implies that $B\sqcup_AC$ is an *amalgam* of $\beta$ and $\gamma$ in the category of graded $k$-algebras.
If $B$ and $C$ are free as left graded $A$-modules and as right graded $A$-modules, then Lemaire [@Lm 5.1.5 and 5.1.10] shows that the maps $\gamma'$ and $\beta'$ are injective, and $$\label{eq:amalgam2}
\frac1{H_{B\sqcup_AC}}=\frac1{H_B}+\frac1{H_C}-\frac1{H_A}\,.$$
\[setup\] Given a connected sum diagram with local rings $(R,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}},k)$ and $(S,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}},k)$, $T=k$, and canonical surjection ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}$, set $R'=R/{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(V)$ and $S'=S/{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(V)$.
We refine to a commutative diagram $$\Xi=\qquad \begin{gathered}
\xymatrixrowsep{2pc}
\xymatrixcolsep{0.9pc}
\xymatrix{
&&& R
\ar@{->>}[rr]_(.3){\varphi}
\ar@/^2.8pc/[drrrrr]^{{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}}
&& R'
\ar@/^1pc/[drrr]
\\
V
\ar@/^1pc/[urrr]^-{{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}}
\ar@{->}[rr]^-{\iota}
\ar@/_1pc/[drrr]_-{{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}}
&& R\times_kS
\ar@{->>}[ur]^-{\rho}
\ar@{->>}[rr]^-{\kappa}
\ar@{->>}[dr]_-{\sigma}
&& R\#_kS
\ar@{->>}[ur]^-{\rho'}
\ar@{->>}[rr]^-{\varkappa}
\ar@{->>}[dr]_-{\sigma'}
&& R'\times_kS'
\ar@{->>}[rr]
\ar@{->>}[ul]
\ar@{->>}[dl]
&& k
\\
&&& S
\ar@/_2.8pc/[urrrrr]_{{\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}}
\ar@{->>}[rr]^(.3){\psi}
&& S'
\ar@/_1pc/[urrr]
}
\end{gathered}$$ where $\iota(v)=({\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(v),{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(v))$ and two-headed arrows denote canonical surjections.
Proposition \[TensorAlgebra\] now gives a commutative diagram of graded $k$-algebras: $$\label{eq:hopfDiag}
\xymatrixrowsep{2.5pc}
\xymatrixcolsep{.2pc}
\begin{gathered}
\xymatrix{
&&&&& \operatorname{Ext}^*_{R'}(k,k)
\ar[dr]
\ar[dl]_(.7){\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\rho'}(k,k)}
\\
{\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}({\widetilde}V)
\ar@/^1.5pc/[urrrrr]^{{\ensuremath{\iota_R}}^*}
\ar[rrrr]^-{\iota^*}
\ar@/_1.5pc/[drrrrr]_{{\ensuremath{\iota_S}}^*}
&&&&\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R\#_kS}(k,k)
&&\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R'\times_kS'}(k,k)
\ar[ll]_{\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\varkappa}(k,k)}
\\
&&&&& \operatorname{Ext}^*_{S'}(k,k)
\ar[ur]
\ar[ul]^(.7){\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\sigma'}(k,k)}
}
\end{gathered}$$
By \[amalgam\], the preceding diagram defines a homomorphism of graded $k$-algebras $$\label{eq:induced}
\Xi^*\colon
\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R'}(k,k)\sqcup_{{\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}({\widetilde}V)}\operatorname{Ext}^*_{S'}(k,k)
\longrightarrow
\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R\#_kS}(k,k)\,.$$
\[connected\] Assume that ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}$ in *\[setup\]* are injective and non-zero.
If the homomorphism $\varkappa\colon R\#_kS\to R'\times_kS'$ is Golod, in particular, if
1. the rings $R$ and $S$ are Gorenstein of length at least $3$, or
2. the homomorphisms $\varphi$ and $\psi$ are Golod,
then $\Xi^*$ in is an isomorphism, and the canonical maps below are injective: $$\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R'}(k,k)
{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\rho'}(k,k)}
\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R\#_kS}(k,k)
{\ensuremath{\xleftarrow}}{\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\sigma'}(k,k)}
\operatorname{Ext}^*_{S'}(k,k)\,.$$
\[cor:connected\] When $\varkappa$ is Golod, for every $R'$-module $N$ one has $${\ensuremath{P^{R\#_kS}_{N}}}=
{\ensuremath{P^{R'}_{N}}}\cdot\frac{{\ensuremath{P^{S'}_{k}}}}
{{\ensuremath{P^{R'}_{k}}}+{\ensuremath{P^{S'}_{k}}}-(1-rz^2)\cdot {\ensuremath{P^{R'}_{k}}} {\ensuremath{P^{S'}_{k}}}}\,,$$ where $r=\operatorname{rank}_kV$ (and thus, $r=1$ under condition *(a)*). Formulas for Poincaré series of $S'$-modules are obtained by interchanging $R'$ and $S'$.
In preparation for the proofs, we review a few items.
\[specialGol\] When $(P,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}},k)$ is a local ring and $\kappa\colon P\to Q$ a surjective homomorphism with ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}\operatorname{Ker}(\kappa)=0$, the following inequality holds, with equality if and only if $\kappa$ is Golod: $${\ensuremath{P^{Q}_{k}}}\preccurlyeq
\frac{{\ensuremath{P^{P}_{k}}}}{1-\operatorname{rank}_k(\operatorname{Ker}(\kappa))\cdot z^2\cdot {\ensuremath{P^{P}_{k}}}}\,.$$
Indeed, the short exact sequence of $P$-modules $0\to\operatorname{Ker}(\kappa)\to P\to Q\to0$ yields ${\ensuremath{P^{P}_{Q}}} = 1 + \operatorname{rank}_k(\operatorname{Ker}(\kappa))\cdot z\cdot{\ensuremath{P^{P}_{k}}}$, so the assertion follows from \[Gol\].
The Golod property may be lost under composition or decomposition, but:
\[socSeqLemma\] Let $P{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\kappa}Q{\ensuremath{\xrightarrow}}{\varkappa}P'$ be surjective homomorphisms of rings.
When ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}\operatorname{Ker}(\varkappa\kappa)=0$ holds, the map $\varkappa\kappa$ is Golod if and only if $\varkappa$ and $\kappa$ are.
Set $\operatorname{rank}_k\operatorname{Ker}(\kappa) = r$ and $\operatorname{rank}_k\operatorname{Ker}(\varkappa) = r'$. [From]{} \[specialGol\] one gets $$\begin{aligned}
{\ensuremath{P^{P'}_{k}}} \preccurlyeq \frac{{\ensuremath{P^{Q}_{k}}}}{1-r'z^2\cdot{\ensuremath{P^{Q}_{k}}}}
\preccurlyeq
\frac{{\displaystyle\frac{{\ensuremath{P^{P}_{k}}}}{1 - rz^2\cdot{\ensuremath{P^{P}_{k}}}}}}
{1 - r'z^2\cdot{\displaystyle\frac{{\ensuremath{P^{P}_{k}}}}{1-rz^2\cdot{\ensuremath{P^{P}_{k}}}}}}
= \frac{{\ensuremath{P^{P}_{k}}}}{1 - (r+r')z^2\cdot{\ensuremath{P^{P}_{k}}}}\,.\end{aligned}$$ One has $\operatorname{rank}_k\operatorname{Ker}(\varkappa\kappa) = r+r'$, so the desired assertion follows from \[specialGol\].
\[GolSocle\] When $(Q,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}},k)$ is an artinian Gorenstein ring with $\operatorname{edim}Q\ge2$, the canonical surjection $Q\to Q/\operatorname{Soc}Q$ is a Golod homomorphism; see [@LA Theorem 2].
For $Q=R\#_kS$ and $P'=R'\times_kS'$, we have a commutative diagram, with $\theta$ the canonical surjection, see \[amalgam\], and $\xi^*$ the bijection from \[coproduct cohomology\]: $$\xymatrixrowsep{2pc}
\xymatrixcolsep{4pc}
\xymatrix{
\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R'}(k,k)\sqcup_{{\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}({\widetilde}V)}\operatorname{Ext}^*_{S'}(k,k)
\ar[r]^-{\Xi^*}
&\operatorname{Ext}^*_{Q}(k,k)
\\
\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R'}(k,k)\sqcup\operatorname{Ext}^*_{S'}(k,k)
\ar[r]^-{\cong}_-{\xi^*}\ar[u]^-{\theta}
&\operatorname{Ext}^*_{P'}(k,k)
\ar[u]_-{\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\varkappa}(k,k)}
}$$ The map $\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\varkappa}(k,k)$ is surjective because $\varkappa$ is Golod, see \[ex:Gol\], so $\Xi^*$ is surjective.
Set $D=\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R'}(k,k)\sqcup_{{\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}({\widetilde}V)}\operatorname{Ext}^*_{R'}(k,k)$. By Proposition \[TensorAlgebra\], ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}^*$, $\iota^*$, and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}^*$ turn their targets into free graded ${\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}({\widetilde}V)$-modules, left and right, so gives: $$\frac1{H_D}
=\frac1{{\ensuremath{P^{R'}_{k}}}}+\frac1{{\ensuremath{P^{S'}_{k}}}}-\frac1{H_{{\ensuremath{\mathsf T}}({\widetilde}V)}}
=\frac1{{\ensuremath{P^{R'}_{k}}}}+\frac1{{\ensuremath{P^{S'}_{k}}}}-(1-rz^2)\,.$$ On the other hand, from \[specialGol\] and \[DrKr\] we obtain $$\label{seriesQ}
\frac1{{\ensuremath{P^{Q}_{k}}}}
=\frac1{{\ensuremath{P^{P'}_{k}}}}+rz^2
=\left(\frac1{{\ensuremath{P^{R'}_{k}}}}+\frac1{{\ensuremath{P^{S'}_{k}}}}-1\right)+rz^2\,.$$ Thus, one has $H_D={\ensuremath{P^{Q}_{k}}}$. This implies that the surjection $\Xi^*$ is an isomorphism.
The injectivity of $\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\rho'}(k,k)$ and $\operatorname{Ext}^*_{\sigma'}(k,k)$ now results from Proposition \[TensorAlgebra\].
It remains to show that condition (a) or (b) implies that $\varkappa$ is Golod.
\(a) Let $R$ and $S$ be artinian Gorenstein of length at least $3$. The socle of $R$ is equal to the maximal non-zero power of ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}$, and ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}^2=0$ would imply $\operatorname{\ell}(R)=2$, so we have $\operatorname{Soc}R\subseteq{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}^2$. By symmetry, we also have $\operatorname{Soc}S\subseteq{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}^2$.
Set $P=R\times_kS$. By definition, $Q$ equals $P/pP$, where $p$ is a non-zero element in $\operatorname{Soc}P$. The maximal ideal ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}$ of $P$ is equal to ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}\oplus{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}$, so $\operatorname{Soc}P=\operatorname{Soc}R\oplus\operatorname{Soc}S$ is in ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}^2\oplus{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}}^2$. This gives the equality below, and the first inequality: $$\operatorname{edim}Q=\operatorname{edim}P\ge\operatorname{edim}R+\operatorname{edim}S -\operatorname{edim}k\ge2\,.$$ Since the ring $Q$ is artinian Gorenstein by Theorem \[gorenstein\], and the kernel of the map $Q\to P'$ is non-zero and is in $\operatorname{Soc}Q$, this homomorphism is a Golod by \[GolSocle\].
\(b) If $\varphi$ and $\psi$ are Golod, then so is $\varphi\times_k\psi$ by Corollary \[cor:FibProdGolHom\]. [From]{} the equality $\varphi\times_k\psi=
\varkappa\kappa$ and Lemma \[socSeqLemma\], one concludes that $\varkappa$ is Golod.
As $\operatorname{Ext}_{\rho'}(k,k)$ is injective, the first equality in the string $${{\ensuremath{P^{Q}_{N}}}}={{\ensuremath{P^{R'}_{N}}}}\cdot\frac{{\ensuremath{P^{Q}_{k}}}}{{\ensuremath{P^{R'}_{k}}}}
={{\ensuremath{P^{R'}_{N}}}}\cdot\frac{{\ensuremath{P^{S'}_{k}}}}{{\ensuremath{P^{R'}_{k}}}+
{\ensuremath{P^{S'}_{k}}}-(1-rz^2){\ensuremath{P^{R'}_{k}}}{\ensuremath{P^{S'}_{k}}}}$$ follows from a result of Levin; see [@Le:large 1.1]. The second one comes from .
Indecomposable Gorenstein rings {#sec:ciSum}
===============================
In this section we approach the problem of identifying Gorenstein rings that cannot be decomposed in a non-trivial way as a connected sum of Gorenstein local rings. Specifically, we prove that complete intersection rings have no such decomposition over regular rings, except in a single, well understood special case.
Recall that, by Cohen’s Structure Theorem, the ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}$-adic completion $\widehat R$ of a local ring$(R,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}},k)$ is isomorphic to ${\widetilde}R/K$, with $({\widetilde}R,{\widetilde}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}},k)$ regular local and $K\subseteq{{\widetilde}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}}^2$. One says that $R$ is *complete intersection* (*of codimension $c$*) if $K$ can be generated by a ${\widetilde}R$-regular sequence (of length $c$). A *hypersurface* ring is a complete intersection ring of codimension $1$; it is *quadratic* in case $K$ is generated by an element in ${{\widetilde}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}}^2\smallsetminus{{\widetilde}{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}}}^3$.
We also need homological characterizations of complete intersection rings:
\[ciLie\] A local ring $(R,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}},k)$ is complete intersection if and only if $\pi^3(R)=0$, if and only if ${\ensuremath{P^{R}_{k}}}(z)=(1+z)^b/(1-z)^c$ with $b,c\in{\ensuremath{\mathbb{Z}}}$, see [@GL 3.5.1].
If $R$ is complete intersection, then $\operatorname{codim}R=\operatorname{rank}_k\pi^2(R)=c$; see [@GL 3.4.3].
Now we return to the setup and notation of Section \[sec:ConnSum\], which we recall:
\[setupSum2\] The rings in the diagram are local: $(R,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak r}},k)$, $(S,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak s}},k)$ and $(T,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}},k)$.
The maps ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}}$ are surjective; set $I=\operatorname{Ker}({\ensuremath{\varepsilon_R}})$ and $J=\operatorname{Ker}({\ensuremath{\varepsilon_S}})$.
The maps ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}$ are injective.
\[regular\] When $R$ and $S$ are Gorenstein of dimension $d$, $T$ is regular of dimension $d$, and ${\ensuremath{\iota_R}}(V)=(0:I)$ and ${\ensuremath{\iota_S}}(V)=(0:J)$, the ring $R\#_TS$ is a local complete intersection if and only if one of the following conditions holds:
1. $R$ is a quadratic hypersurface ring and $S$ is a complete intersection ring.
In this case, $R\#_TS\cong S$.
2. $S$ is a quadratic hypersurface ring and $R$ is a complete intersection ring.
In this case, $R\#_TS\cong R$.
3. $R$ and $S$ are non-quadratic hypersurface rings.
In this case, $\operatorname{codim}(R\#_TS)=2$.
Let $(P,{\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}},k)$ denote the local ring $R\times_TS$, see Lemma \[local1\], and $Q=R\#_TS$.
If $e(R)=1$ or $e(S)=1$, then $R\#_TS=0$ by Proposition \[multiplicity\] and Theorem \[gorenstein\]. Else, the ring $Q$ is local, see \[trivial\]; let ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}$ denote its maximal ideal.
If $e(R)=2$, then $Q\cong S$ by Proposition \[multiplicity\], so $Q$ and $S$ are complete intersection simultaneously. The case $e(S)=2$ is similar, so we assume $e(R)\ge3$ and $e(S)\ge3$.
The $P$-modules $P$, $Q$, $R$, $S$, and $T$ are Cohen-Macaulay of dimension $d$; see Proposition \[cmProd\] and Theorem \[gorenstein\]. Tensoring the diagram with $P[y]_{{\ensuremath{\mathfrak p}}[y]}$ over $P$, we may assume that $k$ is infinite. Choose a sequence ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ in $P$ that is regular on $P$ and $T$ and satisfies $\operatorname{\ell}(T/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}T)=e(T)$; see \[lem:multiplicity\]. Since $T$ is a regular ring, we have $e(T)=1$, hence $T/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}T=k$, so the image of ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ in $T$ is a minimal set of generators of ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}}$. The surjective homomorphism $Q\to T$ induces a surjective $k$-linear map ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}^2\to{\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}}/{\ensuremath{\mathfrak t}}^2$, so the image of ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ in $Q$ extends to a minimal generating set of ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}$.
Since ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ is a system of parameters for $P$, and $Q$, $R$, and $S$ are $d$-dimensional Cohen-Macaulay $P$-modules, ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ is also a system of parameters for each one of them. Thus, ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ is a regular sequence on $Q$, $R$, and $S$. Since ${\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}$ is part of a minimal set of generators of ${\ensuremath{\mathfrak q}}$, the ring $Q$ is complete intersection of codimension $c$ if and only if so is $Q/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}Q$. Also, $R$ and $S$ are Gorenstein if and only so are $R/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}R$ and $S/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}S$, and they satisfy $\operatorname{\ell}(R)\ge e(R)\ge3$ and $\operatorname{\ell}(S)\ge e(S)\ge3$; see \[lem:multiplicity\]. Lemma \[regularSum\] gives an isomorphism of rings $Q/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}Q\cong (R/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}R)\#_k(S/{\ensuremath{\boldsymbol{x}}}S)$. Thus, after changing notation, for the rest of the proof we may assume $Q=R\#_kS$, where $R$ and $S$ are artinian Gorenstein rings that are not quadratic hypersurfaces.
Let $Q$ be complete intersection and assume $\operatorname{edim}R\ge 2$. Set $R'=R/\operatorname{Soc}R$. Theorem \[connected\] shows that the homomorphism $Q\to R'$ induces an injective homomorphism of cohomology algebras, and hence one of homotopy Lie algebras; see \[pi\]. This gives the second inequality in the following string, where the first inequality comes from \[ex:Gol\] (because $R\to R'$ is Golod by \[GolSocle\]), and the equality from \[ciLie\]: $$\operatorname{rank}_k\operatorname{Ext}^1_R(R',k)\le\operatorname{rank}_k\pi^3(R')\le\operatorname{rank}_k\pi^3(Q)=0\,.$$ It follows that $R'$ is free as an $R$-module. On the other hand, it is annihilated by $\operatorname{Soc}R$, and this ideal is non-zero because $R$ is artinian. This contradiction implies $\operatorname{edim}R=1$, so $R$ is a hypersurface ring. By symmetry, so is $S$.
Conversely, if $R$ and $S$ are hypersurface rings, then Corollary \[cor:connected\] gives $${\ensuremath{P^{Q}_{k}}}
=\frac1{1-z}\cdot\frac{\displaystyle\frac1{1-z}}
{\displaystyle\frac1{1-z}+\frac1{1-z}-(1-z^2)\cdot\frac1{1-z}\cdot\frac1{1-z}}
=\frac1{(1-z)^2}\,.$$ This implies that $Q$ is a complete intersection ring of codimension $2$; see \[ciLie\].
Acknowledgement {#acknowledgement .unnumbered}
===============
We thank Craig Huneke for several useful discussions.
[20]{}
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[^1]: L.L.A. was partly supported by NSF grant DMS 0803082.
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | ArXiv |
Anokharwal
Anokharwal is a village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district of Punjab State, India. It is located away from postal head office Banga, from Phagwara, from district headquarter Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and from state capital Chandigarh. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representative of the village.
Demography
As of 2011, Anokharwal has a total number of 112 houses and population of 524 of which 276 include are males while 248 are females according to the report published by Census India in 2011. The literacy rate of Anokharwal is 80.54%, higher than the state average of 75.84%. The population of children under the age of 6 years is 46 which is 8.78% of total population of Anokharwal, and child sex ratio is approximately 484 as compared to Punjab state average of 846.
Most of the people are from Schedule Caste which constitutes 48.47% of total population in Anokharwal. The town does not have any Schedule Tribe population so far.
As per the report published by Census India in 2011, 158 people were engaged in work activities out of the total population of Anokharwal which includes 149 males and 9 females. According to census survey report 2011, 99.37% workers describe their work as main work and 0.63% workers are involved in Marginal activity providing livelihood for less than 6 months.
Education
The village has a Punjabi medium, co-ed primary school founded in 1953. The schools provide mid-day meal as per Indian Midday Meal Scheme. The school provide free education to children between the ages of 6 and 14 as per Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act.
Amardeep Singh Shergill Memorial college Mukandpur and Sikh National College Banga are the nearest colleges. Lovely Professional University is away from the village.
Transport
Banga railway station is the nearest train station however, Phagwara Junction railway station is away from the village. Sahnewal Airport is the nearest domestic airport which located away in Ludhiana and the nearest international airport is located in Chandigarh also Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport is the second nearest airport which is away in Amritsar.
See also
List of villages in India
References
External links
Tourism of Punjab
Census of Punjab
Locality Based PINCode
Category:Villages in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Wikipedia (en) |
DESCRIPTION
The sbuf family of functions allows one to safely allocate, construct and
release bounded null-terminated strings in kernel space. Instead of
arrays of characters, these functions operate on structures called sbufs,
defined in
The sbuf_new() function initializes the sbuf pointed to by its first
argument. If that pointer is NULL, sbuf_new() allocates a structsbuf
using malloc(9). The buf argument is a pointer to a buffer in which to
store the actual string; if it is NULL, sbuf_new() will allocate one
using malloc(9). The length is the initial size of the storage buffer.
The fourth argument, flags, may be comprised of the following flags:
SBUF_FIXEDLEN The storage buffer is fixed at its initial size.
Attempting to extend the sbuf beyond this size results
in an overflow condition.
SBUF_AUTOEXTEND This indicates that the storage buffer may be extended
as necessary, so long as resources allow, to hold
additional data.
Note that if buf is not NULL, it must point to an array of at least
length characters. The result of accessing that array directly while it
is in use by the sbuf is undefined.
The sbuf_new_auto() function is a shortcut for creating a completely
dynamic sbuf. It is the equivalent of calling sbuf_new() with values
NULL, NULL, 0, and SBUF_AUTOEXTEND.
The sbuf_delete() function clears the sbuf and frees any memory allocated
for it. There must be a call to sbuf_delete() for every call to
sbuf_new(). Any attempt to access the sbuf after it has been deleted
will fail.
The sbuf_clear() function invalidates the contents of the sbuf and resets
its position to zero.
The sbuf_setpos() function sets the sbuf’s end position to pos, which is
a value between zero and one less than the size of the storage buffer.
This effectively truncates the sbuf at the new position.
The sbuf_bcat() function appends the first len bytes from the buffer buf
to the sbuf.
The sbuf_bcopyin() function copies len bytes from the specified userland
address into the sbuf.
The sbuf_bcpy() function replaces the contents of the sbuf with the first
len bytes from the buffer buf.
The sbuf_cat() function appends the NUL-terminated string str to the sbuf
at the current position.
The sbuf_copyin() function copies a NUL-terminated string from the
specified userland address into the sbuf. If the len argument is non-
zero, no more than len characters (not counting the terminating NUL) are
copied; otherwise the entire string, or as much of it as can fit in the
sbuf, is copied.
The sbuf_cpy() function replaces the contents of the sbuf with those of
the NUL-terminated string str. This is equivalent to calling sbuf_cat()
with a fresh sbuf or one which position has been reset to zero with
sbuf_clear() or sbuf_setpos().
The sbuf_printf() function formats its arguments according to the format
string pointed to by fmt and appends the resulting string to the sbuf at
the current position.
The sbuf_vprintf() function behaves the same as sbuf_printf() except that
the arguments are obtained from the variable-length argument list ap.
The sbuf_putc() function appends the character c to the sbuf at the
current position.
The sbuf_trim() function removes trailing whitespace from the sbuf.
The sbuf_overflowed() function returns a non-zero value if the sbuf
overflowed.
The sbuf_finish() function null-terminates the sbuf and marks it as
finished, which means that it may no longer be modified using
sbuf_setpos(), sbuf_cat(), sbuf_cpy(), sbuf_printf() or sbuf_putc().
The sbuf_data() and sbuf_len() functions return the actual string and its
length, respectively; sbuf_data() only works on a finished sbuf.
sbuf_done() returns non-zero if the sbuf is finished.
NOTES
If an operation caused an sbuf to overflow, most subsequent operations on
it will fail until the sbuf is finished using sbuf_finish() or reset
using sbuf_clear(), or its position is reset to a value between 0 and one
less than the size of its storage buffer using sbuf_setpos(), or it is
reinitialized to a sufficiently short string using sbuf_cpy().
RETURNVALUES
The sbuf_new() function returns NULL if it failed to allocate a storage
buffer, and a pointer to the new sbuf otherwise.
The sbuf_setpos() function returns -1 if pos was invalid, and zero
otherwise.
The sbuf_cat(), sbuf_cpy(), sbuf_printf(), sbuf_putc(), and sbuf_trim()
functions all return -1 if the buffer overflowed, and zero otherwise.
The sbuf_overflowed() function returns a non-zero value if the buffer
overflowed, and zero otherwise.
The sbuf_data() and sbuf_len() functions return NULL and -1,
respectively, if the buffer overflowed.
The sbuf_copyin() function returns -1 if copying string from userland
failed, and number of bytes copied otherwise. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Refuse remains in the Dakota Access pipeline opponents' main protest camp as a fire burns in the background in southern North Dakota near Cannon Ball, N.D., on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, as authorities prepare to shut down the camp in advance of spring flooding season. (AP Photo/Blake Nicholson)
Refuse remains in the Dakota Access pipeline opponents' main protest camp as a fire burns in the background in southern North Dakota near Cannon Ball, N.D., on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, as authorities prepare to shut down the camp in advance of spring flooding season. (AP Photo/Blake Nicholson)
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Latest on plans to close a protest encampment near the Dakota Access pipeline construction site in North Dakota (all times local):
6 p.m.
Authorities in North Dakota say Dakota Access pipeline protesters set about 20 fires on the day their longstanding camp was scheduled for closure.
They say at least two explosions resulted. A 7-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl were taken by ambulance to a Bismarck hospital to be treated for burns.
Police say they arrested about 10 people in a confrontation outside the camp. They earlier said nine people were arrested.
Officers did not move into the camp to make arrests despite a 2 p.m. deadline that had been set to close the camp ahead of potential spring flooding.
Many other protesters left the camp voluntarily earlier in the day. Officials had arranged buses to take them to a travel assistance center in Bismarck, but they say only four people accepted that offer.
ADVERTISEMENT
___
5:30 p.m.
Law enforcement officials say nine people have been arrested in a confrontation outside the Dakota Access pipeline protest camp. But police plan no further action Wednesday against about 50 people still remaining at the site.
North Dakota Highway Patrol Lt. Tom Iverson says the protesters taken into custody were among a group of as many as 75 people who began taunting officers. Iverson says they were arrested for not obeying law enforcement commands.
Iverson says one man complained of hip pain resulting from the arrest. The extent of his injury is not known. The other people in the group left the area following the arrests.
Most of the campers marched out of the camp before a departure deadline set by the Army Corps of Engineers.
___
4:20 p.m.
Police are arresting Dakota Access pipeline protesters who’ve failed to meet a deadline to clear a camp on federal land in North Dakota.
The Army Corps of Engineers ordered all protesters to leave by 2 p.m. Wednesday, citing concerns about potential spring flooding. About 150 people met that demand about 1 p.m. when they marched out of the camp.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers from several states were on hand to handle any arrests.
Some protesters set fire to wooden structures Wednesday morning as a part of a ceremony of leaving.
The pipeline will carry North Dakota oil through the Dakotas and Iowa to a shipping point in Illinois. Opponents say it threatens the environment and Native American sacred sites. Dallas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners disputes those claims.
___
4:10 p.m.
Authorities in North Dakota say they have been negotiating with the last people left at an encampment set up to protest the Dakota Access pipeline over how to carry out ceremonial arrests.
The Army Corps of Engineers had set a 2 p.m. deadline to close the camp near a Missouri River reservoir after it was the center of pipeline protests for months.
Highway Patrol Lt. Tom Iverson says authorities didn’t plan to negotiate after 4 p.m. But he said authorities aren’t necessarily going to go in after that time to make arrests.
Most of the protesters walked out of camp earlier Wednesday, but those remaining put barbed wire across a camp entrance.
ADVERTISEMENT
___
2:15 p.m.
Some of the remaining protesters at the Dakota Access oil pipeline camp have set fire to a building that was serving as the main entrance to the area.
North Dakota Indian Affairs Director Scott Davis says protesters also have strung barbwire across the opening to the encampment.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers set a 2 p.m. deadline Wednesday for protesters to leave the camp that’s on federal land near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. At least 150 people marched out of camp ahead of the deadline, but others have said they don’t plan to leave on their own.
Nathan Phillips, a member of the Omaha Tribe in Nebraska, said he planned to move to another camp that’s on private land. He says he has been in North Dakota since Thanksgiving and has “had four showers since.”
___
2 p.m.
A large group of protesters who were camped out at the Dakota Access oil pipeline were exchanging hugs and goodbyes after marching out of the camp ahead of a departure deadline set by the federal government. Many of them cried.
The group sang songs and prayed as they walked along a highway and over a bridge atop the Cannonball River. On two occasions they had to clear the road to make room for ambulances.
A bus from the United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, along with four vans and a truck towing a trailer from the Standing Rock Episcopal Church, were waiting to transport the protesters. The state arranged for the bus to bring campers to a transition center in Bismarck.
Raymond King Fisher, a protester from Seattle, was one of the leaders of the march. He called it a difficult and emotional day. He ended the parade by saying, “We go in peace but this fight is not over.”
___
1:20 p.m.
Authorities say one person has been burned in fires set by protesters as a longstanding encampment near the Dakota Access oil pipeline is shut down in North Dakota.
Cecily Fong, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Emergency Services, says the extent of the unidentified female’s injuries weren’t known. Fong said an ambulance was being sent to the encampment.
Most of the 200 to 300 protesters who remained at the encampment walked out around 1 p.m. That was about an hour ahead of a deadline set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the camp to close ahead of a spring flooding threat.
It wasn’t known where the protesters were headed, but authorities had several buses ready to carry them to Bismarck for food, lodging and help getting home. Some protesters have vowed to camp elsewhere on private land.
___
1 p.m.
About 150 protesters are marching arm-in-arm out of the Dakota Access pipeline protest camp while singing and playing drums.
They leave behind the smoldering remains of structures that were burned as part of a ceremony.
The campers were headed down a highway near the camp, but it’s unclear where they’re going. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers set a deadline of 2 p.m. Wednesday for protesters to clear the area.
Several of the marchers carried signs. One man carried an American flag hung upside down.
___
12:30 p.m.
About 20 people say they aren’t leaving the Dakota Access pipeline protest camp and are willing to get arrested.
Fifty-year-old Charles Whalen, of Mille Lacs, Minnesota, says the group plans to offer “passive resistance” should law enforcement choose to enforce a 2 p.m. Wednesday departure deadline set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Whalen says the group is not going to do “anything negative.”
Whalen, who is of Hunkpapa and Oglala descent, says he’s encouraged by the protest effort and believes it will open discussions on treaty rights.
Another camper, Matthew Bishop, of Ketchikan, Alaska, was tying down his possessions on the top of his car and preparing to move to a new camp in the area. He says protesters plan to regroup and “see what we can do.”
___
9:50 a.m.
Cleanup efforts at the Dakota Access pipeline protest camp are on hold after negotiations broke down between authorities and camp leaders.
Crews have been working to tidy up the camp since January. Contractors were brought in last week to boost those efforts because authorities feared the onset of spring flooding at the camp near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
North Dakota Highway Patrol Lt. Tom Iverson says the delay Wednesday is unfortunate since time is running out.
Camp wellness director Johnny Aseron says it’s too muddy for trucks and other heavy equipment following winter rain and snow. Camp officials also took issue with plans by authorities to have armed police escort the equipment into the camp.
The Army Corps of Engineers has ordered the camp closed at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
___
8:30 a.m.
Dakota Access pipeline protesters are ceremonially burning some of their living structures ahead of the closure of a longstanding camp in North Dakota.
About 200 to 300 protesters remain at the camp near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. The Army Corps of Engineers has ordered the camp closed at 2 p.m. Wednesday, citing the potential for spring flooding.
Those left in camp milled about peacefully Wednesday, many in prayer. At least four wooden structures were being burned in what protesters say is part of the ceremony of leaving.
Nestor Silva, of California, says he is planning to move to a nearby camp being set up on land leased by the Cheyenne River Sioux. Law enforcement say they expect to make some arrests, but Silva says he doesn’t expect any trouble.
___
6:30 a.m.
Authorities in North Dakota are offering assistance and services to Dakota Access pipeline protesters as they close a longstanding encampment near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation.
Up to 300 people remain at the camp, down from thousands at the protest’s peak. The Army Corps of Engineers has ordered the camp closed at 2 p.m. Wednesday, citing the dangers of impending spring floods.
North Dakota state officials have set up a travel assistance center. They’re offering personal kits, water and snacks, health assessments, bus fare for protesters to travel home, and food and hotel vouchers.
They’re planning to start buses from the camp to Bismarck at 9 a.m. But law enforcement officials say they expect some protesters won’t leave without being arrested.
___
12:16 a.m.
The Army Corps of Engineers’ plan to close a Dakota Access pipeline protest camp isn’t likely to end on-the-ground opposition in North Dakota.
It also may not spell the end of heavy law enforcement presence near where the Dallas-based developer is finishing the last big section of the pipeline. When completed, the pipeline will carry oil from North Dakota through the Dakotas and Iowa to a shipping point in Illinois.
The protest camp has been around since August and at times housed thousands of people. The Corps has told the few hundred who remain that they must leave by 2 p.m. Wednesday. The Corps says it’s concerned about potential flooding as snow melts.
Protest leader Phyllis Young says many will just go to new camps on private land. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
Comments for Hobbit Fandom https://lotrfandom.wordpress.com
Wed, 19 Feb 2014 06:06:05 +0000
hourly
1 http://wordpress.com/
Comment on Who Else Ships Kili and Tauriel? by Kate https://lotrfandom.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/who-else-ships-kili-and-tauriel/#comment-1309
Wed, 19 Feb 2014 06:06:05 +0000http://hobbitfandom.net/?p=422#comment-1309I was so worried about a romance that wasn’t even in the story to begin with, but I read interviews with Evangeline Lilly and Aidan Turner and so I thought I’d give it the benefit of the doubt. I was surprised. Not only did it add something to the overall story, but it also allowed the audience to know more of Kili’s personality as well as what kind of person Tauriel is, and I think Kili brings out the curiosity as well as her more nurturing, caring side. I adore it!!
And I KNOW Kili is going to die (Yeah, not changing; confirmed by Aidan Turner himself) but I really hope Tauriel doesn’t because that talisman is going to come back into play and I’m wondering if she is going to be involved in some way with that. And if Jackson can kill off a main character who wasn’t supposed to die (Haldir) than he can keep Tauriel alive. She might end up fading of a broken heart anyway, which is quite possible.
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Comment on Who Else Ships Kili and Tauriel? by valhallaarwen https://lotrfandom.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/who-else-ships-kili-and-tauriel/#comment-1047
Mon, 23 Dec 2013 14:18:24 +0000http://hobbitfandom.net/?p=422#comment-1047I sense that also after seeing it again yesterday for the third time. And they will likely be holding hands or something sweet. but don’t you like the fact that finally someone (unlike Lucas) could actually write a love scene that isn’t clunky, but very good.
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Comment on Who Else Ships Kili and Tauriel? by valhallaarwen https://lotrfandom.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/who-else-ships-kili-and-tauriel/#comment-1046
Mon, 23 Dec 2013 14:16:22 +0000http://hobbitfandom.net/?p=422#comment-1046No, I love Norse mythology. Actually I kind of hate football, but I think it is good for those who love it. I live in New Orleans and when the Saints finally won a superbowl the city did a few things, first we had a dress parade, meaning one of the old announcers said if we went to a superbowl he would wear a dress, he died but Bobby Hebert lead the parade and all these men wore dresses, minks, cheerleader outfits and it was wonderful. Then we had a superbowl celebration parade which was great, but cold so I went home and watched it on tv. When they won, people cheered for an hour and then were quiet. No one tore up the city. We don’t do that.
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Comment on Who Else Ships Kili and Tauriel? by Scrobette https://lotrfandom.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/who-else-ships-kili-and-tauriel/#comment-1044
Mon, 23 Dec 2013 06:13:52 +0000http://hobbitfandom.net/?p=422#comment-1044Oh I shipped them hard after I saw the movie… I didn’t think I would like an added character but Tauriel was perfect… Then I remembered the end of the Hobbit… I predict that both Kili and Tauriel will die tragically in the Battle of the Five Armies…which kinda sucks ’cause they really do have such wonderful chemistry.
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Comment on Who Else Ships Kili and Tauriel? by silk7 https://lotrfandom.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/who-else-ships-kili-and-tauriel/#comment-1042
Mon, 23 Dec 2013 05:02:39 +0000http://hobbitfandom.net/?p=422#comment-1042totally agree and BTW I love your screenname. Vikings fan??
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Comment on Peter Jackson Reveals Exclusive Comic Con Poster! by Hobbit Director Jackson Ditched by Audience @ SDCC - Lez Get Real https://lotrfandom.wordpress.com/2012/07/07/peter-jackson-reveals-exclusive-comic-con-poster/#comment-1028
Wed, 18 Dec 2013 18:34:57 +0000http://hobbitfandom.net/?p=399#comment-1028[…] Peter Jackson Reveals Exclusive Comic Con Poster! (hobbitfandom.net) […]
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Comment on Who Else Ships Kili and Tauriel? by valhallaarwen https://lotrfandom.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/who-else-ships-kili-and-tauriel/#comment-1020
Sun, 15 Dec 2013 02:03:35 +0000http://hobbitfandom.net/?p=422#comment-1020First I must say I was totally against sticking a girl in a film where she is not needed (I am a girl btw) but I said let me give it a chance. I thought she was going to just be the captain of the guard. I had no clue about the romance and I just wanted to see Smaug and Bilbo talking. I saw the movie yesterday and was I ever surprised. I loved the idea of the romance and the fact that it didn’t overwhelm the movie. Plus considering how much of a dick Legolas’ daddy is, hell I would chose Kili over Legolas. I truly believe that George Lucas (yes, I’m calling you out) should watch this movie to learn how to write a love scene. I also remembered that Dwarves seem to get enchanted around the she elves (Gimli did in the first one). I used to love Arwen and Aragon, uh, I like Kili and Tauriel now. They are my favorite couple.
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Comment on Who Else Ships Kili and Tauriel? by Numenorean https://lotrfandom.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/who-else-ships-kili-and-tauriel/#comment-1019
Sun, 15 Dec 2013 01:58:25 +0000http://hobbitfandom.net/?p=422#comment-1019No… however lovely this might sound, it goes against everything Tolkein wrote. In the Silmarillion, Illuvatar (the creator of elves and men) says that the dwarves, (created by Aule) would forever be at strife with the elves. This held true through the rest of Tokein’s works (with the exception of Gimli and Legolas). There were only three instances of a relationship between men and elves, but between a dwarf and an elf is completely contrary to Tolkein’s legacy.
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Comment on Screencaps for THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Trailer by Carcotas https://lotrfandom.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/screencaps-for-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-trailer/#comment-1014
Thu, 12 Dec 2013 23:31:55 +0000http://hobbitfandom.net/?p=817#comment-1014While I enjoyed the first Hobbit film, it did feel like it left a bit to be desired. This was no surprise, as everything that I loved about the book was in the second half. I knew that I would be waiting for all the good stuff with the second and third films. And sure enough, the second film delivers where the first film didn’t quite excite as much as I had wanted. While it isn’t perfect and does unnecessarily deviate a bit, this is easily better than the first film, giving us a bigger, bolder adventure and a more interesting Bilbo Baggins this time around.
Before I get to the good stuff, let me get my complaints out of the way. My biggest complaint are the unnecessary plot threads. There seems to be a big need for this series of films to tie into LotR, and I really don’t understand why. A great deal of time is taken in this film to introduce us to things we already know the outcome of. We’re, at points, taken away from the dwarfs and Bilbo to follow Gandalf as he goes off on his own adventure to uncover the growing evil of Sauron and his armies. Like the first film, it’s completely unnecessary, but unlike that film, it’s jarring. We’re ripped from a fantastic adventure to a story that we don’t really need to know and has no real relation to the dwarfs and their adventure. In fact, any time we’re taken out of the company of the dwarfs, it almost feels cheap. The almost romance between Evangeline Lily’s elf and the dwarf Kili feels something of the same, the whole lot of these stories coming off as filler in an effort to make time for three movies instead of just two. It feels like a stretch and brings a screeching halt to the momentum of the main story.
That said, the rest of the film is an excellent and expertly crafted adaptation. There is a definite sense of character growth, especially from Bilbo, who seems to struggle with the power of the ring and it’s greed. We already know where this goes, but it is none the less fascinating considering who he was when we first met him. The dwarfs seem to almost take a back seat here. They are less prominent, with the exception of Thorin and Balin, who take front and center. That isn’t to say they aren’t entertaining, as they usually are every time they are on screen. Thorin is the real standout though, as he goes through similar changes as Bilbo, which lends them an interesting comparison in their mutual struggles. The actors are all excellent once again in their respective roles, with Freeman once again being the standout. Evangeline Lily is also a pleasant surprise in an original role as an elf created for the film. She adds a much needed feminine touch to an otherwise predominantly male cast. She proves herself to be a fine silver screen presence and hopefully this will net her some further film roles.
While the film does an excellent job of not simply being the middle film, something The Two Towers struggled with in the LotR trilogy, it is the action, set pieces, and effects which are the true stars. This may not be a LotR movie, but it’s close. We almost immediately start out with a bang and it rarely lets up. Of course, much of what happens early on, as exciting as it may be, pales in comparison to it’s explosive and lengthy climax. Smaug is quite possibly the best creation of any of the film, Hobbit or LotR. He is as awesome as you could have hoped for and Benedict Cumberbatch is excellent in the role. While effects have been applied to his voice to give it more boom, he does a fantastic job as the sneering, wise, and boastful dragon. Watching and listening to him face off against Bilbo is a delightful treat, and that is before we get to any fire breathing and chasing. What follows is a lengthy conclusion to the film that will excite and delight all. I have no qualms in saying that Smaug makes the entire film worth the admission of price. But don’t go in expecting a solid conclusion. This is, after all, the second of a trilogy, so you can surely expect the film to leave you salivating for the next one.
While this new Hobbit film still doesn’t reach LotR heights, it is superior to the previous film, especially when it comes to being an enjoyable adventure. It feels like it matters to the trilogy and delivers on being an epic. And I simply can’t rave enough about Smaug. If you didn’t enjoy the first film, you may find yourself feeling about the same here. But at least this one has a cool dragon. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Q:
Determine if target cell is in table column, by column name
I want to run a procedure if the target cell is in specific columns.
I am using column numbers to determine this. If extra columns are added to the table the system falls over.
My code is below;
the column names are a "Activity", "Resources" and "Stakeholders" (in the table"Schedule");
the columns are 5, 7 and 17, in the line If Target.Column = 5 Or Target.Column = 7 Or Target.Column = 17 Then
If Target.Count > 1 Then GoTo exitHandler
On Error Resume Next
Set rngDV = Cells.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeAllValidation)
On Error GoTo exitHandler
If rngDV Is Nothing Then GoTo exitHandler
If Intersect(Target, rngDV) Is Nothing Then
'do nothing
Else
Application.EnableEvents = False
newVal = Target.Value
Application.Undo
oldVal = Target.Value
Target.Value = newVal
If Target.Column = 5 Or Target.Column = 7 Or Target.Column = 17 Then
If oldVal = "" Then
'do nothing
Else
If newVal = "" Then
'do nothing
Else
lUsed = InStr(1, oldVal, newVal)
If lUsed > 0 Then
If Right(oldVal, Len(newVal)) = newVal Then
Target.Value = Left(oldVal, Len(oldVal) - Len(newVal) - 2)
Else
Target.Value = Replace(oldVal, newVal & ", ", "")
End If
Else
Target.Value = oldVal _
& ", " & newVal
End If
End If
End If
End If
End If
exitHandler:
Application.EnableEvents = True
A:
You can use the properties of a table, thus.
Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
Dim c As Long
With ActiveSheet.ListObjects("Table1")
c = Target.Column - .ListColumns(1).Range.Column + 1
If Intersect(Target, .DataBodyRange) Is Nothing Then Exit Sub
If .HeaderRowRange(c).Value = "Resources" Or _
.HeaderRowRange(c).Value = "Activity" Or _
.HeaderRowRange(c).Value = "Stakeholders" Then
MsgBox "Yes"
End If
End With
End Sub
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | StackExchange |
Controversy over Alabama’s new abortion restrictions could have financial consequences for the state’s public university system.
The chancellor of the University of Alabama system this week asked the institution to return $21.5 million donated to its law school by Florida businessman Hugh Culverhouse, Jr.
Chancellor Finis St. John says he recommended that the school’s board of trustees return Culverhouse’s donation — the largest-ever gift to the institution — because of an “ongoing dispute” that stemmed from Culverhouse making “numerous demands” about the operation of the university’s law school, the school said in a statement.
“None of the issues between the Law School and Mr. Culverhouse had anything to do with the passage of legislation in which the University had no role,” the school system said in a statement.
But the chancellor’s recommendation to return the money came just hours after Culverhouse said students should avoid enrolling in the university’s law school, which was named after him in 2018.
Culverhouse called for a boycott of the school because of the state’s new abortion law, the Tuscaloosa News first reported.
He called the new law “draconian.”
“I don’t want anybody to go to that law school, especially women, until the state gets its act together,” Culverhouse told the Associated Press on Wednesday. He was referring to the state law passed earlier this month that makes it a felony for doctors to perform abortions.
The law, which has been cheered by anti-abortion activists, bans all abortions except when the mother’s life is at stake. Supporters hope the law will eventually lead to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade. “If your daughter is gang-raped, it’s not grounds for an abortion,” Culverhouse told MarketWatch. “Incest is not grounds. If you take the Alabama statute that they just passed and compare it Saudi Arabia, you’ll find that Saudi Arabia is much more liberal.”
Culverhouse, whose father once owned the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is a lawyer and real estate investor. He and his wife Eliza have donated nearly $40 million to the University of Alabama over the past decade, the Tuscaloosa News reported.
“My family has always believed in the rights of women,” Culverhouse, Jr. told MarketWatch, adding that his father was on the board of Planned Parenthood in the 1950s.
He has said he’ll put his resources toward the ACLU’s legal fight against the Alabama law.
See also:Jeff Bezos is ‘proud’ of ex-wife’s pledge to give away over half of her $35 billion fortune: ‘Go get ’em MacKenzie’
Culverhouse told MarketWatch he wants companies like Google GOOG, +0.92% and Mercedes-Benz DAI, +0.44% to stop doing business in Alabama, and he wants the University of Alabama’s out-of-state students to follow suit by boycotting the school.
Some 66% of the university’s students come from outside Alabama, Culverhouse said. It’s one of many state schools that have turned to wealthy out-of-state students to ease budget constraints as state funding for public education has declined. (Google and Mercedes-Benz did not respond to requests for comment.)
The University of Alabama donation controversy is the latest financial fallout in the abortion debate, which is gripping Americans’ attention again as several states have passed tight restrictions on the procedure. Netflix NFLX, +0.52% and Disney DIS, -0.64% have said they may halt production in Georgia because of that state’s newly passed abortion restrictions.
Higher education is a favorite cause among wealthier philanthropists. Two-thirds of billionaires direct part of their charitable giving to education-related causes, according to a 2018 survey by the research firm Wealth-X. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
This asset acquisition will give Advance the right to sell DieHard batteries, the most trusted brand in the automotive battery category, and enables Advance to extend the DieHard brand into other automotive and vehicular categories. In addition, the deal allows Transformco to sell DieHard brand batteries through its existing channels pursuant to a supply agreement with Advance. Advance is also granting Transformco an exclusive royalty-free, perpetual license to develop, market, and sell DieHard branded products in non-automotive categories.
“We are excited to acquire global ownership of an iconic American brand. DieHard will help differentiate Advance, drive increased DIY customer traffic and build a unique value proposition for our Professional customers and Independent Carquest partners. DieHard has the highest brand awareness and regard of any automotive battery brand in North America and will enable Advance to build a leadership position within the critical battery category,” said Tom Greco, president and CEO, Advance Auto Parts. “DieHard stands for durability and reliability and we will strengthen and leverage the brand in other battery categories, such as marine and recreational vehicles. We also see opportunities to extend DieHard in other automotive categories. We remain committed to providing our customers with high-quality products and excellent service. The addition of DieHard to our industry leading assortment of national brands, OE parts and owned brands will enable us to differentiate Advance and drive significant long-term shareholder value.”
“DieHard is among the most successful and one of the most widely trusted brands in the auto industry, and we have long believed that the brand has even more potential,” said Peter Boutros, President of Transformco’s Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard business unit. “DieHard revolutionized the automotive battery category when it launched in 1967, and has continued to be a leader in the category. Advance Auto Parts’ acquisition of this iconic American brand will complement our plans to introduce new DieHard products in non-automotive categories such as sporting goods, lawn and garden, authentic work wear and other exciting new categories.”
About Advance Auto Parts
Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider that serves both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers. As of October 5, 2019, Advance operated 4,891 stores and 152 Worldpac branches in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Company also serves 1,260 independently owned Carquest branded stores across these locations in addition to Mexico, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and British Virgin Islands. Additional information about Advance, including employment opportunities, customer services, and online shopping for parts, accessories and other offerings can be found at www.AdvanceAutoParts.com.
About Transformco
Transform Holdco LLC is a leading integrated retailer focused on seamlessly connecting the digital and physical shopping experiences to serve its members – wherever, whenever and however they want to shop. Transformco is home to Shop Your Way®, a social shopping platform offering members rewards for shopping at Sears, Kmart and other retail partners. Transformco operates through its subsidiaries with full-line and specialty retail stores across the United States.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this report are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events or developments, and typically use words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “outlook” or “estimate” or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to the benefits or other effects of the acquisition, statements regarding expected growth and future performance of the Company, and all other statements that are not statements of historical facts. These statements are based upon assessments and assumptions of management in light of historical results and trends, current conditions and potential future developments that often involve judgment, estimates, assumptions and projections. Forward-looking statements reflect current views about the Company's plans, strategies and prospects, which are based on information currently available as of the date of this release. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements. Please refer to the risk factors discussed in "Item 1a. Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as updated by its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, for additional factors that could materially affect the Company’s actual results. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside its control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements. Therefore, you should not place undue reliance on those statements. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
This project will investigate prognostic factors for survial from colorectal carcinoma. The data to be considered will be cases on file in the Connecticut Tumor Registry, which is a member of the Cancer Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Group. Statistical methodology will be developed so that survival analysis with covariates can be done for cancer registry data. A computer program will be developed which may be used for other analyses of survival data. The analysis will simultaneously consider, using a regression-like approach, the effect of several factors on survival so that the interrelationship among the factors may be investigated. The prognostic variables of interest include demographic variables (age, race, and sex), treatment, and extent of disease. In addition, information on socio-economic status, environmental factors, and associated lesions will be investigated to determine their effect on survival. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | NIH ExPorter |
Q:
Proof Verification of Open Problems
Over the past few days, I've noticed several proof verification questions regarding open problems. On one, quid left the comment:
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it asks for a review of a proof of a famous open problem.
There are some related posts on meta, but none of them directly address the question of what our policy on proof verification of open problems is, and I don't think the answer to that is self-evident.
The issue is primarily when the proofs are relatively long, like in this or this question. Such questions feel obtuse, in that an answerer will spend far more time understanding the question than in composing an answer - which means the question does not contribute to a Q&A, since anyone who stumbles upon the question would have to wade through it, and by the time they'd done that, they'd probably see the flaw.
On the other hand, questions like this present a very short proof, and I think there is value in having such questions, since they are easily understood, and the flaw in the proof is more widely applicable (i.e. not uncommon in other proofs we see here). A more borderline case is here - I chose to answer it because the mistakes are somewhat common and the length is manageable, although I can see an argument that it ought to be closed because the proof is poorly presented.
I don't think it would be wise to have a policy banning proof verifications asking about open problems, because they are, in spirit, within the realm of mathematics (i.e. can be effectively answered here) and not intrinsically different from the other questions of proof-verification - however, given that such questions often (but not always) include rambling proofs as a major part of their body, I think we need some clear policy on what to do with such problems, especially since the people asking such questions often ask multiple, and it would be thus wise to deal with their questions on a uniform basis.
What should we do with questions asking to examine a proof of unsolved problems?
A:
The inspection of a long complex proof falls into the too broad category:
good answers would be too long for this format.
Which is a way of saying "you ask for more than this website can realistically provide".
As far as I'm concerned, the fact that the user seeks validation of a solution of a major open problem on a site like this one is enough evidence; no further consideration of the proof is needed.
A:
The absence of a set policy regarding open questions seems reasonable, since questions about them (including naive attempts to prove) may entail nothing more than high school algebra or a simple misunderstanding of some aspect of the problem.
If a student accepts corrections, accepts that an idea is probably flawed, little is lost by helping. Sometimes it's just a matter of helping someone achieve clarity of notation, also I think a reasonable use of this site.
In many cases I think the user is not "seeking validation of a solution of a major open question" but simply asking why a particular elementary approach falls short. Not every two-page proof attempt is a quest for immortality and we should be able to treat different cases differently.
A:
As a matter of principle I consider such Questions on topic. In practice of course the OP will not have given their "proof" sufficient critical thought to merit the effort of a critique.
Still, it's what I do. The famous problem need not be "open" for amateur researchers to have dreams of glory for their efforts, which often makes for a difficult job of convincing them their approach (and not only its detail) is hopelessly flawed.
I'm in favor of having our disposition of these Questions rest not on their "famous open problem" character but on the disposition of the Asker. If they are not willing to learn from their mistakes, close as "unclear what you are asking", or if the proposed proof is too voluminous as "too broad", or if the OP is unwilling to supply missing steps, as "lacking context or other details".
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | StackExchange |
Two inmates have been given lethal injections as Arkansas completed the first double execution in the US since 2000.
It comes just days after the state ended a nearly 12-year hiatus on capital punishment.
Rapist and murderer Jack Jones was executed on schedule and pronounced dead at 7.20pm local time - 14 minutes after the procedure began.
Lawyers for the second man, Marcel Williams, convinced a judge minutes later to briefly delay his punishment over concerns about how Jones had died.
They claimed he was "gulping for air" and may have suffered - an account the state's attorney general denied.
However, the judge lifted her stay of execution about an hour later and Williams was pronounced dead at 10:33pm.
The last state to put more than one inmate to death on the same day was Texas, which executed two killers in August 2000.
Arkansas' last double execution occurred in 1999.
Image: Jones raped and killed Mary Phillips, 34
Jack Jones was sent to death row for the 1995 rape and killing of Mary Phillips, 34.
He was also convicted of attempting to kill Phillips' 11-year-old daughter, Lacy, who police thought was dead and only regained consciousness when crime scene experts were taking photos.
Jones was also convicted of another rape and killing in Florida.
Before his execution, Jones delivered a two-minute final statement where he apologised to Phillips' family, ending with: "I'm sorry."
Addressing Phillips' daughter, now 32, he told her: "Over time you can learn who I really am and I am not a monster."
Marcel Williams was sent to death row for the 1994 rape and killing of 22-year-old Stacy Errickson.
He kidnapped the mother-of-two from a petrol station at gunpoint and strangled her.
Williams also admitted to the state Parole Board last month that he had abducted and raped two other women in the days before his arrest over Errickson's murder.
"I wish I could take it back, but I can't," Williams told the board.
Attorney General Leslie Routledge said she hoped his execution would bring "much-needed peace" to Errickson's children, now adults.
The men challenged their executions on the basis that because they were both obese and had diabetes, the execution could be cruel and unusual and cause "severe pain".
Williams weighed 28 stone (400 pounds) and his lawyers said it meant the line carrying the lethal drugs could be placed incorrectly and cause him damage like a collapsed lung.
Image: Ledell Lee was executed last week
Arkansas had planned to stage four double-executions within an 11-day period because its stock of lethal injection drug midazolam is due to pass its use-by date at the end of April.
The first three executions were cancelled because of court rulings.
But Ledell Lee was put to death on 21 April, with the clock ticking down on two impending deadlines.
Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson said it is "a serious and reflective time" in the state but that residents should know that justice has been carried out.
Nine people have been executed in the US so far this year, including Jones and Williams.
Twenty were executed last year, down from 98 in 1999 and the lowest number since 14 in 1991. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
USCA1 Opinion
January 11, 1996 [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
____________________
No. 95-1333
PATRICIA A. STANISLAS,
Plaintiff, Appellant,
v.
CIGNA and INSURANCE COMPANY OF NORTH AMERICA,
Defendants, Appellees.
____________________
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS
[Hon. Michael A. Ponsor, U.S. District Judge]
___________________
____________________
Before
Selya, Circuit Judge,
_____________
Coffin, Senior Circuit Judge,
____________________
and Boudin, Circuit Judge.
_____________
____________________
Timothy J. Ryan with whom Bradford R. Martin, Jr. and Ryan,
________________ _________________________ _____
Martin, Costello, Leiter, Steiger & Cass, P.C. were on brief for
______ _________________________________________
appellant.
Michael A. Davis for appellees.
________________
____________________
____________________
Per Curiam. In this diversity case, plaintiff-appellant
__________
Patricia A. Stanislas appeals from the district court's grant
of summary judgment in favor of defendant-appellees CIGNA and
its wholly owned subsidiary Insurance Company of North
America ("ICNA") on a sexual harassment claim under Mass.
Gen. L. ch. 151B. The district court found that Stanislas
failed to comply with the statute of limitations contained in
Mass. Gen. L. ch. 151B, 5. Our review of the grant of
summary judgment is plenary, and we read the record in the
light most favorable to the party contesting the summary
judgment. See, e.g., Cambridge Plating Co. v. Napco, Inc.,
___ ____ _____________________ ___________
991 F.2d 21, 24 (1st Cir. 1993).
Stanislas alleged that her immediate supervisor, John A.
Cvejanovich, engaged in repeated acts of sexual harassment
towards her beginning in November 1990. Stanislas, the
office administrator of ICNA's Springfield, Massachusetts,
field litigation office, and Cvejanovich, the managing
attorney, last worked together on April 26, 1991, the Friday
before Cvejanovich departed on a one-week vacation. On that
day, according to Stanislas' affidavit, Cvejanovich demanded
that Stanislas sleep with him or find someone else who would.
On April 30, 1991, Stanislas reported Cvejanovich's
conduct to another attorney in the office, who in turn
notified ICNA's area supervisor, John Gilfoyle. On May 2nd
-2-
-2-
and 3rd, two ICNA attorneys, Gilfoyle and Rob Gilbride,
investigated Stanislas' claims. Gilfoyle instructed all of
the office employees to stay home on May 6th, Cvejanovich's
first day back at work; when Cvejanovich reported to work,
Gilfoyle confronted him with Stanislas' allegations and
offered him the choice of resigning or being terminated.
Cvejanovich resigned.
When the office employees, including Stanislas, reported
to work, Gilfoyle and Gilbride told them that Cvejanovich was
no longer employed by ICNA. The employees were also advised
to keep the matter confidential, and they were warned that
the legal consequences of discussing the incident would be on
the employees' heads.
Stanislas filed a complaint with the Massachusetts
Commission Against Discrimination ("MCAD") on October 30,
1991, and on June 22, 1992, brought the instant suit in
federal district court. This appeal concerns Stanislas'
claim under Mass. Gen. L. ch. 151B, 4(16A), which makes it
unlawful for any employer "to sexually harass" an employee.
On that claim, the district court granted summary judgment
for defendants because Stanislas filed her MCAD complaint
more than 6 months after the last incident of harassment.
Before initiating a court action alleging a violation of
section 151B, a plaintiff must file a complaint with MCAD
within six months after the alleged act of discrimination.
-3-
-3-
See Christo v. Edward G. Boyle Insurance Agency, Inc., 525
___ _______ _______________________________________
N.E.2d 643, 645 (Mass. 1988); Mass. Gen. L. ch. 151B, 5,
9. "In the absence of a timely complaint to the MCAD, there
may be no resort to the courts." Sereni v. Star Sportswear
______ _______________
Manufacturing Corp., 509 N.E.2d 1203, 1204 (Mass. 1987). The
___________________
last alleged incident of harassment occurred on April 26,
1991, but Stanislas' complaint with MCAD was not filed until
October 30, 1991, four days after the six-month cut-off date.
Stanislas challenges this conclusion on three grounds.
First, she argues that the district court misconstrued the
nature of her claim. M.G.L. ch. 151B, 1(18) defines sexual
harassment as:
Sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and
other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature
when (a) submission to or rejection of such
advances, requests or conduct is made either
explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of
employment or as a basis for employment decisions;
(b) such advances, requests or conduct have the
purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with
an individual's work performance by creating an
intimidating, hostile, humiliating or sexually
offensive work environment. . . .
Stanislas argues that while the last incident of "quid pro
quo" harassment (as defined in clause (a)) occurred on April
26, the "hostile environment" harassment (as defined in
clause (b)) continued until Stanislas knew that the threat of
further harassment was removed, that is, until May 6, 1991.
This argument is unavailing. Sexual harassment is
defined as "[s]exual advances, requests for sexual favors,
-4-
-4-
and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature"
having the effect of (inter alia) creating a hostile work
__________
environment. It is the acts having the specified effect that
____
constitute the harassment. There is no indication here that
there was any delay between the last act and its effect, so
the act was ripe for a complaint. The last act of sexual
___
harassment alleged by Stanislas occurred on April 26, 1991,
and the six month limitations period runs from that date.
Cf. Ching v. MITRE Corp., 921 F.2d 11, 14 (1st Cir. 1990).
___ _____ ___________
Second, Stanislas argues that her claim is protected
under 804 C.M.R. 1.03(2), which provides that "the six
month requirement shall not be a bar to filing in those
instances where facts are alleged which indicate that the
unlawful conduct complained of is of a continuing nature."
Conduct may be continuing if it involves an ongoing policy or
practice of the employer which, if prolonged into the
limitations period, permits the suit. Jensen v. Frank, 912
______ _____
F.2d 517, 523 (1st Cir. 1990). But there is no claim here
that Cvejanovich's conduct was part of any policy or practice
of the defendants.
Alternatively, a serial violation may occur where there
are "a number of discriminatory acts emanating from the same
discriminatory animus," Sabree v. United Broth. of Carpenters
______ ___________________________
and Joiners, 921 F.2d 396, 400 (1st Cir. 1990) (quoting
____________
Jensen, 912 F.2d at 522), but "[i]n order for the violation
______
-5-
-5-
to be actionable, at least one act in the series must fall
______________________
within the limitations period." Sabree, 921 F.2d at 400
______
(emphasis added). In the instant case, the final act of
harassment alleged occurred on April 26, 1991; in fact, there
was no professional contact between Cvejanovich and Stanislas
after that date.
Third, Stanislas argues that the warning given by
Gilfoyle and Gilbride that she keep the matter confidential
constitutes justification for equitable modification of the
statute of limitations. The statute of limitations under ch.
151B, 5, is subject to equitable modification. See
___
Christo, 525 N.E.2d at 645. The basis urged here is that
_______
defendants unfairly discouraged Stanislas from exercising her
rights. Cf. Felty v. Graves-Humphreys Co., 785 F.2d 516,
___ _____ _____________________
519-20 (4th Cir. 1986).
Because this issue was first raised in a motion under
Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b)(6) for reconsideration of the district
court's grant of summary judgment, we review the district
judge's determination only for abuse of discretion. See
___
Anderson v. Cryovac, Inc., 862 F.2d 910, 923 (1st Cir. 1988).
________ _____________
There is no evidence that the warning by Gilfoyle and
Gilbride was inappropriate in light of the risks presented
(e.g., defamation) or that it was intended to discourage the
____
-6-
-6-
filing of a complaint with MCAD.1 We think that it was
within the sound discretion of the trial court to decline to
reopen the case to entertain this belated equitable claim of
very doubtful merit.
Affirmed.
________
____________________
1Nor is it clear that the warning had any such effect.
As a matter of fact, Stanislas consulted with an attorney at
least several days prior to the expiration of the limitations
period.
-7-
-7-
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | FreeLaw |
1. Introduction {#sec1-biomolecules-10-00497}
===============
Prion disease, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) spectrum belong to the neurodegenerative dementias (NDs), which are protein misfolding disorders characterized by tissue deposition and intracerebral spread of amyloidogenic protein aggregates \[[@B1-biomolecules-10-00497]\].
Ubiquitin protein plays a central role in the degradation of proteins in the so-called ubiquitin-proteasome system and is a ubiquitous component of protein amyloid aggregates \[[@B2-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B3-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B4-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B5-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B6-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. In physiological conditions, there is a tight regulation of the level of intracellular ubiquitin through the balance between free mono- and conjugated ubiquitin and the respective polyubiquitin chains \[[@B5-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B7-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. However, a wealth of evidence suggests that a dysfunctional proteostasis in NDs related to both aging and the inhibitory effect of misfolded protein aggregates may cause an accumulation of ubiquitin in the brain \[[@B5-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B8-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B9-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. Moreover, ubiquitin can be released by dying cells, thereby increasing its level in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a consequence of neuronal damage \[[@B4-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B5-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B10-biomolecules-10-00497]\].
We have developed a very selective and precise liquid chromatography−multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (LC−MS/MS) method for the measurement of CSF free monoubiquitin and already reported a significant increase in protein levels in Creutzfeldt--Jakob disease (CJD) and AD, in line with other studies investigating the same or other ubiquitin forms \[[@B3-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B4-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B5-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B6-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B9-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B11-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. However, no study to date investigated whether the significant clinicopathological heterogeneity of the prion disease spectrum may influence CSF ubiquitin levels. Indeed, human prion disease encompasses four major phenotypic entities, namely, Creutzfeldt--Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstmann--Sträussler--Scheinker syndrome (GSS), fatal familial insomnia (FFI), and variably protease-sensitive prionopathy (VPSPr) \[[@B12-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. Moreover, sporadic CJD (sCJD) includes six major clinicopathological subtypes that are mainly determined by the genotype at the methionine (M)/valine (V) polymorphic codon 129 of the *PRNP* gene and the type (1 or 2) of disease-associated prion protein (PrP^Sc^) accumulating in the brain, and named accordingly as MM(V)1, MM2 cortical (MM2C), MM2 thalamic (MM2T), MV2 kuru-type (MV2K), VV1, and VV2 \[[@B12-biomolecules-10-00497]\].
In the present study, we aimed to validate our previous results in an independent well-characterized cohort, enriched in cases with a neuropathological, genetic, and/or CSF biomarker-based diagnosis of prion disease, AD or FTD. Moreover, we investigated for the first time, the presence, if any, of different ubiquitin profiles among distinct prion disease subtypes and correlated the ubiquitin levels with those of other biomarkers and with clinical variables, such as disease stage and survival. Finally, we provide preliminary data on the relative extent of ubiquitin deposits in the brain of the most common sCJD subtypes.
2. Materials and Methods {#sec2-biomolecules-10-00497}
========================
2.1. Case Classification {#sec2dot1-biomolecules-10-00497}
------------------------
We retrospectively analyzed CSF samples of 28 healthy controls, 84 subjects with prion disease, 38 with AD, and 30 with FTD submitted to the Neuropathology Laboratory (NP-Lab) at the Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna (Italy). All cases were parts of previous studies \[[@B13-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B14-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. Informed consent was given by study participants or by their next of kin. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the protocol was approved by the Ethics Committees of Area Vasta Emilia Centro (approval number AVEC:18025, 113/2018/OSS/AUSLBO) and Ulm University (approval number 20/10).
Subjects with prion disease were classified according to current European diagnostic criteria \[[@B15-biomolecules-10-00497]\] and neuropathological consensus criteria \[[@B16-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B17-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. They comprised 67 definite cases (54 with a neuropathological diagnosis of sCJD, 1 with VPSPr and 12 carrying a pathogenic *PRNP* mutation (E200K, V210I, D178N, P102L)) and 17 probable sCJD cases (all tested positive by CSF prion real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay). For the analysis according to the sCJD molecular subtypes, we merged the subjects with definite sCJD (33 MM(V)1, 12 VV2, 6 MV2K, 2 MM2C, 1 VV1) with those with a probable sCJD diagnosis and a high level of certainty for a given subtype. In detail, the classification was determined by the consensus of three consultant neurologists (SAR, SB, and PP) after reviewing typical clinical features, disease duration at death or at last follow-up, the results of codon 129 genotype (MM, MV and VV), CSF biomarkers, and brain magnetic resonance imaging as previously described \[[@B14-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. However, to exclude a bias related to possible misdiagnosis, we also analyzed the data after the exclusion of probable cases. Length of survival (disease duration), when available, was calculated as the time (in months) from lumbar puncture (LP) to death or last follow-up. Furthermore, in each prion disease case, we calculated the disease stage as the ratio between the time from disease onset to LP and the disease duration \[[@B18-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. Then, we classified cases into three categories according to whether LP was performed in the first (disease stage \<0.33), second (0.33--0.66), or third (\>0.66) tertiles \[[@B18-biomolecules-10-00497]\].
The diagnosis of AD and FTD clinical spectrum (behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia, primary progressive aphasia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with FTD, corticobasal syndrome, and progressive supranuclear palsy) was made according to established clinical criteria \[[@B19-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B20-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B21-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B22-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B23-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B24-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. All AD cases showed a characteristic AD CSF biomarker profile, based on in-house cut-off values (phosphorylated (p)-tau/amyloid-β (Aβ42) ratio \> 0.108 and total(t)-tau/Aβ42 ratio \> 0.615) \[[@B25-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. In the FTD group, 13 subjects carried an FTD-related pathogenetic mutation (9 cases with *C9orf72* and 4 cases with *GRN*), while 17 fulfilled the new criteria for probable 4R- tauopathy \[[@B26-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. In all FTD cases, the in vivo evidence of coexisting AD pathology was gathered using AD core CSF biomarkers (p-tau/Aβ42 ratio \> 0.108) \[[@B14-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. The control group included 28 subjects lacking any clinical or neuroradiologic evidence of central nervous system disease (e.g., tension-type headache, non-inflammatory polyneuropathies, subjective complaints) and having CSF p-tau, t-tau and Aβ42 in the normal range \[[@B14-biomolecules-10-00497]\].
2.2. CSF Biomarker Analyses {#sec2dot2-biomolecules-10-00497}
---------------------------
CSF samples were obtained by LP at the L3/L4 or L4/L5 level following a standard procedure, centrifuged in case of blood contamination, divided into aliquots, and stored in polypropylene tubes at −80 °C until analysis.
CSF free monoubiquitin analyses were carried out at the Experimental Neurology Laboratory at Ulm University Hospital in all cases as described \[[@B4-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. In detail, 50 µL CSF was mixed with an internal standard solution containing ^13^C-labeled ubiquitin and 100 µL acetonitrile. After incubation for 2 min at 1400 rpm, samples were centrifuged at 4000 × *g* for 30 min at RT. The supernatant (70 µL) was diluted with 400 µL water and analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CVs) were \<15%.
CSF t-tau, p-tau, Aß42, neurofilament light chain protein (NfL) and chitinase-3-like protein 1 (YKL-40) were analyzed at NP-Lab using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits (INNOTEST htau-Ag, INNOTEST phosphorylated-Tau181, INNOTEST Aβ1--42, Innogenetics/Fujirebio Europe, Ghent, Belgium; IBL, Hamburg, Germany; R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN, USA) \[[@B13-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. ELISA-based biomarkers were measured in all the diagnostic groups except for Aβ42 and p-tau in the prion disease group. The mean intra- and inter-assay CVs were ≤5% and \<20% respectively for t-tau, p-tau, Aß42, NfL, YKL-40, as reported \[[@B13-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. PrP^Sc^ seeding activity was detected by RT-QuIC, as previously described \[[@B27-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B28-biomolecules-10-00497]\].
2.3. Assessment of Ubiquitin Deposits by Immunohistochemistry {#sec2dot3-biomolecules-10-00497}
-------------------------------------------------------------
Seven μm thick paraffin-embedded block sections of frontal cortex, anterior striatum, and hippocampus (CA1 sector) from sCJD MM(V)1 (*n* = 5), VV2 (*n* = 5), MV2K (*n* = 5) brains lacking any AD- or Lewy body (LB)-related co-pathology and controls lacking significant neurodegenerative pathology (*n* = 2) were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and processed for immunohistochemistry with a monoclonal anti-ubiquitin antibody with proven specificity \[[@B29-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B30-biomolecules-10-00497]\] (MAB1510, dilution 1:1000, Chemicon, Tomecula, CA, USA) as described \[[@B27-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B30-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. A mean combined score was given to each case as a result of two operators semi-quantitative assessments of ubiquitin immunopositivity (0, no immunoreactivity; 1, mild; 2, moderate; 3, prominent immunoreactivity).
2.4. Statistical Analyses {#sec2dot4-biomolecules-10-00497}
-------------------------
Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA, version 21) and GraphPad Prism (GraphPad Software, La Jolla, CA, USA, version 7) software. Based on the presence or not of a normal distribution of the values, data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) or median and interquartile range (IQR). For continuous variables, depending on the data distribution, the Mann--Whitney U test or the t-test were used to test the differences between the two groups, while the Kruskal--Wallis test (followed by Dunn--Bonferroni post hoc test) or the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) (followed by Tukey's post hoc test) was applied for multiple group comparisons (all reported *p*-values have been adjusted for multiple comparisons). The Chi-Square test was adopted for categorical variables. Multivariate linear regression models were used to adjust (for age and sex) the differences in CSF biomarkers between the groups after the transformation of the dependent variable in the natural logarithmic scale. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed to establish the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of each biomarker. The optimal cut-off value for biomarkers was chosen using the maximized Youden index. The Youden index for a cut-off is defined by its sensitivity + specificity − 1. Spearman's correlations were used to test the possible associations between analyzed variables. For analysis of survival in prion disease, CSF ubiquitin concentration was natural log-transformed to fulfill the normal distribution. We performed univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis to test the association between time to death and tertiles of CSF ubiquitin and, other well-known prognostic factors in prion disease such as age at LP, sex, disease duration at LP and molecular subtype \[[@B31-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B32-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. Given that the analysis limited to a single subtype would have suffered from the small sample size, we chose to consider the whole group of sCJD MM(V)1, VV2 or MV2K types (*n* = 59 cases with available data) and then the single MM(V)1 subgroup (*n* = 33 with available data). The results are presented as hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Differences were considered statistically significant at *p* \< 0.05.
3. Results {#sec3-biomolecules-10-00497}
==========
3.1. CSF Ubiquitin Levels Differ Between Neurodegenerative Dementias {#sec3dot1-biomolecules-10-00497}
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Diagnostic groups showed no significant difference in age and sex. As expected, given the frequent subacute onset and rapid clinical progression, the time interval between onset and LP was significantly shorter in subjects with prion disease than in those with AD or FTD (*p* \< 0.001 for each comparison). There was no effect of sex on CSF biomarker levels, and no significant correlation between age and biomarker values in each diagnostic group except for ubiquitin in prion disease (r = 0.419, *p* \< 0.001). Therefore, age and sex adjustment were applied for ubiquitin comparisons.
Both prion disease and AD cases showed higher levels of CSF ubiquitin compared to controls (*p* \< 0.001 and *p* = 0.003, respectively), whereas in the FTD group ubiquitin values were within the normal range ([Table 1](#biomolecules-10-00497-t001){ref-type="table"}, [Figure 1](#biomolecules-10-00497-f001){ref-type="fig"}A). Moreover, ubiquitin levels were higher in prion disease than in AD and FTD cases (*p* \< 0.001 for each comparison), with the latter group showing lower values compared to the former (*p* = 0.002) ([Table 1](#biomolecules-10-00497-t001){ref-type="table"}, [Figure 1](#biomolecules-10-00497-f001){ref-type="fig"}A). These findings were confirmed even after age and sex adjustment. Differences regarding CSF t-tau, NfL, and YKL-40 levels among diagnostic groups confirmed those of our previous study \[[@B13-biomolecules-10-00497]\].
In the prion disease group ubiquitin levels strongly correlated with t-tau (r = 0.804, *p* \< 0.001) and to a lesser extent with NfL (r = 0.499, *p* \< 0.001) and YKL-40 (r = 0.525, *p* \< 0.001). In the AD group there were correlations between ubiquitin and t-tau (r = 0.689, *p* \< 0.001), NfL (r = 0.429, *p* = 0.007) and YKL-40 (r = 0.439, *p* = 0.006). In the FTD group ubiquitin levels correlated with levels of t-tau (r = 0.667, *p* \< 0.001), and YKL-40 (r = 0.447, *p* = 0.013).
The diagnostic value of ubiquitin in the discrimination between clinical groups is reported in [Table 2](#biomolecules-10-00497-t002){ref-type="table"}. In detail, this biomarker demonstrated good to optimal accuracy in the discrimination between prion disease and other diagnostic groups (area under the curve (AUC = 0.848--0.949) and between AD and controls (AUC = 0.925) or FTD (AUC = 0.880). Diagnostic accuracies of other CSF biomarkers in comparison to ubiquitin were illustrated in [Figure 2](#biomolecules-10-00497-f002){ref-type="fig"}, with ubiquitin generally showing a lower performance compared to t-tau and/or NfL. Detailed statistics of t-tau, NfL, and YKL-40 were previously reported \[[@B13-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B33-biomolecules-10-00497]\].
3.2. CSF Ubiquitin Levels Vary in Prion Disease According to Molecular Subtypes and Disease Stage {#sec3dot2-biomolecules-10-00497}
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CSF ubiquitin levels varied significantly between prion disease subtypes ([Table 3](#biomolecules-10-00497-t003){ref-type="table"}). After stratification according to sCJD most prevalent molecular subtypes (MM(V)1, VV2 and MV2K), the VV2 group showed higher ubiquitin levels compared to the MM(V)1 (*p* = 0.002) and MV2K (*p* \< 0.001) groups, with the former demonstrating increased values compared to the latter (*p* = 0.018) ([Figure 1](#biomolecules-10-00497-f001){ref-type="fig"}B), even after age and sex adjustment or the exclusion of probable cases. The few cases belonging to other rarer prion disease subtypes (sCJD MM2C, VV1, and VPSPr) showed relatively lower ubiquitin levels compared to the VV2 subtype, but still higher than controls. Ubiquitin levels did not differ between sporadic and genetic prion disease cases. Among the latter group, gCJD V210I subjects demonstrated the highest levels, followed by gCJD E200K and GSS, while FFI cases showed values within the normal range ([Figure 1](#biomolecules-10-00497-f001){ref-type="fig"}C).
Moreover, the VV2 group showed higher levels of NfL (*p* = 0.001) and YKL-40 (*p* = 0.001) than the MM(V)1 group and higher levels of NfL (*p* = 0.016) and t-tau (*p* = 0.001) than the MV2K group \[[@B13-biomolecules-10-00497]\] At variance, t-tau and NfL levels were similar between MM(V)1 and VV2 or MV2K, respectively \[[@B13-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. These findings were confirmed even after the exclusion of probable cases.
In MM(V)1 and MV2K subtypes, the correlations between ubiquitin and neurodegenerative markers share similar coefficients (MM(V)1: NfL r = 0.575, *p* \< 0.001; t-tau r = 0.691, *p* \< 0.001; MV2K: NfL r = 0.539, *p* = 0.038; t-tau r = 0.679, *p* = 0.005), while they were less powerful in the VV2 group (NfL r = 0.158, *p* = 0.531; t-tau r = 0.546, *p* = 0.019). Furthermore, the correlations between ubiquitin and YKL-40 were comparable in the three main subgroups (MM(V)1: YKL-40 r = 0.422, *p* = 0.015; VV2: YKL-40 r = 0.546, *p* = 0.019; MV2K: YKL-40 r = 0.608, *p* = 0.016).
In the whole prion disease group, we found a moderate positive correlation between ubiquitin levels and disease stage (r = 0.348, *p* = 0.004). Accordingly, there was a trend toward a gradual increase for ubiquitin levels throughout disease stages, with significantly higher values in the third tertile compared to the first (median third stage 189 pg/mL vs. first stage 90.9 ng/mL, *p* = 0.011), and intermediate values in the second tertile (median 134 pg/mL) ([Figure 1](#biomolecules-10-00497-f001){ref-type="fig"}D). However, these findings were not maintained after stratification according to the molecular subtype, probably due to the small sample size. However, no difference in the distribution of disease stages was detected between MM(V)1, VV2, and MV2K.
Based on univariate Cox regression analyses (59 prion disease cases, 56 dead, 3 censored) age (HR (CI 95%): 1.058 (1.017--1.100), *p* = 0.005), time from onset to LP (HR (CI 95%): 0.868 (0.790--0.952), *p* = 0.003), and molecular subtype (VV2 vs. MM(V)1, HR (CI 95%): 0.327 (0.162--0.658), *p* = 0.002; MV2K vs. MM(V)1, HR (CI 95%): 0.106 (0.040--0.284), *p* = 0.001) were identified as predictors of the mortality hazard ratios in prion disease, whereas ubiquitin concentration was not associated with survival.
3.3. Analysis of Prion-Related Ubiquitin Pathology {#sec3dot3-biomolecules-10-00497}
--------------------------------------------------
To search for abnormal ubiquitin deposits specifically related to CJD pathology, we performed ubiquitin immunohistochemistry on brain sections from the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and striatum showing various degrees of spongiform change and no or only minimal AD- or LB-related changes. All sCJD sections examined showed a dot- or stub-like ubiquitin immunoreactivity ([Figure 3](#biomolecules-10-00497-f003){ref-type="fig"}). However, the number and, to some extent, the size of the abnormal deposits varied significantly between cases and anatomical regions, being more numerous and occasionally larger in the areas with more significant spongiform change ([Figure 3](#biomolecules-10-00497-f003){ref-type="fig"}D--F). Consistently with the more widespread and, on average, more florid pathology that is seen in VV2 and MV2K cases in comparison to the MM(V)1 group, the former subtypes showed a significantly higher score of positive immunoreactivity (VV2: median 6.0, IQR 5.3--6.5; n = 5; MV2K: median 6.05, IQR 5.2--6.5; n = 5) than the MM(V)1 group (median 3.75, IQR 3.5--4.8; n = 5) (MM(V)1 vs. VV2 *p* = 0.010; MM(V)1 vs. MV2K *p* = 0.007; MV2K vs. VV2 *p* = 0.981).
4. Discussion {#sec4-biomolecules-10-00497}
=============
The gold standard for the validation of any new biomarker to be used in the clinical setting requires the evaluation of its performance in independent cohorts. In the present study, we analyzed a large cohort of well-characterized cases to add consistency to previous findings from our and other groups \[[@B3-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B4-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B5-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B6-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B9-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B11-biomolecules-10-00497]\] concerning CSF ubiquitin level variations among NDs. Moreover, we showed for the first time that ubiquitin levels in prion disease differ between sCJD molecular subtypes, and correlate with disease stage. Overall, prion disease cases demonstrated the highest ubiquitin values among diagnostic groups, followed by AD, while FTD cases did not differ from controls as previously reported \[[@B4-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B5-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. Interestingly, the median values of the cohort groups largely overlapped with those of our previous publication, which underlines the reliability of the applied analytical method \[[@B4-biomolecules-10-00497]\].
Furthermore, we confirmed the good diagnostic value of CSF ubiquitin in the differential diagnosis between prion disease and other NDs \[[@B4-biomolecules-10-00497]\], and, most interestingly, between AD and FTD (AUC = 0.880, sensitivity = 86.8%, specificity = 80.0%), although, overall, the ubiquitin performance remained lower than that of classic biomarkers of neurodegeneration such as NfL and t-tau.
By showing that ubiquitin levels varied significantly across distinct molecular subtypes of sCJD, we also provide new insights into the possible mechanisms associated with CSF ubiquitin increase in NDs. Indeed, sCJD VV2 showed the highest protein values among sCJD subtypes, and, most strikingly, an almost two-fold higher protein concentration than that of classic sCJD MM(V)1, the most common and most aggressive subtype. On one side, the strong correlations between established biomarkers of neuronal/axonal damage, such as t-tau and NfL, and ubiquitin in all NDs and prion subtypes (even in sCJD VV2) indicate that the concentration of free monoubiquitin in the CSF reflects the velocity and extent of neuronal damage \[[@B4-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B5-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. Accordingly, we found lower ubiquitin levels in FTD and AD in comparison to prion diseases, and lower protein concentrations in the subtypes with a relatively slow progressive course, such as FFI, GSS, sCJD MV2K, and MM2C, than in sCJD MM(V)1, and VV2 subtypes \[[@B12-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B13-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B27-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. On the other hand, however, some pathological, clinical and biochemical features of the VV2 subgroup suggest that other mechanisms might contribute to the increase in CSF ubiquitin levels, at least in prion disease. Interestingly, sCJD cases demonstrated a dot-like pattern of ubiquitin staining especially in the area with the most significant spongiform change that largely overlaps in morphology and relative distribution with what we previously described for p-tau, the latter being also more consistent in sCJD VV2 and MV2K than in sCJD MM(V)1 \[[@B27-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. Thus, as p-tau levels correlate with the extent of p-tau deposition \[[@B27-biomolecules-10-00497]\], the presence and extent of these ubiquitin deposits may also contribute to the raise of ubiquitin concentration in the CSF of sCJD cases. However, the much lower values of CSF ubiquitin in MV2K in comparison to VV2 cases indicate that the latter cannot be the only factor determining the ubiquitin concentration in the CSF. Besides the extent of spongiform change, VV2 cases also typically show a more pronounced and widespread PrP^Sc^ deposition compared to MM(V)1 cases \[[@B34-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. Therefore, we speculate that this variable might also affect proteostasis resulting in higher brain accumulation of ubiquitin and/or a disproportionate rise of CSF ubiquitin compared to t-tau and NfL in the VV2 group. Accordingly, a positive correlation between CSF and brain ubiquitin concentration has already been reported in AD \[[@B9-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. Moreover, although sCJD MM(V)1 and VV2 groups share overlapping or slightly different CSF t-tau values \[present data, 13, 27\], the correlations between ubiquitin and t-tau levels were more robust in the former than in the latter group. Furthermore, given that extracellular ubiquitin may play an anti-inflammatory role \[[@B10-biomolecules-10-00497]\], the up-regulation of CSF ubiquitin in VV2 may be considered an early attempt to balance a more severe neuroinflammatory response in VV2, which is also reflected by a higher degree of brain microglial immunoreactivity and CSF YKL-40 levels \[[@B13-biomolecules-10-00497],[@B35-biomolecules-10-00497]\]. Finally, a positive effect of ubiquitin excess of transcription on its CSF increase appears less probable, given that our previous global gene expression analysis in sCJD brains \[[@B36-biomolecules-10-00497]\] did not report a significant RNA overexpression of the protein in CJD compared to controls (data not shown). On another issue, the correlation between CSF ubiquitin levels and disease stage suggests a time-dependent increase of the protein, while the lack of association with survival limits its role as a prognostic marker in prion disease.
Given all these considerations, the ultimate role of CSF ubiquitin in neurodegeneration remains to be fully elucidated. However, we suggest that the identification of proteins, such as ubiquitin, as new potential CSF biomarkers, may help us to increase the understanding of distinct pathogenetic pathways involved in neurodegeneration, especially in prion disease.
The major strength of our study is the completeness, and comprehensive characterization of the case series analyzed, which comprise virtually all subtypes of prion disease. In contrast, the cross-sectional nature of the study, which did not help in tracking the longitudinal evolution of biomarker values according to disease stage represents a potential limitation. Moreover, despite the very promising results in terms of both diagnostic value and reliability, the main limit for the implementation of CSF ubiquitin analysis in the clinical diagnostic setting is that LC−MS/MS is often used for drug monitoring but is currently not as distributed as the simple ELISA techniques.
In conclusion, in view of a widespread diffusion of the method, based on our study and on previous findings, we validated and provided further evidence for the role of CSF ubiquitin as a rapid and accurate marker in the differential diagnosis of NDs. Moreover, we contributed to the understanding of possible pathophysiological correlates of CSF ubiquitin changes in NDs. Finally, if future cross-sectional studies will confirm the positive correlation between ubiquitin levels and disease stage in prion disease, its evaluation together with that of other fluid biomarkers may be useful in future clinical trials as a surrogate biomarker of prion disease stage.
The authors wish to thank Stephen Meier, Barbara Polischi, M.Sc. and Benedetta Carlà M.Sc. for their valuable technical assistance.
Conceptualization, S.A.-R., P.O., M.O. and P.P.; Methodology, S.A.-R., P.O., S.B., M.O. and P.P.; Validation, S.A.-R., P.O., M.O. and P.P.; Formal Analysis, S.A.-R., P.O., S.B., M.O. and P.P.; Investigation, Resources, and Samples, S.A.-R., P.O., S.B., S.H., P.S., S.C., M.O. and P.P.; Data Curation, S.A.-R., P.O., S.B., M.O. and P.P.; Writing---Original Draft Preparation, S.A.-R, P.O., M.O. and P.P.; Writing---Review & Editing, M.O. and P.P.; Supervision, M.O. and P.P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
This work was supported by grants from the Italian Ministry of Health ("Ricerca corrente"), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (projects: FTLDc 01GI1007A), the EU Joint Programme - Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) networks PreFrontAls, Genfi-Prox (01ED1512), the foundation of the state of Baden-Württemberg (D.3830), the EU (FAIR-PARK II 633190), the German Research Foundation/DFG (SFB1279), Boehringer Ingelheim Ulm University BioCenter (D.5009) and the Thierry Latran foundation, BIU (D.5009). This work is part of the German Dr. med. thesis of Samir Abu Rumeileh.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
{#biomolecules-10-00497-f001}
{#biomolecules-10-00497-f002}
{#biomolecules-10-00497-f003}
biomolecules-10-00497-t001_Table 1
######
Demographic data and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker levels in the diagnostic groups.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diagnosis Prion Disease AD FTD Controls P
-------------------------------- --------------------- ------------------- ------------------- ------------------- ---------
N 84 38 30 28
Age at LP (Years ± SD) 67.6 ± 8.95 68.9 ± 7.99 66.5 ± 8.47 64.7 ± 9.89 0.517
Female (%) 46.4% 36.8% 56.7% 46.4% 0.446
Time from Symptom Onset to LP\ 4.54 ± 4.27 47.5 ± 29.37 33.9 ± 22.24 \- \<0.001
(Months ± SD)
Ubiquitin Median (IQR) ng/mL 128.5 (70.6--216.3) 55.6 (47.0--62.1) 31.9 (27.7--39.5) 32.6 (27.1--41.3) \<0.001
NfL Median (IQR) pg/mL 6250 (3665--11750) 1199 (856--1574) 2027 (1280--6025) 587 (417--769) \<0.001
t-tau Median (IQR) pg/mL 4573 (1975--9134) 698 (494--1012) 220 (168--288) 165 (138--225) \<0.001
YKL-40 Median (IQR) ng/mL 308 (198--454) 240 (177--289) 186 (150--264) 147 (116--158) \<0.001
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
biomolecules-10-00497-t002_Table 2
######
Diagnostic accuracy of CSF ubiquitin in the distinction between neurodegenerative dementias.
AUC Cut-off (ng/mL) Sens (%) Spec (%)
---------------------------- --------------- ---- ----------------- ---------- ----------
Prion Disease vs. Controls 0.949 ± 0.020 \> 51.1 88.1 96.4
AD vs. Controls 0.925 ± 0.032 \> 42.5 86.8 88.5
Prion Disease vs. AD 0.848 ± 0.035 \> 68.3 77.4 89.5
Prion Disease vs. FTD 0.948 ± 0.020 \> 54.6 85.7 96.7
AD vs. FTD 0.880 ± 0.044 \> 45.7 86.8 80
biomolecules-10-00497-t003_Table 3
######
CSF biomarkers in prion disease subtypes.
Subtype N Ubiquitin (ng/mL) Median (IQR) NfL (pg/mL) Median (IQR) t-tau (pg/mL) Median (IQR) YKL-40 (ng/mL) Median (IQR)
------------- ---- -------------------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------------- -----------------------------
sCJD MM(V)1 33 136.0 (94.6--199.0) 5250 (3689--6800) 6506 (2939--9223) 257 (168--353)
sCJD VV2 18 261.0 (186.3--305.3) 12525 (10750--15963) 8358 (4957--14825) 533 (300--764)
sCJD MV2K 15 71.4 (62.1--118.0) 8250 (3665--11750) 2293 (1433--3088) 336 (199--486)
sCJD MM2C 4 79 (40.7--188.0) 8525 (3112--13763) 2136 (907--6893) 321 (185--976)
sCJD VV1 1 94.7 15900 3790 455
VPSPr 1 65.3 1606 1273 341
gCJD E200K 4 79.0 (40.7--188.0) 8525 (3112--13763) 2137 (907--6893) 321 (185--976)
gCJD V210I 4 186.5 (159.0--283.8) 7813 (2929--12375) 8518 (6069--14125) 409 (165--474)
FFI (D178N) 3 18.8, 29.0, 28.1 11881, 5150, 3536 120, 288, 190 253, 146, 165
GSS (P102L) 1 54.3 2611 5664 450
[^1]: These authors contributed equally to this work.
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Central |
Tag Archives: frank herbert
I know everyone raves about this book… but for me, Dune was a mixed bag. On one hand, I enjoyed the desert setting, the fantasy elements, and the entire premise of the thing. On the other hand, I didn’t really relate to any of the characters, and a large portion of the book felt like something of a chore to read… which, let’s face it, is never a good sign.
But first: the positives.
I actually loved the beginning of the book, and quite quickly found myself warming to the main characters Jessica, Paul and Leto. Furthermore, the mythos – the gom jabbar and the Bene Gesserit and the Kwisatz Hadderach – intrigued me. I liked how I was thrown in at the deep end, and that the author was clearly intending to reveal things gradually rather than just explain it all straight away.
Then again, I did feel there was too much exposition at this point, and that dialogue was being used a little too much to try and convey some of the background; I felt like the characters were unnecessarily talking about things for the sake of the reader. And the mysterious things that started out so intriguing? They actually got quite annoying the more the book progressed. I got the sense that I was being excluded from something, and while this doesn’t always bother me (it’s pretty much one of the hallmarks of Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen, aka. my favourite fantasy series of all time) it really started the get on my nerves here, to the point where I’d grind my teeth any time the words ‘Bene Gesserit’ or ‘prescience’ were mentioned. And I no longer give even the smallest of flying fucks about the Kwisatz Hadderach.
Anyway. I enjoyed the beginning of the book for the sense of total upheaval it conveyed; how the protagonists were literally transported from one world to another within a matter of pages, and that this new world was totally alien and hostile. One of my favourite scenes in the whole book happens around this point: Leto, the ‘thopter, the sandworm, the spice factory, the daring rescue . . . I LOVED this epic scene.
But it all went downhill from there – beginning with the main character apparently undergoing some sort of off-page lobotomy. Alright, I (kind of) get why Paul doesn’t have much personality; but it still makes for an incredibly unsympathetic protagonist. And I think in some ways all of the characters suffered from this: I felt like I was watching them do things, but I was ignorant as to why they were doing them. This disconnect made me less invested in the story as a whole.
I was pretty interested in the Harkonnens. However, they could have been fleshed out a LOT more – particularly the Baron, who is a rather disappointing villain: two-dimensional and defined only by his greed and his homosexuality (which is presented very negatively in this instance, and is yet another aspect of the story to dislike with vehemence). I would’ve liked to learn more of the feud between the Atreides and the Harkonnens, and instead felt that the scenes with the Baron ad Feyd-Rautha were a little shallow and irrelevant.
Despite all my gripes, I did enjoy Dune; just not as much as I’d hoped. I kept waiting for it to turn into something spectacular, and for some reason I never felt it really delivered everything it could have done. The only aspect at which it excelled (or so I feel) is the setting. The author paints a very vivid picture of the desert planet (although I did sometimes feel like he didn’t stress enough about how hot and uncomfortable it must be!) and of a population who want to change the ecosystem and create a better world. The concept of having to wear ‘stillsuits’ in the desert also lent an air of realism, being a very practical rather than romantic view of the rebels. And the sandworms are a brilliant invention (although I preferred them at the beginning when they were scary, rather than later when they were just used as glorified donkeys).
To sum up, then: there were plenty of things I liked about Dune, and plenty more that I didn’t. While the characters lacked character and the action lacked action, the fantasy (rather than SF) elements – such as the knife-fights and the sandworms – were excellent. I just wish there had been more of these, and less of the Bene Gesserit bollocks.
Note: the original version of this review was posted on halfstrungharp.com on 5th January 2015. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
MAIDUGURI (Reuters) - The death toll from an Islamist attack on the northeast Nigerian market town of Gamburu, near the Cameroon border, has risen to at least 125, a policeman at the scene evacuating bodies told Reuters by telephone on Wednesday.
Scores of suspected Boko Haram gunmen surrounded the town before dawn on Monday when its market was busy, and sprayed it with automatic gunfire, burning houses and vehicles and in some cases slitting people's throats.
A witness had initially seen 13 bodies in the immediate vicinity of her house.
(Reporting by Lanre Ola; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by John Stonestreet) | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
Presentation and Delivery of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand via Elongated Plant Viral Nanoparticle Enhances Antitumor Efficacy.
Potato virus X (PVX) is a flexuous plant virus-based nanotechnology with promise in cancer therapy. As a high aspect ratio biologic (13 × 515 nm), PVX has excellent spatial control in structures and functions, offering high-precision nanoengineering for multivalent display of functional moieties. Herein, we demonstrate the preparation of the PVX-based nanocarrier for delivery of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), a promising protein drug that induces apoptosis in cancer cells but not healthy cells. TRAIL bound to PVX by coordination bonds between nickel-coordinated nitrilotriacetic acid on PVX and His-tag on the protein could mimic the bioactive "membrane-bound" state in native TRAIL, resulting in an elongated nanoparticle displaying up 490 therapeutic protein molecules. Our data show that PVX-delivered TRAIL activates caspase-mediated apoptosis more efficiently compared to soluble TRAIL; also in vivo the therapeutic nanoparticle outperforms in delaying tumor growth in an athymic nude mouse model bearing human triple-negative breast cancer xenografts. This proof-of-concept work highlights the potential of filamentous plant virus nanotechnologies, particularly for targeting protein drug delivery for cancer therapy. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Abstracts |
Judge says Cosby wife must give deposition, but with limits
BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled Thursday that Bill Cosby's wife must give a deposition in a defamation lawsuit against the comedian, but said she can refuse to answer questions about private marital conversations.
In the lawsuit, seven women claim Cosby defamed them by branding them as liars after they went public with accusations that he sexually assaulted them decades ago.
A lawyer for the women has sought to compel Camille Cosby to give a deposition. Last month, a magistrate judge rejected Cosby's bid to quash the deposition subpoena.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Mark Mastroianni upheld the magistrate's ruling, but said Camille Cosby may refuse to answer questions that call for testimony prohibited by the Massachusetts marital disqualification rule. The rule generally prohibits spouses from testifying about private marital conversations.
The women's lawyer, Joseph Cammarata, hoped to depose Camille Cosby on Feb. 22, but it was not immediately clear if that date is firm.
Camille Cosby's lawyers praised the ruling. In a statement, they said the ruling affirms "the confidential nature of and protection afforded to marital communications."
Cammarata has argued that since Camille Cosby has been married to Cosby for 52 years and was also his business manager, she could have useful information.
But since the judge ruled that she can refuse to answer questions about her private conversations with her husband, it is now unclear how much information she will supply.
In his ruling, Mastroianni said the right to refuse to answer certain deposition questions does not entitle someone to refuse to appear for a deposition altogether. The judge also said that the marital disqualification rule only applies to private conversations and there are exceptions, including when a third party was present and heard the conversation, if both spouses were jointly engaged in criminal activity or if the communication was written.
"Accordingly, in light of the relatively narrow scope of the rule, the existence of various exceptions, and (Camille Cosby's) unique role in Defendant's life for over fifty years, she may possess a good deal of relevant, non-protected information which can be uncovered in a deposition," Mastroianni wrote.
The seven women suing Cosby for defamation are among about 50 women who have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct. He has denied their allegations.
Cosby, 78, was charged in December in Pennsylvania with drugging and sexually assaulting a former Temple University athletic department employee at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. He has pleaded not guilty. A judge last week denied a motion by Cosby's lawyers to dismiss the charges and scheduled a preliminary hearing for March 8. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
2 weeks ago when I made the article, I noticed that Big C were selling the same 20 baht!!! Not anymore!!!
Check that, they even beat Tops at their own game: 39 baht for a croissant that was 20 baht last week, 35 baht for beignets that were 10 baht last week and the Pear tard that were 40 baht last week are now 85 baht. But you get a French flag with it!
Are we all bozo the clown?
Were are these greedy ass will stop? Croissant 1000 baht? Why not?
Stop buying there, because in fact there is a good option at Friendship, Best and Foodmart. A bakery is doing the butter croissant 22 baht, the chocolate one (chocolatine) 23 bath etc… and they taste even better, made like a real bakery would make them. Check the pictures down here and compare. Spend your money smartly and help the ones who are doing a great job, while staying at a reasonable price. ( I don’t know the name of this bakery).
Big C doubled the price of these, adding a French flag on it!
I think these are the most expensive croissants in Pattaya, Big C (Casino brand in France) are selling them less than 20 baht in France. haha take that in your Wallet! | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Civil Construction
Reducing Civil downtime with HDPE Pipes
Getting Poly pipe into the ground nowadays can prove an operational challenge. New demands for comprehensive weld traceability and Watermark Certification for fittings require new solutions. Reliable access to Poly Electrofusion and Poly Pipe Fittings stock with both Australian and International Certification ensures our clients can answer quality queries with confidence. Data logging proving difficult? Our range of Ritmo Electrofusion and HDPE Pipe welding equipment can be easily optioned to include weld parameter logging including GPS traceability which is simply downloaded to a USB in pdf format on job completion – the simplicity you need. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Earlier this week, at 7 am Pacific, Nintendo held an abnormally short Nintendo Direct- a typically bi or tri-annual stream used to reveal new projects and updates on projects to fans. This direct was focused on Pokemon, and had plenty of anticipation building around it despite the announced run time... | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Q:
overriding ubercart - add to cart button
I try to override add to cart button with hook form alter in custom module with this function but I got an error Fatal error: fatal flex scanner internal error end of buffer missed in. What can be the problem?
function uc_button_form_alter($form_id, &$form_state, $node) {
if ($form_id == 'edit-submit-' . $node->nid) {
$form['submit']['#attributes']= array(
'class' => 'node-add-to-cart',
'xxx' => 'xxx',
);
}
};
Thank you
A:
In D7, below is my solution for different product classes.
/* Overrides the Add to Cart form text*/
if ( !empty($form['nid']) ) {
$node = $form['nid']['#value'];
}
else {
$node = 0;
}
if (($form_id == 'uc_product_add_to_cart_form_'.$node) and ($form['node']['#value']->type =='uc_recurring_subscription')){
$form['actions']['submit']['#value'] = t('Subscribe');
}
if (($form_id == 'uc_product_add_to_cart_form_'.$node) and ($form['node']['#value']->type =='credit')){
$form['actions']['submit']['#value'] = t('Buy');
}
For regular product or just one product class, this should work.
/* Overrides the Add to Cart form text*/
if ( !empty($form['nid']) ) {
$node = $form['nid']['#value'];
}
else {
$node = 0;
}
if (($form_id == 'uc_product_add_to_cart_form_'.$node){
$form['actions']['submit']['#value'] = t('Buy now');
}
| tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | StackExchange |
Jodio Loco Sucio
JLS (Jodio Loco Sucio) is a rock band originating from the Dominican Republic, formed in the year of 1992 currently based in Zaragoza, Spain. The band's name in Spanish means "fucking crazy dirtbag" (literally "fucked crazy dirtbag").
Discography
Albums released
Testigos de la Historia - 1997
"Enemigo de la sociedad"
"Me da la gana"
"Caída del sol naciente"
" El Día Que Decidí ser Padre"
"Saquen la Gran Muralla"
"Es Que Tu"
"El Precio de la Fama"
"Dame tu Sexo"
" Lunático"
"Yo Te Siento"
"La Onda Fatal"
"Harto de Existir"
"Eres Cabeza Dura"
"Distraught"
"Faro a Colón"
"Quítate el Velo"
"Pa' 'Tra' '"
"Nadie Sabe "
Serpiente en el Huerto - 2000
"Privilegio es vivir en una democraC.I.A"
"Leña"
"El Rey del Mosh"
" Sofocado"
"J.L.S. (Jodio Loco Sucio)"
"Diputado Man"
"El Precio de la Fama"
"Más allá"
" Legión"
"Confusión"
"Control total"
"La Vegana Vengadora"
"En la soledad"
Un Año de Odio..., Un Siglo de Miedo - 2003
"Harto"
"País:Caos"
"Carta de odio"
"Un Año de odio"
"Un siglo de miedo"
"Fuck u Up"
"Frío Metal"
"Pedazo de mierda"
"Los títeres de Sam"
"Ah..., Los Dictadores"
"Maco Jones"
"Mata Locura"
"Vete"
"Te Juro"
"Sharon"
"Gente de ma'"
"No me importa"
"Creator'"
"Speak Softly, Carry Big Stick "
"Gatillo 100 "
Crudo - 2007 (recopilatorio)
"Intro"
"Maco Jones"
"Carta de odio"
"Damn you"
"Fuck you up"
"Ah! Los dictadores"
"Opposed to Potus"
"Gente de ma'"
"Más allá"
"Legión"
"Sinking"
"Privilegio de vivir en una DemocraC.I.A"
"Leña"
"Rey del mosh"
"Confusión"
"Love Garage"
"Voodoo"
"J.L.S"
"Enemigo de la Sociedad "
Awards
Best of Dominican Rock Awards
Concert and-or Event: Patra 3 Ruinas de San Francisco (1998)
Production of the Year: Testigos de la Historia (1998)
Best video: Lunatico (1998)
Nominations
Premios Casandra
Best Rock Group (1999)
Best Rock Group (2000)
References
Category:Dominican Republic musical groups
Category:Rock en Español music groups | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Wikipedia (en) |
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Here's a semi-melancholic little tale, dabbed with a dash of horror, from
the French-speaking northernmost of the Americas, written and directed by Jean-François
Lévesque. Lévesque, born in Saint-Gabriel, Quebec, Lévesque is now
Montreal-based, but other than that we know naught.
The short is an interesting mixture of animation
styles, and it reflects an experience that most people have in their life: the erasure,
if not eradication, of one's joys and dreams by the meaningless drudgery of the
modern working world. Will it kill you, as it does so many others?But as the film points out, don't lose all hope: it is never too late to
rediscover that which made or makes you happy — you just need to wake up again. (Wakey-wakey.)
Sunday, March 19, 2017
A seminal force in the world of trash
filmmaking, he is considered the inventor of the modern gore film. (In theory,
a position he holds with David F. Friedman,
but when the partnership ended Friedman's true interest proved to be
sexploitation.) To use his own, favorite words: "I've often compared Blood
Feast (1963) to a Walt Whitman poem; it's no good, but it was the first of its
kind." And a truly fun gore film, too — which makes it "good" in
our view.
Unlike Blood Feast and his "better
movies", many of the projects he worked on are unbearable cinematic
experiences; but more than enough of the others are sublime, otherworldly, like
the best of Ed Wood, Juan Piquer Simón
or John Waters. Were it not for innovators like him, A Wasted Life probably
wouldn't be.
Suddenly, three decades after The Gore Gore
Girls (1972, see Part V),
HGL suddenly came out of the woodwork and once again sat in the director's chair
again. We saw and reviewed the result; the title above is linked to our
typically verbose review. Blood Feast 2 was fun enough… and, yes, we would
watch it again.
Lewis claimed that throughout those three decades
(during which HGL accrued a fortune as a junk mail specialist), this or that
person always approached him with the suggestion that he return to direction,
to which he would more or less say something like "You put the project
together, and I will [for money]." Jacky Lee Morgen finally did, with a
script by some unknown named W. Boyd Ford that Lewis made numerous
"suggestions" on; one assumes many were taken. Over at The Daily Public,
Lewis gushed, "Now, for Blood Feast2, I was — The Director! I sat in — The
Director's Chair! I could watch the action on a television monitor! So if there
was a microphone in the picture, I fix it, instead of seeing it that night in
the rushes. Big difference — I even had an assistant director, if you can
believe it. I never worked less and had a better time. […] It [Blood Feast
2] was released to DVD in two versions, the rated-R version [missing most of
the gore] for Blockbuster, and the special edition for everybody else. Those
who might rent that movie at Blockbuster will wonder, 'What is this all about?
All you have here is a bunch of mediocre acting'."
The Worldwide Celluloid Massacre,
a site not known for easy praise, liked the movie, too: "Thirty years
after film-retirement and forty after the first Blood Feast, and Lewis has
still got it. The only things that have changed are the gore effects, which are
more extreme and convincing, but the entertaining mix of camp, splatter, silly
comedy, politically incorrect humor and mediocre acting are all served on a
bloody platter as before. Ramses the Third (J.P. Delahoussaye) re-opens his
grandfather's shop and is worshipping Ishtar in no time, vigorously collecting
the ingredients for a blood feast by slicing, chopping, mincing, skinning, and
eviscerating the local bimbo models who prance about half naked and provide the
caterer with kidneys, fingers, brains, livers, etc. An eating machine and idiot
serve as the local bumbling policemen, and John Waters makes an appropriate
cameo. Hit-and-miss campy splatter comedy with extreme gore."
Trailer:
Hunting for Herschell
(2003, dir. Robert Hooker)
Herschell Gordon Lewis goes meta and plays
himself in this independent and unknown digitally shot regional no-budget horror
movie, seemingly the first and last and everything of director Robert Hooker. (Ditto,
it would seem, with scriptwriter Jarrod Canepa,* who also played one of the
lead roles.) Little can be found online about Hunting for Herschell, and the
"official website" no longer works: "The website you are looking
for, www.huntingforherschell.8m.com, has been disabled due to billing issue."
*According to DVD Talk,
Jarrod was involved with another HGL project that never saw the light of day, Herschell
Gordon Lewis' Grim Fairy Tales in its originally intended format. In an interview at Love It Loud,
HGL said that "The Uh-Oh Show is the new title for Grim Fairy Tale." Jarrod
does not seem to be part of that project, which we will look at in a month or
two.
The most common synopsis of Hunting for
Herschell found online comes from the imdb, where it is credited to Erynn Dalton,
who plays a newscaster in the flick: "It's a story as American as apple
pie. Two star-struck boys write a screenplay to honor their great idol, a
famous filmmaker who is visiting their small town. They do everything in their
power to show it to him, including sneaking into events the filmmaker is attending,
posing as caterers, and even brutally murdering anyone who gets in their way.
OK, so maybe it's not as American as apple pie, but that's exactly what
happened to the famed Godfather of Gore, Herschell Gordon Lewis. The ink on the
newly written screenplay was barely dry when 24-year-old Thomas Montero (Jarrod
Canepa) and Eddie Gagliano (Ford D'Aprix) began
their relentless rampage throughout South Florida, leaving in their wake a cast
of cookie-cutter victims perfect for any horror movie. In a gesture of almost
divine irony, Mr. Lewis literally uses religion as a defense making him one of
the most unique Bible-Thumpers in history."
In regard to the film, in an interview the
"73-year-old Fort Lauderdale millionaire Herschell Gordon Lewis" gave
to the Miami New Times, HGL said, "I thought the whole thing was a joke. They
asked, 'Would you object if we did this?' How do you answer something like
that? How many people who are still alive have a movie made about them? They
actually had a script calling for me to be in it. […] I am not going to rain on
their parade. They are extraordinarily serious about this project, and who
could ever jump on people who are serious about what they're doing? Especially
when it's about me!"
HGL even appeared at an occasional special
(and local) screening, going by what the Sun-Sentinel
said about the movie: "Hunting is a dark comedy with amateur amputations,
strewn intestines and even a meat grinder, and it was all made possible by
Lewis, a Fort Lauderdale resident who will appear at a screening of the film
tonight at Cinema Paradiso."
Chainsaw Sally
(2004, writ & dir. JimmyO)
Herschell Gordon Lewis acts in this horror
flick from "the First Family of Indi Horror", playing the "kindly
hardware store owner" Mr. Gordon. Another guest appearance of note in the
movie: Gunnar "Leatherface" Hansen (4 Mar 1947 — 7 Nov 2015) as
Chainsaw Sally's Daddy.
The interview conducted by Nic Brown of
JimmyO (aka Jimmyo Burril)
over at B Movie Man
reveals that director "JimmyO didn't start out making films though; he
started with children's musical theater. Then he had the idea to combine his
love of horror with his desire to create something for adults to enjoy too.
Thus was born [the stage show] Silver Scream, his musical homage to classic
horror films. To help promote Silver Scream, JimmyO and his wife April created
a 'hostess' to appear at conventions and on the internet to help gather
interest in the film. Little did they know at the time that Chainsaw Sally
would become an internet favorite and eventually spark her own film!" (But
before Chainsaw Sally got her own eponymously named movie, Silver Scream saw
the light of day as a direct-to-video feature-length music film in 2003.)
Chainsaw Sally
Teaser Trailer:
Dr Gore,
who asks the pertinent question "Why didn't Chainsaw Sally get
topless?", gives Chainsaw Sally a score of "2 out of 4 psycho
Sallys". He also explains the plot as follows: "Chainsaw Sally is
about a girl and her chainsaw. Sally (April Monique Burril) has had a tough
life. Her parents were killed by a roving gang of madmen. This incident scars
young Sally for life and blossoms her into the bloodlust crazed Chainsaw Sally.
She takes on a shy librarian persona for cover. No one will suspect! Chainsaw
Sally likes to rip and tear into anyone who is rude and obnoxious. Talkative
library patrons, snotty ice cream girls and foul mouthed guys in bars all get
to taste Sally's blade. A rich guy (David Calhoun) rolls into town to try to
sell his property which houses Sally and her equally twisted brother (Alec
Joseph). Will Sally allow someone to sell her psychotic homestead? Not bloody
likely."
The Video Graveyard
likes the flick, saying: "In the small town of Porterville, […] Sally and
Ruby kill off anybody who happens to piss them off — or try to take their home
away from them. This gives the makers plenty of opportunity for various death
scenes, but apart from a few bloody moments in the finale (involving a chainsaw
and gross use of formaldehyde), it seems like the murders are cut fairly short
— which may be one of director JimmyO's various nods to the original Texas
Chain Saw Massacre (1973 / trailer)
[…] But I will admit when a womanizer gets a sparkler in a very uncomfortable
place it certainly was creative. Chainsaw Sally is certainly a demented ride
and it's filled with quirky characters and dark humour. I had a fun time with
it even if a few minor problems did spring up. The main things holding this
back from outright greatness (it'll still be a cult favourite, mark my words)
is the fact the movie is a bit loosely structured and the script never really develops
its set-up of having Sally and Ruby being deranged cannibals — sure, we're
given flashbacks to their parents murders […], but a build-up to their
nuttiness might've been cool as well."
Chainsaw Sally
Trailer:
Chainsaw Sally went on to spawn an internet
series, The Chainsaw Sally Show, episodes of which have been edited together
into two movies, The Chainsaw Sally Show (2010) and The Chainsaw Sally Show
Season 2 (2012). It seems, going by the poster below, an animated series is currently
in the works.
A video documentary that seems to divide
the (non)masses of the few who have seen it, HGL is one of the
"established" talking heads sandwiched somewhere between the newer,
currently (and probably forever) unknown talking heads upon which the
documentary actually focuses.
Trailer:
Film Guinea Pig
points out that Horror Business "serves as a quick way to help raise
understanding (if not appreciation) for the horror B-movies of the twenty-first
century. […] [P]ut together in true guerrilla film fashion by director
Christopher P. Garetano. […] Garetano's doc certainly conveys the exuberance
(if few new craft insights) of the low/no budget end of the cinematic scale.
[…] Perhaps more than anything, Horror Business acts as a primer for those who
wish to be introduced to a few of the more recent players in the micro-budget
film biz. (I'll admit it's sometimes painful to refer to these works as 'film'
when they are not only shot on video but REALLY AWFUL looking video with
amateur porn-flic lighting to boot. However...)
Movies Made Me
says: "The subject at hand in this documentary is independent
movie-making, and to be more specific, independent horror movie-making. Telling
the stories are a mixture of the truly independent guys who most of you
probably haven't heard of as well as a handful of the bigger names in horror.
[…], [H]onestly, there's no real subject to be found. The independent guys talk
about how hard it is to make a movie, they question their own motives for
continuing in the business, and they discuss their own movies for a while. […]
[T]his material felt less like a documentary on horror in general and more like
something that should have been included as a bonus feature on their latest DVD
releases. A solid ninety percent of the material is simple behind-the-scenes
stuff mixed with 'Gee, it's really hard to make a movie with no money!' and 'We
need more drive-in theaters' observations, and while I won't disagree with
those statements, they didn't make for a very interesting time in front of the
tube. You may be thinking that the 'name' appearances could make this film
worth watching, but that wasn't to be as each of the involved men only received
a few minutes of screen time […]. Everyone involved is fun to listen to and
it's obvious that everyone knows what they're talking about, but when you try
to extract some real information from what they're saying, you either come up
empty or realize that what they're saying is completely obvious. In my humble
opinion, this film was a failure."
Among the impassioned featured are Dave Parker, whose
2000 movie The Dead Hate the Living!
we totally hated; David Gebroe,
whose flawed but intriguing Zombie Honeymoon
(2004) is definitely worth a gander; and Rodrigo Gudiño,
a man who might yet become a name, and whose short film The Facts in the Case
of Mister Hollow
(2008) was our Short Film of the Month for July 2016.
2001 Maniacs
(2005, dir. Tim Sullivan)
Filmed at the "living history"
town of Westville,
Georgia. Thirty-seven years after the release of 2000 Maniacs (1964, see Part II),
HGL's early gore masterpiece — and one of his personal favorites — got the
remake treatment. HGL never saw the remake, it seems, and was not part of the
project; his former partner David F. Friedman alone of the two got any credit, as
co-producer. Three years later, in 2008, HGL had the following to say about the
remake at The Daily Public:
"Someone remade it [2000 Maniacs] in 2005 as 2001 Maniacs, which may have
missed the idea. I haven't seen it, but I'm told it's somewhat more polished
and somewhat more mean-spirited than the original. I can't imagine anyone
coming out of 2000 Maniacs and saying, 'This is for real.' I can imagine them
coming out of 2001 Maniacs, based on what I'm told, and being somewhat downcast
at what they've looked at."
His opinion aside, over at imdb, which
probably pretty well reflects the tastes of the masses, the current approval
ratings (date: 23 Jan 2017) of 2001 Maniacs is 5.4/10 (10,575
reviews) verses 5.9/10 (3,369
reviews) for 2000 Maniacs — no big dif, in the end. And while 2000 Maniacs
never had a sequel, 2001 Maniacs was followed five years later by 2001 Maniacs:
Field of Screams (2010) — same director, mostly new cast, noticeably lower
budget. (We'll look at it later.)
Trailer to
2001 Maniacs:
As far as we can tell, 2001 Maniacs was the
feature-length directorial debut of Tim Sullivan, an active man in the field of
horror film (producer, actor, scriptwriter, whatever). His first directorial
project, proudly credited to "Timothy Michael Sullivan", is the 1985
Christmas horror short A Christmas Treat, which we just haven't yet found
ourselves willing to choose as a Short Film of the Month, even when the season
might've call for it.
Tim Sullivan's
A Christmas Treat:
The Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Review
has the plot to 2001 Maniacs, which Sullivan co-scribed with regular co-scribe
Chris Kobin: "Three male college students drive to Florida for Spring
Break, intending to spend the time partying. They and several others on the
road are directed by a detour sign to take a different route and end up in the
Southern town of Pleasant Valley. They are welcomed by the locals who are in
the midst of the town's Guts and Glory Jubilee. The three guys are tempted by
some of the hot-looking women, while the girls from one of the other cars are
wooed by local guys. However, this is only an opportunity for the locals to
lure the travelers away and kill them."
As can be told by the above, the adult Joe
Schmoe victims of the original were, in accordance to modern dead-teenager film
expectations, converted into (over-aged) sex-hungry college students. And in
accordance to changing times, the Northern fodder is no longer lily white but
also includes an Afro American (Mushond Lee as "Malcolm") and Asian
American (Bianca Smith "Leah").
Over at the Worldwide Celluloid Massacre,
where 2001 Maniacs is labeled "Of Some Interest" on their Gore &
Splatter list, they say: "A campy homage to Herschell Gordon Lewis's
classic splatter movie featuring good ol' Southern hospitality […]. Campy,
over-the-top death scenes ensue with gleeful sadism, wisecracks and creativity,
including death by acid, horse-quartering, smashing under a huge bell,
impalement and others. Despite the campy, over-the-top sadistic approach
however, the actual gore is borderline conventional for modern movies of its
kind, with only about two scenes of extreme splatter."
Many years prior to his apparent retirement
last year, Dr Gore,
whose favorite scenes in the movie were the lesbian ones — "Ahh, kissing
cousins. Would any movie about maniacs in a Southern town be complete without
them?" — was very succinct in his opinion of the movie: "It's hard
not to like 2001 Maniacs. It's nowhere close to being a horror film, but the
maniacs enjoy causing bodily harm so much that their sick bliss starts to get
infectious. 2001 Maniacs treats anybody getting violently killed as the most hilarious
thing you ever saw. Bodies are mutilated with great joy. It does not skimp on
the red stuff."
And wimen get nekkid — a rarity in the
exploitation movies of the naughts.
OK, we're stretching things a bit by
including this short: its only connection with Herschell Gordon Lewis is that
he is one of those given "Special Thanks" during the final credits.
Why or for what, who knows. If you go to JP Wenner's website — click on his
name above — HGL is also quoted as saying (in regards to the short itself)
"It's Zen like." Uh, is that a complement? View and decide for
yourself.
"Based upon the motion picture [of
Herschell Gordon Lewis]." The fourth feature film directed by the very
busy neuvo horror meistro Jeremy Kasten, whose feature film directorial debut,
the low budget flick The Attic Expeditions (2001 / trailer),
is an interesting WTF horror film. The Wizard of Gore was scribed by Zach
Chassler, who also worked with Kasten on three other projects: Thirst (2006 /
trailer),
The Dead Ones (2011) — a lost film? — and The Theatre Bizarre (2011 / trailer).
Trailer to
The Wizard of Gore:
Varied Celluloid
has the plot: "Edmund Bigelow (Kip Pardue of But I'm a Cheerleader [1999])
writes for his own magazine, a little 'zine that focuses on the strange and the
unusual. Ed travels through various seedy parts of town trying to find new
forms of amusement to entertain his audience with. He finds just the perfect
oddity in Montag the Magnificent (Crispin Glover of Willard
[2003]). Montag has a show nightly in a seedy warehouse [for] only those
privileged enough to have run into his personal geek (Jeffrey Combs of Re-Animator
[1985], Castle Freak
[1995], and Sharkman
[2005]) […] and been given a business card. The show is your average magician's
routine, until Montag brings a girl from the audience up on stage. In one
instance he lays her behind a curtain of smoke and mirrors, then begins to saw
her apart and pull out her intestines. Ed is struck in the audience and begins
to leave along with everyone else — however, the lights come on and there the
girl is back on stage as if nothing had ever happened. […] After
repeat viewings of the show Ed's bones are creaking and the girls in the show
are all showing up dead in the exact same fashion that they were killed on
stage. What is Montag's secret and how dangerous will this become?"
Trailer to
But I'm a Cheerleader (1999):
Video Vista
was not impressed, blasting "The film's primary problem is that it is
dull. […] The problem is that the second act is spent endlessly re-staging the
same trick as the protagonist returns to the show again and again hoping to
work out the magician's secrets. Once the director gets bored with this, we are
dragged through some tiresomely sub-Philip K. Dick plotline involving
mind-control drugs that can force you to see whatever the person administering
the drugs wants you to see. This sets up a rather tedious hall of mirrors as we
move from considering the nature of the magician's trick to the nature of
reality itself as the trick seems to involve not just murder on stage but a
huge conspiracy of murder, sadism, slavery and prostitution. Under the special
effects and the Goth posturing, The Wizard of Gore is a film full of paper-thin
characters. The film's standout personalities are undeniably Brad Dourif's
scenery-chewing Vietnam veteran chemist, and Crispin Glover's preposterous,
ranting stage magician, but […] Kip Pardue and Bijou Phillips are utterly
vacuous as the male and female leads […]."
Last Movie Review on the Left,
however, disagrees, saying: "This is one of those rare occasions when the
remake surpasses the original. The performances are pretty good, and it is
helped by the fact that there is actually a plot, however confusing it may be.
This one is definitely worth hunting down."
According to imdb, "The bulk of this
film was shot at the Park Plaza Hotel
in Los Angeles". We mention this only because the building, which we had a
room there for about a half year in the 1980s prior to taking a flat in the
Bryson,
is one of our favorite structures in the City of Angels.
Three years after making The Wizard of Gore,
Jeremy Kasten, like HGL, was one of the talking heads found in American
Grindhouse [2010], which we look at later.
Book of Lore
(2007, dir. Chris LaMartina)
"This film is copyrighted. Don't be an
asshole."
The mind boggles. The (imdb and others)
give Herschell Gordon Lewis credit as being the uncredited voice on a Bingo
record. Where or how it fits into the plot of this low budget flick from the
Baltimore-based regional horror filmmaker Chris LaMartina, we have no idea.
Hell, we never even knew that there were "Bingo records" — wouldn't
the same card win all the time?
Trailer:
The plot, as found on Amazon:
"Twenty years ago, in the town to Latonsville, a notorious serial killer
known as 'The Devil's Left Hand'” kidnapped eleven babies and left local police
stumped. When Rick (Aj Hyde) discovers his girlfriend has been murdered in the
same grotesque fashion as The Devil's Left Hand crimes, he begins a quest to
unravel his town's unspeakable past. Using a cryptic encyclopedia of local murders
called The Book of Lore, Rick and his friends race against time to unlock the
secrets of the past."
And what does the fake news say about his
film? Well, B-independent
says: "There's so much to enjoy in Book of Lore that it would be easy for
me to continue singing its praises, and I haven't even started on the wonderful
Mario Bava-osity of the stylized visuals or the various visual metaphores and
devices symbolic of Rick's journey. This j-horror giallo hybrid gets so much
right that it's hard to figure out why so many people get it all wrong.
Everything I want in a horror is right in LaMartina's worn and mangled
composition book: tension, scares, chills, and a well told story that's full of
deliriously creepy twists and turns."
Buried.com
shares the view, claiming this "Hardy Boys investigating The Blair Witch"
flick "is a well-written, well-shot, well-acted feature that's extremely
ambitious considering its non-Hollywood budget. If you want to see a good
example of a recent 'Do-it-Yourself' horror movie, here it is. Highly
recommended."
American Swing
(2008, dir. Jon Hart
and Mathew Kaufman)
All Movie
reveals the focus of this documentary: "Plato's Retreat — New York City's
most notorious, 1970s-era sex club. The year was 1977: the city was in the
suffocating grip of a heat wave, nerves were rattled due to the energy crisis,
and the social unrest was growing. But when the sun went down over the city,
the nightlife flourished. The discos were packed, cocaine was all the rage at
Studio 54, and over at CBGB the punks were smashing it up. Inspired by the open
sexuality in gay clubs all across town, Larry Levenson hatched the idea to open
a club where people could have sex freely, without shame or threat of lawful
consequences. […] There were no inhibitions at Plato's Retreat, as highlighted
by the numerous vintage clips showing the swingers paradise in its heyday. But
while the city ultimately failed in their efforts to pass ordinances that would
close Plato's Retreat, the club flourished until the closing of its doors on
New Year's Eve, 1985, an erotic casualty of the growing AIDS crisis. […]."
Full film:
HGL was involved with this documentary
about the rise and fall of Larry Levenson
and Plato's Retreat?
Was he a talking head revealing a secret past and the true inspiration
behind his1968 suburban swinger's film Suburban
Roulette? (See Part IV.)
Not really: The title track to that movie, which Lewis wrote, was used
at the start ofAmerican Swing — so the link to Lewis is indeed as thin as the documentary is interesting.
Of the film, Shock Mania
says: "Larry Levenson's story has finally been told, albeit in a
judiciously filtered style, in American Swing. The basic outline has a classic
'rise and fall' ring to it. Levenson was an average joe whose sexual appetite
caused him to chafe under the yoke of 1960's, family-oriented American
attitudes. […] Thus, Plato's Retreat was born in 1977. This members-only
swinger's club quickly became the talk of the town and, after being publicized
via a voyeuristic press, became an international destination for the sexually
curious. […] American Swing is a blast while you are watching it.
Documentarians Jon Hart and Matthew Kaufman weave together an easily-digested
narrative from a series of talking-head interviews, including Levenson's family
& friends, porn scenesters like Al Goldstein and even law enforcement officials. The smoothness
of the narrative is further enhanced by well-chosen archive footage […] It's witty,
eye-opening and fun. Unfortunately, holes in the narrative pop up if you look a
little closely at the historical events. […]Despite such omissions, American
Swing remains an entertaining portrait of a unique place and time in American
cultural history. It may dodge the more difficult elements of its chosen
subject but the film does succeed in conveying the unique vibe of Plato's
Retreat and what endeared it to its fans. The full mystery of Larry Levenson
has yet to be revealed but this will suffice as an opening salvo. At the very
least, you won't be bored."
Another film from the non-master filmmakers
who brought you the direct-to-video MonsterTurd (2003 / trailer)!
In fact, this flick is sort of sequel to that enjoyable masterturd. The bad guy
of the earlier flick, Dr. Stern (Dan Burr), returns to be the same bad guy
doing new nasty stuff in Retardead. And what does Herschell Gordon Lewis have
to do with the movie? Well, he's there invisibly as the person who does the
opening narration — good enough reason for us to take a quick look at the
direct-to-video movie.
Trailer:
I Like Horror Movies,
which thinks that Retardead "is the kind of B-movie gold that Horror fans
search tirelessly for", has the plot: "The feature picks up
immediately where MonsterTurd left off, with the conniving Dr. Stern narrowly
escaping his own demise from the city sewers. Stern takes on a new position at
the school for the gifted in town, and administers an experimental serum to its
special needs children that gives them a heightened intelligence. Unfortunately
for Butte County, the drug also has an unforeseen side-effect that turns his
test subjects into the retardead! […] Dan and Rick use crude and idiotic humor
in a brilliantly dark and twisted way that is always sure to offend. […] When
it does come time for the horror, Retardead spares nothing in the gore
department! The bloody special effects are top-rate for a low-budget feature,
with plenty of flesh-ripping and gut-munching goodness to please the
fans."
Depressed Press,
however, watched Retardead as part of a home-triple-feature alongside Dahmer vs
Gacy (2011 / trailer)
and Zombie Driftwood (2010 / trailer),
and wimped out, saying: "I've sat — in a theater — through every Ed Wood
movie. Hell – I even finished (again in a theater!) Starship
Troopers 2 (2004 / trailer).
Student projects? Watched them. Ultra-low budget?
Check. Foreign art films… with subtitles… in black-and-white? No
problem! But I could not sit through these. I tried. I really did. I suffered
through at least half of each hoping that something redeeming would occur.
Nothing did."
Jello Biafra — a much rarer face in films
than that other former punk icon of the early 80s, Henry Rollins — appears for
seconds as Mayor Anton Sinclaire. We mention this only as an excuse to present
one of his better cover versions, below, Love Me I'm A Liberal (written by Phil
Oaks [19 Dec 1940 – 9 April 1976)], 1966).
Love Me I'm A Liberal:
Living Dead Lock Up 3: Siege of the Dead
(2008, dir. Mario Xavier)
The third part of director Mario Xavier's
3-part "Living Dead Locku Up" series, this seldom screened 50-minute-long
direct-to-video no-budget flick was preceded by the even less seen direct-to-video
no-budget home movies Living Dead Lock Up (2005) and Living Dead Lock-Up: March
of the Dead (2007). All three were projects were co-written by some guy named
Mike Hicks who, like Xavier, stars in the "movie". According to the
all-powerful imdb — and as indicated by the credit shown in the crappy trailer
— HGL appears somewhere in this no budget project, which we here at A Wasted
Life have yet to see. Have you seen it? No, not many people have… But you can
get it at Amazon, where "When sold by Amazon.com, this product will be
manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard
return policy will apply."
In his book The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia,
Vol 2: 2000-2010, author Peter Dendle bothered to write: "For this third
and final outing of Xavier's unwatchable Living Dead Lock Up saga — which is
actually just the second half of
two-part sequel — there are CGI zombies to look fake alongside bad
actors who have been doing that all along. Xavier bravely leads his adulating
cohorts in a final stand against zombies in a hospital. […] All we see is
characters running back and forth in hallways. […]."
Note:
Hi there. This blog is about obscure, trashy, fun, bad and fabulous films. Therefore, this blog is likely to contain "adult" material such as images of blood, guts, nekkid wimin and even — GASP! — penis. If you are offended by the sight of such things, we advise you leave this blog and go here instead.Please be forewarned that A Wasted Life, as life is apt to be, may not be suitable for under-age readers and/or workplace viewing. Reader discretion is advised.Furthermore, we take no responsibility for any of the links found on this blog. So if you click on one, you take full responsibility for your decision to do so no matter whether you are suddenly confronted by Donald Duck, clean-shaven clinical detail, gushing salamis, Trojans from Russia or whatever.Feel free to use anything found on this blog – our only contingency is that you should give proper credit and (if possible) add a link to A Wasted Life.Peace, love and Bobby Sherman.
About Me
An accidental ex-pat that has enjoyed the city of Berlin for over 30 years shares his extensive knowledge and personal opinions on the films that he has and still is wasting his life on by watching.
For more insight into his fabulously normal life, choose one of the blogs below that fits the topic you want to read about. And remember: it's not life that sucks, it's your life that sucks.
LOLOL funny shit! really enjoyed this. i just downloaded this movie and now I wonder — why the heck did i waste my bandwith. Ur comments are funny as hell. Do u have any comments on the recent beowulf and grendel flicks? [Anonymous (rajivness@gmail.com) @ Beowulf]
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.[Graciela @ Come Back, Charleston Blue] | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Cost of Emergency Care for Patients without Insurance
The Emergency Room (ER) Level of Care Charge
The cost of your emergency visit is determined by the level of care you need including the amount of resources utilized for assessing, testing, treating and monitoring you. Usually, more complex or severe problems will cost more. Increased tests, examinations and coordination may be needed to determine your diagnosis, stabilize and treat you.
NOTE: These are ER level of care charges for patients that DO NOT have insurance. Lab tests, medications, procedures, physician charges and diagnostic tests are NOT included in the Emergency level charge.
Level of ER Care
Price
One
$142.73
Two
$320.97
Three
$675.48
Four
$1,113.46
Five
$1,752.85
The Emergency Room (ER) charge level (1-5) is determined by the amount AND complexity of the services provided by nursing and other care staff including:
Understanding your bill
You will receive multiple bills for your ER visit.
Most people will receive additional charges from SCL Health on their hospital bill for an ER visit. These may be for lab work, x-rays or other imaging, medications, and other necessary treatments, procedures or supplies.
You will also receive separate bills from physicians involved in your care at an SCL Health hospital. You will receive a bill from the ER Physician and may also receive bills from other providers such as a Radiologist for the reading of an x-ray or other imaging services.
SCL Health is an equal opportunity employer. All recruiting, training, and employment decisions are made in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, handicap, military or veteran status, or any other legally protected status.
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Our facilities do not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or age in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs, services or activities, or on the basis of sex (gender) in health programs and activities. Read the full notice: Saint Joseph Hospital Notice of Nondiscrimination | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
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‘Queensway’ – So much for democracy?
Published on: December 26th, 2012
| Last updated: December 8, 2015
Written by: Bad Guy Joe
Rockaway Beach Branch – the orange lined section is where they want the park to go.
Here is a story that will frustrate anyone who has ever been tasked with trying to get to JFK airport from anywhere in NYC. Instead of reusing a branch of the LIRR which was shut down back in the 1962 (when LIRR was the red-headed stepchild of the Pennsylvania railroad – which looted its cash), the current governor of New York is backing a plan to convert the tracks into a park.
These tracks run from the current LIRR mainline in Rego Park (connecting to Penn station and soon Grand Central) south through Queens to Ozone Park, where the tracks continue south as the present day ‘A’ subway line (NYCTA took over these portion of the line from the LIRR back in the 50s to serve Rockaway Beach).
In a transportation idealist’s world – these tracks would be reactivated and extended from Howard Beach into JFK – providing a one seat ride from 2 major rail hubs in Manhattan direct to JFK. This would wipe out a significant amount of automobile traffic on all major highways through Queens and Brooklyn, and cut the time to get to the airport from Manhattan from 1-1.5 hours to a half hour.
Map of proposed park
NYC is one of very few world class cities that do not have a direct rail link from their major international airport to their downtown.
Instead of this vital rail link, some people (including apparently the governor) are now backing a ‘High Line’ style park – which would eliminate any chance for future transportation reuse. The cost of this project is also completely unmeasured:
But the Queensway plan favored by park advocates and local groups faces significant hurdles: Is the site contaminated? Can elevated tracks abandoned for 50 years still support walkers and cyclists? Will a project stretching from Rego Park to Ozone Park attract the Chelsea-size checks that helped bring the High Line to life?
The proposal for an elevated park paired with bike trails, fitness zones and ethnic-food stalls got its first nod from the state when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday gave the Trust for Public Land a $467,000 grant to study the project.
“That is the first step toward making the Queensway a reality,” said Christopher Kay, chief operating officer of the Trust, the nonprofit group helping spearhead the new park.
In a post-Sandy Queens, I can think of a lot of better ways to spend half a million dollars. A lot of people could be given actual work for that money, instead of a tiny few high paid consultants who’ll come up with a plan to – you know- spend more of your tax money. On a park… Queens has many parks, though very few of them are maintained very well in comparison with those of Manhattan or Brooklyn. Who would pick up the costs of this new park maintenance in the long term??
I would be willing to wager a nickel that the cost of converting these tracks to a glitzy ‘high line’ style park would be similar to those of reactivating it as a rail line.
Who would stand to actually benefit from this new park? Likely the very same people that benefited from the construction of the High Line in Manhattan: Real Estate Developers. What was once undesirable property is now worth billions of dollars.
There is a fundamental difference though between ‘Queensway’ and ‘The High Line’ – the high line passed through a former industrial area without many actual residential neighbors. The old LIRR rockaway branch passes directly along the backyards of dozens of homes. How many people want an actual public park directly in their back yard, where one never existed before? The NIMBYs will certainly not be pleased. (They wouldn’t be pleased with a rail line either – but the rest of the city might outvote them on that if given the chance…)
What would the actual effect of building the park be on air quality across the entire region, as compared to removal of a significant amount of road traffic? You might think a park equals trees, but in this case, the old LIRR rockaway branch is currently a forest with large 50 and 60 year old trees growing tall throughout. Building a ‘park’ here would actually necessitate the wholesale slaughtering of hundreds of trees.
If we’re going to fund a study on converting this land to a park, why not have a study on the impact of reopening it as a direct rail line to JFK? Why can’t both be studied in parallel and the citizens of NYC be allowed to decide what they want, instead of this decision being made for them via some shady land grab with no public input whatsoever?? The way this is being handled is much more like something you’d expect in China, not the U.S.A.
Clearly we’re a little bias in this matter, but that is by design. I’ve seen very few people speaking out publicly against the park plan and for better public transit. This is something that should be openly debated, studied, and decided upon by the citizens of this city. I suspect there are more people that would like the rail line reopened than those who want what would be a very small park.
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One big question is: would this rail line be LIRR or NYCTA, two agencies with differing rules. Once East Side Access is complete, this may become an inviting destination for LIRR trains. Even if they terminate at Howard Beach, this would be a very useful service to the airport.
I would think LIRR since it’s easier to connect and probably has better capacity with ESA than the queens blvd subway – which seems pretty maxed out during the day as it is. The LIRR connection exists, and so far as i’ve seen the queens blvd connection was never fully built. it would take a lot more work.
Just getting to howard beach for the air train connection would be a huge step up. It’s not rocket science either. Clear trees, fix or replace short bridges, lay new track, and go. If we can tunnel LIRR over to Grand Central, and the 7 to the west side, how can this be any harder? The only obstacle is politics and a few NIMBYS who’d be outvoted if the citzens of the entire region had a chance to actually vote on it.
I can’t think of a single good reason not to do this. A ‘park’ would just slaughter hundreds of existing trees and perpetuate the taxi, auto and bus emissions associated with JFK today. The existing parks in Queens are barely maintained, and the last time someone tried to get a new park for Maspeth the city basically refused to fund it (the old st. saviours site – once a native forest and church, now an empty lot and warehouse). Why this sudden desire to make it a useless park? What real estate ‘developers’ are behind this land grab?
The Queens Public Transit Committee supports the reactivation of the unused Rockaway Beach Line. The Rockaway Beach Line of the old LIRR used to take 40 minutes from Rockaway Park to Pennsylvania Station. This train track is only one to six blocks away from Woodhaven Boulevard and runs parallel to it. You can see the RBL from Woodhaven Boulevard at numerous locations. It is about one block from Woodhaven Boulevard and Metropolitan Avenue.
It makes sense to reactivate this tremendous community asset to enhance Queens transit. We have 2.2 million people in Queens and our population is growing. We need more trains, buses, ferries and tracks.
We need to expand the transit system for an expanding population. We had 1.5 million people in 1950 and 1.8 million in 1960 and now we have 2.2 million people in Queens forced to take overcrowded, unreliable and dangerous buses and trains.
That’s an increase of 697,000 people.
The Woodhaven Boulevard, Queens Boulevard, Van Wyck Expressway, Belt Parkway and the Long Island Expressway corridors have too much traffic, accidents, construction, disabled vehicles, trucks, buses, etc. There are just too many variables to keep buses on time, reliable and not overcrowded.
We also need to reduce air pollution, gas consumption, vehicle and pedestrian accidents and injuries.
We need the best alternatives to relieve the current and future traffic delays and congestion to our transportation system.
RBL is the right public transit option to address this growing problem. This dedicated right of way will help alleviate the associated traffic problems on the Woodhaven Boulevard corridor and other corridors. It would also move more people more efficiently throughout Queens to midtown Manhattan.
People would be able to connect to more subways, buses and the LIRR from Queens and may also avoid the overcrowded subways of Manhattan.
Commuters and tourists from across the region would have another transit option to use the RBL to live, work, learn, shop, eat, and play in Queens.
It would improve Queens crosstown transit and bring more people together and reduce travel times. The RBL would increase business, employment, economic development, property values, tax revenues and educational opportunities for many Queens communities.
The MTA has not provided enough buses or trains for commuters. They have ignored our requests for more buses, longer buses, more express buses and 24 hour service.
We need more regular scheduled buses not random, haphazard, and inadequate service.
We need an unbiased legitimate study to determine the real benefits and cost.
It has cost south Queens billions of dollars and thousands of lives are being adversely affected by the loss of RBL since 1950 and 1962.
Do you support faster public transportation? Are you tired of longer travel times, dangerous, overcrowded and unreliable trains and buses? Let’s get organized.
Tell your family and friends to sIgn our petitions to support the Reactivation of the Queens Rockaway Beach Line as a subway or LIRR, eliminate the toll on Queens Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge and expand the Queens Rockaway Ferry:
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About The Author
Bad Guy Joe
Bad Guy Joe knows more about the NYC underground than anyone else on or below the surface of this planet. He has spent nearly 30 years sneaking into NYC's more forbidden locations. When not underground, he's probably bitching about politicians or building something digital.
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BP Ledger, May 14 edition
EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received.
Today's BP Ledger includes items from:
Campbellsville University
Union University
Compass Direct News
International Mission Board
Campbellsville grads hear US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom
By Joan C. McKinney
CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY (Campbellsville University)--Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, United States ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, addressed the 248 students who received undergraduate degrees May 5 at Campbellsville University.
Johnson Cook, discussing religious freedom in the world, noted that the U.S. Constitution holds religious freedom to be a fundamental human right, with many of the nation's founders having fled their countries to escape religious persecution.
"Many of my foreparents, as well as others in the Black church, were brought here against their will and experienced persecution on these shores," Johnson Cook said.
"They were not always free to worship where or when or how they wanted -- nor even with whom. Many were relegated to the balconies or separate areas of a church, required to listen to a message preached by those who enslaved them."
As an African-American, she said, "We understand what religious persecution means. And we understand that freedom of religion is not just for people who believe like us."
Johnson Cook became ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom May 16, 2011.
"I am committed to advancing religious freedom for everyone in every part of the world," she said. "I travel overseas promoting religious tolerance and helping to build bridges between people of different faiths-whatever that faith may be. Our country holds that the freedom to believe, or not to believe, is a fundamental human right which transcends faith, background or tradition."
Johnson Cook said religious freedom matters more than ever around the world.
She said she was pulled into a direction she never imagined on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
She was in the Bronx, returning from voting, when she heard about the first airplane striking the World Trade Center.
"Being a NYPD chaplain, I was soon asked to report to police headquarters -- 10 blocks from Ground Zero. Families of officers who were missing in action after the collapse of the towers had gathered there and I and the other seven chaplains prayed, counseled and consoled them," she said.
She went to Ground Zero to work with police, firefighters and medics as they searched for survivors.
"When rescue personnel saw I was a chaplain, they paused to catch their breath and to pray -- regardless of their religion," she said.
"At that moment I saw the unifying power of religion -- almost in direct contrast to those who tried to use religion as an excuse to commit violence against innocent people. In the face of adversity, Americans prayed together and we were even more unified."
She said during and after 9/11, "We found our common humanity and sought to find common ground. We formed municipal, national and international faith coalitions to build bridges of understanding, respect, and tolerance to push out suspicion, prejudice, and intolerance."
Johnson Cook said religious intolerance is not a thing of the past. "Even as we speak, there are thousands around the world being persecuted, imprisoned and harassed on the basis of their faith," she said.
She said Pew statistics show 2.2 billion people face social hostility because of their religion or where their governments restrict their worship.
She said, "It is our core conviction that religious freedom and respect for diversity is essential for a peaceful society. And research shows that where there is religious freedom, there is more stability in the country."
Johnson Cook said, "Regardless of tradition, people of faith can work to build peace and strengthen civil society - and to model for society the values of tolerance, dialogue and respect."
Johnson Cook has traveled to five continents promoting religious tolerance and helping to build bridges between people of different faiths.
"I have seen that great things can happen when members of different faith communities come together to share ideas and to grow a vision of harmony together through relationships that stretch beyond borders, beyond religions."
She told the graduates, as members of a faith community, they play an essential role: "to build bridges across religious differences, to work together against religious hatred, violence and repression."
"As members of a faith community, each and every one of you can work to promote mutual respect and freedom for people of your own faith, for people of other faiths, and for people who don't belong to any religious group," she said.
She urged the graduates to think of some of the ways they can take a leading role in serving others who face persecution due to their religious beliefs.
She urged them to be informed, get involved and volunteer their time.
"As young people, you have an unprecedented opportunity to make a difference in the world around you," she said.
"Take a moment to appreciate what your hard work has accomplished," she said. "You stand poised to live your values, and to work for your values, on a much larger stage."
She was presented an honorary doctorate degree of public service during the ceremony.
JACKSON, Tenn. (Union University)--On a night when Andrew Luck was the first selection in the 2012 NFL draft, a former top pick told stories of his own playing days to a crowd of Union University supporters.
Terry Bradshaw, the former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and current FOX Sports analyst, was the keynote speaker for Union's fourth annual Roy L. White Legacy Golf and Gala at the Carl Perkins Civic Center April 26 in Jackson, Tenn.
"You should be eternally happy that God has given you a life and given you happiness, I hope," Bradshaw said. "He's given you an understanding of how to accept the grace that he's given you. He's also given you an understanding of how to accept the failures in our life."
Bradshaw was the first player chosen in the 1970 NFL draft after his collegiate career at Louisiana Tech University. He finished 4-0 in Super Bowl play -- a feat duplicated only by Joe Montana. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989. After his playing career ended, Bradshaw moved into broadcasting.
In an address filled with humor and antics that those familiar with Bradshaw's personality might expect, the former quarterback told about his life growing up in Louisiana, where he was raised by Christian parents who taught him about the importance of family.
"We accomplish nothing in life if we don't turn around and say 'Thank you' to somebody else," Bradshaw said.
Bradshaw encouraged listeners to surround themselves with good people, to find a reason to live and a purpose to get up in the morning.
"You've got to have a willingness to overcome mistakes," he said. "You've got to be able to deal with failure. You've got to find your way."
Bradshaw poked fun at his intellectual prowess, saying that he graduated with a degree in physical education and a 2.2 grade point average.
"And two of that was given to me," he said about his GPA. "You figure out which two."
He talked about some of the challenges he faced in Pittsburgh, with fans who didn't always appreciate him and who questioned his intelligence.
"You ever been booed when you got to work?" Bradshaw asked. "You ever walked in your doors at work -- 'Boo!' It ain't a good feeling, people, and it hurt my feelings. The Pittsburgh people were nasty."
Between funny stories that brought laughs from the audience, Bradshaw offered moments of serious reflection and counsel.
"It's in the quiet crucible of our personal private suffering that our most noble dreams are born, and God's greatest gifts are given," he said. "We are measured so often by our status in a community, our enrollment at a university, the money that we have, the car that we drive, the club that we're a member of. But really, what's more important, all of that or what kind of person you are?"
The Golf and Gala event featured a golf tournament earlier in the week, with the team of Jimmy Kostaroff, David Salyers, Chris Tursky and Brad Tursky taking first place.
Tim Ellsworth is director of news and media relations and Union University.
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Egyptian Judge Frees Attackers Who Knifed Christian
By Wayne King/Compass Direct News
ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News)--A judge in upper Egypt has dismissed all charges against a group of Salafi Muslims who cut off the ear of a Christian in a knife attack and tried to force him to convert.
The Salafists, who say they base their religion on the practices of the first three generations of Muslims after Muhammad, had falsely accused 46-year-old Ayman Anwar Metry of having an affair with a Muslim woman, the Christian told Compass. On April 22 the judge exonerated the assailants only after Metry, under intense pressure in a "reconciliation meeting," agreed to drop charges, said his attorney, Asphoure Wahieb Hekouky.
"Him dropping the case and accepting the reconciliation meeting is shameful," Hekouky said of the Egyptian justice system.
The same Salafi Muslims who attacked Metry terrorized him and his family for a year, Hekouky said.
The Attack
On the afternoon of March 20, 2011, in Qena, in the province of the same name, a group of about 20 Salafi Muslims attacked Metry. Earlier that day, someone had set fire to an unoccupied rental apartment he owned in the city.
While waiting in another part of the city for workman to arrive to fix a metal door on the burned-out unit, two men approached Metry and convinced him that he needed to go back to the remains of his apartment. After his arrival, the Salafi Muslims pounced on him. They accused him of having an inappropriate relationship with one of his former female tenants and began beating him.
"I didn't know that there were any more of them than the two who were talking nicely to me at the beginning, so I was shocked when I went with them to the flat," Metry said. "There were 20 more waiting for me there, and they caught me and started beating me up."
The men interrogated Metry as they beat him, demanding he "confess" to the affair and tell them where the woman was. Metry said he told them he didn't do anything wrong and didn't know where the woman was, but the Salafists were able to find her and brought her to the charred apartment.
They demanded that the woman admit to an affair of some sort, but, like Metry, she said they had never been romantically involved. Then the men broke into two groups; one set upon the woman, and the other began beating Metry. During the beating, the men restrained Metry, took a knife and began sawing open the back of his neck. They told the woman that they would kill him if she didn't say she had had some type of affair with him. She did as they ordered.
Metry said his attackers demanded he say the Shahada, the Islamic creed for conversion, and that when he refused, they cut off his ear.
Covered with puddles of his blood, the apartment looked like a slaughterhouse, Metry said.
"If you saw how I looked then … My shirt, if you squeezed it, it dripped an unbelievable amount of blood. With all the blood that was on the floor, it looked like there was a sheep slaughtered there," he said. "They thought that I was dead, so then they called the police and said, 'We took our sharia rights, now you come and take your civil rights from him.'"
The police came and took Metry and the woman to the hospital. The two, along with a Muslim friend of Metry's who witnessed the attack and happens to be a police officer, were then taken into police custody.
"Officer Khaled was with me and worked hard to help me - he witnessed the whole thing and he testified at the police station," Metry said. "Also, the girl came to the police and said that there was nothing between me and her. She said that the Salafi men forced her to say there was."
Somehow the Salafists found out what the woman said to police, and when officers released the woman after questioning, the hard-line Muslims caught up with her, Metry said.
"Then when they heard that the girl didn't say what they wanted her to say, they beat her up again and broke one of her fingers and threatened her and told her if she didn't change what she said at the police station, they would kidnap her sister," Metry said.
None of the Salafi Muslims who committed the attack were arrested.
Intimidation
Almost as soon as the police questioning ended, the assailants began pressuring him not to prosecute anyone, Metry said.
"They used all sorts of ways to persuade me to let it go and drop the case against them -- they shot at us; about 500 Salafi gathered around the house trying to set it on fire. When they threatened to set the house on fire and kidnap my sisters, I had to drop the charges against them," he said.
As the date for a hearing drew near three months ago, the Salafi Muslims shot at Metry's house in Qena and at his brother's car, he said.
"I went to see the police to get them to do something, and nothing at all was done to arrest anybody," he said. "It seemed like they were the police and the controllers of the city, those Salafis."
The attackers threatened all his family members, he said, including his brothers and sisters, to try to force him to drop the charges, he said
"Some of my brothers and sisters emigrated and left the country - they went to Italy," he said. "I tried to, but I wasn't allowed to leave the airport."
Metry said he informed criminal prosecutors what was happening, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
"During the first reconciliation meeting, I told the attorney general everything and told him that I am dropping the charges under the Salafi threats," he said. "After all that, I saw that the police did nothing to arrest any of them, and they are all free."
A final factor was a request from Bishop Sharoubeem, the Coptic Orthodox bishop of Qena, who asked him to drop the case, according to Metry.
"He asked me to drop the case, but I insisted on not dropping the case at all. I insisted on getting my rights back," he said. "But when a bishop comes and asks you to drop the case, what else could you do other than following his advice? He told me that they might try and attack or burn the local church if I didn't drop the case."
Metry said the bishop, speaking for the Coptic Orthodox Church, agreed to compensate him for the property he lost in the fire and attack. The bishop could not be reached for confirmation.
Still, Metry said he was robbed of justice.
"They are free in the street threatening us when we come or go," he said. "Even when they shot at us, and we called the police and security forces thinking that they would arrest them, nothing was done at all."
Emotionally 'Below Zero'
The recovery for Metry and his family after the attack has been difficult, but he said it has brought him closer to God.
The Salafists were trying to beat him to death, Metry said, so they could "kill the facts" of the attack. In addition to slicing off his ear, they cut him all over his body and left bruises from a beating that "would have killed a camel," he said.
In total, he had to have 35 stitches and two reconstructive surgical procedures where his ear once was. The ear was too badly damaged to be reattached.
"It took me three months to recover from all the injuries and the two plastic surgeries on my ear," he said.
Metry and his immediate family spent most of the year after the attack fleeing from one part of Qena Province to another, making it impossible for his three children, ages 6 to 12, to attend school. Because his employer cannot or will not transfer him, he has had to take a year off from work and support himself with savings and what rental income he has left.
The attacks and the changes of residence have scarred his children, too, with his 6-year-old girl probably suffering the worst, he said.
"She shakes if she sees a bearded man walking down the street, because of what happened to me," Metry said. "The little girl asked her mother to let her take a knife with her to her kindergarten class in case somebody attacks her, so she can defend herself."
Metry's wife, Thanaa Yakoub Gerges, concurred.
"We were living well, the children and us, but after what happened emotionally we are below zero," she said. "It made us hate the house, the city and the whole country. Imagine when you lose your reputation and can't move. We were destroyed gradually, this happened more than a year ago, and the children are being destroyed gradually. I am willing to die for Christ, but these are my children who are being attacked."
Through it all, however, Metry said he found a glimmer of faith he previously had not known.
"I am not saying this to puff up my spirit, but at that moment when they were attacking me, I couldn't believe the faith that was in me. I couldn't believe that I actually had this faith, it was a testimony -- I won, I didn't lose," he said. "They tried everything to convert me to Islam, but I didn't care. I said they could do anything they wanted to me, I wouldn't convert."
Compass Direct News (www.compassdirect.org), a news service based in Santa Ana, Calif., focusing on Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith. Used by permission.
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ASIA PRAYER REQUESTS, INTERNATIONAL MISSION BOARD
SOUTH ASIA (International Mission Board)--Brief items reported by South Asia News (http://www.go2southasia.org) in May include:
BANGLADESH. "Political agitation is not new to Bangladesh, but recently the strikes called hartals here have turned violent. It is felt by the tribal team that the agitation will increase leading up to the time monsoon starts. Violent hartals make travel dangerous and disrupt ministry plans and teams coming into the country to work with us. Those of us living here are use to this reality, but we would truly appreciate your prayers that the violence relating to any upcoming hartals will be kept to a minimum." A city team writes, "Please continue to lift up this land before the Lord. We are fine but the inconvenience and frustrations just mount for citizens each day, not to mention the loss in productivity and income. Pray that God would bring about a solution to the current issues and bring long-term peace to Bangladesh as people turn to Him." http://southasianpeoples.imb.org/
BHUTAN. Pray for the Kurtopa (Gurtu) people who live in the Lhuntse District in northern Bhutan near the China border. Numbering approximately 16,000, they are one of the few people groups in Bhutan yet to be engaged with the Gospel. It is estimated that at least 80 percent of the Kurtopa have never heard the Good News. Known for their embroidery and basket-making, the Kuropa count it a privilege to send their sons to the monastery for a time. The royal family traces their ancestry to this area. Pray that the Kurtopa would soon become "children of the King!" http://southasianpeoples.imb.org/
DIASPORA. "As we drove home from church last Sunday, we passed an ox-driven cart carrying a Hindu idol with dozens of worshippers bringing offerings. As we turned the corner from that ceremony, we passed a mosque and heard the call to prayer. Further down the road, we passed Buddhist cemeteries where graves of loved ones have been weeded and cleaned, and offerings of paper money and joss-sticks can be seen. Buddhists believe these offerings help the departed to make purchases where they are and be more comfortable. In a span of 20 minutes we were acutely reminded of the great deceptions of various types all around us. Ask God to keep our hearts tender to the spiritual needs around us and yet grounded firmly in the truth. Pray we will speak boldly as he gives opportunity." http://southasianpeoples.imb.org/
INDIA. This month please focus your intercession on pregnant women who are seeking to find out whether they will have a boy or a girl. It's illegal in India to have a sonogram to find out the sex of a baby because of the huge program of female feticide. Many women will have illegal sonograms and after finding out they are having a girl, they will abort the baby. The world average is 1000 girls for every 1050 boys. In Delhi, the average is 866 girls for every 1000 boys. Pray that these mothers and fathers will see each life as precious and a gift from the One True God. Pray that they and their daughters will understand how God knit them together tenderly and lovingly and is calling them unto Himself. http://southasianpeoples.imb.org/
MALDIVES. It is against the law to bring God's Word into the Maldives. Pray that God will reveal Himself in the Maldives through dreams, visions, radio broadcasts, and a bold verbal witness by the few Christians living there. Pray that the Maldivians who travel abroad would seek the Truth and be exposed to the Scriptures in Dhivehi (their language). http://southasianpeoples.imb.org/
NEPAL. A Christian executive in Nepal is calling for prayer for their country regarding the issue of Freedom of Religion in Nepal which is being threatened by a draft law (Article 160) that "makes it illegal to do anything which might be construed as influencing someone to change their religion." He writes, "Despite concerns which have been raised, this article is a clear breach of basic human rights, and undermines both Nepal as a secular state and the progress made on freedom of religion." Pray God's Word would go forth throughout Nepal, that His people would stand strong in their witness throughout this beautiful land. http://southasianpeoples.imb.org/
PAKISTAN. Pray for new believers that they would have full assurance of the truthfulness of the Gospel and that nothing can separate them from the love of Christ. One day, the truth will be plain to all. May believers have the boldness to make the truth known while people still have a chance to believe in the Gospel. May new believers have confidence in the promise that if they do not deny Christ, then one day Jesus will acknowledge them in the presence of God. http://southasianpeoples.imb.org/
SRI LANKA. Pastor M believes that greater things are yet to come in Sri Lanka. For the past nine months, he and approximately 10 leaders from the church have been obediently following the pattern set before them. In January, they began meeting daily for worship, prayer and Bible study. Since then, they have seen people come to faith weekly and new discipleship groups are being formed. A handyman and gardener for the church shares this report: "As I was working one day, I asked the Lord to bring me someone to disciple. 'I'm a simple man, Lord, but I want to be obedient and disciple someone.' A short time later, a man came walking up the hill, looking for the pastor. I shared the Gospel with him, and he prayed to receive Christ. I asked him if I could teach him more, and he said yes. I praise the Lord!" This church could very well be witnessing the beginning of a church-planting movement. Ask the Lord to pour out His Spirit and bring many to faith. Pray for the new believers to be formed into house churches and for each leader to take on the responsibility of leading these house churches and training future leaders. http://southasianpeoples.imb.org/
MUSIC, ART and STORYTELLING. "Around 250 people from throughout the area, representing at least nine languages, attended a songwriting workshop led by a team of American songwriters. We lost track of the number of songs written, but praise God that the workshop went really well. One group of attendees has since written 10 more songs in their heart language after going home. Pray that these mostly young, new songwriters will establish a pattern of "singing new songs to the Lord" for the building up of believers around them and the spreading of the Gospel." http://southasianpeoples.imb.org/
SOUTH ASIAN HINDU FESTIVALS. Amayavasa is the Indian word for "new moon." Traditionally, every new-moon day is an auspicious day for worshipping the forefathers, and special "poojas" (prayers) are made. Religious Hindus are not supposed to work and are to concentrate instead on the rites of Amayavasa, which includes presenting black sesame and water as offerings to departed forefathers. As Hindus in South Asia focus on discarding the old and embracing the new, pray that God will reveal the new life He has promised to them in Christ Jesus, who is the only way, truth and life (see John 14:6). http://southasianpeoples.imb.org/
SOUTH ASIAN UNENAGED PEOPLES. The Pattanavan people of the coastline of Tamil Nadu, India, number more than 130,000 and are generally sea fishermen who catch their fish by casting nets from catamarans. The nets are made by the Pattanavan people, who are experts at weaving. The Pattanavan have been known for their weaving skills for centuries, with a Pattanavan legend telling of how they supplied silk thread to the Hindu god Shiva. The Pattanavan people of Tamil Nadu remain Hindus, with no known believers among them. Please pray for these dear people to allow the one true God, who knitted them and formed them in their mothers' wombs, to draw them to Himself. Pray for national and international Christians to have a desire to live among the Pattanavan people and share Truth with them. http://prayerthreads.imb.org
SOUTH ASIAN UNREACHED PEOPLES. Spending most of the time in their homes, South Asian Muslim women are considered to be one of the world's most unreached people groups. As you celebrate Mother's Day this month, pray for doors - both physical and spiritual - to open so that God's Light may enter into the homes where Muslim women live and work. http://prayerthreads.imb.org
Praying for Mothers Prayer Guide. Specific prayer requests voiced by mothers working among South Asians. http://southasianpeoples.imb.org/
Praying for Mothers 31 Day Prayer Guide. Pray daily for mothers and grandmothers working among South Asians. http://southasianpeoples.imb.org/
New in 2012 is a monthly South Asia Prayer Guide. This can be ordered from www.imbresources.org or downloaded as a pdf at http://southasianpeoples.imb.org/ | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Andrea Doria
Andrea Doria (; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was an Italian and admiral of the Republic of Genoa. As imperial admiral, he commanded several expeditions against the Ottoman Empire between 1530 and 1541 and captured Koroni and Patras. Emperor Charles V found him an invaluable ally in the wars with King Francis I of France, and through him extended his domination over the whole of Italy. Several ships were named in honour of the admiral, the most famous being the Italian passenger liner , launched in 1951, which sank following a collision in 1956.
Early life
Doria was born at Oneglia from the ancient Genoese family, the Doria di Oneglia branch of the old Doria, de Oria or de Auria family. His parents were related: Ceva Doria, co-lord of Oneglia, and Caracosa Doria, of the Doria di Dolceacqua branch. Orphaned at an early age, he became a soldier of fortune, serving first in the papal guard and then under various Italian princes.
In 1503, he fought in Corsica in the service of the Genoese Navy, at that time under French vassalage, and he took part in the rising of Genoa against the French, whom he compelled to evacuate the city. From that time onwards, he became famous as a naval commander. For several years he scoured the Mediterranean in command of the Genoese fleet, waging war on the Turks and the Barbary pirates and defeating them at Pianosa.
Wars between France and the Holy Roman Empire
In the meanwhile Genoa had been recaptured by the French, and in 1522 by the armies of the Holy Roman Emperor.
But Doria joined the French or popular faction and entered the service of King Francis I of France, who made him captain-general; in 1524 he relieved Marseille, which was besieged by the Imperials, and later helped to place his native city once more under French domination. His ships, under the command of his nephew, Filippino Doria crushed a Spanish squadron on April 28, 1528 at the Battle of Capo d'Orso.
Dissatisfied with his treatment at the hands of Francis, who was mean about payment, he resented the king's behavior in connection with Savona, which he delayed handing back to the Genoese as he had promised.
Consequently, on the expiration of Doria's contract he entered the service of Emperor Charles V (June 1528).
Re-establishment of the Genoese Republic
Doria ordered his nephew Filippino, who was then blockading Naples in alliance with a French army, to withdraw; Doria then sailed for Genoa where, with the help of some leading citizens, he expelled the French and re-established the republic under imperial protection.
He reformed the constitution in an aristocratic sense, most of the nobility being Imperialists, and put an end to the factions which divided the city, by creating 28 Alberghi or "clans". The 28 Alberghi that formed this new ruling class included the Cybo, Doria, Fieschi, Giustiniani, Grimaldi, Imperiale, Pallavicino, and Spinola families.
He refused offers to take the lordship of Genoa and even the dogeship, but accepted the position of "perpetual censor", and exercised predominant influence in the councils of the republic until his death. The title "censor" in this context was modeled on its meaning in the Roman Republic, i.e., a highly respected senior public official (see Roman censor), rather than its modern meaning having to do with censorship. He was given two palaces, many privileges, and the title of (Liberator and Father of His Country).
As imperial admiral
As imperial admiral, he commanded several expeditions against the Ottoman Empire between 1530 and 1541. He captured Koroni and Patras, and co-operated with the emperor himself in the capture of Tunis (1535). Charles found him an invaluable ally in the wars with Francis I, and through him extended his domination over the whole of Italy.
In February 1538, Pope Paul III succeeded in assembling a Holy League (comprising the Papal States, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, the Republic of Venice and the Maltese Knights) against the Ottomans, but Hayreddin Barbarossa defeated its combined fleet, commanded by Andrea Doria, at the Battle of Preveza in September 1538. This victory secured Turkish dominance over the eastern Mediterranean for the next 33 years, until the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
Doria accompanied Charles V on the ill-fated Algiers expedition of 1541, of which he disapproved, and which ended in disaster. For the next five years he continued to serve the emperor in various wars, in which he was generally successful and always active, although now over seventy years old.
Later years
After the Peace of Crépy between Francis and Charles in 1544, Doria hoped to end his days in quiet. However, his great wealth and power, as well as the arrogance of his nephew and heir Giannettino Doria, had made him many enemies, and in 1547 the Fieschi conspiracy to dislodge his family from power took place. Giannettino was killed, but the conspirators were defeated, and Doria showed great vindictiveness in punishing them, seizing many of their fiefs for himself. He was also implicated in the murder of Pier Luigi Farnese, duke of Parma and Piacenza, who had helped Fieschi.
Other conspiracies followed, of which the most important was that of Giulio Cybo (1548), but all failed. Although Doria was ambitious and harsh, he was a patriot and successfully opposed Emperor Charles's repeated attempts to have a citadel built in Genoa and garrisoned by Spaniards; neither blandishments nor threats could win him over to the scheme.
Nor did age lessen his energy, for in 1550, aged 84, he again put to sea to confront the Barbary pirates, but with no great success. In 1552 the Ottoman fleet under the command of Turgut Reis defeated the Spanish-Italian fleet of Charles V under the command of Andrea Doria in the Battle of Ponza (1552). War between France and the Empire having broken out once more, the French seized Corsica in the Invasion of Corsica (1553), then administered by the Genoese Bank of Saint George. Doria was again summoned, and he spent two years (1553–1555) on the island fighting the French with varying fortune.
He returned to Genoa for good in 1555, and being very old and infirm, he gave over the command of the galleys to his great-nephew Giovanni Andrea Doria, the son of Giannettino Doria, who conducted an expedition against Tripoli, but proved even more unsuccessful than his great-uncle had been at Algiers, barely escaping with his life after losing the Battle of Djerba against the Turkish fleet of Piyale Pasha and Turgut Reis. Andrea Doria left his estates to Giovanni Andrea. The family of Doria-Pamphili-Landi is descended from Giovanni Andrea Doria and bears his title of Prince of Melfi.
Ships
Several ships were named in honour of the Admiral:
Two United States Navy ships named (1775 and 1908).
The Italian ironclad , completed in 1891, which served in the late 19th and early 20th century, was decommissioned in 1911, and served as the floating battery GR104 during World War I before being scrapped in 1929.
The Italian battleship , completed in 1916, which served in both World War I and World War II and was decommissioned in 1956.
The Italian passenger liner , which was launched in 1951, had her maiden voyage in 1953 and sank following a collision in 1956.
The Italian missile cruiser , built in 1964 and decommissioned in 1991.
The Italian , commissioned in 2007.
Paintings and commemorations
A painted sheepskin for The Magnificent and Excellent Andrea Doria hangs at The Breakers in Newport, RI, US.
References
External links
Category:Condottieri
Category:Italian Renaissance people
Category:1466 births
Category:1560 deaths
Andrea
Category:Genoese admirals
Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece
Category:People from Imperia
Category:People of the Ottoman–Venetian Wars
Category:16th-century Italian people
Category:Medieval Knights of the Holy Sepulchre
Category:Military personnel of the Holy Roman Empire | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Wikipedia (en) |
In the unrelenting cultural conversation that tells women — whether through a whisper, a visually screaming billboard, or an offhand joke — that they should look a certain way, there often appear White Knights of Reassurance who are there to tell us, “No way, ladies, Real Women have curves.” It’s as though this proclamation is immediately supposed to soothe our collective brow, reminding us that, though we may be called “ugly” or “fat” by every media cue around us, we’re still winners in the eyes of men, as we are in possession of both acceptably large breasts and well-rounded buttcheeks. And yet, few things make me feel more uneasy than when a man offers this gem of body-image cheerleading. In fact, it serves only as a reminder that, no matter where we are in getting women of all kinds represented in the media, there are still two categories to fall into: Real Women, and (I can only assume) Alien Impostor Women.
And to be fair, I am aware that the whole “real man” concept exists, too. We make fun of men for not working certain kinds of jobs, for not being able to get laid, for not being good with women, for not having a certain amount of muscle, or for not having a big enough penis. Hell, even Jezebel got in on the body-judging action a few years back with this winner,
“20 Famous Big Dicks” And I am just as disgusted with this flagrant reduction of men to the size of their sex organ, with the idea that we should be openly taunting men who don’t “measure up,” or the very concept of “being a man.” But the kind of Real Woman talk that I’m addressing here — the kind that has so fully become its own cultural concept as to warrant proper noun status — is one done in response to the shifting expectations and ideals for what a woman should be. Most of the time, bestowing Real Woman status on a woman you know is done with the intention of rebuking her perceived undesirability. It’s supposed to be a compliment, whereas the “be a man” angle — one that is repugnant, no doubt — is openly derisive. It is not couched in some kind of flimsy outer layer of admiration that is meant to help the overall judgment of what their sex should be go down easy.
But the Real Woman myth is.
The Real Woman exists largely as a throwback to the days in which a woman was expected to be the walking embodiment of a very narrow definition of femininity. She has a Coke-bottle figure, wears dresses (and often aprons), cooks, cleans, is good with children, smiles, never curses, and always has a tray of snacks out for unexpected guests. Flying in the face of the Business Woman, the pressure to have a good job and a nanny and look smart in a skirt suit and keep yourself a perpetual size zero, the Real Woman takes her time and soothes, the way your mother might have, or a woman from a particularly dated fairy tale. She exists on the periphery of the conversation, there to make the occasional witty remark or compliment, and looks stunning in her cinched-waist dresses. She has curves though, so we should be grateful that she exists, and that men want her.
I have been called a Real Woman because I cook, because I rarely wear pants, and because I worked with children for a long time. But I’ve just as easily been called “unladylike,” or “manly,” because I curse liberally and make jokes, voices, or impressions that come at the expense of my overall attractiveness. And if I were concerned with falling firmly into the Real Woman category, I very well may have eliminated some of my favorite things in life — blue jokes, eating messily, going shot for shot at a bar — in the interest of being one of those women in the “before” categories. You know, the pictures of ’50s-era models running on the beach, laughing in demure bathing suits, right next to an image of scantily-clad teenagers from somewhere in the 2000s, with a mock-confused “What Happened?!?” caption. If being a Real Woman — one of those ones from the good ol’ days, before birth control and equal work for equal pay — were important to me, I would have to snip aspects from my personality the way one might branches from an overgrown tree.
Although, in all reality, my breasts probably aren’t big enough to qualify me as a Real Woman.
Which is another strange aspect of the whole RW concept — the idea that so much of it is based on a more liberal, more affectionate view of the female body and all of its rounded shapes — when that appreciation clearly only extends to a certain point. As much as the fashion industry might dictate that we not exceed a certain BMI, it’s not as though those who espouse the Real Woman ideal are welcoming all shapes and sizes with open arms. When they say that “Real Women have curves,” they mean Sofia Vergara. They don’t mean overweight women, they don’t mean women with a flat chest and big butt, they don’t mean women with a big middle-section, they don’t mean women with boxy torsos. They mean a slightly more filled-out Barbie doll figure, which — let’s be real here — is just as narrow and frustrating as the pressure to be universally thin.
It’s unlikely that everyone who’s ever identified a woman in their life as a Real Woman follows this overall Betty Draper-meets-Salma Hayek image to the letter. There is likely a middle ground with many, a degree to which they give and take on the “perfect body” or the “feminine attitude.” But the point is that they still make the distinction, and their side of “reality” looks eerily close to what we were seeing in the magazines just a half-century ago. While it may not be extremely thin and wearing avant-garde dresses, it is still an image that most do not attain, and which is certainly not a one-size-fits-all mold in which we all magically feel comfortable. The point, the one that seems so hard to understand for the people who seek to make these distinctions, is that the Real Woman does not exist. No matter how many times you post your funny memes about how trashy or skinny or workaholic women have gotten, it doesn’t make the life choices you choose to spurn any less real.
Because those very-thin models in the magazines or catwalks — even the ones who may struggle with eating disorders, as we are so quick to accuse — are real. Morbidly obese women are real. Trans women are real. Women who curse, who eat with their mouth open, who dress and act in what you perceive as a “masculine” way are real. Laughing at your jokes and knowing how to make a pot roast do not suddenly transform a woman from Pinocchio-esque facsimile into a living, breathing human overnight. And the second we stop trying to create some ideal image of what we should all be collectively shooting for — no matter how broad or how flattering we think it might be — is the second we can all just breathe, not worrying about whether or not our very existence is good enough for someone else. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
Fair Game: On the Subject of Paladins
This week I’m taking it old school, focusing on the depiction and potential of paladins in tabletop RPGs and beyond.
Me? I always play the paladin. Even in games that don’t specifically have a paladin class, I play a paladin. Unfortunately, it seems that paladins get a bad rap in the gaming universe. Labeled everything from “Lawful Stupid” to prissy “Policemen”, paladins are largely perceived to be dim-witted goody-goodies, more invested in throwing themselves at lost causes and upholding the letter of the law than with doing actual good or maintaining certain principles.
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History vs. Fantasy
From the Scholae Palatinae, (whose creation has long been attributed to Emperor Constantine) to the Twelve Peers of Charlemagne, the idea of the paladin, a righteous and high-minded knight, has long held a place in human imagination.
According to the 2nd Edition AD&D Player’s Handbook:
“The paladin is a warrior bold and pure, the exemplar of everything good and true. Like the fighter, the paladin is a man of combat. However, the paladin lives for the ideals of righteousness, justice, honesty, piety, and chivalry. He strives to be a living example of these virtues so that others might learn from him as well as gain by his actions.”
That’s all well and good on the surface, but it’s colored by Victorian interpretations of both chivalry and courtly behavior that persist to this day. Romantic notions to be sure, but notions that bear little resemblance to the living, breathing people upon whom the ideal is based. And what’s the point of an RPG if one is only role playing a shallow, cardboard cut-out?
Character Class vs. Character Development
In all fairness to AD&D, the Book of Exalted Deeds does try to debunk some of the more cartoonish interpretations of the paladin class. Whether they actually succeeded, however, is debatable.
Beyond that, what no rule book will tell you is that alignment and character class are just the beginning, not an end in themselves. They’re the scaffolding upon which we build our fictional lives, not the final word on how those lives play out.
A friend’s mom once described RPGs as, “A cross between group storytelling and improvisational theater.”
And while no reader or audience would expect every character of the same profession to behave exactly the same way, that’s what many of us have come to expect of characters that share this particular class. What a pointless and tragic waste of potential! Yet I’ve seen DMs nearly go apoplectic over players asserting unique personalities for their paladins (or, in some cases, priests.) Anything that deviates from the boilerplate armored ivory tower, the sighing and affected meathead that wades eagerly into violence and blood, yet shuns “the pleasures of the flesh”, is looked at by many as some kind of abomination. Again, I blame the Victorian interpretation of chivalry, with its particularly repressive notions of what constituted both purity and piety.
But who says we have to accept that model? Who says we have to craft our games, our shared stories with such a limited toolbox?
It’s not as if most of us don’t already use/ignore certain rules to suit our own group’s needs and views, so why not extend that customization to the fictional people we become when we play?
Lawful Good vs. Lawful Stupid
When did striving to be a living example of one’s virtues turn into, “runs into any and every battle no matter how hopeless”? When did it become, “attacks all evil creatures, even if they’re minding their own business”? When did purity of spirit or intent come to mean, “doesn’t have sex, or thoughts of sex”? When did nobility of purpose replace mortal frailty?
Currently I’m playing a Drow paladin of Osiris. She’s devout and pious, with a tendency toward eye-rolling and sarcasm. She’s flawed and not always very nice. She’s bookish, but enjoys the occasional barroom brawl. You know, for fun. None of these things mesh with the Victorian hand-me-down image of the paladin, yet all of them go to make up a complete and well-rounded character.
What I would love to see in both RPGs and fiction, is a reinvention of the paladin for the 21st century, a paladin renaissance.
Forget bloviating about righteousness, show me a paladin who’s painfully shy or socially awkward, quietly doing good works when no one is looking. Forget baseless vows of chastity, how about a paladin who is also a charming, disarming lover at large? How about a paladin scholar, engineer, mother of three or captain of the debate team?
Being Lawful Good does not mean one has to sacrifice depth, or individuality.
So tell me of your paladins! Take a minute or two and describe him or her in the comments!
And now, a few responses to last column’s comment thread:
Maplestone said: “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.”
Nicely done!
Itchmon said: “This is probably a topic that could hold a weekly column down on its own for a long time.”
That’s an idea! But who would write it? *looks at Itchmon significantly*
jesad said: “A prime example of this is the use of the Swastika in many Japanese games. In Japan that symbol stands for something completely different, but the moment an American lays their eyes on it the first thing that pops into our head is "HITLER!".”
Exactly! The swastika is an ancient symbol seen all over the world, in Hinduism, (symbolizing Vishnu or Kali, depending on its direction) Buddhism, (symbolizing good fortune) etc. It can also be found in the works of the ancient Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Celts, Native Americans, and Persians. What a pity it now has such a bad reputation in the western world.
Until next time, may your escort missions be few and your drops plentiful.
Lisa Jonte / Mother, writer, artist, editor. One time (print and web) comics creator, and former editor of the fem-centric GirlAMatic.com; now a secretive and hermit-like prose writer, (and not so secretive nor hermit-like blogger.) A gamer since way back, (no, seriously, waaaay back) her collection of gaming paraphernalia is older than most game store clerks. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
William Seraile Papers
A specialist in African-American history, William Seraile served on the faculty of the Department of Black Studies of Herbert H. Lehman College, New York City. Mr. Seraile’s papers primarily relate to his research on Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) organizer Ben Fletcher. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Reattachment of tooth fragment: an in vitro study.
Canine tooth fracture is common in dogs. Application of an esthetic and durable restoration may be challenging in veterinary dental practice. This study used traditional human dental laboratory methods to evaluate fracture strength of intact dog canine teeth and fractured teeth that had been restored by reattachment of the tooth fragment. The results showed that the teeth restored by reattachment of the tooth fragment supported a test load equal to 45.4 % of the load necessary to fracture intact canine teeth. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Abstracts |
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump insisted Friday that "we're not changing any stories" about the 2016 hush payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels, even as he further muddied the explanation for the settlement by suggesting the new face of his legal team needs to "get his facts straight."
Trump said that Rudy Giuliani, who upended the previous White House defence this week by saying the president knew about his personal lawyer Michael Cohen's payment to Daniels, was "a great guy but he just started a day ago" and said the former mayor of New York City was still "learning the subject matter."
The president added that "virtually everything" reported about the payments -- which are the subject of swirling legal action and frenzied cable newsbreaks -- was wrong. But he declined to elaborate.
Giuliani's surprise revelation of the president's payment clashed with Trump's past statements, created new legal headaches and stunned many in the West Wing. White House aides were blindsided when Giuliani said Wednesday night that the president had repaid Cohen for $130,000 that was given to Daniels to keep her quiet before the 2016 election about her allegations of an affair with Trump.
Trump called the continuing news stories about Daniels "crap" and said the White House would offer an accounting of the payments. But he offered no details
While Giuliani said the payment to Daniels was "going to turn out to be perfectly legal," legal experts said the new information raised a number of questions, including whether the money represented repayment of an undisclosed loan or could be seen as reimbursement for a campaign expenditure. Either could be legally problematic.
Giuliani insisted Trump didn't know the specifics of Cohen's arrangement with Daniels until recently, telling "Fox & Friends" on Thursday that the president didn't know all the details until "maybe 10 days ago." Giuliani told The New York Times that Trump had repaid Cohen $35,000 a month "out of his personal family account" after the campaign was over. He said Cohen received $460,000 or $470,000 in all for expenses related to Trump.
But no debt to Cohen was listed on Trump's personal financial disclosure form, which was certified on June 16, 2017. Asked if Trump had filed a fraudulent form, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said: "I don't know."
Giuliani had said the payment was not a campaign finance violation, but also acknowledged that Daniels' hushed-up allegations could have affected the campaign, saying: "Imagine if that came out on October 15, 2016, in the middle of the last debate with Hillary Clinton."
Questions remain about just what Trump knew and when.
Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, is seeking to be released from a non-disclosure deal she signed in the days before the 2016 election to keep her from talking about a 2006 sexual encounter she said she had with Trump. She has also filed defamation suits against Cohen and Trump.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One several weeks ago, Trump said he did not know about the payment or where the money came from. In a phone interview with "Fox and Friends" last week, however, he appeared to muddy the waters, saying that Cohen represented him in the "crazy Stormy Daniels deal."
Sanders said Thursday that Trump "eventually learned" about the payment, but she did not offer details.
For all the controversy Giuliani stirred up, some Trump supporters said it was wise to get the payment acknowledgement out in the open.
Said former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie: "You know, there's an old saying in the law, 'Hang a lantern on your problems.' ... So the fact is that Rudy has to go out there now and clean it up. That's what lawyers get hired to do."
Daniels herself weighed in via Twitter, saying: "I don't think Cohen is qualified to 'clean up' my horse's manure. Too soon?"
Her attorney, Michael Avenatti, who engaged in his own press tour Thursday, slammed both Trump and Giuliani.
"The admissions by Mr. Giuliani as to Mr. Trump's conduct and the acts of Mr. Cohen are directly contrary to the lies previously told to the American people," he said. "There will ultimately be severe consequences."
Trump is facing mounting legal threats from the Cohen-Daniels situation and the special counsel's investigation of Russian meddling in the election and possible co-ordination with the Trump campaign.
Cohen is facing a criminal investigation in New York, and FBI agents raided his home and office several weeks ago seeking records about the Daniels nondisclosure agreement. Giuliani has warned Trump that he fears Cohen, the president's longtime personal attorney, will "flip," bending in the face of a potential prison sentence, and he has urged Trump to cut off communications with him, according to a person close to Giuliani.
The president's self-proclaimed legal fixer has been surprised and concerned by Trump's recent stance toward him, according to a Cohen confidant. Cohen was dismayed to hear Trump marginalize his role during an interview last week with "Fox & Friends" and interpreted a recent negative National Enquirer cover story as a warning shot from a publication that has long been cozy with Trump, said the person who was not authorized to talk about private conversations and spoke only on condition of anonymity. Cohen also had not indicated to friends that Trump's legal team was going to contradict his original claim that he was not reimbursed for the payment to Daniels.
Giuliani, a former New York City mayor and U.S. attorney, joined Trump's legal team last month. He told CNN on Thursday that the announcement of Trump's repayment of the hush money was a planned strategy, saying: "You won't see daylight between me and the president." He was quickly backed up by Trump, who said on Twitter that he had repaid Cohen.
Trump himself was happy with Giuliani's performance, according to a person familiar with his views but not authorized to speak about them publicly. And Giuliani told The Washington Post the president was "very pleased."
Jason Miller, who worked on both Trump's and Giuliani's presidential campaigns and remains close with both, said the fact the White House was caught off-guard was by design. He said the outside legal team was supposed to work independently of the White House, modeled on the team that defended President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
"This is not the White House's job. This is not what they're supposed to be worried about," he said. "So it's good that they're not worried about this."
Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Zeke Miller and Eric Tucker contributed to this report | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
SAN ANTONIO — An immigration fugitive from El Salvador wanted for aggravated homicide was deported Thursday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Laredo, Texas.
Carlos Vidal Navarro-Montecinos, 22, was flown to El Salvador July 13 onboard a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations (IAO) Unit. Upon arrival, Navarro-Montecinos was turned over to officials from El Salvador’s Civilian National Police (PNC).
According to the Attorney General of El Salvador’s Department of Usulutan, on March 7, 2015, two MS-13 gang members shot and killed a prominent federal prosecutor, Andres Ernesto Oliva Tejada. Before the shooting, detectives learned that Navarro-Montecinos, an MS-13 gang member, was ordered to scout the location prior to the murder. Navarro-Montecinos is being charged as accomplice to the aggravated homicide. The prosecutor died at the scene from injuries he sustained from the shooting.
“This country will not be a refuge for criminals who are suspected of committing aggravated homicides in their home countries," said Daniel Bible, field office director of ERO San Antonio. "ICE will continue to seek out and deport wanted criminals to ensure they face justice in their home countries.”
On June 9, 2015, Navarro-Montecinos entered the United States near Mission, Texas, and was arrested by agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol. On Dec. 15, 2016, an immigration judge ordered him removed. On June 8, the Board of Immigration Appeals denied Navarro-Montecinos’s appeal. He was transferred to ICE custody and taken to the Rio Grande Detention Center June 11 to await his removal. On June 23, he was transferred to the South Texas Detention Complex in Pearsall, Texas.
This removal was part of ERO’s Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement (SAFE) Initiative. The SAFE Initiative is geared toward the identification of foreign fugitives who are wanted abroad and removable under U.S. immigration law. Those removed as part of the SAFE Initiative have been deemed ineligible to remain in the United States and were all wanted by the Policia Nacional Civil (PNC). To date, the ERO Office in El Salvador, through the SAFE Initiative, has removed and facilitated the PNC’s ability to arrest more than 800 criminal fugitives to El Salvador.
Such coordination efforts demonstrate the continued working relationship between ICE San Antonio’s Office of Chief Counsel (OCC), ERO’s Assistant Attaché for Removal and the Government of El Salvador Immigration (DGME), the PNC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Public Health. SAFE aligns with ERO’s public safety priorities and eliminates the need for formal extradition requests.
Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,700 foreign fugitives from the United States who were sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. In fiscal year 2016, ICE conducted 240,255 removals nationwide. Ninety-two percent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a criminal offense.
ICE Air History
ICE routinely uses special air charters to transport aliens who have final orders of removal from an immigration judge. Staffed by ICE ERO Air Operations officers, these air charters enable the agency to repatriate large groups of deportees in an efficient, expeditious and humane manner.
Since 2006, ICE Air Operations has supported ERO by providing mass air transportation and removal coordination services to ERO field offices nationwide. Staffed by ERO officers, these air charters enable the agency to repatriate large groups of deportees in an efficient, expeditious and humane manner. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | OpenWebText2 |
Reason to get in unbanned: well 😐 really don't know why but I really other than I. Really want to I spent so much time on that server and in that time I made lots of friend and awesome things with and just over all good thing. But that not really a reason..... Any was I want to continue making friends and helping people Evan tho I will never get my VIP back 😢and won't be trusted but that's wont stop me from helping :D I just hope u guys can see it the way I do :( thanks for the good times :)
Ps this is to silent assian if he is reading this I'm sorry for being a jerk and kicking you after you kicked me it was strait out of anger if you can ever forgive me then thanks but all I have to say is sorry.
I hope you realize what you did was absolutely unacceptable. Crashing my server (even simply trying to) says to the staff that you don't want to be here, and that you do not respect what they are doing and how much work they have put into their jobs. Also, it's funny to me that you apologize to your friend, but not to the administrators or staff.
If you love the server so much, and made so many friends, then why did you feel it was necessary to pull such a nasty little stunt?
So, tell me why I should unban you? How do I know you won't just do it all again? You seem to like the server very much and I still do not understand why you would go on a crashing and kicking rampage.
It's obvious you've spent a lot of time on the server, considering your (late) VIP status. And perhaps I'm reading too much into your post, but it seems you genuinely want to be unbanned, as you have a lot of experiences and fun times on the server. I get it.
You've got a nasty temper; one that doesn't go so well with VIP privileges. As a VIP, you are a role model to other players. You strive to be a shining example of good behavior, following in the footsteps of the administrators that you may one day join their ranks yourself. What you fail to realize, however, is that your temper is not the kind of message we want being displayed when people join our server. I don't play a role in who gets assigned what rank, but I can't reasonably foresee your VIP status being returned if you were to be unbanned.
On top of that, I find it downright insulting that you give the staff this poor excuse of an unban appeal - one filled with typos and run-on sentences - all because you're on your iPod. Do you really expect us to take you seriously after your temper tantrum, server crash attempt, with nothing to make up for it but this?
well 😐 really don't know why but I really other than I. Really want to I spent so much time on that server and in that time I made lots of friend and awesome things with and just over all good thing.
Something like a language barrier is one thing, but using an iPod does not excuse the fact that your "writing mite suck". I own an apple phone myself, and I can tell you from experience that it's not some grueling process using a touch screen to convey coherent English. If it's that much of a problem to use your iPod, wait until you get on your computer to type out something the admins can actually decipher.
I apologize if this comes off as mean/rude/too harsh/whatever, as it's not my intention to offend. However, there's something you have to realize. Every week, there are hundreds of man-hours that are being put into the server, whether it be anything between server maintenance (keeping and hosting the server on top of many other duties) like Sam, or simply managing it (making sure everyone gets along, follows the rules, etc.), like myself. The fact that you, among a handful of other players, find it so easy to throw all of that out the window by crashing the server astounds me.
This is why server crash attempts are such a serious matter, and why they usually wind up leading to permanent bans. In the end, it's not my decision whether or not you get unbanned, but I hope you've got a better perspective of the severity of your actions through my post.
well i now i used some language and said some hateful things that i should have never said.......and i didn't mean for any staff to stop what they are doing just so they can yell at me and ban me Evan tho i knew they were i just was to post cause lag for a sec then i was gonna delete it and now i know that wasn't a good idea........ and if i get unbanned i'm going to get rid of the dupe that screwed me over
Did you even glance over what Mezi or I said?Part of the ban appeal format is putting effort into your appeal.The fact that you don't even want to capitalize your 'i's is indicative of how much you really care.
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well i now i used some language and said some hateful things
This is not why you were banned. You were banned because you crashed the server and abused the VIP privileges which were entrusted to you.
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i didn't mean for any staff to stop what they are doing just so they can yell at me and ban me
Again, not why you were banned.
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i just was to post cause lag for a sec then i was gonna delete it and now i know that wasn't a good idea
Do you seriously need me to paste the log of you spamming 96 torpedos again?
Here's the bottom line:Crashing the server is among one of the worst possible offenses a user can commit. The explanation you are giving us are not sufficient. I will give you one more chance to appeal.
If I were you, I'd wait until you can get on a computer and not risk staying banned over typing on your ipod. Unless your next post is a coherent, well-written and thoughtful apology for abusing your powers and crashing the server, you will not be unbanned.
Make another post in a new thread following the proper format. Take a look at other successful ban appeals before you post to get an idea of what format you should use. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | Pile-CC |
Oxidation matters: the ubiquitin proteasome system connects innate immune mechanisms with MHC class I antigen presentation.
During innate immune responses the delicate balance of protein synthesis, quality control and degradation is severely challenged by production of radicals and/or the massive synthesis of pathogen proteins. The regulated degradation of ubiquitin-tagged proteins by the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) represents one major pathway for the maintenance of cellular proteostasis and regulatory processes under these conditions. In addition, MHC class I antigen presentation is strictly dependent on an appropriate peptide supply by the UPS to efficiently prime CD8(+) T cells and to initiate an adaptive immune response. We here discuss recent efforts in defining the link between innate immune mechanisms like cytokine and ROS production, the induction of an efficient adaptive immune response and the specific involvement of the UPS therein. Cytokines and/or infections induce translation and the production of free radicals, which in turn confer oxidative damage to nascent as well as folded proteins. In parallel, the same signaling cascades are able to accelerate the protein turnover by the concomitantly induced ubiquitin conjugation and degradation of such damaged polypeptides by immunoproteasomes. The ability of immunoproteasomes to efficiently degrade such oxidant-damaged ubiquitylated proteins protects cells from accumulating toxic ubiquitin-rich aggregates. At the same time, this innate immune mechanism facilitates a sufficient peptide supply for MHC class I antigen presentation and connects it to initiation of adaptive immunity. | tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small | PubMed Abstracts |
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