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Home / Featured Content / Toxic Masculinity Is Killing The NFL
Toxic Masculinity Is Killing The NFL
September 16, 2018 by Wai Sallas 14 Comments
The National Football League's latest ruling, this time against Tom Brady, is another black eye to a once dominant professional league. Believe it or not, it's not players and coaches seeking competitive advantages that is to blame, but masculinity.
Arguably the greatest quarterback to every play professional football now sits in career limbo. The sport and league that has given New England Quarterback Tom Brady so much is now standing with a rifle at the firing line with its sights set directly at #12.
Back in March, Brady was suspended four games for allegedly deflating footballs to gain a competitive advantage in this past season's playoffs. On July 28, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld the signal caller's ban in a tersely worded, 20-page decision. The evidence, he said, supports his findings that Brady "participated in a scheme to tamper" with game balls used in January's AFC Championship Game and "willfully obstructed" an NFL-backed investigation – in part by having his cell phone destroyed.
Since then, both sides have commenced a battle off the field, online and soon in federal court.
This, however, has nothing to do with deflated footballs. It has everything to do with masculinity.
Before last season began, the NFL found itself in a public relations nightmare. Then Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was seen violently striking his then fiancee, now wife. The video brought images to the already horrific story of what happened in Atlantic City that past February. The NFL caught the brunt of it for its decision to only suspend Rice for two games. They tried to clear their image as best they could; Goodell was interviewed by CBS. The commissoner's closest ally amongst the 32 NFL owners, Robert Kraft also was interviewed defending Goodell. It didn't help, the damage was done.
Goodell had witnessed his manhood and livelihood challenged for almost a full calendar year at this point, and felt the need to stand up and do something about it.
Even through all of it, Goodell never understood why people were mad at him. He didn't understand why people were coming after him for Ray Rice's act. He wondered aloud to people close to him why they were questioning his integrity and the relationships he had with owners, including Kraft. Goodell could feel his power slipping away, despite resounding commitment from the owners who employ him.
What does a man do when the walls start to close in around him?
Stereotypically, we are led to believe men fight out of that corner, but according to a recent study conducted at the University of Washington men don't fight, they lie…about their masculinity.
The study found that male college students who were given falsely low results on a handgrip strength test exaggerated their height by three-quarters of an inch on average, reported having more romantic relationships, claimed to be more aggressive and athletic, and showed less interest in stereotypically feminine consumer products.
While Goodell might not be lying about his height, he has used deception masterfully to continue his reign atop the country's most powerful professional league.
When concussions and the deadly effects of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy came to light and its relationship with the NFL, Goodell did his best slight of hand trick, getting unethical doctors to promote the league by saying outlandish things like, "riding a bicycle is more dangerous than playing tackle football." Or after the NFL moved the kick-off up 5 yards to eliminate the threat of concussions, Goodell said it reduced concussions by 40% when the actual number was 1.4%.
With the Ray Rice situation, Goodell initially said the league did everything in its power to get the security tape that TMZ acquired and broadcasted the day after the first Sunday of last season. Yet, in the "independent" Mueller Report it states, "Our investigation identified a number of investigative steps that the League did not take to acquire additional information about what occurred inside the elevator."
DeflateGate should have never earned the "-gate" monicker that so often follows a scandal in this country. Yet, Goodell had witnessed his manhood and livelihood challenged for almost a full calendar year at this point, and felt the need to stand up and do something about it. Had he taken the time to think logically and pragmatically, he may have decided to call Kraft and the Patriots, tell them about what league officials had heard and told them to knock it off.
Goodell though wanted to regain his position of power, and felt the need to cripple the team and owner who he had the strongest connection. He also saw a many number of owners and general managers around the league frothing at the mouth for a chance to take down the Patriots.
Back in January, Fox Sports Reporter Jay Glazer reported the alleged "sting operation."
The Baltimore Ravens tipped off the Indianapolis Colts going into the AFC title game about the Patriots potentially doctoring the air in footballs. According to Glazer, the NFL was already planning to inspect the balls at halftime, despite D'Qwell Jackson's interception originally being reported as the cause.
In an interview with TheMMQB.com's Peter King, Goodell was at it again.
"The MMQB: Can you say that the first time that you heard about this was after the game?
Goodell: Yes.
The MMQB: You know that there's a storyline out there that you knew about the deflating and wanted to catch them in the act.
Goodell: Let's just short circuit this a little bit. I'm not going to get into what we knew and when we knew it because that's part of what he's investigating. … I can tell you that I was not personally aware of it until after the game."
League officials have also leaked misinformation throughout DeflateGate, including the erroneous report that 11 of 12 New England Footballs were deflated by as much as 2 pounds PSI the legal limit.
How else can you explain Goodell's continue pursuit of integrity within the league despite growing hypocrisy at the highest level?
Which brings us to the latest. In Goodell's statement regarding upholding Brady's suspension he mentioned the destruction of the quarterback's phone. This is his smoking gun of Brady guilt. It is not the inaccuracies of the Wells report. Nor is it that several Colts footballs were also found to be under inflated. He doesn't mention American Enterprise Institute's independent study suggesting "The Wells report conclusions are likely incorrect, and a simple misunderstanding appears to have led the NFL to these incorrect conclusions."
From Brady suit: "The purportedly independent Wells Report was edited by Pash, the NFL's General Counsel, before its public release."
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) July 29, 2015
Goodell sees this opportunity to stand above the other men. A chance to regain his masculinity in front of fans who have been envious of the success of the Patriots for the last 15 years. This is nothing more than Goodell entering a "dick swinging contest" where no one else knew they were competing.
Over the last 50 years, the structural construct of femininity has evolved with the times. From homemakers, to CEOs, the idea of what women should look like and do have become less and less defined as we move forward in the 21st century. With men and masculinity, not much has changed. We still expect men to be manly and void of emotion. We still expect men to rub some dirt on it and "man up." The truth is, men's share of the labor force has declined from 70 percent in 1945 to less than 50% today. In our country's biggest cities, women earn 8% more than their male peers. Women have matched or overtaken men as a percentage of students in college and graduate school, while men have retained their lead in alcoholism, suicide, homelessness, violence and criminality.
The NFL and its Shield has long been a symbol for traditional masculinity. Players have been linked to gladiators and the stadiums they play as battlefields. Yet, the players themselves are evolving. During his playing days former Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Brendan Ayanbadejo spoke openly of his support for gay marriage. Former Minnesota Vikings Punter Chris Kluwe backed him and the right to marry. Last season Cleveland Browns Wide Receiver Andrew Hawkins was one of the lead voices against excessive police violence during the #BlackLivesMatter protests. They represent a new, critical thinking athlete. Not the dimwitted, meatheads we think of when we perceive a football player.
It becomes clearer and clearer why the players and the NFLPA continue to distrust the league and its officials. As early as 5 years ago, players were commenting on the power Goodell possessed. It seems as the rest of the world evolves, the shield and the cronies who protect it do it with a 50s ideal that doesn't exist today. How else can you explain Goodell's continued pursuit of integrity within the league despite growing hypocrisy at the highest level? How else can you explain Goodell's inability to comprehend the harms of domestic violence and its affect against women, men and children? How else can you explain Goodell turning a campfire into a brushfire as he has with Deflategate?
If men and masculinity look to survive they must evolve. Many of us have. More and more men are staying home and taking care of their families. More and more men are taking jobs and careers in traditionally female dominated positions.
There has been a decline in participation in youth football for the last three years and one can draw a connection between its decline and the out-of-date ideals of masculinity that encompass the game.
Dr. David Gilmore's book Manhood in the Making: Cultural Concepts of Masculinity conducted a 20-year cross-cultural analysis of how masculinity is perceived and lived around the world.
What he discovered was that conceptions of what constitutes a "real man" have been common and consistent through time and around the world. A distinct code of manhood has not only been part of nearly every society on earth — regardless of era, political, social or economic life — these codes invariably contain the same three imperatives; a male who aspires to be a man must protect, procreate, and provide.
Goodell has done all he can to protect the Shield, to provide continued huge pay days for its owners. The league continues to make more and more money each year, despite a growing negative public image. What Goodell hasn't yet realized is that much like traditional ideals of masculinity, this gladiator sport for real men is dying, and he's leading the charge.
Photo Credit: Bill Kostroun/AP
Filed Under: Featured Content, Sports Tagged With: BlackLivesMatter, Chris Kluwe, CTE, deflategate, domestic violence, femininity, manhood, masculinity, nfl, Ray Rice, Roger Goodell, Tom Brady
About Wai Sallas
Wai Sallas lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son. When he's not persuading his son to be a lefty, he owns a gym specializing in child development. Wai's articles have been featured on ESPN.com, Yahoo!, Si.com, and aol Sports.
I resonate with theorema. I do not believe in male and female traits that are immutable. There may be tendencies of each that are then enhanced by training and observation by the subject as a idea of what s/he is supposed to be. Rather than really is. That is clear by the time most reach an age of intellectual maturity that allows them to seriously question how their past was spent. Now i do believe that theme of masculinity has been fostered by women, partners, maybe moms too, and there is hardly anything a male won't meld himself too for… Read more »
It rained today must be toxic masculinity. The vending machine took my money. Obviously toxic masculinity. My microwave broke. Gotta be toxic masculinity. You could start a meme blaming masculinity for all the ills in the world. That's what it feels like when I read articles like this. Let me start with a premise and see if I can force supporting facts into place. We know masculinity is bad because when we challenge it, people resist. Except that I'm pretty sure that happens with many identities. I remember that scene in Roots where the slave owner tries to make Kunta… Read more »
NO NO NO NO NO NO
Toxic masculinity? Yes. Masculinity writ large? No. Hell no.
GMP can and should know better.
Reply to Christopher Anderson
Sorry Chris. But what 5he hell wr3 you saying here?
This article is a massive contradiction of itself and has virtually no self-awareness. On the flip side it is flourishing in disingenuousness. You say that men are changing and evolving, they're becoming stay at home dads, is that not just them embracing their femininity, the nurturing nature they were born with? Additionally, imply that women taking more risk is femininity evolving?You can easily blame Alcoholism, suicide, criminality, etc. on Masculinity just to say "it needs to change." I am willing to bet that you wouldn't criticize the negative traits of the feminine like vanity, dependency, insecurity would you? Neither Femininity… Read more »
Wai Sallas
I do not think masculinity is an evil thing nor do i hate it. But, I don't know how you can look at today's society and not see that your grandfather's masculinity is outdated. Everyone else and everything else is evolving, why should anyone be OK with masculinity being the same when it is a social construct of today's society.
Reply to Wai Sallas
Okay Wai, I'll bite. A little challenge for you: Name five things in this "new masculinity" of yours that aren't also feminine (because in order for them to be two separate things, there has to be a difference between them)
Well, other than "violence" of course, because that seems to be all people like you are willing to leave as strictly masculine.
Theorema Egregium
Reply to 8ball
You lay the finger on an interestign problem here, which I've often been thinking about myself. Basically you are faced with three alternatives: 1) There are distinctive masculine and feminine traits, which are both negative and positive and it alle evens out in total. So there would have to be positive masculine traits which are NOT at the same time positive feminine traits. Like you said, who can name five? In fact, who can name any? Without being shouted down for it? It is anathema, and we know it. 2) There are no gendered traits at all. But in that… Read more »
Reply to Theorema Egregium
@ Theorema Egregium There is option 3. There are masculine and feminine traits and there are positive and negative aspects of each trait. So aggression would be a masculine trait. On the good side it builds and invents. On the bad side it dominates. Men will create cities to mold their environment into something that suits him, but forcing your will unto your environment could lead to subjugating other peoples or animals if one believe in animal rights and are looking for a more moderate example. We look at a positive aspect of femininity as nurturing, but maybe the negative… Read more »
Wai, I think you might be misunderstanding the push back here. When "femininity" (for lack of a better word) evolved, this did not take place in a vacuum. Companies and government were asked to change their policies and culture to become more tolerant of feminine leadership styles, work environments, and viewpoints. This was a massive undertaking that demanded men dramatically change their public and private behavior. By contrast your piece (and similar pieces on the GMP, which it is likely unfair to lump together), seems to be demanding that men change, with no acknowledgment of how women need to change… Read more »
Reply to Mike L
Well said Mike.
Masculinity is a terrible thing. Lets all celebrate being women. Men are evil.
Reply to Blake
Maybe you should read it again, because you don't get it.
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Baccalaureat 2eme Partie and the University Entrance Exam.
Baccalaureat II (Philosophie) / Baccalaureat and Diplome d'Enseignement Secondaire.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (ciclo diversificado); Bachillerato certificate; or First Year standing in a recognized university with minimum 80% average.
HKDSE exam results. The minimum requirements are the four core subjects (Chinese Language, English, Mathematics and Liberal Studies), as well as two or three elective subjects from category A (academic subject) or category C (foreign languages). Subjects from category B (applied learning subjects) cannot be used for admission. Predicted and final grades of 3 or better in each subject is the minimum, although most programs are more competitive and will require higher grades.
Gimnaziumi Erettsegi Bizonyitvany (Matura)/ International Baccalaureate with minimum 4/5 or 80% average.
Studentsprof from a Gymnasium with minimum 6.0 or B average.
Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (awarded by CISCE) / All India Secondary School Certificate (awarded by CBSE) with Marks Statement (Standard X); and Indian School Certificate (awarded by CISCE)/ All India Senior School Certificate (awarded by CBSE) with Marks Statement (Standard XII). Minimum 70% average required.
Surat Tanda Tamat Belajar Sekolah Menegah Tingkat Atas (STTB SMTA) results (Certificate of Completion of Upper Secondary School; Ujian Masuk Pergurua Tinggi Negeri (National Entrance Examination) results (if applicable). Minimum 7/10 required.
Diplom-Metevaseth/National High School Diploma with minimum 15/20 and Concours/Emtahan-Vordy-Sartasari.
Sixth Form Baccalaureat with minimum average of 70%.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (senior secondary) with minimum average of 65% or better. Leaving Certificate with at least 5 subjects.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (upper secondary). Bagrut/Mechina in which grades of 7 or above in six Bagrut subjects should be obtained.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (liceo) with minimum 42/60. Diploma di Esame di Stato conclusivo dei Corsi di Istruzione Secondaria Superiore/Diploma di Maturita.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (upper secondary school) with minimum 3.0/5. Kotogakko Sotsugyo Shomeisho (Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate).
Tawjihi (General Secondary Education Certificate) with a minimum overall mark of 75%.
Certificate of Secondary Education with minimum 4/5.
Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) / East African Advanced Certificate of Education. A minimum of C+ in the KCSE is required for admission.
Shahadat-al-thanawia-al-a'ama (General Secondary School Certificate) in which a minimum of 75% overall is required.
KYRAYZSTAN
High School Transcript with minimum 4/5.
First Year standing in a recognized university or a very high achievement in the Baccalaureat.
Atestats par Visparejo Videjo Izglitibu (Certificate of General Secondary Education) with minimum 7/10.
Baccalaureat II with a score of at least 12/20 (Good).
First Year standing at the recognized University.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (senior secondary school); Senior secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) results issued directly by WAEC (to be verified online using a scratch card). Minimum average grade of B3 is required.
General Secondary Certificate (with at least a 70% overall is required for admission).
Secondary School Diploma with minimum 7/10 (good standing).
Diplome de Fin d'Etudes Secondaires with minimum 48/60.
Secondary School Leaving Diploma with minimum 3/5 and the University Entrance Examinations.
Baccalaureat de l'Enseignement du Second Degre with minimum 14/20.
Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) with a grade between 1-6 / Cambridge Overseas Higher School Certificate (COHSC).
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (and pre-university) with minimum 6/9in SPM and MICSS; minimum C in STPM. Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM).
Mali Baccalaureat with minimum 14/20.
Overseas School Certificate/Minimum 5 O-levels with C grade or better; and Overseas Higher School Certificate/GCE A Levels (at least 2 courses with grades of C or better).
Transcript of marks for grades 10 and 11-12 (preparatory level) and Bachillerato Certificate with minimum 8/10.
High School Diploma/ Atestat de Studi medii de cultura generala with minimum 7/10.
Baccalaureat or Diplome de Bachelier de l'Enseignement du Second Degre with minimum 12/20.
Diploma / Certificate of Complete Secondary Education with minimum 4/5.
Baccalaureat with minimum 14/20.
Certificado de Habilitacoes Literarias (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) with minimum 14/20 and the University Entrance Exam.
Transcript of marks for Standards IX and X (high school); Basic Education High School Examination Certificate or a First Year standing in a recognized college/university. Minimum 60% in high school or "A" list placement on matriculation.
UCLES' Higher International General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCE A Levels). Minimum 5 O-levels with grades of C or better and 2 A-levels with grades of C or better.
Proficiency Certificate awarded by Tribhuvan University Kathmanndu or Higher Secondary Education Board transcript; or a Bachelors Degree with a Second Division Pass.
Transcript of marks for grades 11, 12 and 13 (university preparatory education). VWO Certificate (Gymnasium A/B and Atheneum A/B) with a minimum grade of 6/10 (Voldoende) in all subjects, and an overall average of 7/10 is required.
Higher School Certificate with minimum B average and the University Entrance, Bursaries and Scholarship Examination.
Bachillerato with a mark of at least 75% overall or First Year standing in a recognized university.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (senior secondary school); Senior secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) results issued directly by WAEC (to be verified online). Minimum grade of B3 required.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (upper secondary) with minimum 4/6 average. Vitnemal fra den Videregaende Skole (Certificate of Upper Secondary Education).
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (upper secondary school) with minimum 90% average. General Secondary Certificate or a First year standing in a recognized university.
Intermediate/Higher Secondary School Certificate with Marks Sheet (issued by Board of Intermediate Education) and Secondary School Certificate with Marks sheet (issued by Board of Secondary Education) with minimum academic average of 60% on Secondary School Certificate and Higher Secondary Certificate.
Tawjihi (General Secondary Education Certificate) or Al Thanaweya Al A'ama (General Secondary School Certificate) with minimum 70% or First Year standing at a recognized university.
High School Certificate and transcript for grades 10,11 and 12 with minimum 81%.
Higher School Certificate with minimum 70%.
High School Certificate and transcript for grades 10,11 and 12 with minimum 4/5 or 7/10.
Certificado de Educacion Secundaria Comun Completa or Bachiller with minimum 14/20.
High School Diploma with transcripts. 2.50 GPC required
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (general lyceum) with 4.0/6. Matura / Swiadectwo Dojrzalosci (Maturity Certificate).
Certificado de fim de Estudos Secundarios with 14/20.
High School Graduation Diploma with minimum B average.
Excellent standing in the Tawjihi or First Year standing in a recognized university.
Diploma de Baccalaureat with minimum 8/10.
Transcript of marks for grades 10 and 11 (upper secondary school) with minimum 4/5. Attestat o srednem obrazovanii (Certificate of Secondary Education).
Certificat des Humanites with minimum 70% average.
General Secondary Certificate with minimum 80% in academic courses.
Cambridge Overseas Higher School Certificate with passes at grades A-C/ GCE O and A-Levels. For admission, 5 credits at O Levels and 2 or 3 credits at A Levels is required, with a minimum C grade in each subject.
Senior School Certificate Examination / West African Higher School Certificate (A Levels). Minimum grade of B3 required.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (junior college). Singapore/Cambridge GCE O (five subjects) and A Levels (two subjects) with a minimum C grade in each subject.
Maturitna skuska / Maturita with 2.0/5.
Secondary School-Leaving Diploma with minimum 7/10.
First Year standing at National University of Somalia.
Senior Certificate with Matriculation Endorsement. A minimum of grade C is required on 5 subjects including English.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12; Senior High School Diploma with minimum 70%.
Curso de Orientacion Universitaria (COU) / Titulo de Bachillerato and the Selectividad with minimum 6/10.
Sri Lankan General Certificate of Education Advanced Levels. A minimum grade of C is required in four A-level subjects.
Transcript of marks for grades 11, 12 and 13 (university preparatory education). VWO Certificate (Gymnasium A/B and Atheneum A/B) with a minimum grade of 6/10 (Voldoende) in all subjects is required.
First Year standing in a recognized university
VWO Certificate with a minimum grade of 6/10 (Voldoende) in all subjects is required, and an overall average of 7/10.
First Year standing at the University of Swaziland.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (upper secondary). Avgangsbetyg/Slutbetyg Fran Gymnasieskola with minimum average of 3/5.
Maturitatszeugnis / Certificat de Maturite / Baccalaureat / Attestato di Maturita / Federally recognized Cantonal Maturity Certificate. Minimum 70% in high school.
Al Shahada Al Thanawiya / Baccalaureat (literary or scientific) / Secondary School Leaving Certificate with a minimum 70% average.
Certificate of Completed Secondary Education with transcript of grades.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (senior upper middle school). Senior High School Leaving Certificate with minimum 80% and Huikao (Senior School Graduation Exam) results.
Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE, Form IV) and Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education (ACSE, Form VI) issued directly by National Examinations Council of Tanzania; Passes (minimum C grade) in five CSE subjects, C in at least three ACSE subjects. Alternatively, East African General Certificate of Education O levels and A levels.
Mathayom 6 (M6) (if applicable) with minimum 3 in Mathayom, and the University Entrance Examination (WEE).
Baccalaureat if an overall average mark of Assez Bien 12/20 is achieved. Otherwise GCE A Levels are required (min. 2 with grades of C or above).
Devlet Lise Diplomasi / Lise Bitirme Diplomasi with minimum 3/5 or 70% high school.
High School transcript and School Leaving Diploma
Uganda Certificate of Education and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education. Minimum 5 O-levels with C or better; 2 A-levels with C or better.
Transcript of marks for grades 9, 10 and 11 (third level upper school) with minimum 4/5 or 7/12. Atestat Pro Povnu Zagal'nu Sersdniu Osvitu.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (general secondary school). Tawjihiyya (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) in which a mark of at least 80% overall is required or First Year standing from a recognized university.
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE or IGSCE) with five O-level subjects with minimum C grade or better; General Certificate of Education Advanced or Advanced Supplementary Levels (GCE-A or AICE or GCE-AS) with at least 2 A-levels (two AS subjects may be substituted for one A-level). Minimum C in each and all AS and A-levels.
Minimum overall 'B' average (or GPA 3.0 on a 4.0 scale) in a recognized academic grade 12 program. At least 4 different academic subjects at the matriculation level must be represented in the high school diploma. SAT or ACT recommended.
High school transcript for grades 9, 10 and 11 with minimum 7/12 and first year standing in a recognized college or university.
High school transcript for grades 10, 11 and 12 with minimum 4/5.
High school transcript for grades 9, 10 and 11 with minimum average of 16/20 or first year standing in a recognized college or university.
Transcript of marks for grades 10, 11 and 12 (Upper Secondary School Graduation Certificate) with minimum 7.0/10. Bang Tot Nghiep Pho Thong Trung Hoc (Universal Graduation Diploma).
First year standing in a recognized university with a minimum "C" average (University of Sana'a/ Aden).
Advanced Certificate where a grade B+ is required for admission.
Cambridge School Certificate and Cambridge Higher School Certificate (min. "C" grade) or the GCE O (five subjects) and A-Levels (min two subjects with grades of C and above).
English for University (ESL)
International Viewbook

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"From my childhood I was very shy, and naturally I found it easy to connect with plants than humans. Later I realized that there's so much nature does for us, so the least we can do is grow plants at home -. Thus its no surprise that I opened this nursery.


text:
The going gets tough for takaful industry
September 18, 2010 September 16, 2010 Editor Insurance, South East Asia
Malaysia'a takaful industry is expected to step up its performance now that an additional four operators have been issued licences to start business next year, said industry players.
"With 12 operators in the country now, we have to work harder to gain market share and profits," said an executive from a takaful group that has been in operation for more than 10 years.
Although Malaysia's takaful industry has seen tremendous growth in the last five years, it still lags behind its conventional peers in terms of total insurance market penetration and share.
It is understood that the penetration rate for takaful industry in Malaysia is around 10 per cent, compared with 40 per cent for conventional insurance.
Another existing takaful executive said the entry of four new players is against the spirit of consolidation that the regulator has been propagating.
However, he said the regulator may have decided to add more players since the Islamic banking and takaful industry has yet to command 20 per cent of the banking and insurance market share targeted by 2010.
Takaful fund assets comprise only 8 per cent of the total assets of the Malaysian insurance and takaful industry although it has more than doubled in this same period from RM5.87 billion in 2005 to RM10.5 billion in 2008 and RM12.4 billion in 2009.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said last year that the liberalisation measures, including new licences, are in line with the provisions and timetable set out in the Financial Sector Master Plan (FSMP) announced in 2001.
The government said then that the measures are aimed at enhancing "inter-linkages to leverage on global developments in Islamic finance and reinforce Malaysia's position as an international Islamic financial hub."
In this context, it will be interesting to see how new takaful players would contribute in areas where there are gaps in the financial system and in which there are new areas of growth in the financial system.
The four new licences issued to joint ventures are between American International Assurance Bhd (70 per cent) and Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd (30 per cent; AMMB Holdings Bhd (70 per cent) and Friends Provident Group plc, UK (30 per cent); ING Management Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd (60 per cent), Public Bank Bhd (20 per cent) and Public Islamic Bank Bhd (20 per cent); and the joint venture between The Great Eastern Life Assurance Co Ltd (70 per cent) and Koperasi Angkatan Tentera Malaysia Bhd (30 per cent).
Existing takaful operators include CIMB Aviva Takaful Bhd, Etiqa Takaful Bhd, Hong Leong Tokio Marine Takaful Bhd, HSBC Amanah Takaful (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, MAA Takaful Bhd, Prudential BSN Takaful Bhd, Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Bhd and Takaful Ikhlas Sdn Bhd.
In addition, Malaysia has four Retakaful operators, namely, ACR Retakaful SEA Bhd, MNRB Retakaful Bhd, Munchener Ruckversicherungs-Gesellschaft (Munich Re Retakaful) and Swiss Reinsurance Co Ltd (Swiss Re Retakaful); and one International Takaful Operator in AIA Takaful International Bhd. //
source : btimes.my
Takaful operators need to 'up their game'
September 13, 2010 September 6, 2010 Editor Insurance, South East Asia
By EUGENE MAHALINGAM
Existing takaful operators will have to "up their game" and gear up for stiffer competition as the granting of four new licences by Bank Negara on Wednesday will see more players fighting for a share of the profit slice.
Takaful Ikhlas Sdn Bhd president and chief executive officer Datuk Syed Moheeb Syed Kamarulzaman said the company would need to find a niche to stay ahead of the competition.
"We were surprised that four new players were granted licenses rather than two. With more players coming in competition will increase and so will customer expectation," he said when contacted by StarBiz yesterday
Datuk Syed Moheeb … 'We were surprised that four new players were granted licenses.'
"The introduction of more (new) players into the industry will increase the takaful penetration rate and take away the businesses of the existing players and we must find our niche," Syed Moheeb said.
He however added that the local takaful market was huge and offered great growth potential even with new players coming on board.
According to Syed Moheeb, the penetration rate for takaful in Malaysia was around 10%, compared with conventional insurance at 40%.
On Wednesday, four joint-venture (JV) companies were issued new family takaful licences by the central bank following the approval from the Finance Ministry.
Those getting the licences are the joint ventures between American International Assurance Bhd (70%) and Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd (30%); AMMB Holdings Bhd (70%) and Friends Provident Group plc, UK (30%); ING Management Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd (60%), Public Bank Bhd (20%) and Public Islamic Bank Bhd (20%); and the joint venture between The Great Eastern Life Assurance Company Ltd (70%) and Koperasi Angkatan Tentera Malaysia Bhd (30%).
The four new licences, issued under the Takaful Act 1984, were given based on the applicants' financial soundness and resilience, track record, expertise, business plan and contribution towards local financial sector development.
Previously, there were eight existing takaful operators in Malaysia, namely CIMB Aviva Takaful Bhd, Etiqa Takaful Bhd, Hong Leong Tokio Marine Takaful Bhd, HSBC Amanah Takaful (M) Sdn Bhd, MAA Takaful Bhd, Prudential BSN Takaful Bhd, Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Bhd and Takaful Ikhlas Sdn Bhd.
Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Bhd group managing director Datuk Hassan Kamil also concurred that competition within the local takaful industry would be much stiffer.
"It is only natural that with more competitors coming in everyone has to buck up."
Hassan said the JV companies comprised well established foreign partners with "good infrastructure."
"Many of the local takaful players had to start from scratch and build their infrastructure from scratch. Some of the local operators are still building themselves up.
"The four players coming in are allied with established partners that are ready to go," he said.
Syed Moheeb however noted that the inclusion of foreign partners as new takaful licensees was a boon to the local insurance industry.
"The new (foreign) operators have the international network to promote Malaysian takaful products in other countries," he said.
source : biz the star
Takaful insurance sector to grow in 2010: Report
August 15, 2010 August 15, 2010 Editor America, Insurance
The takaful insurance and reinsurance sector is likely to continue to grow in 2010, according to a report by Standard & Poor's Corp.
S&P said the market for takaful insurance and reinsurance, which complies with Islamic Sharia law, is supported by high levels of growth and an increase in profitability.
In a report, "Takaful Insurance Has Long-Term Viability and Benefits from Expected Growth, but Stiff Competition Exists," S&P said particularly strong growth is likely in Malaysia and the Gulf Cooperation Council states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
But the takaful market is becoming highly competitive and is suffering from the impact of global investment markets on returns, factors that "place an ongoing strain on sustainable development," Neil Gosrani, a credit analyst at S&P in London and one of the report's authors, said in the report.
One area of concern is the lack of risk-based regulatory supervision of the takaful sector, particularly in the GCC region. This means the sector lacks "the growing sophistication of risk management and capital demand increasingly found in Europe and North America," according to the report.
source : business insurance
Nigeria: Deposit Insurance Corporation to Develop Insurance for Non-Interest Bank
July 31, 2010 July 30, 2010 Editor Africa, Insurance
Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has said that it is developing a deposit insurance framework for the operation of non-interest (Islamic) banking in the country.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is also developing framework for the regulation of non-interest banking and Islamic financial institutions.
The proposed Islamic banking in Nigeria – Jaiz Bank – will commence operation before the end of this year, its Managing Director/CEO Mohammed Mustapha Bintube has said.
Islamic Finance Working Group of Nigeria visited NDIC, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Debt Management Office (DMO) yesterday in Abuja to work out modalities for the commencement of non-interest banking in the country.
Acting Managing Director of NDIC Ibrahim Umaru said the Corporation will work with the team for the speedy commencement of Islamic Finance in Nigeria.
"You need to have appropriate legal framework for it. You need to develop compliance. You need to educate consumers who would want to avail themselves on the opportunities of non-interest bank", Umaru said.
Current operators of non-interest banking in Nigeria include the Standard IBTC, Bank PBH, Diamond bank and the proposed Jaiz Bank.
"All stakeholders are working together to make sure that non-interest bank or Islamic bank takes off successfully in Nigeria. We have challenges in policy framework, on capacity building and on customers orientation", Jaiz's MD said.
He said they are visiting regulators so that Islamic and non-interest banking can be strengthen in Nigeria to be able to compete favourably with other countries like Egypt and South Africa.
He said the reason why Jaiz Bank is slow in commencing operation is because there is no compliance instrument for Islamic finance or non-interest banking in Nigeria.
"The second reason why we have not started is that the share size of the capital was increased from N2 billion to N25 billion and therefore the level of risk has increased significantly and people did not want to take bigger risk on something that is new", he said.
"All these obstacles are been taken care off and before the end of the year you would hear good news from CBN on the JAIZ operation", Bintube said.
source : allafrica
How Can Insurance Be Islamic?
July 5, 2010 July 5, 2010 Editor Insurance	islamici insurance, takaful, takaful theory
In the world of Islamic economics and finance, conventional financial instruments such as credit cards, mortgages and insurance are generally considered impermissible. Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam prohibits usury and financial interest. Considering credit cards and mortgages depend on financial interest to remain viable for conventional banks, both are generally considered impermissible.
In an effort to provide Muslims with the convenience and flexibility of credit cards and mortgages, Islamic banks have developed shari'ah compliant financial products that eliminate interest. Instead, these Islamized credit cards and mortgages incorporate a profit-and-loss approach, where the lender assumes ownership risk in the goods and services financed.
However, what of insurance? Why does insurance need to be Islamized? Conventional insurance serves a very important function in the global economy by mitigating risk. Insurance policies effectively transfer risk from the insured to the insurer for a monetary amount. In the event of an insurance claim event, the insured is guaranteed a monetary payment from the insurer to make the insured whole.
The unequivocal guarantee that an insurer provides is especially problematic for family insurance products such as life insurance. Because a life insurance policy guarantees payment in the event of death, most Muslim jurists consider this a bet against God. In Islam, only God knows when a person will die. Any wager or hedge against this date is theologically insoluble.
In Islam, God is considered omniscient and omnipotent. Therefore, God's knowledge is perfect. More specifically, what God knows to happen must happen. If what God knows to happen does not happen, then God is either not omniscient or not omnipotent. However, denouncing God's omniscience or omnipotence is anathema to Islamic theology and doctrine.
Moreover, conventional insurance typically invests the policy premiums in a variety of financial instruments that include interest. Therefore, most Muslim jurists consider insurance and more specifically life insurance impermissible.
Instead of conventional insurance products, Islamic insurers offer mutual protection through a takaful fund. The word "takaful" is a derivative of "kafalah" which means "surety," "guarantee," or "mutual care."
Indeed, this type of a mutual care has been in use throughout Islamic history. In addition to the myriad proscriptions mentioned above, Islam also demands that each Muslim care for members of the community. The Qur'an says that one should "spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves" (2:177).
Accordingly, takaful embodies the spirit of social solidarity and mutual care. Instead of insurance policy premiums, a voluntary donation is made to a communal takaful fund. Using the law of large numbers, the takaful fund operator uses statistical data and mathematical calculations–similar to conventional actuarial sciences–to ensure that the fund is sufficiently capitalized to fund any insurance claim events.
All takaful funds are invested in shari'ah compliant investments that are free from interest and impermissible investments (e.g., equities engaged in the manufacture, distribution, or sale of porcine food products, alcoholic beverages, pornography, gambling, etc.).
Unlike a conventional insurance policy, because the tabarru payment is a donation, policy "premiums" do not accumulate any cash value for the insured. According to proponents of takaful, this prevents an insured party from profiting from an insurance policy.
While critics of takaful–and Islamic banking and finance in general–may argue that takaful is simply another example of an Islamic financial product being superficially Islamized, takaful does appear to promote social solidarity and mutual care.
Source : thexaminar
Sharia insurance market is mounting
June 28, 2010 June 22, 2010 Editor Insurance	takaful
Sharia insurance market is mounting of the insurance industry with the more interests expressed by investors to have investment in that the sector.
Bapepam-LK considered the sharia insurance up to quarter III/2009 showed good performance. Life insurance market shares are 4.16 percent and loss insurance and reinsurance are 2.8 percent.
When combined, the total sharia insurance industry market shares are 3.79 percent of the total national insurance industry.
"This is satisfying noting that last year it remained at the level of 2 percent. So there is quite rapid increase," said Insurance bureau chief of Bapepam-LK Isa Rachmatarwata in Jakarta recently.
In terms of asset, loss insurance has reached 2.09 percent but life insurance is 1.38 percent as the asset accumulation of life insurance industry had happened long before.
"The total sharia insurance assets in quarter III/2009 was at 1.54 percent of the total assets of the industry in quarter I/2009 of 1.32 percent," said Isa.
Sharia insurance industry, particularly life insurance, is more lucrative with the incoming giant player like AIA Financial and Manulife. Formerly Prudential has entered the market and booked significant returns.
In quarter III/2009, Prudential has booked IDR254.6 billion premium income or rose 22.1 percent as from quarter II/2009.
But President Director of PT Asuransi Bintang Tbk Zafar Dinesh Idham said the government has relaxed the regulation of sharia unit capital fulfillment at least it is the same as the conventional capital gradual fulfillment as stipulated by Government Regulation (PP) No. 81/2009. "For us, the regulation is burdensome," he said.
On the other side, regulator called for stern measures from old player to take necessary measure to opt whether to continue its business by complying with the minimum capital regulation or to return the license.
"Sharia insurance in quarter III/2009 has showed good performance. Those with less capital should improve themselves and have time to think fast and make rapid decision to stay in the industry, while the new one is not reluctant to join," he said.
PP No. 39/2008 on insurance business requires insurance company minimum capital with sharia unit is IDR5 billion in 2008, IDR12.5 billion in 2009, and IDR25 billion next year.
Up to quarter III/2009 there are companies with under IDR5 billion fund. One of them, life insurance firm, has returned its sharia business license.
source : bisnis
Takaful firms search for suitable long term assets
March 23, 2010 March 6, 2010 Editor Insurance	assets islamic insurance, islamic insurance
The Islamic insurance industry, or takaful, is struggling to find suitable long term investment opportunities, executives at the Reuters Islamic Banking and Finance Summit said.
The takaful – or sharia compliant – insurance industry has grown at double or three digit growth rates so far as the Gulf Arab region is underpenetrated with insurance products in general, and has also attracted business from conventional peers.
But issues like the absence of long term sukuk, or Islamic bonds, to compliment some of the products are hampering the process of asset deployment.
Speaking at the summit in Bahrain, Abdul Rahman Tolefat, chief executive, Allianz Takaful, said: "As an insurer, if I want to offer annuity products I need to have long term assets to match my liabilities which are still not available."
Tolefat said the firm was in talks with a regional financial institution, urging them to issue a bond earmarked for the industry.
Islamic insurance works like mutual insurance, but there is a clear segregation of the assets owned by members and those owned by the insurer.
Unlike conventional insurance, investments made using the pool of funds have to adhere to sharia law and shun sectors such as alcohol and gambling.
Islamic insurers also keep away from investments in risky assets and prefer fixed income products for parking their funds.
Global takaful premiums total about $2 billion to $3 billion and are expected to reach more than $7 billion by 2015, industry figures show.
While medium term sukuk are available in the market, takaful firms in this space have to compete with big banks who absorb a major chunk of issues, leaving little for takaful firms.
Tolefat said: "The credit rating of corporates who issue sukuk is just not there. I prefer an issue which has an 'A' rating and above. Even if they provide low yields, we don't mind."
source : INN


text:
Q: Special Number format in MS Access I have a table with an ID number which has a special format as follow: 2500-001
By default the number format does not accept dash(-) in the middle of number and I can not make it a Text field as I need this ID as the Primary Key.
Would you please tell me if there is anyway to achieve this in Design View?
Thank you in advance

A: Use a text box input mask.
You can specify whether or not the dash is included in the data.  See here for more information about input masks:

The three parts of an input mask
Input masks are made up one mandatory
part and two optional parts, and each part is separated by a
semicolon. The purpose of each part is as follows:
The first part is mandatory. It includes the mask characters or string
(series of characters) along with placeholders and literal data such
as, parentheses, periods, and hyphens.
The second part is optional and
refers to the embedded mask characters and how they are stored within
the field. If the second part is set to 0, the characters are stored
with the data, and if it is set to 1, the characters are only
displayed and not stored. Setting the second part to 1 can save
database storage space.
The third part of the input mask is also
optional and indicates a single character or space that is used as a
placeholder. By default, Access uses the underscore (_). If you want
to use another character, enter it in the third part of your mask.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: program ends without if statements being considered (Beginner at coding) I'm missing something here.  My program ends after asking the person to input their service package.  Please forgive the redundant code, I'm a beginner at this and haven't yet learned more efficient methods than this.
import javax.swing.JOptionPane;

public class InternetSP
{
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {

        final double PACKA = 9.95, PACKB = 13.95, PACKC = 19.95;
        final int PACKAC = 2, PACKBC = 1;
        double chargecalc, entrycalc = 0;
        String entry, pack;

        pack = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(null, "Please enter your service" + " package (A,B or C)");
        if (pack == "A" || pack == "B")
        {
            entry = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(null, "Please enter your usage " + "hours.");
            entrycalc = Double.parseDouble(entry);
        }

        if (pack == "A")
        {
            if (entrycalc > 10)
            {
                chargecalc = (PACKA + (entrycalc * PACKAC));
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Your total charges are: $" + chargecalc);
            }
            else
            {
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Your total charge is: $" + PACKA);
            }
        }
        else if (pack == "B")
        {
            if (entrycalc > 20)
            {
                chargecalc = (PACKB + (entrycalc * PACKBC));
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Your total charges are:" + "$ " + chargecalc);
            }
            else
            {
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Your total charge is: $" + PACKB);
            }

        }
        else if (pack == "C")
        {
            JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Your total charge is:" + "$ " + PACKC);
        }

        System.exit(0);

    }
}

A: You should try comparing your string with the equals (or better, equalsIgnoreCase) method.
As explained here : Java String.equals versus == , in java the "==" operator checks whether two variables points to the same Object, not if they have the same value.
So if you write
String a1 = "A";
String a2 = "A";

then
if (a1 == a2) {
  // This is not executed
}
if (a1.equals(a2)) {
  // This is executed
}

This is an important distinction, it exists for every Objects, but most people are tricked by Strings because it is one of the first Objects that you compare.
Usually people start by comparing numbers, and in Java, the primitive numbers (int, long, etc...) can be compared with == because they are not object.
Hoping this helps, good luck !


text:
European Commission › EURAXESS › Jobs & Funding › Postdoctoral Fellowship in Bone technology
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Bone technology
This job offer has closed
Application Deadline: 30/01/2022 18:00 - Europe/Athens
Université de Bordeaux / University of Bordeaux
adrien.pourtier@u-bordeaux.fr
http://www.u-bordeaux.fr/
francesco.derrico@u-bordeaux.fr
hugues.plisson@u-bordeaux.fr
solange.rigaud@u-bordeaux.fr
eneko.hiriart@u-bordeaux-montaigne.fr
Recognised Researcher (R2)
30/01/2022 18:00 - Europe/Athens
France › BORDEAUX
IS THE JOB RELATED TO STAFF POSITION WITHIN A RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE?
The GPR 'Human Past': our group and our research :
The GPR (Grand Programme de Recherche) 'Human Past' is an interdisciplinary research project supported by the University of Bordeaux's Initiative d'Excellence. 'Human Past' gathers ~110 researchers from 3 laboratories (PACEA, AUSONIUS, and Archéosciences Bordeaux) affiliated with the University of Bordeaux (UB) and the University of Bordeaux Montaigne (UBM). Our expertise combines Biological Anthropology, Classical and Medieval Archaeology, Prehistory, Protohistory, History, Epigraphy, Archaeometry, Geochronology and Computer Science Applications to Cultural Heritage.
'Human Past' aims to document, characterize and understand the tipping points that have induced major biological and cultural changes within past human populations. Spanning a large chronological period (from Prehistory to historical times), our research aims to identify the steps that enabled a primate originally adapted to African ecosystems to evolve into a species that occupies and impacts every ecosystem on the planet. Biological and social systems will be scrutinized at different scales from a multitude of perspectives with particular attention paid to phenotypic and genetic variability, cognition, technology, social organization, belief systems, and genetic and cultural adaptive strategies that drive human societies.
This position advertisement belongs to the first part of the funding scheme, planned for 4 years.
Project description :
Because of their ubiquity and durability, knapped stone tools are generally considered the only component of the archaeological record that can provide reliable information on long-term trends in the technological and cognitive evolution within our lineage. Osseous technologies have not attracted the attention they deserve. Unlike stone tools, the final shape and size of bone tools, produced with techniques such as grinding, scraping and grooving, may be highly controlled. For this reason, bone tools are particularly appropriate in characterizing technical systems, disentangling style from function, inferring the degree of complexity of a human culture, and identifying tipping points in cultural evolutionary trajectories. Bordeaux researchers hold a world-leading position in this research domain, as demonstrated by studies on bone tool use by early hominins in Southern and Eastern Africa, the identification of the first formal bone tools used by anatomically modern human in Africa, bone tools used by Neanderthals, and the characterization of a variety of osseous artifacts from Europe, Africa, Northeast and East Asia.
For the present postdoctoral offer, we are looking for a specialist who has a demonstrated experience in the study of osseous artifacts, who masters multiple analytical approaches, and can contribute with their research to understand tipping points in the evolution of osseous technologies in different geographic and chronological contexts. The candidate will conduct independent research while also collaborate with members of GPR WP3 "How and why do novel cultural traits emerge, propagate and disappear?"
Adequacy of the postdoctoral project with the objectives of the GRP :
Bone tools are particularly appropriate to characterize technical systems, infer the degree of complexity of a human culture and identify tipping points in cultural evolution, a central goal of the GPR "Human Past". In the framework of WP3, this field of research will take a major step forward both from a methodological standpoint and through the identification of tipping points at regional and global scales.
For more information, see contact details in the "contact tab".
Contract duration : 18 months
Envisaged Job Starting Date : End of spring, beginning of summer 2022
Salary: According to experience
The candidate will submit their application, consisting of a letter of motivation (2 pages max.) and a CV (including list of publications, if applicable), to the supervisors mentioned in the job description, and to Adrien Pourtier (adrien.pourtier@u-bordeaux.fr), Francesco D'Errico (francesco.derrico@u-bordeaux.fr) and Adeline Le Cabec (adeline.le-cabec@u-bordeaux.fr), before January 30, 2022.
The Post-Doctoral researcher will be willing to travel in and outside Europe.
Offer Requirements
Skills/Qualifications
The candidate must:
- hold a PhD in archaeology or anthropology, be experienced in prehistoric bone technology, experimental archeology, microscopy, quantitative approaches applied to the archeological record.
- demonstrate they are an active international researcher, fit for large-scale comparisons.
- be fluent in English and preferably also in French.
- have a demonstrated experience in the preparation and submission of articles in English.
PACEA


text:
Q: Does ASP have a Current event? Does ASP have a construct similar to Access's On Current event? I've inherited a set of ASP web forms coded in C# and the rules associated with the form controls kick in OK if you click one of the controls but I need them to apply when the form opens, not only on change. That they don't is allowing bad data.

A:
I need them to apply when the form opens, not only on change.

With ASP.NET you can use the Page_Load event handler; check out the page lifecycle documentation for more details, as that may lead you to something more appropriate and would be a rather educational read on the whole.


This is a summary of all the Travel Logs related to madrid that we have available. Please go ahead and click on them if you want to read their contents. Does reading about madrid make you want to go traveling? In that case let's start planning your next trip!
You should be very lucky man to get to corrida at your first visit to Madrid. That's what happened to me when I first went to Spain :). Completely unforgettable show!
Путешествовать по Испании очень приятно и недорого. Удобнее всего прилететь в Мадрид или Барселону, а уже от туда ехать в любую точку Испании.
Some pictures of Asia and Madrid. Temples, details and even a picture of us in tuktuk in Madrid.
Back to Top of Travel Logs of "madrid"


It is found throughout the country except for the far Southwest.
It grows in wet grassland and marshes.
herb growing up to 60cm.
The flower stems are on long, thin and fragile-looking.
The 5 white petals are deeply bifid and longer than the sepals.
the styles. The filaments are white and the anthers yellow.
There are 3 white, linear styles.
The leaves are opposite, up to 2cm and narrowly lanceolate.
substantial than the flowering stems.


text:
The Longobardian Migration Saga
: REMINISCENCES IN THE POPULAR TRADITIONS OF THE MIDDLE AGES OF THE HEATHEN MIGRATION SAGA.
: Teutonic Mythology
What there still remains of migration sagas from the middle ages, taken
from the saga-treasure of the Teutons themselves, is, alas! but little.
Among the Franks the stream of national traditions early dried up, at
least among the class possessing Latin culture. Among the Longobardians
it fared better, and among them Christianity was introduced later.
Within the ken of Roman history they appear in the first century after
Christ, when Tiberius invaded their boundaries.
Tacitus speaks of them with admiration as a small people whose paucity,
he says, was balanced by their unity and warlike virtues, which rendered
them secure in the midst of the numerous and mighty tribes around them.
The Longobardians dwelt at that time in the most northern part of
Germany, on the lower Elbe, probably in Luneburg. Five hundred years
later we find them as rulers in Pannonia, whence they invade Italy. They
had then been converted to Christianity. A hundred years after they had
become settled in North Italy, one of their Latin scholars wrote a
little treatise, De Origine Longobardorum, which begins in the
following manner: "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Here begins the
oldest history of our Longobardian people. There is an island called
Skadan, far in the north. There dwelt many peoples. Among them was a
little people called the Vinnilians, and among the Vinnilians was a
woman by name Gambara. Gambara had two sons: one by name Ibor, the other
named Ajo. She and these sons were the rulers among the Vinnilians. Then
it came to pass that the Vandals, with their dukes Ambri and Assi,
turned against the Vinnilians, and said to them: 'Pay ye tribute unto
us. If ye will not, then arm yourselves for war!' Then made answer Ibor
and Ajo and their mother Gambara: 'It is better for us to arm ourselves
for war than to pay tribute to the Vandals'. When Ambri and Assi, the
dukes of the Vandals, heard this, they addressed themselves to Odin
(Godan) with a prayer that he should grant them victory. Odin answered
and said: 'Those whom I first discover at the rising of the sun, to them
I shall give victory'. But at the same time Ibor and Ajo, the chiefs of
the Vinnilians, and their mother Gambara, addressed themselves to Frigg
(Frea), Odin's wife, beseeching her to assist them. Then Frigg gave the
advice that the Vinnilians should set out at the rising of the sun, and
that the women should accompany their husbands and arrange their hair so
that it should hang like a beard under their chins. When the sky cleared
and the sun was about to rise, Frigg, Odin's wife, went to the couch
where her husband was sleeping and directed his face to the east (where
the Vinnilians stood), and then she waked him. And as he looked up he
saw the Vinnilians, and observed the hair hanging down from the faces of
their women. And then said he: 'What long-beards are they?' Then said
Frigg to Odin: 'My lord, as you now have named them, you must also give
them victory!' And he gave them victory, so that they, in accordance
with his resolve, defended themselves well, and got the upper hand. From
that day the Vinnilians were called Longobardians--that is to say,
long-beards. Then the Longobardians left their country and came to
Golaida, and thereupon they occupied Aldonus, Anthaib, Bainaib, and
Burgundaib."
In the days of Charlemagne the Longobardians got a historian by name
Paulus Diaconus, a monk in the convent Monte Cassino, and he was himself
a Longobardian by birth. Of the earliest history of his people he
relates the following: The Vinnilians or Longobardians, who ruled
successfully in Italy, are of Teutonic descent, and came originally from
the island Scandinavia. Then he says that he has talked with persons who
had been in Scandinavia, and from their reports he gives some facts,
from which it is evident that his informants had reference to Scania
with its extensive coast of lowlands and shallow water. Then he
continues: "When the population on this island had increased beyond the
ability of the island to support them, they were divided into three
parts, and it was determined by lot which part should emigrate from the
native land and seek new homes. The part whose destiny it became to
leave their native land chose as their leaders the brothers Ibor and
Ajo, who were in the bloom of manhood and were distinguished above the
rest. Then they bade farewell to their friends and to their country, and
went to seek a land in which they might settle. The mother of these two
leaders was called Gambara, who was distinguished among her people for
her keen understanding and shrewd advice, and great reliance was placed
on her prudence in difficult circumstances." Paulus makes a digression
to discuss many remarkable things to be seen in Scandinavia: the light
summer nights and the long winter nights, a maelstrom which in its
vortex swallows vessels and sometimes throws them up again, an animal
resembling a deer hunted by the neighbours of the Scandinavians, the
Scritobinians (the Skee[7] Finns), and a cave in a rock where seven men
in Roman clothes have slept for centuries (see Nos. 79-81, and No. 94).
Then he relates that the Vinnilians left Scandinavia and came to a
country called Scoringia, and there was fought the aforesaid battle, in
which, thanks to Frigg's help, the Vinnilians conquered the Vandals, who
demanded tribute from them.
The story is then told how this occurred, and how the Vinnilians got the
name Longobardians in a manner corresponding with the source already
quoted, with the one addition, that it was Odin's custom when he awoke
to look out of the window, which was open, to the east toward the rising
sun. Paulus Diaconus finds this Longobardian folk-saga ludicrous, not in
itself, but because Odin was, in the first place, he says, a man, not a
god. In the second place, Odin did not live among the Teutons, but among
the Greeks, for he is the same as the one called by the Romans Mercury.
In the third place, Odin-Mercury did not live at the time when the
Longobardians emigrated from Scandinavia, but much earlier. According to
Paulus, there were only five generations between the emigration of the
Longobardians and the time of Odoacer. Thus we find in Paulus Diaconus
the ideas in regard to Odin-Mercury which I have already called
attention to. Paulus thereupon relates the adventures which happened to
the Longobardians after the battle with the Vandals. I shall refer to
these adventures later on. They belong to the Teutonic mythology, and
reappear in mythic sources (see No. 112), but in a more original form,
and as events which took place in the beginning of time in a conflict
between the Asas and Vans on the one hand, and lower beings on the other
hand; lower, indeed, but unavoidable in connection with the well-being
of nature and man. This conflict resulted in a terrible winter and
consequent famine throughout the North. In this mythological description
we shall find Ajo and Ibor, under whose leadership the Longobardians
emigrated, and Hengist, under whom the Saxons landed in Britain.
It is proper to show what form the story about the Longobardian
emigration had assumed toward the close of the twelfth century in the
writings of the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus. The emigration took
place, he says, at a time when a Danish king, by name Snoe, ruled, and
when there occurred a terrible famine. First, those starving had
resolved to kill all the aged and all children, but this awful resolve
was not carried out, thanks to a good and wise woman, by name Gambaruc,
who advised that a part of the people should emigrate. This was done
under the leadership of her sons Aggo and Ebbo. The emigrants came first
to Blekingia (Blekinge), then they sailed past Moringia (Moere) and came
to Gutland, where they had a contest with the Vandals, and by the aid of
the goddess Frigg they won the victory, and got the name Longobardians.
From Gutland they sailed to Rugen, and thence to the German continent,
and thus after many adventures they at length became masters of a large
part of Italy.
In regard to this account it must be remarked that although it contains
many details not found in Paulus Diaconus, still it is the same
narrative that has come to Saxo's knowledge. This Saxo also admits, and
appeals to the testimony of Paulus Diaconus. Paulus' Gambara is Saxo's
Gambaruc; Ajo and Ibor are Aggo and Ebbo. But the Longobardian monk is
not Saxo's only source, and the brothers Aggo and Ebbo, as we shall
show, were known to him from purely northern sources, though not as
leaders of the Longobardians, but as mythic characters, who are actors
in the great winter which Saxo speaks of.
The Longobardian emigration saga--as we find it recorded in the seventh
century, and then again in the time of Charlemagne--contains
unmistakable internal evidence of having been taken from the people's
own traditions. Proof of this is already the circumstance, that although
the Longobardians had been Christians for nearly 200 years when the
little book De Origine Longobardorum appeared, still the long-banished
divinities, Odin and Frigg, reappear and take part in the events, not as
men, but as divine beings, and in a manner thoroughly corresponding with
the stories recorded in the North concerning the relations between Odin
and his wife. For although this relation was a good and tender one,
judging from expressions in the heathen poems of the North (Voelusp., 51;
Vafthr., 1-4), and although the queen of heaven, Frigg, seems to have
been a good mother in the belief of the Teutons, this does not hinder
her from being represented as a wily person, with a will of her own
which she knows how to carry out. Even a Norse story tells how Frigg
resolves to protect a person whom Odin is not able to help; how she and
he have different favourites among men, and vie with each other in
bringing greater luck to their favourites. The story is found in the
prose introduction to the poem "Grimnismal," an introduction which in
more than one respect reminds us of the Longobardian emigration saga. In
both it is mentioned how Odin from his dwelling looks out upon the world
and observes what is going on. Odin has a favourite by name Geirrod.
Frigg, on the other hand, protects Geirrod's brother Agnar. The man and
wife find fault with each other's proteges. Frigg remarks about Geirrod,
that he is a prince, "stingy with food, so that he lets his guests
starve if they are many." And the story goes on to say that Geirrod, at
the secret command of Odin, had pushed the boat in which Agnar was
sitting away from shore, and that the boat had gone to sea with Agnar
and had not returned. The story looks like a parable founded on the
Longobardian saga, or like one grown in a Christian time out of the same
root as the Longobardian story. Geirrod is in reality the name of a
giant, and the giant is in the myth a being who brings hail and frost.
He dwells in the uttermost North, beyond the mythical Gandvik
(Thorsdrapa, 2), and as a mythical winter symbol he corresponds to king
Snoe in Saxo. His "stinginess of food when too many guests come" seems to
point to lack of food caused by the unfavourable weather, which
necessitated emigrations, when the country became over-populated. Agnar,
abandoned to the waves of the sea, is protected, like the Longobardians
crossing the sea, by Frigg, and his very name, Agnar, reminds us of the
names Aggo, Acho, and Agio, by which Ajo, one of the leaders of the
Longobardians, is known. The prose introduction has no original
connection with Grimnismal itself, and in the form in which we now
have it, it belongs to a Christian age, and is apparently from an author
belonging to the same school as those who regarded the giants as the
original inhabitants of Scandinavia, and turned winter giants like
Joekull, Snaer, &c., into historical kings of Norway.
The absolutely positive result of the Longobardian narratives written by
Longobardian historians is that the Teutonic race to which they belonged
considered themselves sprung, not from Troy or Asia, but from an island,
situated in the ocean, which washes the northern shores of the Teutonic
continent, that is to say, of Germany.
[Footnote 7: The snow-skate, used so extensively in the north of Europe,
is called Ski in the Norse, and I have taken the liberty of
introducing this word here and spelling it phonetically--skee, pl.
skees. The words snow-shoes, snow-skates, hardly describe sufficiently
these skees used by the Finns, Norsemen, and Icelanders. Compare the
English word skid, the drag applied to a coach-wheel.--Tr.]
The Long Winter
The Loss Of Jacob Hurd
The Legend Of Rheineck
Graf Ulric Von Rheineck was a very wild youth. Recklessly and without consideration did he plunge into every excess. Dissipation grew to be the habit of his life, and no sensual indulgence did he deny himself which could be procured by any means w... The Legend Of Saint Galonnek
Saint Galonnek was a native of Ireland, as, indeed, were almost all the teachers in Brittany of those days, and called himself Galonnus, being evidently of Roman origin. But after he had left his native land, and the fame of his good deeds had spr... The Legend Of The Iei Tree
Some eight or ten miles to the west of the town of Shillong is seen a prominent hill range, a place much renowned in Khasi folk-lore. It is known as the Mountain of the Iei Tree, and is a very romantic spot even in the present day, although divest... The Legend Of The Rice
In the days when the earth was young and all things were better than they now are, when men and women were stronger and of greater beauty, and the fruit of the trees was larger and sweeter than that which we now eat, rice, the food of the people, wa... The Legend Of Thorgunna
There were once two brothers, the sons of a rich merchant, and when he died he left all his estate to be divided between them equally. This was done, and the elder at once set about trading and improving his condition, so that very soon he became ... The Magic Well
The chow of a large province lay ill. All the doctors of many provinces were summoned, but none could aid him, nor could any understand his malady. Lying in his house one day, an old man begged he might see him, saying he had a message from the spir... The Magician Of Lake Huron
The Manatoline, or Spirit, Islands were supposed to be a favorite abode of the Manitous, or spirits. Perhaps that is why many strange things happened there. One night, as Masswaweinini, the magician, was lying asleep, a sound of voices wakened him... The Magician's Daughter
Just on the Finland frontiers there is situated a high mountain, which, on the Swedish side, is covered with beautiful copsewood, and on the other with dark pine-trees, so closely ranked together, and so luxuriant in shade, that one might almost s... The Magician's Glass
This glass, into which a person looked when he wished to solve the future, or to ascertain whom he or she was to marry, was used by Welsh, as well as other magicians. The glass gave back the features of the person sought after, and reflected the ... The Magpie
The magpie was considered a bird of ill-omen. No one liked to see a magpie when starting on a journey, but in certain parts of Montgomeryshire, such as the parish of Llanwnog, if the magpie flew from left to right it foretold good luck; in other pa... The Magpie Teaching A Wood Pigeon How To Make A Nest
The wood pigeon makes an untidy nest, consisting of a few bits of twigs placed one on the other without much care. There is a fable in the Iolo MSS., p. 159, in Welsh, and the translation appears on page 567 in English, as follows:-- The magp... The Maid In The Box
There once lived a woman called Monedo Kway (female spirit or prophetess) on the sand mountains, called The Sleeping Bear of Lake Michigan, who had a daughter as beautiful as she was modest and discreet. Everybody spoke of her beauty, and she was ... The Maiden Who Loved A Fish
There was once among the Marshpees, a small tribe who have their hunting-grounds on the shores of the Great Lake, near the Cape of Storms, a woman whose name was Awashanks. She was rather silly, and very idle. For days together she would sit doing... The Maiden Wiser Than The Tsar
Long ago there lived an old man, who dwelt in a poor cottage. He possessed one thing only in the world, and that was a daughter who was so wise that she could teach even her old father. One day the man went to the tsar to beg, and the tsar, astoni... The Maiden's Trial
Before this gorgeous assembly--before this terrible king--stood, surrounded by guards, a trembling, shrinking girl, wrapping closer and closer her linen veil around her slight form and drooping head. "Tear off her veil!" said the king. The comm... The Man And His Image
A man, who had no rivals in the love Which to himself he bore, Esteem'd his own dear beauty far above What earth had seen before. More than contented in his error, He lived the foe of every mirror. ... The Man And The Wooden God
A pagan kept a god of wood,-- A sort that never hears, Though furnish'd well with ears,-- From which he hoped for wondrous good. The idol cost the board of three; So much enrich'd was he With vows and... The Man In The Moon
There was a blacksmith once, who complained: "I am not well, and my work is too warm. I want to be a stone on the mountain. There it must be cool, for the wind blows and the trees give a shade." A wise man, who had power over all things, replied, ... The Man In The Moon
Every one knows that the moon is inhabited by a man with a bundle of sticks on his back, who has been exiled thither for many centuries, and who is so far off that he is beyond the reach of death. He has once visited this earth, if the nurser... The Man Who Avenged The Widows
This was in the old days, in those times when men were yet skilful rowers in kayaks. You know that there once came a great sickness which carried off all the older men, and the young men who were left alive did not know how to build kayaks, and th... The Man Who Became A Star
There was once an old man who stood out on the ice waiting for the seal to come up to their breathing holes to breathe. But on the shore, just opposite where he was, a crowd of children were playing in a ravine, and time after time they frightened...


Israel officially the State of Israel is a parliamentary democracy in the Middle East, on the south-eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, Egypt and the Gaza Strip on the southwest, and the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea to the south, and it contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. In its Basic Laws Israel defines itself as a Jewish and Democratic State; it is the world's only Jewish-majority state.
On 29 November 1947, the United Nations General Assembly recommended the adoption and implementation of the United Nations partition plan of Mandatory Palestine. On 14 May 1948 David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared 'the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel,' a state independent upon the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine, 15 May 1948. Neighboring Arab states invaded the next day in support of the Palestinian Arabs.
Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states, in the course of which it has occupied the West Bank, Sinai Peninsula (between 1967 and 1982), Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. Portions of these territories, including East Jerusalem, have been annexed by Israel, but the border with the neighboring West Bank has not yet been permanently defined.[neutrality is disputed] Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, but efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have so far not resulted in peace.(...)(from Wikipedia).


Earlier some of you may have seen the post where I talked the last little bit of snow moving out of the area. That's what I will continue to watch tonight. Temperatures will drop below freezing tonight. So that means any standing water tonight could freeze. Now, it won't be like this morning.
This blog has readers all over the world. So, hello to those across seas, but. For those of us who experienced this ice storm this morning. We know it was a headache to deal with. So, thankfully we won't have to deal with that Friday morning. Expect a low of 27.


Our beloved tech giant, Google new seems to tap into an all new market with its latest launch of the Samsung Chromebook laptop. Coming with a cheap price tag of just $249, the Chromebook is an impressive gadget. The company has been promoting the gadget as a "second computer for everyone". The Chromebook is an ultra-portable laptop with 11.6 inch display and good battery life.
The Samsung Chromebook runs on Google's browser-based Chrome OS and is a must have if your head is filled with GOOGLE. Whether it be to access your Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive, or any of the Google products or services, this new laptop is naturally one of the best gadgets for the purpose.
The specs of the Chromebook are not that awesome to blow you away, but keeping the price in mind it might be considered to be a good choice for those who wish to stay connected on the go via WIFI. It happens to be the very first laptop to utilize ARM's new Cortex-A15 processor. The Chromebook belongs to the class of economy gadgets. It has a decent build quality and moderate performance capability. While average users might adore the Chromebook as a "second computer", the power users might not like to go for it.
The Samsung Chromebook is now available for pre-order online from Amazon and is scheduled to arrive the Google Play Store from the next week.