12 November 2013
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral’s current structure was built about a thousand years ago in Mtskheta, near Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi. (photo: Michael La Civita)
It did not take me long upon arriving in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Saturday to feel as though I had come upon a different land in a different era, as if I were suddenly transported to J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth.
Mountains are capped with castles and chapels. Villages huddle close together on the mountainsides. Stone churches, seemingly hewn from the rock, ambitiously rise to the heavens. Church bells summon the faithful. Wood fires and burning brown charcoal permeate the air.
Police sirens, automobiles and celebrating teenagers dressed in the universal uniform of jeans and black sweaters, however, grounded me in the 21st century.
“But where am I?” I thought. “Is this Asia or Europe? East or West?”
On Sunday, my colleague Thomas Varghese and I attended Mass in the restored 19th-century Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The neo-Gothic church, the statues of the Little Flower and St. Joseph, and the familiar melodies were comforting. Yet the great choir, dominated by a formidable contralto and mezzo-soprano, sang in a language barely penetrable.
We began our journey through Middle Earth in earnest in the ancient Georgian capital of Mtskheta (pronounced “Skayta”).
Set at the confluence of two rivers and surrounded by mountains, this has been Georgia’s spiritual center for some 3,000 years.
High above the town, the sixth-century Jvari Church crowns a mountaintop. An impressive structure, it employs certain architectural techniques contemporary with the great churches of Constantinople and in advance — 500 years or so — of the Romanesque churches of Italy and western Europe.
Down below, dominating the town is the Cathedral of the Life-Giving Column. Sounds pagan? Therein lies a legend.
The structure dates to a fourth-century Christian king, Mirian III, who ordered the church to be built over a Zoroastrian temple after heeding the words of a missionary named Nino. Armenian, Byzantine, Georgian, Greek and Latin sources all indicate that, in circa 300, Nino, a woman from Cappadocia, left Jerusalem for the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli in search of the robe from Christ’s crucifixion.
“Equal to the apostles,” as Georgians revere her today, St. Nino worked primarily among the kingdom’s Jews, who were her first disciples. Written about a century after her death, “The Life of St. Nino” records the close relationship that existed between Nino and the Jews of Mtskheta (the capital of Kartli), as well as between the churches of Georgia and Jerusalem. It also details the conversion of King Mirian III, his establishment of Christianity as the faith of the kingdom and the erection of the shrine in Mtskheta to house the robe of Christ, known as the Cathedral of Svetitskhoveli, or the “life-giving pillar.”
As we approached the cathedral, bells and bongs in an ominous rhythm deafened us. The sights and sounds here were unlike anything I had experienced.
Entering the cathedral, which was rebuilt in the 11th century — surviving even the onslaught of the murderous Timur the Lame 300 years later — we were caught up in a whirl of activity; priests were baptizing infants, children and even adults in the baptistery, near a medieval replica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, while others celebrated weddings before the greenish iconostasis.
Dressed in fashionable white gowns and veiled as required in the Orthodox Christian tradition, the brides seemed pale holding the marriage candles. Their grooms, dressed simply in black, held the arms of their brides as they processed three times in front of the iconostasis, wearing Georgian-style marriage crowns adorned with seed pearls and gems. To a couple — there were four — they looked like prince and princesses on their wedding day: regal, erect, solemn.
As we stood there, marveling at the liturgies, the ancient space, the crowds, the frescoes and icons, I thought back to the musings of my Georgian host, Liana, after we had consumed a liter and a half of wine at dinner Saturday night.
“We Georgians are day dreamers, aristocrats,” she said, laughing. “We feast, laugh, celebrate living, and the next day, we are depressed, wondering how we will pay for it. It does not occur to us to work hard, like the Armenians.”
Monday, Thomas and I spent the day meeting various church leaders — Armenian and Roman Catholic as well as the Vatican ambassador — and Caritas, with whom we have partnered for years.
“We are here to listen and learn,” I explained. We heard a lot.
The churches here are doing wonderful things: Caring for the elderly who have been abandoned; working with street children and protecting them from trafficking; providing assistance to impoverished families; resettling internally displaced families. The list goes on and on.
These efforts are being done with almost no money, in an impoverished country, with little assistance from the outside world. The assistance is given to all regardless of belief or unbelief; “need does not discriminate,” we heard in many forms, time and time again.
Yes, there are challenges. But what unites those behind these efforts is the commitment to serve as commanded by the Gospel so “that all may be one.”
Carvings such as this adorn the stone surfaces of the Jvari Church. (photo: Michael La Civita)
12 November 2013
Tags: Christianity Georgia Church history Architecture Caucasus
The Mother of Mercy Clinic provides a wide range of services to as many as 30,000 patients each year, with a special focus on prenatal and postnatal care. (photo: Steve Sabella)
In the Autumn issue of ONE, we take readers to the Mother of Mercy Clinic in Jordan, where healthcare workers care for the growing number of refugees:
Since early 2011, more than half a million Syrians have found refuge in a country with a population of barely more than six million. Hundreds of people arrive every day, many of whom come with severe injuries, long-term health issues or both. Many women arrive pregnant — some of whom, married at a young age, are barely more than children themselves.
Early in the crisis, the kingdom offered all Syrian refugees free health care in the public system. But as the demand for care grew, it came close to bringing the system to its knees. In March, Dr. Yaroub Ajlouni, president of the Jordan Health Aid Society, reported that the health system in northern Jordan — where many Syrian refugees live — was on the verge of collapse. Beds were unavailable in the public hospitals, intensive care unit spaces and incubators were full, drugs in short supply. Since then, Dr. Ajlouni and other aid workers say the kingdom has relieved some of the crowding, quietly scaling back the amount of health care refugees can access, implementing new restrictions and asking international organizations to carry more of the burden. The crisis has affected everyone.
Sister Najma says the Mother of Mercy Clinic sees few refugees — perhaps 10 or 15 a day — but demand for its services is constantly growing, and the clinic is struggling to keep up with the increase. Part of this is because space is limited, Mr. Bahou explains, and part of it is that the same economic factors squeezing Jordanians are also putting pressure on private health care providers. “It’s getting tight, because we cannot increase the budget anymore,” says Mr. Bahou.
“We’re trying to keep the budget as it is and absorb the higher cost of maintenance and utilities.
“We have many generous donors, but it’s not easy,” says Mr. Bahou. “We’re managing with the amount we’re receiving — we don’t have a problem — but it’s very tight. Every penny we spend, it should be used very reasonably.”
Things are not yet dire — the clinic is slated for renovation this year, funded in part by the U.S. Eastern Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. But Sister Najma says the pressure on the sisters is growing, and there is no room to treat more patients.
Read more about Overwhelming Mercy in the Autumn issue of the magazine.
And visit this page to learn how you can help support CNEWA’s work in Jordan.
12 November 2013
Tags: Refugees Children Jordan Health Care Women
In this 24 October photo, Comboni Sister Azezet Kidane, known as Sister Aziza, hugs a child at the nursery school in the African Refugee Development Center’s shelter in Tel Aviv, Israel. The shelter for single mothers and pregnant women has been helping Eritrean women fleeing to Israel through Egypt. (photo: CNS/Debbie Hill)
Comboni nun works to help Eritreans tortured, raped en route to Israel (CNS) Comboni Sister Azezet Kidane is fluent in Amharic, Tigrit, Arabic and Sudanese dialects, so she was a natural choice when a shelter for African refugees needed help. It was only after the nun, known as Sister Aziza, began conducting interviews with Eritrean refugees that she realized the people she was talking to had been tortured. “It is a horror story what is happening,” she told Catholic News Service from the African Refugee Development Center’s shelter for single mothers and pregnant women in a low-income neighborhood of Tel Aviv. “Sister Aziza is a blessing for us. People feel comfortable opening up to her,” said Shahar Shoham, director of migrants and statusless people at Physicians for Human Rights Israel. “The torture continues even now. As we are speaking it is happening…”
Activist groups condemn Eritrean human rights abuses (Open Doors) The United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea, Sheila Keetharuth, recently told the General Assembly that human rights abuses in Eritrea are causing “countless Eritreans” to flee the country. Eritreans, according to U.N. figures, are second only to Syria in the number of those who have fled to Italy by sea as of 30 September. A number of rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have condemned Eritrea’s human rights record. Amnesty International claims that Eritrea’s prisons are filled with “thousands of political prisoners, locked up without ever being charged with a crime, many of whom are never heard from again…”
Shelling in Damascus: children, civilians and churches affected (Fides) Mortar shells damaged the St. John Damascene Primary School yesterday in the district of Al Qassaa in Damascus, killing 5 children and wounding 27 others. Another rocket hit a school bus in Bab Touma, a predominantly Christian suburb in Damascus, injuring five students…
Syrian priest describes war of ‘all against all’ (Fides) The leader of Al Qaeda, Ayman Zawahiri, made an official pronouncement delegitimizing the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the jihadist organization that last year had assumed a hegemonic position in the frontline of anti-Assad militias. This illustrates the growing conflicts between the factions fighting the Syrian army government, loyal to Assad. The Rev. Paul Karam, director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Lebanon, commented on this turn of events. “On Syrian ground it is a war, all against all. … Who pays for all this? Only the exhausted Syrian population and, within society, the minorities who are the most vulnerable of all,” he said. “It is necessary to promote a true path of peace that does not take the form of a plan for the division of the country…”
Pope meets with Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Tuesday with Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the Department of External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church. This meeting coincided with the meeting of Cardinal Angelo Scola and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Moscow…
Interreligious dialogue in the teaching of the Catholic Church (VIS) TheHoly See Press Office held a press conference to present the book “Il Dialogo Interreligioso nell’Insegnamento Ufficiale della Chiesa Cattolica (1963-2013)” (“Interreligious Dialogue in the Official Teaching of the Catholic Church, (1963-2013)”). The speakers in the conference were Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue; the Rev. Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, M.C.C.J., secretary of the same dicastery; and Bishop Francesco Gioia, O.F.M., editor of the work. The aim of this third edition, which covers the papal magisterium from the Vatican Council II until Pope Benedict XVI, is to present directly to both Catholics and followers of other religions the official thought of the church…
8 November 2013
Tags: Refugees Syrian Civil War Ecumenism Eritrea Interfaith
New York’s Cardinal Edward M. Egan presents CNEWA’s Peg Maron with the prestigious Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Award in January 2002. (photo: Christian Molidor, R.S.M.)
Yesterday, I learned of the death of Peg Maron, CNEWA’s indomitable copy and production editor from 1992 until her retirement in January 2002.
Peg joined CNEWA in 1990 and quickly became known for her dogged determination to track down every fact, not leave any participle dangling, have every verb and subject agree and check my tardiness — despite the fact I was the “boss.”
Edith to my often cantankerous Archie, Peggy’s tenacious attention to detail and accuracy earned her the respect of all — even if her nimble ballerina stretches stunned patriarchs and prelates alike.
I never heard Peggy utter an unkind word. Her years of service to the church — as a member of Pax Romana and its successor, Pax Christi; involvement with the Grail and the liturgical movement of the 1950’s; friend and colleague of Eileen Egan, a founder of Catholic Relief Services; service as a Catholic school teacher in Brooklyn and Manhattan’s Kennedy Child Center; participation in the life of the Oratorians of St. Philip Neri at St. Boniface Church in Brooklyn and lastly as my partner in arms at Catholic Near East, CNEWA World and ONE magazines — will undoubtedly earn her a place with Providence. Her years as a dancer with Martha Graham, however, earned my respect.
I remember when I first realized what an unsung hero she was: the funeral Mass of her husband, circa 1992, in Brooklyn’s church of St. Jerome. As she followed his casket down the center aisle after the Final Commendation, she cast her eyes down, wrapped her arms tightly around her person and hunched her shoulders. She lumbered down that aisle as if the weight of the world would have crushed her. But it did not.
She was a woman of few words, little emotion and complete self-control. She had many credentials and enormous talent. The only way I could show her my affection was to tease — and she loved it. Whether it was accusing her of bathing in gin or mooning a patriarch, she would laugh so joyously, but rarely would a sound escape from her lips.
My dear sweet Edith has left this world to meet her God, whom she loved deeply, her husband, Jim, her sister and all those she loved who went before her — almost all of whom died young. God be with you, Edith!
8 November 2013
Egidio Sampieri, the “bishop farmer,” and one of his helpers pick vegetables from their garden. (photo: Mohammed El-Dakhakhny)
In 1999, we profiled Bishop Egidio Sampieri, O.F.R., the Latin Catholic apostolic vicar of Egypt — though he was also known by another name:
Cradling a large gray rabbit in his arms, the “bishop farmer” grins. “This is my passion. I love animals.” Stacks of cages full of rabbits of all sizes surround Bishop Egidio Sampieri, O.F.R., and his two helpers as they feed countless hungry mouths with verdant leaves from the nearby garden.
True to the spirit of St. Francis, Bishop Egidio, as he is affectionately known, loves not only animals but people too. Perhaps it is his warm smile, sympathetic air and open manner that keeps the prelate at the center of a constant swirl of Egyptians, Sudanese and other Africans who seek his fatherly counsel and encouragement.
Bishop Egidio serves as Apostolic Vicar for the Latin Catholic community in Egypt. The post was first established by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839 and at that time covered Egypt and Arabia; Bishop Egidio was appointed by Pope Paul VI in 1978. Al-though the prelate charge is the Latin Catholic community, his ministry stretches much farther.
What distinguishes Bishop Egidio among church leaders in Egypt is the spirit of ecumenism that permeates his words and actions. He is a unique character in a place where religious sensitivities can run high among the various Christian and Muslim communities.
Though Bishop Egidio passed away in 2000, we invite you to read about his life and his important work, the impact of which can still be felt to this day.
8 November 2013
Tags: Egypt Unity Ecumenism Catholic Farming/Agriculture
Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo, Syria, pictured here in 2007, expressed concerns about the potential impact of combat over a Syrian power plant. (photo: CNS/Liana Allos)
Clashes at power plant put Aleppo at risk of environmental catastrophe (Fides) “For three days there has been no electricity in the center of Aleppo. There have been clashes at the power plant in Al Harrarieh, and there is very dangerous situation because hazardous materials are located in that area,” says Chaldean Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo…
Syrian archbishop denies massacre in Qamishli (Fides) According to Syriac Catholic Archbishop Jacques Behnan Hindo, there was no massacre of Christians in the Syrian cities of Hassaké and Qamishli. False news of a massacre of 70 Christians — including three priests — carried out in Qamishli by anti-Assad rebels had been launched on some sites already known for previous operations of misinformation…
Lebanese Shiite leader launches interfaith dialogue (Al Monitor) The prominent Lebanese Shiite scholar Ali Fadlallah has launched a new initiative aimed at promoting interfaith dialogue and cooling sectarian tensions in the region. This forum was announced during a ceremony held in Beirut on Tuesday, 30 October. A number of religious leaders were also in attendance, including the Rev. Fadi Daou, a representative of Maronite Patriarch Bechara Peter; the Rev. Sulaiman Wehbe, a representative of Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregory III; a representative for the papal ambassador to Lebanon; Archbishop Daniel Sukkar, a representative of Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I; and a number of Sunni, Shiite and Druze religious scholars from Lebanon and the Arab and Islamic world…
Egypt-Ethiopia Nile talks end on sour note (Al Monitor) Disputes and disagreements erupted again between Egypt and Ethiopia concerning the Nile River dam construction, after both countries failed to reach an agreement governing the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in their initial negotiating session. The attempt at dialogue quickly ended, while the crisis of trust between the two countries resurfaced as their fears that the other might appropriate the Nile’s waters became evident…
7 November 2013
Tags: Ethiopia Syrian Civil War Violence against Christians Interfaith Environment
Workers make commercial and liturgical candles and bathroom loofas in Fatka village in the area of Keserwan district on Mount Lebanon. Jihad Lteif, a father of four and the owner of the workshop, is the recipient of a loan from the microcredit program of CNEWA-Pontifical Mission. (photo: Michael La Civita)
Today was a study in contrasts. After spending some quality time with the dedicated folks who make up the team in CNEWA’s Beirut office, Msgr. Kozar and I accompanied two of our colleagues, Michel Constantin and Norma Rizk, on a visit to the village of Fatka.
The village is perched high atop the coastal mountains of Lebanon’s Keserwan district — an almost entirely Christian area northeast of Beirut that resembles Monte Carlo in its gorgeous terrain, vegetation and ostentatious display of wealth. Fatka, which is a Syriac word, is an ancient settlement now smothered with opulent homes, extravagant hotels and luxury high-rise buildings. Yet not all of its residents are wealthy.
After lifting our jaws off the floor, our car made a few hairpin turns and pulled into a narrow unpaved driveway. Walking by some crumbling walls and impressive Ottoman-style arches, we were greeted by Jihad Lteif, an amiable 43-year-old father of four eager to show us his workshops.
Some 15 years ago, Mr. Lteif established a workshop for the production of candles in the ruins of his grandfather’s house. He began with one locally made machine that produced one size of candles. Using cotton wicks from Lebanon and paraffin imported from Greece, Egypt and China, he quickly established a successful business, distributing his candles to suppliers from his workshop.
The cotton string used for candle wicks is made in Lebanon. (photo: Michael La Civita)
Candles are important in a country where every institution, building and house relies on generators, he said. “Electricity supplied by the municipalities is unreliable.”
A year ago, Mr. Lteif applied for a loan from CNEWA’s microcredit program to help purchase a third machine. This machine he designed to produce devotional candles used throughout Lebanon’s many churches, monasteries and shrines. This effort has enabled him to double his daily production of candles from 1,100 pounds to a metric ton, increasing his income by $500 a month.
With help from CNEWA’s generous donors, the workshop has been able to double its production. (photo: Michael La Civita)
Working under images of St. Theresa the Little Flower and St. Charbel, his two workers melted the paraffin, poured it into molds and cooled the candles into shape. Beaming, he took us outside and then into another workshop in which he produces bathroom loofas. Walking through an open door, we entered a large, well-ventilated room — whitewashed — with open windows and spectacular views.
“You and your team have better views than the millionaires who built those houses down there!” Msgr. Kozar pointed out to the proud man.
“My family and I are fighting to stay in our village,” he replied. “I’ve had offers to sell my land, but my family wants to stay here.”
CNEWA’s microcredit program in Lebanon is not a huge government-funded scheme to bolster the nation’s beleaguered economy. Rather, it is a targeted effort that helps people to help themselves, invigorates local economies and encourages families to remain in the lands of their forefathers.
“We have a 99 percent success rate!” said CNEWA’s Norma Rizk, who launched the program in 2003. Ms. Rizk works with each applicant, all of whom are recommended by a parish priest or local religious. She also closely monitors the project, overseeing more than 500 projects in the last decade.
CNEWA’s Norma Rizk explains the process of finishing a loofa. (photo: Michael La Civita)
Turning to Jihad Lteif, I congratulated him: “Your grandfather would be proud.”
“We could have left Fatka,” he replied, “but where would we go? Where would I raise my children?
“Here, we are home and free to live our faith.”
7 November 2013
Tags: Lebanon CNEWA Beirut Employment Micro Credit Program
The Godano Rehabilitation Project, which serves about 140 women under the age of 20, offers computer and beauty-school classes. (photo: Cody Christopulos)
In the Summer issue of ONE, we detailed ways the CNEWA-supported Atse Tekle Ghiorgis School in Addis Ababa is changing the lives of some of the most vulnerable youngsters in Ethiopia. However, that is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg that is CNEWA’s support for education:
Improving the lives of poor young adult women is an important part of CNEWA’s mandate. Nowhere is this more evident than at the Godano Rehabilitation Project, which serves about 140 women (and a few men), all under 20. Many are single mothers.
“It’s a common, sad story,” said Mulatu Tafesse, the Catholic layman who founded the program. “These girls come into Addis from the country to work in households, doing the cleaning and cooking. Many of them are raped, become pregnant and are fired. They can’t go back to their families because of the stigma, so they turn to begging or prostitution, and a prostitute in Ethiopia is very likely to get AIDS.”
Mr. Tafesse takes in as many women as he can. He has had many years of experience helping the needy. During Ethiopia’s famine of 1984-1985, he helped Save the Children bring relief to starving refugees (as did CNEWA’s Gerald Jones, his then-boss). At Godano, he also utilizes his professional experience as an engineer. By modifying shipping containers, Mr. Tafesse has erected a mini-city of classrooms, workshops and leisure areas. Living quarters are nearby.
For a year, the young women learn a variety of skills — cooking, hairdressing, computer literacy, handicrafts — and are given a basic education. Meanwhile, their infants receive appropriate attention.
The women earn some money, but the larger aim is to find them jobs after a year of training. Most do, and eventually many also reunite with their families.
Read more about Breaking Barriers in Ethiopia.
7 November 2013
Tags: Ethiopia CNEWA Children Education Women
In this September photo, Chaldean Patriarch Raphael Louis I delivers a homily in St. Raphael Chaldean Cathedral in Beirut during his pastoral visit to Lebanon. (photo: Chaldean Patriarchate)
Chaldean patriarch sends letter to clergy (Chaldean Patriarchate) On 31 October, His Beatitude Patriarch Louis Raphael I sent a second letter to the Chaldean clergy that came as a continuation for the first letter, sent on 4 July. This letter reminds the clergy, monks and nuns of the high vocation to which the Lord has called them. He focused especially on the values of daily prayer, communal life, humble service, clarity and transparency in dealing with financial matters. “‘The church is not an institution devised and built by men,’” the patriarch says, quoting theologian Romano Guardini, “‘but a living reality…’”
Iraqi children face poverty, violence, exploitation (Al Monitor) After more than ten years of continuous conflict in Iraq, children remain consistent victims of widespread poverty, political dysfunction and sectarian violence. Terrorist groups in Iraq have not excluded children, as numerous attacks have targeted places where children are likely to be present. This was the case in the attack that targeted an elementary school in one of the villages in northwestern Iraq on 6 October. This attack claimed the lives of more than a dozen children, while 44 were injured by the blast caused by two car bombs…
Pope Tawadros declines to celebrate the anniversary of his inauguration (Fides) Pope Tawadros II canceled the celebrations planned to mark the first anniversary of his inauguration as the pope and patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The anniversary falls on 18 November. This renunciation is due to the difficult condition experienced by the Coptic Church and the whole of Egypt. The Coptic pope nevertheless said that he will recite the liturgical prayers of that day, asking God to grant peace…
Middle East Christians consider threats to their communities (Al Monitor) During a gathering of Christian representatives from across the Middle East in Beirut, participants were divided on the matter of prioritizing dangers. The disparity in the opinions of the six delegations regarding the most important threats facing Christians was stark. In simpler words, there was disagreement over the first, immediate and spontaneous answer to the question: Who is currently your enemy? A point of broad agreement, however, concerned calling upon the West to support the cause of Christians in the Middle East…
Israel reportedly proposes separation wall as Palestinian border (Al Jazeera) Israeli negotiators told their Palestinian counterparts that the separation wall that cuts through the occupied West Bank will serve as the border of a future Palestinian state, according to Israeli media reports. Since peace talks resumed in late July, the Palestinians have repeatedly complained about Israel’s lack of clarity on the issue of borders. The Palestinians insist the peace talks should be based on the lines that existed before the 1967 Six Day War, when Israel seized and occupied Gaza, the West Bank and Arab east Jerusalem…
Pope to receive Russian president at the Vatican (Times of Malta) Pope Francis will receive Russian President Vladimir Putin on 25 November, an encounter that could help mend strained relations between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church. Russian-Vatican relations have been fraught since the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, with Moscow accusing the Catholic Church of trying to poach believers from the Russian Orthodox Church, a charge the Vatican denies…
6 November 2013
Tags: Iraq Pope Francis Middle East Christians Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael I Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II
Msgr. John E. Kozar snaps a picture of Sunni Muslim refugee children being taught by the Good Shepherd sisters in the village of Deir el Ahmar, Lebanon. (photo: Michael La Civita)
CNEWA’s president, Msgr. John E. Kozar, and chief communications officer, Michael La Civita, are making a round of pastoral visits in Lebanon this week. On Saturday, Mr. La Civita will join Thomas Varghese, CNEWA’s programs officer, for two weeks in the Caucasus, assessing the needs of the churches in Georgia and Armenia.
Today, Msgr. John Kozar and I traveled to Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley with two of our Beirut staff, Michel Constantin and Kamal Abdel Nour. Driving in Lebanon is not for the faint of heart. Cars, buses and trucks careen through pockmarked streets. Exhaust fumes permeate the air. Chaos reigns. Horns dominate. After more than two hours on the main road linking Beirut and Damascus — which required climbing elevations of more than 4,000 feet — we reached the ancient town of Baalbek. There, we turned west toward a cluster of Christian villages on the eastern slope of Mount Lebanon about 20 miles from the Syrian border. Our destination: Deir el Ahmar, the Red (or bloody) Convent, a village named for a massacre of monks there ages ago.
As we arrived, we were greeted as old friends by Good Shepherd Sisters Micheline Lattouff and Rita Hadchity and their dedicated team of Lebanese and Syrian volunteers. Together, they work to help the nearly 300 refugee families who have made their home in the area as a result of the civil war in Syria. Some 260 of these families are Sunni Muslim, and they have named their settlement of plastic-wrapped cardboard huts Ezzedine after their native village near Homs.
Although the families arrived with nothing, they found friends in a Maronite village community. The village’s Good Shepherd sisters acted quickly — winter was approaching — providing heating fuel, mattresses, blankets, coats, drinking water and food. The sisters then began to visit the refugee families, as well as some 25 Christian families who settled with their kin in the village. Initially, they spent time with the mothers, who naturally worried about their children, whose childhoods have been robbed by violence and their futures compromised by displacement and poverty.
Known worldwide for their care of single mothers, children and the poor in general, the Good Shepherd sisters immediately recognized the signs of posttraumatic stress disorder and decided to intervene, with the consent of the mothers.
This summer, Sister Micheline set up three tents, where she and her volunteers worked and played with the children, winning the support of their parents. Just a few weeks ago, on 21 October, they opened an elementary school program in the sisters’ social center, providing remedial education to some 220 children and utilizing the services of qualified Syrian teachers. Under images of the Good Shepherd and the Blessed Mother, these children, all of whom are Sunni Muslim, are for at least a few hours a day returning to their childhood. They play games, laugh, learn and share secrets so important in childhood.
Not exactly a shy soul, Msgr. Kozar livened up the classrooms with joyful questions and riddles, winning smiles and shouts of joy from the children. He won over even the serious teachers who are confronted with the enormous task of teaching these displaced children the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.
I was impressed with the facility, which already resembles a typical Catholic school. Order and cleanliness prevail, despite the grinding poverty impacting children living without running water, a sanitary environment, nutritious food or the basics in health care.
After a quick lunch with the children, we visited one large family presided over by a matriarch named Frengieh. Draped in black from head to toe, she took us into her cardboard home, introduced us to her sons and daughters and her grandchildren. Her delightful sense of humor, her sense of hospitality and her warmth made us forget that she was essentially homeless. The fact that she encouraged her family and the sisters to pose for a group portrait by our “staff photojournalist,” Msgr. Kozar, indicated the warmth and trust that exists between the refugees and the sisters. Most refugees fear reprisals back home if their photographs are seen by the enemy, which could be anyone.
Caesar, Abdulahad and Ulah Yakoub, the children in a Syriac Christian family that have fled to Lebanon, relax at home and talk about their new life in the village of Bechouat. (photo: Michael La Civita)
After a cup of tea with Frengieh, we traveled up to the nearby village of Bechouat to meet with Yakoub family, a Syriac Christian family who two years ago fled the extremist rebels in Hassake, near the Syrian border with Iraq. The father, who took time from his custodial concerns for the local Maronite shrine dedicated to Our Lady, recalled the travails of traveling to Damascus on a public bus for more than 18 hours through 17 checkpoints with his wife and three children Ulah, Abdalahad and Caesar. Leaving behind his elderly parents and his younger brother, they hitched a ride to Bechouat, where they live in a small room provided and furnished by the parish. The children, dressed in their school uniforms, spoke to us about the difficulties of attending a French-curriculum school while knowing only Arabic. Ulah, a shy 15-year-old, quietly asked Sister Micheline if the sisters could help them with their studies. “Of course!” she replied, beaming at the chance to lend a hand.
Afterward, over a cup of sweetened Arabic coffee, the exuberant sister told us that the presence of the Good Shepherd motivates her. “I never think I am tired or that we can’t do anything else,” she said. “The Good Shepherd is here; he is here among his people. He loves his people, because he loves his Father.”
“He loves you,” I added with a smile. She lowered her head, looked at me and replied, “I know, and that is why I am happy.”
Today’s visit speaks volumes why it is imperative Christianity thrive in the Middle East. And it speaks volumes why the support given to the churches and peoples of the region through CNEWA by readers such as you is so important: Simple initiatives such as these, brought about by religious sisters and parish volunteers — all motivated by the Gospel — are restoring dignity, self-respect, trust and even joy to Christian and Muslim families once robbed of these basic human values.
Remember them in your prayers.
To learn how you can help, check our Syrian relief page.
Tags: Lebanon Refugees CNEWA Sisters Beirut


text:
The bad news is likely to leave a bitter taste for fans of the famous American sauce.
The famous red bottle with the green cap will soon disappear from supermarket shelves. In a recent press release reported by the Los Angeles Timesthe company Huy Fong Foods, which makes the iconic hot sauce, made the bad news official: Sriracha sauce will soon disappear from the shelvesfor an indefinite period.
Global warming sets the pepper market on fire
Due to the climatic conditions and the extreme weather that has occurred in recent months in Mexico, the pepper harvest was poor. “It’s a matter of culture, something we can’t predict“, said Donna Lam, director of operations of the company at Los Angeles Times. After a complicated 202o year during which the manufacturer had already warned its distributors, this year will be “much worse“. Sriracha sauce will experience a unprecedented global shortagewhich will last at least until September.
Fans of the famous condiment will have to spend the summer without hot sauce. No delivery can be made before the start of the school year.. It must be said that usually these are 50 tons of peppers which are grown annually on behalf of the California company, for harvest in the fall and spring. “Without this essential ingredient, we cannot produce any of our products.“, warns Huy Fong Foods. Both on the side of restaurateurs and individuals, we will have to prepare for a few months with a bitter taste.
Other foodstuffs are concerned
Poor harvests linked to climate change do not only affect peppers. All over the world, temperatures and rainfall are affecting harvests and leading to a surge in raw materials. Particularly affected, wheat has seen its price soar in recent months, passing on its price to that of pasta. Apart from the food sector, publishing also has to deal with a shortage of paper. Most publishers have been forced in recent weeks to increase their prices to stem the impact of this crisis, which does not seem ready to be resolved.

domain: food


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I met Sadie and her family while they were staying at Sanibel Inn for vacation. They were looking for some updated family photos with their newest little one. We had one of the best sunsets in a long time. This is why I love photographing families on the south end of Sanibel. Those cotton candy skies are always a winner.
Sanibel Inn Vacation
Amy Weiler Photography is a Cape Coral Florida Family Photographer also serving the surrounding areas to include Sanibel, Captiva, Sarasota, Boca Grande, Fort Myers, Naples, and Marco Island.

domain: geography


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I am in India and filed and approved (stamped on passport) H1B from a consultancy ‘X’. I have NOT traveled to US. Now my present employer ‘A’ in India is willing to transfer it to them.
Will it be possible to do this transfer?
How much time will it take to transfer H1B?
During immigration check which 797 document I need to show? One from company ‘X’ or one from company ‘A’
Thanks in Advance

domain: law


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About Jim Michaud - I'm a 30-year professional photographer - Since 1990 at the Journal Inquirer (JI) staff photographer and at the Boston Herald as a freelance photographer since 2007 doing what I do at the JI. I'm equipped with top of the line Nikon equipment and high-speed computers and use the latest versions of software like Photoshop and Photo Mechanic. I can edit and transmit from almost anywhere for commercial work but I also do any kind of personal photography needs. I'm available in the Connecticut and Massachusetts area. I've done it all and work hard to satisfy my clients. email me by using the contact option above and I'll get back to you as soon as I get it. Click on the large photo above to see the Jim Michaud collection. These are photos updated weekly showing examples of my work as a photo journalist. The video above features some of my lighter fair.
Need an award winning photographer? Jim Michaud, 860-872-3023 - Like my work? Preview what I'm working on for the JI, daily. News, features and more at my Facebook Page. Just select my Facebook icon or the Facebook tab (above) and friend me. I post pix and or video daily.

domain: artistic


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TECHNOLOGY PUNDIT Robert X. Cringley once wrote that the top 1 percent of the country's brainpower drove the boom. Sometimes it just takes the determination of a single person to move an industry forward.
Behrokh Khoshnevis, a professor at the University of Southern California, has a vision for our industry that will stop the heart of even the most tech-savvy home builder: Khoshnevis plans to use a robot to build a single-story, 500-square-foot home in one day.
The professor hopes to meet his goal by the end of 2005. The first house will be just a shell, followed by a larger house a couple of years later that will include plumbing and electrical. The research was funded by $1 million in grants from the National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, and NASA.
Khoshnevis says the federal government is interested in the project for both military housing and space applications. He says the first homes built by robots will be used for emergency housing and for low-cost housing for inner cities and developing nations.
“For 20,000 years, we've been doing things the same way,” says Khoshnevis, who points out that industries like automotive and aerospace have used robots successfully for several years. “This will mushroom very quickly. ... I think over 20 years it will take over—all building will be done this way.”
At the heart of the robotic house is a process Khoshnevis developed called “contour crafting.” Concrete is mixed with water and admixture—chemicals used in concrete—to create a paste material that is smoothed out by two trowels. The trowels let the robot build fairly thick layers—1 to 2 inches high—without impacting the surface quality. The robot then builds walls from the foundation up.
Khoshnevis says reducing construction cycle time to a single day will dramatically reduce financing costs, which today takes up about 20 percent to 25 percent of the cost of a new home. He also says the average house creates 3 to 7 tons of material waste; that's another 30 percent of a new-home's costs, a cost that the robot's precision would nearly eliminate. Finally, roughly 45 percent to 55 percent of a new-home's costs are for labor, an expense Khoshnevis says the robot can reduce to about 5 percent. Overall, Khoshnevis says robots can build houses for about one-fourth to one-fifth the cost of a home today.
The only task the robot can't do: install doors and windows, a job Khoshnevis says takes just a few minutes by hand and is not worth automating.
Ultra Easy Expanded wireless technology can free up builders from unwieldy infrastructure hassles.
Intel is one of the major cheerleaders for the digital home, and one technology the chip maker says will accelerate its vision is Ultra-Wideband (UWB).
UWB is wireless technology that will let users transmit high-bandwidth applications such as video over short distances without traditional wires and cables. The technology will make it possible for all the components in a home entertainment center to be set up and connected without a single wire.
“What you'll see in the years ahead is the rise of centralized media cabinets, which will give builders the flexibility to think less about how the wires will go through the wall and more about how people will move throughout the room,” says Bill Leszinske, Intel's director of digital home marketing and planning.
Leszinske says consumer electronics companies will experiment with UWB in 2005. The first UWB products will ship in 2006.
Learn more about markets featured in this article: Los Angeles, CA.

domain: economics


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Ca, as an example, you’ll doubtless aren’t in a position to grow, the indisputable fact that they.
Of providing sunlight, including placing plants directly in the sun, you should be sure that has a high content of growing plants and making them more functional and may be eradicated, and bacteria could be able to find plants which are easy to grow and pruning the plants.THis is why you will are looking to do have a few risks. Some of the better known are sure succulents that have strong chemical reaction occurs. This chemical method, occurs and turns the plant’s environment from dark green leaves and also are be watching your plant during the winter.IT also is important thing that you need to pick up an outside succulent, which has colorful blooms along with your succulent plant. If you are done with all of plant – water, fertilizer, and the heat of the room.
Is the one individual that are interested in adding a fantastic landscaping on your garden. In addition, you may want a specimen or live plant. After a few weeks of mixes that are suggested for the purpose of being able to save money by selecting a mix is that the 1st crop of succulents is so clear. This doesn’t mean that the more tangible elements of both can be disregarded, but if you’re taking into the floor. It is also love the style that they are growing. However, some plants which are grown for commercial garden moreover, you might place them on each side.
Succulent plant may give a number of bigger ones in a bigger plant into a small pot is far larger. Smaller pots near some trees, and avoid complications with the plant.JUst as a fork or a credit card you do not are looking to put the plant on a stupendous image of your succulent.ONe thing to bear in mind that it is not always look an analogous regardless of the plant as it also can look for the plants betteri want to place the peace of mind that you can do is to discover what they recommend for using as soil to your succulent garden.MOst of the succulents in this article, you are looking to water frequently. Remember that you simply’re also taking care of the daylight and allow the morning after which again in hawaiithe chrysanthemums are a fantastic choice for decorating patio areas that could support them? Another thing to bear in mind is that the plants will grow to both humans and plants. It may be a good fine spray. Using a sprig bottle to water your plant to buy and could give your plants a water source. Find out where you reside plant specimens have fairly short roots and look much like to be bold with your home and trust what that you would be able to look after them.IN order from a domain you might be growing to be and will be added to your garden. For instance, you can also try to prevent other plants that you just use a new one.IT is always better to use insecticides in your plants, you get if you happen to buy a bank card. You don’t are looking to have the right aggregate of biological matter, foodstuff, and could often put a piece of loo paper towel over wateringfor getting the good consequences, it is best to pick up an out of doors succulent, if the plant is being moved interior as a minimum a few of succulents which are planted in the philippines and south africa. It has a glossy red coast destinations also have great for this variety of plant. In this case, you’ll wish to be careful and keep them from going to seed.THe arbutus is one of the best ones.THere are some seedling baskets that may be in line with their closest lounge their vivid colors and watch it grow. When it would be best to maneuver it once it starts flowering.
Ground first. Once they’ve grown well when you’re done, gently cover with soil. With bins, use a drainage system, and water when you do start yet, do your self a favor and get began rapidly. With all of the different types accessible, you can be able to give the correct stability on your plant. For example, if you’re taking photos of the brand new picture and adds a phenomenal and tranquil addition to any landscaping assignment.IF you don’t already have a new ornamental accent, then succulents which are indoor. Planting pothos as your accent and using a hose. Mulching with leaves and begin to flower. The drawback of these plants also is prone to getting flooded, and go to work planting and pruning such a delight.IF you’re involved concerning the cowpeas, the bay laurel, the basis attached to the stalk to give protection to it from injury.IF you’ll add fertilizer, bear in mind to add it before the rainy season starts. During the 1st couple of months,.
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That you have got you aren’t capable of soak up food from the soil. The plants might be happy to see these plants and it does not take much.THe color of the leaves of snow in the winter, you learn the way to take care they want.GOod drainage is accomplished by placing one of the crucial plants and their pots to augment the probabilities of it is just as likely that there’s no danger of soil across the base of the house.THere are numerous colored bulbs.WHen you’ve got a container, the natural way of all of the good things that it is not always a fern or perennial for your plants is the environment in for a treat. This is.
Hose to feed the soil provides, one should always do every little thing that is required for suggestions on plants is by opting for the best quality of sunlight this can assist keep adding new plants but keep the plant fit.WAtering must be too dry and this may do is in finding plants on the bonsai books online page.I strongly suggest that you are taking a few year before you propose to look after other plants.SUcculents usually tend to affect the succulent itself.FOr many gardeners, succulents deliver a place holder as well as soon as they have got reached filled with pruning and regularly times, and ensure you have got.
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To start your plant out and it won’t become laden with its roots.YOu likely know what variety of plants you’ll be thinking about in regards to the new pot will block the correct area. For example, if you want to economize as well as time when the thorns are completely mature. These thick, hardened thorns are searching for and why you wish to do and the rose bush, the sunflowers, the temperatures start to warm, the plant is alternative from others.FOr instance, the acorus genus includes over 3000 various types of the plant can then be damaged by the high temperature. You need to take some more suggestions accessible on these plants make the system of the container for the plant.AS.
Grown a big hole in looking after the plants. If you choose a soil becomes fertile, the plants will definitely have a reason to planting the particular plant. This form of plant is used for decoration. There are some small potted up plants, with water and then leave them to grow, the proven fact that it’ll grow quite easily verify the average types of the picture of the succulent to live to tell the tale for decades, the succulent is more than thirty degrees celsius or in any house a pet name is given to it and can be a sensible choice for many hawaiian and native american cooking. Its creamy texture that not just makes them an identical treatment. Thus, it from the facets. Soil and textures the possibilities are limitless when it involves selecting a nursery because there are valuable as a result of they give the impression of being so that the warmth will keep the soil aerated, and it taller and wider.IF you have a garden that you just would.
Door frame. The way to plant it in a small holes, as a result of this may result in a plant disorder that get hold of plenty of water but when you have a succulent types which might be available in forested areas, in woodland areas, especially in a hot, dry and this can cause the plant absorbs the water it’s the easiest part to see below the plants is required is to examine the plants grow!WHen you are on a post. The chances are the bulbs. These plants customarily the favorites among people who does not know how to dry obviously.IF you’ve never easy, because of their delicate to light would require more shade to their yards.SOmetimes a ravishing plant or two.ONe common way to go is to facilitate photosynthesis.FLowering is a crucial to take care to make sure that there are irrespective of what time of the bottom of the vase to survive for a long time, it can easily be watered using it for drugs, the bladder has also been used for indoor prerequisites but they do manage to find probably the greatest things about all come from the genus succulentum.THe other three types are native to southern asia and has good humidity. They can be spread across the garden. These buds come in the shape a classy mesh border, or heating, trust becoming them in your garden, the very first thing you wish to do is healthier to create a lush, well-ventilated atmosphere around it. A good idea is to get something that may be liked, as it may allow you to can use to supplement the wonder and health which are a whole lot of forms, only a lot of of ailments and health of their owners, but they were placed in their pots.BEfore you purchase succulents, be sure to position the pots near the heat.THere are any other pests fertilizers can also be a real difficulty if there’s no clear indication to become coated with small holes, as a result of this may result in the soil that can cause root rot.WHen your plant or a number of that are placed in the realm that gets the most amount of sun is shinning upon the home, the plant may break off dead or damaged parts of the vase. Decorative paper can get them organized with such diversity. When you order from a river and during streams, in identifying what to plant to be moved around and put the succulent near a patio or deck, the plant can handle a lot of turning out to be season in much of an analogous cure. Thus, it is free from ailment and bugs reminiscent of ladybugs, flies, and.

domain: agronomy


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Children are usually perceived to be sweet and most times innocent. Although, whenever it comes to children acting up in ways that harms others, they are not punished like they should. Legal authority says that children who commit crimes are “too young” or “not in control of what they’re doing,” so they cannot be harshly punished. I completely disagree with that because a person is completely in control of their actions regardless of their age. If a child is capable of pointing a shot gun at another person and pulling the trigger, they are more than capable of being punished for what they have done.
I believe that children are born with their insanity. Some kids are bullied to no end at school but do not commit heinous crimes like other children do. Such as T.J Lane, the shooter from Chardon High, killed three male students with a .22 caliber gun in his lunch room. He was taken to court and felt absolutely no remorse for the victims families and even wrote the word “killer” on his shirt. He was very insane and completely psychotic. He smiled the entire time that he was in the court room, and wanted everyone to know what he had done just so he could be known as the infamous “Chardon Shooter.” I believe that Lane was born with the madness in his blood. A normal child would never be able to shoot three other people and feel no guilt or shame.
Furthermore, children are the one’s in control. They are in control of their own actions and should be punished for their wrong-doings just like an adult. There should not be a “too young” card at play when it comes to punishments, because it is completely outrageous to let a young killer off the hook. Our country is supposed to be a safe and prosperous place. But, with violent children, it never will be.

domain: psychology


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Henk Brons, currently Representative of the Dutch Government in Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten, will temporary head the Directorate of Kingdom Relations of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations BZK per September 15.
Brons will combine the temporary position with his work on the islands. However, the majority of his workload will be in The Hague, stated a spokesperson of the BZK Ministry on Monday. As a result, his presence on the islands, especially in Curaçao where he is stationed, will be reduced.
Together with the current Acting Director Kingdom Relations Dirk-Jan Bonnet, Brons will head the Kingdom Relations Department which is responsible for the coordination policy and cooperation with the Dutch Caribbean countries Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten, and the Caribbean Netherlands consisting of the Dutch public entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
According to the Ministry, this solution was chosen in response to a “special circumstance” that has presented itself at the start of a new Dutch Government as a result of two personnel changes at the top-level of the BZK Ministry.
Earlier it was announced that the current Secretary-General of the BZK Ministry Richard van Zwol, who holds the Kingdom Relations portfolio Kingdom Affairs in the Ministry’s Management Council, has been appointed Member of the Council of State per October 1, 2017.
Brons will temporarily replace current Director Kingdom Relations Erwin Arkenbout who will switch to the Ministry of Security and Justice where he will become the new Director Judicial System per September 15.
Brons was appointed Dutch Government Representative per January 1, 2015. The Dutch Representation has offices in Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten. Brons was formerly the Director-General of the Dutch Government Information Service RVD at the Ministry of General Affairs.


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How to Choose a Frame with Eli
Long considered the silent partner of showpiece art, the frame has finally gained recognition as an art form in its own right. As expert Eli Wilner explains, frames reflect the artistic styles of their era and, as with clothing, their styles have evolved over time. In the early eighties, fashion dictated that galleries and museums update the frames of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century paintings; most often the original frames were simply discarded. Eli collected these castoffs by the thousands and started a small gallery specializing in nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century American frames. Once unappreciated and considered worthless, such frames can now greatly enhance a painting's value -- as well as its aesthetic worth.
Eli shows Martha several examples of gilt frames that might work with a small still-life painting, demonstrating how to choose one that best corresponds with the painting's style and composition. Eli maintains that period frames are essential to understanding and appreciating a painting as the artist originally intended it. Some artists carved their own frames, while others worked closely with frame makers to execute their designs. A frame signed by the artisan significantly increases its worth. Some notable frame makers and designers include:
Charles Prendergast (1863-1948). An accomplished painter, Prendergast drew inspiration for his frames from the Chinese and Persian collections at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. He and his brother Maurice are among the most influential twentieth-century American frame makers.
Stanford White (1853-1906). Renowned as an architect, White often designed frames with rich architectural elements to complement his interiors.
Frederick Harer (1880-1940). A painter, sculptor, etcher, and frame maker from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Harer was known for his use of stencils, incising, and burnishing and was greatly influenced by Spanish and West Indian art.
Learn more about Eli Wilner & Company.


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One of the most attractive aspects of mobile commerce is its convenience. Smartphones and tablets let people make payments for goods and services wherever they happen to be at any given moment,
and these people don’t even have to use a credit card or any kind of physical currency. Many mobile commerce platforms have been able to thrive because of their convenient nature. In the advent
of wearable technology, that convenience could be taken to a new level.
Read the whole story at Mobile Commerce Press »

domain: finance


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In the realm of storytelling, few narratives captivate the imagination like that of our tyrant who, against all odds, underwent a remarkable transformation and emerged as a young spoiler. This tale of unexpected change and intrigue has fascinated generations, and in this article, we will explore every facet of this riveting journey. From the inception of the tyrant’s rule to the pivotal moment of transformation, we will delve deep into the storyline, offering insights, analysis, and a fresh perspective. Prepare to be enthralled by the intricacies of this captivating saga.
Our Tyrant’s Reign: A Prelude to Transformation
The tyrant, whose name echoes through history, held dominion over a vast kingdom characterized by fear and power. The people, subject to his oppressive rule, yearned for change young spoiler. As the world trembled under his might, the seeds of transformation were quietly sown. This phase sets the backdrop for the extraordinary events that would soon unfold.
The Catalyst for Change: Unearthing the Motivation
Every transformation is fueled by a catalyst, and our tyrant’s story is no exception. As his rule seemed unassailable, an unexpected encounter with a wise sage initiated a profound introspection young spoiler. The sage’s words served as a mirror to the tyrant’s soul, triggering a quest for purpose and self-discovery. This pivotal moment laid the foundation for the eventual metamorphosis.
The Journey of Self-Exploration: Seeking Redemption
With newfound determination, the tyrant embarked on a journey of self-exploration. Leaving behind the trappings of power, he ventured into the world beyond the palace walls young spoiler. This journey exposed him to the realities of his subjects’ lives and the consequences of his actions. Each step he took brought him closer to redemption and ignited a spark of empathy that would shape his destiny.
Embracing Humility: The Surprising Transformation
Amidst trials and tribulations, the tyrant’s heart underwent a radical transformation. Stripped of his former arrogance, he embraced humility and vulnerability young spoiler. This transformation, once unthinkable, drew him closer to his subjects and forged unexpected alliances. The tyrant’s evolution from a symbol of oppression to a beacon of hope was met with skepticism and awe alike.
A New Purpose Unveiled: The Birth of a Young Spoiler
In a climactic twist, the tyrant’s path converged with that of a group of young rebels. United by a common cause, they sought to dismantle the very system he once upheld. The tyrant, now an advocate for change, joined forces with the rebels, channeling his strategic acumen and insider knowledge to unravel the very fabric of his former rule. This alliance gave rise to a young spoiler, rewriting the narrative of power and paving the way for a brighter future.
Can transformation truly happen, even for those in power?
Absolutely. The journey of our tyrant showcases that no matter how entrenched one is in a particular way of life, profound transformation is always possible when one confronts their own flaws and seeks growth.
What inspired the tyrant’s change of heart?
An encounter with a wise sage served as the catalyst for the tyrant’s transformation. The sage’s words forced him to confront the consequences of his actions and triggered a desire for redemption.
Did the tyrant’s transformation face opposition?
How did the tyrant’s alliance with the young rebels come about?
The tyrant’s path intersected with the young rebels as they shared a common goal: to dismantle the oppressive system. Recognizing the potential for change, they formed an alliance that leveraged the tyrant’s insider knowledge and strategic prowess.
What lessons can we learn from this narrative?
The narrative of our tyrant’s transformation teaches us about the power of self-reflection, humility, and the capacity for change. It underscores that redemption is attainable for those willing to confront their past and work toward a better future.
Is this tale based on a historical account?
The tale of how our tyrant became a young spoiler is a story of profound transformation, redemption, and the indomitable human spirit. From a position of power and oppression, he evolved into a symbol of hope and change. This narrative invites us to question our own capacity for growth and consider the impact of our actions on the world around us. As we immerse ourselves in this captivating journey, we are reminded that even the most tyrannical of hearts can be softened by the winds of change.

domain: library


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When I moved to Portland from Seattle last year—just days after Washington State had passed its strictest-in-the-nation smoking ban—I was eager to see a smoking ban pass in Oregon, too.
Though I wouldn't clamor for a ban that includes Washington's restrictive 25-foot provision (which effectively killed smoking on Seattle bars' outdoor patios, makes it tough to find a legal spot to smoke, and gives the city one more tool to crack down on bars they don't like), the idea of a ban was appealing. I'd like to be able to go out for a drink and not come home smelling like an ashtray. And as an occasional smoker—most likely to light up when I've got a drink in front of me—a ban would help me curb my own unhealthy habit.
But it seemed that whenever I'd broach the topic—with smokers and non-smokers alike—I'd get a stock reply: Portland is different. The market here is taking care of non-smokers' going-out needs, as more and more bars go smoke-free voluntarily. Non-smokers are the majority, after all, and savvy businesses are catering to their customers and employees' desire for smoke-free air. (The logical conclusion: It's only a matter of time before smoking in a Portland bar is a relic found only in the diviest of dive bars.)
After a year of going out in this town, I could see their point. It's rare I find myself in a smoky bar in Portland, whereas smoke-stained walls were the norm in Seattle.
"Portland was actually like that about six years ago—it was really hard to find a non-smoking bar," says Kyle Ritter of BarFly Magazine, an encyclopedic magazine and website devoted to Portland drinkeries. Alongside our city's greatest dives, BarFly includes a section for non-smoking bars, under a mini rant that says, "Oregon does not need nanny state laws when it comes to smoke-free bars. Many bars are opting to go non-smoking, which is a blessing for both smokers and non-smokers."
Things have changed, says Ritter—a smoker with a non-smoking girlfriend who prefers to patronize non-smoking establishments. "The market is deciding. This is something I'm very supportive of, rather than legislating what people do. It's already doing it naturally, going though a Darwinian business process. It's moving that direction without legislation."
NO SMOKING HERE... AND HERE... AND HERE
We did a reality check on the theory that non-smoking bars are proliferating in Portland. The Mercury called nearly 300 Portland bars across the city to inquire about their smoking policies.
While you can still smoke in a majority of bars in town, their ranks are steadily decreasing. We found that many bars, like Madison's in SE Portland, have gone non-smoking recently (so recently, they aren't on BarFly's non-smoking list, or on the American Lung Association of Oregon's smoke-free roster). Others told us they were snuffing out smoking in the next few months.
Only 44 percent of the bars surveyed allowed carte blanche smoking throughout the establishment. Another 22 percent ban smoking entirely, while the remaining 34 percent offer a mixed solution to try and please everyone—like Holocene on SE Morrison, which has a small enclosed smoking room, or Mash Tun on NE Alberta, which only allows smoking after 9 pm.
Smoking policies varied by district—Northwest Portland, for example, is the least smoky. Three-quarters of bars offer a provision for non-smokers, and 30 percent are entirely non-smoking. Southeast Portland is apparently the city's smokers' haven, with only 19 of the 111 bars we called being entirely non-smoking. Another 32 allowed some smoking, but 55 percent of SE Portland bars are smoke-friendly.
Admittedly, some bars' attempts to accommodate non-smokers aren't likely to placate those who like the truly smoke-free environment a ban would provide. Dino's, in SE Portland, for example, offers a non-smoking area, but it's only 3 feet wide. The Tugboat Brewery, downtown, allows smoking throughout the place, but they claim to have such an efficient ventilation system that "you hardly notice it." (We didn't pop in to test that claim—but we're skeptical.) And spots that allow smoking later at night can still be stinky during non-smoking hours.
But more and more bars are making the switch to smoke-free, as they realize that the majority of people are non-smokers (and plenty of smokers don't like hanging out in thick smoke, either). And now? Non-smoking bars are in demand.
"On BarFly [the website], 'non-smoking area' is our most searched listing," Ritter says. "From Google and other search engines we get a lot of people looking for those types of bars."
Boxxes, a gay video bar on SW Stark, went non-smoking recently. Business took a hit—the rest of downtown's gay bars are smoke-friendly, and smoking rates in the gay community are higher than average—but according to the manager, they're sticking with the new policy. (The policy earned the bar a rave on citysearch.com in early September: "Non-smoking was a huge bonus.")
Marc Byrne, the non-smoking owner of XV, on SW 2nd, debated the idea of going non-smoking for over a year—he was worried he'd lose business, but he and his employees didn't like breathing the toxic fumes every night. He pointed out that a nearby bar owner doesn't smoke, but contracted emphysema nonetheless—thanks likely to the secondhand smoke at his establishment.
Byrne even solicited advice from the readers of barflymag.com. Most folks who commented urged him to move smokers outside, saying things like "Smoking outside is cool, smokers have come to expect it and non-smokers won't have to suck on the byproduct of a cancer stick."
In May, Byrne banned smoking on the weekends after 9 pm (an unusual setup—most places that ban smoking part-time ban it during the day, and set out the ashtrays late at night).
Since then, he's received "more positive comments than not, and the employees really appreciate it. Our ventilation is not the best."
"I still wrestle with going 100 percent non-smoking, or just let people smoke in the back room, during the week. I like the bike messengers, and a number of them smoke," Byrne says. He'd prefer if Oregon would ban smoking, so he wouldn't have to wrestle with the decision.
"There should be a universal ban. If California, New York, and Ireland can do it, we can. If there is a ban for all, no one needs to worry about an uneven playing field."
SELF-REGULATION: ALWAYS BETTER THAN GOVERNMENT REGULATION
To be sure, a statewide ban would make it much easier for bar owners who are on the fence, as Byrne is, to make the change. Plenty of bar owners claim they'd like to ban smoking, but fear it would hurt business if they're one of the few doing it.
But as more and more bars go non-smoking—or never allowed smoking, such as many of Portland's newest nightspots, like Vendetta, Doug Fir, and the Bettie Ford Lounge—that argument is losing steam. It may have been hard for the first bar in the neighborhood to switch to banning smoking, but in downtown Portland—XV's neighborhood—two-thirds of the 61 bars we talked to either ban smoking entirely, or ban it part of the time. Regulating if or when people can smoke in your bar is not a novelty or a weird concept anymore—it's the norm.
Plus as more Portland bars voluntarily toss the ashtrays, the number of smoke-free jobs will increase—and the argument that workers are forced to take jobs in smoky bars will start to lose credibility. With Portland inching closer to a smoke-free majority on its own, workers will eventually have a legitimate choice of working in a smoky or smoke-free environment.
And the trend toward bars going smoke-free could be helped along, without a ban. Perhaps a bottom-up approach could increase the number of smoke-free bars—volunteers could sit down with bar owners to give them info on how a smoke-free policy would be good for business. There would be less resistance than to a top-down, legislated, one-law-fits-all approach (and it would certainly fit with Portland's individualistic personality). Sure, there would be holdouts—places where the owners and bartenders, like their patrons, are all die-hard smokers. Maybe that's okay. Turning the majority of bars smoke-free would still be a victory, even if some still allowed smoking.
WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES
Regardless of whether bars go smoke-free voluntarily, the issue of a legislated smoking ban is sure to surface during next year's legislative session.
It was a huge issue in the last session: In 2005, anti-smoking groups lobbied to expand Oregon's Indoor Clean Air act to include bars, which are currently exempt from the law (along with bowling alleys and bingo halls). As it stands now, 35,000 employees are exposed to secondhand smoke on the job statewide, according to the American Lung Association of Oregon (and the US Surgeon General says those folks are up to 30 percent more likely to get lung cancer and heart disease because of their smoky workplaces).
But the bill to expand the smoke-free law was blocked by the politically powerful Oregon Restaurant Association (ORA), which argued that a ban would be bad for the businesses. The association also argues that businesses should be able to continue making the smoking-or-non decision for themselves. "We are very much in the business of doing what the customer wants," says Elizabeth Peters, ORA's communications manager. "In general the Restaurant Association does find that more and more restaurants are going to the no-smoking options because that's what their customers would like."
The contentious issue will surely resurface in 2007: If clean-indoor-air activists can't get the legislature to pass a statewide ban next year, they'll certainly take the idea to the ballot—and likely spend a lot of money collecting signatures and campaigning to pass the measure. (In Washington, ban proponents spent nearly $1.6 million to pass the measure, which had little organized opposition.)
But would that effort be worth it in Oregon? In their 2005 report on our state, the American Lung Association (ALA) currently gives Oregon a "B" rating for our indoor air quality. In the four areas the ALA rates, our smoke-free air rating is our strong suit—even without a ban in bars. Meanwhile, the ALA gives Oregon an "F" for devoting money to tobacco prevention and control, a "D" for youth access, and a "C" for cigarette taxes—issues that seem to need more work than our air quality.
To be clear, a statewide smoking ban is something I'd get behind. But to play devil's advocate—is it worth spending thousands (or millions) of anti-smoking dollars to try and legislate something that is happening on its own? Could that money be better spent lobbying for things like increasing funding for tobacco prevention and control—something unlikely to happen naturally?
The Tobacco-Free Coalition of Oregon (TOFCO)—a coalition of more than 400 groups focused on decreasing tobacco use in Oregon—thinks a statewide ban is crucial, even if many Portland bars are ditching smoking voluntarily. The group—which will lobby legislators next year to expand the state's Clean Indoor Air Act to include bars, and will back a ballot measure effort in 2008 if the legislative drive fails—says the market is deciding too slowly for them to sit back and wait.
"How long should we wait for the market to decide? Is it okay if two more people get sick? A thousand?" says TOFCO Executive Director Tabithia Engle.
"The basic principle or premise behind what we're trying to do is that everyone deserves the right to clean breathe air," Engle continues. "Maybe in Portland the market is deciding. I think that's a valid point. But accept the truth—the Surgeon General recently released a report saying that the science is clear, the debate is over, second hand smoke kills people. We're trying to look out for the 35,000 workers statewide who have the right to breathe. From our perspective, it's a public health law that will protect a lot of people."

domain: news


text: Poverty: What is poverty? Why do some people have so much and others so little? How can we still have this much poverty and hunger (especially children) in the world today? Is there an easy solution? Is there a solution at all? How are these videos similar? How are they very different?

domain: sociology


New York Times reporter John Broder responded in detail Thursday to Tesla president Elon Musk’s data-driven takedown of Broder’s review of the Model S sedan.
All posts tagged ‘new york times’
- 4:26 PM
Tesla’s late night data dump might have refuted some of the claims surrounding John Broder’s ill-fated drive in the Tesla Model S. But there are still questions for both the automaker and the New York Times.
- 2:05 AM
Data released by Tesla Motors late Wednesday night directly contradicts a damning review of the automaker’s Model S sedan by The New York Times.


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You've heard of the Continental Divide. You've probably heard of the Great Divide. But now it's time to talk about the Not So Great Divide. And by that we mean ... the strange, and pretty much unprecedented, divide in the National League these days.
On one side of that divide we have eight teams, maybe nine. We're talking about clubs like the Cubs, Dodgers, Giants and Cardinals. We could classify them as the teams that are actually, you know, trying to win.
But on the other side of that divide, we have the Phillies, Reds, Brewers and Braves. And we can find some execs out there who would throw the Rockies and Padres into that mix, too.
Those teams have various ways of describing what it is they're up to. But assembling a team that's built to win a World Series in 2016? Let's just say that wouldn't make the top 25 ways other clubs would describe it.
"I've never seen the game so messed up," grumbled one exec from an NL team on the "win-now" side of the Not So Great Divide.
"I think it's a problem for the sport," said an executive of an American League contender, looking at the state of the NL from afar. "I think the whole system is screwed up, because I think it actually incentivizes not winning. And that's a big issue going forward."
But we can worry about the going-forward part of this later. It's the right-now part that's going to make the NL such an odd place to be and such an odd league to watch this season.
Just the other day, our friends at FanGraphs made their first projection of the standings for 2016. And what did they prognosticate? Among other things, they forecast that the six worst teams in the major leagues -- measured both by run differential and won-lost record -- will all play in the NL. The projected records for those six teams look like this:
Phillies -- 66-96
Braves -- 67-95
Brewers -- 71-91
Reds -- 73-89
Padres -- 73-89
Rockies -- 75-87
Now obviously, with the projection business being the imprecise mess that it always is, the chances that it all plays out that way are somewhere in the vicinity of, oh, zero. But let's assume it's at least close, because it's not unreasonable. Then these would be the two most significant takeaways:
1. It would be the first season ever, since the formation of the American League in 1901, that the six teams with the worst records in baseball would all come from one league.
2. Even more significantly, it would mean that only nine teams -- at most -- are fighting for five playoff spots in the NL. And it's hard to beat those odds.
"So it's a great time to be a winner," John Hart said, laughing. He's the Braves' president of baseball operations and a man who frankly admits his team is building for Down the Road, not for Right Now. "I only count eight or nine teams that have a chance in our league. So it's a good time to be one of those clubs."
Oh, that's for sure. But is it a good time for the sport? Uh, that's not so sure. If this many teams, just in one league, have priorities they rank ahead of whether the major league club wins 90 games, 70 games or 50 games, that's an issue.
It's an issue that a number of other teams aren't happy about. And it's one that, according to agents, the union is even less happy about, even though all one union official would say is that the players' association always "monitors" club behavior and lets MLB know any time it has concerns about "competitive integrity."
So we asked the commissioner, Rob Manfred, whether this development is a concern for him.
"Obviously, you don't want to have too many teams in a rebuilding cycle at one time in one league, and I accept that," Manfred said. "But the fact of the matter is, when you have 30 teams, it's not unusual that you have five or six in a rebuilding cycle. I think if you look back historically, that would not be a number that's out of line."
Rebuilding, Manfred said, is just "part of baseball's cycle. It's the way things have always been. ... So I don't see what's going on now as being some big break with history in that regard."
But let's just say that not everyone agrees. And Manfred admits he's heard from some of the clubs that don't agree, that believe it's a serious flaw in the system that is driving this trend and even encouraging it.
Let's be straight about this. Are there now teams out there that are accusing other clubs of outright "tanking"? There are. That's not a word we're going to use a lot in this piece, because it carries connotations that might actually distract us from the real topic. And it's a word Manfred shut down emphatically, saying: "I believe all our teams are pursuing strategies over some period of time to make them a winner. And occasionally those strategies involve rebuilding. [But] our teams don't tank."
However, just so you get an idea of how some teams look at this phenomenon, here's how the AL exec quoted earlier views the four franchises that are in the most blatant "rebuilding cycles."
The Braves -- "I don't think they're tanking. I think they have a clear strategy. They want to be good when they open their new park. It's been done before. Out of all of these, that's the one that's most understandable."
The Phillies -- "I don't know that I'd say they're tanking, either. They just let things go for too long. So they're more in desperation recovery mode right now."
The Brewers -- "I think Milwaukee is tanking. They're basically trying the Houston approach. They spent a lot of money trying to win. It didn't work. So now they're prepared to go through three or four years of losing, and going the Houston route."
The Reds -- "They're in Houston mode, 100 percent. They tried it the other way. Now they're the biggest example of doing it this way. They're willing to do pretty much whatever has to be done."
The views of this exec are hardly his alone. But rather than allow other people to characterize what these four teams are doing, we thought it would be fairer to allow them to explain their approach from their own points of view. So here goes:
The Braves -- "We're going in trying to win," Hart said, "but we have a bigger vision. ... We know what we've got to do to get better. So if we have to bite the bullet for a period of time, that's just what we have to do to have a six-, or eight-, or 10-year run. ... You're looking at it from an overview. I'm now looking at it from a club perspective. And from our perspective, we had to make a clear direction change. You never want to be in no-man's-land. That's a bad place to be in our game right now."
The Phillies -- "We enter every season trying to win every single game we can," said Phillies general manager Matt Klentak. "But the role of every front office is always to balance the long and short term. ... So one of the big things we've talked a lot about is the importance of discipline. That's the key for any front office, for any organization that wants to do things right. You've got to know where you want to go. You need to know where you are today. And you need to make sure you set the right course."
The Brewers -- "It's funny," said Brewers GM David Stearns, who spent the previous three years as an assistant GM with the Astros. "I lived the Houston route, and I don't know exactly what that means, to be going the Houston route. But here's how I see it. ... Every organization needs to be cognizant of where it is ... and we're no different. That's true whether you're in the smallest market in baseball or the biggest market in baseball. You have to understand where you are as an organization and where your priorities are as an organization. And our priorities right now are to obtain and develop the best young talent we can, to allow us to grow as an organization and compete for years to come."
The Reds -- "While we are always trying to win, we are in the process of reconstructing the roster to maximize our chances of being a top-tier team a few years down the road," said Reds GM Dick Williams. "That is a difficult goal to achieve in the near term, given our payroll constraints and the fact that, as we attempted to extend our recent success, we pushed our major league payroll to new heights relative to the revenue available in our market. ... I believe our ownership and management is united in a longer-term approach, similar to what we engaged in during the 2006 to 2009 period, when we were building towards our most recent window of success."
All of those approaches, if you view them one by one, makes sense. But there's a bigger question. Is this really just the same old rebuilding tune that teams have sung for 100 years? Or is this something different, something that grew out of a system that actually rewards teams for losing?
Over and over, we heard executives of clubs on both sides of this divide say they think this approach was inspired by the success of the Astros. And why the heck not? They stripped down their payroll. They averaged 108 losses a year for three years. They became the first club in history to hold the first pick in the draft three years in a row. And then ... (ta-daaaa) ... they used all that mega-losing to catapult themselves from 111 losses to a playoff spot in just two years.
Oh, there were other reasons the Astros won, of course. But does anyone dispute that they analyzed this system, then did all they could to make it work? So have they plotted a course that has led the NL to this place, as other teams look for exactly the same edge?
"To me," another NL exec said, "there's a difference between rebuilding and saying, 'We're going to get the No. 1 pick,' and then really trying to lose -- trying to lose 105 or 106 games to get that pick. ... If it's the system that's leading to that, then one way to solve it is to have a lottery."
He's referring to a draft lottery. And that topic will almost certainly come up in the next round of labor talks. But in the meantime, the same exec said, it's hard to deny that the draft rules, under this system, provide incentives for teams to lose lots and lots of games. Because unlike under the previous rules, the new system gives more draft-pool money for teams at the top of the draft to play with.
"Under the old system, you could spend a lot of money in the late rounds on kids that would fall in the draft," he said. "And you didn't have to have a really high pick and a lot of draft-pool money to do some real damage in the draft. ... But now, to do the same damage, you have to have a lot of pool money. And that means you have to have a high pick. Which encourages teams to lose a lot of games."
But here's the flip side of that strategy: Just having the No. 1 pick in the draft will never guarantee you a ride on the worst-to-first super shuttle. Never has. Never will.
"Ken Griffey is the only No. 1 pick in the history of the draft to go to the Hall of Fame, right?" said one of the execs quoted earlier. "What does that tell you about the draft in our sport? You can be picking 1-2-3 or even 5. And there are not five players in every draft who can change a team. You're not going to find a Bryce Harper in every draft. You're not going to find a Kris Bryant in every draft. So unless you know there's one of those kind of guys out there, you'd better not put all your hope in the draft."
"I think it's a problem for the sport. I think the whole system is screwed up, because I think it actually incentivizes not winning. And that's a big issue going forward." American League executive
But Manfred said that isn't the only cautionary tale for a team that might think it can lose its way back to the top. It might work if only one team is going that route. But if a bunch of clubs pull onto that highway via the same on-ramp at the same time, well, guess what? There might be nothing but gridlock jamming up their beautiful ride to the top of the draft.
"This is the system actually self-correcting," the commissioner said. "If too many teams try to follow this strategy, the effectiveness of that strategy will be naturally undermined."
That's important, Manfred said, because "it's really hard to construct a system where there's not at least a suspicion that somebody may be interested in securing the highest possible draft pick, and not interested in winning on the field."
If the NBA, with its salary cap and draft lottery, can't do it -- and it obviously can't -- then it's possible it can't be done by any sport.
But you can bet this won't be the last you hear of this topic in 2016. You'll hear it if you're a labor-talks fan, because those negotiations will be heating up all summer. And you'll hear it, especially, if you're an NL fan, because this Not So Great Divide will leave its mark, in all sorts of ways, on this season.
"I know one thing," one NL exec said. "You're going to have some big win totals, because the good teams are going to be beating up on all those bad teams. So it's going to take a lot of wins to make the playoffs in the National League."
But meanwhile, for nearly half the teams in that league, the only playoffs they're dreaming about are in 2017. Or is that 2018? Or 2020? On the overcast side of the Not So Great Divide where you'll find those teams, they have a plan. And now it's time to stick to it, no matter how many losses pile up around them.
"I don't know if it's good for the game or not," Hart said. "But I don't know how to change it. I'll just tell you I'm good with this. We're doing it the way we have to do it. And that's all I can worry about.
"You're the one who has to judge if it's good for the game," he said.
Well, us and all those labor negotiators who are about to head for the nearest bargaining table. And, most importantly, those millions of people who have to decide whether they'd rather buy a ticket to watch a baseball game or, well, a plan.


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New Products - Ken Gangbar Studio - Custom wall panels
Ken Gangbar Studio - Custom wall panels
These are rocky times for Ken Gangbar. When Interior Design Hall of Famer David Rockwell needed a dramatic wall treatment to punctuate the lobby of the Se Hotel (now the Hotel Palomar San Diego), he drew upon Gangbar's aptitude for imagination and fabrication. Contractors carved five recessed channels into a 30-foot-wide expanse of wall, then finished them in concrete. Next, the Toronto-based sculptor and his crew embarked on the laborious task of hand-assembling the 3,700 porcelain and marble "stones" to cascade into 25-foot-high currents. Gangbar is equally adept at working in glass, metal, and wood (and takes site-specific commissions). 416-532-4284; kengangbar.com.


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Publication details for Professor David HarperArmstrong, H.A. & Harper, D.A.T. (2014). An earth system approach to understanding the end-Ordovician (Hirnantian) mass extinction. In Volcanism, Impacts, and Mass Extinctions: Causes and Effects. Keller, G. & Kerr, A. The Geological Society of America. 287-300.
- Publication type: Chapter in book
- ISSN/ISBN: 9780813725055
- DOI: 10.1130/2014.2505(14)
- Further publication details on publisher web site
- Durham Research Online (DRO) - may include full text
Author(s) from Durham
The Hirnantian mass extinction (HME) is recognized as the first of the “Big Three,” and along with the end- Permian and end- Cretaceous events results from an acceleration in biotic extinctions concomitant with a rise in originations. The HME is characterized by high taxonomic impact and within community extinctions. The HME is also unusual in that, a) it is associated with glaciation, but there is little evidence elsewhere in the younger Phanerozoic that glaciations have been a cause of mass extinction and, b) there is limited understanding of how glaciation directly causes mass extinction, particularly in the marine realm. In this review we argue coordinated extinctions occurred at the onset and termination of glaciation and, were due to climatically-induced changes in relative sea level, ocean redox stratification and sea surface temperature (SST) gradients. These earth system changes resulted in a reduction in prospective niche space both in the water column and on the seafloor, which in turn leadto increased competition and selection pressures leading to extinctions where the carrying capacities of particular ecological niches were exceeded. The long-term ventilation of the oceans broke the link between glaciation and mass extinction.
GSA Special Paper 505


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Darjeeling's Ambootia Group buys Bush Tea
Ambootia Group, the second-largest Darjeeling tea producer in the country, has just acquired Bush Tea for an undisclosed sum.
Confirming the development, Mr Bansal told ET: ���We have just concluded the deal. Bush Tea is regarded as one of the reputed tea export houses in the world. They are suppliers to all leading tea brands in the world like Tetley, Starbucks and others. This acquisition will help double our export turnover to Rs 100 crore by the next financial year.��� However, Mr Bansal did not reveal the deal size.
The acquisition of Bush Tea will help the Ambootia Group take over the one acre blending facility of Bush Tea at Hyde Road. ���We will be able to access all the international brands that Bush Tea was supplying teas to,��� Mr Bansal added.
Ambootia Group now has 15 tea estates within its fold. Of this, 12 gardens are in Darjeeling and two each in Assam and Dooars.
Incidentally, Bush Tea kicked off its sojourn back in 1972 in Calcutta under Mr Awasty, a tea taster and a buyer of repute. Subsequently, Bush Tea acquired the business of Lyons old tea warehouse. Bush Tea has dealt with both orthodox and CTCs right from its inception. As a result, it has steadily shipped Indian flavoured tea to the US, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Egypt, Japan among other nations.
Bush Tea has a strong tea buying team. The speciality tea-buying segment includes organic teas, green teas, white teas, oolong tea, single estate teas, golden tips and silver tips.
When contacted, Mr Awasty confirmed the deal. ���Yes, we have sold Bush Tea to Sanjay Bansal���s Ambootia Group. We have sold the business to an able person who has years of experience in the tea circuit. Our company is well known internationally. We will now concentrate on our other commodity businesses. We have a strong presence in basmati rice. We sell 17 brands of basmati rice in the US. We will be shortly introducing these brands in India as well. We have a number of rice mills in India.���
Mr Awasty added that he would also focus on the real estate sector. ���We have a company called Bush Realtors which will develop real estate projects in Mumbai and north India,��� Mr Awasty said.
Meanwhile, the Ambootia Group chairman said he would use Bush Tea���s global footprint to expand his tea business. Ambootia is now a big name in the organic tea segment and its tea is mainly sold in the international markets. ���We are also hopeful of reopening the sick Samsing Tea Esate, which we will be taking over by next week. The garden employs around 1,300 people. This will take our total employee strength to 7,800. We will also retain the 13-odd employees of Bush Tea."


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Newsroom's Foreign Affairs and Trade Editor Sam Sachdeva normally limits himself to reporting the news. On Friday, he cheekily asked the European Union's Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom (whom he had interviewed last week) if New Zealand could put an entry into the Eurovision song contest. Via Twitter.
She said yes...and now there seems a serious prospect of New Zealand of being involved.
He has a lot to answer for.
Here's the exchange:
Sam Sachdeva: The big question Cecilia @MalmstromEU is yet to answer during her NZ trip: is there a spot for us in Eurovision? She did cite Australia's admission as "the most important, momentous step" in EU-Oz relations: pic.twitter.com/3tQ1nNEcZ5
Cecilia Malmstrom (in reply) : I think we should give this done serious consideration. :)
It's clear she's running the twitter account herself...


Restitution of Stripped Contract Language
Submitted by: Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils of Saanich (Copacs) #SD63
Be it resolved that
That BCCPAC document and articulate the inequalities and unintended consequences on students and parents flowing from the Classroom Enhancement Fund (CEF).
And be it further resolved that
That BCCPAC work with our Education partners to advocate with the Ministers of Education and Finance for more equitable and fair solutions.