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Bruderhof Communities

The Bruderhof ('place of brothers') is a communal Anabaptist Christian movement that was founded in Germany in 1920 by Eberhard Arnold. The movement has communities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Paraguay, South Korea and Australia. The Bruderhof practises believer's baptism, non-violence and peacemaking, common ownership, the proclamation of the gospel, and lifelong faithfulness in marriage. The Bruderhof is an intentional community as defined by the Fellowship for Intentional Community.

The communities are best known by the name "Bruderhof" or sometimes "Bruderhof Communities", although "Bruderhof" is the name used on their website. The communities are legally incorporated in the US as Church Communities International. Their corporation used to be called The Society of Brothers (1939 to 1978). Bruderhof maintained connections with the traditional Hutterite Brethren, from which they broke in 1995. The word "Bruderhof" was first used by the early Anabaptists in Moravia. , there are 24 Bruderhof communities.

Name
The word Bruderhof was first used by the Hutterites to refer to their communities in Moravia and then in other areas as the movement expanded. In the 1920s, Eberhard Arnold developed a growing interest in the Hutterites, and his first written reference to the community at Sannerz as a Bruderhof appears in letter from 1926, indicating an initial identification with the Hutterite movement.

Beginnings in Germany (1920–1937)
The Bruderhof was founded in Germany in 1920 by Eberhard Arnold, a philosophy student and intellectual inspired by the German Youth Movement and his wife Emmy, née von Hollander. In 1920, the young family with five children rented a house in Sannerz, Hesse, and founded a Christian community.

When the group outgrew the house at Sannerz, they moved to the nearby Rhön Mountains. While there, Arnold discovered that the Hutterites (an Anabaptist movement he had studied with great interest) were still in existence in North America. In 1930, he traveled to meet the Hutterites and was ordained as a Hutterian minister.

With the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazism, the Rhön community moved its draft-age men and children to Liechtenstein around 1934 because of their conscientious refusal to serve in the armed forces and to accept Nazi teachings. This community became known as the Alm Bruderhof. Continuing pressure from the Nazi government caused others to move to England and found the Cotswold Bruderhof in 1936. On 14 April 1937 secret police surrounded the Rhön Bruderhof, confiscated the property, and gave the remaining community members forty-eight hours to flee the country. By 1938, all the Bruderhof members had reassembled in England.

England (1937–1960)
In 1936 the Bruderhof had purchased a 200 acre farm in England called Ashton Fields, near the village of Ashton Keynes in the Cotswolds area. Originally intended to be a mission post, it provided sanctuary when they were forced to escape Nazi Germany. While based in England, the Bruderhof membership grew to over 350 members, largely through the addition of young English members who were conscientious objectors seeking an alternative to the now seemingly inevitable war with Germany. However, even before the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the presence of the community's German members and its pacifist stance attracted deep suspicion locally, resulting in economic boycotts against the farm. In 1940, confronted with the option of either having all of its German members interned for the duration and its English members conscripted, or leaving England as a group, the Bruderhof chose the latter and some began to look for refuge abroad.

Not all members wished to leave England. By Christmas 1941 the remaining group of 19 found a remote 182 acre farm for sale, Lower Bromdon Farm in the Clee Hills, near Ludlow in Shropshire, and in March 1942 the group moved in to their new home. By the end of the year the group named itself the Wheathill Bruderhof. In April 1944 they took over the neighboring Upper Bromdon farm of 165 acre, and in 1945 the community extended to Cleeton Court Farm at the foot of Titterstone Clee Hill, bringing the three Wheathill farms to a total size of 532 acre. In 1959 Pathé Newsreel produced a short film on the community, just as Bruderhof as a whole was in turmoil, and the Wheathill community closed within the next two years.

Paraguay (1941–1961; 2010–present)
In 1941, the Bruderhof emigrated from England to Paraguay — at the time the only country that would accept a pacifist community of mixed nationalities. This move was assisted and facilitated by the Mennonite Central Committee.

Starting in the hostile Chaco region, the Bruderhof then relocated to eastern Paraguay where three settlements were founded on a large tract of land called Primavera. Bruderhof members founded a hospital for community members and local Paraguayans. The only clinic in the area, it served tens of thousands for the next two decades. By the early 1960s, the community in Paraguay had grown significantly and was attracting visitors from North America.

In 1942, several leaders of the community came in conflict with a group of members over the community's trajectory. This group, which included the founder's wife Emmy Arnold, argued that the founder's vision was rooted in a pietistic faith in Jesus Christ, not primarily in communitarian ideals. Eventually the church leadership, headed by the founder's son-in-law Hans Zumpe, banished the dissidents from the Bruderhof. Those who supported them were silenced, often with harsh discipline.

Eventually allowed back to join their families, the dissidents re-joined the community. One of them, Johann Heinrich Arnold, a son of Eberhard and Emmy Arnold, was sent with his family to the United States to raise funds and eventually started a new community called Woodcrest, in Rifton, New York, in 1954. Over the following years, conflicts between Zumpe and Arnold continued, culminating in a crisis resulting in Zumpe being relieved of his leadership role by the community. Zumpe left the community in 1960 after revelations of personal issues.

Many members who supported Zumpe, and some who were confused by the turmoil, left or were asked to leave the community. Eventually, the communities in Paraguay were dissolved and the members who remained relocated to the United States. Many of those who left the community during the 1960s later returned, but some remained outside of the community and formed a group of critics of the Bruderhof. Their stories formed the basis for the 2000 book written by Julius Rubin, The Other Side of Joy: Religious Melancholy among the Bruderhof. Rubin himself never visited the Bruderhof.

In 2010, the Bruderhof opened the Villa Primavera Community in Asunción, Paraguay.

United States (1954–present)
In 1954, the Bruderhof started a settlement known as the Woodcrest Bruderhof in the United States near Rifton, New York, in response to a dramatic increase in the number of American guests. Woodcrest absorbed the Macedonia Cooperative Community in Georgia and many members of the Kingwood Community in New Jersey. Through the Macedonia Cooperative Community, Woodcrest inherited the business Community Playthings. Additional new communities were founded in Pennsylvania (1957) and Connecticut (1958).

In 1990, the Spring Valley Bruderhof was founded adjacent to the New Meadow Run Bruderhof in Farmington, Pennsylvania. As of April 2021, there are a total of 18 Bruderhof communities in the United States.

Europe (1971–present)
As of April 2024, there are three Bruderhof Communities in the United Kingdom, two in Germany and two in Austria.

England
In 1971, the Bruderhof purchased a property in Robertsbridge, East Sussex, United Kingdom called Darvell. The property had previously been a tuberculosis hospital. In 1995, a former sports college in Kent was purchased. In 2005, the Bruderhof started a small community in East London. This urban Bruderhof has now been moved to Peckham in south east London.

Germany
In 2002, the Bruderhof purchased a house in Sannerz, Germany.

Austria
The Bruderhof operate two communities in Austria, those being the Gutsif and the Am Stein locations.

Australia (1999–present)
The Bruderhof opened a community in Elsmore, a village in the northeast of the Australian state of New South Wales, in 1999. In 2005, the Bruderhof opened a community in the adjacent town of Inverell, where they operate a sign-writing business. Also in 2005, the Bruderhof opened a community in Armidale, the nearest city to Inverell and Elsmore.

South Korea (2022–present)
The Bruderhof opened a community in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province in South Korea in 2022.

Beliefs and practice
The Bruderhof is an evangelical Anabaptist community that seeks to emulate the practices of early Christianity. Eberhard Arnold drew inspiration from a number of historical streams including early Christianity, the Anabaptists, German Pietism and the German Youth Movement. Johann Blumhardt (1805–1880) and his son Christoph Blumhardt (1842–1919), both German Lutheran theologians, are important sources of Bruderhof piety.

The Bruderhof practice Christian pacifism and therefore reject the practice of military conscription, reflecting the early Anabaptist beliefs formulated in the Schleitheim Confession.

Bruderhof members do not hold private property, but rather share everything. Members work inside the Bruderhof, and nobody receives a salary or has a bank account. Income from all businesses is pooled and used for the care of all members and for various communal outreach efforts. Every member of the organization must take a vow that he or she is willing "to put yourself completely at the disposal of the church community to the end of your life – all your faculties, the entire strength of your body and soul, and all your property, both that which you now possess and that which you may later inherit or earn.

The Bruderhof practices believers' baptism, which does not equate to membership. Membership is lifetime and by vows after the age of 21. The Bruderhof also practices what they would call "The law of love" based on the house rule of the first Bruderhof in 1925:

The Bruderhof believes marriage to be "the lifelong union between one man and one woman" and believes that sexual love should only be shared in such a marriage relationship. They believe divorce and remarriage to be wrong. It has supported and run marriage events to promote marriage between one man and one woman both in the United States and the United Kingdom. The Bruderhof also participated in Humanum, a conference held in the Vatican from 17 to 19 November 2014 and attended by Pope Francis, to discuss the complementarity of man and woman.

In accordance with the Anabaptist doctrine of nonconformity to the world, the Bruderhof wear plain dress, with women donning a headcovering (typically a hanging veil) in accordance with 1 Corinthians 11 in the Christian Bible.

Present day life
Most communities have a nursery, kindergarten, school, communal kitchen, laundry, various workshops, and offices. Bruderhof life is built around the family, though there are also many single members. Children are an important part of each community and participate in most communal gatherings. Disabled and elderly members are cared for within the community and participate in daily life and work as much as they are able.

The Bruderhof eats one meal together each day as a community. Other meals are eaten in families. Singing is a very common form of worship in the community, and members often sing before meals. The Bruderhof do not prohibit the consumption of alcohol.

Numerous guests visit the Bruderhof and all communities are open to guests. The Bruderhof is estimated to have around 2,900 members worldwide.

Technology
The Bruderhof has a reserved attitude to the use of technology. Bruderhof families do not watch television or use the Internet within the home but do so outside of it, with many using smartphones. Unlike the Amish, they own and drive cars and run modern businesses and factories. They now run two main websites (bruderhof.com and plough.com) and several social media channels. Some of their members run video blogs that document their life on the Bruderhof that are published online.

Education
The Bruderhof runs schools for the children on each community, up to the age of 18, when they are allowed to leave the community. In 2019 the Beech Grove School added two boarding houses to their school.

Businesses
The Bruderhof run a variety of businesses that provide income to run their communities and provide common work for the members who almost all work onsite.

Community Playthings was developed during the 1950s and soon became the Bruderhof's main source of income. Community Playthings designs and manufactures quality wooden classroom and play environments and toys for schools and daycare centers. The business is run by the communities in the United States and United Kingdom.

Rifton Equipment, run by some of the American communities, sells mobility and rehabilitation equipment for disabled adults and children. It was founded in 1977.

Danthonia Designs is the business that supports the Australian Bruderhofs. It specializes in hand-carved three-dimensional signage and was founded in 2001.

Involvement in the wider community
The Bruderhof is actively involved in the neighborhoods that surround its communities and in the world at large. The Bruderhof sees justice and the works of mercy as a gospel command. They foster many ecumenical relationships with other churches and denominations. For instance, in 2019 the Bruderhof collaborated with the Coptic church to commemorate the Coptic martyrs killed by ISIS. Members met the Pope in Rome in 2004.

Bruderhof members serve on school boards, volunteer at soup kitchens, prisons and hospitals, and work with local social service agencies such as the police to provide food and shelter for those in need of help. They are active supporters of various international aid organizations, such as Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund, and World Vision.

The Bruderhof's Plough Publishing House publishes books and a magazine called Plough Quarterly. Plough publishes spiritual classics, inspirational books, and children's books, some of which are available as free downloads. Some of the books are written by Bruderhof members, but others are not.

In response to the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, the Bruderhof and Detective Steven McDonald created a program of school assemblies that have now reached tens of thousands of youths in the United States and United Kingdom. Operating under the name "Breaking the Cycle", speakers with forgiveness stories speak to children at school assemblies.

The Bruderhof community has at various times campaigned on social issues, such as the death penalty and the Iraq War. They were involved in the campaign in opposition to the death sentence for the activist Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted in 1982 of murdering a Philadelphia police officer.

The Bruderhof in the media
The Bruderhof rarely appear in the mainstream media, but sometimes allow photographers or journalists to observe their life.

Inside the Bruderhof – BBC One
The Darvell Bruderhof in East Sussex allowed CTVC to produce a 40-minute documentary about them, Inside the Bruderhof, which was scheduled to air on 25 July 2019 on BBC1 but was pulled as a result of BBC News at Ten over-running. It was eventually broadcast on 13 August 2020 on BBC1. The film shows life inside the community, and follows a young person who has reached the age when the Bruderhof encourage them to explore life outside the community.

BBC Inside Out
In March 2020, the BBC's Inside Out South East published a series of allegations from former members of the community that variously described attempted exorcism of a woman with mental health problems, public punishment of teenagers who had relationships and hostile attitudes to those who left the community. The Bruderhof objected to the programme, pointing out that the journalist who made the programme had never visited the community. They also said that the most serious allegations had been reported to statutory authorities who had chosen to take no further action.

The Bruderhof issued a statement saying the testimony of former members in this story presented a "misleading account" of the community. "We are an open and welcoming Christian community who, while not perfect, are doing our best to make the world a better place," it said. "Ofsted has for decades been inspecting the provision we make for our children and has never found any cause for concern. The Bruderhof is 100 years old this year. In that time we haven't got everything right, for which we are sorry. We are committed to listening to anyone who feels hurt by their experiences with the Bruderhof."

Relationship with the Hutterites
The Bruderhof Communities and the Hutterites were in fellowship between 1930 and 1955 and between 1974 and 1995. In 1990, the Lehrerleut and the Dariusleut withdrew, while the Schmiedeleut maintained their bond to the Bruderhof. After the split among the Schmiedeleut in 1992, the more traditional group also withdrew, while the more progressive branch (led by Jacob Kleinsasser) kept the bond until 1995. Since then, the traditional Hutterites and the Bruderhof have been separate groups.

The reason for the withdrawal of the Hutterites in 1955 was a conflict about the Forest River Hutterite Colony, which joined the Bruderhof by a majority vote. In 1974 there was reconciliation between the two groups. In 1990 two of the three branches of the traditional Hutterites withdrew over concerns in regard to education, worship services and relations with outsiders, such as political activism.

According to Rod Janzen, there are differences between the traditional Hutterites and the Bruderhof Communities on many fields. Besides cultural differences, there are differences in regard to education, leadership, decision making, church discipline, ecumenism, what constitutes the "Word of God" etc. All these differences led to the final break in 1995.

title: Bruderhof Communities


text:
Eurasian siskin

The Eurasian siskin (Spinus spinus) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European siskin, common siskin or just siskin. Other (archaic) names include black-headed goldfinch, barley bird and aberdevine. It is very common throughout Europe and Eurosiberia. It is found in forested areas, both coniferous and mixed woodland where it feeds on seeds of all kinds, especially of alder and conifers.

It can be distinguished from other similar finches by the colour of the plumage. The upper parts are greyish green and the under parts grey-streaked white. Its wings are black with a conspicuous yellow wing bar, and the tail is black with yellow sides. The male has a mainly yellow face and breast, with a neat black cap. Female and young birds have a greyish green head and no cap. It is a trusting, sociable and active bird. The song of this bird is a pleasant mix of twitters and trills. For these reasons it is often raised in captivity.

These birds have an unusual migration pattern as every few years in winter they migrate southwards in large numbers. The reasons for this behaviour are not known but may be related to climatic factors and above all the availability of food. In this way overwintering populations can thrive where food is abundant. This small finch is an acrobatic feeder, often hanging upside-down like a tit. It will visit garden bird feeding stations.

Taxonomy and systematics
The siskin was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Fringilla spinus, in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae. In 1760, Brisson described the genus Carduelis, where this species was then placed. Recent taxonomic studies suggest placing it in the genus Spinus.

The scientific name Spinus is from the Ancient Greek spinos, a name for a now-unidentifiable bird. The English name is from German dialect sisschen or zeischen.

Despite being found across a wide area it is a monotypic species, that is, there are no distinct subspecies. This could be explained by a number of factors, such as spatial variability of individuals in breeding areas between years, the large overwintering area which supports a constant genetic interchange, and females having a number of clutches of eggs in one breeding season, each in a different place.

Description
The siskin is a small, short-tailed bird, 11 – in length with a wingspan that ranges from 20 to 23 cm. It weighs between 12 and 18 g.

The bird's appearance shows sexual dimorphism. The male has a greyish green back; yellow rump; the sides of the tail are yellow and the end is black; the wings are black with a distinctive yellow wing stripe; its breast is yellowish becoming whiter and striped towards the cloaca; it has a black bib (or chin patch) and on its head it has two yellow auriculas and a black cap. The amount of black on the bib is very variable between males and the size of the bib has been related to dominance within a flock. The plumage of the female is more olive-coloured than the male. The cap and the auriculas are greenish with a white bib and a rump that is a slightly striped whitish yellow. The young have a similar colouration to the females, with drab colours and a more subdued plumage.

The shape of the siskin's beak is determined by its feeding habits. It is strong although it is also slender in order to pick up the seeds on which they feed. The legs and feet are dark brown and the eyes are black.

It has a rapid and bounding flight pattern that is similar to other finches.

The siskin is easy to recognize, but in some instances it can be confused with other finches such as the citril finch, the European greenfinch or the European serin. The Eurasian siskin, in many plumages, is a bright bird. Adult male Eurasian siskins are bright green and yellow with a black cap, and an unstreaked throat and breast. Adult females also usually have green and yellow plumage tones: for example, yellow in the supercilium and on the sides of the breast, green tones in the mantle and yellow in the rump. The ground colour of the underparts of the Eurasian siskin is normally pure white. In females and juveniles, the centre of the belly and lower breast are often largely or entirely unstreaked. The wingbars of the Eurasian siskin are broad and yellow (with the tips white) and the bill is short with a decurved culmen.

Distribution and habitat
This species can be found across the greater part of Eurosiberia and the north of Africa. Its breeding area is separated into two zones, both on each side of the Palearctic realm: the eastern coast of Asia and the central and northern part of Europe.

These birds can be found throughout the year in Central Europe and some mountain ranges in the south of the continent. They are present in the north of Scandinavia and in Russia and they over-winter in the Mediterranean basin and the area around the Black Sea. In China they breed in the Khingan Mountains of Inner Mongolia and in Jiangsu province; they spend winter in Tibet, Taiwan, the valleys of the lower Yangtse River and the south east coast.

The Eurasian siskin is occasionally seen in North America. There is also a similar and closely related North America counterpart, the pine siskin (Spinus pinus).

Their seasonal distribution is also marked by the fact that they follow an anomalous migration pattern. Every few years they migrate southwards in larger numbers and the overwintering populations in the Iberian Peninsula are greatly augmented. This event has been the object of diverse theories, one theory suggests that it occurs in the years when Norway spruce produces abundant seeds in the centre and north of Europe, causing populations to increase. An alternative theory is that greater migration occurs when the preferred food of alder or birch seed fails. This species will form large flocks outside the breeding season, often mixed with redpolls.

It is a bird that does not remain for long in one area but which varies the areas it uses for breeding and feeding, over-wintering from one year to the next.

Its habitat is forested areas at a particular altitude on a mountain side and they have a certain predilection for humid areas. Coniferous woodland, especially spruce, is favoured for breeding. It builds its nest in a tree, laying 2–6 eggs. The British range of this once local breeder has expanded greatly due to an increase in commercial conifer plantations. The siskin also breeds in mixed woodland; while in winter they prefer stubble and crops and areas containing trees with seeds.

Behaviour and ecology
They are very active and restless birds. They are also very social, forming small cohesive flocks especially in autumn and winter. They are fairly trusting of humans, it being possible to observe them from a short distance. During the breeding season, however, they are much more timid, solitary and difficult to observe. For this reason there is a German legend which says that siskins guard a magic stone in their nests that makes them invisible. It is one of the few species which has been described as exhibiting "allofeeding"' behavior, this is where subordinates (of the same sex) regurgitate food for the dominant members of the group, which creates a strong cohesion in the flocks and implies a hierarchical structure within the group.

Feeding
The siskin is mainly a granivore, although it varies its diet depending on the season. It feeds in trees, avoiding eating on the ground.

In autumn and winter, its diet is based on the seeds of deciduous trees such as birch and, above all, alder. They also visit cultivated areas and pasture, where they join with other finches in eating the seeds of various Compositae such as thistles, dandelions, Artemisia, knapweeds and other herbaceous plants, such as St. John's wort, meadowsweet and sorrel.

In spring, during the breeding season, they are found in coniferous forests. At this time their feeding is based on the seeds of these trees, especially on trees belonging to the genera Abies, Picea and Larix. They also feed on elms and poplars. When feeding the young they eat more insects, mainly beetles, as the proteins they contain help the chicks to grow. In summer their feeding is more varied, adding other herbaceous plants to their diet of conifer seeds: goosefoots and other Compositae.

Reproduction
Pairs are generally formed during the winter period before migration. The males compete aggressively for the females. As part of the courtship the male plumps up the feathers of the pileus and rump, making itself bigger, extending the tail and singing repeatedly. They also make mating flights from tree to tree, although they are not as eye-catching as the flights of the other finches. They construct a nest that is generally located at the end of a relatively high branch in a conifer, such that the nest is reasonably hidden and difficult to see. On the Iberian Peninsula they make their nests in afirs, Scotch pine and Corsican pine. They form small colonies of up to six pairs with the nests located near to each other. The nest is small and bowl-shaped. It is made from small twigs, dried grasses, moss and lichen and lined with down.

The first brood is born in mid-April. The female lays between 2 and 6 eggs. The eggs are white or light grey or light blue, with small brown spots and they are approximately 16.5 mm by 12 mm in size. Incubation takes between 10 and 14 days and is carried out entirely by the female. The chicks are altricial and nidicolous. They leave the nest after 15 days in a semi-feathered condition. They then remain close to the nest area for up to a month when, with their plumage now complete, they disperse. The siskin usually has a second brood, from the middle of June up to the middle of July.

Song and call
This bird has two calls, both powerful but conflicting, one is descending and the other is ascending, their onomatopoeic sounds can be represented as "tilu" and "tluih". On occasions they also issue a harsh rattling chirrup.

The song is similar to the other finches, a smooth and rapid twitter and trill with a long duration and which is occasionally interrupted by a stronger or shorter syllable. Siskins sing throughout the year and often in groups.

Status and conservation
The worldwide population of the siskin is estimated as between 20 and 36 million. The European population is estimated as between 2.7 and 15 million pairs. There does not seem to be a major decline in population numbers and for this reason the IUCN has listed their conservation status as least concern. The siskin appears in Annex II of the Berne Convention as a protected bird species.

Relationship with humans
Like many of the finches, the siskin is valued by aviculturalists as a domestic bird for its song and appearance. They do not require specific care and adapt well to captivity, although they do not breed well in captivity. There are no specific diseases that affect the species, although they can show certain intestinal pathologies associated with a poor diet. They live for between 11 and 14 years, in sharp contrast to the 2 or 3 years it is estimated they live in the wild.

They form hybrids with some other finches (for example, canaries) giving rise to intermediate birds. Hybridisation also occurs in nature without human intervention. In some areas, individuals that are found are the result of escapes or releases of captive birds.

Cultural depictions
Poland, Gibraltar, Benin and Belgium have all issued postage stamps bearing the image of the siskin.

In Saint Petersburg there is a statue of a siskin, as its colours are the same as the uniform worn by the students at an elite school in the city. These students have come to be known by the sobriquet siskin, Чиж. This term was popularised in the Russian song "Chizhik-Pyzhik". There has been a statue of a siskin on the embankment by the First Engineer Bridge since 1994, though it has been stolen and replaced multiple times.

There is a Czech folk song/dance/game "Čížečku, čížečku", in which the siskin is the source of the lore on what happens with the poppy.

Elif Shafak, in the novel Three Daughters of Eve, mentioned a siskin in a pivotal scene in which the heroine, Peri, meets the charismatic and controversial Professor Azur. When Peri entered Professor Azur's office, she found a siskin with yellow-green feathers and a forked tail trapped amid the shelves and stacks of books.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Eurasian siskin


text:
National Anthem of Lebanon

The Lebanese National Anthem (النشيد الوطني اللبناني, an-Našīd al-Waṭanī al-Lubnānī), officially known as "Koullouna lilouaṭaan lil oula lil alam", was written by Rashid Nakhle and composed by Wadih Sabra. It was adopted on 12 July 1927, seven years after the proclamation of the state of Greater Lebanon during the French mandate.

History
The Lebanese national anthem was chosen following an open nationwide competition. The result of the contest was published in newspapers.

Composition
The music of the national anthem is influenced by Beirut's exposure to Western culture by the end of the 19th century. It was composed by French-trained artist Wadia Sabra in 1925. Rasha Al Karam of Al Jadid TV aired a mini-documentary about the Lebanese National Anthem, claiming that the music originated from a song dedicated to Abd el-Krim, President of the Republic of the Rif, and composed by Lebanese Mohammed Flayfel.

title: National Anthem of Lebanon


text:
Dragon curve

A dragon curve is any member of a family of self-similar fractal curves, which can be approximated by recursive methods such as Lindenmayer systems. The dragon curve is probably most commonly thought of as the shape that is generated from repeatedly folding a strip of paper in half, although there are other curves that are called dragon curves that are generated differently.

Heighway dragon
The Heighway dragon (also known as the Harter–Heighway dragon or the Jurassic Park dragon) was first investigated by NASA physicists John Heighway, Bruce Banks, and William Harter. It was described by Martin Gardner in his Scientific American column Mathematical Games in 1967. Many of its properties were first published by Chandler Davis and Donald Knuth. It appeared on the section title pages of the Michael Crichton novel Jurassic Park.

Construction
The Heighway dragon can be constructed from a base line segment by repeatedly replacing each segment by two segments with a right angle and with a rotation of 45° alternatively to the right and to the left:

The Heighway dragon is also the limit set of the following iterated function system in the complex plane:

 * $$f_1(z)=\frac{(1+i)z}{2}$$
 * $$f_2(z)=1-\frac{(1-i)z}{2}$$

with the initial set of points $$S_0=\{0,1\}$$.

Using pairs of real numbers instead, this is the same as the two functions consisting of

 * $$f_1(x,y)= \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}\begin{pmatrix} \cos 45^\circ & -\sin 45^\circ \\ \sin 45^\circ & \cos 45^\circ \end{pmatrix} \begin{pmatrix} x \\ y \end{pmatrix}$$

 * $$f_2(x,y)= \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}\begin{pmatrix} \cos 135^\circ & -\sin 135^\circ \\ \sin 135^\circ & \cos 135^\circ \end{pmatrix} \begin{pmatrix} x \\ y \end{pmatrix} + \begin{pmatrix} 1 \\ 0 \end{pmatrix}$$

Folding the dragon
The Heighway dragon curve can be constructed by folding a strip of paper, which is how it was originally discovered. Take a strip of paper and fold it in half to the right. Fold it in half again to the right. If the strip was opened out now, unbending each fold to become a 90-degree turn, the turn sequence would be RRL, i.e. the second iteration of the Heighway dragon. Fold the strip in half again to the right, and the turn sequence of the unfolded strip is now RRLRRLL – the third iteration of the Heighway dragon. Continuing folding the strip in half to the right to create further iterations of the Heighway dragon (in practice, the strip becomes too thick to fold sharply after four or five iterations).

The folding patterns of this sequence of paper strips, as sequences of right (R) and left (L) folds, are: Each iteration can be found by copying the previous iteration, then an R, then a second copy of the previous iteration in reverse order with the L and R letters swapped.
 * 1st iteration: R
 * 2nd iteration: R R L
 * 3rd iteration: R R L R R L L
 * 4th iteration: R R L R R L L R R R L L R L L.

Properties

 * Many self-similarities can be seen in the Heighway dragon curve. The most obvious is the repetition of the same pattern tilted by 45° and with a reduction ratio of $$\textstyle{\sqrt{2}}$$. Based on these self-similarities, many of its lengths are simple rational numbers.

 * The dragon curve can tile the plane. One possible tiling replaces each edge of a square tiling with a dragon curve, using the recursive definition of the dragon starting from a line segment. The initial direction to expand each segment can be determined from a checkerboard coloring of a square tiling, expanding vertical segments into black tiles and out of white tiles, and expanding horizontal segments into white tiles and out of black ones.
 * As a space-filling curve, the dragon curve has fractal dimension exactly 2. For a dragon curve with initial segment length 1, its area is 1/2, as can be seen from its tilings of the plane.
 * The boundary of the set covered by the dragon curve has infinite length, with fractal dimension $$2\log_2\lambda\approx 1.523627086202492,$$ where $$\lambda=\frac{1+(28-3\sqrt{87})^{1/3}+(28+3\sqrt{87})^{1/3}}{3}\approx 1.69562076956$$ is the real solution of the equation $$\lambda^3-\lambda^2-2=0.$$

Twindragon
The twindragon (also known as the Davis–Knuth dragon) can be constructed by placing two Heighway dragon curves back to back. It is also the limit set of the following iterated function system:

 * $$f_1(z)=\frac{(1+i)z}{2}$$
 * $$f_2(z)=1-\frac{(1+i)z}{2}$$

where the initial shape is defined by the following set $$S_0 = \{0,1,1-i\}$$.

It can be also written as a Lindenmayer system – it only needs adding another section in the initial string: It is also the locus of points in the complex plane with the same integer part when written in base $(-1 \pm i)$.
 * angle 90°
 * initial string FX+FX+
 * string rewriting rules
 * X X+YF
 * Y FX−Y.

Terdragon
The terdragon can be written as a Lindenmayer system:
 * angle 120°
 * initial string F
 * string rewriting rules
 * F F+F−F.

It is the limit set of the following iterated function system:

 * $$f_1(z)=\lambda z$$
 * $$f_2(z)=\frac{i}{\sqrt{3}}z + \lambda$$
 * $$f_3(z)=\lambda z + \lambda^*$$
 * $$\mbox{where }\lambda=\frac{1}{2}-\frac{i}{2\sqrt{3}}

\text{ and }\lambda^*=\frac{1}{2}+\frac{i}{2\sqrt{3}}.$$

Lévy dragon
The Lévy C curve is sometimes known as the Lévy dragon.

Occurrences of the dragon curve in solution sets
Having obtained the set of solutions to a linear differential equation, any linear combination of the solutions will, because of the superposition principle, also obey the original equation. In other words, new solutions are obtained by applying a function to the set of existing solutions. This is similar to how an iterated function system produces new points in a set, though not all IFS are linear functions. In a conceptually similar vein, a set of Littlewood polynomials can be arrived at by such iterated applications of a set of functions.

A Littlewood polynomial is a polynomial: $$ p(x) = \sum_{i=0}^n a_i x^i \, $$ where all $$a_i = \pm 1$$.

For some $$|w| < 1$$ we define the following functions:
 * $$ f_+(z) = 1 + wz$$
 * $$ f_-(z) = 1 - wz$$

Starting at z=0 we can generate all Littlewood polynomials of degree d using these functions iteratively d+1 times. For instance: $$f_+(f_-(f_-(0))) = 1 + (1-w)w = 1 + 1w - 1w^2$$

It can be seen that for $$w=(1+i)/2$$, the above pair of functions is equivalent to the IFS formulation of the Heighway dragon. That is, the Heighway dragon, iterated to a certain iteration, describe the set of all Littlewood polynomials up to a certain degree, evaluated at the point $$w=(1+i)/2$$. Indeed, when plotting a sufficiently high number of roots of the Littlewood polynomials, structures similar to the dragon curve appear at points close to these coordinates.

title: Dragon curve


text:
Talk:Retina

Engvar?
In this edit, you marked the article to "Use American English". But as you can verify there, you left it with more "colour" than "color". Are there other differences you were going by? We should try to get it right. Dicklyon (talk) 20:09, 11 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Dear . Can you kindly fix it? Having fun! Cheers!  00:38, 17 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Fix it, as in remove the template? I was the one who reverted Dicklyon's attempt to make for consistent spelling, because I saw the template but didn't notice, or remember (I had copy edited the article top-to-bottom some time ago), the prevalence of British spelling, which seems legitimate, as the originator of the article is a UK resident and "colour" appeared early on. Dhtwiki (talk) 01:32, 17 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Yes, I'll fix it back to British. Dicklyon (talk) 02:04, 17 July 2019 (UTC)

is that the image projecting on the fovea
https://fractureme.com/photo-adjust/f8e7007c11f6f09f0fb5d8e88e568c1515ae9f15 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:2C3:4201:D70:54FA:B357:1D59:1BAF (talk) 22:33, 1 March 2020 (UTC)

How much time an image stage on ratina
Hlo 2409:4051:4E1D:FB5:0:0:E80A:720A (talk) 07:49, 12 March 2022 (UTC)
 * I have to assume that you're talking about persistence of vision. We have an article on that; but, oddly, it doesn't seem to be linked from this article. Dhtwiki (talk) 16:19, 12 March 2022 (UTC)

title: Talk:Retina


text:
Scottish crossbill

The Scottish crossbill (Loxia scotica) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to the Caledonian Forests of Scotland, and is the only terrestrial vertebrate species endemic to the United Kingdom. Perhaps because endemic vertebrates are all but absent from the UK neither SNH nor JNCC appear to provide a definitive "list" but it is clear that the Scottish crossbill is the only endemic bird, (Gooders (1994) p. 273. and "Scottish Crossbill: Loxia Scotica (pdf) JNCC. Retrieved 7 July 2009.) and that there are no endemic freshwater fish (Maitland, P. and Lyle A.A. (1996) "Threatened freshwater fishes of Great Britain" in Kirchofer, A. and Hefti, D. (1996) Conservation of Endangered Freshwater Fish in Europe. Basel. Birkhauser.) or mammals ("The British Mammals list" ppne.co.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2009.)  in Britain. There are too few amphibians and reptiles native to the UK for there to be any doubt that no endemic species exist. The position is implied, although not stated by SNH in their Information and Advisory Note Number 49 "Priority species in Scotland: animals" Retrieved 7 July 2009. See also Myers, Norman (2003) "Conservation of Biodiversity: How are We Doing?" (pdf) The Environmentalist 23 pp. 9–15. Retrieved 7 July 2009. This publication confirms there is only one "endemic non-fish vertebrate species" in the British Isles, although it fails to identify the species concerned. The Scottish crossbill was confirmed as a unique species in August 2006, on the basis of having a distinctive bird song.

The genus name Loxia is from Ancient Greek loxos, 'crosswise', and scotica is Latin for 'Scottish'. The Scottish Gaelic name for a crossbill is Cam-ghob, which means 'crooked beak'.

History and current status
The British Ornithologists Union first classed the Scottish crossbill as a separate and distinct species in 1980, but some ornithologists believed there was insufficient scientific research for its status. It was considered to be possibly a race of either the red crossbill or the parrot crossbill, both of which also occur in the Caledonian Forest.

RSPB research showed that Scottish crossbills have quite distinct flight and excitement calls from other crossbills – some even stated they have "Scottish accents".

Research in Scotland has shown that red, parrot and Scottish crossbills are reproductively isolated, and the diagnostic calls and bill dimensions have not been lost. They are therefore good species.

The population is thought to be approximately 20000 birds. It nests in pines or other conifers, laying 2-5 eggs.

The Scottish crossbill breeds in the native Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Caledonian forests of the Scottish Highlands, but often also in forestry plantations of exotic conifers, notably Larch (Larix decidua and L. kaempferi) and Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta).

This species of crossbill is resident, and is not known to migrate. It will form flocks outside the breeding season, often mixed with other crossbills.

The crossbills are characterised by the mandibles crossing at their tips, which gives the group its English name. They are specialist feeders on conifer cones, and the unusual bill shape is an adaptation to assist the extraction of the seeds from the cone. The Scottish crossbill appears to be a specialist feeder on the cones of pines (Scots pine and Lodgepole pine) and larch.

Adult males tend to be red or orange in colour, and females green or yellow, but there is much variation.

The Scottish crossbill is extremely difficult to separate from the red and parrot, and plumage distinctions are negligible. The head and bill size is intermediate between and overlapping extensively with the other two, and extreme care is needed to identify this species. The metallic jip call is probably the best indicator, but even this needs to be recorded and analysed on a sonogram to confirm the identity.

Bill structure
According to a lengthy scientific study by the RSPB, 'Celtic' crossbills differ in bill size from other crossbill species found in Great Britain, and they have also been found to have a distinct Scottish accent or call, thought to be the method used by the birds to make sure that, especially given the physical similarities with other crossbills, they only attract and pair with potential mates of the same species.

The most important evidence to come from RSPB's long term study in the Highlands focused on discovering if the birds mate with those with a similar bill size and call, and whether young Scottish crossbills inherit their bill sizes from their parents.

Results showed that of over 40 pairs of different types of crossbills caught, almost all matched closely for bill size and calls, so the different types of crossbills were behaving as distinct species.

Calls
The calls can be distinguished by sonograms. This provides the basis for a method to survey crossbills and, for the first time, gain a clear picture of their numbers and distribution in Scotland and help in any conservation programmes for the race.

Conservation
The first survey of Scottish crossbills was in 2008.

Despite lacking data for population trends, British Birds places the crossbill on their Amber list for conservation concern on the basis of it being an endemic species and therefore of 'international importance'. A 2017 report by the British Trust for Ornithology identified the crossbill as being at high risk of extinction.

Breeding populations exist at Corrimony Nature Reserve, and Loch Garten Nature Reserve, one of the United Kingdom's most protected nature sites.

One of the main threats to the crossbill's habitat is wood and pulp plantations, plus underplanting conifers and grazing pressure.

The main active conservation initiative is the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Action Plan, which seeks to protect the numerous species of birds throughout the EU. Further studies are needed to establish the species of trees crossbill's best adapt to, as well as to establish population trends. It has also been suggested to prevent any further loss of habitat, and further restrict grazing.

title: Scottish crossbill


text:
Patrick J. Kennedy

Patrick Joseph Kennedy II (born July 14, 1967) is an American retired politician and mental health advocate. From 1995 to 2011, he served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island's 1st congressional district, and was the first Generation X member of congress when he was elected in 1995. He is a former member of the Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission and a co-founder of One Mind, a mental health nonprofit.

Born and raised in Boston, he is the youngest child and second son of the long-time Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, and is a nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Kennedy graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Providence College. He was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives in 1989, becoming the youngest member of the Kennedy family to hold elected office. He was then elected to represent Rhode Island's 1st congressional district. He was re-elected, serving from January 3, 1995, to January 3, 2011 (the 104th to 111th Congresses). In the House, Kennedy served on the Armed Services and Natural Resources Committees before being appointed to the Appropriations Committee.

At the time of his father's death in late August 2009, Patrick was the last remaining member of the Kennedy family to serve in an elective office in Washington. After he chose not to seek re-election in 2010 and left office the following year, it was the first time that no member of the Kennedy family held elected office since 1947. The Kennedys' absence in politics was temporary, however, and following the next mid-term election, Joe Kennedy III would be elected to Congress and Caroline Kennedy would be appointed to an ambassadorship.

Early life and education
Kennedy was born in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He is the youngest of three children born to Senator Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (1932–2009) (brother of John F. Kennedy) and musician/socialite/former model Virginia Joan Kennedy, née Bennett (born 1936). His sister Kara (1960–2011) was a television and film producer, while his brother, Ted, Jr. (born 1961), is a lawyer and former member of the Connecticut State Senate. Patrick was named after his paternal great-grandfather, businessman and politician Patrick Joseph Kennedy (1858–1929).

Kennedy graduated in 1986 from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Providence College in 1991.

Rhode Island House of Representatives
While a junior at Providence College, Kennedy defeated five-term incumbent John F. Skeffington, Jr., for the Democratic nomination in District 9. In 1988, Kennedy became the youngest member of the Kennedy family to hold elected office, when he won election to the Rhode Island House of Representatives at age 21. He served two terms in the House representing District 9 in Providence. He chose not to run for a third term and was succeeded by Anastasia P. Williams.

U.S. House of Representatives
In 1994, Kennedy was elected as a Democrat to represent Rhode Island's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was re-elected seven times, serving from January 3, 1995, to January 3, 2011 (the 104th to 111th Congresses).

Kennedy was lead sponsor of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which passed on October 3, 2008.

Kennedy authored and co-sponsored the Positive Aging Act, the Foundations for Learning Act, which established a grant program to improve mental and emotional health for school children through screening and early intervention, the National Neurotechnology Initiative Act, Genomics and Personalized Medicine Act; the COMBAT PTSD Act; the Nurse-Family Partnership Act, the Alzheimer's Treatment and Caregiver Support Act, and the Ready, Willing, and Able Act.

Kennedy was among the founders of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus and the 21st Century Healthcare Caucus and served as vice chairman of the Native American Caucus. He also joined the Congressional Boating Caucus; the Caucus on Armenian Issues; the Caucus on Hellenic Issues; the Fire Services Caucus; the Human Rights Caucus; the Travel and Tourism Caucus; the National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus; the Portuguese American Caucus (co-chair); and the Older American Caucus. He was a founder of the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse and chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for two years (1999-2001). During his tenure as DCCC chairman, Kennedy became a headliner at Democratic political events and fundraisers around the country.

Committee assignments

 * U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
 * U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
 * U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
 * U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

Political campaigns
Kennedy campaigned for the seat being vacated by U.S. Representative Ronald Machtley (who was retiring) in the 1994 Rhode Island 1st congressional district election. He won the election, defeating Republican candidate Kevin Vigilante. Kennedy was one of four Democrats in the 1994 congressional elections to win a congressional seat that had previously been held by a Republican, while Republicans gained dozens of seats to take over the U.S. House. He was re-elected every two years from 1996 until 2008 and did not run for re-election in 2010.

In 2000, Kennedy considered running against Republican Lincoln Chafee in the U.S. Senate election in Rhode Island, but instead chose to run for re-election. Kennedy had recently won appointment to the House Appropriations Committee, a high-profile assignment that caused him to pass up the Senate race. He again considered running against Chafee in 2006, but instead chose to run for re-election.

Kennedy did not run for re-election in 2010 and completed his final term in January 2011. He finished his 8th term at the completion of the 111th United States Congress.

Post-congress advocacy

Since leaving Congress, Kennedy has written and spoken publicly about his long struggle with bipolar disorder and drug addiction and become a leading advocate for a stronger mental health care system in the United States.

Partnering with Shari and Garen Staglin in 2011, Kennedy launched One Mind (formerly One Mind for Research) with the intention of promoting the study of brain diseases. One Mind supports better diagnostics and new therapies to advance neuroscience discovery and fills the gaps in research funding by disseminating donor-supported funds.

Kennedy founded The Kennedy Forum in 2013, a behavioral health nonprofit, of which he is CEO, with the mission of leading the national dialogue on transforming mental health and addiction care delivery by uniting mental health advocates, business leaders, and government agencies around a common set of principles, including full implementation of the Federal Parity Law. In 2018, Politico termed Kennedy "the unlikely go-to player for companies seeking to benefit from the Trump administration’s multibillion-dollar response to the opioid crisis". Kennedy sits on the boards of eight corporations involved with the government's response to the drug crisis. He "holds an equity stake in the firms" and "collects director fees" from the latter organizations, many of which "stand to benefit from fresh efforts in Congress and the Trump administration to combat the opioid crisis". As such, Kennedy lobbied "former congressional colleagues to advocate for higher levels of spending".

In 2015, he co-authored A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction detailing his journey through mental illness, addiction, and his ongoing political advocacy for federal legislation in support of mental health and addiction health care.

In 2016, Kennedy founded Advocates for Opioid Recovery together with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Van Jones, a former domestic policy adviser to President Barack Obama.

He is also co-founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, established in 2013 with Kevin Sabet and David Frum, an anti-legalization group. Speaking in the context of California's Proposition 64, Kennedy argued the legalization movement was "putting our children at risk" and "exposed children from communities of color to more racial discrimination than before."

Healthcare
Kennedy is a vocal advocate for health care reform. During his tenure in Congress, he joined with U.S. Senator Pete Domenici (R–NM) in introducing legislation that places mental illness under the umbrella of health insurance.

He was a chief sponsor of one of the major pieces of legislation of 2008, the Mental Health Parity Act, a bill requiring most group health plans to provide coverage for the treatment of mental illnesses which is no less restrictive than coverage provided for physical illnesses.

He was a strong proponent of adding a comprehensive prescription-drug benefit to the U.S. Medicare and consistently opposed attempts to privatize the Medicare program. Kennedy also made numerous speeches advocating the re-orientation of the U.S. health-care system to preventive care. He has received numerous awards for his health care advocacy, including the Lymphoma Research Foundation's Paul E. Tsongas Memorial Award as well as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Congressional Honors Award. He also received the Society for Neuroscience — Public Service Award (2002), Eli Lilly and Company 2003 Helping Move Lives Forward Reintegration Award, American Psychoanalytic Association 2003 President's Award, American Psychiatric Association Alliance award (2003), and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance — Paul Wellstone Mental Health Award (2003).

He has also been awarded the National Recovery Champion Award, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Humanitarian Award, the American Psychiatric Association Patient Advocacy Award, the New York Academy of Science Breaking the Chains of Stigma Award, the Society for Neuroscience Public Service Award, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Distinguished Service Award, the Clifford Beers Foundation Centennial Award, the Autism Society of America Congressional Leadership Award, the Epilepsy Foundation Public Service Award, and the NAMI Humanitarian of the Year Award.

In a March 7, 2008, speech to the Cleveland City Club, Kennedy acknowledged having bipolar disorder and being a recovering alcoholic. He and his siblings have legal custody of their mother, who has long struggled with alcoholism.

Kennedy served on the Office of National Drug Control Policy's President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis in 2017.

Iraq War
Kennedy was on the opposite side of the Iraq war debate as his father. He joined with 80 House Democrats in voting for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (the minority view among House Democrats), whereas his father in the Senate joined anti-war Democrats in voting against the bill, which was a minority position among Senate Democrats.

2008 presidential election
On January 28, 2008, Kennedy joined his father in endorsing Barack Obama in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, stating that Obama was the "perfect antidote to George Bush". Prior to that, Kennedy had joined his first cousin Timothy Shriver in endorsing U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd from Connecticut.

Use of alcohol and other drugs
Kennedy has acknowledged being treated for cocaine use during his teenage years, and admitted that he abused alcohol and other drugs while he was a student at Providence College. He sought treatment for an OxyContin addiction in 2006. Due to his experience with addiction, Kennedy advocates against the legalization of recreational marijuana, but supports it for medical use.

Capitol Hill intoxicated-driving accident
On May 4, 2006, Kennedy crashed his automobile into a barricade on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., at 2:45 a.m. A United States Capitol Police official said the congressman had appeared intoxicated when he crashed his car. According to Kennedy, he was disoriented from the prescription medications Ambien and Phenergan. Anonymous sources are alleged to have seen Kennedy drinking at the nearby Hawk & Dove bar prior to the accident. Kennedy also stated to officers that he was "late for a vote". However, the last vote of the night had occurred almost six hours earlier. The standard field sobriety test was not administered, and Kennedy was driven home by an officer.

On May 5, 2006, Kennedy admitted publicly that he had an addiction to prescription medication and announced he would be readmitting himself to a drug-rehabilitation facility at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where he had sought treatment for prior addictions. He has stated that he has no recollection of the car crash. On May 8, 2006, Kennedy got a show of support when he was endorsed by the Rhode Island Democratic Party. On June 5, 2006, Kennedy was released from drug rehabilitation.

On June 13, 2006, Kennedy made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs. He was sentenced to one-year probation and a fine of $350. Two of the three charges (reckless driving and failure to exhibit a driving permit) were dismissed. He was also ordered to attend a rehabilitation program that includes weekly urine tests, twice-weekly meetings with a probation officer, near-daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and a weekly meeting of recovering addicts.

On June 12, 2009, Kennedy announced that he had again entered rehab, for an indefinite time at an undisclosed facility. In a statement to the press, Kennedy said that his recovery is a "life-long process" and that he would do whatever it takes to preserve his health: "I have decided to temporarily step away from my normal routine to ensure that I am being as vigilant as possible in my recovery", Kennedy said.

As of 2018, Kennedy says that he has been sober for more than six years.

Personal life and family
His father, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, died on August 25, 2009. Patrick made a tearful eulogy at the funeral, saying that, "He [Ted] would be very proud to see you all out here today paying a final respect and tribute to his memory". He further elaborated on his experiences with his father as a child, saying his father would stay at his bedside during his frequent bouts of ill health.

When Kennedy decided not to run for re-election in 2010, he stated this was because his life "has taken a new direction". Mark Weiner, a major Democratic party fund-raiser in Rhode Island and one of Kennedy's top financial backers, said: "It's tough to get up and go to work every day when your partner is not there. I think he just had a broken heart after his father passed away."

Kennedy now resides in Brigantine, New Jersey. In March 2011, he announced his engagement to eighth-grade history teacher Amy Savell. The couple married on July 15, 2011, in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. They have two sons and two daughters: In January 2020, Amy Kennedy announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for United States Congress, to represent New Jersey's 2nd congressional district. Amy Kennedy defeated Brigid Callahan Harrison in the Democratic primary in July, and faced Democrat-turned-Republican incumbent Jeff Van Drew in the November general election. She was ultimately defeated by Van Drew.
 * Owen Patrick Kennedy (born April 15, 2012)
 * Nora Kara Kennedy (born November 19, 2013)
 * Nell Elizabeth Kennedy (born November 29, 2015)
 * Marshall Patrick Kennedy (born May 27, 2018)

Honors

 * PRT Order of Prince Henry - Grand Officer BAR.png Grand-Officer of the Order of Prince Henry, Portugal (June 8, 1996)

title: Patrick J. Kennedy


text:
Talk:Patrick J. Kennedy

Incorrect info

 * Writer states in 1st paragraph - "When he retired in 2011, it was the first time since 1947 that there were no members of the Kennedy family in public office.[2]"

This is not true.

Bobby Shriver, grandson on Joseph P and Rose Kennedy, like Patrick, held elective office until 2012, at which point Joe Kennedy the 3rd became a Congressman from Mass. Depending when Shriver's term actually ended and Joe Kennedy III's began in Congress there has never been a moment when a Kennedy has not held elective office since 1947.

76.91.61.97 (talk) 22:19, 9 October 2015 (UTC)

 * Thank you. I changed the WP article from the generic "public office" to instead use United States Congress to match what the cited source had used. --Marc Kupper|talk 18:04, 9 August 2016 (UTC)

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Removed section on rape accusation against William Kennedy Smith
I was wondering if the POV check hat notice from April 2014 was still valid. A quick scan showed the article was neutral until I got to the Personal issues and incidents section. I've removed the following from that section:
 * ===Rape accusation against William Kennedy Smith===
 * During Easter weekend in 1991, Kennedy and his father were in Palm Beach, Florida, along with Patrick's cousin, William Kennedy Smith. At Au Bar, Patrick met a 27-year-old Testas Restaurant waitress, Michelle Cassone, and Smith met another woman, Patricia Bowman. Both women returned with the Kennedys to the family's beachfront retreat, where a series of events took place that resulted in Smith being charged with raping Bowman. The prosecution alleged that the three Kennedys collaborated to cover up this alleged crime. In a widely covered trial, Smith was acquitted. <!--at August 20, 2009, source doesn't support settlement language of THIS incident.-->

The removal is because it's not about Patrick J. Kennedy (the subject of this article). It was based on a claim by a prosecutor during a criminal trial that Patrick J. Kennedy was one of the people involved in a cover-up of a crime allegedly committed by someone else. As Patrick J. Kennedy was not the person being prosecuted he never had a chance to defend or present his story in regards to the prosecutor's claim. There's also a note, added via an HTML comment "August 20, 2009, source doesn't support settlement language of THIS incident". The reference used is no longer available and so could not see if it mentioned Patrick J. Kennedy at all. --Marc Kupper|talk 17:53, 9 August 2016 (UTC)

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Image needs fixing
When I click to enlarge the infobox pic, it flashes in for less than a second & then shows nothing but the proverbial red X (only on Wikipedia, it's a white X). Have no idea how to fix something like that because I've never seen it happen on here before. Can someone look into it? TYVM. ScarletRibbons (talk) 06:29, 12 June 2019 (UTC)

Incorrect info?
The first paragraph states "He is the founder of the Kennedy Family".. Surely that was his grandfather. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.75.212.78 (talk) 17:16, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

title: Talk:Patrick J. Kennedy


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Alu element

An Alu element is a short stretch of DNA originally characterized by the action of the Arthrobacter luteus (Alu) restriction endonuclease. Alu elements are the most abundant transposable elements in the human genome, present in excess of one million copies. Alu elements were thought to be selfish or parasitic DNA, because their sole known function is self reproduction. However, they are likely to play a role in evolution and have been used as genetic markers. They are derived from the small cytoplasmic 7SL RNA, a component of the signal recognition particle. Alu elements are highly conserved within primate genomes and originated in the genome of an ancestor of Supraprimates.

Alu insertions have been implicated in several inherited human diseases and in various forms of cancer.

The study of Alu elements has also been important in elucidating human population genetics and the evolution of primates, including the evolution of humans.

Alu family
The Alu family is a family of repetitive elements in primate genomes, including the human genome. Modern Alu elements are about 300 base pairs long and are therefore classified as short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) among the class of repetitive RNA elements. The typical structure is 5' - Part A - A5TACA6 - Part B - PolyA Tail - 3', where Part A and Part B (also known as "left arm" and "right arm") are similar nucleotide sequences. Expressed another way, it is believed modern Alu elements emerged from a head to tail fusion of two distinct FAMs (fossil antique monomers) over 100 million years ago, hence its dimeric structure of two similar, but distinct monomers (left and right arms) joined by an A-rich linker. Both monomers are thought to have evolved from 7SL, also known as SRP RNA. The length of the polyA tail varies between Alu families.

There are over one million Alu elements interspersed throughout the human genome, and it is estimated that about 10.7% of the human genome consists of Alu sequences. However, less than 0.5% are polymorphic (i.e., occurring in more than one form or morph). In 1988, Jerzy Jurka and Temple Smith discovered that Alu elements were split in two major subfamilies known as AluJ (named after Jurka) and AluS (named after Smith), and other Alu subfamilies were also independently discovered by several groups. Later on, a sub-subfamily of AluS which included active Alu elements was given the separate name AluY. Dating back 65 million years, the AluJ lineage is the oldest and least active in the human genome. The younger AluS lineage is about 30 million years old and still contains some active elements. Finally, the AluY elements are the youngest of the three and have the greatest disposition to move along the human genome. The discovery of Alu subfamilies led to the hypothesis of master/source genes, and provided the definitive link between transposable elements (active elements) and interspersed repetitive DNA (mutated copies of active elements).

Related elements
B1 elements in rats and mice are similar to Alus in that they also evolved from 7SL RNA, but they only have one left monomer arm. 95% percent of human Alus are also found in chimpanzees, and 50% of B elements in mice are also found in rats. These elements are mostly found in introns and upstream regulatory elements of genes.

The ancestral form of Alu and B1 is the fossil Alu monomer (FAM). Free-floating forms of the left and right arms exist, termed free left Alu monomers (FLAMs) and free right Alu monomers (FRAMs) respectively. A notable FLAM in primates is the BC200 lncRNA.

Sequence features

Two main promoter "boxes" are found in Alu: a 5' A box with the consensus, and a 3' B box with the consensus (IUPAC nucleic acid notation). tRNAs, which are transcribed by RNA polymerase III, have a similar but stronger promoter structure. Both boxes are located in the left arm.

Alu elements contain four or fewer Retinoic Acid response element hexamer sites in its internal promoter, with the last one overlapping with the "B box". In this 7SL (SRP) RNA example below, functional hexamers are underlined using a solid line, with the non-functional third hexamer denoted using a dotted line:

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The recognition sequence of the Alu I endonuclease is 5' ag/ct 3'; that is, the enzyme cuts the DNA segment between the guanine and cytosine residues (in lowercase above).

Alu elements
Alu elements are responsible for regulation of tissue-specific genes. They are also involved in the transcription of nearby genes and can sometimes change the way a gene is expressed.

Alu elements are retrotransposons and look like DNA copies made from RNA polymerase III-encoded RNAs. Alu elements do not encode for protein products. They are replicated as any other DNA sequence, but depend on LINE retrotransposons for generation of new elements.

Alu element replication and mobilization begins by interactions with signal recognition particles (SRPs), which aid newly translated proteins to reach their final destinations. Alu RNA forms a specific RNA:protein complex with a protein heterodimer consisting of SRP9 and SRP14. SRP9/14 facilitates Alu 's attachment to ribosomes that capture nascent L1 proteins. Thus, an Alu element can take control of the L1 protein's reverse transcriptase, ensuring that the Alu 's RNA sequence gets copied into the genome rather than the L1's mRNA.

Alu elements in primates form a fossil record that is relatively easy to decipher because Alu element insertion events have a characteristic signature that is both easy to read and faithfully recorded in the genome from generation to generation. The study of Alu Y elements (the more recently evolved) thus reveals details of ancestry because individuals will most likely only share a particular Alu element insertion if they have a common ancestor. This is because insertion of an Alu element occurs only 100 - 200 times per million years, and no known mechanism of deletion of one has been found. Therefore, individuals with an element likely descended from an ancestor with one—and vice versa, for those without. In genetics, the presence or lack thereof of a recently inserted Alu element may be a good property to consider when studying human evolution. Most human Alu element insertions can be found in the corresponding positions in the genomes of other primates, but about 7,000 Alu insertions are unique to humans.

Impact in humans
Alu elements have been proposed to affect gene expression and been found to contain functional promoter regions for steroid hormone receptors. Due to the abundant content of CpG dinucleotides found in Alu elements, these regions serve as a site of methylation, contributing to up to 30% of the methylation sites in the human genome. Alu elements are also a common source of mutations in humans; however, such mutations are often confined to non-coding regions of pre-mRNA (introns), where they have little discernible impact on the bearer. Mutations in the introns (or non-coding regions of RNA) have little or no effect on phenotype of an individual if the coding portion of individual's genome does not contain mutations. The Alu insertions that can be detrimental to the human body are inserted into coding regions (exons) or into mRNA after the process of splicing.

However, the variation generated can be used in studies of the movement and ancestry of human populations, and the mutagenic effect of Alu and retrotransposons in general has played a major role in the evolution of the human genome. There are also a number of cases where Alu insertions or deletions are associated with specific effects in humans:

Associations with human disease
Alu insertions are sometimes disruptive and can result in inherited disorders. However, most Alu variation acts as markers that segregate with the disease so the presence of a particular Alu allele does not mean that the carrier will definitely get the disease. The first report of Alu-mediated recombination causing a prevalent inherited predisposition to cancer was a 1995 report about hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer. In the human genome, the most recently active have been the 22 AluY and 6 AluS Transposon Element subfamilies due to their inherited activity to cause various cancers. Thus due to their major heritable damage it is important to understand the causes that affect their transpositional activity.

The following human diseases have been linked with Alu insertions:
 * Alport syndrome
 * Breast cancer
 * chorioretinal degeneration
 * Diabetes mellitus type II
 * Ewing's sarcoma
 * Familial hypercholesterolemia
 * Hemophilia
 * Leigh syndrome
 * mucopolysaccharidosis VII
 * Neurofibromatosis
 * Macular degeneration

And the following diseases have been associated with single-nucleotide DNA variations in Alu elements affecting transcription levels:
 * Alzheimer's disease
 * Lung cancer
 * Gastric cancer

The following disease have been associated with repeat expansion of AAGGG pentamere in Alu element :
 * RFC1 mutation responsible of CANVAS (Cerebellar Ataxia, Neuropathy & Vestibular Areflexia Syndrome)

Associated human mutations

 * The ACE gene, encoding angiotensin-converting enzyme, has 2 common variants, one with an Alu insertion (ACE-I) and one with the Alu deleted (ACE-D). This variation has been linked to changes in sporting ability: the presence of the Alu element is associated with better performance in endurance-oriented events (e.g. triathlons), whereas its absence is associated with strength- and power-oriented performance.
 * The opsin gene duplication which resulted in the re-gaining of trichromacy in Old World primates (including humans) is flanked by an Alu element, implicating the role of Alu in the evolution of three colour vision.

title: Alu element


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Parrot crossbill

The parrot crossbill (Loxia pytyopsittacus) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in pine forests in northern and northeastern Europe.

Taxonomy
The parrot crossbill was formerly described in 1793 by the German naturalist Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen under the binomial name Loxia pytyopsittacus. The type locality was designated as Sweden by Ernst Hartert.

The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The genus name Loxia is from Ancient Greek loxos meaning "crosswise"; the specific epithet pytyopsittacus combines pitus, pituos meaning "pine" with psittakos meaning "parrot.  The crossbills are characterised by the mandibles crossing at their tips, which gives the group its English name.

Some pine-feeding populations currently assigned to red crossbill in southern Europe may possibly be better referred to either this species or alternatively to new species in their own right, but as yet, research into them is still at a very early stage.

Description
Adult males tend to be red or orange in colour, and females green or yellow, but there is much variation. This species is difficult to separate from red and Scottish crossbills, and plumage distinctions are negligible. It is slightly larger than other crossbills, measuring 16 to 18 cm long and spanning 27 to 31 cm across the wings. It is quite bulky and heavy weighing from 44 to 58.2 g, with an average of 53 g. The head and bill are larger than in either of the other species. The bill is thicker than those of its relatives, and the crossed tips are often not readily apparent. Extreme care is needed to identify this species. The deeper, harder choop or tyuup call is probably the best indicator.

Distribution and habitat
This bird breeds in the pine forests of northwest Europe and into western Russia. There is also a small population in Scotland, adding to the difficulty of distinguishing it from the sympatric red crossbill and the endemic Scottish crossbill. This crossbill is mainly resident, but will migrate south and west if its food source fails.

Behaviour
Parrot crossbills will form flocks outside the breeding season, often mixed with other crossbills.

Food and feeding
They are specialist feeders on conifer cones, and the unusual bill shape is an adaptation to assist the extraction of the seeds from the cone. The parrot crossbill is a specialist feeder on the cones of Scots pine.

title: Parrot crossbill


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Kozak (surname)

Kozak or Kozák is a Slavic surname literally meaning "Cossack". Notable people with the surname or name include:

 * Amanda Kozak (born 1984), American beauty pageant winner
 * Anna Kozak (born 1974), Belarusian sprinter
 * Artem Kozak (born 1998), Ukrainian footballer
 * Ashley Kozak, British jazz bassist, record producer and artists' manager
 * Danuta Kozák (born 1987), Hungarian sprint canoer
 * Dmitry Kozak (born 1958), Russian politician
 * Don Kozak (born 1952), Canadian former professional ice hockey forward
 * Ferdo Kozak (1894-1957), Slovenian author, playwright, editor and politician
 * Harley Jane Kozak (born 1957), American actress and author
 * Heidi Kozak (born 1963), American actress
 * Ivan Kozák (born 1970), Slovak footballer
 * Ján Kozák, multiple people
 * Juš Kozak (1892-1964), Slovenian writer, playwright and editor
 * Les Kozak (born 1940), Canadian former ice hockey player
 * Libor Kozák (born 1989), Czech footballer
 * Lukáš Kozák, Slovak ice hockey player
 * Magdalena Kozak (born 1988), Polish chess master
 * Marilyn Kozak, American microbiologist
 * Miroslav Kozák, Slovak footballer
 * Mykhaylo Kozak (born 1991), Ukrainian footballer
 * Oleksandr Kozak (born 1994), Ukrainian footballer
 * Petr Kozák (born 1965), Czech orienteering competitor
 * Petro Kozak (1911–1984), Ukrainian clandestine Greek-Catholic hierarch, auxiliary bishop of Lviv (1983–1984)
 * Primož Kozak (1929-1981), Slovenian playwright and essayist
 * Rachael Kozak, Female electronic musician and Black Metal lyricist
 * Richard Kozak (born 1949), Canadian politician in Manitoba, Canada
 * Roman Mykolayovych Kozak (born 1957), Ukrainian politician, candidate in the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election
 * Roman Yefimovich Kozak (1957-2010), Russian theatre actor and director
 * Semyon Kozak (1902-1953), Soviet general
 * Scott Kozak (born 1965), American football linebacker
 * Syarhey Kozak (born 1981), Belarusian footballer
 * Václav Kozák (1937-2004), Czech rower
 * Warren Kozak (born 1951), American writer and journalist
 * Wojciech Kozak (born 1963), Polish politician
 * Zbigniew Kozak (born 1961), Polish politician

title: Kozak (surname)