Sofa With Slipcover is free HD wallpaper. This wallpaper was upload at August 14, 2018 upload by rebeccarcahill in Sofa Cover.
Sofa With Slipcover. This amazing photo selections about Sofa With Slipcover is available to download. We obtain this wonderful image from internet and select one of the best for you. Sofa With Slipcover likeness and pictures selection that posted here was carefully named and published by rebeccarcahill after selecting the ones which are best among the others. So, ultimately we make it and here these list ofamazing picture for your inspiration and information purpose regarding the Sofa With Slipcover as part of Rebeccarcahill.com exclusive updates collection. So, take your time and get the best Sofa With Slipcover photos and pictures posted here that suitable with your needs and use it for your own collection and personal use. About Pic description: Photo has been submitted by rebeccarcahill and has been tagged by Sofa With Slipcover sofa with slipcover look in Sofa Cover field. You can give your comment as feed back to our websites value.
Thank You for visiting our website. At this time we're excited to announce that we have discovered an awfully interesting niche to be pointed out, namely Sofa With Slipcover. Lots of people looking for info about Sofa With Slipcover and definitely one of these is you, is not it?
Sofa With Slipcover is high definition wallpaper and size this wallpaper is 376x350. You can make Sofa With Slipcover For your Desktop picture, Tablet, Android or iPhone and another Smartphone device for free. To download and obtain the Sofa With Slipcover images by click the download button below to get multiple high-resversions.


American Top Team standout Nathan Coy has accepted the call to face off with Jonavin Webb in UFC Fight Night action at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Feb. 21.
The welterweight bout came together after Webb's original opponent, Bryan Barberena, stepped up to face Sage Northcutt in Newark on Jan. 30 in place of the injured Andrew Northcutt.
Coy, who has won six of his last eight, will be seeking his first UFC win against New Jersey's Webb, who has an identical goal in his second Octagon bout.
In the UFC Fight Night main event, which airs live on FOX Sports 1, Donald Cerrone moves up to the welterweight division to face Tim Means. Tickets are on sale now.


text:
Home | Commentaries | Economy Watch
China Downturn Spurs Industry Cutbacks
An analysis by Michael Lelyveld
Chinese workers labor at the site of an industrial park in central Henan province in a file photo.
Imaginechina
After a decade of promises with few results, China is pledging to close thousands of factories, steel mills, and mines to cut the country's staggering industrial overcapacity.
On Feb. 4, the cabinet-level State Council said it will eliminate 100 million to 150 million metric tons of surplus steel making capacity over the next five years.
The government has made similar promises before, but the latest statement was couched in categorical terms, aimed at a broad range of struggling smokestack industries.
"No new steel projects will be licensed, outdated plants will be closed, and "zombie" companies—those which have ceased operations but have not formally gone bankrupt—eradicated," the official Xinhua news agency said.
On Feb. 16, eight regulatory agencies including the People's Bank of China (PBOC) issued a guideline on extending credit to industries for restructuring but threatening that loans to chronic debtors "will be slashed or withdrawn."
China has been talking about overcapacity in its steel industry since 2004, said Derek Scissors, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.
But steel makers have opened new plants and production lines even faster than they have closed old ones. The result has added to the glut of steel on world markets, depressed prices, wasted energy, piled up debts, and created more coal-fired smog.
In 2013, the State Council had promised to cut 80 million tons of capacity over a five-year period, including 60 million tons in northern Hebei province alone.
"China should not add any single new steel project for any reason," Li Xinchuang, head of the China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute, said at the time.
But since then, China has increased production capacity by about 100 million tons.
Last year, China made 803.8 million tons of crude steel, or 49.5 percent of the world total, according to the World Steel Association.
Xinhua reported on Feb. 4 that China's production capacity stood at about 1.2 billion tons. The country's overcapacity of some 400 million tons exceeds the output of the other top five producers—Japan, India, the United States, and Russia —combined.
Better chance of cuts
While the country's record on reductions is poor, Scissors said the outlook for real capacity cutting may be better this time around.
The difference is that China's steel production fell 2.3 percent last year as markets weakened at home and abroad.
"All this time when they were talking about cutting production capacity, they never accepted the fact that production was actually going to fall," said Scissors.
"If they get another production decrease this year, I think they really will cut capacity for the first time," he said.
The squeeze on steel is just a symptom of industrial problems and economic changes in China as heavy manufacturing fades and the country turns to the service sector for growth.
After years of excessive investment, overcapacity has become an inescapable problem in all of the construction-related industries such as steel, aluminum, cement, and flat glass that were identified as China's top energy wasters a decade ago.
On Feb. 7, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said the government would step up efforts to cut capacity and "strictly enforce environmental standards" in the building materials sector after major producers' profits slid 6.9 percent to 449 billion yuan (U.S. $68.3 billion) last year.
Cement production fell for the first time in 25 years, down 4.9 percent, as industry profits dropped 58 percent, the ministry said.
Flat glass production dipped 8.6 percent, while profits declined 12.4 percent.
The end of the building boom and the huge oversupply of housing has been blamed for much of the slowdown. Property investment rose just 1 percent last year.
Coal consumption falls
But the overcapacity troubles may weigh most heavily on the coal industry, which is believed to have posted its second year in a row of losses in both production and consumption.
While the government and industry groups have yet to announce 2015 results, reports suggest that coal consumption fell by some 4 percent after dropping 2.9 percent in 2014, the first decline in 14 years.
Coal production was down 2.5 in 2014, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported. Last year's decline was likely 2.9 percent, according to a China Academy of Sciences estimate cited by Reuters. A further 4.2 percent drop is expected this year.
The State Council responded on Feb. 5 by pledging not to approve any new coal mines before the end of 2019, state media reported.
On Monday, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said China will shut over 1,000 outdated mines with combined production capacity of 60 million tons this year.
Official statements on the freeze have grown gradually tougher since late December when Nur Bekri, head of the NEA, was quoted as saying that no new mines would be approved for three years "in principle."
It is unclear whether the policy will leave room for exceptions.
'Exploration'
On Feb. 1, a guideline issued by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council said that state-owned and private firms would be allowed to explore for coal, oil, and shale gas in the old "revolutionary base" areas of central and western China under a poverty alleviation program.
A Xinhua report on the guideline did not specify when or whether exploration would lead to new coal development.
But a new estimate published with the State Council directive days later suggests the scope of the overcapacity problem.
According to Xinhua, China now has "about 11,000" coal mines with production capacity of 5.7 billion tons per year, nearly 2 billion tons more than estimated production last year.
China's coal figures are notoriously unreliable. A report in the official English-language China Daily on Jan. 17 citing the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) put the number of coal mines at 9,624.
China has closed 7,250 coal mines and eliminated 560 million tons of capacity in the past five years, Xinhua reported. The State Council plans to cut another 500 million tons of capacity in the next three to five years and consolidate an additional 500 million tons under more efficient operators, it said.
Since late 2011, benchmark coal prices have plunged 56 percent to about 370 yuan (U.S. $56.28) per ton, The South China Morning Post reported. The China Coal Industry Association estimates that over 90 percent of operators are running at a loss.
Job losses seen
While the overcapacity problem is a matter of profit and loss for manufacturers, the cutbacks may cost millions of workers their jobs.
On Feb. 4, Xu Shaoshi, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), gave assurances that the downsizing would not lead to massive layoffs as in the late 1990s, when 21 million jobs were eliminated by mergers and consolidations, China Daily said.
The head of the top planning agency argued that conditions have changed since then due to gains in the private sector and greater labor mobility.
But last September, a single coal producer, Heilongjiang Longmay Mining Holding Group, announced plans for 100,000 layoffs in a three-month period.
Xinhua said that iron and steel capacity cuts would cost 400,000 jobs in that sector alone. China International Capital Corp. estimated that the five top overcapacity industries would shed 3 million jobs, China Daily reported.
Workers in coal and other overcapacity industries are unlikely to find other employment due to lack of alternative skills, said Scissors.
"They're going to pension them out," he said. "The downside of all this is that these people don't have any place to go."
Manufacturers of building materials may be spared the most structural cuts because construction industries may stage a cyclical recovery in time with the return of infrastructure investment, said Scissors.
Coal hit hardest
But the coal industry is likely to suffer the worst of the downturn with permanent closures, driven by economic weakening, environmental pressures and alternative fuels.
"The future for coal in China has to be much less coal capacity," Scissors said.
"I think coal capacity reduction is going to be more meaningful and sharper, and I think it's going to cause more dislocation," he said.
On Friday, high-level economic officials urged faster action on capacity cutting after a meeting in Beijing, but there were also signs of local resistence and concerns about jobs.
Yang Weimin, deputy director of the government's Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs said that some local authorities claim to be closing zombie companies but are just revoking unused production licenses, China Daily reported.
The government is still evaluating how many companies and jobs in each industry will be affected by shutdowns, but Yang warned against local overprotection.
"Those responsible for overseeing state assets shouldn't drag their feet just because shutting down those firms would decrease the amount of assets they oversee, and local governments shouldn't protect zombie firms," said Yang, according to The Wall Street Journal.
China Pushes Coal Power to Fight Economic Slump
Coronavirus Stymies China's Private Oil Refiners
China's Epidemic Drives Dilemma For Energy Deliveries
China Delays Decision on New Coal Plants
China Cancels Coal Reports Amid Economic Doubts
Lao Citizens Charged High Rates For Power Amid Virus Shutdown

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Cette page concerne l'année 1702 en arts plastiques.

Événements

Œuvres

Naissances
 10 janvier : Johannes Zick, peintre allemand († ),
 12 janvier : Joseph Aved, collectionneur, marchand d'art et peintre français († ),
 31 juillet : Jean-Denis Attiret, missionnaire et peintre français († ),
 15 août : Francesco Zuccarelli, peintre et graveur italien († ),
 14 septembre : Ercole Lelli, anatomiste, sculpteur et  peintre italien († ),
 ? : Étienne Montagnon, peintre et architecte français († ).

Décès
 17 mai : Jan Wyck, peintre néerlandais (° ),
 20 octobre : Jean Ier Restout, peintre français (° ).

Chronologie des arts plastiques
Arts plastiques

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Time taken for Hadoop job to execute Is there an API to figure out how long a Hadoop job took to execute (exactly -> no hacks.)?

A: I think the simplest way is to measure time in Your driver class. Is it ok for you?
I mean something like this:
   long start = new Date().getTime();
   boolean status = job.waitForCompletion(true);
   long end = new Date().getTime();
   System.out.println("Job took "+(end-start) + "milliseconds");

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


 St. Louis Style Pork Ribs - $58.95 : Logan Farms Honey Glazed Hams & Market Cafe, Make It Simple... Make It Gourmet.
This rib is known by its signature cut. The "fatty" top half of the pork rib rack is trimmed so you get all meat! After hand-trimming in the St. Louis style, our super-thick pork ribs are dry-rubbed with a proprietary blend of spices and then oh-so-slowly roasted over hickory logs. We think you will find the Logan version of the St. Louis St..
© 2014 Logan Farms Lafayette, LA. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Tag: Vocations
Is There a Vocation to the Single Life? I Think Not and Here's Why
There are some today who think that the Church should give greater recognition to the "call" to the single life. And therefore when we pray for vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and marriage in the Prayer of the Faithful (or at other times) some will say, "Why don't you ever pray for those called to the single life or mention the vocation to the single life?" Here in the blog, too, when I write about vocations there are usually some who comment and ask why I do not mention the vocation to the single life.
The answer is that I don't think there is a call (or vocation) to the single life per se. I can see how we might speak of a single person who commits to being a lay missionary as having a call, whether permanent or temporary. Perhaps, too, a person who stays single in order to be wholly dedicated to a work of charity or justice could be said to have a vocation, again either permanent or temporary. However, in these cases the vocation is the work itself, not the single state.
Simply being single does not seem to qualify for what we have traditionally termed vocations. Consider first some basic differences.
1. Those who marry as well as those who enter religious life or the priesthood make promises and vows. What promises and vows do those who are single make? To whom? For what purpose? Unless they become consecrated virgins or hermits, do singles make such vows and promises? No.
2. Those who marry as well as those who enter religious life or the priesthood commit to live the life they enter stably, i.e., consistently. They do not make their promises only until something better comes along, or until something changes. Can this be said of the single? Are they not single only until something better comes along? Until they meet someone whom they will marry? Are singles really bound to live their current status stably? No.
3. Those who marry as well as those who enter religious life or the priesthood are not permitted to date others or enter into romantic and particular relationships with others. Priests and religious are celibate and the married are chaste and faithful to their spouse. Single people can date and enter into and out of romantic (though chaste) relationships at will. Are singles in a permanent and exclusive relationship? No.
4. Those who marry as well as those who enter religious life or the priesthood enter into a communal relationship, whether in a religious community, a diocese, or a third order. The single may belong to a parish, live in a certain locale, or even belong to a group like Opus Dei. But they are free to move away or cease membership at a moment's notice if an attractive job offer comes along or some family commitment or just preference intervenes. Are singles really tied by lasting bonds to a community? No.
5. Those who marry as well as those who enter religious life or the priesthood (especially religious) live within a regula (rule), which lays out the required structure of their day, regulates relationships, and clarifies rights, duties, lines of authority, etc. What sort of "rule" do those in the single "vocation" follow? If they follow a structured life at all, is it given to them by others, or do they establish it for themselves? Are they perpetually bound or only for as long as they please? Even married people cannot date or relate to anyone they wish; they cannot simply decide to go on a tour of Europe without consulting their spouse and considering their family duties. Are the single really bound in these ways? No.
6. Those who marry as well as those who enter religious life or the priesthood are either under the authority of or answer to others. Spouses must be accountable to each other; priests and religious are answerable to their superiors and cannot simply do as they please or go where they want. Is this the case with those who are single? Do they answer or report to anyone on this earth? No.
So there are a lot of practical differences that rather strongly distinguish being single from being in a promised (or vowed), permanent, regulated state under authority. It is true that some live today as consecrated virgins or hermits. But here, too, they are under the authority of the bishop and make permanent or semi-permanent promises of some sort in a way that single people do not.
Then there is the more theological reason called the nuptial meaning of the body. The nuptial meaning of the body is that within its physical structure is inscribed the truth that we are made for others. Our body says, "I was made for a spouse of the opposite sex to complete me and render me fertile." Speaking of a human being as single, and certainly speaking of there being a call to be "single," would tend to violate this understanding of the human person.
And thus, even for celibate priests and religious, we cannot consider ourselves "single." While we do not express the nuptial meaning of our bodies through sexual intercourse, we do wed and maintain a spousal relationship with the Church. Religious women are Brides of Christ. Religious men and priests see the Church as our Bride. We do not live apart from our spouse, the Church (understood as the Bride of Christ or the Body of Christ). We live for the other (the Church) and are expected to remain faithful and fulfill our commitments and be accountable to her. This would also be true for some in the Church who are consecrated virgins or hermits.
There are some religious communities that do not take perpetual vows, but only yearly ones. However, this is more for canonical reasons; those who take yearly vows understand their vows to be ultimately perpetual and they maintain that notion spiritually if not juridically.
I do not see any of these structures or notions in the "single" life as such. It is true that some never marry, for a variety of reasons including same-sex attraction, not finding the "right person," physical or mental health issues, etc. Perhaps in such cases single people of this sort who doubt they will ever marry can undertake some work or enter some relationship with the Church that is both regulated, of some extended duration, and involves work for others. But it would be the work or the consecrated virginity that would be honored as a vocation, not the single state itself.
Thus, for these reasons and tradition, I do not think we can or should speak of the single life as a vocation in the sense that we normally use that word with regard to the priesthood and the religious life.
Why is this request to include the single life as a vocation common today? First, there are a lot of people who are single today. While I do not think this bespeaks a healthy culture, it is a fact, and there is some legitimate concern as to how to include such a large group in our prayers and our pastoral concern.
Second, though, I wonder if this isn't another example of the tendency today toward "identity politics." Many today in our culture want their lived experience and views to receive recognition and approval from the wider culture. And if such recognition (and at least tacit approval) is found lacking, offense is taken and pressure is exerted for the "granting body" to give this recognition and approval.
This second aspect may explain why some (though not all) I have met get rather angry when I don't simply agree that there is a call (vocation) to the single life.
Of course I am not the final word on this matter in the Church. But it seems to me that words have meaning and we ought not simply cede to the pressure to use words so widely that they no longer have their stricter—and I would argue proper—meaning.
So have at this topic. I would appreciate comments not being directed to me, but rather to the issue and the reasons I have put forth. Feel free to agree or disagree with the overall point or to particular points I have made. If you disagree, consider saying why and what principles you think should apply.
As these videos show, the single life presents many challenges and often summons many to heroic sacrifice as our culture becomes increasingly hostile. All of us, single, married, priest, or religious are summoned to the call of martyrdom, spiritual or physical.
A Brief Meditation on"Other Duties as Assigned."
I think all of us who embark on a certain career path, or status or vocation have a certain file in our life called "other duties as assigned." Priests, and especially pastors are no exception. Since most of us live on site, there are many custodial duties that often find their way into our "other duties as assigned" file.
Often for example since we do live on site, (I affectionately refer to it as "living above the store") we are the failsafe when keys are forgotten and doors must be opened. So it's 6:00 AM, and the youth group is off to an early morning bus trip. But three of the kids and two adults must get into the school to use the bathroom. "Well just call Father, and have him come down and unlock the building!" So that goes into the "other duties as assigned file" and is subfiled under "keeper the keys," "opener of the doors," and "the failsafe."
The Picture at the upper right is me in 2005 in the parish play, "Purlie Victorius" where I played the part of "Old Captain Cotchipee" Filed under "other duties as assigned."
This weekend, I realized how much I miss our maintenance man, who recently had a stroke. And though we have some part-time help, recent snows meant that the leaves went unraked out front. So there I was, before the next snow comes raking the leaves cassock and all. Neighbors walking by wistfully asked, "Msgr., don't you have anyone else to help you with that?" "Ah!," said I, "A little exercise is good for the soul and the body!" And I filed it under "other duties as assigned."
But perhaps one of the wildest examples of other duties as assigned happened this weekend also, in the middle of our main Mass. Just at the end of the homily, terrible sounds began coming out of the basement boiler room. I knew it once what was happening. The bearings on the flywheel of the blower have come loose recently, and parts for the old mechanism have been ordered. But meantime, the friction burns up the grease,and the screeching sound signals that the flange is eating itself up, send sparks out and all. Not good, I thought.
It may or may not surprise you to know that pastors, especially those with older churches are skilled boiler mechanics! Usually it results from living above the store and being the one on-site when the boiler does bad stuff. For some reason, boilers like to act up at 2:00 AM in the morning. And so we learn a lot the hard way, on the phone to the HVAC people: "OK Father, it sounds like the pneumatic system, so reset the compressor and tell me if that helps….Alright Father, try bleeding down the boiler to blow the sludge…its the valve on the right….etc" Along the way, we just learn a lot by osmosis and probably know just enough to be dangerous.
So there I was, at mid Mass, and the prayers of the faithful have just concluded. The Church is already growing cold and the grinding sounds are worse. A quick word to the nearest choir member: "Sing some extra verses!" and off I dash down the back stairs to the basement, vestments and all, grabbing the grease gun from the tool room as I go!
The blower housing and coil are the size of a truck trailer and it took a moment for the vacuum seal to let loose. But then, in I went. Now that's a sight! Inside the blower housing, greasing the flywheel and motor, in full vestments, which are swaying in the wind from the fan still slowly turning at the back of the unit.
Back out, seal the door, fire up the unit! She ought to be good now, at least for the next few hours, "Hang in there baby!" Up the steps, tripping as I go, into the sanctuary, the cross and candles are just now leading the bearers of bread and wine up the aisle. "Thank you Jesus!…right on time!" The MC whispered, "Msgr. we were worried, thought we'd lost you." "No concerns," I said, "Just, other duties as assigned."
Ah yes, we all have them, those things never appeared in the job description and will never go on our resumé or curriculum vitae, but there they are, other duties as assigned.
The Lord says, He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much (Lk 16:11). Please Lord, keep faithful in the lesser things, the unexpected things, so that one day I may be found worthy of the greater things too. Help me never to begrudge "other duties as assigned."
Somehow I am mindful that the Lord also had "other duties as assigned." One of the most touching and moving scenes in the Gospels is on a certain resurrection morning, at the lakeside in Galilee. Peter is eagerly swimming ashore to see the Risen Lord. And there is Jesus, the very Son of God and Lord of all, cooking breakfast for them (Jn 21:7). Yes, Jesus Christ, Eternal Son of the Father, Divine Logos, Universal King, Savior of the Nations, and breakfast chef…."Other duties as assigned."
Posted on August 15, 2013 May 28, 2015
Welcome to 1950! A Surprising Statistic About the Number of Priests per parish
It is a common notion that the number of priests has plummeted in this country. Many speak of the halcyon days when there were four and five priests per parish, and the seminaries were packed. And while some of these memories are accurate, they are drawn from a time in this country that was very brief.
The fact is, the number of priests per parish spiked sharply after 1950 and has now leveled back to the levels of 1950 and before.
Note the graph at the upper right from the Center for Research in the Apostolate (CARA). It depicts the number of priests per parish. In 1950 there was an average of one priest per parish. Last year there was an average of one priest per parish. Welcome to 1950.
Mark Gray, writing at the CARA blog says:
There was about one active diocesan priest per parish then as there is now. The late 1950s into the 1970s represent an exceptional period in American history when there were significantly more active diocesan priests available than there were parishes. Age and mortality has and continues to diminish the size of the diocesan clergy population. Although ordinations have remained stable for decades, these are not sufficient to make up for the number of priests lost each year to retirement or death. [1]
Frankly, even in the glory days, America did not produce the number of priests we need to fill our needs. Back in the 1950s through the 1970s a tremendous number of FBI (foreign born Irish) priests were enlisted to meet American needs. My own diocese had a large number of them brought in, beginning in the 1950s.
Many ethnic groups in the Urban North also brought large numbers of priests to serve them from overseas. Today there are many dioceses that rely on Nigeria and other booming Catholic countries to supply extra priests.
It is true, most American Seminaries were bursting at the seams especially after World War II. But that boom would seem to be as short as it was impressive. Here on the East Coast, Roland Park in Baltimore and St. Charles Borromeo in Philadelphia had more than 500 seminarians in mammoth buildings that looked like Versailles as you drove up.
But as the graph shows, the spike was sudden and has settled back to the more common US experience of about one priest per parish. Again, according to the CARA study:
Nearly one in five U.S. parishes do not have a resident priest pastor. Seven in ten have a diocesan priest serving in this capacity and religious priests serve as resident pastors in 11% of parishes. In 17% of parishes a priest is serving as a non-resident pastor…in 2.5% of all parishes, due to a shortage of priests, a deacon or lay person is entrusted with the pastoral care of a parish…[who]….must still do their best to arrange for priests to be available for Masses and other sacraments.
Priests cannot be in two places at once and there are only so many hours in a Sunday. We have a good understanding of how many parishes there are in the United States and how many priests are available. The map below (click for full size) shows the number of active diocesan priests subtracted from number of parishes in each diocese…. In 60% of dioceses, those marked in yellow and red, there is no surplus of diocesan priests active in ministry relative to the number of parishes in the diocese. The green areas on the map have more active diocesan priests than parishes. [2]
There is more that can be read at the CARA blog that analyzes these numbers more deeply. But data like this reminds us that our knowledge of history is at time inaccurate since it is based on a rather narrow sliver of our own experience. That the Catholic Church in America grew enormously in the first half of the 20th century is indisputable. This was due to large waves of immigrants from Catholic Countries in Europe that were in one crisis after another. But even at the center point of that remarkable period of Catholic growth, the number of priests per parish was not so high as we remember, and even after it spiked (nearly doubled) between 1950 and 1960, it did not last, and a long leveling back to our current numbers has restored us to the mid century mark.
And yet, 1950, would be a year most Catholics think of being a high water mark. It was not, at least in terms of the number of priests per parish. Yes, welcome to 1950.
Of Vocations and Victory: Some Good Reasons to Take Heart That the Lord is Blessing His Church
While some dioceses in the US have been closing and consolidating seminaries, here in Washington DC we recently opened a new one: The Blessed John Paul II Seminary. And things are going so well, we are now adding a new three-floor wing to accommodate more men. (See a wonderful video below on the Seminary)
Currently 30 men are in formation at Blessed John Paul II. Altogether Washington has just over 70 men studying for the priesthood.
This new seminary is unique in that it enrolls men who are still in college, or need to do pre-theology studies, prior to undertaking post-Graduate Theology studies. It was the concern of Cardinal Wuerl that in the years prior to entering Major Seminary and theological studies it was important to form the men and let them live in community in the Washington area where they will serve in future years.
Back in 2005 we also opened a Missionary Seminary for thirty seminarians of this Archdiocese in the Neocatechumenal Way to study. We also send men to the North American College in Rome, Mount St. Marys Seminary in Emmitsburg MD, Theological College in Washington, and Blessed John XXIII in Boston.
The Lord is turning out some very good men. I remain impressed with the caliber, devotion and orthodoxy of the men who are in our seminaries. I recently preached a retreat for 30 of them at Blessed John Paul II here in DC. I also work with them in both summer assignments here in the parish and have at least three at a time working here throughout the academic year. They are prayerful and intelligent men who have a heart for the Church, and a love and reverence for God.
Internationally the number of seminarians has increased an astonishing 86.3% since 1978. in 2010 there 118,990 seminarians worldwide, whereas in 1978 there were just 63,882 major seminarians. All this according to the Annuario Pontificio
U.S. Catholic seminary enrollment in theology this past year year (2012) is the highest in almost a quarter-century, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). Last year's total of 3,723 is the highest enrollment since the 3,788 reported for 1988-89.
The average rate of retention for seminarians entering theology to being ordained has remained consistent at about 75 percent.
Younger trend –Slightly more than a quarter of today's major seminarians are 35 or older, and more than half are under 30, representing a possibly significant shift back toward youth after a couple of decades in which newly ordained priests tended to be much older.
So, there is a lot to be grateful for. It is true we must work harder, and there is much about which to be sober. The reported growth in seminarians does not match what we need to fill the gaps. Ordinations are still only about a third of the number that are needed to compensate for those priests who are retiring, or dying.
Yet still we have more than bottomed out and are now heading in the right direction. Continue to pray for many vocations.
Great Laity too – Pray too for continued reform and zeal among the lay faithful. So many good signs exist there too, I meet so many dedicated and zealous laity every day. A growing remnant of clergy and laity are getting clearer and more focused, day by day.
Take this to heart, beloved readers. I think it is easy for us to get discouraged today and we see so much confusion and decay in our culture. But God is raising up a faithful remnant. He is purifying the Church in so may ways, with good vocations, but also many wonderful lay movements and Catholics in fire for the Lord.
Yes, He has been pruning his Church, to be sure, and our overall numbers at Mass may continue to go down for a while. But pruning has a purpose, and the Church that remains may be overall smaller, but she is going to need to be strong to endure and overcome the days that get ever darker. Like Gideon's army that was too large, God is thinning but purifying his ranks. A smaller but clearer army that is united will win the day.
Like Noah's Ark! It may take time but it is clear that God is preparing, pruning and purifying the Church for something very great. It may well be that the Church will once again have to be a kind of Noah's ark which will preserve the vestiges of life from a dying culture, only to replant them when the flood waters subside. And thus, the Lord is strengthening the Ark, the Barque of Peter. In the Words of an old spiritual: Get on board Children, there's room for many-a-more.
Yes! Take heart and be of good courage. Jesus says, In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (Jn 16:33)
Here's a video of our newest Seminary at which we are needing to add a new wing to accommodate "many-a-more."
The Priest as Soldier in the Army of the Lord
Back in the early 1980s I was in college, majoring in computer science, and dating a beautiful young woman. An older priest, Msgr. Curlin told me that he thought I was called to be a priest. I was puzzled as to how to react. No one had ever said this to me before. So I asked him if he'd like to meet my girlfriend. He was unfazed and told me stories of other men, now priests, who had said the same. In some ways he spoke like a military recruiter: "The Church needs good men, Chuck. God needs good, strong men."
I was surprised to hear a priest speak this way. I was born in 1961 but came of age in the Church of the 1970s. It was a time of crossless Christianity. Crosses had literally been removed from my parish church and replaced by a "resurrection Jesus." Notions of sacrifice and fighting against sin had largely been replaced by a kind of "God is Love, self-acceptance" emphasis. Not wrong, but wholly emphasized. It was a time of "beige Catholicism" which demanded little and saw its main task to be as non-offensive as possible.
As a young man, none of this appealed much to me. I think most young men are "up for a battle." They want to change the world, or at least make a key difference. Now suddenly a priest was summoning me to manhood and to something sacrificial, something that would take a "strong" man. And my services were needed, God and the Church depended on men like me saying yes. Imagine that!
I didn't say yes that day. I continued to date and worked toward finishing my Computer Science Degree. But I had heard a summons to a great battle, the ancient battle between Christ and our adversary the Devil. And the call grew. For various reasons my steady girl and I broke up. Saddened though I was, I saw an opened door before me and the call quickened. I walked through and began a process of discernment with the Archdiocese that led to my Ordination to the Priesthood in 1989.
I suppose there are many ways of seeing my priesthood. But one powerful way is that I see myself as a soldier in the army of the Lord. The battle today is fierce. We live in a world increasingly hostile to our holy faith and the teachings of the Church. And the call must go out as never before: The Church needs good men to be priests, strong and courageous. Men who will speak the truth in love, clearly and without compromise and celebrate the sacraments with devotion and faith. Men who know that the eternal salvation of many is dependent on them being zealous priests after God's own heart. Men who by the grace of God are willing to fight for souls in the battle that matters most.
So there it is men. The Lord is looking for good men to engage the great battle for souls. And there's an old saying, "If you find a good fight…get in it!"
Vocations for Men: Fr. Carter Griffin 301-853-4580
Here's a video I stitched together with scenes from Fishers of Men and set to Lyle Lovett's "I'm A Soldier in the Army of the Lord"
What's a Woman to Do in a Culture Gone Mad? Perhaps "Good Girls DC" has an Idea
We have discussed at length on this blog the sad state of our culture, particularly when it comes to questions of dating, sexuality, faith and marriage.
For example, huge numbers of Americans, are postponing marriage, or never marrying at all. A recent article in Our Sunday Visitor presents stunning statistics about marriage:
The number of marriages celebrated in the Church has fallen from 415,487 in 1972 to 168,400 in 2010 — a decrease of nearly 60 percent — while the U.S. Catholic population has increased by almost 17 million. To put this another way, this is a shift from 8.6 marriages per 1,000 U.S. Catholics in 1972 to 2.6 marriages per 1,000 Catholics in 2010…
[In this Catholics reflect the general social trend]. In 2010, 53 percent of Catholics surveyed in the General Social Survey (GSS) indicated that they were currently married. By comparison, 51 percent of non-Catholics surveyed were married. [But this an astonishing drop from 1972 when 79% of Catholics were married. Among younger adults 18-40 the number is even more shocking: Only 38% are married]!
Some of [the low numbers] can be explained by Catholics waiting longer to marry, but the shift here has been slight. In 1972, the average age at first marriage reported in the GSS for Catholics ages 18 to 40 was 20.9. In 2006 (the last time this question was asked), it was 23.9.
Thus, the decline in Church marriages is more about not marrying at all than marrying older. [Our Sunday Visitor 6/26/2011]
Of course, despite this, most younger adults are quite sexually active. And the lack of marriage, and promiscuous sexual activity is a very poisonous environment for you people. There is no need to here recite all the terrible statistics of STDs, abortion, teenage pregnancy, single motherhood (absent fatherhood), cohabitation, poverty, broken hearts, broken homes, and children raised in less than ideal situations, with often terrible conflicts they have to grow up in.
And in these promiscuous conditions, and conditions of low marriage rates, women suffer a lot more than men, since (fair or not) the consequences of the sexual revolution have fallen much harder on them. Too often men "play the field" with few social consequences, while women end up used and abused, often pregnant and with little support. Many end up unmarried with children to raise or, tragically, haunted by the aftermath of abortions.
One may ask, "In this poisonous climate, what is a woman to do?" It is easy to say that women, who usually set the limits and boundaries in a relationship, should just be chaste. But the expectations on women to be unchaste are very strong. Further women are not a monolith and there are many different points of view among them as to questions of sexuality, family, priorities, careers, faith, and any number of other issues. Women who do seek to remain chaste and also to live an active Catholic life face many challenges in doing so.
So again the question, in a culture gone mad and dysfunctional, "What is a woman to do?"
One answer is given by a new group here in Washington DC called "Good Girls DC." These women, most of them college graduates, most of them single, but some married, have gathered to support and encourage one another in living their Catholic faith in a world often poisonous to it. At their website, goodgirlsdc.com their vision is stated as follows:
We are a network of trendy young adult Catholic women who welcome all woman of faith. We seek to renew society through living out our dignity as daughters of God. We aim to create a place where like minded women can find fellowship, friends, and networking opportunities while encouraging each other to live up to their God-given potential.
The group sponsors luncheons, rosary and holy hours, book clubs, and other social functions in which women gather to give each other support in living their Catholic faith and to not give way to the often poisonous social culture of today. They also sponsor co-ed events that encourage Catholics and others of like mind to meet. Their website and Facebook page feature encouraging articles, of many topics focused on faith, uplifting stories, significant events, and helpful links. In the video box below is a Radio interview with Jessica Lanza, the founder of Good Girls DC that supplies a lot more information.
In effect, what are these women doing? They are, by God's grace, forming a faithful remnant and seeking to become a leaven in society; or, if you will, a spark that will ignite a refining fire. This is, most often, how God reforms his Church and the world. It usually begins with small groups of the faithful, the spark God ignites. And fanned by the Spirit of God's love, the spark becomes a fire, a refining fire that begins a purifying process in the Church and the world.
Something tells me that Good Girls DC is a spark of God and He wants to fan it into flame. Why not become part of it? While the group is for women only, Men to ought to form similar groups. (Here in DC I am aware of the St. Lawrence Society, a men's group with a similar purpose). And men ought to support groups like Good Girls DC and encourage women to join. There is a hope that other chapters will begin soon in other cites.
We all need to be strong in a culture gone mad. To use a gloss on a scriptural text we might say Woe to the solitary woman! For if she should fall, she has no one to lift her up. (cf Ecclesiastes 4:10). The same scripture also says, Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecc 4:12). Here are strong women, unwilling to compromise with the madness of modern times. Here are women who are standing together and insisting on what is right. Here are women who seek others of like mind. Here are women who seek their vocation, whether to marriage or religious life and want to seek it untainted by the often bitter waters of modern culture.
To remain chaste, faithful and focused, we need as Catholics to support and encourage one another. Thank God for Good Girls DC.
What is a woman to do? Find other women and stand together, grow in numbers and through this spark, let God send a purifying fire upon the Church and the whole earth.
Photo above: A recent gathering of some members of Good Girls DC.
Here's an interview with founder Jessica Lanza on the Sonrise Morning Show:
Posted on November 25, 2011 June 10, 2015
Secrets of the Habit
The video at the bottom of this post is a fascinating little exploration of the traditional habit of Religious Sisters. The video does not make it clear as to what Order the Habit belonged. There are many things I learned about a habit I never knew. Things like hidden "saddle bag" pockets, opening crucifixes, symbolism in the pleats, and the purpose of the outer veil. I hope you'll take time an view a fascinating video.
Sadly, the sister who recounts the hidden and beautiful secrets of the habit does not herself wear one any longer. The abandonment of the habit by many orders has always puzzled me. Recent Popes have requested that priests and religious wear their distinctive garb. Further, I think any survey of the people of God would indicate an overwhelming preference that priests and religious wear a distinctive garb or habit. Lastly, from the standpoint of vocations it would seem that any order that has set aside the habit is doomed to eventual extinction. It is clear that the orders that preserve the wearing of the habit along with common life, common prayer, and a focused apostolate are doing better, some quite well, with vocations. Orders that have set aside the habit are largely dying out. It is not the habit alone, I am sure, but the habit (or lack thereof) does signify something important about the health of the religious community.
What is the purpose of a religious habit? Religious life is not hidden, neither is it occasional. To enter the priesthood or religious life is to publicly accept the consecration of one's whole self to the service of God and neighbor. That is why the most traditional religious garb covers the whole body. It is more than a tee-shirt, a hat or an emblem of some sort. It is a covering of the whole body to indicate the entirety of the consecration.
Further, each habit is distinctive since each religious community has a particular charism or gift by which they collectively serve the Church. Religious and priests do not merely consecrate themselves for their own agenda. Rather they join others with a similar and proven charisms in communities recognized by the Church.
The word "habit" also suggests that religious life and priesthood are not an occasional activity, or even a 9 to 5 job. The are the habitual identity and life of the one who receives the call. That is also why the habit is usually worn at all times.
The widespread disappearance of clerical garb and religious habits back in the 1970s was a disturbing trend. Many religious and priests no longer saw themselves as set apart, as distinctive. Many wanted to blend in and also lost a sense of the charism of their order. Many also preferred anonymity since it made them less busy and they no longer had to live as "public" people. However, many newer orders have emerged which once again wear the habit faithfully. Further, many older orders either never wholly abandoned it or have re-emphasized its importance. This is praiseworthy. If you are a lay person, encourage priests and religious as you see them about bearing witness to the their consecration by the way they dress and reminding others of God and the Kingdom of God.
Here is a site which shows photos of the traditional habits of women's religious orders: http://www.nunsandsisters.com/Photographs.html
If this post seems familiar, it is, I have re-posted it from about a year ago since I had no time to write a blog for today. I also suppose some newer readers may have missed it.
Enjoy this video of the secrets of the habit:
On The Power of Personal Witness in the Priestly Proclamation
I was at a meeting of the Seminary Council today for one of our diocesan seminaries. It is the Redemptoris Mater Seminary of the Neocatechumenal Way that is currently training almost thirty of our Washington men for priestly Ministry. Four men are currently stepping forward for Holy Orders this Spring and they each spoke to the Council, seeking our prayers and recommendation to the Cardinal.
They are all fine men. But what most impressed me is that, when they were asked to tell us a little something about themselves, they went beyond the mere, date of birth, country of origin, basic course of studies, sort of answer. Rather, they each gave personal testimony of how the Lord has both ministered to them and transformed them. These men were witnesses of the Lord and his power.
Each of them spoke of how the Lord rescued them from various afflictions, family and personal struggles, and agnostic and/or ambivalent tendencies. They spoke of how the Lord called them and made a way for them, how He has transformed their lives.
I told each of them how important it is for them to share this personal witness with the people they serve. They really did not need for me to say this, since the Neocatechumenal Way has personal witness and testimony as an important hallmark of their formation and liturgical experience.
I too have discovered the importance of the priest bearing personal witness to the gospel in his preaching, teaching and daily life. I have discovered that our people need, and are hungry for, those of us who preach to move beyond mere slogans, information and abstract homilies, to a personal witness of the truth. We cannot simply proclaim the truth, we have to know, to experience that it is true. We have to be first hand witnesses and to be able to say how we have personally experienced the power of of the Cross of Jesus Christ to put sin to death and bring newness of life to us.
St. Paul wrote, If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). The danger for a bishop, priest or deacon who preaches, is that we just quote the Scripture more as a slogan or handy phrase. But what is supposed to happen is that the preacher is able to say:
Yes, if anyone is in Christ he IS a new creation, and I can personally say to you, my people, that this is true not only because it is in the Bible, but because it is happening in my life. I, am a new creation. I am seeing my life changed and transformed by the cross of Jesus Christ. Through the sacraments, his Word, prayer and the ministry of the Church, Jesus Christ is setting me free from sin and every negative thing in my life. He is breaking the chains of the things which held me in bondage. He is giving me a new mind, and new heart. I love people I never thought I could love! I am more chaste than I ever thought possible. Serenity and joy are replacing fear and depression. I am more and more a man of hope, confidence and courage. Yes, I AM a new creation. What the Lord says is true, and I am a witness. I'm not what I want to be, but I'm not what I used to be. A wonderful change has come over me.
I am convinced that many Catholics long to hear their clergy speak with conviction and like men who have actually met Jesus Christ. Of course, before they speak such things, they actually have to be true.
I am glad that the men who testified today have actually met Jesus Christ and experienced his power. They have something to say because something real has happened to them. And herein lies the necessity not only for clergy, but for parents and all Christians who are called to evangelize. It is absolutely critical that we personally know the Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of his Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. It is essential that, in the laboratory of our own lives, we have tested the Word of God and found it to be true. And from these experiences we can preach, speak and witness with authority.
We preach with authority only if we have met the "Author" and felt his power to transform our lives. Otherwise we risk giving information, but without the conviction or personal witness that helps people to transformation. We can say all the right an orthodox things, but then comes the ultimate question: "That's all very nice, but how do I know it is true?" And the preacher, the teacher the parent, the catechist, the evangelizer, has got to be able to say in response, "Look at me….I promise you it is true because it is happening in my life. I promise you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ that a completely new life is available to you, and I am a first hand witness of it."
Of course to be able to say all this requires that it is actually happening. That's why it is so important for the priest, parent and any Church leader to tend to their own spiritual life. To study the Word of God and see its truth in the laboratory of their own life, to consider well the evidence and gather their own testimony.
Fulton Sheen once remarked something to the effect that we have tried every other way to evangelize and grow the Church: seminars, workshops, committees, new music, liturgical creativity. All to little avail. But one thing only has not been tried: holiness. Yes, authentic transformation that comes, only when we finally take the Lord up on his offer, and take his word seriously that we are, and can become, a new creation.
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. St. Paul couldn't look this up and quote it like a slogan. He had to write it. And before he wrote it he actually experienced it. So when Paul says this, its not a slogan, it is a surety, it is an experienced truth.
This is what the Church needs, humble but strong preachers who have confirmed the Word of God in their own life. Men who can boast, not of what they have done, but what the Lord has done for them through the power of his cross to put sin to death and bring grace alive. And from experience comes authority, for they have met the Author of their salvation.
Thanks be to God for these men at the seminary today, and for their witness, their testimony, their "boasting" in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf Gal 6:14).
Photo Above right is of Redemptoris Mater Seminary, Wash. DC and was taken by me
This Songs says, You Should be Witness…..Why don't you testify? Don't be afraid to be a witness for the Lord….Stand up and be a witness!


text:
Q: Installing built iOS App in simulator from terminal? We build an app through the terminal with xcodebuild and also want to install it in the simulator using the terminal. Any advice on this? Seems tricky.

A: (Any reason you're just not using the default xcode way?)
Heavy mate. I would bet there's an easy way to do it (I'd imagine)
You could make a simple ssh client in Objective-C and run it on the simulator then simply copy the necessary files with said program. Since it's not going through Apple, you'll probably have a pretty easy time with it.
Oh and it went unanswered here

A: The forum thread, http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=547557, seems to have advice which works:

Look inside your ~/Library/Application
  Support/iPhone
  Simulator/User/Applications/ directory
  and see what happens inside this
  directory when you install and run
  apps using XCode, and also when you
  delete apps using the Simulator.
You can run the Simulator by itself
  (without starting XCode).
If you start the Simulator, delete an
  app, quit the Simulator, put back
  copies of the files that were deleted
  from the support directory, and
  restart the Simulator, the app will
  reappear in the Simulator.


text:
class AddPictureToUsers < ActiveRecord::Migration
  def change
    add_column :users, :picture, :string
    add_column :users, :picture_file_size, :integer
    add_column :users, :picture_content_type, :string
    add_column :users, :picture_original_file_name, :string
    add_column :users, :picture_updated_at, :datetime
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


If you have additional areas of expertise, please list them here (1-5).
Please list any major accomplishments that you would like to include in your bio.
Please answer as many of the questions below as possible. The information you provide will help us to develop a robust archive of "Coker stories" that engage students and other audiences.


text:
Astrahan ima več pomenov:
 Astrahan - mesto ob Volgi
 Astrahan - pokrajina okoli mesta
 Astrahan - krzno
 Astrahanska oblast
 Astrahanski kanat, država, ki je nastala po razpadu Zlate horde
 Državna univerza Astrahan


One of the most popular third-party Android Twitter apps - Fenix - got pulled from the Play Store after its founder confirmed that the service has reached the so-called Twitter token limit. The revelation was appropriately made on Twitter over the weekend after one of Fenix users tweeted that the service was unable to authenticate new users, which the official app account promptly confirmed.
In case you weren't aware, Twitter has been enforcing the said token limit for years now. Basically, one token equals one user of a third-party Twitter service and the popular microblogging platform is only allowing a maximum of 100,000 tokens per an unofficial Twitter client. In other words, after a service authenticates 100,000 users, it can no longer authenticate more and is effectively commercially doomed as social apps don't exactly mix well with an inability to grow their user bases. Falcon Pro was the first third-party service which hit the 100k token limit over three years ago while Carbon and Talon apps did the same in 2014. Although Twitter decides on a potential reset of the token limit on a case-by-case basis, that usually doesn't happen and as most third-party Twitter apps have a one-time price and no other monetization options (after all, few would pay for an unofficial Twitter client just to get bombarded with ads), that's the point at which they simply stop making money and developers cease their support for them.
Report from July of last year suggested Twitter is considering dropping this limitation in the near future, but nothing has obviously been done on that front so far. Even though the developer of Fenix didn't specifically say that the app is getting pulled from the Play Store, that seems to be the case at the moment. If you bought Fenix at an earlier point in time, a Twitter token connected to your account should already exist so you'll be able to use it to access the microblogging platform in the future but you probably shouldn't expect any more app updates. For what it's worth, the developer at least urged the users who recently bought the app and are unable to authenticate their account to contact him for a refund.


One-hundred million frames per second. That is the speed of one of the most sophisticated high-resolution video cameras, which is soon to be in development at the new Rosalind Franklin Institute for use in cancer treatment research.
The high-speed camera would enable researchers to capture video in unparalleled detail, exploring how light and sound can be used in innovative medical treatments.
The new system will be the first camera to capture 100 million individual frames per second at a one-megapixel resolution, while working across the spectrum, from infrared to ultraviolet. Current comparable cameras run at top speeds of 25 million frames per second.
The camera will consist of an approximately $2 million internal sensor, which will function like a hypersensitive version of what you would otherwise get in a digital camera, with another $4 million in optical components, electronic parts, and labor.
The researchers insist the price tag is worth the potential benefits.
The project is a joint venture between multiple universities in the United Kingdom, including the University of Cambridge, University of Manchester, and Imperial College London.


These one-of-a-kind tote bags are handcrafted by our team members and are made from 100% upcycled materials. Each bag is layered with a unique combination of vintage and upcycled fabrics in a tight color palette for a refined shabby-chic look. Scraps are left unfinished but are sewn into the side seam of bag for added reinforcement. No two bags are alike due to the handmade & recycled nature of this item.
This listing is for the bag shown in the main photo.


text:
THIS is What a Growth Mindset Looks Like in Action.
By billferriter1 Minutes
Carol Dweck's Mindset — which argues that success depends on our willingness to be resilient and to believe that potential isn't determined by ability alone — has been driving my thinking for the past year.
People with fixed mindsets, Dweck argues, are all too willing to give up when the going gets tough, convinced that they "just don't have what it takes" to overcome intellectual challenges.
People with growth mindsets, however, see struggles and failures as opportunities to learn. "The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it," she writes, "even (or especially) when it's not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset" (Kindle Location 184).
One of my struggles, however, was having tangible examples of just what growth mindsets looked like in action.
That all changed in our faculty meeting last week, however, when my principal shared this video describing the efforts of Malcom Mitchell, a star football player at the University of Georgia, to improve his reading ability:
#awesome
Related Radical Reads:
Being Responsible for Teaching the Bored
How Gritty are Today's Learners?
Talent is Cheaper than Table Salt
billferriter


text:
Film Sections
Independent Juries
Premio Cinema Ticino
A dizzying cast of great actors: William Hurt as a writer struggling to find his creativity after the death of his wife, Harvey Keitel as the owner of a tobacconist store who discovers he has a pregnant, drug-addled daughter, and Forest Whitaker as a man who wants to put the past behind him. Their interplay creates a great ensemble in the Christmas-themed Smoke. Winning the 1995 Prix du Public UBS in the Piazza Grande is but a launching pad for a movie destined to become part of film history.
Sign up to the Locano Film Festival newsletter and be the first to hear all the latest news and announcements
Impressum| Privacy Policy | Terms and conditions


Some Muslims actually believe that, and they act as if my "terrorism", (yes, they call my cartoons "terrorism", as you'll see in the pages ahead) must be responded to in kind, with terrorism, even though they're "peaceful".
If you want to maintain your illusions that "Islam means peace" and that "99.9% of Muslims are peace-loving", then this book is not for you, as you're either a Muslim or you might as well make it official and become one. If you can't imagine threatening to murder cartoonists over cartoons, then this book is for you.
Islam wasn't "hijacked" by jihadists, peace was hijacked by Muslims. In my acceptance speech after I won the Mohammad cartoon contest, I asked the audience, "Why do you think we have this kind of security?", and as the audience started to applaud, and even laugh, as they had a good idea where I was going with it, I said that it was because Islam did not mean peace. The Only reason any of us are talking about Islam is because it doesn't mean peace. Islam hasn't given us any reason to talk about it outside of our concern over it.
When a lone evil scumbag goes on a shooting spree in America, the "national conversation" is that it has something to do with America, that it says something about us, and that we all have to answer for it in some way. Only self-loathing leftists would define America by a small minority of evil scumbags. Yet when daily atrocities are committed by Muslims across the world, the "national conversation" crowd tells us that it "has nothing to do with Islam", while also saying that we had it coming. They live for a chance to condemn America for things it's not responsible for, and to exonerate Islam for things it is responsible for. These "national conversationalists" don't want a conversation about Islam, about jihad, or about the truth. And the "national conversation" that needs to take place is about Islam and its calls for violence against non-Muslims.
As for "nice Muslims", especially those in the West, they embody Western values that they fancifully attribute to Islam, and it's left to "mean" people like me to have to point that fact out. The reason why many of us choose to define Islam by the behavior of its least devout Muslims is because devout Muslims are monsters. But of course, in this increasingly truthless world we're living in, merely pointing that fact out makes me a monster.
are the "best" 400 of them.
When the Muslims who've threatened me hear of this book, what do you think their response would be that their threats were published, and that they inspired 60 new Mohammad cartoons by me? More threats.
The threats in this book are from Muslim students, doctors, engineers, musicians, etc., and I think that will be a revelation for some, for those who still cling to the idea that it's only "extremists" who are the problem, because seeing is believing. Seeing death threats along with the names and pictures of average Muslims might open some eyes.
After years of getting death threats, they've become white noise to me, in a way. They're meant to scare me into silence and inaction, but I'm more likely to laugh at them than be terrified. But I do pause at times, at the casual, decadent evil of it all, and the mass support that it gets from far more Muslims than many would like to believe. What did Muslims do after the massacre of Charlie Hebdo? They callously ran over the dead bodies of the murdered innocents to defend Mohammad, who murdered innocents. Islam didn't teach them to live and let live, despite whatever criticism came their way, Islam taught them that the answer to criticism is murder. That the first, natural, Islamic response is murder.
Regarding my new Mohammad cartoons in this book: I think it's important to show Mohammad, the murderous figure who inspires Muslims to murder, alongside screenshots of the death threats over my Mohammad cartoons, which inspired even more Mohammad cartoons by me.
And to those who've dismissed me when I say that Hitler is Islam's favorite Infidel, there were endless Muslims who expressed their admiration for Hitler to me, and I have a page of the "best" ones in this book, where I draw Hitler as Mohammad.
get very specific and personal.
It's one thing for Muslims to have their prohibitions, but it's quite another thing for them to try to force their prohibitions on us. Since 9/11, we've waged war the way Muslims wage peace, and we're gong to have to learn how to wage war, in order to have peace.
You can order my book, Peaceful Death Threats, here.
Quick hits: April 15, 2019 - "Happy Tax Day!"


text:
A child was reportedly pricked with a needle in a toy at a Kettering thrift store. TREMAYNE HOGUE / STAFF
Mom says child pricked by syringe from Kettering thrift store doll
Tremayne Hogue, Staff Writer
A Huber Heights mother is upset after she said her daughter was pricked with a syringe found in a children's toy in a Kettering thrift store.
Siearra Kern said she was shopping in the Valley Thrift Store on Woodman Drive in Kettering last week when her daughter picked up a puppet and was pricked with a syringe.
"I didn't even know how to react to that situation," Kern said. "I just knew immediately to get her to the hospital."
Kern said she and her 7-year-old daughter will have to wait at least a month before blood test results are available. She also says doctors said her daughter will have to have intermittent check-ups for about a year.
MORE: Kettering company hiring 40 new employees today
Kern said her daughter was initially afraid because she thought she had did something wrong when she picked up the puppet. She said she tried to reassure her she had done nothing wrong.
"There should be no reason why she can't pick up a stuffed animal at a thrift store and show me or her sisters and not be pricked by a needle," Kern said. "That should never occur."
Kettering police officer Matthew Barnes confirmed a needle and puppet were in police custody.
He said he hasn't been involved with a situation like this, but acknowledged the incident is "serious" and "dangerous." He also acknowledged there were questions the police department is looking into.
MORE: City, school district hold special meeting on opioid epidemic
"Did they not check the product, or is this something happening once the product has been put out?" Barnes pondered. "Is this something happening by employees, people shopping in the store? There's a lot of questions we don't have the answers to at the moment."
Barnes said police encourage parents to act like Kern did by seeking immediate medical attention.
"You don't know if anything's been in it and if so, what? All you know is that potentially you've injected an outside agent into your body," Barnes said.
FOLLOW: Tre Hogue on Twitter and Facebook
Judy Negrete, store manager at Valley Thrift Store, confirmed the incident and said the store is working with Kettering police regarding proper search techniques to find potential threats and to remain safe.
She also said the store tried to be proactive in handling the situation, admitting that she too did not know what to do in that situation.


text:
Reza Satchu – An Inspiring Entrepreneur
Canadian entrepreneur and East African-born Reza Satchu is an inspiring role model for young people around the world. He is a managing partner at Alignvest Management Corporation and the founding chairman of NEXT Canada. He is also a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School. We asked him to explain his accomplishments and why others should emulate him. Listed below are some of his biggest successes. Invest in his book The Next Chapter to learn more about his inspiring life. Visit link here to read more.
After graduating from McGill, Reza Satchu called a Canadian at Merrill Lynch. He wanted to talk to him about a job opportunity, so he lied about his work visa and drove overnight to New York to meet him. He got a job at Merrill Lynch with Stan O'Neal, the founder and CEO of Merrill Lynch. He became the chief executive of the firm and presides over the subprime mortgage crisis.
Besides his work with Alignvest, Reza Satchu is a successful serial entrepreneur. He has co-founded and managed several operating businesses and currently serves as the Managing Partner of Alignvest Management Corporation. His passion for investing led him to become a Director of Sagicor Financial Company Ltd. and is the Founding Chairman of Next Canada. When he's not teaching, he's consulting. Whether he's mentoring a new entrepreneur or mentoring a long-term entrepreneur, Reza Satchu is here to inspire you.
In addition to being an active investor, Reza Satchu has a background in entrepreneurship. He was an early member of NEXT Canada and now serves as the Founding Chairman of the organization. He earned his MBA at Harvard Business School and now teaches at Harvard Business School. His experience includes founding several successful companies and managing a few. While a student at Harvard, Reza Satchu had his own entrepreneurial ventures that are now profitable.
In addition to being a successful entrepreneur, Reza is also an investor and a serial entrepreneur. He founded Alignvest Management Corporation, a private equity firm and a charity. He is a Harvard MBA graduate and has been quoted in The Globe and Mail. He has won awards for his charitable work. He has founded five companies and has been a board member of many other organizations. In 1996, he was a founding member of the NEXT Canada Foundation.
In addition to being a serial entrepreneur, Reza is the Founding Chairman of NEXT Canada. He has been involved in many businesses and has a long list of successful ventures. He is a mentor to young entrepreneurs and a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School. His entrepreneurial experiences and success have led him to become a successful entrepreneur. However, he is not a typical businessperson. A good example of someone who is trying to be successful is a founder who is not afraid to make mistakes.
After graduating from McGill University, Reza lied about his work visa status and was hired by a Canadian. He forged a deal with the Canadian who was hiring him. He then joined Stan O'Neal's High Yield Group and later went on to become the CEO of Merrill Lynch. This was how a business owner manages to get ahead while making money. It's a great way to build a business – and an entrepreneur's dream.
Being a successful entrepreneur is all about making decisions. It's not easy, but it's vital. As an entrepreneur, you must learn to take risky decisions and embrace uncertainty. If you're a serial entrepreneur, you'll need to be a risk taker. As an entrepreneur, it's important to have the ability to make the right decisions on short notice. It's better to be flexible, but be sure to learn from mistakes.
In addition to being a serial entrepreneur, Reza is the Founding Chairman of NEXT Canada and a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School. As a former Harvard Business School student, he has built a business with the help of a small team of Harvard alumni. He is also a co-founder and managing partner of several operating businesses. If you're considering joining the ranks of successful entrepreneurs, take a look at the following information.
Previous Article← Divorce Lawyers Durban
Next ArticleVintage Leather Syndney →
What Is Wealth Management?
What Is Car Detailing?
Luxury Train Tour Packages
Which is the Best Aromatherapy Certification?
How to Use IP Address for Router Login
© 2023 Xerion Avionix. All rights reserved.


Air conditioning will not be a concern for me in the NW, especially since the 800-1000 miles driven each year are with the top off. I've removed the original a/c vents that mounted below the dash (to give myself more leg room) and would like to do the following. (1) remove the belt that drives the a/c compressor so as to reduce any unnecessary load on the engine. (2) remove the fuse that controls the AC. I plan on leaving both compressor and blower motor in place (just in case a future owner wants the vehicle returned to stock). Is there anything that should be a concern or do I proceed as planned? More? Less? Thank you for the input.


text:
En mørbrad er en kødudskæring fra en muskel på indersiden af rygsøjlen.
Alt efter dyret kaldes den svinemørbrad, kalvemørbrad, oksemørbrad eller lammemørbrad.
Ved tilberedning kan dele af mørbraden skæres fra som fx bimørbraden og den langsgående sene.

Mørbraden er musklen Musculus psoas major; på engelsk "tenderloin".

Henvisninger

Kødudskæringer


text:
De Amerikaanse blauwe reiger ook grote blauwe reiger genoemd (Ardea herodias), is een vogel uit de familie van de reigers (Ardeidae). De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort werd in 1758 gepubliceerd door Carl Linnaeus.

Kenmerken
Deze vogel is met een gemiddelde hoogte van 102 tot 127 cm de grootste reigersoort van Noord-Amerika. De soort komt qua uiterlijk wel wat overeen met de blauwe reiger van Europa. Het verenkleed is meestal blauwgrijs, maar in het zuiden van Florida en op Cuba zijn ze wit (de witte Amerikaanse reiger).

Leefwijze
Amerikaanse blauwe reigers foerageren vooral in het water. Ze lopen langzaam of staan geduldig te wachten tot ze een prooi kunnen pakken. Soms jagen ze actiever door te springen en met de vleugels te klapperen. Hun menu bestaat onder meer uit visjes, kikkers, amfibieën, slangen en kreeftjes.

Voortplanting
Broedende volwassen vogels hebben pluimen op hun rug die ze tijdens de balts opzetten. Ze nestelen in kolonies hoog in bomen.

Verspreiding en leefgebied
De soort komt voor in Noord- en Centraal-Amerika, de Caraïben en op de Galapagoseilanden nabij rivieren, moerassen, moddervlaktes. Er worden vijf ondersoorten onderscheiden:
 A. h. herodias: van zuidelijk Canada door centraal Amerika naar South Carolina.
 A. h. fannini: noordwestelijk Noord-Amerika.
 A. h. occidentalis: van de zuidoostelijke Verenigde Staten tot West-Indië.
 A. h. cognata: Galapagoseilanden.
 A. h. wardi: van westelijk Verenigde Staten tot noordelijk Florida en westelijk en noordoostelijk Mexico.

Status
De grootte van de populatie is in 2019 geschat op 0,5-5,0 miljoen volwassen vogels. Op de Rode lijst van de IUCN heeft deze soort de status niet bedreigd.

Reigers
Dier uit het Nearctisch gebied
IUCN-status niet bedreigd


text:
The Foreign Affairs Committee
The Foreign Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its associated public bodies.
Tom Tugendhat MP (Conservative, Tonbridge and Malling) (Chair)
Ian Austin MP (Labour, Dudley North)
Chris Bryant MP (Labour, Rhondda)
Ann Clwyd MP (Labour, Cynon Valley)
Mike Gapes MP (Labour (Co-op), Ilford South)
Stephen Gethins MP (Scottish National Party, North East Fife)
Ms Nusrat Ghani MP (Conservative, Wealden)
Ian Murray MP (Labour, Edinburgh South)
Andrew Rosindell MP (Conservative, Romford)
Royston Smith MP (Conservative, Southampton, Itchen)
Nadhim Zahawi MP (Conservative, Stratford-on-Avon)
The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk.
Committee reports are published on the Committee's website at www.parliament.uk/facom and in print by Order of the House.
Evidence relating to this report is published on the inquiry page of the Committee's website.
Committee staff
The current staff of the Committee are Chris Stanton (Clerk), Zoe Oliver-Watts (Second Clerk), Dr Ariella Huff (Senior Committee Specialist), Ashlee Godwin, Dr Eoin Martin and Nicholas Wade (Committee Specialists), Clare Genis (Senior Committee Assistant), James Hockaday and Zara Wootton (Committee Assistants), and Estelle Currie (Media Officer).
All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Foreign Affairs Committee, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 6105; the Committee's email address is fac@parliament.uk


text:
Community support officer receives public servant award
Alistair Kleebauer
Published: 6:00 PM December 8, 2010
AN Isle of Dogs police community support officer received a Public Servant 2010 award on November 30.
Abdul Salik, from the Blackwall and Cubitt Town Safer Neighbourhoods Team, was recognised at an awards ceremony at the Clifton restaurant in Westferry Road, attended by Mayor Lutfur Rahman.
PCSO Salik said: "I was very privileged to receive this award.
"I enjoy working with the local community."
PS Tony Burton from the Safer Neighbourhoods Team said: "I am very proud of PCSO Salik. He frequently demonstrates his high levels of commitment to the area.
"He is the kind of officer that is prepared to 'go the extra mile' and get things done."
The awards were hosted by the Bangladeshi Welfare Organisation, One Housing Group and the Canary Wharf Estate.


text:
In Search of Net Zero
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory wants to be the greenest office building in the country. Here's how.
By STEPHANIE SIMON
GOLDEN, Colo.—It takes a certain ruthlessness to create the greenest office building in the nation.
The Journal Report
See the complete Environment report.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a unit of the U.S. Department of Energy, is midway through construction of a $64 million project that lays claim to that title. The architects and engineers have spent hundreds of hours calculating the energy use of every aspect of the building, from the elevator to the exit signs. They have tweaked the design again and again with the aim of getting the 218,000-square-foot building to perform at net zero—meaning it will consume so little energy that it won't need to draw a single electron from the grid.
Building Green
The NREL's $64 million, 218,000-square-foot research campus is being built to the highest green standards.
The calculations leave little margin for error, however, so project manager Eric Telesmanich is girding for a new role as energy enforcer next summer, once the lab's 750 employees move into the building, located on NREL's campus in this Denver suburb. No personal mini-fridges or microwaves or space heaters.
If he has to, Mr. Telesmanich says, he will do an outlet audit and unplug any unauthorized energy hogs. "We have to be the police," he says. "We're introducing our occupants to the new energy culture."
Nationally, 191 commercial buildings meet the most stringent standards for sustainability laid out by the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington nonprofit that promotes and certifies green building practices. The NREL building is designed to go well beyond the highest standard—a designation known as LEED platinum—to reach net zero. No other commercial building of its size has achieved that goal in the U.S., according to the U.S. Green Building Council; just a few have made it in Europe.
A Smart Building
NREL began the project by setting an energy budget for the building based on British thermal units, a standard measure of energy, in addition to a financial budget. NREL told designers bidding on the project that the new building could use no more than 32,000 BTUs per square foot a year. A typical office building in the Rocky Mountain region uses 65,000 BTUs per square foot a year, says the U.S. Green Building Council. If the building stays within its limits, all its energy use should be covered by a one-megawatt solar array being built on the NREL campus.
To achieve that goal, the winning design-build team—which included the international architectural firm RNL; Haselden Construction LLC of Centennial, Colo.; and Stantec Consulting, a North American engineering firm—assembled a crew of 180 to rethink the concept of an office building, from the outside in. "Traditional architecture is design first, then figure out how to make it work," says Rich von Luhrte, president of RNL, which has offices in Denver. "This project reverses that mindset: Energy drives the design."
A rendering of the NREL building's exterior
Instead of a blockish tower, Philip A. Macey, a senior associate at RNL, drafted plans for two long, narrow wings of office space positioned along an east-west axis to catch maximum light. A mirrored louver built into the building's south-facing windows will bounce that daylight toward the ceiling, where it should diffuse, creating a natural overhead light that Mr. Macey says will be adequate on all but the darkest days.
It had better be: Though employees will have 10-watt LED lamps on their desks, they will have no way to turn on overhead lights. The building will switch them on automatically when the daylight recedes.
The building, in fact, will control a good deal of the working environment. Some windows will open and close automatically as outdoor air warms and cools throughout the day. Other windows will be left to employees to operate—but the building will ping occupants with reminders, flashing alerts on their laptops (desktops use too much energy) when it is time to open or close particular panes.
Some windows will be shrouded to minimize glare and heat. Others will be coated with a reflective film developed by RavenBrick LLC of Denver. The glass darkens automatically as the temperature rises, so it reflects the sun's heat away from the building while still allowing daylight to penetrate.
"It's a smart building that knows what it needs," says Brian Livingston, a project executive with Haselden Construction.
It's also an office building without, well, offices.
Putting up walls and ceilings to create individual work spaces impedes the flow of daylight and ventilation. So architects banned the traditional office. They did include a few semi-private rooms with walls that reach about halfway toward the exposed struts and girders that pass for a ceiling. Most employees, however, will work in cubicles with low dividing walls.
The cubicles were engineered to save energy down to the smallest detail; even the phones, for instance, are special models that use 2.8 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month, compared with 10.8 kilowatt-hours for standard models.
The lack of privacy—not to mention the shortage of storage space, since the cubicle walls are too low to hold shelves—has been a bit of a culture shock for NREL employees who reviewed the plans, says John Andary, a principal at Stantec Consulting. "It's hard to get people out of the mindset, 'I need an office with walls up to here,' " he says.
Another striking feature of the NREL building: It will have no central air or heat and no fixed thermostat. The temperature will fluctuate during the day, though it shouldn't go below 68 degrees or above 80.
Temperature is regulated through an age-old concept known as "thermal mass," which involves sheathing the building in concrete panels nearly a foot thick. In summer, the panels will absorb the sun's heat, keeping the interior of the building comfortable, much the way an old stone cathedral remains cool inside even on the warmest days.
In winter, the building relies on thin sheets of perforated metal that hang down south-facing walls. The metal is painted black, so it heats up quickly in the intense Denver sunshine. Air flowing through holes in the hot sheet metal is also warmed. A fan then sucks the warm air into an underground labyrinth—a crawl space crowded with a maze of concrete blocks. The labyrinth stores the warm air until it is needed elsewhere in the building.
A backup system of 42 miles of radiant piping runs through the building's hollow floors, using hot and cold water to keep work space comfortable even in the most extreme weather.
Higher Construction Costs
All of these techniques cost a premium. A run-of-the-mill office tower in Denver costs about $140 per square foot to design and build, according to an analysis by RSMeans, a unit of Reed Construction Data.
The NREL building costs about twice that, almost $280 a square foot unfurnished, according to Haselden Construction. But NREL says its building meets federal guidelines for government construction costs—federal buildings generally cost more because of added safety and security requirements—and is, in fact, no more expensive than a standard government office building that has fewer energy-efficiency features.
Though the building's energy use has been extensively modeled—the computer analysis fills 1,000 gigabytes of storage space—outside experts caution that few projects perform as advertised right off the bat. "It takes a lot of complex massaging," says Scot Horst, a senior vice president at the U.S. Green Building Council.
NREL plans to report on its setbacks, as well as its successes, in scientific journals and presentations to developers, architects and engineers. Office buildings account for 18% of U.S. energy consumption, so any lessons about efficiency learned here could "have a huge impact on our nation's energy security," says Jeffrey Baker, director of the Energy Department's local field office.
The federal government also plans to continue studying—and tweaking—the building's energy use long after construction is complete. "That is critically important," says Bob Fox, a partner at the New York firm Cook + Fox Architects, which focuses on green building. "We need more projects like this to push the envelope."
— Ms. Simon is a staff reporter in The Wall Street Journal's Dallas bureau. She can be reached at stephanie.simon@wsj.com.


[All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers. Any payment transactions will be encrypted.] Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our Site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone.
You have the right to ask us not to process your personal data for marketing purposes. We will usually inform you (before collecting your data) if we intend to use your data for such purposes or if we intend to disclose your information to any third party for such purposes. You can exercise your right to prevent such processing by checking certain boxes on the forms we use to collect your data. You can also exercise the right at any time by contacting us at Data Manager, Warners Group Publications Plc, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne PE10 9PH.


text:
Home > Libraries > LIBRARIESPUBLISHING > SPS > SPSOAJ > ARTLAS > Vol. 4 (2015) > Iss. 2
Sur les traces de la fabrique artistique : quelques réflexions sur la dimension spatiale et matérielle de l'histoire de l'art
Vincent Veschambre, ENSA LyonFollow
This text gives a reading of the notion of trace in the perspective of a geographer's scientific trajectory, committed to grasping individual and social relations to space. Applying this notion to art history probes into the identification of who inscribes art in space, and for what purpose. Such an approach bears similarities with archeology, which cares for the lesser known or recognized traces, and is able to recast the wealth of social actors that have been concealed by history.
Veschambre, Vincent. "Sur les traces de la fabrique artistique : quelques réflexions sur la dimension spatiale et matérielle de l'histoire de l'art." Artl@s Bulletin 4, no. 2 (2015): Article 2.
Architecture Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons
All Issues Vol. 11, Iss. 2 Vol. 11, Iss. 1 Vol. 10, Iss. 2 Vol. 10, Iss. 1 Vol. 9, Iss. 1 Vol. 8, Iss. 3 Vol. 8, Iss. 2 Vol. 8, Iss. 1 Vol. 7, Iss. 2 Vol. 7, Iss. 1 Vol. 6, Iss. 3 Vol. 6, Iss. 2 Vol. 6, Iss. 1 Vol. 5, Iss. 2 Vol. 5, Iss. 1 Vol. 4, Iss. 2 Vol. 4, Iss. 1 Vol. 3, Iss. 2 Vol. 3, Iss. 1 Vol. 2, Iss. 2 Vol. 2, Iss. 1 Vol. 1, Iss. 1


text:
Sustainable Event Measures
Mayors Forum 2019
World Cities Summit 2018
WCS 2021 Preview
Programme Features
WCS Mayors Forum
City Portraits
Mayors Forum 2019 Programme at a glance
Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize
WCS Young Leaders
Partners & Media
WCS 2021 Sponsors
Press Releases & Speeches
Home > Media Releases > SOUTHEAST ASIA SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED FOR GLOBAL FUTURE CITIES COMPETITION
SOUTHEAST ASIA SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED FOR GLOBAL FUTURE CITIES COMPETITION
SINGAPORE – 9 JULY - An idea to address the problem of trade and tourism imbalance in Bali, extinction of indigenous identities in Kuala Lumpur and the lack of affordable housing in Manila are among those shortlisted for Southeast Asia in a global competition run by RICS (the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors).
These are just some of the entries showcased at the Cities for Our Future showcase-cum-panel session, which will take place at 2:15pm – 3:15pm on 10 July at the City Innovators Area, as a co-located event at the World Cities Summit 2018.
The full shortlist of entries announced:
Construction of an innovation hub in the North West of Bali to help address the trade and tourism imbalance proposed by Alistair Brook from Ireland.
New vernacular housing geared towards preserving cultural identities in Kuala Lumpur proposed by Hasseef Rafiei from the United Kingdom.
Affordable, expandable, modular, bamboo housing in Manila to address the housing crisis proposed by Earl Patrick Forlales from the Philippines.
An accessible and affordable banking app for the people of the Philippines proposed by Junver Arcayna from the Philippines.
Reinforced concrete tiles to be introduced in Singapore that convert waste heat energy to useful electrical energy proposed by John Laboguin from the Philippines.
With three million people moving to cities every week, the growth of the urban population is one of the biggest challenges facing society today. This rapid expansion is putting ever more strain on urban infrastructure and services. Many city dwellers live in slums or poor quality housing; many put up with poor air quality and inadequate transport links.
The Cities for our Future competition, run by RICS in partnership with the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO and the Association of Commonwealth Universities, called upon young people to come up with new ideas to help tackle the most pressing problems affecting cities in Southeast Asia and around the world. The overall winner of the competition will receive a prize of approximately S$90,000 (or £50,000).
Will Myles, Head Judge the Southeast Asia region and RICS Regional Managing Director, commented: "The entries are all very exciting. The ideas are original and showcase some of the best examples of forward-thinking from young people we've ever seen.
It is estimated that around 100 million people will move from the countryside to cities between 2015 and 2030 in Southeast Asia. The entrants have all looked to address this rapid urbanisation in their own way and I wish them all the best of luck in realising their visions of futuristic cities."
An overall winner from Southeast Asia will be announced in July and will go on to the global shortlist with the chance to win £50,000. All entries on the global shortlist will get the chance to work with an expert mentor provided by RICS, who will help develop the idea in the run up to the final judging in November.
Sean Tompkins, RICS Global CEO said: "Our aim with the Cities for our Future Competition was to harness the ideas of our diverse and talented young people to help solve the challenges of the cities they care about and make them better for generations to come. We hope that the leaders of the world's cities are listening and will work with us and all of our shortlisted entries to make these ideas a reality and help tackle some of the most pressing issues facing their cities."
For more information on the RICS 150 campaign, visit www.citiesforourfuture.com
About RICS
RICS is a global professional body. We promote and enforce the highest professional qualification and standards in the development and management of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure. Our name promises the consistent delivery of standards – bringing confidence to the markets we serve. The work of our professionals creates a safer world: we are proud of our profession's reputation and we guard it fiercely. RICS will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2018.
If you would like to attend the Cities for Our Future showcase-cum-panel session or for more information, kindly contact:
Lim Le-Anne, Head of Communications & External Affairs, Asia Pacific, RICS
DID: +65 6812 8177
Mob: +65 9478 8824
Email: llim@rics.org / Website: rics.org
070918_MEDIA-RELEASE_SOUTHEAST-ASIA-SHORTLIST-ANNOUNCED-FOR-GLOBAL-FUTURE-CITIES-COMPETITION_Rics.pdf 427.61 KB
Click to register for
Email: info@worldcities.com.sg
© 2020 , Government of Singapore. Last updated on 23 March 2020


President Trump has fired back at Senator Chuck Schumer after his announcement that he is withdrawing his offer to fund the border wall.
Earlier Tuesday evening the White House spoke after the news broke that Schumer was pulling back on his offer.
White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley slammed Schumer, "He comes over here with a phony plan and a fake promise," Gidley said.
After a three-day shutdown Democrats agreed to re-open the government because Senator Mitch McConnell promised that the Senate would bring DACA legislation to a vote in February.
During a White House Press conference on Tuesday Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the Flake-Graham-Durbin bill does not satisfy the White House.
Now, with Schumer pulling out funding for the border wall and pulling back from his original agreement he has pushed both sides even farther apart.
Usually, we don't voice our opinion but Schumer just made a big mistake for the third time. First, he promised the dreamers DACA legislation by Christmas and didn't do it. As a result, he ticked off a small portion of his base. Then this week he allowed Democrats to reopen the government and that really ticked off the whole base. Now, he's trying to play hardball and save face. However, now the Republican narrative holds weight, if Schumer shutdowns the government all Republicans are going to say is we extended CHIP, we told you a bill could be brought to the floor in February, and you went back on your promise. Additionally, if this goes back to a shutdown now every Republican is going to say you are hurting the military for people that are not Americans.
Look, many people feel it is moral to shut the government down and get DACA and that is their right to feel that way. The problem is Schumer may have made some serious errors in trying to get that done.
Either Schumer is going to have to hold out for the long haul or cave and most likely he is going to cave.
Three strikes and your out Chuck, the pitch count is 0-2, and that sliding fastball is coming.