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On July 6th, Elst Brewing Company, located at 2419 North Central Street, made this announcement on their social media platforms:
“It is with mixed emotions that we share some important news about the future of Elst
After five wonderful years of serving this incredible community
we have decided to sell our building and transition to new ownership
We will continue to operate as Elst through August 5th
the space will be handed over to new ownership
our goal was to create a community spot where neighbors could meet
we have had the honor of hosting baby showers
Seeing our space filled with laughter and joy has brought us immense happiness
we want to express our deepest gratitude to each of you
and presence have made Elst a truly special place
we have come to the conclusion that now is the right time for us personally to hand over the keys to a group that will bring new effort and energy to the neighborhood
But we are not going gently into that good night
We invite you to help us make new memories
Join us in culminating our journey with a grand 5-year Anniversary party on August 3rd and 4th before we welcome our new host.”
While the news saddened many, it has now bubbled into excitement for the new iteration of the space. New ownership, BBN Hospitality
is taking over and reinventing the space to provide a restaurant in addition to the brews you love best (and keeping their brewers!) and adding new brews to love
“With a commitment to honoring the legacy of Elst Brewing Company while introducing exciting new elements
BBN Hospitality plans to enhance the guest experience through expanded culinary offerings and a renewed focus on community engagement.” While they build out the restaurant portion of the space
“Although certain aspects of Elst will remain
the new concept will be called The Black Dog (restaurant and Brewhouse)
paying homage to the original bar/Nightclub that occupied the space in the 1970’s
Taking inspiration from the 70’s the new owners will build out the space
the menu and the ambiance.” Ben Austin
one of the owners for BBN Hospitality says
“We are deeply committed to preserving the spirit and quality that Elst has become known for
while also infusing new energy and creativity into the space.” Public comments exhibit excitement that the location will remain open
and some are thrilled that the name The Black Dog is also a Taylor Swift song (but they say to think more Led Zepplin)
Having gone to my first Taylor Swift concert this summer on a trip to Switzerland
I can say it’s not a bad idea to stick with the pop star reference
the community is excited and ready to support the transition
“Bringing our hospitality background to the brewing scene made a lot of sense to us
We want to honor the tradition and quality of Elst brewing techniques while also adding our touch to personalize beers for our existing concepts,” added Bill Angelos
“Our goal is to build on the already stellar offerings of Elst Brewing Company
ensuring that every guest enjoys an exceptional experience every time they visit.”
Part of the reason for bringing this new concept under BBN Hospitality’s umbrella
That could mean a new Mexican lager at Chivo
a new bourbon barrel style beer at Stock & Barrel
and select dishes from every restaurant available at The Black Dog
The general price range will stay around $6-$7 for beer
while food prices will range from $14 to $18.”
What other businesses do you frequent on North Central
What do you think it takes to thrive in that area
Ebony and Ivory is a great brewery run by great people and frequently has vendors
I completely agree about your E&I sentiments
Ebony & Ivory Brewing is right across the street
The owners are great guys and have genuine love for beer and the community
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Elise Foster Vander Elst is head of exhibitions and environmental impact lead at the Design Museum
Vander Elst oversees the delivery and production of around 10 exhibitions each year
and is well aware of the potential environmental costs
she is developing strategies to measure impact and develop more environmentally responsible exhibitions and systems
She told blooloop: “I lead quite a large team focusing on the production of exhibitions. We do a lot of temporary exhibitions. We do massive environments and immersive exhibitions
because of the way the arts and museum sector is structured
those things tend to get wasted at the end of the exhibition
“That inspired me to explore how we can look at more circular economy solutions.”
Previously, as a freelance exhibition producer
Vander Elst produced the ‘Illuminating India: 5000 Years of Science & Innovation’ exhibition in South Kensington for the Science Museum Group
working with the Indian Ministry of Culture
the Archaeological Survey of India and the National Council of Science Museums India to bring artefacts and antiquities from Indian lenders to the UK
an international arts agency that produced major exhibitions
art festivals and contemporary art events in the UK and India
She was also the director and co-founder of Focus Photography Festival
Blooloop is taking climate action and is now B Corp Certified.
Participants and Methods: We recruited 96 consecutive patients with BPD from the archive of a university clinic for psychiatry and psychotherapy, and compared the prevalence of EEG abnormalities to those of 76 healthy controls subjects. The EEGs were rated by three different blinded clinicians, including a consultant specializing in epilepsy from the local epilepsy center.
Results: We found a significant increase in the prevalence of IRDAs and IRTAs in BPD patients (14.6%) compared to the control subjects (3.9%; p = 0.020).
Volume 10 - 2016 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00012
Introduction: An increased prevalence of pathological electroencephalography (EEG) signals has been reported in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD)
In an elaborative case description of such a patient with intermittent rhythmic delta and theta activity (IRDA/IRTA)
the BPD symptoms where linked to the frequency of the IRDAs/IRTAs and vanished with the IRDAs/IRTAs following anticonvulsive therapy
This observation raised a question regarding the prevalence of such EEG abnormalities in BPD patients
The aim of this retrospective study was to identify the frequency of EEG abnormalities in a carefully analyzed psychiatric collective
we hypothesized an increased prevalence of EEG abnormalities in BPD patients
Participants and Methods: We recruited 96 consecutive patients with BPD from the archive of a university clinic for psychiatry and psychotherapy
and compared the prevalence of EEG abnormalities to those of 76 healthy controls subjects
The EEGs were rated by three different blinded clinicians
including a consultant specializing in epilepsy from the local epilepsy center
Results: We found a significant increase in the prevalence of IRDAs and IRTAs in BPD patients (14.6%) compared to the control subjects (3.9%; p = 0.020)
Discussion: In this blinded retrospective case-control study
we were able to confirm an increased prevalence of pathological EEG findings (IRDAs/IRTAs only) in BPD patients
The major limitation of this study is that the control group was not matched on age and gender
the results should be regarded as preliminary findings of an open uncontrolled
controlled studies is needed to verify our findings and answer the question of whether such EEG findings might predict a positive response to anticonvulsive pharmacological treatment
Electroencephalography (EEG) represents a method by which the functional integrity of the brain can be investigated with high temporal, but poor spatial, resolution. The discovery of this method by Hans Berger (Berger, 1969; Shipton, 1975) marks the advent of modern biological psychiatry
This paper focuses on EEG abnormalities in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Early EEG studies found an increased prevalence of generally diffuse EEG pathology in BPD patients (De La Fuente et al., 1998; Reeves et al., 2003). In a meta-analysis by Shelley et al. (2008)
the respective prevalence rates were estimated to be between 5.8 and 46%
most of the summarized studies were hampered by methodological problems
the samples sizes were rather small or the EEG ratings had not been done in a blinded way
it is noteworthy that in clinical practice many patients with BPD do not receive a diagnostic work-up that includes a thorough EEG investigation
before calling for such laborious procedures
it is important to clarify how often such EEG phenomena can be expected in unselected patients with BPD
The study received approval from the Ethics Committee of the University of Freiburg (EK-Fr 233/14)
We included patients suffering from BPD who had been admitted to our hospital for in-patient treatment between 2001 and 2011
high-quality EEG analysis is very time consuming
In the absence of reliable and expectable prevalence rates from earlier controlled studies
we decided to adopt a pragmatic approach and included the first 100 consecutive patients who fulfilled all inclusion and exclusion criteria
which led to 96 BPD patients being included
The BPD patients were diagnosed according to the standards of our specialized unit, i.e., the Borderline diagnosis was established by senior consultant psychiatrists based on a detailed structured psychiatric interview (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, SCID I and II; First et al., 1996, 1997) that integrated common psychiatric and somatic differential diagnoses as well as the patients' medical histories
We included more female patients (93 out of 96) because our in-patient treatment is especially designed for female BPD patients
we also excluded patients taking anticonvulsant medication or the proconvulsant drug clozapine
For patients who received more than one EEG
we selected the initial one for this study
To define clear outcome criteria and to avoid the overestimation of pathological EEGs based on diffuse slowing due to drowsiness or hyperventilation
we took care to exclude such phenomena of physiological slowing and did not rate any unclear EEG slowing as a pathological phenomenon
Example of a clinical electroencephalogram (EEG) of a patient with borderline personality disorder
The X-axis illustrates intermittent rhythmic theta activity (IRTA)
and Y-axis shows a referential montage to the ears
All demographic and psychometric information was assessed using our clinic's electronic documentation system. This data comprised demographic data, psychopathological symptoms following the standardized AMDP system (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Methodik und Dokumentation in der Psychiatrie, www.amdp.de)
Only patients with complete documentation were included
and psychometric information was carefully evaluated and entered into a data bank using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 20)
Age was compared using two-sided independent-sample t-tests
while gender was analyzed using Pearson's two-sided X2-test
The prevalence of EEG abnormalities between groups was compared using Pearson's two-sided X2-test
We compared the prevalence rates of the BPD patients with both our own and a historical control group
after the exclusion of the oldest control subjects
we compared only female patients and female controls
we compared the unmedicated BPD patients with the control group
A p < 0.05 served as the criterion of significance
Table 1 summarizes the clinical and demographic data of our patients and the control group
The BPD patients turned out to be significantly younger than the members of the control group
since the control group was not specifically generated to be matched with this study
it consisted of a significantly higher number of male subjects
Demographic and clinical characteristics of borderline personality disorder and control group
Only IRDAs and IRTAs were found in the patient and control groups
No patient showed clear-cut epileptiform potentials such as sharp waves
the BPD patients demonstrated significantly higher rates of EEG abnormalities (X2 = 5.4
When comparing the rate of EEG abnormalities to the 1% estimated from figures in the literature
this difference became even more significant (X2 = 12.8
When comparing only unmedicated BPD patients (n = 41) to all controls, we also found increased percentages of EEG abnormalities (X2 = 4.3, df = 1, p = 0.038; Table 2)
Comparing only female BPD patients (n = 93
age: 27.1 ± 6.9) and female controls (n = 38; age: 40.1 ± 11.7; page ≤ 0.001)
we find higher rates of EEG pathologies in the female patients (15.1 vs
showing a non-significant trend in the X2-test (X2 = 2.4
Due to the small sample size of male patients (n = 3)
we analyzed the age matched groups (96 BPD patients vs
the EEG pathologies were higher in the BPD group (14.6 vs
EEG abnormalities in borderline personality disorder
Table 3 summarizes the clinical characteristics of the 14 BPD patients with EEG abnormalities
All patients were female and suffered mostly from mental tension
while eight patients were taking antidepressants
Depression was the most frequent comorbidity in patients with IRDAs/IRTAs
Three patients had a comorbid eating disorder
Characterization of patients with IRDAs/IRTAs
there was a significant subgroup of 14.6% who displayed clear-cut EEG abnormalities in terms of IRDAs and IRTAs
due to the not exactly matched control group
our results should be regarded as only preliminary findings
Our low overall prevalence rates might be explained by our strict inclusion and exclusion criteria
which excluded all patients with any evidence of organic comorbidities and relevant medication effects
due to our desire to avoid an overestimation of pathological EEG and in contrast to many other studies in the literature
we did not rate unclear EEG slowing as pathological phenomena
differences in the reference electrodes in earlier studies might have influenced the analysis process and findings
Table 4. Previous EEG findings in borderline personality disorder (following Boutros et al., 2003; Shelley et al., 2008)
The major limitation of this study is that it is a retrospective analysis without adequate control group
the results should basically be regarded as preliminary findings of an open uncontrolled study and statistical calculations should be regarded as only exploratory in nature
We cannot be sure about what is driving the difference in occurrence of EEG abnormalities in this sample
In any retrospective analysis of EEG patient collectives
it is difficult to generate suitable control groups because controls are not routinely investigated
further and prospective studies are needed to confirm the findings raised in this paper
with pathological findings in 3.9% of cases
we would have detected false positive EEG pathologies in our control group
six of the 14 BPD patients with pathological EEGs were unmedicated and nine were medicated
A total of 41 out of the 96 BPD patients were unmedicated
When restricting the analysis to these 41 unmedicated patients and comparing EEG abnormalities with our control group
the prevalence of pathological EEG findings was the same (14.6%)
This means that our overall prevalence rates cannot be explained by a medication effect
the data analysis was performed based on clinical expert ratings and was thus investigator-dependent
this kind of clinical data analysis is prone to rater bias
all clinical raters were blinded with respect to the identity of the EEGs of interest
we can reject the suggestion that a rating bias might have increased the prevalence of pathological EEG findings in our BPD group
all EEGs deemed to be pathological were ultimately assessed by a team of three experts
including one board certified consultant neurologist (SB) and another very experienced board certified consultant neurologist and epileptologist from the local university epilepsy center (DMA)
we think that the quality of the clinical rating of the EEGs corresponds to the highest clinical standards
since the first line trained rater (MF) is not an experienced epileptologist
we cannot rule out the fact that false negative EEG ratings might have lowered the prevalence of pathological EEG findings
an automatic and quantitative means of detecting IRDAs and IRTAs should be performed to verify our results
The sample size could have been larger than the 96 patients we decided to include in this project. However, since visual EEG analysis in general and the algorithm of analysis we chose in this study in particular is extremely time consuming, for practical reasons we were not able to create a larger sample. Also, the size of our sample compares well to publications in the literature, as can be deduced from Table 4
The way we defined our sample does have an impact on the generalizability of our findings
In order to avoid an overestimation of the rate of EEG pathologies
we excluded patients with any kind of neurological comorbidity as well as those with a history of birth complications
All of these factors could have contributed to pathological EEG findings and were therefore excluded
We were not able to exclude a medication effect in the overall sample but
the rate of EEG pathologies in the unmedicated BPD patients was the same as that in the mixed group
Since in the general medical settings quite a few BPD patients do fulfill at least one of the exclusion criteria mentioned above
we cannot generalize our findings to this clinical sample
in order to simulate the classical clinical diagnostic setting
we assessed only routine EEG studies of 20 min length
including sleep and sleep deprivation recordings
would most likely have produced higher prevalence rates of pathological findings
possibly including classical epileptiform activity
our detection rate of EEG abnormalities has to be regarded as a minimum detection rate and it is very likely that the prevalence of pathological EEG findings will be even higher if such exclusion criteria are not applied or repeated and more elaborate assessment methods are applied
we here present the largest study to date into possible EEG pathologies in BPD patients and produce evidence that a considerable subgroup of 14.6% of BPD patients do display EEG pathologies in terms of IRDAs or IRTAs
a question arises as to what this might mean from a pathophysiological point of view and with respect to treatment
Figure 2. The local area network inhibition (LANI) model as a potential paraepileptic pathomechanism (Tebartz van Elst et al., 2011; Tebartz van Elst and Perlov, 2013)
intermittent rhythmic delta activity; IRTA
The idea that non-ictal epileptiform activity in the brain causes secondary modulation of the neurophysiology of neuronal networks, which in turn causes psychiatric symptoms, is not new to neuropsychiatry (Stevens, 1988, 1995, 1999; Bruton et al., 1994; Heimer, 2000, 2003; Tatlidil, 2000; Läppchen et al., 2008, 2011)
Such models are difficult to prove and the present study was a first step in that direction as it validated the prevalence of the EEG phenomenon of IRDAs or IRTAs in a fairly typical sample of BPD patients in the tertiary referral setting of a specialized center offering specific therapy
one might speculate that the presence of IRDAs or IRTAs in BPD patients might be a biological predictor of a positive response to anticonvulsive treatment options
there are no studies published in the literature focusing on this question
the answer to this question might be very important for the therapy of a subgroup of BPD patients
further research is needed to resolve this important clinical issue
this uncontrolled study is the largest survey to date on the prevalence of EEG pathology in a carefully selected
retrospectively defined sample of BPD patients where all possible risk factors for pathological EEG findings led to exclusion
The EEG readings followed high standards and were conducted by blinded highly qualified raters
We found a prevalence of IRDAs or IRTAs in 14.6% of BPD patients
Further research is needed to clarify whether or not such pathological EEG findings might predict the response to anticonvulsive pharmacotherapy in these patients
direct and intellectual contribution to the work
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest
and handling Editor declared their shared affiliation
and the handling Editor states that the process nevertheless met the standards of a fair and objective review
The study was funded by the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Medical Center Freiburg
Seizure incidence in psychopharmacological clinical trials: an analysis of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) summary basis of approval reports
PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text
Oxcarbazepine in the treatment of borderline personality disorder: a pilot study
Spike-wave complexes in “normal” flying personnel
PubMed Abstract | Google Scholar
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Normative data for the unquantified EEG: examination of adequacy for neuropsychiatric research
Electrophysiological aberrations in borderline personality disorder: state of the evidence
Intermittent rhythmic delta activity patterns
and schizophrenia: clinical and neuropathologic correlations
Rhythmic slow discharges in the electroencephalogram
EEG abnormalities in borderline personality disorder: specific or nonspecific
Symptoms and EEG findings in the borderline syndrome
de Araujo Filho
Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: psychiatric comorbidity and impact on outcome
Electroencephalographic abnormalities in borderline personality disorder
Neuropsychological and psychiatric correlates of intractable pseudoseizures
Antiepileptic drugs and the electroencephalogram
Does REM sleep contribute to subjective wake time in primary insomnia
A comparison of polysomnographic and subjective sleep in 100 patients
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The postictal state: a neglected entity in the management of epilepsy
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Partial seizure-like symptoms in borderline personality disorder
Basal forebrain in the context of schizophrenia
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EEG abnormalities in nonepileptic patients
Temporal intermittent rhythmic delta activity and abdominal migraine
Läppchen
Changes in interhemispheric inhibition following successful epilepsy surgery: a TMS study
Läppchen
Changes in intracortical excitability after successful epilepsy surgery
Topiramate treatment for women with borderline personality disorder: a double-blind
Dialectical behavior therapy for borderline personality disorder
doi: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.2.022305.095229
Covert complex partial seizures in psychotherapy
Anfallssteigernde Wirkung von Medikamenten
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Relationship between clinical symptoms and EEG findings in borderline personality disorder
A follow-up study of healthy children with epileptiform EEG discharges
Google Scholar
EEG does not predict response to valproate treatment of aggression in patients with borderline and antisocial personality disorders
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Persistent postictal hyperperfusion demonstrated with PET
Tebartz van Elst
Local area network inhibition: a model of a potentially important paraepileptic pathomechanism in neuropsychiatric disorders
Tebartz van Elst
Epilepsie und Psyche: Psychische Störungen bei Epilepsie - epileptische Phänomene in der Psychiatrie
Procurement of Electroencephalograph Tracings in 1000 Flying Cadets for Evaluating the Gibbs Technique in Relation to Flying Ability
USAD School of Aviation Medical Research Report
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Perlov E and Endres D (2016) Increased Prevalence of Intermittent Rhythmic Delta or Theta Activity (IRDA/IRTA) in the Electroencephalograms (EEGs) of Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder
Received: 16 February 2015; Accepted: 25 January 2016; Published: 23 February 2016
Copyright © 2016 Tebartz van Elst, Fleck, Bartels, Altenmüller, Riedel, Bubl, Matthies, Feige, Perlov and Endres. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY)
distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted
provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited
in accordance with accepted academic practice
distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms
*Correspondence: Ludger Tebartz van Elst, dGViYXJ0enZhbmVsc3RAdW5pa2xpbmlrLWZyZWlidXJnLmRl
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I was acutely aware of the millions in donations some NGOs received on TV during X-mas eve shows making donors feel better about themselves
while my friends and I struggled to secure even basic support in our poor neighbor
Did donors even know some beneficiaries weren’t seeing much of that money
Some seemed to have a warm sunny Christmas holiday while our reality remained: freezing
while my career evolved to exited founder (IPO Nasdaq)
Vander Elst’s compelling narrative at Epic Foundation addressed my deepest skepticism about NGO efficiency
I realized the younger versions of myself could finally receive the help they needed
rather than seeing resources unwisely spent in god knows what associated costs NGOs run by
Learning about Epic’s rigorous vetting process resonated with me
It mirrored the questions I ask before I back a company: “How are funds used
What measurable KPIs and OKRs are in place?” This alignment with my investor mindset transformed my perspective on philanthropy
All of which had me wondering: Who is Myriam Vander Elst
Chief Engagement Officer at Epic Foundation rewriting the text book of philanthropy
In the often-rigid world of finance and philanthropy
Vander Elst stands out as a purposeful reminder on how one’s luck calls for a greater purpose to help others
Her journey from a successful family business to becoming the Chief Engagement Officer at Epic Foundation is a testament to her remarkable ability to navigate complex social landscapes and create meaningful change
Born into a family with a thriving business legacy spanning six generations
Myriam found herself at a crossroads after the sale of her family enterprise
she embarked on an odyssey to find a cause that aligned with her values
This quest for purpose showcases Myriam’s innate drive to make a difference
a quality that would later define her career path
this encounter proved to be a turning point in Myriam’s life
Mars’s vision of “making giving the norm” resonated deeply with her
and she was drawn to the foundation’s principles of honesty
This serendipitous encounter not only gave Myriam the purpose she sought but also set her on a path to becoming a formidable force in the world of philanthropy
leading the foundation from scratch to the light house it has become today
Over the years Myriam has masterfully positioned herself as a connector between the often-disparate worlds of finance and philanthropy
combined with her passion for social impact
allows her to speak the language of both sectors fluently
This rare ability has made her instrumental in uniting founders
Venture Capitalist and individuals with resources and power who are willing to share with those less fortunate
This approach to philanthropy is refreshingly pragmatic and free from conventional constraints
She challenges the notion that wealth should be a source of shame in the old continent
instead advocating for the responsible use of financial power
Her perspective that “it’s not about being ashamed of wealth – it’s what you do with it that counts” encapsulates her philosophy of purposeful giving
Myriam’s stubborn belief in her mission transcends gender led stereotypes
“This is our century,” referring to the vital role women play in reinventing capitalism and driving social change where so many men have failed during so many years
As I reflect on Myriam Vander Elst’s journey
I’m filled with optimism for the future of philanthropy
I see a visionary who has successfully married the worlds of finance and philanthropy
creating a legacy that extends far beyond monetary value
Her work continues to shape the landscape of giving
inspiring a new generation of philanthropists to use their resources for the greater good
I’m left with a sense of excitement about the future of strategic philanthropy and the positive impact it can have on our world
I’ve finally found a tool to empower my youngest self
that’s the best Christmas gift I could ever wish for
Noa Khamallah is General Partner at Don't Quit Ventures
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The Vatican said Wednesday that Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst would be given a new assignment “given that a situation exists … which prevents the fruitful exercise" of his office, reports Catholic News Service
According to Deutsche Welle
Tebartz-van Elst said in October that his renovation project cost more than five times its original estimate of US $7.5 million
The bishop was temporarily relieved of his duties by Pope Francis
but the Pontiff did not accept Tebartz-van Elst’s resignation until yesterday
Last month Spiegel released a report which says that the bishop’s remodeling project was financed by funds siphoned from at least one church foundation in Tebartz-van Elst’s diocese
The resignation came after an audit by the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops says Catholic News Service
“Germans were outraged over the possible misuse of church funds which come from donations and a special ‘church tax’ paid by registered parishioners to their respective denominations.”
Tebartz-van Elst paid more than US $27,000 in November over a perjury case relating to his alleged first class flight on a charity trip to India
the president of the bishops’ conference Cardinal Reinhard Marx said the case was handled fairly and that the resignation would "end a period of uncertainty" in the Limburg Diocese
Financial scandals have been rife in the Catholic Church
known as “Monsignor 500 Euros” for his habit of flashing large wads of money
lost his position after being charged by authorities with using the Vatican Bank to help an Italian shipping company conceal its assets from Switzerland
According to al Jazeera
is also facing criminal charges for money laundering
Charles Zech, director of the Center for Church Management and Business Ethics at Villanova University, said that in the United States, dioceses (which are local religious districts supervised by bishops) have substantial autonomy from Rome
and can bring in as much as US $8 billion annually from collections
he said few parishioners know what is actually done with the money that is collected
Support from readers like you helps OCCRP expose organized crime and corruption around the world
you’ll be directly supporting investigative journalism as a public good
You’ll also gain access to exclusive insights and benefits
South Sudan is spending well beyond its means
even as it says its efforts to move on from a devastating civil war are being..
The Vatican released Pope Francis’s renewed statutes for the governance of the Vatican Bank on Saturday
has blocked the accounts of more than 2,000 clients and ended..
just west of the Oakwood neighborhood in North Knoxville
will close almost immediately after celebrating its five-year anniversary in August
The future of the brewery is up in the air amid mixed messaging about whether the building
"After five wonderful years of serving this incredible community
we have decided to sell our building and transition to new ownership," the post reads
It's unclear whether the owners of the brewery − founded by Shane Todd
Dan Leonard and Chris Sexton − will be involved in the new concept or whether Elst will continue to exist elsewhere
we don't know whether the "transition to new ownership" also applies to the brand
A section of the post refers to the new owners as "our new hosts."
Knox News contacted one of the Elst owners
who said he will soon have more information to share about the new owner
The brewery building was listed on Commercial Exchange in September 2023 for $1.3 million
Elst founders purchased the building in 2017 and began renovating the space to operate the brewery. Their brewing operation began before the Elstwhere Taproom opened in 2019
and presence have made Elst a truly special place," the brewery said in its Instagram post
we have come to the conclusion that now is the right time for us personally to hand over the keys to a group that will bring new effort and energy to the neighborhood."
Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team
You can reach him by email at keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com
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bringing both opportunities and challenges
Olivier Elst and Bart Van Rompaye from KPMG Belgium share why companies need to anticipate and act today
and Midjourney becoming our new colleagues
we rarely pause to consider the risks artificial intelligence (AI) brings
“AI is about much more than generative tools—it can introduce serious risks,” says Bart Van Rompaye
from individuals unfairly denied credit by AI-driven decisions to companies outsourcing critical processes to machines without proper oversight
such as through the spread of misinformation,” he continues
warns that classic risks are just as relevant in the age of AI
and intellectual property are still key concerns
Without sufficient knowledge and oversight
you risk significant financial or reputational damage,” he explains
To prevent a proliferation of tools and ensure a consistent approach to AI within companies
“We start by understanding the organization’s objectives
we set clear boundaries and define roles and responsibilities,” says Elst
“Many companies are looking for more structure around AI
which also makes it easier to map and mitigate risks.”
these risks also arise because managers are not sufficiently familiar with AI
“You can only build trust once you understand what a technology can and cannot do
I compare AI to a new junior colleague—someone I don’t know yet and whose capabilities I still need to assess
That’s why I carefully evaluate all output
This demands a shift in mindset that many companies have yet to make
“You need to fundamentally reorient your approach
our processes are designed around human limitations
and our control mechanisms are built to match
you often find your processes aren’t equipped to handle it
they need to develop an operational model to turn vision into action
KPMG created the Roadmap to Responsible AI
and decision-making structures,” explains Van Rompaye
This roadmap can serve as a multi-year plan to help businesses integrate AI responsibly.”
The term 'responsible' goes beyond just ethical considerations
it’s already mandated by the European AI Act
The risk levels play a crucial role in deciding which AI applications can be deployed and which should be avoided,” he clarifies
Elst emphasizes that embedding ethical decisions into systems ensures accountability doesn’t fall solely on individuals when something goes wrong
and you must be able to clearly explain how they were made
AI will be everywhere and used for nearly everything
you’ll be confronted with the consequences and lose control of the risks.”
This article was created in collaboration with De Tijd and L'Echo
a Belgian general partnership ("VOF/SNC") and a member firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Limited
a private English company limited by guarantee
But Van der Elst told Het Nieuwsblad: "My football heart was bleeding
I'd rather see him among the very best
Players of that level want to be on that pitch in such a match
He may not be the player he was a few years ago
you want players on the pitch who can score or give a great assist
"I have seen him make some great passes this season
quickly will be replaced by a new brewhouse and restaurant from the same people behind Chivio Taqueria on Gay Street
Bill Angelos and Niko Angelos named the restaurant after the popular Led Zeppelin song and a '70s nightclub that shared the same address
The first phase will include a reimagined version of the brewery and taproom that already exists
The next step is renovations to the courtyard and the opening of a full restaurant
The owners operate BBN Hospitality, which includes Chivo Taqueria, Stock & Barrel and The Brass Pearl
The group purchased everything at Elst − the brewery
taproom and building − except for the name
"We're really trying to honor the traditions of Elst
their beer-making styles," Austin told Knox News
while just enhancing the concept on a few different areas."
The plan is to open and function similarly to Elst upon opening the brewery and taproom
The color scheme will change from yellow to black and red
plus new indoor furniture and an outdoor projector
As for the beers, fans of Elst can rejoice as head brewer Dan Leonard will be running the brewery. A few beers will remain from Elst, including the Vanilla Milkshake Ale
but recipes will be tweaked and new beers will be added
what we're going to do is start with those baseline recipes
we're not going to mess with it," Austin said
"A few we'll probably just make some minor tweaks to kind of make it our own a little bit more
and then we've got some other ideas for stuff that (Elst hasn't) done before that we kind of want to take it in a slightly different direction
and those will kind of become wholly ours."
The Black Dog plans to close next year for restaurant construction and courtyard renovations before reopening in its final form
The restaurant will serve "elevated bar or gastropub style food" including burgers
Part of the reason for bringing this new concept under BBN Hospitality's umbrella
a new bourbon barrel style beer at Stock & Barrel
while food prices will range from $14 to $18
Austin wants to maintain what made Elst special to the people who live in North Knoxville
He hopes to keep most of Elst's staff and serve the neighborhood a new elevated experience while respecting what came before it
"We didn't want to come in and and be like some hostile takeover or something that
We want to respect and honor their traditions
their regulars and patrons that have come in for years."
The Black Dog's first phase will open between Aug
Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Volume 9 - 2015 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00460
is defined by specific patterns in social perception
and a strong subjective need for behavioral routines
such as markedly reduced eye contact and a tendency to focus more on small
have long been recognized as typical ASD characteristics
Recent debate in the scientific community discusses whether the physiology of low-level visual perception might explain such higher visual abnormalities
“eagle-like” visual acuity contained methodological errors and could not be substantiated
several authors have reported alterations in even earlier stages of visual processing
such as contrast perception and motion perception at the occipital cortex level
we have investigated the electrophysiology of very early visual processing by analyzing the pattern electroretinogram-based contrast gain
and the psychophysical visual acuities of participants with high-functioning ASD and controls with equal education
we hypothesized that alterations in early vision would be present in ASD participants
This study included 33 individuals with ASD (11 female) and 33 control individuals (12 female)
We found no evidence of altered electrophysiological retinal contrast processing or psychophysical measured visual acuities
There appears to be no evidence for abnormalities in retinal visual processing in ASD patients
at least with respect to contrast detection
As early as 1940s, Kanner (1943) and Asperger (1944) described perceptual symptoms as the core features of autism. Now, approximately 70 years later, these symptoms are, indeed, included in the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Tebartz van Elst, 2013)
the precise nature and role of these symptoms in the pathophysiology of autism remains unclear
most of these reports have not yet been replicated in large samples
the aim of the present study was twofold: (1) we wanted to further the exploration of possible alterations in early visual information processing in ASD (i.e.
Vernier acuity); (2) we wanted to test the specificity of findings concerning early visual processing in ADHD and depression by measuring the same signals in ASD; and (3) we wanted to evaluate both visual contrast gain and visual background noise by employing the PERG
behavioral assessments were employed in selected and unclear in-patient cases
The same is true of additional neuropsychological tests assessing executive and theory-of-mind capacities
The multi-professional diagnostic team consisted of three experienced senior consultant psychiatrists and two fully qualified senior psychologists
The final diagnosis was made through a consensus of all persons involved in the diagnostic process
which invariably included at least two experienced consultant psychiatrists or psychologists
Study control participants were also assessed clinically
and they completed the AQ and EQ questionnaires
The mean years of schooling was assessed for all participants to determine the general level of intelligence
Patients with relevant medical or neurological diseases aside from depression and anxiety
as well as those with histories of schizophrenia
Patients with ASD and current depressive episodes or anxiety disorders were also excluded
and it is 5–10 times higher than the standard optotype acuity
The Vernier lines had no vertical gap (“abutting condition”)
and the horizontal offset was judged by the participant
whether the top line was to the left or right of the bottom line
the line pair was offset horizontally for each of the 42 presentations per run
The threshold Vernier offset (75% correct) was determined by an adaptive staircase procedure
and the results were obtained as log(arcseconds) of the threshold offset
Freiburg vision test has a 95% limit-of-agreement range of ±0.2 logMAR (Bach, 2007b)
we found a 95% limit-of-agreement test-retest range of ±0.33 logArcsec
The acuity stimuli were presented on a special high-resolution organic light-emitting diode-display (OLED-display) at 57 cm distance
All subjects had a visual acuity greater than 20/25 (=lower than +0.1 logMAR), with appropriate correction at the distance used for visual stimulation (Bach, 2007b)
For stimulation, recording, and analysis, we used the EP2000 system (Bach, 2000)
The stimuli were generated with a resolution of 800 × 600 pixels at a frame rate of 75 Hz in a dimly lit room
They were displayed on a monitor covering a field size of 32° × 27.0° at an observation distance of 57 cm
with a mean stimulus luminance of 45 cd/m2
The patients were refracted as necessary for the observation distance
To ensure appropriate fixation and accommodation
the patients reported digits that appeared at random intervals in place of the fixation target
a sequence of six contrast-reversing (at 12.5 reversals per second) checker-board stimuli with check sizes of 0.51°
were presented with Michelson contrasts of 1
Each contrast level was presented for 10 s before the next contrast was applied; finally
the test returned to the first contrast level
This interleaved sequence was presented until 80 artifact-free trials per contrast (each 0.96 s in length
The interleaved blocking ensured that any sequential effects (e.g.
fatigue) were distributed equally across all contrast values
and further analysis was based on the vector average of each pair of recordings
DTL electrodes (Bach, 2007a; see also www.michaelbach.de/dtl.html)
which were placed at the lower limbus of each eye
were used to record the PERG simultaneously from both eyes
These were referenced to gold cup electrodes at the ipsilateral outer canthi
Subjects were asked to blink infrequently during the recording and to maintain a relaxed pose
Sweeps exceeding ±130 μV were rejected as artifacts
and the number of artifacts per condition was saved with the PERG data
The signals were amplified, filtered (first order 0.5–100 Hz), and digitized at 1 kHz with 16-bit resolution. To prevent temporal aliasing, all timings (e.g., stimulation, analog sampling, and sweep length) were related to the stimulus monitor frame rate (Bach et al., 1997; Bach and Meigen, 1999)
The duration of the recording was approximately 1 h per subject
and the retinal background noises of the two groups were calculated using MANCOVA
The influences of age and medication on our signals were analyzed as covariates in the MANCOVA
Pearson’s rank correlations were used to assess the relationships among visual acuity
A p-value of 0.05 was chosen as the criterion of significance
The present study included 33 individuals with high-functioning ASD
as well as 33 group-matched control subjects
23 subjects took no psychotropic medication
and the remaining 10 took antidepressant medication (i.e.
None of the subjects in the control group were taking any psychotropic medication
There were significant differences in psychometric scores between the two groups (Table 1)
The Vernier acuity was assessed in 22 ASD and 28 control subjects
Summary of demographic and psychometric data
Table 1 summarizes the demographic and psychometric data for all participants
There was no significant difference among the groups in terms of age
the mean age of the control group was lower than that of the ASD group (p = 0.076)
which was why we controlled for age in all subsequent statistical group comparisons
A comparison of the two groups revealed no significant difference for our main outcome measures after correcting for age and medication (Table 2)
Quaid et al. (2002) reported a correlation coefficient between Vernier acuity and optotype acuity of r = 0.8 for normal subjects
we find that r = 0.52 (p < 0.001); for our controls
we find r = 0.55 (p = 0.0025); and for ASD
we find r = 0.57 (p = 0.0057)
roughly half of the variance was common to these two types of acuities; this left room for differential effects between ASD and control
Figure 1 summarizes our main results as a box-plot illustration
[Box-plot details: the median is indicated by the thick horizontal lines
the notches represent a 95% confidence interval for the medians
the box covers the 25–75% percentile range
the “antennas” indicate the range
and the outliers (1.5 times the interquartile distance beyond the quartiles) are indicated by circles.]
When comparing the effects of medication on our outcome measures
we did not find significant differences in the covariate medication in the MANCOVA [visual acuity OD (F = 2.799; p = 0.099)
visual acuity OS (F = 2.036; p = 0.159)
contrast gain (F = 0.084; p = 0.772)
the covariate age had a significant effect on the contrast gain [F = 8.024
p = 0.006; visual acuity OD (F = 5.840
Age had no effect on visual acuity OS (F = 0.774
The correlation between our target measures and the measures for the severity of ASD revealed no significant differences (Figure 2)
Association of AQ with our outcome measures
we compared different measures of psychophysical and electrophysiological early visual information processing
which ranged from visual acuity to retinal contrast perception
between individuals with ASD and control subjects
Neither the psychophysiological visual acuity nor the Vernier hyperacuity differed between the ASD participants and the control subjects
there were no changes in the electrophysiological processing of retinal contrast stimuli with respect to retinal contrast gain or retinal background noise
The retina represents a network of very early visual information processing, with strong modulatory effects from different neurotransmitters. Our negative findings illustrate that the function of the retina is not compromised – at least not in the subgroup of high-functioning subjects with ASD – without evidence for comorbid neuropsychiatric disorders (Tebartz van Elst et al., 2013)
we analyzed a battery of markers of early visual information processing
In comparing our findings with those of previous research in the literature
the focus must be directed separately to the different signals of interest
Retinal background noise. In a recent study on ADHD, we found evidence for an elevated signal-to-noise ratio for the PERG signal in this neurodevelopmental condition, which is also very common in ASD (Hofvander et al., 2009). In addition, a VEP study on children with ASD reported an elevated signal-to-noise ratio and background noise at the level of the occipital cortex (Weinger et al., 2014)
By contrast, in our sample, we did not elicit any change in retinal background noise. Therefore, based on our data (Bubl et al., 2013)
there seems to be some specificity to this signal
it is noteworthy that our ASD patients did not suffer from comorbid ADHD
since we excluded this comorbidity in the clinical interview
some ASD participants scored higher in the CAARS-SL
which we believe results from the fact that the questions in the CAARS also address problems experienced by participants with ASD
Our findings regarding different signals of early vision are further supported by the lack of association between any psychometric scores and our outcome measures
None of the signals of early vision – visual acuity
or retinal background noise – were correlated with the psychometric measures of autistic symptoms
Medication taken by the patients did not predict our outcome measures
This suggests that the medication taken by the patients did not modulate visual acuity
This study has limitations that need to be considered. The patient group presented with a higher mean BDI, which is fairly typical for adults with high-functioning ASD (Hofvander et al., 2009; Riedel et al., 2015)
none of the patients suffered from a clinical diagnosis of acute depression
Some authors suggest that the stimulus distance of the Vernier acuity measurement has special relevance in ASD patients; however, this distance was not varied in this study (Latham et al., 2013). The lines in the Vernier acuity test can either be closely attached or present with a gap between the lines. Latham et al. (2013) found no difference in the abutting Vernier paradigm
though they reported a significant change when the Vernier lines were separated
While the Vernier difference between the ASD group and the controls in this study falls just short of significance
we cannot exclude the possibility that a change in the Vernier paradigm possibly might have resulted in a significant difference between the two groups
In a previous study (Pei et al., 2014)
electrophysiological changes were found at spatial frequencies between 5 and 17 cpd
which are higher than the stimuli used here (our check size of 0.51° corresponds to spatial frequencies of roughly 1.38 cpd)
differences in early visual processing for ASD might appear at other spatial frequencies
We conclude that the clinical observation of a preference for small visual objects is, at a minimum, not linked to those signals that were measured in this study. Visual acuity is widely determined by the optical system of the eye, and especially the density of the photoreceptors. While Vernier hyperacuity is linked to the cortical function, it is still an early perceptual quality (Fahle et al., 1995)
Therefore, our observations support the assumption that changes in visual perception in ASD are organized in higher cortical areas (Kornmeier et al., 2014; Weinger et al., 2014), a notion that might be supported by reports of VEP alterations in response to small stimuli in such patients (Kornmeier et al., 2014; Pei et al., 2014)
Further systematic research will help to pinpoint the precise level of alterations of visual information processing in ASD
which analyze the earliest steps of such neurophysiological processes
this study found no evidence of altered PERG contrast gain
At least with respect to contrast detection
there is no evidence for abnormalities in retinal visual processing in persons with ASD with normal intelligence
The ability to perceive distinct details in ASD must be organized in higher visual circuits
and EB contributed to the article in the conception
and revising it critically for important intellectual content
In giving final approval of the version to be published
they are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved
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Introducing the all-new Astronomy.com Forum! Become a part of our Community! >> Visit Now
Usually this isn’t a problem — a galaxy is not a moon
Woody Allen once spoke of a mythological creature that had “the head of a lion
though not the same lion.” We laugh because we know exactly how actual animals are sorted out
This explains why astronomers are so nonplussed by an object discovered in 1979 that seems to be both a comet and an asteroid
Comets are chunks of water ice a few miles wide with dusty debris mixed in
This is why the late American astronomer Fred Whipple famously called them “dirty snowballs.” They mostly live far beyond Pluto
in either the Kuiper Belt or the more distant Oort Cloud
Gravitational interactions periodically send a few comets inward toward the Sun
where the gravity of Jupiter or other planets further alters their orbits
Their highly elliptical paths carry them close enough to the Sun to gradually destroy the ice
Since ice cannot melt into liquid form in the vacuum of space
along with tiny solids freed when the ice sublimates
gets pushed away from the Sun by our star’s solar wind of fast-moving particles
a tail — every comet’s most photogenic feature
Each time the comet passes perihelion (its nearest point to the Sun)
Such continual mass-loss eventually destroys every comet
which is why it’s so hard for them to get insurance
Asteroids are left over from the solar system’s birth — the debris that never glommed together to form a planet
thanks to the fierce jovian gravity near where they orbit
Meteorites — pieces of stone or metal that reach our planet’s surface — are almost always asteroid fragments
They whiz through the sky to create meteor showers
but their fragile ice never survives a trip through our atmosphere
comets and asteroids are totally different
this explains why nobody paid much attention to asteroid number 7968
which lives in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter
until the object approached its orbital perihelion in 1996
Elst and Guido Pizarro clearly revealed it had a comet’s tail
During its next perihelion passage in late 2001
the cometary tail materialized once again — and lasted for months
Was this a comet that had somehow wandered into the wrong place
astronomers gave this entity a comet designation
The “P” means it’s periodic and not some one-shot comet like Hale-Bopp
it also kept its asteroid label as 7968 Elst-Pizarro
Four other cross-dressing celestial objects have contradictory labels
Asteroid Vesta orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter just like Elst-Pizarro — but without the identity confusion
astronomers assumed Elst-Pizarro was indeed an asteroid that had merely suffered a collision with another one
They even located the most likely candidate to have smashed into it: asteroid 427 Galene
But that long dust trail displayed changes in both structure and brightness over time
it hardly keeps altering its appearance for 5 months
light-curve studies of Elst-Pizarro show that it spins rapidly
and that its shed dust particles are the same size as those in cigarette smoke — extremely fine
This made less and less sense by the minute
Elst-Pizarro is a mass-losing body and therefore deserves its comet name
The first says that 133P/Elst-Pizarro is indeed a comet
but one that is barely active because Jupiter captured it and flung it into its present location among the asteroids like a double agent
Its asteroid-like position and orbit are just coincidences
The second explanation insists that 7968 Elst-Pizarro is a true asteroid of the main asteroid belt family
and that a recent collision unburied ice that had been lurking deep within it
Now it will generate a cometary tail at each perihelion passage until all the newly excavated ice is gone
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Public awareness of the impact of cancer can mean that society becomes more aware of its social costs
parenting that goes awry because a parent dies with all the financial consequences that entails
preventing cancer can alleviate the cost to society
This too should be a recurring theme on World Cancer Day."
"Immunotherapy in particular has done a lot for melanoma patients
Some people regain a positive outlook for the future as a result
On the one hand because the disease stays away more often thanks to these therapies
on the other hand because the disease is better controlled if it spreads
I was able to experience this very closely
I was the first in the Netherlands to qualify for immunotherapy for stage 3 melanoma in an experimental study setting
these developments also have a downside: how does society keep up with all these developments and how do we keep the cost for society under control
In other words: how do we ensure that everyone who needs these new therapies has access to them
It is not easy for many to stand up for themselves in this complex world: I am genuinely concerned about this
While I have full faith in science and the industry
sometimes I think more attention should be paid to the practical side
Think of the ignorance that prevails among many people about the topic of 'second opinions'
these practical matters are set too casually and too many people fall between two stools as a result."
The information posted on this website is intended for residents of the Netherlands
You can contact our EU Data Protection Officer at EUDPO@BMS.com to exercise any data protection rights you may have and to raise any concerns or questions about Bristol Myers Squibb's processing of your Personal Data
all images courtesy of carsten in der elst
the ‘shotcrete chair’ in the production site
the collection includes a chair made using offcuts from a stone quarry and sidetables formed using the waste material from an industrial forge
carsten in der elst explores alternative uses of what was once considered waste
and the outcome is a series of creative and beautifully raw pieces.
the concrete was shot on a substructure made of wooden offcuts and chickenwire
carsten in der elst visited different production sites
which he has documented in the images here. the resources of these locations were examined and utilized to design furniture and home objects
the byproducts and circumstances in the collaborating companies dictated the scope of each design
resulting in unique pieces. during the project
these materials become objects with a story worth telling
the following documentation portrays the origin and atmosphere from which the product was brought to life
the ‘grauwacke chair’ is made using offcut material from a stone quarry and manufacturer
video of the ‘grauwacke chair’ being made
‘returned objects’ one & two created from bringing disregarded products together
during the serial production of wood turn-products
the ‘forged sidetables’ are made with a force of 10000 kg – they weight around 50kg each
while creating industrial parts for ship engines
wax furniture is made from byproduct wax that is usually sold to a pitch torch factory
foam seats are made from the byproducts of the mattress industry
after assembling layers and cutting the (re-)built block of foam into seating objects
‘aluminum skin bench’ is made from byproducts of the aluminum industry
big blocks of aluminum have a bumpy skin from the pouring process – before precise milling processes
see the full collection of pieces from the HEAVY DUTY collection here below:
design: carsten in der elst
designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function
but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style
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Jean Eric Van Der Elst has been playing rugby since he was 7 years old
The Florida Institute of Technology senior who is majoring in aerospace engineering learned the game while living in different locations internationally
Now he has the honor of being selected for inclusion on the 12-man Florida Sevens Select Side team that will compete in the Las Vegas Invitational Sevens from March 1-3
“It’s the largest rugby tournament in North America,” said Van Der Elst’s father
Jean Marie Van Der Elst. “Jean Eric has followed Sevens rugby since a very young age in South Africa and Spain where he played the game competitively
He looks forward to competing at this high level of rugby.”
Jean Eric Van Der Elst serves as the president of the FIT Rugby Club
He will represent Florida in the Las Vegas tournament along with two others from Brevard: Dewayne Parks and Sean Prugger
Van Der Elst has played for the Brevard Rugby Club (not affiliated with FIT) for the past four years
The Las Vegas Invitational is considered the premier amateur rugby event in the United States
featuring athletes and match-ups across a wide-range of rugby divisions and age groups
with the expectation of more for 2018 with an expansion of teams playing in multiple competitive divisions for men
The games will be held on 25 different fields
Team Florida will be playing alongside the USA Sevens International 7's Rugby tournament in Las Vegas
“He’s very grateful and excited for the opportunity to represent Florida state rugby,” the elder Van Der Elst said
“He feels that the tournament will be an experience of a lifetime and will allow him to learn about and embrace a new type of rugby culture.”
A candidate standing in the Douglas South election says he would like to see the weekly bin collections reinstated if elected to the board.
claims the council should be run like a 'utility' to prevent overspending on 'vanity projects'.
he would support a rate freeze for two years and carry out a review into all of the local authority's finances.
Local Democracy Reporter Emma Draper has been speaking to him:
Mark Elst is an architectural and interiors photographer from Holland currently living and working in France
Mark works for architects all around the region
This gorgeous project — a contemporary villa — was a collaboration between South African firm SAOTA Architects and K Interiors
Mark shares that the project spanned three days of shooting but has been months in the making
“The goal was to capture the property as a whole but not to show the location too much,” he tells
relaying that the homeowners relish their privacy
“Another important aspect was to bring life to the pictures,” he explains
“I wanted to share the feeling that you can actually live there
This is sometimes very difficult to achieve when you have a 25+ meter pool and more than a dozen sun loungers installed
the house has so many facades that it’s difficult to make it understandable if you look at a series of photos of it.”
Mark’s tactic was to break the house down into visual chunks
the depth and complexities of the structures without getting lost or overwhelmed
my brain just powers off instead of trying to figure it out
That’s why this next image is so powerful to me
The variation in the facade is broken down into bite-size shapes that we can understand
we are met by almost a completely different-looking structure
Mark’s method of sharing this home with us works perfectly
trying to connect rooms and wings and structures
we can just take the time to enjoy this scene
Beautiful light streams through the wooden beams acting as a brise-soleil
Great leading lines create a rhythm and repetition that is enhanced by this one-point perspective
The lines and shadows create a new sense of dimensionality and complexity
Mark gives us a look at what it was like to be at this project
He tells “I had scouted the place twice before actually photographing the property
This has been a half year before the shoot and another time a few months before the shoot
This was to get a general idea about the place
to try out some compositions (with my iPhone)
and to see how the light moves around the building as I am a 100% pure natural light photographer
During both scout runs there were at least 30 people working all at once at different things
It was really megalomaniac and the largest house I have photographed so far
I arrived the night before and stayed in a house next door where the caretakers live
The next morning began 3 full days of photography — waking up before sunrise until sunset
I photographed the spaces where the sun wouldn’t enter or I took a break
K Interiors and K Architects bought a usage license but also other parties connected to the project bought some photos like the carpenter
The soft directional light really lends its self well to this quiet and contemplative interior
the patterns cast by the sun create movement
Mark explained to me that to bring a level of humanity and life to his photographs of this massive home
he knew he needed to bring a lot of light into the building
He shares “I avoided photographing too wide
I had used the 50MM TS-E many times for this shoot to capture more graphic moody photos to show the quality of the house and show detailed shots that you can connect with
you can’t deny the ‘big shots’ so they are definitely there.”
As we move back outside gorgeous golden light washes over the image
A figure on the balcony gives scale and life — something that Mark wanted to be sure these images had
I love the light on the landscaping and the texture it pulls out
Seeing this home in a bit more of its context is wonderful
See more of Mark’s work at markelst.com and on Instagram @markelstphoto
If you have a project you’d like to be considered for Project of the Week, you can submit it here.
Correction: This story previously misidentified the neighborhood in which Elst Brewing Company is located
The owners of the recently established Elst Brewing Company have quite a few things in common
they share an interest in technology — a field they incorporate into their brewing
Three of them also share the same neighborhood
They consider each other good neighbors and friends
Now, they are looking to expand that neighborly love to North Knoxville — the future home of the Elstwhere tasting room.
which currently focuses on distributing out of its Central Avenue facility to beer joints in Knoxville
plans to open its own tasting room next door around the beginning of 2019
"We like that one side can be focused on making beer and the other side focused on enjoying beer," said part-owner Dan Leonard
"It was something we've always dreamed about doing."
began brewing their first batches of Elst beer in October
before brewing big, crafted batches on a pilot system built by the tech-savvy Hall.
Todd said their technology and science background will come in handy on the pilot system when looking to experiment with "big flavors" — a quality of their beer they hope to be known by.
People are already starting to recognize the beer around town
as it can be found at Central Flats and Taps
and multiple other locations throughout Knoxville.
"We're focusing on our favorite places," Todd said
"If we can get to 15 places in the next couple months
Reaching that goal obviously requires big gear
which the team has in the form of two 10-barrel fermentation vessels and one 20-barrel vessel
Elst can produce about 20 kegs of beer from each 10-barrel.
Those beers include their hoppy blonde
Belgian chocolate stout and milkshake pale wheat.
the crew will continue brewing new beers on the pilot system
The results will be brought to the tasting room
where guests can try it and provide feedback to help the owners decide whether they want to brew a large batch.
Todd said the owners have decided to take advantage of the "punnable" Elst name with the new tap room
The owners said they decided on the name Elst after finding the word's origins are related to the sanctuary part of a monastery
The manufacturing side is a sanctuary for brewers
while the tasting room will be a sanctuary for guests.
The owners have not worked out all of the details for Elstwhere
but they plan on having glass doors in the front and a garage door on the back that will open up into a yard.
"It almost has that French Quarter vibe to it with a new industrial space feel to it," Todd said
"We're really excited to join the (neigborhood’s) revitalization effort for sure
and it's fun to be part of something making a comeback."
The tasting room will be about 2,000 square feet and will have 16 taps
Elstwhere also will serve cold-brew coffee and their original sodas.
"Everyone is kind of their own person and does their own unique thing," he said
we have our own culture and our own vibe with a focus on great-tasting beers.”
The owners do not plan on the brewery becoming a restaurant
and Steamboat on Central is located just next door.
Tentative hours for the tasting room would be from noon until 10 p.m. — maybe a little later on the weekend. The owners would like to open the tasting room in the early months of 2019
They also plan to be bottling and canning by the new year.
In addition to distribution and on-site tasting
Elst will have space for small events and offer tours.
These tours will allow people to see some of the technology they use to make beer
including their own yeast propagation and grain-to-glass data tracking.
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Then-Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst last August
Tebartz-van Elst spent lavishly on renovations at his residence and allegedly made false statements about expensive travel costs
The more than $40 million he allowed to be spent on renovations at his residence and allegations that he lied about some of his other lavish spending have now officially cost the "bishop of bling" his job
The Vatican announced Wednesday that it has accepted the resignation of Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst
It was last October when the Vatican suspended Tebartz-van Elst
following reports about $475,000 that was spent on walk-in closets
$20,000 for a bathtub and other expenditures that drove the cost of what was supposed to be a $7.5 million or so renovation to nearly six times that figure
As Agence France-Presse adds
"he had also come under fire for lying under oath about flying first class to visit slum dwellers in India."
News accounts about Tebartz-van Elst's spending led to his less than flattering "bishop of bling" nickname. As Reuters notes
the stories came at a particularly sensitive time — "Pope Francis has been urging Church officials around the world to be more austere and live simple lives in order to be closer to the poor."
Plans are being made to turn the residence into a refuge for the poor and homeless
When stories of Tebartz-van Elst's spending surfaced in Germany last year, "public indignation was vast in the country where Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago over what he called the abuses and excesses of the Catholic Church," NPR's Sylvia Poggioli
She adds that the news also came "at a time of growing opposition among German Catholics to an obligatory church tax and while Pope Francis has been urging church officials to live simple lives closer to the poor."
According to Reuters:
is still 21 years away from official retirement age in the church
He will retain the title and rank of bishop but the Vatican will probably want to put him in a low-profile job somewhere."
Become an NPR sponsor
both of which I’ve recently profiled
in an adjoined building that is serving as an anchor in the area’s emerging new development
The new company is the product of four partners
craft beer and brewing emerged as a dominant theme
Chris Hall and Dan also worked together at Scripps
so they knew each other before becoming neighbors
The group had some experience and background that lent itself to the new enterprise: Chris Sexton
while working full time as an engineer in New Mexico
had been asked to head brewing operations at a brew pub and had done so
Dan had been home-brewing for over a decade and pulled Chris Hall into it
After talking in vague terms for several years about the “dream” of opening a brewery
the group grew serious and decided they would pursue it
A first step was Dan’s decision to complete beer school at South College
The three became four when Chris Sexton moved into the neighborhood with his background experience
He was the missing piece and the plan was set in motion
The company was formalized as an LLC in early 2016 and the group began the long search for a building
but didn’t feel comfortable with that
they quickly zeroed in on the North Central area because it is growing
they also traveled to regional breweries learning more about setting up a business and a space
They’d talked to John Sanders about another building when this one (which is really a row of buildings) came on the radar
John already owned the portion of the building where Steamboat has resurrected
The largest section of the building was owned and occupied by Tennessee Roofing Company
A deal was struck in which Loch and Key purchased their section
Elst purchased their section and John purchased a section that will be leased to Elst
The size was a perfect fit and the layout also met their needs
to get the necessary approvals and inspections
A facade grant was awarded and the new facade
will move that section of the building further back from the sidewalk to its original position
Sanders Pace Architecture did the architectural work
with Cameron Boling as architect of record
he took special pride in doing it well for his neighborhood
Holston Construction Services did the build-out
The group wanted a unique name for the brewery and after long discussions
had the same roots as the word “sanctuary.” They liked the idea of their beer being a sanctuary from the every day world
They also enjoyed the various puns and plays they could make on the word and their tasting room will be named “Elstwhere.”
The final certificate of occupancy was awarded a few weeks ago and production started in September
They are producing a range of beers with an eye toward big flavor brews
a Vanilla Milkshake Ale and also Belgian Style beers
the latter of which is their personal favorite
They are using an “Inverted tracking process,” or as Shane puts it
“from grain to glass.” They grind their own grain
feeling it’s fresher that way and use a process called
“step mashing.” The equipment they use was custom-made to match the process they wanted to use
They will distribute their beer to many of the craft beer spots you might expect
starting with Casual Pint and Central Flats and taps
They will have an on-site private tasting room at first while construction continues on the facade and on the public tasting room which will follow
They hope to have the public tasting room open in early 2019
Long term plans include some bottling and canning
They want to have product that customers in the tasting room can take home
They sized the production side to be able to ramp up production as demand from distribution increases
They hope to have small batch bottles and sixteen ounce cans available in the near future
In the meantime, look for their beer to begin appearing at a craft beer watering hole near you and you can follow their progress on their Facebook Page (Give them a Like!), as well as their website
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Global investment platform Cathay Capital reinforces its commitment to ESG and Impact by creating the role of Chief Impact Officer
The new role will be led by Matthieu van der Elst
who joins Cathay with an exceptional track record in developing sustainable innovative technologies and business models as former CEO of Michelin Ventures
Cathay Capital – a pioneering global investment platform focused on helping companies at all stages navigate the opportunities of globalization and sustainable transformation across the world – continues to reinvent itself and to address new challenges with the appointment of Matthieu van der Elst as Chief Impact Officer
Matthieu van der Elst joins Cathay as part of an integrated entrepreneurial project aimed at assessing
consolidating and developing Cathay Capital’s ESG footprint and impact strategy
as a firm and in cooperation with its portfolio companies
The global role covers all geographies in which the Cathay Capital group operates including North America
said: “Cathay Capital’s fundamental value is to be useful stewards to our ecosystem and society as a whole
While impact has always been core to who we are as an active investor across four continents
it’s critical to ensure we are contributing to sustaining solutions to the world’s pressing challenges from climate change and scarcity of resources to social equity and inclusion
We are honored by Matthieu’s choice to join our team to help address these challenges and drive positive change
which will further reinforce Cathay’s usefulness.”
added: “Having worked with Cathay as CEO of Michelin Ventures and an active LP in Cathay Innovation’s fund
I’ll be joining a team I know well and which already has a fantastic track record in investing in companies that stand out for their sustainable growth potential
I’m looking forward to working together with the team
to accelerate the digitization and scale-up of GreenTech and Circular Economy companies
Cathay is a unique platform to reach innovative positive impact
said: “At a time when digitalization is accelerating and achieving scale
venture capital and the wider investment landscape must now adopt a framework that integrates risk
The transition to a sustainable economy and societal change is challenging us all to scale tech-enabled solutions faster
we are very pleased to welcome Matthieu to the Cathay team to lead this innovation initiative and tackle these opportunities and challenges head-on.”
Matthieu van der Elst was CEO of Michelin Ventures
the Venture Capital arm for the Michelin Group
which he founded in 2015 with the goal of identifying
understanding and supporting startups developing sustainable innovative technologies and new business models in the materials and mobility arena
Matthieu joined the Michelin Group in 2008 to head several functions throughout France
always with a focus on strategy and innovation
He graduated from the ISC Business School in Paris
Cathay Capital Group is a global investment firm supporting companies at all stages throughout North America
By helping navigate the opportunities of globalization and sustainable transformation
Cathay is the partner of choice for companies aspiring to lead markets and make a positive impact
Its global platform connects people – from investors and entrepreneurs to management teams and leading corporations – across continents to share knowledge
Founded in 2007 with a strong entrepreneurial heritage
Cathay Capital now manages nearly $4B in assets
growth and venture capital investments with the global reach and local expertise from offices in Paris
For more information, please visit www.cathaycapital.com
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Cathay Innovation is a global venture capital partnership
created in affiliation with Cathay Capital
investing in startups at the center of digital revolution across North America
Its global platform unifies technology investment across continents
entrepreneurs and leading corporations to accelerate startup growth with access to new markets
invaluable industry knowledge and introductions to potential partners from the start
As a multistage fund with over $1.5 billion assets under management and offices across San Francisco
Cathay Innovation partners with visionary entrepreneurs and startups positively impacting the world through technology
To learn more, please visit www.cathayinnovation.com or follow us on Twitter @Cathayinnov
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Last October, Elst Brewing Company opened at 2419 North Central bringing their version of local craft beer just beyond Happy Holler out from downtown
they opened Elstwhere Tasting Room to the public
but that might be expected as people have been enjoying their beer at various locations on Central
downtown and in south and west Knoxville since last year
Matt Turner (who you may know from his time at Tomato Head
or as a current co-owner at Steamboat Sandwiches) has been hired as bar manager
Seating has been set around 90 and more seating will be added as picnic tables are being brought for the rear patio
The group joined forces with Oakwood BBQ Truck last Wednesday night and that looks to be a winning combination that will be repeated Sundays and maybe Tuesdays going forward
ten of which are currently filled with Elst beers
Plans call for having only their beers and introducing new brews as they come available
Some beers will be “taproom exclusives,” meaning they can only be found at Elst and when they are gone
Those two currently include the Spiced American Wheat and the Double Down DIPA
Rumor has it that this weekend will see the advent of a Keylime Pie Flavored Ale
The intention from the beginning was for the tasting room to serve as a comfortable gathering spot for the Oakwood/Lincoln Park neighborhoods
as well as attracting craft beer lovers from all around
Shane Todd said that feeling was definitely present last week as “neighbors ran into neighbors when they hadn’t planned to meet” in the tasting room
The tasting room features bright yellows in multiple directions in the seating
There is also a small raised area at the back of the room which may serve any of a number of purposes
Shane suggested it might simply be a cozy area for soft seating or it could be used as a stage for comedy or acoustic music
Steamboat will soon be extending their weekend hours to more closely align with Elst so sandwiches are readily available
Once the picnic tables are available out back (the patio will eventually be a beer garden)
guests may enjoy that space with food and drink from both locations
Chris Hall and Todd said they are happy for patrons to bring in food from Steamboat
Nora Pizzeria just down the street or anywhere else they so choose
There is also a small space adjacent to the tasting room, which is available for private events. Details are still being worked out, but contact information if you are interested may be found on the Elst Brewing Company website
Expect a Grand Opening event the first weekend in August
but Elstwhere is open for business now and operating at its full schedule
which is 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM Monday through Wednesday
Noon to 10:00 PM Thursday through Saturday and Noon to 8:00 PM on Sunday
They said they will be sensitive to their guests and if a crowd is present at closing time
but they want to be sensitive to the neighborhood
Give them a “like” on their FB page (they need 186 to reach 1000) and get by
have a beer and support this fine new local business
I don’t think the link to their fb Page is working
It works for me and lots of people have followed it
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A two-month investigation led to the exhibition 'Soft Works', which explored ‘softness’ in various forms
by Anushka SharmaPublished on : Jul 11
the collection let the viewers embark on a journey that stimulated their senses through the soft tactility of materials like cork
“Since I’m not specialised in any material
I like to explore different ones in each project,” says Carsten in der Elst
“I planned to provide my service to Tableau as a material investigator,” he adds
“The overall simplicity of the concept is something I truly enjoy
It is accessible and tangible,” shares Carsten
a quite complex relationship between the objects can be revealed,” he points out
Conceived as an initiated goal of widening Tableau’s index of industrial materials when setting the work process in motion and fuelled by awareness and scrutiny
Carsten’s collection took the form of an experiment of a rather odd material selection with an intention to stimulate the senses
the designer detoured from the traditional upholstery processes and paid increased attention to soft matter
By exploring a variety of techniques and expressions within the production
the designs called attention to the materiality they possessed
“Softness in furniture design is usually linked to comfort and contact
Traditional upholstery techniques serve those aspects and I aimed to approach these themes from another perspective though,” says Carsten
Among the designs that were displayed at Tableau, was the compelling Aluskin Sofa, which has soft seats made from polyurethane enveloped by an aluminium frame. Foam Seat, a large armchair on wheels also utilises polyurethane foam
an industrial byproduct from a mattress factory
the spongy chair was dressed in a polyurethane coating
The Wax Lights were a composition of steel and moulded paraffine wax cover
whereas the Accession Chair brings together steel and natural latex tubes
The intricate formation of the Silicone Dome involved a surface covered with innumerable silicone dots
revealing the stool’s grainy texture
Talking about accomplishing his target of engaging with the viewer’s senses triggered by his designs
Carsten in der Elst mentions that he observed guests squeezing
stroking and even smelling one object after the other
The conspicuous differences in the collection of materials and their respective processes were counterbalanced by the matchable marks of production that interlinked the objects
broken cork edges morph into rubber granulate silhouettes and bulky foam masses transmute into collapsing wax blocks
All of these components amalgamated into one harmonious entity when experiencing the full exhibition of Soft Works
Chelsea transfer policy has been slammed by former Belgian international
The former Belgian star believes that what the Blues are doing in the transfer market is unheard of
Van der Elst is not happy with the Premier League giants’ decision to sign KRC Genk goalkeeper
The 19-year-old goalkeeper is on his way to west London after the Blues agreed a €20m deal with the Belgian club
Chelsea are not lacking in the goalkeeping department
having signed Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal this summer
There are also Robert Sanchez and Kepa Arrizabalaga in their roster
“To read right after his first official match for Genk that he is on his way to Chelsea – and for such an amount – that is shocking
“(This sort of transfer activity is) unprecedented
buying and then hoping that one of the many transfers will pay off – I really do not think is good for football,” said Van der Elst
They just paid €25 million euros for Filip Jorgensen
who is also a young goalkeeper three years older than Penders and has already played for Villarreal’s first team for a season
So he will definitely have priority in the near future.”
Ancelotti reveals when Mbappe will make his Real Madrid debut
Transfer: Osimhen ‘not excited’ by Chelsea move
EPL: Keane hands Maresca one key signing to make for Chelsea this summer
EPL: Joy to watch – Gary Neville names best player after Chelsea beat Liverpool
Owen tells Slot to replace Liverpool star after Chelsea defeat
Neville identify one player that makes Chelsea better team
EPL: Why Chelsea beat us 3-1 – Liverpool manager
EPL: He’s a machine – Cole Palmer picks Chelsea’s best player this season
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Please keep an eye out for our next News & Brews!**
Want to step behind the scenes of Elst Brewing Co.'s new taproom and get a taste of how the craft beer is brewed
Knox News is teaming up with New2Knox — a local organization that embraces new residents and highlights new developments and initiatives across Knoxville — to give you an exclusive look at the city's newest brewery
Elst's taproom, at 2419 North Central St.
recently made its debut but won't hold its grand opening until August
Through Brews & News ft. New2Knox on July 18
community residents can be among the first to step inside the venue and tour just about every inch of its space
Reserve your free ticket here.
Brews & News is an event series Knox News launched last year that invites the public to local craft breweries to meet reporters and share their story ideas
Past events have included Q&A sessions with Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and Knox News Executive Editor Joel Christopher
July's event will be headlined by Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero
whose term will end at the close of the year
Rogero will highlight what's new across Knoxville and what efforts she's propelled during her eight years of leadership to make the city an attractive place for residents
Spots for the event are limited to the first 100 people 21 and older
with Rogero taking the stage for a Q&A shortly after 6 p.m
The $20,000 bathtub and $482,000 walk-in closets ordered by “Bishop Bling-Bling” — the moniker of Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst
the now-suspended bishop of Limburg — have scandalized the German public
As the new pontiff tries to reform the way the church does business
which reportedly include the world’s wealthiest in Cologne
are chafing under the new direction as membership numbers continue to dwindle
“Tebartz-van Elst is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Christian Weisner
spokesman for the German branch of We Are Church
an organization advocating Catholic Church reform
“There is a real clash of cultures between Germany’s current cardinals and bishops — nominated under John Paul II or Benedict XVI — and Pope Francis.”
Francis has repeatedly urged the church to strip itself of all “vanity
and pride” and humbly serve the poorest in society
priests living in luxury are no longer merely unseemly
even as Francis drives around Vatican City in a 20-year-old white Renault clunker gifted by an Italian priest
the head of the German Bishops’ Conference
balked at the idea of giving up his company car
it is the office I use when I am traveling,” Zollitsch said at a press event in early October
most of the church’s top officials drive high-powered Mercedes
Other German clergymen have been chastised for lavish expenditures
Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich’s archdiocese spent around $11 million renovating the archbishop’s residence and another $13 million for a guesthouse in Rome
those luxuries pale in comparison to the current case surrounding Tebartz-van Elst and the renovation of his residence in Limburg
the refurbishment of the estate’s 10 buildings had been slated to cost $7.5 million but it ballooned to almost six times that amount because of extravagances such as expensive fixtures
who specializes on church finances in Germany
said German bishops’ reluctance to follow Francis’ new course is no surprise
“The German Catholic Church is one of the country’s wealthiest and largest organizations and its top officials expect a certain lifestyle,” said Frerk
who has published two books on the German churches’ wealth and what he describes as their opaque financing
“But they are wary of the extent of their wealth becoming broadly known because it might lead to fewer donations.”
There are 23 million German Catholics who have declared their faith and by law must pay 8 to 10 percent of their incomes to their respective churches
That brought the Catholic Church $7.1 billion in tax revenue in 2012
Since the secularization process instigated by Napoleon in the early 19th century
the state also pays the Protestant and Catholic churches an annual allowance as compensation
which yielded a combined total of about $12 million for the Christian groups in 2012
But the 27 Catholic dioceses in Germany have a large number of assets
religious affairs analyst for German broadcaster Deutsche Welle
the diocese of Cologne is richer than the Vatican
the case of Tebartz-van Elst has focused the spotlight on the church’s opaque financing
25 of Germany’s 27 dioceses refused to supply the newsweekly Der Spiegel with information on their budgets and assets
and Munster — have made their financial figures public
There are advantages to the German church’s wealth
theologian and professor at the Massachusetts-based College of the Holy Cross
the church could not support projects in developing countries
It is important to show congregations that clergy are not the arrogant
aloof spiritual advisers that many German Catholics believe they have become
after the spending on the renovations came to light
petitions for Tebartz-van Elst to step down circulated
And even though he flew to Rome for an audience with the pope on a budget flight rather than the first-class fare
many say such a gesture was too little too late
Now the question remains to what extent the traditional German church can keep step with Pope Francis’ reforms and whether their efforts could put a stop to their bleeding membership rolls — predicted to reduce Christians to a minority within Germany in the next 20 years
181,000 left the church after the sexual abuse scandals involving German priests were made public
Another 126,000 in 2011 and 118,000 in 2012 followed suit
“I think this conflict surrounding Tebartz-van Elst
will be one of the defining moments for the future course of the Catholic Church,” Weisner said
“This is a historic moment in time and a unique chance for renewal.”
Nele Mailin Obermueller and Jabeen Bhatti write for Religion News Service. Via RNS
Sumi Somaskanda contributed to this story from Berlin
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