In breaking news this lunchtime, verdicts have come in on the Buncefield oil depot case. Buncefield (in Hertfordshire in the East of England) blew up five years ago, causing environmental damage that may well last for generations ( http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/engineering-firm-guilty-over-buncefield-blast-2004312.html ), and reminding us all of the terrible impact that dependence on fossil fuels inevitably has.
With the BP disaster unfolding in the U.S. at present, these verdicts in Buncefield are a powerful reminder of the dreadful damage that oil-dependence leads to. We were very lucky that no-one was killed by the immediate effects of the Buncefield explosion - but all that carbon will be in the atmosphere for generations to come, blighting the lives of people who aren't even born yet. The guilty verdicts against the companies responsible are welcome, and I hope that a significant punishment is meted out. Big companies need to know that they cannot play Russian Roulette with our lives and our climate.
which makes mine a top 20 institution.
which makes mine a top 20 department.
Our responsibility to the future: justice or love?
How ought we to think of our relationship to - our responsibility for - future people? Is this question (a question pressing all the harder in the wake of the recent failure to adequately safeguard those future people, at Copenhagen) essentially a question of justice? The rallying cry at Copenhagen was, "What we do we want? Climate justice! When do we want it? Now!" But what if it'snot enough to call for justice?
Future generations – future people - are collectively our children. We give birth to them. They are even more powerless than the newest new-born baby. They cannot entreat, nor even scream, let alone return our gaze. They are dependent upon us for every aspect of their life-chances. For we cause them of course to come into being; but moreover, and ever-increasingly, we cause their conditions to be what they are, too.
What is fair is decided in a negotiation, or in a court. In the course of the negotiation or case, one deploys principles to make one's case. These principles, ideally, secure a reasonable agreement. But, there is no fairness, no genuine equity, between two utter unequals. Treating one's baby merely 'fairly' is abominable. Dividing food,warmth or shelter 'fairly', in such a circumstance; doing this ought to be a matter of profound shame. Such 'fairness' is an invitation to bad faith; because there is no actual 'contract' here, no agreement, no negotiation; just whatever you decide 'is' fair.
So: fairness is not what is most to the point, here. We need to rely on something stronger.
Well, one must love one's newborn child. It must be second-nature to treat it as generously as one can. Or, to treat it as not separate from oneself at all.
There is no real chance of our descendants inheriting a planet habitable for civilisation, unless we love them. It is not enough to seek to be fair/just. We are going to have to open our hearts to the people of the future as we open our hearts to a new-born. We are going to actually have to care about them enough, for instance, to be genuinely willing to sacrifice the fripperies that decorate our dwellings, our lives, etc., and which are being produced at the cost of the future. It would be truly terrible not to do this, as (on a business-as-usual model) seems likely.
It may be very demanding, to demand love. It may leave us with little hope that we can do enough. But it's better to try to do something that would be enough than not even to try.
Let us give our all for our descendants, our collective children. For us not to be myopic, they need to bereal to us. In short: let us love them.
That's the answer to the question which forms my title. It's not enough to try to do right by future generations merely by trying to do them justice, or merely to be 'fair' to them. We should give up, and admit that we do not love and do not really care, and consign them to their terrible fate – or we should love them.
I recommend the latter course.
The resignation of Prof Brian Wynne last week from the Food Standards Authority due to concerns about the proposed 'dialogue' with the public and other stakeholders is highly-concerning.
In his letter of resignation from the Dialogue Steering Committee, Professor Brian Wynne reaches the conclusion that the FSA 'is intrinsically pro-GM' He is also critical of the dismissal of the public as 'anti-science' when the issues around GM are much wider.
Marsland apparently thinks it is OK to call for the murder of civilians on the high seas. As someone who knows personally some of the civilians in question, and thinks highly of them, I find this particularly repellent and entirely unacceptable.
Now it makes a bit more sense. He is a libertarian loon, an unpleasant far-right uber-Thatcherite.
Still, I wonder how Brunel feel about one of their Emeritus (sic.) Professors calling for the murder of civilians on the high seas, in a major national newspaper?
Why couldn't police stop him?
Am I the only person wondering why, on Bird's 4 hour rampage, there was seemingly no attempt to place police-roadblocks to stop him, or at least police marksmen helicoptered in to stop him continuing to kill? Surely after the first few deaths, when police realised roughly what they had on their hands, and started telling people to keep indoors etc., they should have thrown the dice and attempted to put a swift stop to further killing by Bird.
What I want, is a country where the police are ready to take down lunatics with weapons, but where it is very rare that any lunatic will have a lethal weapon (at least, a gun), because we are successfully preventing them from having any legal access to them.
OPPOSITE THE FORUM, MILLENNIUM PLAIN, NORWICH.
Peter met on that visit.
PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ATTEND THIS EVENT.
Also signed by Keith Taylor MEP (oh happy acronym!) and our feisty new Cambridge Councillor, Adam Pogonowski.
What is hilarious - and sickening - is the Israeli army/government's apparent belief that they had the right to board these ships - in international waters - with there being no resistance to them whatsoever to them doing so. Did they expect to be welcomed with bouquets of flowers??
It is mad that military ATTACKERS on an aid convoy can present themselves as if they are the victims!
1.	2.	3.	Rupert's Read: June 2010 4.	12.	15.	18.	19.


There is a continued evolution in the Primitivo of Puglia: wines once known for their tannic, robust nature are now earning a reputation for greater refinement and finesse. An increased sophistication in the approach to winemaking, both in the vineyard and the winery, has given rise to wholly new expressions. This one falls into this modern caste and will offer you ripe black fruit and earthy notes with vanilla and spice. An ideal choice for meaty pasta dishes with tomato-based sauces.


We want to let you know how much we appreciated the support that you showed us on the Italian Night fundraiser.
We can't do anything without you.
Thinking about volunteering at the Canteen Run? Confused about what we do?
It's easy to volunteer with us.
We distribute clothing & supplies to homeless/needy people throughout Champaign Urbana.
Find out when the Canteen Run is scheduled to go out, and other related events.


Lucrative small businesses can rapidly go out of business if they run out of money. Likewise, struggling unprof small businesses can be kept afloat for a very long time if they have a good cash balance. In other words, money is the life blood of American small companies.
Naturally, when times are tough, failure to acquire capital to pay daily operating costs frequently becomes a source of concern, anxiety and diversion for small business owners.
In these cases, many small business owners consider seeking short term financing.
Sadly, the majority of huge city and town standard lending institutions have stiff and strict criteria that their clients must satisfy.
Because of this, there is 4 specific functions that are required by those seeking business financing.
Services have a different credit score from the business owner. Even if business owner has a high credit history, business may not have a recognized credit rating (particularly if freshly developed). For that reason, prospective loan providers have to offer options with that take the business owner's individual credit into consideration and that accepts candidates with less than best credit.
Usually, brick and mortar lending institutions only service organisations doing 20k or more in monthly earnings. This disqualifies smaller sized businesses doing 10k-15k in month-to-month profits.


Take advantage of our experience and bring Spectrum Catalyst's 100% biodegradable and non-toxic products to your clients. One of the services in which Spectrum Catalyst specializes is private labeling of our product line.This allows our clients' to customize labels, and put their logo and colors on Spectrum Catalyst products, in order to adapt them to your marketing, distribution and pricing goals. Spectrum's advanced team of professionals manage your private labelled product, as if its under the Spectrum Catalyst product-line banner. The process is a simple and efficient way to increase your products for distribution to your valuable client base.
With over 40 years of dedicated experience in the Electric and Gas Utility Industry and other industrial and municipal venues, Spectrum Catalyst takes pride in being a leader in the development and manufacturing of essential "Green" products. Simply put, customers utilize our private label services to obtain superior product value and cost effectiveness. In fact, Spectrum Catalyst will partner with its clients to customize and develop specific products that are not currently in the Spectrum family of "Environmentally-Friendly" chemical products. Spectrum Catalyst products are in demand due to their "Green" certification, and the cutting edge technology that stands out in product quality.
Contact one of Spectrum's Private Label Specialists to determine which products meet your business goals.
With more than 40 years of professional expertise, our innovative graphic design department and label partner, will take your existing company branding and create the right labels that gain strong market sales.
Spectrum will drop ship your products directly to your customers' location. In short, you attain a "Turnkey" system that enhances your current product line and business objectives.


With a stay at Apex London Wall Hotel in London (The City of London), you'll be minutes from Bank of England Museum and Royal Exchange. This 4-star hotel is close to St. Paul's Cathedral and London Bridge.
Make yourself at home in one of the 89 air-conditioned rooms featuring iPod docking stations and minibars. Your room comes with a Select Comfort bed. Wired and wireless Internet access is complimentary, and LCD televisions with satellite programming provide entertainment. Private bathrooms with separate bathtubs and showers feature designer toiletries and hair dryers.
Featured amenities include complimentary high-speed (wired) Internet access, express check-out, and complimentary newspapers in the lobby.


Our congregation members and friends support the church in many ways, both financially (as they are able) and by generously volunteering their time and energy in carrying out our many uses. Unlike many churches we do not require tithing (giving 10% of one's income to the church), but we believe that the tithe, like everything else in Scripture, is representative, in this case symbolizing the full measure of what one is able to contribute while prudently providing for one's self and one's family.
The Church of Scotland teaches about 'Sacrificial Giving' reflecting a response to God's sacrificial giving in Christ, a measure of our desire to spread the gospel, a priority in our personal spending and a generous proportion of our income. The members of our church family in Greyfriars strive to ensure that our giving is a clear sign of our love for God and our commitment to Christ and the Church.
Greyfriars Parish Church has a clear vision for the future and a strategic plan to focus and direct our decisions. Our members work hard to maintain and improve our Church and activities not only for our own spiritual welfare but to help make the benefits of the Church more widely available to others. We believe in Greyfriars being a centre for our community in Lanark. We believe in providing a building, a minister and other resources for the people of Lanark to be able to make use of when they need it most.
The apostle Paul says, "Everyone should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion" (2 Corinthians 9:7). There must be freedom in Christian giving. The purpose of this freedom is to cultivate voluntary (true) generosity by God's people.
Therefore, Greyfriars Church does not suggest donations of any amount or percentage, but leaves members and friends in freedom to give according to their hearts and abilities. The Church, through the leadership of the Kirk Session, then has the responsibility to use the generous gifts of its donors wisely in the service of God.
Greyfriars Church can receive gifts online by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, Discover) or from your bank account via PayPal. This is a secure service and you do not even need a PayPal account to give via a card. You can access our online giving page at PayPal here. There are no fees to you when you give online.
Our text donation service has changed! To make a donation by text, send 'GREYFRIARS 5' or 'LANARK 5' to 70085 to donate £5. This costs £5 plus a standard rate message. Alternatively, you can opt to give any whole amount up to £20 by changing the number after the word.
Many members of the church family at Greyfriars Church give directly through their bank each month using a pre-arranged Standing Order. If this is something you wish to set up the please contact the Church Office for more details and forms to enable you to send your instructions to your bank.
You can send a cheque, made out to Greyfriars Parish Church, to our office at Greyfriars Parish Church, Bloomgate, Lanark, ML11 9ET.
Simply bring cash or cheques to any of our Sunday services and place them in the offering bags. If you are a tax payer and can give via the Gift Aid Scheme where Greyfriars Church can gain an extra 25% on your donation please request a Gift Aid Form from our church office.
Greyfriars Church does not receive any funding from government or state sources and relies solely on the generous giving of our members and friends. Thank you for your interest in supporting the work of our church.


there is hot water, at last. took most of tom's day and two trips to h.d. the little 'house' the tank sits inside also has a new (plywood) door with a latch – not two pieces of plywood nailed on that had to be removed each time access was required. guess i need to get some kind of paint on it before the rains come back this fall. i will use whatever i can find around here – not like it has to match anything! i am really looking forward to going to bed all squeaky clean and not having to trek up the path!
other than that, not been a real productive day, for me. been working on that mini for the opp quilt. have realized this design will not work as a published pattern – not as drawn. some of those 'stamen' pieces are just too small. i have been able to do them, but only because i used a very stable fabric that also is nearly covered in metallic gold. i discovered, as suspected, trying the same thing with 'normal' fabric did not work. there are similarly small pieces on the petals – the 'beard', if you will. the one i tried just about totally shredded – so i ripped it off and found some of the metallic in the right color. soooo, i will either have to enlarge or otherwise modify those pieces, or just enlarge the whole pattern and make it one of the larger ones. we shall see.
well, as soon as i pinned the bugger up to take this picture, i realized why i was having so much trouble. because it is a mirror image that includes leaves, each flower is much smaller than the other two mini iris designs (all done to fit inside a 6 inch circle)!! duh!! don't know if you can see those tiny pieces i was talking about – the things sticking up in the middle and the one on the petal on the right. yikes. yes, we will definitely have to reconsider this one, and see how it looks enlarged. my only other concern is that i know this is one of the crest designs that geri has done. that's why i didn't want to do it as one of the 13-14″ blocks. hmmm maybe it will just be a one of a kind on the opportunity quilt!


Two story condo for sale at Writer Square. This condo is light, airy, open, and boasts 1,763 sf of living space.
Main floor features gorgeous new hardwood floors throughout, full bathroom, 3rd bedroom on the main level can be used as an office. Spacious master suite featuring vaulted ceiling, natural light, and abundance of closet space. Upstairs includes second bedroom with full bathroom. Large private terrace with views of Larimer Square and mountains. New paint, carpet and lighting throughout. Two secure underground side-by-side parking spaces located near to elevator. Two large storage units included.
This two story condo offers the best of both worlds. Easy access to everything downtown Denver has to offer. Nestled in a private quiet warm home environment. Steps away from multi-million Union Station expansion, Confluence Park, Cherry Creek walking and bike path.
HOA dues includes basic cable TV, Wi-Fi, Grounds maintenance, Exterior maintenance (including roof), Insurance, Sewer, Snow removal, Trash removal, and water.


text:
England Supporters Club
8th January 2020, 12:55 | Leeds
Sky Sports to show Jamie Jones-Buchanan Testimonial & Rob Burrow Fundraiser
Sky Sports will broadcast this Sunday's unique pre-season clash between old rivals Leeds Rhinos and Bradford Bulls at Emerald Headingley.
The game, which kicks off at 3pm, is heading for a near 20,000 sell out following the announcement that funds raised will go towards supporting former Leeds Rhinos and Great Britain star Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease before Christmas.
The match will also bring down the curtain on forward Jamie Jones-Buchanan's 20-year career with the eight-time Super League champions. Jones-Buchanan agreed to share the testimonial match with his good friend Burrow following the announcement of his diagnosis.
A fund has been set up to support Burrow, his wife and his young family of three children under eight, and online giving has already raised over £250,000 in under three weeks.
With less than 2,000 tickets still available, fans who are unable to attend the match will be able to watch all the action on an emotional afternoon live on Sky Sports.
📺 Sunday's joint Rob Burrow fundraiser and Jamie Jones-Buchanan testimonial between Leeds 🦏 and Bradford 🐂 will be shown live on @SkySports.
👇👇👇
— Sky Sports Rugby League (@SkySportsRL) January 8, 2020
All elements of the broadcast are being donated by long-term contractors. All camera, replay, sound and technical operators are donating their services for the day, along with the production and presentation team, while the outside broadcast vehicles are being donated by Telegenic.
The occasion will reach an emotional conclusion when Burrow himself takes to the field in the closing stages along with fellow Leeds Rhinos legends Jones-Buchanan, Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock, Kylie Leuluai and Danny McGuire for the first time since the treble-winning season in 2015.
"I would like to say a massive thank you to Sky Sports for their support ahead of Sunday's game in particular Neville Smith, who has pulled together all the aspects to make this possible," Rhinos' Director of Rugby Sinfield said.
"I know there are a lot of Rugby League fans who would want to be there but are unable due to other commitments and this will allow them to be part of an unforgettable occasion."
Steve Smith, Sky Sports Executive Director, added: "Fixtures between Leeds Rhinos and Bradford Bulls are always a highlight in the rugby league calendar.
'We're delighted to be supporting Rob Burrow, as well as celebrating a glittering career for Jamie Jones-Buchanan."
BBC & Our League confirm Coral Challenge Cup Round Two coverage
ChallengeCup
Women's Sport Trust launch new campaign 'Unlocked'
womens_rugby_league
Draws for RLWC2021 complete
rlwc2021
Sky Try programme driving Leeds' stars of the future
sky_try

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
import django
from django.conf import settings
from django.urls import reverse, resolve
from django.test import TestCase, RequestFactory
from mock import Mock
from lti import ToolConfig

from django_app_lti.views import LTIToolConfigView

class ToolConfigViewTest(TestCase):
    def setUp(self):
        django.setup()
        self.view = LTIToolConfigView()
        self.view.request = RequestFactory().get('/lti/config')
        self.view.request.session = {}

    def test_launch_secure_launch_url(self):
        host = "localhost"
        self.view.request.get_host = Mock(return_value=host)
        self.view.request.is_secure = Mock(return_value=True)

        actual = self.view.get_launch_url(self.view.request)
        expected = 'https://' + host + reverse(self.view.LAUNCH_URL)

        self.assertEqual(actual, expected)

    def test_url_excludes_resource_link_id(self):
        test_urls = (
            'https://example.com/lti/launch?resource_link_id=None',
            'https://example.com/lti/launch?resource_link_id=123fabc456',
            'https://example.com/lti/launch?resource_link_id=',
            'https://example.com/lti/launch?resource_link_id',
        )
        expected = 'https://example.com/lti/launch'
        for url in test_urls:
            actual = self.view._url(url)
            self.assertEqual(actual, expected)

    def test_tool_config(self):
        launch_url = "http://foo.bar/"
        self.view.get_launch_url = Mock(return_value=launch_url)

        expected = ToolConfig(
            title=settings.LTI_SETUP.get('TOOL_TITLE'),
            launch_url=launch_url,
            secure_launch_url=launch_url
        )
        actual = self.view.get_tool_config(self.view.request)

        self.assertEqual(actual.title, expected.title)
        self.assertEqual(actual.launch_url, expected.launch_url)
        self.assertEqual(actual.secure_launch_url, expected.secure_launch_url)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Guidance on New Tariffs
Non-Resident Waiver and Filing Information
Payer Requirements
Past Board Members
Survey of Presenters
Survey of the General Public
Arts in Perspective
The Succession Plan
TSP at Contact East 2018
Healthy Network Development
Competency Charts and Profiles
Presenters Capacity Building Program
National Network Meeting
TSP at CAPACOA 2017
TSP Over Time
Peer to Peer Meetings
Vitality and Impact of Arts Presenting
Drivers of Attendance
Digitizing Performing Arts
Arts and Belonging
CAPF Data
Recreation Spending
Value of Presenting Study
CAPACOA Awards
Group Benefits Program
Immigration and Tax Services
Listserv Service
Showcases 2019
2011-2012 Nominees
Delegate List 2018
TSP CAPACOA@CINARS 2018
NAC Award
2017 - The Culture of Community
2017 Showcases
2017 Delegate List
2017 TSP
2015 Nov. - Culture of inClusion
2015 Exhibit Hall
Showcase Listings
Export Buyers Program
CAPACOA at CINARS
The Succession Plan (TSP)
2014 - The Culture of Curiosity
2014 Export Buyers Program
2014 Showcase Listings
2014 Artist Voice
2013 - Culture of Place
2013 Sponsorship and Advertising
2011 Pitch Projects
Attendance Trends: Why Won't They Come?
November 29, 2017 – National surveys find widespread attendance of the performing arts among the Canadian population. Yet, many series presenters are finding it more and more difficult to fill up their house. It's a hard gap to explain, but a few answers could lie in reported obstacles to attendance.
According to the General Social Survey, 72% Canadians attended a performing arts event or festival in 2010. According to the Arts and Heritage Access and Availability Survey, 87% of Canadians attended a live performance or another arts event 2016. In both surveys, we're observing an increase in the breadth of attendance compared to previous periods. This means more and more Canadians are attending at a least one live performance per year. But are they coming back for more than that one performance? If not, what's preventing them from doing so? And if they're not coming at all, why? Recently published reports provide elements of answers to these critical questions:
Arts and Heritage Access and Availability Survey 2016-2017
Phone survey of 2,045 Canadians conducted by Environics Research on behalf of Canadian Heritage (frequently referred to as "AHHA").
Culture Track 2017
Online survey of 3,013 United States residents conducted by LaPlaca Cohen.
2016 Canadian Index of Wellbeing National Index Report: How Are Canadians Really Doing?
Analysis of national statistics in eight wellbeing domains, including leisure and culture.
Factors affecting attendance were examined in a webinar entitled "A night out" on July 7, 2017.
Irrelevance: the main barrier for non-attendees
In both AHAA and Culture Track, the most widely mentioned obstacle by non-attendees is lack of interest or lack of relevance ("It's not for someone like me"). Lack of interest can signal a lack of knowledge of the arts, false impressions of it, or a genuine disinterest. Similarly, "It's not for someone like me" can also signal a perception issue. The Culture Track's exhaustive list of obstacles provides further clues as to why some people might feel the arts are not for them: "It feels outdated," "I wouldn't feel welcome," "It is too intimidating or challenging," or "it doesn't reflect people from all backgrounds". With regards to the latter, it will not come as a surprise that "people of color are 82% more likely than non-Hispanic Caucasians to say that a reason for not participating in cultural activities in the past year is that these activities don't reflect people of all backgrounds" [sic]. In Canada, the report Diversity and Arts Attendance by Canadians in 2010 found that theatre performances and pop concerts have lower attendance rates "by visible minority and immigrant Canadians". Acting on these barriers would require both changes in programming and in marketing strategies.
Lack of time or inconvenience: a barrier for both non-attendees and attendees
In AHAA, Canadians reported lack of time as the second highest reason for not attending. In Culture Track, inconvenience (e.g., hours, distance) was a significant obstacle for non-attendees, and was the main thing that prevented attendees from going more regularly. So what are people doing with their time?
According to Canadian Index of Wellbeing director, Bryan Smale, people are feeling the time crunch mostly because of longer commuting times and longer work hours (view the webinar A Night Out for the full conversation). Transit and labour may be beyond the arts sector's influence. But we can play with various show times (i.e. lunch or 5:00 pm performances), or else present performances and other community-engaged interventions in workplaces or in other public places.
Other barriers
Chart from the Access and Availability Survey
Click on image to enlarge. For more information about this chart, consult the AHAA report.
Costs and health issues or disability are also frequently mentioned by Canadian non-attendees.
Cost could also well be an obstacle to more regular participation. According to the Canadian Index of Wellbeing, living standards have deteriorated mainly as a result of the growing income gap. On the one hand, the middle class is financially tighter than before and may be short of enough disposable to income to attend as often as they'd like; on the other hand, the wealthiest can afford as many performances as they'd like, but they're facing time constraints just like anyone else. This is a lose-lose from the perspective of live arts attendance. Once again, living standards is beyond the arts sector's sphere of influence. This being said, the heated public debate about fiscal equity could lead to changes that would positively impact the arts sector.
Health problems and disabilities were mentioned by 9% of Canadians as one of the mean reasons why they didn't attend a live performance in the last year. With the aging population, this percentage is bound to increase. Accessibility must therefore become a priority for the performing arts sector. But accessibility isn't just about making adaptations to a venue; it's also about treating people in a considerate and genuine fashion. As the Culture Track points out: "Many arts organizations are implementing accessibility programs to attract audiences with differing levels of ability, but are they working? People with disabilities are 59% more likely than those without to say they do not attend cultural activities because they had a negative experience last time."
Both Culture Track and the Access and Availability Survey include detailed data tables by artistic discipline. They also include information on motivations for attendance.
Frédéric Julien
Director of Research and Development
Recent and Related News
New Findings Confirm the Association between Arts and Belonging
Movie Attendance is Declining: Is This a Good or a Bad News for the Performing Arts?
Some Good, Some Bad News for Leisure and Culture in Canada, According to Wellbeing Index
Aging the Creative Way


text:
A picture taken on December 4, 2018, shows workers at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al-Khor, a city in northeastern Qatar.
© 2018 David Harding/AFP
Qatar passed a number of important human rights reforms in 2018 but failed to deliver on several other promised reforms. While Qatar acceded to two core human rights treaties, it made reservations, depriving migrants and women of some of their protections. Qatar passed the Gulf region's first refugee asylum law, but it fell short of the country's international obligations. Qatari laws continue to discriminate against migrants, women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Throughout 2018, the diplomatic crisis persisted between Qatar on one side and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the other, over Qatar's alleged support of terrorism and ties with Iran, impacting the rights of Qataris.
Qatar does not allow dual nationality and discriminates against women by not allowing them to pass nationality to their children on the same basis as men. Qatar allows men to pass citizenship to their spouses and children, whereas children of Qatari women and non-citizen men can only apply for citizenship under narrow conditions.
In September, Qatar passed a law on permanent residency that would be available for the first time to children of Qatari women married to non-Qatari men. The permanent residency allows qualified children to receive government health and educational services, to invest in the economy, and own real estate. However, the law falls short of granting women equal rights to men in conferring nationality to their children and spouses.
Qatar's personal status law also discriminates against women in marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance. The law provides that women can only marry if a male guardian approves of the marriage; men have a unilateral right to divorce while requiring women to apply to the courts for divorce on limited grounds; and a wife is responsible for looking after the household and obeying her husband. Under inheritance provisions, female siblings receive half the amount their brothers get.
The penal code does not criminalize domestic violence or marital rape, other than one article of the family law forbidding husbands from hurting their wives physically or morally, and general provisions on assault.
Qatar has a migrant labor force of over 2 million people, who comprise approximately 95 percent of its total labor force. Approximately 800,000 workers are employed in construction while another 100,000 are domestic workers. Qatar's kafala (sponsorship) system governing the employment of migrant workers gives employers excessive control over them, including the power to deny them the right to leave the country or change jobs.
In October 2017, the International Trade Union Confederation announced Qatar's agreement with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to extensive reforms of the current kafala (sponsorship) system, institute a nondiscriminatory minimum wage, improve payment of wages, end document confiscation or the need for an exit permit for workers wanting to leave the country, enhance labor inspections and occupational safety and health systems—including by developing a heat mitigation strategy—refine the contractual system to improve labor recruitment procedures, and step up efforts to prevent forced labor.
In November 2017, Qatar implemented a temporary minimum wage of QR750 (US$206) per month for migrant workers. Also in 2017, the emir ratified Law No.15, granting labor protections to domestic workers for the first time. The new law guarantees domestic workers a maximum 10-hour workday, a weekly rest day, three weeks of annual leave, an end-of-service payment of at least three weeks per year, and healthcare benefits. However, the new law is still weaker than the Labor Law and lacks provisions for enforcement.
In September, Qatar passed a law allowing most migrant workers to leave the country without an exit permit, but excluding workers not covered by the Labor Law including those in the military, public sector, and domestic work, and allowing employers to apply to exclude some other workers.
Qatar has failed to implement other promised reforms. On April 30, 2018 the ILO inaugurated its first project office in Qatar for a three-year cooperation program to help Qatar achieve its commitments on migrant rights.
Human Rights Treaties
In May 2018, Qatar joined the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights with a range of formal reservations depriving women and migrant workers of some of the treaties' protections.
It rejected gender equality provisions in marriage, divorce, and child custody on grounds that they contravene Islamic law. It also declared it would interpret several provisions in line with Islamic law, including on defining cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment— avoiding bans on capital and corporal punishment—minimum marriage ages, and freedom of religion.
In its reservations, Qatar also said it would interpret the term "trade unions" in accordance with its national law. Article 116 of Qatar's Labor Law allows only Qatari nationals the right to form workers' associations or trade unions, depriving migrant workers of their rights to freedom of association and to form trade unions.
In September, Qatar's emir signed into law the Gulf region's first refugee asylum law. The law demonstrates Qatar's commitment to refugee rights but falls short of its international obligations, particularly with regard to its restrictions on freedom of movement and expression. Qatar is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.
Sexual Orientation and Morality Laws
Qatar's penal code criminalizes "sodomy," punishing same-sex relations with imprisonment between one to three years. Muslims convicted of zina (sex outside of marriage) can also be sentenced to flogging (if unmarried) or the death penalty (if married). Non-Muslims can be sentenced to imprisonment.
Qatar, in addition to banning sex outside marriage for Muslims, provides penalties for any male, Muslim or not, who "instigates" or "entices" another male to commit an act of sodomy or immorality. The law does not provide for a penalty for the person who is "instigated" or "enticed." Under article 296 of the penal code, "[l]eading, instigating or seducing a male anyhow for sodomy or dissipation" and "[i]nducing or seducing a male or a female anyhow to commit illegal or immoral actions" is punishable by up to three years. It is unclear whether this law is intended to prohibit all same-sex acts between men, and whether only one partner is considered legally liable.
Journalists and printers operate under section 47 of the 1979 Press and Publications Law, which bans publication of "any printed matter that is deemed contrary to the ethics, violates the morals or harms the dignity of the people or their personal freedoms." Throughout 2018, private publishing partners in Qatar, including the partner of the New York Times, censored numerous articles that touched on LGBT topics, in line with the country's anti-LGBT laws.
Key International Actors
In response to the Gulf crisis in 2017, in order to prevent food shortages, Qatar cultivated new supply chains through Oman and received assistance from Turkey and Iran, among other countries.
Many Emirati, Egyptian, Bahraini, and Saudi nationals affected by the diplomatic crisis chose to remain in Qatar for family or work reasons or because they fear persecution in their home countries.
In June 2018, Qatar filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) arguing that UAE-imposed measures violated the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. On July 23, 2018, in a provisional ruling, the ICJ said that the UAE must allow Qatari families separated by its measures to reunite, allow Qatari students to complete their education in the UAE or obtain their educational records, and allow affected Qataris access to the UAE's courts. After the ruling, the UAE's foreign affairs minister tweeted that the UAE has already implemented the required measures.
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ARLINGTON, VA, APRIL 14, 2015 ̶ DRS Technologies, Inc., a Finmeccanica Company, announced today that it will provide mast mounted, long-range surveillance suites to the Canadian Army's Light Armored Vehicle – Reconnaissance Surveillance System (LRSS) Project.
General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada, the producer of the LAV 6.0, awarded DRS Sustainment Systems, Inc. an eight-year, firm fixed-fee contract valued at approximately $100 million for the production of masted surveillance suites and accompanying operator control stations, as well as program engineering and service support.
For the program, DRS updated its Surveillance and Battlefield Reconnaissance Equipment (SABRE) system, a highly modular sensor suite that integrates radar, thermal imaging, and laser systems on a stabilized mast and is compatible with any type of battle command network. SABRE provides scouts, forward observers, and tactical air controllers with the ability to perform reconnaissance and targeting at extended ranges. The system facilitates operations while hidden or on the move in rugged environments, share targeting data from multiple sensors across battle command networks. SABRE was successfully fielded to the Australian Army in 2013.
In developing the system for LRSS, DRS has partnered with Thales-Canada, the prime contractor of the Canadian Army's tactical battle management system.
"We are proud to have this opportunity to expand on our already strong relationship with General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada and to bring this world-class capability to the Canadian Army," said Joseph Matteoni, Vice President/General Manager of DRS Sustainment Systems, Inc.


I purchased a 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 new in 2000. At 50,000 miles the dash began to crack at 2 yrs old. Although I purchased an extended warranty to 75K miles, I was informed by a dealer that trim and upholstery was not covered. Now the dash has completely failed, a huge hole has emerged, it rattles this has caused the defrost vent not work properly and possibly the passenger airbag may be compromised due to the dash becoming unsecure because the plastic has broken from around the screws. I recently went to another dealer to get a quote of over $1000 to repair. The dealer tells me that Chrysler has been fixing these trucks if the original owner still owns it regardless of warranty expiration. Because of the product failure. So I then call the 800 number given only to be told that it is basically too late now because my truck is 8 yrs old. This was hard to swallow because I tried to repair it under my extended warranty when only 2 yrs old. I am very, very dis-satisfied with the product and service of Chrysler Corp. I know that there are literally thousands of have experienced the same problem and I look at every truck the same body style as mine, and they all have cracked dashes. I went online to find several websites of Dodge owners with the same problem with warranty and service. This is a factory defect that Chrysler should at least offer a substantial amount of assistance with the repair or lower the cost of the parts to repair so that people can afford them.
: the contact stated while driving 30mph thick dust blew out from the air conditioner. Afterwards the air conditioner only worked a few minutes before quitting. The vehicle was driven to the dealership. Upon inspection the dealership found the heater core had ruptured. The dust that came from the air conditioner was the freon. Both the heater core and freon need to be replaced. The repairs have not been made.


text:
Hon. George Arthur Brabazon Ponsonby1
M, #27261, b. 17 May 1820, d. 1841
Last Edited=2 Feb 2011
Consanguinity Index=0.01%
Hon. George Arthur Brabazon Ponsonby was born on 17 May 1820.1 He was the son of John William Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough and Lady Maria Fane.1 He died in 1841.1
Rt. Hon. Sir Spencer Cecil Ponsonby-Fane1
M, #27262, b. 14 March 1824, d. 1 December 1915
Rt. Hon. Sir Spencer Cecil Ponsonby-Fane was born on 14 March 1824.1 He was the son of John William Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough and Lady Maria Fane.1 He married Hon. Louisa Anne Rose Lee Dillon, daughter of Henry Augustus Dillon-Lee, 13th Viscount Dillon of Costello-Gallin and Henrietta Browne, on 7 October 1847.1 He died on 1 December 1915 at age 91.1
He was given the name of Spencer Cecil Ponsonby at birth.1 He held the office of Comptroller of Lord Chamberlain's Department between 1857 and 1901.1 He was appointed Privy Counsellor (P.C.)1 In 1875 his name was legally changed to Spencer Cecil Ponsonby-Fane by Royal Licence.1 He was appointed Knight, Order of St. Ernestine of Saxe-Coburg.1 He was awarded the Imperial Service Order (I.S.O.)1 He was appointed Knight Grand Cross, Order of the Bath (G.C.B.)1 He held the office of Bath King of Arms between 1904 and 1915.1 He lived at Brympton, Yeovil, Somerset, EnglandG.1
Children of Rt. Hon. Sir Spencer Cecil Ponsonby-Fane and Hon. Louisa Anne Rose Lee Dillon
John Henry Ponsonby+2 b. 21 Jul 1848, d. 11 Sep 1916
Lieutenant George Richard Ponsonby2 b. 6 Mar 1850, d. 5 Feb 1871
Helen Ponsonby3 b. 26 Jul 1851, d. 17 Jan 1952
Robert Charles Ponsonby+2 b. 6 Jun 1854, d. 16 Nov 1909
Constance Louisa Ponsonby3 b. 23 Mar 1856, d. 4 May 1930
Margaret Maria Ponsonby+2 b. 4 Nov 1857, d. 14 Dec 1935
Clementina Sarah Ponsonby3 b. 27 Jul 1859, d. 15 Sep 1934
Eleanor Hariett Ponsonby3 b. 26 Dec 1861, d. 2 Sep 1878
Sydney Alexander Ponsonby+2 b. 26 Feb 1863, d. 27 Aug 1940
Hugh Spencer Ponsonby+2 b. 5 Dec 1865, d. 13 May 1934
Theobald Brabazon Ponsonby2 b. 24 Sep 1868, d. 14 May 1929
[S130] Wikipedia, online http;//www.wikipedia.org. Hereinafter cited as Wikipedia.
Hon. Louisa Anne Rose Lee Dillon1
Hon. Louisa Anne Rose Lee Dillon was the daughter of Henry Augustus Dillon-Lee, 13th Viscount Dillon of Costello-Gallin and Henrietta Browne.1 She married Rt. Hon. Sir Spencer Cecil Ponsonby-Fane, son of John William Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough and Lady Maria Fane, on 7 October 1847.1 She died on 18 July 1902.1
From 7 October 1847, her married name became Ponsonby. From 1875, her married name became Ponsonby-Fane.1
Children of Hon. Louisa Anne Rose Lee Dillon and Rt. Hon. Sir Spencer Cecil Ponsonby-Fane
Margaret Maria Ponsonby+ b. 4 Nov 1857, d. 14 Dec 1935
Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough1
M, #27264, b. 1 March 1851, d. 1 December 1920
Last Edited=21 Dec 2012
Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough was born on 1 March 1851.1 He was the son of Reverend Walter William Brabazon Ponsonby, 7th Earl of Bessborough and Lady Louisa Susan Cornwallis Eliot.1 He married Blanche Vere Guest, daughter of Sir Josiah John Guest, 1st Bt. and Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Bertie, on 22 April 1875.1 He died on 1 December 1920 at age 69 at Birmingham, Warwickshire, EnglandG.2 He was buried on 7 December 1920 at Pilltown, County Kilkenny, IrelandG.2
He was appointed Knight, Order of St. Patrick (K.P.)3 He gained the rank of Lieutenant before 1874 in the Royal Navy.1 He was a barrister in 1879.1 He was Secretary to Lord R. Grosvenor at the Treasury between 1880 and 1884.1 He was Secretary to the Speaker of the House of Commons (Peel) between 1884 and 1895.1 He was styled as Viscount Duncannon between 1895 and 1906.1 He was appointed Companion, Order of the Bath (C.B.) in May 1895.1 He held the office of County Councillor for County Kilkenny between 1897 and 1900.1,4 He held the office of Sheriff of County Carlow in 1898.1 He was Chairman of the L.B. & S.C. Railway.1 He was appointed Knight of Grace, Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (K.G.St.J.)1 He held the office of Justice of the Peace (J.P.) for Middlesex.4 He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) of County Kilkenny.4 He held the office of Justice of the Peace (J.P.) for County Kilkenny.4 He held the office of Justice of the Peace (J.P.) for County Carlow.4 He was appointed Commander, Royal Victorian Order (C.V.O.) in April 1902.1 He succeeded as the 8th Baron Ponsonby of Sysonby, co. Leicester [G.B., 1749] on 24 February 1906.2 He succeeded as the 5th Baron Duncannon of Bessborough, co. Kilkenny [U.K., 1834] on 24 February 1906.2 He succeeded as the 8th Earl of Bessborough [I., 1739] on 24 February 1906.2 He succeeded as the 9th Baron Bessborough, of Bessborough, co. Kilkenny [I., 1721] on 24 February 1906.2 He succeeded as the 9th Viscount Duncannon, of the fort of Duncannon, co. Wexford [I., 1723] on 24 February 1906.2
Children of Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough and Blanche Vere Guest
Lady Olwen Verena Ponsonby+4 b. 9 Sep 1876, d. 7 Jun 1927
Lady Helena Blanche Irene Ponsonby+4 b. 16 Jun 1878, d. 28 Jan 1962
Vere Brabazon Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough+2 b. 27 Oct 1880, d. 10 Mar 1956
Major Hon. Cyril Myles Brabazon Ponsonby+5 b. 16 Nov 1881, d. 28 Sep 1915
Hon. Bertie Brabazon Ponsonby4 b. 10 Feb 1885, d. 24 Jun 1967
Lady Gweneth Frida Ponsonby+4 b. 15 Jun 1888, d. 1984
[S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume II, page 174. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.
[S2] Peter W. Hammond, editor, The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda (Stroud, Gloucestershire, U.K.: Sutton Publishing, 1998), page 91. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage, Volume XIV.
[S47] BIFR1976 page 265. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S47]
[S2] Peter W. Hammond, The Complete Peerage, Volume XIV, page 92.
Lady Maria Emma Catherine Coventry1
F, #27265, b. 13 December 1836, d. 7 February 1912
Last Edited=18 Feb 2011
Lady Maria Emma Catherine Coventry was born on 13 December 1836.2 She was the daughter of George William Coventry, Viscount Deerhurst and Harriet Anne Cockerell.1 She married Hon. Gerald Henry Brabazon Ponsonby, son of John William Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough and Lady Maria Fane, on 9 February 1858.1 She died on 7 February 1912 at age 75.1
Her married name became Ponsonby. She was granted the rank of an earl's daughter.3
Children of Lady Maria Emma Catherine Coventry and Hon. Gerald Henry Brabazon Ponsonby
Geraldine Sarah Ponsonby1 d. 29 Nov 1944
Adela Sophia Georgiana Ponsonby1 d. 27 Mar 1902
Louis George de Hale Ponsonby+1 b. 11 Nov 1858, d. 6 Nov 1887
Cecil Edward George Ponsonby1 b. 18 Feb 1860, d. 19 Apr 1877
[S2184] Penny Graham, "re: Sackville-West Family," e-mail message to Darryl Roger Lundy, 7 March 2007 - 30 January 2009. Hereinafter cited as "re: Sackville-West Family."
Blanche Vere Guest1
F, #27266, d. 11 October 1919
Blanche Vere Guest was the daughter of Sir Josiah John Guest, 1st Bt. and Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Bertie.1 She married Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough, son of Reverend Walter William Brabazon Ponsonby, 7th Earl of Bessborough and Lady Louisa Susan Cornwallis Eliot, on 22 April 1875.1 She died on 11 October 1919 at Pilltown, County Kilkenny, IrelandG.2 She was buried on 15 October 1919 at Pilltown, County Kilkenny, IrelandG.2
Her married name became Ponsonby. After her marriage, Blanche Vere Guest was styled as Countess of Bessborough on 24 February 1906. She was appointed Commander, Order of the British Empire (C.B.E.) in 1918.3
Children of Blanche Vere Guest and Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough
Edward Harington
M, #27267, b. 25 October 1863, d. 19 January 1937
Edward Harington was born on 25 October 1863.1 He was the son of Sir Richard Harington, 11th Bt. and Frances Agnata Biscoe.2 He married Lousia Muriel Vernon, daughter of Herbert Charles Erskine Vernon and Helen Mayne Liptrott, on 20 October 1906.1 He died on 19 January 1937 at age 73.1
He graduated from Christ Church, Oxford University, Oxford, Oxfordshire, EnglandG, with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)1 He was a practising barrister.1 He held the office of County Court Judge between 1905 and 1935.1 He held the office of Justice of the Peace (J.P.) for Herefordshire.1
Children of Edward Harington and Lousia Muriel Vernon
Major Edward Henry Vernon Harington+2 b. 13 Sep 1907, d. 26 Dec 1995
Major Kenneth Douglas Evelyn Herbert Harington+2 b. 30 Sep 1911, d. 13 Jan 2007
Kenelm Charles Everard Digby Pepys, 8th Earl of Cottenham
M, #27268, b. 27 November 1948, d. 20 October 2000
Kenelm Charles Everard Digby Pepys, 8th Earl of Cottenham was born on 27 November 1948.1 He was the son of John Digby Thomas Pepys, 7th Earl of Cottenham and Lady Angela Isabel Nellie Larnach-Nevill.2 He married Sarah Lombard-Hobson, daughter of Captain Samuel Richard Le Hunte Lombard-Hobson, on 15 March 1975.1 He died on 20 October 2000 at age 51.1
Kenelm Charles Everard Digby Pepys, 8th Earl of Cottenham usually went by his middle name of Charles.1 He was educated at Eton College, Windsor, Berkshire, EnglandG.1 He was a cricketer.1 He succeeded as the 11th Baronet Pepys [G.B., 1784] on 12 May 1968.3 He succeeded as the 8th Viscount Crowhurst, of Crowhurst, co. Surrey [U.K., 1850] on 12 May 1968.3 He succeeded as the 8th Earl of Cottenham [U.K., 1850] on 12 May 1968.3 He succeeded as the 8th Baron Cottenham, of Cottenham, co. Cambridge [U.K., 1836] on 12 May 1968.3 He succeeded as the 10th Baronet Pepys [U.K., 1801] on 12 May 1968.3
Children of Kenelm Charles Everard Digby Pepys, 8th Earl of Cottenham and Sarah Lombard-Hobson
Lady Georgina Marye Pepys+2 b. 9 Oct 1981
Mark John Henry Pepys, 9th Earl of Cottenham2 b. 11 Oct 1983
Hon. Sam Richard Pepys2 b. 26 Apr 1986
[S2] Peter W. Hammond, editor, The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda (Stroud, Gloucestershire, U.K.: Sutton Publishing, 1998), page 210. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage, Volume XIV.
Julian Guy Alexander Baring1
M, #27269, b. 9 December 1935, d. 5 September 2000
Julian Guy Alexander Baring was born on 9 December 1935.1 He was the son of Simon Alexander Vivian Baring and Jeanne Salmond.1 He married Isla Tait, daughter of Sir Frank Samuel Tait, in 1971.1 He died on 5 September 2000 at age 64 at FranceG.2
He was educated at Eton College, Windsor, Berkshire, EnglandG.1 He lived in 1999 at Manor Farm, Bradley, Alresford, Hampshire, EnglandG.1
Children of Julian Guy Alexander Baring and Isla Tait
Justin Frank Alexander Baring+1 b. 1971
Rebecca Alexandra Viola Baring+1 b. 1973
[S8] BP1999 volume 1, page 120. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S8]
[S203] Announcements, The Times, London, U.K., 9 September 2000. Hereinafter cited as The Times.
Isla Tait1
Isla Tait is the daughter of Sir Frank Samuel Tait.1 She married Julian Guy Alexander Baring, son of Simon Alexander Vivian Baring and Jeanne Salmond, in 1971.1
From 1971, her married name became Baring.1
Children of Isla Tait and Julian Guy Alexander Baring


General Motors chairman Ed Whitacre hasn't been able to attract new leadership for the struggling U.S. automaker.
The problem is that government-imposed pay caps for GM don't match the actual salaries one has to pay for executives in the labor market.
CNBC (Reuters): Under the caps set for GM's top 25 executives, GM Chief Executive Fritz Henderson had his cash salary cut 25 percent to $950,000 from $1.26 million.
Cash salaries for the top executives were cut by 31 percent and only one unnamed executive besides Henderson will be paid more than $500,000 for 2009.
Whitacre said that $500,000 limit made hiring from outside difficult and he urged a reconsideration of the limits set by the Treasury Departments's special master Kenneth Feinberg.
"To find top-level people where you need them, that's a more difficult thing to do at that salary level," Whitacre said.
"I don't think (the caps) will be lifted, but hopefully they'll be modified."


Here is a flash giveaway – in other words, it is a short term giveaway that is sponsored by someone other than the Saint Olivia fleet.
This Flash Giveaway is sponsored by Blackwing Task Force fleet! They were kind of enough to send us this wonderful item!
An MK XIV Antiproton item is one of the most valued and prized items in the game currently and this would go well on any antiproton beam build!
You can visit the entry form by clicking here. Once there, in the name field type in your @Handle that you use in game. As an example, my @Handle is @Olivia211 so that is what I would enter in the name field. In the email field, you can put in any fake email you like as I don't use email addresses for anything. I do not need any other information other than the @Handle so please do not submit things like passwords and the like. I have no use for that.
That's it. That's all you have to do. Only one entry per household, please. Duplicate entries will be removed.
Again, this giveaway is sponsored by Blackwing Task Force fleet so make sure to give them a shout out if you see them in game! Contest ends on February 6th, 2015 at 11:59PM Central US time so make sure you get signed up!


Poland, a land steeped with rich history, eclectic architecture, buzzing cities and wondrous natural sites. It's easy to see the attraction to the gem nuzzled in Eastern Europe. Here are a few things those looking to relocate should know before making the move.
Poland is one of the most affordable EU member countries to settle in. A small apartment in the centre of town can be reasonably priced, but small. If looking for larger living spaces, then seeking accommodation outside of big cities may be ideal. The low living costs are reflective of the low wages. With that in mind, there are varying degrees depending on how much you are willing to spend. All in all, you are looking at living comfortably with a fair salary.
Besides living costs, eating out and moving around a big city and even out to quiet villages comes at a fair price. The cost of transport is considerably cheap. Petrol prices are similar around Europe, so public transport is the preferred option.
Despite the price of fuel, traveling by car can be difficult. Roads in some of the major cities like Warsaw and Gdansk, often have single lanes in each direction. So, there can be a lot of traffic congestion.
As mentioned previously, transport is cheap and comprehensive. With a well-developed rail network running between all major cities, there are even lines running from Warsaw and other European major cities. There are even bus lines going from the city to small villages, even if only a few times a day.
Trams are the easiest way to get around, with the added benefit of not having to queue at the ticket machine. A dispenser is waiting on the tram, who you can buy your ticket from.
Accommodation is easy to find, whether in the centre of a city or out in the suburbs. As mentioned earlier, renting can be low cost which is reflected in the fact that salaries are much lower.
For those able to afford a little more there are great options in the city. The average price for an "expensive" two-bed apartment ranges from 3,000 - 4,000 PLN (£576/$717 - £768/$956) per month. On top of that utility bills average 600 - 800 PLN (£115/$143 - £154/$191). Not a bad price in comparison to what a studio flat in London would cost (one of the most expensive cities in Europe).
Apartments are the preferred living space. However, the space of most apartments in the country may be surprisingly smaller than you may be used to.
Housing is in high demand due to a rise in wages, lowered unemployment and historic low interest rates. Just be weary that house prices have risen 2.7% in the last part of this year. At the start of the year there were considerable increases seen in Poland's major cities. Warsaw say a 6% rise at the start of 2018 and Gdansk which saw the highest price rise of 17.5%.
There is entertainment to appeal to everyone. From a vibrant nightlife, food fairs, film and music festivals, to plenty of museums and galleries to visit. There is no room for boredom.
Along with a lot of fun there may come some frustrations. Bureaucracy, unfortunately, is prevalent and you might come to experience some difficulties. Especially when trying to organise residency and work permits.
Frustrations can extend into the working environment. With low wages being prevalent there is intense competition for jobs with a competitive salary. It's likely you will see some practices you are not too comfortable with, but this really is dependent on the nature of the job and the company. Another point to note, Poles are considerably hard workers. It's not unexpected to work long hours. This expectation is very dependent on the job and company itself.
Overall, Poland has a lot to offer and for anyone relocating or just passing through.
If you're looking to relocate to Poland, then get in touch with one of our experts today.


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text:
MEDITATE WITH US
Adhiṭṭhāna: determination; resolution. One of the ten perfections pāramīs).
Aggregate(s)/Khandha(s) (five): Heap; group; aggregate. Physical and mental components of the personality and of sensory experience in general. The five bases of clinging (see upadāna). See: nāma (mental phenomenon), rūpa (physical phenomenon), vedanā (feeling), saññā (perception), saṅkhāra (mental fashionings), and viññāṇa (consciousness).
Akusala: Unwholesome, unskillful, demeritorious. See its opposite, kusala.
Altruistic joy: See muditā.
Anāgāmī: Non-returner. A person who has abandoned the five lower fetters that bind the mind to the cycle of rebirth (see saṃyojana), and who after death will appear in one of the Brahma worlds called the Pure Abodes, there to attain nibbāna, never again to return to this world.
Ananda: One of the Buddha's principle disciples; his cousin and last attendant
Ānāpānasati: Mindfulness of breathing. A meditation practice in which one maintains one's attention and mindfulness on the sensations of breathing.Mindfulness of Breathing Sutta
Anupubbī-kathā: Gradual instruction. The Buddha's method of teaching Dhamma that guides his listeners progressively through increasingly advanced topics: generosity (see dāna), virtue (see sīla), heavens, drawbacks, renunciation, and the four Noble Truths. Gradual Training
Anattā : non-self, not-self; ownerless. No-Self or Not-Self
Anicca (impermanence): Inconstant; unsteady; impermanent.
Anusaya: Obsession; underlying tendency. (The etymology of this term means "lying down with"; in actual usage, the related verb (anuseti) means to be obsessed.) There are seven major obsessions to which the mind returns over and over again: obsession with sensual passion (kāma-rāgānusaya), with resistance (paṭighānusaya), with views (diṭṭhānusaya), with uncertainty (vicikicchānusaya), with conceit (mānānusaya), with passion for becoming (bhava-rāgānusaya), and with ignorance (avijjānusaya).Compare saṃyojana.
Arahat (also Arahant): A "worthy one" or "pure one"; a person whose mind is free of defilement (see kilesa), who has abandoned all ten of the fetters that bind the mind to the cycle of rebirth (see saṃyojana), whose heart is free of mental effluents (see āsava), and who is thus not destined for further rebirth. A title for the Buddha and the highest level of his noble disciples. A fully awakened one.ārammaṇa: Preoccupation; mental object.
Āsava: Mental effluent, pollutant, or fermentation. Four qualities — sensuality, views, becoming, and ignorance — that "flow out" of the mind and create the flood of the round of death and rebirth. See Sabbasava Sutta MN2 tipitaka Also see the sutta on passion, averson, & delusion.Titthiya Sutta: Sectarians See also: SN 46.51
Avijjā: Unawareness; ignorance; obscured awareness; delusion about the nature of the mind. See also moha. Ignorance
Awakening: See Enlightenment.
Becoming/ bhava: States of being that develop first in the mind and can then be experienced as internal worlds and/or as worlds on an external level. There are three levels of becoming: on the sensual level, the level of form, and the level of formlessness.
Bhāvanā: Mental cultivation or development; meditation. The third of the three grounds for meritorious action. See also dāna and sīla. The Group of Threes
Bhikkhu: A Buddhist monk; a man who has given up the householder's life to live a life of heightened virtue (see sīla) in accordance with the Vinaya in general, and the Pātimokkha rules in particular. See saṅgha, parisā, upasampadā. Code of Discipline
Bhikkhunī: A Buddhist monk; a woman who has given up the householder's life to live a life of heightened virtue (see sīla) in accordance with the Vinaya in general, and the Pātimokkha rules in particular. See saṅgha, parisā, upasampadā. Bhikkhuni Code of Discipline
Bodhi-pakkhiya-dhammā: "Wings to Awakening" — seven sets of principles that are conducive to Awakening and that, according to the Buddha, form the heart of his teaching: [1] the four frames of reference (see satipaṭṭhāna); [2] four right exertions (sammappadhāna) — the effort to prevent unskillful states from arising in the mind, to abandon whatever unskillful states have already arisen, to give rise to the good, and to maintain the good that has arisen; [3] four bases of success (iddhipāda) — desire, persistence, intentness, circumspection; [4] five dominant factors indriya) — conviction, persistence, mindfulness, concentration, discernment; [5] five strengths (bala) — identical with [4]; [6] seven factors for Awakening (bojjhaṅga) — mindfulness, investigation of phenomena, persistence, rapture (see pīti), serenity, concentration, equanimity; and [7] the eightfold path (magga) — Right View, Right Attitude, Right Speech, Right Activity, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration. Wings to Awakening
Bodhisatta: "A being (striving) for Awakening"; the term used to describe the Buddha before he actually become Buddha, from his first aspiration to Buddhahood until the time of his full Awakening. Sanskrit form: Bodhisattva.
Bojjhaṅga: see Seven Factors of Enlightenment. (IMV)
Brahmā: "Great One" — an inhabitant of the non-sensual heavens of form or formlessness. The Immaterial World
Brahma-vihāra: The four "sublime" or "divine" abodes that are attained through the development of boundless mettā (goodwill), karuṇā (compassion), muditā(appreciative joy), and upekkhā (equanimity).
Brahman (from Pali brāhmaṇa): The brahman (brahmin) caste of India has long maintained that its members, by their birth, are worthy of the highest respect. Buddhism borrowed the term brahman to apply to those who have attained the goal, to show that respect is earned not by birth, race, or caste, but by spiritual attainment. Used in the Buddhist sense, this term is synonymous with arahant.
buddho: Awake; enlightened. An epithet for the Buddha.
Buddha: The name given to one who rediscovers for himself the liberating path of Dhamma, after a long period of its having been forgotten by the world. According to tradition, a long line of Buddhas stretches off into the distant past. The most recent Buddha was born Siddhattha Gotama in India in the sixth century BCE. A well-educated and wealthy young man, he relinquished his family and his princely inheritance in the prime of his life to search for true freedom and an end to suffering dukkha). After seven years of austerities in the forest, he rediscovered the "middle way" and achieved his goal, becoming Buddha. A Sketch of the Buddha's Life
Citta: Mind; heart; state of consciousness.
Clinging: See upādāna.
Clear comprehension: See sampajañña.
Compassion (Karuna): sympathy; the aspiration to find a way to be truly helpful to oneself and others. One of the four "sublime abodes" brahma-vihāra).
Concentration (samādhi): the practice of centering the mind in a single sensation or preoccupation, usually to the point of jhāna. Right Concentration
Conditioning: refers to the process in which everything comes into existence due to myriad, co-arising mental and material phenomena. All phenomena arise and vanish, making everything inherently ephemeral and devoid of an enduring core. This cascading process continues ceaselessly, is often outside of awareness, yet drives decisions and behaviors. Lack of insight into ceaseless change (anicca) allows craving (taṇhā) to arise when pleasant contact occurs or aversion (dosa) when unpleasant contact occurs. Suffering ensues when unstable, unpredictable, and perishing phenomena are mistakenly considered reliable sources of well-being, safety, and happiness, and are therefore pursued. See paṭicca-samuppāda for more information on conditioning. (IMV)
Confidence: See pasāda.
Consciousness: See viññāṇa.
Craving: taṇhā; thirst.
Dāna: Giving, liberality; offering, alms. Specifically, giving of any of the four requisites to the monastic order. More generally, the inclination to give, without expecting any form of repayment from the recipient. Dana is the first theme in the Buddha's system of gradual training (see anupubbī-kathā), the first of the ten pāramīs, one of the seven treasures (see dhana), and the first of the three grounds for meritorious action (see sīla and bhāvanā). Generosity
Dependent origination/dependent arising/ dependent co-arising: A map showing the way the aggregates khandha) and sense media āyatana) interact with ignorance avijjā) and craving taṇhā) to bring about stress and suffering dukkha). As the interactions are complex, there are several versions of paṭicca-samuppāda given in the suttas. In the most common one, the map starts with ignorance. In another common one, the map starts with the interrelation between name nāma) and form rūpa) on the one hand, and sensory consciousness viññāṇa) on the other. Analysis of Dependent Co-Arising The Great Causes Discourse
Dhammapada: A collection of verses believed to have been said by the Buddha and found in the Khuddaka Nikaya, the last of the five collections (nikayas) in the Sutta Pitaka (the collection of suttas or teachings given by the Buddha or one of his chief disciples). Path of Wisdom
Dhamma-vicaya: Applying wisdom and discernment into all that is arising. One of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. (IMV)
Dhamma-vinaya: "doctrine (dhamma) and discipline (vinaya)." The Buddha's own name for the religion he founded.
Dhana: Treasure(s). The seven qualities of conviction (saddhā), virtue (sīla), conscience & concern (hiri-ottappa), learning (suta), generosity (dāna), and wisdom (paññā).
Dharma/ dhamma: (1) Event; a phenomenon in and of itself; (2) mental quality; (3) doctrine, teaching; (4) nibbāna. Also, principles of behavior that human beings ought to follow so as to fit in with the right natural order of things; qualities of mind they should develop so as to realize the inherent quality of the mind in and of itself. By extension, "Dhamma" (usu. capitalized) is used also to denote any doctrine that teaches such things. Thus the Dhamma of the Buddha denotes both his teachings and the direct experience of nibbāna, the quality at which those teachings are aimed.
Dosa: Aversion; hatred; anger. One of three unwholesome roots mūla) in the mind.
Dukkha: Stress; suffering; pain; distress; discontent. Dukkha
Effort (See Right Effort):definition of the four Right Exertions
Ego: Conditioned habits, identities, preferences, views, perceptions, obsessions, and history that we mistake for a sense of self. For more, see the Five Aggregates of Clinging (the khandas). (IMV)
Ekagattārammana:Singleness of preoccupation; "one-pointedness." In meditation, the mental quality that allows one's attention to remain collected and focused on the chosen meditation object. Ekagattārammana reaches full maturity upon the development of the fourth level of jhāna.
Eightfold Path: (see Right entries under R below) the practice of the Dhamma as taught by the Buddha which is the path to end suffering and to realize true freedom. As Bhikkhu Bodhi writes, "The internal unity of the Dhamma is guaranteed by the fact that the last of the Four Noble Truths, the truth of the way, is the Noble Eightfold Path, while the first factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, right view, is the understanding of the Four Noble Truths. Thus the two principles penetrate and include one another, the formula of the Four Noble Truths containing the Eightfold Path and the Noble Eightfold Path containing the Four Truths." The Way to End Suffering
Emptiness: refers to the absence of an enduring core in anything. Everything is composed of a vast number of changing elements that move in the direction of entropy and death. See "conditioning" above as well as "anatta." The Lesser Discourse on Emptiness
Enlightenment: A mind free of clinging to any aspect of existence, to any constellation of mind and matter, achieved by recognizing the futility and dire consequences of craving and clinging. (IMV)
Equanimity/upekkhā: a neutral feeling; even-mindedness with experiences that might otherwise be sources of pleasure or pain. Equanimity in Concentration
Feeling: See vedanā. Refers to the flavor (pleasant, unpleasant, neither pleasant nor unpleasant) of sense contact. Not to be confused with emotions or moods.
Fetters: See saṃyojana.
Formations: See saṅkhāra.
Four Determinations: 'A person has four determinations.': the determination for discernment, the determination for truth, the determination for relinquishment, the determination for calm. Dhatu-vibhanga Sutta
Four Foundations of Mindfulness/ Satipatthana: Entails mindfulness of body, feelings, mind, and mental phenomenon as they arise and pass away. Satipatthana Sutta
Four Noble Truths: Delineates the reality of suffering or stress, its origin, the understanding that suffering can end, and the path leading to that cessation. Comprises the first limb of the Eightfold Path. Four Noble Truths Study Guide
Generosity: See dāna.
Greed, hatred, delusion: Lobha, dosa, moha. Also known as the Three Poisons which drive becoming and its inevitable suffering.(IMV)
Hindrances (five): Nīvaraṇa, Five Hindrances: obstacles which block the path to awakening : Sensual desire (kamacchanda), Ill-will byāpāda), Sloth and torpor (thina-middha), Restlessness and remorse (uddhacca-kukkucca), Skeptical doubt (vicikiccha). Mental Hinderances and Their Conquest
Idappaccayatā: This/that conditionality. This name for the causal principle the Buddha discovered on the night of his Awakening stresses the point that, for the purposes of ending suffering and stress, the processes of causality can be understood entirely in terms of forces and conditions that are experienced in the realm of direct experience, with no need to refer to forces operating outside of that realm. Feedback Loops
Indriya: Faculties; mental factors. In the suttas the term can refer either to the six sense media āyatana) or to the five mental factors of saddhā (conviction), viriya(persistence), sati (mindfulness), samādhi (concentration), and paññā (discernment); see bodhi-pakkhiya-dhammā.
Impermanence (anicca ): Inconstant; unsteady; impermanent.
Insight: insight or wisdom (paññā in Pali) refer to the first 2 parts of the Eightfold Path, Right Understanding of the Four Noble Truths and Right Intention to practice renunciation and free oneself from any ill-will or thoughts of harming. Essential to the development of insight is seeing how impermanence and the corelessness of all phenomena create stress and suffering. As insight deepens so too does the motivation to seek refuge in what is unconditioned and unchanging, ways of understanding nibbāna. (IMV) See paññā.
Jhāna [Skt. dhyāna]: Mental absorption. A state of strong concentration focused on a single physical sensation (resulting in rūpa jhāna) or mental notion (resulting in arūpa jhāna). Development of jhāna arises from the temporary suspension of the five hindrances (see nīvaraṇa) through the development of five mental factors: vitakka(directed thought), vicāra (evaluation), pīti (rapture), sukha (pleasure), and ekaggatārammana (singleness of preoccupation). First, Second, Third, Fourth Jhana
Karma/ Kamma[Skt. karma]: Intentional acts that result in states of being and birth. Taking Responsibility for One's Actions
Karuna (compassion): sympathy; the aspiration to find a way to be truly helpful to oneself and others. One of the four "sublime abodes" (brahma-vihāra).
Kasina: clay, colored disks used as objects of meditation to collect and concentrate the mind.
Khandha(s) Aggregates (five) : Heap; group; aggregate. Physical and mental components of the personality and of sensory experience in general. The five bases of clinging (see upadāna). See: nāma (mental phenomenon), rūpa (physical phenomenon), vedanā (feeling), saññā(perception), saṅkhāra (mental fashionings), and viññāṇa (consciousness).
Kilesa: Defilement — lobha (passion), dosa (aversion), and moha (delusion) in their various forms, which include such things as greed, malevolence, anger, rancor, hypocrisy, arrogance, envy, miserliness, dishonesty, boastfulness, obstinacy, violence, pride, conceit, intoxication, and complacency.
Kusala: Wholesome, skillful, good, meritorious. An action characterized by this moral quality (kusala-kamma) is bound to result (eventually) in happiness and a favorable outcome. Actions characterized by its opposite (akusala-kamma) lead to sorrow. See kamma. The Wholesome and the Unwholesome
Loving kindness: mettā: goodwill. One of the ten perfections pāramīs) and one of the four "sublime abodes" brahma-vihāra).
Magga: Path. Specifically, the path to the cessation of suffering and stress. The four transcendent paths — or rather, one path with four levels of refinement — are the path to stream-entry (entering the stream to nibbāna, which ensures that one will be reborn at most only seven more times), the path to once-returning, the path to non-returning, and the path to arahantship. See phala.
Majjhimā: Middle; appropriate; just right.
Majjhima Nikāya: The Majjhima Nikaya, or "Middle-length Discourses" of the Buddha, is the second of the five nikayas (collections) of the Pali Canon
Māra: The personification of evil and temptation.
Mettā: Loving-kindness; goodwill. One of the ten perfections pāramīs) and one of the four "sublime abodes" brahma-vihāra).
Mindfulness: Remembering to focus one's attention on the present moment while calmly perceiving one's feelings, thoughts, emotions, moods, and bodily sensations through the lens of the Eightfold Path. (IMV)
Moha: Delusion; ignorance avijjā).. One of three unwholesome roots mūla) in the mind.
Mental habits: rapidly arising patterns of response that were conditioned by pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral contact and have ignorance as their base. (IMV)
Muditā: Appreciative/sympathetic joy. Taking delight in one's own goodness and that of others. One of the four "sublime abodes" brahma-vihāra).
Mūla: Literally, "root." The fundamental conditions in the mind that determine the moral quality — skillful kusala) or unskillful akusala) — of one's intentional actions (see kamma). The three unskillful roots are lobha (greed), dosa (aversion), and moha(delusion); the skillful roots are their opposites. See kilesa (defilements).
Nāma-rūpa: Name-and-form; mind-and-matter; mentality-physicality. The union of mental phenomena (nāma) and physical phenomena (rūpa), conditioned by consciousness viññāṇa) in the causal chain of dependent co-arising (paṭicca-samuppāda). Cessation of Name-and-Form
Nāma-rūpa: Name-and-form; mind-and-matter; mentality-physicality. The union of mental phenomena (nāma) and physical phenomena (rūpa), conditioned by consciousness  (viññāṇa) in the causal chain of dependent co-arising (paṭicca-samuppāda). Sammaditthi Sutta
Nibbāna [Skt. nirvāna]:Liberation; literally, the "unbinding" of the mind from the mental effluents (see āsava), defilements (see kilesa), and the round of rebirth (see vaṭṭa), and from all that can be described or defined. As this term also denotes the extinguishing of a fire, it carries the connotations of stilling, cooling, and peace. (According to the physics taught at the time of the Buddha, a burning fire seizes or adheres to its fuel; when extinguished, it is unbound.) "Total nibbāna" in some contexts denotes the experience of Awakening; in others, the final passing away of an arahant. "This is Peace"
Nibbidā: Disenchantment; aversion; disgust; weariness. The skillful turning-away of the mind from the conditioned samsaric world towards the unconditioned, the transcendent — nibbāna
Nimitta: Mental sign, image, or vision that may arise in meditation. Uggaha nimitta refers to any image that arises spontaneously in the course of meditation. Paṭibhāga nimitta refers to an image that has been subjected to mental manipulation.
Nīvaraṇa: Hindrances to concentration — sensual desire, ill will, sloth & drowsiness, restlessness & anxiety, and uncertainty.
Nirvāna: liberation (see nibbāna)
Non-returner (anāgāmī): Non-returner. A person who has abandoned the five lower fetters that bind the mind to the cycle of rebirth (see saṃyojana), and who after death will appear in one of the Brahma worlds called the Pure Abodes, there to attain nibbāna, never again to return to this world.
Non-self (anatta) : Not-self; ownerless.  "No-Self or Not-Self"
Paññā: Discernment; insight; wisdom; intelligence; common sense; ingenuity. One of the ten perfections pāramīs).
Paññā-vimutti: See vimutti.
Papañca: Complication, proliferation, objectification. The tendency of the mind to proliferate issues from the sense of "self." This term can also be translated as self-reflexive thinking, reification, falsification, distortion, elaboration, or exaggeration. In the discourses, it is frequently used in analyses of the psychology of conflict. Ball of Honey Sutta
Pāramī, pāramitā: Perfection of the character. A group of ten qualities developed over many lifetimes by a bodhisatta, which appear as a group in the Pali canon only in the Jataka ("Birth Stories"): generosity dāna), virtue sīla), renunciation nekkhamma),discernment paññā), energy/persistence viriya), patience/forbearance khanti),truthfulness sacca), determination adhiṭṭhāna), good will mettā), and equanimity upekkhā). The Ten Perfections Study Guide
Parinibbāna: Total Unbinding; the complete cessation of the khandhas that occurs upon the death of an arahant.
Pasāda: Confidence in the Buddha's awakening and the validity of the Dharmma. (IMV)
Passaddhi: Tranquility, calmness, serenity. One of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. (IMV)
Paṭicca-samuppāda: Dependent co-arising; dependent origination. A map showing the way the aggregates khandha) and sense media āyatana) interact with ignorance avijjā) and craving taṇhā) to bring about stress and suffering dukkha). As the interactions are complex, there are several versions of paṭicca-samuppāda given in the suttas. In the most common one, the map starts with ignorance. In another common one, the map starts with the interrelation between name nāma) and form rūpa) on the one hand, and sensory consciousness viññāṇa) on the other. Analysis of Dependent Co-Arising SN 12.2, The Great Causes Discourse DN 15
Phassa: Sense contact.
Pīti: Rapture; bliss; delight. In meditation, a pleasurable quality in the mind that reaches full maturity upon the development of the second level of jhāna.
Right Action: A factor of the Eightfold Path, a component of the moral discipline group (silakhandha) along with Right Speech and Right Livelihood. It represents one of the three stages of training. Encouraging right action trains us in higher moral discipline.Three Path Factors
Right Concentration/Samma Samadhi: A factor of the Eightfold Path, a component of the concentration discipline group (samadhikhandha) along with Right Effort and Right Mindfulness. It represents one of the three stages of training. Practicing Right Concentration trains us in higher consciousness.Right Concentration
Right Effort/ Samma Vayama: A factor of the Eightfold Path, a component of the concentration discipline group (samadhikhandha) along with Right Concentration and Right Mindfulness. It represents one of the three stages of training. Practicing Right Effort trains us in higher consciousness. Right Effort
Right Livelihood/ Samma Ajiva: A factor of the Eightfold Path, a component of the moral discipline discipline group (silakhandha) along with Right Speech and Right Action. It represents one of the three stages of training. Engaging in Right Livelihood trains us in higher moral discipline. Right Livelihood
Right Intention/ Samma Sankappa: A factor of the Eightfold Path, a component of the wisdom discipline group (paññakhandha)) along with Right Intention. Developing Right Intention trains us in higher wisdom. Right Intention
Right Mindfulness/Samma Sati: A factor of the Eightfold Path, a component of the concentration discipline group (samadhikhandha) along with Right Concentration and Right Effort. It represents one of the three stages of training. Practicing Right Mindfulness trains us in higher consciousness.Right Mindfulness
Right Speech: A factor of the Eightfold Path, a component of the moral discipline group (silakhandha) along with Right Action and Right Livelihood. It represents one of the three stages of training. Developing Right Speech trains us in higher moral discipline.Right Speech
Right View/Samma Ditthi: A factor of the Eightfold Path, a component of the wisdom group paññakhandha)along with Right Intention. It represents one of the three stages of training. Developing Right View trains us in higher wisdom. (paññakhandha Right View
Rūpa: Body; physical phenomenon; sense datum. The basic meaning of this word is "appearance" or "form." It is used, however, in a number of different contexts, taking on different shades of meaning in each. In lists of the objects of the senses, it is given as the object of the sense of sight. As one of the khandhas, it refers to physical phenomena or sensations (visible appearance or form being the defining characteristics of what is physical). This is also the meaning it carries when opposed to nāma, or mental phenomena. Name-&-Form
Samādhi: Concentration; the practice of centering the mind in a single sensation or preoccupation, usually to the point of jhāna. Definition with Similes
Samatha: calm, serene, tranquil.
Sammuti: Conventional reality; convention; relative truth; supposition; anything conjured into being by the mind.
Sampajañña: Clear comprehension.
Saṃsāra: literally means "wandering-on." Transmigration; the round of death and rebirth. See vatta (Cycle of birth, death, rebirth) Creating worlds, Rebirth
Saṃvega: Urgency to rid the mind of defilements and prevent further becoming, caused by a jarring realization of the perilousness of life. (IMV)
Saṃyojana: Fetter that binds the mind to the cycle of rebirth (see vaṭṭa) — self-identification views sakkāya-diṭṭhi), uncertainty (vicikiccha), grasping at precepts and practices (sīlabbata-parāmāsa); sensual passion (kāma-rāga), resistance (vyāpāda); passion for form (rūpa-rāga), passion for formless phenomena (arūpa-rāga), conceit (māna), restlessness (uddhacca), and unawareness avijjā). Compare anusaya.
Saṅgha: On the conventional (sammuti) level, this term denotes the communities of Buddhist monks and nuns; on the ideal (ariya) level, it denotes those followers of the Buddha, lay or ordained, who have attained at least stream-entry (see sotāpanna), the first of the transcendent paths (see magga) culminating in nibbāna. Recently, particularly in the West, the term "sangha" has been popularly adapted to mean the wider sense of "community of followers on the Buddhist path," although this usage finds no basis in the Pali canon. The term "parisā" may be more appropriate for this much broader meaning. "Sangha"
Saṅkhāra: Formation, compound, fashioning, fabrication — the forces and factors that fashion things (physical or mental), the process of fashioning, and the fashioned things that result. Saṅkhāra can refer to anything formed or fashioned by conditions, or, more specifically, (as one of the five khandhas) thought-formations within the mind.
Saññā: Label; perception; allusion; act of memory or recognition; interpretation. See khandha.
Sati: Mindfulness, self-collectedness, powers of reference and retention. In some contexts, the word sati when used alone covers alertness sampajañña) as well. Right Mindfulness
Satipaṭṭhāna: Foundation of mindfulness; frame of reference consisting of body, feelings, mind, and mental events, viewed in and of themselves as they occur.
Seven Factors of Enlightenment: Mindfulness, Investigation, Energy, Rapture, Tranquility, Concentration, Equanimity. These factors work synergistically to create a powerful, energized, yet tranquil and discerning mind. The cultivation of these factors provides a foundation for insight and full awakening. (IMV)
Sīla: Virtue, morality. The quality of ethical and moral purity that prevents one from falling away from the Eightfold Path. Also, the training precepts that restrain one from performing unskillful actions. Sīla is the second theme in the gradual training (see anupubbī-kathā), one of the ten pāramīs, the second of the seven treasures (see dhana), and the first of the three grounds for meritorious action (see dāna and bhāvanā). Rewards of Virtue
Six bases of contact: sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, and the mind.
Skillful: in Pali kusala, see above.
Sotāpanna: Stream winner. A person who has abandoned the first three of the fetters that bind the mind to the cycle of rebirth (see saṃyojana) and has thus entered the "stream" flowing inexorably to nibbāna, ensuring that one will be reborn at most only seven more times, and only into human or higher realms. Study Guide on First Stage of Awakening
Spiritual bypass: the use of spiritual ideas and practices to avoid facing unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds, and unfinished developmental tasks.
Stream-entry/stream-winner: see sotāpanna.
Stress: See dukkha.
Sukha: Pleasure; ease; satisfaction. In meditation, a mental quality that reaches full maturity upon the development of the third level of jhāna.
Suññata (emptiness): refers to the absence of an enduring core in anything. Everything is composed of a vast number of changing elements that move in the direction of entropy and death. See "conditioning" above as well as "anatta." emptiness
Sutta [Skt. sūtra]: Literally, "thread"; a discourse or sermon by the Buddha or his contemporary disciples. After the Buddha's death the suttas were passed down in the Pali language according to a well-established oral tradition, and were finally committed to written form in Sri Lanka around 100 BCE. More than 10,000 suttas are collected in the Sutta Piṭaka, one of the principal bodies of scriptural literature in Theravāda Buddhism. The Pali Suttas are widely regarded as the earliest record of the Buddha's teachings. The Basket of Suttas
Taṇhā: thirst, craving, desire.
Ten perfections pāramīs), pāramī, pāramitā: Perfection of the character. A group of ten qualities developed over many lifetimes by a bodhisatta, which appear as a group in the Pali canon only in the Jataka ("Birth Stories"): generosity dāna), virtue sīla), renunciation nekkhamma), discernment paññā), energy/persistence viriya), patience/forbearance khanti), truthfulness sacca), determination adhiṭṭhāna), good will mettā), and equanimity upekkhā). The Ten Perfections Study Guide [MORE]
Three Poisons: ignorance, craving, and aversion.
Three Refuges: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
Tranquility : see Passaddhi (IMV)
Triple jewel /Triple gem: see Three Refuges
Unbinding: See nibbāna.
Upādāna: Clinging; attachment; sustenance for becoming and birth — attachment to sensuality, to views, to precepts and practices, and to theories of the self.
Unskillful : The term used in Buddhism to refer to thoughts and actions that are not conducive to the happiness and well-being of oneself and others. "Unskillful" lacks the judgmental connotation of "sin."
Upekkhā / equanimity: One of the ten perfections pāramīs) and one of the four "sublime abodes" brahma-vihāra). Equanimity in Concentration and Discernment
Vaṭṭa: The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. This denotes both the death and rebirth of living beings and the death and rebirth of defilement (kilesa) within the mind. See saṃsāra.
Vedanā: Feeling — pleasure (ease), pain (stress), or neither pleasure nor pain. See khandha.
Vesak, Vesakha, Visakha, Wesak, etc. (visākha): The ancient name for the Indian lunar month in spring corresponding to our April-May. According to tradition, the Buddha's birth, Awakening, and Parinibbāna each took place on the full-moon night in the month of Visakha. These events are commemorated on that day in the Visakha festival, which is celebrated annually throughout the world of Theravāda Buddhism. excerpt from Four Years' Sermons
Vicāra: Evaluation; sustained thought. In meditation, vicāra is the mental factor that allows one's attention to shift and move about in relation to the chosen meditation object. Vicāra and its companion factor vitakka reach full maturity upon the development of the first level of jhāna.
Vijjā: Clear knowledge; genuine awareness; science (specifically, the cognitive powers developed through the practice of concentration and discernment).
Vijjā-caraṇa-sampanno: Consummate in knowledge and conduct; accomplished in the conduct leading to awareness or cognitive skill. An epithet for the Buddha.
Vimutti: Release; freedom from the fabrications and conventions of the mind. The suttas distinguish between two kinds of release. Discernment-release (paññā-vimutti) describes the mind of the arahant, which is free of the āsavas. Awareness-release (ceto-vimutti) is used to describe either the mundane suppression of the kilesas during the practice of jhāna and the four brahma-vihāras [see AN 6.13], or the supramundane state of concentration in the āsava-free mind of the arahant.
Viññāṇa: Consciousness; cognizance; the act of taking note of sense data and ideas as they occur. There is also a type of consciousness that lies outside of the khandhas — called consciousness without feature (viññāṇaṃ anidassanaṃ) — which is not related to the six senses at all. See khandha.
Vipāka: The consequence and result of a past volitional action kamma).
Vipallāsa: Perceptual distortions in which what is impermanent is seen as permanent, what is suffering is seen as pleasant and free from pain, what is without a self is seen as a self, and what is repugnant is seen as appealing. (IMV)
Vipassanā: Clear intuitive insight into physical and mental phenomena as they arise and disappear, seeing them for what they actually are — in and of themselves — in terms of the three characteristics (see ti-lakkhaṇa) and in terms of stress, its origin, its disbanding, and the way leading to its disbanding (see ariya-sacca).
Vipassanūpakkilesa: Corruption of insight; intense experiences that can happen in the course of meditation and can lead one to believe that one has completed the path. The standard list includes ten: light, psychic knowledge, rapture, serenity, pleasure, extreme conviction, excessive effort, obsession, indifference, and contentment.
Viriya: Persistence; energy. One of the ten perfections pāramīs), the five faculties (bala; see bodhi-pakkhiya-dhammā), and the five strengths/dominant factors indriya; see bodhi-pakkhiya-dhammā).
Vitakka: Directed thought. In meditation, vitakka is the mental factor by which one's attention is applied to the chosen meditation object. Vitakka and its companion factor vicāra reach full maturity upon the development of the first level of jhāna.
Wisdom: See paññā.
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– Anguttara Nikaya
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