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|Dan Dahlberg
|Richard Anderson
Physicists at the University of Minnesota are using very small, magnetic particles to answer questions in fundamental physics that have broad reaching implications in understanding some difficult real-world problems.
In the 1990s, Professor Dan Dahlberg was attempting to do spectroscopy measurements on magnetic tunnel junctions but was discouraged by other researchers saying there would be too much noise. While pursuing the spectroscopy, he had another graduate student look into the noise problem. Based on the graduate student's research, Dahlberg's group decided that many of the measurements previously published on magnetic noise were likely incorrect. A rather subtle overlooked effect was what others had been measuring and calling noise. "Being a physicist and believing in the laws of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, I knew there had to be magnetic fluctuations" which would produce measurable noise and that other scientists had not seen it.
Given this belief in the physics, Dahlberg and his group set out to develop a model system to observe and investigate magnetic noise. The model system they developed were small magnetic particles on a length scale that have different physics than that in both the macroscopic and the atomic regimes, a regime called mesoscopic. The smallest of the mesoscopic magnets they made are about 200 atoms on a side and 25 atoms thick. The different physics clearly showed magnetic noise that could be modeled accurately. "What's important about the work, is that historically at this length scale, people had measured collections of particles and relied on averages. We developed a system in which we can throw away the averages and measure one particle at a time." The devices which are built at the Nanocenter at the University of Minnesota are designed so that they can measure one particle at a time, by attaching four independent leads to each one. With four wires attached to a single particle, two wires can be used for passing current through the mesoscale magnet and the other two for measuring the voltage generated across it.
The magnetic particles exhibited random telegraph noise where the magnetization in a particle jumps back and forth between two directions; Dahlberg's devices are the best model system of random telegraph noise ever investigated.
"Anytime you develop a new technique or model system, it puts you into a regime where everything opens up," Dahlberg says. "I'd never studied noise in my life. Since then it's all I've been doing." For example, the mesoscale magnets are ideal to study stochastic resonance noise.
In certain systems, like his magnets, noise is generated by bouncing back and forth between two different states randomly. It turns out in this case the random noise can be used as an amplifier. "That's where the resonance come in, you use the thermal noise, the random bouncing back and forth, to amplify a small signal." This phenomenon hadn't been thoroughly explored because no one had developed a good model system. Dahlberg's magnetic particles ended up being ideal for this and his group has done the best studies to date on stochastic resonance. The testing of the stochastic resonance phenomena is important as it has been used as a fundamental model for brain function, signal analysis and in medicine.
Dahlberg's group also studies 1/f noise, sometimes called "pink noise," because of the appearance of visible light with this power spectrum. This noise is everywhere in nature from the fluctuations of the flood levels of the Nile to the traffic on the freeway. "We don't have a general framework, no formula such as f=ma, for 1/f noise." One theory is that it the noise is caused by a collection of random telegraph noise oscillators that act independently. In other words, even though the random telegraph noise of a single particle is not 1/f but when many are measured it is predicted to exhibit a 1/f type of noise. Dahlberg's group is able to take their small magnetic particles and chain them together to measure the noise in each individual particle and the noise of all the particles in the chain at once. The group has found that 1/f noise does indeed arise from a chain of random telegraph noise oscillators. This is the first confirmation of that theory. "Now could you identify a random telegraph oscillator in the flood levels of the Nile? I'm not sure, but in semiconductors and in electronic transport you have a chance to identify the random telegraph noise oscillator and this would tell you how 1/f noise arises."
Dahlberg's group is also applying their noise studies to a long term problem called spin glasses in which a disordered magnetic system has a phase transition that is complex and not well understood. Dahlberg's group are making measurements with their small systems where they can see behaviors in spin glasses that people have only been able to guess at because they've had to measure collections of particles.
Dahlberg's future research continues in the area of stochastic resonance, 1/f noise, and spin glass noise.


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I am delighted you want to check out my personal website, however
please talk to my agents about commissions as they handle all of that for me.
I look forward to working with you.
With influences like Lisa Frank, Super Mario and My Little Pony, you know you're in for a colourful ride with the young Australian illustrator Fionna Fernandes. Based in Sydney – the city where she grew up – she draws distinctive portraits for clients in fashion, editorial, advertising and more. Each work has a touch of fun to it as she selects a key detail to highlight, such as the lips on a model, or her eyelashes. These extra flourishes of pattern and colour lend Fionna's work a style of its own.
Fionna's career in creativity started back when she was little. She doodled all over her schoolbooks, and when she couldn't do that she sculpted little animal characters out of Blu-Tak. The 90s, Japanese culture, and the artists Laura Callaghan, Hattie Stewart, Kelly Smith, and Kelly Thompson are just some of her influences. At the moment, her dream is to go to the original Disneyland in California.
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subset: commoncrawl


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I understand anxiety. I understand my own mind. I know why I feel the way I do, when I do. And this is very early into recovery. At least I think its recovery. I know I might relapse. I know ill have dark days and that's ok! I know im determind and stubborn and strong and if setbacks come, ill just keep on pushing. Nathan and I have done more in the last 5 months than we ever did in 4 years. We used to get in the car and if I drove for more than 5 minutes he would say 'Mummy your going far' He had already learned that mummy didn't do as much as the rest of his family. He doesn't say that when we are driving now. He used to tell me he would like to go to certain places and he would tell me who would be taking him there. He knew mummy wouldn't. But now its always me who does these things. Today I went into town and bought him his first school uniform. In the past that job wouldn't have been done between my mum and online shopping. We go to the park, swimming, restaurants, play areas. And we have fun! As a little reward I have booked myself into a spa next weekend with my friend Karen. Karen has been in my position too and we actually met when she read my blog! Karen and I are going to stay in a very fancy rather posh hotel. We will have a 3 course luxurious dinner and we will spend the rest of the time in the spa having massages, going for a swim or a sauna. We will stay the night in the deluxe rooms and we will have a little drink, toasting ourselves and our hard work. Im nervous as its a distance I haven't travelled yet, but I have no doubt that I will make it.
I have decided with Karen that Instead of a 'Bucket List' We will be writing a (forgive me) 'fuck it' list. We will take on challenges that we never ever imagined we would be able to do. Clay pigeon shooting, paintballing, posh hotels, tattoos, snowboarding... all kind of random acts because these were things we just never had the guts to do. We missed so many years while our friends gained new experiences, travelled abroad etc, while we sat at home with anxiety. And so im sorry that I've been quiet... and I will update in much more detail soon xxx


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The Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts in Brockton will celebrate its 5th anniversary during its annual fundraising gala on Saturday.
BROCKTON - The Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts will celebrate its 5th anniversary during its annual fundraising gala on Saturday.
"Paws for Celebration" will be held from 6-10 p.m. on Saturday at The Shaw's Center, 1 Feinberg Way, Brockton.
The event, which includes a silent auction and wine and beer tasting, is the major fundraiser for the shelter at 1300 West Elm St. Extension.
The shelter cares for more than 1,000 homeless animals each year, officials said. With just four salaried workers, the shelter relies on its volunteers and donations to continue helping animals, said Joyce Caranchi, shelter manager.
"I continue to be amazed by the support we receive from our community," said Caranchi, of Quincy.
The shelter is located at the former MSPCA-Metro South site at 1300 West Elm St. Extension.
The MSPCA closed its Brockton shelter on Sept. 30, 2009, citing the slumping economy and dwindling investment revenue. The current shelter gets no financial help from the MSPCA. It runs entirely on donations from the public.
"Our work would not be possible without the help of our amazing volunteers and the generous contributions from those who understand the importance of providing all animals with love and care," Caranchi said.
Since opening its doors in 2009, the shelter has placed more than 4,000 animals in new homes, officials said.
Saturday's event is co-sponsored by The Shaw's Center, L. Knife & Son in Kingston, The Wine Guys of Easton, Hebert Candies in Shrewsbury, Bank of Easton, Pet Food Shoppe in Lakeville, Phillip's Candy House in Braintree, and Gowell's Homemade Candy in Brockton.
The event will feature auction items including travel and hotel packages, sports memorabilia, original artwork and handcrafted jewelry. DJ Spencer 4 Hire will provide entertainment.
Tickets are $45 per person. Tickets may be purchased online at www.apcsm.org/paws, by visiting the shelter or by calling 508-586-2053.
Dozens of animals, mostly cats, are available for adoption at the shelter. Adoption hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Maria Papadopoulos may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow on Twitter @MariaP_ENT.


text: Sijun Forums :: View topic - Dhabih's TF art Log in to check your private messages Sijun Forums Forum Index >> Random Musings View previous topic :: View next topic Author Topic : "Dhabih's TF art" RagnarokmemberMember #Joined: 12 Nov 2000Posts: 1085Location: Navarra, Spain Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 2:11 am I don't know if this has been posted (if so, apologies). I just think people here might be interested in the Team Fortress blog: http://www.teamfortress.com/ There are some post by Dhabih and som artwork for the game. I really like the Alpine style pics _________________"Ever forward, my darling wind." -Master Yuppa Seigetsu Back to top GortmemberMember #Joined: 09 Oct 2001Posts: 1545Location: Atlanta, GA Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 12:09 pm Fantastic images! Always a joy to view - thanks!_________________- Tom Carter "You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf" - Jack Kornfield Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Sijun Forums Forum Index -> Random Musings All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Digital Art----------------Digital Art DiscussionWork in ProgressGallery/Finished Work Miscellaneous----------------Random MusingsArchive : Sep99 - Dec00 You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Powered by phpBB © 2005 phpBB Group


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insulin glulisine (rDNA origin)
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Justice Kennedy's contempt
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has contempt for a swath of his fellow citizens.
If you disagree with him about gay marriage, indeed, if you merely think the federal government should continue to define marriage the traditional way while the states define it however they want, then you are a bigot. Your views deserve no political representation.
Story Continued Below
They should be ground underfoot by the five mightiest and most broadminded people in the land, presiding from their temple of rationality and tolerance at the United States Supreme Court.
Kennedy wrote Wednesday's majority decision striking down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman for purposes of federal law. The decision declared a position that had been held by President Barack Obama until the day before yesterday a relic of barbarism and set the predicate for the court — in its wisdom, nay, in its heightened state of enlightenment — to enshrine its view of marriage as the law from sea to shining sea.
The majority held that DOMA inflicts an "injury and indignity" on gay couples so severe that it denies "an essential part of the liberty protected by the Fifth Amendment." It is motivated by a "'bare congressional desire to harm a politically unpopular group.'" There is, in short, nothing to be said for it or the point of view of its supporters. Period. Full stop.
( PHOTOS: Who's who on the Supreme Court)
Kennedy mumbles about federalism concerns at the beginning of his decision, but it's hard to argue that the federal government can't have a definition of marriage as a guide to administering federal policy and benefits. As Ed Whelan of the Ethics and Public Policy Center points out, the federal government has myriad programs that require such a definition.
"Under provisions of the Internal Revenue Code," Whelan writes, "a person who is legally separated from his spouse, but not yet divorced, is treated as unmarried, as is a person whose spouse is a nonresident alien. Likewise, under the immigration laws, a marriage entered into for the purpose of gaining an immigrant's admission will be disregarded even though that marriage remains valid under state law."
( Also on POLITICO: John Roberts, the high court's chief peacemaker)
DOMA serves, as Justice Antonin Scalia points out in his dissent, a rather obvious purpose. If a gay couple marries in Albany, where gay marriage is recognized, and moves to Alabama, where it is not, is the federal government supposed to defer to the law of New York or Alabama? DOMA settles the question.


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Subscribe To 7 Days To Die Returns To Steam Updates
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Fun Pimps' zombie game 7 Days to Die has returned to Steam. The title's Greenlight page was removed for several days due to a legal dispute between Fun Pimps and Killing Floor developer Tripwire Interactive.
You can read the full blow-by-blow of the drama here. The basic gyst is that Fun Pimps bought a character model off the Unity Store that was actually stolen from Killing Floor. Tripwire contacted the other studio and tried to get them to remove the asset. When Fun Pimps didn't comply with the request, Tripwire filed a takedown notice with Steam.
When we last reported on the situation, Fun Pimps was working on a patch to take the stolen asset out of the game. The return of 7 Days' Steam Greenlight page suggests that they've made the necessary fixes.
7 Days To Die takes place in Navezgane County of Arizona after a World War. An unknown virus has turned many of the war's survivors into zombies. As one of the few remaining uninfected, the player must investigate the outbreak while keeping the zombies at bay.
Players can explore the game's open world and scavenge items and raw materials. They can also mine ore from deposits throughout the countryside. With these items in hand, they'll craft complex equipment such as autoturrets, landmines and potions to aid their survival.
7 Days is voxel-based like Minecraft so players can freely alter the environment. They can use explosives to tear chunks out of buildings or terrain. Players are also able to build structures to keep zombies at bay during the night when they're at their most ferocious.
It's distressing that Fun Pimps let the situation with Tripwire go as far as it did. It seems like that whole conflict could've been avoided pretty easily. Now that they've apparently put that issue behind them, though, they can go back to finishing up 7 Days. Even without legal distractions, they've got their work ahead of them to finish up such a hugely ambitious project.
7 Days To Die is currently in alpha. Though the game's been greenlit for Steam, the alpha version isn't available to purchase through that platform yet. Instead, you have to buy the game through 7 Days' website or have contributed to the Kickstarter campaign.


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Our1World is excited to co-sponsor this wonderful concert to benefit the Health Education Initiative (HEI) Program.
Nguyên Lê is a masterful, inventive player who has cultivated a wholly unique voice on the instrument; he ranks right up there with Frisell, John Scofield, Mike Stern & Allan Holdsworth in the post-Hendrix world of jazz guitar." – Jazztimes
What: Jazz Concert with Nguyen Le & Van Anh
We are putting this international jazz concert together with Nguyen Le from France, Van Anh (Emmy Award 2008) with Vietnamese dan tranh dan bau zither instruments, and the Bass player and taiko drummer.
When: Oct 15 7-9pm
Where: Oasis Center, Newport Beach, CA
Why: to promote Vietnamese culture and music, to promote to our youth that these instruments can be collaborated into world music and at the same time benefit the Health Education Initiative training on pediatric preventive care, CPR/1st Aid to teachers, caretakers, health care professionals so the children can have a safer environment at their school, their community.
How: ticket $35, $55, $75 online at www.va-ngo.org
We are looking for volunteers to help with the event, so please contact us if you're interested.
Concert Flyer
Download the flyer and tell your friends! Concert Flyer (pdf)


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|2007-11-22, 05:45
|Link #1
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Monster... Final Thoughts and Personal Opinion
After rewatching Monster again, I have a ton more questions. It's amazing how I thought rewatching would actually make the issues clearer, but instead ended up even more confused. Love this series!
Oh and I do not know how to add the spoiler button here so please be careful to people who hasn't seen the entire series!!!
Anyways, there probably is no direct answer that can be inferred from the series to my first question but here goes...
Question 1: Why didn't Johan bother looking for his mom once he fainted and started to trace his roots to Prague. I understand that Nina and Tenma's main objective was to find Johan, but I would've thought Johan might've wanted to "go back" to his mother and maybe kill/"erase" her?
Question 2: In the scene were Dr. Gilen (sorry for mispelling) analyzes Nina under hypnosis and ends up getting almost strangled by her, what is Nina recalling? It just sounded so scary when she said "Tadaima"... her voice changed etc... Who was she that she didn't want to say? She said "I'm not Nina". Dr. Gilen: "Who are you?" and she keeps saying itakunai, etc... who did she find out she was?
Question 3 : What is the one memory that only Johan has? I think it was Capek who said there is one memory missing in Nina or something.
Question 4: Do you guys think Bonaparta was evil or a monster? In the last scenes, he seemed like his vision was not as terrifying as he was made out to be. He shows compassion to the town. In the flashbacks, he is portrayed with a more sinister touch. Is the change just part of his character development or was he misrepresented? He fell in love with Anna (the mother), and actually wanted to conduct another type of experiment oppose the "Monster" one using Nina?
I simply don't understand!!!
If he were really "evil", how could he change his mind so quickly on Nina and telling her to not become a monster, after he poisoned (he did this right?) all the people in his mansion.
Question 5: How supernatural do you guys think the Johan Monster is? There's the reference of the Bible in the beginning introduction. Then there's the drunk guy who sees Johan as a physical devil. Schuwald said he saw hell in a living person's eyes. Was he imagining what hell was for Johan, or did he actually see it in Johan's eyes?
Everybody kept saying Johan is the kaputsu/monster, and that he was the devil (think: Martin)... so how many of you guys think Johan was human but just turned evil, or that Johan is indeed a devil incarnated but in human's body?
I know this is an old series now, but hope some minds still wander here so I can bounce ideas off. I can't seem to find any comprehensive websites on Monster! Like with people's own analysis, or plot summaries, etc...
|2007-11-27, 21:14
|Link #3
Join Date: Dec 2005
|2008-01-05, 21:44
|Link #5
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
For Strangette's(sorry if I misspelling) third question,
I think it might be the memories that Johan told Tenma in the end when Tenma visited him at the hospital,that showed us the mother did choose one of the twins.
As we can see in the manga,Nina didn't seem to remember about that.
Looks like Johan was the only one who remember.
|2008-01-31, 10:46
|Link #7
Join Date: Dec 2007
Question 2: In the scene were Dr. Gilen (sorry for mispelling) analyzes Nina under hypnosis and ends up getting almost strangled by her, what is Nina recalling? It just sounded so scary when she said "Tadaima"... her voice changed etc... Who was she that she didn't want to say? She said "I'm not Nina". Dr. Gilen: "Who are you?" and she keeps saying itakunai, etc... who did she find out she was?
Ok when Nina was saying "tadaima" I think that's Japanese for "I'm home"
|2008-02-19, 23:08
|Link #8
Join Date: Jul 2004
I stumbled across this anime without knowing what it was about and got hooked almost instantly. The story and music were amazing to me and the creepy atmosphere fit it perfect, although I'm glad the series was over before I started watching. I could see how it might be slow waiting a week in between episodes.
Anyways I'd recommend this to anyone looking for something a little different.
|2008-02-21, 00:40
|Link #9
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Spoiler for x:
|2008-02-22, 22:21
|Link #10
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
This series is a masterpiece. It gets down to the depths of humanity while portraying white, black, and gray within humanity's painting. I've also noticed countless biblical symbols within the series. For example, lets take satan, and see what the Bible has to characterize with.
(Other names include)
-The Devil
-The Father of lies
-The Prince of darkness
The Bible also says these other details about satan.
"He was the most beautiful angel"
"He will come to you as an angel of light"
"He will make sin look appealing"
"He will appear as a friend, only to stab you in the back"
"He comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy"
At the end of Monster, Wim's father said that he saw a monster with 7 heads.
In chapter 12 of Revelation, it states (Which was also the opening of episode 1):
"And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. "
This metaphor is also of satan.
It is my reason to believe, Johan was a character created to be an exact personification of true evil. In doing so, he is the personification of satan himself.
Also, we learn that it was not Johan who experienced all the tests at Red Rose Mansion, but Nina. So who can explain how exactly Johan was turned into the Monster he had become?
Last edited by Fayte; 2008-02-29 at 13:51.
|2008-05-24, 13:55
|Link #11
Just call me Ojisan
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: U.K. Hampshire
As announced in this forum, the Monster forum has been retired. This is just a natural part of a forum's lifespan. It has been a while since the new episodes of the show were aired. Over the time since then, the show has seen a great reduction of posting and attention. As a result, it is no longer meaningful to have a gadzillion threads to discuss the show.
This thread is one of the few remaining where discussion can still be posted. By concentrating discussion into a few threads it may be possible to actually have a semblance of interaction once more. Please continue to show Monster your enjoyment interest in these threads.
|2008-09-15, 10:35
|Link #12
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: New York, NY (Nov'08-Jun'10)
you could probably find biblical references in any art form if you looked hard enough, same applies for any other major system of beliefs
|2009-09-13, 04:00
|Link #13
Feeling comfy
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 44
A young boy took his mother's words to heart and vowed to do whatever he could to protect his twin sister. In so doing, he lost his sense of self and morality, becoming a beast in search of redemption that he no longer believed in. What separated him from his sister? The mere human capacity to give and receive love, the ability to forget sorrow and savour what little happiness life had to offer.
In retrospect, Monster has always been more of a tragedy to me than a psychological thriller. Despite the insistent protests of various characters throughout the show, I never could grasp what made Johann particularly evil or terrifying, compared to the demented serial killers of movies like Se7en or The Silence of the Lambs.
I have no doubt that killing is generally wrong but, to me, Monster consistently failed to make me feel why it should be so. Throughout the series, I felt nothing but cold detachment to the serial murders masterminded by Johann. Few of the killings he caused, whether directly or indirectly, had any emotional impact on me. I cared very little for most of the people he killed. As a result, more often than not, I was annoyed by Dr Tenma's constant hectoring on what is "right", with little justification apart from his blind conviction that it must be so.
In this sense, Monster lacks the sinister, seductive power of Se7en, or the sheer disgust inspired by The Silence of the Lambs.
It also doesn't help that, for the most part, the plot plods along at a dense, deliberate and despairing pace. This is a show that demands a great deal of patience and perseverance to sit through. In fact, it took me close to three weeks to rewatch all 74 episodes, from Aug 24 to Sept 12. And, during this time, plot holes and leaps of logic that were not apparent before now became embarrasingly obvious, threatening further to diminish my regard for the show and its characters.
And, yes, that's the surprise. Despite my gripes, in the end, I still hold Monster in very high regard. I may not think that it's the best-ever exploration of what goes on in the minds of serial killers, especially not when compared to similar stories in novels and live-action movies, but I do certainly believe that it's a milestone achievement in anime.
Monster stands as monumental proof of what can be achieved in manga and anime through methodical research and careful planning. As SeijiSensei had pointed out in another thread, this series is highly successful in large part because of its geographical and historical setting. It's a story that could work only in Germany, and only in the context of Cold War paranoia. It takes an amazing level of artistic insight to turn grey history into compelling fiction, and the result is a story that's so believable that it could almost be real. Few, if any, anime series has since been able to match Monster in terms of sheer imagination and gritty realism.
And that is deserving of nothing but the highest respect and accolade.
So, at the end of it all, who is the real monster? Here's the remarkable thing: While Johann may be the titular beast, for me, he turns out to be most sympathetic character of the show. There is no doubt that he is an anomaly, a human being cruelly stripped of his own identity and thus turned into an amoral monster. But before all that, he was also a child. A bright, intelligent boy. And, most of all, a twin who loved his sister more than anything else in the world.
The tragedy was that it took Nina so long to realise what her brother had suffered, a tragedy that was beyond her control and of which she too was a victim. If only she had figured out earlier that Johann had sought only forgiveness all this time, could things have turned out differently? In a master stroke on Urasawa's part, that's a question that will never be answered satisfactorily.
Because that's the way life is: varying shades of grey that manage only to be blurred further with age.
Humans can become anything they want to be. All it takes is a little push for them to fall either way.
"And what of the children?
Surely they couldn't be blamed,
for our mistakes.
For the love of life, we'll defeat this.
They may tear us down, but we'll go down fighting,
Won't we?"
|2009-10-15, 22:40
|Link #14
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
To me, Johann's evil is really about the capacity of humans to forgive. How far can you go before you are irredeemable? In this sense, Monster is different from Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs because it is less focused on the thrill of evil intelligence, human hypocrisy, lack of innocence and widespread culpability, and more concentrated on a sort of spiritual side of morality, if you will - not how guilty everyone is, but whether anyone can be guilty enough to never be forgiven. Not how far your justification can ethically take you, but to understand that the cycle needs to be broken. Not about how people should be punished, but how they can be changed and improved. There's a heavy message of perfectibility prevalent that indeed differentiates is from other thrillers, but I wouldn't say that this is done at the expense of suspense, catharsis, or quality. Simply, there are different - and I think, more important - ideas at work, which is what makes it such an amazing series.
|2009-10-16, 18:17
|Link #15
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
|2010-01-02, 11:49
|Link #17
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: East Boston, Massachusetts
Age: 30
|2010-06-10, 10:40
|Link #18
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
hello, I have a question about what happened to Johan "in the end."
The final scene, after Tenma visited Johan, shows an empty hospital bed. I noticed that the window next to his bed was open and a gust of wind was flowing in. Did Johan jump out the window, committing suicide, perhaps? Or did he simply escape?
Or...perhaps he repented for his sins and went to see his sister and/or his mother....I thought that the final scene with Tenma and Johan's mother might've been hinting at that, but I am still unsure.
So tell me, what REALLY happened to Johan after the final scene?
Does anyone have proof of what may've happened?
|2012-07-11, 14:11
|Link #20
Junior Member
I just finished Monster (manga) for the.. I don't even know how many times but I.. I still don't really understand the ending. (Though a part of me hopes it will be answered in Billy Bat but I doubt that)
Spoiler for Monster Ending:
Aahh.. I just had to get that out and this seemed like a good place ^^ (Sorry for the bump btw)
Edit - I noticed there was a lot of confusion in this subforum about Johan's 'Perfect Suicide'. Namely because it was to erase everyone who knew him but he never had any intention of killing Tenma or Nina. There are a lot of other characters who know of and have met Johan but he never kills them as well. Shuvald, Karl, Grimmer, Lunge and a lot of others. We know that the manga-ka isn't afraid to kill anyone so then it wasn't really Johan's intention to kill them. I think.. his perfect suicide was to kill everyone who knew him BEFORE. I'm not sure what the cut-off for that is, but that's the only thing I can come up with. You know, other than Johan forgetting about them (Johan the genius.. forgetting? No way)
Last edited by Corrugo; 2012-12-14 at 08:40. Reason: Adding more
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RIO DE JANEIRO — On approaching Glenn Greenwald's home office high in the jungle-encrusted mountains above Rio de Janeiro, all is tranquil, bucolic even. A gurgling stream at the entrance frames the idyll.
And then the dogs notice the incursion. They bark, yap and yowl, and while it's less "Heart of Darkness" than "101 Dalmatians," the sheer volume is mind-erasing.
Should we be surprised that the house of Mr. Greenwald, the legendarily combative privacy and national security reporter, is surrounded by loud, barking defenders — or that they are actually pussycats once you get to know them, as is their rescuer?
The visit to Mr. Greenwald's jungle redoubt about 15 minutes from the beaches of Rio last week was notable for its contradictions. He is among the most wired journalists on earth, but he lives and works in Brazil, a country with a notoriously flaky Internet infrastructure.
He may have launched the lightning bolt of the Edward Snowden revelations from this house, but when it rains — which is often — the power fails.
On television and in print, he comes across as the ultimate alpha, ferocious and unbending, but here the dogs refuse to obey him, looking for guidance from his husband, David, instead. The guy who issues face-melting rebukes on cable and Twitter is also the softy who keeps a pack of hot dogs in his car's glove box to throw to the dogs wandering the favelas.
Mr. Greenwald, 47, is a lawyer turned journalist — first blogging on his own, then for Salon, then The Guardian — turned Pulitzer Prize winner and author of multiple books.
He is now in the midst of building First Look Media, a digital news site funded by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay.
For all its challenges — the monkeys and dogs have daily throw-downs and some of the spiders are large and remarkably deadly — the location suits him, the eternal guerrilla fighting from the mountains. When cable television calls, he races down the hill to a satellite facility, suit coat and tie on top, sandals and shorts on the bottom.
On Tuesday morning last week, Mr. Greenwald was pleased. He woke up early and wrote an uncharacteristically brief post about the huge number of civilian casualties in the Gaza conflict. He was proud of the pie charts he had managed to conjure to go with his post.
"I went to Google and typed in 'create a pie chart' and I ended up with an online pie-chart maker probably intended for first graders," he said. I mentioned that he now works for a digital news site that has a $250 million endowment from Mr. Omidyar and some very talented data journalists and graphic artists.
"Yeah, I know, but I would have had to wait and I didn't want to wait," he said. "There are others things, like the 7,000-word story we just did on the surveillance of Muslim Americans that 15 people probably worked on — the video, graphic and editing resources make a huge difference. But I wanted this to be simple and I wanted it to be mine."
True to his intent, Mr. Greenwald's first-grade pie charts entered the bloodstream of the web, coursing around Twitter and various blogs. Nothing — other than yet another dog rescue — pleases Mr. Greenwald more than lobbing in something from a great distance and watching it detonate. He was doing that long before he ever wrote for The Intercept, the name of the site that he works with at First Look.
The day before, Mr. Omidyar had written that First Look, which initially said it would build a large, general-interest site featuring a number of digital magazines, would instead concentrate on the two sites it has already started: The Intercept, which includes Mr. Greenwald, the documentarian Laura Poitras and the journalist Jeremy Scahill, along with others; and a yet-to-be-named project led by Matt Taibbi, the former Rolling Stone reporter.
The readjustment is a recognition that web journalism that gains traction usually emanates from lone voices with a strong point of view. It's a reset, but from Mr. Greenwald's perspective the Internet is defined by reiteration and experimentation.
"I don't think there is going to be one model," he said.
As he spoke, his hands wandered between hitting refresh on his laptop to see updates on how his post was performing to dealing out random scratches for the dogs that wheeled by.
"That's why we've stopped and started and stopped and started," he said. "Figuring out a model is really hard because we don't want to be just a dependency of Pierre. We could — he has so much money — but I think he wants to create a new model of journalism, and that only works if it becomes in some way self-sustaining."
In his view, oxygen and audience will find those that it should.
"No one, not The New York Times, no one, is entitled to an audience," he said, looking across the table and smiling. "The ability to thrive is directly dependent upon your ability to convince people that you're providing something valuable and unique."
He praised Mr. Omidyar, who he says is just trying to level the field with legacy media.
"There's a lot of distrust of billionaires and the oligarchic model," he said. "People don't believe that you're really going to get to be journalistically independent. But you can't complain that there's not serious investigative journalism against big corporate and governmental outlets and then at the same time oppose every single model that lets you have the kind of funding that you need."
As a personal matter, his new approach is not that much different than the way it has always been.
"I began by writing 4,000-word posts about very arcane, complicated issues at a time when you were supposed to post two paragraphs," he said. "That was supposed to drive everybody away, but my audience just kept growing and growing. It worked because there was a passion and a conviction to it that is often missing in mainstream coverage."
Which is to say that Mr. Greenwald likes being part of building something larger with more resources — as long as he is free to wake up and use the digital equivalent of a pair of sticks and a rock to get his point out there, right away. Regardless of how it's published, he loves pushing the button on a post that is going to push people's buttons.
"It's funny," he said. "I'm working with a Silicon Valley technologist who became the 100th-richest person in the world through his understanding of programming, but half the time we can't communicate on the telephone because my Internet isn't working or my phone is out. It's an irony, but it's also a kind of balance for me."
That balance includes more than a dozen dogs — Sheeva, Sylvestre, Mabel, I lost track of the names. I pointed out that he is nearing cat-lady status, engulfed by his need to rescue. No, he said, "we have a limit, so I am not like a cat lady."
The limit, he said, is 12.
I counted 13 dogs.
"One of them is a guest dog and will be leaving soon."
Yeah, sure.
William Blake suggested that the road to excess leads to the palace of wisdom, so maybe Mr. Greenwald is on to something. It is a measure of the oddities of the current media age that part of the road to the future includes many switchbacks up this mountainside and the dogs that bark endlessly and ferociously, deep into the night.


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Antilles Province of the Society of Jesus
From Catholic Commons
The Antilles Province of the Society of Jesus is located in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
External Links
This article is a stub article about Jesuit Provinces around the world. You can help out by expanding the article on this province or any of the provinces categorized as a Jesuit province stub.


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8 Reviews
The pressure's on.
If you've broken a pump, or worse, a valve core, while frantically trying to fill your tube on the side of the road, you'll appreciate Lezyne's Flex Hose design found on the Road Drive Pump. The Flex Hose allows you to attach the holes to the valve, then pump air into the tube without worrying about being at just the right angle. On top of that, the Road Drive is capable of returning your tires to 160psi, so you won't be handicapped by a soft tire for the rest of your ride.
- Flex Hose design
- 160psi maximum
- Presta valve compatibility
- Frame pump mount included
- Item #LED0121
Tech Specs
Gearhead Help
Tech Specs
- Reviews
What do you think about this product?
Have questions about this product?
I have a bunch of Lenzyme products, only this one I donât like. Works poorly.
mini pump
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
Buy one. It is useful.
I've owned both medium and large.
Great Mini Pump
I bought the small version so that it would fit inside of a large sticky pod. It does this nicely.
The pump hose is nice and flexible. It also lets you use it as a slip on or screw on the valve stem. When using it as a slip on I could only go up to around 50 psi before it popped itself off. You will have to hold it in place or use the screw on end to get the high pressure for a road tire.
The pump works great for going to higher pressures. It will take some patience but you will get there.
Ruined my day
- Familiarity: I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions
First time I used this pump, after a few pumps, the valve got stuck and I was pulling on a vacuum. I banged it around a bit and got it working, only to stick again. I walked my bike home, asked for an RMA and won't look at this brand again. Maybe it was a one-time fluke thing on this one pump, but in my whole life I never had a pump fail like this. In 55 years I've only replaced pumps because I either lost them, had them stolen, or run over them with my car! 'nuff said.
the pump design is quite a good one, it just requires more care than a normal mini-pump. you need to be careful to thread the "ABS" end of the hose onto the presta valve stem, and that you fully thread the other end onto the pump. also make sure that the rubber seals are all in place, otherwise you will not get a good seal and pumping will be fruitless. after pumping to pressure, purge the pump's back-pressure by pressing the ABS button, then you can un-thread the hose from the presta valve. without doing this last step, you will have significant back-pressure, which will pull your valve core right out and negate all your hard pumping effort.
lezyne should be way more clear about this whole process. the documentation that comes with the pump doesn't fully explain this process, nor the need for it. once you have that down though, it's a very good pump.
the large replaced my zefal hpx
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
that's pretty much all that needs to be said by this old curmudgeon and frame pump hold out. takes only 20 more strokes, weighs well under half, doesn't rattle, well built and looks great. can't hit dogs with it, tho.
Pumps dont run out of CO2
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
Put it in your pocket and stop worrying about if you brought enough CO2 cartridges to get home. I bought mine after an unfortunate incident halfway up a climb fumbling around with my less than useful CO2 inflater; 2 CO2's later and finally borrowing a pump and I knew I needed a hand pump.
Fits in your pocket fine or pick up the sweet lezyne bottle cage which doubles as a pump cradle and leave it on your bike. The flex hose is an excellent feature helping both connecting to your valve stem but saving it from damage.
Which size do you own? I'm thinking of ordering the small as it will fit in jersey pocket better. I ride roadbike only. Just need it for getting back home in case of flat.
For what it's worth, I own a medium size. If I had to guess it probably takes another 15 or so pumps to get it up to pressure compared to its larger brother, but what's another 30 secs when you're already stuck on the side of the road? I recommend the small/med to save yourself the extra weight and bulk because hopefully you'll only need to use it once in a blue moon.
I think mine is a medium, fits fine in a jersey pocket.
perfect pump
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
this pump works great! fits schrader and presta valve tubes. fits great on the bikes.
Powerful hand pump
I have only had to use this pump twice, but on both occasions it was able to get me back on the road in under 10 minutes. It inflates relatively quickly, I find that it takes anywhere from 80-100 pumps to get a 23x700 up to operating pressure, and it stores neatly out of the way when not in use. The flexible hose is a big advantage over clip on style pumps as it allows you to pump swiftly without the fear of slipping off the valve-stem (or worse, breaking/bending the valve-stem).
I attach mine to my bike with a Lezyne bottle cage that has a built in pump holster. It rests closely to the seat tube, with plenty of room to clear the crank arm. Overall, a great and durable pump. I am constantly pleased with my lezyne products.
Do you own the small or medium?
I use a Tacx Tool Tube to carry a spare tire and other elements. Will one of these Lezyne Road Drive Pumps (size S) fit in it?
Does this pump work with both schrader and...
Does this pump work with both schrader and presta?
Yes it does! The hose is reversible.
Lezyne's web site says this pump is presta only: One end of the hose is a threaded Presta valve connection with ABS, while the other side has Lezyne's Slip Fit system for fast valve engagement.
it is definitely presta only. however, the pen gauge will do either (fits the medium or large road drive). the upside is you get a gauge also.. the downside is you lose the abs which increases the likelihood of pulling out the valve core when removing it, it costs a bit more and adds some weight.
does this come with a bracket to mount to...
does this come with a bracket to mount to frame
it does. it mounts under your water bottle cage.


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The following is a short summary of a minor investigation into aspects of David Icke's latest book and his star witnesses Arizona Wilder and Credo Mutwa. Wilder claims to have been a mind controlled slave who performed Satanic rituals for the Illuminati at which she witnessed many famous people including the Queen Mother, shapeshift physically from a human to a lizard and consume sacrificial victims. She claims that since her programming broke down she has been able to reveal this information to the wider public.
My own role in the Biggest Secret saga was that I was asked by David to help him check spelling and offer any further information to his initial draft of the book. It was following my input that David was introduced to Arizona and heard her revelations, which subsequently became a focal point within the book and used as 'evidence' to support various themes outlined therein.
Having discussed my concerns with David's wife and having sent David e-mails outlining my concerns over errors in his book and a feeling I have that he has been set up with misinformation and been the target of psychic manipulation, over a period from before publication to very recently (September 1999), and as yet having absolutely no feedback from David about any of the major concerns, I decided to publish my findings at the David Icke website forum.
Consequently, I was banned from attending that forum by David Icke.
I wish it to be known that I bear David Icke no malice over this affair and the reason for publishing this information is to seek clarification and also offer information of which most may not be aware. My fears may be unfounded, but I feel that after reading this, you may see they are justified. And if my fears have solid foundation, these issues need urgent clarification, both for the sake of David Icke and his readers.
My suspicions about Arizona Wilder (AW) first manifested the first time I heard of her. Something in me said, 'something isn't right here'. A familiar feeling which usually turns out to be trustworthy, as anyone who has read Lifting The Veil knows.
She was not mentioned at all in the draft copy of The Biggest Secret (TBS) which I had read. David had not met her yet. When the book was released people started ringing me with questions like, 'is it true about the reptiles', and 'is this stuff about the royal family true'. At which time I replied that I thought it was, based on the fact that the version I had read stated only the theory of the reptilians and that certain of the Royals were involved in Satanic rituals.
Soon I heard about Arizona Wilder. I reviewed the book again, this time the printed version, and asked Linda Icke (the British manager of Bridge of Love) to send a copy of the video from which AW's testimony was taken. I was by this time very dubious about AW's statements. Her statements had already overshadowed those of Christine Fitzgerald, Princess Diana's healer and confidante, which were prominent in the version I read and which were not so sensational. However, Fitzgerald's account may have been a 'taster' for what was to come, to ease the way for the far more incredible information which Wilder had to impart.
David stated that he saw his encounter with AW as an amazing synchronicity which endorsed his work in his latest book. How could she have known all of this stuff which tallied so exactly with TBS? Well, I believe I am not as naïve as David, and I know exactly how she could have known. He was passing copies of the book via post to me and others for editing. It was on computer. Both are simple to access by Intelligence people. We had also spoken over the phone about the reptilian issue. In fact I am shocked that David does not see this as a possibility himself.
This brings I another character who is pivotal to the entire Biggest Secret thesis. It was a contact of David's named Brian Desborough who introduced Arizona to David. Brian is mentioned as a source for a great deal of information in the book, having supplied most of the material upon which David based his idea that Martians came to Earth and founded the Aryan race which the reptilians used as a vehicle to overtake the planet. Brian is also the source of much of the information David had compiled on the Babylonian world, its myths and how they fed into the
sinister secret societies.
It was Brian Desborough, a scientist and researcher who had worked for several aerospace companies, who was also looking at the draft copy of the Biggest Secret at the same time as myself; i.e. before David met Arizona Wilder. Therefore the fact that Brian Desborough may be responsible for fundamentally leading the direction of David's research, if not planting much of the basis of the book in David's mind, is obvious. But then to be the same person responsible for giving him a so-called eye-witness to testify to the verity of that information is highly suspicious. Brian also writes articles on mind control and seems very knowledgeable on the subject. Is it possible that he could be directly involved in some way that we are not being told about? Cathy O'Brien testifies to having been taken to military aerospace locations and NASA bases for trauma-based programming.
David met AW and interviewed her for about 2 hours. Some of the questions were quite leading, but her testimony revealed an awful lot if you know what you are looking for. She did indeed endorse a great deal of David's own theses; that is other people's theses (again including many of Desborough's) which David has agreed with. So closely, in fact, you would almost think she had already read the book – or had been given the information beforehand! Or, considering that she claims to be an ex-mind controlled slave, could it be she was pre-programmed? Testimony from Mark Philips and Cathy O'Brien as to how arduous it is to deprogram a CIA slave makes me very suspicious that AW could be considered reliable. She claims that since her programmer died, the programming broke down. I don't believe this can be accepted as such, and external experts would have to be brought in to convince me that if she was controlled to the highest level, that she could be so deprogrammed now as to be considered reliable.
And don't forget how much influence her testimony had to the final version of David's book. It was her and only her who provided all the information about physically shapeshifting royalty, Pindar, the Belgian blood rituals which were allegedly attended by everyone from Laurence Gardner (!!??) to the Queen Mother!
Before I watched the video I dowsed the box with a pendulum and asked questions. I don't usually use dowsing, but considered it may be useful to evaluate this case from as many angles as I could because if I was correct in my gut feeling then I had stumbled upon some very significant realisations. The basic questions were:
Was she going to be telling me the truth? Yes. Wow! I hadn't expected that.
Was she also going to be telling lies? Yes. Ah!
As I thought she was a Multiple Personality, I assumed that she had been set up. So I asked, 'Is she going to deliberately misinform David?' Yes. This made me curious because I thought she would be doing it from programming.
I always like to ask questions I know the answers of now and then to check whether I am interpreting the pendulum correctly.
So I asked a question I was sure of the answer to: 'Is she a programmed multiple?' No. That was absolutely the last thing I expected. I couldn't see how she could be lying to deliberately misinform and not been a set-up multiple stooge.
'Then she isn't a multiple?' Yes.
'So has she ever been programmed as a multiple?' No.
'She is going to lie deliberately in full awareness?' Yes.
Now that was only an initial test and I don't put too much store in my abilities as a dowser. But I tell you my line of enquiry so that you know.
So I watched the video in order to get the full picture.
As I said, her testimony tallied so well with David's that I can see how he was so impressed. He has always stated that he works on cross-referencing testimonies and 'synchronicities' as proof. Well, this time I think the Intelligence people took advantage of that one!
More revealing, however, about AW's 'evidence' was that she demonised the ancient archetypes and occult images throughout. Osiris, Isis, Druids, even Harvest Festival. My own research tells me that there is a very positive side to these things. In fact these things are exactly what the Bible was written to obscure. AW's testimony was overtly Judeo-Christian in its level of gross and blanket demonisation of the occult. Something which I had warned David about doing when I read his draft. Something which he promised to amend for the final version.
But of course, that was before he met AW. And as a consequence of her testimony, it seems, David decided not to balance out his demonisation, but instead increased it. If I was going to set David up to make that mistake, that's exactly how I would have done it!
Then came some obvious bloopers. Having claimed to have been a multiple, she also states she forgets certain names of people. Multiples have photographic memory and perfect recall (see Cathy O'Brien's testimonies). This memory lapse does not happen in recovered multiples.
Her facts were either regularly wrong, or so full of spin that she was hardly credible. Other information is impossible for anyone to verify, conveniently.
I checked with 2 occultists about her description of the demon raising ritual and both stated she had it wrong. Strange for a top level Satanist!
Then she targeted Sitchin and Gardner and said they take part in blood rituals with the Royals where shapeshifting happens. Considering Gardner's books are revealing profound insights into the ancient knowledge, I am not surprised they wanted him demonised. I personally do not believe this testimony. I do however, think that Sitchin has been less than honest in his research, but again, the statement that he takes part in murderous rituals is more than I will accept without some pretty firm proof. But proof is offered nowhere in relation to AW's testimony.
She states the royal lizards change back to lizards when asleep. Considering how many of them were educated in schools where they also lived amongst hundreds of others in dorms, and how many of them were in the armed forces, you would think someone would have noticed this little thing!
She states that the royal lizards can't stay in human form at the scent of blood and transform and go crazy, ripping into their victims. And in all those years nobody has ever noticed this when they have cut themselves, been around blood, menstruating women etc. Considering they are so public, there is no way they have never been in the vicinity of blood. No signs there though either.
I thought, 'this is just too ridiculous for words. David how the hell are you allowing this nonsense to influence you?'
She regularly inverts important ideas. The ancient Egyptians were anointed with the fat of the dragon – the sacred crocodile. AW states that the royal lizards anoint themselves with the fat of humans. Head lizard is Pindar. How similar is Pindar to ben Pandir, the Talmudic name for Jesus? Reversal at a deep archetypal and psychological level? I think so. And there are more examples too numerous to go into. I think you get the point.
Then strange things started happening as I watched the video. I kept getting psychic impressions of other people overlaid on her face. The first, Ingrid Pitt, whom I associate with Countess Bathory as she played her in the film Countess Dracula. Bathory is reputed to have been kept young by bathing in the blood of virgins.
Then, of all people, Jimmy Carter. I immediately recall David's testimony in 'And The Truth Shall Set You Free', where he describes being possessed by Carter's energy from which he needed healing later. Was that a hint that David had been possessed again?
Then Sigourney Weaver. I had been informed by a seer once that she is a predator vehicle, like many others in the Hollywood scene. That is, she is possessed by the reptoid/Luciferic consciousness. I cannot claim to know that to be true, but it did seem to fit very neatly with the scenario I was experiencing.
Then a face I couldn't put a name to at first. I didn't know where I had seen her. Then later I realised, it was the face of the head alien reptile in the television series V, called Diana. A reptile in human skin who was conning the world to believe that the reptile aliens were on their side.
Was my higher self telling me something here or what?! Was AW a predator vehicle too, and not a multiple at all, like the dowsing suggested?
Again, I wanted more proof.
As I had been a nurse for 9 years, I am quite aware of body language and communication. What I was seeing with AW was someone who was far too inexpressive with her hands and expressions. She seemed to be deliberately avoiding any kind of body language in case she gave the game away.
I also know a genuine multiple who HAS performed satanic ritual called Patti and whom I had introduced David to years ago, setting him off on the track of this whole Satanic thing. He refers to her in his books 'I Am Me, I Am Free' and 'The Biggest Secret' as 'a contact from Darlington'. I know this woman well and am accustomed to her body language and how she flips between personalities and how she displays quite notable body language if you know what you are looking for. I also have interviewed her priest (an exorcist) and her ex-Harley Street therapist and discussed this subject at length. And I have spoken to Cathy O'Brien and Mark Philips about this, albeit briefly.
To me, AW was not displaying what I expected in terms of body language. Everything I saw told me she was hiding something.
So I contacted the aforementioned expert; a professional therapist, specialising in multiples and victims of abuse, including those from government level paedophile circles. I had introduced her to David a couple of years ago and he mentions her in TBS. She looked at the video and agreed with my analysis. AW was not a multiple, nor seems to have ever been one. Her body language did not reveal this and suggested that she was deliberately lying and trying to keep from revealing this. She also has grave concerns about David, his health, his reptilian thesis, and that he may be under a great deal of pressure and psychic attack from those trying to pervert his work. She agreed that what I suspected was the more likely case – AW is a deliberate set up and her testimony is absolutely not to be trusted.
I also emailed Cathy O'Brien and Mark Philips for a comment from them, but got no response. I later heard from another contact that they were avoiding speaking out about David's latest book.
I later got calls from some very concerned people telling me that AW tripped their inner warning bells so much that they couldn't accept her testimony and for that reason were very dubious about the book.
Others contacted me to say they were seeing negative energies around David.
If AW is a Satanist and has the kind of power she claims – and she would have to be one of the world's most powerful magicians to work for the global elite in their highest rituals – then David is in extreme danger of being infected by her demonic magic if he spends any time with her. If I am wrong, and she is a multiple, but has not recovered, she may be working on David without either his or her knowledge.
She also claims to be part of a church involved in satanic ritual. But she also claims to be out of it. But she also knows enough to warn people about forthcoming rituals. Is she in, or is she out? Who can tell?
How is she still around considering what she is revealing?
How did they let her programming slip?
How come she was performing rituals with the likes of Tony Blair (that means it must be very recent) at a time when her programming was coming apart? I have seen the chaos Patti goes through as she has been regaining coherence over the years. And this is the woman we are expected was performing the highest level rituals in the world? Give me a break!
So I phoned Linda Icke. I told her of my concerns. As well as my concerns over David's historical inaccuracies, lack of occult understanding, and flaws in his reptilian thesis. I said I was concerned that he had stated on radio that he was unusually drained of energy and had been ill for a while. She agreed I may be right and said that David has to face his own mistakes and defend himself in his own way.
Amazingly, when I told her what had transpired over the video and what I had looked into, she told me that David doesn't actually trust AW!!!! 'He's the first to say "you can't trust her,"' she said!!!
So why is he selling a 2-hour interview with the woman?!
Why is he accepting her testimony at all?
Why has he refashioned so much of his work around her claims?
If it hadn't been for her, the text would be far less sensational, less risible and have a far more balanced analysis of the occult.
This single woman has so overshadowed the real information in TBS that I no longer am able to trust a lot of it simply on David's say so. I no longer trust David's previously excellent antenna for getting to the truth.
Has Wilder also done something to David to lower his guard and turn him around? He certainly does not seem to me to be the same man he was. And that is what I am hearing time and time again from other people too.
I then contacted two people whom I know and trust who I consider to be as knowledgeable about the psychic aspects as I believe anybody could be. They both said the video was total nonsense. One (a well known author and Remote Viewing and mind control expert) agreed with my analysis 100%, that she was part of an Intelligence set up.
I showed Patti. She called the video, 'A piece of shit.' But granted, she may not be considered the ideal judge.
I had reports of people hosting David's lectures who were so disturbed by the incredibility of the video that they stated that if it were not for the fact that it was David supporting it, they would never have sold it.
Then consider the Illuminati ritual post on the website, which I refer to in my chapter The Predators (Truth Campaign magazine 14). AW and David warn people about key dates and asked them to send love and light to the reptiles. As I pointed out in the article, this only feeds the problem as they are feeding an illusion – a psychotronic virus. Moreover, on one of the dates mentioned, I attended, but did not partake in, a mass channelling meditation, which was actually a guided meditation which opened the participating crowd up to predator possession.
I feel compelled to see this as further confirmation that the entire AW scenario is part of a wider conspiracy to jointly misinform, psychically attack and control the audience!
Who is influencing David Icke and why? The results of following the book, and his advice certainly seem sinister.
Then we had the solar eclipse, another blood ritual date according to AW. David went to the Great Pyramid in Egypt on that date for the eclipse and made all kinds of superficial comments about what seemed to be going on there. He said people were prevented from going in, that the attendees may be using underground tunnels to get in to do their blood rituals etc. No proof. And everything was adequately explained by Amargi Hiller, an independent journalist who works closely investigating the Giza site, in a message which was posted on David's Forum.
But what did David do?
On this very powerful day, he had people all over the world sending thought energy based upon the most horrific images of blood-spattered tombs and child sacrifice, DIRECTED AT PERHAPS THE MOST POWERFUL ENERGY POINT IN THE WORLD! Did they really need to do a blood ritual with that kind of energy focussed on it? Is this another way that David has been set up to actually do the very job he is trying to expose?
I refer you to my chapter on the predators to see how that may fit into the Illuminati agenda.
Soon after this, David re-emerged from a trip to Africa announcing a new video called The Reptilian Agenda, which is an interview with a Zulu shaman called Credo Mutwa, who is confirming the existence of shapeshifting reptilians.
Credo recounts various ancient Zulu myths about the reptilian race which manipulates mankind, which are taken literally by himself and Icke and seen as remarkable confirmation of the reptile/human-race theory; although Credo's version is that the race actually originated on Earth, left it and returned. Furthermore, the central reptile/Aryan race thesis is fundamentally challenged by Mutwa's assertion that the black leaders of his country, and their bloodlines are from the reptilian race also.
Mutwa also speaks about personal encounters with 'grey' aliens, which he states are servants of the reptilians. He recounts eating the 'grey, rather dry' skin of the greys – which caused an hallucinogenic experience very reminiscent of LSD or similar drug experiences as well as a rash and intense itching. This, again, parallels MKULTRA mind control experiments/implantation experiences described by military abductees. Mutwa elsewhere, rather contradictorily, states elsewhere that 'greys' are actually reptilians with an artificial 'skin'. This contradiction is not challenged by Icke.
Interestingly, this man claims to have been abducted 40 years ago by greys, had something stuffed up his nose into his head etc. In an interview with The Spectrum Newspaper, Mutwa recalls walking down the street one day when a man approached him and quizzed him about knowing him from somewhere, and he recalled a memory about being in the underground facility where he was taken following his abduction, where he was experimented on by 'greys' in ways remarkably consistent with the classic MILAB (Military Abduction) scenario.
Mutwa states in the interview that this exact same thing has happened to many of his people.
The link with Montauk is also interesting. One engineer working on the 'Montauk Project', Preston Nichols, talks of having worked in the project – which included abductions for mind control. He says he remembers working in underground bases where greys and a reptilian creature also were. He recovered the memory of this after being confronted in the street by a man quizzing him on having seen him somewhere before.
This parallel, almost identical, scenario seems to be too coincidental. I think the greys and reptoid were implants in the vein described by Helmut Lammer in his book MILABS. Both tales have all the hallmarks of mind control. Mutwa is therefore, for my money, not a credible witness for David Icke.
David sees Mutwa as 'proof' of his thesis in his latest book, and since slightly altered aspects of his views to accommodate Mutwa's new information. Again, there is severe doubt cast on yet another of David's main sources of information on the reptilian issue.
However, the alien abduction issue aside, Mutwa seems a very genuine and sincere man, bravely determined to tell the world about what he feels is the plight of his people and their dreadful manipulation by the Illuminati forces. His interview with Spectrum can be read on Icke's website.
Both Mutwa and Wilder may be consciously absolutely genuine in recounting their experiences according to their memories. But knowing what we do about the long history of Illuminati/intelligence/military abduction and false memory implantation, mind-control etc., for propaganda, subversion and discrediting of witnesses purposes, I believe we need to be extremely careful before buying into what amount to little more than two circumstantial stories that offer next to no proof, given what we know of their backgrounds. One is a self-admitted Illuminati agent, and the other a self-admitted 'alien abductee'.
I ask you to consider this. Ask you self who benefits from you buying into Wilder's and Credo Mutwa's stories? Then consider what David says himself: 'JUST A COINCIDENCE, NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!'
It's entirely up to you. I am just giving this from my viewpoint.
I may be wrong. If I am, I apologise unreservedly for casting aspersions on those who may be genuine. But I think there are enough doubts to warrant further explanation from someone at Bridge of Love. Because if Wilder's and Desborough's claims in The Biggest Secret are essentially true, then it needs to be acted upon as a matter of urgency. But the evidence needs to be as accurate and enforceable as possible. At present I don't believe that a large amount of the so-called 'evidence' is any more than highly speculative, inaccurate and suspicious.
Does anybody have any more information to add to this?
Do David or Brian Desborough have any information to give us to show us we can trust Wilder? Is there anything David could tell us about Brian Desborough's background to allay any doubts we may have about his integrity, considering his massive influence in the content and direction of The Biggest Secret?
Does anybody have any direct proof of any of the wild claims being made? For example, if Mutwa has captured greys and eaten them, then are there any remains, photographs or corroborating witnesses to present? For, until some actual evidence of this story appears, all we have is a very good draft of a science fiction novel that still needs careful work to iron out the inconsistencies in the plot.
I wonder how many of the loopholes in the story will be closed as the thesis is conveniently ironed out over time, so that it serves as the 'master-theory' of conspiracy theories? How many remarkable witnesses will appear who have more pieces of the jigsaw as David strives to prove that his theory is really the Biggest Secret?
One historical inconsistency of David's book has been closed by Mutwa, as he tells of how the reptilians ordered that no direct image of their real appearance was to be depicted by anyone, otherwise that would mean instant death. This conveniently closes a loophole which David missed in his book, that despite claims by him to the contrary, there are actually very few depictions of reptilian gods in ancient sources. Of course we now know why. Instead, we are told, people depicted them in code, using various ciphers such as fish scaled creatures instead of reptilian scales etc.
But oddly, in an interview with Jeff Rense on his Sightings radio show on 14 October 1999, Mutwa claimed that the figure of Darth Maul – the alien 'baddie' in the latest Star Wars movie – is an absolute dead ringer for one of these 'gods', right down to the colour. As yet, I have not heard of the mass demise of George Lucas or the Star Wars makeup department and design team. Like the above example of the grey flesh vs. artificial skin contradiction, such inconsistencies go unchallenged by Icke and, it seems, by most of his audience. David has an excellent track record of bringing hard to get information into the wider public arena. He has worked extremely hard and endured a great deal of ridicule for courageously speaking out and standing up for what he believes in. It would be 'The Biggest Shame', if his efforts and work were to be overtaken and used by the very forces he seeks to expose.
From The Truth Campaign issue 15
Ivan Fraser


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Yesterday — Christmas Day — Bee Shaffer, daughter of Anna Wintour, posted a photo on Instagram with the caption: "My mom threw out our tree before Christmas Day because 'it was too messy.'" Daaaaaaaaaaaamn.
That is soooo Anna Wintour. The Vogue editor-in-chief has a reputation for being frosty; her New York daily newspaper nickname is Nuclear Wintour. But this shit is ice cold:
That said, Mindy Kaling's response is perfect:
That is so much more memorable than having a tree! I'm doing that next year


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Dr. Berger first obtained her veterinary degree in 1991 in Zurich, Switzerland. She moved to Davis, California in 1998, where she completed her residency in veterinary behavior and attained board certification with the American College for Veterinary Behaviorists from UC Davis in 2007. In 2014, she attained board certification from the American College of Animal Welfare. Since 2011, Dr. Berger has overseen all aspects of clinical behavior programs at the SF SPCA. In 2016, she became the Society's Vice President of Rescue and Welfare.
Dr. Berger and her husband Jeff live in Vacaville, CA with their dogs, cats, horses, sheep and chickens. Her hobbies include trail riding, hiking, skiing, and (red) wine tasting.


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beach asks management the tough questions.
"Is that chronologically or mentally? Chronologically, I'm 73. Mentally, I try to be aware of the new changes. I like to be aware and adapt. If you don't do that, it will make your life miserable," Beach suggested.
As board chairman of the $1.3 billion Boulder, Colo.-based Elevations Credit Union in 2008, the industry pioneer with nearly 50 years of service, embraces innovation and moving forward to meet the changing needs of members.
For his vision on helping to guide Elevations into new territories and his insights on the changing role of board members, Beach is Credit Union Times 2013 Trailblazer Volunteer of the Year.
Beach has served as chairman of Elevations since 2008. In 2012, he was instrumental in helping the credit union to reap the benefits of a merger with St. Vrain Valley Credit Union in Longmont, Colo., which doubled Elevations' market share in Longmont. Because of this merger, Elevations has formed a partnership with the St. Vrain Valley School District and the Longmont United Hospital, both key select employee groups of St. Vrain Valley Credit Union.
"In his time serving the industry, Carroll helped modernize the credit union industry and took it from the dusty back-roads of the country to the national consciousness and into homes around the world. In the process, Carroll helped shape state and federal legislation, regulation and authorities, and inevitably, he has shaped them for the better," said Gerry Agnes, president/ CEO of Elevations.
Beach's track record in the movement is long and illustrious. From his humble beginning as a small-town Kansas school teacher managing Lyon County Teachers Credit Union in 1964 with help from his wife, Ruth, to his term at the Kansas Credit Union League, the industry pioneer would go on to serve as CEO of the Colorado Credit Union System, where he was responsible for the executive leadership of the Colorado Credit Union League. Beach also served as president and chief operating officer of CO-OP Shared Branching Services and CEO of CUSC Shared Branching.
The past Herb Wegner Lifetime Achievement Award winner's influence was also felt across a number of legislative and regulatory fronts having served on a number of pivotal trade committees.
So the year that Beach was set to retire from CUSC, he got a call from Elevations to serve as the board chairman. He pondered the move.
"When I was asked, it surprised me. I said 'Gosh, I'm old,'" Carroll recalled. "I asked, 'Do you want someone who's been in the business for a long time.' But they said they needed someone with expertise."
He accepted the position with a few self-imposed conditions.
"I promised myself that that when I served on any board, I would try to be someone who I would want on a board. That meant supporting management but asking tough questions, not having a separate agenda and not playing gotcha with management," Beach explained. "I think it's important to members not to do that."
Having a clear distinction between board and management is also important to Beach. Having a hands-on policy has helped Elevations grow its assets during his chairman's tenure as well as its net worth by nearly 43%. That growth has come through an excellent team who take pride in delivering quality services and product, Beach said.
A high-performance culture combined with a board of directors that understands their roles increased Elevations' bottom line substantially in a number of areas including an increase in delivery channels through the credit union's 11 branches and keeping pace with the latest technology innovations.
In addition to his role as board chairman, Beach has been instrumental in carrying out outreach opportunities through the Elevations Foundation Board. In 2012, the foundation provided more than $240,000 for charitable causes and higher education efforts within the communities served by Elevations. More than $36,000 in relief funds was raised for temporary housing for victims displaced by the massive fires that scorched parts of Larimer County, Colo.
The foundation also raised over $135,000 in scholarships for higher education to area high school seniors based on financial need. Last year, a joint application was submitted through the National Credit Union Foundation for Intercambio Boulder. If successful, Elevations said it will fund $150,000 to provide financial literacy and credit union awareness to the immigrant community.
"He is raising a new generation of volunteers and credit union ambassadors. He has been an integral part of especially the state and national movement. Carroll is a true credit union leader and believer," said Scott Earl, president/ CEO of the Mountain West Credit Union Association, which represents credit unions in Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming.
Indeed, Elevation's nine-member board is a reflection of that new generation; among them, a woman in her 30s who works in restaurant chain management, a small business owner, a former college dean and a librarian. The diversity has helped foster strong communication and input.
"Our philosophy is we want board members that represent the membership we have. I know there are some boards that become involved in some issues that they shouldn't. I think the element of a good board is when to get involved and when to not get involved," Beach said. We work hard to make sure everyone has the opportunity to express their opinions."
When it comes to term limits, Beach has a few opinions about how they can be advantageous but also yield some unexpected outcomes. Elevation's nine-year term limit works although he would be open to discussions on revising that time frame, he said. Still, Beach recognizes that there is no magic formula when it comes to the amount of service on the board.
"You can get rid of a lot of noncontributing members but also contributing members. For someone who's 30 years old, not having term limits allows them to get in there and get involved," Beach said. "It certainly encourages younger people to get involved. But if you get someone in at 28 and then they're gone by 37, I'm not sure."
Married to his wife, Ruth, for 50 years and the father of two children, Beach jumps at the chance to spend time with his five grandchildren. Beach's son Craig Beach, is chief operating officer for COOP Shared Branching, and his daughter Sheila works in hotel management.
His service at Elevations goes beyond board meetings and financial spreadsheets.
"I believe in the credit union concept and philosophy. It's a combination of volunteerism and doing a professional job. It's an inspirational feeling to help people in the financial arena and that's what keeps me involved. The country and the world need an alternative."
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European Carbon market – ETS Market Outlook for Post 2012: IETA Side Event.
European Carbon market – ETS
Market Outlook for Post 2012
IETA Side Event.
Notes by Lloyd C. Irland [1]
I attended a side event sponsored by IETA, the International Emissions Trading Association.This is a trade group of the financial institutions involved in trading allowances and in financing carbon offset projects.In a way, collectively, their members are the "carbon market".I thought this summary might interest those who are following the development of US Cap and Trade programs, and who look to the price of carbon in these markets as a major factor in developing RED and other forest-based offset projects.This panel was moderated by John Scowcroft, or Eurelectric, a trade group of the electric utility industry.
This session focused on understanding how the rules and market forces will…
The 17-pound squealing baby in the room
During one of yesterday's side events, a woman sat on the floor with a baby on her lap. The baby occasionally giggled loudly, dropped her bottle, and a few times started crying, which was pretty distracting for those of us on that side of the room. Initially I was annoyed that someone would bring a toddler to a climate conference and allow it to disrupt the meeting. But when I gave it some more thought, I realized that she served as an important reminder of the future generations who don't have a say in this conference, but who will likely spend more time on a climate-changed Earth than I will.
How will the decisions made at this event impact her?
Now I wish there were more children running…
A climate change denier braves COP
Christopher Monckton, the well-known British climate change denier, was spotted near the Yale booth around lunchtime today. When I saw him, he was the focus of a gleeful swarm of youth activists. While Monckton engaged in heated debate with a handful of energetic young people, a couple of daring souls found a different way to get the last word. Monckton walked away sporting stickers that read "I love climate change" and "350 ppm" on his back.
Follow up on 12/12: Read more about Lord Monckton's confrontation with youth activists on The Lede blog at the New York Times…
China in Copenhagen Day 3: It's getting hot in here – Tuvalu raises the bar, China reacts
By Angel Hsu and Christopher Kieran
Another post by 'Team China.' These posts are originally being featured on Green Leap Forward and also cross-posted on Climateprogress.org and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy's blog.
While the drama surrounding the Guardian's leak of a "secret" Danish negotiating text seems to be fizzling down (see our previous post), this was most likely due in some part to a small island nation now famous here in Copenhagen. Yes, you guessed it – Tuvalu, a tiny Polynesian island occupying just 10 square miles of the Pacific Ocean.
During the morning plenary session today, however, the Tuvaluans were not as diminutive as the size of their small island state would suggest. After Tuvalou proposed the creation of a contact group for a 'Copenhagen Protocol' (full text of draft here), China's apparent negative reactions sent the Tuvaluans to motion for a suspension of the talks. The proposed 'Copenhagen Protocol' would parallel the current negotiations regarding the Kyoto Protocol (KP). It would be stricter than Kyoto, and legally bind parties to keep global atmospheric CO2 concentrations to 350 parts per million and global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.
Climate Change Impacts to Coral Reefs
Part of my interest in attending the 15th COP is to understand how climate change impacts to the oceans are featuring in these environmental negotiations.
China in Copenhagen Day 2: Danish Distraction; Su Wei Gets Tough on the Developed World
By Angel Hsu and Christopher Kieran
A group of Yale Forestry and Environmental Studies graduate students are following the Chinese negotiations team over the two weeks. These posts are originally being featured on Green Leap Forward and also cross-posted on Climateprogress.org and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy's blog.
The China Information and Communication Center (中国新闻与交流中心) held an unpublicized press briefing featuring Su Wei (pictured center of panel), China's lead negotiator and Director-General of the NDRC's Department of Climate Change. While mainly consisting of reporters, the event was open to anyone – well, just about any one of 50 people with their ear to the ground who managed to squeeze in early before crowds more were turned away. We were two of the lucky few who successfully navigated to the quiet back corner of the Bella Center, near the Chinese delegation's offices, where the briefing took place. The briefing also came after China and the G-77 delegations canceled their press conferences this afternoon, only to restage them later in the day, supposedly in response to some controversy over leaked Danish draft text. But more on this later.
China in Copenhagen Day 1: Framing the Issues
A group of Yale Forestry and Environmental Studies graduate students are following the Chinese negotiations team over the two weeks. These posts are originally being featured on Green Leap Forward and also cross-posted on Climateprogress.org and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy's blog.
Angel Hsu is a Doctoral Student at Yale University, focusing on Chinese environmental performance measurement, policy and governance. Prior to Yale, she worked in the Climate Change and Energy Program at the World Resources Institute, a Washington-based environmental think-tank. There,she managed the GHG Protocol's projects in China, which focused on capacity-building on greenhouse gas accounting and reporting standards for Chinese government and businesses…
Video: A quick walk through COP 15
this should give you the feel of the Bella Center, the home of the UN's 15th Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol in Copenhagen, Denmark…
Climate Scoreboard for the world: FAIL?
Greetings from Copenhagen! There are huge gulfs between the delegations here, and the level of distrust seems high; a factor that only got worse after a version the supposed "Danish text" was leaked to reporters at the Guardian. More on that below. But what is even more striking is the gulf between even the supposed "serious" proposals and the science of climate change.
The Sustainability Institute's Climate Interactive team has launched a new tool called the Climate Scorecard. Every day they are re-running the current proposals through their C-ROADS climate model (which is also being used by the US State Department) and comparing that result with a 1.5 degree to 2-degree goal. The results are not pretty:
If you are reading this today, you are reading that…
Yale in Copenhagen
Yale has a strong representation at the COP15 talks in Copenhagen. F&ES students will post their observations from the conference here in the blog, and Yale Environment 360 will have frequent reports as well…


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Pope Benedict XVI has a reputation as a charming and shy man who is also deeply conservative in his outlook and teaching.
The German-born Pontiff, 85, who is resigning due to his age and diminishing strength, was elected to the papacy in 2005, only the second non-Italian Pope since 1522 and the oldest on election since the 18th century.
The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415.
But Pope Benedict's decision to retire should not come as too much of a surprise.
He said after he was elected to the Papacy that he had prayed not to get the post and was hoping for a peaceful old age.
As the powerful Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he was already well-known within the Catholic world before his election to the top job.
His image on elevation to the Papacy was one of an enforcer of Catholic orthodoxy and a cerebral disciplinarian who was unafraid to crack down on liberals and dissidents within the church.
While Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), he gained the nickname "God's Rottweiler" for his pursuit of Catholic theologians and clergy seen to stray from orthodox teaching.
His pronouncements before becoming Pope included labelling homosexuality a "more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil" and saying rock music could be a "vehicle of anti-religion".
The Pope has also proved himself to be strongly against the ordination of women as priests, euthanasia, abortion and the use of artificial birth control.
Since his election as Pontiff his image has softened, leading him to be dubbed "Benedict the Benign" in some quarters – but he has also attracted considerable controversy.
The Pope's 2009 visit to Africa was overshadowed by a row sparked by comments he made while flying to the continent in which he rejected condoms in the fight against Aids.
His decision in 2009 to lift the ex-communication on renegade English cleric Richard Williamson, who made comments suggesting only 200,000 to 300,000 Jews died in the Holocaust and none perished in gas chambers, also caused uproar.
The Pope later issued a letter expressing his regret about the damage the affair caused to relations with the Jewish community, saying he had not known about Williamson's stance on the Holocaust when he took the decision to lift the ex-communication.
Perhaps his biggest setback as Pope was during his visit to Germany in 2006 when he was caught in a firestorm of criticism from the Islamic world after giving a lecture at his old university of Regensburg.
Quoting from an obscure Medieval text, he cited the words of a Byzantine emperor who characterised some of the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, Islam's founder, as "evil and inhuman" – remarks that touched off widespread anger across the Muslim world.
The anger and violence sparked by his comments including attacks on seven churches in the West Bank and Gaza posed one of the biggest international crises involving the Vatican in decades.
In Somalia, gunmen killed an Italian nun and her bodyguard at the entrance of a hospital where she worked, in an attack that some feared was linked to the outrage over the Pope's remarks.
He later apologised, saying he was "deeply sorry" about the angry reaction to his remarks about Islam and holy war, saying the text he quoted did not reflect his personal opinion.
The Pope was made Archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1977 after a career as a university professor.
He was born in the village of Marktl am Inn in Bavaria - he explained on a visit to Germany after his election "my heart beats Bavarian".
His formative years coincided with the lifespan of the Third Reich. His family opposed National Socialism but did not participate in public resistance to the Nazis.
He was forced against his will into Hitler Youth at the age of 14 and into the Wehrmacht at 16, serving in an anti-aircraft unit before deserting towards the end of the war.
He was once viewed as a progressive within the Catholic Church and played a key role in the reforming Vatican II, the meeting between 1963 and 1965 that introduced sweeping reforms to the church.
It is believed that his experience of Marxist unrest amongst students in the theology faculty in Tubingen, southern Germany, in 1968 where he was a professor contributed to his conservative outlook.
In private, the Pope is known to be an accomplished pianist and a lover of Mozart.
He is also a cat lover and, as Cardinal Ratzinger, was known to have looked after stray cats in Rome.