text:
title: "CSV-Importer"
menu:
  main:
    name: "CSV-Importer"
    identifier: "tools/csvimport"
    parent: "tools"
---
# CSV-Importer

Über den CSV-Importer können massenhaft Daten in easydb importiert und aktualisiert werden. Hierbei kann es sich um einfache Listen, hierarchische Thesauri oder um Bild- und Objektinformationen handeln.

Die Daten können Sie beispielsweise in Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers oder Notepad++ erstellen. Sollten Sie mit Excel oder Numbers arbeiten, müssen Sie die Daten vor dem Import als .csv mit der Kodierung in UTF-8 bzw. UTF-16 abspeichern. Der Upload von Dateien des Typs .xls, .xlsx oder .numbers wird **nicht** unterstützt.

Bitte beachten Sie auch die [allgemeinen Hinweise](./general). Unter [Datentypen](./datatypes) können Sie nachlesen, wie die Daten in der CSV-Datei aufbereitet werden müssen. Eine Step-by-Step-Anleitung finden Sie bei den [Beispielen](./examples) und alle Optionen des CSV-Importers sind [hier](./options) beschrieben.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: WMI SoftwareLicensingProduct class doesn't show Partial Product Key for MS Office on some systems ( Windows 10) Using WMI SoftwareLicensingProduct class I am fetching Partial Product Key / License Key for Microsoft Product.
Its compatible with Windows Vista and above.
But still I am not able to retrieve the Key for MS Office on few Windows10 system, for rest of the systems, its working as expected.
Code  :
int _tmain(int argc, _TCHAR* argv[])
 {
 HRESULT hres;

// Initialize COM.
hres =  CoInitializeEx(0, COINIT_MULTITHREADED);
if (FAILED(hres))
{
    cout << "Failed to initialize COM library. "
        << "Error code = 0x"
        << hex << hres << endl;
    return 1;              // Program has failed.
}

// Initialize
hres =  CoInitializeSecurity(
    NULL,
    -1,      // COM negotiates service
    NULL,    // Authentication services
    NULL,    // Reserved
    RPC_C_AUTHN_LEVEL_DEFAULT,    // authentication
    RPC_C_IMP_LEVEL_IMPERSONATE,  // Impersonation
    NULL,             // Authentication info
    EOAC_NONE,        // Additional capabilities
    NULL              // Reserved
    );

if (FAILED(hres))
{
    cout << "Failed to initialize security. "
        << "Error code = 0x"
        << hex << hres << endl;
    CoUninitialize();
    return 1;          // Program has failed.
}

// Obtain the initial locator to Windows Management
// on a particular host computer.
IWbemLocator *pLoc = 0;

hres = CoCreateInstance(
    CLSID_WbemLocator,
    0,
    CLSCTX_INPROC_SERVER,
    IID_IWbemLocator, (LPVOID *) &pLoc);

if (FAILED(hres))
{
    cout << "Failed to create IWbemLocator object. "
        << "Error code = 0x"
        << hex << hres << endl;
    CoUninitialize();
    return 1;       // Program has failed.
}

IWbemServices *pSvc = 0;

// Connect to the root\cimv2 namespace with the
// current user and obtain pointer pSvc
// to make IWbemServices calls.

hres = pLoc->ConnectServer(

    _bstr_t(L"ROOT\\CIMV2"), // WMI namespace
    NULL,                    // User name
    NULL,                    // User password
    0,                       // Locale
    NULL,                    // Security flags
    0,                       // Authority
    0,                       // Context object
    &pSvc                    // IWbemServices proxy
    );

if (FAILED(hres))
{
    cout << "Could not connect. Error code = 0x"
        << hex << hres << endl;
    pLoc->Release();
    CoUninitialize();
    return 1;                // Program has failed.
}

cout << "Connected to ROOT\\CIMV2 WMI namespace" << endl;

// Set the IWbemServices proxy so that impersonation
// of the user (client) occurs.
hres = CoSetProxyBlanket(

   pSvc,                         // the proxy to set
   RPC_C_AUTHN_WINNT,            // authentication service
   RPC_C_AUTHZ_NONE,             // authorization service
   NULL,                         // Server principal name
   RPC_C_AUTHN_LEVEL_CALL,       // authentication level
   RPC_C_IMP_LEVEL_IMPERSONATE,  // impersonation level
   NULL,                         // client identity
   EOAC_NONE                     // proxy capabilities
);

if (FAILED(hres))
{
    cout << "Could not set proxy blanket. Error code = 0x"
         << hex << hres << endl;
    pSvc->Release();
    pLoc->Release();
    CoUninitialize();
    return 1;               // Program has failed.
}

// Use the IWbemServices pointer to make requests of WMI.
// Make requests here:

// For example, query for all the running processes
IEnumWbemClassObject* pEnumerator = NULL;

 hres = pSvc->ExecQuery(
    bstr_t("WQL"),
    bstr_t("SELECT * FROM SoftwareLicensingProduct"),
    WBEM_FLAG_FORWARD_ONLY | WBEM_FLAG_RETURN_IMMEDIATELY,
    NULL,
    &pEnumerator);

if (FAILED(hres))
{
    cout << "Query for processes failed. "
         << "Error code = 0x"
         << hex << hres << endl;
    pSvc->Release();
    pLoc->Release();
    CoUninitialize();
    return 1;               // Program has failed.
}
else
{
    IWbemClassObject *pclsObj;
    ULONG uReturn = 0;

    while (pEnumerator)
    {
        hres = pEnumerator->Next(WBEM_INFINITE, 1,
            &pclsObj, &uReturn);

        if(0 == uReturn)
        {
            break;
        }

        VARIANT vtProp;

        // Get the value of the Name property
        hres = pclsObj->Get(L"Name", 0, &vtProp, 0, 0);
        wcout << "Process Name : " << vtProp.bstrVal << " ";
        VariantClear(&vtProp);

         VARIANT vtProp1;

        // Get the value of the PartialProductKey property
        hres = pclsObj->Get(L"PartialProductKey", 0, &vtProp1, 0, 0);
        if (VT_NULL != vtProp1.vt)
            wcout << ": " << vtProp1.bstrVal << endl;
        else
            wcout<<endl;
        VariantClear(&vtProp1);
    }

}
getch();
// Cleanup
// ========

pSvc->Release();
pLoc->Release();
CoUninitialize();

return 0;   // Program successfully completed.

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Forest Glen needs a tunnel and a new entrance so pedestrians can safely cross Georgia Ave. Recently Montgomery County Planning recommended the Forest Glen Tunnel to be incorporated with the redesign of Georgia Ave. Read about it here. We now have an opportunity to fund this project. Tell Maryland you want this tunnel/entrance TODAY!!
Finding Forest Glen needs your help with "Maryland State Highway Administration : Forest Glen Tunnel TODAY". Join Finding and 608 supporters today.


By supporting the development of events and programs in the City of Providence, the Providence Tourism Council(PTC) is creating awareness and assisting the many events, arts and cultural happenings. The board of the PTC is comprised of a mix of hospitality, tourism and community members representing a diverse mix of businesses, hoteliers and organizations.
The Providence Tourism Council (PTC) is part of the Convention Authority of the City of Providence and established by state statute. The PTC provides support via grants to work collaboratively with businesses, organizations and individuals to build awareness of Providence as an arts and multi-cultural destination.


Summer 2018 at CYMT has been packed with fantastic events (brief reviews below with pictures) and there's more to come!
Saturday 21 July at 10.30am to 1.15pm – Piano masterclass with Guildhall School graduate and award-winning international concert pianist Erdem Misirlioglu. Erdem is on tour in the SW with Concerts in the West, and we are delighted he will be working with 5 pianists in the masterclass at CYMT. The music in the masterclass will range from Scarlatti to Mozart and Schubert to Debussy. Free admission; all welcome.
Full details about the CYMT Summer Music Course 2018 are in this downloadable PDF.
On 5 May CYMT students were entertained and educated by rising star early music ensemble Ceruleo. You can catch Ceruleo on tour in the UK with their brilliant production 'Burying the Dead'. It's a new theatre show with live music by author Clare Norburn on the life of the great 17th century British composer Henry Purcell (played by actor Simon Cole) at the Buxton International Festival. It's on Tuesday 17th July 3:30pm at St John the Baptist, Buxton.
Above: Toby Carr explaining the musical instrument he's holding – a theorbo.
Above: baroque guitar, solo voice and harpsichord trio from Ceruleo.
On 12 May CYMT students performed a very good soloists concert in the Willow Cafe at Richard Huish College. Here's Ernie singing 'Mad World'.
On 30 June CYMT students performed a fantastic Instrumental Ensembles Concert, picnic-style outside the Willow Building at Richard Huish College. Enjoy this selection of photos.
On 6 July CYMT was visited by Alice Girle (soprano) and Jingle Gawley (piano) and they gave two excellent workshops at The Castle School, Taunton.
On 7 July Alice and Jingle delivered 4 fantastic workshops at CYMT looking at vocal technique, vocal warm ups, and studying the piano composition A la Albeniz by Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin, which Jingle performed in the concert later that day. The vocal ensembles concert started with brass group(!) followed by the CYMT vocal ensembles and Alice and Jingle's recital. It was a wonderful end to the summer term at CYMT. Here are a few photos to enjoy.
Above: the fish pond at Richard Huish College, July 2018.
If you have any queries about CYMT please contact the CYMT office on 07754 217993 or email taunton@cym.org.uk.


text:
Q: Continuation token specified in the request is malformed / Invalid format for continuation token Azure Cosmos DB pagination I am facing an issue with the implementation of paging in cosmos database using continuation token. First time I am getting first batch of results with continuation token in JSON format, but when I pass back that same token JSON string to cosmos DB for getting next set of results, sometimes it throws "Continuation token specified in the request is malformed" or sometimes "Invalid format for continuation token".
Here is the code -
        QueryRequestOptions queryRequestOptions = new QueryRequestOptions
        {
            MaxItemCount = pageSize
        };

        try
        {
            using (FeedIterator<TOutputDocument> resultSetIterator = _cosmosContainer.GetItemQueryIterator<TOutputDocument>(queryDefinition, continuationToken, queryRequestOptions))
            {
                if (resultSetIterator.HasMoreResults)
                {
                    FeedResponse<TOutputDocument> response = await resultSetIterator.ReadNextAsync();

                    if (response == null)

                    {
                        throw new NullReferenceException($"Unable to get response from cosmos db against query - {query}, container - {nameof(_cosmosContainer)}");
                    }
                    continuationToken = response.ContinuationToken;
                    documents.AddRange(response);
                }
            }
        }
        catch (CosmosException ex)
        { }

Thanks

A: As the error denotes , it seems that the continuation token is null or in invalid format.
If the token is Null,
[{\"token\":null,\"range\":{\"min\":\"05C1DFFFFFFFFC\",\"max\":\"FF\"}}]

Follow the steps mentioned in this issue.
In the case of Invalid token, Try to encode it with Base64 as below
string continuationToken = WebEncoders.Base64UrlEncode(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(cosmosToken));


Living in LA this winter has been a boon to my podcast listening and discovery. I get in the car, fire up SoundCloud on my phone, and start listening. This past weekend I listened to three new podcasts that I thought I'd share with all of you.
Brad Inman's Inman News has been covering the real estate industry for as long as I've been interested in the real estate industry. Brad's relationships and insight into the world of real estate are unmatched. Unlisted With Brad Inman is Brad's weekly podcast. In this episode he talks with an economist at StreetEasy about the NYC residential real estate market. If you own real estate in NYC or are thinking of buying or renting in NYC, you should listen to it. The "hot, medium, cold" thing at the end of this podcast is really great.
VinePair is a website about beer, wine, and spirits. Their podcast is about the business side of the industry and this episode is about the rise and fall and rise again of Irish Whiskey. It's really well done.
Studio 1.0 is Emily Chang's podcast on Bloomberg Business. In this episode she talks with Showtime's CEO David Nevins about the TV business and all the changes that are going on. If you watch a lot of Netflix, HBO, Showtime, Amazon, etc, you will enjoy this interview.
The amazing thing is the diversity and quality of podcasts you can listen to these days. If you want to get into podcasts, get the SoundCloud app and start following these podcasts and others and they will just show up in your feed each week and you can listen when you are behind the wheel, in the gym, on the subway, etc.


text:
Q: How to check if a button is clicked? I have a following LOC in my ps1 script which displays a message with an OK button.
[Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show($Message, $Title, [Windows.Forms.MessageBoxButtons]::OK, [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBoxIcon]::Information, [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBoxDefaultButton]::Button1, [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBoxOptions]::DefaultDesktopOnly) | Out-Null

I want to perform some operation only if the user clicks the OK button something like:
if (Button1.pressed())
{
   #perform some operations
}

How do I check if the button is clicked?
Thanks

A: I found a simple explanation here.
Basically, you compare the Show function's return value with [Windows.Forms.DialogResult]::OK


text:
The Tenth Doctor Adventures
Not to be confused with the Big Finish release of the same name, this is a box set re-release of the audio-exclusive 10th Doctor dramas released between 2008 and 2010, namely: Pest Control, The Forever Trap, The Nemonite Invasion, The Rising Night, The Day of the Troll, The Last Voyage and Dead Air. Followed by the similar the Eleventh Doctor Adventures box set.
The Doctor and Donna land on the distant planet of Rescension and find themselves caught in a war between humans and the centaur-like Aquabi. When a far greater threat emerges, The Doctor must convince the two sides to work together before they are all wiped out.
The Forever Trap
The Doctor and Donna are imprisoned on the Edifice – and become neighbours to a terrifying assortment of aliens. When the TARDIS is invaded by a holographic marketing scam, The Doctor and Donna find themselves trapped on the Edifice, a purpose-built complex of luxury apartments in space. Their new environs leave much to be desired: millions of beings from across the Universe have been gathered to live side by side in similar apartments. Instead of creating neighbourly affection, it's led to terrible battles being waged in the corridors and on the stairwells. The Doctor and Donna must cross the paths of deadly alien mobs as they search for the Edifice's ultimate authority. Who – or what – lies at the heart of the incredible complex? What destructive scourge is eating away at the Edifice itself? And are The Doctor and Donna trapped forever in this living hell?
The Nemonite Invasion
Catherine Tate reads this exclusive thrilling story, in which The Doctor and Donna take on a race of dangerous bloodsucking aliens
When the sky rips open somewhere over Dover, two objects hurtle out of the Vortex and crash-land in the sea. One is the TARDIS, out of control and freefalling – but the other, a mysterious crystalline sphere, is far more sinister.
The Doctor and Donna are rescued and taken to a secret command centre in the Dover cliffs. It's May 1940, and Vice-Admiral Ramsay is about to finalise one of the most daring plans of the Second World War: Operation Dynamo.
But something else has got inside the War Tunnels, a parasitic Nemonite from the crashed sphere. Its aim is to possess all humans and spawn millions of young. The Doctor and Donna must fight for their lives in order to save both Operation Dynamo and the world at large.
The Nemonite Invasion features The Doctor and Donna, as played by David Tennant and Catherine Tate in the hit BBC Television series Doctor Who. Written specially for audio by David Roden, it is read by Catherine Tate.
The Rising Night
The TARDIS arrives in an 18th Century village in the Yorkshire Moors, where livestock has been vanishing from the farmland and strange lights have been seen in the skies. Something is very wrong here, and he soon becomes involved in a nightmarish adventure, in which he is helped by a young local woman named Charity. Who is feeding on the blood of the locals, and where will the carnage stop…?
The Day of the Troll
The story follows The Doctor as he arrives on Earth in the far future. He is horrified to find the planet beset by famine and starvation, and England is a barren wasteland. Scientists are desperately seeding the ground to make the crops grow again, but now it seems that something even worse is happening…
Karl Baring, the owner of research facility The Grange, has been snatched away in the middle of the night. His sister Katy was with him when he vanished, but is now in catatonic shock — so it's up to The Doctor, with the help of the scientists at the Grange, to investigate. What is lurking under the old bridge, and why is it preying on people? The Doctor must find out, before it strikes again…
The TARDIS materialises on board the maiden voyage of a pioneering space cruiser, travelling from Earth to the planet Eternity. The Doctor has just started exploring the vehicle when there is a loud bang, a massive jolt and a flash of light. Soon he discovers that nearly all the passengers and crew have disappeared. Unless The Doctor and flight attendant Sugar MacAuley can take control and steer the ship, they could crash-land — or stay in space forever!
"Hello, I'm The Doctor. And, if you can hear this, then one of us is going to die."
at the bottom of the sea, in the wreck of a floating radio station, a lost recording has been discovered. After careful restoration, it is played for the first time – to reveal something incredible. It is the voice of The Doctor, broadcasting from Radio Bravo in 1966. He has travelled to Earth in search of the Hush – a terrible weapon that kills, silences and devours anything that makes noise – and has tracked it to a boat crewed by a team of pirate DJs. With the help of feisty Liverpudlian Layla and some groovy pop music, he must trap the Hush and destroy it – before it can escape and destroy the world…

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The ITF in Canada
Standing up for seafarers, fighting Flags of Convenience
News stories about us
What is an FoC
← MLC Week: The disgraceful ABCs of abandonment
MLC Week: Canada makes history with the Hydra Warrior, the world's first convention detention →
MLC Week: The human face of crew abandonment
ITF inspector Gerard Bradbury on the dock in St. John's, behind him the stranded Russian cruise ship Lyubov Orlova. — Photo courtesy St. John's Telegram website
Time to bring on the humanity.
At some point when you talk long enough about international regulations like the Maritime Labour Convention — the focus of our posts this week — the details and technicalities and jargon start to take over. So in Part Two of our look at abandonments in Canada, we turn to the moving human stories that have prompted plans to amend the MLC to address the plight of workers stuck aboard vessels that disgraceful shipowners have simply walked away from.
For the Canadian inspectors who have all too often had to look abandoned crew in the eye and explain the steep and uncertain road they will travel to claim the wages they have been cheated of and the flights home they are owed, such a tool cannot come soon enough.
Monday: The world adopts a Seafarers Bill of Rights
Tuesday: Canada's experience with substandard shipping
Wednesday: ITF's Katie Higginbottom and the global perspective
Thursday: The ABCs of abandonment (Part 1)
The human face of abandonment (Part 2)
Friday: First-ever MLC detention goes to Canada
Saturday: Closing thoughts for Your Saturday Listen
One of the most heartbreaking Canadian abandonments unfolded in 2010 on the East Coast, where 51 Russian crew aboard the cruiseship MV Lyubov Orlova were stranded in St. John's by Losco Shipping, a Russian owner that walked away rather than pay the $251,000 they owed the cruise company for repairs it had made to their ship. The Russian company didn't think it should pay crew $321,000 for the five months' wages they were owed either.
The Orlova was seized on a trip into St. John's in September of 2010, over an unresolved financial dispute between Cruise North Expeditions and the Russian shipowners. With the disappearance of the owners, crew would be left to fend for themselves for three long months — dependent on local residents, who donated food, clothes and cigarettes until crew were repatriated to Russia.
It was a difficult and infuriating case for the ITF and our Atlantic inspector, Gerard Bradbury. It would be difficult for any of us to watch workers go unpaid. To know they sat day after day, hoping hard that a stranger might deliver them fresh food. To watch five adults huddle around a single cigarette, sharing the smoke among themselves. To watch local members of trade union Unifor hand over a stack of pizzas, hoping it might help stretch the food supplies on board. Or to watch the cruise company refuse to ask for crew wages when its lawyers went to court with the company's claims.
All of this human misery unfolded as Russian news outlets aired glowing stories about the great care and good conditions crew were living under – apparently to fend off any demand that the government step in and do the right thing by its own workers.
Gerard recalls every trip from Halifax to St. John's to try to help the crew.
"I remember every time I went down there, looking at their faces.
"You get an email and you get asked to get down to the ship and it just goes from there. I got aboard and met with the captain; the first thing was the complaint about wages. You rifle through the papers, the contracts, the bank records. The second part of it for me is the provisions, when was the last time they were brought aboard. I met with the cook and you could see things were getting low and water was a concern, so getting drinkable water aboard was the next thing. On provisions, with a crew of 51, you knew that at most they had a five-day supply. And then you have to sort of assess the rest of it and make your call.
"I made the decision to go to the press to get the word out, and ask the Red Cross to come down with water. They have other groups in the city that help keep people going, and they responded, churches and unions and so on. They brought food and cigarettes, it was incredible the outpouring of care.
"And you know, that's all well and good for two or three weeks, but we were getting nowhere with the crew's claim and the hardship was increasing as it started to drag on.
"There was an officer with a heart condition, and that was a bit of a panic. We managed to get the medications we needed. During that period, we also had to line up medical visits to the ship, get assurances that things were ok, figure out what we had to do for immediate needs. It's a lot of people, and they have nothing. Somewhere in the middle of it, one of the female crew was raped while she was ashore. And that of course darkened the mood even further.
"And then after that first period, the situation comes clear. The feeling of abandonment creeps up on you. At first you think you can find a solution. But all those calls to the owners and the charterers and nobody is answering … one day you just know, holy fuck, we're abandoned here.
"Eventually, when you see it's going nowhere, we had the crew sign over the right to arrest the ship to get their wages settled, that's where we stepped in with the legal part. We contacted the other creditors to see if they would step up to the plate, because the legal bills are expensive, but every creditor only cared about themselves. There was no care for the crew. They wanted those workers to take the lead and get the sale done (which finally happened), to pay the legal bills, but they didn't do nothing to help. They took all of the money, $275,000. We went in with a plan to share the money, sell the ship while it had value, but none of them would return calls. Not one. We were especially disappointed with the St. John's port authority, who we approached five months earlier with a plan to share the legal expenses. They wouldn't even return our call. They left the crew to freeze and the vessel to sit cold for close to another year, through winter. The pipes burst and rats took over the ship and water filled the engine room, causing the value of the vessel to fall dramatically. It was negligence, what they did.
"So the suffering continued. We finally got most of the crew home; the government of Russia eventually stepped up with plane tickets, 14 or 15 at a time. They even flew home two or three Ukrainians. They all started going home about the first week of December, months after they'd arrived. Flights were so tight at that time of year, it was hard.
"Six or eight crew stayed behind to take care of the vessel. But there was still no pay for anyone. The last crew went home in January and February. The Russian government had put a time limit on how long they were going to provide flights. So for those guys, the cook and captain, a few engineers and a deck officer, the bosun, a messman, their ordeal through the St. John's winter, that five or six month ordeal, they were short on food and water and smokes, in a cold, dark ship with nobody aboard.
"It was hell. And that's even though Unifor stepped up to plate big time, provided transportation to the union office, phone bills so crew could call home to their families. They got them to the local Starbucks for free internet so they could Skype with family. Unifor gave them some private offices, got local grocery stores to help, took up a lot of slack for provisions. There was behind-the-scenes money for cigarettes.
"But it was hell."
For some fabulous CBC video of Gerard talking in colourful detail about the Orlova and the difficulties the crew faced, click here.
Two years after crew of the Orlova flew home, 11 seafarers were stranded in Argentia after their ship, loaded with a cargo of scrap metal, ran into bitter December winds and seas so high they swamped the engine room off Placentia Bay in Newfoundland.
The Egyptian owner of the MV Navi-Wind, with a sketchy flag and ownership history, immediately dropped from sight – unreachable even by the captain. Backwages built to $100,000 and crew were forced to survive without heat, their ship tied alongside in the depths of an Atlantic winter, dependent on the generosity of the community. Our inspector, Gerard Bradbury, arranged donations from a local dairy and bakery. Local disaster crews from the Red Cross provided further food, bottled water, blankets and winter coats.
Bradbury remembers the horror of that case too.
"The Navi-Wind was an embarrassing one for Transport Canada. They were sailing a man short, an AB short, and they lost all power. Each and every individual on that ship said it was the scariest moment they had ever spent at sea. That vessel was unfit for the sea, but the government let it go … There had been complaints and I had passed them on to port state control, but they sailed them out into a North Atlantic winter gale.
"Two days before sailing, I got a call from an oiler aboard who was concerned with safety in and around the engine room and with wages. Port state control, he said, had done an inspection and cleared the vessel to sail. I placed a call to PSC with the complaints and they proceeded to do a re-inspection — and again were satisfied with their previous findings that all was well.
The Navi-Wind proceeded to pick up its cargo of scrap metal bound for Turkey. Two days after departure, the captain hit a storm which to my understanding he thought he could handle. He was wrong. The engines died. They were drifting. The Navi-Wind was beaten around for two days before tugs could reach her. The ship had lost all power and was taking on serious water in the engine room. The crew had told me when I met with them shortly after they returned to port that they spent the better part of two days in that storm with no power, and were bailing out the engine room by forming a line with buckets.
"Also, when I boarded I was astonished to find no fresh water. There was only heat in the common areas of the mess and galley, no heat to the cabins and no clothing to protect against the weather, which during my visit was about minus 15 Celsius and snowing. The crew were badly beaten up, black and blue and freezing and still in shock from two days wallowing in a North Atlantic winter gale with no power, and water coming in.
"I had learned that they placed a detention on the vessel with 27 violations — and some of those 27 were very serious safety concerns — after it had already been cleared to go and they almost drowned those men.
"The first thing I did was to purchase fresh water. The crew were making tea with what looked like bunker fuel. Provisions were low and it was a two-hour drive in the snow back to St. Johns to get the word out to the media and to engage my union for some help.
As soon as the word got out and I asked for help, the support was amazing. The Unifor local union in St. Johns and its staff raised over $2,000 worth of food and fresh bottled water, milk and bread and made a $500 dollar donation to buy meats — all this in less than four hours. The Red Cross and Salvation Army came through with blankets and warm clothing.
"With some of the crew's needs met, I contacted the owner – who, to my surprise, was answering the phone. He said he had the cash to repatriate the crew but no money to pay the wages. The message was relayed to the crew, but they were not leaving without their money. The cargo had a value of over $1-million US and they wanted to protect that asset and were not going to leave without trying to get their wages out of it or the owner. I engaged a lawyer and notified the owner of the crew's intent to arrest the vessel for wages and place a lien on the cargo. The owner asked for a four-day reprieve on the arrest to see if he could come up with the money for wages and flights home for the 10 crew who wanted to go home. The crew agreed and on the final day of the four-day agreement, the owner came up with the money. The crew were paid the $100,000 in back wages and were repatriated home over the Christmas period, starting on Christmas Eve — a very happy ending for the former crew of the Navi-Wind.
"I would like to mention the support of the great people of Newfoundland and their generosity to yet another group of seafarers who they did not know. They just heard the appeal that someone needed help, and they helped. I thank them for making my job easier."
Another abandonment on the St. Lawrence Seaway left a dozen Turkish seafarers stranded this summer without food, water or paycheques.
The men were stuck aboard the MV Phoenix Sun outside Montreal for three months without pay. They had been flown in to board the rusting flag-of-convenience freighter in the spring. It had been stuck in port, temporarily registered in Panama, for more than a year in need of repairs, and crew were to sail it up river to Ontario to get the work done before it headed offshore to be dismantled. When their pay cheques stopped after two months, they stopped working — and the company stopped meeting any of its obligations. Crew called for the ITF to help and inspector Vince Giannopoulos started to organize support and a solution. Abandoned in Sorel-Tracy, crew relied on credit cards, food from the community, and eventually a local fundraising drive that put together the $35,000 needed to fly them home. Air Transat even stepped up with free flights.
Last year, the German-owned cargo ship MV Fritz was forced to make an unscheduled stop on the St. Lawrence Seaway when crew, who had not been paid for three months and were living in deteriorating conditions, also went on strike. Six other ships in the owner's fleet were suffering similar problems. When the owner walked away from the Liberian-flagged ship, crew were left without food or water – and eventually began hailing passing fishing boats, begging for gear so they could fish to feed themselves. Sanitation on board was appalling and water was running out. The local Romanian community rallied with food for crew, who were largely Romanian. A foreign investor eventually stepped forward to pay crew and get the ship moving, only to have it suffer engine problems that caused further headaches.
These stories are disgraceful. But just as troubling is the fact that they have been going on for years – and the details never seem to change.
Almost two decades before the Phoenix Sun sailed out of the St. Lawrence, 25 crew members aboard the MV Atlantis Two, a bulk carrier flagged in Cyprus, sailed into Vancouver to load a $4 million cargo of potash. When the ship was detained in November of 1997 for $400,000 worth of structural repairs, the owners sent the ship to the repair yard but disappeared when it came time to pay up. Fuel bills went unpaid too. By the time the crew stepped forward for help in claiming money they were owed, their backwages topped $200,000. Everyone aboard was discouraged and suffering, but when a small partial payment arrived, the crew insisted that before the allotment was divided among their own families, the elderly bosun be paid out in full first and flown home to India, where his wife lay dying. She had suffered two heart attacks and had no money for medical bills. The story of their humanity in the face of such adversity was so captivating that it made local headlines.
By mid-May of 1998, with the owner still refusing pleas from the ITF and the port to step up, with bills still unpaid and back wages at $273,000, fuel was running out and crew faced the prospect of no power, heat, hot water, lights, refrigeration or any way to cook food. A week into the crisis, with the ITF pressing the charterer to take legal action to seize the ship and have the crew paid, fuel arrived. But water was running out, meaning something as basic as the toilets would not work. And garbage had been piling up since February. Crew were left with no choice but to seize the ship themselves and sell it to recover their money.
By the end of May, court had approved a crew application to have the ship auctioned off, all bids opened July 30 and the winning buyer declared on July 31. The ITF and the crew were on their own in court – with crew footing the tens of thousands of dollars for the legal action themselves from the wages they would eventually recover from the sale. It was the same reprehensible behavior we would see years later, with the Orlova, as deep-pocketed parties who stood to recover monies from the sale allowed the workers who had been cheated and abused by an owner to shave money from their own meager family budgets to go to court and fix the mess.
None of this could be laid at the feet of the owner's "bankruptcy". As crew awaited the sale, the owner of the Atlantis Two was advanced a $3.7-million line of credit by ABN Amro, a Dutch commercial bank. The bank held an outstanding mortgage of between $14.7 and $18.3 million, and the line of credit was believed to have been aimed at resolving problems with the Atlantis Two and two other ships owned by New-York based Expedient Marine. The company was not bankrupt. As ITF Inspector Peter Lahay told reporters at the time, it was simply morally bankrupt.
None of the parties made the case easy for crew. At one point, for example, two firms claiming to own the $4-million cargo of fertilizer and the $111,000 in bunker fuel aboard the ship leapt into court too – raising brief fears the sale would be delayed.
Throughout the ordeal, crew behaved with quiet dignity. They insisted they wanted only their backwages and the flights home that were owed them, and they refused to solicit donations from area residents, who had been moved by their plight. Their refusal didn't stop people, though. Local longshoremen and union seafarers passed the hat to raise almost $7,000 in cash. The local seafarer's mission did what it could during the crew's weekly trip ashore, and residents of Vancouver dropped off food and money. One family donated about $500, the considerable cost of sending 24 men to the movies for a night out to see the hottest film of the season: Titanic. Another group taped World Cup soccer games for them after an attempt to hook up a satellite signal aboard failed.
By late June, federal immigration and justice officials joined a court effort by the port to have the ship brought alongside, some of the crew flown home at Canada's expense (meaning their wage clocks stopped running) and the cost repaid after the ship was sold. Eight crew were to remain aboard to maintain the vessel until the sale. News of the deal was met with great joy on board – and great grief when it fell apart briefly in early July. When the arrangement hit a final rocky patch, a dance was arranged at a local seafarer's club to help ease the air of hoplessness that had descended. The ITF cabled each of the men $1,400, originally set aside as a hardship loan to be used by families at home, but now clearly needed by all. As the money arrived aboard the ship, tables were pushed aside and music from India filled the air – as one seafarer said, Hindi lyrics of "an old song, very sentimental, a prayer asking God, asking Mother, to hear our prayers. To take us home."
In the end, by mid-August, after further legal delays, the ship was sold for $1.1 million, backwages of $300,000 were taken out of the pot and creditors were left to fight over the remains. On Aug. 21, the remaining crew flew home, many weeks ahead of the paycheques that would eventually catch up with them. At home, they would greet families who had been squirrelling money bit by bit from loansharks since Christmas. They would reunite with wives who had stripped themselves of jewelry and family heirlooms to raise cash. They would face families who had been evicted, daughters now without dowries whose weddings had been postponed.
Some of the men expected to lay low for a few months and then head back to sea by Christmastime. One, a 50-year-old oiler named Karuppan Urgramoorthy, said he had sailed for the last time. When he got back to Madras, he said, he would tell his family the news. And then he would walk his 24-year-old son, his eldest, directly into the manning agency that had hired Karuppan out. "My son will sail. Yes, my son will sail," he said.
And the ship? It loaded a fresh crew of Filipinos and steered south for Guatemala to deliver potash, leaving behind it what was then the longest abandonment in Canadian history.
Tomorrow: Canada makes history with the Hydro Warrior, the world's first detention under the MLC
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text:
The delicate issue of the burden of proof
The other day I was picnicking in Central Park with my 13-year old daughter, when the issue of burden of proof came up. Yeah, I know, what sort of a geeky daughter and overly-intellectual father are we talking about? Nevertheless, Caley (my daughter) knows very well that I am both a skeptic and an atheist, and we occasionally have good humored conversations about these issues.
Specifically, the discussion was about how do I know that there are no ghosts (or other paranormal phenomena). I explained that I don't know in the sense of certain knowledge, but that there are two major reasons I don't believe in ghosts: a) Their existence would be at odds with much of what we know from science; and b) I haven't seen any positive evidence (that has withstood scrutiny) that ghosts exists.
Caley's response focused on (b) above: "yes, but you also don't have evidence that ghosts don't exist, so there." This is, of course, a classic example of shifting the burden of proof, which is a well known logical fallacy usually described under the heading of "appeal to ignorance." The idea, as I tried to explain to my daughter, is that the statement "I don't believe in ghosts because there is no evidence" and the statement "I believe in ghosts because there is no evidence that they don't exist" are not epistemologically equivalent, so that it is much more reasonable not to believe in ghosts (given the lack of positive evidence).
Although Caley listened to what I was saying, and she is a smart girl, it was clear that I wasn't getting through. It just seemed logical to her, that it is okay to believe in ghosts if there is no proof that they don't exist. I then switched tactics and used an example that she could follow more easily. I reminded her of what happens in courts of law (of non fascist countries): the burden of proof is always on the part making a positive claim, not on the one making a negative one. Most especially, one is always presumed innocent unless proven guilty (beyond reasonable doubt, another concept that also nicely fits with skepticism). It would be grossly unfair if we went around presuming people to be guilty of crimes with no other "evidence" than the fact that they can't prove that they didn't do it.
Caley paused, clearly understanding the example. But just when I thought I scored one for critical thinking, she went back to her original position: "well, you are making a claim too, that ghosts don't exist, so don't you have the burden of proof either?" No, I don't , but by then it was really time to slice the bread and make our salami and provolone sandwiches, so that was the end of the conversation.
However, I have in fact had similar discussions over and over again — with adults — and have experienced the very same difficulty getting through regarding this concept . Why is it that few people seem to have problems with the burden of proof when it comes to the innocence or guilt of a murder suspect, but then cannot apply the same exact logic to more esoteric issues, such as the existence of ghosts, gods, and the like?
I suspect part of the answer is that in the latter cases most people are attracted to some intuitive (and wrong) notion of epistemic fairness: well, you are making one claim, the other guy is making another claim, the two of you are therefore on equal footing. This seems also to be the underlying philosophy — if there is any — behind the infamous practice by much of the media to "present the two sides," regardless of how inane one of the two sides actually is. (Incidentally, the latter case is an example of an additional logical fallacy, the false dilemma: why, exactly, would we expect there to be two sides, as opposed to a number of possible, more nuanced, alternatives? Remember "you are either with us or with the terrorists"?)
But if this explanation is correct, then why don't people also apply the same logic to the legal system? I think that's because it is our very concept of fairness that shifts in that case: apparently, what is epistemologically fair for impersonal situations is suddenly unfair when people are involved. This may be similar to the case of trolley dilemmas-type thought experiments, which show that people shift from a utilitarian to a deontological ethical system depending on whether they have to make relatively impersonal or very personal decisions about somebody else's fate (apparently, it's okay to throw a switch to save five people while killing an innocent bystander, but not okay if you have to physically throw the innocent person in front of the trolley).
The job of the skeptical critical thinker is to convince people that these seemingly different situations are logically equivalent, and that it is therefore not rational to believe in ghosts without evidence at the same time that one wouldn't dream of convicting a person of a crime just on the basis that she cannot prove her innocence. But as is often the case, human psychology gets in the way of rational thinking.
Matt June 26, 2010 12:07 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_Pink_Unicorn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell's_teapot
I've always thought these examples highlight the idea of why burden of proof should fall on the claimant rather than the skeptic.
Quentin Ruyant June 26, 2010 1:19 PM
The problem in justice is different from the epistemic problem, because of the implication.
You are free to think that someone is guilty, but you won't put him in jail if you don't have any evidence. But you can still think he is guilty... So belief and justice are not really the same because they don't have the same implication.
I would say that the main argument for the burden of proof is that if you do not accept it, then you will have to believe in a lot of things - just as Matt said, the invisible pink licorn, and the teapot, but also thousands other things - there is really no limit. That's why this position is absurd, wheras believing only in things you can find evidences for will never be an absurd position , but a rational one.
Max June 26, 2010 1:29 PM
The use of a switch is not the main difference between the two trolley scenarios. The second scenario can be modified to use a switch to open a trap door beneath the fat guy, and people still won't find it acceptable.
AlexF June 26, 2010 1:41 PM
I think that "innocent until proven guilty" in the legal context is justified on ethical rather than epistemic grounds: we would rather let several guilty people go free rather than imprison one innocent man. This is a fact about the relative costs/benefits of imprisoning the innocent versus freeing the guilty, not a fact about our belief in innocence or guilt.
If 51% of the population had participated in some crime, but it was not known which 51%, then we would still want to presume innocence in the absence of evidence, despite realising that any one person is more likely than not to have participated. There are cases where identical twins have escaped punishment on such grounds.
In contrast, the reason for not believing in ghosts is epistemic: a claim so specific as "there is a sentient but invisible being responsible for the strange noises in my house" is just apriori extremely unlikely. And there it remains unless evidence arises to support it.
I think this is what you were getting at re positive/negative claims, but as your daughter showed this framing can be misleading since it is not always clear which side should be considered positive or negative (add a double-negation to the "positive" claim and the two claims would appear to swap places).
Incidentally, I would count our scientific knowledge of physics, life, and intelligence as direct evidence against ghosts.
Courts of law present both sides, regardless of how inane one of the two sides actually is.
Harry C Pharisee June 26, 2010 2:15 PM
The most important court in the nation allows, in fact supports, equivalency between accusation and truth.
The amalgamation of pop-media and public opinion.
So ignorant, so ruthless.
Where would lead stories be without the erroneously condemned having to prove the non-existence of guilt?
Jameson Graber June 26, 2010 3:23 PM
Actually, I would contend that your analogy with the law court setting can be turned on its head.
Generally speaking, people shift the burden of proof to whichever party is trying to take something valuable away. In the case of the law court, taking away someone's life or liberty is a very serious matter. The burden of proof, therefore, should be on the one claiming that the defendant is guilty, and therefore deserves to have life or liberty taken away.
Likewise, if the belief in the supernatural, perhaps God or ghosts or whatever, is a perceived value in society, then the burden of proof shifts to the one claiming that the supernatural doesn't exist. It might seem surprising that an intangible thing like belief in the supernatural could be perceive as a cultural good in the same way that human life is, yet that is precisely the case. Therefore, it is not surprising that the burden of proof is often shifted to those who are attempting to strip away that belief.
Alexander June 26, 2010 5:17 PM
Maybe you can just leave "burden of proof" out of the discussion and explain why it's unreasonable to believe in unobservable entities unless observations seem to require you to posit such an entity. Invisible Pink Unicorns and analogues are perfect examples of why you should go for sparse ontologies.
And another possibly educational strategy: what would evidence that ghosts don't exist look like?
mufi June 26, 2010 7:19 PM
Jameson: "It might seem surprising that an intangible thing like belief in the supernatural could be perceived as a cultural good..."
It's not at all surprising. (Indeed, it's quite evident.) But is it rationally defensible?
After all, one is free (at least in some countries) to espouse any belief that one chooses, however rationally indefensible or fallacious it may be. If enough people share a fallacious belief, is that a sound argument in favor of giving it equal treatment with those beliefs that rest on firmer ground?
Politically, perhaps. And inasmuch as this is the case in real-world law courts, then I suspect that Massimo would agree: so much the worse for the courts (and for justice, in general).
pugowner June 26, 2010 11:29 PM
With apologies for my lack of sophistication, the example I use in this situation is the existence of Santa Claus, which most American children have needed to consider. If another child believes in Santa, and Caley can't prove his non-existence, does that mean that Santa might be real? If Caley feels obliged to state that Santa might be real, it makes for an interesting discussion.
On a different note, I have always enjoyed reading the Yuletide reprinting of the classic "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" and substituting the concept of God for Santa.
http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/
DaveS June 27, 2010 11:11 AM
Good stuff pugowner. Of course Santa exists for those who believe in Santa, and have no other reason to believe otherwise. It is more about existence as a subjective thing, and less about what is real'. The child, having approached age 6 or 7, whatever, has not only read and sung about Santa, but seen a living apparition in the mall and onstage at school. As adulthood is reached, Santa's existence for the believer has been mitigated a tad, but not deleted, all assertions of "they lied to me" notwithstanding.
Jonathan June 27, 2010 5:24 PM
I think AlexF nails the issue. Belief acquisition and revision is about two things -- the evidence in favor of particular beliefs and the costs of being wrong. To paraphrase Popper, it is one of the advantages of rational thought that it permits us to separate these out, so we can use the best evidence re: what to believe, but act on the basis of cost-benefit analysis.
While the Scottish verdict of "not proven" emerges from an odd historical quirk, rather than a careful reflection on policy, it is, I think, conceptually quite useful. One could imagine a system in which the three verdicts had different standards of evidence and different consequences. So for example one might make it so that "guilty" should only be returned if the state proves its case "beyond a reasonable doubt," BUT not guilty would require the jury to believe that the "preponderance of evidence" (50+%) was that the person was in fact *not* guilty, and "not proven" would cover everything else (the area between 'more likely than not to be guilty' and proven "beyond a reasonable doubt"). In terms of consequences, you could change them, as well -- one ideas would be for "guilty" and "not guilty" to basically the same, but for "not proven" to permit the state to bring another trial on the same charge if they could meet some reasonable standard of new evidence (e.g. finding new evidence of guilt that the state could not have reasonably found or presented at the first trial).
So -- the confusion with ghosts, etc., seems perhaps to be people's mistaken views about the costs / benefits of beliefs versus the reasonableness of them. As several commentators (and Massimo) have noted, given all we know about how the world works, ghosts are exceedingly unlikely beasts (even less likely than pink non-magical unicorns). So our "prior" belief in them should be quite low, and the "evidence" presented in favor of them is quite *weak* so there is no good reason to revise to our beliefs to accept them.
If, though, you think that a belief in ghosts is not just "harmless" but for example "comforting," then if you are inclined to confuse the reasons for accepting a belief with the reasons for acting on it (when action matters) you might be tempted to believe in ghosts despite the bad evidence. This is especially true if it is belief itself that does the work, rather than an action taken on the basis of the belief.
So for example, I might believe that the preponderance of evidence is that chemical x, used let's imagine in some but not all available utensils, is harmless, but I might reason that the cost to me of avoiding it is very low, and the potential benefit reasonably high, so I should avoid it, despite thinking that it is *probably* harmless (but where there is some positive reason for thinking it might not be). The problem is that I don't see how one can separate out beliefs from actions where the beliefs themselves are doing the work. But of course, once one realizes that one is adopting a belief not because one has good evidence for it, but because one thinks that believing it will itself bring benefits, one probably has to give up the process on pains of a kind of irrationality.
(An interesting problem from decision theory is whether one can commit to plans that it would be irrational to actually carry out, if so committing is overall rational; the problem of adopting beliefs one has reason to think are false, in order to secure important gains, is probably a sub-set of this problem...)
Scott June 27, 2010 7:54 PM
Hi Massimo,
I think it's really cool that you're willing to get into discussions like this with your daughter, and I'm glad you posted about it.
I'd like your take on the following question though. You said that the burden of proof lies on the person making a positive claim. When you speak about making a "positive claim," what do you mean? I'm guessing you mean a positive existential claim; but if so, then my intuition doesn't always assign burden of proof that way.
Take the following example:
There does not exist a single human on earth who worships an orange tree as a deity.
and its negation:
There exists at least one human on earth who worships an orange tree as a deity.
My intuition is that both of these claims are subject to the burden of proof. On one hand, there must not be very many people who worship an orange tree as a deity, or I probably would have heard about it. On the other hand, given that there are 6.6 billion people on earth, it seems fairly plausible that one or two of them might worship an orange tree as a deity. I'm not really inclined to give credence to either claim without some kind of proof.
What do you think? Is my intuition wrong? Or am I misunderstanding your point about positive claims?
Scott, if I may cut in on Massimo...
Your example reminds me of Carl Sagan's credo: "Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence." Of course, different people may define different phenomena as "extraordinary." But I find neither of your propositions to be particularly extraordinary, and both to be about equally plausible, such that neither begs for evidence any more than the other.
That said, the two propositions are unequal in methodological terms, or should you be pressed to fact-check them.
For the latter, your work is done as soon you find a single example, whereas in the former, you have to either survey the entire world population, or else settle for a statistical inference, which is weaker.
Unknown June 28, 2010 3:22 AM
I'm still not clear on how to determine which statement is considered "positive." The Wikipedia article on the burden of proof gives some interesting pointers but I don't see what is meant by "ontologically positive" (unless you try to argue the ontological parsimony route). The same article has an interesting example dealing with fairies that shows the burden of proof is much higher for positions positive for the existence of fairies than any position negative for it. The article also says that something is ontologically positive if it requires the addition of something to the existing body of knowledge. But if someone believes in fairies, doesn't the position that they don't exist (potentially) add something to their body of knowledge?
Chris Everett June 28, 2010 9:54 AM
I like to apply the following test: "If I'm willing to believe THAT, what WOULDN'T I believe?" By analyzing propositions in this way it becomes apparent that, roughly speaking, propositions come in classes (a continuum, really) based on the quantity and quality of the supporting evidence. So a fair policy of belief would require that were I to believe "God exists," I would also have to believe "the Flying Spaghetti Monster exists," "Werewolves exists," "Witches exist," etc. To do otherwise would make me an intellectual hypocrite. It also shows that simply by applying a fair standard of evidence, vast numbers of propositions are kept at bay by virtue of their mutual incompatibility. The result is that one cultivates an "inner sanctum" of maximum certainty (never absolute) that only admits propositions that are supported by the most empirically compelling evidence and which are in conceptual harmony with their propositional peers.
I consider the above process to be far more relevant to personal belief than notions of "burden of proof." In fact, though the thought only just hit me (and isn't developed), I will go so far as to say that the whole notion of "burden of proof" really doesn't apply outside of an institutional setting, such as a courtroom, where proceduralized debate leads to some sort of verdict.
Scott June 28, 2010 11:20 PM
Hi jcm,
Yes I was thinking of that phrase as I wrote and wondering if it captures my intuition more effectively than the "positive claim" rule.
It strikes me that there might be a probabilistic way of thinking about that credo: the claim that requires proof is the claim that is more improbable given prior knowledge.
The challenge, of course, would then be to calculate the relevant probabilities the right way.
That does seem to jibe nicely with the way burden of proof is determined in legal contexts (setting aside the additional complication of consequences that others have pointed out). In many (most? all?) cases, without further information, it's unlikely that a randomly chosen individual is guilty of a given crime, so such an accusation won't stick without proof.
Unknown June 29, 2010 12:03 AM
I think many people have problems understanding the differences between methodological naturalism and metaphysical naturalism with regard to Russell and rational thought. Many materialists seem to dogmatically cling to Russell and justification theory under epistemology beyond its rational limits within the realm of scientific claims and empiricism.
Like it or not, there are many ontological and Platonic foundations of the sciences. Take views of mathematical realism for example and the existence of abstract entities distinct from "physical nature".
We cannot prove there is an actual infinity. Yet we assert in the sciences that infinity exists and is limitless, and we use it as a foundation for many of the sciences. However, this presents a paradox because the statement contradicts itself. Specifically, it imposes the limit on itself that there are no limits to infinity as a entity. Because of this irrational self-contradictory and self-referential statement we can interpret infinities and paradoxes any way we choose and none can prove us wrong. We can accept them at face value as apparently irrational and inexplicable, deny they are irrational, or simply ignore them.
There are a number of metaphysical interpretations from this.
Much of this divisiveness revolves around difficulties with coherentism and views of "reality" (all that exists whether it is observable or comprehensible) vs. "nature", and the fact that there is no obvious way in which a coherent system relates to anything that might exist outside of it.
With regard to burden of proof for metaphysical arguments beyond the limits of positivism does having a belief always require burden of proof if the counter-claim that the belief is unjustified is equally subject to similar burden of proof?
example: "God created infinity, and man, unable to understand infinity, created finite sets."
~Gian-Carlo Rota
I've seen Professor Pigliucci gallantly defend philosophy against those who insist it is dead and worthless. Yet they don't understand why many of us in the sciences fear that form of dogma.
I shouldn't wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine.
~Bertrand Russell
Max June 29, 2010 12:38 PM
Existence is relatively easy to prove with a single example, but hard to falsify. A single captured ghost would prove that ghosts exist.
Universal laws are relatively easy to falsify with a single contradiction, but hard to prove. A single perpetual motion machine would falsify the laws of thermodynamics.
LCS June 29, 2010 4:06 PM
"well, you are making a claim too, that ghosts don't exist, so don't you have the burden of proof either?"
You are not making the claim that ghosts don't exist. You are making the claim that there is no positive evidence that ghosts do exist. In such a case the most logical and parsimonious conclusion is to believe that ghosts do not exist. Until presented with good positive evidence for the existence of ghosts there is no reason to believe in ghosts.
Sheldon June 30, 2010 1:53 PM
Great post and discussion, but..
Would it be innapporpriate to add the comment that I really dislike the new "wall paper" background of the site? One, its very distracting. And two, who would ever have such a large library with no books having an author or title on the spine? It looks silly.
I suggest keeping it all very simple. Maybe even try a white background.
yeah, I'm tweaking the layout by making use of Blogger's new capabilities. We are also having internal discussions about the best format. Right now, the "books" are gone...
Austin Land July 01, 2010 8:03 AM
Laneman, totally agree. I think this is a helpful angle to take. I am not claiming that ghosts don't exist, I am claiming there is no intelligent reason to believe in ghosts.
Re: trolley dilemmas. Our moral notions are inseparable from our intuitions about norms of social cooperation. It's very different to sanction the decision making authority necessary to throw someone in front of a trolley than it is to sanction the decision making authority necessary to throw the switch.
DaveS July 03, 2010 1:04 PM
Max: I take it you think existence is objective, in other words something can be said to either exist or not exist, rather than existence depending on the observer.
Can you share an example of something that you think exists?
J'Carlin July 03, 2010 6:07 PM
When confronted with a valid belief statement, that is one that can be stipulated as true for the believer, existence issues for the referent of the belief are simply data points on the usefulness and possibly the reality of the referent which may or may not influence the believer.
In any event both parties have the same burden of proof. If you claim non-existence for the referent that is an affirmative claim and must be affirmatively supported.
A far more useful "attack" on belief claims is on the usefulness issue. That is, what has the referent actually done for you. That is the reason I am an atheist. Stipulating the existence of God either as a "real" mythical being, or even as an believed to be supernatural omnipotent alpha humanoid, I have yet to find one that is even useful, let alone worthy of any of my time or money.
Austin Land July 04, 2010 10:13 AM
Didier, I'm not convinced that a defense of philosophy as alive and full of worth is dogmatic. I'm familiar with a specific reference here, but it doesn't seem like your quote applies.
I agree that bearing the burden of proof for non-belief in the face of zero positive evidence is functionally impossible. We cannot believe in all possible beliefs for which we do not have direct evidence against, and for which there is no positive evidence. We could sit around all day every day conjuring new things to believe in, and still fail to believe in all possible beliefs.
Blinn Combs July 04, 2010 8:01 PM
Interesting post, and thread. Unfortunately, I bet you'd be surprised by how often this presumption is simply discarded, and the state simply claims publicly, time after time, that the parties are guilty, before the trial has taken place. In this case, they attempt to shift the burden of proof back on the suspects.
I think the problem can usefully be illustrated via Kant's diagnosis of the failure of the ontological argument. The only difference between the real, and the imaginary dollar bill is that in the case of the real one, perception precedes conception. With claims about, e.g. transcendent entities and many other things that are not directly observable, many people simply have no grounds upon which to judge questions of evidence--for the simple reason that there's no obvious appeal to perception to be made. The only "evidence" that is accessible is the group of claims made by parties to the dispute, and in such cases, the natural (and in many cases highly advantageous), though epistemically naive, assumption is that the frequency of a belief is a guide to its truth. Since (by far) more people accept some (undefined) deity, this is conceived as the default assumption, and the burden is shifted to those attempting to *disprove* it.
Akrasia July 05, 2010 8:51 AM
I think the responsibility for the burden of proof is an interesting debate, but fundamentally, as a sceptic, everyone has to justify their position, whether they're making a positive claim or a negative one.
If I say I believe in God, I should be prepared to provide my basis for holding that belief for the scrutiny of others I may wish to convince. If I say I don't believe in God, I should be prepared to give my reasons for doing so, and defend them against those who don't agree. (even if the reason for holding a position is that there is no evidence to give cause to hold an alternative position, at least that gives a starting point for discussion or a basis to evaluate whether the sceptic is being reasonable or just a denier)
Simply declaring that 'the burdon of proof' lies with the other person is a very weak argument, and usually used mainly by those who are not confident enough to stand up for their own position.
In global warming discourse, the 'sceptics' will often say "there is no evidence the world is warming" or some variation. This gives the rationalists the opportunity to introduce evidence, whereby the true sceptic is immediately seperated from the denialist by how they react to the introduction of evidence.
Deniers as opposed to skeptics tend to constantly demand more and more evidence and demand that the burdon of proof is on those who make the claim and that they're merely sceptics who are unconvinced by the evidence, but there reaches a stage when evidence is presented where the burdon shifts to the sceptic to provide a valid critism of the evidence provided and this usually involves making their own claims that can be tested to see if it is valid criticism.
DaveS July 05, 2010 10:11 AM
@Austin - re "We cannot believe in all possible beliefs for which we do not have direct evidence against...." we can, we can.
We can do using the subjective nature of 'evidence'.. What constitutes evidence in scientific circles does not constitute evidence in the minds of the non-scientific.
And so the burden of proof can be shifted not to those who claim the gods or other-worldly entities exist, but to those who claim that we and perceived things in our lives do indeed exist, and are not extensions of our imaginations, that for whatever reason can be counted on to appear and behave the same way every time.
Austin Land July 05, 2010 6:09 PM
@DaveS: "We cannot believe in all possible beliefs for which we do not have direct evidence against, and for which there is no positive evidence."
Let me change that "and" to an "or." Can there be a state of suspended belief? I cannot believe in something I have no evidence for, I cannot disbelieve in something I have no evidence against.
I have argued this with Mintman re: a previous post. He replied that the guy who claimed that alien's built Egypt should be "laughed out of the room." I agreed. I think I do here, too.
Belief holders must have some epistemological standard for evidentiary requirements for belief, otherwise we believe everything, i.e. "Alpha Centauri is populated by pink unicorns" and at the same time "Alpha Centauri is not populated by pink unicorns." This is not logical. I would again assert that it is impossible to believe all things for which there is no evidence, therefore evidence is required for belief, or disbelief. This is stipulated to. Mintman agrees and says this is uninteresting. We have an coherent, evidence based account of Egyptian history that does not make room for aliens. We have a coherent, evidence based account of a universe that does not make room for god.
Max July 05, 2010 7:44 PM
>Can you share an example of something that you think exists?
I can try: Myself, Earth, moon, shoelaces...
It sounds arrogant when skeptics say, "There is NO convincing evidence of ghosts, God, alien visitations, etc." Nobody could've reviewed ALL the evidence. It's more honest to say, "Of all the evidence I've seen, none was convincing."
But I agree with Akrasia that merely dismissing evidence without offering alternatives sounds weak. The believer's reaction is, "Well if it wasn't a ghost, then what was it?"
"I don't know" is a valid answer, but it won't turn any believers into skeptics.
DaveS July 07, 2010 3:26 AM
@Max - Thanks. Apart from your 1st example, all other answers are examples of things which exist for you, which make sense to you and so forth. They are also things one would call 'real' or 'tangible', as opposed to intangibles like friendship, boredom, tension, etc.... The reason I think there is no difference between the 'real' list and the intangibles is that both are things you perceive, nothing more nothing less. The perception is fueled by your 5 senses, public opinion, and your proclivity for siding with any given stream of opinion, and perceptions harden into beliefs over time.
Take those shoelaces, you say they exist. I say they exist with lots of conditionals that bound the terms of their so-called existence. They exist for you and me, because I too know what they are, I even have a few pair. Speed up a shoelace's clock, and each shoelace is popping in and out of existence faster than can be measured, making it irrelevant whether it is real or not. You may say the shoelaces obey the laws of science, but these laws, too, are bounded by time and other conditions allowing them to appear to you.
Things do not exist in vacuums, that's why you can't say something exists, and then walk away.
Unknown July 08, 2010 8:35 AM
I'm with your daughter there. But we could argue endlessly over that. As an aside, India is a democratic country, ruled by a democratically created Constitution that lays down the laws of our land. I am not sure if it is the same elsewhere, but did you know that, in India, the burden of proof, in the particular case of crimes against women, lies on the person being accused? Interesting fact, just FYI.
🐰 July 24, 2010 4:13 AM
The reason (reasonable people believe that) ghosts don't exist is that a model of the universe without ghosts is more parsimonious than one with ghosts. "x has the burden of proof" is just another way of saying "x's model is the less parsimonious one given the data we currently have, so x needs to present new data".


text:
Exit Through the Gift Shop
The world's first Street Art disaster movieJan. 24, 2010UK87 Min.R
Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post-hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner.
Original title Exit Through the Gift Shop
Thierry Guetta
Isn't It Romantic
L-DK: Two Loves, Under One Roof
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At the end of the day there was no question who won the Bacardi Cup for the Bermuda National Match Race Championship, or which teams would be representing Bermuda in the Investor's Guaranty presentation of the King Edward VII Gold Cup on 16-24 October in Bermuda. Adam Barboza sailed a near perfect series of matches to sweep his team of Garry Roman, Somers Kempe and Jesse DeCouto to a decisive first place victory for the 2004 Bacardi Cup.
Barboza had only two lapses to spoil a perfect day. In an early round robin match, he and Paula Lewin got into a luffing dual that took them above the weather mark. Barboza was able to back his sails and duck Lewin's transom and reach down to approach the mark for a port tack rounding. Lewin bore away, but went above the mark, jibed around it and crashed into Barboza. Both were assessed a 1/2 point penalty for failing to avoid the collision and Adam ultimately got the victory for the race.
Barboza's only loss of the day came in the first match of the finals. Blythe Walker, 2003 defending champion, took the early lead and protected it all the way. The committee had shortened the length of the legs for that race because the wind had dropped below 8 knots. The breeze came back up to about 12 knots, making the short course a fast one.
Barboza came back in the final two races to get near prefect starts that placed him on the inside of lifts on the first leg of each race. The legs had been lengthened again and Walker did everything he could to recover, but was outpaced and could not find any passing lanes in either match.
In the Petite Finals, defending Bermuda Women's Match Race champion Paula Lewin swept two races from Pete Ramesdale.
Alvin Harvey of Bacardi and Commodore Jane Correia of RBYC presented trophies, bags, t-shirts, hats and plenty of Bacardi products to the winners and the other three teams.
Barboza, in winning the 2004 Bacardi Cup, is now the Bermuda National Champion of Match Race Sailing. He and runner-up Blythe Walker not only took the top Bacardi Cup prizes but they will also now sail as "Team Bacardi" in the Investor's Guaranty presentation of the King Edward VII Gold Cup. Their entries in the qualifying round of the Gold Cup are paid by Bacardi, allowing them to race against the best match race skippers and teams in the world.
Bacardi International, known for its 140-year tradition of distilling the world-famous rum, has their world headquarters in the Bacardi Building on Pitt's Bay Road in Hamilton. In addition to sponsoring the Bacardi Cup's winner and runner-up in the King Edward VII Gold Cup, Bacardi will also host several parties during the King Edward VII Gold Cup for competitors, families and spectators.


For boats, cars, trucks, truggies, and buggies, the light choice is the right choice! The 5.2g TR325 fits the bill and has an internal antenna with no wires to break during the hardest bashing. Plus, it's equipped with an automatic fail-safe.


Stock control - Case studies | Prolec Ltd.
Developed in conjunction with WBB, Weighloader ADT allows the efficient management of the movement of up to 1200 tonnes of ball clay per day.
The system requires minimum operator intervention by using the load and dump brake on the articulated hauler. When applied the system automatically tares, and when released the loaded weight is recorded in the computer and simultaneously transmitted to the stock control office via radio telemetry.
An additional feature included the 'approach to load' external beacon which warned the driver of the loading plant (in this case an excavator) upon approach to the target load.
WBB's operations manager commented that the electronics fit well with their existing systems and give them the huge benefit of accurate stock control. A further advantage of the Weighloader system provides overload protection to ensure that the ADTs are always carrying the optimum weights for maximum output. Helping to increase machine life and reduce maintenance and repairs costs.


Four Israelis were wounded on Monday night in a suspected Palestinian drive-by shooting attack near Shvut Rachel in Samaria.
"The attempts to harm us do not cease for a moment," Netanyahu said. "The Shin Bet and IDF have thwarted dozens of terrorist attacks this year. We will act strongly and with determination and bring the terrorists to justice.
When wuz the last time anyone saw them protesting islamic terrorism, butchery and genocide? Hmmmmmmm????
But wait… we have a runner up: Awan Afuqya.
Awan sez he really can't explain why only 2 Mindless Muslims showed up at that big Million Muslim March in Washington that was linked to Islamic Radicals on the 13th anniversary of the attack on America that claimed 2,996 lives, so Awan wins a set of transcripts of every speech Obama ever made, a subscription to John Kerry's Gaffe of the Day, and an opportunity to win a seat on a trip to the Gates of Hell with Jackass Joe!
You have moderate Muslims, like mild mannered Dr. Bruce Banner, and fundamental Muslims, like the Incredible Hulk.


text:
Q: C# Server side DateTime Please tell me, is it good to store DateTime, for example createtime of posts, on server in ticks?
DateTime.Ticks

A: If there is no chance that anybody might ever want to view the stored data manually, or there is a particular requirement for that level of precision then fine. But generally, I don't like it, It's a pain to look at a days data in a database when the date is in some obscure format!

A: Why would you want to do that? There is no penalty in storing it as regular DateTime. The better question you should ask yourself is how you would handle different timezones.
We store all dates in database as UTC, and do the appropriate conversion based on either user selected timezone or server timezone. Usually user selected, because it makes more sense for a user to handle times in his own timezone, but data will then be used by people in different timezones.

A: Every modern database have DATETIME, DATE and/or TIMESTAMP datatypes, so there is no need for using an Int64.
But you could use DateTime.Ticks if you're saving data into a text file, for instance. Seems to be a good option in that case.


Eaton Hall gardens Charity open day.
The Eaton hall gardens are the gardens of the Duke of Westminsters home outside Chester which are open to the public 4 days of the year as part of a fundraising exersise where all monies go to a number of pre-appointed charities.
Missed out on a few things as I filled my memory card! now got a lot more Gb's now. Most photos though are repeats of the same things so not that many to post.
The tax disk (can you spot it?) is was valid as of April so it is road legal!
Last edited by ants; 02-07-2012 at 17:21.
Nice pics but has something gone wrong in post processing - the edges are blurred on many?
Did you get to see the airfield?
Never saw the airfiled, been meaning on trying to take a look but not worked out the access yet. Might be best to ask the estate office I suppose.


text:
EXCLUSIVE: Kaley Cuoco gushes over 'perfect' boyfriend Karl Cook at 'Why Him?' premiere
Meredith B. Kile
Kaley Cuoco stars in the new holiday comedy Why Him?, but she has no trouble answering that question when it comes to her boyfriend, Karl Cook.
ET's Katie Krause caught up with the Big Bang Theory star on the Why Him? red carpet in Los Angeles on Saturday, where she was quick to gush over her handsome date for the night.
"He's so cute!" Cuoco told ET. "[Why him?] Because he's perfect!"
See photos of the couple at the premiere:
Kaley Cuoco and Karl Cook at 'Why Him?' premiere
WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 17: Actress Kaley Cuoco and Karl Cook arrive at the premiere of 20th Century Fox's 'Why Him?' at Regency Bruin Theater on December 17, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)
WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 17: Actress Kaley Cuoco and Karl Cook arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere 'Why Him?' at Regency Bruin Theater on December 17, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 17: Actress Kaley Cuoco attends the premiere of 20th Century Fox's 'Why Him?' at Regency Bruin Theater on December 17, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images)
WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 17: Actress Kaley Cuoco arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere 'Why Him?' at Regency Bruin Theater on December 17, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 17: Actors Kaley Cuoco attends the premiere of 20th Century Fox's 'Why Him?' on December 17, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by JB Lacroix/WireImage)
WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 17: Actor Kaley Cuoco arrives for the Premiere Of 20th Century Fox's 'Why Him?' held at Regency Bruin Theater on December 17, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
RELATED: Kaley Cuoco Celebrates Her 31st Birthday With Boyfriend Karl Cook: Pics!
The couple were even cutely coordinated for the date night, with Cuoco donning a white lace short-sleeved dress, while Cook looked spiffy in a dark grey checkered suit with a cream-colored shirt and no tie.
Why Him? centers on the tumultuous relationship between a father (Bryan Cranston) and his daughter's new boyfriend, an eccentric billionaire playboy (James Franco). In the movie, Cuoco stars as "Justine," the voice of Franco's character's in-home artificial intelligence system.
WATCH: Kaley Cuoco Shares Sweet Snap With Boyfriend Karl Cook and Her Dog: 'I Can't Choose'
The actress, who met Cook at a horse show after splitting from husband Ryan Sweeting in September 2015, told the ladies of The Talk that Cook's shared passion for all things equestrian was one of the things that drew her to him in the first place.
"I finally found my horse guy," she shared in September. "It was very meant to be. We shared a passion for horses and dogs... It's been lovely."
Cuoco and Cook recently enjoyed a sweet date night at last week's Critics' Choice Awards, where they couldn't keep their eyes off each other as they posed for pics on the red carpet. See more about the too-cute couple in the video below!
Why Him? hits theaters on Dec. 23.
WATCH: Kaley Cuoco and Boyfriend Karl Cook Get Cozy at Critics' Choice Awards: See Pics From Their Romantic Night
karl cook
why him
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Dan Levy urges viewers to vote after historic Emmys win: 'I am so sorry for making th…
Queen Latifah gets real about healthcare disparities, systemic racism in the U.S.: 'I…
'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' to air final season in early 2021
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In this book, Dr. Lewis explains how certain dietary restrictions can help relieve the symptoms of autism, ADHD, celiac disease, and other disorders.
Unemployment have been holding steady at 3.7% across the country. This environment has led to many employers to think outside of the box to get their positions filled. Some have even gone to a first come, first serve hiring. This rosy picture has been tainted a bit lately with the fact income levels have not been keeping pace.
Here are Robert and Matt working on their on-the-job training (OJT) at Daily Bread in Melbourne, FL.
Neurodiversity is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of neurological disorders. These neurological disorders include autism, Asperger's, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia and tics.
Chris Rogers and Nick Martin are two students who worked this past summer as interns at the City University of New York to develop a neurodiversity hub model. This proposed model is designed to help support young adult students with autism with improving employment outcomes.


A UFO investigation is underway in Ireland after pilots flying BA and Virgin Airlines jets reported seeing mysterious bright lights as they crossed the country.
The Irish Aviation Authority launched the probe after sightings on November 9 at around 7.40am.
The pilot of British Airways flight BA94 from Montreal to London contacted Shannon Air Traffic Control after seeing the object on the left-hand side of her Boeing 787.
She asked whether military exercises were taking place, according to Airlive.
She added that after approaching on the left side, it 'rapidly veered to the north'. She described it as a 'very bright light' that 'disappeared at very high speed'.
The pilot of Virgin Airlines flight VS76 from Orlando to Manchester then reported seeing a similar thing, the website reports.
Both planes were flying in high-level airspace - an altitude from between 28,500ft and 42,000ft.
Airlive says a third pilot also saw the bizarre lights and that the Irish Aviation Authority has filed a report with the sightings due to be 'investigated under the normal confidential occurrence investigation process'.


text:
Q: How to use functions in react-avatar-editor I'm new to React and everything is painful, especially understanding the docs that are designed for pros w/ years of experience.
My Problem : The react-avatar-editor
https://github.com/mosch/react-avatar-editor
gives a list of the available "props", and this is what I need help with. I have a UI but I don't understand how to add logic to it. I know I don't need to write all my own functions. That is the purpose of using a package like this. But I do really need help understanding the concise documentation.
My CODE: not doing anything amazing, but it is constructed in that way that I thought code would work, with the state set, and then I would need functions, like handleScale(), which I don't know how to write yet, to .setState and change the state. Obviously I'd need one of these for every property.
class MyEditor extends React.Component {
  constructor(props){
    super(props);
    this.state = {
      width: 250,
      height: 250,
      border: 50,
      color: [255, 255, 255, 0.6],
      scale: 1.2,
      rotate: 0,
    };
  }
  handleScale(scale){
    this.setState({
      scale:"some function that changes the scale"
    })
  }
  render () {
    return (

      <AvatarEditor
        image={this.props.url}
        width={this.state.width}
        height={this.state.height}
        border={this.state.border}
        color={this.state.color} // RGBA
        scale={this.state.scale}
        rotate={this.state.rotate}
      />

Zoom:
      <input type="range" onChange={this.state.handleScale}/>

    )
  }
}

But the docs have a list of Props and a listing of what they do. How do I change the scale with a Prop? This might be a ridiculous question, but I'm trying to understand some docs that are above my head and could use any help.
I could also use help hooking up an a slider to change the size of the image. Whether it be state or props- this is basic JS I think but still, I'm not sure of the procedure. In the React Dev Tools the slider moves up and down as props.
http://mosch.github.io/react-avatar-editor/docs/
Before posting here I searched everywhere for a tutorial on this subject, editing images in React. If anyone knows of any, or any tutorials re: this package, please direct me there!

A: You handleScale function should set this.state.scale to a different number and it will work as expected.
In your case the code should look as follows
handleScale(event){
  this.setState({ ... this.state, // you want other state details to remain unchanged
    scale: event.target.value
  })
}

and your input should bind the handleScale function correctly
<input type="range" onChange={ this.state.handleScale.bind(this) }/>

More about .bind() here: Use of the JavaScript 'bind' method
The above code will change the scale based on the slider's value.


Fall hikes immerse you in nature's wonders | Bangor Daily News.
For more information on trail closures, visitors may call 288-3338 or go to www.nps.gov/acad.
Portland pro-gun rally gets response from foes | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.
Governor expected to sign bill regulating guns in parks | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.
Acadia firearms bill goes to Baldacci | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.


text:
Jamal Abu al-Jediyan, ook wel gespeld als Jamal Abu Al-Jidyan (ca. 1961 - Gazastrook, 11 juni 2007), was een Palestijnse politicus van de seculier-nationalistische politieke beweging Fatah.

Van deze Palestijnse organisatie was hij de algemeen secretaris in de noordelijke Gazastrook en daarmee de hoogste Fatah-vertegenwoordiger aldaar. Voorts was hij de voornaamste assistent van Fatah-topman Mohammed Dahlan en stond hij mede aan de wieg van de Al-Aqsa Martelarenbrigades waarvan hij senior lid was.

Op de avond van 11 juni 2007 werd de vijfenveertig jaar oude Jamal Abu al-Jediyan door aanhangers van de streng islamitisch-nationalistische Hamas uit zijn huis gesleurd en met 45 kogels dodelijk doorzeefd. Even later trof zijn drieëndertigjarige broer Majid Abu al-Jediyan hetzelfde lot.

Zijn dood vond plaats tegen de achtergrond van de in hevigheid toenemende gevechten tussen Hamas en Fatah in de Gazastrook. Zijn gewelddadig verscheiden leidde tot diverse dodelijke wraakacties van Fatah in dit Palestijns gebied.

Palestijns politicus
Vermoord politicus

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia