text:
2023 Volkswagen Tiguan SE R-Line Black
AWD Automatic
Location: Volkswagen of Peoria
Exterior :
Key Features
Wifi Hotspot
Remote Start
Apple CarPlay
Android Auto
Lane Departure Warning
Blind Spot Sensors
Forward Collision Warning
Rain Sensing Wipers
Leather Seats
Keyless Entry
Power Seats
Adaptive Cruise Control
Satellite Radio
Push Start
Rear View Camera
Side-Impact Airbags
Panoramic Roof
Keyless Ignition
Vehicle Description
2023 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SE R-Line Black AWD.
Vehicle Details
- Auto On/Off Reflector Led Low/High Beam Daytime Running Headlamps w/Delay-Off
- Black Bodyside Insert, Body-Colored Bodyside Cladding and Black Wheel Well Trim
- Black Grille
- Black Power Heated Side Mirrors w/Manual Folding and Turn Signal Indicator
- Black Side Windows Trim and Black Front Windshield Trim
- Body-Colored Door Handles
- Body-Colored Front Bumper w/Body-Colored Rub Strip/Fascia Accent and Black Bumper Insert
- Body-Colored Rear Bumper w/Black Rub Strip/Fascia Accent and Body-Colored Bumper Insert
- Clearcoat Paint
- Compact Spare Tire Mounted Inside Under Cargo
- Deep Tinted Glass
- Express Open/Close Sliding And Tilting Glass 1st And 2nd Row Sunroof w/Power Sunshade
- Fixed Rear Window w/Fixed Interval Wiper and Defroster
- Fully Galvanized Steel Panels
- LED Brakelights
- Lip Spoiler
- Perimeter/Approach Lights
- Power Liftgate Rear Cargo Access
- Rain Detecting Variable Intermittent Wipers w/Heated Jets And Wiper Park
- Roof Rack Rails Only
- Steel Spare Wheel
- Tailgate/Rear Door Lock Included w/Power Door Locks
- Tires: 19 All-Season
- Wheels w/Locks
- Wheels: 19 Black Painted Twin 5-Spoke Alloy
- 2 LCD Monitors In The Front
- 2 Seatback Storage Pockets
- 3 12V DC Power Outlets
- 40-20-40 Folding Split-Bench Front Facing Manual Reclining Fold Forward Seatback Rear Seat w/Manual Fore/Aft
- 6-Way Passenger Seat
- 8-Way Driver Seat
- Adaptive w/Traffic Stop-Go
- Air Filtration
- Cargo Area Concealed Storage
- Cargo Space Lights
- Carpet Floor Trim
- Compass
- Cruise Control w/Steering Wheel Controls
- Day-Night Auto-Dimming Rearview Mirror
- Delayed Accessory Power
- Digital/Analog Appearance
- Driver / Passenger And Rear Door Bins
- Driver And Passenger Visor Vanity Mirrors w/Driver And Passenger Illumination, Driver And Passenger Auxiliary Mirror
- Driver Foot Rest
- Driver Information Center
- Dual Zone Front Automatic Air Conditioning
- Fade-To-Off Interior Lighting
- FOB Controls -inc: Cargo Access and Remote Start
- Front And Rear Map Lights
- Front Center Armrest and Rear Center Armrest
- Front Cupholder
- Full Carpet Floor Covering
- Full Cloth Headliner
- Full Floor Console w/Covered Storage, Mini Overhead Console w/Storage and 3 12V DC Power Outlets
- Gauges -inc: Speedometer, Odometer, Engine Coolant Temp, Tachometer, Oil Temperature, Trip Odometer and Trip Computer
- Heated Front Comfort Seats -inc: power adjustable driver's seat w/power lumbar support and manually adjustable front passenger seat w/height adjustment
- HVAC -inc: Underseat Ducts and Console Ducts
- Illuminated Glove Box
- Immobilizer
- Interior Trim -inc: Metal-Look Instrument Panel Insert, Metal-Look Door Panel Insert and Metal-Look Interior Accents
- Leather/Metal-Look Gear Shifter Material
- Leatherette Door Trim Insert
- Manual Adjustable Front Head Restraints and Manual Adjustable Rear Head Restraints
- Manual Tilt/Telescoping Steering Column
- Outside Temp Gauge
- Perforated V-Tex Leatherette Seating Surfaces
- Perimeter Alarm
- Power 1st Row Windows w/Front And Rear 1-Touch Up/Down
- Power Door Locks w/Autolock Feature
- Power Fuel Flap Locking Type
- Power Rear Windows and Fixed 3rd Row Windows
- Proximity Key For Doors And Push Button Start
- Radio w/Seek-Scan, Clock, Speed Compensated Volume Control, Steering Wheel Controls and Radio Data System
- Radio: MIB3 Composition Media AM/FM/HD -inc: 8 touchscreen, WMA/MP3/FLAC player w/USB-C, voice control, 6-speaker sound system, Qi wireless inductive charger (for compatible mobile phones and accessories), App-Connect smartphone integration (w/Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink) via USB, Wireless App-Connect smartphone integration (for compatible devices) w/multi-phone pairing capability, capability for in-vehicle 4G LTE enabled Wi-Fi (cellular data plan required; includes limited trial), capability for VW Car-Net services (capabilities for certain services vary; requires enrollment or subscription), Bluetooth connectivity (for compatible devices) and SiriusXM w/360L (w/3-month free trial subscription; 360L services require acceptance of Car-Net terms)
- Rear Cupholder
- Redundant Digital Speedometer
- Remote Keyless Entry w/Integrated Key Transmitter, Illuminated Entry, Illuminated Ignition Switch and Panic Button
- Remote Releases -Inc: Power Cargo Access
- Seats w/Leatherette Back Material
- Sport Leather Steering Wheel
- Streaming Audio
- Trip Computer
- Trunk/Hatch Auto-Latch
- VW Car-Net Safe & Secure 5-year Tracker System
- Window Grid And Roof Mount Diversity Antenna
- 15.9 Gal. Fuel Tank
- 3.33 Axle Ratio
- 4-Wheel Disc Brakes w/4-Wheel ABS, Front Vented Discs, Brake Assist, Hill Descent Control, Hill Hold Control and Electric Parking Brake
- 4-Wheel Independent Suspension
- 69-Amp/Hr 360CCA Maintenance-Free Battery w/Run Down Protection
- 948# Maximum Payload
- Electric Power-Assist Speed-Sensing Steering
- Engine Auto Stop-Start Feature
- Engine Oil Cooler
- Engine: 2.0L TSI DOHC 16-Valve Turbocharged 4-Cyl -inc: direct fuel injection
- Front And Rear Anti-Roll Bars
- Full-Time All-Wheel
- Gas-Pressurized Shock Absorbers
- GVWR: 5,071 lbs (2,300 kgs)
- Multi-Link Rear Suspension w/Coil Springs
- Permanent Locking Hubs
- Quasi-Dual Stainless Steel Exhaust w/Black Tailpipe Finisher
- Regenerative Alternator
- Strut Front Suspension w/Coil Springs
- Towing Equipment -inc: Trailer Sway Control
- Transmission w/Oil Cooler
- Transmission: 8-Speed Automatic w/Tiptronic -inc: driving mode selection
- ABS And Driveline Traction Control
- Active Side Assist Blind Spot
- Airbag Occupancy Sensor
- Back-Up Camera
- Collision Mitigation-Front
- Collision Mitigation-Rear
- Dual Stage Driver And Passenger Front Airbags
- Dual Stage Driver And Passenger Seat-Mounted Side Airbags
- Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
- Front Assist (Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking)
- Lane Assist (Lane Keeping System) Lane Departure Warning
- Lane Assist (Lane Keeping System) Lane Keeping Assist
- Low Tire Pressure Warning
- Outboard Front Lap And Shoulder Safety Belts -inc: Rear Center 3 Point, Height Adjusters and Pretensioners
- Park Distance Control Front And Rear Parking Sensors
- Rear Child Safety Locks
- Side Curtain Protection Curtain 1st, 2nd And 3rd Row Airbags
- Side Impact Beams
- Travel Assist (semi-automated driving assistance)
- VW Car-Net Safe & Secure 5-year Emergency Sos


text:
The Crisis and Beyond
Ceremonial address by Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the ECB
at "100 Years of Confindustria"
Parma, 10 April 2010
Signor Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri,
Signor Presidente della Regione Emilia-Romagna,
Signora Marcegaglia,
Signore e Signori,
Ho dinanzi a me "l'Italia che lavora e che produce," come ebbe a scrivere Luigi Einaudi, salutando il primo embrione di Confindustria. [TRANSLATION: I have in front of me "all of Italy who work and produce", as Luigi Einaudi wrote to greet the first embryo of Confindustria. This refers to an article written by L. Einaudi (one of the fathers of the public finance literature, later governor of the Bank of Italy, and first President of the Italian Republic between 1948 and 1955), published by Corriere della Sera on 5 May 1910.]
I cannot deny that I go back to those early days of the past century with some pride. As you know, a Frenchman, Louis Bonnefon, christened your centenary Association in 1910, as he became its first Chairman.
He had descended the Alps from Lyon to neighbouring Piémont – not a long journey, geographically or culturally. He had become a respected entrepreneur in the textile industry. In that region, he had encountered a brewing milieu of industrialists, ready to go from craftsmanship to a new, modern, model of industrial organisation. He found that this new generation of industrialists was inspired by a deep sense of pragmatism. They had a strong talent for a scientific organisation of labour and capital, an acute taste for innovation. They were highly appreciative of technical education – in a country in which " la formazione umanistica" was considered the most dignified level of knowledge. They found personal fulfilment in collective progress.
These people were the first affiliates of Confindustria, when Confindustria was founded in the wake of the global financial panic of 1907. At the time – with a sharp contraction in the volume of bank credit – it was necessary for the nascent industrial milieu in northern Italy to establish a common strategy. Italy, where equity capital traditionally had been scarce, was highly dependent on bank loans for investment. But banks had been hit by the international crisis and were retrenching. So, in 1910 Confindustria was designed to inspire and promote an " alleanza tra i produttori" which could strengthen existing enterprises and multiply their number. Indeed this strategy reinforced the industrial sector and prepared the ground for its incredible success. From an agrarian society, with large pockets of poverty, Italy raised to the position of a leading industrial power.
The 2008 financial panic was no less dramatic than the 1907 crash. As we enter the second quarter of 2010, the global economy has just begun to emerge from a prolonged period of economic turmoil. In the euro area, we expect a moderate recovery in the current year.
But the recent decline in international trade has been sharp, rapid and exceptionally synchronised. This means that the recovery in Europe – a trade superpower – is likely to be surrounded by uncertainty. Also, given the diverse pattern of country specialisations within the European Union, the recovery will probably be uneven across regions and sectors, and over time.
Like in the few years that followed the 1907 crisis – today Italy has been hit hard. As a prime exporter of equipment and machinery, this country has particularly suffered from the lopsided composition of the shortfalls in international trade.
But, many times – in the 100 years spanned by Confindustria – after a profound crisis, Italy has gradually moved back to the forefront of innovation and economic excellence. I am sure Confindustria will be part of this come-back.
This morning I should share with you my thoughts on the nature of the crisis and on the strategy that I see as an effective tool for a new start, both in Italy and in Europe more broadly. I will conclude that being able to rely on a solid real economy is an exceptionally valuable asset. The euro and the European Central Bank will accompany and help this process. You, entrepreneurs, will be decisive actors.
Financial excesses
Let me start with a short overview of the nature of the crisis. Here, it is critical to draw a distinction between economic risk and financial risk.
You know what economic risk is: the risk that your companies face when they introduce new products and new processes. Investment consumes resources in the present, and its future payoffs are uncertain in time and magnitude. This is economic risk.
Historically, the financial industry has been at the forefront of economic progress, because of its ability to offer funding to those who take on economic risk.
But in the recent past the focus of finance has gradually shifted. From helping the real economy hedge economic risk, the focus of finance has quietly moved toward the creation of financial risk. Financial risk is different from economic risk. It is deliberate exposure to asset price changes.
Building an exposure to a change in the value of an asset is not bad per se. But we have to distinguish between arbitrage and directional positioning. Arbitrage is an essential market force. Indirectly, it helps production and trade. Directional positioning, instead, can amplify and even creates gaps in asset prices. It does so by acting on expectations of future price changes. Unlike in the case of arbitrage, these price gaps are notional – indeed, "speculative". They are often large only because they are not suitably discounted for risk.
When perceived market risk is moderate, failing to discount for risk is not a severe omission. Indeed, in the ten years that led up to the crisis, financial risk was thought to be low and declining.
But, the notion that risk was low and declining was largely an illusion. Individually, diversified financial strategies looked all as rational attempts to unload risk to those parties in the system which were more willing to bear it. In the aggregate, however, diversification was subject to a sort of fallacy of composition.
Individual strategies were diversified. But the aggregation of a complex web of identical strategies – all designed to shed risk individually – generated a lack of diversity for the financial system as a whole. In the end, it turned out that the system could not diversify risk away. Furthermore, the complexity of the financial web made this fact more difficult to identify.
A C.E.O. of an important bank had a terrible image to describe the euphoric state of the markets, only few weeks before the crisis started. He said that: "When the music stops, in terms of liquidity, things will be complicated. But as long as the music is playing, you've got to get up and dance. We're still dancing." The 'dancing' in the metaphor was an irresponsible credit boom, where banks scrambled for borrowers, and the borrowers could dictate the conditions for credit.
Confronted with a similar landscape of market euphoria and industrial hardships in the 1920s, Churchill said: " I would rather see finance less proud and industry more content."
Between, say, 2005 and much of 2007 the system was quietly sliding into a state of meta-stability. A system is meta-stable when any external shock – even a trivial disturbance – can tip the balance of stability and trigger an avalanche. When, on 15 September 2008, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, the turmoil that had started a year earlier turned into an avalanche. The system moved into a chaotic state, mathematically and metaphorically.
The crash
In times of financial panic, banks and other financial intermediaries have an instinct to change the composition of their assets. They shed risky and illiquid investments and rush to liquidity. In the process, banks' intermediation is reduced, and loans to companies are curtailed. If the process is let unfold in a disorderly manner, it can create severe damage for borrowers and for the broader economy.
After the demise of Lehman, liquidity hoarding was so intense that we feared bank intermediation would suffer a complete and lasting collapse.
The ECB was the first central bank in the world – a whole year before the Lehman crisis – to recognise the severity of the situation. As the failure of Lehman precipitated the crisis, the ECB took several measures to protect against a disorderly correction in credit and liquidity conditions.
The ECB provided liquidity in unlimited volumes and with longer maturities. We insured banks against present and future liquidity shortfalls.
You know that the flow of credit is primarily channelled through banks in the euro area. A complete breakdown in the funding relationships that constitute the inter-bank market for liquidity would have derailed the bank lending channel altogether. The interruption of the bank lending channel would have turned the financial crisis into a profound depression. By granting unlimited access to central bank liquidity we put banks in a position to maintain their crucial role in the financing of the real economy. By reducing the interest rate at which banks can borrow liquidity from us we facilitated the transmission of our credit support to the economy.
As I speak, the funding ability of banks appears no longer to be a restraining factor for bank lending. Since the second half of last year, easy funding conditions have been supporting banks' core business: making loans. We still see – in our Bank Lending Survey – a residual slight prevalence of banks declaring a tightening in their credit standards for loans to enterprises. But this is now entirely due to macroeconomic uncertainty. A number of banks are still hesitant because the conditions of their borrowers are still fragile. But in several euro area countries, and Italy is one of them, overall credit standards for corporate loans have already started to ease.
Three ways forward
The crisis, no doubt, has changed our world. I see three ways forward.
Macroeconomic Policies
Macroeconomic policies should concentrate on medium-term objectives. This is the perspective entrepreneurs take when deciding on the scale of activities, on investment in plant capacity, on hiring and downsizing labour. Entrepreneurs do not think of today or tomorrow. Entrepreneurs think over the medium to long term. This is the perspective that should guide macroeconomic authorities.
Let me mention that a similar medium-term perspective has guided fiscal policy in Italy throughout the crisis. The fiscal authority has resisted pressures to introduce fiscal stimulus over and above the loosening of the fiscal stance coming from the operation of the automatic stabilisers that are built into the fiscal code. This is an appropriate strategy, given Italy's public debt burden and the prospects for its evolution in the long run.
For what the ECB is concerned, a medium term perspective is what motivates the gradual phasing-out of our extraordinary credit support measures.
The logic which guides our policy is simple. We have granted banks privileged access to credit, when a tightening of their funding conditions would have meant a break-down in the entire chain of intermediation. Now, we have to guard against the possibility that an excess of credit support might become a subsidy to unproductive activities.
If excess credit allows banks to reap excessive returns from directional positioning, they might loose an incentive to expand their lending to the economy. In the end, they might become too dependent on central bank credit. It is possible that credit flows might be diverted away from the funding of productive activities – your businesses – and toward financial arbitrage. You see: underwriting and servicing a loan to a company is resource intensive for a bank. Maintaining an active trading book is less so, particularly if risks are incorrectly priced.
We have decided that we will gradually return to normal procedures for granting liquidity to banks. This will cure opportunistic bidding behaviour and discourage unproductive arbitrage across assets.
Financial Reform
The second way forward is financial reform. This needs to be global in scope and surgical in its focus. No segment of the market or category of players has been immune to the crisis. We need to immunise the financial system against its intrinsic tendency to complacency. Three intrinsic weaknesses need correction.
First, the transparency of the financial structures needs to be enhanced. Financial innovation cannot be built upon – and exploit – gaps in investor information and lack of financial literacy. All institutions, instruments and markets of any relevance for systemic stability need to enhance risk disclosure.
Second, short-termism in the design of financial contracts. Market participants were given strong economic incentives to focus on short-term profits. "Due diligence" was not a concern in the pre-crisis world. Collectively, this has resulted in excessive risk taking.
Third, and perhaps foremost, the pro-cyclicality of the financial system needs to be mitigated. The quality and quantity of bank capital and their liquidity buffers have to be improved in good times to provide a sufficient buffer for bank equity to withstand the inevitable increase in credit risk when the cycle turns. The cyclicality of market economies is inevitable. But the financial system should not be allowed to amplify swings.
These three points – and others – are now in the mission of the G-20, the new prime forum of international cooperation. The G20 has entrusted many of these tasks to the Financial Stability Board – headed by Mario Draghi.
The business activities that you represent here should benefit from financial reform. Lenders will be made more attentive to the real economic prospects of their borrowers. Long-term value creation will – once again – be the criterion for granting credit to the economy.
Structural Change
Entrepreneurs will be important actors of structural change, my third way forward.
Here we can build on assets that have made our real economies in the Continent successful: our openness to trade; our balanced and dynamic business structures; our talented and well-trained workforces.
None of these factors is single-faced. I mentioned already that the openness of our economies has been seen as a major challenge. Greater openness has meant that our economies have been more exposed to the international crisis. But the past trend to global trade integration has already called for a major adjustment in the euro area production patterns. Many countries in the European Union have adjusted their export portfolios according to the technological advantages of advanced economies. In Italy, about half of the firms with 20 or more employees are engaged in restructuring. Many of them are consolidating their technological edge and diversifying their markets. They have moved towards products that are more skill-intensive and more capital-intensive. This upgrade of our production structure will make European – and Italian – firms better prepared for international markets.
We already see signs of improvements. Extra-euro area export volumes have rebounded markedly over the last few months. This rebound has been broad-based, but particularly pronounced for capital goods and intermediate goods, where Europe and Italy are important suppliers. The geographical composition of foreign demand will also be a supporting factor. It is relatively strong for Eastern European countries which do not belong to the Union, for OPEC members, as well as for Latin America and Africa. All these regions account for almost a quarter of euro area exports.
At the same time, a self-sustaining recovery cannot abstract from intra-Union trade and domestic investment in plant capacity, technologies and human capital.
Here, many members of the European Union – and this country in particular – need to advance farther. The lack of investment in capital and skills erodes competitiveness. Lack of long-term economic competitiveness, in turn, can sap confidence and undermine the Union's internal cohesion.
Economies, such as Italy, that in the aggregate have observed a decrease in their market shares need to launch a new long-term competitiveness strategy to harness domestic manpower, skills and capital to the best of their potential.
Structural reforms are critical to this process. And I would like to refer here to the constant messages of Banca d'Italia on reforms in the markets of goods and services, in the labour market and in the domain of pensions. I would also mention three points: an upgrade of high-level education is the top one; regulatory simplification and the reduction of bureaucratic costs for business activity – in particular for business start-ups; and the dismantling of rent-seeking positions – which tax disposable incomes and the economic potential. In Italy, in particular, the pricing chain – notably in the service sector – would benefit from be streamlined to increase the flexibility of goods prices.
None of these avenues will be possible without a critical commitment on the side of the public authority.
But in the end, as I said, you entrepreneurs are very important actors of structural change.
Concluding remarks
You have a sound platform on which you can build your future.
First, healthy private finance. Italy never indulged in the financial excesses of the recent past. It remains a manufacturing economy, where finance is first and foremost a support to real economic production. Strong saving propensities and prudent banking represent a platform of security from which the economy can restart.
Second, the euro has shielded your economy from the worst consequences of a financial fright of historical proportions. You know that the people of Europe can count on us, the ECB and the Eurosystem, to continue to be a solid anchor of stability and confidence.
Third, and no less important, you have a strong tradition. Remember that Italy's manufacturing sector withstood many challenges in recent history.
As in the past, the real economy of production and innovation which you represent here today will return back to the front line where it has belonged since the end of the War. For all of us in Europe, the force to boot-strap ourselves out of the present hardships will come from inside. And we know that technological progress will continue unabated in Europe.
Thank you.
Banco Central Europeo
Dirección General de Comunicación
- Sonnemannstrasse 20
- 60314 Frankfurt am Main, Alemania
- +49 69 1344 7455
- email@example.com
Se permite la reproducción, siempre que se cite la fuente.
Contactos de prensa

subset: commoncrawl


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MS Optical Sonnetar 50/1.1 @ f1.4, Leica M9 JPG, photo by Ming
We are pleased to announce the release of the MS Optical Sonnetar 50/1.1 lens in Leica M mount.
The lens is available for order now in our web shop. Orders will be served in the order received. Please note that as usual there might be a waiting period between receiving your order and fulfilment, due to the nature of the lens and its production. Shipping is scheduled to commence on or around 10 Oct 2012.
Japan Exposures has over seven years of experience of selling MS Optical products, including several hundred of Super Triplets 35mm and 28mm. This includes efficient and cost-effective shipping, handling of after-sale warranty and repairs and even intra-EU shipping to save on import duty. Thank you for your continued support.
The Sonnar type is a photographic lens originally designed by Dr. Ludwig Bertele in 1924 and patented by Zeiss Ikon. It was notable for its relatively light weight, simple design and fast aperture.
The name "Sonnar" is derived from the German word "Sonne", meaning sun. It was given this name because its large aperture was much greater than many other lenses available at the time.
Compared to Planar designs the Sonnars had more aberrations, but with fewer glass-to-air surfaces it had better contrast and less flare. Though compared to the earlier Tessar design, its faster aperture and lower chromatic aberration was a significant improvement.
Source: Wikipedia
Here are its key features:
- 5 elements in 4 groups Sonnar formula lens
- Compact design, weight 190g, 220g with hood (36mm long, 55mm diameter filter thread)
- Premium quality Tantalum glass, superior to Trium and Lanthanum glass with best refractive qualities
- 14 blade aperture for smooth and pleasing bokeh (Made in Germany by Otto Niemann Feinmechanik GmbH, Berlin)
- Minimum focus distance 0.8m
- ALL six glass surfaces multicoated, 97% light transmission
- Initial lot of 300 lenses, designed, manufactured and hand-assembled in Japan by Mr Sadayasu Miyazaki
- Native Leica M mount
The MS Optical Sonnetar 50/1.1 is available now in our web shop.
Mr Miyazaki of MS Optical, a small independent manufacturer of lenses and camera accessories, has also added a world first: positioned with the rear element of the lens is a "coma adjustment ring". Coma (aka comatic aberration) in an optical system refers to aberration inherent to certain optical designs or due to imperfection in the lens or other components which results in off-axis point sources such as stars appearing distorted, appearing to have a tail (coma) like a comet (Wikipedia). The coma control has the distance settings infinity, 4m, 2m and 1m (up to 1m setting should only be used with mirror less cameras or cameras with live view). As it is well known, early Sonnar lenses encountered issues with aberration when used wide open. The coma adjustment control allows to select the subject distance and slightly repositions the rear element to compensate for the selected focus distance by reducing spherical aberration. This also changes the focal length very slightly (only by fractions of a millimetre). Alternatively one can set it into the opposite of optimum direction for a soft focus look that makes Sonnar portraits so attractive.
Spherical aberration is also often dubbed as a "friend of bokeh" as the very soft rendering will pronounce out of focus areas even more. The famous Voigtländer Universal-Heliar, introduced in 1926, incorporated the ability of the central lens element to be adjusted by the photographer, thereby introducing varying amount of spherical aberrations. Its images are legendary.
This is what Carl Zeiss say themselves about their C-Sonnar T* 1,5/50 ZM, similar can be expected for the Sonnetar 50/1.1:
This lens design helps to achieve pictures with a special artistic touch. This lens 'draws' your subject in a fine, flattering manner and is therefore ideally suited for portraiture. It renders a sharpness that is slightly rounded, being less aggressive than in contemporary lens designs, but at the same time not soft in its rendition.
Many famous portraits of glamorous and prominent people during the 1930s used this technique to great effect. These images are characterized by portraying the person in a shining, nearly celestial way. This effect is very well balanced and not exaggerated; therefore many viewers see it in a subconscious way. The trained observer, however, understands the underlining technique and enjoys the results.
This lens design exhibits some additional effects, which should be understood to achieve the maximum benefit from the C-Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM:
Because of the above mentioned classical characteristic of the lens the best focus position in the object space can not be kept exactly constant for all f-stop settings. The passionate photographer might notice a slightly closer best focus in his pictures than expected. When stopping down the lens to f/2.8 or smaller this effect is minimized, so the focus position will be as expected. In order to balance the performance at full speed and other f-stop settings the lens is adjusted with above described characteristic.
Just like MS Optical's lens conversions, please be aware that this lens is slightly different in operation from "normal" mass-manufactured lenses. For example, the aperture scale rotates with the whole lens barrel when the lens is focussed and there are no aperture click stops. This is not a lens for photographers who want all their lenses to function in the same way and cannot adjust to a different way of working. This is a design for the connoisseur with an appreciation for optics and their history.
There is no other independent maker of Leica M mount lenses that offers the same level of quality and creativity as MS Optical in the world today. This is not just a lens, it is a celebration of the spirit of photography.


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5 Star Garage Doors - Garage Door Installation Seattle, WA - 206-488-1096
It's never an easy decision to invest in a large piece of equipment like a new garage door. You need to decide if your current door is repairable and whether you want to keep putting money into having it fixed. Other considerations can include setting a budget, deciding on a style, and when to schedule service. If you have any questions about the process, don't hesitate to ask. 5 Star Garage Doors are here to serve you in any way we can.
How Installation Works
After making the decision to invest in a new garage door, we get together with you to plan every aspect of the upcoming project. If you're not sure how much you want to spend, we can help you with budgeting and locating financing options. Next, we send a service technician to your property in Seattle, WA to measure the dimensions of your current garage door. We need these figures to make sure that we order a new door for you in the same size. Lastly, we give you an estimate of costs that include both parts and labor. We want you to go into the process feeling empowered and educated.


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I had almost forgotten about soprano Evelyn Lear and her husband, baritone Thomas Stewart, when a batch of their re-issued recordings arrived in the mail. Lear, born in Brooklyn in 1928, studied at Juilliard and made her debut at the Berlin Deutsche Opera in 1961; she created leading roles there and at the Met in a number of contemporary operas and became best known for her performances as Berg's Lulu and in Strauss operas (and his songs, in recital). Stewart is a Texan, also born in 1928 and a student at Juilliard, who sang regularly at Bayreuth from 1960 to 1975 and at the Met after 1966. These discs, recorded mostly in the 1960s and 70s in good sound, include all sorts of things: solo performances by Lear of 20th-century songs (VAI 1049), Russian songs (1057), Strauss lieder (1080), a recital of songs with orchestra by Berlioz, Spohr, Berg, and Strauss (1159), children's songs (6090) and (as narrator) performances of Poulenc's Babar and Satie's Sports et divertissements (1150); songs of gambling and the sea by Stewart (1122); and both together in Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn (1061) and Wagner and Strauss arias (1011).
Lear's singing was notable above all for her musical intelligence. Her voice was not large, tending sometimes to break up a little under pressure, but it was pure and clearly delivered, a little weak at the bottom but radiant in the middle and upper registers. She had great skill in fusing word and phrases with the music, and her interpretations of the wide variety of material on these discs are distinctive and effective. The Russian songs (by Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, and others, including a lovely and little-known "Pastorale" by Stravinsky, are very Slavic in feeling, and her Strauss lieder are equally idiomatic in capturing the flavor of fin-de-siècle Vienna.
Her version of Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 doesn't convey its innocent nostalgia quite as well as Leontyne Price, but on the same disc, Berg's lovely and approachable Seven Early Songs, which have more depth and sincerity than the ersatz sentiment of many of Strauss's lieder, are beautifully delivered. In fact, everything here is presented with impressive understanding and artistry.
I am less impressed by Stewart. He had a big, dark voice, smoothly delivered but often with a considerable and displeasing vibrato; it was essentially lyrical in quality, and his efforts at dramatic fervor, at least as displayed on these discs, often result in more shouting than singing. But his Wagner and his sea chanties are vividly characterized and effectively sung. All in all, both singers deserve to be remembered for performances that are distinctive and rewarding, and I am glad to have them available once again.
Copyright © 1999, Alexander J. Morin


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Ovary Removal Not Tied to Increased Risk of Death
(Reuters) - Despite concerns that removing both of a woman's ovaries would raise her chances of dying from diseases associated with aging, a large new study suggests the procedure may be safe.
Looking at data on more than 130,000 California teachers, researchers found that women who were 45 years old or older when they had both ovaries removed had a slightly lower chance of dying over the length of the study than peers who didn't have the procedure.
For women under 45 at the time of surgery, there was no increased risk of death over time, the authors note in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
Katherine Henderson, the study's lead author and an assistant research professor at the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope National Medical Center in California, told Reuters Health the study aimed to address a concern raised by a few past studies suggesting bilateral oophorectomies, the surgery to remove both ovaries, were linked with an increased risk of death.
Often women who are having their uterus removed during a hysterectomy are given the option to have their ovaries removed at the same time.
Taking out both ovaries is thought to reduce a woman's chance of developing ovarian cancer, which is hard to test for and catch in its early stages. Removing a woman's ovaries, which generate estrogen, thrusts her into menopause almost immediately with an unknown impact on long-term health, however.
In some groups of women, such as those with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, the benefit of early menopause is clear, said Henderson in an email.
However in most women it's just not clear whether the downside associated with early menopause due to bilateral oophorectomy outweighs the benefits.
In 2007, about 20,000 U.S. women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and almost 15,000 died from it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to Henderson's study, about 600,000 women had hysterectomies every year between 2000 and 2004. More than half had their ovaries removed, too.
Over the past decade, a number of studies have produced conflicting answers to the question of whether ovary removal abruptly raises risks that tend to go up after natural menopause too, including death from heart disease, cancer and other causes.
Dr. William Parker of the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, who has published research linking ovary removal and increased risk of death said he notices younger doctors are more willing to accept that there might be a higher risk associated with the procedure than older doctors.
It's the gynecologist who sees the patient die of ovarian cancer, said Parker.
We're kind of operating with blinders on. We're very focused on this one condition.
You can't make a definitive conclusion, because the literature is so mixed, said Dr. Vanessa Jacoby, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive science at the University of California, San Francisco.
Jacoby told Reuters Health that studying an association between the removal of ovaries and death from heart disease or cancer is hard for several reasons. But one of the main reasons is that so much time has passed between the surgery and death.
Women typically have an oophorectomy with their hysterectomy in their forties. Heart attacks don't happen until much later, and so much time has passed. That is a very hard thing to study, said Jacoby.
Another challenge is that no two studies are alike, Parker added.
I don't think you can start adding all the studies together that (are) out there, because they're all so different, said Parker.
However, at the end of the day Parker said the decision needs to be made between the patient and her doctor.
In the end it becomes a very personal decision, as it should be, Parker said.
As always have a frank and candid conversation with your doctor about your therapeutic choices, said Henderson in an email.
If you face the decision as to whether to undergo a bilateral oophorectomy, you must carefully weigh the risks and benefits to you as an individual.
SOURCE: bit.ly/thqDUT
Fertility and Sterility, published online November 14, 2011.
© Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. All rights reserved.


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See's Candy Holiday Sale!
December 12, 2020 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Come to our booth at the Los Osos Post office, 1189 Los Osos Valley Rd, Baywood-Los Osos, CA 93402. We are open 10-4 Monday through Friday, 10-2 on Saturday. See you soon! Want to use Venmo? Call 805-439-0808, we deliver!
Kiwanis Club of Bay-Osos includes members from Los Osos, Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo.
We are dedicated to improving the lives of the children in our community, and following are just a few of the activities we sponsor:
- Presenters of the Los Osos Easter Egg Hunt for Children
- Kiwanis Club Sponsors Special Olympics
- Co-Sponsor of the Oktoberfest Community Celebration
- Support of local Boy Scout troops and a Los Osos Little League Team
- Middle School Basketball tournament awards
- Sponsor of Morro Bay High School Academic Awards Night and Scholarships
- Sponsor of the Raise a Reader Program
- Support for Early Childhood Dental work
We invite you to join us in our service to our community – Let us tell you more about how you can become a member and a part of our team. I promise – you'll have lots of fun, make new friends, and be glad to be serving your community with such a productive and fun group!


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Cancel Appointment
Please make every effort to keep your appointment. If you are unable to make it, please cancel it as soon as possible, using one of the methods below, so that it can be reallocated to another patient in need. Your help will avoid a significant waste of NHS resources and is much appreciated.
Alternatively, you can follow the instructions on your appointment reminder text and reply, to cancel an appointment.


text: NetConnect is an internet service provider (ISP) located in Monticello, Iowa. Our goal is to provide the people of the Monticello, Anamosa, Manchester, Delhi, Greeley, Earlville, Ryan, Hopkinton, Independence, Oelwein, New Hampton, Sumner and Cedar Rapids areas with the best Internet services they ask for. Below you can find out how NetConnect can work for you.


text:
How to Answer 101 Job Interview Questions
We get questions every week from people who are facing an interview that they're nervous about or struggling with and who want help for how to answer interview questions.
We looked around on the internet and found that no one else has anything that I thought was as helpful as it could be. Mostly, I found lots of short, quick answers that don't tell you why the interviewer asks that question, what they really want to know, how to think about your answer and be strategic about it. So we decided to do that…plus give you suggestions for how to best answer job interview questions.
So we put together 101 blog articles that support 101 questions that give you the best way to think about the questions and how to form your answer.
Here are a few:
How to Answer Interview Questions – Q7 — Describe yourself to me in one word.
How to Answer Interview Questions – Q41 — Tell me about yourself.
How to Answer Interview Questions – Q72 — What salary are you looking for?
We've got them all inter-connected so they are easily searchable. In other words, you can find every question from each question, no matter where you land.
Come over to Career Confidential and see and learn more about how to answer interview questions.


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The Turf Groom has flat head and a polished pine handle. No frills, just an excellent rake that lasts and lasts. It eases the cleaning of your artificial lawn. Nylon tines help to maintain the turf without damaging it. Extend your lawn life and your investment. You can use these rake to spread an infill, to clean up your lawns, or just to fluff up the blades of turf. This is a "must have" tool for every artificial lawn owner.
The Turf Groom comes in two sizes: 18 inches or 36 inches wide (see pictures). Choose the size according to the squire footage of your lawn. Broom faster, take wider!


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comment : The combination of *actions* (like <tt>save</tt>) and *request parameters* (like <tt>xredirect</tt>) obviously is a very powerful means to work with XWiki documents. Is there any documentation on that? Where do these concepts belong to in the first place, Struts, XWiki, Velocity or another technology?
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The heavy-duty DS 800 drill system is the contractor's choice for the more demanding drilling applications. The precision ground column provides strength and rigidity for high horsepower drill motors. The carriage and base are made of high-strength aluminum designed to withstand excessive wear and to ease job site handling.
- 14 in
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Snider hit forty or more home runs in five consecutive seasons, something neither Mantle or Mays achieved. Impressive as he was the plate, Snider also inspired fans with his fielding. As the Times obit says, "He moved back on the ball brilliantly and unleashed powerful throws." Fans watching him play at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field felt close to the action. As Roger Kahn wrote in The Boys of Summer, "In the intimacy of Ebbets Field it was a short trip from the grandstand to the fantasy that you were in the game." No one has captured that fantasy—and Snider's starring role in it—better than Philip Roth in Portnoy's Complaint as Alexander Portnoy describes his youthful prowess as an outfielder to his therapist:
. . . Or just standing nice and calm—nothing trembling, everything serene—standing there in the sunshine (as though in the middle of an empty field, or passing the time on the street corner) standing without a care in the world in the sunshine, like my king of kings, the Lord my God, The Duke Himself (Snider, Doctor, the name may come up again), standing there as loose and as easy, as happy as I will ever be, just waiting by myself under a high fly ball (a towering fly ball, I hear Red Barber say, as he watches from behind his microphone—hit out toward Portnoy; Alex under it, under it), just waiting there for the ball to fall into the glove I raise to it, and yup, there it is, plock, the third out of the inning (and Alex gathers it in for out number three, and folks, here's old C.D. for P. Lorillard and Company), and then in one motion, while old Connie brings us a message from Old Golds, I start in toward the bench, holding the ball now with the five fingers of my bare left hand, and when I get to the infield—having come down hard with one foot on the bag at second base—I shoot it gently with just one flick of the wrist, at the opposing team's shortstop as he comes trotting out onto the field, and still without breaking stride, go loping in all the way, shoulders shifting, head hanging, a touch pigeon-toed, my knees coming slowly up and down in an altogether brilliant imitation of The Duke. Oh, the unruffled nonchalance of that game!Snider reflected on his career after being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980
Also of interest:
- Watch a video of Terry Cashman's song "Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey, and the Duke)"
- Don Zimmer remembers his friend and teammate Duke Snider
- John Updike on Ted Williams, a previous Reader's Almanac post
- "Baiting the Umpire" by George Jean Nathan, a Story of the Week


text: Air Jordans were an instant hit thanks to a high flying rookie as well as one of the best marketing campaigns put together by Weiden and Kennedy. Air Jordan shoes have been the top selling signature basketball shoe that Nike has ever produced. In addition to the signature Air Jordans, Jordan Brand has a major presence in the basketball and lifestyle market. Despite the fact that Michael Jordan retired from basketball in 2003 (for the 3rd time) Air Jordans are still the top selling models for many sneaker retailers. The legacy of Michael Jordan lives on with the release of new Jordans each year and re-releasing retro Air Jordans. Retro Air Jordan shoes are remakes of the classic Air Jordans either in the colors Mike wore back in the day, or slightly modified to match with current trends. Beginning in 2005, Jordan Brand has brought back several "hybrid" Jordan shoes that take individual components from different Air Jordans and form one individual shoe. As part of the 23 year celebration, Jordan Brand started a multi-year campaign "fusing" the Air Force 1with Air Jordans creating the Air Jordan Fusions.


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Born in Damascus, the poet and novelist Aïcha Arnaout has lived in Paris since 1978. We have had quite a few conversations over the past few years, often at the Marché de la Poésie, an annual event that takes place in early summer on the Place Saint-Sulpice, in the heart of the Latin Quarter. Last March, she became totally engaged in the Syrian revolt, working day and night to send news updates and attend meetings in support of her people. We no longer meet at readings, only at rallies and evenings centered on current events in Syria. She replied to my questions shortly after another of those evenings where a young woman had sung a cappella in Ugaritic and Syriac, as a tribute to the Syrian protesters, moving the audience to tears. This is an edited transcript of our conversation.
Cécile Oumhani: After the Tunisian and the Egyptian revolutions, did you expect demonstrations would start in Syria too?
Aïcha Arnaout: No, I did not. For half a century, Syria had been ruled with an iron hand. No one could talk, no one could move. In short, no one had a right to have an opinion of her own, as there was permanent repression of the opposition and relentless propaganda. Under the reign of the two Assads, Syria had become a Jamlakya—in Arabic, a "monarchic republic." The word was coined when Hafez al-Assad was preparing his son Bassel to become heir apparent to the presidency. Any attempt to revolt was quelled in cold blood.
With this terrible history of arrests, detentions, torture, rape, and murder, you will understand why I did not dream the lungs of Syria could ever breathe free, how the gag that sealed its lips could ever be ripped to pieces.
During the Tunisian revolution, I was alone in the countryside, in my winter retreat, following this fascinating uprising against tyranny, and I did not think of Syria then. When Egypt's turn came, I was simply carried away, as if I had taken some magic potion, even though I still worried. I called an Egyptian friend on the phone several times a day. Despite the atrocities at the time, he was filled with hope. I could hear it in his voice. He would say: "Syria will follow soon." I would answer: "Enough illusions, this is impossible; this won't happen for many years." Determined, he would insist: "You will see, it will come very soon." I can still hear his voice today.
Those days at the beginning seemed unreal, as if I did not exist anymore. I felt I had been hypnotized and transported to a dreamlike sphere, beyond time and location. Then all of a sudden, I felt I was being reborn. A little over a month ago, I said to a friend that the Syrian revolution had given birth to me. And there is no chauvinism in my speaking of a "great people"—far from it. Indeed I was born in Damascus of immigrant parents. Yet my fate is linked to the fate of these people, and my blood is related to theirs.
Bouazizi inflamed the Tunisians' desire for freedom. Egypt, still reeling from the murder of Khaled Saïd last year, ignited. Then the Syrian regime arrested and tortured a group of children, and that barbarity and brutality triggered the Syrian revolt.
From outside, these are like separate sources; but looking from a different angle, we realize there is a seismic wave running through the ground beneath the feet of despotic regimes. The fires of rebellion are sweeping across all Arab countries right now.
CO: What is going to happen in the next few weeks, as protesters, peacefully asking for the fall of the regime, for democracy, are being repressed with unheard-of cruelty?
AA: Despite the hopes inspiring new visions for the future, we face the unknown. The peaceful determination of the Syrian people and its cohesion, beyond any ethnic or denominational divides, will pave the way toward optimistic horizons. We are now demanding the fall of the government, all of us, inside and outside the country. We want those who perpetrated crimes against humanity to be tried. The toll of the past four months is heavy: 1,800 dead, including a hundred children; 16,000 imprisoned; 15,000 refugees. Countless numbers of people have "disappeared."
The Syrian people are determined to see the revolution through to the end, with peaceful demonstrations and general strikes. They are coordinating committees in all cities. During the first month of the revolt, we saw protesters go out with their shrouds on their shoulders. Now they no longer take them, as those who die for a noble cause can be buried without shrouds.
The demonstrators for Bashar, organized by the regime, are his supporters and plainclothes security forces, as well as students and civil servants, who are forced to display their support for Bashar or risk losing their jobs or being sanctioned in their studies.
CO: What are the specifics of the Syrian uprising?
AA: The Arab Spring uprisings are inspired by the same desires; the only differences are local. The Syrian revolution was triggered by the Assadist regime's brutal torture of a group of children. Imitating the Tunisian and Egyptian slogans they saw on unofficial TV channels, they scrawled "down with the regime" on the walls of their school. The children were arrested and their nails pulled out. Those savaged little fingers turned a new page in Syrian history.
Despite the regime's violence, the Syrian demonstrations are peaceful: the marchers meet gun barrels and tanks with empty hands, rifles with olive branches. Meanwhile, while occupying cities and murdering protesters, the regime claims to foster reform using the media to discredit the revolt and justify the government's response, and calling for dialogue with the so-called opposition, in an attempt to clear itself at home and abroad among those who are still trying to make sense of the situation in Syria.
CO: Because the demonstrations generally start in mosques, some suspect these protesters of being fundamentalists.
AA: In Syria, any gathering in the street has been forbidden since the state of emergency was proclaimed, with the exception of two places: stadiums and mosques. All sports matches have been canceled since the revolt began, but the regime could not close the mosques. That's why you will see crowds of demonstrators walking out of the mosques every Friday. I have several Christian and non-practicing Muslim friends who go to the mosque to be able to demonstrate. At the moment, the spirit of protest is gaining such momentum that crowds have started demonstrating daily without necessarily going to the mosques.
CO: You live in Paris, yet you are very involved in everything that is going on right now. How do you coordinate your action with what is going on inside Syria? A lot has been said about the role played in other Arab revolts by the Internet, Facebook, and Twitter. Is it the same in Syria?
AA: Those paying the price for freedom with their lives must have the right to speak. To know what is going on, my friends here and I keep in touch with our friends over there, directly and indirectly. The means of communicating you mention are fabulous indeed. They have changed the world. Indeed they have become an indispensable tool for our revolutions. Still we must never forget that the Syrian regime has turned the country into a vast prison where it operates behind closed doors. It is besieging cities with its tanks and armored vehicles. It is turning off electricity and the water supply, controlling phone calls, and cutting the Internet, hacking some sites and Facebook pages, blocking YouTube and other services. A month ago, I heard that security agents and intelligence services were arresting Web site owners and torturing them to access their passwords and use them to change the data on their sites and pages. They have an army of people hacking and adding indecent and aggressive comments. I can now recognize their style. On the other hand, we can see the young of the revolution learning to retaliate and hack official sites in return. There is a virtual fight going on, unarmed and with masked faces.
No journalist is allowed to cover events behind these huge closed doors. The population has decided to try to make up for the absence of the media by developing their own on-the-ground journalism. These inexperienced reporters using the means at hand have changed our vision. The use of mobile phones means that photographs can be distributed throughout the country. We are witnessing a new phenomenon and the Syrians are achieving something huge at the risk of their lives.
CO: What do you think of the way the rest of the world is reacting to the situation in Syria? Stereotypes and a lack of knowledge concerning the Arab world are still common and hinder a stronger expression of solidarity.
AA: I once said that the world had blinkers, not only regarding the case of Syria, but also about other people fighting for their freedom and independence.
The Syrian people find themselves alone. The local committees throughout Syria are calling all the countries in the world and international organizations to implement strong sanctions and totally isolate the Syrian government, end any contact until it steps down. The Syrian people categorically refuse any military intervention of any kind.
CO: What is the role of poets and novelists in the present situation?
Writers should stand up for humanity, justice and the universal principles defining the rights of each living being to dignity, respect, and well-being. I am of course not referring to the subjects they deal with, but to their positions regarding the world, their ideas. They are free to choose any subject. The invisible driving force in their works will bear the marks of their principles. While Picasso was working on "Guernica" and expressing his anger, Matisse was painting still lifes, soothing spirits tormented by the war. Both painters shared the same views.
In the present tragic situation, poets and writers should stand by the side of the Syrian people. They should do their best to become available for those historical moments, through their writing or other forms of action. Of course this depends on each writer or artist's personality, style and choices.
The Arab Spring offers a great variety of experiences, new and intense emotions. It is an opportunity for other forms of creation, in unison with the people. In the case of Syria, this has led to innovation. People have composed expressive songs; they have written poems directly inspired by events. Young people, in particular, have made marvelous use of grim humor and a mischievous vocabulary, experimenting with new forms of expression.
I cannot understand how some can remain silent in this turmoil. Even if they choose not to write, at least they should not hide behind an opaque wall, as if they were busy analyzing figures on a page of calculations. This is a historic moment, a moment when speech is golden.
CO: What are you writing at the moment? Can we write a revolt when it is still under way? Does this context lead you to opt for what we call in French "une écriture de l'urgence" (writing as a matter of urgency)?
AA: I write screams, sudden ideas, sentences scattered on dozens of pieces of paper I leave on my desk, sentences beside phone numbers, daily numbers of casualties, notes of all sorts, lists with the names of the people who have been arrested, who have disappeared. I spend most of my time in front of my computer screen, writing e-mails, making and receiving phone calls. I send and receive a huge number of messages every day; I attend meetings and engage myself in activities around them.
I sometimes write as a matter of urgency only to realize the following day that the Syrian people have already gone much further than I have. I find that what I wrote the day before has become ridiculous, obsolete.
I can't tell you how much time I spend watching protesters, individuals whose faces I compulsively observe and memorize. It seems my eyes absorb the color of their clothes, the light on their bodies. I recognize all these strangers one by one. I address them, telling them how much I love them, how much I admire them. I cry, overcome by a strange mix of joy and anger to see them on the other side of life, without my being able to join them.
I go on listening to them, speaking to them, knowing they can't hear me and will never recognize my voice. These are special moments and they captivate me.
It is the urgency that calls me, not just the need to produce some writing as a matter of urgency. I have written three poems I regard as screams, one in Arabic and two in French. But at the same time, I am engaged in other things that are more concrete, even though they are only tiny drops compared to what Syrians inside Syria are engaged in. I keep thinking how they have begun their fifth month with even more determination, still as peacefully, although they know the price will remain exorbitant.
CO: You write in Arabic and in French. Does the present situation lead you to use one language more than the other?
AA: Not at all. A scream has no alphabet. It is the same in all languages. It only depends on the first flash reflected in my neurons. Even when I speak to the Syrian protesters, I sometimes do it in French, a language they might not even understand.
CO: Could an international movement of artists, writers, and filmmakers play a role at the moment to back the present uprising?
AA: It is important to show the others they are not all alone and that we share their grief and aspirations. This is a source of moral energy, something physical. Yes, solidarity with the Syrian people should be expressed in different ways, those that suit each of us. In fact this is as if we were signing for a common fate at the level of humankind. We all have to act as a matter of urgency in the present situation and such a movement concerns all human beings whatever their beliefs and ideas.
Let's begin with Syria and rethink our world.


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Psalm CXLVIII.59635963 Lat. CXLVIII. Sermon to the people.
1. The subject of our meditation in this present life should be the praises of God; for the everlasting exaltation of our life hereafter will be the praise of God, and none can become fit for the life hereafter, who hath not practised himself for it now. So then now we praise God, but we pray to Him too. Our praise is marked by joy, our prayer by groans.…On account of these two seasons, one, that which now is in the temptations and tribulations of this life, the other, that which is to be hereafter in everlasting rest and exultation; we have established also the celebration of two seasons, that before Easter and that after Easter. That which is before Easter signifieth tribulation, in which we now are; that which we are now keeping after Easter, signifieth the bliss in which we shall hereafter be. The celebration then which we keep before Easter is what we do now: by that which we keep after Easter we signify what as yet we have not. Therefore we employ that time in fastings and prayer, this present time we spend in praises, and relax our fast. This is the Halleluia which we sing, which, as you know, meaneth (in Latin), Praise ye the Lord. Therefore that period is before the Lord's Resurrection, this, after His Resurrection: by which time is signified the future hope which as yet we have not: for what we represent after the Lord's Resurrection, we shall have after our own. For in our Head both are figured, both are set forth. The Baptism of the Lord setteth forth to us this present life of trial, for in it we must toil, be harassed, and, at last, die; but the Resurrection and Glorification of the Lord setteth forth to us the life which we are to have hereafter, when He shall come to recompense due rewards, evil to the evil, good to the good. And now indeed all the evil men sing with us, Halleluia; but, if they persevere in their wickedness, they may utter with their lips the song of our life hereafter; but the life itself, which will then be in the reality which now is typified, they cannot obtain, because they would not practise it before it came, and lay hold on what was to come.
2. "Halleluia." "Praise the Lord," thou sayest to thy neighbour, he to thee: when all are exhorting each other, all are doing what they exhort others to do. But praise with your whole selves: that is, let not your tongue and voice alone praise God, but your conscience also, your life, your deeds. For now, when we are gathered together in the Church, we praise: when we go forth each to his own business, we seem to cease to praise God. Let a man not cease to live well, and then he ever praiseth God.…It is impossible for a man's acts to be evil, whose thoughts are good. For acts issue from thought: nor can a man do anything or move his limbs to do aught, unless the bidding of his thought precede: just as in all things which ye see done throughout the provinces, whatsoever the Emperor biddeth goeth forth from the inner part of his palace throughout the whole Roman Empire.59645964 [A striking illustration of (the Christmas morning Lesson, Anglican) Luke ii. 1.—C.] How great commotion is caused at one bidding by the Emperor as he sits in his palace! He but moveth his lips, when he speaketh: the whole province is moved, when what he speaketh is being executed. So in each single man too, the Emperor is within, his seat is in the heart. If he be good and biddeth good things, good things are done: if he be bad and biddeth evil things, evil things are done. When Christ sitteth there, what can He bid, but what is good? When the devil is the occupant, what can he bid, but evil? But God hath willed that it should be in thy choice for whom thou wilt prepare room, for God, or for the devil: when thou hast prepared it, he who is occupant will also rule. Therefore, brethren, attend not only to the sound; when ye praise God, praise with 674your whole selves: let your voice, your life, your deeds, all sing.
3. "Praise ye the Lord from heaven" (ver. 1). As though he had found things in heaven holding their peace in the praise of the Lord, he exhorteth them to arise and praise. Never have things in heaven held their peace in the praises of their Creator, never have things on earth ceased to praise God. But it is manifest that there are certain things which have breath to praise God in that disposition wherein God pleaseth them. For no one praiseth aught, save what pleaseth him. And there are other things which have not breath of life and understanding to praise God, but yet, because they also are good, and duly arranged in their proper order, and form part of the beauty of the universe, which God created, though they themselves with voice and heart praise not God, yet when they are considered by those who have understanding, God is praised in them; and, as God is praised in them, they themselves too in a manner praise God.59655965 [Homo Naturæ minister et interpres.—Bacon. The "Hymn of the Three Children" was in his mind: it became very early one of the hymns of the Church.—C.] …
4. "Praise ye the Lord from heaven: praise Him in the high places."59665966 [In excelsis.—C.] First he saith, "from heaven," then from earth; for it is God that is praised, who made heaven and earth. All in heaven is calm and peaceful; there is ever joy, no death, no sickness, no vexation; there the blessed ever praise God; but we are still below: yet, when we think how God is praised there, let us have our heart there, and let us not hear to no purpose, "Lift up your hearts." Let us lift up our heart above, that it become not corrupted on earth: for we take pleasure in what the Angels do there. We do it now in hope: hereafter we shall in reality, when we have come thither. "Praise Him" then "in the high places."
5. "Praise Him, all ye angels of His, praise Him, all His powers" (ver. 2). "Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all ye stars and light" (ver. 3). "Praise Him, ye heaven of heavens, and waters that are above the heavens" (ver. 4). "Let them praise the Name of the Lord" (ver. 5). When can he unfold all in his enumeration? Yet he hath in a manner touched upon them all summarily, and included all things in heaven praising their Creator. And as though it were said to him, "Why do they praise Him? what hath He conferred on them, that they should praise Him?" he goeth on, "for He spake, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created." No wonder if the works praise the Worker, no wonder if the things that are made praise the Maker, no wonder if creation praise its Creator. In this Christ also is mentioned, though we seem not to have heard His Name.…By what were they made? By the Word?59675967 John i. 1, 2. How doth he show in this Psalm, that all things were made by the Word? "He spake, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created." No one speaketh, no one commandeth, save by word.
6. "He hath established them for the age, and for age upon age" (ver. 6). All things in heaven, all things above, all powers and angels, a certain city on high, good, holy, blessed; from whence because we are wanderers, we are wretched; whither because we are to return, we are blessed in hope; whither when we shall have returned, we shall be blessed indeed; "He hath given them a law which shall not pass away." What sort of command, think ye, have things in heaven and the holy angels received? What sort of command hath God given them? What, but that they praise Him? Blessed are they whose business is to praise God! They plough not, they sow not, they grind not, they cook not; for these are works of necessity, and there is no necessity there. They steal not, they plunder not, they commit no adultery; for these are works of iniquity, and there is no iniquity there. They break not bread for the hungry, they clothe not the naked, they take not in the stranger, they visit not the sick, they set not at one the contentious, they bury not the dead; for these are works of mercy, and there there is no misery, for mercy to be shown to. O blessed they! Think we that we too shall be like this? Ah! let us sigh, let us groan in sighing. And what are we, that we should be there? mortal, outcast, abject, earth and ashes! But He, who hath promised, is almighty.…
7. Let him then turn himself to things on earth too, since he hath already spoken the praises of things in heaven. "Praise ye the Lord from the earth" (ver. 7). For wherewith began he before? "Praise ye the Lord from heaven:" and he went through things in heaven: now hear of things on earth. "Dragons and all abysses." "Abysses" are depths of water: all the seas, and this atmosphere of clouds, pertain to the "abyss." Where there are clouds, where there are storms, where there is rain, lightning, thunder, hail, snow, and all that God willeth should be done above the earth, by this moist and misty atmosphere, all this he hath mentioned under the name of earth, because it is very changeable and mortal; unless ye think that it raineth from above the stars.59685968 [See A.N.F. vol. vii. p. 57.—C.] All these things happen here, close to the earth. Sometimes even men are on the tops of mountains, and see the clouds beneath them, and often it raineth: 675and all commotions which arise from the disturbance of the atmosphere, those who watch carefully see that they happen here, in this lower part of the universe.…Thou seest then what kind all these things are, changeable, troublous, fearful, corruptible: yet they have their place, they have their rank, they too in their degree fill up the beauty of the universe, and so they praise the Lord. He turns then to them, as though He would exhort them too, or us, that by considering them we may praise the Lord. "Dragons" live about the water, come out from caverns, fly through the air; the air is set in motion by them: "dragons" are a huge kind of living creatures, greater there are not upon the earth. Therefore with them he beginneth, "Dragons and all abysses." There are caves of hidden waters, whence springs and streams come forth: some come forth to flow over the earth, some flow secretly beneath; and all this kind, all this damp nature of waters, together with the sea and this lower air, are called abyss, or "abysses," where dragons live and praise God. What? Think we that the dragons form choirs, and praise God? Far from it. But do ye, when ye consider the dragons, regard the Maker of the dragon, the Creator of the dragon: then, when ye admire the dragons, and say, "Great is the Lord who made these," then the dragons praise God by your voices.
8. "Fire, hail, snow, ice, wind of storms, which do His word" (ver. 8). Wherefore added he here, "which do His word"? Many foolish men, unable to contemplate and discern creation, in its several places and rank, performing its movements at the nod and commandment of God think that God doth indeed rule all things above, but things below He despiseth, casteth aside, abandoneth, so that He neither careth for them, nor guideth, nor ruleth them; but that they are ruled by chance, how they can, as they can: and they are influenced by what they say sometimes to one another: e.g. "If it were God that gave rain, would He rain into the sea? What sort of providence," they say, "is this? Getulia is thirsty, and it rains into the sea." They think that they handle the matter cleverly. One should say to them, "Getulia does at all events thirst, thou dost not even thirst." For good were it for thee to say to God, "My soul hath thirsted for Thee."59695969 Ps. cxliii. 6; Ps. lxiii. 1; Matt. v. 6. For he that thus argueth is already satisfied; he thinketh himself learned, he is not willing to learn, therefore he thirsteth not. For if he thirsted, he would be willing to learn, and he would find that everything happeneth upon earth by God's Providence, and he would wonder at the arrangement of even the limbs of a flea. Attend, beloved. Who hath arranged the limbs of a flea and a gnat, that they should have their proper order, life, motion? Consider one little creature, even the very smallest, whatever thou wilt. If thou considerest the order of its limbs, and the animation of life whereby it moveth; how doth it shun death, love life, seek pleasures, avoid pain, exert divers senses, vigorously use movements suitable to itself! Who gave its sting to the gnat, for it to suck blood with? How narrow is the pipe whereby it sucketh! Who arranged all this? who made all this? Thou art amazed at the smallest things; praise Him that is great. Hold then this, my brethren, let none shake you from your faith or from sound doctrine. He who made the Angel in heaven, the Same also made the worm upon earth: the Angel in heaven to dwell in heaven, the worm upon earth to abide on earth. He made not the Angel to creep in the mud, nor the worm to move in heaven. He hath assigned dwellers to their different abodes; incorruption He assigned to incorruptible abodes, corruptible things to corruptible abodes. Observe the whole, praise the whole. He then who ordered the limbs of the worm, doth He not govern the clouds? And wherefore raineth He into the sea? As though there are not in the sea things which are nourished by rain; as though He made not fishes therein, as though He made not living creatures therein. Observe how the fishes run to sweet water. And wherefore, saith he, doth He give rain to the fishes, and sometimes giveth not rain to me? That thou mayest consider that thou art in a desert region, and in a pilgrimage of life; that so this present life may grow bitter to thee, that thou mayest long for the life to come: or else that thou mayest be scourged, punished, amended. And how well doth He assign their properties to regions. Behold, since we have spoken of Getulia, He raineth here nearly every year, and giveth corn every year; here the corn cannot be kept, it soon rotteth, because it is given every year; there, because it is given seldom, both much is given, and it can be kept for long. But dost thou perchance think that God there deserteth man, or that they do not there after their own manner of rejoicing both praise and glorify God? Take a Getulian from his country, and set him amid our pleasant trees; he will wish to flee away, and return to his bare Getulia. To all places then, regions, seasons, God hath assigned and arranged what fits them. Who could unfold it? Yet they who have eyes see many things therein: when seen, they please; pleasing, they are praised; not they really, but He who made them; thus shall all things praise God.
9. It was in thought of this that the spirit of the Prophet added the words, "which do His word." Think not then that these things are moved by chance, which in every motion of theirs 676obey God. Whither God willeth, thither the fire spreads, thither the cloud hurries, whether it carry in it rain, or snow, or hail. And wherefore doth the lightning sometimes strike the mountain, yet strikes not the robber?…Perhaps He yet seeketh the robber's conversion, and therefore is the mountain which feareth not smitten, that the man who feareth may be changed. Thou also sometimes, when maintaining discipline, smitest the ground to terrify a child. Sometimes too He smiteth a man, whom He will. But thou sayest to me, Behold, He smiteth the more innocent, and passeth over the more guilty. Wonder not; death, whencesoever it come, is good to the good man. And whence dost thou know what punishment is reserved in secret for that more guilty man, if he be unwilling to be converted? Would not they rather be scorched by lightning, to whom it shall be said in the end, "Depart into everlasting fire"?59705970 Matt. xxv. 41. The needful thing is, that thou be guileless. Why so? Is it an evil thing to die by shipwreck, and a good thing to die by fever? Whether he die in this way or in that, ask what sort of man he is who dieth; ask whither he will go after death, not how he is to depart from life.…Whatever then happeneth here contrary to our wish, thou wilt know that it happeneth not, save by the will of God, by His providence, by His ordering, by His nod, by His laws: and if we understand not why anything is done, let us grant to His providence that it is not done without reason: so shall we not be blasphemers. For when we begin to argue concerning the works of God, "why is this?" "why is that?" and, "He ought not to have done this," "He did this ill;" where is the praise of God? Thou hast lost thy Halleluia. Regard all things in such wise as to please God and praise the Creator. For if thou wert to happen to enter the workshop of a smith, thou wouldest not dare to find fault with his bellows, his anvils, his hammers. But take an ignorant man, who knows not for what purpose each thing is, and he findeth fault with all. But if he have not the skill of the workman, and have but the reasoning power of a man, what saith he to himself? Not without reason are the bellows placed here: the workman knoweth wherefore, though I know not. In the shop he dareth not to find fault with the smith, yet in the universe he dareth to find fault with God. Therefore just as "fire, hail, snow, ice, wind of storms, which do His word," so all things in nature, which seem to foolish persons to be made at random, simply "do His word," because they are not made save by His command.
10. Then he mentioneth, that they may praise the Lord, "mountains and hills, fruitful trees and all cedars" (ver. 9): "beasts and all cattle, creeping things, and winged fowls" (ver. 10). Then he goeth to men; "kings of the earth and all people, princes and all judges of the earth" (ver. 11): "young men and maidens, old men and young, let them praise the Name of the Lord" (ver. 12). Ended is the praise from heaven, ended is the praise from earth. "For His Name only is exalted" (ver. 13). Let no man seek to exalt his own name. Wilt thou be exalted? Subject thyself to Him who cannot be humbled. "His confession is in earth and heaven" (ver. 14). What is "His confession"? Is it the confession wherewith He confesseth? No, but that whereby all things confess Him, all things cry aloud: the beauty of all things is in a manner their voice, whereby they praise God. The heaven crieth out to God, "Thou madest me, not I myself." Earth crieth out, "Thou createdst me, not I myself." How do they cry out? When thou regardest them, and findest this out, they cry out by thy voice, they cry out by thy regard. Regard the heavens, it is beautiful: observe the earth, it is beautiful: both together are very beautiful. He made them, He ruleth them, by His nod they are swayed, He ordereth their seasons, He reneweth their movements, by Himself He reneweth them. All these things then praise Him, whether in stillness or in motion, whether from earth below or from heaven above, whether in their old state or in their renewal. When thou seest all these things, and rejoicest, and art lifted up to the Maker, and gazest on "His invisible things understood by the things which are made,"59715971 Rom. i. 20. "His confession is in earth and heaven:" that is, thou confesseth to Him from things on earth, thou confesseth to Him from things in heaven. And since He made all things, and nought is better than He, whatsoever He made is less than He, and whatsoever in these things pleaseth thee, is less than He. Let not then what He hath made so please thee, as to withdraw thee from Him who made: if thou lovest what He made, love much more Him who made. If the things which He hath made are beautiful, how much more beautiful is He who made them. "And He shall exalt the horn of His people." Behold what Haggai and Zachariah prophesied. Now the "horn of His people" is humble in afflictions, in tribulations, in temptations, in beating of the breast; when will He "exalt the horn of His people"? When the Lord hath come, and our Sun is risen, not the sun which is seen with the eye, and "riseth upon the good and the evil," 59725972 Matt. v. 45. but That whereof is said, To you that hear God, "the Sun of Righteousness shall rise, and healing in 677His wings;"59735973 Mal. iv. 2. and of whom the proud and wicked shall hereafter say, "The light of righteousness hath not shined unto us, and the sun of righteousness rose not upon us."59745974 Wisd. v. 6. This shall be our summer. Now during the winter weather the fruits appear not on the stock; thou observest, so to say, dead trees during the winter. He who cannot see truly, thinketh the vine dead; perhaps there is one near it which is really dead; both are alike during winter; the one is alive, the other is dead, but both the life and death are hidden: summer advanceth; then the life of the one shineth brightly, the death of the other is manifested: the splendour of leaves, the abundance of fruit, cometh forth, the vine is clothed in outward appearance from what it hath in its stock. Therefore, brethren, now we are the same as other men: just as they are born, eat, drink, are clothed, pass their life, so also do the saints. Sometimes the very truth deceiveth men, and they say, "Lo, he hath begun to be a Christian: hath he lost his headache?" or, "because he is a Christian, what gaineth he from me?" O dead vine, thou observest near thee a vine that is bare indeed in winter, yet not dead. Summer will come, the Lord will come, our Splendour, that was hidden in the stock, and then "He shall exalt the horn of His people," after the captivity wherein we live in this mortal life.…
11. "An hymn to all His Saints." Know ye what an hymn is? It is a song with praise of God. If thou praisest God and singest not, thou utterest no hymn: if thou singest and praisest not God, thou utterest no hymn: if thou praisest aught else, which pertaineth not to the praise of God, although thou singest and praisest, thou utterest no hymn. An hymn then containeth these three things, song, and praise, and that of God. Praise then of God in song is called an hymn. What then meaneth, "An hymn to all His Saints"? Let His Saints receive an hymn: let His Saints utter an hymn: for this is what they are to receive in the end, an everlasting hymn.…
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This Week in Palestine July 21-27
By Husam Qassis and George Rishmawi for IMEMC News
HAVANA TIMES — Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, for July 21st to 27th, 2012.
A world bank report says Palestinian economy is not ready for statehood, meanwhile Israeli settler attempts to grab more Palestinian lands continues, these stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.
The Nonviolence Report:
Let's begin our weekly report with nonviolent activities in the West Bank. Israeli forces attacked anti-wall protests organized in the villages of Bil'in, Nabi Saleh and Al-Masara on Friday. IMEMC's Anne Shirley with the details
In central West Bank, Palestinians organized anti-wall and settlements protests in the villages of Bil'in, Nil'in and al-Nabi Saleh. Israeli troops used chemical water in addition to tear gas to suppress protesters.
Israeli and international supporters joined villagers after the midday prayers at all three locations. Troops used tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets to stop the protests. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation and treated by field medics.
In other news, Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly protest at Al-Nabi Saleh village near Ramallah wounding four people including a 9-year old child.
The villagers marched after the midday prayers towards the confiscated lands, however, Israeli troops stopped them by firing several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets and a number of tear gas canisters. Nine-year old Mohammad Tamimi was hit in his arm with a tear gas canister and was moved to the hospital for treatment.
Three others were wounded with rubber-coated steel bullets however, their wounds were described as minor.
In northern West Bank, at the village of Kufur Qadduom, villagers accompanied by international supporters were attacked with tear gas as soon as they reached the road block isolating the village form the surrounding villages and towns. Local sources said that several residents were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Meanwhile on Friday, in southern West Bank, several residents were also treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli soldiers attacked the villagers of Al Ma'sara as they organized their weekly anti wall and settlements protest which called this week for boycotting Israeli products.
Residents and international supporters marched near the construction site of the wall and were faced with tear gas fired by Israeli troops operating in the area.
In prisoners news, Akram al Rekhawi, a Palestinian prisoner being held in Ramle prison clinic, ended a 102 day hunger strike on Sunday which aimed to increase attention to the plight of ill detainees. Al-Rekhawi, who was arrested in 2004, stated in a letter to the Palestinian Minister of Detainees Affairs, that prisoners languishing in the clinic of Ramle prison have been suffering medical neglect by Israeli prison authorities.
He claims their medical needs are being neglected without regard for international humanitarian law. He also stated that there is an international moral responsibility to end disregard for prisoners' lives, especially those suffering from serious illnesses and disabilities. Al-Rekhawi suffers from diabetes, asthma and osteoporosis and ended his hunger strike after the Israeli authorities agreed to release him six months early, in January 2013.
The Political Report
Relations between the European Union and Israel are to be upgraded; meanwhile, a World Bank Report said the Palestinian Economy is not good enough for statehood, the details with IMEMCs' Diana Barry
The European Union said it will upgrade relations with Israel. The upgrade will offer improvements on both trade and diplomatic relations, including upgrades on migration, energy and agriculture. The move follows Israel's inclusion into the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in late 2010 and is a revival of plans to upgrade relations that were suspended following Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip between December 2008 – January 2009.
On the other hand, the Arab League announced this week that it will unanimously support the Palestinian bid for statehood recognition in the United Nations General Assembly. The upcoming General Assembly vote on September 5 will not give Palestine a seat or a vote at the UN, but it will grant them non-member status as an observer state.
Also this week, the World Bank released a detailed report concluding that the economy of Palestine is unsuitable for statehood and incapable of sustaining itself without foreign aid. The 181-page report concludes that the Palestinian Authority has not done enough to build a prosperous economy despite its success in constructing institutions of government. The World Bank made no attempt to avoid the fact that Israeli policies are primarily responsible for the stagnation of the Palestinian economy, however poor leadership and planning in Ramallah have also taken their toll.
In the meantime, the United Nation's Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, stated on Wednesday that no breakthrough has been made in restarting dialogue between Palestinian representatives and Israel. The Palestinian delegation is still refusing to return to talks without a halt to the construction of settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which violates international law. Israel is refusing to return to talks unless no preconditions are set enabling them to continue to build settlements and further annex East Jerusalem, which is occupied territory under international law.
The United Nations Special Committee on Israeli Practices in the Occupied Territories issued a statement against the arrest, detention and mistreatment of Palestinian children by the Israeli military. Ambassador Palitha T.B. Khonoa of Sri Lanka reported on the plight of Palestinian children who are mistreated by Israel from the moment of arrest saying that "Large numbers are routinely detained.
Children's homes are surrounded by Israeli soldiers late at night, sound grenades are fired into the houses, doors are broken down, live shots are often fired; no warrant is presented. Children are tightly bound, blindfolded and forced into the backs of military vehicles." Additionally, Kohona noted that families are insulted, intimidated and sometimes physically assaulted during the arrest of their children and are not allowed to accompany them during transport or questioning. Transfers can last for hours and often include stops in Israeli settlements, at checkpoints, or military bases. The Committee's view is that this is an unacceptable practice, one that Israel must end immediately.
The West Bank & Gaza Report
Israeli settler's setup mobile houses near Bethlehem and the Israeli military attacks several Palestinian neighbourhoods detaining several West Bank residents, the details and more with IMEMC's Alex Goodger.
Israeli settlers seized Palestinian land in several areas around the West Bank on Sunday and Monday. On Sunday, near the village of Yatta south of Hebron, Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Susiya seized Palestinian land and placed a power generator there in advance of plans to expand the settlement in the area. This was followed by additional 12 acres of land confiscation in the Jordan Valley and the area south of Bethlehem on Monday.
The Israeli military stepped up its presence and military actions by raiding homes in Hebron. Security sources reported that Israeli forces increased their presence in Durah and Ra's al-Jourah neighbourhood in Hebron, placing military checkpoints at the entrances of the city. Israeli forces raided several neighborhoods in the areas in and around Hebron on Wednesday, detaining nine Palestinians in the process, while Israeli settlers simultaneously attacked Palestinians according to reports from WAFA and PNN.
Israeli soldiers arrested two Palestinian children in the west bank city of Hebron. 15-year-old Basel Mataryeh was arrested by a large number of Israeli soldiers after they raided his home. He was detained on the pretext of throwing rocks at the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba. Saqer Sweity, 13, was also arrested after a raid on his family's home in Beit Awa, a village south of Hebron. The PPC told WAFA that the soldiers held his father at gunpoint, ransacked the house, and terrorized the family before taking Sweity away.
A number of Israeli settlers setup mobile houses in the village of al-Khader near the southern Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Ahmad Salah, coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall in al-Khader told IMEMC that a group of Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli soldiers, arrived on Tuesday and Wednesday to the Batn al-Ma'asi area in the village and setup 10 mobile houses and electricity poles in a nearby location already occupied by settlers.
That was just some of the news from This Week in Palestine, for more updates; please visit our website at www.imemc.org. Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem, This report has been brought to you by Husam Qassis and me George Rishmawi.


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The dominant method of neutron star cooling is neutrino emission. There are two regimes usually presented, the "direct Urca" and "modified Urca" processes, each of which are sequences of neutron decay and inverse reactions. The direct Urca looks like this: $$n\rightarrow p+l+\overline{\nu_l},\quad p + l \rightarrow n + \nu_l$$ where $l$ is a lepton - either an electron or a muon. These processes cause continuous emission of neutrinos which cools a neutron star relatively quickly.
But below a density of $\rho\approx 10^{15}\mathrm{\,g\,cm^{-3}}$ (about three times the nuclear density) this process is suppressed, which means that the direct Urca process only occurs in the core. This is the reason according to a review of neutron star cooling from Pethick and Yakovlev (2004):
The process can occur only if the proton concentration is sufficiently high. The reason for this is that, in degenerate matter, only particles with energies within ~$k_BT$ of the Fermi surface can participate in reactions, since other processes are blocked by the Pauli exclusion principle. If the proton and electron Fermi momenta are too small compared with the neutron Fermi momenta, the process is forbidden because it is impossible to satisfy conservation of momentum. Under typical conditions one finds that the ratio of the number density of protons to that of nucleons must exceed about 0.1 for the process to be allowed.
This makes some sense. But what surprises me is that this process can still work with a slight modification at lower densities. The modified Urca process can cool the star $$n+N\rightarrow p+N+l+\overline{\nu_l},\quad p + N + l \rightarrow n + N + \nu_l$$ where $N$ is a nucleon - a proton or a neutron.
This process, I'm told, can work at much lower densities, but produces 7 orders of magnitude less emissivity. As a result, it's the dominant process in the superfluid outer core.
My question is why does the additional nucleon permit lower densities? How does an additional neutron or proton get us out of the conservation of momentum problem with the direct Urca process?


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