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Down to earth: capturing wisdom from around the world
For five years, traveling six continents, parents Renata Heinen and Rolf Winters and their three children went on a journey of discovery to capture the wisdom of the "Earth Keepers." They found indigenous communities living in total harmony with their surroundings, far removed from our technologically focused culture. Down to Earth is the resulting film of their travels. We spoke to Rolf Winters about the experience.
You must have had so many special moments in the course of five years?
"One of our most meaningful experiences was on the small island off the north coast of Australia, in the heart of the Aboriginal homeland. It was a little miracle that we had managed to get permission for our visit, since there are no outsiders allowed at all. We were given a strict permit for just a two-night stay – bringing our own food and shelter – and were told not to film. But nothing could have prepared us for the way we were welcomed into the small community. The clan leader and medicine woman, Laklak, welcomed us with a sweat ceremony, where she rubbed her sweat on us so the island spirits would recognize us. Before we knew it, our kids ran off to play with the teenage 'small crime convicts' that she is known to rehabilitate on the remote island, bringing them back in touch with nature. Sitting by the fire in the evening felt like we were reconnecting with a long- lost family – there was such a profound connection between us. And so later that night, Laklak said we were welcome to stay on the island as long as we liked. Before we left, two months later, we were adopted into their family."
What did you discover about yourselves and each other along the way?
"One of the most important things we all learned is how few material things we need when we live in connection with nature. Even though we all just had one backpack, we actually felt over-equipped – especially when we lived with isolated tribes such as the Shuar in the Amazon rainforest or the San in the Kalahari Desert. The simplicity and the balanced way of the life we experienced was one of the great gifts to us on the journey. They have so little, but at the same time it felt like they have absolutely everything, as they have no dependencies on others, like we do. Just on nature."
Any surprises?
"What surprised us as parents is how flexible and adaptable children are. In the beginning of our travels it wasn't always easy, but once we got into the flow of the journey – by letting go of what we wanted and planned – our children were quickly at ease in any new community we visited. In fact, they would often be ahead of us! They'd be playing and communicating with children of the tribe, while we were still trying to make contact with the elders through an interpreter."
For many of us, quitting your job to go and travel might be a bit too impractical for real life. Do you have any insights from your journey that we could apply to our daily lives?
"We have so much to learn in our modern society from our indigenous brothers and sisters, in so many aspects of life: how we connect with nature and all life forms, how we guide and educate our children, how we look at our health and happiness, the way we select and nurture leaders. But most of all about how we walk our path, how we navigate through life as human beings.
Our modern world has become so planned, we have an information overload and are mind-driven to the point that we get confused and often consider our rational mind as our trusted processor and compass. That might actually be the biggest difference with the Earth Keepers, who totally rely on their heart and intuitive abilities to navigate through life. Big decisions are for the heart and small everyday ones for the brain, they say."
Has the transition back to "normal" life been challenging for you and the children?
"The transition has been quite a challenge. We now live in a greenbelt area between London and Brighton, which we chose because of its free-spirited community, the unique school and being surrounded by nature. Life is slower here. We couldn't move back to the city now – that will probably never be an option again. The transition was different for each of us. The girls were actually quite eager to build their social circles. But still, our lives are very different: there are patterns and systems to deal with."
Can you share some of the "learnings" from your journey?
"We have come to understand how everything, every aspect of life and beyond, is interlinked. Take time to reconnect with nature and yourself and it will help you to connect with everything else in life: people, animals, plants as well as the non-physical world. Follow your heart and intuition in your life choices and experiment! Experimenting is essential to avoid getting stuck in a groove, be it physically, emotionally or mentally. Keep challenging your habits and beliefs and keep an open mind. Walk with bare feet on the earth, love unconditionally and look at the stars at night to stay tuned in."
Did you maintain any habits in the course of your journey?
"Whenever we set off on a physical journey we'd connect with each other, whether it's in a car, a train or a plane. We'd hold hands and set our intentions for a safe and good journey. And when we were leaving a place, we would do a simple little ceremony to show gratitude. The simplest ceremony, one that we learned from the Native Americans, is to put down some tobacco and thank the land and spirits for caring for us. The kids have picked up on it and do it in their own way."
Why is nature such an important part of this wisdom?
"We are nature. This is something we've un-learned in our society. A child knows this innately, but society tells us something different: that we can own, use and manage nature. We will never become sustainable beings if we don't start to understand our co-existence, how we fit in the cycle of life. When you are truly connected with nature and all life, your actions change and your needs change, as well.
Underneath the tangible stuff lies a whole different layer that might be the most crucial aspect of what we need to recover, which is that in our connection with nature lies the source of our spiritual connection. I think this is one of the most important messages of the Earth Keepers."
Slowing down is an important part of the Rituals philosophy. Are your lives now slower than before?
"Oh yes! That is the other part of the same equation. We're going so fast that we run past the essence of life. There's no harm in being efficient in getting things done, but our whole world has become obsessed with speed and the idea that more and faster is always better. But this creates an overload of impulses, information and noise in our heads and behavior that disconnects us from our real being. We have to slow down from time to time. It's like our Native American friend Mukwa Ode always says: 'The slower you go, the more you get.'"
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text:
Overstock.com's fight for patent litigation reform
The general counsel for Overstock.com, Inc. testified today in Washington, D.C. at a hearing titled Patent Reform: Protecting American Innovators and Job Creators from Abusive Patent Litigation. Congressman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, invited Mark Griffin, senior vice president and general counsel of Overstock.com, to make a statement before the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, today.
Griffin explained the issues that online shopping site, Overstock.com, has experienced in its history of fighting patent troll suits. He provided detail on the many victories won and the costs of those successes. "The only people who benefit from frivolous patent litigation are the trolls and their lawyers, and that benefit is not enumerated among the original aims of our patent system," Griffin said.
Griffin added that Overstock.com requests the pleading standards in patent litigation be raised, determinations be made between those selling the alleged infringing products and those manufacturing the products, a better discovery process with reasonable cost constraints, as well as better cost-shifting options for judges.
"This subject continues to get a lot of attention," said Griffin. "It is a crippling problem and a solution needs to finally be agreed upon."
Overstock.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:OSTK) is an online shopping retailer based in Salt Lake City, Utah that sells a broad range of products at low prices including furniture, rugs, bedding, electronics, clothing, and jewelry. Worldstock.com is a fair trade department dedicated to selling artisan-crafted products from around the world whereas Main Street Revolution supports small businesses across the U.S. by providing them a national customer base. Overstock has additional community-focused initiatives such as a Farmers Market and pet adoption service. Forbes ranked Overstock in its list of the Top 100 Most Trustworthy Companies in 2014. Overstock sells internationally under the name O.co. Overstock Shopping (http://www.overstock.com and http://www.o.co) regularly posts information about the company and other related matters under Investor Relations on its website.
This entry was posted in Business on March 26, 2015 by admin.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Accoring to the US Census Bureau, "Freiburger" ranked #24,453 in frequency out of 151,671 surnames for which statistics were released from the 2000 Census. 959 people, or approximately 1 in every 281,295 individuals in the US had this surname in 2000.
Histopolis currently has 15 grave(s) with the surname "Freiburger".
Search the Histopols Grave Index for the surname "Freiburger".
Surnames that Sound Like "Freiburger"
The surname "Freiburger" has a Soundex code of F616. The following 106 surname(s) may sound similar to "Freiburger" since they share the same Soundex code.


The Sintersizer is a music machine that is six meters high by four meters wide and is built completely out of toys. The Sintersizer was on display and in use at HEMA's flagship store in the heart of Amsterdam for a month leading up to the celebration.
Kids can create their own beats using custom created loops and select samples from famous dutch Sinterklaas songs. From musical teacups to wooden flutes the size of a door, almost everything on the Sintersizer makes a sound. Large cookie-buttons set off different samples, wooden puzzles can be moved to add beats and a giant toy piano doubles as a sequencer.
Commissioned by agency XXS Amsterdam and developed entirely in close collaboration with their creative team. They were looking for a partner that could help realise this concept. Circus Family helped them roll out the idea, design the installation, build the machine and make all the different parts of the machine work together. We worked with decor builders Jelier&Schaaf and musician Valentijn Crouwel. All lights were programmed to match and sync exactly with the music. Circus Family also directed and produced the commercial.


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Q: the difference of having a relative pronoun
He is going to cut the part of hair (that) he dyed purple a few months ago in a barber shop.

I bracketed that cause it seems like placing that is optional,
if I omit the relative pronoun in this sentence ,
does he dyed purple a few months ago still act as an relative clause?
If we have that here, I can easily understand that:
He dyed part of his hair purple in a barber shop, and he is going to cut it,cause the PP in a barber shop belongs to the relative clause.
But if we don't have that in the sentence, will the meaning of the sentence slightly change? By which I mean would another interpretation appear without the presence of that?
Another interpretation could be: Part of his hair is dyed purple a few months ago, and he is going to cut it in a barber shop?

A: A jounalist told me just a few months ago when reading something I'd written that 'that' can be ommitted about 75% of the time where it is used. It had never occurred to me before, but she was right.
So yes, 'that' is optional. And if a word is optional, in many circumstances it is better to omit it.

A: You can omit 'that' here. Because a relative pronoun is optional when it modifies the object of the verb of the relative clause. Here, 'that' (i.e., 'hair') is the object of the verb 'dyed'.
Therefore, 'that' is optional in your sentence, and it means : 'He dyed his hair purple a few months ago in a barber shop, and he is going to cut the part of it.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Come clean when things go wrong
Hela February 12, 2019
Two notable Americans faced firestorms of criticism last week: A governor whose medical school yearbook page showed a racist image and a billionaire whose infidelity was exposed by a tabloid. The politician — Virginia governor Ralph Northam — handled the PR crisis in the worst way possible by deflecting and denying, which led to calls for his resignation. The reclusive billionaire, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, turned crisis into opportunity by disclosing embarrassing information and positioning himself as a superhero, telling everyone that he was standing up to a bully on their behalf.
One thing we can learn from all of this is to come clean when things go wrong. It doesn't matter whether you are a CEO, government official, or school teacher: The best way out of a business or personal crisis is to admit you made a mistake. We are humans, and no one expects us to be perfect. Even though you may get some criticism or negative press, it won't be anything like the alternative. As well, you will build a level of trust that pays long-term dividends.
I learned this the hard way long ago, when I was a fledgling entrepreneur.
In my first company, Seer Technologies, where I was chief technology officer, we shied away from the media. We watched every word and were guarded in front of journalists. The only times we granted interviews were when we had good news — deal closures and product announcements. If something went wrong or the press asked about customer problems, we went silent.
When Seer filed for its IPO in 1995, the North Carolina press was eager to cover us because we were a rare local success. But, rather than establish relationships, our management team decided to take the advice of our investment bankers and refused all interviews. We even refused a cover story for a national technology magazine — after the editor had travelled to interview us. As a result, after the IPO, the only news that the local business journal reported was about our salaries, which it suggested were excessive. And when the company got into trouble, it made front-page news. The coverage was negative all the way.
In my second company, Relativity Technologies, of which I was CEO, I took a different tack. We opted for openness and full disclosure — of the good and the bad. We were always in the news about our successes. And the coverage was sympathetic when things went wrong.
Just after we had completed a round of venture financing, my president and chief operating officer received an offer to join the hottest company in the region. I expected that we would get slammed by the press for losing a senior executive and that there would be rumours and questions about our viability. I decided to call up local journalists and brief them in advance about the press release. I explained that this was a big loss, but that we would survive.
Instead of questioning the viability of the company, the coverage focused on how Relativity had become a recruiting ground for hot companies — how much in demand our people were. The Wall Street Journal ran a front page article on how loyalty meant nothing in the tech industry. It focused on what a difficult decision it was for an executive to leave such a successful company, because our stock could be worth millions.
The same happened when my company got into trouble two years later and I had to lay off employees. I invited the local press to come and meet my employees — including the people I had laid off. The next morning, I was surprised to see myself in a full-page article on the front page of the business section of The News and Observer. It was titled "Viva Vivek" and lauded the company for the way it treated its employees. It showed how, even in hard times, employees were showing loyalty, quoting some who had been laid off as saying they planned to show up for work—without pay—until they found new jobs.
More recently, I made the mistake of tangling with some people on Twitter who disagreed with my efforts to highlight the sexist ways of Silicon Valley's companies and investors. I was accused of "taking the oxygen out of the room"; my intentions were painted in the worst light; and there were unfair and untrue accusations made against me. In the heat of the argument, I reacted in anger at my critics — but I realised afterwards that I had stepped out of line. I chose to admit my mistake and move on from the debate. It isn't that I care less for the cause or am doing any less for women entrepreneurs; rather, I realised that it is sometimes better to step aside and move the cause forward in other ways.
The lesson, because there will be many lemons in life, is to make the proverbial lemonade — and be open and honest. That's the best way of doing damage control and positioning yourself for success.
["source-ndtv"]
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Plot twists, star cast and cameos: Amazon boss Jeff Bezos's life could be a blockbuster
https://www.integrityalert.com/come-clean-when-things-go-wrong">


Resting on the 20 acre Lake Hurte, this 8 acre wooded lot spells solitude from the moment you enter the private drive. The 2 stall barn with huge hayloft/potential studio or office. The Home has a open floor plan which includes a updated kitchen with sleek cabinets, granite counter tops, large stainless prep sink, stainless appliances and built in iron wine rack. Open living space boost fabulous stone wood burning fireplace, multiple doorways to view the lake. Master has free standing corner fireplace. All bathrooms have been updated with granite floors & countertops.
522 N Lake Dr, Canton GA 30115 is a Home, with 4 bedrooms which is for sale, it has 2,465 sqft, 8 sized lot, and 2 Car,Attached,Garage parking. A comparable Home, has 5 bedrooms and 4 baths, it was built in and is located at 1391 Old Lathemtown Rd Canton GA 30115 and for sale by its owner at $ 999,000. This home is located in the city of Canton , in zip code 30115, this Cherokee County Home, it is in the None Subdivision, and Bradshaw Estates are nearby neighborhoods.


The Brooke Street Park Summer Concert Series brings music and fun to life, Saturdays from May to September. Bring a blanket and a picnic, and enjoy free, live, family-friendly performances by different Alpharetta based entertainment groups. Click here for a list of upcoming events.


text:
UW-Whitewater considers layoffs to offset enrollment decline
MILWAUKEE (AP) — University of Wisconsin-Whitewater officials are considering layoffs as the school grapples with declining enrollment.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday that Chancellor Dwight Watson sent out a campus-wide letter warning that the school will have to find ways to cut $12 million over the next two years to make up for lost tuition revenue. He said two-thirds of the cut will come out of academic affairs.
"I need you to understand that in order to meet our budget needs we will do some combination of contract non-renewals, reduction in appointment times and layoffs," Watson wrote.
UW-Whitewater's enrollment has declined 8% over the last three years. Enrollment peaked at 12,628 students in the fall of 2016; this past fall the university had 11,586 students.
Other UW System schools have been struggling financially in the face of declining enrollment. Two years ago, UW-Oshkosh officials announced a $9.5 million budget shortfall. The university has made an early retirement offer to shed about 70 staff and faculty.
UW-Stevens Point had planned to cut six liberal arts majors, including history, to offset a projected $4.5 million budget deficit. School officvials dropped the plan in April, saying additional resignations and retirements enabled them to save the programs.
Tagged: layoffs, Student enrollment, UW System, uw-whitewater


text:
Q: Parse google web search to xml/json I need to receive an editable format (xml or json or otherwise) the result of a google search (similar to the result returned in the search at google.com).
Someone health as I do?
thank you

A: Google no longer provides a service to get results in a programmatic manner from their regular search engine. You can use the Google custom search API, although that is not the same as their general search engine, as that is designed only to index your site.
While it's possible to parse an HTML result from the google search engine, it's against their terms of service and could potentially lead to your IP address being banned from searching.


text:
Black Boy är den första delen av Richard Wrights självbiografi från 1945.

Den beskriver författarens egen barn- och ungdom i rasismens Mississippi under tidigt 1900-tal.

Uppföljaren Hunger i Amerika gavs ut postumt 1978, eftersom Wright dragit tillbaka den vid utgivningen av Black Boy.

Skönlitteratur 1945
Självbiografier
Amerikansk litteratur
Engelskspråkig litteratur

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


COMMONWEALTH vs. THOMAS J. O'DAY, THIRD.
Present: BECK, BERRY, & MCHUGH, JJ.
Further appellate review granted, 439 Mass. 1101 (2003).
Search and Seizure, Warrant, Probable cause.
INDICTMENTS found and returned in the Superior Court Department on January 16, 1998.
A pretrial motion to suppress evidence was heard by Richard J. Chin, J.; a motion to dismiss was heard by Mitchell J. Sikora, Jr., J.; and the cases were tried before John A. Tierney, J.
was acquitted of possession of cocaine and of a firearm. The issue on appeal is whether there was probable cause to support the warrant.
1. Factual background. There is no dispute that there was probable cause to believe that the defendant was dealing drugs at DJ's pub in Brockton, where he was the doorman. As set out in the affidavit of an experienced State trooper, the facts are as follows. An informant told the police he bought cocaine from the defendant and another man at DJ's pub and that the men kept the cocaine "on their person." He also reported that the other man lived in an apartment over the pub. According to the informant, the defendant supplied "other Hispanic and young black males with cocaine for distribution."
In response to the informant's information, the State police set up surveillance inside and outside the pub. On several occasions they observed men in the pub who were not drinking, but were pacing back and forth, looking out the front door. As soon as the defendant arrived, the men approached him, had what appeared to be brief conversations with him, walked into the men's room with him, and then left the pub as soon as they emerged from the men's room. On other occasions the defendant appeared to conduct transactions literally under the table. Three controlled buys, two in the men's room and one under the table, were sufficient to corroborate the informant's statements that the defendant was selling cocaine at the pub. See Commonwealth v. Villella, 39 Mass. App. Ct. 426 , 427 (1995).
On two occasions the police engaged in surveillance of the defendant's house at 10 Hunt Street in Brockton. (The informant had not provided any information about that location.) When the police arrived for the first surveillance at 7:00 P.M. on October 9, 1997, they saw cars parked in the driveway and on the street in front of the defendant's house. At 7:30 P.M., a white Ford Bronco sport utility vehicle registered to Catherine Livargo of an address in East Bridgewater pulled up in front of the house. Livargo was known to be the defendant's girlfriend. The affiant stated that he saw "other vehicles" also pull up in front of 10 Hunt Street. "After a brief stay these vehicles and their occupants departed [the] location." The defendant and his girlfriend emerged from the house about 8:00 P.M. and embraced.
The girlfriend left in the white Bronco. The defendant left at 8:13 P.M. in a blue Ford pickup truck, also registered to his girlfriend, and drove directly to the pub. (The electrical service to the house was also in the girlfriend's name.) At the pub the defendant engaged in what appeared to be two under-the-table transactions, one with a Hispanic man the surveillance officers had seen two weeks before, and the other in the second of the controlled buys. After the transaction involving him, the Hispanic man went up a flight of stairs leading to the apartments above the bar.
Three weeks later, the police conducted a second surveillance at 10 Hunt Street, again beginning at 7:00 P.M. The officers "made note of several vehicles that arrived and departed [the defendant's] residence after a brief stay." Again the girlfriend arrived after 7:00 P.M. and left before 8:00 P.M. The defendant left at 8:04 P.M., again in the blue pickup, and again drove directly to the pub. There was another controlled buy, this time in the men's room. On this evening, the affiant also saw the defendant leave the pub several times for brief conversations on a wireless telephone. At one point the defendant appeared to retrieve something from the blue pickup truck, which was parked across the street.
On the basis of the evidence set out above, a magistrate issued a search warrant for 10 Hunt Street. The search uncovered a grenade simulator in the bureau in the defendant's bedroom, and 1.64 grams of cocaine and a revolver in a black padlocked box hidden in the ceiling area of the basement.
2. The motion to suppress. In summarizing the basis for his request for a warrant to search the defendant's house, the State trooper noted the motor vehicle traffic at the house (which he termed "consistent with narcotics distribution") and the fact that the defendant appeared to have "a quantity of cocaine on his person readily available for sale." The trooper expressed the opinion that "a quantity of cocaine is carried from [the defendant's] residence in his vehicle to his place of work. While at work, as his supply of cocaine diminishes, [the defendant] replenishes same by a stash that he maintains in his truck."
confirmed by surveillance of any kind warrants a reasonable belief that a residence may be connected to some sort of criminal activity," citing Commonwealth v. DiStefano, 22 Mass. App. Ct. 535 , 540 (1986). He further noted that "it is proper to infer that a drug dealer would keep drugs that he may be dealing within his home," citing United States v. Gant, 759 F.2d 484, 488 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 851 (1985), and Commonwealth v. Singer, 29 Mass. App. Ct. 708 , 715 (1991) (disapproved on other grounds in Commonwealth v. Ramirez, 416 Mass. 41 , 53 n.19 ). Relying on the fact that the police saw "a high incidence of 'come and go' traffic from the defendant's residence," the judge concluded that "[t]his type of behavior is consistent with narcotics distribution." He ruled that "[i]t was proper for the police to believe that the defendant was keeping controlled substances within his home since he went directly from home to work on the nights that the drug transactions were observed."
a. Governing legal principles. In reviewing a motion to suppress, we accept the judge's findings of fact unless they are clearly erroneous, but we conduct a de novo review of his conclusions of law. Commonwealth v. James, 427 Mass. 312 , 314 (1998). "The standard for probable cause is 'whether [the magistrate] has a substantial basis for concluding that any of the articles described in the warrant are probably in the place to be searched . . . . Strong reason to suspect is not adequate.' " Commonwealth v. Olivares, 30 Mass. App. Ct. 596 , 600 (1991), quoting from Commonwealth v. Upton, 394 Mass. 363 , 370 (1985). "The establishment of probable cause to believe that 'a person is guilty of a crime does not necessarily constitute probable cause to search the person's residence.' . . . The connection between the items to be seized and the place to be searched . . . may be found by looking at the type of crime, nature of the items, the suspect's opportunity to conceal items, and inferences as to where the items are likely to be hidden." (Citation omitted.) Commonwealth v. Olivares, 30 Mass. App. Ct. at 600.
traffic" at his house; and (2) that the defendant had a lengthy criminal record. A review of the affidavit confirms that the affiant did not use the words "high incidence of 'come and go' traffic" or "steady flow of 'come and go' traffic" as the judge did in describing what the police observed during their surveillance of the defendant's house. As to the first surveillance, the affidavit sets forth that after the girlfriend arrived, the police saw "other vehicles . . . pull up in front of this address and subjects walk into [the defendant's] residence [and a]fter a brief stay these vehicles and their occupants departed this location." On the second surveillance, the affiant reported that "several vehicles . . . arrived and departed [the defendant's] residence after a brief stay." We agree that "other vehicles" and "several vehicles" do not constitute "a high incidence" or "steady flow" of come and go traffic. We therefore disregard the judge's description in our analysis of the probable cause issue. As to the extent of the defendant's criminal record, that issue has no relevance to the nexus between the defendant's house and his narcotics activity.
Having highlighted these factual errors, the defendant argues that the motion judge erred in concluding that the magistrate had a sufficient basis for issuing the warrant to search the house. As the defendant points out, the cases on which the judge relied are distinguishable on their facts. In Commonwealth v. Singer, 29 Mass. App. Ct. at 710, the police had informant information that the defendant was selling drugs from the apartment to be searched, and at least some of the people seen entering the apartment were known to be involved in cocaine dealing. Such is not the case here. There is no indication that the informant ever mentioned the defendant's residence, the sale of drugs from that location, or the girlfriend. Moreover, whatever their number, none of those who paid a brief visit to the defendant's house was identified as having any connection with narcotics or their distribution.
759 F.2d 484 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 851 (1985), was not decided on probable cause grounds, but instead relied upon the Supreme Court's good faith exception to the exclusionary rule, as set out in United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897 (1984). That is not an issue here. Cf. Commonwealth v. Pellegrini, 405 Mass. 86 , 91 n.6, cert. denied, 493 U.S. 975 (1989) (noting that Massachusetts has not adopted good faith doctrine of United States v. Leon); Commonwealth v. Hecox, 35 Mass. App. Ct. 277 , 282 n.6 (1993) (same).
The motion judge also relied on Commonwealth v. Cinelli, 389 Mass. 197 , cert. denied, 464 U.S. 860 (1983). However, that case involved a search for the "fruits and instrumentalities" of an armed robbery and the shooting of a police officer -- clothes, money, weapons, and ammunition. Id. at 214 n.16. Since the nature of the crime and the items being sought are relevant factors in determining probable cause, see Commonwealth v. Olivares, 30 Mass. App. Ct. at 600, and given the extensive case law of search and seizure involving narcotics, we shall focus on those cases.
344 (1993) (officers observed numerous suspicious short visits to apartment at precise time when informant told officer that cocaine would be ready); Commonwealth v. Watson, 36 Mass. App. Ct. 252 , 254-255 (1994) (informant's tip that cocaine was for sale at particular address corroborated by observation of cars double parked and people running inside and leaving within a few minutes); Commonwealth v. Alcantara, 53 Mass. App. Ct. 591 , 593-594 (2002) (sufficient nexus established where defendant was known to deliver cocaine at place of his choosing away from his apartment; confidential informant arranged to meet defendant for drug transaction, defendant was observed leaving address, defendant delivered drugs to informant, and defendant returned directly home). Contrast Commonwealth v. Kaufman, 381 Mass. 301 , 304 (1980) (finding particular details lacking to connect address to drug sales despite observation of "unknown male carrying into . . . target premises several plastic bags allegedly 'consistent' in size and shape with bags commonly used to transport large amounts of marihuana" and despite undercover agent's report that drugs were kept in house).
drug sales except observation of defendant departing from house just before arriving to execute controlled buy). See also Commonwealth v. Gauthier, 425 Mass. 37 , 40-41 (1997) (reliability of informant established, but nothing pointed to defendant's residence as place of supply). We do not find the Federal cases the Commonwealth cites in support of its argument persuasive.
need not reach the issues raised in the defendant's motion to dismiss the infernal machine indictment.


Mark D. Scherz, German herpetologist.
Hawlitschek, O., Scherz, M.D., Straube, N. & Glaw, F. 2016. Resurrection of the Comoran fish scale gecko Geckolepis humbloti Vaillant, 1887 reveals a disjunct distribution caused by natural overseas dispersal. Organisms Diversity & Evolution 16(1): 289–298. doi: 10.1007/s13127-015-0255-1 Reference page.
Lattenkamp, E.Z., Mandák, M. & Scherz, M.D. 2016. The advertisement call of Stumpffia be Köhler, Vences, D'Cruze & Glaw, 2010 (Anura: Microhylidae: Cophylinae). Zootaxa 4205(5): 483–485. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4205.5.7. Reference page.
Scherz, M.D., Vences, M., Rakotoarison, A., Andreone, F., Köhler, J., Glaw, F. & Crottini, A. 2016. Reconciling molecular phylogeny, morphological divergence and classification of Madagascan narrow-mouthed frogs (Amphibia: Microhylidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 100: 372–381. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2016.04.019 Reference page.
Scherz, M.D., Hawlitschek, O., Andreone, F., Rakotoarison, A., Vences, M. & Glaw, F. 2017. A review of the taxonomy and osteology of the Rhombophryne serratopalpebrosa species group (Anura: Microhylidae) from Madagascar, with comments on the value of volume rendering of micro-CT data to taxonomists. Zootaxa 4273(3): 301–340. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4273.3.1. Reference page.
Scherz, M.D., Daza, J.D., Köhler, J., Vences, M. & Glaw, F. 2017. Off the scale: a new species of fish-scale gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Geckolepis) with exceptionally large scales. PeerJ 5: e2955. doi: 10.7717/peerj.2955 Reference page.
Lambert, S.M., Hutter, C.R. & Scherz, M.D. 2017. Diamond in the rough: a new species of fossorial diamond frog (Rhombophryne) from Ranomafana National Park, southeastern Madagascar. Zoosystematics and Evolution 93(1): 143–155. doi: 10.3897/zse.93.10188 Reference page.
Ratsoavina, F.M., Gehring, P.-S., Scherz, M.D., Vieites, D.R., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. 2017. Two new species of leaf-tailed geckos (Uroplatus) from the Tsaratanana mountain massif in northern Madagascar. Zootaxa 4347(3): 446–464. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4347.3.2. Reference page.
Prötzel, D., Vences, M., Scherz, M.D., Vieites, D. & Glaw, F. 2017. Splitting and Lumping: An Integrative Taxonomic Assessment of Malagasy Chameleons in the Calumma guibei complex results in the New Species C. gehringi sp. nov. Vertebrate Zoology 67(2): 231–249. Full article (PDF). Reference page.
Scherz, M.D., Vences, M., Borrell, J., Ball, L., Nomenjanahary, D.H., Parker, D., Rakotondratsima, M., Razafimandimby, E., Starnes, T., Rabearivony, J. & Glaw, F. 2017. A new frog species of the subgenus Asperomantis (Anura, Mantellidae, Gephyromantis) from the Bealanana District of northern Madagascar. Zoosystematics and Evolution 93(2): 451–466. doi: 10.3897/zse.93.14906 Reference page.
Scherz, M.D., Razafindraibe, J.H., Rakotoarison, A., Dixit, N.M., Bletz, M.C., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. 2017. Yet another small brown frog from high altitude on the Marojejy Massif, northeastern Madagascar (Anura: Mantellidae). Zootaxa 4347(3): 572–582. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4347.3.9. Reference page.
Bellati, A., Scherz, M.D., Megson, S., Roberts, S.H., Andreone, F., Rosa, G.M., Noël, J., Randrianirina, J.E., Fasola, M., Glaw, F. & Crottini, A. 2018. Resurrection and re-description of Plethodontohyla laevis (Boettger, 1913) and transfer of Rhombophryne alluaudi (Mocquard, 1901) to the genus Plethodontohyla (Amphibia, Microhylidae, Cophylinae). Zoosystematics and Evolution 94(1): 109–135. doi: 10.3897/zse.94.14698. Reference page.
Hawlitschek, O., Scherz, M.D., Ruthensteiner, B., Crottini, A. & Glaw, F. 2018. Computational molecular species delimitation and taxonomic revision of the gecko genus Ebenavia Boettger, 1878. The Science of Nature 105: 49. doi: 10.1007/s00114-018-1574-9 Reference page.
Scherz, M.D., Hawlitschek, O., Razafindraibe, J.H., Megson, S., Ratsoavina, F.M., Rakotoarison, A., Bletz, M.C., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. 2018. A distinctive new frog species (Anura, Mantellidae) supports the biogeographic linkage of two montane rainforest massifs in northern Madagascar. Zoosystematics and Evolution 94(2): 247–261. doi: 10.3897/zse.94.21037. Reference page.
Prötzel, D., Lambert, S.M., Andrianasolo, G.T., Hutter, C.R., Cobb, K.A., Scherz, M.D. & Glaw, F. 2018. The smallest 'true chameleon' from Madagascar: a new, distinctly colored species of the Calumma boettgeri complex (Squamata, Chamaeleonidae). Zoosystematics and Evolution 94(2): 409–423. doi: 10.3897/zse.94.27305 Reference page.
Prötzel, D., Vences, M., Hawlitschek, O., Scherz, M.D., Ratsoavina, F.M. & Glaw, F. 2018. Endangered beauties: micro-CT cranial osteology, molecular genetics and external morphology reveal three new species of chameleons in the Calumma boettgeri complex (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx112 Reference page.
Scherz, M.D., Köhler, J., Rakotoarison, A., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. 2019. A new dwarf chameleon, genus Brookesia, from the Marojejy massif in northern Madagascar. Zoosystematics and Evolution, 95(1): 95–106. doi: 10.3897/zse.95.32818 Reference page.
This page was last edited on 7 March 2019, at 02:18.


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I need MS Office, but the price tag is too steep for this college student. Is Think Free just as good or even close to MS Office, or is there a cheap alternative out there that is comparable to Microsoft?
both read/write m$ orifice file format.
First, if you can afford the $50 for Think Free why not look at the Academic version of MS Office?
You can usually find it for around $130 (US).
Alternately, take a look at Open Office.
There are several distributions for different operating systems, and it is free to download.
OpenOffice does all that Office does and more.
You can read and write word and excel files, and you can export to PDF from any openoffice program.
I'll admit, I haven't heard of Think Free until I read your post, maybe because it looks like it's been targeted more toward Mac users. It looks decent enough, but I'm not sure it would be worth that money when compared to other products.
OpenOffice http://www.openoffice.org/ is definitely a great alternative, and the beta that's out now includes a relational database tool (compare to MS Access). You will find it very easy to use, especially if you have experience with MS Office programs.


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text: Peope Move over, Malcolm Teen star Jenna Ortega is Stuck in the Middle of a really great Disney series Words by Briana Dodson • Photographer: Collin Stark • Hair: Gilbert Muniz • Makeup: Anton Khachaturian • Stylist: Enrique Melendez Jane the Virgin, Stuck in the Middle, Elena of Avalor —these are just a few of the projects keeping actress Jenna Ortega very busy these days. And that's not all. She also stars in Jacob Sartorius' brand-new music video, "Chapstick" (which already has over 11 million views) as his love interest and spent the summer filming Saving Flora, about a young girl who rescues an elephant the night before she is scheduled to be euthanized. You could say this isn't the life of a typical 15-year-old. The American actress, of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, became interested in acting at just 6 years old, however, at the time, her mother didn't take her interest too seriously. By 8 years old, the budding actress was beginning to audition and was on her way. Now, the young star has several roles under her belt and more on the horizon. And has already made a name for herself in the social media world with 2.8 million Instagram followers. Jenna has spent much of her time working alongside actors and actresses much older than her, but that doesn't intimidate her —if anything, it's motivating and has been an incredible learning experience. Already wise beyond her years (clearly illustrated in her answers here), Jenna spoke with us about her start on the Disney Channel, volunteering (this Thanksgiving, she helped the Los Angeles Mission serve food to the homeless), and holiday traditions.


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Greece Registers 2,636 New COVID Infections on Friday, 32 Deaths
A member of the medical staff from the National Health Organisation (EODY) conducts a rapid test for COVID-19 at a mobile testing point, in Athens, Sunday, March 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
ATHENS — Greece confirmed 2,636 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, with 14 of these identified at entry points to the country, the National Public Health Organization (EODY) said on Friday.
Since the pandemic began, Greece has confirmed 658,368 infections (daily change: +0.4 pct). In the confirmed cases of the last 7 days, 76 infections are related to travel from abroad and 3,056 to other confirmed cases.
There are also 32 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the total of pandemic victims to 14,860. Of these, 95.4 pct had an underlying condition and/or were aged 70 or over.
A total of 329 patients are on ventilators in hospitals. Their median age is 65 years and 79.0 pct have an underlying condition and/or are aged 70 or over. Of the total, 295 (89.67 pct) are unvaccinated or partly vaccinated and 34 (10.33 pct) are fully vaccinated.
Another 3,163 have been discharged from ICUs since the pandemic began.
In addition, 168 Covid-19 patients were admitted to hospital in the last 24 hours (daily change: +6.33 pct). The average admission of patients with Covid-19 to hospitals over the last 7 days was 171.
The median age of new infections is 39 years (range: 0.2 to 106 years), while the median age of the deceased is 78 (range: 0.2 to 106 years).


PARTY TIME? COME ON DOWN!
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See More: Learn & Plan
The Teapot: Kid-Friendly Coffeehouse
The Teapot lets parents retain their latte-sipping sensibilities while their kids frolic in a backyard playground.
By Suzanne Wright
As someone who's child free by choice, I admit that I tend to avoid kid-centric places. But since some of my favorite people have progeny, I'm sympathetic to the need for restaurants that welcome children while offering something more than chicken fingers or pizza for their parents.
The Teapot, open since March 2016, cleverly fills that niche.
Occupying a restored 1906 house in downtown's Roosevelt Row Arts District, The Teapot features a big porch and a homey-yet-stylish interior (think natural wood and subway tile). There's a relatively serene garden out front, but the real action is in the grassy backyard, which contains a custom-built playset, picnic tables and a rock-climbing wall.
It's an idyllic hangout for hyper kids and their caffeinated parents.
Raelynn Pring says she and her husband, Jonathan, created The Teapot out of necessity following the birth of their son Leyland. They sought a hangout that catered to kids while still being conscience of parents' urban sensibilities.
"We consider ourselves to be the only truly family-friendly restaurant in the metro Phoenix area," Pring says. "Our target audience is families with young children. We wanted the space to be hip and well designed, so that adults would enjoy spending time here with their children."
And what of the name?
"We wanted a name that toddlers could say," Pring says. She adds that the house resembles a teapot from the front.
The Teapot carries a nice tea selection, but Pring says coffee is the shop's biggest seller. The menu has a decidedly English flair (Jonathan is a native Londoner), with scones and crumpets served with clotted cream and strawberry preserves. There's also quiche, and gluten-free and vegan options. Kid-friendly snacks include fruit cups, Goldfish crackers, string cheese, juice and milk.
"The Teapot is great because it allows mothers to relax and enjoy their coffee knowing that their kiddos can play in a safe environment," says Monica Brown, the mother of 2-year-old twins.
Her friend Casaundra Donahoe, mother of a 2-year-old and a 6-month old, agrees. "It's nice to not have to worry about if your kids are entertained or staying seated while you enjoy some coffee and a pastry," she says. "And the other customers are in the same boat as you as parents, so you are free of any judgment."
The Teapot is also a popular event space for baby showers and birthdays; it also hosts monthly "Mad Hatter Tea Parties" and "Camp Teapot," a faux camping experience for youngsters. In the future, the Prings hope to expand the shop's hours and menu.
The Teapot charges a $2 fee per child (aged 1-8), which, according to its website, "helps preserve our space, keeping it clean and open so parents can relax whilst the little ones play."
As for those who don't have tykes in tow? There's room at The Teapot for them, too. Pring says Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton popped in for a meeting one morning, and there's a regular who paints while drinking tea in the front garden.
818 N. Fifth Avenue, Phoenix 85003
www.theteapotus.com
About the author: Suzanne Wright
Suzanne Wright first stepped into the Sonoran Desert some 30 years ago and was immediately smitten. She has written for national publications such as National Geographic Traveler, USA Today and American Way, but she's happiest exploring and writing about Arizona for regional outlets like AAA Arizona Highroads, Arizona Highways and the Official Travel Guide to Greater Phoenix.
Family-Friendly Activities in Phoenix
Wild water parks, hands-on cultural centers, wildlife zoos and more are just some of the family-friendly activities in Phoenix.
'Microhoods' of CenPho
In Midtown and Uptown, eat/drink/shop gathering places thrive where strip malls once stood.


Bassem Eid, a dynamic and prolific speaker, shares his insights with scathing realism, honesty and humor. He sees the bigger picture, seeking dignity for his people and peace with his neighbors.
Internal Palestinian Politics and Conflicts - How the Palestinian Authority and Hamas hold back their own people and any hope for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Human Rights under Abbas and Hamas - An in-depth look at the daily lives and struggles of the Palestinian people under the Palestinian Authority and Hamas regimes.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) - Behind the Arab League Boycott, better known as BDS and its' bullying tactics, which ultimately harms the Palestinian people.
The Middle East and Islamic Terror - Israel has become the safest place in the Middle East for people of all faiths and nationalities, while the world around us is falling apart.
Reflections on BDS and the Arab League Boycott - Since the Arab Spring started in in 2010, the Arab League became a rehabilitation center for handicapped people - which means that the Arab League has influence or effect on the Arabs. I remember in 1979 during one of the Arab Summit in Beirut, when the King of Morocco said 'if we the Arabs want to make peace with Israel, we must have to accept Israel as a member of the Arab league...' The Arabs in that time boycotted Morocco for making such a statement. And today we see improved ties between Israel and the Arabs, not only Egypt and Jordan, but some Gulf states in response to the U.S.-brokered Iran Nuclear deal and in response to the Islamic State.
Dozens of campuses, synagogues (of every denomination), churches across the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Australia and Israel.


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Tag Archives: US Navy
Commander, United States Navy, Arriving!
July 10, 2015 by islandkings
"There's always a reason to celebrate…but knowing why is helpful." ~Wishful Prayer on our Ema left at the Itsukushima Shrine
Jody and had for months planned an overly expensive blow-out vacation in celebration of our near-future together: either retirement from the Navy on 1 January 2016, or another 3.5 years and an additional tour in the Navy, ending with Jody as a Commander at 30 years of total service.
O-Torii Gate, Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima
You see, that fork depended upon this year's Commander (O-5) Selection results. But that split in potential paths forward should've been reached for us a full two years ago. In 2012, the Navy decided to split the "zone," a grouping based on seniority which determined eligible candidates for promotion – get this – exactly at Jody. So, rather than being considered for promotion in the spring of 2013 as expected, we had to wait another year until Jody became even eligible. Frustrating, to say the least….
Married Vets
Jody Serving in Japan
Then in 2014, Jody and I were shocked when she was not selection for Commander after waiting an extra year to finally become eligible. And that made this year her last shot. The Federal government has a statutory requirement it places on the military that states if you are eligible for retirement and miss a promotion to the next rank twice, you must retire. It's called "two-time failure on selection," and it's exactly what forced me out of the service as a Lieutenant Commander in 2008.
Dining and Sleep Area in our Ryokan
Private Balcony Onsen Bath
So, we planned this celebratory vacation starting on June 29th, expecting the Commander results to be released the last week in June like they usually are. We booked a high-end Japanese Ryokan, a place known for their 12-course gourmet meals served in your room prepared by award-winning chefs, in a room that had outdoor bathing fed by a onsite onsen (hot spring), on the resort island of Miyajima just outside of Hiroshima. We were going to end this trip with a 3-night stay in the infamous city right next to the Peace Memorial Park and Museum at the ANA Crowne Plaza.
At the A-Dome, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
We fully expected to know the results of Jody's board prior to leaving. But in any case, at the worst, we would certainly know prior to the July 4th holiday weekend while we were on vacation. So even if we left without knowing, certainly we would know before our return.
Placing our ema at the Itsukushima Shrine
Of course the Navy had different ideas. For whatever reason, the selection results were delayed this year (it appears at the SECDEF level). We have a tradition of leaving our prayers and wishes at most of the Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples we visit in Japan. So, at the beginning of our celebration-vacation, we placed an ema (See Shinto Shrines and Snake Oil for more) at the famous Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island, wishing, "There is always a reason to celebrate…but knowing why is helpful. To discovering why we celebrate in Miyajima. The Kings ~ Jody and Kevin."
At the famous Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima
Frustrated that we celebrated without knowing why, we came home and simply stopped worry about the results, at least on the surface. I stopped asking Jody about results, and she stopped checking every morning. It would happen when it happened, and there was nothing we could do about it. Of course it had always been outside our spheres of influence from the start….
Richshaw Ride, Miyajima
And like most other things in life, when you let go of stress and worry, things have a way of working themselves out. Early this morning, when Jody got up to pee as the category 4 Typhoon Chan-hom was making her closest approach to Okinawa, Jody had a text message from a nurse co-worker. Dana's boyfriend, a Navy Officer back on the East coast of the United States, had sent the just-released selection results forward. And Jody was on the list!
Not just the prettiest nurse in the Navy, now the prettiest COMMANDER in the Navy!
Jody is now a full Commander (select)!! Seems Mother Nature was already in the know and giving Jody a wetting-down worthy of one she so strongly deserved. And yes, this means Jody outranks me now. Don't worry, I salute her all the time (wink-wink).
At the O-Torii in the rain, Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima
Most likely she will pin the new rank on in December. And this means that we will finish up our tour here on Okinawa, slated to leave in August of 2016. Jody will start immediately negotiating our next set of orders, and plans to do three more years of active duty service once she's a Commander to take full advantage of retiring as an O-5 ("high-three" retirement plan, where retirement pay is calculated as the average of the highest three years of salary on active duty). Ideas we are considering are a return to Pensacola, or quite possibly, a Consecutive Overseas Tour (COT) in Europe…if there is something available where we would want to go.
Congratulations Jody on making Commander. It is a long-time coming, and well-deserved. You have truly succeeded in your nursing profession and have excelled in the United States Navy, having progressed from the junior enlisted ranks to full Commander during your long military service. I couldn't be more proud, and I look forward to throwing you a more proper wetting-down celebration later this year. I eagerly await continuing our adventures together.
Learning some maritime military history at the Kure Maritime Museum
Fair Winds and Following Seas, My Love.
Or, should I say, "Ma'am"?!?
Posted in Family & Friends, Okinawa Living, US Military & Okinawa.	Tagged commander, commander select, commissioned, ema, Itsukushima Shrine, japan, military, miyajima, navy, O-5, officer, Okinawa, promotion, select, selection results, service, US military, US Navy
Traces of War: Wreck of the USS Emmons
January 7, 2015 by islandkings
USS Emmons, DD-457
It sounded as if they were grieving for the dead entombed in the ocean's depths. The whale song, loud yet gently rolling in amplitude, was mesmerizing as I hung on the line decompressing from my first dive on the WWII war relic the USS Emmons. We had spotted the whales prior to entry, and they were close. They stayed close. It was as if they were also diving on the war grave, but unlike their terrestrial mammal-cousins, they could lend a uniquely solemn eulogy in fitting tribute to what turned out as a very emotional morning.
5 Inch 38 Caliber Mount forward on the bow
USS Emmons (DD-457/DMS-22) was a Gleaves-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for the 19th century American Rear Admiral George F. Emmons. Emmons was authorized in the Navy Expansion Act of 1938, launched in the fall of 1941, built by Bath Iron Works, sponsored by Mrs. Francis Emmons Peacock, granddaughter of Admiral Emmons, and finally commissioned in December 1941, just as American was entering World War Two. Costing just under $5 million when her construction contract was let, she was later reconfigured and reclassified as a Destroyer Mine-Sweeper (DMS-22) in the fall of 1944 prior to her demise.
In February 2001, Emmons' wreck was discovered at a depth approaching 150' just north of Okinawa's Motobu peninsula, one of the few American ships lost off Okinawan waters shallow enough for access by experienced divers. She rests on her starboard side, pretty much still in the condition of the day of her ruin. As such, live and unexploded ordnance can be found, and caution is in order visiting. Diving at this depth is at the extreme of every recreational scuba diving limit, and should only be accomplished by divers with some technical background or guidance from others that know the site and the hazards such diving entails. Having a technical background from diving the deep wrecks off South Florida at 200' plus, I was more than comfortable diving at this sacred site.
The Emmons in her original configuration prior to 1945
Emmons embodied the best in pre-WWII destroyer construction. As experiences of the war dictated, changes were made to adapt Emmons to changing conditions. Equipped with two geared turbines and four boilers, she was capable of generating 50,000 shaft-horsepower, pushing her through the water at more than 37.5 knots (43+ mph). At a length of 348'2″, beam 36'1″; and maximum draft of 15'8″, she was conceived to be crewed by a complement of just a handful of officers and about 250 enlisted. In her personnel she was typical of America at war. At commissioning half of her officers and nearly all of her enlisted crew were career personnel from the regular navy, but by the end of the war all but one of her officers and 80 percent of the crew were reservists, volunteers for the duration.
I was stationed on Okinawa (see Shipwrecked on the Island of Misfit Toys) when the wreck of the Emmons was "discovered." At the time, there was quite a circus-like atmosphere surrounding the ship. Divers were getting "bent" (decompression sickness) in their overenthusiasm. People were stealing artifacts from the wreck, becoming nothing less than grave robbers. I lacked the proper equipment, training and experience at the time to conduct the decompression diving that allows a proper stay at 130'. So I left Okinawa in the summer of 2001 without experiencing this now historic wreck.
USS Emmons providing support at Normandy, 1944
Almost from the beginning, Emmons was earmarked for service in the Atlantic as were most of her class of warship. 2,200 tons when fully loaded, her armament originally was optimized for anti-surface and submarine patrols and consisted of five 5 inch, 38 caliber (5"/38) Dual-Purpose (DP) guns for surface and airborne engagements, nine 21″ torpedoes to use against ships, six 50 caliber machine guns for general overall defense, and two depth charge tracks on the stern for antisubmarine warfare. However, experiences of the Americans and British early in the War of the Pacific necessitated changes while under construction, primarily in bolstering her anti-aircraft and anti-submarine capabilities. Her armament was finalized to include four 5″/38 guns, five 21″ torpedoes, two twin 40mm anti-aircraft mounts, four 20mm anti-aircraft cannons, two depth charge racks, and one depth charge thrower amidships.
Me and David celebrate another deep dive together, ~2002
David in Tech Gear
Me ready for a sunset deco dive, ~2003
I was stationed in Miami from 2001-2004, and at the time met David Ryder, the man who led me over to the darker side of technical diving. David, and Irishman who grew up in commercial diving in the North Sea, was fairly indestructible in the water, and through his somewhat unorthodox mentorship and unrelenting pressure, I found myself purchasing the thousands of dollars of tanks, harnesses, regulators, computers, and wetsuits I would need to spend over an hour in the water at depths down to 200' plus. David and I conducted a number of very deep dives between 2001 and 2004, experience that would provide me the skills and knowhow which would come un so handy this day on the Emmons.
USS Emmons at Normandy, 1944
After supporting the Normandy invasion in the summer of 1944, the war in Europe was all but over, and Emmons shifted to face a new role in a new theater. She and many of her class were converted to high-speed Destroyer-Minesweepers and became party of Mine Sweeper Squadron 20, destination for the Western Pacific where they would help clear the way for the many invasions of Japanese islands that seem all but necessary at the time. In late 1944, DD457 had become DMS27, and during this conversion, LCDR Eugene Foss, USNR, became Commanding Officer of Emmons. By this time, the number of 20mm mounts had increased to seven, and her depth-charge system had been updated and improved. However, she lost one of her 5″/38 guns (mount No. 4 aft) during this update.
A sister-ship showing the 1945 Destroyer-Minesweeper configuration
I found myself back on Okinawa in 2004 having volunteered to return to my old job. And this time I brought back all my deep-diving technical dive gear and knowhow, ready to explore the underwater war relics that the South Pacific provided for exploration. However, I also found myself on a no-notice, 8-month deployment to Iraq. No diving for this guy…. I returned to Okinawa to find my marriage in ruins (see Paradise Lost), and in all honesty, lost any love or drive for underwater exploration of this sort through my departure in late 2005. I again missed my opportunity to explore the Emmons.
Technical deep-diving gear on the North of Nago's charter
After a month's intensive training Emmons and her squadron were temporarily broken up to escort the flood of ships concentrating in the Western Pacific for the upcoming spring 1945 Invasion of Okinawa. Emmons served as screen for convoys from Hawaii to Eniwetok and Ulithi, and from Ulithi to Okinawa where she joined the rest of her squadron. She put to sea 19 March 1945 for the dangerous, vital task of clearing Okinawa's waters to allow assault ships to close on the beaches for the landings scheduled to begin April 1st of 1945. Sweeping operations for the Okinawa offensive began around the Kerama Islands on March 24th. Experiencing a new ferocity of warfare at Okinawa, mine sweeping operations became the easiest and quite possibly safest task of the Destroyer-Mine-Sweeps, which as a class retained the screening, patrol, and radar-picket duties still expected of destroyers.
Quite unexpectedly, I found myself again stationed on Okinawa starting in 2013. However, this time I came to Okinawa as a retired, dependent spouse, who quickly got a job teaching scuba diving. And after almost losing my personal access to the waters of the world (see Offshore Okinawa, A Scuba Diver's Paradise to Lose), I decided not to let any more opportunities slip idly by. This time I had the gear, the experience, the time, and finally, the opportunity.
Sister-ship USS Rodman
On 6 April 1945, Emmons and sister-ship Rodman joined to provide protection for Sweep Unit 11 then engaged in clearance operations between Ie Shima (island) and the northwest tip of Okinawa. On that day, Imperial Japan, in desperation over their impossible military position on Okinawa and facing an impending invasion of the Homeland, launched the largest suicide attacks (by aircraft) of the entire war against ships off Okinawa, amounting to some 355 suicide missions across 6 and 7 April. The Emmons and Rodman absorbed a good portion of that destructive folly.
Fellow divers with fair winds and following seas
I had planned two decompression dives for the day, both to 130' for 14 minutes bottom time (17 minutes elapsed total time). I was diving a steel 100 cubic foot single cylinder, and carried a 40 cubic foot stag bottom full of 36% Enriched Air NITROX to accelerate my off-gassing on the way back to the surface. Since my dive buddy had banged out of the dive, and no one else had planned my particular dives, I ended up diving relatively solo, which although never a great or recommended way to dive, I found entirely refreshing. Experiencing this heroic ship and her lost crewmen in my own silent contemplation was…powerfully moving.
Kamikaze attacks were surprising, vicious, and very hard to defeat.
Damage to the USS Rodman
Kamikaze about to strike the USS Missouri
During one of the first of the massive kamikaze attacks, these two ships became floating targets, the focal point of Japan's hopelessness. Although numerous raids were detected throughout the morning, the Japanese didn't seek out these particular pickets until the middle of the afternoon. Perhaps because someone finally realized that these destroyers were actually serving as radar sentinels offering the rest of the fleet early warning, targeting priorities were shifted. Around 3:15 PM on April 6th the first of many attacks closed in on the Rodman and struck her directly on her forecastle, setting her ablaze. Emmons provided anti-aircraft covering fire as she closed at high speed to render assistance. Circling the Rodman like the good guys would in an old Western Cowboy and Indian matinée, Emmons provided the majority of protection against the now growing number of attackers in the area. Friendly fighters on Combat Air Patrol (CAP) from nearby aircraft carriers also arrived and began to engage the kamikaze. While the majority of the attackers were splashed, it wasn't enough to change the fate of the Emmons that afternoon. As Emmons continued to circle the stricken Rodman, both sweeps were overwhelmed by suicide-murder-bent Japanese pilots and their explosive-ladened planes.
USS Emmons lies on her starboard side at ~150 feet
The dive boat was moored at the line attached amidships on the Emmons. As I decided in the chilly winter waters in a light current, the waters turned dark, the visibility reduced by a good deal of suspension in the vicinity. At one point I could no longer make out the surface and yet could see the wreck. But then she was there, emerging from the depths, lurking there like I imagine only a ghostly apparition would. Or could.
High School Girls wave away a Kamikaze
Kawasaki "Tony"
A Japanese "Val"
Japanese aircraft, including Tonys, Vals, and Zekes, continued to swarm and harass the American fleet. While Marine Corsairs and Navy Hellcats did their finest to screen the fleet, and Emmons herself shot down six of the enemy in short order that afternoon, she nonetheless took her first hit. Sheer numbers and fanatical frenzy finally ruled the day. At 1732 (5:32 PM), after over two hours of continuous intense combat, the first of five Japanese pilots crashed purposely into Emmons' fantail. The "Divine Winds," in a well-coordinated attack, impacted the ship in rapid succession within a two-minute timespan, hitting her fantail, pilot house, No. 3 five-inch mount on her waterline, and finally in the vicinity of her combat information center. She was quickly left crippled and ablaze. Four more attackers crashed in nearby in the waters surrounding the Emmons, all having missed their intended target but whose explosive concussions nonetheless caused additional damage.
One of the Emmons' two screws
20mm cannon, still loaded and ready
On my first dive I proceeded towards the ship's stern. Staying mostly above the side of her hull, I moved slowly, taking in her majesty as I focused on breathing and moving as effortlessly as possible. I realized I had failed to really study the ship; I wasn't sure what I was looking at, and only later when I researched the Emmons for this article did I realize that the majority of her fantail had been utterly destroyed. There were, however, a 20mm cannon, still loaded with an attached magazine, and a twin 40mm antiaircraft mount, both which appeared like there were still in action, pointing skyward, searching for the now and forever missing targets. I rounded her screws, and headed back to my ascent point along the Emmons' weatherdeck.
A twin 40mm antiaircraft mount
On the second hit aboard Emmons Captain Foss was blown off the bridge. Since the Executive Officer was missing, LT John Griffin, USNR, the gunnery officer, assumed command and countermanded the unofficial order to abandon ship which had been circulated from an unknown source. He assessed the serious damage. The aft hull was a mangled mess and the ship's rudder had been almost completely blown off. That combined with one of two shafts and screws being inoperable, the ship was severely limited in its mobility, one of its primary defenses against air attack. The bridge was completely destroyed and fires raged all the way forward to Mount No. 1. Firefighting was nearly impossible as exploding 20 mm rounds and ready ammunition boxes started more fires as others were extinguished, and much of the fire-fighting equipment was either missing or damaged beyond service. A ten degree starboard list was visible evidence of serious flooding, as was the fact that the stern was settling into the sea.
One of Emmons' three 5-inch mounts
A 5″/38 Dual Purpose Gun on the Emmons
After more than an hour break on the surface, my second dive was much like the first in plan, but a wholly different experience. This time I proceeded from amidships to the bow, where I discovered the two 5"/38 gun mounts still in place and trained as if firing at attacking aircraft. These weapons, almost dwarfing the ship's narrow structure, are the hallmark of a destroyer, still to this day. And seeing them there made the historical nature and horrific demise of this vessel hit home.
Casualties aboard the USS Emmons
A memorial plaque to one of those lost
After taking such a tremendous beating, the ship's whaleboat began to pick up wounded in the water and deliver them to the nearby minesweepers. The more seriously wounded were kept aboard and taken care of as well as possible; those less injured were placed on rafts over the side to wait for later rescue. The surviving elements of Emmons' damage control parties fought heroically to put out the fires and control flooding, and for a time it appeared that the ship might be saved. As the wounded were being transferred to ships alongside, a large explosion occurred in the handling room of Mount 2 forward. With ammunition exploding wholesale, Emmons found damage control a desperate, losing struggle, necessitating an official order to abandon ship. Casualties were heavy. Among nineteen officers, eight were killed or missing-in-action and five were wounded. Of the 254 members of the crew, almost ¼ each were killed and wounded, amounting to 52 KIA or missing in action and 65 wounded.
Humpbacks sharing the day with us
After our dives, the humpbacks surfaced and stayed close to our dive boat. Getting ready to dive deep and perhaps have their own private moments around the Emmons, mom and calf bid us adieu with waves of their tails.
USS Ellyson DMS-19
The crippled Emmons herself, however, refused to give up. The burning hulk drifted all night toward Ie Shima, still held by the enemy. Early next morning, Saturday, April 7, 1945, the Navy considered the possibility of salvaging her, but ultimately ordered that she be sunk to keep her from falling into enemy hands or becoming a hazard to navigation. Emmons' sister ship, the USS Ellyson (DD-454/DMS-19), then proceeded to shell the Emmons with 5" gunfire, and finally succeeded in doing what the Japanese could not: send Emmons to her watery grave. A sad ending for a noble ship manned, loved, and fought by a noble crew for three years, four months and two days–5 December 1941 through 7 April 1945. But all the news wasn't so repulsive; Emmons' heroic defense of Rodman allowed the latter to survive, and ultimately be repaired and returned to service.
The U.S. Navy still maintains custody of the wreck. More importantly, the USS Emmons remains a United States Naval vessel and as such is protected by the United States Government. More importantly, however, because of the large number of American and Japanese men still entombed aboard this ship, Emmons is and must be treated as a war grave. It is unlawful for anyone to enter the ship by any means, as is removing any materials from the ship or the debris field. It should go without saying, but if you intend to visit, please show the utmost respect for the ship and the fallen warriors all which remain on eternal patrol.
For me personally, the song of the humpbacks will forever be associated with my first visit to the USS Emmons. I only hope that our fallen comrades enjoyed their lyrical tribute as much as I did, now and forever.
http://www.ussemmons.org/
Posted in Far Eastern Scuba Diving, Okinawa Living, Traces of War, US Military & Okinawa, USS Emmons Wreck.	Tagged 1945, destroyer, japan, minesweeper, Okinawa, relic, sunk, US Navy, USS Emmons, war, war grave, war relic, World War II, world war two, wreck, WWII
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text:
More Than Ten People Got Injured in an Accident Near Székesfehérvár
December 13, 2021 Tóháti ZsuzsaLeave a Comment on More Than Ten People Got Injured in an Accident Near Székesfehérvár
More than ten people got injured when, for hitherto unknown reasons, three buses carrying workers and a car collided in the 87-kilometer section of Highway 63 near Székesfehérvár, a spokesman for the Fejér County Police Headquarters told MTI on Monday.
Mária Sebestyén said that they do not know about a very serious injury.
She indicated that the accident was being investigated with a half-way road closure.
ESRB publishes its assessment of IFRS 17 from a financial stability perspective
Accident on Böszörményi Road


text:
CFTC Publishes Seventh Series of Dodd-Frank Rules
By Kevin M. Foley on December 17, 2010
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has published its seventh series of rules under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The latest round of CFTC rules and rule proposals relates to an "end user" exception from otherwise-mandatory swap clearing requirements; governance requirements for derivatives clearing organizations (DCOs), designated contract markets (DCMs) and swap execution facilities (SEFs); the reporting of swaps entered into after the enactment of Dodd-Frank but before the effectiveness of the CFTC's swap recordkeeping rules; and business conduct standards for swap dealers (SDs) and major swap participants (MSPs).
"End-User" Swap Clearing Exemption: The CFTC has proposed to implement the "end-user" clearing exemption set out in Section 2(h)(7) of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), as amended by the Dodd-Frank Act. As amended, the CEA provides an elective exemption from mandatory clearing for swaps where (1) at least one party to the swap is not a "financial entity" (a category which includes SDs, MSPs, commodity pools, private funds and banking entities, among others), (2) such party is using the swap to hedge or mitigate commercial risk, and (3) a notice is provided regarding how such party meets its financial obligations associated with entering into non-cleared swaps. Under the CFTC's proposed rule, "hedging or mitigating commercial risk" would be defined in substantially the same manner as in the CFTC's recently proposed definition of "major swap participant," and would include "bona fide hedging" positions under CFTC rules, positions that qualify for hedging treatment under Financial Accounting Standards Board standards, and certain other positions that reduce commercial risks of the end-user. Swap positions that are held for speculative, investing or trading purposes, or which are used to hedge or mitigate the risk of another swap position (unless such other swap falls within the definition of hedging or mitigating commercial risk) would not be eligible for the exemption. Under the CFTC proposal, the required notice must be provided through a swap data repository (if available) and include information about the methods used by the end-user to mitigate counterparty credit risk and certain other information.
The CFTC has requested comment as to whether certain small banks, savings associations, farm credit system institutions and credit unions should be allowed to rely upon the end-user exemption, as well as other aspects of the proposed rule.
Governance Requirements for Derivatives Clearing Organizations, Designated Contract Markets and Swap Execution Facilities: The CFTC is also proposing new rules to implement the governance standards for DCOs, DCMs and SEFs required by the CEA as amended by Dodd-Frank Act Sections 725(c), 735(b) and 733. The proposed rules include requirements that:
each publicly traded DCM evaluate the breadth and cultural diversity of its board of directors;
non-member market participants agree to become subject to the jurisdiction of the DCM;
each DCO report to the CFTC when its board rejects a recommendation or supersedes an action of its risk management committee, and each DCM or SEF report to the CFTC when its board rejects a recommendation or supersedes an action of its regulatory oversight committee or the membership or participation committee;
each DCO establish governance arrangements that permit the consideration of the views of owners and participants, and each DCM institute a process for considering the opinions of market participants with respect to (i) the functioning of an existing market and (ii) new rules or rule amendments;
each DCO or DCM specify and enforce minimum fitness standards for its members, directors, members of any disciplinary panel or disciplinary committee, certain affiliates, and any persons with direct access to a DCM, and annually verify to the CFTC compliance with such standards;
the regulatory oversight committee of each DCM or SEF prepare an annual report assessing its regulatory program and make such report available to the CFTC;
each DCO, DCM or SEF implement a regulatory program to identify and address existing and potential conflicts of interest;
each DCO, DCM or SEF establish limits on the use or disclosure of non-public information by owners, members of the board, members of any committee, officers or other employees;
each DCO, DCM or SEF make certain information on governance arrangements available to the public and relevant authorities, including summaries of significant decisions;
each DCO, DCM or SEF submit to the CFTC information concerning its board members, including the basis on which a board member is determined to qualify as a "public director" or a "customer representative"; and
each DCO, DCM or SEF make publicly available certain governance information, including information relating to access, membership and disciplinary procedures.
Additionally, the CFTC is now proposing to require each DCO to have 10% customer representation on its board. The CFTC formerly proposed requiring each DCO to have customer representation only on a DCO's risk management committee (or a risk management subcommittee), but has since revised its position. In connection with the new proposal, the CFTC is seeking comment on the implications of requiring 10% customer representation on a DCO's board and whether the requirement would be more appropriate at the risk management committee level.
Reporting Certain Post-Enactment Swap Transactions: Section 723 of the Dodd-Frank Act requires that "transition swaps" be reported to the CFTC or a registered swap data repository within certain time periods. The CFTC has published an interim final rule (1) identifying a reporting timetable in accordance with the foregoing requirement, (2) defining the term "transition swap", and (3) establishing requirements for the preservation of information by counterparties to transition swaps. A "transition swap" is a swap executed on or after the date of enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act and prior to the effective date of the CFTC's swap data recordkeeping and reporting rules. The interim final rule provides that transition swap data must be reported within 90 days after July 15, 2011, "or such other time after entering into the swap as the [CFTC] may prescribe by rule." In accordance with this reporting requirement, the interim final rule requires counterparties to a transition swap to retain all documents and information relating to the terms of the transaction. The interim final rule is effective immediately and will remain in effect until the CFTC implements final recordkeeping and reporting requirements. The CFTC is requesting comment on various issues related to the requirements of Section 723 of the Dodd-Frank Act and the interim final rule. Comments are due within 30 days from the date the release is published in the Federal Register.
Business Conduct Standards for Swap Dealers and Major Swap Participants: The Dodd-Frank Act provides the CFTC with authority to implement business conduct standards for SDs and MSPs in their dealings with counterparties, including "Special Entities" (i.e., any federal agency, state, state agency, county, city, municipality or other political subdivision of a state, employee benefits plan or government plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or endowment). The CFTC has proposed rules that would impose certain requirements and duties on SDs and MSPs with respect to counterparties, including the following:
SDs and MSPs would be prohibited from engaging in "fraudulent, deceptive and manipulative acts and practices," including front running or trading ahead of counterparty swap transactions, and are required to handle counterparty data in a confidential manner (similar to rules applicable to futures commission merchants and introducing brokers).
SDs and MSPs would have a number of duties to counterparties including, among other things, the duty to verify that the counterparty meets the eligibility standards for an eligible contract participant in order to enter into swaps transactions (unless the SD or MSP does not know the identity of the counterparty), and to disclose material risks (including sufficient information to enable a counterparty to assess such risks), incentives, conflicts of interest (e.g., compensation the SD or MSP receives from any third party in connection with the swap) and characteristics (e.g., material terms of the swap). SDs and MSPs would also have a duty to communicate in a fair and balanced manner with counterparties, based on "principles of fair dealing and good faith." Further, the CFTC is proposing to impose an "institutional suitability obligation" on SDs and MSPs, "modeled, in part, on existing obligations for banks and broker-dealers dealing with institutional clients," triggered anytime an SD or MSP makes a tailored recommendation to a counterparty regarding a particular swap transaction or trading strategy.
Any SD or MSP that "acts as an advisor to a Special Entity" (including recommending a swap transaction or trading strategy involving swaps, but not including providing swap terms in response to a competitive bid request by a Special Entity) must act in the "best interests" of such Special Entity.
Before acting as a counterparty to a Special Entity, SDs and MSPs must have a reasonable basis to believe that such Special Entity has an independent representative that, among other things, is sufficiently knowledgeable to evaluate the transaction and risks, and acts in the best interests of the Special Entity.
SDs and MSPs that have made political contributions to officials of a "municipal entity" are prohibited from entering into swaps with such municipal entity. This proposal is intended to create consistency with "pay-to-play" prohibitions under federal securities laws.
The proposal provides that, in connection with these requirements and duties, SDs and MSPs would be permitted to reasonably rely on counterparties' representations. Any such representations and any disclosure obligations of SDs and MSPs could be set forth in a master agreement between the parties and deemed renewed at the time of each swap transaction entered into by the parties. The CFTC has requested comment on numerous issues, both general and specific, in connection with these rule proposals.
Unless otherwise noted, the comment periods for these proposals will expire 60 days from the dates of their respective publications in the Federal Register. Information regarding all of the CFTC proposals, including the text of the CFTC releases, fact sheets and Q&As, can be found here.


A topography of "civilization" and "enlightenment"
However, 文明 originates in the reign name for the 4th of the seven courts of Go-Tsuchimikado Tenno (後土御門天皇). The "Later Tsuchimikado Emperor" lived from 1442 to 1500 and reigned from 1464 to 1500. The Bunmei period was the longest, lasting nearly 18 years from Bunmei 1 (Onin 3) 3-28 to Bunmei 19 (Chōkyō 1) 7-20 (9 May 1469 to 9 August 1487).
Go-Tsuchimikado was the longest reigning tenno in the historical period until Meiji. Bunmei, one of the longer reigns, followed Ōnin (応仁), which gave its name to the "Onin war" (応仁の乱 Ōnin no ran), one of the early civil wars of the Muromachi period, also known as the waring states period.
Zhouyi (周易 zhōuyì) or "Changes of Zhou" is one of several texts collectively called Yijing (易經 易経 易经 Yìjīng) or "Classic of Changes" -- better known in English as I Ching, reflecting its Wade-Giles romanization, or "Book of Changes".
The divinatory texts were probably compiled sometime during the late Western Zhou period (cira 1050-771 BC) rather than the Shang Dynasty (circa 1600-1100 BC). Most of the Confucian commntary most likely originated later rather than earlier during the Eastern Zhou period (circa 770 to 256 BC) -- late in the Warring States period (circa 5th century to 221 BC), rather than during the Spring and Autumn Period (circa late 8th century to early 5th century BC) -- hence somewhat after the life of Confucius (551-479 BC).
The phrases when inspired the choice of Bunmei for the reign name are as follows.
The passage comes in Book 14 of Zhouyi on "dayou" (大有 dàyŏu), meaing great possession, abundance. The definitive phrases and an English version (Wilhelm and Baynes 1968, Book III: The Commentaries, 14. Ta Yu / Possession in Great Measure, page 457) are as follows.
Possession in great measure: the yielding receives the honored place in the great middle, and upper and lower corrspond with it. This is called possession in great measure.
His character is firm and strong, ordered and clear; it finds correspondence in heaven and moves with the time; hence the words, "Supreme success."
The term "kaika" is familiar as the name of Kaika Tenno (開化天皇) or "Emperor Kaika". Kaika is the last of the eight tenno, who are said to have followed Jinmu (1st) and preceded Sujin (10th), for whom mostly only geneological information is recorded in the Kojiki or Nihon shoki.
Even assuming that Kaika existed and held the rank of a supreme ruler, he would not have been named "Kaika" until long after his death. The practice of assigning Sino-Japanese reign names to earlier rulers had to have begun after Chinese had become the language of recording court geneologies and chronologies. Earlier rulers would then have been given such names in the course of writing the first "histories" of the country.
Kaika's Nihon shoki name was "Waka Yamato Neko Hiko Ohohihi [O&332hibi] no Sumera Mikoto" (稚日本根子彦大日日天皇). When and why he came to be called "Kaika" is not clear. Like all reign names it would have been derived from a passage in a classical Chinese text.
Sakamoto et al (NKBT 67, 1967, 1978, supplementary hote 4-1, pages 583-585) do not comment on Kaika's reign name. Aston notes that "Kaikwa" (reflecting the furigana pronunciation) meant "Civilization" (Aston 1896, 1924, 1972:1, page 148, note 3) -- which is interesting, considering the tendency then, as now, to associate "civilization" with "bunmei".
One folk etymology of 文化 (bunka), widely used to reflect "culture" in the sense of human accomplishments, holds that it derives from the first and last characters of 文明開化 (bunmei kaika), the slogan of the Meiji restoration, most widely represented by "civilization and enlightenment" in English.
There are 便利な生活 (bunka-teki seikatsu) meaning "convenient life" and 文化包丁 (bunka hōchō), a general-purpose kitchen knife. And countless terms like 文化人 (bunkajin), 文化財 (bunkazai), and 文化団体 (bunka dantai), meaning respectively "cultural person", "cultural asset", and "cultural organization".
However, when and by whom "bunka" was pressed into the service of "culture" is not clear.
The earliest use in Japan of 文化 as a Sino-Japanese compound appears to be as the name of the last of the five courts of Kōkaku Tennō (光格天皇 1771-1840, r1779 to 1817) and the first of the four courts of his successor, Ninkō Tennō (仁孝天皇 1800-1846, r1817-1846). Bunka is the reign name for the 14-year period from Bunka 1 [Kyōwa 4] 2-11 to Bunka 15 [Bunsei 1] 4-22 -- or 22 March 1804 to 26 May 1818.
Bunka, as a reign name, was inspired by passages from two Chinese texts: Zhouyi (周易 Zhōuyì) and Houhanshu (後漢書 Hòuhàshū).
The passage comes in Book 22 of Zhouyi on "bi" 賁 (bì), meaing brightness or beauty, as of an adornment or ornament. The definitive phrases and an English version (Wilhelm and Baynes 1968, Book III: The Commentaries, 22. Pi / Grace, page 495) are as follows.
"Grace has success." The yielding comes and gives form to the firm; therefore, "Success." A detached firm line ascends and gives form to the yielding; therefore, "In small matters it is favorable to undertake something." This is the form of heaven. Having form clear and still: this is the form of men. If the form of heaven is contemplated, the changes of time can be discovered. If the forms of men are contemplated, one can shape the world.
"Commentary on the Decision" reflects 彖曰 (Tuà yuē), meaning "the Tuan [commentary] says".
天文 (C. tiānwén, J. tenmon, tenbun) figures in the term 天文学 (tenmongaku) meaning "astronmy" -- i.e., the study of heavenly forms.
人文 (C. rénwén, J. jinmon, jinbun) figures in Japanese terms like 人文科 (jinbunka) and 人文科学 (jinbun kagaku), meaning humanities and human sciences -- i.e., the subjects and the study of subjects related to human forms -- i.e., the products of human activities.
化成 (C. huàchéng, J. kasei) expresses the idea of growth or transformation (成) resulting from cultivation and change (化). By extension it can mean moral improvement -- and even chemical synthesis, as in "chemical [compound] fertilizer" (化成肥料 kasei hiryō) as opposed to "organic fertilizer" (有機肥料 yū hiryō).
Houhanshu -- "Later Han book" or "History of the Later Han Dynasty" -- is attributed to Fan Ye (范曄 Fàn Yè 398-445), working two centuries after the end of the Later (Eastern) Han (circa (AD 25-220), which followed the Former (Western) Han (circa 206 BD - AD 9). The earlier Han period is the subject of the Hanshu (漢書 Hàshū) -- "Han book" or "History of Han" -- was begun by Ban Gu (班固) and finished by his son and then his siter by about 111 AD.
Houhanshu 後漢書 "History of the Later Han Dynasty written by Fan Ye 范曄, a scholar of the Liu-Song period 劉宋 (Southern Dynasties). Fan Ye used the biographical-thematical style (jizhuanti 紀傳體) with two different types of chapters, ten scrolls (juan 卷) of imperial biographies (ji 紀), 60 normal biographies (zhuan 傳), and 10 treatises (zhi 志). Fan Ye's work was interrupted by his death during his sidelining with Prince Liu Yikang 劉義康 against the emperor. Sima Biao 司馬彪 added 20 missing treatises (two chapters are lost), his part of the book is also known as Xuhanzhi 續漢志 "Sequel of the treatises of Han", the whole book is also called Xuhanshu 續漢書.