I am a relatively small roofing contractor. We probably do 10 re-roofs and maybe 20-30 repairs a month. 50/50 Shingle and Tile. We just got a request for quote on a 17 square Fire Station house from the 1930s and the roof tested positive for asbestos along with the paint testing positive for lead. Possibly going to need a re-sheet as well.
I've never dealt with anything like that and I'm wondering if it's even worth messing with. I obviously know there's gonna be containment issues, PPE issues, possibly certification issues and a bunch of regulation to adhere to. Is this something I should even mess with or is it straightforward and worth it?
I have already reached out to a couple different restoration companies and even other roofing contractors as well as the CSLB and OSHA for advice on how to proceed and am waiting on calls back and emails replies. If you happen to have any experience with stuff like this please let me know what I'm getting into.
Just thought I would throw it out here and see if anybody had any advice.
Here is the RFQ/Scope:
FIRE STATION RESIDENCE REROOF STATEMENT OF WORK STATEMENT OF WORK 1 SCOPE OF WORK This project work includes, but is not limited to the following: a. Fire Station Residence building existing roof type is asphalt composition shingle and is approximately 1650 square feet. Reroof structure by removing all roofing shingles and underlayment down to the substrate material. b. Remove gutters as necessary and reset after roof work is completed. c. Remove existing and install all new fascia boards and soffit, approximately 250 linear feet. d. Replacement of roof underlayment, shingles, flashing, drip edge, vent, sleeves, and collars, and add an approved moisture protection material and all incidentals. e. The existing residence building was constructed in 1936. Recent lead-based paint sampling and testing was completed, and the eaves were shown to have lead-based paint. Asbestos sampling and testing were recently completed, and roof components were shown to have asbestos. See the Specification Section 02 41 00 Demolition, for the guidelines for removal and disposal of hazardous materials. f. Existing conditions shall be verified by the Contractor. The roof area is approximately 1650 square feet and shall be verified by Contractor. Contractor shall inspect existing roof prior to beginning construction and bring to the attention of the Contracting Officer any discrepancies not covered by contract work listed herein. A site visit is highly recommended prior to bidding. g. All work shall be performed in a manner to minimize ground disturbance. h. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS: Hazardous building materials include, but are not limited to, asbestos and lead containing materials. a. The contractor must be a licensed and/or accredited contractor to inspect, handle, and remove asbestos and lead in California. The contractor must follow all OSHA, local, California state, and federal regulations for handling, removal, and transportation of the hazardous material. b. Asbestos that is friable, or may become friable, must be removed from the structures prior to demolition. c. The Limited Asbestos and Lead Sampling Report is attached to the solicitation.
i. OPTION ITEM 1: Remove and replace roof substrate decking material with like material where required to complete necessary work. An estimated 1650 square feet of decking repair work is estimated; however, this quantity may change when substrate material is exposed. All repair work is to be discussed with the Contracting Officer prior to substrate replacement. Contractors shall submit a Request for Information (RFI) after a site visit if the contractor anticipates a larger area of substrate material needing replacement than what has been indicated in the solicitation. Total work time is 25 calendar days from the issuance of the Notice to Proceed. FIRE STATION RESIDENCE REROOF STATEMENT OF WORK 2 PROJECT LOCATION
4 PROJECT MANAGEMENT The contractor shall appoint a Project Manager to coordinate all Contractor’s activities during construction and to liaise with the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and/or Contracting Officer (CO), and Project Engineer for the USDA Forest Service. Contractor shall designate in writing an on-site superintendent to be on-site at all times that any construction activities take place and to coordinate all site work and activities. 5 GENERAL INFORMATION 5 - 1 Parking and Storage The Contractor shall coordinate parking of their vehicles and temporary storage of equipment and materials with the Contracting Officer. Contractor shall have all heavy equipment washed prior to entering the project area to remove soil, seeds and plant material from noxious weeds to prevent the introduction and spread of weeds not already present on the National Forest. Inspections shall be coordinated and scheduled with the Contracting Officer’s Representative at least 2 days prior to equipment arriving on site. 6 SPECIFICATIONS The Construction Specification Institute (CSI) specifications applicable to this contract are listed below: 00 01 10 TABLE OF CONTENTS 01 11 00 SUMMARY OF WORK 01 14 00 WORK RESTRICTIONS 01 31 00 PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION 01 33 23 SHOP DRAWINGS, PRODUCT DATA, AND SUBMITTALS FIRE STATION RESIDENCE REROOF STATEMENT OF WORK 01 40 00 QUALITY REQUIREMENTS 01 41 00 REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS 01 57 24 STORMWATER POLLUTION CONTROL 01 71 13 MOBILIZATION 01 74 00 CLEANING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT 01 74 19 CONSTRUCTION WASTE MANAGEMENT AND DISPOSAL 02 41 00 DEMOLITION 06 10 00 ROUGH CARPENTRY 07 00 00 THERMAL AND MOISTURE PROTECTION 07 31 13 ASPHALT SHINGLES 07 62 00 FLASHING AND SHEET METAL 07 92 00 JOINT SEALANTS 09 90 00 PAINTING 7 DELIVERABLES 7-1 Fire Plan See the Fire Plan for fire restrictions and requirements, emergency contact information, and fire project activity levels. 7-2 Work Plan The Contractor(s) shall provide the Government with two (2) copies of the Work Plan for the project prior to mobilization. This Work Plan shall include, but is not limited to, the following: • A description of how the work will be performed. • Specific exclusions/ assumptions regarding the specific work to be performed. • A listing of personnel, including subcontractor(s), working on the project. • A list of equipment proposed for use on the project. • A Project Work Schedule. • Detailed cost estimate/cost breakdown of work to be performed per Specification Section that can be used for partial payments as work is completed and accepted. 7-3 Storm Water Management Plan Contractor shall develop an Erosion Control/Storm Water Control Plan. Contractor shall identify and address all types and specific locations of erosion control measures. 7-4 Construction Waste Management Plan Contractor shall develop a proposal on how to collect, segregate, and dispose of all construction FIRE STATION RESIDENCE REROOF STATEMENT OF WORK wastes and debris produced by the work of this contract, including hazardous materials, according to all applicable regulations. 7-5 Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC), spill response plan and an emergency response plan for refueling and servicing vehicles. Identify and use suitable measures around vehicle service, storage and refueling areas, and waste dumps to fully contain spills and avoid or minimize soil contamination and seepage to groundwater. Use suitable measures to avoid spilling fuels, lubricants, cleaners, and other chemicals during handling and transporting. Report spills to the Contracting Officer’s Representative and initiate suitable cleanup action in accordance with applicable State and Federal laws, rules, and regulations. 7-6 Hazardous Materials Abatement Work Plan Contractor shall develop an Abatement Work Plan for lead-based paint and asbestos abatement. END OF STATEMENT OF WORK

ChatGPT took their jobs. Now they walk dogs and fix air conditioners.

The article titled "ChatGPT took their jobs. Now they walk dogs and fix air conditioners" from The Washington Post discusses the impact of AI, specifically ChatGPT, on job displacement. The story begins with the account of Olivia Lipkin, a 25-year-old copywriter who was replaced by ChatGPT at her tech start-up job. Economists predict that AI technology like ChatGPT could replace hundreds of millions of jobs, mirroring the workforce reorganization of the industrial revolution. The first wave of job displacement is seen in roles that produce marketing and social media content.

While AI lacks personal voice and style and can produce incorrect or nonsensical responses, many companies are willing to accept a drop in quality for cost-cutting. The rapid advancement of AI has led to the creation of chatbots that can hold fluid conversations, write songs, and produce computer code. This generative AI has the potential to disrupt the workforce, particularly targeting high-earning, creative jobs that require extensive education.

A report from Goldman Sachs predicts that 18% of work worldwide could be automated by AI, with white-collar jobs at higher risk than manual labor jobs. However, it's still early to determine the extent of AI's disruption to the workforce. Jobs that involve tasks easily done by chatbots, such as copywriting, document translation, and transcription, are particularly at risk.

The article shares the story of Eric Fein, a content writer whose business was wiped out almost overnight due to his clients transitioning to ChatGPT. Despite the setbacks, some companies that replaced workers with chatbots have faced issues due to errors in the AI-generated content. Despite these challenges, many workers, like Lipkin and Fein, are pivoting to jobs that AI can't do, such as dog walking and HVAC technician work, respectively. [End of Summary]

"When ChatGPT came out last November, Olivia Lipkin, a 25-year-old copywriter in San Francisco, didn’t think too much about it. Then, articles about how to use the chatbot on the job began appearing on internal Slack groups at the tech start-up where she worked as the company’s only writer.Over the next few months, Lipkin’s assignments dwindled. Managers began referring to her as “Olivia/ChatGPT” on Slack. In April, she was let go without explanation, but when she found managers writing about how using ChatGPT was cheaper than paying a writer, the reason for her layoff seemed clear.“Whenever people brought up ChatGPT, I felt insecure and anxious that it would replace me,” she said. “Now I actually had proof that it was true, that those anxieties were warranted and now I was actually out of a job because of AI.”Some economists predict artificial intelligence technology like ChatGPT could replace hundreds of millions of jobs, in a cataclysmic reorganization of the workforce mirroring the industrial revolution.For some workers, this impact is already here. Those that write marketing and social media content are in the first wave of people being replaced with tools like chatbots, which are seemingly able to produce plausible alternatives to their work.Experts say that even advanced AI doesn’t match the writing skills of a human: It lacks personal voice and style, and it often churns out wrong, nonsensical or biased answers. But for many companies, the cost-cutting is worth a drop in quality.“We’re really in a crisis point,” said Sarah T. Roberts, an associate professor at University of California in Los Angeles specializing in digital labor. “[AI] is coming for the jobs that were supposed to be automation-proof.”Artificial intelligence has rapidly increased in quality over the past year, giving rise to chatbots that can hold fluid conversations, write songs and produce computer code. In a rush to mainstream the technology, Silicon Valley companies are pushing these products to millions of users and — for now — often offering them free.AI and algorithms have been a part of the working world for decades. For years, consumer-product companies, grocery stores and warehouse logistics firms have used predictive algorithms and robots with AI-fueled vision systems to help make business decisions, automate some rote tasks and manage inventory. Industrial plants and factories have been dominated by robots for much of the 20th century, and countless office tasks have been replaced by software.But the recent wave of generative artificial intelligence — which uses complex algorithms trained on billions of words and images from the open internet to produce text, images and audio — has the potential for a new stage of disruption. The technology’s ability to churn out human-sounding prose puts highly paid knowledge workers in the crosshairs for replacement, experts said.Reporter Danielle Abril tests columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler to see if he can tell the difference between an email written by her or ChatGPT. (Video: Monica Rodman/The Washington Post)“In every previous automation threat, the automation was about automating the hard, dirty, repetitive jobs,” said Ethan Mollick, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. “This time, the automation threat is aimed squarely at the highest-earning, most creative jobs that … require the most educational background.”In March, Goldman Sachs predicted that 18 percent of work worldwide could be automated by AI, with white-collar workers such as lawyers at more risk than those in trades such as construction or maintenance. “Occupations for which a significant share of workers’ time is spent outdoors or performing physical labor cannot be automated by AI,” the report said.The White House also sounded the alarm, saying in a December report that “AI has the potential to automate ‘nonroutine’ tasks, exposing large new swaths of the workforce to potential disruption.”But Mollick said it’s too early to gauge how disruptive AI will be to the workforce. He noted that jobs such as copywriting, document translation and transcription, and paralegal work are particularly at risk, since they have tasks that are easily done by chatbots. High-level legal analysis, creative writing or art may not be as easily replaceable, he said, because humans still outperform AI in those areas.“Think of AI as generally acting as a high-end intern,” he said. “Jobs that are mostly designed as entry-level jobs to break you into a field where you do something kind of useful, but it’s also sort of a steppingstone to the next level — those are the kinds of jobs under threat.”Eric Fein ran his content-writing business for 10 years, charging $60 an hour to write everything from 150-word descriptions of bath mats to website copy for cannabis companies. The 34-year-old from Bloomingdale, Ill., built a steady business with 10 ongoing contracts, which made up half of his annual income and provided a comfortable life for his wife and 2-year-old son.But in March, Fein received a note from his largest client: His services would no longer be needed because the company would be transitioning to ChatGPT. One by one, Fein’s nine other contracts were canceled for the same reason. His entire copywriting business was gone nearly overnight.“It wiped me out,” Fein said. He urged his clients to reconsider, warning that ChatGPT couldn’t write content with his level of creativity, technical precision and originality. He said his clients understood that, but they told him it was far cheaper to use ChatGPT than to pay him his hourly wage.Fein was rehired by one of his clients, who wasn’t pleased with ChatGPT’s work. But it isn’t enough to sustain him and his family, who have a little over six months of financial runway before they run out of money.Now, Fein has decided to pursue a job that AI can’t do, and he has enrolled in courses to become an HVAC technician. Next year, he plans to train to become a plumber.“A trade is more future-proof,” he said.Companies that replaced workers with chatbots have faced high-profile stumbles. When the technology news site CNET used artificial intelligence to write articles, the results were riddled with errors and resulted in lengthy corrections. A lawyer who relied on ChatGPT for a legal brief cited numerous fictitious cases. And the National Eating Disorders Association, which laid off people staffing its helpline and reportedly replaced them with a chatbot, suspended its use of the technology after it doled out insensitive and harmful advice.Roberts said that chatbots can produce costly errors and that companies rushing to incorporate ChatGPT into operations are “jumping the gun.” Since they work by predicting the most statistically likely word in a sentence, they churn out average content by design. That provides companies with a tough decision, she said: quality vs. cost.“We have to ask: Is a facsimile good enough? Is imitation good enough? Is that all we care about?” she said. “We’re going to lower the measure of quality, and to what end? So the company owners and shareholders can take a bigger piece of the pie?”Lipkin, the copywriter who discovered she’d been replaced by ChatGPT, is reconsidering office work altogether. She initially got into content marketing so that she could support herself while she pursued her own creative writing. But she found the job burned her out and made it hard to write for herself. Now, she’s starting a job as a dog walker.“I’m totally taking a break from the office world,” Lipkin said. “People are looking for the cheapest solution, and that’s not a person — that’s a robot.”"

In 2000 I wanted to take over my local taxi region. Now we have technology to connect people and the mega-apps have paved the way to mainstream.
It's time for us to re-claim our power as PROFESSIONAL couriers.
You provide the best service you can, day after day. You put into the job all of the extras that go along: endless maintenance; dealing with weather, traffic, and parking; endless out-of-stock issues; the risk and associated insurance that goes with excessive driving.
You deserve proper compensation.
There are good customers, and they do pay for these services.
Imagine if we ran our own delivery networks in our own towns. We could connect nice customers with competent drivers. With a co-op model 90% of what the customer pays goes to the driver. I see no markups for food or groceries in my plan. Instead, those $5 in markups, $5 in fees, and $3 tip will turn into $12 for the driver and $1 for the co-op itself.
Would customers pay $13 to have food delivered, on top of the restaurant's menu prices? It seems like a lot of them already do, and order from 3 miles away. I might offer an $8 one-mile special, but the price needs to meet the real-world cost of on-demand courier service. We don't want to gate-keep but workers have to get paid or the job can't get done. People talk about poor neighborhoods not tipping, but tip or not, delivery has to have a cost. My own answer to this is that I'd absolutely pick up two orders from the same restaurant, going to the same address, for the single delivery fee. Then people could split the cost with their neighbor or whatever. (The app would have a pairing feature, but safety has to be the top priority.
In my little 3-mile square area I think I could build up demand for 10-20 drivers (rotating - not everyone works all the time) with the busiest times seeing maybe 10 on at once.
Passengers, food delivery, convenience store runs, regular 2x grocery orders/drops....
This is my dream.
I'm at the stage of working on the app, with two drivers and two cars ready for a way to connect us up with customers who are fed up with the status quo.
I'm ready. I'd call my co-op the Northwood Runners, because that's the main shopping center in the middle of my 3-sq-mi area.
Meanwhile, I should start my new 9-5 next week. Yay. But I'll get this project funded one way or another.

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Un petit rappel pour ceux qui ne le savent pas, la France était membre des Amis de la Syrie, en même temps que l’Arabie Saoudite et le Qatar, pour une supposée transition démocratique en Syrie, l’Arabie Saoudite fait aussi partie des pays qui considèrent le Conseil National Syrien comme le représentant légitime du peuple syrien, que même Randa Kassis, qui n’est pas une révolutionnaire, a préféré quitter, car ne représentant pas grand-chose, mais seulement des habitués d’hôtels 5 étoiles payés par des puissances étrangères, certains faisant même du départ du Président Bachar al-Assad une condition sine qua non.
On sait depuis longtemps que parmi les extrémistes qui combattent en Syrie comme mercenaires des puissances étrangères, il y avait et il y a encore des militaires français qui les encadrent, d’autres les entrainent en Turquie et en Jordanie (cet apport de terroristes a un peu diminué du fait des actions de l’armée syrienne, du Hezbollah et de la défense populaire (qui montre que le peuple syrien s’engage contre Daesh et autres). après l’avoir écarté en 2011 après la répression d’un soulèvement populaire ayant dégénéré en guerre dévastatrice.
Mes félicitations spéciales pour le retour de la nation syrienne, dans le giron de la Ligue des États arabe, et le meilleur hommage que l’on puisse rendre au combat du peuple syrien, c’est de revoir l’allocation du Père Elias Zahlaoui prêtre de Syrie à l’église Notre-Dame de Damas dans le quartier de Koussour a présenté le 6 décembre 2017, une allocation devant le Parlement Européen, lors d’une conférence sur la Paix et la reconstruction de la Syrie, pour dénoncer la propagande occidentale sur la Syrie et les outrances irresponsables envers l’Islam et les Musulmans en faisant part que les chrétiens d’Orient ont toujours vécu en harmonie avec les musulmans et les Juifs et ils doivent pouvoir continuer à vivre de façon conviviale et paisible avec toutes les communautés.
Nous, musulmans, nous pouvons témoigner pour évoquer la mémoire du cardinal Duval s’élevant contre le colonialisme et la torture durant la Guerre d’Algérie. Il y en a d’autres, beaucoup d’autres sœurs, Marie-Thérèse Brau, femme de cœur et de volonté, sans pour autant oublier le père Henri Tessier archevêque d’Alger, qui dénonçait le soutien occidental au terrorisme durant la décennie noire en Algérie.
Je peux même oser à dire, en toute fraternité, que l’église a réellement besoin du Père Elias Zehlaoui.
Merci et grand Merci pour ce formidable discours de grande sagesse, d’une honnêteté exemplaire qui véhicule une lueur d’espoir, il est important d'espérer, car tout change, même l'être humain ne fait pas exception.
Allocution d’un prêtre de Syrie, Elias Zahlaoui devant le Parlement Européen, le 6 décembre 2017
Mesdames, Messieurs,
La crise syrienne a soulevé, soulève et soulèvera des questions, pour le moins gênantes.
Questions, en premier lieu, sur la légitimité de cette guerre universelle contre la Syrie.
Questions aussi sur les enjeux politiques et économiques, apparents ou cachés, de cette guerre.
Questions enfin sur les issues possibles et à venir, au plan tant régional que mondial, de cette guerre.
Pour ma part, prêtre arabe catholique, descendant de la toute première communauté chrétienne de Syrie, j’ai jugé de mon devoir de Syrien et de citoyen du monde à la fois, de vous proposer mon approche personnelle de l’une des raisons profondes de la résistance, absolument inattendue, que la Syrie a opposée à cette guerre.
D’ailleurs, vous le savez tous, c’est cette résistance même qui lui a valu, entre autres, l’appui inconditionnel d’alliés comme la Russie et l’Iran, qui se savaient menacés du même sort, si la Syrie venait à tomber.
Tout au long de sept ans bientôt, nuit et jour, vos tout-puissants médias, vous ont asséné des certitudes indiscutables, entre autres, celle d’une guerre civile en Syrie, et celle d’un régime de dictature, qui massacre impunément son propre peuple.
Tout cela, Mesdames, Messieurs, ne vous rappelle-t-il pas, les scénarios utilisés pour la destruction de l’Irak, puis de la Libye ?
Une levée chevaleresque de tout l’Occident, conduite, au sein des Nations-Unies, par les États-Unis, a valu à la Syrie une déclaration de guerre, de la part de (140) pays – pas plus ! – ainsi qu’un embargo militaire, économique et financier, sans précédent.
Cependant, devant l’échec de la mise en application du célèbre droit d’ingérence, prétendument humanitaire, dont le mérite d’invention revient à M. Bernard Kouchner, des centaines de milliers de soi-disant djihadistes musulmans, furent, par, qui vous savez, levés à travers une centaine de pays, dont des pays européens et américains, embrigadés, armés, entraînés, payés, enfin téléguidés, voire commandés par des spécialistes des réseaux des plus puissants services secrets, pour être envoyés par vagues successives, à longueur d’années, en Syrie, pour y promouvoir, disait-on, la démocratie, et sauvegarder les droits de l’homme.
Le bilan de cette malheureuse aventure, sur le plan strictement humain, le voici en gros, d’après les évaluations des Nations-Unies :
A- Sur une population de 24.000.000 d’habitants, 12.000.000 d’errants sur les routes, soit à l’intérieur du pays, soit ailleurs au niveau du monde entier, voire sur mer…
B-400.000 morts, abstraction faite de toute appartenance religieuse, de toute condition et de tout âge…
C-Des centaines de milliers de handicapés…
D- Des dizaines de milliers de disparus…
Et pourtant l’État syrien a tenu, son Président a tenu, son armée a tenu, sa population a tenu, ses institutions gouvernementales de tous ordres ont tenu, son corps diplomatique a tenu, ses Instances universitaires et scolaires, tant gouvernementales que privées, ont tenu, tous les fonctionnaires d’État, en poste ou en retraite, même ceux des zones assiégées par les djihadistes d’Alkaïda, Al-Nousra, Daech et consorts, ont été et sont jusqu’à ce jour, régulièrement payés…
Devant cet état de fait, absolument incontournable, l’un de vos meilleurs connaisseurs de la crise syrienne, le Français Michel RIMBAUD, a osé écrire, il y a un mois, que tout cela frôle le miracle…
Miracle ou pas, avouons que cette résistance inattendue de la Syrie, a déjà provoqué bien des interrogations, et ébranlé bien des certitudes politiquement correctes…
Pour tout dire, cette résistance exige, sans retard, des efforts honnêtes de recherche tenace et courageuse, loin de tout calcul mesquin ou chauvin. Car il s’agit pour vous tous de comprendre le secret de ce terreau strictement humain, de la Syrie profonde, qui seul explique ce qui vous paraît inexplicable dans cette résistance même.
D’ailleurs, sans cette urgence, je vous avoue que je ne me serais jamais permis de venir ici, tant ma méfiance à l’égard de tout l’Occident, Société et Église à la fois, est grande.
En fait, il s’agit pour nous tous, habitants de cette splendide planète, d’une leçon urgente et capitale à tirer, avant qu’il ne soit trop tard.
Que cette assertion vous étonne où vous indignez, je me dois de vous dire, en prêtre qui vit en une société arabe à majorité musulmane, et qui croit bien connaître les musulmans et leur histoire, que vous avez, vous-mêmes occidentaux, consciemment ou inconsciemment, créé de toutes pièces, en Occident, deux mondes musulmans, qui n’ont, en fait, rien à voir avec l’Islam.
Le premier de ces deux mondes concerne les innombrables agglomérations musulmanes qui parsèment aujourd’hui tout l’Occident. Ces agglomérations, vous vous en êtes servis pendant des décades, pour faire les travaux que vos concitoyens répugnaient à faire. Or leur grande majorité vit, jusqu’à ce jour, marginalisée au sein de vos sociétés, et écrasée par un sentiment d’infériorité, qui risque de se transformer subitement en un ressentiment explosif et ravageur. Vous en avez déjà eu des preuves inquiétantes.
Le second de ces deux mondes concerne les innombrables groupes de djihadistes, que vous avez cru pouvoir créer et utiliser, pour détruire les autres, tout en vous croyant à l’abri de toute surprise désagréable, en misant uniquement sur ce que vous croyez être, vos tout-puissants réseaux de défense. Or, vous avez tous vite déchanté.
Mais quel est donc l’Islam, me diriez-vous ?
Mesdames, Messieurs,
Ici, permettez-moi de vous inviter à une lecture objective de l’histoire des premières conquêtes musulmanes :
Damas en 635, Jérusalem en 638, L’Égypte en 641, L’Andalousie en 711
En toutes ces conquêtes sans exception, les musulmans ont eu le génie d’inventer un style de vie avec les habitants chrétiens des pays conquis, qu’aucun envahisseur n’a jamais connu, ni avant ni après l’apparition de l’Islam. Et ce style nouveau a produit une convivialité faite de collaboration réelle avec les habitants, dans le respect de leurs églises, couvents, habitations, propriétés, activités, et tout cela en échange d’un tribut qui s’avérait inférieur au tribut que les byzantins chrétiens leur avaient imposé, sans parler des exactions et violences de toutes sortes que les byzantins orthodoxes imposaient régulièrement aux habitants non orthodoxes de ces pays, qui finirent par voir dans l’envahisseur arabe et non chrétien, un libérateur !
Je m’en voudrais de ne pas souligner que cette convivialité étonnante a surtout permis à tous les habitants de ces pays conquis, tant musulmans que chrétiens et juifs, de vivre ensemble, de travailler conjointement, voire de collaborer au plus haut niveau de l’administration du Khalifat.
Cette convivialité s’est approfondie et enrichie au cours des siècles, au point d’avoir fait de certains penseurs arabes chrétiens du 19e siècle, les créateurs de l’arabisme, et de nombre d’entre eux, au 20e siècle, les fondateurs et leaders de puissants partis politiques arabes, en Égypte, en Syrie, au Liban et en Palestine.
Or c’est cette convivialité même qui constitue le fond du tissu solide de la société syrienne, et qui explique l’une des raisons profondes de sa résistance au cours des siècles, en dépit de tous les bouleversements que cette société a connus jusqu’à ce jour.
Une tornade, si violente et si longue fût-elle, ne peut venir à bout d’une forêt d’une vie commune qui a mis 1.400 ans à enfoncer ses racines dans une bonne terre. Telle est la Syrie d’aujourd’hui.
D’ailleurs, si l’Islam avait été l’espace d’un jour, à l’image de vos djihadistes d’aujourd’hui, aucun chrétien n’aurait survécu aux invasions musulmanes connues.
Si devant de telles assertions, vous avez l’ombre d’un doute, permettez-moi de vous renvoyer aux seuls historiens juifs, et même israéliens. Je ne vous en citerai que trois de nos contemporains : le premier, un Israélien, Aba EBAN, dans son livre ʺMon Peuple, le second, un Français, et c’est le rabbin Josy EISENBERG, dans son livre ʺUne histoire des juifsʺ, le troisième, un Américain, Abraham LEON ZACHAR, dans son livre monumental "histoire des juifsʺ.
Oui, mes amis, l’Occident aujourd’hui a beaucoup à apprendre de l’Islam, même conquérant, pour se sauver de l’Islam qu’il s’est créé, d’abord en son sein, ensuite au niveau du monde.
L’histoire apprend à qui veut l’entendre, que c’est au faîte de son pouvoir, que l’on reconnaît la valeur réelle d’une personne, d’une société, d’un peuple, d’une religion.
Serait-ce donc si blessant de dire que l’Islam, au faîte de son pouvoir, a en ses croyants, réussi au cours de l’histoire, là même où le christianisme a lamentablement échoué en ses croyants ?
Tout cela, Mesdames, Messieurs, croyez-moi, vous concerne au plus haut point. Car il s’agit, me semble-t-il, de l’avenir non de l’Occident seul, mais du monde entier.
Mes amis,
L’Occident aujourd’hui, tout l’Occident sans exception, si puissant soit-il, au plus haut intérêt à revoir rapidement toutes ses politiques, à l’intérieur de ses frontières, et au-delà, au niveau du monde entier.
Oui, je dis bien aujourd’hui, et pas demain. Car demain, comme beaucoup le craignent, se prépare dans une arrogance aveugle, un cataclysme mondial auprès duquel la seconde guerre mondiale paraîtrait comme un jeu d’enfant.
Mesdames, Messieurs,
Pour finir, laissez-moi vous raconter un fait récent, hautement significatif, survenu le 27 septembre 2001.
En ce jour, était organisé pour la première fois à Damas, un concert commun de chants religieux, entre une chorale d’église, que j’avais fondée en 1977, et la troupe de chanteurs musulmans, de la célèbre mosquée des Omeyyades.
Ce concert avait lieu sur le parvis de la Cathédrale Grecque Catholique de Damas. Une foule impressionnante y assistait, dont des évêques, des prêtres et des oulémas musulmans.
Entre autres invités de marque, il y avait la Troïka européenne, présidée par M. Xavier SOLANA. M. Louis MICHEL, alors ministre belge des Affaires étrangères, en faisait partie.
Cette délégation était accompagnée d’un reporter de la TV belge, un certain Joseph MARTIN.
La Troïka européenne assista au concert l’espace de vingt minutes seulement, pressée qu’elle était par d’autres engagements.
Or, au moment où elle quittait le parvis de la Cathédrale, M. Joseph MARTIN faisait son reportage devant le cadreur de la TV belge. Je l’ai bien écouté. J’ai donc gardé de son reportage, ce mot bien ancré dans ma mémoire. Je vous prie de bien l’écouter :
« M. BERLUSCONI, au lieu d’insulter le monde arabe et de mépriser la civilisation musulmane, aurait dû venir ici, pour combler son ignorance ».
Mesdames, Messieurs, Merci. Père Élias Zahlaoui
En conclusion, je peux avancer qu’on a rarement vu un revirement aussi spectaculaire de la Ligue Arabe sur la représentation des faits, alors qu’on sait que cette Ligue, ce machin depuis plus de 12 ans, estimait toujours que :
Le Régime de Damas avait mené une attaque chimique à Alep, dans le Nord-Est syrien, ainsi les pays arabes du Golf faisaient les jeux des intérêts pétroliers.
Cette intervention n’est pas motivée par les droits de l’homme, mais par de bas calculs géopolitiques d’Israël.
Que la coalition des rebelles faisait du bon boulot.
Que l’intervention russe était dangereuse pour les populations et motivé par la mégalomanie de Poutine
Tout cela pour dire que la réalité sur la Syrie explose.
Bravos et hourras pour le peuple syrien.

Quantum computing has emerged as a potential solution for businesses facing complex computational problems. D-Wave, the world's first commercial quantum computing company, is at the forefront of this field, providing quantum hardware, software, and services for a variety of industries. D-Wave has built both annealing and gate-model quantum computers and is committed to applying quantum computing to a wide range of practical applications. These applications have included supply chain optimization, protein design, investment portfolio optimization, and more.
The company has had significant success in providing effective solutions, for instance, improving efficiency for Pattison Food Group, a grocery company with extensive data management needs. Dr. Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave, envisions the company's legacy as enabling quantum computing to transform industries for societal betterment. Additionally, Dr. Baratz foresees quantum computing as having the potential to address global challenges that current classical computing technology can't solve, such as weather modeling for disaster prediction and personalized medical treatments.
Ref: https://www.reuters.com/brandfeature/tbd-media-group/50-leaders-of-change/quantum-computing-emerges-as-key-to-solving-complex-business-problems

In early may 2023 I sat in church with my family. The preacher Approached his podium looking war torn sad, and with a worried look on his face. He raised his hands and said. "I've had dreams of god speaking to me. Hes telling me so much. It's almost incomprehensible to me his words they burn my ears as if a red hot iron is being forced into them. What I can gather from him is that the end times are close, and the seven trumpets shall call it forth. Now my children As your preacher, my intention are to deliver a sermon that not only explains the significance of the seven trumpets being sounded but also encourages individuals to reflect on their own lives and prepare themselves for the end of the world.
The seven trumpets are significant in the book of Revelation as they represent the final warning of God's judgment on the earth. The first four trumpets describe catastrophic events that will result in widespread destruction and devastation. The fifth trumpet describes a swarm of locusts that will torment those who have not been sealed by God. The sixth trumpet describes an army of 200 million that will bring destruction upon the earth, and the seventh trumpet announces the final judgment of God.
The sounding of these trumpets serves as a warning to all of us that the end of the world is near, and we must prepare ourselves accordingly. As we read in the book of Revelation, the effects of these trumpets will be catastrophic, and those who have not prepared themselves will face a terrible fate.
Therefore, we must examine our own lives and make sure that we are prepared for the end of the world. We must ensure that our hearts and minds are focused on God and that we are living our lives according to His will. We must repent of our sins and ask for God's forgiveness, so that we may be sealed by Him and protected from the judgments that are to come.
In conclusion, the sounding of the seven trumpets serves as a warning to us all that the end of the world is near, and we must prepare ourselves accordingly. We must make sure that our hearts and minds are focused on God, and we must repent of our sins and ask for His forgiveness. Let us heed this warning and prepare ourselves for the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen."
Finishing up he smiled at us all as he pulled a pistol from his robe putting it in his mouth squeezing the trigger and blowing the back of his head apart. Painting the statue of jesus christ behind him with a grotesque mosaic brain matter, skull fragments and so much blood. After the cops were called his building in the church were searched. The two nuns that accompanied him hanging and they're chambers and bleed dry. In his quarters They found the he used the blood and painted on his walls repeatedly. The seventh trumpets shall sound they shall sound. This was painted and cover the entirety of his room. After this was done the church was closed and we never went back.
Then it happened The two witnesses show on june 7th 2023, in an attempt to save humanity, they spread the gospel of God explaining to all those who were willing to listen, but most turned a blind Eye with this. The two witnesses then had no choice, but too have the first of seven trumpets sound. The first Trumpet sounds with the echo across the world. More of a vibration than a noise many people had not known it went off. After it had stopped Hail began to fall from the sky with a drastic change. The Hail went from solid small pieces of ice to pieces of Red hot glass as it hit the ground it burnt everything in touched. Within two weeks it spread across the world. Because of this most of the world's vegetation Burnt to the ground, leaving nothing but melted glass and ash across the lands. With this a three hundred day war breaks out across the world. Nations began to fight for what food was left in the world. As april approached the war ended with no victor. With hundreds of thousands dead the world went into mourning. Realizing that the war caused nothing but harm to the world. Bringing the sadness and pain to all those that had to be involved. Countless families torn apart so many wounded so many dead. Children without fathers or Mother's, wife's mourning Their husbands. mothers screaming and crying over the lose of their children. The world fell silent as it realized that if they had listened Maybe none of this would have happened. None of that mattered now. Now there was too much pain, too much anger, and too much hate. The world blamed god for all this tragedy that had happened to them as a whole. They cursed it's name. Those who had faith in God, Started to doubt they felt as though God itself had left them. How could something so powerful, So all-knowing do this to them. It wasn't fair, was God acting out like a child? How could God be all-powerful and be jealous that not every single being on the Earth showed it Love and loyalty. what kind of power hungry thing Was God? if this is what god was They didn't want to believe they didn't want to follow. They wanted to forget they wanted to abandon it. Seeing this the witnesses called out to the world. Trying the best they could to get everyone to understand why God was doing what it was doing. This caused more problems than good. People started burning churches to spite god. No longer were churches safe no longer could families go and feel safe and at peace. Now churches were taboo and known to be a place of death.
Not having convinced the world the witnesses called forth the second trumpet to sound. The sound of the second trumpet was unlike anything humanity had heard. To most that could comprehend the sound described it as if thunder was crying out in pain. On the last day of April the sky looked as though it was being torn open by the sound of the trumpet. Stopping abruptly people from all over the world could see that the sky had in fact had been torn open like a wound, and from that wound spilled an asteroid that resembled a blood clot. The asteroid was said to be the size of mount everest. Slowly it fell towards the earth. The closer it came to earth the more people felt a sense of dread and sorrow. Knowing that once it hit all would be turned to ash. People stood in shock as the mountain of an asteroid split in to smaller pieces and falling to the world's oceans. Hitting the water with such forces tsunamis to accrue across the plant killing thousands. Over the next few day the pieces decayed into the waters turning them into a viscera soup, killing roughly a third of all sea life. People started smelling the rot that came from the now think blood like ocean waters. Noticing the animals dying out and rotting giving the bloody ocean a acid like state causing those who lived on the waters to die slowly and painful. Soon people left the oceanside for they no longer could fish for food to survive.
In less than a year the world's oceans became a gelatinous mass of blood and gore. Spreading sickness and suffering to most if not all of the world's population the sickness only caused pain and discomfort but never death.
By July 2026 the Temples that once held weekly services to worship and praise God, were now completely abandoned and avoided by all that still lived. Knowing that their voices would fall to deaf ears the witnesses sound led the third trumpet. The sounds a weeping was heard throughout the disease ridden word. Knowing that a new plague approached the weak and trembling people hid the best they could. A flash of green light flooded the sky as a second asteroid came for the heavens. This one devolved in the air turning to light rain. Only hitting the lakes ponds and every other body of water. Seeing that nothing had changed the slowly dwindling population went back to what lives they could live. Unfortunately over the next year many died of was thought to be from dehydration no matter how much water they'd consume. Looking back the people that were left realized that all the waters had been poisoned. Those who survived learned what was safe to drink and what caused a slow labored death. The ones who died suffered incredible pain as their insides turned to a mess of rot and decay. Slowly they'd rot throwing up their literal guts and organs until nothing was left. At the end of the year only a quarter of the earth's population was left. Roaming what was left of the war torn lands searching for some sense of peace only to find rage pain and death at every corner of the world. Then the witnesses sounded the forth trumpet it was a quiet dull sound the next few weeks. The skies began losing light as if the sun was dying. The night sky was now a void of darkness with no stars in sight and a fading moon. Slowly darkness was all the people knew. Christmas came that year some people tried to show they had faith once again. Setting up small groups to share the holiday spirit most were meet with hatred but some were welcomed with loving arms. With their all seeing eyes the witnesses observed with hope that the world was going to change for the betterment of all. Then the new year started with a major power claiming that they held the right to command over what was left in the world for they had more of a population and those who disagreed would be delt with a swift and painful experience. This well, this caused so much to happen and none of it was good. People started looting fight and killing just because they knew they could. There was no rules anymore and people took full advantage of that. What's no hesitation? The witnesses sounded the fifth trumpet. The trumpet Sounded as though A million babies were screaming out in causing everyone to drop to their knees and hold their ears. The sound penetrated them, causing mass hysteria. With an hours of the Trumpet sounding hells Pit of torment Tour open from the Earth's crust and from it, a rupted millions upon millions of locust. Please locust tour through homes, buildings, and people. The sound that they made made people tear At their ears shoving Anything that they could get their hands-on into their own ears Just to stop the sounds from entering their body. This went on for 5 months, then abruptly all that's a locust died. Falling from the sky, as a terrible reminder. Once they all fell to the ground the sixth trumpet screamed out calling forth an army of two million undead warriors, for the next eighteen months they search and brutally attacked and killed close to a third of the male population leaving nothing but death in their wake, once they had accomplished their task they caught fire burning up the locusts and their own bodies to dust. As a calmness came over the world the witnesses came forth speaking of the coming of christ itself, and those who are righteous shall know peace and all others shall know pain and death. In a show of power the witnesses disappeared in a flash of bright blue light and a clap of thunder that shook all that was left. The sky opened as a voice echoed through the ears of all people. Tellimg them to fall to their knees and beg for forgiveness and show that they have true faith in God for if they don't it would strike them down sending them to hell. With much fear, anger, pain, and hatred. People of the world lashed out, calling the so called one true God a false God a sad and jealous God end they would not Worship follow or do, as is it commanded and for it's so-called chosen one, it could also turn back and never return. For they As people of the world would find their own way they could live. Be happy and grow they would turn this world back in to something lavish and beautiful once again. Screaming out to gods so-called prophet youre not needed. Your God is not needed here all of this pain, death and destruction, it was caused by you. And we will be the ones to rebuild it not you Your profit, not your witnesses, us. And only us now close your gates to heaven and hell. Leave us to our own we've already turned our backs on you so you do the same. We don't want you and we don't need you. The sky closed and went dark leaving only the last few survives scattered across the wasteland that was once earth.

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, a time to recognize the rich history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
One way to learn more about Canada’s Indigenous peoples and our collective past is downloading the Reconciliation: A Starting Point app on your smart device. You could also explore the resources available at the Government of Canada website, or get involved by:

Exploring the past and honouring the truth
Discovering present-day communities
Sharing what resonates with you using the hashtag #NIHM2023

Several federal programs support mental health in Indigenous communities, including the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program. You can learn more about available resources at the link below, and if you’d like help finding a provider offering NIHB service MHC can help! Link to book with our Copilots: https://mentalhealthcopilots.org/#booking
https://sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1576088923626/1576088963494

Tropical Storm Arlene

Latest observation

Friday, 2 June — 1:00 PM Central Daylight Time (EDT; 17:00 UTC)

NHC Special Advisory #5		1:00 PM CDT (17:00 UTC)
Current location:		26.7°N 86.2°W
Relative location:		270 mi (434 km) W of Fort Myers, Florida
Forward motion:		S (170°) at 4 knots (5 mph)
Maximum winds:	▲	35 knots (40 mph)
Intensity (SSHWS):	▲	Tropical Storm
Minimum pressure:	▼	1002 millibars (29.59 inches)

Official forecast

Friday, 2 June — 1:00 PM CDT (17:00 UTC) NHC Advisory #5

Hour	Date	Time		Intensity		Winds		Lat	Long
	-	UTC	EST	Saffir-Simpson		knots	mph	°N	°W
00	2 Jun	18:00	5PM Fri	Tropical Storm		35	40	26.7	86.2
12	3 Jun	00:00	2AM Sat	Tropical Depression	▲	30	35	25.6	86.2
24	3 Jun	12:00	2PM Sat	Tropical Depression		25	30	24.2	85.8
36	4 Jun	00:00	2AM Sun	Remnant Low		25	30	23.2	84.9
48	4 Jun	12:00	2PM Sun	Dissipated

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