Why are you called “Old” Roman Catholics?
We are called Old Roman Catholics because a) we are the continuation of the original Roman Catholic Church descended through the authentic historic See of Utrecht and b) because we maintain the Catholic Faith as it had always been believed by Western Catholics. (The recent dogmas of the Immaculate Conception [Ineffabilis Deus 1854], Papal Infallibility [Pastor Aeternus 1870] and the Assumption of Mary [Munificentissimus Deus 1950] are taught as pious doctrine.)
In 1145 Bl. Eugene III granted the Cathedral Chapter of Utrecht the perpetual right to elect their own bishops. In 1215 the Fourth Lateran Council (Canons 23 and 24) confirmed this privilege. In In 1520, Pope Leo X decreed in his papal bull [Debitum Pastoralis] that the Bishop of Utrecht, his successors, his clergy, and his laity should never be tried by an external tribunal of canon law. If any such proceedings did take place they were null and void.
Then in 1691, the Jesuits falsely accused Archbishop Peter Codde, the occupant of the See of Utrecht, of favoring the so-called Jansenist heresy. (We say so-called Jansenist heresy because no one has ever yet succeeded in finding the repudiated heretical statements, either in substance or in form in the, “Augustinus” of Bishop Cornelius Jansenius, where the Jesuits pretended to have discovered them.) Despite the Archbishop’s proved innocence of heresy, the influence of the Jesuits was so great that they persuaded the Pope to issue a secret brief suspending and deposing Archbishop Codde. Neither the names of his accusers, nor the charges made against him were ever made known to him, nor was he permitted to offer any defence. All this happened despite the special privileges granted the See of Utrecht. This created a breach which was never healed, though Pope Clement XIV was favorably disposed towards the grievously wronged Church of Utrecht.
Despite the repeated requests and affirmed desire of the See of Utrecht to reach a canonical solution of the breach, in 1853 Pope Pius IX established another Roman Catholic hierarchy in the Netherlands. This existed alongside that of the original Roman Catholic See of Utrecht. Thereafter in the Netherlands the Utrecht hierarchy was referred to as the ‘Old Roman Catholic Church’ to distinguish it from those in union with the Pope. In the mind of the Holy See, the Old Roman Catholic Church of Utrecht had maintained Apostolic Succession and its clergy thus celebrated valid sacraments in every respect.
This Church is called OLD because it rejects Modernism and every recent innovation of doctrine while adhering faithfully to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of Apostolic times. She is called ROMAN because the line of her Apostolic succession from the first century until 1739 was held in common with the Roman Catholic Church and also because she uses the Roman Rite without addition or change, employing the Pontificale, Missale and Rituale Romanum with great care and exactitude as to matter, form and intention in the administration of the seven Sacraments. The Church is CATHOLIC because she is not confined to any one nation or place or time, but ministers to all men, in all places, for all time, teaching the same Faith once delivered by her Founder, Jesus Christ, to the Apostles.
Are you connected in anyway with the Utrecht Union of Old Catholic Churches?
In 1870, Dr. Ignaz von Dollinger brought the “Old Catholics” into being to offer resistance to the dogma of Papal Infallibility. In 1873, the Old Roman Catholic Church of Utrecht was prevailed upon to provide these “Old Catholics” with a bishop in 1889, and an amalgamation took place between the Church of Utrecht and the “Old Catholics”. Though Utrecht was eventually to abandon Old Roman Catholicism, the Church was not to perish.
Archbishop Arnold Harris Mathew of England was consecrated to the Episcopate by Archbishop Gerard Gul of Utrecht at a time when Utrecht was still truly orthodox (1909). At the time of Archbishop Mathew’s consecration at Utrecht, no serious inroads had been made upon the Catholic Faith by the Church of Utrecht, nor had she yet departed in any way from Catholic traditions and practices. But by the end of 1910, however, the heterodox influence of the “Old Catholics” had proved too much for Utrecht and had overwhelmed her, and so great and far-reaching were the changes which she was prevailed upon to make in her formularies and doctrinal position, that on December 29, 1910, Archbishop Mathew was forced to withdraw the Old Roman Catholic Church in England from Communion with Utrecht in order to preserve its orthodoxy intact.
Utrecht is no longer Old Roman Catholic but simply “Old Catholic.” Thus it comes about that the ancient and glorious Church of St. Willibrord and St. Boniface has its continuation and perpetuation through the present day Old Roman Catholic Church which is compelled, in defence of its orthodoxy, to refuse to hold union with either Utrecht or the Continental “Old Catholics.”
What is the difference between Old Roman Catholicism and Old Catholicism?
The honest inquirer must be cautioned not to confuse the Old Roman Catholic Church with those groups calling themselves “Old Catholic.” Much which, in this age, calls itself “Old Catholic” represents some compromise with Protestantism, or in wider digression, with such non-Christian cults as theosophy. Old Roman Catholicism has no affiliation with such groups as the Polish National Catholic Church, or the Utrecht Union of Churches, the Liberal Catholic Church, the Old Catholic Churches of the Continent or any of the various independent groups which abound in the United States and elsewhere. The heterodoxy of these groups makes union with them impossible.
Old Roman Catholicism, as Archbishop Mathew (who preserved it after the apostasy of Utrecht) rightly understood it, was different from Modernist influenced Old Catholicism in the retention of ancient doctrines, formularies and praxis, yet different from Roman Catholicism by that same retention of the Catholic Faith as it had “always been believed, everywhere and by all” (St Vincent Lerins) without the additional dogmas decreed by Rome.
Old Roman Catholicism is a continuation of the true Catholic Faith that had always existed in the West akin to that Faith which the Orthodox Catholics had also maintained since the divide between East and West in 1054. To this end, Archbishop Mathew successfully approached and achieved communion with the ancient Sees of Antioch and Alexandria (Orthodox Patriarchates). This intercommunion was the first real heal of schism between Eastern and Western jurisdictions and was based upon the mutual recognition and maintenance of the ancient Faith of the Church.
Are you “Episcopi Vagantes”?
An oft misused phrase and misapplied term regarding Old Roman Catholics is the term “Episcopi Vagantes” (lit. Latin “Wandering Bishops”). This term is often used derogatively and often by those who ought to know better! The answer is an emphatic “no”! An “Episopus vagans” is a man consecrated validly but irregularly or illicitly (unlawfully) i.e. without ecclesial approbation. Old Roman Catholics claim “canonicity” (licitness/lawfullness) because:
- The canonical dispute between the Holy See and the See of Utrecht about whether the Ultrajectine See could elect its own Bishops was never canonically i.e. legally, concluded (Bl. Pius IX ignoring due process and erecting an uncanonical hierarchy in Holland in 1853). Thus, it is only just according to Canonical principles to assume that the inalienable right granted by Papal Bull of Bl. Eugene III is still extant and in effect.
- The rightful Archbishop of Utrecht (Geraldus Gul) in 1909 consecrated and commissioned Arnold Harris Mathew as a Bishop in accordance with the norms of universal ecclesiastical law.
- When the See of Utrecht fell into ‘apostasy’ in 1910, Bishop Mathew justifiably declared autonomy from the Ultrajectine See on December 29th 1910 and justifiably claimed her canonical rights and prerogatives for the continuation and perpetuation of the Old Roman Catholic Church from Utrecht.
- On August 5th 1911, [now] Archbishop Mathew was received by His Eminence the Most Reverend Archbishop Gearassimos Messara of Beirut, Syria into the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and the East and intercommunion was established between the second most ancient See of Christendom and first “cathedra” of the Apostle Peter and the Old Roman Catholic Church recognised as an “autocephalous” i.e. self-governing, jurisdiction. This occurred similarly with the Patriarchate of Alexandria in 1912. Thus making the Old Roman Catholic Church a Canonical entity in both the Western and Eastern Catholicates.
Thus the term “Episcopi Vagantes” ought not justifiably be applied to the Old Roman Catholic Church, in all her duly constituted and canonically governed ecclesial communities around the world, nor particularly her Bishops. The Old Roman Catholic Church is a recognised autocephalous and canonical ecclesial entity equal to any other so recognised Church of the East and has a legitimate claim to Canonical status within the Latin Rite.
What is the difference between Old Roman Catholicism and Roman Catholicism?
Dogma and Doctrine
Contemporary Roman Catholics believe in the Immaculate Conception [Ineffabilis Deus 1854], Papal Infallibility [Pastor Aeternus 1870] and the Assumption of Mary [Munificentissimus Deus 1950] Old Roman Catholics recognise these teachings as doctrine, not as dogma. In other words, Old Roman Catholics do not belive it is “necessary for salvation” to believe in these doctrines. The reason why not, is due to a difference in appreciation of the “deposit of Faith”, for Old Roman Catholics, the Catholic Faith was imparted whole to the Apostles and all that was “necessary for salvation” was given them and the Church by Christ [33AD]. Old Roman Catholicism, like the Eastern Orthodox, do not hold to a concept called the “development of doctrine” that modern Roman Catholicism uses to justify later dogmas like those given above. For Old Roman Catholics, the Faith today must be the same as the Faith yesterday and will be tomorrow, this is what we understand by “Apostolic Tradition”, that there is one deposit of Faith that cannot be added to or subtracted from.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Pope has “universal ordinary jurisdiction” everywhere in the world, in other words, that a Bishop is not the sole head of any diocese but is effectively an “agent” or “vicar” of the Pope. Indeed, Bishops can only be appointed with the approval of the Pope. Many are surprised to know that this is a comparatively modern understanding of the role of the Papacy, and has been Canonically so only since 1870.
Old Roman Catholics believe that every Bishop in his own right, is an Apostle of Christ, and as such has supreme authority for that portion of Christ’s flock entrusted to his care, the Bishop and his flock are “the Church” where they are; as St Ignatius of Antioch put it to St Polycarp of Smyrna, the Church of Christ is in the Bishop, his priests and deacons with the people around the Eucharist in the true Faith. All bishops and their flocks together so comprise the “Catholic Church”, or “The Church is in the Bishop and the Bishop in the Church” as St Cyprian of Carthage wrote.
Even so, it has long been the practise of the Church to organise herself for administrative purposes so that a church or groups of churches may be led by a Bishop, a Metropolitan or Archbishop, but essentially there is only one Sacramental rank of Bishop – not many. All Bishops are equal. The Pope then as Bishop of Rome, may historically have had authority to govern many churches as a Patriarch, but he is still only a Bishop and thus only the “first among equals” of his brothers in the Episcopate.
The Holy See and the Orthodox Patriarchates are currently establishing what the practice of authority was in the first millennium of the Church’s existence and how the Petrine Ministry (position of the Pope of Rome) was understood then within the context of the magisterium universally attributed to the first Seven Ecumenical Councils.
Old Roman Catholics acknowledge the Bishop of Rome historically and spiritually as the Patriarch of the West and our priests pray for the Pope to express the desire for unity that should exist amongst Western Catholics.
Like the Eastern Orthodox, Old Roman Catholics recognise that our understanding of doctrine may overtime become more comprehensive, i.e. an increased understanding, and this is how we interpret Christ’s words regarding the Holy Spirit to the Apostles “Yet when the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13) Yet, we believe that what Catholics were asked to believe fifteen hundred years ago and today, must be the same as that believed by the Apostles and first Christians.
Old Roman Catholics recognise of course, that over time changes have been made to the externals of the faith (e.g. liturgy, devotions, habits, vestments, new feasts, Canons of ecumenical and regional Councils etc) in order to better express the same Faith to different cultures or generations, but the Faith itself cannot change.
With regard to this discipline, Old Roman Catholic clergy in common with our Orthodox brethren perpetuate the practice of the first millennium Church, thus they are permitted to marry before Ordination; clerical celibacy is considered a particular and individual vocation rather than a obligatory condition for the Sacred Ministry.
Are you schismatic Roman Catholics?
Old Roman Catholicism is not a sect or schism as some of its self-constituted enemies may claim. Old Roman Catholics acknowledge the Bishop of Rome historically and spiritually as the Patriarch of the West and our priests pray for the Pope in the Canon of their Masses to express the desire for unity that should exist amongst Western Catholics. A thorough reading of history clearly indicates that Old Roman Catholics did nothing schismatically to warrant Pius IX’s institution of another heirarchy in the See of Utrecht in 1853, nor taught anything that was not always considered to be Catholic faith and practice.
In 1145 Blessed Pope Eugene III granted the Cathedral Chapter of Utrecht the right to elect successors to the See in times of vacancy. This meant that, unlike most other Sees in the Roman Catholic Church, the Cathedral Chapter of Utrecht could elect bishops without permission or approval from the Pope. This had always been the practice in the early Church. In 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council (Canons 23 and 24) confirmed this privilege.
Another significant right granted the Church of the Netherlands was its immunity from prosecution by Roman Catholic courts of canon law constituted outside the See of Utrecht. In 1520, Pope Leo X decreed in his papal bull Debitum Pastoralis that the Bishop of Utrecht, his successors, his clergy, and his laity should never be tried by an external tribunal of canon law. If any such proceedings did take place they were null and void. This extraordinary right had been granted by Pope Leo X at the request of Philip of Burgundy, who was the reigning prince-bishop of Utrecht at the time.
In 1691, the Jesuits falsely accused Archbishop Peter Codde, the occupant of of the See of Utrecht, of favoring the so-called Jansenist heresy. We say so-called Jansenist heresy because no one has ever yet succeeded in finding the repudiated heretical statements, either in substance or in form, in the Augustinus of bishop Cornelius Jansenius, where the Jesuits pretended to have discovered them. Archbishop Codde was ordered to stand trial in Rome despite the special privilege and Papal dispensation from such a trial (see above re Debitum Pastoralis). Despite the Archbishop’s proved innocence of heresy, the influence of the Jesuits was so great that they persuaded the Pope to issue a secret brief suspending and deposing Archbishop Codde. Neither the names of his accusers, nor the charges made against him, were ever made known to him, nor was he permitted to offer any defence. This created a breach which was never healed, though Pope Clement XIV was favorably disposed towards the grievously wronged Church of Utrecht.
We believe and maintain, as we have always done since 1691, that these irregular proceedings against the Church of Utrecht, based, as they were, upon charges which were proved at the time to have been groundless, were null and void and in direct contravention of the privileged rights of the See of Utrecht for immunity from prosecution outside her territory. Add the uncanonical actions of Pope Pius IX in 1853, again contravening a privilege granted the See of Utrecht in 1145 re the election and thus appointment of her own Bishops and despite the majority opinion being in our favour of Canon lawyers and academics. Thus it is that we have remained, and are still in actual technical fact, and not according to any fanciful or far-fetched theory, part and parcel of the Roman Catholic Church.


In computing, channel I/O is a high-performance input/output (I/O) architecture that is implemented in various forms on a number of computer architectures, especially on mainframe computers. In the past, channels were generally implemented with custom processors, variously named channel, peripheral processor, I/O processor, I/O controller, or DMA controller.
Many I/O tasks can be complex and require logic to be applied to the data to convert formats and other similar duties. In these situations, the simplest solution is to ask the CPU to handle the logic, but because I/O devices are relatively slow, a CPU could waste time (in computer perspective) waiting for the data from the device. This situation is called 'I/O bound'.
Channel architecture avoids this problem by using a separate, independent, low-cost processor. Channel processors are simple, but self-contained, with minimal logic and sufficient on-board scratchpad memory (working storage) to handle I/O tasks. They are typically not powerful or flexible enough to be used as a computer on their own and can be construed as a form of coprocessor.
A CPU sends relatively small channel programs to the controller via the channel to handle I/O tasks, which the channel and controller can, in many cases, complete without further intervention from the CPU (exception: those channel programs which utilize 'program controlled interrupts', PCIs, to facilitate program loading, demand paging and other essential system tasks).
When I/O transfer is complete or an error is detected, the controller communicates with the CPU through the channel using an interrupt. Since the channel has direct access to the main memory, it is also often referred to as DMA controller (where DMA stands for direct memory access), although that term is looser in definition and is often applied to non-programmable devices as well.
In the most recent implementations, the channel program is initiated and the channel processor performs all required processing until either a "success" or a "failure" result occurs. This eliminates much of the CPU—Channel interaction and greatly improves overall system performance. If a "success" is posted to the CPU, the result is obvious: the channel program had run to completion and no errors or exceptions were encountered. If a "failure" is posted to the CPU, the result is less obvious—surely an error or exception of some kind was encountered, and the channel program was incomplete, but enough diagnostic information is provided from the channel processor to the CPU so that the channel program may be restarted with a minimum of overhead. In earlier implementations, any error, no matter how small, required CPU intervention, and the overhead was, consequently, much higher. A program-controlled interruption (PCI) is still supported for certain "legacy" operations, but the trend is to move away from such PCIs, except where unavoidable.
The first use of channel I/O was with the IBM 709 vacuum tube mainframe, whose Model 766 Data Synchronizer was the first channel controller, in 1957. Its transistorized successor, the IBM 7090, had two or more channels (the 7607) and a channel multiplexor (the 7606) which could control up to eight channels.
Later, for larger IBM System/360 computers, and even for early System/370 models, the selector channels and the multiplexor channels still were bulky and expensive separate processors, such as the IBM 2860 Selector channel (one to three selector channels in a single box), the IBM 2870 Byte multiplexor channel (one multiplexer channel, and, optionally, one selector subchannel in a single box) and the IBM 2880 Block multiplexor channel (one or two block multiplexor channels in a single box).
Amdahl Corporation's hardware implementation of System/370 compatible channels was quite different. A single internal unit, called the "C-Unit", supported up to sixteen channels using the very same hardware for all supported channels. Two internal "C-Units" were possible, supporting up to 32 total channels. Each "C-Unit" independently performed a process generally called a "shifting channel state processor" (a type of "barrel processor"), which implemented a specialized type of finite state machine (FSM). Each CPU cycle, every 32 nanoseconds in the 470/V6 and /V5 and every 26 nanoseconds in the 470/V7 and /V8, the "C-unit" read the complete status of next channel in priority sequence and its I/O Channel in-tags. The necessary actions defined by that channel's last state and its in-tags were performed: data was read from or written to main storage, the operating system program was interrupted if such interruption was specified by the channel program's Program Control Interrupt flag, and the "C-Unit" finally stored that channel's next state and set its I/O Channel out-tags, and then went on to the next lower priority channel. Preemption was possible, in some instances. Sufficient FIFO storage was provided within the "C-Unit" for all channels which were emulated by this FSM. Channels could be easily reconfigured to the customer's choice of IBM 2860 (selector) emulation, IBM 2870 (byte multiplexor) emulation or IBM 2880 (block multiplexor) emulation without any significant restrictions by using maintenance console commands. "Two-byte interface" was also supported as was "Data-In/Data-Out" and other high-performance IBM channel options. Built-in channel-to-channel adapters were also offered, called CCAs in Amdahl-speak, but called CTCs in IBM-speak. A real game-changer, and this forced IBM to redesign its mainframes to provide similar channel capability and flexibility. IBM's initial response was to include stripped-down Model 158s, operating in "Channel Mode", only, as the Model 303x channel units. In the Amdahl "C-unit" any channel could be any type, 2860, 2870 or 2880, without reserving channels 0 and 4 for 2870s, as on some IBM models.
For smaller IBM computers, System/360 Models 50 and below, and System/370 Models 158 and below, channels were implemented in the CPU's microcode, and the CPU itself operated in one of two modes, either "CPU Mode" or "Channel Mode", with the channel mode 'blocking' the CPU mode (IBM 2860, 2870 and 2880, and Amdahl channels were 'non-blocking').
Much later, the channels were implemented as an on-board processor residing in the same box as the CPU, generally referred to as a "channel processor", and which was usually a RISC processor, but which could be a System/390 microprocessor with special microcode as in IBM's CMOS mainframes.
One of the earliest non-IBM channel systems was hosted in the CDC 6600 supercomputer in 1965. The CDC utilized 10 logically independent computers called peripheral processors, or PPs for this role. PPs were powerful, a modern version of CDC's first 'personal computer', the CDC 160A. The operating system resided and executed in the primary processor, PP0. Since then, channel controllers have been a standard part of most mainframe designs and a primary advantage mainframes have over smaller, faster, personal computers and network computing.
Channel controllers have also been made as small as single-chip designs with multiple channels on them, used in the NeXT computers for instance. However, with the rapid speed increases in computers today, combined with operating systems that don't 'block' when waiting for data, channel controllers have become correspondingly less effective and are not commonly found on small machines.
Channel controllers are making a comeback in the form of bus mastering peripheral devices, such as PCI direct memory access (DMA) devices. The rationale for these devices is the same as for the original channel controllers, namely off-loading transfer, interrupts, and context switching from the main CPU.
The reference implementation of channel I/O is that of the IBM System/360 family of mainframes and its successors, but similar implementations have been adopted by other mainframe vendors, such as Control Data, Bull (General Electric/Honeywell) and Unisys.
Computer systems that use channel I/O have special hardware components that handle all input/output operations in their entirety independently of the systems' CPU(s). The CPU of a system that uses channel I/O typically has only one machine instruction in its repertoire for input and output; this instruction is used to pass input/output commands to the specialized I/O hardware in the form of channel programs. I/O thereafter proceeds without intervention from the CPU until an event requiring notification of the operating system occurs, at which point the I/O hardware signals an interrupt to the CPU.
A channel is an independent hardware component that coordinates all I/O to a set of controllers or devices. It is not merely a medium of communication, despite the name; it is a programmable device that handles all details of I/O after being given a list of I/O operations to carry out (the channel program).
Each channel may support one or more controllers and/or devices, but each channel program may only be directed at one of those connected devices. A channel program contain lists of commands to the channel itself and to the controller and device to which it is directed. Once the operating system has prepared a complete list of channel commands, it executes a single I/O machine instruction to initiate the channel program; the channel thereafter assumes control of the I/O operations until they are completed.
It is possible to develop very complex channel programs, including testing of data and conditional branching within that channel program. This flexibility frees the CPU from the overhead of starting, monitoring, and managing individual I/O operations. The specialized channel hardware, in turn, is dedicated to I/O and can carry it out more efficiently than the CPU (and entirely in parallel with the CPU). Channel I/O is not unlike the Direct Memory Access (DMA) of microcomputers, only more complex and advanced.
On large mainframe computer systems, CPUs are only one of several powerful hardware components that work in parallel. Special input/output controllers (the exact names of which vary from one manufacturer to another) handle I/O exclusively, and these in turn are connected to hardware channels that also are dedicated to input and output. There may be several CPUs and several I/O processors. The overall architecture optimizes input/output performance without degrading pure CPU performance. Since most real-world applications of mainframe systems are heavily I/O-intensive business applications, this architecture helps provide the very high levels of throughput that distinguish mainframes from other types of computer.
In IBM ESA/390 terminology, a channel is a parallel data connection inside the tree-like or hierarchically organized I/O subsystem. In System/390 I/O cages, channels either directly connect to devices which are installed inside the cage (communication adapter such as ESCON, FICON, Open Systems Adapter) or they run outside of the cage, below the raised floor as cables of the thickness of a thumb and directly connect to channel interfaces on bigger devices like tape subsystems, direct access storage devices (DASDs), terminal concentrators and other ESA/390 systems.
Channels differ in the number and type of concurrent I/O operations they support. In IBM terminology, a multiplexer channel supports a number of concurrent interleaved slow-speed operations, each transferring one byte from a device at a time. A selector channel supports one high-speed operation, transferring a block of data at a time. A block multiplexer supports a number of concurrent high-speed operations.
A channel program is a sequence of channel command words (CCWs) which are executed by the I/O channel subsystem in the IBM System/360 and subsequent architectures. A channel program consists of one or more channel command words. The operating system signals the I/O channel subsystem to begin executing the channel program with a SSCH (start sub-channel) instruction. The central processor is then free to proceed with non-I/O instructions until interrupted. When the channel operations are complete, the channel interrupts the central processor with an I/O interruption. In earlier models of the IBM mainframe line, the channel unit was an identifiable component, one for each channel. In modern mainframes, the channels are implemented using an independent RISC processor, the channel processor, one for all channels. IBM System/370 Extended Architecture and its successors replaced the earlier SIO (start I/O) and SIOF (start I/O fast release) assembler instructions (System/360 and early System/370) with the SSCH (start sub-channel) instruction (late System/370 and successors).
Channel I/O provides considerable economies in input/output. For example, on IBM's Linux/390, the formatting of an entire track of a DASD requires only one channel program (and thus only one I/O instruction), but multiple channel command words (one per block). The program is executed by the dedicated I/O processor, while the application processor (the CPU) is free for other work.
A channel command word (CCW) is an instruction to a specialized I/O channel processor which is, in fact, a finite state machine. It is used to initiate an I/O operation, such as "read", "write" or "sense", on a channel-attached device. On system architectures which implement channel I/O, typically all devices are connected by channels, and so all I/O requires the use of CCWs.
CCWs are organized into channel programs by the operating system, an I/O subroutine, a utility program, or by standalone software (such as test and diagnostic programs). A limited "branching" capability, hence a dynamically programmable capability, is available within such channel programs, by use of the "status modifier" channel flag and the "transfer-in-channel" CCW.
IBM CCWs are chained to form the channel program. Bits in the CCW indicates that the following location in storage contains a CCW that is part of the same channel program. The channel program normally executes sequential CCWs until an exception occurs, a Transfer-in-Channel (TIC) CCW is executed, or a CCW is executed without chaining indicated. Command chaining tells the channel that the next CCW contains a new command. Data chaining indicates that the next CCW contains the address of additional data for the same command, allowing, for example, portions of one record to be written from or read to multiple data areas in storage (gather-writing and scatter-reading).
The following example reads a disk record identified by a recorded key. The track containing the record and the desired value of the key is known. The device control unit will search the track to find the requested record. In this example <> indicate that the channel program contains the storage address of the specified field.
SEARCH KEY EQUAL TIC *-8 Back to search if not equal READ DATA
The TIC (transfer in channel) will cause the channel program to branch to the SEARCH command until a record with a matching key (or the end of the track) is encountered. When a record with a matching key is found the DASD controller will include Status Modifier in the channel status, causing the channel to skip the TIC CCW; thus the channel program will not branch and the channel will execute the READ command.
The above example is correct for unblocked records (one record per block). For blocked records (more than one record per block), the recorded key must be the same as the highest key within that block (and the records must be in key sequence), and the following channel program would be utilized:
SEARCH KEY HIGH OR EQUAL TIC *-8 Back to search if not high or equal READ DATA
If the dataset is allocated in tracks, and the end of the track is reached without the requested record being found the channel program terminates and returns a "no record found" status indication. Similarly, if the dataset is allocated in cylinders, and the end of the cylinder is reached without the requested record being found the channel program terminates and returns a "no record found" status indication. In some cases the system software has the option of updating the track or cylinder number and redriving the I/O operation without interrupting the application program.
On most systems channels operate using real (or physical) addresses, while the channel programs are built using virtual addresses. The operating system is responsible for translating these channel programs before executing them, and for this particular purpose the Input/Output Supervisor (IOS) has a special "fast fix" function which was designed into the OS Supervisor just for those "fixes" which are of relatively short duration (i.e., significantly shorter than "wall-clock time"). Pages containing data to be used by the I/O operation are locked into real memory, or page fixed. The channel program is copied and all virtual addresses are replaced by real addresses before the I/O operation is started. After the operation completes, the pages are unfixed.
As page fixing and unfixing is a CPU-expensive process long-term page fixing is sometimes used to reduce the CPU cost. Here the virtual memory is page-fixed for the life of the application, rather than fixing and freeing around each I/O operation. An example of a program that can use long-term page fixing is DB2.
An alternative to long-term page fixing is moving the entire application, including all its data buffers, to a preferred area of main storage. This is accomplished by a special SYSEVENT in MVS/370 through z/OS operating systems, wherein the application is, first, swapped-out from wherever it may be, presumably from a non-preferred area, to swap and page external storage, and is, second, swapped-in to a preferred area (SYSEVENT TRANSWAP). Thereafter, the application may be marked non-swappable by another special SYSEVENT (SYSEVENT DONTSWAP). Whenever such an application terminates, whether normally or abnormally, the operating system implicitly issues yet another special SYSEVENT on the application's behalf, if it has not already done so (SYSEVENT OKSWAP).
Even bootstrapping of the system, or Initial Program Load (IPL) in IBM nomenclature, is carried out by channels, although the process is partially simulated by the CPU (through an "implied" Start I/O [ SIO ] instruction, an "implied" Channel Address Word [ CAW ] at location 0 and an "implied" channel program [ CCW ] , also at location 0). Command chaining is assumed, so the "implied" CCW at location 0 falls through to the continuation of the channel program at locations 8 and 16, and possibly elsewhere should one of those CCWs be a transfer-in-channel (TIC).
To load a system, a 24-byte data area is loaded into main storage from the first block of the selected IPL device at location 0 and the second and third 8 byte data areas, which are Read IPL-type CCWs, are initiated from the "implied" CCW, and this channel program continuation causes the first portion of the system loading software to be loaded elsewhere in main storage. The first 8 byte data area contains a PSW which, when fetched at the conclusion of the IPL, causes the CPU to branch to the bootstrap loader (called "IPL Text") at the main storage address where it was just loaded. The IPL Text is then executed, and eventually the operating system's nucleus is loaded and is branched to, after which normal OS operations commences.
This IPL concept is device independent. It is capable of IPL-ing from a card deck, from a magnetic tape, or from a hard disk. For this purpose, the normal X'02' command, which is simulated by the CPU, is taken to be a standard sequential read command on card and tape media (which are inherently sequential access in nature), but a special Read-IPL command on hard disks (which are inherently random access in nature; hard disks use a related, but different, read-type command, X'06', and others, for sequential, non-IPL reads).
Hard disk controllers (IBM 2844, 3830, among others, and compatibles) accept the X'02' command, but first cause a seek to cylinder X'0000', and head X'0000', and a search for record X'01', before executing the sequential read command as if it was a X'06'. Without this special hard disk controller behavior, device independent IPL would not be possible. On a hard drive, the IPL Text is contained on cylinder X'0000', track X'0000', and block X'01' (24 bytes), and cylinder X'0000', track X'0000', and block X'02' (fairly large, certainly somewhat more than 3,000 bytes). The volume label is always contained on cylinder X'0000', track X'0000', and block X'03' (80 bytes). The volume label always points to the VTOC, with a pointer of the form HHHH (that is, the VTOC must reside within the first 65,536 tracks). The VTOC's Format 4 DSCB defines the extent (size) of the VTOC, so the volume label only needs a pointer to the first track in the VTOC's extent, and as the Format 4 DSCB, which describes the VTOC, is always the very first DSCB in the VTOC, HHHH also points to the Format 4 DSCB.
If an attempt is made to IPL from a device which was not initialized with IPL Text, the system simply enters a wait state. The DASD (direct access storage device) initialization program, IBCDASDI, or the DASD initialization application, ICKDSF, places a wait state PSW and a dummy CCW string in the 24 bytes, should the device be designated for data only, not for IPL, after which these programs format the VTOC and perform other hard drive initialization functions.


AFBI study the use of lupins in diets for pigs
Soyabean meal is the main source of protein in diets for pigs and poultry due to its high crude protein content and its good profile of amino acids. However, as soyabean meal must be imported, home grown protein sources such as lupins have been considered as alternatives.
Lupins can contain up to 44% crude protein and previous research elsewhere has shown they can be included in pig and poultry diets with no adverse effects on performance provided the diets are supplemented with expensive synthetic amino acids. There is a lack of information on the use of low levels of lupins in pig and poultry diets as a direct substitution for soyabean meal, without additional amino acid supplementation. The aims of studies conducted at AFBI, Hillsborough and Newforge and funded by DARD were to investigate the effect of substitution of a proportion of soyabean meal with lupins on pig and poultry performance.
The effect of lupins on pig performance
Four diets were produced to contain 0, 4, 8 and 12% lupins and offered to a total of 240 pigs in pens of 10 from 10 to 15 weeks of age.
Feed intake and average daily gain decreased with increasing lupin inclusion (Table 1) with the result that pigs offered the 12% lupin diet were 4.7 kg lighter at 15 weeks of age. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) tended to increase as the level of lupin inclusion increased, although the differences were not significant. Thus, the reduction in daily gain and live weight at 15 weeks with increasing lupin inclusion may be attributed to reduced feed intake, most likely caused by low levels of alkaloids in the lupins which impacted on palatability.
The effect of lupins on broiler performance
Three diets were produced to contain 0, 3 or 6% lupins and offered to 300 broilers in pens of 20 from 0-35 days of age to determine performance. Apparent metabolizable energy (AME) was determined in a separate trial using 60 broilers and collecting excreta from 14 to 21 days. There was no difference in diet AME content but lupin inclusion reduced feed intake, daily gain, feed conversion efficiency and final live weight at 35 days
Again the reduction in performance can be attributed to reduced feed intake of the diets containing lupin.
In conclusion, lupin inclusion reduced feed intake and growth rate in pigs and poultry and there is limited potential for lupins to be used as an alternative protein source.
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Question No. 13:
You professional archaeologists jaw bone a lot about federal statues and regulations that are designed to adversely impact us artifact collectors and our collecting. In easy language I can understand, can you define what you archaeologists mean when you use the words “statue” and “regulation”? I always thought the federal government had one centralized place where all federal law is made. Then once a law is made, it automatically applies to all men, women, children, and organizations across the entire United States. Is that right?
No. Federal law is highly complex, multi-layered, sometimes applicable to persons in one place but not in another place, and hard for a lot of people to understand. Off the top of my head, I am going to offer you some basic information about the federal legal system, mention a little bit about related state law, and throw in some archaeological information along the way. I will do that in easy language (best I can), but you will have to learn some new words along the way. My presentation is in a listing format. Here goes:
(1) First things first—the word statue. Among artifact collectors and everyday citizens, I see this word quite often in written or oral discussions about federal law and artifact collecting. The on-line Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word “statue” as follows:
…a three-dimensional representation usually of a person, animal, or mythical being that is produced by sculpturing, modeling, or casting.
The Statue of Liberty is just what the name says—a statue. The official Tennessee State Artifact named The Ancestor is also a statue. The word statue has nothing to do with the law. The legal word you need to use instead is statute, which is something quite different entirely from a statue. Look closely and notice that third letter “t” in the word. In the American legal system, the word statute refers to a law created by a legislative body. Statute is just a fancy word that is synonymous with the simple word law. Got it?
(2) At the federal level of government, a final statute is a law passed by vote in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate (U.S. Congress) and then signed into law by the President of the United States. The written text of a statute refers to itself as “the Act.” The overall process of voting on a proposed statute in the U.S. Congress and having the president sign it into law is called “enactment.” Statutes are enacted.
A whole bunch of people on the street think federal statutes are short little statements of law like this ancient Jewish law from the 10 commandments in the Holy Bible. You know:
Thou shalt not kill.
Then—all done. Right? Wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you seriously think the federal government does anything that simple, short, and inexpensive?
In truth, the official text of most federal statutes is long, complex, and broken down into assorted sections and subsections identified by unique numbers and letters that constitute an outline of the statute. The text of each statute is written in that famous attorney language called legalese, which is often hard to understand if you do not know certain Latin terminology and are not accustomed to reading it. Because these statutes tend to be so long, they usually begin with a formal table of contents to ease reader navigation through the text. The Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 is a perfect example of a typical federal statute.
(3) What is a federal regulation? Federal regulations are different from statutes. Basically, a federal regulation is an administrative rule that is made by a specific federal agency to officially implement the requirements of a statute and ease management of the implementation process by employees of the federal government. The enactment of a statute is one thing, but implementing the terms of a statute within the federal government is quite another matter.
You might think of it like an exercise bicycle that comes to your house in a box—but you have to assemble all the parts yourself. The original engineering specifications for the bicycle are the statute. The makers of the bicycle parts have to meet those specifications according to a set and sequence of manufacturing rules inside a factory. The rules the factory workers must follow and the assembly instructions you must follow on that piece of paper in the bicycle box are the regulations.
The text of each statute contains within it a formal statement that legally delegates to a specific federal agency (e.g., U.S. Department of the Interior) the authority to implement the statute and create the new regulations necessary to implement, administer, and enforce the requirements of the statute. The formal word the federal government uses for the process of making new regulations, reviewing them, revising them, and issuing them in their final form is—get ready for a big new word—promulgation. Here is the proper language to use when working with new statutes and regulations:
New federal statutes are enacted, but new federal regulations are promulgated.
Now, here is the most important thing to remember about all federal regulations. Because a statute (passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by the President of the United States) gives a federal agency the formal authority to create new regulations, these new regulations carry the full weight and authority of law—and they are legally enforcible by law enforcement officers and the federal courts—just like statutes. Using an automobile analogy, federal regulations are not the weak Cooper Mini of the legal world. They are just as important in the federal legal realm as the Rolls Royce statute. Federal regulations are also the law. The federal regulations promulgated by all federal agencies are available online in the Code of Federal Regulations, which you can easily Google. A particular set of federal regulations is cited according to the following alphanumeric format: 36 CFR 800. In this set, 36 is the number of the “momma” federal agency responsible for this set of federal regulations—the U.S. National Park Service. The CFR is a simple abbreviation for the Code of Federal Regulations. Number 800 is the part number that begins this set of regulations. This part has the title Protection of Historic Properties.
In summary, federal regulations usually have a “momma” statute that authorized their creation. A “momma” statute authorizes a specific federal agency to promulgate and administer a set of federal regulations. These regulations are the law too—just like statutes. Many different federal agencies promulgate their own very different sets of regulations. Got it? This where you say:
Wow!!! That must be a whole lot of different regulations covering all sorts of different stuff!!!
You are quite correct. If federal regulations were large steel bolts, there would probably be enough of them to sink a huge freight ship.
(4) All federal statutes and regulations are not created in one centralized place—and then they automatically apply to every man, woman, child, and organization in the United States. It is not that simple. Federal statutes are created on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., but the President of the United States usually signs off on them at the White House.
Federal regulations are written by federal employees with subject matter expertise and federal agency attorneys at widely distributed federal agency offices in Washington, D.C. and sometimes in other parts of the nation. It all depends on where the federal expertise is located for a certain type of regulation. Federal employees in different federal agency offices around the nation may help with drafting, reviewing, and revising regulations to be administered by their particular federal agency.
The applicability of a statute or regulation to a man, woman, child, or organization often depends on the specific subject matter and content of a statute or regulation. Some criminal statutes—like those covering theft of federal property—apply to everyone (with “sticky fingers”). No person or organization, anywhere in the nation, is authorized to steal federal property.
Other federal statutes and regulations are more specific. For example, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1984 (RCRA) and the regulations promulgated under it apply to persons and organizations who generate, store, treat, and dispose of certain quantities of solid waste. The formal regulatory definition of solid waste includes everyday garbage and solid and liquid hazardous waste and mixed waste. Mixed waste is solid or liquid hazardous waste mixed in with low-level radioactive waste. As long as artifact collectors are not doing something incredibly weird with their artifacts and artifact collecting, the RCRA statute and the regulations promulgated under it would not apply to them. Just in case you wanted to know, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the primary “momma” agency for the RCRA regulations. A federal agency that regulates radioactive materials may serve as a second “momma” for the mixed waste regulations. Sometimes two or more federal agency mommas are better than just one.
Therefore, some federal statutes and regulations may apply to everyone. These are often referred to as overarching statutes and regulations. Others may apply only to certain persons and/or organizations, depending on the specific contents of certain statues and regulations—and what some limited number of people or organizations are doing.
(5) Why did I write Items No. 1 through No. 4 (above)? Well, it has been my experience that both artifact collectors and archaeology students (graduate and undergraduate) have a really hard time learning about the federal legal system, how it is structured, and the nuts and bolts of how it works. Worst of all, I have had some really Close Encounters of the Truly Weird Kind (CETWK) with artifact collectors.
One night a few years ago, I had a really tense encounter with an angry and highly agitated artifact collector who did not (and apparently could not) understand how federal statutes and regulations work and to whom they apply. He seemed to think that a big central law building exists in Washington, D.C. All federal statutes and regulations are created in that one building. They apply equally to every federal agency in the nation, every organization, and every person—no matter what their specific circumstances might be and no matter what the specific contents of the statutes and regulations say.
For example, let us say that the U.S. Congress and the President of the United States enact a federal statute pertinent to some important issue with cattle grazing that involves only the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on five large tracts of BLM land out West. The BLM then promulgates a set of regulations to implement the new statute. Of course, BLM is the “momma” federal agency for these new regulations. This highly agitated artifact collector was insisting that every other federal agency, organization, and person across the entire United States was equally affected by that BLM-specific statute and the regulations promulgated under it—and every American individual and organization had to get busy and obey them.
Even if a nice, retired African-American man named Zach, who was allergic to beef and had nothing to do with cattle, was sitting quietly on his front porch in Dothan, Alabama, he had to get busy and comply with that BLM statute and the regulations under it. Why? Just like I said, this angry, highly agitated artifact collector apparently thought all federal statutes and regulations emerge from one building in Washington, D.C., and they all apply equally to everyone in the nation. No matter what the circumstances, Zach has to get busy and obey them. TVA has to obey them. Artifact collectors in Georgia have to obey them. Your teenage daughter in Massachusetts has to obey them—even though none of these agencies or persons ever has anything to do with those five large tracts of BLM land out West.
Bullshit!!!!! If you are not in any way grazing or supporting the grazing of cattle on those five tracts of BLM land out West, then that statute and the BLM regulations promulgated under it do not apply to you. If the BLM promulgates its own cultural resource management regulations for those five huge tracts of BLM land out West, that does not mean that those same BLM regulations apply to cultural resources on TVA lands here in the East. BLM is a separate federal agency from TVA, and it has no statutory or regulatory authority over cultural resources on TVA lands. TVA manages its own cultural resources.
I think American artifact collectors—such as this agitated guy—would like to convince themselves that the federal legal system is very simple, easy to understand, and all encompassing. They want to believe that all federal statutes and regulations come from one central place. They apply equally to everyone—in the same way as a simple Biblical law such as: “Thou shalt not kill.” Thataway (as my dad used to say), artifact collectors at least have some hope of quickly and easily determining whether they are violating some federal statute or regulation pertinent to their artifact collecting. Unfortunately, for most artifact collectors, that is just plain not true. The federal legal system is highly complicated and difficult to navigate for the average man or woman on the street—including any artifact collector who is not an attorney.
(6) Let us cover one last but very important thing. This is the interface of federal laws with state laws. How many of you have ever heard of the Supremacy Clause in the U.S. Constitution? It reads as follows:
Article 4, Clause 2. This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
Lovely that. Can you say “crash and burn”? When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage is legal, numerous states rushed to enact state-level anti-gay marriage laws to nullify the high court ruling. These efforts were sponsored by Republican state legislators who knew most of their constituents were dumber than potato peels in a trash can. These legislators full-well knew that the Supremacy Clause makes it illegal to countermand or nullify a federal law, treaty, regulation, or court ruling with a state law, state regulation, or state court ruling. They went ahead and did it anyway to fool their ignorant constituents and make it look like they were doing something important, effective, and wonderful——when they were actually doing no such thing. You know:
Ah!!!!! Honey child. I tried so very hard to protect you from those gay blades with that new state law, but somehow it just wasn’t in the cards. Knowin’ how hard I worked for you, you’ll be sure to support me come election time. Now won’t you honey child?
With regard to the federal statutes and regulations that apply to artifact collecting, the Supremacy Clause in the U.S. Constitution makes it illegal to enact a state law, promulgate a state regulation, or issue a state court ruling to nullify one of these federal laws or regulations. A state entity may go ahead and do so without any state official getting arrested. However, any such state action is doomed to crash and burn in the federal court system.
However, it is legal for a state legislature to do one really interesting thing with a requirement in federal law. For example, with regard to ARPA, no state can nullify or overturn the ARPA statute and its regulations, in whole or in part, because of the Supremacy Clause in the U.S. Constitution. However, it is legal for a state legislature to enact a state law and for a state agency to promulgate state regulations under it that make assorted aspects of ARPA apply more stringently at the state-level of law. In other words, if a particular clause in ARPA calls for an artifact collector to be kicked hard in the butt one time for some offense, the State of Tennessee can enact a more stringent state law and promulgate state regulations under it that require five kicks in the butt for the exact same offense at the state level of government. Ouch!!! To the best of my knowledge that has not occurred so far here in Tennessee, but it can happen if a state legislature, a governor, and a state agency responsible for cultural resources want it to happen.
Another thing to remember is the double jeopardy clause in the U.S. Constitution (Bill of Rights). This is the famous amendment that says a person, once acquitted of a federal crime, cannot be tried again for the exact same offense by a federal court. That is true at the federal level. However, the American legal system has multiple, vertically tiered judicial jurisdictions. This means a person who kills someone in a federal building in Tennessee can be acquitted of that murder in a federal court, but that same person can be tried again at the state level of jurisdiction for the exact same crime in a state court of law because murder is illegal at the state level of jurisdiction in Tennessee. The American legal system calls this dual sovereignty. The same principle applies to any federal cultural resource protection statutes or regulations that exist at the federal level—but also exist in state statutes and regulations. You might be acquitted of an offense in a federal court room, but if the State of Tennessee has statutes or regulations that forbid that exact same crime, you could technically be nailed good for the exact same offense in a state court. Ouch again!!! To the best of my knowledge, that rarely ever happens—but it can happen.
Finally, if you take out your digger shovel and dig deeply into the bowels of the ARPA statute, you will see some very interesting clauses stating that a person can be prosecuted under ARPA for violating a state cultural resources protection statute or regulation. For example, if you are caught removing artifacts illegally from state-owned land in your state, you can technically be prosecuted for that offense under the federal ARPA statute. A now nationally famous artifact collector by the name of Art Gerber, who is now deceased, found that out the hard way. He was prosecuted successfully under ARPA for the violation of state cultural resource laws that applied to the removal of artifacts from a prehistoric mound on private land owned by the General Electric Corporation (GE) in Indiana. You may read about that in depth, from the professional archaeologist’s perspective, by clicking on the following safe link:
Residual Effects of Grave Desecrations: The GE Mound Case
As you might guess, I agree with the professional archaeology perspective on this famous federal court case.
Many American artifact collectors hold to a wholly different perspective on The GE Mound Case. If you are interested in that alternative perspective, you may want to check out the following two items:
The GE Mound Case by Jim Fisher
Buy and Read the Book Entitled: “The GE Mound Case: The Archaeological Disaster and Criminal Persecution of Artifact Collector Art Gerber”
There is no typographical error in that second item (above). The American artifact collector community contends that Art Gerber was not prosecuted in a federal court. To this very day, collectors maintain that the federal government applied federal law in a twisted manner to unfairly persecute Art Gerber for his role in the events that led up to The GE Mound Case.
I hope this clears up some of the confusion American artifact collectors have about the American legal system and how it works. As always, if you insist on collecting artifacts, please be sure that you do so in total compliance with all of the federal, state, and local statutes, regulations, and ordinances that are applicable to your collecting activities. These statutes, regulations, and ordinances are not designed to make artifact collectors feel miserable or angry. They are designed to protect nonrenewable cultural resources from destruction and to conserve them for future generations of Tennesseans and Americans. I know many of you artifact collectors out there are also game hunters. You know what the word conservation means and how important it is to your game hunting activities. You would never kill off the last male and female elk in Tennessee. So, why would you kill off our last remaining archaeological sites? Yes, I know:
‘Cause I wants me a really great artifact!!! Besides, if I killed off them last two Tennessee elks, I’d jist go a Elk huntin’ in West Virginia. Bwa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a!!!!!!!
Responsible artifact collectors. All of you know a few artifact collectors who are just like that guy. Why do you tolerate them? Why do you keep them as your friends? Inquiring professional archaeologists would really like to know. Comments are open.


The Less Party
There has been a bit of talk lately about what will happen if the GOP fails to curb the government after this election. The possibility (and problem) of a third party has been raised. One of the problems not being discussed is the name.
- The Tea Party
- The American Party
These are good names. You feel good just to saying them, but they are also empty vessels. Anyone can pour any meaning they want into them. What does it mean to be an American or a tea party member? Ask 100 people and you’ll get 100 answers.
A generic name also allows the party to “evolve” over time (and we know where that always leads–to the left).
Abolish slavery and restrict the role of government in economic and social life.
That was the original goal upon which the Republican party was founded. Over the decades the GOP has changed–one reason is that the word “Republican” is so generic that people just poured whatever meaning they wanted to into it.
The original Republican goal did have one great thing going for it: it was simple. A diverse set of people with often competing goals in other areas could work together, because they knew this simple goal would support their efforts in other areas.
Should we form a third party, I suggest we encapsulate the goal in the name:
The Less Party
- Less government spending
- Less government regulation
- Less laws
- Less government involvement in citizen’s lives
- Less activist judges
Less is still something of an empty vessel, but it’s an empty vessel with a specific shape–you can’t just pour any idea into it. Especially if the party was founded with a goal like this:
Reduce the size of government and restrict the role of government in economic and social life.
When a politician proposes a new program or law, we can simply ask “How does this harmonize with our goal of less?”


The Armenian presence within the geographical area of the Ottoman Empire is a very ancient one. In reality the area that eventually became the Ottoman Empire contained the lands of ancient Armenian royal dynasties, from antiquity to the Middle Ages. These regions are mostly included in present-day Turkey’s eastern provinces – and today’s Republic of Armenia – where a dense population of Armenians lived. For this reason the Ottoman government, for a long time, in its turn gave these areas the unofficial name of Ermenistan, used until at least the 18th century.
Since my ancestors are also from the old West-Armenia (Trabzond and Erzrum), I’d like to share some pictures of the Armenian communities of these old towns, before the Genocide has been perpetrated by the infamous nationalist Young Turk party.


Louisville and Portland Canal
The Louisville and Portland Canal was a 2-mile (3.2 km) canal bypassing the Falls of the Ohio River at Louisville, Kentucky. The Falls form the only barrier to navigation between the origin of the Ohio at Pittsburgh and the port of New Orleans on the Gulf of Mexico; circumventing them was long a goal for Pennsylvanian and Cincinnatian merchants. The canal opened in 1830 as the private Louisville and Portland Canal Company but was gradually bought out during the 19th century by the federal government, which had invested heavily in its construction, maintenance, and improvement. The Louisville and Portland Canal became the McAlpine Locks and Dam in 1962 after extensive modernization.
The Falls of the Ohio are the only natural obstruction to riverine traffic from the source of the Ohio at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the Gulf of Mexico. Some of the earliest cities in Kentucky – Louisville, Portland, and Shippingport – developed from the need for portage of cargo around the rapids, except during a few weeks each spring when water on the river was very high. Although this source of income was popular with locals, merchants invested upriver – particularly those in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati – disliked the expense and hassle. The situation caused wide fluctuations in prices up- and downstream, as there was always a glut of shipments during the few weeks of high water each year.
The first meeting of the trustees of the Town of Louisville on February 7, 1781, adopted a petition to the Virginia General Assembly for the right to construct a canal around the falls. Two years later, engineer and canal advocate Christopher Colles petitioned the Congress of the Confederation, promising to start a canal company in exchange for a grant comprising the necessary land. They declined.
Serious plans for a canal circulated throughout the early 1800s, with Cincinnatians in particular advocating a northern route through Indiana in order to blunt competition from Louisville. Canal companies were chartered by the state legislatures of both Kentucky and Indiana in 1805, but nothing came of either effort. In 1808, the Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin suggested national funding for a Kentucky-side canal. The United States Senate passed bills to this effect in 1810 and 1811, but both died from Democratic opposition in the House. Gen. William Lytle II, founder of Cincinnati, laid out Portland in 1811 and sold lots in order to finance his own canal project. The Indiana Canal Company, that state's second effort, was chartered in 1818 and made preliminary excavations using private and state funds. The failure of a dam and the Panic of 1819 ended the attempt. Rumors that the Indianan dam had been sabotaged arose from the risk a canal posed to much of Louisville's economy, including not only forwarding, storage, drayage, and shipping but also provisioning, financing, hotels, and entertainment. Against this, however, some locals argued for the benefit a canal would provide to local manufacturing.
Privately held company
Despite the completion of the federally funded National Road in the 1810s and the state-funded Erie Canal in the 1820s (the latter of which cut transportation costs across New York by around 95%), continuing Democratic and Louisvillian opposition crippled attempts to fund a public canal in the Kentucky General Assembly. Instead, Charles Thurston of Louisville sponsored a bill to charter the private Louisville and Portland Canal Company. The charter established an initial toll of 20¢ per ton, permitted the company to operate the canal in perpetuity, and granted it powers of eminent domain over land necessary to the canal's construction. The initial estimates in 1824 called for one year of construction at a cost of $300,000.
The company was chartered in 1825. Its initial members included James Guthrie, John J. Jacob, Nicholas Berthoud, John Colmesnil, James Hughes, Robert Breckinridge, Isaac Thom, Simeon Goodwin, Charles Thurston, Worden Pope, William Vernon, Samuel Churchill, James Brown, and James Overstreet. Guthrie was elected president. The canal was authorized by its charter to sell up to 6000 shares of stock at a cost of $100 each, but the company required only $10 down and an additional $10 quarterly. In this way, $350,000 was raised from the initial sale of stock in March 1826, and $150,000 soon after. Much of this capital came from Philadelphia investors. This private, out-of-state ownership was praised at the time by Louisville's leading newspaper, the Public Advertiser, which said "no one is now apprehensive of any imprudent or unjust action on the part of the Legislature". In May 1826, the United States Congress voted to purchase 1,000 shares as well.
Construction began in 1826. As it became evident that the canal would have to be dug through solid rock, the cost estimate rose past $375,000, with two years of construction required. Local investors were the first to learn of the difficulties; several defaulted on further payment towards their shares, reducing the company's available capital. Abraham Lincoln is said to have worked on the construction of the canal in 1827. The course was found to require adjustment, and Congress invested an additional $133,500 in 1829. The company was still due to run out of funds by the end of 1829, and a third influx of funds from Congress was vetoed by the newly elected Pres. Andrew Jackson, who denounced the practice of giving federal funds to private corporations. The company was forced to borrow $154,000 in 1830. By this time, the stock was valued at over $1,000,000, of which the federal government held $290,000.
The first ship – the SS Uncas – passed through the partially completed locks in December 1830. The canal was fully completed in 1833, six years behind schedule. Its 50-foot (15 m) wide dimensions were huge in comparison with projects like the Erie Canal and intended to permit full-sized ships to pass from one side of the falls to the other. Nevertheless, the growing power and size of steamboats left the canal nearly obsolete soon after opening at the same time that the Alabama Fever and booming Black Belt cotton plantations increased demand for produce and goods from the north. The canal increased its prices to 40¢ per ton in 1834 and to 60¢ per ton in 1837 and still saw traffic increase from 170,000 tons in 1834 to 300,000 in 1839. At the same time, Louisville's "carrying trade" also increased to a greater volume than before and a line of the Lexington and Ohio Railroad was constructed beside the canal from Louisville to Portland in 1838.
The company's high tolls and disinterest in improving the canal either to enlarge it or to correct the lower end, which opened into a narrow part of the river with a swift current, provoked dissatisfaction among its customers. Ohioan and Pennsylvanian opposition in Congress sometimes passed bills in the Senate approving a full buyout of the company, but such bills were consistently defeated in the House by Kentuckians, Southern proponents of states' rights such as Rep. Jefferson Davis (D–MS), and Indianan representatives, who still hoped to build their own canal as late as 1842. The company's management opted to solve the problem on their own: instead of funding expansions, improvements, or dividends, profits from the canal were used to purchase privately held shares at a premium, gradually increasing the government's ownership stake. Despite the succession of long depressions set off in 1837 and 1843 and a reduction of the toll to 50¢ per ton in 1842, the company remained highly profitable, and the buyout was completed in 1855.
By the 1850s, around 40% of the steamboats on the Ohio were too large for the canal and required transshipment of their cargo around the Falls. Despite holding full ownership of the company after 1855, the federal government found it impossible to get Congress to approve taking formal control of the canal. Bills offered from 1854 to 1860 failed on grounds of constitutionality, economy, and efficiency. Sen. Lazarus Powell (D-KY) was of the opinion that "the only reason why the government of the United States has not long taken charge of the canal, is the fear that there would be demand on the national treasury to Enlarge it", a reasonable fear given the reasons for the buyout of the original owners.
In the end, the government simply directed the company to finance the needful improvements on its own. A $865,000 plan was approved and undertaken in 1860 but was almost immediately shelved by the Civil War. The facility was a target of Confederate forces in Kentucky, at least one of whom advocated destroying it so "future travelers would hardly know where it was", but Union control of the state rendered the threat moot. The loans involved in the original plan, however, meant that the company was $1.6 million in debt by 1866.
Radical Republican control of Congress meant that the Army Corps of Engineers was finally allowed to take over improvements for the canal in 1867. Two new locks, each 390 feet (120 m) long and 90 feet (27 m) wide, opened in February 1872.
In May 1874, Congress passed a bill allowing the Corps of Engineers to take full control of the canal and authorizing the Treasury to pay off the bonds for the recent improvements. By 1877, despite the vastly increased use of railroads, traffic on the canal had tripled from any previous level. This was mostly heavy, low-value industrial supplies such as coal, salt, and iron ore. In 1880, under political pressure from upriver producers, Congress removed the canal's tolls entirely, forgoing profit and paying the entirety of its expenses from the Treasury.
A new lock was built in 1921 as a part of Congress's plan for the "canalization" of the Ohio River. Further expansions in 1962, increasing the width of the canal to 500 feet (150 m), caused the canal to be known as the McAlpine Locks and Dam.
In the 19th century, the high toll and insufficient capacity of the canal served Louisville well, permitting high profits for shareholders without greatly curtailing the portage and related sectors of the local economy. The gradual buyout well-compensated the owners for their initial investments in the venture.
Louisville boomed at the expense of its onetime partners Portland and Shippingport, which were relegated to backwater status. Portland, after initially continuing to grow and incorporating separately in 1834, accepted a proposal to widen the canal and annexation to west Louisville in 1837 in exchange for its wharf becoming the terminus of the Lexington and Ohio Railroad; when the western line of the railroad only managed to successfully connect Portland with Louisville before its 1840 bankruptcy, the community removed itself again from 1842 to 1852, before accepting reannexation. Much of the community was destroyed by or razed after the floods of 1937 and 1945. Shippingport, included within Louisville's borders during its 1828 incorporation and enisled by the canal, declined slowly until the government bought out the remaining families in 1958.
At the same time, these factors blunted the economic impact of the canal on other communities up- and downstream. Although (even at its highest tolls) the canal decreased the freight rate along the river, it did not permit significantly lower prices in commodities, which fell at a faster rate in the 25 years before the canal opened than they did in the 25 years afterwards. The 1850s and 1860s particularly saw usage of the canal merely plateau despite booming growth in river traffic.
- Yater, George. The Encyclopedia of Louisville, p. 531. "Louisville and Portland Canal". University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 2001. Accessed 9 October 2013.
- Trescott, Paul B. (March 1958). "The Louisville and Portland Canal Company, 1825-1874". The Mississippi Valley Historical Review. Organization of American Historians. 44 (4): 686–708. doi:10.2307/1886603. JSTOR 1886603..
- Trescott, 694.
- Trescott, 686-687.
- Hulbert, Archer Butler, ed. (1918). "XVIII Colles' Petition to Improve Ohio River Navigation (1783)". Ohio in the Time of the Confederation. Marietta College Historical Collections. 3. Marietta, Ohio: Marietta Historical Commission. pp. 92–94..
- Trescott, 687.
- Trescott, 687-688.
- Trescott, 688 ff.
- Johnson, Leland & al.Triumph at the Falls: The Louisville and Portland Canal, pp. 30 ff. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Louisville), 2007.
- The Real Lincoln: a Portrait. Houghton Mifflin. 1922. Retrieved 30 July 2010..
- Trescott, 695 ff.
- Trescott, 700-701.
- "History of the Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Railroad". Retrieved 24 May 2007..
- United States Army Corps of Engineers. Civil War Engineering and Navigation.
- Trescott, 702-706.
- Trescott, 706 f.
- The Falls City Engineers: A History of the Louisville District. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 1975..
- Burnett, Robert A. (April 1976). "Louisville's French Past". Filson Club History Quarterly: 9–18..


These were the findings presented by academics in a letter to editor of the journal Biomedical and Environmental Sciences.
They stated a survey of 298 mid-trimester urban pregnant women in Beijing, northern China, Hefei in central China, and Nanning in southern China found that consumer awareness of fortified foods was far lower than that for supplements.
Approximately 52.01% (155/298) of the subjects had consumed fortified foods during the past month (more than three times), mainly milk (29.87%) and milk powder (27.52%), while 71.14% (212/298) of the subjects had consumed a supplement during the past month.
Multivitamins and minerals were the main types of food supplements consumed (81.60%), alongside moderate consumption of some single minerals or vitamins.
While they found that the base diet was the greatest contributor to the total intake of calcium, iron, and zinc, with an average contribution of 68.99%, 85.97%, and 80.57% respectively, this was followed by supplements (20.88%, 10.05%, and 15.39%), whereas fortified foods contributed the least (10.13%, 3.98%, and 4.04%).
The academics, from several Chinese institutions, said the relatively low intake of minerals from fortified foods suggested that permitted fortification levels could be increased.
“For urban pregnant women, consumption of fortified foods and food supplements can be an effective approach to improve the minerals intake when a calcium, iron, or zinc deficiency is encountered,” they wrote.
“However, the contribution of fortified foods for these three nutrients was still at a rather low level, indicating that the fortified values can be higher, based on more risk analysis data.”
“For example, more micronutrients need to be evaluated, and the database of fortified foods needs to be improved. Meanwhile, further intensive studies concerning nutrients risk assessment re-assessment and risk-benefit analysis of fortification is required.”
We recently reported on a cohort study that showed the top five supplements taken by Chinese pregnant women were calcium and folic acid, followed by iron, multivitamins and vitamin C.


Cambodia: Education & Skills
Over 58 million children all over the world cannot attend school despite their indisputable right to education. In many countries, school tuition is denied to children due to armed conflicts, poverty, humanitarian disasters or simply due to educational systems which practice gender-related, ethnic or medical condition discrimination.
Illiterate or poorly educated young people lacking practical skills are vulnerable to poverty and exploitation because there is no demand for them in the labour market. Therefore they have very limited freedom when making decisions about their own lives. This presents challenges with extreme urgency in view of the fact that there is a record number of young people in the world and limited options for creating new jobs.
People in Need actively attempts to tackle these global challenges. We must realise what an important role education plays in the transformation process of developing countries. Not only does it improve prospects of employment, thereby reducing the risk of poverty, hunger and illness, but it also increases the potential of men and women to fight against discrimination. It motivates them to more actively participate in public life and promotion of their interests in society. We also believe that in areas stricken by armed conflict, attending school brings some order and also happiness into the lives of children.
- Our educational programmes aim to provide quality primary education for all children regardless of origin, religious belief, gender or medical condition.
- We also assist with employment of young people. Through vocational education and training in entrepreneurial and other skills we assist them in establishing a business or finding a job.
- Through our educational programmes we also encourage young people to actively engage in public life around them and assist them towards the creation of a responsible, democratic society.
Fostering the Transition to Employment for Youth (FTE 4 Youth)
PIN is implementing the project in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (MLVT), the Provincial Department of Labor and Vocational Training (PDLVT), the Provincial Training Centre (PTC), the International Labor Organisation (ILO), and numerous micro-finance institutes and industry associations. The FTE 4 Youth project, which is being piloted at the PTC in Kampong Chhnang, is staffed by 28 employees – including technical teachers and managers – and has enrolled 2,000 students. Course include mobile vocational training and other activities.
The project aims to improve the quality of technical vocational education within the PTCs, ensuring that courses, equipment and infrastructure are responsive to the demands of the labor market, thereby increasing young people’s participation in the TVET. It will also strive to foster entrepreneurship and build stronger partnerships between PTCs, the private sector, government agencies and other departments, ultimately resulting in new job opportunities for youths.


Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Selma civil rights marchers’ arrival on the steps of the Alabama state capitol in Montgomery. If you haven’t yet seen the movie “Selma,” about struggle for African-Americans’ voting rights, you should. If you have seen it, here are three books to read with your kids (or for yourself!) next.
1. “John Lewis in the Lead,” written by Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson, illustrated by Benny Andrews
This picture book biography provides more detail on the life of one of the main characters in “Selma”: John Lewis, a 25-year-old organizer who went on to become a U.S. Congressman representing Georgia. When watching “Selma,” it wasn’t apparent to me that Lewis had been at the lead of a range of other nonviolent resistance actions before stepping onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge. This book is a good introduction to those other events in the Civil Rights Movement. The narrative is unfortunately written rather passively, but I liked seeing illustrations by Benny Andrews, an African-American artist about whom another picture book bio was recently published.
2. “March” by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell
I mentioned “March: Book One” in my February diverse reading post. I haven’t read Book Two. Both are graphic novels, also about the life of John Lewis, but for older kids and adults. Book One covers Lewis’ youth, his first meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., and his involvement in Nashville’s lunch counter sit-ins. Book Two focuses on his involvement in the Freedom Rides, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the March on Washington. There is supposed to be a third volume in what will then be the “March” trilogy, and I’m guessing it’ll feature the march from Selma to Montgomery.
3. “Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom” by Lynda Blackmon Lowery as told to Elspeth Leacock and Susan Buckley
This middle grade book tells us, in first person about the experiences of the youngest participant in the Selma march. The drama of the movie “Selma” is all about the attempts to march, but in Blackmon Lowery’s narrative we get to see details of the march itself, like where they slept and what they did when it rained. I was impressed that the voice sounded like a teenage version of the author, although she is of course far from that age now. I also liked getting to read about her impressions of some of the other participants, like Viola Liuzzo, an activist housewife who was shot by the Ku Klux Klan shortly after the march.
Your turn: What are your favorite books about the Civil Rights Movement and its many participants?


Retreat : Dunkirk and the Evacuation of Western Europe Paperback / softback
At around 7 p.m. on 26 May 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave the order for Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of British troops from the harbour and beaches of Dunkirk.
The German forces that had attacked through the Netherlands, Belgium and the Ardennes into France on 10 May had rapidly driven to the English Channel, reaching the coast at Noyellessur-Mer on 20 May and trapping the BEF, French forces and the remnants of the Belgian army.
BEF commander Lord Gort immediately began to plan for his forces to withdraw towards Dunkirk, the nearest location with good port facilities.
Between 27 May and 4 June, ships from the Royal Navy, the Merchant Navy, France, Belgium and the Netherlands as well as the famous Little Ships evacuated almost 340,000 Allied troops from Dunkirk and brought them back to Britain. The Dunkirk evacuation was not the end. In Operation Cycle just over 11,000 Allied troops were evacuated from the port of Le Havre between 10 and 13 June.
Later still, in Operation Ariel, another 190,000 troops and between 30,000 and 40,000 civilians would be evacuated from ports along France's western coast including Brest, Saint-Nazaire and Bordeaux.
Henry Buckton examines the rapid German advance, the Dunkirk evacuation, and the evacuations that came after. Henry Buckton has published a large number of books on various historical subjects.
His main area of expertise is the Second World War, particularly the Battle of Britain.
He serves in the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency (MDPGA).
- Format: Paperback / softback
- Pages: 256 pages, 16 Plates, color
- Publisher: Amberley Publishing
- Publication Date: 15/05/2017
- Category: Second World War
- ISBN: 9781445664828


A collection of tips on how to begin organic gardening, makes the perfect starting point for a beginner to emerge and hopefully, begin growing their own organic produce much easier. Below is just such a collection that will hopefully assist the eager novice into eventually, becoming a pro, when it comes to organic gardening.
Use groundcover perennials in sunny areas. Groundcover perennials can be used as an alternative to grass where there is minimal foot traffic, or in an area where grass is difficult to maintain, such as on a slope. They are also handy in between larger perennials, as they help to suppress weeds and keep the soil moist and cool. Good choices for groundcover perennials are creeping thyme, ajuga, various sedums, alyssum and armeria.
If you like to plant roses, before you buy any variety, ask yourself what characteristics you would like from your roses. Different varieties have different characteristics, such as fragrance, heartiness, and size, to name a few. The traits that you want the most from a rose bush will influence your decision on what variety to plant.
Use seedlings to run relay planting. Using seedlings can allow you to get a jump start on the growing season and improve yields to the harvest by extending time. If growing lettuce and a squash harvest is needed for summer, then after the lettuce has been harvested you can plant seedlings to get a jump start on another crop and a higher yield for the garden.
You can dry herbs by putting them in your car. You can neatly arrange them on a sheet of newspaper in a single layer. Then close the doors and windows and let it air dry. The warmth in the car will dry the herbs quickly. The herbs themselves will create a very nice aroma.
When choosing plants for your garden, pick plants that are native to your geographic region. Plants native to your region will naturally do well in your garden because they are already adjusted to your climate. When you plant native plants, you will not be surprised by any unexpected results when your plants mature.
A great way to keep insects and pests at bay in your garden is to spray your plants with a dish soap and water mixture. A mixture of one quart water and one half teaspoon dish detergent will kill off those pesky parasites. Be sure to respray every fourteen days.
Pay attention to the time of year that your plants bloom before you start pruning them. If you prune your flowering shrubs and trees while they have buds on them, that plant won’t flower that year. The best time to prune is just after the last season’s blooms have faded.
Hopefully, this collection of tips were enough to give you a great start on what to do and expect when it comes to growing your own organic plants. This collection was carefully constructed to be an aid in your arsenal, so that you can begin to hone your organic gardening skills into growing healthy organic produce.


Eucalyptus (From Greek, ευκάλυπτος meaning "well covered") is a diverse genus of trees (and a few shrubs), the
members of which dominate the tree flora of Australia. There are more than seven hundred species of Eucalyptus,
mostly native to Australia, with a very small number found in adjacent parts of New Guinea and Indonesia and one as
far north as the Philippines islands. Species of Eucalyptus are cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics
including the Americas, England, Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, China and the Indian
Reforestation with Eucalyptus species together with Citrus orchards, are the basis of the migratory apiculture in
the state of São Paulo. The conjunction of beekeeping cultures coordinated with other farming activities and,
obviously, together with native vegetation areas, is the natural way to be followed for the regional honey
The Eucalyptus species blooming lasts some months and a group of few species often blooms all year round.
The flowers are generally white, attractive and have a great amount of stamens (therefore they are good bee pollen
suppliers.) The Eucalyptus flowers produce a good quantity of honeydew of easy access to the mellifera bees and
have high sugar concentration, usually over 30%.
Honey Description:Eucalyptus honey color varies from light to
dark amber, 34 to 80 mm on the Goethe scale. It has a stronger taste than orange blossom honey. Flavor is
very sweet and has some floral taste, too. It crystallizes very quickly. Some species produce honeys with
very fine crystallization. Besides having a lighter color when it is crystallized, is also presents a change


Every print begins with a sketch. An idea takes shape and evolves over time. Sometimes the rough draft sits for many weeks before the final concept moves forward. Other times it moves from sketch to print in days. Every time the image is drawn in reverse to produce a print which shows the opposite.
The beginnings of a print is with an image carved into Lino, a firm grey sheet product. This can take several hours and is often a multi-day project. To do so we use special carving tools, each with its own shape to create differing parts of the piece. The carving cuts are not reversible so each cut is considered carefully.
INK AND PRINT
The completed carving block is inked using non-toxic relief ink, applied with a roller. The surface needs enough ink but not too much. Inked blocks are covered with cotton paper and rolled through a printing press to create the original print.


Audio (US) (file)
- A cusp is a pointed end.
- A point on a tooth is a cusp.
- The cusp on his back tooth had broken.
- The point on a crescent is a cusp.
- They could see the cusp of the moon.
- When two curved lines meet, they create a cusp.
- A cusp is a point from which everything changes.
- The scientist was at the cusp of a great discovery.


… but it takes a Leader to Chart the Course.
John C. Maxwell’s 4th irrefutable law of leadership is The Law of Navigation. Maxwell states:
Leaders are navigators. Before good leaders take their people on a journey, they go through a process in order to give the trip the best chance of being a success:
- Navigators Draw on Past Experience – every past success and failure you’ve experienced can be a valuable source of information and wisdom. Success teaches you what you’re capable of doing and gives you confidence. However, your failures can often teach greater lessons, if you allow them to. If you fail to learn from your mistakes, you’re going to fail again and again.
- Navigators Examine the Conditions Before Making Commitments – No good leader plans a course of action without paying attention to current conditions. Good navigators count the cost before making commitments for themselves and others.
- Navigators Listen To What Others Have to Say – Navigating leaders get ideas from many sources. They listen to members of their leadership team. They spend time with leaders of other organizations who can mentor them. They always think in terms of relying on a team, not just themselves.
- Navigators Make Sure Their Conclusions Represent Both Faith and Fact – A leader has to possess a positive attitude. If you can’t confidently make the trip in your mind, you’re not going to be able to take it in real life. On the other hand, you also have to be able to see the facts realistically. If you don’t go in with your eyes wide open, you’re going to get blindsided. Balancing optimism and realism, faith and fact can be very difficult.
Preparation is the key. If you are well prepared you engender trust in those around you. Great leaders are capable of taking their followers wherever they want to go.
Maxwell used an acronym PLAN AHEAD:
Predetermine a course of action
Lay out your goals
Adjust your priorities
Notify key personnel
Allow time for acceptance
Head into action
Always point to the successes
Daily review your plan
Do you see yourself as a navigator?
How skilful are you at charting the course?
Do you always remember to PLAN AHEAD?
This is the 4th article in a series of 21. Previous articles can be found here:


To write a haiku, it is helpful to know what a haiku is. A haiku is a form of Japanese poetry. It is a short poem expressing a thought and contrast. The word “haiku” is both singular and plural. More than one haiku is never referred to as “haikus.”
The origins of haiku
Haiku have been around for hundreds of years, originating from a Japanese game called “haikai no renga.” In this game, a group of professional poets collaboratively wrote a poem. Starting with one poet who initiated the first verse of the poem, one-by-one each poet added a verse until the poem contained 100 verses.
The verses were short, and the first verse (the hokku) usually referenced a season. Each subsequent verse related in some way to the previous verse following the same format, such as number of syllables or word pattern. The first verse spawned the traditional haiku as an independent poem.
A haiku’s structure
The traditional haiku referenced nature or a season and contained only three lines with 17 syllables in a 5-7-5 pattern (five syllables on line 1, seven on line 2 and five on line 3). The Japanese haiku has been mimicked by the English, but over time, the English version of the haiku has been altered to follow a number of different patterns, such as 3-5-3, 2-3-2, and so on. Some haiku writers use free-form and do not follow any type of structure.
Haiku do not generally have titles or rhyme. The goal of a haiku is to draw an image in the reader’s mind of a subject, and then an image of an element of contrast to the subject. The relationship of the images is not always obvious at first; readers must come up with their own conclusions. See the example below:
Darkness of night
In the example above, a 3-4-3 pattern was used, and three separate images drawn. Do you see the relationship between the images? Perhaps “Leaves falling” and “Birds flutter” sound the same, or “Birds flutter” cause “Leaves falling.” Perhaps “Birds flutter” is heard in the “Darkness of night.” Do you see how readers are left to their own conclusions?
Some haiku are written with a colon or a hyphen to separate a new element of contrast. For example:
Early morning dew:
Pink roses open slowly
In morning sunshine.
Tips for writing your own haiku
Here is a simple process to help you write your own haiku
1. Select a pattern.
2. Pick a subject and think of what it brings to mind for you.
3. Avoid adverbs or adjectives except when necessary to draw a distinct picture.
4. Do not just write a long sentence covering three lines.
5. Use present tense.
6. Punctuation or capitalization is not necessary.
By Hillary Davenport
Learn more about Japanese Haiku (with free infographic) at Hillary’s blog.


For instance, the physical world was thought to be composed of earth, wind, water, and fire; for the human body the four humours were blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm.
Tidy model. What are an identitifier's 'humours'? How about linkability, discoverability, uniquenessability, and memorability?
In On the Nature of Man, Hippocrates wrote that
health is primarily that state in which the constituent elements [the four humours] are in correct proportion to each other, both in strength and quality, and are well mixed. Pain occurs when one of the substances presents either a deficiency or excess..
Could have been a consultant. Or a therapist.