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Is Belief in God Meritorious?
The Gospel message in the Bible assumes the existence of God. So, is belief in God, in and of itself, meritorious?
Belief in God is basic to Christianity. The Bible never sets out to prove the existence of God — it assumes God's existence. Yes, the apostle Paul in the book of Romans say that God's existence can be seen from created things — but in a day and age when people talk and write (quite seriously) about self-organization in the universe, and the development of life from natural processes, this observation seems a bit less obvious than it did at the time it was written. The Christian Gospel of Jesus Christ has a lot of backstory to it. The Old Testament story of Israel is an assumption for the New Testament. The story of Jesus is understood against the backdrop of the previous story of Israel. And, what we have in the Old Testament is the story of Israel's relationship with God. This growing and changing portrait of God lies behind all that Jesus says about his "heavenly Father."
So, if belief in God is considered a disputed point, can the Gospel still be heard?
Or, looking at it another way: if faith in Christ is the basis of human salvation from sin and divine judgement (as generally regarded by Christians), and faith in Christ presupposes belief in God, then is belief in God itself meritorious?
Some people already believe that the issue of faith versus unbelief is the existence of God. They seem to think belief in the existence of God, per se, is the essence of Christianity — and that it somehow helps to make one a "good person." I don't know how many people really think like that — but it appears that some do. Yet, for Christians, the issue of faith is trust in Christ. We see Christ as being our way to understanding God.
Is belief in [a] God meritorious? I think the answer is No. My reasons follow.
1.) The Christian faith places a high value on what is true and real. It has sometimes been pointed out that Christian faith, in some ways, gave impetus to the rise of science — and scientific method. Certainly a Bible that contains such a passage as this:
"Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, 'If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'" (John 8:31, 32 NRSV).
is also a book which is concerned about what is real and true.
For some people the question of the existence of God is a question about what is objectively real and true. Making it an issue of salvation (let's say) or an issue of good and evil prejudices the question. And, it makes it seem like salvation from God's judgement rest upon opinions only — which it certainly does not. Belief in God per se, is not, in itself, saving. As the letter of James reminds us: "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe — and shudder." (James 2:19 NRSV). There is obviously no merit in believing what one is forced or (eschatologically) threatened to believe — especially if it is something which we might otherwise think is false.
2.) It matters what kind of God a person affirms. There are toxic conceptions of God. If God is understood as being harsh and cruel, his followers tend to become harsh and cruel. An authoritarian God produces authoritarian disciples. God is the center of meaning and value. God gives direction to life. People, thus, become like the God they serve.
This is why Calvinism bothers some of us so deeply. This point of view seems to posit the existence of an capricious and monstrous God who (from before all time) chose some for salvation and deliberately by-passed all others. This is a God who certainly does not "love the world" — and all the people in it. Further, this point of view seems to see power as constraint — rather than self-giving love.
Thus, John Wesley says of the Calvinistic doctrine of predestination:
This is the blasphemy clearly contained in the horrible decree of predestination! And here I fix my foot. On this I join issue with every assertor of it. You represent God as worse than the devil; more false, more cruel, more unjust. But you say you will prove it by scripture. Hold! What will you prove by Scripture? That God is worse than the devil? It cannot be. Whatever that Scripture proves, it never proved this; whatever its true meaning be. This cannot be its true meaning. Do you ask, "What is its true meaning then?" If I say, " I know not," you have gained nothing; for there are many scriptures the true sense whereof neither you nor I shall know till death is swallowed up in victory. But this I know, better it were to say it had no sense, than to say it had such a sense as this. It cannot mean, whatever it mean besides, that the God of truth is a liar. Let it mean what it will, it cannot mean that the Judge of all the world is unjust. No scripture can mean that God is not love, or that his mercy is not over all his works; that is, whatever it prove beside, no scripture can prove predestination. (Sermon #128 – Free Grace.)
This also may have been what was behind the recent controversies over "whether Christians and Muslims believe in the same God." Obviously, there are similarities, but there are also differences. I guess some people think that the Muslim idea of God is necessarily war-like and cruel — and thus, Islam is necessarily war-like and cruel. It appears to me that there is reason to think otherwise — that many Muslims do affirm a God of love and justice — but, nonetheless, the issue of the character of God is not an irrelevant issue.
The character of God shapes the worshiper. In line with the Old Testament, Christians affirm a God who is "is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love"; a God who is "is good to all" and whose "compassion is over all that he has made." (Psalms 145:8, 9 NRSV.)
I have often suspected that many people have resorted to atheism because they have come to see the idea of God as being the ultimate enemy of human freedom. (It always seemed to me that the atheism of Christopher Hitchens was of this type.) I have addressed this issue before. It seems to me, on the contrary that the idea of God is the basis for affirming human worth, human freedom, and human moral responsibility. When God is denied, political regimes are more likely to become unrestrained and oppressive. But, the objection makes sense to me — and no one can deny that religious oppression exists.
3.) The Bible and the early Christians never set out to prove the existence of God in the contemporary sense. The only passage in the Bible that comes close to trying to prove God's existence is the (aforementioned) passage in the writings of the apostle Paul: Romans 1:18-23:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse; for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. (NRSV.)
Idolatry is the issue the apostle Paul is addressing — not atheism as we know it today. My sense of this passage is that he is primarily concerned with moral issues. He is focusing attention on the moral effects of exchanging the "eternal power and divine nature" of God for "images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles." This is hardly a dispassionate philosophical argument on the pros and cons of theism. His concern is the moral effects of idolatry. In a similar way the Psalms say that "Fools say in their hearts, 'There is no God'" precisely because "They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good."
The same can be said for the earliest Christian theologians. They did not set out to prove the existence of God — at least, not in the modern sense. Their arguments were intended to be a confirmation of God's existence — or to be a way of better understanding the nature of God. Thomas Aquinas's arguments about God were intended to confirm faith — not eliminate it. They were intended to show the reasonableness of faith.
But, of course, if we take a completely mechanistic view of the world, in which free will, moral responsibility, spirituality, and so forth are excluded from the outset, logical arguments for God are often going to seem unlikely — since the ground underneath them has been cut out to begin with. Faith can begin with a hunch that life is meaningful — and that we are all morally responsible for our acts. This "hunch" is natural to us. And, Christian faith (along with other world views) seeks to provide guidance for people following this hunch. Disallow the hunch and the answer doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
4.) God cannot be fully understood anyway. It is axiomatic (isn't it?) that any God we could fully comprehend isn't the Creator God.
Thus Thomas Aquinas says:
From effects not proportionate to the cause no perfect knowledge of that cause can be obtained. Yet from every effect the existence of the cause can be clearly demonstrated, and so we can demonstrate the existence of God from His effects; though from them we cannot perfectly know God as He is in His essence. (Summa Theologica Part 1, Question 2, Article 2, Response to Objection 3.)
And, he also points out that we cannot know what God is, we can only (at best) know what God is not. In introducing Part 1, Question 3 of the Summa Theologica, he writes:
When the existence of a thing has been ascertained there remains the further question of the manner of its existence, in order that we may know its essence. Now, because we cannot know what God is, but rather what He is not, we have no means for considering how God is, but rather how He is not.
God is always greater than any mental or philosophical conception a human being could ever have of God. No image of God is ever fully adequate. One simply does not — and cannot possess — fully knowledge.
Faith in God (properly understood) excludes certainty.
5.) God is the center of a person's understanding of meaning and value. It seems to me that this is the Least Common Denominator of belief in God — to believe that there is a grounding for meaning and value in life. Philosophical or traditional conceptions of God are secondary to this. A Theist is someone who believes that there is meaning to life — and that we bear some responsibility for the way we conduct our lives. Conceptions of God have changed over time — and (see above) none of them are fully adequate anyway. Some may be mistaken.
But, the human mind is naturally adapted to belief in God because it is always seeking to make sense of life. It asks what we ought to do — which is not necessarily the same thing as what is advantageous for us.
To follow this cue is to seek for something more than science can give us. And it is natural for us to seek answers in the company of others who have sought the same things. Here is the role of Scripture and Tradition to the life of faith. Living faiths fall back on what we might call Wisdom Traditions that inform and guide their thinking. Thus, canons and creeds and methods of interpretation arise to keep alive the contemporary dialogue with the voices of the past who have also sought out the meaning and purpose of life. In Christianity, the Bible and prayer and selfless service to others are the means by which our spiritual and moral lives are shaped.
This quest is not a rejection of science at all. Science has had great success in analyzing the components of the world and the processes of change and development in our world. But, to do its work, the questions of meaning and purpose must be left aside. Analytic scientific reasoning, by its very nature, excludes the spiritual quest of meaning and purpose and value, as a tacit first step in understanding the world. In order for things to be the object of scientific study they must be reduced to a naturalistic entities. This explains why science has such a hard time accounting for (or sometimes admitting the reality of) free will, or morality, or beauty, or spirit, or even God. These realities have been excluded from the outset, to make the matters being studied scientifically comprehensible.
This explains why Creationism continues to persist. People believe their lives are meaningful — they want their children to believe so too. Creationists are able to convince people that the concept of evolution is the enemy of meaning and faith and morality. They can produce quotes from noted evolutionary scientists to demonstrate their point. Science never stamps out the notion that life is meaningful — or that people are morally responsible for their actions — and it was never designed to do that anyway.
In an article I read recently, Dr. Tony Jack, a professor of philosophy and neuroscience, and director of the Brain, Mind and Consciousness Lab at Case Western Reserve University is quoted as saying:
Our dialogue around religion would be more productive if scientists respect the insights that religion can offer, and if religious individuals would respect the insights science can offer…. They are different kinds of insight, so there is really no reason for so much conflict to arise.
What would be the least a person would have to accept to hear the Christian message meaningfully? I suspect they would only need to accept the quest for meaning, purpose and value. This is the essence of Theism anyway. They would have to be willing to let the Christian story inform their worldview — and influence their life.
But, there is good reason to think that bare belief in God is not meritorious, in and of itself. What is right and true matters first. Conceptions of God may be authoritarian or oppressive or tyrannical or capricious — giving rise to behaviors that mirror those attributes. Any conception of God will be inadequate anyway.
The Christian Gospel addresses the perennial human quest to make sense of life and morality.


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Rinkoo Barpaga supported Billy Read and Ariel Fung to create a filmed sequence for Billy Read's Arts Council Funded R&D project, 'Somebody's Watching Me' in 2018 and then in 2019 Rinkoo again supported Billy Read to develop this work as part of Billy's performance at Frontline Dance Festival in Stoke.
Rinkoo Barpaga collaborated with Deaf Dancer Billy Read to make a film for his Dance Theatre trilogy. Billy Read is a profoundly Deaf street dancer; with something to say about inequality, privacy & human rights.
"Blown away, thank you Rinkoo for your powerful and gripping story".Rinkoo recently performed for camera his unique style of story telling for the online Crystal Palace Festival on August 15 2020

subset: commoncrawl


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The Kremlin regrets the European Union's decision to impose sanctions against several Russian officials over the case of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, something that indicates a "lack of logic," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
"To our deepest regret, this is a deliberate unfriendly step toward Russia. The Council of the EU has damaged relations with our country by [doing] this. Moscow will undoubtedly analyse the situation and act according to its interests", Peskov pointed out.
He added that "the sad thing about this is that it is impossible to see any logic in this decision, the absolute lack of logic is what probably makes it even worse, this decision by the Council of the EU".
"Overall, the decision to make relations between the EU and Moscow contingent on a person, whom Europe considers to be the leader of some sort of opposition, is regrettable", the spokesman underscored.
The statement comes hours after the EU published an official decree, sanctioning the head of the Russian Federal Security Service, the first deputy head of the presidential administration, and several others over the Navalny case.
The sanctions enter force on 15 October and will specifically target First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Executive Office Sergei Kiriyenko, Director of the Federal Security Service Aleksandr Bortnikov, as well as two Deputy Defence Ministers, Pavel Popov and Aleksei Krivoruchko.
The institute was sanctioned because the EU accused GosNIIOKhT of being responsible for the creation of the military-grade nerve agent Novichok, allegedly used against Navalny.
The developments follow Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday vowing that Moscow would retaliate against any EU sanctions over the Navalny case, also blaming the Germans for failing to "provide any facts [related to the opposition figure's alleged poisoning], despite all their international legal obligations".
"We will answer in kind. Yes, this is diplomatic practice, but it is also a diplomatic response", Lavrov underscored.
Navalny Case
The foreign minister's remarks were preceded by Russian President Vladimir Putin stressing during a phone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron last month that groundless accusations against Moscow regarding the situation around Navalny were unacceptable, and that Germany needed to share its case materials with Russia so that the situation could be clarified.
Earlier, Moscow stated that Russian doctors had found no toxic substances in Navalny's system before he was transported to Germany, adding that Berlin had provided no evidence to support its claims that the opposition figure's condition was the result of poisoning by a military-grade nerve agent from the Novichok group.
Russia underscored that it had not produced any Novichok group substances since the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) verified the destruction of the country's chemical weapons stocks in the early 1990s.
Navalny fell gravely ill while on a flight from Siberia to Moscow on 20 August. He was then placed in a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk, where Russian doctors waged an uninterrupted struggle for his life, as he went into a coma and was put on an artificial lung ventilator. Two days later, Navalny was transported to the Berlin-based Charite clinic for further treatment.


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Monday, March 30, 2009
Whoo-hoo! SUCCESS!!!!
Cheddar has been my Achilles' Heel. Cheddar is a hard cheese and it has to be pressed and then aged before eating. What this means, of course, is you have to wait three months to know if you screwed up. I've tried a whole bunch of different recipes and a whole bunch of aging methods and gotten some pretty bad results.
So lately I've been following a new recipe and using proper cheese wax. Last night my husband got curious about this new cheese, and even though the earliest round was still about a month shy of the "medium cheddar" status we were trying to achieve, he cut into it.
Delicious! Honest to God, it was delicious! Between the four of us, we ate nearly half the loaf and almost spoiled our appetite for dinner, it was that good! It's still a bit "mild" in taste, but hey, it's also a month too early. I was so damned tickled I actually called a neighbor to brag.
I'm going to throw away all the other cheeses aging in the pantry and stick to the current recipe.
Whoo-hoo! One more step toward self-sufficiency!
These are three stages of cheese ripening. On the left is green cheese that came out of the press a few days ago. It has dried and formed a rind and is ready to be waxed. In the center is waxed cheese, about half-way through its aging. On the right is the loaf we cut into last night and devoured. You can see bits of wax still clinging to it. By the way, the wax can be peeled off and re-used.
6 comments:
- Walter LaneMarch 30, 2009 at 6:41 PM
And is that one of your hand-made wooden mugs I see peeking out at the top of the photo? And if you want to send me some cheddar for being so observant, I'll send you my address! LOL!ReplyDelete
Congrats. Where did you get the recipe? Please?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 5, 2009 at 7:46 PM
Could you post the recipe please!? :) I am a new reader and am loving your blog. Do you have any suggestions for someone like me who has never made cheese? We have raw milk and make butter, ice cream, sour cream & buttermilk but that is about the extent of it!. Thanks!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 9, 2009 at 9:20 AM
I third the motion for a recipe post. I'd also be interested in the recipes for sour cream and buttermilk.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 3, 2011 at 4:52 PM
Yes, could you please post the recipe for success? Thank you!ReplyDelete
Take a look at this post:ReplyDelete
Be sure to click on the highlighted links, as well as read the comments at the end.
Hope this helps!
- Patrice


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I spent much of Sunday traveling, and yesterday I was sick, wavering in and out of consciousness while zoning out on a Planet of the Apes marathon. I opted to go to bed around 8:00, but was up in the bathroom by nine throwing up. Right after getting a couple of those final dry heaves that proves that you've completely emptied your stomach, I thought, "Well, that's what I think of 2007."
Symbolism is used frequently in storytelling because it provides a dramatic shortcut to explaining a more difficult or complex relationship. Pink Floyd's album The Wall for example is all about how Pink erected internal barriers, isolating himself from the outside world on an emotional level. "Another Brick In The Wall" isn't a literal brick in a literal wall, but rather a metaphor for the construction of those emotional barriers.
Symbolism shows up in comics all the time, in part because it's such a strong visual medium. Batman standing on a rooftop, casting his shadow over a burglar. Captain America giving Hitler a whack on the jaw. Superman soaring up in front of a rising sun. Heck, what is the Hulk himself but a symbol of Bruce Banner's pent-up rage?
Curiously, though, a lot MORE symbolism can be found in non-visual storytelling. The campaign speeches of all the current presidential candidates is rife with it. "Vote for me or terrorists will come here to blow us up." "Vote for me or we'll see a repeat of 9/11." The reason it's being used is because it can communicate an immediate visual in a venue that does not have an inherent visual with it. And, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. There was an article in last week's Newsweek which talked about how scientists have proven that verbal imagery provides a greater and more immediate stimulation of our brain's amygdala, which controls our fear, than speech that doesn't use such imagery.
But because comics are an inherently visual medium in the first place, there's less of a need (theoretically) for symbolism. An image of a guy being hit or shot isn't going to be that much more impactful when you try to symbolize what that might feel like. Additionally, the nature of visual mediums tends to veer toward the more literally representative. It becomes harder to identify that differences between literal representations and symbolic ones when it's all jumbled together in one illustration.
But I, for one, would be curious to see more of this sort of thing. As experiments. Dave McKean's done some of it, as has Ben Templesmith. Steve Ditko did, to some degree. But I think it would be interesting to see a larger body of work that really explored the possibilities of symbolism in comics.
By Sean Kleefeld | Tuesday, January 01, 2008 Leave a Comment
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When I got out and went to the University of Texas, I had a house built there. It cost about $17,000 and had 3 bedrooms and 2 baths in one wing facing the water and a kitchen, dining area, and living room in the other wing with an entry room connecting the two wings.
After graduating, I moved to Houston and after a couple of years, sold the house.
In the initial sales push in the late 1960s, home sites were sold as being a great investment, so most buyers probably bought them expecting to make money on a quick sale in a few years. As one of only a handful of original buyers who actually built and lived at Briarcliff, I had the place pretty much to myself and got to play golf for free with almost never anyone else on the course.
An interesting bit of history is that when the "investors" quit paying the monthly fees, the developer eventually went bankrupt and Willie Nelson bought the clubhouse, swimming pool, townhouses (where Willie built a recording studio), and 18-hole golf course. Willie also let people golf for free as long as they didn't get in his way.
After a few years, Willie got WAY behind on his taxes and the IRS seized the property and sold it at auction. It traded hands a few times, but seems to be a stable community now of about 1700 people.
I used Google Streets to take some current day (in 2015) pictures, prompted by finding some pictures I had taken in the early 1970s.
The house is L shaped. One branch of the L was aimed at the river/lake with the living room at the end looking over the view. The other branch was parallel to the water view so that each of the 3 bedrooms had a view.
The foundation of the house from behind:
From down the hill:
From the street:
From the street in 2015
The two sections of the house were built in a warehouse in Marble Falls and brought out to the site on trucks.
Once on site, an entry room was built connecting the two sections and a stone fireplace was built onto the living room. A carport with storage was also built on site.
This was the view from the deck.
View from the street in 2015.
View from inside in 1972.
From a Google Maps overhead view in 2011: the large light brown roof section in the middle is a new room added onto the original entry room by later owners. They also added the fence seen in a picture above as well as the path down to a patio with a fire pit.


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Curious Toddlers
24 January, 2018
Parenting Toddlers How to nurture development with toddlers.
An important job as a parent is to encourage and support independence while at the same time supporting the development of a healthy self-esteem.
'Natural' or 'Embarrassing'? Insights into Bedwetting behaviour in the home
BabyLove recently commissioned a survey of more than 200 parents of children aged 2 to 15 years, to gauge their experiences, views and behaviours towards bedwetting.Read more
Time to Potty Train
All you need when it comes to potty training is the three P's; Patience, Perseverance and a Plan of action! It's as simple as that. As parents, we know that...Read more
Just How Terrible are the Twos?
The dictionary defines the Terrible Two's as: "a period in a child's social development (typically around the age of two years) which is associated with very defiant or unruly behaviour".Read more


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Citing a long list of stakeholders—including deep pocketed companies like AT&T, Cisco, Google and Nokia—analysts at Wells Fargo Securities are telling investors that now is the time to pay attention to Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS).
They also happen to be hosting a conference on Tuesday in New York City where the analysts will be discussing why the dynamic shared spectrum model at the heart of CBRS is such a great opportunity.
The CBRS Alliance, which recently celebrated the initial commercial deployment (ICD) phase of the technology, has built a team of more than 135 corporate supporters and has worked to create a device ecosystem to ensure network deployments are secure and interoperable.
RELATED: Editor's Corner—Early CBRS deployments: Indoors or out?
Indeed, the list of CBRS stakeholders is long. Federated Wireless, which will be giving a keynote at the Wells Fargo event, already announced 30 customers in deployment in total and more than 50 enterprise customer logos entering the pipeline. "This is a remarkable stat considering the fact this spectrum is not even yet fully 'live' and speaks loudly to the interest from a wide silo of customer segments," wrote the analysts, led by senior analyst Jennifer Fritzsche.
The General Authorized Access (GAA), or unlicensed, portion of the band is what's ready first, and the licensed portion will come later. The FCC has kicked off a public comment period for auctioning 70 MHz of CBRS spectrum as Priority Access Licenses (PALs) in June 2020. Comments are due Oct. 28, with reply comments due Nov. 12.
The analysts said they believe there are five use cases driving activity in CBRS spectrum, which may correlate with participants in the PAL auction next year. Those use cases include wireless carriers and cable companies expanding, hardening and offloading their wireless network strategies; examples include AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Comcast and Charter Communications, to name a few.
Fixed wireless broadband deployments, where it's technically possible, are another use case. The likes of AT&T and Verizon are expected to play there.
In addition, building owners want to bolster mobile service in their venues, such as hospitals and schools. Enterprises are exploring wireless connectivity for new services, and that's where companies like Amazon, Facebook, Google and industrial companies are playing. Finally, the analysts point to testing the technical characteristics of 3.5 GHz spectrum as setting a precedent for C-band spectrum.
"The urgency around this spectrum may be especially high given the uncertainty around the timing, amount and cost of the other mid-band spectrum (C-band)," the analysts said.
However, they noted that in some ways the comparison between the two bands is somewhat of an apples-to-oranges discussion. Either way, both CBRS and C-band spectrum will be "critical components" to the carriers'—and infrastructure providers that serve the carriers—over the coming years as the 5G ecosystem becomes more defined.


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College students -- Conduct of life
Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Meredith Hall records
Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: UA 80
Scope and Contents The Meredith Hall Records contain four series regarding various information about the residence hall; History of the hall, Administrative documents, Events held at the hall, and information about Students that resided at the hall. The collection contains information about the building such as schematics and maps of the X shaped dormitory. A postcard that was sent to space on the space shuttle Discovery can be found in the collection. Information regarding the Winter Whisper, an elegant social...
Dates: 1937-2008


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'Quick-fix' development gives away more than it gets back
The "land grabbing" in Africa and elsewhere often triggers conflict, an underreported financial risk.
In Cameroon, as in many African countries, the question of economic development is not just an abstract concept. Rural communities, mostly consisting of subsistence farmers struggling to feed their families, welcome the possibility of brighter prospects.
But instead of leading to greener pastures, economic development too often consists of large-scale projects that take away property and community land, leaving farmers with little compensation. Their governments – often the ones who sold the land – either look the other way or play the role of enforcer. If the communities are compensated, it is hardly adequate, and the few resulting jobs do not pay enough to make up for the permanent loss of livelihood and way of life.
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In Southwest Cameroon, for example, New York-based Herakles Farms plans to clear 73,000 hectares for an oil palm plantation that the local communities are protesting. Once the land is cleared of their crops and the surrounding forest, they will have nothing – and nothing to lose by contesting this development.
Yet the financial media is full of reports of new large-scale land transactions. An aluminium mine in Northern Cameroon, supported by a hydropower plant and two railroads, would bring the country $4bn in investment from companies in the US, Dubai and India.
An iron mine in Southeast Cameroon, being bought by a Chinese firm planning to build port facilities and a railroad, would bring $4.7bn into the country.
And an even bigger oil palm plantation, developed by an Indian conglomerate, is expected to transform the landscape of over 200,000 hectares, a development worth more than $1.7bn.
The desire for these projects is understandable: the world needs more minerals and food, governments need revenues, and local people want jobs. But by encouraging such investments and thousands more like them around the world, governments are giving away land that belongs to the people who live on the land, determining their future with neither consultation nor consent.
Giveaways trigger land-based conflicts
This has become known as the "land grab", but it might be better called the "great land giveaway". Governments, eager to capture the cash promised by large-scale agriculture, timber, or mining operations, all too willingly hand over their only resources to large multinational corporations to catalyse development. But in reality it is not the "quick-fix" they were hoping for.
Instead these projects often trigger community resistance, and governments often respond to those standing in the way of these deals with an onslaught of legal harassment, violence and worse. For example, after objecting to the actions of Herakles, the palm-oil producer, Nasako Besingi and four other Cameroonian advocates were jailed for three days in November 2012. Other activists have faced longer prison sentences. Fa'a Embolo, a village leader from Central Cameroon, spent four months in jail; in other countries they have been beaten and killed.
These stories are repeated across Africa, as weak governance and a lack of legal recognition and support for customary rights continue to inhibit any real progress.
Environmentalists oppose Arizona copper mine
Michael Richards, a natural resources economist, authored a report recently for the Rights and Resources Initiative, examining 18 large-scale African land acquisitions in the agriculture sector. He concluded that the local communities had been lied to, subjected to coercion or political pressure, or tricked with documents that were either falsified or misleading. In 17 out of 18 cases, Richards said, local communities would have said no to the land transfers, if they had been given the information needed to make an informed decision.
Risks to investors
But the communities and their defenders are not alone in facing risks. After the inevitable pushback from the communities whose land has been sold out from under them, a growing number of investors have lost more than they have gained. This financial risk is completely underestimated and underreported despite the widespread havoc it can wreak on corporate balance sheets.
One of the world's largest palm oil producers, Sime Darby, was forced to suspend the development in 2012 of a planned 220,000-hectare oil palm and rubber plantation in Liberia because of protests on the part of local communities that claimed the land under customary law.
In Cameroon, by clearing rain forest and other illegally occupied lands and then arresting protesters who trespass onto the land, palm-oil producer Herakles has become the subject of a global advocacy campaign that has tarnished its reputation. The impact on the company's bottom line has not been assessed, but the project delays do not come cheaply.
And the story does not end in Africa.
In India, Vedanta's failed aluminium mining venture led to a negative financial outlook rating from Standard & Poor's and other agencies. In Chile, a failed hydropower project forced SN Power to write off $23m. And in Bolivia, a failed highway project cost the national government a $332m development grant from a Brazilian development bank.
The assumption behind such investments is that they will provide rapid growth in the host countries. While in some ways effective, this "quick-fix" development exacerbates a growing gap between the rich and the poor and multiplies the risk of conflict.
These land-based conflicts could well begin to take the glow off the investment picture for the companies involved and those that finance them. But the growing appetite for land – and the growing speed of land acquisitions – means that tenure problems and the financial risks associated with them are not going to disappear.
Rather than giving away land and resources to companies to the detriment of their citizens, African governments – Cameroon included – must respect the rights of citizens and let them negotiate with investors on their own terms. And the companies themselves should be asking who owns the land they obtain on such good terms.
To do otherwise is ultimately too high a risk, not just for advocates, but also for investors, communities, and the governments themselves.
Samuel Nguiffo is the Secretary General of the Centre for Environment and Development (CED), Cameroon. He is currently being sued by the government of Cameroon for tarnishing the state's reputation when he advocated against an oil palm plantation concession.


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Navigating Lab Test Scripts: A Step-by-Step Journey from Script to...
Healthcare can sometimes feel like navigating through a maze. Like when your doctor hands you a script for a...Read more
Help patients book appointments with you on Solv. It's free!
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Great healthcare professionals who treat you like a neighbor (because they are).
In general, sinus infection treatment will be available at McChord Afb urgent care centers, retail clinics, primary care doctor offices and local pharmacies. While walk-in appointments are typically available, booking a visit online will reduce your wait time and ensure you get relief from sinus pain faster.
Regardless of the kind of treatment you are seeking, Solv can help you book an appointment. Simply search for McChord Afb-area doctors, find a provider, and book the most convenient time for you. Be sure to include your concerns to give your doctor a better idea of how to treat your ailments.
Same-day and next-day appointments for vaccines can easily be booked directly through Solv. Simply search for McChord Afb-area doctors, find a provider, and book an appointment slot as soon as today.
Solv gathers reviews, ratings, and other data on McChord Afb-area travel ENT specialists to ensure the clinics provided meet our standards. Search for a provider, see what previous patients think, and book an appointment with a top-rated doctor today!
You should seek treatment for a sinus infection if you are experiencing congestion, facial pain, fever, cough, fatigue and/or toothache. Booking an appointment will ensure you receive sinus infection care as soon as possible.
While a complete sinus infection exam cannot be performed over video, your doctor can evaluate you or your child for most concerns, such as sinus pressure, headache, congestion or other basic concerns using telemedicine. They can discuss a care plan, prescribe treatments and medications, and recommend an in-person visit if deemed necessary, all while you are safe and comfortable at home in McChord Afb.
Without insurance, medical treatment for sinus infections can range from $50 to $200. With health insurance, co-payments for sinus treatment appointments usually range from $10 to $50.
In general, treatment for sinus infections is covered by insurance. Book a consultation with an ENT today to get coverage estimates in McChord Afb
Telemedicine vaccine consultation coverage will vary depending on your circumstances. Typically, if your insurance will cover a visit in-person, it will cover an appointment via telehealth. Get more details on sinus infection consultation coverage; book a video visit today.
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Sinus infection treatments are used to treat a sinus infection, which is an inflammation of the sinuses (the cavities within the bones surrounding the nose). If you feel like you have a cold that won't go away, chances are you've got a sinus infection and that requires treatment. You could try home remedies to treat it, but the best way to get rid of a sinus infection is by going to the doctor and getting the appropriate treatment. Treatment for a sinus infection can help clear up symptoms you might be feeling, including headaches, nasal congestion or stiffness, a postnasal drip, pain in the teeth, discolored nasal discharge, fever, tenderness of the face (especially underneath your eyes and near the bridge of your nose), fatigue, and bad breath.
It's important to get treatment for a sinus infection as soon as you start experiencing the symptoms and realize it's not just a common cold. See your healthcare professional to help diagnose it and get the right treatment. You might be prescribed antibiotics or given a nasal saline wash, a nasal spray, antihistamines, nasal decongestants and antihistamines, or a topical nasal corticosteroid. If all else fails, your doctor may recommend surgery as a last resort.
Tips, advice, news—your resource to stay healthy and safe while improving your experience with healthcare providers when you need them.
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Robert Mays wrote a great Ringer piece recently on the Texans and the ownership that Bill O'Brien has in this Texans team and how it is built. A lot of it centered around the idea that Bill O'Brien is in charge now, and the report that the Texans wouldn't chase a general manager might mean he's in charge for the foreseeable future.
But a line that I keep hearing appeared in that story, and I want to talk a little bit about that line:
Double-digit wins and a playoff victory would qualify as a successful season for nearly every franchise in the league, but at this stage, the Texans have grander ambitions. … The Texans are built to win right now, and to a degree, they have.
I've been listening to a lot of Texans defenders this season — something that happens when you write critically about a team and something I welcome — and I hear a lot of similar defenses of the Laremy Tunsil trade whenever that bear is poked. The rationale is essentially "They went up and got their guy now, and he'll be a Texan for a long time." Now, I've got nothing bad to say about Tunsil's post-snap play even if I think the Texans got raked over the coals in trade value to avoid a bad season in 2019. But a key, recurring issue of O'Brien's early GM tenure that I'm willing to give Tunsil trade defenders is that the players they have targeted have the potential to be long-term fixtures.
- Bradley Roby, 27 years old, first-round pick. Signed a one-year prove-it deal as a free agent.
- Laremy Tunsil, 25 years old, first-round pick. Traded multiple first-round picks for, and Tunsil is under contract through 2020.
- Duke Johnson, 26 years old, third-round pick. Traded a third-round pick for. Johnson is under contract through 2021.
- Gareon Conley, 24 years old, first-round pick. Traded a third-round pick for. Conley is under contract through 2020.
- Vernon Hargreaves, 24 years old, first-round pick. Waiver claim despite warning of 2020 fifth-year option becoming guaranteed. Is under contract for 2020 and can likely be negotiated off his number.
- Jacob Martin, 24 years old, sixth-round pick. Throw-in with the Clowney trade. Under contract through 2021.
(When you listen to O'Brien's press conferences, you can't help but notice how much he talks about a player's initial draft status. He brags about Carlos Hyde's play in college. He talks up every starting quarterback — Tannehill, Winston, etc — as if their first-round pedigree is still important to who they are today.)
The Texans have a lot of flexibility with the non-Tunsil players — technically they have flexibility there too, but if they let him walk O'Brien will be figuratively dead — they have time to figure them out. They also have a boatload of cash to spend. Houston enters the 2020 offseason with $74 million in cap space, and that number gets even bigger when you realize players like Zach Fulton ($7 million), Senio Kelemete ($4.5 million) and Hargreaves are easy cuts if need be. Make some difficult cuts on top of that, and you're looking at $100 million in cap space before you start re-negotiating with the obvious long-termers.
This is a distinction that I think many people — even me, probably — lost in the Tunsil trade. It's a trade that was aimed to make the roster better this year, and it was wildly aggressive, but it's also not exactly something that won't continue to help the Texans in future years. At least until they pay Tunsil $75 million guaranteed and he shows up to camp weighing 350. (i'm just kidding. I think.)
What does a win-now team actually do?
A win-now team would have taken Houston's offseason cap space and actually spent. A win-now team would have signed Trent Brown (or Nate Solder in 2018). A win-now team wouldn't have traded Jadeveon Clowney. A win-now team doesn't pretend that Earl Thomas isn't available because he's old. A win-now team probably even claims Terrell Suggs on waivers this week. Sometimes, win-now moves work. Sometimes, they don't. They are risks you take because you're trying to win.
The key to a win-now team is mentality. When Bill O'Brien talks, you never really hear a lot of talk about Super Bowls. In-season, he barely wants to even discuss the idea of upcoming games, let alone have his team lose focus on what's at stake this week. When O'Brien does sit downs during the offseason, as in say this one, he focuses on the division intensely. "You have to win the division," O'Brien says in that clip. They've won it in three of his six seasons. They may make it four in short order. And if you are privy to the bevy of Texans PR stuff, you know that when O'Brien talks before division games, he's happy to bring up how much more important those games are to him.
How many players over 30 years old do you think the Texans have employed this year? OK, OK, Jon Weeks is old. How many offensive and defensive starters do you think were over 30? The answer was four: J.J. Watt, Johnathan Joseph, Darren Fells, and (if you count him) Chris Clark. Joseph, Fells, and Clark are all free agents in a few weeks. J.J. Watt is a superstar and will obviously be retained.
The Texans had the youngest snap-weighted offense in the NFL in 2018, and in 2019, they added two new rookie offensive linemen, Tunsil, and Duke Johnson. The defense was older, but it was heavily weighted by Joseph, Kareem Jackson, and Shareece Wright. Two of those three didn't come back. Neither did Tyrann Mathieu (26). A win-now team isn't going to let rookies figure it out on the field. You can be safe with your contracts, or you can be safe with the quality of players you put on the field. The Texans have usually sided with the former.
Win-now teams that come into free agency with cap space are interested in Thomas. They're willing to overpay Mathieu. Bringing in a whole new receiving corps and offensive line like Buffalo successfully did. Bringing in two new edge rushers like Green Bay did. Making more reasonable splash trades like Cleveland did before Freddie Kitchens turned their season into a Wile E Coyote movie. They're treating the NFL offseason as a real opportunity to attack. The Texans did that this season after O'Brien had to look at his roster with fresh eyes and cleaned house — in a way that will deprive them of a lot of draft picks later on — but they haven't attacked free agency since…
All setup, no payoff
Brock Osweiler.
The Texans didn't make a huge cash outlay in 2019's free agency — Tashaun Gipson got $9.5 million guaranteed. They were the buy-low team on Tyrann Mathieu rather than the team that paid him big. They spent a modest amount on Aaron Colvin ($18 million guaranteed) and Fulton ($13 million guaranteed) in 2018. They signed practically nobody in 2017. Jeff Allen received $12 million guaranteed in 2016, Lamar Miller received $14 million guaranteed, and Osweiler — the great white whale — received $37 million guaranteed. The 2015 offseason under O'Brien brought in Rahim Moore, Vince Wilfork, and Brian Hoyer — though they also spent heavily to keep Kareem Jackson and Derek Newton. Jackson got $20 million guaranteed, and Newton got $10 million guaranteed.
The Texans have not been heavy spenders. They re-signed DeAndre Hopkins in 2017. They re-signed J.J. Watt in 2014. Nick Martin in 2019. Benardrick McKinney in 2018. When they find someone they like under O'Brien, they're happy to commit to them early. But outside of that, they have been remarkably thrifty.
A lot of the fans I talk to are conditioning themselves to look at the available draft picks the Texans have, look at the salary cap space they have in 2020, and project the Texans to go hog-wild in free agency.
I think history as a guide would tell us to not believe in that. You'll see a new deal for Tunsil. You might see a new deal for Watson if the Texans think it's advantageous to do that now rather than wait a year. But if you expect the O'Brien Texans to do more than splash around in the middle market, I would dial back those expectations a little bit. It would be wildly out of character for how this franchise has operated under the McNairs. The only free agent deals the Texans have ever really struck at the top of the market are Osweiler and Johnathan Joseph.
Narrative fandom and storytelling
We are trained by movies and fiction writing to expect a certain resolution to things in a neat and normal order. The hero saves something from the villain. The villain strikes back. Things go back-and-forth, and finally order is restored. We talk about sports teams in those same terms even though sports teams aren't a narrative arc. A fall-apart moment is only a fall-apart moment if the people in power believe it is. Bill O'Brien has defied the easy narrative for years, and the Texans retained him after a 4-12 season because of what he was able to show with Watson in a small sample size.
What if the 2020s Houston Texans are nothing more than the 2010s Green Bay Packers, waiting for Watson to become Aaron Rodgers? What if their ambition, every year, is simply to win the AFC South and see what happens?
When Cal McNair fired Brian Gaine, he noted that it was in the best interest of their organization in their "quest to build a championship team for the city of Houston." I found that wording revealing, because someone must have told him in that moment that what Gaine had put out there in the middle of the summer wasn't going to cut it.
Everything about this franchise that fans are upset about — how slow they are to make progress, how they aren't taking the next step to a first-round bye, how sick they are of hearing O'Brien make excuses, how annoying it was to ship out Jadeveon Clowney for nothing — can be explained away very simply if you stop believing in the narrative arc that a team has to take a next step.
I'm not saying this story ends that way for sure. Watson gives them a chance in any playoff game they play in. But a key characteristic of win-now teams are that they have grand ambitions. Sometimes those ambitions are hilarious in retrospect — hello to the Dream Team Eagles — but they are always set in motion with defining actions that go beyond "wanting to retain this tackle's rights in 2020" or "we like the flexibility that this corner gives us going forward."
As Houston heads into what is likely another playoff season with Deshaun Watson, waiting for the Texans to do more than struggle against the current to stay a playoff team, I think that's an important question to ask. Do the Texans actually have championship ambitions, or do they simply want to remain the team that could get there if everything breaks right?
Because when I hear the only football man this organization puts forward talk, I don't hear a win-now mentality, I don't hear the vision of future titles when he answers for his trades so much as I hear the idea of sustainability.
But for the most part, what I hear is a man who is focused on Tampa Bay (or Tennessee, or Atlanta) intently, and that's about it.
I'm happily writing this article free of charge — this is a labor of love as I am between Texans gigs. This is presented to you ad-free and without any hassle. If you enjoy my work and want to encourage me to produce more, please feel free to leave me a PayPal tip.


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MEPs move forward on law to incentivise procurement of cleaner vehicles
The European Parliament's environment committee has reached agreement on the Clean Vehicles Directive, which will incentivise the procurement of low and zero-emitting vehicles and can act as a strong driver for the shift to zero-emission vehicles.
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Sustainable transport group Transport & Environment (T&E) welcomes the agreement reached today, including country-specific targets in 2030 ranging from 25% to 50% for cars and vans; and from 43% to 75% for buses. The report also expands the scope of the European Commission's proposal to cover more vehicles and procurement services.
But, regrettably, the definition of a clean vehicle has been aligned with the technologies defined in the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive – meaning that dirty fossil-fuel vehicles will be counted as clean vehicles.
However, T&E welcomes the introduction of strong sub-targets that will ensure zero-emission vehicles will be procured in much larger numbers. Today's agreement on the Clean Vehicles Directive means a conclusion of the legislation by the end of this parliamentary year is possible. The vote in plenary is expected on 23 October.
Yoann Le Petit, clean vehicles officer at T&E, said: "The agreement reached today sets binding objectives for the procurement of zero-emission vehicles. It will help the transition towards cleaner public procurements in Europe, providing a market for clean vehicles that other regulations are driving manufacturers to sell."


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WMO e-Library
WMO e-Library provides free access to a vast collection of publications on meteorology, climatology, hydrology, and related fields. It contains materials produced by WMO, jointly produced with other agencies, or sponsored/co-sponsored by WMO, as well as legacy publications by WMO's predecessor – the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), founded 150 years ago in 1873.
e-Library offers a variety of search, filtering and browsing options. Users can also create custom collections, bookmark search results, and receive notifications of new uploads. For more information on how to use the e-Library, please consult the Help page. Any other inquiries may be sent via the Contact form.
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WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin
No. 19 – 15 November 2023
The State of Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere Based on Global Observations through 2022
Commission for Observation, Infrastructure and Information Systems (INFCOM-2)
Abridged Final Report of the Second SessionWMO-No. 1306
Commission for Weather, Climate, Water and Related Environmental Services and Applications (SERCOM-2)
Abridged Final Report of the Second SessionWMO-No. 1307


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Dec. 9, 2014
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 9, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Web.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:WWWW), a leading provider of Internet services and online marketing solutions for small businesses, today announced the appointment of Timothy P. Cost to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.
"We are pleased to expand our Board to leverage the organizational leadership, marketing and communications expertise that Tim brings," said David L. Brown, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Web.com. "With broad ranging roles in global companies with strong branding and marketing emphasis, Tim's 30 years plus of business experience will add a valuable perspective to our Board of Directors."
Mr. Cost, age 55, currently serves as President of Jacksonville University. Prior to this role, he was Executive Vice President at PepsiCo. Mr. Cost has 32 years of senior executive experience at many of the world's top companies, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kodak, ARAMARK, Wyeth/Pfizer, Centocor/Johnson & Johnson, and Pharmacia. He holds an undergraduate degree from Jacksonville University and an MBA in Finance and Economics from the William E. Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester. Mr. Cost is a member of many civic, cultural, education and leadership Boards including the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, Jacksonville Civic Council, Atlantic Sun Presidents Council, Rotary and THE PLAYERS Council.
About Web.com
Web.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:WWWW) provides a full range of Internet services to small businesses to help them compete and succeed online. Web.com meets the needs of small businesses anywhere along their lifecycle with affordable, subscription-based solutions including domains, hosting, website design and management, search engine optimization, online marketing campaigns, local sales leads, social media, mobile products and eCommerce solutions. For more information, please visit web.com; follow Web.com on Twitter @webdotcom or on Facebook at facebook.com/web.com.
Note to Editors: Web.com is a registered trademark of Web.com Group, Inc.
CONTACT: Investors: Jenny Kobin 904-680-6909 [email protected] Media: John Herbkersman 904-251-6297 [email protected]


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At WordPress.com we process a lot of events including some some events that are batched and sent asynchronously sometimes days later. But when querying this data we are likely to care more about when the events occurred rather then when it was sent to our servers. Knowing this we store our event data in Hive partitioned by when the events occurred rather then when they are ingested.
Event Ingestion, Take One
The initial design of our ETL pipeline looks something like this:
- Raw logs are aggregated and processed by a custom parser which functions as both an aggregator for high level stats as well as emitter of raw logs into the various Kafka topics.
- A Flume agent then uses the Kafka source to pull from the appropriate topic.
- The Flume Morphline interceptor is then used to do a series of transformations including annotating what type of event the log line represented.
- Events are buffered via a memory channel and sent to the Kite Dataset sink.
- Kite then handles interacting with Hive and persisting the events in HDFS.
With this ETL data is available for querying almost immediately and is stored in (close to) their final state within Hive tables. As an added bonus, because we are using Kite Datasets and the accompanying Flume sink Hive partitions are handled for us automatically. However due to the asynchronous nature of our event collection we end up having to write to multiple partitions at the same time which results in the formation of many small files. To get around this we simply run a compaction job with Oozie after some date cutoff for events.
This process worked very well until a couple days ago when some network issues and some bugs caused OOM errors which resulted in our Flume agent sporadically loosing all events buffered in memory. Fortunately, we persist our Kafka topic of important logs for about a month so we can just replay it then merge and dedupe the data in Hive. Not only that, but we have a lot of servers in Cloudera Manager so we can just add our backfilling Flume agent role to a bunch of them and we'll be done in no time. #winning
Alas, the dream was not to be. Because we must write to many partitions at once sending events to the Kite Dataset sink with so many Flume agents caused our Hive Metastore to become unstable not only limiting the rate of our ingestion but also causing numerous query failures for our growth explorers. Sure, we could have just slowed ingestion down but being snake people that just won't do. After all we have the technology; we can make our ETL…
Better… Stronger… Faster
With what we have learned about our first ETL pipeline we've decided to rewrite it but this time with an eye on durability and ingestion performance as well. We kept our custom log parser / aggregator / Kafka emitter as it's doing an admirable job. In addition, we decided to stick with Flume (and its Kafka source) for our ETL process because of its ease of use and customizability.
We did not like the fact that when a Flume agent crashed it would just drop events in the memory channel on the floor so to make our process more durable we opted to use Flume's Kafka channel instead. This allowed us to multiplex and publish records after they have been transformed by the Morphline interceptor to Kafka so that they are persisted when the Flume Agent dies. Doing this comes at the expense of possible duplicate events being emitted when anomalies happen however we figure it's far easier to dedupe with Hive queries then it is to recreate missing data.
To make writes more performant we reconfigured Morphline to convert our events to Avro records with our predefined schemas and then serialize and compress those records making them ready for writing. Once the raw Avro byte array has been generated we multiplex it into the proper Kafka channel. Finally we use the HDFS sink to pull these events from Kafka in batches and write the raw Avro byte arrays to HDFS partitioned by when the record was written. We do this directly without touching Hive or its Metastore.
By partitioning on when the record was written we can ensure we only write to a single partition at a time. This results in fewer and larger files which is not only more performant but it also gives us the ability to know when partitions can be considered complete. With this knowledge we can now have Oozie jobs that merge, dedupe, and compact events from the intermediate table partitioned by the time an event is recorded into another table partitioned by when events occurred for optimal query performance.
Show Me The Code
So what does this look like? Here's a simplified flume.conf example:
[code lang="text"]
# Setup some names
agent.sources = sr-kafka
agent.channels = ch-kafka-type1 ch-kafka-type2
agent.sinks = sk-hdfs-type1 sk-hdfs-type2
# Configure same Kafka source for all channels
agent.sources.sr-kafka.channels = ch-kafka-type1 ch-kafka-type2
agent.sources.sr-kafka.type = org.apache.flume.source.kafka.KafkaSource
agent.sources.sr-kafka.zookeeperConnect = HOST1:PORT,HOST2:PORT,HOST3:PORT/PATH
agent.sources.sr-kafka.groupId = flume_source_20150712
agent.sources.sr-kafka.topic = kafka-topic
# Grabs in batches of 500 or every second
agent.sources.sr-kafka.batchSize = 500
agent.sources.sr-kafka.batchDurationMillis = 1000
# Read from start of topic
agent.sources.sr-kafka.kafka.auto.offset.reset = smallest
# Configure interceptors
agent.sources.sr-kafka.interceptors = in-morphline-etl in-host-set
agent.sources.sr-kafka.interceptors.in-morphline-etl.type = org.apache.flume.sink.solr.morphline.MorphlineInterceptor$Builder
agent.sources.sr-kafka.interceptors.in-morphline-etl.morphlineFile = /path/to/morphline.conf
agent.sources.sr-kafka.interceptors.in-morphline-etl.morphlineId = morphline_id
agent.sources.sr-kafka.interceptors.in-host-set.type = host
agent.sources.sr-kafka.interceptors.in-host-set.useIP = false
agent.sources.sr-kafka.interceptors.in-host-set.hostHeader = flume_host
# Multiplex our records into channels based on the value of `eventmarker` which comes from Morphline
agent.sources.sr-kafka.selector.type = multiplexing
agent.sources.sr-kafka.selector.header = eventmarker
agent.sources.sr-kafka.selector.default = ch-kafka-type1
agent.sources.sr-kafka.selector.mapping.type1 = ch-kafka-type1
agent.sources.sr-kafka.selector.mapping.type2 = ch-kafka-type2
agent.sources.sr-kafka.selector.mapping.type3 = ch-kafka-type1 ch-kafka-type2
# Configure the channels we multiplexed into
agent.channels.ch-kafka-type1.type = org.apache.flume.channel.kafka.KafkaChannel
agent.channels.ch-kafka-type1.brokerList = HOST1:PORT,HOST2:PORT,HOST3:PORT
agent.channels.ch-kafka-type1.zookeeperConnect = HOST1:PORT,HOST2:PORT,HOST3:PORT/PATH
agent.channels.ch-kafka-type1.groupId = flume_channel_20150712
agent.channels.ch-kafka-type1.topic = kafka-topic-flume-type1
agent.channels.ch-kafka-type2.type = org.apache.flume.channel.kafka.KafkaChannel
agent.channels.ch-kafka-type2.brokerList = HOST1:PORT,HOST2:PORT,HOST3:PORT
agent.channels.ch-kafka-type2.zookeeperConnect = HOST1:PORT,HOST2:PORT,HOST3:PORT/PATH
agent.channels.ch-kafka-type2.groupId = flume_channel_20150712
agent.channels.ch-kafka-type2.topic = kafka-topic-flume-type2
# Configure sinks; We pull from Kafka in batches and write large files into HDFS.
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.channel = ch-kafka-type1
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.type = hdfs
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.hdfs.path = hdfs://path/to/database/etl_type1/record_ymdh=%Y%m%d%H
# Prefix files with the Flume agent's hostname so we can run multiple agents without collision
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.hdfs.filePrefix = %{flume_host}
# Hive needs files to end in .avro
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.hdfs.fileSuffix = .avro
# Roll files in HDFS every 5 min or at 255MB; don't roll based on number of records
# We roll at 255MB because our block size is 128MB, we want 2 full blocks without going over
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.hdfs.rollInterval = 300
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.hdfs.rollSize = 267386880
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.hdfs.rollCount = 0
# Write to HDFS file in batches of 500 records
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.hdfs.batchSize = 500
# We already serialized and encoded the record into Avro in Morphline so just write the byte array
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.hdfs.fileType = DataStream
# Give us a higher timeout because we are writing in batch
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.hdfs.callTimeout = 60000
# Use current time in UTC for the value of `record_ymdh=%Y%m%d%H` above
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.hdfs.timeZone = UTC
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.hdfs.useLocalTimeStamp = true
# Our record is serialized via Avro
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type1.serializer = org.apache.flume.sink.hdfs.AvroEventSerializer$Builder
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.channel = ch-kafka-type2
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.type = hdfs
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.hdfs.path = hdfs://path/to/database/etl_type2/record_ymdh=%Y%m%d%H
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.hdfs.filePrefix = %{flume_host}
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.hdfs.fileSuffix = .avro
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.hdfs.rollInterval = 300
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.hdfs.rollSize = 267386880
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.hdfs.rollCount = 0
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.hdfs.batchSize = 500
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.hdfs.fileType = DataStream
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.hdfs.callTimeout = 60000
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.hdfs.timeZone = UTC
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.hdfs.useLocalTimeStamp = true
agent.sinks.sk-hdfs-type2.serializer = org.apache.flume.sink.hdfs.AvroEventSerializer$Builder
The most important part of the above is that we set the HDFS sink use the Avro serializer and instruct that it should simply write the raw bytes as we've already serialized the Avro record and compressed it with Morphline. Speaking of which, here's our example morphline.conf:
[code lang="text"]
morphlines : [
id : morphline_id
# Import the Kite SDK and any custom libs you may have and need
importCommands : [
commands : [
# Each command consumes the output record of the previous command
# and pipes another record downstream.
# Parse input attachment and emit a record for each input line
readLine {
charset : UTF-8
# More commands for your ETL process
# Say we set a field named `eventmarker` somewhere above to indicate the
# type of record this is and we have a different schemas
if {
conditions : [
{ equals { eventmarker : "type1" } }
then : [
# Set the schema for the Flume HDFS sink
setValues {
flume.avro.schema.url : "file:/path/to/schema/type1.avsc"
# Converts this to an Avro record according to schema
toAvro {
schemaFile : /path/to/schema/type1.avsc
else : [
setValues {
flume.avro.schema.url : "file:/path/to/schema/type2.avsc"
toAvro {
schemaFile : /path/to/schema/type2.avsc
# Serialize the Avro record into a byte array, compressed with snappy
writeAvroToByteArray : {
format : containerlessBinary
codec : snappy
With these configs Flume will write compressed Avro files directly to HDFS but we will need to let Hive know about where to look so we need to create the table in Hive.
[code lang="text"]
— Table name
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS etl_type1
— We need to specify how we are partitioning this table with the Flume HDFS sink
PARTITIONED BY ( record_ymdh INT )
— Files were written in Avro!
ROW FORMAT SERDE 'org.apache.hadoop.hive.serde2.avro.AvroSerDe'
STORED AS INPUTFORMAT 'org.apache.hadoop.hive.ql.io.avro.AvroContainerInputFormat'
OUTPUTFORMAT 'org.apache.hadoop.hive.ql.io.avro.AvroContainerOutputFormat'
— We are writing to this dir in HDFS from Flume
LOCATION 'hdfs://path/to/database/etl_type1'
— We also store the Avro schema in a hidden dir on HDFS for convenience
For convenience I also stored the Avro schema for the table in the
.schema directory on HDFS but that schema can really be anywhere readable by Hive.
Of course as we ingest data the Flume HDFS sink with start creating new directories, a.k.a. partitions, in HDFS but Hive will know nothing about them. So you will need to let Hive repair its Metastore by scanning HDFS before you can query for new data:
[code lang="text"]
MSCK REPAIR TABLE etl_type1;
FROM etl_type1
What's Next?
We have not really pushed this new pipeline to see where the limits are however as I write this we are on track to ingest a month of data in less then 12 hours. In addition, scaling this pipeline by simply spinning up more Flume agents has thus far been linear. The one down side is that for the most up to date information we will now need to look at 2 separate Hive tables with different partition strategies making queries a bit more complicated.
We have in effect made what I like to call the "Iota Architecture" — a system that's 1/3 of the way to a true lambda architecture. We currently have a system that emits a stream of events that can be read in batch or by a stream processor but we only have a batch process in place to allow for performant queries on "archival" data. Perhaps someday we'll get the other 2/3 in place for our growth explorers to easily get a unified view.


text:
a discussion with Eleni Stamatoukou
"My name is Ahmad, and I'm 30 years old. I come from Syria, and more specifically, the city of Deir ez-Zor, which is situated near the boarder to Iraq. Deir ez-Zor is Syria's richest city, a result of the oil reserves found in the soil, but the people who live there are the poorest.
In my native country, I worked as a construction worker, and then I opened my own shop, which sold women's accessories. I arrived in Tilos in March 2017, along with the rest of my family. Before this, we were at Ioannina. I've been in Greece for a year now.
I don't speak Greek yet, but I'm gradually learning. Of course, I try to learn as much Greek as I can from my job. I've been working on the island at Michael's hotel since the end of May as a helper. I managed to get this job with the help and support of the SolidarityNow team. Things are going great at the hotel. When the clients see me, they greet me before I manage to greet them! I have yet to make some Greek friends, but I'd really like to. The problem is that I still don't speak the language, but when I manage to learn it, I'll drink yerba mate, a traditional Syrian drink, with the Greek families.
I have no complaints, everything is perfectly ok. I've taken the first step. I got a job"!
Ahmad has certain expectations for his and his family's future.
If he can secure a stable job and a house, he would like to stay in Greece. However, if he isn't able to find a job, he would prefer to seek out a career and be able to progress in another country. "I just turned 30 years old, and I have already experienced so much. I don't ask for anything, just that my family is okay, both the one that is here as well as the members that are currently in Turkey. I don't ask for anything for myself, just for my children. I don't feel very strong, because I'm far away from my mother and my four siblings. When we are all reunited I will feel strong again!"
Ahmad Alkhalaf is a beneficiary of the Hosting Scheme project of SolidarityNow, and he lives at the accommodation structure in Tilos island.
#ESTIA, the Emergency Support to Integration and Accommodation programme, is implemented by SolidarityNow, supported by UNHCR and funded by ECHO.
Tilos – Community & Integration pilot project
The Refugee Accommodation shelter was created in 2015 by SolidarityNow, in collaboration with the Municipality of Tilos and stood out as an example of a local project through which the local community welcomed the refugees, supporting the smooth integration of those who would remain on the island. The operation of the shelter concerns the provision of accommodation to 50 beneficiaries and has hosted 100 people so far. Watch the BBC tribute to the Tilos program: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-40586229/the-greek-island-where-syrian-refugees-are-welcome.


text:
Millions of Americans rely heavily on prescription drugs to provide them with a quality lifestyle.
Without the proper medications, some people would be debilitated. The sad reality is that not everyone can afford the exorbitant costs of many of these drugs, even when it's a generic brand.
Prescription drugs are soaring in price. The massive prices could be laid at the feet of the need for research, development and marketing of new drugs. Of course, just like with any other products and services, there are other reasons for these rising costs, but these are deliberately kept under the radar.
Get the App – Convenience in Your Hands
Whatever the reasons for the rising costs, how can you be sure you're getting your prescription drugs at the best prices? It's time you used the SearchRx app, allowing you access to coupons to get the lowest prescription prices in town.
Most people interested in the service will immediately want to know how much it costs. With prescription drugs so costly, it's only natural for them to assume that SearchRx would have a price tag too. The app is entirely free (available both on the App Store and Google Play Store) and you'll be able to find the cheapest pharmacy nearby and coupons to save you even more.
Effectively you've got lots of savings …and right in the palm of your hand.
You can include the prescription drug you need, but the top prescription searches include the likes of-
- Xanax
- Ambien
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- Viagra
- Lipitor
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All it essentially requires is you entering your prescription information as well as your location. You're then presented with the best price available in your particular area. Prices of prescription medications can vary significantly, even between same-chain pharmacies, and SearchRx gives you access to each one's pricing (after their coupons are applied)
This means you're able to find and compare the most reasonable prices, not all over the country, but at local pharmacies near you!
There are no Frustrating Exclusions
The beauty about SearchRx is that membership to the coupon program doesn't come with a host of requirements which exclude lots of people. You'll find no one is asking you to give details of your income, your age or pre-existing conditions. The program has simply been designed and put in place to help patients who don't have prescription drug coverage or those who do have it but are forced to contend with irritatingly large co-pays as well as other formulary limitations.
The Best Deals Brought to You
It is amazing that at the tips of your fingers you able to search the pharmacy price checker and get the lowest discounted prices on not 10,000 prescription drugs, but more than 50,000! The reason for this is that SearchRx has built up amicable relationships with leading pharmacy benefit managers who give them access to these deals, and they in turn pass these onto their customers to benefit from great savings and the very best deals.
What then?
●Once you've found the best price of the prescription drug you're after at a nearby pharmacy, your savings will immediately kick in upon checkout. You simply print out, email, or receive your coupon by text message.
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The card has already collectively saved users more than $1 billion on their prescriptions to date. Currently, just as an example, you'll find that Phentermine Tabs 37.5mg have a coupon with 71% off the price. This is just one example – the savings all depends on the drug and the pharmacy discount rate contracted with Rx pharmacy coupons.
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In the 21st century, times are tough and you have to do everything you can to save. Use SearchRx for coupons and discounts and ensure your health is never undermined because of rising medication prices


text:
A possible food poisoning outbreak has been reported at a Fargo, North Dakota jail. About 90% of the inmates at the Cass County Jail are sick with flu-like symptoms.
Of the 184 inmates who were imprisoned, over 150 were believed to be suffering from diarrhea and vomiting, and jail officials believe the illness is linked to a recent dinner meal, said WDAY. In response, officials at the jail and public health officials are investigating potential illness origins, said WDAY. None of the staff reported being ill.
"A lot of the symptoms are pretty much like you and I, if you don't feel good or have the flu or some type of food poisoning, you want to lay up in bed and you don't want anybody to bother you," said Sheriff Paul Laney, according to WDAY.
No inmates missed court appearances and some actually felt well enough to dine at lunch the next day, said Sheriff Laney. "We're very, very happy there weren't serious medical issues," Laney said. "We're not going to rest until we find out what happened," he added, wrote the Grand Forks Herald.
None of the inmates required hospitalization; however, nurses from Fargo Cass Public Health treated patients with the most severe symptoms, according to the jail's Chief Nurse Heidi McLean, wrote the Grand Forks Herald.
The culprit is believed to be in the components of a dinner of ChiliMac casserole, which the prison makes with ground turkey, chili, and macaroni; cornbread; whipped butter; cookies; and a powdered drink, said the Grand Forks Herald. CBM Food Services runs the kitchen and has been contracted to handle all kitchen staffing, supervise jail workers, and order food, said WDAY. The jail's cafeteria and kitchen are inspected twice yearly, said Laney, wrote the Herald. The jail has contracted with CBM for about five years.
Jail nurses noticed symptoms and, after being advised by the state of the problem, advised inmates to keep rested and hydrated, said WDAY. Hydration was the primary treatment; inmates were urged to drink water and Gatorade, said Nurse McLean, according to the Grand Forks Herald.
If the inmates have been sickened with a food borne pathogen, it remains unclear if the food contamination occurred at the jail or prior to the food being delivered, said WDAY. "We are obviously being very diligent and have our medical personnel go from pod to pod and talk with people. We are already seeing a large number of inmates eating lunch today. It seems to be passing very quickly," said Sheriff Laney, wrote WDAY.
The investigation will attempt to determine if the illness was caused by an intentional act or a nonfood issue, said Sheriff Laney, who noted that while some inmates help serve food, they are closely monitored, according to the Grand Forks Herald. According to Laney, food served in the prior six days remains stored and will be tested.
Asked if the inmates voiced complaints about the food, Laney answered, "It's a jail. The inmates complain about the food every single day," the Herald reported.