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Buy:$15.00
Stability of Essential Drugs in the Field: Results of a Study Conducted over a Two-Year Period in Burkina Faso
F. Ballereau, T. Prazuck, I. Schrive, M. T. Lafleuriel, D. Rozec, A. Fisch, C. Lafaix
Affiliations: 1 World Health Organization Collaborative Center for the Study of Stability of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nantes, France; Groupe d'Etudes Epidemiologiques et Prophylactiques, Villeneuve Saint-Georges, France
Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 57, Issue 1, 1 Jul 1997, p. 31 - 36
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.1997.57.31
To evaluate the stability of essential drugs stored in realistic tropical conditions, we have carried out a two-year prospective study in western Burkina Faso. Twenty-seven essential drugs were stored in a rural site and a urban one where temperature and hygrometry were recorded daily. Samples of each drug were taken for further analysis to the World Health Organization Collaborative Center for the Study of Stability of Drugs in Nantes, France every three months. Quantitative analysis showed that the majority of samples suffered no significant loss of their active ingredient. In contrast, ampicillin, erythromycin, sulfaguanidine, injectable furosemide, penicillin G, trimethoprim, and chloroquine showed more than a 10% quantitative loss of their active ingredient. Thus, it is not recommended that these essential drugs be stored for more than one year in a tropical climate.
Copyright © 1997 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
/content/journals/10.4269/ajtmh.1997.57.31
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.4269/ajtmh.1997.57.31
10.4269/ajtmh.1997.57.31
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Back to Officials Back to Test12
Name: Abbey, Bob
Current Position: Former Director
Confirmed on August 6, 2009, President Obama’s Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a twenty-five year veteran of the agency who was put forward for the position by Democratic Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the powerful Senate Majority Leader. Although his nomination was stalled by Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, who was pressuring the administration to support a controversial copper mine proposed for a national forest in his state, McCain eventually relented.
Born circa 1951 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Abbey is a 1969 graduate of Clarksdale High School. He went on to earn a B.S. in Resource Management from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1973.
Abbey spent more than 32 years in public service, working with state and federal land management agencies before retiring from the federal government in July 2005. Straight out of college, Abbey took a job with the Mississippi State Park system, where he worked for more than four years before accepting a position with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi. In that job, he first interacted with the BLM, to which he soon applied for a job. Abbey was hired by BLM in 1980 for a position in its Casper, Wyoming, field office. Between 1980 and 1992, Abbey worked there, moving on to positions as assistant district manager in Yuma, Arizona and as budget analyst in Washington, D.C. In 1992, Abbey was promoted to head of the Jackson, Mississippi, field office, where he remained into 1995, when he was named acting state BLM director in Colorado, where he served from 1995 through 1997. From 1997 to 2005, Abbey served as the Nevada State Director for BLM, providing oversight for 48 million acres of public land managed by the bureau in the state. He oversaw a staff of 750 employees and managed an annual budget of $51 million. While in Nevada, Abbey was the principal BLM proponent for the Great Basin Restoration Initiative, a plan to restore North America’s largest desert to its original state by removing invasive plant species and making other changes. One anti-environmental stain on Abbey’s record, which no one raised during his confirmation process, was a federal administrative law judge ruling that Abbey had, in October 2004, illegally dismissed a manager overseeing the cleanup of an abandoned copper mine for pursuing worker safety, radiation, and air and water pollution violations. The decision was affirmed on appeal.
Abbey retired in July 2005, after which he became a partner in a private consulting firm called Abbey, Stubbs, & Ford, LLC, which had offices in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada. He also served as a member of the University of Nevada College of Agriculture Dean’s Advisory Committee and as a board member on several statewide and national non-profit organizations, including Friends of Nevada Wilderness. His post-retirement criticism of the environmental damage caused by off-road vehicles stirred the ire of some who advocate such activities on public land.
Abbey and his wife Linda have been married for 32 years and currently reside in Reno, Nevada. They have one daughter, Leigh.
Testimony Before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Off-Highway Vehicle Group Expresses Concern Over Obama BLM Pick
Statement of Robert Abbey to House Committee on Natural Resources (PDF)
Dixon v. BLM, Recommended Decision and Order (PDF)
Nothing Positive in Mining Bill (op-ed by Bob Abbey)
Nevada BLM Cleans Out Cleanup Project Manager (by Laura Paskus, High Country News)
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Jordan ‘moving in the right direction’ but reforms moving more slowly than planned
Jordan is “moving in the right direction”, though reforms are advancing more slowly than planned, according to PACE’s Political Affairs Committee.
In an assessment made almost two years after the Jordanian Parliament was granted “Partner for democracy” status, the committee urged the parliament to intervene with the authorities to stop executions and reinstate a moratorium pending the abolition of the death penalty in Jordan.
Approving a report by Josette Durrieu (France, SOC), the committee also urged, among other things, that revision of the criminal code be stepped up, notably with a view to abolishing discrimination against women.
“The Assembly should definitely not abandon Jordan at this difficult time, but continue to support it as it moves towards the democracy to which it aspires and the rule of law which it is patiently building,” the committee said in a draft resolution.
Adopted report
17/12/2019 | Political Affairs and Democracy
‘What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic’
Democracy hacked?
Setting minimum standards for electoral systems to ensure free and fair elections
Committee sets out detail of a “complementary joint procedure” when a state violates its obligations
Rapporteurs welcome EU’s renewed commitment to EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights
‘Darker side’ of AI beginning to emerge, warns rapporteur
Rapporteur urges Turkey to refrain from military intervention in northern Syria
AI will be a determining factor for the future of humanity, committee hearing is told
Tiny Kox: ‘EU accession to the Convention is at the forefront of the Assembly’s political dialogue with Brussels’
Jacques Maire: “Intensifying the parliamentary dialogue with Algeria is needed more than ever”
Strengthening co-operation with the UN in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
The creation of a Constitutional Committee is indispensable for the political transition towards peace and stability in Syria
Is the EBRD’s model of promoting democracy through investment having any effect?
New guidelines for fair referendums
A PACE delegation at the UN ponders how to uphold common values in challenging times
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What Do Evolutionists Think About Theistic Evolution?
by Trevor Major, M.Sc., M.A.
Creationists—those of us who believe that God created everything in six days—are definitely in the minority. The good news, however, is that there are far fewer evolutionists—those people who believe that God had nothing to do with the origin of this Universe or the life in it. In the middle lies a sizable number of theistic evolutionists—people who think that God may have used evolution in some way. Of course, there are shades of belief across this whole spectrum.
But how do evolutionists view these people on the middle ground? There seem to be two main responses. One view sees theistic evolutionists as allies, or at least gives them credit for believing that nature played a big part in origins. Indeed, a common tactic among dedicated anti-creationists is to paint us as naive, ignorant fundamentalists (a label of derision the “political correctness” movement is happy to leave alone). They implore us to learn from prominent theologians and follow mainstream denominations in rejecting a literal interpretation of Genesis. “Catholic theologians, philosophers, and scholars, in their acceptance of evolution and modern biblical criticism,” Martin Gardner is pleased to announce, “are far ahead of today’s know-nothing Protestant fundamentalists” (1990, 14:248). In Robert Baker’s opinion, evolutionists and theologians were heading to a nice compromise until scientific creationists spoiled it for everyone (1993, 17:422-423).
From our perspective, of course, it is the Word of God that should decide our teaching, not the assorted doctrines of man. For us, it is inconceivable that anyone could shoehorn long-term, large-scale evolution into the Scriptures.
It is precisely this compromise that worries many defenders of evolution, and creates the second view: theistic evolution is as unacceptable as special creation. Darwin’s victory was hollow, they complain, if it can be shown that something outside nature is necessary to explain the Universe or life.
Apparently, some of Stephen Jay Gould’s readers posed the following question: “But isn’t the general order and story [of creation] consistent with modern science, from the big bang to Darwinian theory?” (1988, p. 12). Definitely not, Gould responds, for two reasons: “First, while the broadest brush of the Genesis sequence might be correct—plants first, people last—many details are dead wrong by the testimony of the geological evidence from the fossil record. Second, this lack of correlation has nothing whatever negative to say about the power and purpose of religion or its relationship with the sciences. Genesis is not a treatise on the natural sciences” (1988, p. 12). In other words, evolutionists have devised their own scheme of origins divorced entirely from the belief of any ancient Hebrew. Even if Genesis 1 matched evolution exactly, Gould would not feel compelled to believe the Bible or its Author.
Likely no statement is clearer than that of George Gaylord Simpson: “The attempt to build an evolutionary theory mingling mysticism and science has only tended to vitiate the science. I strongly suspect that it has been equally damaging on the religious side, but here I am less qualified to judge” (1964, p. 232). True, he may be less qualified, but he has judged correctly. Evolution renders God superfluous, if not nonexistent.
Baker, Robert A. (1993), “Creationism: Not Only Bad Science But Bad Religion,” Skeptical Inquirer, 17:422-426, Summer.
Gardner, Martin (1990), “St. George and the Dragon of Creationism,” Skeptical Inquirer, 14:245-249, Spring.
Gould, Stephen Jay (1988), “Genesis and Geology,” Natural History, 97[9]:12,14,16,18,20, September.
Simpson, George Gaylord (1964), This View of Life (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World).
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Craig Mitchelldyer/isiphotos.com
Young Yanks Defeat Ghana, Now Sit Atop Group in India
Ayo Akinola scored a second-half goal to give the U.S. under-17 men's national team a 1-0 victory over Ghana in its second match of the World Cup. The Yanks now have six points after two contests.
THE UNITED STATES U-17 men's national team continued its strong start at the World Cup Monday with an impressive 1-0 win over Ghana at Jawaharal Nehru Stadium in New Dehli. The result now gives the Americans six points through two games heading into Thursday’s Group A finale against Colombia.
The game itself was played in difficult conditions with temperatures approaching 100 degrees in the hazy Indian capital. Ghana proved to be a very difficult opponent with a very physical and athletic team.
After a 3-0 win over hosts India on Friday, U.S. coach John Hackworth kept most of his starting lineup together. The Yanks started off the better squad through the first 25 minutes with several good chances with the best coming from Josh Sargent who had a header saved off the line by Ghana’s Danlad Ibrahim.
But Ghana raised its game the final 15 minutes of the first half and nearly scored when a ball was played over the U.S. backline. Goalkeeper Justin Garces came out but was caught out of position. Ghana’s Isaac Gyamfi fell down, however, before he could chase down the ball with an open net in front of him.
In the second half, Ghana continued to pressure and nearly scored in the opening minutes when a cross into the box fell right at the feet of Sadiq Ibrahim in front of the goal but somehow he failed to convert.
The game turned in the 75th minute when Ghana tried to move the ball out of its own third. Once Ghana hit the midfield, Chris Durkin forced a turnover and then made a pass to Chris Goslin. Goslin then played Toronto FC’s Ayo Akinola into the box on the right side. Akinola was able to make a dangerous turn and then fire a low shot past Ibrahim to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead.
The U.S. managed to see the game out without much drama and moved to the top of Group A with six points. A draw on Thursday would be enough to clinch the Group A title.
With Colombia’s win 2-1 win over India, the U.S. still has work to do. It is through to the knockout stages because some third place teams qualify, but a bad outing on Thursday could see the U.S. tumble to third. As of now, however, the Americans have a +4 goal differential advantage as Colombia and Ghana both sit at 0.
Moving forward, Hackworth will have to make difficult decisions as to whether or not to rest key players. These games are played on two days of rest and fatigue should become a significant factor. The Yanks will now travel southwest to the coast where it will face Colombia at DY Patil Stadium Navi Mumbai on Thursday (10:30am ET, FS2).
Here are three thoughts on Monday's match.
Durkin enjoying a breakout tournament
Midfielder Chris Durkin was the clear-cut player of the game and is emerging as one of the top midfielders of the tournament so far.
Durkin, 17, scored the second goal in Friday’s 3-0 win over India and today he made the defining play that lead to Akinola’s winning goal. Aside from the goals, Durkin has been a force in the midfield on both sides of the ball.
The Glen Allen, Va., native became the sixth homegrown player signed in the history of D.C. United and the fifth youngest in the history of the league. This year, Durkin played once for United in the U.S. Open Cup but also made six appearances with the USL’s Richmond Kickers on loan. Next season it will be interesting to see him try to break into a crowded D.C. United central midfield that already features Russell Canouse and Ian Harkes.
In this tournament, however, Durkin is showcasing himself as part of a possible “golden generation” of young American central midfielders that includes Kellyn Acosta, Cristian Roldan, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Jonathan Gonzalez.
The Effort was remarkable
Of course the United States needed a little bit of luck in this game. Ghana had a very good stretch at the end of the first half and beginning the second. During that time, Ghana had multiple good chances and it easily could have converted one or more of them.
But over the course of the 90 minutes, the U.S. was better in most facets of the game.
But more noteworthy was the Americans' effort. There was not a lot of squad rotation and the players only had two days of rest after Friday’s game. The sweltering conditions were brutal and Ghana is a very fast, strong, and athletic team. On Friday, Ghana defeated Colombia 1-0 in a game that should never have been that close at the African nation was far superior to the South Americans.
So this was always going to be a battle but the U.S. was able to win this game with a late goal—without a late-game collapse due to fatigue.
The 2015 U-17 team had a ton of talent—including Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, and Haji Wright—but this team is playing together better as a unit and is finding ways to win. That is a credit to Hackworth.
Need to get Sargent more involved
Josh Sargent is the U.S. U-17 team’s best player and the U-20 World Cup showed his potential. So far in this tournament Sargent has looked good when on the ball. The problem, however, is getting him the ball. He received plenty of great service at the U-20 World Cup, and many will remember the great assists on his goals including Brooks Lennon’s dream cross in the opener.
So far, Sargent has been isolated up top. Understandably, opponents are focusing on him defensively, but Sargent’s teammates need to get him involved. Andrew Carleton and Tim Weah are talented attacking options who will have more pressure heading into the knockout stages to punish opponents for concentrating defensively on Sargent.
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Home » News » Culture
Wed, 25 Apr 2018 19:01 - Updated Wed, 25 Apr 2018 19:01
Chieftains urged to back Government initiatives
Luanda - Angola's minister of Culture Carolina Cerqueira Tuesday in Luanda called for active participation and commitment by the traditional authorities in support for the State institutions in solution to pressing issues of communities, in close collaboration with the Executive.
Minister of culture Carolina Cerqueira (C), meets with traditional authorities
Photo: Cedida
This was during an audience granted to the traditional leaders.
The minister said that chieftains play an important role in communities such as the implementation of citizenship education programmes.
The official also praised the commitment of the traditional leaders to the promotion of a culture of peace and tolerance, and the training of youth, the recovery of civic and moral values, preservation and dissemination of the culture, habits and customs of the people, according to the laws in force.
The official also urged for participation in public awareness campaigns in the field of vaccination, basic sanitation, literacy and other social projects aimed at the progress and well-being of the population.
To Carolina Cerqueira, traditional authorities should defend and convey good customs, helping to combat procedures that disrupt the law and the exercise of responsible citizenship, habits and customs.
She also asked for the support of traditional leaders in combating religious practices contrary to Angolans' way of living, and undermine the well-being of the population, human dignity and the exercise of religious freedom in accordance with the law.
In turn, the president of the group, João Mbala, expressed the readiness of the traditional authorities to collaborate with the Executive.
He welcomed the fact that they are currently working under the Ministry of Culture.
Tags Ministry of Culture
Angola to attend in Brazzaville conference on Kongo Kingdom
Luanda - The Republic of Angola, through a Culture Ministry delegation, is to participate on 2-3 October in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, in a conference on the ancient Kongo Kingdom.
Portugal: Diplomat hails talent of national artists
Lisbon - The cultural attaché of the Angolan Embassy in Portugal, Luandino Carvalho, on Wednesday in Lisbon, Portugal, hailed the talent and creativity of national artists for their works at the Mirabilis Arts exhibition.
Culture minister seeking major interaction with traditional authorities
Luanda - Angola's minister of Culture Carolina Cerqueira Monday in Luanda reaffirmed the sector's intention to seek greater interaction with traditional authorities, with a view to tackling the communities issues.
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55 Field Surgical Team RAMC
Bullet wound to the skull
This is the account of a member of SAF who was wounded. He recounts his experience of the event and what it felt like to be wounded. The wound was apparently severe and when he reached the FST the initial impression was that there was very little that could be done for him. In fact he survived and is left with some very minor disability. After 30+ years I was able to put him in touch with both the surgeon and anaesthetist who treated him.
He was what would have mow been called, in Afghanistan, an “unexpected survivor”
This account is drawn from a series of e-mails. The accounts are at variance but it does appear that the bullet entered and skidded around perhaps 270 degrees before exiting. I do not know if any surgical notes of the event survive.
It appears disjointed as portions have been removed for brevity and names have been omitted to give at least some confidentiality.
Cto webmaster
My name is (SAF Officer). I arrived in Oman on (date) 1972.
I was wounded there…… (by) a GSW to the head and was casevaced by heli ….. to the RAP where the RMO, looked after me. I still had no vision and was only fleetingly conscious. A Skyvan flew me to Salalah where I was operated on by the FST. I don’t recall, but would like to know the name of the Major who operated on me, opened up the back of my skull, cleaned the wound and put me back together so well that, after a check up at the Woolwich, I was able to return to Oman.
The surgeon who operated on me probably took over directly from your team and I would be really grateful to know his name and be able to contact him if possible.
to SAF Officer
Thank you for your e-mail.
The surgeon was almost certainly a chap named (Surgeon) and the anaesthetist would have been (Anaesthetist). (Surgeon) is no longer registered with the General Medical Council and so is either “overseas” or retired.
I will despatch a few e-mails to see if one or other of my contacts can come up with address details for him.
to webmaster
Thank you very much for your rapid response. All I recall being told about the surgeon was that I was a lucky chap because he had specialised in brain surgery and had some practice in Northern Ireland.
I am sure I was told his name but I feel ungrateful that I was unable to remember it. Thank you for discovering it for me and if he is still around I would like to be able to thank him again.
from the Anaesthetist – (BL)
Dear (SAF Officer),
I was the anaesthetist who resuscitated you, following your bullet wound to the back of your head. (Surgeon) was the surgeon; he was assisted by (Surgeon).
You arrived at the Salalah FST deeply unconscious. It took a while to get you into a fit state to undergo general anaesthesia. We expected to see anchovy sauce, when (Surgeon) lifted the lid off your head.
As I recall: the bullet entered at the back of your skull and exited via the left temple. The bullet must have had an edge to it, because, having penetrated your skull, it did a sharp turn right and shot (!) around the inside of your skull and exited at your left temple. We could see the track of the bullet, because of the localised bruising to the membranes of your brain The membrane had not been penetrated at any stage of the bullet’s path. Quite incredible.
What took us by surprise was the fact that you returned to active duty within such a short space of time; we did think you would have taken the hint!
(Surgeon), literally, opened your skull and shut it again. It was your anaesthetist who saved your life.
I’m afraid I lost contact with (Surgeon), many years ago
Delighted to know you are, still, alive and well.
Regards, (Anaesthetist)
Dear (Anaesthetist),
Thank you for your email. I am most grateful to you for your skill as an anaesthetist and for saving my life.
The bullet actually entered above my left ear and exited above and slightly behind my left ear (based on the scar I have – the entry hole being smaller than the exit). I was looking down at my map on the ground at the time and the majority of the enemy were to my left, so that is probably where the bullet came from and from about 600 yards or so. It’s trajectory was probably dropping off by then and certainly the shots that I had seen landing around me did not appear to glance off the ground as they would had their trajectory been flatter. So I was lucky that the velocity was reduced by range and strike angle kept the bullet between the bone and brain membrane until it exited.
It felt like a punch to the head but didn’t hurt. However, I was immediately blinded and, being unable to see I thought for a few seconds that I was dead, until I realised I could still hear bullets and shouting around me and so must be alive. My signaller was nearby – I had the fire control net radio handset in my hand as I had been about to call for mortar fire. I called for the medic and someone appeared in front of me. I couldn’t see them, but said I had been hit in the head.
He tried to reassure me that I was OK and it was only much later that I realised that, being blind, I must have been staring around blindly and appeared to him to be crazed! I assumed at the time that he was the medic, but he may have been the signaller, because it seemed to take ages to persuade him to check my head. The shemagh acted like a bandage I suppose and initially he saw no blood. When eventually he did he may have panicked because I felt him opening his (or possibly my) morphine ampoule. Luckily I had the presence of mind to stop him injecting me.
I then tried to call (Other SAF Officer) the operational commander but couldn’t raise him or anyone else. I needed to tell him that my company no longer had any commanders as my Omani Lieutenant, ………., had already been shot and killed next to me, some time earlier and with another platoon commander probably dead, we were in some trouble. After trying for what seemed and age and feeling more and more light headed, I eventually realised that I was on the fire control and not the command net. Even when I got the right radio, it took ages to raise anyone and eventually ……………. who was commanding B company heard me. I told him I had been hit in the head. Years later he told me that he had dined out on the story that we were talking on the radio when I suddenly announced “I have been hit in the head”. I was sorry to correct his misperception!
Once I knew ………. knew my predicament, and that of my company, I pretty much let go and felt myself slide into unconsciousness. I had two or three returns to consciousness before I got to the FST. First I remember being carried in a blanket by some Firqa to the casevac heli.
Then I remember hearing the RMO, ,,,,,,, talking at the RAP and I said ‘Hi’ to him. He didn’t realize that I was in the triage line but once he heard me I think he dealt with me sooner than my triage status as a ‘head wound’ warranted! I also at this stage remember seeing some light and thinking that perhaps I wouldn’t be blind forever. I then have a dim memory of being on an aircraft and then nothing more until I awoke with a very sore head in the FST.
The ward nurse told me, comfortingly, that you had all thought that you were going to loose me, particularly as my pulse was down to about 25. I told him that my normal resting pulse was about 30-35, and would often be lower when I came down to sea level from altitude, so 25 was pretty normal for me.
My bigger concern was that I am Rh B neg and as I didn’t have any dog tags I asked what blood type had been put into me. O pos would do me no harm he assured me.
(Further SAF Officer) (who had a very lucky escape with a bullet that had grazed his cheek and shoulder – like me he had been looking down at his map it seems) was also in the FST and we were both taken by C130 to Cyprus and the Woolwich a few days later. Everyone at the Woolwich was most impressed by the work done on me at the FST and apart from a couple of lumbar punctures and removing the drain, nothing more needed doing to me.
I really felt that lightning wouldn’t strike twice and i also felt that i had unfinished business to complete in Oman, so I had few qualms about going back. I felt vindicated in my decision when, back on Sarfait in 1975, I was able to participate in the final operations that sealed off the border…….. and hastened the collapse of enemy and the end of the war. I wouldn’t have been granted that satisfaction and many other pleasures if you hadn’t kept me alive. So thank you very much.
Thankyou for forwarding your e-mails to and from (Anaesthetist).
There is one thing about medicine and that is that it never fails to amaze.
The kinetic energy in that fateful bullet must have been largely exhausted. There was however sufficient energy to traumatise the optic nerves on its way around the skull just above the eye sockets and render you blind for a while.
If you have a tame doctor who you can call upon to demonstrate to you the anatomy on a model skull it show quite why (Anaesthetist) was so anxious to be in touch with you.( If you haven’t access to a tame medic I would be only too happy to send the odd diagram after I have returned from the USA towards the end of the month
from SAF Officer
Having put me in touch with (Anaesthetist), I thought you might like to know the outcome. I hope I will be able to meet up with him, his busy schedule permitting.
I have matched my scar with brain models and realise how lucky I was.
The entry point above and slightly behind my left ear missed by a millimetre the top of the carotid artery. The bullet then travelled along the back of my skull along a slight gap between the scull and brain formed by the folds of an upper and lower brain lobe. The bullet had sufficient velocity to break out of the scull just above and behind my right ear. The exit would still has a soft spot in the middle where the bone hasn’t entirely grown over it. Apparently it is the lobe of the brain at the back of the head close to which the bullet passed that processes information from the optic nerve and the shock wave of the bullet passing close by caused my temporary blindness. I still have occasional slight headaches, less than in the early years, but the main, long-term effect has been some tunnel visioning and a noticeable loss of lower peripheral vision – which plays havoc with keeping an eye on the ball in football and basketball!!
Not really much to complain about considering what might have happened if the round had gone a millimetre or two in any other direction
The photograph is of the base of the skull seen from above.
The blue “O”s show where the optic nerves pass down through the base of the skull and to the back of the eye sockets.
The black hole in the middle is the foramen ovale where the spinal cord leaves the brain to go down the spinal column.
The bullet either entered the skull at “A” and travelled around the inside to “B” or vice versa !
All in all both parties seem pretty pleased with themselves especially the anaesthetist.
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HomeIndustries Industrial Parks/Special Economic Zones (SEZ)
Industrial Parks/Special Economic Zones (SEZ)
Distribution of Approved Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in West Bengal (As on 24.07.2017)
Distribution of Formal Approvals, Notified and Exporting Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in West Bengal (As on 20.06.2014)
Distribution of Formal Approvals, Notified SEZs and Exporting Special Economics Zones (SEZs) in West Bengal (As on 04.07.2014)
Employment Generation from Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in West Bengal (As on 30.09.2014)
Notified/Utilized/Vacant in Processing Area of Special Economic Zones in West Bengal (As on 03.12.2014)
Area of Approved (Including Notified) Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in West Bengal (As on 24.04.2012)
Area of Approved Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in West Bengal (As on 08.08.2012)
Direct Employment Generated in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in West Bengal (2011-2012-Upto 30.09.2011)
Project Cost, Estimated Investment and Employment under Scheme for Integrated Textile Park (SITP) in West Bengal (As on October, 2011)
Number and Land Area of Notified Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in West Bengal (As on 05.04.2007)
Assistance to Exporters under Indian Silk Export Promotion Council in West Bengal (1999-2000 to 2001-2002)
EPIPs Approved, Location and Central Grant Released in West Bengal (1994-95 to 2000-01)
7 Interesting Facts About Wheat Production in India (English)
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Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006)
Humans... the other white meat... Unless you're black, then it's dark meat... Or if you are Asian, then it's yellow meat... Or if you are Native American, it's red meat...
Hillside Cannibals (2006)
A group of teenagers in the desert become the prey of cannibalistic inbreds who live in the nearby hillside.
Cannibal! The Musical (1993)
Heading through Colorado Territory in search of gold and women, Alferd Packer and his group of bemused companions find themselves lost, starving and musically inspired by the obstacles they confront along the way, including a die-hard Confederate cyclops, a trio of surly trappers, a tribe of Japanese-speaking "Indians," and ultimately, each other.
Hatchet II (2010)
Picking up right where the original ended, Marybeth escapes the clutches of the deformed, swamp-dwelling iconic killer Victor Crowley. After learning the truth about her familys connection to the hatchet-wielding madman, Marybeth returns to the Louisiana swamps along with an army of hunters to recover the bodies of her family and exact the bloodiest revenge against the bayou butcher.
We're Going to Eat You (1980)
A secret agent investigates a village that is populated by crazed, inbred cannibals.
Fresh Meat (2012)
A dysfunctional gang of criminals takes a middle class Maori family hostage and discovers too late that they are cannibals.
Cannibal Girls (1973)
A young couple spend the night in a restaurant, only to find out that it is haunted by three dead women who hunger for human flesh.
Evil Breed: The Legend of Samhain (2006)
Two American tourists on a romantic camping trip are brutally murdered. A few days later, during the ancient festival of Samhain, a group of American university students moves into a beautiful cottage, surrounded by a lush forest and a majestic lake They are here to learn about the rituals of the ancient Druids and other Celtic legends. But in the remains of an abandoned copper mine, lives the ancestors of an incestuous clan of cannibals. Stalked by a hulking, disfigured mutant, the students and their chaperone are in for the most harrowing time of their young lives. And keeping their heads on their necks will become their main concern...
Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal (2012)
A once-famous painter rediscovers inspiration when he befriends a sleepwalking cannibal.
Three con artists dupe two Olympians into serving as editors of a new health and beauty magazine which is only a front for salacious stories and pictures.
Flesh Eating Mothers (1988)
A venereal disease turns an entire town of two-timing mothers into cannibals!
Parents (1989)
Michael is a young boy living in a typical 1950's suburbanite home... except for his bizarre and horrific nightmares, and continued unease around his parents. Young Michael begins to suspect his parents are cooking more than just hamburgers on the grill outside, but has trouble explaining his fears to his new-found friend Sheila, or the school's social worker.
2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams (2010)
When this year's round of unsuspecting Northerners fail to show up for their annual Guts N' Glory Jamboree, the residents of Pleasant Valley take their cannibalistic carnival on the road and head to Iowa where they encounter spoiled heiresses Rome & Tina Sheraton and the cast and crew of their "Road Rascals" reality show. Performing "The Bloodiest Show on Earth", our Southern Maniacs prove more than ratings killers in what John Landis has called "one of the rare sequels that surpasses the original".
Psychos in Love (1987)
A strip-joint owner and a manicurist find that they have many things in common, the foremost being that they are psychotic serial killers. They fall in love and are happy being the family that slays together, until one day they come up against a plumber who also happens to be a cannibal.
Blood Diner (1987)
Two cannibalistic brothers kill various young women to make their flesh part of their new special dish at their rundown restaurant while seeking blood sacrifices to awaken a dormant Egyptian goddess.
Three friends out to disprove cannibalism meet two men on the run who tortured and enslaved a cannibal tribe to find emeralds, and now the tribe is out for revenge.
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
A New York University professor returns from a rescue mission to the Amazon rainforest with the footage shot by a lost team of documentarians who were making a film about the area's local cannibal tribes.
Cannibal Terror (1980)
After botching a kidnapping, two criminals hide with their victim in a friends house in the jungle. After one of them rapes the friend's wife, they're left to be eaten by a nearby cannibal tribe.
Emmanuelle and the Last Cannibals (1977)
While doing undercover work in a mental hospital, Emanuelle discovers a girl who seems to have been raised by a tribe of amazonian cannibals. Intrigued, Emanuelle and friends travel deep into the Amazon jungle, where they find that the supposedly extinct tribe of cannibals is still very much alive.
The Mountain of the Cannibal God (1978)
A girl and her brother fly to New Guinea to look for a lost expedition, led by her husband, which has vanished in the great jungle.
The Cannibals (1980)
A man on safari in the jungle with his wife and daughter when the wife gets eaten and daughter captured by cannibals. Several years later he goes back to see if her daughter is still alive.
Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007)
Retired military commander Colonel Dale Murphy hosts the simulated post-apocalyptic reality show where participants are challenged to survive a remote West Virginia wasteland. But the show turns into a nightmarish showdown when each realizes they are being hunted by an inbred family of cannibals determined to make them all dinner!
Cannibal (2006)
Cannibal is based on the true-crime story of Armin Meiwes, the "Rotenburg Cannibal" who posted an online ad searching for someone to volunteer to be mutilated and eaten. Unlikely as it may seem, someone actually replied. The film shows a fictional portrayal of the meeting between the cannibal and his victim/participant, their homosexual relationship, and the eventual mutilation and murder of said victim.
Zombie Holocaust (1980)
The members of an expedition in search for the last faithful of Kito, the cannibal god, land on a small island in the Moluccas (East Indies). They are soon hunted by cannibals and zombies created by the sinister Doctor O'Brien, who is experimenting with both corpses and living humans. Susan, a sexy lady in the expedition team, eventually gets the upper hand. She gains acceptance with the natives as queen of the cannibals and directs them against the mad scientist with his army of zombies.
Dying Breed (2008)
In the depths of the Tasmanian wilderness a group of hikers looking for a Tasmanian Tiger. They encounter a group of cannibals descended from Alexander Pearce, who was hung for cannibalism in 1824, out to find fresh breeding stock.
Times are hard in 1846 London and one must make do. Nellie Lovett adds something extra to the meat pies she peddles on Fleet Street. The secret ingredient: freshly murdered victims of her partner in crime, barber Sweeney Todd. Composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim refashions a macabre tale into a musical masterwork in this dazzling performance of the 1979 Broadway hit originally staged by Harold Prince. In her Tony-winning role, Angela Lansbury plays Nellie. George Hearn turns his stage role of twisted Sweeney into an Emmy-winning triumph. The score coils around itself in every-tightening spirals. The lines ripple with black humor and madness. Enter Sweeney's tonsorial parlor. Attend the tale.
Ghoul (2015)
GHOUL is a supernatural horror film involving the real life story of the Soviet Union's most violent serial killer, Andrei Chikatilo. Three Americans travel to the Ukraine to film a documentary about the cannibalism epidemic that swept through the country during the famine of 1932. After being lured deep into the Ukraine forest for an interview with one of the last known survivors, they quickly find themselves trapped in a supernatural hunting ground.
A middle-aged man dies in the street, leaving his widow and three children destitute. The devastated family is confronted not only with his loss but with a terrible challenge - how to survive. For they are cannibals. They have always existed on a diet of human flesh consumed in bloody ritual ceremonies... and the victims have always been provided by the father. Now that he is gone, who will hunt? Who will lead them? How will they sate their horrific hunger? The task falls to the eldest son, Alfredo, a teenage misfit who seems far from ready to accept the challenge... But without human meat the family will die.
Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort (2014)
A sudden and mysterious inheritance brings Danny and his friends to Hobb Springs, a forgotten resort deep in the West Virginia hills. Hobb Springs is being looked after under the watchful care of Jackson and Sally, a socially awkward couple who introduce Danny to the long lost family he's never known. A clan by the name of Hillicker. But soon Danny learns his relatives have a different way of living, that for generations, the Hillickers have observed ancient traditions rooted in cannibalism and other taboo rituals.
Caribbean Papaya: Love Goddess of the Cannibals (1978)
A team of geologists attempt to remove a native population from an island to perform atomic research. But their female Cannibal leader disposes of them one by one.
Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead (2009)
A group of people find themselves trapped in the backwoods of West Virginia, fighting for their lives against a group of vicious and horribly disfigured inbred cannibals.
Ms. Cannibal Holocaust (2012)
The remaining tenants of a rundown poverty-row apartment building, one day away from demolition, suddenly find themselves under siege by a cannibal cult that has been terrorizing the city and their preacher like female leader known only as "The Woman". Why this preacher has picked them as her latest victims is unknown, but her plan for them is clear - they WILL know pain, they WILL know fear, and they WILL know suffering before she kills each and every one of them. With all their connections to the outside world severed, the tenants can only do their best to holdout before they are hunted down... and consumed. Then hope seems to arrive in the form of a second woman... but is this "Girl" there to save them, or does she have her own agenda with the cult... and specifically "The Woman"? And how has she come about these special powers to aid her in her thirst for revenge? She's coming. And vengeance will be upon them. - Written by Ron Bonk
Tooth & Nail (2007)
In a post-apocalyptic world, a small group of survivors, who call themselves Foragers, plan to rebuild civilization from their headquarters in an empty hospital based in what is left of Philadelphia. But they're soon forced into a face-off war with the Rovers, another gang of survivors whom are a brutal gang of cannibals.
Doctor X (1932)
A wisecracking New York reporter intrudes on a research scientist's quest to unmask The Moon Killer.
The Cannibal In The Jungle (2015)
An American scientist who was convicted of killing and cannibalizing two colleagues in the jungles of Flores, Indonesia in 1977. Branded "The American Cannibal" by the press during his trial, Dr. Timothy Darrow defended himself by claiming a mythic human-ape creature was responsible for the murders. The news outlet documented an indigenous tribe on Flores, the very same island where the hobbit remains were discovered, which had its own accounts of little wild men that stood just over three feet tall, climbed trees, walked on two feet and thrived on cannibalism. And according to the local legend, those creatures may never have died out at all. Follow an expedition team deep into the heart of Flores Island to investigate Dr. Timothy Darrow's claims and find out once and for all if hobbits still exist in the deepest, most remote realms of the Indonesian jungle.
The Forest (1982)
A cannibal hermit living in the woods preys on campers and hikers for his food supply.
The Green Inferno (2013)
A group of student activists travel from New York City to the Amazon to save the rainforest. However, once they arrive in this vast green landscape, they soon discover that they are not alone
and that no good deed goes unpunished.
Lost After Dark (2014)
A group of teens sneak out of their high school dance to cruise around and have some unsupervised fun. When their car runs out of gas on a deserted road, they discover an old farmhouse and the cannibal killer living inside.
The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1984)
A group of young and wild motocross racers venture through the desert and are stranded at an old mining ranch. They soon realize that they are being watched by a group of savage cannibals unknown to the civilized world. The film is full of flashbacks to the original film; even the dog has a flashback.
Cannibal World (2004)
The network where the famous anchorwoman Grace Forsyte works, is collapsing and she would do everything to regain the favour of the audience, therefore she convinces her professional team to go to the Amazon jungle for a sensational scoop about the cannibals
The Bad Batch (2017)
A love story set in a community of cannibals in a future dystopia. In a desert wasteland in Texas, a muscled cannibal breaks one important rule: dont play with your food.
Five friends visiting their grandfather's house in the country are hunted and terrorized by a chain-saw wielding killer and his family of grave-robbing cannibals.
Red Dragon (2002)
Former FBI agent Will Graham, who was once nearly killed by the savage Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter now has no choice but to face him again. It seems Lecter is the only one who can help Graham track down a new serial killer, Francis Dolarhyde -- but can he be trusted?
After having successfully eluded the authorities for years, Hannibal peacefully lives in Italy in disguise as an art scholar. Trouble strikes again when he is discovered leaving a deserving few dead in the process. He returns back to America to once again make contact with now disgraced Agent Clarice Starling who is suffering the wrath of a malicious FBI official/rival as well as the media.
Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines (2012)
A small West Virginia town is hosting the legendary Mountain Man Festival on Halloween, where throngs of costumed party goers gather for a wild night of music and mischief. But an inbred family of hillbilly cannibals kill the fun when they trick and treat themselves to a group of visiting college students.
Cannibal Diner (2012)
A group of models find themselves trapped in a factory inhabited by a cannibalistic degenerated family.
In this reimagining of the 2010 Mexican film of the same name, director Jim Mickle paints a gruesome portrait of an introverted family struggling to keep their macabre traditions alive, giving us something we can really sink our teeth into.
Devoured: The Legend Of Alferd Packer (2005)
Based on the horrifying true story of America?s first convicted cannibal, Alferd Packer (whose story was satirized in Troma?s best-selling Cannibal! The Musical), Devoured takes a serious spin on the tale and features incredible suspense and gore effects in the vein of Dawn of the Dead and House of 1000 Corpses. In 1874, Alferd Packer led a gold mining expedition into Colorado, where he murdered, robbed and ate every miner in his camp. More than a century later, the identical killings and numerous disappearances are occurring. As the search for the killer proves neverending, one terrifying and unbelievable fact remains... Mr. Packer was still lurking out there... somewhere... just waiting to strike again!
Bloodwood Cannibals ()
A documentary film crew is stalked by a pack of cannibals.
Warlock Moon (1973)
Young lovers John and Jenny decide to go for a drive in the countryside one day when they happen upon the remains of a long-abandoned resort spa. After doing some exploring, they find that an elderly couple is still living in the crumbling building. They tell the youngsters that the resort was shut down long ago because it was the headquarters of a satanic cult that performed cannibalistic rituals on unsuspecting visitors, and then invite the pair to stay for dinner. Will John or Jenny make it back to civilization alive?
Cannibal Taboo (2006)
Cannibal Taboo tells the story of Janet, a young woman raised in the wilds of Africa who is rescued by explorer Cliff Hendricks. When Cliff contracts a rare blood disease, Janet must leave her jungle ways to care for her husband and their four children. The bulk of the plot occurs when the youngest son, Paul, is about to have his twenty-first birthday. His brother Luke, a successful professor, returns for the celebration. However, things are not so simple in the Hendricks household, since fourth sibling Matthew disappeared on his twenty-first. Moreover, Paul and his sister have an incestuous relationship, and Janet is harboring a terrible secret.
Long Pigs (2007)
A documentary by two desperate young filmmakers who stumble upon the ultimate subject, a 33 year old cannibalistic serial killer named Anthony McAllister
Wrong Turn (2003)
Chris crashes into a carload of other young people, and the group of stranded motorists is soon lost in the woods of West Virginia, where they're hunted by three cannibalistic mountain men who are grossly disfigured by generations of inbreeding.
Cyclone (1978)
An airplane goes down in the ocean during a storm and a few survivors find refuge on a small tour boat. Swept out to sea, these people slowly starve to death in the hot sun with barely any food or clean water. With no place to turn, the boat survivors resort to cannibalism to stay alive...that is ..until the rescue planes come to pick them up and the man eating sharks decide its time to eat as well.
Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (2011)
Follows a group of friends that decide to go snowmobiling during their winter break. They make a "wrong turn", getting lost in a storm.
On the way to California, a family has the misfortune to have their car break down in an area closed to the public, and inhabited by violent savages ready to attack.
During a shootout in a saloon, Sheriff Hunt injures a suspicious stranger. One of the villagers takes care of him in prison. One day they both disappear only the spear of a cannibal tribe is found. Hunt and a few of his men go in search of the prisoner and his nurse.
Invasion of the Flesh Hunters (1980)
Released from captivity in Vietnam, two American Army officers return to civilian life and discover they have acquired an insatiable taste for human flesh. A city is terrorised... as they stalk the inhabitants to satisfy their primitive appetites.
The Evil in Us (2016)
While on a fourth of July holiday, six best friends fall victim to the insidious plan of a terrorist organization when they unknowingly take a bio-active drug that transforms them into bloodthirsty cannibals.
Cannibal Mercenary (1983)
A retired soldier is deeply disturbed by his past experiences in Vietnam, but goes out in the jungle one more time to save his sick daughter. He gathers his old gang of misfits, including a sex-maniac and a wife-killer. They slay their way through Vietcong, innocent villagers and traitors - anybody who stands between them and getting the job done.
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One of our happiest recent discoveries is Oakland, California’s Sugar Candy Mountain. This, the project's latest video, is for "Windows”, a track from the quartet’s recently released and fully enchanting third full-length, 666. Fans of Broadcast, Stereolab, Melody’s Echo Chamber, The Soundcarriers, and The Free Design, take note. Or, as the project’s Facebook page elucidates, “If Brian Wilson had dropped acid on the beach in Brazil”—and who’s to say he didn’t—“and decided to record an album with Os Mutantes and The Flaming Lips, it would sound like this.” The second album, 2013’s Mystic Hits, is also highly recommended. We haven’t yet heard their self-titled debut, but on the strength of the other two long-players we’re eagerly awaiting the cassette’s arrival in the mail. For proof that this band totally brings it live, look here.
Directed by Arsenii Vaselenko
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Home » Economics » Procrastination and Carbon Pricing: the Real Option of a Carbon Price on the Economy
Procrastination and Carbon Pricing: the Real Option of a Carbon Price on the Economy
Image: waiting for a climate change policy.
A couple of weeks ago, after I posted “Was it Worth It? The Benefit-Cost of Air Pollution in China“, I was asked by Ecoscore to think about the benefit-cost of Australia procrastinating on a carbon price.
Kudos to @barefootecon #CBA of air pollution in #China CBA of procrastination #carbon price in Australia? http://t.co/0yC5G6u9YA #economics
— Ecoscore (@ecoscore) March 19, 2015
So, using my understanding of Australia’s carbon policy and economics what do I think? Has it been good for Australia? What can the rest of the world learn from Australia?
Is Procratination a Bad Thing?
Not if procrastinating preserves a ‘real option‘. A real option is the ability to retain strategic flexibility in the face of uncertainty – e.g. should I build a factory now or wait for market conditions to improve? What is the benefits-cost of doing so?
We can apply similar reasoning to policy. What options does a government retain from procrastinating on a carbon price? It may be able to introduce a lower cost policy because new technology allows the economy to reduce carbon at a lower cost. Or it may allow the country to free ride on other countries’ efforts.
But procrastination can result in a real option lapsing and therefore missing a valuable opportunity. Like options in the financial sector, the value of a real option is dependent on time. The longer you wait the lower the value of the real option until the opportunity to act has lapsed. Or the value of the opportunity may not have been worth implementing a carbon policy in the first place so letting it lapse would not result in significant losses to the economy.
Economic Impacts of Carbon Pricing
Before I move on to analysing the example of Australia, I just want to make it clear what carbon pricing is meant to do. It is a ‘price signal’ that is designed to compel carbon emitters to internalise the cost of carbon. That is, emitting carbon is no longer free. By imposing a price on carbon, this is meant to change the incentives for carbon emitters to reduce pollution. It is meant to hurt financially, but also, the government wants you to actually avoid the tax.
Yes, it will hurt some industries, particularly those that are heavily carbon-intensive. But companies aren’t helpless, they can change their energy use to reduce carbon. This can be done through energy efficiency and/or using more clean energy. The resulting increase in demand for low carbon energy would stimulate growth in the renewables and energy efficiency industries. Like all economic transitions, there will be rise in new industries and decline in old industries.
Unfortunately, like all industries, the policy environment is critical to the future viability of the renewables and energy efficiency industries. How has procrastination affected them in Australia?
Procrastination and Carbon Pricing – the Australian Example
In some ways, the current Australian government is quite clear about its carbon pricing policy – ‘axe the tax‘ and anything that may introduce a ‘price signal’ on carbon such as the Renewable Energy Target (RET). The government will now act as a buyer of carbon abatement through it’s Direct Action Policy. So instead of acting as a regulator of the carbon market, the government will form the demand side.
Direct Action provides incentives to polluters to improve energy efficiency but little to creating renewable energy sources – hence the departure of many large scale renewable developers. The Direct Action Policy is one way of maintaining the status quo and dealing with climate change while avoiding the economic disruption of changing Australia’s energy mix from predominantly high carbon coal to low carbon renewables.
An obstructive Senate has saved some of Australia’s carbon pricing policy architecture, but this hasn’t eased uncertainty. In fact, it may have compounded it by leaving everyone unclear what the future direction of carbon policy is.
So has Direct Action Policy succeeded in retaining a real option to pursue a lower carbon path in the future? It would appear that Direct Action has done the opposite by subsidising major emitters’ transition at the expense of other ways to attain lower carbon-intensity of the economy. This would be true anyway if the RET was also abolished. Retaining the RET is estimated by the Clean Energy Council to attract $14.5 billion to 2020. So, the current policy confusion may actually a blessing in disguise in retaining a real option for Australia to transition towards a lower carbon path in the future.
Lessons from Australia
What the rest of the world can learn from Australia is that a government may accidentally retain a real option of value despite it’s best efforts. Policy chaos is hardly a strong recommendation to a government trying to introduce a sweeping policy reform. In the case of Australia, the real option has value because the architecture of a strong carbon price was retained despite the abolition of the Carbon Tax. Retaining the policy architecture could be seen as investing in a long-lived option to introduce a carbon price in the future.
But most other countries won’t be in this same situation where a government can accidentally retain the real option of a strong carbon price because of a previous government’s policy reform. A real option has value if it allows you to take advantage of a change in circumstances. For most countries, the governments will have to start from scratch when introducing a carbon price. In this case, procrastination will defer the cost of investing in the policy architecture require to effectively administer a carbon price. The price of creating the real option not be worth the cost for most governments concerned with short-term economic gains.
There are costs from the procrastination, such as the investment uncertainty in a new industry that could create new jobs for highly trained people and the environmental benefit from reducing carbon emissions. But all is not lost, at least the Australian government has retained the flexibility to change it’s mind in the future. As Keynes allegedly said, “When I’m wrong, I change my mind. What do you do?”
Tags: Australia, Climate Change, Direct Action Policy, investment, Real Option, Renewables
By arthurchha in Economics, Energy, Environment, Uncategorized on April 2, 2015 .
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Suspect arrested after stabbing in Lake Elmo
Aundrea Kinney
Two men hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries
Two men were hospitalized Sept. 8 with injuries that were not life-threatening after being stabbed in a Lake Elmo neighborhood. A man was arrested following the incident.
According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, 911 received a call that evening about a man who was cut on his leg. Shortly after 9:30 p.m., while emergency responders were on their way to the 200 block of Cimarron — near Cimarron Golf Course — they learned that the injury was the result of a stabbing.
When sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene, they found two men who had been stabbed, and a Lakeview ambulance transported the men to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
One man was taken into custody, the sheriff’s office said in a statement, adding that no other suspects were being pursued in relation to the stabbing, though the incident is still under investigation.
— Aundrea Kinney
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Home CONSTRUCTION & TECHNOLOGY Burj Khalifa to remain tallest tower in the world till 2017
CONSTRUCTION & TECHNOLOGY
Burj Khalifa to remain tallest tower in the world till 2017
By Parag Deulgaonkar www.emirates247.com
Burj Khalifa, the 2,717-ft high tower, will continue to hold the title for the tallest building in the world, at least, till 2017.
Kingdom Tower in Jeddah
Quoting Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) Chairman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, Saudi newspapers have reported that the 1,000-metre high tall Kingdom Tower in Jeddah will be completed by mid-2017.
An Azerbaijan company, however, has revealed plans to build the tallest tower in the world, standing at 1,050 metres, which will be surrounded by number of artificial islands and a Formula One race track.
The project is likely to be completed between 2020 and 2025.
The Kingdom Tower is the centerpiece of the Kingdom City Jeddah — new urban development of more than 5.3 million sqmt of land in the north of Jeddah, overlooking the Red Sea and Obhur Creek.
And in order to achieve its target, the Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), on April 15, announced a capital increase from SR7.3 billion to SR8.8 billion for the mega project which includes the 1,000-metre high Kingdom Tower.
KHC Chairman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the driving force behind the decision to build the tower, announced an investment of SR1.5 billion from the Saudi Binladin Group (SBG) for a 16.63 per cent stake in Jeddah Economic Company, owner of the SR75-billion ($20 billion) Jeddah mega project, Arab News reported. More info
Quoting Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) Chairman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal
Saudi newspapers
tallest building in the world
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Architect Q&A: The State of Super-Tall Towers
Tokyo’s new tower survives quake to reach full height
Living in light in the Burj Khalifa
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18th Street Arts Center, 1639 18th St., Santa Monica, CA 90404 (310) 453-3711. Residencies of up to 3 years. (performing, visual, literary arts)
Alderworks
Alderworks Alaska, 1 West Creek Rd., Dyea, AK. Mailing address: P.O. Box 998, Skagway, AK 99840. (907) 983-3188. Located on the banks of West Creek within the Dyea-Chilkoot Trail unit of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. Residencies for three artists at a time, housed in small individual log cabins. Residencies of 4 to 6 weeks in two sessions (early summer and late summer). Fees charged per week; artists must also cover the cost of their own food and transportation. (visual, literary arts)
Andrews Forest Writers Residency
Andrews Forest Writers’ Residency, The Spring Creek Project, Oregon State University, 101 Hovland Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331. (541) 737-6198. One-week residencies March through May in the Oregon Cascades, 40 miles east of Eugene. Open to writers of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction whose work “reflects a keen awarenes of the natural world.” 3 room apt. includes kitchen. Modest stipend provided. (literary arts)
Artsmith
Artsmith, PO Box 334, Eastsound, WA 98245. Week-long residencies offered at the Kangaroo House Bed & Breakfast, with studio space provided at theArtsmith center. Located on Orcas Island, the largest of the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington. (visual, literary, performing arts)
Caldera, 224 NW 13 Ave., Portland, OR 97209 (503) 937-7563. 90 acres on the shore of a cerulean blue lake formed in the cinder cone of an extinct volcano in the Cascade Mountain Range of Central Oregon. Surrounded by Deschutes National Forest. Residencies of 1-5 weeks during fall, winter, and spring. Private A-frame cottages. No fees; residents responsible for travel, food, and materials costs. Having a car while in residence is extremely helpful; nearest supermarket is 15 miles away. (visual and literary arts)
Capp Street Project
Capp Street Project, 525 2nd St., San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 495-7101. One resident at a time for 3 weeks up to 3 mos.; Stipend offered. (visual arts)
Centrum Foundation
Centrum Foundation, Fort Worden State Park, PO Box 1158, Port Townsend, WA 98368 (360) 385-3102. Cottages in a restored Victorian-era military fort on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Residencies of 1 week to 2 months; 15-20 artists per year; some stipends. (visual, literary, performing arts)
Chalk Hill Artist Residency
Chalk Hill Artist Residency, 13427 Chalk Hill Rd., Healdsburg, CA 95448. Tel: (415) 397-4200. Located in a 1920s farmhouse on the Warnecke Ranch. Residencies of 2 to 10 weeks. Fees charged. 3 sponsorships per year based on merit and need. Encourages applications from collaborative teams, and from artists living with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges. Artists must provide their own transportation, food, and materials. Studios in repurposed rustic barns. (visual, literary, performing, media arts)
Chesterfield Film Company
Chesterfield Film Company, Writers Film Project, PMB 544, 1158 26th St., Santa Monica, CA 90403 (213) 683-3977. Open to fiction, theater, and film writers of any age. Writers form a screenwriting workshop, using their storytelling skills to begin a career in film. Up to 5 writers, 12-month program. Stipend to cover living expenses; must live in LA for the year. Each writer paired with a professional screenwriter and a studio executive mentor. (literary arts)
Cottages at Hedgebrook
Cottages at Hedgebrook Farm, 2197 E. Millman Rd., Langley, WA 98260 (360) 321-4786. 6 cottages; residencies of 1 week to 3 mos.; no fees; women writers only. 6 writers at a time. Located on a woodsy 30-acre farm on Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound. (literary arts)
Denali National Park and Preserve, AIR Program, PO Box 9, Denali Park, AK 99755 (907) 683-2294. Up to 3 residencies of 10 days each from mid-June through mid-September for sculptors and 2-D visual artists. (visual arts)
Djerassi Artists Program
Djerassi Resident Artists Program, 2325 Bear Gulch Rd., Woodside, CA 94062-4405 (650) 747-1250. Residencies of 4 to 5 weeks between late March and mid-November.; 60 artists per year; no fees. Open to choreographers, writers, composers, sculptors, installation artists, photographers, film/video artists, performance artists, sound & radio artists. Emerging and established artists welcome. Located in the Santa Cruz Mtns. overlooking the Pacific Ocean. (visual, literary, performing arts)
Dorland Mountain Arts Colony
Dorland Mountain Arts Colony, PO Box 6, Temecula, CA 92593 (909) 302-3837. 2 residents at a time for up to 12 weeks; artists live in a private cottage complete with workspace and kitchen. One cottage includes a Brambach piano. Located on nature preserve overlooking Temecula Wine Country, approximately 60 miles north of San Diego. Fees charged per week; applications reviewed on a monthly basis. (composers, painters, sculptors, writers)
Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon St., San Francisco, CA 94123 (415) 563-7337. Work space inside interactive science museum in Marina District, near the Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge, accomodations in the city by arrangement; per diem and travel costs; 4-6 artists per year awarded residencies of 1-6 months (music, dance, performance)
Georgia Fee Residency
Georgia Fee Residency, ArtSlant, 8721 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 843, Los Angeles, CA 90069. (608) 397-5480. Residency in Paris for visual artists of all mediums and those writing about the visual arts (critics, curators, researchers) age 24 or older. Recent graduates encouraged to apply, and those with projects relevant to the Paris setting. Residents provided with travel expenses, and one-bedroom apartment in the 14th Arrondissement, across from Montparnasse Cemetery; appropriate for single occupant or couple. No studio space provided, but a stipend can be used to rent separate studio space, materials, and other costs. Residencies of 2 months; two awarded per year (winter and summer terms). Program named for ArtSlant founder. Open to artists from around the world, but all applications must be in English. (visual arts)
Getty Research Grants, The Getty Foundation, Getty Scholar and Visiting Scholar Grants, 1200 Getty Center Dr., Ste. 800, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1685. (310) 440-7374. Open to scholars, artists, and writers to focus on projects that promote learning about the history of visual art, the humanities, or social sciences. (visual and literary arts, plus scholars).
Headlands Center for the Arts, 944 Ft. Barry, Sausalito, CA 94965 (415) 331-2787. 4-week to 11-month residency in painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, conceptual, video/film, writers and performance for artists from CA, OH, and NC only; located in the Marin Headlands just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area; 30 residents per year February through November. Artists must participate in public Open House. (visual, media, literary, and performing arts)
Hypatia-in-the-Woods
Hypatia-in-the-Woods, PO Box 58, Shelton, WA 98584. (360) 427-0760. Residencies of one to four weeks for one woman artist at a time. Artists must provide their own food. Open to visual artists, writers, academics, and business entrepreneurs. Located on 3.5 acres of a Pacific Northwest forest of cedar, pine, and other evergreens near Olympia National Forest and the Puget Sound. Donations solicited to offset daily costs; a few scholarships available per year. (visual and literary arts)
Island Institute
The Island Institute, Resident Fellows Program, Box 2420, Sitka, AK 99835 (907) 747-3794. 3 single residencies annually for the months of January, April, and November. Residents expected to take part in a community activity once a week (more if desired), including readings, workshops, exhibits, discussions. Stipend for food, small private apt. with kitchen. Travel costs not included. (literary arts)
Joshua Tree National Park, AIR Program, 74485 National Park Dr., Tweny-nine Palms, CA 92277 (760) 367-5539. Located on 800,000 acres in the Mojave and Colorado deserts among soaring granite cliffs and spires and ancient archeological sites. Accommodations in a primitive, rustic cabin with no electricity. Personal transportation is essential and artists should be prepared for extreme temperature ranges and high winds. 4-6 artists per year; residencies of 4 weeks October through May. Open to 2D visual artists, photographers, sculptors, writers, video/filmmakers. (visual, literary, media arts)
Kala Institute
Kala Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley, CA 94710 (510) 549-2977. Housing in local apartments; 6-month residency with 24-hour access to facilities. Artists pay for travel, food, housing; annual fellows gallery exhibit; 10 fellowships annually; fees charged. Extensive equipment on site. (visual artists in book art, digital imaging, painting/monoprints, paper art, and printmaking; traditional and combined with electronic media, animation, digital video and sound, multimedia artists)
Kalani Honua Eco-Resort
Kalani Honua Eco-Resort, Institute for Culture and Awareness, RR #2, Box 4500, Pahoa, HI 96778 (800) 800-6886 or (808) 965-7828. 113 acres of secluded forest and coastline on the big island of Hawaii, 45 minutes from Hilo, 1 hour from Volcanoes National Park. 2-8 week residencies; year-round; fees charged. Also hosts workshops, conferences, annual hula festival. Open to visual, media, folk, literary, performing arts, architects, graphic designers, landscape designers, art conservators, art educators, computer scientists, critics, environmentalists/naturalists, general scholars, historians, linguists, mathematicians, scientists, collaborative teams. (visual, literary, performing arts)
Klondike Gold Rush National Park
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, AIR Program, PO Box 317, Skagway, AK 99840 (907) 983-9221. 1 or 2 artists per year; residencies of 6-8 weeks October through April. Open to 2D visual artists, photographers, sculptors, performers, writers, video/filmmakers, composers. (visual, performing, literary, media arts)
Margery Davis Boyden Wilderness Writing Residency
Margery Davis Boyden Wilderness Writing Residency, c/o John Daniel, 23030 W. Sheffler Rd., Elmira, OR 97437. No phone provided. Located on 92 acres in the Rogue River backcountry of southwestern Oregon. Offers “a lengthy spell of unparalleled solitude” for a writer or pair of writers. Residents must volunteer an hour a day of caretaking. House has plumbing, wood-fired stove, propane appliances, gas generator, and small solar electrical power (but no continuous source of electricity). Residency runs from April through October. Stipend provided. Administered through PEN Northwest. (literary arts)
Mesa Refuge
Mesa Refuge, c/o Common Counsel Foundation, 1221 Preservation Park Way, Suite 101, Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 834-2995. 2-6 weeks including room and most meals for experienced and new writers. Particularly interested in supporting writers working on themes of social justice, the economy, and the environment. Located near the seashore of Point Reyes atop the San Andreas Fault. (literary arts)
Milton Center
The Milton Center, 3307 Third Ave., West Seattle, WA 98119 (206) 281-2988. Fellowship for Christian writers to complete their first book-length ms. of fiction or poetry; work 10 hours per week. “To support work by writers who seek to animate the Christian imagination, foster intellectual imagination, and explore the human condition with honesty and compassion.” Provides living expenses and stipend. 9 months; 2 residencies awarded per year. (literary arts)
Mineral School
Mineral School, 114 Mineral Rd. South, Mineral, WA 98355 (206) 937-5643. Located in a 1947 elementary school building near Mt. Rainier National Park, less than 2 hours from Seattle. Accommodates 4 writers at a time for 2-week residencies. Fees charged; includes all meals. Some full fellowships available to writers under age 35 who are residents of OR, WA, ID, AK, or MT. (literary arts)
North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park, 810 State Route 20, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 (360) 856-5700×365. 4-6 weeks in April-May and September-October for 4 artists per year. Open to practicing artists with a portfolio of published, performed, or exhibited works. (visual, performing, literary arts)
Ocean Haven
Ocean Haven, 94770 Highway 101 North, Florence, OR 97439 (503) 547-3583. On the Oregon coast, on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, bordering the Siuslaw National Forest. A variety of accommodations at different rates; all units have breathtaking, unobstructed views of the sea and sky; most units have living rooms, equipped kitchens, modern tiled bathrooms; some have small libraries of books and magazines. First-come, first-served; pets permitted for an additional fee; retreat center, open to anyone. (all disciplines)
Oregon College of Art and Craft
Oregon College of Art and Craft, 8245 SW Barnes Rd., Portland, OR 97225 (503) 297-5544. 8 acres on a wooded hillside; stipend, artists purchase own food; 4 month residency for emerging artists during academic year and summer residencies for mid-career artists. For artists working in book arts, ceramics, drawing, metalsmithing, jewelry, photography, and furniture making. Extensive equipment on site. (visual arts)
Oregon Writers Colony
Oregon Writers Colony, Colonyhouse, PO Box 15200, Portland, OR 97293 (503) 879-8072. 2-story log house overlooking beach on the Oregon coast; weekend and weekly stays avail to members; annual dues, plus fees; Reservations required. (literary arts)
Pilchuck Glass School
Pilchuck Glass School, AIR Program, 315 Second Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 621-8422. Emerging artists working in glass. 8 week residencies from Sept through Nov; accommodations in cottages with shared baths; separate studios, technical assistance, stipend; food not provided. Access to glass-plate printmaking shop, plaster studios, fusing, slumping and pate de verre kilns, flame-working torches, and coldworking equipment; group exhibition; 6 artists annually (visual arts)
Playa, 47531 Highway 31, Summer Lake, OR 97640. (541) 943-3983. Located on the edge of the Great Basin in a remote, isolated community. Playa sits at the base of Winter Ridge, which rises to 7,200 feet at the northwestern edge of the Great Basin in south-central Oregon. Directly east of Playa lies Summer Lake, at an elevation of 4,200 feet. The lake is about 20 miles long and five miles wide. It is a playa: a desert lake that is shallow in the winter and usually evaporates by late summer. The Summer Lake basin, abundant with both desert and forest flora and fauna, is cradled between the open sagebrush steppe of eastern Oregon and the rocky, forested mountains of the Fremont-Winema National Forest. Two types of Residency programs: Fellowship Residencies are provided without a fee during two multi-month sessions each year. The Contributing Residency program operates on a fee-basis to groups or individuals during other months. Artists must purchase and prepare their own food (other than a weekly community dinner). Internet and cell phone reception is sporadic. Open to visual artists, writers, performance artists, scientists, naturalists, and individuals engaged in interdisciplinary work or forms of creative research. (visual, literary, performing, media arts)
Project 387, Gualala, CA 05445. Located on 150 acres of redwood forest in Mendocino County, approximately 3 hours north of San Francisco. Project-based residencies of 2 weeks for up to 6 emerging and mid-career artists. Stipend paid. (visual, literary, and performing arts)
Raid Projects
Raid Projects, 602 Moulton Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90031. Residencies of 3 months; bedroom, separate studio, solo show, paid publicity and opening costs. Fees charged. International focus. (visual arts)
Red Cinder Creativity Center
Red Cinder Creativity Center, PO Box 527, Na’aelhu, HI 96772 (808) 929-9600. On a 10-acre rural site near Na’alehu, on the big island of Hawaii; shared house, private studio. Average stay 2 weeks. Fees charged. 4 artists at a time. Visual arts studio, dance studio with sprung floor, and two studios that could be used by writers, musicians, photographers, or video artists. (visual, performing, literary, media arts)
Richard Hugo House
Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 (206) 322-7030. Must be published; residencies for a minimum of 9 mos.; office space and monthly stipend. Housing not provided. Artists in residence must teach a class, develop a public program, and hold public office hours. (literary arts)
Sitka Center for Art and Ecology
Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, PO Box 65, Otis, OR 97368 (541) 994-5485. In the Cascade Head National Science Research Area, overlooking the Salmon River estuary and Pacific Ocean; no fees, artists purchase and prepare own meals; asked to contribute 20 hours/mo. of community service/maintenance. Etching press, skutt kiln, slide projection, mechanical potter’s wheel available. Residencies average 3-4 months, from Oct to Jan and Feb to May; 4 residents annually, one awarded a stipend (visual, literary, performing arts, architecture and design)
Stanford University Creative Writing Fellowships
Stanford Creative Writing Fellowships, Creative Writing Program, Dept. of English, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2087. (650) 723-2637. Open to poets and fiction writers. 20 fellowships for 2 years awarded annually. Stipend. Participants arrange own housing.(literary arts)
Stonehouse Residency
Stonehouse Residency for the Contemporary Arts, 47694 Dunlap Rd., Miramonte, CA (509) 562-4859. On 173 acres of open land next to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks at an elevation of 3,600 feet on a ranch with magnificant views of the high Sierra Mountains to the east and the San Joaquin Valley and foothills to the west. Open to all visual artists and writers; residencies of 4 weeks for 3 artists at a time; fees charged; housing and meals provided. Artists expected to participate in off-site public exhibitions and presentations and in open house studio tours. (visual, literary arts)
Sundance Institute Playwrights Laboratory
Sundance Institute Playwrights Laboratory, 19 Exchange Place, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801) 521-9330 Playwrights. (literary arts)
Villa Montalvo
Villa Montalvo, PO Box 158, 15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga, CA 95071 (408) 961-5818. 175 acre public park in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains; housing in 19-room Mediterranean-style villa. 1-3 months April through October; 5 furnished apts.; no fees, artists provide own food; some fellowships with stipends. Candidates identified by a constantly changing group of nominators from around the world are invited to submit an application for review by a jury of recognized artists and professionals within their discipline. (visual, literary, and performing arts, architecture and design)
Voices of the Wilderness
Voices of the Wilderness, Artist in Residence Program, US Forest Service, PO Box 129, Girdwood, AK 99587 (907) 783-0090. Individual rtists are paired with individual wilderness rangers for a forest stewardship/traveling residency in either the Tongass or Chugach wilderness area. Residencies of 7 to 9 days between June and August. Artists participate in light ranger duties, while having plenty of time to experience the wild heritage of these areas. Artists may travel by sea kayak and camp along fjords. Open to all mediums, including visual artists, writers, musicians, dancers, playwrights, and storytellers. Participants asked to donate one piece of artwork to the Forest Service, and give one public presentation. Travel to Alaska is not included; travel within the wilderness areas is, as well as food and most camping and kayaking gear. (visual, literary, performing arts)
Wellstone Center in the Redwoods
Wellstone Center in the Redwoods, 858 Amigo Rd., Soquel, CA 95073 (831) 471-8459. Located on 4.7 acres that includes a redwood grove, 4 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Offers week-long residencies in Glass House, or two weeks for emerging writers in the Library House, or two weeks for creative couples in the Pool House. Fees charged; does not include food (although kitchen access is provided). Some competitive fellowships offered. Visiting writers asked to feature at a weekly open mic. Wellstone Center also offers workshops and runs a small press. Most residencies offered on a first-come basis (literary arts).
Willapa Bay AiR
Willapa Bay Artist in Residence Program, PO Box 209, 32101 Douglas Drive, Oysterville, WA 98641. (360) 665-6782. Located 30 miles north of the mouth of the Columbia River, on the border between Oregon and Washington, in the National Historic Register village of Oysterville, on the Long Beach Peninsula. One-month residencies for 5 artists at a time. No fees; all meals provided. Open March through September. (visual, literary, and performing arts)
Writing Between the Vines
Writing Between the Vines, various locations in California and western Canada. Offers three to four short-term retreats (one week or less) on vineyards each winter and spring for individual writers. Residents are provided with free housing, but are responsible for travel, food, and all other expenses. Open to poets, fiction and non-fiction writers, screenwriters, travel writers, and food and beverage writers. (literary arts)
Writing By Writers
Writing By Writers, PO Box 60544, Palo Alto, CA, 94306. Offers two residency programs. Wolf House is located in NE Minneapolis and offers two one-week residencies (one in Spring, one in Summer). Mill House is located in Bend, OR and offers one two-week residency each Winter for up to 6 writers. At Mill House, each writer lives in a 1 or 2-bedroom cottage (and there is a shared hot tub). For both residencies, there is no fee for lodging, but residents are responsible for their own meals and transportation. At both residencies, artists may opt to bring their dogs (but no spouses, children, or friends). (literary arts)
Yosemite National Park, AIR Program, PO Box 100, Yosemite National Park, CA 95389 (209) 372-4024. In the Sierra Nevada Mtns. in central CA. Parkland encompasses granite domes that rise high over broad meadows, giant sequoias, and some of the nation’s highest waterfalls. 4-10 artists per year; residencies of up to 1 month year-round. Artists exhibit in park gallery. Open to 2D visual artists, photographers, sculptors. (visual arts)
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Traffic deaths climbing in California – Is there a fix?
September 28, 2015 By Tony Bizjak 4 Comments
As reported by the Sacramento Bee:
It’s an unfortunate downside to the recession’s end: As more people return to work and more cars hit the road, fatal accidents are on the climb.
Nationally, road deaths jumped nearly 10 percent in the first three months of this year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. California officials say they saw a 13 percent uptick over three recent years through 2013 and expect that trend to continue when 2014 numbers are finalized.
It’s no surprise, safety officials say.
“Realistically, when the economy started getting better, all indications …
Filed Under: Trending News Tagged With: Freeways, Safety, Traffic, Transportation
Chinese Venture Looks to Connect L.A. and Las Vegas Via High-Speed Rail
September 28, 2015 By James Poulos 4 Comments
For bemused Californians, there’s another bullet train in town, thanks to the Chinese government.
More specifically, credit — $100 million worth — goes to China Railway International USA, a venture spearheaded by Beijing’s national railroad, China Railway. The consortium has ponied up funds for XpressWest, “the transportation arm of Marnell Companies, a gaming resort development firm,” as the Sacramento Business Journal noted.
Formerly known as DesertXpress, the company has labored to send a high-speed track toward Las Vegas since “at least 2007,” reported the Los Angeles Times.
According to Chinese officials cited by the Times, passengers would travel “a 230-mile route with an additional stop in Palmdale and eventual service throughout the Los Angeles area using some of the same track that would be used by the publicly backed California high-speed rail project.” Past plans envisioned a run of 185 miles alongside I-15.
The logic behind the idea drew from some straightforward numbers. “About one-quarter of Las Vegas’s 41 million visitors in 2014 came from Southern California, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, many via a several hour highway drive,” Quartz noted. Vegas has been without a passenger train since Amtrak shut down its Desert Wind line in 1997.
Logistical doubts
This train, which would share track with California’s state-funded high-speed rail, has run into its own version of a problem plaguing that track: reaching Los Angeles proper. “The project has the approval to cover about 190 miles from Las Vegas to the California desert city of Victorville, about 100-mile drive northeast of Los Angeles. It hasn’t broken ground. The project still needs government permission to connect with Southern California’s population centers,” Fox News reported.
“The project currently lacks permission to connect with the state of California’s planned high-speed rail project at a station to be built in Palmdale, 50 miles west of Victorville. A mountain range and about 50 more miles separate Palmdale from downtown Los Angeles.”
Skeptics quickly emerged with unflattering questions about the logistical constraints that could be imposed by the train’s pathway and travel times. “Anybody in L.A. keen to drive to Victorville to pay $89 to take an 80 minute ride to Vegas on a high-speed train?” tweeted Bloomberg View’s Adam Minter.
Adding to the speculation, estimates emerged that the train would require far in excess of the $100 million the Chinese have so far made available. “China’s CRRC Corp’s unit along with its peers from China will implement the rail corridor project at an estimated cost of $5 billion,” the Venture Capital Post noted.
Marshaling support
As yet, American officeholders have remained cagey. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said he hadn’t learned any details about the plans. “But in 2009,” according to the Las Vegas Review Journal, “the XpressWest project drew a key supporter: U.S. Sen Harry Reid, D-Nevada. ‘Senator Reid has been a cheerleader on this project for many years,’ Reid spokeswoman Kristen Orthman said Thursday. ‘He’s glad to see this progress and remains committed to assisting as needed.’”
And the Chinese government appears to have a firm interest in seeing the project to completion. Beijing created CRRC with the specific purpose of throwing the country’s considerable industrial weight around in foreign territories. “The merger of China’s two largest state-owned rail equipment makers has created an industry behemoth, second only to General Electric in size, that will be competing aggressively for projects across Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America,” Quartz observed. “China, once a major importer of rail technology, wants to be a world leader in high-speed rail, with projects that span the globe, focusing especially on emerging markets.”
But growth in the U.S. has also been marked as a priority. An employee of the conglomerate told Caixin online that the company “views China Railway International USA an important part of its plan to expand abroad.”
Originally published by CalWatchdog.com
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: China, Harry Reid, high speed rail, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Transportation
Governor and Democrats Intent on Raising Taxes
September 4, 2015 By Mike Morrell 8 Comments
Majority Democrats have made it increasingly obvious that they are intent on raising taxes on hardworking Californians. In the clearest sign yet, the governor released a draft transportation funding plan on Thursday, which includes a $65 fee on vehicle owners, an 11-cent increase in the diesel tax, and a 6-cent increase in the gas tax. This comes on top of the estimated 10-cent increase in the gas tax that kicked in earlier this year due to cap and trade.
The governor and legislative Democrats are spending more than ever before, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at our roads. California drivers pay one of the highest gas taxes in the nation, yet our infrastructure ranks near the bottom. The state has money to improve our highways without asking taxpayers for more. As Republicans, we continue to stand with families to say enough is enough and oppose new taxes.
On Tuesday, Senate Democrats passed several measures that contained no substantive content to the state Assembly. The procedural move, a tactic frequently used during the state budget process, makes it easier to facilitate backroom deals, giving the public little time to review final products. These vehicles would likely be used to push through tax increases, such as those proposed by the Governor. New taxes require a two-thirds vote of the legislature.
Just one week before, Democrats on the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Development Committee approved a $35 increase in the vehicle registration fee and a 12-cent hike in the gas tax. A new poll out this week shows a majority of Californians oppose higher gas taxes.
Mike Morrell is a member of the California State Senate, 23rd District.
Originally published by Fox and Hounds Daily
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Democrats, Jerry Brown, Legislature, Mike Morrell, taxes, Transportation
Déjà Vu in the Special Session: Taxes vs. Reforms
August 24, 2015 By Joel Fox 1 Comment
Watching the maneuvering to pass a transportation revenue package in the special session, I can’t help but think of the observation by that great philosopher Yogi Berra who said: “It’s déjà vu all over again.” The legislative scrum over a legislative roads fix is similar to the struggle to find common ground before Proposition 30 was put on the ballot.
Remember those days at the beginning of Governor Jerry Brown’s third term. Brown tried to pick off a few Republican votes to secure the two-thirds margin he needed to put a tax increase measure on the ballot. In return, the Republicans who were courted by Brown sought reforms to the spending side of the budget, particularly, a spending limit and a rainy day fund. Pressured by public employee unions, Democrats in the legislature showed no interest in accepting these reforms.
The effort to achieve a compromise package went nowhere. The governor then turned to the ballot, working with union groups already pushing a tax increase initiative to create Proposition 30.
On transportation in the special session, Democrats put forward a series of tax and fee increases. Republicans countered with a package of spending proposals using cap and trade dollars, redirecting current transportation revenues for the roads, re-doing Caltrans employment, and reconsidering the high-speed rail project.
Republican senate leader Bob Huff said there is no support for tax increases in his caucus. Democratic majorities in committee killed the Caltrans and high-speed rail proposals. Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León said taking money from cap-and-trade for the roads is not a serious proposal. “There is no nexus between greenhouse gas emissions and potholes,” he said.
Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable, which supports a compromise that would include both tax increases and re-directing cap-and-trade funds said, “Both sides will likely experience some pain, both sides will need to have some wins.”
At this stage there seems no give to accept any part of the plan put forth by the other side.
Negotiations will continue. But will history repeat itself if no deal is struck?
The forces behind the tax and fee increases could play the initiative card. With supporters in labor and big business, and if the governor endorses an initiative, they certainly have the wherewithal to qualify a measure for the ballot. But, how likely is it that voters would embrace a 12-cent per gallon gas tax increase and higher car registration fees if such a proposal qualified for the ballot?
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Ballot Initiative, Joel Fox, Legislature, Special Session, taxes, Transportation
California Taxpayers and the 20th Maine
August 18, 2015 By Jon Coupal 2 Comments
Although comparisons to actual wartime fighting should be used sparingly, California taxpayers can’t help but feel a bit like the 20th Maine Regiment at the battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. The actions of the 20th Maine, depicted in the Pulitzer Prize winning book “Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara, are well known to Civil War buffs.
Led by Joshua Chamberlain, who later became Governor of Maine, the 20th Regiment became famous for its defense of Little Round Top, a small hill on the flank of the Union forces. On July 2, 1863, the 20th Maine was positioned at the far left of the Union line with elements of the 44th New York, 16th Michigan, and 83rd Pennsylvania. As the Confederacy began its attack, Chamberlain was alerted that the enemy seemed to be pushing toward the regiment’s left. Chamberlain ordered a right-angle formation, extending his line farther to the east.
After an hour and a half under heavy attack and running low on ammunition, Chamberlain saw the rebels forming for another push and ordered a charge down the hill with fixed bayonets, which caught the enemy by surprise. During the charge, a second Confederate line tried to make a stand near a stone wall. The isolated group of Union soldiers, now in a position from which to provide the rest of the regiment with support, fired into the Confederate’s rear, giving the impression that the 20th Maine had been joined by another regiment. This, coupled with the surprise of Chamberlain’s bold attack, caused panic among the Southerners’ ranks.
The Confederates scattered, ending the attack on the hill. If the 20th Maine had retreated instead, the entire line would have been flanked and the Union likely would have lost Gettysburg. Most Civil War historians agree that holding the hill helped the Union win Gettysburg and turn the tide of the war.
What is notable about the 20th Maine was the number of direct assaults launched directly against its ranks. Time and time again, enemy forces assailed the small force made up of mostly farmers, woodsmen and fishermen. Chamberlain himself was no professional soldier, but rather the Professor of Modern Languages at Bowdoin College.
Like the constant attacks on the 20th Maine, which depleted both the energy and ammunition of its members, political forces in California are lined up against taxpayers ready to make a final push as the current legislative session enters its final few weeks. The question is whether taxpayers and their allies in the Legislature – mostly Republicans – can repel all the tax hikes being proposed.
The proposals are many, varied and all dangerous. Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 seeks to rip Prop. 13 protections away from business owners, including tens of thousands of mom and pop stores. Assembly Constitutional Amendment 4 seeks to lower the two-thirds vote for local taxes which, if passed, will subject local citizens to massive new tax hikes. In a special session, which is not subject to the same time deadlines as the regular legislative session, there will be a huge push for new transportation taxes, slamming middle class working Californians who rely on their cars for both work and their family life.
Fortunately, there is plenty of ammunition taxpayers can use to counter the assault, starting with the argument that California is already a high tax state with a hostile regulatory environment that has driven many of its citizens and businesses to more friendly jurisdictions. Also, taxpayers will surely assert that, with a $6 billion surplus, the last thing we should be talking about is tax hikes. Finally, government waste in California continues to eat up tens of billions of dollars annually. All these contentions must be brought to the fore if taxpayers are to be victorious in stopping those who want even more money out of our pockets.
Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association — California’s largest grass-roots taxpayer organization dedicated to the protection of Proposition 13 and the advancement of taxpayers’ rights.
Originally published by HTJA.org
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: 20th Maine, Civil War, Government Waste, Prop 13, Taxpayers, Transportation
7 Key Measures of California’s Transportation Challenges
August 9, 2015 By John Moorlach 11 Comments
1. CA’s gas taxes are the 4thhighest in the nation.
According to the American Petroleum Institute, California’s 61-cent-per-gallon gas taxes are the 4th highest in the nation, behind only Pennsylvania, New York and Hawaii. This does not include the recent addition of extra cap-and-trade taxes resulting from bringing fossil fuels under California’s AB 32 law.
2. CA’s gas prices are the nation’s highest.
According to AAA, the current national average price for a gallon of ‘regular’ gasoline is $2.63. California’s current average price is $3.69 per gallon (as of 8/5/15).
3. CA’s gas tax & transportation fees yield $10.6 billion annually.
According to the State of California, Department of Transportation, Division of Budgets, 2014/2015 Fiscal Year estimates, the State brings in at least $10.6 billion in taxes and fees “dedicated to transportation purposes.”
4. Caltrans spends just 20% of that revenue on state road repair & new construction.
Last year, Caltrans spent $1.2 billion in state road maintenance & repair, and $850 million in new construction. Similar amounts are planned for the 2015/2016 CA State budget.
5. Caltrans wastes half a billion $$ annually on extra staffing.
The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) report on the review of the Caltrans’ Capital Outlay Support Program found that the agency is overstaffed by 3,500 positions at a cost of $500 million per year.
6. CA’s roads rank near the bottom in every category, including:
46th in rural interstate pavement condition
49th in urban interstate pavement condition
46th in urban interstate congestion
7. Poor road conditions cost Californians $17 billion yearly in vehicle repairs.
34% of CA’s major roads are rated to be in “poor” condition. Driving on roads in need of repair costs California motorists $17 billion a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs – $702.88 per motorist.
John Moorlach is a California State Senate, 37th District
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: LAO, Legislature, Roads, Transportation
Will California Republicans Dance With Wolves?
July 7, 2015 By Jon Coupal 3 Comments
Jerry Brown, who as a candidate for governor in 2010 repeatedly pledged he wouldn’t raise taxes without a popular vote, has called for a special session of the Legislature for the purpose of raising taxes. This despite the fact that general fund revenues have outstripped estimates by almost $6 billion. So now we have the very real possibility of higher gas taxes, higher registration and vehicle license fees with proceeds promised for roads – all without a vote of the people.
That a politician would change his views on adding to the public’s tax burden is hardly a surprise. Those of a certain age will clearly remember presidential candidate George H.W. Bush proclaiming, “Read my lips, no new taxes,” before his later, as president, breaking his pledge.
In his effort to increase the tax burden on motorists, Brown is receiving support from the usual suspects including Democrats in the Legislature who have become the party of the public employee unions favoring more revenue for higher pay, and radical environmentalists for whom the price of fossil fuels can never be high enough. Even some in the business community are signaling that they, too, could support higher levies on California drivers if the result is improved roads. (By now you would think that these otherwise astute political players would realize that Faustian bargains with the tax-hikers always end badly.)
The impediment to the grand scheme of those who want ever higher taxes is, of course, Proposition 13 which requires a two-thirds vote of each house of the Legislature. Deprived of their supermajorities in the last election cycle, Democrats would need help from Republicans. So the big question is will the Democrats be able to pick off a handful of Republican votes.
We sure hope not. Not only would this be bad policy but the California Republican Party has, in recent years, made progress in establishing a reputation as the only party to represent average working folks against multi-billion dollar tax increases. And voting for tax hikes as a Republican is a surefire way to end a political career.
Moreover, to their credit, Republicans have proposed credible transportation plans of their own to provide needed funding for road construction and maintenance, but without raising taxes.
Nonetheless, we’re hearing rumors that a couple of Republicans might acquiesce to a tax increase. They should know better as California already ranks second in the nation in gas tax rates, even without counting the hidden carbon tax. The new tax would make the state an outright number one and would add to the already highest gasoline prices.
Expect Republican legislators to be wined and dined and invited to dance by those lobbing for higher taxes. These favor seekers will be wearing their most benign looking sheep costumes but legislative Republicans should be aware that these are actually wolves who, once they have gotten the votes they want, will turn on them without provocation if it suits their interests.
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: HJTA, Jerry Brown, Jon Coupal, Legislature, taxes, Transportation
Special Tax Sessions Announced by Gov. Brown
June 17, 2015 By Joel Fox 1 Comment
In announcing the budget deal with the Legislature, Governor Jerry Brown announced two special sessions to deal with transportation and Medi-Cal funding. Call them the Special Tax Sessions.
In the press release announcing the sessions, the governor stated that the sessions were to “find more adequate funding for our roads and health care programs.”
The governor asked for “permanent and sustainable funding to maintain and repair the state’s transportation and critical infrastructure.” He also wants “permanent and sustainable funding to provide at least $1.1 billion annually to stabilize the state’s General Fund costs for Medi-Cal,” some of which would be used to meet the demands of programs Democratic legislators sought funds for in the current budget such as In-Home Supportive Services.
At the governor’s press conference announcing the budget deal, reporters asked Brown about his first term (third term?) campaign pledge to only seek tax increases with approval of voters. Brown brushed aside the old pledge indicating the pledge only applied to his first term.
Add it all up and there will be a push for tax or fee increases to support the governor’s call for “permanent and sustainable funding.” Discussions will revolve around gas taxes and a higher car tax or maybe a mileage fee for transportation; perhaps an increased cigarette tax and other healthcare taxes for Medi-Cal.
Brown might hope for support from the business community for the transportation and infrastructure fix. Those issues have been of on-going concern to business.
Still, the large influx of dollars in the current budget and the talk of tax proposals that may end up on next year’s ballot will only increase the anxiety of businesses and taxpayers alike and could result in stalemated special sessions.
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Jerry Brown, Legislature, Medi-Cal, Tax, taxes, Transportation
Bullet train puts California’s future in the hole
June 13, 2015 By Susan Shelley 10 Comments
The California High Speed Rail Authority is in damage-control mode in Southern California.
Planning is underway for the Palmdale-to-Burbank section of the $68-billion bullet train, and the rail authority is required to solicit community input on proposed routes. On Monday, Team Bullet Train was at the Santa Clarita Activities Center to comply with that legal mandate.
The strain was evident. “Santa Clarita has been very effective at vocalizing its concerns to the High Speed Rail Authority,” a rail official stated with cool irritation.
“I will lead the City Council to file a lawsuit if it goes through Santa Clarita,” Councilmember TimBen Boydston said later.
Public meetings usually feature members of the audience asking questions of a panel of officials and experts. Everyone can hear the answers.
Not this time. The rail authority’s meeting took place in two large rooms, with chairs set up in one room and computer displays in the other. Two officials gave a presentation in the room with the chairs but would not take questions from the people sitting in them.
“We prefer that people ask their questions individually of the experts at the open house,” an information officer said, referring to the room where engineering and environmental consultants stood near their displays like bored vendors at a trade show.
So none of the other people attending the presentation heard the experts tell me that the automobile was “a 50-year experiment that did not work out well,” or that “Ansel Adams opposed the Golden Gate Bridge, and one day opposition to high-speed rail will seem just as ridiculous,” or that “we will learn from the Europeans” how to safely evacuate train passengers from a tunnel 60 feet underground in the event of a fire or explosion.
Actually, automobile sales have been rising since 1892, Ansel Adams was a photographer of nature’s untouched beauty, and the CHSRA’s own literature on project pros and cons lists “Fire & Life Safety” as one of the “cons” of the “HSR deep tunnel.”
In another questionable assertion, the team insisted that the bullet train is financially viable and won’t need taxpayer subsidies to operate. They offered up a stack of year-old letters from private sector companies as evidence.
But the letters are about construction loans, not financial self-sufficiency. In the very first letter a CEO writes, “we believe that long-term funding by the State is needed.”
The second letter says the project could be completed “with funds from the state” in combination with private financing, if the state provides “a multi-year source of repayment.”
The would-be private sector partners were offering to help us borrow money, which we would then give to them to build the bullet train. They were pleased that the state would be able to make loan payments using money collected from cap-and-trade fees assessed on gasoline, diesel fuel and industry.
At a news conference in May, Gov. Jerry Brown was asked about the cap-and-trade spending. A reporter wondered if he had a long-term plan, “because as pollution goes down, the revenues will go down.”
“No, not quite,” Brown answered. “Pollution — we’re not as successful with reducing carbon pollution as we are with what they call ‘criteria’ pollutants, like sulfur, carbon monoxide, NOx, things like that. Carbon pollution is still rising. Worldwide. And so one of the principal strategies is to put a price on carbon. And a price that will rise. To increase the burden of using carbon.”
The reporter asked again, “But these revenues will taper off at some point and begin to go down, yes?”
“I don’t think so,” Brown answered.
“Spending will continue,” the reporter said.
“Spending will continue,” Brown confirmed. “There will be a gradual rise. And I would imagine as, assuming climate change becomes more evident, there will be efforts to ramp up even further the price of carbon.”
The governor is widening the definition of pollution so the penalty fees can go up. The only way to maintain public support for this scheme is to incite guilt and panic with endless warnings that climate change is about to become “more evident.”
Meanwhile, production and transportation will grow more expensive, and California will lose businesses, jobs and revenue. But limits on greenhouse gas emissions can always be tightened further to generate higher penalty fees. Spending will continue.
The bullet train is worse than an unnecessary expense. Funded by debt and fines, it will be a permanent leech on California’s economic lifeblood.
Save the future. Take Southwest.
Susan Shelley is a columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News.
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: bullet train, CHSRA, high speed rail, Jerry Brown, Santa Clarita, Transportation
Is Hyperloop Technology the Future of CA Transportation?
June 8, 2015 By James Poulos 2 Comments
Elon Musk proposed it years ago. This January, he announced he’d enable teams to test it out on a track in Texas. But the first entrepreneur to ink a deal for a Hyperloop test track will bring the concept to life in California.
According to Navigant Research and CBS News, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies — an entity that picked up independently where Musk left off with the idea — “has inked a deal with landowners in central California to build the world’s first Hyperloop test track.” Beginning in 2016, HTT would oversee construction of five miles of track along I-5, where, once completed, test speeds will be kept to around 200 miles per hours — less than a third of the top rate of travel envisioned by Musk.
Outlays for the fully-completed Hyperloop would likely come in far under the budget for California’s high-speed rail project, even with cost overruns:
The 5-mile test track is estimated to cost about $100 million, which Hyperloop Transportation Technologies hopes to pay for with its initial public offering (IPO) later this year, according to Navigant’s blog. Assuming building costs remain the same, a 400-mile (644 km) track between Los Angeles and San Francisco would cost about $8 billion (not including development costs), experts estimate. This price tag is still far less than that for California’s planned high-speed rail project, which could cost $67.6 billion, according to the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
HTT emerged from a crowdsourcing platform, JumpStartFund, created in 2013 by Dirk Ahlborn. “He’s used it to attract experts with day jobs at universities and companies such as Boeing and SpaceX who moonlight on the project in exchange for future profits,” as National Geographic explained.
But HTT has developed a reputation as the scrappy upstart among contending Hyperloop initiatives. Hyperloop Technologies, based in Los Angeles, assembled an all-star team. NatGeo counted “Brogan BamBrogan, a key former SpaceX engineer; Jim Messina, the manager of President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign; David Sacks, who worked under Musk at PayPal, and Shervin Pishevar, investor in ridesharing company Uber who prodded Musk to go public with his Hyperloop vision.”
Skepticism and savvy
As has long been the case with newfangled technologies, critics have not been shy about questioning the mechanics behind Hyperloop’s eye-popping goals. Beyond simple safety concerns — a leak in the vacuum created to make it move so fast would be disastrous — critics have claimed that “solar panels alone cannot generate the energy needed for 800mph travel. Even if successful, the issue of the enormous g-forces experienced by passengers when travelling at the Hyperloop’s top speed will also need to be addressed,” Alphr reported.
But for now, the intrinsic appeal and excitement of Hyperloop has brought enough momentum to carry the project forward. Looking to capitalize on the interest, Ahlborn has even teased the ultimate in futuristic transportation: a free ride. As Endgaget noted, he revealed “he’s considering a business model that apes what we see in free-to-play mobile games. The CEO is kicking around the idea that the travel itself would either be free or dirt cheap, with passengers charged for a series of as-yet undisclosed upgrades. Of course, since we’re still a decade or more away from a commercial version of the system, there’s plenty of time for him to change his mind.”
In the meantime, Hyperloop’s innovators have already encountered initial opposition from a potentially more formidable foe than armchair critics: California’s own government. “Transit authorities in California reportedly balked at the idea,” according to Fast Company, “concerned about earthquakes and the fact that such a system would have to span all kinds of terrain and privately owned land.” With his I-5 corridor test track, Ahlborn has begun to answer at least one of those objections.
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: bullet train, Elon Musk, high speed rail, Hyperloop, Transportation
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While many freelance operators abounded with the Age of Exploration, national interests were also paying attention and quickly organized their own expeditions. The individuals on these ships were also frequently also explorers, but their main mission was to deliver the Rule of Law -- for each's respective country -- on the High Seas.
AllAlbaniaAustraliaBelgiumChinaCuraçaoCzech RepublicDenmarkEnglandFranceGermanyGreeceIndiaIrelandItalyNetherlandsNorwayOttoman EmpirePeruPortugalRussiaScotlandSpainSwitzerlandTurkeyUnited StatesWales Active
Augustus Keppel
aka: 1st Viscount Keppel
1725, Apr 25 1735-1783 1786, Oct 2
an officer of the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the War of American Independence. During the final years of the latter conflict he served as First Lord of the Admiralty. During the Seven Years' War he saw constant service. He served as Commander-in-Chief, North American Station from 1751 to 1755 He was on the coast of France in 1756 and was deta...
an officer of the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the War of American Independence. During the final years of the latter conflict he served as First Lord of the Admiralty. During the Seven Years' War he saw constant service. He served as Commander-in-Chief, North American Station from 1751 to 1755 He was on the coast of France in 1756 and was detached on an expedition to conquer Gorée, a French island off the west coast of Africa in 1758. His ship, Torbay, was the first to get into action in the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759.
Cross-listed in Pirates • Explorers
Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Tremarec
aka: Kerguelen-Trémarec
1734, Feb 13 1797, Mar 3
a French explorer and naval officer. He was born in Landudal, Brittany. During the Seven Years' War, Kerguelen-Trémarec was a privateer, but without much success. In 1767 he sailed near Rockall, or Rokol. Although he may not have approached within sight of it, or even within 150 miles, he appears to have had good information regarding it. His charted positi...
a French explorer and naval officer. He was born in Landudal, Brittany. During the Seven Years' War, Kerguelen-Trémarec was a privateer, but without much success. In 1767 he sailed near Rockall, or Rokol. Although he may not have approached within sight of it, or even within 150 miles, he appears to have had good information regarding it. His charted position for it was only 16 miles north of its actual position and he accurately described its appearance and the nearby Helen's Reef: "East of Rokol, ¼ league away, there is a submerged rock over which the water breaks". In 1771, he published a map of the area.
Timeline (1) Links (1)
Henry Killigrew [5]
1652 ca 1712, Nov 9
an English Royal Navy officer and Member of Parliament. He was the son of the playwright Henry Killigrew. He was active in the Royal Navy during 1670s and 1680s, and was promoted to vice-admiral in 1689, but was suspected of Jacobite sympathies and not given a sea command after 1693. He was however appointed a Lord of the Admiralty in that year.
Cross-listed in Pirates
Koxinga
aka: Kuo-hsing Ye, Kuo-hsing Yeh, Coxinga, Zheng Chenggong, Cheng Ch’eng-kung, Guoxingye, Kaishan Shengwang,
1624, Aug 24 1646-1662 1662, Jun 23
a Chinese military leader who was born in Hirado, Japan to the Chinese merchant/pirate Zheng Zhilong and his Japanese wife Tagawa Matsu, and who died on Formosa. A Ming loyalist and the chief commander of the Ming troops on the maritime front for the later empero...
a Chinese military leader who was born in Hirado, Japan to the Chinese merchant/pirate Zheng Zhilong and his Japanese wife Tagawa Matsu, and who died on Formosa. A Ming loyalist and the chief commander of the Ming troops on the maritime front for the later emperors of the withering dynasty, Koxinga devoted the last 16 years of his life to resisting the conquest of China by the Manchus. Upon defeating the forces of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) on Formosa in his last campaign in 1661–1662, Koxinga took over the island in order to support his grand campaign against the Manchu-ruled Qing dynasty.
Timeline (2) Links (7) Notes (1)
Cross-listed in Explorers
Adam Johann von Krusenstern
1770, Nov 19 1793-1806 1846, Aug 24
a Baltic German admiral and explorer, who led the first Russian circumnavigation of the globe. After publishing a paper pointing out the advantages of direct communication by sea between Russia and China by passing Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America and the Cape of Good Hope at the tip of South Africa, he was appointed by Czar Alexander I to make...
a Baltic German admiral and explorer, who led the first Russian circumnavigation of the globe. After publishing a paper pointing out the advantages of direct communication by sea between Russia and China by passing Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America and the Cape of Good Hope at the tip of South Africa, he was appointed by Czar Alexander I to make a voyage to the Far East coast of Asia to endeavour to carry out the project.
Jump: Ke Ki Ko Kr
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Ted Belman: Netanyahu was the author of his near defeat and his great victory
The following is a guest submission by Israpundit’s Ted Belman:
By Ted Belman
Shortly after Pres Obama’s inauguration in 2009, Likud, with Netanyahu at its head, was tasked with forming the government. He was concerned to balance the pressure he was under by the right wing of Likud so he invited Ehud Barak, a former Chief of Staff of the IDF and former Prime Minister to break away from Labour by forming a new party so that the new party could be invited to join the Government. For his troubles he was made the Defense Minister, arguably the second most important ministry in the government. You will recall that Barak made an unprecedented offer to Arafat in the peace negotiations under President Clinton.
He appointed Michael Oren to the post of Ambassador to the US. While Oren had great credentials for the post he was also a left winger.
A few months later under wilting pressure from Obama, he delivered his first Bar Ilan speech in which he embraced the two state solution subject to certain caveats, namely, Palestine must be demilitarized, and must recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people. In addition Israel needs defensible borders with Jerusalem remaining the united capital of Israel. Just as when President Bush delivered his speech in 2002 in which he envisaged a Palestinian state subject the certain caveats, the world quickly forgot about the caveats and embraced the future Palestine.
Obama pressured for more and Netanyahu delivered by announcing a unilateral 10 month construction freeze east of the ’67 lines, except for Jerusalem. He quietly applied it to Jerusalem as well. Both of these concessions were contrary to Likud’s platform and alienated his base.
After four years in office he disbanded the government and called for new elections. This time he merged with Liberman’s party, Yisrael Beiteinu, hoping to get a total of over 40 seats. To his chagrin, the public didn’t buy it and the combined party only got 31 seats. Thus a weakened Netanyahu was forced to accept into the government the combo of Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid (19) and Naftali Bennett’s Bayit Yehudi (12). But first he invited Tzipi Livni head of Hatnua (6) to join the government. He rewarded her with the Ministry of Justice and appointed her, head of Israel’s negotiating team. Livni was very experienced but was viewed as a left winger. The same went for Barak. Netanyahu’s base was further alienated.
Bayit Yehudi was Naftali Bennett’s creation. His pro?settlement, anti?Palestine and anti?prisoner release platform attracted my many disgruntled right wing Likudniks thereby weakening Likud. Also Moshe Kahlon, a longtime member of Likud, withdrew and started his own party called Kulanu which campaigned on one issue namely lowering the cost of living. He complained that Likud had become complacent in that task.
This government came under intense pressure from the Obama administration to make “gestures” to the Palestinian Authority to induce them to enter negotiations. This was a bazaar demand because if a party doesn’t not want to enter negotiations, it certainly doesn’t want to make concessions or consummate a deal. Netanyahu was given a choice of “gestures”, either release over 100 convicted Palestinian terrorists or freeze construction of settlements. He chose the former, to much outrage, and ultimately imposed the freeze, too.
This government was short lived. With Lapid and Livni pulling in a leftward direction, it proved ungovernable. Netanyahu disbanded the government and called for new elections.
To his credit, Netanyahu, has done his utmost to ensure Israel’s security. In pursuit of this goal he planned to bomb Iran in 2012 to set back their nuclear program but was prevented from doing so by Obama’s leaks and pressures.
During the election campaign, Congressman Boehner, Speaker of the House, invited him to address a joint session of the House and he leapt at the opportunity. Obama was apoplectic because he knew that Netanyahu had the potential to unseat his dash toward a bad deal with Iran. Obama did his utmost to discredit Netanyahu. He also mobilized Democrat Congressmen and Senator’s to boycott the speech and not one of the senior echelons of his administration was allowed to attend. Nevertheless the speech went ahead and was a resounding success. It greatly impacted the negotiations. In addition, Congress has prepared legislation that would require any deal with Iran to be treated as a treaty requiring the Senate’s approval. Finally, in a near unprecedented move, Sen Tom Cotton mobilized 47 Senators to sign a letter to Iran which said, “The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time.”
Back to the elections.
Obama was determined to remove Netanyahu from power and to install the Herzog/Linvi combo named Zionist Union. He mobilized his election team headed by Jeremy Bird for the job and arranged for the State Department to fund them to the tune of $350,000 for the job. And they weren’t alone in this effort. The EU also funded the anti-Netanyahu campaign as did a number of prominent foreign philanthropies. A perfect storm. The US Senate has launched a bipartisan probe into the White House’s alleged funding of an NGO pushing for the ouster of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu choose to campaign on security and his experience. The Zionist Union mounted an “anybody but Bibi” campaign and mercilessly attacked him for everything, real or imagined. They supported Obama’s Iran policy and the peace process. They stressed many economic issues such as the high cost of housing and of living. Netanyahu choose not to defend himself on these issues which he might have well done giving the fact that under his leadership, Israel fared better in the aftermath of the economic crises which began in late 2008, than anyone else. And their unemployment rate was the lowest of any developed nation.
On Friday, last, the last polls published showed Likud (21 to 22) trailing Zionist Union (25 to 26). Bibi had to close the gap. He decided to play up the fact that he was behind and asked for the nationalist camp to vote for Likud rather that other rightwing alternatives. He pleaded with them to help close the gap. The national camp voters were very concerned that he would not be returned to power though they had many differences of opinions with him.
On Sunday night, last, they mounted a massive rally in Tel Aviv which attracted 100,000 people though the leftwing press reported only tens of thousands attended.
Thereafter, he promised to make Moshe Kahlon finance Minister no matter how many seats Kulanu got.
Then on Monday evening, just before Tuesday, the voting day, Herzog announced that the Zionist Union was no more and that Livni had withdrawn. This announcement was a bombshell exploding. What happened? What could it mean? Evidently internal polls conducted by the Zionist Union, suggested that the gap was closing quickly and that something must be done to win the election. Their internal polls also suggested that if Livni dropped out, the remaining party, Labour, may get an additional 4 seats. So the Hail Mary pass was thrown.
Exit polls published at 10.00 PM on Tuesday, showed Labour at 27 seats and Likud at either 27 or 28 seats. To Israelis this seemed to insure that Bibi would be tasked with forming the government. Overnight, the results got even better; 30 seats for Likud versus 24 for Zionist Union. A real blowout.
Netanyahu announced that he would form a government from among the parties on the right only and the religious parties. He had learned his lesson.
One of the reasons he had succeeded in attracting Likudniks back to Likud was because of his policy announcements made in the last few days. He announced his three “nos”; no to a Palestinian State, no to dividing Jerusalem and no to releasing terrorists. For good measure he added in one “yes”. Yes to building thousands of houses in Jerusalem in the face of all the (international) pressure.
As a result of returning to his base and appointing Kahlon, Finance Minister, the base returned to him. Bayit Yehudi dropped from a projected 12 seats to 8 and Kulanu dropped from 12 projected to 10 seats. The first person Natanyahu called after the exit polls were announced was Naftali Bennett.
The new government will have a stable majority of 68.
This is a brilliant victory for Netanyahu.
Be sure to check out Ted’s website here.
Bibi Netahyahu, Israeli election, Israpundit, Knesset, Likud, Obama, Ted Belman
Michael Barone | King v. Burwell’s Very Existence Says a Lot About Obamacare
Ali Akbar Dareini | Iranian leader pretty excited about Nuke deal with Obama
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Diablo Weavers Guild meets in Walnut Creek, usually on the third or fourth Friday of the month from September through June, 10:00 am, until noon or a little later.
Dues for the year 2015 - ’16 are $30 per person, or $40 for a family.
11:00 AM at Vilija's house
Our Annual Luncheon and Picnic project
Diablo June Picnic
An update on the location for our luncheon--the Picnic is back at Vilija’s house. Our theme is “Working Braids”. Having learned Loop Braiding at the May meeting, we will have several different techniques demo’ed at the Picnic.
This is a participation event, so bring a technique you particularly like and show it to the rest of us, even if you think it has been shown before. The 2017 Asilomar Conference would like to give out a hand-made lanyard to each participant for their name tag. Yes, this has been done in the past, but its always fun not only to make a lanyard for someone else, but also to receive a brand new one!
If you want to continue to make a loop braid, bring that with you. We’ll have kumihimo, card weaving, lucet and whatever else you can think of. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we’ll have a nice afternoon out working on a lanyard.
TIME; 11AM TO WHEN EVER
BRING: A FOOD DISH TO SHARE
PROVIDED: DRINKS
EXTRA ADDED ATTRACTION:
We have a stash of, mostly, bulkyish yarns for giveaway. Most of them could certainly be used for practicing braiding. Come and select something. These are all from past member Wilma Seppala who is de-stashing and donated them to the members of Diablo.
You will get your inspiration for next year’s Picnic Project. Its a surprise. If you can’t come to this picnic, you can pick it up at our next meeting in September. What you get must be used as some sort of inspiration. The “OBJECT" itself can be used in some way to make whatever. Or peruse your “OBJECT” and find something to inspire you to make a new weaving of any kind. We are a creative bunch. Lets see what we can come up with.
Ongoing information will be posted here--or see the link on the side menu under Programs 2015-2016--with details regarding materials to bring for making the lanyards using card weaving, braiding, kumihimo or other techniques. We will have four or more members helping us get set up and started on making the lanyards to hold nametags for CNCH 2017 at Asilomar.
REMINDER: Dues for next year are due in June: $30 for individual members. Thanks!
Summer classes at San Francisco Fiber
Lou Grantham has a list of classes available at San Francisco Fiber, her studio in Oakland.
See below for the list of classes available through August.
http://www.sffiber.com/classes.html
Loop Braiding class with Ingrid Crickmore
The Lace Museum in San Jose will be having a loop braiding class with Ingrid Crickmore in October. You can find information at this link,
http://thelacemuseum.org/Workshops.html
Loop Braiding Potpourri with Ingrid Crickmore
Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23, 2016 9:30am-4:30pm
Loop braiding (aka fingerloop braiding) is a disappearing, world-wide traditional way to make braided cords and bands quickly and efficiently with almost no equipment other than the fingers. Many different braided structures
can be made: cords that are round, square, rectangular, triangular, and solid or hollow; as well as wide, flat ribbon-like bands, and lace-like braids with fine-yet-strong openwork.
Aside from being useful and strong, these cords and bands can also have very intricate and beautiful color-patterning. Nowadays, teens often learn one or two basic fingerloop braids as a quick friendship bracelet technique. Loop braids can also be used as lanyards, necklaces, drawstrings, fine fringe, edge trimmings on clothing, button-hole bands, shoelaces, and more.
In this workshop, we will learn square, flat, and openwork braids; a spiral- textured round braid; and (depending on time constraints and class interest) several different color-pattern variations of these braids; a beveled “half-round” or triangular braid, and/or a dotted braid that was called “Grene Dorg,” (Barleycorn) in Medieval England.
Materials Fee: $7/per student, payable directly to teacher
I will be providing each student:
All class yarn-students will be encouraged to measure off/ make up extra
loop-bundles to take home, for any/ all of the braids we will be learning.
Large-tooth plastic comb for storing in-progress braid (loops can be
“parked” on comb’s teeth)
Thick multi-page handout packet
Ingrid Crickmore is a textile arts dilettante who became fascinated by loop braiding in 2006, and has been learning and teaching it ever since. She teaches both traditional and original loop braids and braiding techniques, both on her website, Loop Braiding (loopbraider.com) – which has many free video and photo-based tutorials – as well as at workshops and conferences.
Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23, 2016 · 9:30am-4:30pm
Name___________________________________________________________________ Address___________________________________________________________________ Phone________________ Email _______________________________________
__ Check for $150 made payable to The Lace Museum enclosed __ Paying via Paypal at www.thelacemuseum.org
__ Paying by credit card in person or by phone at the Museum
An email confirmation will be sent upon receipt of your registration.
Spinning at the Winery
June 4, 2016,10 am to 4 pm
Retzlaff Winery, 1356 N. Livermore Ave. Livermore
$5 entry per person and bring a pot luck dish to share
See the Treadles to Threads Blog for further details:
http://treadles2threads.blogspot.com/
And the Retzlaff Winery website:
http://retzlaffvineyards.com/
Uptown Gallery
I will have annual open studio at Oakland in June-3,4,5 & 11,12.
But this might be the last one at Oakland Uptown.
I will miss that huge space!!
Please stop by 20 artists open studio.
I will be there both weekends.
Hope to see you!! Aiko
Pro Arts East Bay Open Studios 2016
Aiko Kobayashi Gray
Please join me and a wonderful group of 20 artists.
Two Weekends: June 4 & 5 and 11 & 12, 11 AM - 6 PM
http://www.uptownopenstudios.com/
Basketry Workshops at Slow Fiber Studios
Slow Fiber Studios is delighted to welcome Mr. Jiro Yonezawa back in Berkeley, CA this July to teach several bamboo and cane basketry workshops. Currently based in southern Japan, Mr. Yonezawa has worked with traditional basket weaving techniques for nearly four decades, and has developed a portfolio that has been recognized internationally.
Mr. Yonezawa will offer four different workshops, as well as a lecture, three demonstrations and a closing reception. Enjoy this opportunity to learn from a Japanese master craftsman and artist while exploring noble and versatile bamboo and cane as materials for innovative expression. For more details, visit our event page on SlowFiberStudios.com.
Golden Gate Weavers
Annual Exhibit at the UC Berkeley Faculty Club
Members of the Golden Gate Weavers will have items on display at the UC Berkeley Faculty club during the month of July, as part of their monthly art exhibit.
The Faculty Club and restaurant is usually open to the public every day of the week. The exhibit is in the main hall outside the big room with the moose heads.
For directions and information about the UC Berkeley Faculty Club:
http://www.berkeleyfacultyclub.com/
Parking with meters is off campus along the street or in a UC garage. BART also works, but it is a bit of a hike from the downtown Berkeley BART station to the Faculty Club on the North side of campus, next to Faculty glade.
Weaving Resources
New Textile Website and a new tour coming up.
In May of this year we led our third textile tour around the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia on board the Ombak Putih. It was a great success with more and more weavers and dyers getting involved each time we go there. Three of the twelve cabins are already booked for next year’s tour and I’m attaching a mailer which gives more details in case this is of interest to any of the Diablo Weavers.
Sue Richardson
Tribal Weavings of the Lesser Sunda Islands
The most exciting textile tour you are ever likely to find – the trip of a lifetime!
The remote ikat-weaving islands of eastern Indonesia have one of the most diverse textile cultures on the planet. Hand-woven cloth plays a pivotal role in the cohesion of all these societies, cementing clan alliances through complex gift exchanges, revealing tribal loyalties and underpinning the annual cycle of rituals. As some islanders emphasize: ‘without cloth we cannot marry’.
Sadly the encroachment of the modern world means that the number of communities where women still continue to spin their own cotton, prepare their own natural dyes and weave on traditional back-tension looms is limited. Their numbers are dwindling and within a generation they could be gone.
Join British textile experts David and Sue Richardson for a fantastic, adventurous voyage on a traditionally designed Indonesian schooner (phinisi), custom-built by Buginese shipbuilders. With a maximum of 22 passengers, our newly fitted French- and American-owned boat has all modern amenities with comfortable en-suite air-conditioned cabins, lots of shaded deck space, an enclosed lounge and bar, and all the latest safety equipment.
Our itinerary takes us along the coast of Flores and on to the islands of Lembata, Alor, Timor, Savu, and Sumba, returning via Rinca to visit the Komodo dragons. In village after village we will see every aspect of ikat production and natural dyeing and have the opportunity to purchase fabulous textiles directly from the women who made them. Before each visit guests will be fully briefed so that they completely understand the type of textiles and techniques they will encounter and the role that cloth plays within the local community. Our journey will take us through a dramatic volcanic landscape during which there will be time to write-up journals, relax, swim, snorkel, sunbathe, and beachcomb.
Our cruise begins at Maumere on the island of Flores on May 1, 2017 and ends at Labuan Bajo, also on Flores on May 12. Both places are connected to Bali by short direct flights. We will also lead a short land-based pre-cruise tour from April 29 to May 1.
See http://www.asiantextilestudies.com/tour.html
There are also lots of photos on our Facebook page, which will give you a good idea of what to expect. We will be adding images from the 2016 tour over the coming weeks.
See https://www.facebook.com/David.and.Sue.Richardson/287466518059
Please note there are six twin cabins with one upper and one lower berth, and six double cabins with one large lower berth.
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new website - Asian Textile Studies – designed for those with a serious interest in traditional hand-woven textiles.
We have been working on this material for the last few years and have just uploaded the first pages, which focus on the subject of natural dyeing. Much more content will be added over time. We hope this will be of interest to members of your group. Please take a look, and share this among the wider textile community.
Click on the link below to explore this new website.
www.asiantextilestudies.com
David and Sue Richardson
A new Online Weaving magazine edited by Robin Spady
Heddlecraft, the newest weaving resource, has launched!
What is Heddlecraft? It’s a digital weaving magazine for weavers who love to weave and want to know more. Heddlecraft will be published six times a year. An annual subscription is $19.99 and a single issue is $4.50. Each issue will have a focus on a particular weave or weaving technique.
You can find out more about Heddlecraft at www.heddlecraft.com. Also, please join us on Facebook and Twitter.
Happy weaving!
Robyn Spady
Editor, Heddlecraft
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Apple replaces overheating phone chargers
By Tim Sandle Jun 15, 2014 in Technology
Tech giant Apple has said that it will replace a series of "overheating" device chargers throughout Europe. The issue relates to a USB iPhone charger sold between October 2009 and September 2012.
The announcement about the chargers comes via an advice note in which Apple recommends that those who own the adapter to stop using it because the charger "may overheat and pose a safety risk." Apple adds that the malfunction only occurs in "rare cases." The company is offering to exchange the defective items free of charge.
The charger was originally sold as part of an iPhone kit, shipped with iPhone 3GS, 4 and 4S models . The Daily Mail states that model was sold in 37 countries, including some countries in Africa and Asia, but not in the UK. In addition, the charger was also sold as a separate accessory. The charger's model number is A1300 and it features the letters "CE" in solid grey.
The full list of affected countries, according to International Business Times, is: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Vietnam.
iPhones Sold with Overheating Chargers | FindTheBest
This is not the first time that Apple has been hit by defective chargers. In 2008, the company offered to exchange defective iPhone 3G chargers in the US, Japan, Canada and several Latin American countries.
More about Apple, Smartphones, Power, Chargers
Apple Smartphones Power Chargers
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Haditha Massacre: After 9 Years Still Unanswered Questions About Destroyed Documents
Based on documents recently obtained via FOIA, there are still two open inquiries by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) into the possible unlawful destruction or removal of records related to the killings of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in November 2005 - 9 years ago this month. Despite a letter from the Marine Corps in mid-2013 that purported to finally respond to the inquiries -- which, as I'll explain below, is completely inadequate -- NARA has not closed out the inquiries, nor should it.
The first unauthorized destruction inquiry began in August 2006 following a New York Times article entitled "Marines May Have Excised Evidence on 24 Iraqi Deaths" which stated that an investigation by Maj. Gen Eldon Bargewell had uncovered, among other things, possible tampering with a unit log book "which was meant to be a daily record of major incidents the marines' company encountered" but which "had all the pages missing for Nov. 19, the day of the killings, and that those portions had not been found." The initial NARA inquiry letter is here. (As an aside, the fact that NARA had to learn about this from a news article is arguably itself evidence that the Department of the Navy/Marine Corps "did not follow the law").
The second inquiry began in December 2011 (NARA letter here) following another stunning New York Times article entitled "Junkyard Gives Up Secret Accounts of Massacre in Iraq" that was based on 400 pages of classified interviews related to an investigation of the Haditha killings found in an Iraqi junkyard where they were being burned by local Iraqis.
In both cases the Department of the Navy initially responded to NARA by stating that a substantive response would have to yield to ongoing Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) investigations (2006 letter and 2011 letter). Yet released emails (see, e.g., here) also show that it was thereafter left to NARA to attempt repeatedly to follow up on its inquiries. The Navy and Marine Corps appeared both disorganized and dismissive of the NARA inquiries. In one 2012 email, for example, the Navy asked an inquiring NARA representative, "Who is lighting the fire on you at NARA?"
Finally, last year a May 30, 2013 memorandum from the Commandant of the Marine Corps (signed by the Director of Marine Corp Staff) purported to address, at last, both NARA inquiries. The memo simply stated, however, that "regarding alleged destruction of records, a thorough and extensive review of available documentation and previous investigations was conducted. As a result of this review, there were no findings which revealed destruction or unauthorized removal of records" (emphasis mine).
A superficial reading of this carefully-worded paragraph might give the impression that the Navy/Marine Corps actually investigated the questions posed by NARA. Instead, it appears -- as the letter in fact states -- that they simply reviewed the "documentation and previous investigations" into the Haditha matter generally and there were "no [formal] findings" of "destruction or unauthorized removal of records." This is supported by an email exchange that preceded the formal response in which NARA tried to clarify whether the Navy had actually completed an "investigation into the alleged destruction of Haditha records" and the Navy representative responded that it was the "investigation into Haditha in general." This is wholly inadequate for several reasons.
First, the lack of a specific relevant "finding" in one of the various criminal investigations about the Haditha killings is irrelevant unless one of them was tasked specifically with looking at, and reporting back on, whether there was an unauthorized destruction or removal of federal records, regardless of whether it justified criminal charges.
Second, to the extent the records of those investigations are public, they do appear on their face to show records destruction. The 2006 New York Times article, for example, indicated that the destruction of evidence related to the log book arose in the context of the investigation by Gen. Bargewell. The text of the resulting report was later made public here and it does include sections indicating possible destruction of records relating to a log book, including this one:
A more detailed accounting of these facts would be available in the interviews to which the footnotes above cite as well as other materials cited in the report, but they are not publicly available (so far as I am aware). Additional evidence on this point also comes in the form of a subsequent Article 32 hearing in 2007 for CPT Randy Stone, in which 1SG Albert Espinosa testified that the "log books from Nov. 19 were incomplete or missing." In the case of the 2011 NARA inquiry, the factual predicate is even more easily verified: the New York Times has copies of classified federal records they obtained from an Iraqi junkyard!
To be clear, it would be possible for the Navy/Marine Corps to have investigated these claims specifically and to have concluded that there was insufficient factual support to conclude that pages in the log book were destroyed at all or to conclude that the destruction of the records in the Iraqi junkyard -- while undertaken in an incompetent manner that created a serious security incident -- was not unauthorized records destruction because they were disposable reference copies or otherwise covered by an approved records schedule. But there is no indication that this is what occurred, despite years of delay.
The larger point is that in cases such as this, where publicly available evidence clearly supports at least a prima facie case of unauthorized destruction, NARA ought to require agencies to explain what investigative steps were undertaken and describe its analysis in determining whether or not the destruction was unauthorized, rather than an inexplicable, conclusory response of "no unauthorized destruction." Part of the value of these NARA inquiries is to identify agency misinterpretations and misapplications of the federal records laws in order to remedy them to prevent more widespread destruction.
To NARA's credit, despite the May 2013 letter from the Marine Corps, NARA continued to list both inquiries as still open as of the end of fiscal year 2013 and, based on the results of recent FOIA requests, nothing has changed.
Finally, while the significance of these NARA inquiries extends far beyond the question of missing pages in a unit log book or some binders in a junkyard (as mentioned above), those missing pages are more than important enough. If the IRS undertook Herculean efforts (see pp. 5-7 in the attachment) to try to resurrect probably meaningless emails of Lois Lerner, surely we can expect the United States Marine Corps to provide a meaningful response to NARA regarding records relevant to a horrific event in which 24 human beings were killed and for which Marines were charged with crimes. Even though the criminal investigations may be finished, for the historical accounting for Haditha - which is already mentioned in the same breath as My Lai - every record counts.
Labels: document destruction, Iraq, preservation, U.S. Navy
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Home > News > In the Business of Change
Creative thinking inspires ideas. Ideas inspire change. --Barbara Januszkiewicz
In the Business of Change
--by Elisa Birnbaum, Aug 10, 2018
Excerpted from: In the Business of Change: How Social Entrepreneurs are Disrupting Business as Usual (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018, and is reprinted with permission from the publishers)
Disruptive. Innovative. Creative.
An increasing number of social entrepreneurs have come to realize that moving from ideation to success often requires going beyond the usual, the traditional, the expected. They need to shake things up, turn ideas upside down and infuse their solutions to challenges with a creative twist, new technology and/or a bold rethink.
Of course, innovation is not an approach unique to social entrepreneurs. It’s a popular tool for any entrepreneurs who want to rise above the fray and differentiate themselves from their competition. And to be innovative doesn’t necessitate brand spanking new ideas or reinventing the wheel. Leveraging what already exists and adopting new ideas into the mix can prove effective — and profitable.
But, as we’ll see in this chapter, for social entrepreneurs it’s more than being disruptive for the sake of competitive advantage. It’s about finding new ways to tackle social and environmental challenges because the old ways are simply not working — or not scaling at a pace that makes longterm change feasible. It’s about looking for new, creative answers to old, seemingly unchangeable problems.
For Komal Ahmad, the old problems came in the form of food security and its sister challenge, food waste. Her inspiration? A homeless man with whom she generously shared her lunch one day who shared his story: he had recently completed a second tour in Iraq and was struggling to make ends meet while he waited for his VA benefits to kick in. That someone who had dedicated his life to the same country that was now failing to feed him seemed incredulous to Ahmad. That they were eating across the street from the Berkeley College campus she attended, where food was often thrown out from the cafeteria, only reinforced the paradox.
“It was emblematic of much larger problem, that every day in the US over 365 million pounds of perfectly edible food is wasted, while one of out every six don’t know where their food is coming from,” she says. It occurred to her that, despite the oft-accepted belief, it’s not the lack of food at issue but its inefficient distribution. “Hunger is a logistics problem, not a scarcity problem.”
She was now on a mission. She asked Berkeley representatives why they threw out so much excess food and was told it was a liability issue. But that didn’t make sense. How was food worthy of feeding college students one minute potentially problematic the next? Upon further research, she found that in 1996 Congress had passed the Bill Emerson Good Samarian Act, which effectively absolved donors from liability when donating food, except in cases of gross negligence. “Since that time, the number of lawsuits or legal claims has been zero,” she says.
Armed with the law and an abundance of persistence, Ahmad approached Berkeley again and initiated the nation’s first food-recovery organization on a college campus, redistributing unused food to organizations who needed it. Except, as the initiative started gaining ground, Ahmad quickly realized it was “remarkably inefficient.” She recounts her aha moment: driving around one day with a huge quantity of sandwiches, trying to find non-profits who needed them. Some took a few off her hands; others didn’t return her calls; still others said they didn’t need anything then but may need food at a later date. “Why is it so hard to do a good thing?” she remembers thinking. “Where are all the people hungry when I have so much food?”
It then hit her: what she needed was to innovate the old process to better match food waste with need. Copia was born in 2011. “We didn’t invent the concept of food recovery; we just put technology behind it,” she explains. Copia allows businesses, event organizers and others to request a pickup of their surplus food for a fee contingent upon the quantity of food being donated.
An algorithm then matches the requests to non-profits who’ve put in food requests, and Copia’s “food heroes” are dispatched for pickup and drop-off. Photos and testimonials of recipients, as well as data and analytics, are made available to donors to reinforce measurable impact. And from start to end Copia promotes environmental and financial efficiency.
The ideal customer is someone who gives away high-quality food 260 to 365 days a year from multiple locations across the country, shares Ahmad of her long-term vision. She’s equally clear about her business model: “We’re built to solve hunger at scale; we’re not a non-profit,” she explains unequivocally. Determined to put an end to hunger, scale is thus inevitable. “We don’t want to be local; we want to be global, and that’s only possible by creating an enterprise; no one loses just because you win.”
Today Copia operates in San Francisco and is expanding into Los Angeles, Austin and other cities, with the expectation of growing across the US by 2018. As she contemplates a franchise model, Ahmad is also open to opportunities to partner with similarly minded organizations who can make use of their technology to streamline efficiency and increase impact.
To be sure, Ahmad has her eyes set on the world, having received over 60,000 requests from people wanting to use the platform and technology. Senior government officials in Germany and Austria, for example, are inquiring about better ways to match food and other resources for Syrian migrants. “I would never have fathomed that possibility back when I was in college,” says Ahmad. Once food redistribution is figured out on scale, the possibilities of matching different resources and needs are endless: disaster relief, medical supplies, books, medicines. Any need that doesn’t stem from lack of resources but inefficient distribution can technically fall into her innovative, tech-savvy hands.
Of course, challenges remain. The pace of change, for one. “If you asked me five years ago, I would say, ‘Yeah, it would be solved already,’” she says of food waste. But when you get down to the nitty gritty, you realize why change takes time. “I’m hopeful we can create a model that will allow us to replicate quicker,” she says. But it won’t be completely uniform. Appreciating local distinctions, one model will work best for Middle America, another for New York, yet another for San Francisco and a distinctive one for London, UK. It’s still early days, but, with growth essential, Ahmad’s goal is to find a way to identify needs and operationalize without duplicating efforts.
As for lessons learned, at the top of Ahmad’s long list is this simple yet powerful one: never give up. Don’t be dissuaded by those who don’t believe in you, she says, recalling how when she first started Copia, some people dismissed her efforts as “cute.” “Now people take me more seriously.” She laughs. “They see I’m still doing it; it’s not a hobby. Eradicating world hunger is not a part-time job.” Sometimes innovation requires turning an industry on its head.
Take Boston-based MASS Design, the ultimate disruptor in the field of architecture. “Architecture is never neutral,” their website proclaims. “It either heals or hurts.” With the belief that architecture has power beyond a building’s four walls, that it should be held accountable for community and serve as a vital proponent to its health, MASS’s mission is to build and advocate for architecture that promotes justice and human dignity.
If you believe, like co-founder Alan Ricks does, that architects should tackle challenges that face communities, the only way to do that is to turn architecture upside down, inside out. To create innovative buildings that better the lives of people and promote their health and dignity throughout the process — from design and planning and engineering to construction.
Ricks says the idea for MASS Design came about after a stint in Rwanda, where an outbreak of tuberculosis was traced back to a health clinic. It made him realize that buildings can make people sicker. The question became, If bad design is making people sick, can good design make people heal? To that end, MASS works on schools, hospitals, health centers, housing projects and any initiative that falls within their typologies of health, education and justice. To wit: they were hired by Haiti’s Les Centres GHESKIO to create a health infrastructure to combat cholera — the country’s first permanent facility for cholera treatment. Hit with the biggest cholera outbreak in the past century, Haiti faced the more pertinent question of how to move beyond emergency responses to tackle the endemic problem.
Effectively establishing a new paradigm for cholera and diarrheal disease treatment and prevention, the facility boasts easier-to-clean equipment, comfortable furniture and greater privacy for patients and their families, bringing back dignity to the healthcare equation. The patient-centric treatment center also offers an on-site sanitation system that helps combat water and waste issues. Given that only 28 percent of Port-au-Prince residents have access to clean water and sanitation, its capacity to treat up to 250,000 gallons of wastewater annually is fundamental.
In 2015 MASS Design worked on the Mubuga Primary School in Rwanda, which now serves as a model for public education in the country, promoting comfort, health and a playful learning environment. The new classrooms offer sufficient light, ventilation, a library and a teacher’s space for resources. Believing in the importance of play and sports in facilitating healing, the school also has play areas, a volley ball court and outdoor education areas. And to ensure that their design is replicable and capable of addressing related issues of school infrastructure in the region, the architectural design for the building incorporated local materials and techniques. They even used local labor to promote community engagement and sustainability.
Today MASS is working in about ten countries in Africa on a variety of projects, which include a $50 million hospital in Monrovia and two district hospitals in Rwanda, where it has a second office with a staff of 35. It’s actually where the company got its start, a fortuitous opportunity that offered the team significant insight into the systematic issues prevalent across the nation, resulting most particularly from rapid development and urbanization. It was that insight that gave the architectural firm its purpose.
About to celebrate MASS’s tenth anniversary in 2018, Ricks hopes the first ten years will stand as proof of concept, demonstrating that designing around issues of social justice is not only possible, it’s beautiful and cost-effective — and sustainable as a business model. As for the next ten years, Ricks wants to bring the model to the US, proving the takeaways are not exclusive to emerging markets. MASS is ready to show that this disruptive approach to architecture is as viable in Boston as it is in Kigali.
Of course, proving the benefits in emerging markets is not enough. For innovative design to be accepted in the developed world, it needs buy-in from industry and government too. Instead of evaluating buildings based on how long it took to build and their cost per square foot,
Ricks is hopeful they’ll be measured — first and foremost — by the value they provide to users and the public. The good news is that interest in MASS’s novel approach to design is far greater today than ten years ago. “It’s just a question of whether the public and the marketplace start to demand it.”
Elisa Birnbaum is editor-in-chief of SEE Change Magazine, a digital publication of social entrepreneurship and social change. Her journalistic portfolio includes articles published in the Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, CBC.ca, Profit, Zoomer and Lifestyles Magazine. She's a regular contributor on social entrepreneurship for the National Post and covers issues in the non-profit sector as a freelance reporter for CharityVillage.com. President of Elle Communications, Elisa helps her clients tell their stories effectively and with impact.
Excerpted from In the Business of Change: How Social Entrepreneurs are Disrupting Business as Usual, and reprinted with permission from Chelsea Green Publishing, publishers of renewable energy, sustainable living, organic gardening, and progressive books since 1984.
The Uninvited Guest of This Universe
12 Truths I Learned from Life and Writing
Hugs are the universal medicine.
Jul 28: What I Regret Most Are Failures of Kindness Jul 21: 6 Habits of Hope Apr 5: The Love You Seek Mar 11: How I Became an Entrepreneur at 66
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“I am thrilled to write 'The Treasure Chest,' and to bring to life not only the childhoods of famous people from history, but also the characters of Maisie and Felix, who I hope you will fall in love with just as I have!”
Ann Hood
“'Blanche' opened a new door for me without really making me more famous. 'Blanche' was a risk, but that is the only thing that excites me in this profession. The knowledge that I am an actress who takes risks lifts my soul.”
“Although I get so much fan mail from Great Britain, tell me, am I more famous there than Michael Madsen?”
“In a lot of aspects it's cooler that we don't have a lot of really overly famous people in the band.”
“Its only when you are a great actor and are recognised for your good work that you become famous. Unless you are in the news for the wrong reasons!”
“Rick Rubin's undulating face hair is just as famous as his body of work. In homage to the yogis he read about as a boy on Long Island, Rubin hasn't shaved since he was 23. It's long been his registered trademark.”
Stephen Rodrick
“When I started skating, it was such a small community. You didn't aspire to be rich or famous or make a career out of it because that wasn't something anyone had done yet.”
“I've always liked women. But I don't want somebody who likes me because I'm famous. I like girls who are intelligent and who are kind of quiet like me.”
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Douglas of Glenfinart
This coat of arms, over Sir John's tomb at Kilmun, is that used by Douglas of Cruixton and Douglas of Glenbervie, his antecedants.
This page is a Stub - we need your help to complete it.
The following members of the Douglas family have been identified from peerage records.
Unfortunately, there seems to be some conflict, as General Sir John Douglas, G.C.B. appears to be interred in two separate locations; the three Archibalds could be the same person.
Lt.-Gen. Sir Neil Douglas of Glenfinart
Invested as a Knight Commander, Order of the Bath (K.C.B.). Father of General Sir John Douglas of Glenfinart. Brother of Mrs Douglas of Ormiston. He is the son of John Douglas and Cecilia Buchanan.
General Sir John Douglas of Glenfinart
Father: Son of Lt.-Gen. Sir Neil Douglas of Glenfinart. He married Lady Elizabeth Cathcart (d. 27 February 1896), daughter of General Sir Charles Murray Cathcart, 2nd Earl Cathcart and Henrietta Mather, on 1 June 1843. General Sir John Douglas of Glenfinart was Commander of the Forces in Scotland, gained the rank of Colonel in the service of the 79th Foot, and was invested as a Knight Grand Cross, Order of the Bath (G.C.B.).
Major-General John Douglas
Was born before 1827. He married Rosa Maria Paget, daughter of Rt. Hon. Sir Arthur Paget and Lady Augusta Fane, on 10 March 1842. John Douglas died on 10 May 1871, without issue. Invested as a Companion, Order of the Bath (C.B.). He gained the rank of Major-General in the service of the 11th Hussars. He lived in Glenfinart, Argyllshire, Scotland, which has father, Archibald, had acquired.
General Sir John Douglas, G.C.B.
1817 - 1888. Of the 79th Cameron Highlanders (sometime between 1873 - 1886). The sources make no reference to his home. See also: Sir John Douglas
At Kilmun (St Munn's) Parish Church, against the north wall of the tower can be seen a mort-safe. Within a red sandstone vault lies General Sir John Douglas, G.C.B.
Sir John Douglas
Was born before 1848. He lived in Glenfinart, Argyllshire, Scotland. Invested as a Knight Grand Cross, Order of the Bath (G.C.B.). Father of Charles John Cathcart Douglas (b. b 1864, d. 25 Apr 1926).
Charles John Cathcart Douglas
Was born before 1864. The son of Sir John Douglas. He married Helen Tolmie Dick Bayly, daughter of General John Bayly and Jane Crum-Ewing, on 17 November 1880. He died on 25 April 1926. Charles John Cathcart Douglas held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.).
fought in the Crimean War - and rode a horse called 'Fingal'
Archibald Douglas, Esq. of Glenfinart
was 'major landowner in the area' in 1829
The Grave of Archibald Douglas Esquire, of the Glenfinart Estate, died 1860. On the Ardentinny estate.
Archibald was born in 1776 and died in 1860. Archibald, in business with his brothers John and Thomas Dunlop, the West-India merchants, purchased the estate of Glenfinart in Argyllshire before 1836.
Window in Glasgow Cathedral - featuring four Douglas family crests. 1) Col John Douglas of Finart, C.B. 2) Lt. Gen. Sir Neil Douglas, K.C.B., H.C. / Knight of Marie Theresa and St. Vladimir 3) Sir John Douglas, K.C.B. 4) Archibald Douglas of Glenfinart, died Nov. 1860.
Kilmun Mausoleum
Glenfinart House
Glasgow Cathedral
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You can hardly have failed to notice. Populism has become the upper class tell-all catchword. This week's Time magazine cover (dated March, 20th) shows Marianne Le Pen and Geert Wilders and the block-headed caption reads "Can Europe Survive the New Populism?". It is meant to be scary. On BBC World Service, March 15th, it's election day in the Netherlands and the outgoing premier Mark Rutte is quoted as telling voters not to opt for the "wrong kind of populism". My oh my...
More of the same in the Belgian paper La Libre, that day, the editorial describes Rutte's far-right opponent Geert Wilders as "xenophobic and islamophobic", one of many who have jumped on the unsavioury populist bandwagon. The paper falls short of calling itself "populistaphobic" but you can't miss the drift. Now, Wilders is, up to a point, popular: does it make him a populist?
It does remind one of the (upper class) reaction to the British EU-referendum, last year. More than half of the voters cast their ballot in favour of leaving the EU and what was the over-riding media comment? A frigging bunch of populists, all of them. Same thing when Donald Trump was elected in the United States. It boiled down to a one-word analysis: populism, the same frigging bunch.
By whom, of whom?
Populism is a term of dislike. Well, then it should follow: by whom and of whom? Clearly, to make things short, whoever is against the establishment, or says something against it, will qualify as a populist. By the said establishment - which in turn encompasses most media outlets, all corporate CEOs, most academics whose living depend on institutional handouts, almost all political figures embedded in the upper social strata, and so on: the upper classes, if you will. All those who stand to lose their golden chains. The 1% and its yelping tail-wagging cheer-leaders hoping for some crumbs.
It's a funny thing. The way some people rely on word magic. And with immense historical ignorance, too. Populism, see, is hardly a new thing. Among its rather prestigious specimens of yore, you can count in Joseph II, the Habsburg monarch of the late 17th century. The despotic ruler, a populist? Well, of sorts.
The vested interests, say
Reviewing Derek Beale's biography of Joseph II in the Times literary supplement, TLS for short, (July 31st, 2009), Steven Beller made good note of the fact that old Joseph stood for universal elementary education, land-grabbing (from the church) & the abolishment of serfdom, thereby fighting "particularism, obscurantism and the vested interests of the entrenched elites". These politics, says Steven Beller, "made him almost a populist, for it meant that he despised the stratified system of privilege on which nobility and clergy relied". It's a nice showcase of the rule of the tumb mentioned above: whenever there's dislike shown for populism, ask yourself By Whom, Of Whom?
Now, granted, the popular backlash that hit the Brussels crowd through the Brexit vote and, a few months later, trumping the Clinton War Room, wasn't quite of the same kind as the one seen backing anti-establishment figures in France and the Netherlands. There are other issues at stake.
Phobiaphobic
The politics of immigration often take the lead and, sad to say, with good reason, there is a growing number people who are fed up. They feel their country has been robbed from them, what once was familiar surroundings isn't anymore. Are they on those grounds "xenophobic" or "islamophobic"? If you resort to such magic words, that's the only thing you'll get: magic thinking. Take the Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal for instance whose "howl of pain", the TLS reports (March 3rd, 2017), is in no small measure due to the transfiguration of his country: "his home town had one mosque, now there are eleven". Anyone who has grown up guided by the principles of the Enlightenment cannot but be horrified. (And phobic is hardly the right word then.)
Among the other issues, both in France and in Belgium, there's of course also the stream of scandals involving greedy politicians on the take, scrambling for juicy boardroom payoffs. It make the whole system look corrupt.
Class racism
By the way. If the uses and misuses of the word populism are of any interest you might look up the July 2014 issue of Le Monde diplomatique. Nice article there by Gérard Manger in which the quaint notion of "class racism" is set up as an antonym of populism: the racism shown towards people who don't vote as expected (ie make the wrong choice) and, it goes without saying, are too stupid to understand what the vote is about.
It's the same story all over again. Populism? Who says? About whom?
© Erik Rydberg | RSS feed | erik.rydberg[at]yandex.com | Twitter: @ERydberg
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US Supreme Court Decisions On-Line> Volume 341 > COLLINS V. HARDYMAN, 341 U. S. 651 (1951)
COLLINS V. HARDYMAN, 341 U. S. 651 (1951)
Collins v. Hardyman, 341 U.S. 651 (1951)
Collins v. Hardyman
Argued January 8-9, 1951
Decided June 4, 1951
A complaint in an action to recover damages under 8 U.S.C. § 47(3) alleged that the plaintiffs were members of a political club which planned a meeting to adopt a resolution opposing the Marshall Plan; that defendants conspired to deprive plaintiffs of their rights as citizens of the United States peaceably to assemble and to equal privileges and immunities under the laws of the United States; that, in furtherance of the conspiracy, defendants proceeded to plaintiffs' meeting place and, by threats and violence, broke up the meeting, thus interfering with the right of plaintiffs to petition the Government for redress of grievances, and that defendants did not interfere or conspire to interfere with meetings of other groups with whose opinions defendants agreed. There was no averment that defendants were state officers or acted under color of state law.
Held: The complaint did not state a cause of action under 8 U.S.C. § 47(3). Pp. 341 U. S. 652-663.
(a) Assuming, without deciding, that the facts alleged show that defendants deprived plaintiffs "of having and exercising" a federal right, the facts alleged did not show that the conspiracy was "for the purpose of depriving [them] of the equal protection of the laws, or of equal privileges and immunities under the laws," and therefore, in this case, a cause of action under 8 U.S.C. § 47(3) was not stated. Pp. 341 U. S. 660-663.
(b) Section 47(3) does not attempt to reach a conspiracy to deprive one of rights unless it is a deprivation of equality, of "equal protection of the law," or of "equal privileges and immunities under the law." Pp. 341 U. S. 660-661.
(c) The fact that the defendants broke up plaintiffs' meeting but did not interfere with the meetings of those who shared defendants' views is not inequality before the law unless there is some manipulation of the law or its agencies to give sanction or sanctuary for doing so. P. 341 U. S. 661.
(d) Although plaintiffs' rights were invaded, disregarded, and lawlessly violated, neither their rights nor their equality of rights under the law have been, or were intended to be, denied or impaired. Pp. 341 U. S. 661-662.
183 F.2d 308, reversed. chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
In an action brought by respondents against petitioners to recover damages under 8 U.S.C. § 47(3), the District Court dismissed the complaint. 80 F.Supp. 501. The Court of Appeals reversed. 183 F.2d 308. This Court granted certiorari. 340 U.S. 809. Reversed, p. 341 U. S. 663.
MR. JUSTICE JACKSON delivered the opinion of the Court.
This controversy arises under 8 U.S.C. § 47(3), which provides civil remedies for certain conspiracies. [Footnote 1] A motion to dismiss the amended complaint raises the issue of its sufficiency and, of course, requires us to accept its well pleaded facts as the hypothesis for decision. chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Its essential allegations are that plaintiffs are citizens of the United States, residents of California, and members or officers of a voluntary association or political club organized for the purpose of participating in the election of officers of the United States, petitioning the national government for redress of grievances, and engaging in public meetings for the discussion of national public issues. It planned a public meeting for November 14, 1947, on the subject, "The Cominform and the Marshall Plan," at which it was intended to adopt a resolution opposing said Marshall Plan, to be forwarded, by way of a petition for the redress of grievances, to appropriate federal officials.
The conspiracy charged as being within the Act is that defendants, with knowledge of the meeting and its purposes, chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
entered into an agreement to deprive the plaintiffs,
"as citizens of the United States, of privileges and immunities, as citizens of the United States, of the rights peaceably to assemble for the purpose of discussing and communicating upon national public issues. . . ."
And further,
"to deprive the plaintiffs as well as the members of said club, as citizens of the United States, of equal privileges and immunities under the laws of the United States. . . ."
This is amplified by allegations that defendants knew of many public meetings in the locality at which resolutions were adopted by groups with whose opinions defendants agreed, and with which defendants did not interfere or conspire to interfere.
"With respect to the meeting aforesaid on November 14, 1947, however, the defendants conspired to interfere with said meeting for the reason that the defendants opposed the views of the plaintiff. . . . ."
In the effort to bring the case within the statute, the pleader also alleged that defendants conspired "to go in disguise upon the highways," and that they did in fact go in disguise "consisting of the unlawful and unauthorized wearing of caps of the American Legion." The District Court disposed of this part of the complaint by holding that wearing such headgear did not constitute the disguise or concealment of identity contemplated by the Act. Plaintiffs thereupon abandoned that part of the complaint, and do not here rely upon it to support their claims.
The complaint then separately sets out the overt acts of injury and damage relied upon to meet the requirements of the Act. To carry out the conspiracy, it is alleged, defendants proceeded to the meeting place and, by force and threats of force, did assault and intimidate plaintiffs and those present at the meeting, and thereby broke up the meeting, thus interfering with the right of the plaintiffs to petition the Government for chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
redress of grievances. Both compensatory and punitive damages are demanded.
It is averred that the cause of action arises under the statute cited and under the Constitution of the United States. But apparently the draftsman was scrupulously cautious not to allege that it arose under the Fourteenth Amendment, or that defendants had conspired to deprive plaintiffs of rights secured by that Amendment, thus seeking to avoid the effect of earlier decisions of this Court in Fourteenth Amendment cases.
The complaint makes no claim that the conspiracy or the overt acts involved any action by state officials, or that defendants even pretended to act under color of state law. It is not shown that defendants had or claimed any protection or immunity from the law of the State, or that they in fact enjoyed such because of any act or omission by state authorities. Indeed, the trial court found that the acts alleged are punishable under the laws of California relating to disturbance of the peace, assault, and trespass, and are also civilly actionable. [Footnote 2] chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
The District Judge held that the statute does not and cannot constitutionally afford redress for invasions of civil rights at the hands of individuals, but can only be applied to injuries to civil rights by persons acting pursuant to or under color of state law. [Footnote 3] In reversing the District Court's dismissal of the complaint, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held otherwise, one judge dissenting. [Footnote 4] The Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, in Love v. Chandler, 124 F.2d 785, has ruled in accord with the District Judge and the dissenting Court of Appeals Judge here. [Footnote 5] To resolve the conflict, we granted certiorari. [Footnote 6]
This statutory provision has long been dormant. It was introduced into the federal statutes by the Act of April 20, 1871, entitled
"An Act to enforce the Provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other Purposes. [Footnote 7]"
The Act was among the last of the reconstruction legislation to be based on the "conquered province" theory which prevailed in Congress for a period following the Civil War. This statute, without separability provisions, established the civil liability with which we are here concerned, as well as other civil liabilities, together with parallel criminal liabilities. It also provided that unlawful combinations and conspiracies named in the Act might be deemed rebellions, and authorized the President to employ the militia to suppress them. The President was also authorized to suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus. It prohibited any person from being a federal grand or chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
petit juror in any case arising under the Act unless he took and subscribed an oath in open court "that he has never, directly or indirectly, counseled, advised, or voluntarily aided any such combination or conspiracy." Heavy penalties and liabilities were laid upon any person who, with knowledge of such conspiracies, aided them or failed to do what he could to suppress them.
The Act, popularly known as the Ku Klux Act, was passed by a partisan vote in a highly inflamed atmosphere. It was preceded by spirited debate which pointed out its grave character and susceptibility to abuse, and its defects were soon realized when its execution brought about a severe reaction. [Footnote 8]
The provision establishing criminal conspiracies in language indistinguishable from that used to describe civil conspiracies came to judgment in United States v. Harris, 106 U. S. 629. [Footnote 9] It was held unconstitutional. This decision was in harmony with that of other important decisions during that period [Footnote 10] by a Court every member of chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
which had been appointed by President Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Garfield or Arthur -- all indoctrinated in the cause which produced the Fourteenth Amendment, but convinced that it was not to be used to centralize power so as to upset the federal system.
While we have not been in agreement as to the interpretation and application of some of the post-Civil War legislation, [Footnote 11] the Court recently unanimously declared, through THE CHIEF JUSTICE:
"Since the decision of this Court in the Civil Rights Cases, 109 U. S. 3 (1883), the principle has become firmly embedded in our constitutional law that the action inhibited by the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment is only such action as may fairly be said to be that of the States. That Amendment erects no shield against merely private conduct, however discriminatory or wrongful. [Footnote 12]"
And MR. JUSTICE DOUGLAS, dissenting, has quoted with approval from the Cruikshank case,
"'The fourteenth amendment prohibits a State from denying to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws, but this provision does not, any more than the one which precedes it . . . add anything to the rights which one citizen has under the Constitution against another.' 92 U.S. at pp. 92 U. S. 554-555."
"'The only obligation resting upon the United States is to see that the States do not deny the right. This the amendment guarantees, but no more. The power of the national government is limited to the enforcement of this guaranty.'"
He summed up: "The Fourteenth Amendment protects the individual against state action, not against wrongs done by individuals. . . ." [Footnote 13] chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
It is apparent that, if this complaint meets the requirements of this Act, it raises constitutional problems of the first magnitude that, in the light of history, are not without difficulty. These would include issues as to congressional power under and apart from the Fourteenth Amendment, the reserved power of the States, the content of rights derived from national, as distinguished from state, citizenship, and the question of separability of the Act in its application to those two classes of rights. The latter question was long ago decided adversely to the plaintiffs. Baldwin v. Franks, 120 U. S. 678. Before we embark upon such a constitutional inquiry, it is necessary to satisfy ourselves that the attempt to allege a cause of action within the purview of the statute has been successful.
The section under which this action is brought falls into two divisions. The forepart defines conspiracies that may become the basis of liability, and the latter portion defines overt acts necessary to consummate the conspiracy as an actionable wrong. While a mere unlawful agreement or conspiracy may be made a federal crime, as it was at common law, [Footnote 14] this statute does not make the mere agreement or understanding for concerted action which constitutes the forbidden conspiracy an actionable wrong unless it matures into some action that inflicts injury. That, we think, is the significance of the second division of the section.
The provision with reference to the overt act will bear repeating, with emphasis supplied:
". . . [I]n any case of conspiracy set forth in this section, if one or more persons engaged therein do, or cause to be done, any act in furtherance of the object of such conspiracy, whereby another
is injured in his person or property, or deprived of having and exercising any right or privilege of a citizen of the United States, the party so injured or deprived may have an action for the recovery of damages. . . ."
In the light of the dictum in United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U. S. 542, 92 U. S. 552, we assume, without deciding, that the facts pleaded show that defendants did deprive plaintiffs "of having and exercising" a federal right which, provided the defendants were engaged in a "conspiracy set forth in this section," would bring the case within the Act.
The "conspiracy" required is differently stated from the required overt act, and we think the difference is not accidental, but significant. Its essentials, with emphasis supplied, are that two or more persons must conspire (1) for the purpose of depriving any person or class of persons of the equal protection of the laws, or of equal privileges and immunities under the law; or (2) for the purpose of preventing or hindering the constituted authorities from giving or securing to all persons the equal protection of the laws; or (3) to prevent by force, intimidation, or threat, any citizen entitled to vote from giving his support or advocacy in a legal manner toward election of an elector for President or a member of Congress; or (4) to injure any citizen in person or property on account of such support or advocacy. There is no claim that any allegation brings this case within the provisions that we have numbered (2), (3), and (4), so we may eliminate any consideration of those categories. The complaint is within the statute only if it alleges a conspiracy of the first described class. It is apparent that this part of the Act defines conspiracies of a very limited character. They must, we repeat, be "for the purpose of depriving . . . of the equal protection of the laws, or of equal privileges and immunities under the laws." (Italics supplied.) chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Passing the argument, fully developed in the Civil Rights Cases, that an individual or group of individuals not in office cannot deprive anybody of constitutional rights, though they may invade or violate those rights, it is clear that this statute does not attempt to reach a conspiracy to deprive one of rights, unless it is a deprivation of equality, of "equal protection of the law," or of "equal privileges and immunities under the law." That accords with the purpose of the Act to put the lately freed Negro on an equal footing before the law with his former master. The Act apparently deemed that adequate, and went no further.
What we have here is not a conspiracy to affect in any way these plaintiffs' equality of protection by the law, or their equality of privileges and immunities under the law. There is not the slightest allegation that defendants were conscious of or trying to influence the law, or were endeavoring to obstruct or interfere with it. The only inequality suggested is that the defendants broke up plaintiffs' meeting and did not break up meetings of others with whose sentiments they agreed. To be sure, this is not equal injury, but it is no more a deprivation of "equal protection" or of "equal privileges and immunities" than it would be for one to assault one neighbor without assaulting them all, or to libel some persons without mention of others. Such private discrimination is not inequality before the law unless there is some manipulation of the law or its agencies to give sanction or sanctuary for doing so. Plaintiffs' rights were certainly invaded, disregarded, and lawlessly violated, but neither their rights nor their equality of rights under the law have been, or were intended to be, denied or impaired. Their rights under the laws and to protection of the laws remain untouched, and equal to the rights of every other Californian, and may be vindicated in the same way and with the same effect as chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
those of any other citizen who suffers violence at the hands of a mob.
We do not say that no conspiracy by private individuals could be of such magnitude and effect as to work a deprivation of equal protection of the laws, or of equal privileges and immunities under laws. Indeed, the post Civil War Ku Klux Klan, against which this Act was fashioned, may have, or may reasonably have been thought to have, done so. It is estimated to have had a membership of around 550,000, and thus to have included "nearly the entire adult male white population of the South." [Footnote 15] It may well be that a conspiracy, so far-flung and embracing such numbers, with a purpose to dominate and set at naught the "carpetbag" and "scalawag" governments of the day, was able effectively to deprive Negroes of their legal rights and to close all avenues of redress or vindication, in view of the then disparity of position, education and opportunity between them and those who made up the Ku Klux Klan. We do not know. But here nothing of that sort appears. We have a case of a lawless political brawl, precipitated by a handful of while citizens against other white citizens. California courts are open to plaintiffs, and its laws offer redress for their injury and vindication for their rights.
We say nothing of the power of Congress to authorize such civil actions as respondents have commenced or otherwise to redress such grievances as they assert. We think that Congress has not, in the narrow class of conspiracies defined by this statute, included the conspiracy charged here. We therefore reach no constitutional questions. The facts alleged fall short of a conspiracy to alter, impair, or deny equality of rights under the law, though they do show a lawless invasion of rights for which chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
there are remedies in the law of California. It is not for this Court to compete with Congress or attempt to replace it as the Nation's lawmaking body.
The judgment of the Court of Appeals is
Reversed.
17 Stat. 13, 8 U.S.C. § 47(3) reads:
"If two or more persons in any State or Territory conspire or go in disguise on the highway or on the premises of another, for the purpose of depriving, either directly or indirectly, any person or class of persons of the equal protection of the laws, or of equal privileges and immunities under the laws; or for the purpose of preventing or hindering the constituted authorities of any State or Territory from giving or securing to all persons within such State or Territory the equal protection of the laws; or if two or more persons conspire to prevent by force, intimidation, or threat, any citizen who is lawfully entitled to vote, from giving his support or advocacy in a legal manner, toward or in favor of the election of any lawfully qualified person as an elector for President or Vice President, or as a Member of Congress of the United States; or to injure any citizen in person or property on account of such support or advocacy; in any case of conspiracy set forth in this section, if one or more persons engaged therein do, or cause to be done, any act in furtherance of the object of such conspiracy, whereby another is injured in his person or property, or deprived of having and exercising any right or privilege of a citizen of the United States, the party so injured or deprived may have an action for the recovery of damages, occasioned by such injury or deprivation, against any one or more of the conspirators."
This paragraph should be read in the context of other paragraphs of the same section, and note should also be taken of 8 U.S.C. § 43, which reads:
"Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress."
The opinion of District Judge Yankwich for this cites in his notes, 80 F.Supp. 501, 510:
"39. Cal.Penal Code, Section 415 (disturbance of the peace of neighborhood or person) Section 403 (disturbance of public meetings)."
"40. Cal.Penal Code, Section 602(j) (illegal entry for the purpose of injuring property or property rights or interfering or obstructing lawful business of another)."
"41. Cal.Penal Code, Sections 240, 241 (assault); sections 242, 243 (battery). Among the corresponding civil sections relating to civil remedies are California Civil Code, Section 43 (guarantee against personal bodily harm or restraint); Government Code, Section 241 (defining as citizens all persons born or residing within the state); California Code of Civil Procedure, Section 338(3) (section 338(2)) (action for trespass to real property may be brought within three years); section 340(3) (action for assault and battery may be brought within one year). And, for the state civil rights provisions, see California Civil Code, Sections 51-54."
80 F.Supp. 501, 510.
183 F.2d 308.
Other recent cases involving the statute are Viles v. Symes, 129 F.2d 828; Robeson v. Fanelli, 94 F.Supp. 62, and Ferrer v. Fronton Exhibition Co., 188 F.2d 954.
340 U.S. 809.
17 Stat. 13.
The background of this Act, the nature of the debates which preceded its passage, and the reaction it produced are set forth in Bowers, The Tragic Era 340-348.
R.S. § 5519, under which the prosecution was brought, provided:
"If two or more persons in any State or Territory conspire, or go in disguise on the highway or on the premises of another, for the purpose of depriving, either directly or indirectly, and person or class of persons of the equal protection of the laws, or of equal privileges and immunities under the laws; or for the purpose of preventing or hindering the constituted authorities of any State or Territory from giving or securing to all persons within such State or Territory the equal protection of the laws; each of such persons shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars nor more than five thousand dollars, or by imprisonment, with or without hard labor, not less than six months nor more than six years, or by both such fine and imprisonment."
Slaughter-House Cases, 16 Wall. 36; United States v. Reese, 92 U. S. 214; United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U. S. 542; In re Civil Rights Cases, 109 U. S. 3.
Screws v. United States, 325 U. S. 91.
Shelley v. Kraemer, 334 U. S. 1, 334 U. S. 13.
United States v. Williams, 341 U. S. 70, 341 U. S. 92.
Nash v. United States, 229 U. S. 373, 229 U. S. 378; United States v. Socony-Vacuum Oil Co., 310 U. S. 150, 310 U. S. 252.
8 Encyc.Soc.Sci., 606, 607.
MR. JUSTICE BURTON, with whom MR. JUSTICE BLACK and MR. JUSTICE DOUGLAS concur, dissenting.
I cannot agree that the respondents in their complaint have failed to state a cause of action under R.S. § 1980(3), 8 U.S.C. § 47(3).
The right alleged to have been violated is the right to petition the Federal Government for a redress of grievances. This right is expressly recognized by the First Amendment, and this Court has said that
"The very idea of a government republican in form implies a right on the part of its citizens to meet peaceably for consultation in respect to public affairs and to petition for a redress of grievances."
United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U. S. 542, 92 U. S. 552, and see In re Quarles and Butler, 158 U. S. 532, 158 U. S. 535. The source of the right in this case is not the Fourteenth Amendment. The complaint alleges that petitioners "knowingly" did not interfere with the "many public meetings" whose objectives they agreed with, but that they did conspire to break up respondents' meeting because petitioners were opposed to respondents' views, which were expected to be there expressed. Such conduct does not differ materially from the specific conspiracies which the Court recognizes that the statute was intended to reach.
The language of the statute refutes the suggestion that action under color of state law is a necessary ingredient of the cause of action which it recognizes. R.S. § 1980(3) speaks of "two or more persons in any State or Territory" conspiring. That clause is not limited to state chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
officials. Still more obviously, where the section speaks of persons going "in disguise on the highway . . . for the purpose of depriving . . . any person or class of persons of the equal protection of the laws," it certainly does not limit its reference to actions of that kind by state officials. When Congress, at this period, did intend to limit comparable civil rights legislation to action under color of state law, it said so in unmistakable terms. In fact, R.S. § 1980(3) originally was § 2 of the Act of April 20, 1871, and § 1 of that same Act said
"That any person who, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage of any State, shall subject . . . any person within the jurisdiction of the United States to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution of the United States, shall . . . be liable to the party injured. . . ."
(Emphasis added.) 17 Stat. 13.
Congress certainly has the power to create a federal cause of action in favor of persons injured by private individuals through the abridgment of federally created constitutional rights. It seems to me that Congress has done just this in R.S. § 1980(3). This is not inconsistent with the principle underlying the Fourteenth Amendment. That amendment prohibits the respective states from making laws abridging the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States or denying to any person within the jurisdiction of a state the equal protection of the laws. Cases holding that those clauses are directed only at state action are not authority for the contention that Congress may not pass laws supporting rights which exist apart from the Fourteenth Amendment.
Accordingly, I would affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeals.
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8 Heroes of American Hot Rodding
These thrill seekers liked to make things go zoom-zoom—and risked their lives in the process.
Ken Gross
Nobody knows who first invented the term “hot rod,” but the classic definition is simple: It’s a car that’s been stripped down, souped up and made to go much faster.
And throughout their history, hot rods have always had a way of attracting free thinkers and risk takers who tend to be good with a wrench.
Hot rodding began as a cult movement in the 1920s, and flourished in Los Angeles—first with illegal street racing, then moving north and west of the city to the boundless Mojave Desert, with devotees competing on dusty, alkalai-based dry lake beds like El Mirage and Muroc.
When WWII vets returned home with saved-up combat pay, new cars were in short supply, so guys who wanted to go fast in a cool-looking car simply built and modified their own. Military training helped these backyard mechanics to hone their engine-building and fabrication skills. The advent of Hot Rod magazine spread the gospel of speed across the country. Faster competitors established their own speed-equipment businesses, and their myriad talents spread to racing of all types.
Read More: The Crazy Demons of Land-Speed Racing and Their Record-Breaking Rides
Hot rodding was an outlaw culture—until it wasn’t. In the late 1940s, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) helped legitimize the sport, and the Speed Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (SEMA—later called the Specialty Equipment Marketer’s Association) unified the manufacturers who began to supply Detroit’s “Big 3” as well as enthusiasts everywhere. Nationally sanctioned drag racing attracted major sponsors and most outlaw activity ceased.
The 1973 film American Graffiti celebrated the street-rod scene and encouraged nostalgia hot rodding. When custom cars faded, their creators built wild creations for Hollywood. Hot rodders influenced sports cars—think Carroll Shelby and his Cobras—and provided countless Indianapolis and Championship Car mechanics and drivers, including Phil Hill, Phil Remington and Dan Gurney. What started as a pack of thrill-seekers, racing one another in home-built old cars, exploded into a multi-billion-dollar industry.
Looking back to mid-century, here are just a few of the many speed-minded men and women who legitimized and grew hot rodding from packs of street-racing hoodlums to a billion-dollar bonanza.
Bill Burke, right, with driver Don Francisco, on a 1949 cover of Hot Rod magazine. (Image courtesy of Ken Gross)
Bill Burke: Belly Tank Pioneer
Bill Burke typifies the all-American ingenuity that powered all the hot-rod pioneers. He’d raced at the dry lakes before the war, in a hopped-up Ford roadster. Serving in the South Pacific in a high-speed PT boat squadron, he fantasized about going even faster when hostilities ceased—but he knew a square-rigged Ford roadster had its aerodynamic limitations.
Read More: Beauty in the Beast: Which Classic Muscle Cars Are Most Iconic?
Looking at the auxiliary fuel tanks in war planes such as the P-51 Mustangs and P-38 Lightning aircraft, Burke imagined dropping one of these aerodynamically perfect aluminum containers onto an auto frame, fitting a modified engine and breaking records. These sleek “Belly Tanks,” as they came to be known, soon became affordable war-surplus items. Burke and his talented buddy, Don Francisco, began with a small-sized tank, but its exposed engine negated the streamlined effect. Using a larger 385-gallon belly tank, the intrepid duo built their first lakester (a fenderless high-speed car with a home-built body that was not from a car manufacturer), set many records and influenced other early hot-rod stars.
The courage it took to drive one of these aluminum eggshells on wheels at high speeds is almost unimaginable. Burke raced all his life, driving a long succession of faster and more sophisticated streamliners, looking to top 300+ mph with partner Clark Cagle and their sons and daughters. In the process, they landed repeatedly on the cover of Hot Rod magazine, and set records at Bonneville Salt Flats, a racing mecca in Utah. He raced competitively for half a century before he died at age 97.
Hot rodder Veda Orr with her husband Karl. (Credit: Clam Shack/Flickr Creative Commons/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Veda Orr: One Fast Lady
Karl Orr, an early L.A. hot rodder, had a fast lakester and a reputation for being ornery. Nobody messed with Karl, so when his wife Veda pulled on a crash helmet and proved she had the right stuff behind the wheel, the the Southern California Timing Association tossed aside its “no lady racers” rule. The first female member of SCTA, Veda set several records in the Full-Fendered Roadster competition in the late 1930s.
The Orrs established one of Southern California’s first speed shops, in Culver City, where Karl helped accelerate the changeover from modified 4-cylinder engines to hopped-up flathead V8s. During World War II, with most hot rodders in the military, Veda took over writing and distributing the SCTA Racing News, sending copies for free to racers overseas. Hot Rod cartoonist Tom Medley, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, would say, Veda was “the glue that held hot rodding together during the war years.” After the war, she became the first person to write a hot-rod book, publishing Hot Rod Pictorial and Dry Lakes Pictorial.
Chet Herbert supervising from his wheelchair before a race. Herbert designed the roller camshaft for competition engines. (Credit: J. R. Eyerman/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Chet Herbert: A Profile in Courage
Look at the cover of Hot Rod magazine in December, 1952, and you’ll see Chet Herbert, welding up a roll bar on a Bonneville streamliner chassis. Look more closely: He’s in a wheelchair. Afflicted with polio at age 20, Herbert survived, paralyzed from the waist down. But that didn’t stop him from building an unbeatable Harley-Davidson, naming it “the Beast,” and hiring a brave rider to drag-race it.
Read More: From Bedroom Gamer to Professional Racer
Herbert’s ultimate speed secret was his roller tappet camshaft, a device that controls the timing of a cylinder’s valves. When he couldn’t find anyone to grind a cam for his first racing car, he bought a lathe at Sears and taught himself. Chet Herbert Competition Cams came into being, along with a succession of record-setting “Beasts” that used his hot camshaft designs. For that Hot Rod magazine cover and “Beast III,” Herbert retained aerodynamicist Rod Schapel to develop a sleek body in a wind tunnel. Right off the trailer, “Beast III” was the fastest car at Bonneville in 1952.
Later inducted into the Drag Racing Hall of Fame, Chet Herbert built record-setting cars and engines until he died in 2009. “Despite the fact that he had polio and was in a wheelchair for much of his life, he never let that stop him from doing anything,” said his racer son Doug. “He…taught me that, no matter how tough something may seem, if you fight hard enough, you can overcome it.”
Dean Batchelor, in the driver’s seat of the So-Cal Streamliner, in an image from the 1949 cover of Hot Rod magazine. Batchelor designed the Streamliner, the first vehicle to break the 200-mph barrier the following year at Bonneville, but he stopped driving himself after flipping it at high speed. (Image courtesy of Ken Gross)
Dean Batchelor: Renaissance Car Man
There’s a reason that, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the nation’s premiere collector-car competition, the permanent historic hot rod class-winning trophy is named after Dean Batchelor. A car designer, driver, mechanic, legendary automotive journalist and hot-rod historian, Batchelor did it all.
An active hot rodder before World War II, Batchelor served in a B-17 in the U.S. Army Air Corps, was shot down over Munich in 1944, and became a POW for a year. With his postwar degree in industrial design, Batchelor designed the innovative, record-setting So-Cal Streamliner (with Alex Xydias, founder of the So-Cal Speed Shop) and survived a terrible 150-mph crash when it flipped at high speed. He also made his mark designing the winning Hill-Davis and Shadoff Special Streamliners. These cars, which set FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) records, were hand-built by backyard California hot rodders and were faster than the vaunted pre-war land-speed-record cars built by Germany’s Auto Union.
His post-racing career included work as a mechanic, as a historian at the National Automobile Museum in Reno and an influential car journalist, including a stint as editor at Road & Track. Later he wrote critically acclaimed books on Ferrari, Porsche and racing pioneer Briggs Cunningham, along with the definitive history, The American Hot Rod, completed the night before he died.
Don Garlits sitting among the numerous parts that make up his winning dragsters. (Credit: Dick Day/The Enthusiast Network/Getty Images)
Don Garlits: Faster Than Them All
The first to top 200 mph and 250 mph in the quarter mile, Floridian Don Garlits, a.k.a. “Big Daddy” or just “Big,” was always the man to beat. His signature rod? A series of Hemi-powered dragsters he called “Swamp Rats.”
Garlits raced purpose-built slingshot dragsters, racers stripped of virtually everything but a frame, an engine set way back in the chassis, and a small fuel tank—a design that dramatically decreased elapsed times and increased speeds. After attracting considerable attention for winning the first NHRA “Safety Safari” meet in 1955, Garlits would cement his reputation by winning the U.S. Fuel and Gas Championships in 1965, 1967 and 1971, with the unheard-of feat of engineering, building, driving and serving as his own mechanic on a steadily advanced series of self-designed “Swamp Rat” dragsters himself.
After an engine explosion in 1970 cost him part of a foot, Garlits designed “Swamp Rat XIV,” a radical, rear-engine car that became the model for the sport. Over time, he set a staggering series of records—with innovations like the hypoid rear end, extended wheelbase, a four-disc clutch and port injection, winning countless titles. In 2014, at age 82, he ran 184-mph in a battery-powered dragster.
Professional dragster Shirley Muldowney, in the early 1980s. Driving a pink car, she won against the fastest teams in the sport. (Credit: Universal History Archive/UIG/Getty Images)
Shirley ‘Cha Cha’ Muldowney: The First Lady of Drag Racing
Shirley Muldowney’s husband Jack, an excellent mechanic, taught her to drag race early on, but she had the essential talent: the inherently quick reaction times of a champion. So she competed and won major titles in a sport dominated by men for decades.
Her career began in 1958 and she turned pro in 1965. It was an era when women were considered decorative “pit popsies” and not taken seriously in the upper echelons of the sport. But rivals quickly learned “Cha Cha” was fast, fearless and very competitive. As drag racing evolved, Muldowney switched to Funny Cars, which had nothing funny about them. Essentially an altered-wheelbase dragster with a fiberlass body, Funny Cars were scary, blindingly fast and inherently unstable, demanding lightning reflexes and nerves of steel. Muldowney had them both.
Read More: Why There's No Such Thing as a 1983 Corvette
The ultimate level in dragster competition was Top Fuel—extremely powerful, ground-shaking cars powered by Chrysler Hemi V8 engines, running a literally explosive nitro-methane fuel mixture. Shirley won three NHRA Top Fuel Dragster National championships in 1977, 1980 and 1982 (the first woman to do so), competing in a pink-liveried car, and winning against the fastest teams in the sport. Don Garlits always said “she was the racer he had the most respect for,” and their rivalry drew immense crowds.
After a severe accident in 1984, and despite multiple operations, she returned to race competitively until 2003. Bonnie Bedelia played Muldowney in the 1983 movie Heart Like a Wheel. Always feisty, she reportedly wanted Jamie Lee Curtis to play her, but she said she thought the film was “very, very good for the sport.” So was Shirley Muldowney.
Ed Roth working on the Cadillac engine of his first complete fiberglass car, ‘Excaliber,’ later renamed ‘the Outlaw,’ in 1959. (Credit: Pete Hallock/The Enthusiast Network/Getty Images)
Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth: Dali-esque Car Designer
If you grew up as a car enthusiast in the 1950s and ’60s, you couldn’t miss the irrepressible Ed Roth. His crazy custom-designed and -built cars graced the covers of all the top rod and custom magazines; he starred at major car shows in California and nationwide; and chances are, you owned something—a T-shirt, a keychain, a model car, a pen, even a wastebasket—that bore a wild Roth illustration.
Across the broad world of hot rodding and customizing, it was hard to classify Ed Roth because he always went his own way. A highly creative artist with a pretty decent grasp of mechanics and electrics, he pioneered the use of media like plaster of Paris, Vermiculite and fiberglass to build his cars, so he could pursue shapes and concepts far beyond anything other customizers had achieved. (For one bubble-topped creation, he heated a sheet of plastic in a pizza oven.) More intrigued with producing rolling art statements than mechanical function, Roth nevertheless produced bizarre vehicles that actually worked. They had names like the “Druid Princess,” a cartoonish royal carriage originally designed for the TV show “The Addams Family” (a coffin in back held the battery and gas tank), the hyper-elongated, hyper-angular “Yellow Fang,” and “Mysterion.”
Author and cultural critic Tom Wolfe (The Bonfire of the Vanities and The Kandy-Kolored, Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby) closely studied the custom-car culture of Los Angeles in 1965, deeming Roth’s creations “pure art.” Wolfe called him “the Salvador Dalí of hot rodding.”
Designer Boyd Coddington, next to a customer’s 1941 Cadillac at his shop in Anaheim, 2000. (Credit: Glenn Koenig/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Boyd Coddington: Smooth Operator
Boyd Coddington started as a talented machinist at Disneyland in the early 1970s. He later became a hot-rod designer and fabricator renowned for his smooth-lined, elegantly sculptural bespoke designs, which earned him the coveted “America’s Most Beautiful Roadster” award an unprecedented seven times.
Coddington’s first cars were heavily influenced by his friend, “Li’l” John Buttera, one of the first hot rodders to literally “carve” custom engine and suspension parts from chunks of billet aluminum. Deploring fussiness and excess, Buttera reduced complex forms and components to their basic elements. The two would inspire and work to one-up each other. When Coddington admired a contemporary-looking ’27 Model T Ford sedan Buttera had built, he responded with a similar ’26 T. Buttera then responded with an ultra-modern ’29 Ford Model A roadster, which in turn inspired Coddington to create a counter-car known as the “Silver Bullet.” Street Rodder magazine, applauding its “striking blend of traditional styling, contemporary rodding and innovation,” splashed it on its cover in April 1978.
Vern Luce, a wealthy would-be patron, saw the Model A and retained Coddington to build him a ’33 Ford coupe. The commission, which allowed Coddington to quit his Disneyland job and open his own shop, produced a car that soon drew national acclaim as a seminal billet rod. When the smoothly styled Vern Luce Coupe appeared in 1981, it was everything a hand-built, bespoke, high-end hot rod could be. Coddington leapt to industry leadership, began manufacturing billet aluminum wheels and parts, and went on design all those award-winning roadsters. One of his masterpieces, a slinky ’48 Cadillac custom rod called CadZZilla, is owned by ZZ Top rocker, Billy Gibbons.
Former Director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, Ken Gross is a 29-year Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Chief Class Judge and a member of the Selection Committee. The author of 23 catalogs and books, Ken’s curated exhibitions have appeared at many major fine art museums. A lifelong hot rodder, he owns an award-winning 1932 Ford roadster.
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Amnesty and NACARA
The US government provides relief for nationals from Cuba and Nicaragua who have resided in the U.S continuously since December 1, 1995 or earlier, and who face deportation, now known as "removal".
Under NACARA, the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act, nationals who have lived no more than 180 total days outside the U.S. since 12/1/95 may be eligible for permanent residence.
Please Note: Before leaving office, President Clinton signed into law the LIFE Act, or the Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act Amendments. This law will benefit many immigrants who were previously ineligible to adjust their status to permanent U.S. resident.
The LIFE Act benefits those who have entered the U.S. illegally, worked in the U.S. illegally, or overstayed their temporary visas illegally but are otherwise eligible to apply for a green card, through family, employment, investment in a US business, etc.
As long as these immigrants can prove they were in the U.S. on the date of the bill's signing (December 21, 2000), they may submit a petition to adjust their status to permanent resident until April 30, 2001. Previously the law, called Section 245(i), applied only to those who had submitted their petitions on or before January 14, 1998.
The law requires these new applicants to pay a $1,000 filing penalty with their application.
NACARA also allows certain nationals from Guatemala, El Salvador and the former Soviet Bloc countries to apply for a stay of removal if they have been continuously present in the U.S. for at least seven years and applied for asylum by specific deadline dates in 1990 and 1991.
The Soviet Union
Immigration Updates
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Public switched telephone network
Title: Public switched telephone network
Subject: Voice over IP, History of videotelephony, Internet access, Integrated Services Digital Network, Telephone numbering plan
Collection: Public Sphere, Telecommunications Systems, Telephony
The public switched telephone network (PSTN) is the aggregate of the world's circuit-switched telephone networks that are operated by national, regional, or local telephony operators, providing infrastructure and services for public telecommunication. The PSTN consists of telephone lines, fiber optic cables, microwave transmission links, cellular networks, communications satellites, and undersea telephone cables, all interconnected by switching centers, thus allowing most telephones to communicate with each other. Originally a network of fixed-line analog telephone systems, the PSTN is now almost entirely digital in its core network and includes mobile and other networks, as well as fixed telephones.[1]
The technical operation of the PSTN adheres to the standards created by the ITU-T. These standards allow different networks in different countries to interconnect seamlessly. The E.163 and E.164 standards provide a single global address space for telephone numbers. The combination of the interconnected networks and the single numbering plan allow telephones around the world to dial each other.
Operators 2
Network topology 4.1
Digital channels 4.2
Impact on IP standards 4.3
The first telephones had no network but were in private use, wired together in pairs. Users who wanted to talk to different people had as many telephones as necessary for the purpose. A user who wished to speak whistled loudly into the transmitter until the other party heard.
However, a bell was added soon for signaling, so an attendant no longer need wait for the whistle, and then a switch hook. Later telephones took advantage of the exchange principle already employed in telegraph networks. Each telephone was wired to a local telephone exchange, and the exchanges were wired together with trunks. Networks were connected in a hierarchical manner until they spanned cities, countries, continents and oceans. This was the beginning of the PSTN, though the term was not used for many decades.
Automation introduced pulse dialing between the phone and the exchange, and then among exchanges, followed by more sophisticated address signaling including multi-frequency, culminating in the SS7 network that connected most exchanges by the end of the 20th century.
The growth of the PSTN meant that teletraffic engineering techniques needed to be deployed to deliver quality of service (QoS) guarantees for the users. The work of A. K. Erlang established the mathematical foundations of methods required to determine the capacity requirements and configuration of equipment and the number of personnel required to deliver a specific level of service.
In the 1970s the telecommunications industry began implementing packet switched network data services using the X.25 protocol transported over much of the end-to-end equipment as was already in use in the PSTN.
In the 1980s the industry began planning for digital services assuming they would follow much the same pattern as voice services, and conceived a vision of end-to-end circuit switched services, known as the Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network (B-ISDN). The B-ISDN vision has been overtaken by the disruptive technology of the Internet.
At the turn of the 21st century, the oldest parts of the telephone network still use analog technology for the last mile loop to the end user. Digital services have been increasingly rolled out to end users using services such as DSL, ISDN, FTTx, cable modem, and online fax[2] systems.
Several large private telephone networks are not linked to the PSTN, usually for military purposes. There are also private networks run by large companies which are linked to the PSTN only through limited gateways, such as a large private branch exchange (PBX).
The task of building the networks and selling services to customers fell to the network operators. The first company to be incorporated to provide PSTN services was the Bell Telephone Company in the United States.
In some countries, however, the job of providing telephone networks fell to government as the investment required was very large and the provision of telephone service was increasingly becoming an essential public utility. For example, the General Post Office in the United Kingdom brought together a number of private companies to form a single nationalized company. In recent decades however, these state monopolies were broken up or sold off through privatization.
In most countries, the central government has a regulator dedicated to monitoring the provision of PSTN services in that country. Their tasks may be for example to ensure that end customers are not over-charged for services where monopolies may exist. They may also regulate the prices charged between the operators to carry each other's traffic.
The PSTN network architecture had to evolve over the years to support increasing numbers of subscribers, calls, connections to other countries, direct dialing and so on. The model developed by the United States and Canada was adopted by other nations, with adaptations for local markets.
The original concept was that the telephone exchanges are arranged into hierarchies, so that if a call cannot be handled in a local cluster, it is passed to one higher up for onward routing. This reduced the number of connecting trunks required between operators over long distances and also kept local traffic separate.
However, in modern networks the cost of transmission and equipment is lower and, although hierarchies still exist, they are much flatter, with perhaps only two layers.
As described above, most automated telephone exchanges now use digital switching rather than mechanical or analog switching. The trunks connecting the exchanges are also digital, called circuits or channels. However analog two-wire circuits are still used to connect the last mile from the exchange to the telephone in the home (also called the local loop). To carry a typical phone call from a calling party to a called party, the analog audio signal is digitized at an 8 kHz sample rate with 8-bit resolution using a special type of nonlinear pulse code modulation known as G.711. The call is then transmitted from one end to another via telephone exchanges. The call is switched using a call set up protocol (usually ISUP) between the telephone exchanges under an overall routing strategy.
The call is carried over the PSTN using a 64 kbit/s channel, originally designed by Bell Labs. The name given to this channel is Digital Signal 0 (DS0). The DS0 circuit is the basic granularity of circuit switching in a telephone exchange. A DS0 is also known as a timeslot because DS0s are aggregated in time-division multiplexing (TDM) equipment to form higher capacity communication links.
A Digital Signal 1 (DS1) circuit carries 24 DS0s on a North American or Japanese T-carrier (T1) line, or 32 DS0s (30 for calls plus two for framing and signaling) on an E-carrier (E1) line used in most other countries. In modern networks, the multiplexing function is moved as close to the end user as possible, usually into cabinets at the roadside in residential areas, or into large business premises.
These aggregated circuits are conveyed from the initial multiplexer to the exchange over a set of equipment collectively known as the access network. The access network and inter-exchange transport use synchronous optical transmission, for example, SONET and Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) technologies, although some parts still use the older PDH technology.
Within the access network, there are a number of reference points defined. Most of these are of interest mainly to ISDN but one – the V reference point – is of more general interest. This is the reference point between a primary multiplexer and an exchange. The protocols at this reference point were standardized in ETSI areas as the V5 interface.
Impact on IP standards
Voice quality over PSTN networks was used as the benchmark for the development of the Telecommunications Industry Association's TIA-TSB-116 standard on voice-quality recommendations for IP telephony, to determine acceptable levels of audio delay and echo.[3]
Via Net Loss
Plain old telephone service (POTS)
Managed facilities-based voice network
Internet area network (IAN)
PSTN network topology
^ Kushnick, Bruce (7 January 2013). "What Are the Public Switched Telephone Networks, 'PSTN' and Why You Should Care?". Huffington Post Blog. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
^ "Ditch Your PSTN and Take Your Fax Mobile". eFax. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
^ "TIA TSB-116". Global.ihs.com. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
Fibre-optical
Free-space optical
Mobile phone signal
PSTN
Submarine cables
Misdialed call
Phone tag
Telephone newspapers
Théâtrophone
Video calls
Camille Papin Tissot
Telephone lines
Terrestrial microwave
Mayotte / Réunion (France)
Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)
Vague or ambiguous time from July 2014
WorldHeritage articles needing clarification from April 2014
Articles with unsourced statements from April 2014
Internet, Information, Alexander Graham Bell, Propaganda, Telecommunications in Egypt
World Wide Web, File sharing, Instant messaging, Email, IPv6
Bell System, Telecommunication, London, Dial tone, Nortel
Local loop
Integrated Services Digital Network, Telephony, Last mile, Access network, Telephone exchange
Internet, Ethernet, Telecommunication, Wi-Fi, Project management
History of videotelephony
Videotelephony, Telecommunication, Bell Labs, Information technology, Telephony
Internet, World Wide Web, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, United Nations
Integrated Services Digital Network
Germany, United Kingdom, Internet, Ethernet, United States
Telephone numbering plan
Australia, Telecommunication, North American Numbering Plan, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory
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Growing Economics-Security Pressures: A Challenge for New Zealand’s Next Government
Author Robert Ayson
You might not have thought so from the campaign, but whichever coalition government is formed once Winston Peters has studied the Special Votes will have a busy external agenda. The Foreign Minister in the new Cabinet will probably get some of the same messages which Gerry Brownlee received in April. ‘New Zealand’s external environment is increasingly turbulent’, read the advice prepared by MFAT, ‘with the risks for small countries particularly acute.’
It’s routine for governments to claim that they is operating in uncertain environments. But this time things are genuinely troubling. And one area for New Zealand to watch is the increasingly tricky intersections between our economic and security interests in the Asia-Pacific. For the last few months, a group of us at Victoria University have been looking at this issue. And as I’ve suggested in a new report, published by the ANU’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, smaller powers in the Asia-Pacific are vulnerable as China and the United States use economic pressure to advance their security agendas.
New Zealand has been in on some of this act. During its recent term on the Security Council, Wellington supported the growing regime of economic sanctions on North Korea in response to that country’s nuclear and missile provocations. The grounds for this approach were several. First, North Korea’s actions were not only a security menace to the region, but flew in the face of New Zealand’s commitment to nuclear disarmament. Second, sanctions were better than military action. And third, bearing the imprint of the Security Council, these measures enjoyed a strong sense of international legitimacy.
There was a further advantage. These measures were supported by all of the permanent members of the Council, including the United States and China. Mr Trump may have huffed and puffed about putting North Korea out of business through decisive military action, but he has actually been relying heavily on China’s cooperation in placing additional economic pressures on Pyongyang. That’s an economic-security nexus that suits New Zealand.
But there are others that don’t. For example, at the same time as Washington has needed Seoul’s alliance cooperation in dealing with the North Korean challenge, Mr Trump has been threatening to pull the United States out of the KORUS Free Trade Agreement. Add this to the existing decision to withdraw from the TPP process and the United States is in a weaker position to offer economic reassurance (and leadership) to its friends and partners in the region. Japan has sought to fill some of that gap, with New Zealand’s encouragement, but can only do so much.
Meanwhile, angered by Seoul’s decision to accept US missile defence batteries as a price of living with the rising North Korean threat, China has restricted some business and tourism activities with South Korea. Add that to Beijing’s record of hinting at trade repercussions should Australia, New Zealand and other regional countries take unwelcome positions on the South China Sea issue and you have the recipe for extra pressure.
The good news is that the cupboard of policy options is far from bare. The more difficult news is that many of the options have real limitations. We might think we can manage the pressure from great power A by siding more with great power B. Hinting at that possibility is one thing. But as New Zealand and many of its partners depend on good economic and security relations with both China and the United States, actually taking that step is another. Retaliating with some economic-security pressure of our own would be difficult. Small countries like New Zealand don’t have a lot of weight to throw around and we want to avoid further damage to traditions of regional openness.
Instead of unilateral actions, we could work together. Some of the region’s forums, including the East Asia Summit, do traverse both economic and security matters. But the need for consensus across a heterogeneous group of countries, which have heterogeneous relations with the big powers, makes it difficult to get the more challenging economic-security questions onto the agenda.
That’s not ideal for New Zealand. After all, our regional diplomacy puts a strong emphasis on multilateral approaches to regional issues. We are right to celebrate ASEAN’s 50th birthday: that is a real milestone. But at the same time Wellington also needs to deepen some of its bilateral connections in the region. Some of our closest partners are becoming aware of these economic-security pressures too. Working even more closely with countries like Australia and Singapore would seem to make a lot of sense.
But this will require a series of very honest conversations involving the leaders of whatever coalition government we get. There was a time when it was easier to claim things were sorted because New Zealand could have a strengthened economic relationship with China at the same time as better security relations with the United States. But ignoring the economic-security nexus and the policy challenges it poses is no longer viable. The Trump-Xi era of Asia-Pacific international relations, which is still in only its first year, will make sure of that.
Image credit: Official White House photo by Shealah Craighard from Flickr.com
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MainJudaismVa'etchanan: Answering Unanswered Prayers
Va'etchanan: Answering Unanswered Prayers
Often, we are much the better for having certain prayers rebuffed.
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, 30/07/15 08:35
התפילה הבוקר
Arutz 7
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb is Executive Vice President Emeritus of the Orthodox Union.
More from the author ►
Did you ever really pray for something you wanted? I mean, really fervently, desperately, pray hard for something that was vitally important to you?
If you did, and I think we all pray this way at moments of urgency, you violated an anonymous piece of wisdom:
“Be careful what you pray for, because you just might get it.”
I have not been able to determine who said that. But I know clearly what he meant. In my own life, I have had more than one occasion to look back at answered prayers, which achieved what turned out to be very trivial objectives. And I have certainly been disappointed in prayer, only to learn that in the long run, I was much better off without the benefits of whatever I prayed for so earnestly.
We think we know what is good for us, we think we know what we need, but we really don't. Often, we are much the better for having certain prayers rebuffed, and we frequently discover that the things we thought were important are not important at all.
In the Torah portion that we read in the synagogue this week, Parshat Va’etchanan, Moses confides to us how he powerfully beseeched the Almighty, begging Him to reverse His decision to frustrate Moses' greatest dream, that he be permitted to enter the Promised Land. Moses uses a synonym for prayer, chanan, which connotes imploring, pleading for the undeserved favor, matnat chinam.
But Moses is denied his dream. His petition is torn up in his face. His is the archetypal unanswered prayer.
Joel Cohen, in his book Moses, a Memoir, puts these poignant words in the mouth of Moses:
“I lowered my knees and begged Him once again. I could muster no tears this time... I needed badly to reach and walk about the land He promised to Abraham for us, so long ago... My work is incomplete. My prophecy has achieved no reality for me in my lifetime... There will be no future for me. My staff, the instrumentality of miracles against His enemies, is powerless against His will.”
Beautifully put, by this author of a book I recommend to you all.
What are we to learn from the story of the unanswered prayer of the humblest, but greatest, of men? Many things, in my opinion.
We learn that the gates of prayer are not always open. In the words of the Midrash, they are sometimes open but sometimes closed. And we are not to rely upon them exclusively. Rather, we are to do our own part to achieve our objectives in mundane ways.
Judaism insists upon a balance between faith in the divine and the exercise of practical human effort. It acknowledges that while there must be bitachon, trust in the Lord, there must also be hishtadlut, old-fashioned hard work on our part. As the rabbis have it, never rely upon miracles.
We can never allow prayer to become a substitute for our doing all we can do. We must not simply expect the Almighty to achieve Jewish sovereignty for us, but must do our parts politically and militarily. We cannot expect manna from heaven, but must earn our livelihoods by dint of the sweat of our brow. And when we are ill, yes, we must pray, but we must also diligently seek out competent medical assistance.
There are other lessons, to be sure, to be learned from the unanswered prayer of Moses. His grave remains a secret, so that it not become a shrine and that he not be idolized or heaven forbid, deified. For another important lesson about prayer from the Jewish perspective, is that we pray to the One Above only, and not to saints and holy men, be they alive or be they dead. Cemeteries are not synagogues.
By not granting Moses his request, the Master of the Universe was in effect telling him that he did all that he could, and that no more is expected of him. Humans are expected to do all they can, and not necessarily to accomplish everything.
"It is not necessary for you to complete the task, but neither are you exempt from doing all that you can."
Moses is being told, "You did all you could, even if you did not achieve all of your personal ambitions." No human is complete, no man is perfect.
And then there is a final lesson, one that we learn from the very fact that Moses persisted in his prayer, although he knew well that his request would be spurned. He modeled the importance of hope, even in the face of impossible odds.
Jewish history contains a long list of Moses-like figures, whose vision it was to enter the Holy Land. They include men like the Gaon Elijah of Vilna, who longed to spend the last years of his life in Eretz Yisrael. And closer to our time, the great sage Yisrael Meir Kagan, the Chofetz Chaim, prayed and carefully planned to live out his life in Israel.
Ironically, they, like Moses, had their dreams frustrated by the Hand of Providence. Like Moses, they were ready to try almost anything to realize their ambitions. And like Moses, who was told that he would not enter the land but his disciple Joshua would, various leaders of Jewish history, however reluctantly, took comfort in the fact that their disciples realized their dream in their stead.
This is possibly the most important lesson of all. When our prayers go unanswered for ourselves, they may yet be answered for our children and grandchildren.
Unanswered prayers are mysteriously answered, in inscrutable and unpredictable ways.
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Italian American News
All the raw news for Italian Americans
Italian Embassy
U.S. Government returns stolen and looted art and antiquities to Italy
April 26, 2012 Francesco Arts & Culture, Italian Embassy, Italy 0
Seven stolen and looted objects of Italian cultural heritage will soon be on their way back to Italy, following a ceremony Thursday in which U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano officially returned the antiquities to Italian Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero at the Embassy of Italy in Washington.
Two 2,000-year-old ceramic vessels, one Roman marble sculpture, one Renaissance painting and three music sheets from choir books dating back to the 13th century were recovered during four investigations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). All four of the investigations involved the collaboration of ICE’s offices in New York and Rome and Italy’s national police force, the Carabinieri.
“The United States and the Department of Homeland Security are proud to honor our commitments to our ally, Italy,” said Secretary Napolitano. “We will continue to work to ensure cultural artifacts and treasures that were stolen and entered this country illegally are recovered and returned to their rightful home nations.”
“The return of several important stolen works of art to Italy marks a new step in the fruitful bilateral collaboration between Italy and the United States. It is an event that falls within the framework of a well consolidated partnership in which our two countries successfully work side by side against all forms of criminal activity,” said Ambassador Bisogniero. “Given the quality of some of the antiquities that have been returned,” continued the ambassador, “the ceremony held today at the embassy should also be viewed as a chapter of the vital cultural relationship between Rome and Washington.”
ICE Director John Morton, Commander of Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage General B. Pasquale Muggeo and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharon Levin, Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Unit, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, also participated in the repatriation ceremony.
“Conducting these investigations and heralding their results sends a strong message. ICE is serious about reining in art and antiquity thieves, smugglers, and traffickers,” said Morton. “Together with the Carabinieri and agencies like Interpol, the Department of Justice, and our sister agency U.S. Customs and Border Protection, we intend to turn the tide on art and antiquity thieves.”
“The operational success of the investigations made it possible not only to return important masterpieces to the Italian State which had been stolen from its national cultural heritage but, once again, highlights the fruitful and close co-operation which exists between the Protection of Cultural Heritage Carabinieri’s Headquarters and U.S. authorities in their common endeavor to rebuild and hand down to posterity,” said General Muggeo.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, “In securing the forfeiture of these important objects of Italian cultural property and returning them to the Italian government, we are giving back to the Italian people a small piece of their history — and that could not be more gratifying. The work we do with our law enforcement partners in the United States and throughout the world to recover illegally imported property and return it to its rightful owners remains a high priority for this office.”
Two of the four investigations have been linked to Gianfranco Becchina, an Italian national allegedly associated with Italian organized crime and a competitor of the Giacomo Medici smuggling organization, which has been identified by the Carabinieri as the most prolific known traffickers of Italian cultural heritage.
The first investigation tied to Becchina is the case involving the two 2,000-year-old ceramic vessels. In 2009, investigators learned about the sale of an Attic red-figured pelike, circa 480-460 B.C. for $80,500, and a red-figured situla, circa 365-350 B.C. for $40,000, at Christie’s New York auction house. The investigation determined that these two objects were looted from archeological sites in Italy and smuggled into Switzerland. The ownership of the objects was transferred before they arrived in a Beverly Hills, Calif., gallery and subsequent consignment to Christie’s in New York. HSI special agents in New York seized the objects, and upon authentication, both were forfeited for return.
The second investigation tied to Becchina involved a Roman marble statue, a janiform herm that was believed to have been smuggled out of Italy into the United States via Switzerland. HSI special agents in New York initiated an investigation into the sculpture which had been auctioned and sold at Christie’s for $26,250. It was later seized at Christie’s pursuant to a seizure warrant obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and in May 2011, forfeited to HSI for return to Italy.
HSI’s investigation concluded that the two ceramic vessels and the statue were removed from Italy in violation of Italian law and brought into the United States in violation of U.S. customs laws and regulations. Specifically, the objects had been removed in viola tion of a bilateral agreement negotiated by the U.S. State Department, first in 2001 and renewed in 2006 and 2011, between the United States and Italy prohibiting the importation of certain Italian archaeological material into the United States without proper export documents.
A third investigation began in 2008, when HSI special agents in New York received information concerning a renaissance painting, “Leda e il Cigno” (Leda and the Swan) by Lelio Orsi. The investigation revealed that the painting had been illegally imported into the United States in 2006 through New York’s JFK International Airport and auctioned at Sotheby’s New York in January 2008 for $1.6 million. The buyer rescinded the purchase after learning of the Italian criminal investigation and it was judicially forfeited in January 2011 to HSI by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The fourth investigation began in 2010, in Portland, Ore., concerning two illuminated choir book leaves. The pages are believed to have been removed from two different antique chorus books, one stolen from the St. Paul Church in Pistoia, Italy, in 1990, and the other from the Monastery of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, Siena, Italy, in 1975. The manuscript pages were being offered for sale online by a rare book dealer in Oregon. HSI special agents in Portland investigated the case and the manuscript leaves were surrendered by the dealer. In June 2011, the special agents seized a third manuscript page that had been the subject of a previous investigation but never recovered. The same book dealer had the choir book page in his possession, and, after examining evidence of the theft provided by the Italian government, agreed to surrender it to HSI special agents.
B. Lelio OrsiPasquale Muggeo
Claudio Bisgniero
INCREDIBLE SUCCESS FOR THE 33rd EDITION OF GALA ITALIA
INSIEME per gli italiani: il nostro simbolo era e rimane pulito
Fucsia Nissoli: Il mio impegno per una nuova previdenza italiana all’estero
Vincenzo Arcobelli, Candidato alla Camera dei Deputati: “Come fly with me”
Italia-Stati Uniti: stasera l’annuncio del vincitore del Premio Urbino Press Award 2012
Antonio Meucci Young Inventors’ Competition
Andre DiMino Andrew Cuomo Antonin Scalia Armando Varricchio Bill Pascrell Carmelo Cicala Christopher Columbus CiaoAmerica! Claudio Bisogniero Columbus Day Constantino Brumidi discrimination Emanuele Viscuso FBI Francesca La Marca Fucsia NIssoli Garibaldi-Meucci Museum Giulio Terzi Insieme ISSNAF Joe Grano John Kerry John M. Viola John Viola Joseph Del Raso Joseph Di Trapani Lucio Caputo Luigi Laraia Manny Alfano Maria Bartiromo Mario Bartiromo Mario Monti Melo Cicala Mike Piazza Nancy Pelosi. NIAF one voice coalition OSIA Pat Tiberi Salvatore Ferrigno Samuel Alito Sons of Italy Teaching Italian Vincenzo Arcobelli William Pascrell
ItalianAmerican
All The Raw News About Italian Americans
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How to Monetize Videos on Facebook
We are often asked by creators “How can I monetize my videos on Facebook?” In this blog post we aim to tell you how to monetize videos on Facebook.
In 2015, Facebook announced they were running a beta trial with a select number of American companies to test ad breaks on native Facebook videos. These companies are referred to as “publishers” by Facebook, since these companies publish content to the Facebook platform. It was rumoured at the time that the revenue share was 45% for Facebook and 55% for the publisher, which are similar rates to YouTube.
Since the initial beta, Facebook have tested out different ad formats on their platform. They’ve found that people watch videos on Facebook very differently compared to YouTube or other video players. For example, people often watch videos on Facebook muted whereas most other platforms people watch videos with the sound on.
Facebook have rolled out ad breaks for Facebook Live prior to allowing publishers to monetize from ad breaks for on-demand video. This is because they see huge growth potential in live video. They have been testing mid-roll ad formats, however there’s been quite a bit of backlash against the format with viewers abandoning the content and publishers have raised concerns about having to re-edit content specifically for Facebook. Therefore Facebook continues to run the beta to find the ad formats that work best for their platform.
In April 2016, Facebook launched Rights Manager, which allows publishers to block unwanted user generated content or prevent freebooting (as it’s referred to on Facebook). Since the first day it launched, we’ve been working on the Rights Manager tool and providing valuable feedback to Facebook. For those that want to control their rights on Facebook, Rights Manager was a welcome solution to gain some control over their content being used on the platform. Not only is is frustrating for rights owners to not know how their content is being used, but it’s close to impossible to know anything since Facebook’s search is limited to only people you’re friends with on the site. Rights Manager fixed part of the problem, since publishers can now block or monitor user uploads of their content, even if the content is private or in a private group, but the monetization features are still only available to the initial beta testers.
The great news is that anyone can apply for Rights Manager, but there are a few issues that one might encounter. First, in order to gain access to the tool Facebook needs to approve your application based on their criteria. They will only approve applications for publishers like us that meet their criteria. Secondly, you need to have expertise in rights management to use Rights Manager, which even if you have access to the tool, you won’t be able to use without assistance.
Those that have access to Rights Manager will eventually be able to monetize their videos through the tool. This is why we often strongly recommend that people sign up for it, so you will have the ability to monetize. Facebook are working on completing the beta testing before rolling it out to the masses. Be assured that they want an excellent viewing experience for users as well as maximum revenue for publishers.
If you have access for Facebook’s Rights Manager, please get in touch. We’d be happy to discuss further how to help you enable monetization.
10 things to do when going live with YouTube
Do’s and Don’ts of YouTube Live
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The Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005
Northern Ireland Orders in Council
2005 No. 255 (N.I. 1)
Open whole Order
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Changes over time for: Section 102
There are outstanding changes not yet made by the legislation.gov.uk editorial team to The Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005. Any changes that have already been made by the team appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
Changes and effects yet to be applied to the whole Order associated Parts and Chapters:
Whole provisions yet to be inserted into this Order (including any effects on those provisions):
Sch. 6 para. 21(2)(c)-(cc) substituted for (b)(c) by 2008 c. 13 (N.I.) Sch. 6 para. 11
art. 2(4)(a)(x)-(xii) inserted by 2016 c. 1 (N.I.) Sch. 2 para. 21(3)(a)
art. 2(4)(b)(viii)-(x) inserted by 2016 c. 1 (N.I.) Sch. 2 para. 21(3)(b)
art. 19(1A) inserted by 2016 c. 1 (N.I.) Sch. 2 para. 24(3)
art. 19(10A) inserted by 2016 c. 1 (N.I.) Sch. 2 para. 24(5)
art. 34(1)-(1B) substituted for art. 34(1) by 2016 c. 1 (N.I.) Sch. 2 para. 25
art. 39(1)-(1B) substituted for art. 39(1) by 2016 c. 1 (N.I.) Sch. 2 para. 26(2)
art. 110(1)-(1B) substituted for art. 110(1) by 2016 c. 1 (N.I.) Sch. 2 para. 29
art. 191(5) added by 2008 c. 13 (N.I.) Sch. 9 para. 6
art. 226A(1)-(1A) substituted for art. 226A(1) by S.R. 2018/214 reg. 2(3)
art. 226A(3)(d) added by S.R. 2018/214 reg. 2(5)
GrantsN.I.
This section has no associated Explanatory Memorandum
102. The Department may pay the Board such sums as the Department may determine towards any of the Board's expenses, other than expenditure which by virtue of section 173(3) or 188(3) of the Pensions Act 2004 (c. 35) is payable out of—
(a)the Pension Protection Fund, or
(b)the Fraud Compensation Fund.
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Explanatory Memorandum sets out a brief statement of the purpose of a Northern Ireland Order in Council and provides information about its policy objective and policy implications. They aim to make the Order accessible to readers who are not legally qualified and accompany any Northern Ireland Order in Council made since 2002.
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More from me
Мой блог на русском языке
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What you don't hear about Ukraine
Alberto Mardegan
The conflict started in 2014 in Ukraine is not very prominent in the media nowadays, because — especially after the signing of the Minsk agreements in February 2015 — it's been a frozen conflict: frontlines are nearly immutable, waiting for the warring sides to implement the points defined in the Minsk document (by the way, would you be able to tell who must do what?). Unfortunately, the fact that the conflict is frozen does not mean that there's no fighting ongoing, and that people are not dying: indeed, soldiers from both factions continue to shoot, with many different types of weapons, and civilians continue to suffer and die.
I bet most of my readers already know this. What you might not know, is whether the civilian casualties are evenly distributed over the conflict area, or whether there are differences between the areas controlled by the pro-Russian rebels and those controlled by the Ukrainian government. In other words, whether the majority of civilian casualties are caused by the rebels or by the regular army.
Lacking this information (well, that you might lack this information is only a supposition of mine — if you don't, then please write me in the comments, where did you get this information from), it's natural to assume that, statistically, there would be similar numbers of civilian casualties in each side of the frontline. Or you might hold the opinion that one side is more to blame than the other, according to your prejudices.
To get the exact number of casualties one must read the reports from some international organisations, which are certainly more credible than reports published by either warring side. This does not mean that international organisations are impartial (their composition generally sees a predominance of Western members), but nevertheless they remain the only source of data which we can rely on.
The United Nations Human Rights Council publishes its reports every three months, and in these reports there's always a chapter focusing on the civilian victims, with precise numbers. Unfortunately, during the year 2016 these reports never specified in side of the frontline were the incidents occurring; this makes it impossible for us to tell which faction was responsible for the deaths.
For this reason, I armed myself with patience and I started a tedious work of reading of all the reports from the OSCE mission in Ukraine, and from each of them I extracted the numbers of civilian casualties (both injures and deaths), grouping them by their cause (shelling, mine or other accidents), as well as other numbers which I thought could be statistically interesting, such as for example the number of houses which were damaged by the shellings. Here's a summary of those numbers I consider most interesting:
Areas controlled by
Areas controlledby the rebels
Deaths by shelling 5 23
Injuries by shelling 40 77
Damaged houses 171 358
You can find the complete table, from which I extracted the numbers above, here: OSCE Reports 2016. I do expect some criticism; therefore, please let me explain how to read the sheet:
Every line in the sheet corresponds to a day of the year 2016.
For each line, there's a link to the OSCE report for that day; feel free to use it to check whether my data extraction was correct.
Most numbers are debatable: except for the number of the deceased, all other numbers can be subject to interpretation: for example, should we count as injured someone who was only lightly hurt? Or should we count as damaged a house whose windows broke just because of a loud noise? While I've tried to use my common sense, I have to admit that there might be different readings.
I only counted civilian victims: clearly, there were victims also among soldiers and militants, but (I'm sorry if I appear cynic) I don't think that the killing of a soldier in a war zone is a criminal act.
In many cases, the OSCE fails to report the exact number of damaged houses, and instead just uses the word several; in those cases, and lacking better information, I arbitrarily decided to count two houses.
I show you the full sheet just for the sake of completeness; but my suggestion is to ignore the details, and instead focus on the numbers of civialian deaths and injures only.
In the "Initiated shooting" column I counted those times when the OSCE was clearly and unequivocally reporting which side of the conflict was responsible for starting the hostilities.
If you find mistakes, please write me in the comments.
I believe that these numbers clearly show how the distribution of victims is not uniform: most of the civilian victims are caused by the shelling operated by the Ukrainian government on the land held by the pro-Russian rebels, and the proportion between the two is so uneven that it removes the possibility of explaining it as an accidental phenomen. As a matter of facts, even if you don't want to believe my numbers above, you can find similar data in the reports by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). I sum up the data which you can find in their documents:
Civilian casualties: total (and deaths)
16/11/2016 - 15/02/2017 13 (3) 40 (4)
16/02/2017 - 15/05/2017 unknown unknown
16/08/2017 - 15/11/2017 2 (0) 18 (1)
I counted only the victims by shelling, when such information was available: the reason for this is that responsibility is mush simpler to establish in this case, while in the case of mine or firearm victims there might be some cases where the responsibility falls over the party controlling the territory
As you can see, the vast majority of casualties happens in the territory occupied by the rebels. Could we therefore conclude that these people were hit by the shellings of the Ukrainian army? I believe so: regardless of Ukrainian propaganda, which states that the pro-Russian rebels are bombing their own territory, the OSCE reports which I examined paint a very clear picture: shellings occurring in the territory controlled by the separatists comes from governamental areas, and vice versa (as a matter of facts, in one case we have evidence that the Ukrainian government shelled Shchastya, which is under its control). And even the OHCHR report from November 2017 - February 2018 clearly states that shelling occurring in one side of the front is caused by those forces occupying the other side (paragraph 19).
I don't believe that the world can be divided between good and evil people, or that truth is always black or white. The goal of this article is not to prove that pro-Russian rebels are good, while soldiers obeying to the Ukrainian government are perverse: war is always bad, because civilian casualties are unavoidable. But I do believe that numbers have a meaning which can't be ignored, and that these numbers should be framed in the context of the information you receive from the media. Were these data a surprise to you? If the answer is positive, then you should start doubting the quality of the information you consume. When one reads a piece of news about war or other daily news, one always gets only a partial truth; my advice is to always read the news coming from both sides, and then we could have some hope of seeing a more complete picture. It's not by accident that, in a juridical proceeding, the jury always hears also the defendant's version, even if the evidence mounting against him is overwhelming.
And to come back to this sad war: if you are not shocked by these numbers, try to imagine if a similar situation occurred in your own country. Try to make an effort in picturing this fictional story: there is a pro-Russian insurgency in a city in the East of your country: they no longer recognize the central government, and demand independence. Russia also intervenes, and covertly helps the rebels. And suppose that your government was unable to eliminate only the rebels, because it only possesses imprecise weapons; how would you react, if your government shelled the city, resulting in civilian casualties with the same proportion as that reported in this article (that is, your government actions were causing much more deaths than the rebels')?
Could you tolerate these deaths, if in the rebel city there was about 80% of the population supporting the rebellion? And what if it was only 5%? Once you answer these questions, the next one is this: what is the percentage of people in Donbass who support the pro-Russian rebels? And if you answered that these deaths are not tolerable in your country, why are you (or your country's government) tolerating them when they happen in Ukraine?
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Contents © 2019 Alberto Mardegan - Powered by Nikola
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Address by President Nelson Mandela at the State banquet hosted by President Mwinyi of Tanzania
President Ali Hassan Mwinyi;
Honourable Ministers;
Members of the diplomatic corps
Distinguished guests;
To come to your beautiful country and to be with you tonight is indeed a home-coming.
For many years, freedom fighters from South Africa burrowed in the bosom of your hospitality. We have been raised from the depths of racial oppression, in great measure, on the pedestal of your sacrifice.
It is therefore only fitting, that we should return, free men and women, to report to our Tanzanian brothers and sisters, that South Africa is at last unshackled; the dream of Africa's political liberation has been realised!
This is a message that we bring to this, the former Headquarters of the OAU Liberation Committee; indeed, our second home. And with this message, I once more express regret that I was not able to attend last year's ceremony to mark the winding up of the activities of the OAU Liberation Committee.
And so, our visit here, Mr President, is a reunion of comrades in struggle; a trail-blazer between two like-minded governments to deepen political and economic relations to the benefit of both our nations.
The Government of National Unity is determined to place South Africa firmly within the fellowship of African nations. Even more, we are duty-bound not to forget friends in need and friends indeed; no matter what powerful associations we might today have.
The bond that joins us as peoples is deeper than gratitude. We feel it in the warmth of the magnificent welcome you have given us today, and in our own profound joy at being here.
The democracy which South Africa achieved with your help has allowed us to begin at last to address the legacy of apartheid. However, for our people and for Africa, vigilance and joint efforts to address the challenging socio-economic problems we face, are of utmost importance.
These challenges are common to our region and to the continent as a whole. And, although we boast of new favourable conditions for rapid progress in these matters; we are at the cross-roads between success and long-term marginalisation. In this world of countless uncertainties, we can only succeed if we work together. Among our most urgent challenges in the region, is to nurture the seed of peace that has started to germinate.
Freed from the shadow of apartheid and destabilisation, a new era in our relations has opened. Co-operation between South Africa and Tanzania, within the framework of the SADC, promises the flourishing of a mutually beneficial partnership.
The discussions we are having during these three days should further facilitate the deepening of trade, tourism, mining, defence and other relations. Much progress has already been made in the past year. But we can still do better.
The journey that started many years ago under adverse conditions reaches its culmination in this, our report-back. But this is only one milestone on the long road of ensuring that our nations, who share a common destiny, can thus share in the rebirth of Africa.
Mr President:
Let us raise our glasses and drink to President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, to the people of Tanzania, and to the strengthening of all-round ties between our two countries.
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Address by Nelson Mandela at Natal Peace Conference
Africa, colonialism and war
The events now taking place in Africa constitute the most serious threat to the peace, security and the freedom of the people of this Continent.
For years now, the capitalist countries have lived on raw materials and cheap labour from Asia and Africa. The rise of the national liberation movements in Asia and the Pacific Regions and the loss of these vast countries as war bases and centres for investment has forced the imperial powers to turn their eyes on Africa.
Riches of Africa
It is here that we have rich deposits of gold, diamonds and uranium. Our Continent produces sisal, palm oil, cocoa, coffee and other products. It is in Africa that we have vast supplies of land and cheap labour. Being without any strong trade union movement, the people of Africa are exposed to the most vicious and cruel forms of colonial exploitation. It is this situation that makes the danger of war in Africa very real and close.
Here the imperial powers of Britain, Belgium, France, Holland, Portugal and Spain have either their chief or their only colonial dependencies. The internal contradictions and conflicts within this imperial camp are broadening daily. In their mad lust for markets and profits, these imperial powers will not hesitate to cut one another's throats, to break the peace, to drench millions of innocent people in blood and to bring misery and untold suffering to humanity. The rivalries amongst these colonial powers contain the seeds of an extremely dangerous situation to peace and security in Africa.
To protect their markets and investments, to crush the national liberation movements and forestall the rise of revolutionary democracy in Africa, and ensure an abundant cheap labour supply, America and her satellites have established military bases all over the Continent. America has land, sea and air bases in Morocco and Libya. There are British military bases in Egypt, East Africa, Somaliland and the Sudan. Field-Marshal Wilson, the Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean in 1944, puts the matter very clearly:
"...the spread of Communism to China and the uncertain political situations in other countries in the Far East are bound to have the effect of contracting the sources of supply of certain raw materials necessary for the manufacture of armaments, which will result in the intensification of prospecting and development in Africa".
According to him the role of the two Rhodesias and Kenya should be to protect and develop sea communications; to be ready to send forces overseas; to develop its industries to maximum capacity for war needs. In 1946 the Daily Mail made the position equally clear:
"The British decision to quit Palestine, Burma's secession from the Commonwealth, the weakening of ties with India and the uncertainty of Britain's tenure in Egypt have hastened the adoption of plans for a new Commonwealth defence system.... Kenya is the new centre of Commonwealth defence and South Africa its arsenal ".
Africa is a War Base
Almost simultaneously the Daily Express wrote:
"East Africa is expected to become a main atomic-age training ground of the British Army and a main support base in the Empire defence system".
Africa has now become a war base for the imperial powers in their war preparations and for their schemes of world domination. This is the true explanation of the callous determination and indecent haste of the British Government in ramming through the Federation Scheme in Central Africa, in spite of the united opposition of the African population of those territories.
This is the true explanation of the bitter conflict in Kenya between imperial Britain, whose aim is to rob those people of their country and land, and the Kenya people who are fighting to save their land and country from being transformed into a military base to attack other people.
Victims of a Future War
The people of Africa will be the first victims of a future war. Their industries will produce armaments, their raw materials will be used, not to develop their own economies, but to destroy those of others. The war danger in Africa is very close indeed.
People throughout the world are coming to understand how closely the struggle for peace and against the menace of war is linked with the preservation of the right of the nation and the individual to a peaceful existence. This Conference shows that more and more people in South Africa have come to understand the most serious threat to the peace, security and freedom of the peoples that exists at the present time.
Foreign Armies
The threat to the national liberation movements in Africa resulting from the presence of foreign armies arouses the deepest indignation of all patriots. The people of Africa are being forced to realize that peace is their most immediate concern. They demand the withdrawal from the Continent of Africa of all foreign troops and the end of colonial oppression and exploitation.
Exhibit No. E-62 at the treason trial (1957-61), pages 7-10
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Hempstead Home Inspections
Completed Full Inspections In Hempstead
3/13/2018 515 Chester St
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12/15/2017 125 Hempstead Gardens Dr apt R2A
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11/19/2017 486 Langley Ave
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7/3/2017 219-07 Hempstead Ave
4/26/2017 456 Pinebrook Ave
Hempstead is the most populous town in the US, and is one of the three towns in Nassau County, New York, United States, occupying the southwestern part of the county, in the western half of Long Island. Twenty-two incorporated villages are completely or partially within the town. Hempstead's combined population was 759,757 at the 2010 Census, the majority of the population of the county and by far the most of any town in New York. Also, a village named Hempstead is within the Town.
If the town were to be incorporated as a city, it would be the second-largest city in New York behind New York City. It would be the 18th-largest city in the country, behind Charlotte, North Carolina and ahead of Seattle, Washington.
Hofstra University's campus is located in Hempstead.
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Image by flickr user Paul Baack. Licensed under CC BY 2.0
Ian Lancaster Fleming
May 28, 1908 - Aug 12, 1964
Remembered By:
Fans worldwide ( Other )
Ownership & Administration:
Memorial Haven ( Primary )
© 2008 New York Times News Service
LONDON – Any writer who has struggled would take heart from the self-effacing assessment written for himself by Ian Fleming, the raffish Englishman born 100 years ago this month who became one of the most successful authors of his time through the creation of the world’s best-loved spy, James Bond.
Fleming died in 1964, at 56, of complications from pleurisy after playing a round of golf in Oxfordshire though he had a heavy cold. But the real culprits were years of smoking up to 80 cigarettes a day, and a fondness for drink. Perhaps because of the difficulty he found in resisting life’s indulgences, he adopted a strict writing routine in his last 12 years, the period in which he wrote more than a dozen Bond novels that sp...
Fleming died in 1964, at 56, of complications from pleurisy after playing a round of golf in Oxfordshire though he had a heavy cold. But the real culprits were years of smoking up to 80 cigarettes a day, and a fondness for drink. Perhaps because of the difficulty he found in resisting life’s indulgences, he adopted a strict writing routine in his last 12 years, the period in which he wrote more than a dozen Bond novels that spawned the multibillion-dollar film franchise.
Rising early for a swim in the aquamarine waters in the cove below his idyllic Jamaican retreat, Goldeneye, Fleming tapped away at his Remington portable typewriter with six fingers for three hours in the morning and an hour in the afternoon – 2,000 words a day, a completed novel in two months, all the while keeping up a sybaritic lifestyle.
Fleming, who saw 40 million copies of his books sold in his lifetime but died before the Bond franchise went stratospheric, had no literary pretensions. He described his first Bond book, “Casino Royale,” as “an oafish opus,” and offered further disparagement in a 1963 BBC radio interview. “If I wait for the genius to come, it just doesn’t arrive,” he said. Asked if Bond had kept him from more serious writing, of the kind achieved by his older brother, Peter, a renowned explorer and travel writer, he replied: “I’m not in the Shakespeare stakes. I have no ambition.”
Fleming’s workaday approach to writing is among the revelations drawing crowds of Bond lovers to “For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond,” an exhibition that opened at the Imperial War Museum in London last month and runs through March 2009. For the museum, founded in 1917, there is something – well, raffish – in the staging of an exhibition about the glamorous, gadget-wielding, womanizing, devil-may-care Bond and his creator, for whom the superspy was in many respects an alter ego.
The museum’s former curator, Alan Borg, whose 13-year tenure as director ended in 1995, encouraged innovative approaches by reminding his staff that “the three most off-putting words in the English language” were encompassed by the museum’s name.
“And we have to fight against that,” said Terry Charman, the museum’s senior historian and curator of the Bond exhibition. But judging by the enthusiasm of the visitors, concerns about the frivolousness some of Britain’s more sniffy critics have discerned in the Bond show seem misplaced.
The display explores the relationship between Fleming and Bond, examining how much of the fictional spy is built on the author’s character – the degree to which Bond was his “fantasy version of himself,” as Charman put it. As well, it shows how the debonair Fleming drew on his experiences as a man about town and as a prewar foreign correspondent, in the world of banking and investment, in his postwar sojourns in Jamaica, and as a World War II aide to the head of Britain’s directorate of naval intelligence, to give what he described as “verisimilitude” to Bond’s world of spies and villains and romance.
Of his Bond plots, Fleming, ever prosaic about his talent, said, “I extracted them from my wartime memories, dolled them up, attached a hero and a villain, and there was the book.” For M, Bond’s irascible, domineering secret service overseer, he had as a model Rear Admiral John Godfrey, his wartime intelligence chief; old school friends, golfing partners and girlfriends also metamorphosed into Bond characters. Even his villains had real-life antecedents.
Auric Goldfinger, “a misshapen short man with red hair and a bizarre face” in Fleming’s description, had the author’s “flat golf swing” and the surname of a prominent Hungarian-born British architect, Erno Goldfinger, whose penchant for concrete tower blocks Fleming abhorred. Rosa Klebb of SMERSH, “a dreadful chunk of a woman” and “a toadlike figure” to Fleming, had her likeness in Major Tamara Nikolayeva Ivanova, a notoriously sadistic KGB agent. Ernst Stavro Blofeld, “with lips that suggest contempt, tyranny and cruelty,” got his name from a Fleming schoolmate at Eton. Odd Job, Goldfinger’s enforcer and “a uniquely dreadful person,” drew his deadly missile of a bowler hat from Fleming’s knowledge of the nefarious uses to which British intelligence services made of everyday headgear.
The disciplines Fleming absorbed as a correspondent for Reuters in the 1930s made him a stickler for accuracy, and the exhibition shows how this fed into Bond’s guns. A luxuriantly mustached British gun expert, Geoffrey Boothroyd, reproved Fleming in a 1950s letter for Bond’s “rather deplorable taste in firearms” – in particular the penchant of the early Bond for a Beretta pistol, which Boothroyd, later the model for Major Boothroyd, Bond’s secret service armorer, described as “a ladies’ gun.” At Boothroyd’s urging, the Bond of “Dr. No” and later novels progressed to a Walther PPK and what Boothroyd described as “a real man-stopper,” a Smith & Wesson 0.357 Magnum.
Bond himself, Fleming said, was “a compound of all the secret agents and commandos I met during the war,” but his tastes – in blondes, martinis “shaken, not stirred,” expensively tailored suits, scrambled eggs, short-sleeved shirts and Rolex watches – were Fleming’s own. But not all the comparisons were ones the author liked to encourage. Bond, he said, had “more guts than I have” as well as being “more handsome.” And he was eager to discourage the idea that he had been as much of a Lothario as Bond before his marriage to Ann Rothermere, whom he wed in 1952, the year he wrote “Casino Royale.”
But the exhibition suggests otherwise. A section of the show titled “Friends and Lovers” has one of a stable of prewar girlfriends, Mary Pakenham, saying of Fleming, “No one I know had sex so much on the brain as Ian.” And another entry records the disdain of Fleming’s mother, Evelyn St. Croix Fleming, widowed when Fleming’s father, Valentine, was killed at the front in World War I, after she found black boa feathers littered across the back seat of her chauffeur-driven Daimler on the morning after Fleming borrowed the car for a night out – and a backseat romp – with a nightclub dancer called Storm.
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Home » Personal Computing » A Month With The iPhone 7 Plus, As A Lifetime Android User
15 Nov A Month With The iPhone 7 Plus, As A Lifetime Android User
(Photo credit: Anshel Sag)
It’s been a month since I got the Apple iPhone 7 Plus. Full disclosure, I have never owned an Apple product in my life. Okay, I had an iPod shuffle for about a week or two and ended up returning it. I had experiences with Apple computers as a child in a suburban elementary school but never owned an iPhone, iPad, MacBook or anything of the sort. I have been a lifetime Google Android user, and before that a Microsoft Windows Mobile user (yeah, I know). So, my first experience with an Apple product that I bought and used has been extremely interesting. That includes the utter shock and awe that came out of people’s mouths after I told them that I got an iPhone. I feel like a lot of the reasons why I never switched to Apple have gone away while others remain.
Why the iPhone 7 Plus
My primary purpose of buying an iPhone 7 Plus was Apple’s move towards a dual camera arrangement that promised to be the best camera, ever. In addition to that, the Apple A10 Fusion processor tickled the Android performance-obsessed side of me. For many years, I had observed Apple’s SoCs continually crush the competition in a multitude of benchmarks, and this proved to be Apple’s greatest leap in performance, especially with a 4-core arrangement. Apple also bumped the RAM from 2GB in the 6S Plus to 3GB in the iPhone 7 Plus, which should theoretically make multitasking even better and smoother on the iPhone.
For me, many of my oppositions in the past to getting an iPhone were centered around the user interface decisions, requirement to use iTunes, walled garden ecosystem, simplistic design and unwillingness to build a device larger than 5”. Since then, a lot has changed for the better with Apple, they are listening more to consumers and take their concerns and feedback into consideration when designing their devices. However, there were also things that I admired about Apple, like their meticulous attention to detail, unwavering commitment to security and their quality materials and components. Also, I liked the idea that if I ended up not liking the iPhone, I could always resell it without losing much money thanks to Apple’s strong resale value, something I could never get with my Android phones.
The iPhone 7 Plus was a device that took things to the next level for me, because Apple finally implemented a stereo speaker setup and officially added water resistance to their phones. Both things I was already quite used to with my previous Android phones and almost expected to be standard on most smartphones, including Apple. However, they didn’t necessarily do everything that I would’ve liked them to, like directly accessing pictures and videos on the device possible straight from your PC as if it were a USB drive, which you can with most Android phones. Additionally, Apple still lacks a notification LED for when it’s charging or when there’s a notification, so you don’t know what the status is without picking up the device.
Migration Experience
The switching experience from Android to iOS was extremely smooth and easy. I didn’t even use the app that Apple provides to switch from Android to iOS, because I learned of its existence after I had already initially setup the phone. Even so, switching to iOS was extremely easy and essentially amounted to logging into all my Google accounts, and that was pretty much it. Because basically all the Google apps that I use daily are already on iOS, the transition was extremely smooth, and to this day I rarely feel that I’m missing anything by being on iOS. In fact, the only app that I genuinely sort-of-miss is Sync for Reddit, which is only available for Android even though there’s a plenty good iOS app as well.
Speaking of apps, I found the App Store to be a much more paid-heavy store than Google Play, but also much less ad-heavy. Once I downloaded the apps, I found some applications that were serial crashers on Android almost never crashed. In fact, on iOS it seems that apps don’t usually crash like they do on Android, they just lock up. For the first week, I was in app heaven, all my apps were running smoothly, and I had zero lockups or crashes. Eventually over the course of a month, I got a few lockups and crashes, but nothing anywhere near what I’ve experienced on Android devices. The most noticeable improvement was Snapchat, which not only didn’t crash, but also worked better in taking photos and videos than my Android phones (of which I have many).
I also cannot speak more highly of my experience with Force Touch, it takes some learning and exploring, but some applications like Instagram simply make Force Touch amazing. I wish more devices would have Force Touch, because I genuinely believe that it is the future of smartphone interfaces. In addition to Force Touch I recently used AirDrop, which was by far the fastest and most painless sharing of an audio file from one device to another that I have ever witnessed. It was shocking, really.
Of all the apps that I use on the iPhone, the one that is native that I use the most is the camera. Initially, I wasn’t that impressed with the camera due to its limited capabilities compared to say the stock LG V20 camera. However, Apple’s approach is more focused on delivering a consistent photography experience, one that can be depended on. It also is the first camera and camera app I’ve used where I can easily zoom all the way to max zoom and shoot photos all with one hand. For RAW photography and more complicated shooting scenarios, there are other applications available in the App Store including Adobe’s Lightroom app which has built-in RAW shooting, editing and processing inside the app.
The ability to zoom up to 10x has proven extremely valuable to someone like me who attends a lot of conferences. I also found it extremely useful during sporting events like the Packers vs. Bears game I attended at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The zoom experience is by far the smoothest I have experienced on any phone and is directly attributable to the dual camera setup on the iPhone 7 Plus. Additionally, Apple has just rolled out another dual camera feature, Portrait mode, which is still in beta, and I have had moderate success with. While it does create a ‘bokeh’ around the subject that you are taking a picture of, you are limited to only well-lit scenarios, and the effect seems somewhat unnatural at times. Perhaps it’s the lifetime photographer in me that is nitpicking, but some of the photos I’ve taken so far haven’t impressed me compared to my f/1.4 lens for my DSLR.
The other complaint that I had about the iPhone camera early on was that it locked up, a lot. Both before 10.1 and after 10.1, the camera locked up so much that I had to break out my Google Pixel or LG V20 to get a photo. Sometimes even force closing the camera app and opening it back up again wouldn’t fix the issue either. However, since the 10.1.1 update that came out a week after 10.1, the camera seems to no longer lock up, and I can enjoy the quick launch feature from the lock screen once again. Apple did a good job of addressing the issue, and I applaud them for being so responsive after 10.1 didn’t fix the issue. If you’d like to see more pictures from the iPhone 7 Plus, I have uploaded them in full resolution, unretouched to Flickr for your own viewing.
Apple’s attention to detail is visible in how they’ve implemented things like their Taptic Engine. I love the fact that you can choose how much the home button vibrates when you press on it or the fact that when your phone vibrates it makes a very short and strong vibration that cannot be mistaken for anything else. It doesn’t rattle in my cup holder like a bee but rather like something that should have my attention, even if its buried in my center console.
The color accuracy and sharpness of the display on the iPhone 7 Plus are stunning, it is by far one of the nicest displays I have laid my eyes upon. And I appreciate the fact that Apple isn’t trying to oversaturate the display to make it appear more vibrant either.
Apple’s attention to detail even extends into Apple’s accessories for the iPhone 7 Plus where the leather case for the iPhone 7 Plus is probably the best case I have ever used for a phone and happens to feel the most premium. The leather and the buttons on the iPhone 7 Plus case make it a must have for anyone looking to own an iPhone and don’t want to destroy their investment.
As always, all products have room for improvement. I think there are some features that I would love to see in the next generation of the iPhone that I think could encourage even more Android users to switch to Apple and iOS. One of those features is support for wireless charging. While not all Android manufacturers support wireless charging, I do believe that Apple could help wireless charging reach critical mass and help to potentially free up that lightning connector for headphones instead of a charging cable.
Since we’re on the topic of charging, I would like to see Apple adopt some form of rapid charging. I know that many people are going to say that it isn’t necessary on the iPhone considering the battery life, and they are probably right considering that I am writing this right now with 30% of my iPhone battery after having used it all day and streamed part of the World Series Game 7 on it. Apple doesn’t need much improvement in terms of battery life for the iPhone 7 Plus, but you won’t hear anyone complain if they continue to improve it. Even so, there are going to be days when you forget to charge your phone or you use it a lot and it ends up getting low. That’s when rapid charging becomes the valuable, and recharging a full depleted iPhone 7 Plus can take hours.
I also believe that Apple should make 64GB the standard capacity for the iPhone 7 Plus, since you are already paying a premium for the device. Most Android flagships are now shipping with 64GB as the standard capacity with or without a memory card slot. I foolishly purchased a 32GB model of the iPhone 7 Plus which means that I’m pretty much out of space after a month of taking photos and videos. 4K videos are out of the question at 32GB because they take up so much space. Another area where I would like to see Apple improve is improving the connectivity; the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have 450Mbps modems which means no 4×4 MIMO or 256 QAM support. It would also help improve coverage and network performance. I suspect they will go 600 Mbps or even higher with the next generation, but it would be nice to have now.
In the end, I have enjoyed using the iPhone 7 Plus and am still using it as my primary device today. However, my commitment to things like Google Play Music and the Google app ecosystem still draw me back towards Android. This is the similar gravitation that you see many Apple users making after they’ve toyed with the idea of an Android device. The interesting part for me, however is that Apple when paired with Google services delivers a pretty good experience. I do lose some of my Google integration, but I gain other things as well.
I believe that I will continue to carry the iPhone 7 Plus as my secondary phone along with whatever Android device I am using as my primary at the time. The iPhone 7 Plus is by far the most attractive iPhone that I have ever seen Apple release that could cause Android users to switch. I believe that some users have already done so with the current market dynamics. Hopefully Apple finds new use cases for the dual camera on the iPhone 7 Plus and creates even more added value to the phone than it has already.
Posted by Anshel Sag in Personal Computing, Smartphone , Followed with Comments Off on A Month With The iPhone 7 Plus, As A Lifetime Android User
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Ms. D
Who is Ms. D? >
Ms. D in 25 slides or less
Drama One
Advanced Drama
Academic Language Skills
Drama Special Projects
Who is Ms. D?
Ms. Disario's "Bio"
Jodi Disario (or "Ms. D," as she prefers to be called) is a lifelong educator and learner. She grew up in a small community in the south suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Speech Communication-Education at Illinois State University. She taught middle school language arts and social studies for two years before moving to California. There, she taught high school for twelve years, teaching students who were at-risk of dropping out or not earning a traditional diploma. During that time, she earned her Master's Degrees in School Counseling and Administration & Leadership. She worked as an academic counselor for ten years while she taught, and then decided to move on to administration. She spent a semester (and four days) as an assistant principal and a year and a half as a principal for an alternative program for the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Unfortunately, her school was closed due to budget issues. This, however, was a blessing in disguise, as it provided time for Ms. D to realize that her true passion was teaching drama. She found a job replacing someone on maternity leave in a middle school and her passion was ignited. She knew that this was what she needed to be doing for the rest of her life. A job search at the end of that school year landed her at Willow Glen High School in San Jose Unified, and she couldn't be happier. She's building an empire and can't wait to take all of you along for the ride.
Ms. D is married to her "Right Hand Man," Aaron, who often helps her with her productions, her ideas, and her happiness. She has two amazingly smart, talented and beautiful daughters; Delaney, a junior at WGHS and McKayla, a 6th grader at WGMS.
Ms. D. Slideshow
Ms. D has seen "Wicked" 17 times in 8 different cities on 2 continents.
This is from a song in "Rent," Ms. D's favorite show.
Ms. D and 2 time Tony nominee Jonathan Groff
Most of Ms. D's family and Broadway star Anthony Rapp
The first musical Ms. D ever directed
Ms. Disario's favorite book
New York City. "The Greatest City in the World" and Ms. D's favorite travel destination.
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Authenticity, Language and Interaction in Second Language Contexts Edited by: Rémi A. van Compernolle, Janice McGregor
Ebook(EPUB) - 256 pages
Paperback Hardback PDF
This collection addresses issues of authenticity in second language contexts from a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches along three principal themes: What is authentic language? Who is an authentic speaker? How is authenticity achieved? The volume responds to these questions by bringing together scholars working in a range of contexts, including with language learners in the classroom and in residence or study abroad, with a variety of second or additional languages: Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. Contributions focus on authenticity as it relates to patterns of language and meaning, and to agency, identity and culture, and serve as an opening to an extended conversation about the nature of authenticity and its development in L2 contexts. This volume is relevant for students and scholars interested in learning about or investigating questions of authenticity and interaction in a wide range of language learning contexts.
In bringing together a wealth of empirical data from both informal and formal pedagogic contexts, this collection not only makes a powerful and informed contribution to the still vibrant debate over the issue of authenticity in language education, but also succeeds in challenging and, to a large extent, superseding existing understandings of the concept.
- Malcolm MacDonald, University of Warwick, UK
This excellent collection makes a significant contribution to emerging and increasingly diverse scholarship in Second Language Studies. Chapters probe and question key concepts and established assumptions in Pragmatics, Intercultural Communication and SLA. The book not only offers findings that deepen our understandings of what it means – in terms of theory and practice – to communicate in a superdiverse, multilingual world, it also effectively addresses the pressing question of how we should do Applied Linguistics in the 21st century.
- Alan Firth, Newcastle University, UK
This excellent collection of studies offers new ways of understanding the multidimensionality of authenticity as it relates to language use, identity, agency and culture in a variety of second language learning contexts and from different theoretical and methodological approaches. Second language teachers and researchers of second language acquisition will find it an indispensable resource.
- Joan Kelly Hall, Pennsylvania State University, USA
Rémi A. van Compernolle is Assistant Professor of Second Language Acquisition and French & Francophone Studies at Carnegie Mellon University, USA. His research interests include sociocultural psychology, second language development, pedagogy and assessment, sociolinguistics, pragmatics and interactional competence. He is the author of Sociocultural Theory and L2 Instructional Pragmatics (2014, Multilingual Matters).
Janice McGregor is Assistant Professor of German at Kansas State University, USA. Her research interests include second language learning and use, study abroad and intercultural dimensions of language learning and use.
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Michael Pascoe
http://www.canadaplants.ca
Michael Pascoe is a plant 'nut' and has been one since childhood. Growing up in Cornwall, England he began his gardening career at age 6 with a home built greenhouse. Michael has travelled and worked throughout the world spending many years in South-East Asia. He is currently a professor and academic program coordinator for the Horticulture Programs at Fanshawe College, London, Ontario. Michael is a graduate of the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, The University of Guelph, the University of Sussex and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He holds an MSc with distinction in Plant Conservation. Michael is an award-winning professor, receiving the Fanshawe College Distinguished Teaching Award, twice winner of the Landscape Ontario Past Presidents Award for his contribution to the horticulture industry. He was also awarded the prestigious Leadership in Faculty Teaching Award from the Province of Ontario for his ingenuity in teaching methods. Kernow Gardens Incorporated is a design consulting company, based in Strathroy, Ontario, operated by Michael. Past projects have included the London International Airport, London Life and Huron College. Michael was the first Canadian to win a Perennial Plant Association (PPA), award for his work on the Cuddy Garden (now owned by Fanshawe College), he won a second PPA award for his work on the Moore Residence in Thorndale, Ontario. Kernow Garden Inc. was also awarded a London Urban Regional Design Award for work on the London Life corporate offices. Michael is currently a professor and program coordinator as well as the director of gardens at Fanshawe College.
The A. M. Cuddy Garden and Rock Garden
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Items filtered by date: Saturday, 13 October 2018
Law Enforcement Today: Now live on GCN
The Genesis Communication Network welcomes Law Enforcement Today to the family. Join host John “Jay” Wiley, radio DJ and retired Baltimore Police Sergeant, and guests as they discuss a wide range of issues affecting active, retired, former law enforcement officers, their families, friends and all the communities they serve.
Law Enforcement Today is a talk show that offers a realistic truthful portrayal of law enforcement officers to counter the mostly negative portrayals in the media. Background song Hurricane used by permission from the band Dark Horse Flyer, get more information about them and their music on their website, www.darkhorseflyer.com.
The Law Enforcement Today Radio Show is a new and unique radio show where their format is similar to police investigation shows that are so popular on television.
Law Enforcement Today doesn’t take a confrontational “us against them” approach. They provide a show that contains the perspectives and experiences of active, retired law enforcement officers, their family members and those involved in groups that support law enforcement officers and their families.
They broadcast live on Saturday morning from 1:00 am - 3:00 am here on GCN.
Published in News & Information
Mysterious paralyzing illness on the rise: What is AFM?
A rare polio-like illness is startling health officials as multiple states have reported cases of AFM (Acute Flaccid Myelitis).
Since August 2014, the CDC has received reports on 362 cases.
This week we learn of 6 children in Minnesota who have been diagnosed with AFM, which may manifest in symptoms such as sudden muscle weakness, stiffness, slurred speech and facial droop.
The age range of children affected appear to be 3-14. A 6-year-old boy in Washington State died in 2016 and was the first death to be linked to this mysterious illness. His parents reported he had felt ill, became dizzy and within hours suffered swelling in the brain and paralysis. Despite medical efforts, he passed. Although the exact cause is unknown, health experts are considering a variety of possibilities. They have actually been investigating this since 2014 when reports of AFM began to surface across the United States.
What is AFM?
AFM stands for Acute Flaccid Myelitis. It’s a condition that occurs suddenly, causing inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle tone and reflexes. Although limb weakness is the primary symptom, patients could also exhibit slurred speech, facial drooping, and in serious cases inability to breath due to paralysis of the respiratory muscles. Mild cases appear to resolve but serious cases can cause residual paralysis or death. Children appear to be more affected than adults.
What causes AFM?
Although health officials do not know for certain, due to its rapid onset, a pathogen such as a virus seems highly likely. With the 2013-2014 outbreak, some of the cases tested positive for enterovirus (EV-D68), but it is not conclusive whether this was the exact cause or just coincidentally found in the patients tested.
Some postulate a combination of viruses may be a factor or an autoimmune disease. Although Guillain-Barre syndrome causes acute limb weakness and paralysis when the immune system begins attacking the nervous system, the report that many individuals feel feverish or ill prior, seem to point to a pathogen as the primary cause although the latter is not being ruled out. Virus families such as enterovirus (including polio and non polio enterovirus), adenovirus (causing respiratory and GI illness) and flaviviruses (including West Nile) have been suspected.
How common is AFM?
Per the CDC, acute flaccid myelitis is rare (less than 1 in a million cases) however currently they report 362 people affected in currently 16 states (down from 39 states in 2016).
Medical professionals look at a variety of factors.
History: how the paralysis/loss of muscle tone began and which limbs did it affect first
Laboratory tests and CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) testing: to look for signs of infection
MRI of the brain: which may show gray matter involvement in a case of AFM.
Is there a treatment?
There is no standard treatment that has been proven effective, however depending on the severity of the symptoms, health professionals can consider a variety of options including steroids, IVIG, interferon, antivirals and supportive measures.
Is there a vaccine?
No. Until they can identify the exact cause, or causes, health officials cannot create a vaccine.
How does one avoid getting AFM?
If we assume its a pathogen causing the illness, avoiding contact with sick individuals, being up-to-date on one’s vaccines and good hand-washing are imperative. Although we do not know if AFM is caused by a mosquito-borne illness, avoiding mosquitoes would be wise as well. More therefore needs to be researched to determine why and how those individuals with AFM were infected.
Gene's Technology Corner: The Apple store and memories
To understand what the Apple Store meant to me, let me tell you a personal story. In the 1960s, I had a hobby, building radio and general audio gear. Some of it I bought for myself, others I assembled for friends — at no charge. Well, I was a teenager, living at home. I wasn’t rich, but I had a tape recorder and a radio and a mic, so I was mostly happy.
In those days, I made periodic trips to one of the early consumer electronics stores, Lafayette Radio. After going bankrupt in 1980, its assets ended up in the hands of the company that eventually became Circuit City.
After moving to the Phoenix area in 1993, I shopped occasionally at a local Circuit City, but mostly for CDs. If I wanted a new Mac, I went online and saved money. It’s not that Circuit City didn’t carry Macs. They had some, and I remember visiting the retailer a few years later and seeing a few dusty models placed haphazardly on a single display table off to the rear
somewhere. Most had been left off. The few that were running mostly displayed a Hypercard slide show that didn’t really entice anyone to buy anything.
Besides, the salespeople were busy encouraging you to check out the real center of the action, the PC tables.
I recall a report some time later, about Steve Jobs admonishing Apple dealers to give Macs a fair shake. Make that demanding in very raw language. It was, after all, vintage Steve Jobs.
Apple finally decided to go its own way, by establishing its own retail chain. Jobs recruited former Target retail executive Ron Johnson to help him design the new stores.
When the first two Apple stores had their grand openings in 2001, in Glendale, CA and Tyson’s Corner, VA, the tech pundits were skeptical. Other electronics manufacturers, including Sony and Gateway, launched chains of branded stores, but they really didn’t go anywhere.
In large part, it’s because they were just ordinary retailers, only focused on a single brand. So why go to one when you could get the very same merchandise at the same price — or less — at a store with a far greater selection?
Apple’s approach was to customize your shopping experience with a specialty boutique with what appeared to be a remarkably noncommercial approach to retail sales. For one thing, you weren’t confronted with greedy salespeople trolling for a sale. Indeed, nobody pushed you to buy anything, or even to leave if you just wanted to just hang out.
If you had a problem with your Apple gadget, there was the Genius Bar where you could get advice, or authorized repairs by a factory trained specialist.
As a contributor to the Arizona Republic, and later Gannett and its national newspaper, USA Today, I attended two of the openings in the Phoenix area. At the Chandler, AZ Fashion Center, I met Johnson, then Apple’s retail chief. I also got an Apple Store T-shirt.
I remember the opening ceremony, where the newly-minded employees welcomed customers with loud rounds of applause.
In 2002, I received a VIP invite to attend the grand opening of an Apple Store in New York’s SoHo district. I was part of an exclusive group that included Apple executives, even Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller, fellow tech reporters and a smattering of show business types.
While there, I had a chance to speak with Jobs for a few moments before he pulled his usual stunt to end a conversation, which was to walk away in mid-sentence. But I also spent several minutes speaking with the comic actor Tim Allen, who starred in one of my favorite movies, “Galaxy Quest.”
Recalling that the film ended in a way that a sequel might have been filmed, Allen said that one key factor that hurt the effort was a motorcycle accident that actor Daryl Mitchell, who portrayed the starship’s navigator, suffered the previous year. The mishap left him paralyzed from the waist down. Despite the handicap, by the way, Mitchell has remained active in show business. These days, he’s a featured player in a hit CBS series, “NCIS: New Orleans.”
But there’s still hope for a “Galaxy Quest” revival on Amazon, despite the 2016 death of Alan Rickman, another star of the cult classic.
Now my feelings about the arrival of the Apple Store in the Phoenix area were mixed. Before they arrived, I made a decent income as a Mac consultant. But Apple could provide much of what I offered, at least to people who didn’t mind carrying their gear to the store, at no charge. It didn’t take long for most of my clients to choose the obvious alternative, even when I lowered my hourly rates.
At first I focused on older gear, mostly Macs that were too old for Apple to provide direct support. As my customers grew older, however, that business mostly faded.
Despite my bittersweet feelings about the matter, I do get to an Apple Store from time to time to check out the new gear. Overall, the shopping experience remains mostly good, but the Genius Bar is often overwhelmed, so you have to reserve a session before you pay a visit.
As to Ron Johnson, he finally left Apple and went on to JCPenney to overhaul the shopping experience over there. But it proved to be a poor fit, and Johnson departed after the struggling retailer’s situation only worsened from his attempts to move them upscale. These days he’s connected with Enjoy, a startup that hopes to overhaul the shopping experience.
Gene Steinberg is a guest contributor to GCN news. His views and opinions, if expressed, are his own. Gene hosts The Tech Night Owl LIVE - broadcast on Saturday from 9:00 pm - Midnight (CST), and The Paracast - broadcast on Sunday from 3:00am - 6:00am (CST). Both shows nationally syndicated through GCNlive. Gene’s Tech Night Owl Newsletter is a weekly information service of Making The Impossible, Inc. -- Copyright © 1999-2018. Click here to subscribe to Tech Night Owl Newsletter. This article was originally published at Technightowl.com -- reprinted with permission.
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Heinkels against Railways
He 111H-16 `1G+LY' of 14.(Eis.)/KG 27 `Boelcke', Kemenetz, November 1944 While I./KG 27's strategic bombing campaign against the Soviet railway system was short-lived, the anti-railway specialists of 14.(Eis.)/KG 27 spent their entire two-year operational career (from February 1943 to early 1945) flying train-busting missions deep behind enemy lines. Operating alone at night, this Staffel's aircraft wore a variety of appropriate nocturnal finishes, such as that shown here, and eschewed yellow theatre markings altogether. Each was heavily armed (including ventral gun packs), but the jury is still out as to whether the device shown here on the tail of `LY' is a grenade-launcher or (as one source suggests) a glider tug attachment.
KGr. 100 spent the latter half of August 1941 attacking a broader range of targets. Its missions included a night raid on Gomel, a dusk attack on the Dorogobush heavy flak batteries, a night harassment raid on Moscow and the bombing of a Soviet airfield near Vyazma. In addition, crews also went after traffic on the enemy's rear-area roads and railways, seriously disrupting the delivery of supplies to the front. On 23 August one crew put a large Russian railway gun out of action by plastering it with their full load of 32 SD 50 semi-armour piercing bombs.
September 1941, while the ground forces of Army Group Centre prepared to resume the offensive that it was hoped would take them all the way to Moscow, the He 111s of Luftflotte 2 continued their attacks on the enemy's railway network. Returning from one such mission in the Orel region on 28 September, a machine of 1./KGr. 100 was badly damaged by a `taran' attack and forced to make an emergency landing with two of its crew severely wounded.
The Heinkels of KG 53 were heavily involved in Taifun from the outset, at first flying in direct support of the ground forces by attacking Red Army troop and tank concentrations immediately in their path, and then ranging further afield to bomb railway supply lines in the Kaluga and Tula areas to the south of Moscow. But they too were caught completely unawares by the unusually early onset of the harsh Russian winter of 1941/42. On 11 October the temperature suddenly plummeted to minus 22 degrees Celsius overnight;
`Shatalovka, which had been a sea of muddy puddles yesterday, was today a sheet of ice. The aircraft engines didn't have sufficient anti-freeze. Radiators and coolant pumps froze solid. The crews froze too - their feet, noses, ears and fingers. It was risky to fly for any length of time at high altitudes, as the machines' heating systems could not compete with the intense cold. Oxygen masks froze. Altitude sickness and frostbite were the results.'
For the first week of Taifun KGr. 100 attacked a wide range of targets, including traffic on the main Smolensk-Moscow highway, Orel airfield and the enemy rail network as far south as Kursk.
The departure of KGr. 100 left KG 53 as the sole He 111 bomber presence in the central sector. From Shatalovka its crews were doing all they could to support the ground forces' drive on Moscow, but they were not finding it easy. The worsening weather - heavy snow showers and low clouds - was forcing them to operate at ever-lower altitudes as they attacked enemy troop positions and the railway supply lines. This inevitably led to an increase in casualties. On 23 October the Geschwader lost five machines, four of them from III./KG 53 alone, including the Kapitäne of both 7. and 9. Staffeln.
After their brief sojourn at Bojary under the temporary command of Luftflotte 2, the Heinkels of I. and II./KG 55 had returned to the southern sector in July and August, respectively. Based initially at Zhitomir, the two Gruppen had first operated in support of Panzergruppe 1's advance on Kiev. They had then transferred down to Kirovograd at the end of August/beginning of September. From here they continued to participate in the developing `cauldron' battle of Kiev by patrolling the roads and railways to the east of the Ukrainian capital and bringing much of the enemy's supply traffic to a virtual standstill. One 3. Staffel crew alone claimed the destruction of seven railway trains in the course of a single mission.
The two Gruppen continued their campaign against the Soviet rail network, as there was more than 2500 kilometres of track within their radius of operations. Such was the efficiency of the Red Army's engineers that no sooner had one stretch of line been destroyed than it was repaired and traffic was soon flowing again. II. and III./KG 55 were therefore ordered to direct their attacks against the rolling stock itself. This paid better dividends. It is estimated that the two Gruppen accounted for no fewer than 222 trains, including 21 ammunition trains and 13 fuel trains, and that 64 locomotives were totally destroyed. The discrepancy between the number of trains and locomotives claimed is partly explained by the fact that, at the first signs of aerial attack, the Soviets would often uncouple the valuable locomotive, which would then make off at full steam, leaving the train to its fate!
In the northern sector there had been no He 111 bomber units at all for the opening six weeks of Barbarossa. The first to arrive in the area were the three Gruppen of KG 4, which had touched down at Koroye Selo, south of Lake Peipus, on 6 August. They flew their first mission in the north two days later - a daylight attack on Soviet troops in the Slepino region - before embarking upon a succession of nightly missions against the Russian rail network stretching from the Estonian border eastwards to Leningrad.
Staffel, 14.(Eis.)/KG 27
Operation Zitadelle was designed to `pinch off ' this bulge by launching simultaneous attacks on its northern and southern edges and then destroy the Soviet forces trapped inside it. The Luftwaffe gathered close on 2000 combat aircraft in preparation for the forthcoming operation. This represented nearly three-quarters of its entire available strength on the Russian front and included all ten Heinkel Kampfgruppen currently operational in the east. Under the newly established Luftflotte 6 to the north of the bulge were II. and III./KG 4 which, together with I. and III./KG 53, were based on fields around Karachev and Bryansk (I./KG 4 and II./KG 53 were both in Germany refitting and re-equipping). South of the bulge, as part of Luftflotte 4, were ranged all three Gruppen of KG 27, plus the eight machines of that Geschwader's specialised train-busting Staffel, 14.(Eis.)/KG 27. First entering service in February 1943, the `Eis.' in this unit's designation was an abbreviation of Eisenbahn, meaning `railway'. KG 27 was concentrated at Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhe.
Specialised anti-railway Staffeln, 14.(Eis.)/KG 27 and 14.(Eis.)/KG 55, the latter having been created in June 1943 by the redesignation of 9./KG 53. Rarely more than a dozen aircraft strong - and frequently reduced to as few as three or four serviceable machines each - they were to continue their train-busting activities throughout 1944 and into 1945, the former under Luftflotte 4 in the south and the latter under Luftflotte 1 (and subsequently Luftflotte 6) to the north.
Labels: Bomber
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5/U8
Workmanship of Axis aircraft
Arado Ar 234B-2 "Nachtigall"
Bf 109 G-series - Gustav
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Getbig Misc Discussion Boards => Religious Debates & Threads => Topic started by: Dos Equis on April 12, 2007, 10:04:07 AM
Title: Prayer and Religion in Public Life
Post by: Dos Equis on April 12, 2007, 10:04:07 AM
I had an eventful day yesterday. Attended and participated in a number of meetings with different organizations/entities. Most of these meetings involved prayer:
1. Honolulu City Council Session: It began with a devotional and prayer by a local pastor. The City Council members are overwhelmingly liberal Democrat (about 8 out of 9). I was very surprised.
2. State Government Entity: Attended a meeting that did not include prayer. I would have fallen off of my chair. :)
3. Nonproft Religious Entity: The meeting began and ended with prayer. I was asked to give the closing prayer (I hate doing that.) These prayers were expected.
4. Professional Society: Attended an annual dinner of professionals. Not a religious group at all. The meeting began with a prayer. The room was overwhelming liberal.
What struck me was what an integral part prayer is in our public life. I bet the ACLU disapproves. (Sorry, couldn't resist. :))
Title: Re: Prayer and Religion in Public Life
Post by: Decker on April 12, 2007, 10:12:25 AM
Quote from: Beach Bum on April 12, 2007, 10:04:07 AM
Nonsense about the ACLU BeachBum. We just can't have government proselytizing the people or paying for any religious idols.
It is a free country. Pray to your heart's content.
Quote from: Decker on April 12, 2007, 10:12:25 AM
I was kidding about the ACLU.
I agree the government shouldn't be proselytizing.
It's not just that this is a free country, it's that faith is really interwoven throughout our society, both in the public and private sectors. It was fascinating to see this at play yesterday.
I know that I can sound like a humorless dickhead on these boards. I try not to be.
I know what you mean about watching religion at play in our society.
Post by: headhuntersix on April 12, 2007, 10:33:11 AM
I'm pretty secular..and as a catholic..I get pretty "itchy" I guess when the evengelicals start pushing their agenda. I don't have aproblem with the prayers as u descibed them. Not sure it has any place in schools, however if a town or city, especially in the south is all pretty christian and folks vote for it, then I guess its not a big deal. That said...if the damm rags wanna where full on man dresses and burka's..its gotta be even on both sides. Head scarves sure..but they go to far.
Not at all. I'm just a goof. I'm the one who keeps a fake cockroach in my office drawer that I have planted around the office more than once. :) I live in a house full of kids and I'm an overgrown kid myself (according to my kids). A lot of what I say is tongue in cheek.
Post by: Colossus_500 on April 12, 2007, 11:24:04 AM
And the ACLU claims to not have an agenda against Christianity. ::) Gimme a break! You're so right, bro. The ACLU's beef is not with religion per se, but more specifically against Christianity.
Post by: OzmO on April 12, 2007, 11:28:29 AM
We are confusing a defense lawyer's job of defending a criminal with the assumption the Defense lawyers supports the criminal.
That's what why some of us say the ACLU is fighting Christianity.
They are not fighting it. They are protecting our rights and not allowing a religious organization to influence the country through or in the government.
Quote from: OzmO on April 12, 2007, 11:28:29 AM
Then why are there so many lawsuits like the one in New Mexico for city named after the "Three Crosses", or the military gravesite that has the cross on it? Or how about the frivolous lawsuits all over the country being threatened if a building/city doesn't take down their cross, or the schools that have "Easter" or "Christmas" parties? You can see where I might come up with the notion that they are out to do away with anything that has to do with Christianity. Yes?
Quote from: Colossus_500 on April 12, 2007, 11:33:36 AM
B/c Christians wrongly assume that, since the US is a Christian Country, christians should be able to use government to further the ends of the Christian religion.
Sorry for the 'mind-reading' but I'm paraphrasing why these cases arise.
I certainly do, i can see that.
Those are clearly a case of things going to far and are a big waste of time and money when there are clearly bigger fish to fry.
But they aren't intentionally trying to do away with anything "Christian" they are just trying to keep organized religion out of government. If it was a school Passover party and someone protested the ACLU probably would get involved also.
Are these law suits filled by the ACLU on behalf of a private party or are they filled by the ACLU solely or by a private party solely?
Post by: Decker on April 12, 2007, 12:05:52 PM
You write well. Generally the ACLU writes an amicus brief (friend of the court) on someone else's behalf to make sure that a plaintiff's liberties are well represented. The ACLU has been plaintiff in cases versus the Justice Department, NSA etc.
Post by: Colossus_500 on April 12, 2007, 12:18:58 PM
But don't you see how they are going after rights that have been set up for us as Americans? Here are some questions that we are left with then:
"what should be the relationship between religion and public life?" Does the public expression of religious conviction necessarily infringe upon the religious liberty of another? Does the restriction of religious practice to the private sphere undermine free exercise? What degree of neutrality should our government observe?"
The lawsuits are generally filed on behalf of sub-agencies or local chapters of the ACLU.
Post by: Dos Equis on April 12, 2007, 12:23:30 PM
Quote from: Colossus_500 on April 12, 2007, 12:18:58 PM
Good quote. This is one of the problems I have with the ACLU. They are attempting to cleanse the public sector of all religious expression.
I'm quoting the decision from a 1981 court hearing:
Facts of the Case:
The University of Missouri at Kansas City ruled that its facilities could not be used by student groups “for purposes of religious worship or religious teaching.” The school believed that the action was required under the Establishment Clause. A student religious group that had previously been permitted to use the facilities sued the school after being informed of the change in policy. They asserted that their First Amendment rights to religious free exercise and free speech were being violated.
Decision:
The Court ruled that the Establishment Clause did not require state universities to limit access to their facilities by religious organizations.
Majority Opinion: (Justice Powell)
Because the University has generally permitted its facilities to be used by student organizations, it must demonstrate that its restrictions are constitutionally permitted. An equal access policy would not necessarily violate the Establishment Clause. The three-pronged Lemon Test would not be violated by such a policy. It would have a secular legislative purpose and not foster excessive government entanglement. The third part, that the policy’s primary effect would advance religion, is what the University claimed. “...this Court has explained that a religious organization's enjoyment of merely "incidental" benefits does not violate the prohibition against the "primary advancement" of religion.” Any such benefits at UMKC would be incidental. The state does not necessarily approve of all groups who use the open forum, and the forum is open to non-religious as well as religious groups.
Significance:
This decision ensured greater access to public facilities by religious organizations. The state was not assumed to be in support of all messages that were communicated in their facilities.
Since the ACLU is not a plaintiff in this case, do you have access to the brief it filed.
Quote from: Beach Bum on April 12, 2007, 12:23:30 PM
Only where government funded places are concerned. Private property owners are pretty much free to do as they please.
Quote from: Decker on April 12, 2007, 12:44:36 PM
No, they aren't the plaintiff in this particular case, but it does speak to the argument that you and Ozmo have been trying to give with regard to keeping organized religion out of government. These liberties that you claim the ACLU fights for (and I agree, there was a day that the ACLU stood for rights of all people, but that's no longer true...grant me that much) are available to Christians as well. And what we are seeing day after day now is a fight to trample the same liberties that belong to Christians. I specify Christianity because I don't see the ACLU arguing cases against any other religion.
What do the cases generally have in common. Christian groups try to assert their religion on gov. property or proselytize w/ gov. resources. That can't happen.
"Was it an attack on Christianity or Judaism when the ACLU fought for Jerry Falwell and against the City of Lynchburg when the latter tried to restrict how much land Falwell could buy for his church? Was it an attack on Christianity or Judaism when the ACLU fought for the right of an anti-abortion group to show anti-abortion films in local schools after hours? Was it an attack on Christianity or Judaism when the ACLU fought for the rights of students to include biblical verses in their high school year books?" http://atheism.about.com/b/a/117245.htm?terms=aclu+stand
"The ACLU has consistently defended the rights of Christians to worship as their religion and conscience dictates, often against the attempts by other Christians to infringe upon those rights by having certain forms of Christianity privileged by the government. The ACLU has also consistently fought against the privileging of any one religion or any one sect over others. Why? Because when one religion or sect is privileged, all suffer. That's what the separation of church and state is all about..." Ibid
What does the lawsuit of the city of Las Cruces New Mexico have to do with Christian groups??? It's the name of a city, dude! Same thing with the Mt. Soledad Cross. There's no correlation. I appreciate the fact that you're trying to stand up for the ACLU. And again, they used to be a worthy opponent, but we're no longer hearing about these cases.
Post by: kh300 on April 12, 2007, 01:28:19 PM
i remember when they were going after the yankees,, because during the 7th inning they have a prayer for the soldiers each game.. george steinbrenor basically said fuck off its a private business
Here's my point exactly:
Department of Justice ramps up efforts to enforce the First Amendment.
Brad. A. Greenberg | posted 4/11/2007 08:32AM
In the five years before President Bush took office, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reviewed one education discrimination complaint involving religion and investigated none. In the six years since, 82 cases were reviewed and 40 investigated.
Now the Bush administration wants to enhance those efforts with greater governmental resources. U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced at a Southern Baptist leaders' meeting in February that the DOJ was launching the First Freedom Project, an initiative to further combat religious discrimination and protect religious freedom.
"One of the great strengths of America is the fact we are a nation of tolerance. We respect different viewpoints; we respect different beliefs," Wan J. Kim, assistant attorney general for civil rights, told CT. "That separates us from a lot of other nations. When we do this work to protect against religious discrimination, we strengthen America. And we do so in a way that is nondenominational."
The initiative will include the Religious Freedom Task Force, chaired by Kim, which will employ various divisions of the DOJ to review discrimination complaints. The new www.firstfreedom.gov (http://www.firstfreedom.gov) website touts previous successes, educates Americans about their rights, and provides a channel for filing complaints online. The department also will hold a series of regional training seminars. Events have been scheduled for Tampa on April 25 and Seattle on May 10.
Even before the First Freedom Project, the DOJ's stepped-up efforts have generated greater religious freedom, according to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Government lawyers convinced a federal court last year that a New Jersey school had unconstitutionally censored a Christian song from a talent show. The DOJ compelled the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 2005 to accommodate religious beliefs, even if it meant bus drivers wouldn't work certain days.
The First Freedom Project comes at a time when concern about religious persecution has heightened. Between 1992 and 2005, religious-discrimination complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission jumped 69 percent.
Given the Bush administration's ties to religious conservatives, some experts greeted the initiative with skepticism.
"They need to reach out to many different constituencies that have different approaches to church-state issues to give people confidence this will be a straightforward educational project and not a political battering ram," said Melissa Rogers, visiting professor of religion and public policy at Wake Forest University Divinity School. "[The unveiling] sends the opposite signals."
But Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center, said the Bush administration has a track record of defending religious minorities.
"It is unfortunate we are so polarized today that we can't even acknowledge opportunities where we can agree," Haynes said. "Just because it is coming out of the Bush administration, some people decide it has to be condemned completely and labeled a fake and a fraud and that the work being done to protect religious minorities doesn't matter. Well, it does matter to Muslims and Sikhs and Hindus and Jews. Whether you are on the Right or the Left, this is exactly the kind of Justice Department you should want. This is exactly what we want them to be doing to protect religious freedom."
Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today.
Quote from: kh300 on April 12, 2007, 01:28:19 PM
hats off to george! :D
I'm just mentioning why many of the cases with ACLU involvement come to be. It's not like the ACLU has spies in churches across the country waiting to pounce on the laity.
The ACLU has not gone too far. Opponents of the ACLU have been conditioned to expect less from their constitutional rights and liberties.
If you look at some of the cases where the ACLU defends christians, I'm certain you would change your opinion. See my post above.
More power to them. I just hope that the effort does not devolve into some ACLJ special interest group asserting the primacy of christianity.
Have a great day Colossus. I gotta head home to the wife.
I read it. Truth be told. If I simply follow the briefings that the ALCJ (www.alcj.org - maybe you should check it out) even just a mere 3 years, I will see the ACLU's fingerprints all over these cases, and they all deal with religious liberty as it pertains to Christians or Judeo-Christian values. Check it out for yourself, bro.
See ya, bro. It was great debating this topic with you. Thanks for keeping it civil. :D
Post by: OzmO on April 12, 2007, 01:38:26 PM
Well you don't see any other religion, Christianity, being represented or associated with city, state or federal government offices, institutions etc...
That's it's the only thing you see.
Post by: 24KT on April 12, 2007, 06:55:41 PM
Shhhh... careful now, ...you're contradicting I-ones stance that you can't be a Liberal Democrat and still be a Christian too. ;)
Quote from: OzmO on April 12, 2007, 01:38:26 PM
Maybe then it IS, IN FACT, because we are a nation founded on Judeo-Christian values then. :-\ Why would we have ever bothered to put those items in place... the Ten Commandments in the Courtrooms, and use language like "O Ye, O Ye, the Supreme Court of the United States is now in session and may God save this honorable Court"? to open sessions in the Supreme Court??
You're right, Ozmo, it does matter how you look at it.
Quote from: jaguarenterprises on April 12, 2007, 06:55:41 PM
Surely God loves the liberal democrat too.... So long as that liberal democrat acknowledges Jesus as Savior and Lord over his life. :D
Round two: For second year, N.J. school officials attempt to block student promotion of Day of Truth
Officials backed down last year after receiving letter from ADF attorneys; this year, lawsuit being filed
Thursday, April 12, 2007, 9:50 AM (MST) |
ADF Media Relations | 480-444-0020
New Jersey high school officials back down, will permit “make-up” Day of Truth observance
ALLENDALE, N.J. — For the second year in a row, Northern Highlands Regional High School officials are blocking students’ efforts to promote the Day of Truth. In 2006, administrators backed down on their prohibition of the event after Alliance Defense Fund attorneys sent a letter to the school on behalf of student Jason Aufiero. This year, ADF attorneys are filing suit.
“Once again, school officials are attempting to strip students of their First Amendment rights,” said ADF Litigation Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “Nearly 40 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that free speech rights do not come to a screeching halt at the schoolhouse gate. This principle applies with full force to students attending Northern Highlands Regional High School.”
Aufiero and other members of the school’s Christian Club have been repeatedly thwarted in their attempts to promote the Day of Truth, which occurs on April 19 this year. Club members are asking to hold their activities the following day in order to coincide with the day of their scheduled club meeting.
With more than 5,000 students already registered this year, the Day of Truth is an opportunity for Christian students to respectfully present a different viewpoint than students participating in the Day of Silence, sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network.
Officials told Aufiero that he and the Christian Club could not engage in any expressive activities regarding the Day of Truth. Club members requested to distribute literature regarding the Day of Truth to students during non-instructional time, to have an announcement on the Day of Truth read over the school’s loudspeaker, and to wear Day of Truth T-shirts.
School officials continue to support the activities of the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance Club, which expresses support for the homosexual agenda via the Day of Silence event, which occurs on April 18 this year. In 2006, school officials had agreed to end their ban on Day of Truth activities after they were contacted via letter by ADF attorneys (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3774).
A copy of the complaint filed by ADF attorneys in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in Aufiero v. Northern Highlands Regional High School Board of Education is available at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/AufieroComplaint.pdf.
“It is unconstitutional for school officials to bar the Day of Truth while at the same time welcoming the Day of Silence with open arms,” Tedesco said. “They cannot be permitted to continue engaging in viewpoint discrimination against Christian students.”
ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.
Post by: Straw Man on April 13, 2007, 08:12:52 AM
big deal - sample size of four is essentially meaningless. Added to that - 2 of the four were not government entities but private organizations (I'm assuming). I assume also that in the city council meeting that no one was forced to attend or pray. Prayer before secular meetings or groups are largely a ceremonial formality.
Our nation was founded by Christians right? It only makes sense that they would meld the 2 in many instances. I don't disagree with you really. I have not seen any thing in my life in these instances, crosses on city parks, "so help me God" in oaths etc... that i disagree with. I'm for "christmas vacation"
I just don't think it's a "organize attack on Christianity" Maybe you aren't saying that exactly.
I think we must start to do something about it when someone tells you you can't build a church in a city. Until then, to me it's a waste of time and money to go after dumb stuff like the pledge of alligence.
Quote from: Straw Man on April 13, 2007, 08:12:52 AM
Hardly meaningless. Of course no one was forced to pray, but if you had matters that were being voted on and needed to testify then you had to attend. But that's not the point. The fact that these liberal Democrats brought in a pastor to give a devotional and prayer speaks volumes of how important prayer and religion are in our society. This is a Council that oversees more than 800,000 people. I suspect that this happens with other entities in many other parts of the country.
Post by: Straw Man on April 13, 2007, 05:01:27 PM
I'm sure it's very meaningful and speaks volumes to YOU but 4 non-random samples are no basis to draw any meaningful conclusion about anything. Besides that, humans have a tendency to notice those things which confirm their preconceived beliefs (aka prejudice) and to not notice/ignore those which don't.
Quote from: Straw Man on April 13, 2007, 05:01:27 PM
Your opinion. I disagree.
for some reason I'm not surprised but my "opinion" (regarding methodology) happens to be true. Look up the term sampling error (or not - who cares really). Like I said, I'm sure it's "speaks volumes" and is meaningful to you and if it makes you feel warm and fuzzy then good for you.
Why would I look up "sampling error"? I am expressing an opinion based on my personal observation/experience. This isn't a scientific discussion. I didn't do empirical research. It's an opinion. And I didn't say anything about being "warm and fuzzy." Just something I found very interesting.
Didn't I say that it was meaningful "TO YOU"?
Post by: militarymuscle69 on April 13, 2007, 07:46:03 PM
you don't think that kids learning and reciting the pledge of allegience is important? If we let the idae of allegience to the american flag go by the way side, America will go right with it.
Post by: Dos Equis on November 04, 2007, 12:58:28 AM
Attended a fundraising event for cancer research this evening. It started with prayer. Attendees included state government officials (including our Lt. Gov.) and people from various segments of the community.
The University of Hawaii football gathers for a team prayer, often with members of the opposing team, right after the games.
There is also this from the best player in college football (Colt Brennan): • Colt Brennan said the team has a lot of spiritual faith. He said with such diverse backgrounds, one religion is not pushed over another. It's just that that most share a faith in a higher being, and that helps unify the team. http://blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com/index.php?blog=9
Post by: Dos Equis on December 16, 2007, 10:12:02 AM
Terrific story about June Jones, his near fatal accident, and how his faith impacts his life.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071216/NEWS01/712160360/1001
More extensive article on the impact of prayer and faith on the UH football team. The link has pictures showing players huddled in prayer.
Posted on: Monday, December 24, 2007
Hawaii football team attributes wins to God
Video: How the Warriors "BELIEVE"
By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
"You can see it before and after every practice and every game," Watson said. "We pray and give glory to the one who makes it all possible for us."
Photos by RICHARD AMBO | The Honolulu Advertiser
Warriors Keala Watson, top, and Shane Austin gather with teammates for a group prayer after practice.
Senior wide receiver C.J. Hawthorne leads team prayers before and after games and practices. "Humility is an amazing thing," he says.
Each week, Solomon Elimimian would look out across the sweep of green-clad fans that slowly but surely packed Aloha Stadium this season, feel their thunderous applause as the pulse in his veins, feel the weight of their hope, their expectations and, yes, their belief.
And as his eyes scanned the great mass of bodies crowding the sticky, garbage-strewn bleachers, he'd see that word over and over again.
"Believe."
It was there on giant poster boards, on T-shirts, on the naked chests of pale, skinny classmates.
"We believe."
"I believe."
And while he appreciated the good will and sincerity of those messages, Elimimian, a gifted linebacker and devoted Christian, kept coming back to the same question.
"Believe what?" Elimimian said. "Believe in who?"
They are True Believers, these 2007 Warriors.
From head coach June Jones to Heisman finalist Colt Brennan to the unrecognized contributors who man the scout team, they are bonded not just by the goals they have set, the hours of toil and preparation they have invested to achieve them, and the perfect season that has been its vindication, but by a shared belief in the power of religious faith.
"We just happen to have a lot of Christian guys on this team, but we also have a lot of guys of all kinds of faiths," Jones said. "The principles of love and sacrifice are what really bond them together."
Many athletes lay claim to being men of God, but few teams have demonstrated such a collective insistence on using their successes on the field to achieve what they believe to be their true calling as athletes.
"You can see it before and after every practice and every game," said junior defensive lineman Keala Watson. "We pray and give glory to the one who makes it all possible for us. This team acts as a beacon of faith. We're an example of what can happen when you put your faith in God."
In the Watson household, religious faith was the breath and bread of everyday life. Growing up in Nanakuli, Watson followed along as his family attended church, observed regular family devotion days, and bowed their heads in daily prayer.
"I was immersed in it as a young child, and it's stayed with me," Watson said. "As an adult, I want to pass that along to my nieces and nephews, and hopefully to my own kids someday."
Watson said his faith saved him during his freshman year when Von Willebrand disorder, a rare condition similar to hemophilia, threatened to end his football career.
Watson redshirted that year, unsure if he would ever return as doctor after doctor delivered negative prognoses. As he confronted the loss of his dream, Watson said he lost sight of what he believed in.
"I thought my career was down the drain," he said. "I felt there was no hope for me and I kind of lost focus on what God had planned for me. It was all about what I wanted. But once I let him take control of my life again, he put everything back together."
With the help of a new doctor, who found a way to treat the condition with daily medication, Watson made his way back to the team and has become a rising force within the defensive unit.
Watson serves as an assistant pastor at Kahikolu Baptist Church in Wai'anae. In the Warrior locker room, it's Watson to whom teammates often turn for religious support and guidance.
It was Watson who last week rallied a dozen teammates to Hawaii Medical Center East to pray for redshirt freshman Vaughn Meatoga's mother, who was stricken with cancer. Lynette Meatoga died two days later.
"Our belief carries on to each of our lives," Watson said. "When (Meatoga's) mother passed, there were a lot of guys around to help lift him up. It was devastating for him, but he's doing better.
"There's a lot of love on this team."
DIVINE INTERVENTIONS
Like Watson, junior defensive back Desmond Thomas grew up in a Christian household.
"That was one of the reasons my mom wanted me to come here," Thomas said. "We have coaches who are Christians and believe in God. She loved that about this school. Love, belief, faith — those words characterize the whole team."
But despite his upbringing, Thomas said his religious faith had yet to blossom when he arrived on the Manoa campus. He was, in his own words, "just out there in the world doing my own thing."
And it wasn't working.
A standout safety and wide receiver at Vallejo High School in California, Thomas redshirted the 2004 season and saw action in just one game the following season. Frustrated at his lack of progress and opportunity, Thomas was considering transferring schools as he sat outside the Stan Sheriff Center one afternoon.
"And God sent somebody to talk to me — a homeless man," Thomas recalled. "He told me that great things are headed in my direction if I turn away from my evil ways and turn to God.
"It broke me," he said. "I was upset because I had always thought of myself as a player, and I wasn't playing. Then God snatched me up and I humbled myself."
Thomas put aside thoughts of transferring and eventually found his opportunity away from the offense. As a sophomore, he played all 14 games in the defensive backfield and on special teams.
This season, Thomas replaced Kaeo Monteilh as starting safety after Monteilh was lost for the season with a fractured left scapula.
Like Thomas, senior defensive back Jacob Patek would not connect the Christian values with which he was raised to a meaningful relationship with the higher power he acknowledged until he arrived in Hawai'i.
Patek grew up in Victoria, Texas, and played for Blinn Community College (Texas) for three seasons before transferring to Hawai'i.
"When I got here, I was a Christian but I was doing my own thing," Patek said. "It was tough being so far away from home and trying to battle through things."
Though embraced by his teammates and respected by his coaches for the defensive skills he possessed and the ferocity with which he applied them, Patek felt unmoored. For all of the power and determination he exhibited on the field, the displaced Texan found himself lonely and homesick in his private moments.
In retrospect, Patek said, it was the first step in kindling the religious faith that had laid dry within him.
"The Lord brought me out to this island, took me away from everything I had back at home, and broke me," Patek said. "There were times I'd break down crying and allow the Lord to work on me."
Patek said the reaffirmation of his faith allowed him to "grow into maturity," and to rein in the anger that so often festered and flared inside him.
And like so many of his teammates, Patek now interprets the good in his life as fruits of his belief. He credits prayer for curing the mysterious sores that lingered on his arm for weeks. He attributes his quick recovery from a high ankle sprain (suffered initially in a game against Boise State and re-aggravated a week later versus Washington) to "his divine power."
"No matter what happens, whether we win or lose, we give God his glory because he's blessed us with the opportunity to play the game of football, where other people might not have that opportunity."
A HIGHER POWER
Humility is a powerful and at times liberating concept for athletes, but not one that is always easily grasped.
Senior wide receiver C.J. Hawthorne may not have had a clear vision of how his collegiate career would unfold when he left the comfort and security of Mississippi for exotic Hawai'i, but he was confident that it wouldn't involve riding the pine.
At St. Martin High School in Owen Springs, he was a standout in basketball and track, and earned all-state honors in football. After a stint at Southwest Gulf Coast Community College, Hawthorn transferred to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and helped lead the team to a league championship in 2005.
But in Hawai'i, with talented veterans ahead of him on the offense, Hawthorne would have to make the switch to cornerback. After five so-so starts, Hawthorne was relegated to the bench.
"Back home, I was the star," Hawthorne said. "I was the man. Then I came here and for the first time in my life I had to take the bench. It was real hard. The biggest test was learning not to get jealous or bitter about things."
His adjustment off the field came no easier.
"In Mississippi, I was so comfortable and I was in the same rut of doing whatever, seeing the same guys and wanting to go out," he said. "It took getting out here and getting along by myself to realize I'm better than that. I was playing Division I football and I was poor, lonely, depressed in my room. I knew there had to be something bigger than this."
And so, like so many of his teammates, Hawthorne reached back to his Bible Belt roots in search of an answer.
Hawthorne, who now leads prayers before and after games and practices, said that with the deepening of his religious faith came a sense of humility and proportion.
"Humility is an amazing thing," he said. "Look at almost every championship team. Even if they fail to acknowledge God, you definitely see a humility and an ability to do something for one another, even when it's something you don't want to do.
"As a team, our faith has allowed us to humble ourselves and become even closer as a unit," he said.
TEAM OF DESTINY?
That word again.
Wherever Elimimian goes these days, it's there. Painted onto driveways. Shaved on heads. Spelled out in Christmas lights.
"I look around and I see 'Believe, believe,' " Elimimian said. "But what do they mean? If they believe in us, that's a start, but that's not what it's really about. When we win, it's not about us, it's about getting people saved. Our going 12-0 isn't about us, it's about the glory of God and getting people to acknowledge that God is our savior."
Salvation. Glory. Savior. Words that might chill a more secular room flow freely from Elimimian's lips because in this athletic facility, in the penultimate moment of this most stirring of seasons, it is safe to speak the language of faith.
To be sure, not every Warrior is as deeply religious as Elimimian or Hawthorne or Thomas. Yet, whatever their faith or belief or opinion, there is permeating the team a feeling that what they've achieved this season resonates beyond the obvious.
Elimimian, a measured and deliberate thinker, believes the perfect record, the Western Athletic Conference championship and the Sugar Bowl berth are means, not ends, to his God's true intention.
How else, Elimimian asks, can one account for the myriad ways in which this particular group of coaches and players found themselves together right here, right now?
"You look at all the guys that people in Hawai'i look up to — Colt, Davone (Bess), C.J., Adam Leonard — and each one has a story about how they got here," Elimimian said. "Colt had a long path from high school just to get here. Davone, too. My brother (all-WAC cornerback Abraham Elimimian) could have gone somewhere else but all the big schools dropped him when he hurt his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). He was an instrument for me being here because if he hadn't come, I probably would not have either.
"You look at our Polynesian guys — guys like Timo Paepule, Michael Lafaele, Hercules Satele, Karl Noa, who give hope to kids in Hawai'i because they're so strong in their faith — they all have their stories, too. We all had long paths to get here. God put everything together, all these different pieces from different walks of life.
"God put us in the Sugar Bowl as the only 12-0 team to touch the nation and let people know the plan and the mercy that God has for us."
Hawthorne agrees.
"A lot of people think you can only preach from the pulpit, but there are a lot of platforms," he said. "We are each here for God to show that it's possible to love one another. It's not about being all religious, it's about loving each other."
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071224/NEWS01/712240346
Post by: Dos Equis on January 20, 2008, 10:04:39 AM
Attended a dinner last night in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King. Attended by a member of Congress, several state senators, a member of the Governor's cabinet, and various people from the community of all races. The dinner started with prayer, given by a Hawaiian pastor in both English and Hawaiian.
Post by: Dos Equis on January 21, 2008, 12:25:47 PM
I missed this because I was travelling.
MAYOR’S ANNUAL NEW YEAR’S PRAYER SERVICE
Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, his wife, Gail, and members of the mayor’s staff and cabinet will gather Thursday evening, January 10th, at Kawaihao Church for the Mayor’s Annual New Year’s Prayer Service.
“This will be our fourth annual prayer service,” Hannemann said, “and it’s become quite a tradition. It is a chance for people to give thanks, to pray for our city and for each other as we head into a new year. Those who’ve attended in the past have expressed their warm appreciation for this event.”
The non-denominational service gets underway at 6:30 pm. Several pastors and religious leaders from the local community will lead the congregation in prayer. Members of the public are cordially invited to attend.
http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/csd/publiccom/honnews08/newyearsprayerservice.htm
Post by: Colossus_500 on January 21, 2008, 02:15:33 PM
It's nice to know that prayer isn't suppressed everywhere. Thanks for posting, bro! ;)
Quote from: Colossus_500 on January 21, 2008, 02:15:33 PM
No problem mang. It's everywhere. :)
Post by: Dos Equis on May 11, 2008, 04:15:27 PM
Recently received an e-mail inviting me to a prayer session for Hawaii's businesses. Impressive list of participants. It includes some of the largest businesses in Hawaii.
HisBiz Ministries - A Christian Business Marketplace Ministry in Honolulu, Hawaii | www.HisBizWeb.org
Business Gate Prayer Session
Friday, May 16, 2008 @ 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Downtown Honolulu YWCA
1040 Richards St., 3rd floor
You're invited! Please join us as we pray specifically for God's covering and blessing upon each company and transformation of our workplaces in our State. Gathering in the name of Jesus, business people from companies and organizations across Hawaii unite in fellowship and prayer:
Agor Architecture
Alexander & Baldwin
Anthology Marketing Group
Ascribe Data Systems
C12 Group
Cades Schutte
China Light
Consolidated Painting LLC
Core Systems Hawaii
Department of Business and Economic Development
Empowered Internet Solutions
FCA-Hawaii
First Hawaiian Bank
Group 70 International
Hawaii Dental Service
Hawaii Pacific Health
Hawaiian Electric Industries
Hawaiian Telecom
Honolulu City Council
IFC Corp
Kaneohe Ranch
Klevansky Piper Van Etten, LLP
KMH LLP
Laird Christianson Advertising
Lutheran Campus Ministry
McDonald's Restaurants of Hawaii
National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii
Office of the Lt. Governor
Pacific Lighting Service
Pacific Rim Bank
Pflueger Group
PHRI
Piilani Group
Queens Hospital
Roberts Hawaii
Sprint Hawaii
StarrTech Interactive
Tihati Productions
U.H. Poetic License
Secretaries, executives, and business professionals come together to fellowship and pray, shoulder-to-shoulder, in humility before our God to bring transformation to our companies, our workplace environment, our families, and our State. It is an extremely powerful time in the Lord's presence as we humble ourselves and continue to pray for our Hawaii and businesses that we work in.
This is not a Bible study or speaker series. Prayer is our focus. Come as you are and join us in worship and prayer to transform our workplaces for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Post by: Decker on May 12, 2008, 08:17:58 AM
Private businesses can remove prayer from the workplace.
Government can remove proselytizing prayer from government funded locations and entities.
I mean, I don't want Vishnu shoved down my throat by Uncle Sam!
Post by: 240 is Back on May 12, 2008, 08:39:42 AM
for some reason I'm not surprised but my "opinion" (regarding methodology) happens to be true. Look up the term sampling error
It's been well-established on here that Beach Bum doesn't understand nor believe in statistics.
If he's talking about something, it's because it's "his opinion" and numbers be damned.
You have a conservative moderator who is anti-2nd amendment, anti-1st amendment, who doesn't understand the most common tools used here (stats and math) and who derails good threads all the time.
Look at the pile of shit on your plate. 2/3 delicious, and 1/3 shit. It just ruins the whole meal.
Post by: Dos Equis on May 12, 2008, 10:41:35 AM
Quote from: 240 is Back on May 12, 2008, 08:39:42 AM
(http://www.babyworld.co.uk/information/products/books/images/NCT_crying_baby.jpg)
Post by: Dos Equis on September 04, 2008, 09:09:57 PM
Both the Democrat and Republican conventions ended with prayer.
Also, local boy gives credit where credit is due:
Updated at 6:12 p.m., Thursday, September 4, 2008
Bryan Clay tells convention his priorities are God, family, track
By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Government Writer
(http://cmsimg.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=M1&Date=20080904&Category=BREAKING01&ArtNo=80904057&Ref=AR&MaxW=298&MaxH=358&Q=90&NoBorder)
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Hawai'i's Bryan Clay, a gold medalist in the decathlon at the Beijing Olympics, spoke to the Republican National Convention tonight about the importance of family values and working together.
The Castle High School graduate told delegates that while he is proud of his athletic achievement, his proudest accomplishment is being the father of Jacob and Katherine.
"For me, family values and family mean everything," Clay said of he and his wife, Sarah. "My priorities are God first, family second, track third.
"I can tell you that without faith in God and my support of my family and friends, and my strong work ethic, I would not be standing here before you today wearing this gold medal around my neck."
Clay said politicians and athletes have a lot in common because both are competitors who cannot win on their own.
He told the story of his fiercest rival, Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic, who helped pace him through the 1,500-meter run and then celebrated Clay's victory with him afterward.
"Now the big difference between the decathlon and politics is that when my race ends, I go back home, relax, and start training for the next Olympics," he said. "But when the election ends, that's when the real work begins.
"Now whether your platform is a classroom, a conference room, a track, or the White House, we must all stay true to our principles. Whether you're a decathlete or a politician, we must stand together and believe in each other and this great nation."
Clay's appearance at the convention came out of a conversation with Gov. Linda Lingle at the state Capitol last Friday before the governor proclaimed "Bryan Clay Day," according to Lenny Klompus, the governor's senior adviser for communications.
The governor's office contacted convention organizers to help arrange Clay's appearance.
"He expressed his strong support for Sen. (John) McCain and the governor told him he would be an outstanding speaker," Klompus said.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080904/BREAKING01/80904057
Post by: Deedee on September 04, 2008, 09:20:24 PM
Every person on earth has a more direct line to god than you do... you totally know it. :)
Quote from: Deedee on September 04, 2008, 09:20:24 PM
What? lol. Have no idea what you're talking about.
Quote from: Beach Bum on September 04, 2008, 09:25:52 PM
Well you do need a vacation from this place. :) Even die hard libs wouldn't be here as much as you are.
lol. You're babbling Deedee. Are you sleepy or something? What does whatever point you're trying to make have to do with prayer and religion in public life?
I am? It has to do with this... even I as a child knew that anyone who prays for personal reasons is lost. You're a fool BB if you think God favors you because you are you. And you're right. I'm tired. :) You are the worst person on getbig. You are only here to change people. How is that anti homo thing working for you?
Yawn. ::) I'm not going to start denying invented facts, because that would make me as ignorant as you. Buenos noches. :)
Good... go think about it. ;)
No. :-*
i love you. :)
And hope to not change you. : Just make you be more loving of those around you of your own choice.
And you know so much about me. Tell me more. (Not.)
Well I do like you BB, for all your faults. :) I like you very much actually, but how come you don't spend more time with your daughters? You come here like it's a religion. Just a question.
Reminds me of the time you queried why people talk about abortion on a political discussion board. Now you're asking me why I post on a political discussion board? Because I like to talk politics?
How much time do I spend with my daughters? lol . . . You crack me up. :)
Post by: youandme on September 04, 2008, 11:15:38 PM
That is a relief. I remember when I was a member of the FCA, and it was just amazing how some individuals were against us saying a prayer before and after games.
I don't think I see many teams in High School or College pray these days, not talking about the touchdown prays either
Quote from: youandme on September 04, 2008, 11:15:38 PM
Check out page 2 of this thread. There is a link and a story talking about prayer, June Jones, and the UH football team.
Post by: Dos Equis on September 13, 2008, 09:57:33 AM
Prayer is still a part of the UH football team:
After fulfilling academic obligations, Graunke was reinstated to the team a week before the Aug. 30 opener against Florida.
"It feels great," said Graunke, a fifth-year senior who spent the past three seasons as Colt Brennan's understudy. "I want to do my part for the team. If I'm the best guy for the team, which (the coaches have) decided, then that's the case. The Lord's blessed me with those talents and gifts. I'm playing for the team."
At the end of every practice, several Warriors gather in a circle and kneel in prayer. After Thursday's practice, linebacker Solomon Elimimian invited Graunke to join the circle — an action that also proved to be symbolic.
"I respect him for coming back and working hard and not giving up," said center John Estes, one of the four team captains. "I know a lot of people in that situation would have given up. He already had my respect even before he went through all of that. I was here when he was the quarterback and Colt kind of took his (starting) spot. I had respect for him when he was second string. He won some games for us last year. I know he's ready to play."
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080913/SPORTS0201/809130340/1032
Florida QB makes 'John 3:16' hottest Google search
Tebow inscribed Bible reference on eye black for championship game
(http://www.worldnetdaily.com/images/headshots/tebowjohn316.jpg)
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow blazes New Testament verse of John 3:16 on his face last night after he led the Gators to the BCS National Championship
"John 3:16" has appeared in various forms at nationally televised sporting events over the years, but after University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow inscribed it on his eye black for last night's BCS National Championship game, the biblical reference became the most popular search item on Google.com.
Google Trends this morning had "John 3:16" ahead of searches for actress Mary Lynn Rajskub and the Windows 7 beta download. Searches for the Bible verse reached a peak during last night's game.
In previous games, Tebow, an outspoken evangelical Christian who was born to missionary parents in the Philippines, sported on his eye black Philippians 4:13, notes Christianity Today. The verse says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
The well-known verse John 3:16 is commonly presented as a summation of the Gospel: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Tebow, who won the Heisman Trophy last year as a sophomore, led the Gators to a 24-14 victory last night over the University of Oklahoma.
Tebow and his four siblings were homeschooled by their parents, but a Florida law allowed him to play football for a public school team. He was named Florida's high school Player of the Year in both his junior and senior seasons and developed a reputation for toughness, finishing a game with a broken leg.
Google users, at one point, searched for "John 3:16" more than any other term
In an interview last year with the Florida Baptist Witness, Tebow said football is not even the third most important thing in his life.
"I am fortunate to have family members, coaches and teammates around who can help me stay focused on the right things for us to be successful," he said. "For me, every day includes four things: God, family, academics and football, in that order."
Tebow's "John 3:16" display last night drew attention in the blogosphere.
William Lobdell, author of "Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America - and Found Unexpected Peace," had a mixed reaction.
But he concluded: "I have to wonder if his coaches or NCAA officials would allow him to have 'There Is' 'No God' written on his eye black below his right and left eyes.
"I imagine that these personal slogans will soon be banned," he wrote.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=85729
Class act. He was great for the game. Will be missed.
Dungy will focus on family and faith
By Chris Mortensen
Jason Bridge/US Presswire
Tony Dungy is ready to spend more time with his family at their home in Tampa, Fla.It was late Saturday night and the words flowed from Tony Dungy's lips like water from a spring. He was quoting his favorite book; not his best-selling "Quiet Strength," but, naturally, the Bible.
"I'm at a point, kind of like the Apostle Paul," explained Dungy, "he said, 'If I live, it's good. If I die and go home with the Lord, it's better.'"
Dungy sounded like a man who was prepared to go home -- in this case, Dungy will go home to his wife, Lauren, and family in Tampa, as well as home in an earthly sense to do what he calls the Lord's work with various ministry outreach programs that include work with troubled youths and convicted prisoners. For Dungy, right now, it is better to walk away from the game.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=mortensen_chris&id=3827287
Obama's Day Starts With Church, Coffee with Bush
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 9:13 AM
WASHINGTON — As massive crowds swarmed the National Mall on Tuesday to witness Barack Obama's inauguration as president, the man at the center of the maelstrom began the day quietly and reverently, at a church service across the street from the White House.
Obama and his family attended a private service at St. John's Episcopal Church, a tradition for those about to become president. The family of Vice President-elect Joe Biden also attended.
The Obamas waved to bystanders, then entered the church to applause from about 200 people. The choir and congregation began singing the hymn, "O God Our Help in Ages Past."
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_church_bush/2009/01/20/173227.html
Obama Begins Day With National Prayer Service
By Michelle Boorstein, Debbi Wilgoren and Jacqueline L. Salmon
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 21, 2009; 11:32 AM
On his first full day in office, President Obama spent part of the morning at the Washington National Cathedral, placing his own stamp on the traditional National Prayer Service with a larger-than-usual group of interfaith religious leaders participating and newly written prayers meant to emphasize liberty and diversity.
The invitation-only service, which has followed presidential inaugurals in the United States on and off since George Washington's swearing-in, started just after 10 a.m. and continued for nearly an hour and a half.
Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, who wore a bold black-and-silver patterned dress, walked into the stately church with Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill Biden. They took seats in the front row alongside Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), Obama's nominee for secretary of state, and her husband, former president Bill Clinton.
So many members of Congress were scheduled to attend the service that a markup session scheduled for attorney general nominee Eric H. Holder Jr. was postponed.
The list of 20 clergy participating in the service included Rev. Samuel Lloyd, dean of the cathedral, which is the seat of the Episcopal Church in Washington; Rev. Otis Moss Jr., a prominent Baptist pastor whose son is pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, Obama's former church; Washington Catholic Archbishop Donald Wuerl; Rev. Jim Wallis of the progressive group Sojourners; and several well-known Jewish, Muslim and Greek Orthodox leaders.
The District-based Children of the Gospel Choir entertained the assembled dignitaries and guests by singing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."
The sermon was delivered by Rev. Sharon Watkins, president of the Protestant denomination Disciples of Christ in North America and the first woman to have such a prominent role in the post-inaugural prayer service.
Watkins quoted a wide range of religious leaders and traditions, from Gandhi to Islam to Cherokee Indians, urging the new president to remain focused on ethical and religious values such as common good, justice and compassion.
"In times such as these, we the people need you, the leaders of the nation, to be guided by the counsel that Isaiah gave so long ago," she said. "This is the Biblical way. It is also the American way."
She told Obama, "With your swearing-in, Mr. President, the flame of America's promise burns just a little brighter for every child in this land." There is much work to do, and some of it will "tend to draw you away from your ethical center," she said.
"But we need you to hold the ground of your deepest values, of our deepest values," Watkins said. "We need you to stay focused on our shared hopes, so that we can continue to hope, too. We will follow your lead."
Moss, offering a prayer in his rich baritone, asked God to "teach us each day that we live in a nation of neighbors on an island commissioned to glorify your name, in a community that is global. We have been taught through your servant that we are all connected, impacted by what we do and what we refuse to do."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/01/21/ST2009012101096.html
Hawaii Prayer Breakfast offers blessings for leaders
Advertiser Staff
Michelle Vandenburg, mother of Olympic decathlon gold medalist Bryan Clay, was the featured speaker at this morning's 30th Hawaii Prayer Breakfast.
Several hundred people — including Gov. Linda Lingle, members of her administration, county mayors, state legislators and leaders from business, military and faith-based communities attended the event at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Vandenburg, who raised Clay in Kaneohe after she and Clay's father divorced, told the audience about how her faith helped her persevere.
Clay, a Castle High graduate who won gold at the Beijing Games, appeared in a videotaped message.
The Hawaii Prayer Breakfast is held annually to pray for leaders, regardless of political or religious affiliation.
Kahu Curt Kekuna of Kawaiahao Church provided the blessing.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090409/BREAKING/90409065
no shit?
a bunch of people got together and prayed?
Yep. "Gov. Linda Lingle, members of her administration, county mayors, state legislators and leaders from business, military and faith-based communities attended the event at the Hilton Hawaiian Village." Pretty accomplished bunch of people. And to think nearly all (without exaggeration) of our "state legislators" are Democrats.
people get together and "pray" all the time
Post by: Hugo Chavez on April 09, 2009, 09:07:37 PM
I'm not getting the point either but he seems to be trying to make one. Just say it BB, what's the point?
Quote from: Hugo Chavez on April 09, 2009, 09:07:37 PM
The title of the thread is "Prayer and Religion in Public Life." I just posted a story about an annual prayer breakfast that is attended by most, if not all, of our state's political leaders and a substantial number of private sector leaders. That's the only point. Just like every other story I've posted in the thread. Just examples of how deeply ingrained prayer and faith is in our society. Nothing more than that.
so you're basically saying people "pray" ...?
I'm "basically saying" what I just said.
well alrighty then :D
people tend to do this "pray" thing
Yes they do. :)
one question...
how can you tell when someone is faking it and just pretending to pray?
Post by: big L dawg on April 09, 2009, 09:34:53 PM
Post by: Deicide on April 10, 2009, 05:07:55 AM
Shit, my life has changed now... :o
Quote from: Deicide on April 10, 2009, 05:07:55 AM
Don't worry. I'm sure Bum will keep updating his pet thread whenever he reads a story about some group of people somewhere doing the public prayer thing. Let's just be glad Bum is not muslim or he'd be updating this thread 5 times a day
I might go to this one. Hope all of you enjoy your state sanctioned Good Friday holiday (assuming you have one). :)
Public invited to Easter services at Schofield Barracks
The public is invited to Easter sunrise services at Schofield Barracks.
The services will start at 6 a.m. at Stoneman Stadium.
Col. Jack Van Dyken, U.S. Army Pacific Command chaplain, will deliver the service. There will also be music. Refreshments will follow.
Stoneman Stadium is located at the corner of McCornack Road and Leilehua Avenue on Schofield Barracks. Guests should use the McNair Gate and follow posted directions.
Drivers will need to show their license, registration, proof of insurance and valid photo ID for each occupant in the vehicle.
Bum - how do you figure this is a "state sanctioned" holiday?
§8-1 Holidays designated. The following days of each year are set apart and established as state holidays:
The first day in January, New Year's Day;
The third Monday in January, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day;
The third Monday in February, Presidents' Day;
The twenty-sixth day in March, Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day;
The Friday preceding Easter Sunday, Good Friday;
The last Monday in May, Memorial Day;
The eleventh day in June, King Kamehameha I Day;
The fourth day in July, Independence Day;
The third Friday in August, Statehood Day;
The first Monday in September, Labor Day;
The eleventh day in November, Veterans' Day;
The fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving Day;
The twenty-fifth day in December, Christmas Day;
All election days, except primary and special election days, in the county wherein the election is held;
Any day designated by proclamation by the President of the United States or by the governor as a holiday.
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0008/HRS_0008-0001.htm
gotcha - you're talking about Hawaii and not the US Govt (which does not recognize it as a holiday)
What do you do to celebrate Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day?
Attended a session of the state senate today and they started with a devotional and prayer. The prayer was in the name of [gasping] "Jesus Christ our Lord." Not sure if they invite members of other faiths. Interesting question.
What happened after the prayer?
They voted on bills.
do they do the prayer every time they open a session?
I'm pretty sure they do, as does our House of Representatives and City Council. Also, there are only 2 Republicans (out of 25 Senators) in the State Senate.
Post by: LurkerNoMore on April 21, 2009, 11:56:27 AM
They sat around waiting for what they asked for to be delivered.
So it's basically a perfunctory or even perhaps a ceremonial procedure
What is the significance of the number of Repubs/Dems/Independents to you?
Will you be updating this thread every time the state senate does this?
No, it's a devotional and prayer.
The significance of the party makeup to me is how prayer and faith in public life crosses party lines.
I'll be updating this thread every time I read, hear, or experience something that I think is relevant to the thread.
Bum - this sounds like nothing more than a typical and (as I previously said) perfunctory and ceremonial task.
Why do you think "party lines" are so significant? Are you amazed that people other than Republicans might pray?
Don't you think there are some non-christians (jews, muslims, atheist, etc...) sitting in that room waiting for the mumbo jumbo to be over with so they can get down to business?
The Appeaser in Chief at work again.
Obama tones down National Day of Prayer observance
By Kristi Keck
(CNN) -- For the past eight years, the White House recognized the National Day of Prayer with a service in the East Room, but this year, President Obama decided against holding a public ceremony.
"Prayer is something that the president does everyday," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday, noting that Obama will sign a proclamation to recognize the day, as many administrations in the past have done.
Asked if Obama thought his predecessor's ceremonies were politicized, Gibbs said, "No, I'm not going to get into that again.
"I think the president understands, in his own life and in his family's life, the role that prayer plays."
The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance for people of all faiths.
Under the Bush administration, the White House hosted an interfaith service each year, inviting protestant, Catholic and Jewish leaders for an event at the East Room.
President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush also marked the day with a White House observance.
President Harry Truman first established the day as a national event in 1952. Reagan signed a resolution in 1988 to observe the National Day of Prayer each year on the first Thursday in May, and each president since has recognized this day with a proclamation.
The National Day of Prayer Task Force, a privately funded organization that focuses on mobilizing the Christian community, says it's disappointed in this year's toned down observance, but other groups say the president needs to go a step farther -- and ignore the day altogether.
"It's not his job to tell people to pray," said David Silverman, national spokesperson for the organization American Atheists.
"We are very happy he did away with the George W. Bush-era celebrations and party, but we wish he wouldn't do it at all. ... When church and state are separate, separate is separate," he said.
Although there are no public events scheduled at the White House, representatives from the legislative and judicial branches are expected to attend an event the National Day of Prayer Task Force is holding on Capitol Hill.
But, despite numerous attempts to get a representative from the executive office to attend, "it doesn't appear they are going to fulfill our request," said Becky Armstrong, marketing and media manager of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.
"The White House is a small part of what the national day of prayer is all about. Tomorrow there will be dozens of events held in our nation's capitol and governors from all 50 states have already issued proclamations recognizing the National Day of Prayer," Armstrong said.
"It would be belittling to those millions of people to reduce this day to merely one event not being held at the White House."
Task Force Chairman Shirley Dobson said in a statement that she was disappointed in the "lack of participation" by the Obama administration, adding that "at this time in our country's history, we would hope our President would recognize more fully the importance of prayer."
Dobson will be a presenter at that event, along with her husband and former president of Focus on the Family James Dobson, author Beth Moore, NFL player Shaun Alexander and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/06/obama.prayer/index.html
Obama has prayer with Billy Graham. Good decision. :)
Obama meets with Rev. Billy Graham
By the CNN Wire Staff
Asheville, North Carolina (CNN) -- President Obama on Sunday met with the Rev. Billy Graham before leaving North Carolina to attend the memorial service for 29 West Virginia coal miners killed in a recent explosion.
White House spokesman Bill Burton said the visit was a follow-up to Obama's telephone call to Graham on the evangelist's 91st birthday last November. At that time, Burton said, the two agreed to meet as soon as possible.
Before Sunday's meeting, Burton described Graham as an important spiritual leader and said Obama was sure to pray with him during the visit.
Obama and his family vacationed in Asheville over the weekend, and the first couple played tennis Sunday morning before their departure, Burton said.
The meeting with Graham came three days after the Army rescinded an invitation for Graham's son, Franklin Graham, to speak at the Pentagon on the upcoming National Day of Prayer. The Army decision was due to controversial comments about Islam by the younger Graham.
"True Islam cannot be practiced in this country," Franklin Graham told CNN's Campbell Brown last December. "You can't beat your wife. You cannot murder your children if you think they've committed adultery or something like that, which they do practice in these other countries."
Graham later tried to temper his remarks by saying that he had Muslim friends.
Graham said he regretted the Army's decision but stood by his comments.
"I don't like the way they treat women, the way they treat minorities. I just find it horrific. But I love the people of Islam," he said, adding some of his work has been in Muslim nations.
The Army, which oversees the National Day of Prayer ceremonies at the Pentagon, feared that if Graham spoke at the Pentagon on May 6, Islamic militants would publicize his comments, potentially fueling tensions in Muslim nations like Iraq and Afghanistan, where U.S. troops are deployed.
Graham's invitation was not the only controversy swirling about the National Day of Prayer this year.
Last week, a federal judge struck down as unconstitutional the 1952 law that established the day, saying it violated the ban on government-backed religion.
On Thursday, the Justice Department informed a federal appeals court that the Obama administration will appeal that decision.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/25/obama.graham/index.html
National Day of Prayer is on, despite court ruling
By Linda Feldmann, Staff writer / May 6, 2010
Thursday, May 6, is the National Day of Prayer, as proclaimed by President Obama. But this year, the annual ritual that began in 1952 is taking place amid controversy.
Last month, a federal judge in Wisconsin ruled that the US law directing the president to proclaim such a day violates the First Amendment, which prohibits government establishment of religion. US District Judge Barbara Crabb also said it was OK to proceed with the National Day of Prayer, pending appeals.
On April 22, the Obama administration appealed Judge Crabb’s ruling to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.
But, like last year, Mr. Obama himself will not hold any official prayer day observance at the White House. His predecessor, George W. Bush, had held an annual interfaith observance in the East Room of the White House.
Last year, when Obama decided to limit the White House’s involvement to a proclamation, an urban legend was born: Obama had “canceled” the National Day of Prayer. Not so, the White House said. The myth-busting website Snopes.com has a page devoted to the topic. It’s not that the White House is opposed to prayer, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said last year. “Prayer is something that the president does every day,” he added, noting that it is private.
The National Day of Prayer Task Force, a privately funded group with strong ties to the Evangelical Christian movement, is fighting back against the judge’s ruling and circulating a petition.
“The National Day of Prayer provides an opportunity for all Americans to pray voluntarily according to their own faith – it does not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment,” task force chairwoman Shirley Dobson said in a statement.
Groups around the country will hold observances on Thursday marking the National Day of Prayer, as in years past. Though the tradition was formalized in 1952, with a congressional resolution calling on the president to proclaim such a day, there were national days of prayer long before then.
Opponents of the day of prayer argue that the proclamation makes them feel as if the government is telling them to engage in a religious activity. Atheists, in particular, object to a government prayer proclamation that assumes a universal belief in God.
Obama’s proclamation designating May 6, 2010, as a National Day of Prayer acknowledges the religious diversity of the United States – within the universe of monotheism.
“I call upon the citizens of our Nation to pray, or otherwise give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I invite all people of faith to join me in asking for God’s continued guidance, grace, and protection as we meet the challenges before us,” the proclamation states.
Religion was a complicated issue in the Obama presidential campaign, and has remained so in his presidency. During the campaign, his long-time pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, seemed to threaten Obama’s chances at winning the Democratic nomination after videotapes emerged showing the pastor using incendiary language. Obama then delivered a memorable speech on faith that appeared to put the issue to rest.
Obama grew up with no faith tradition but embraced Christianity as an adult. Now, as president, he regularly delivers sermon-like speeches, in addition to delivering euglogies, as he did for civil rights leader Dorothy Height last week. On Feb. 4, Obama spoke about the power of prayer to foster civility and bridge divisions, in an address to the National Prayer Breakfast. But Obama and his family have not been regular church-goers since moving to Washington.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0506/National-Day-of-Prayer-is-on-despite-court-ruling
More efforts to appease a handful of cry babies.
Senate drops rule requiring invocation
By B.J. Reyes
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 21, 2011
A day after opening the 2011 session with an invocation from entertainer Danny Kaleikini, the state Senate adopted rules to do away with the tradition of beginning its daily sessions with a word of prayer or other such appeals.
By unanimous voice vote yesterday, senators adopted rules that omitted a previous section stipulating each day's session start with an invocation. The session began without one.
House leaders, meanwhile, were still drafting their chamber rules with the issue under careful scrutiny. Members opened yesterday's session with Rep. Pono Chong performing the invocation. Chong (D, Maunawili-Kaneohe) asked only that members observe a moment of silence for personal reflection.
A three-member Senate committee last year looked into the invocation practice after the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii wrote to both the Senate and state House in August with complaints about "decidedly Christian prayers."
That followed the arrest last April of a protester who disrupted a Senate invocation. Mitch Kahle, president of Hawaii Citizens for the Separation of Church and State, was acquitted of disorderly conduct in November and is now suing the Senate and state sheriffs, alleging he was assaulted and improperly detained.
Senate rules previously included language stating: "Each day's sitting of the Senate shall open with an invocation."
Sen. Brickwood Galuteria, majority leader, said the new rules are flexible and allow the chamber to include invocations at its discretion, such as for opening day.
"The Senate will continue to explore the issue and can develop a policy for the proper implementation of invocations that is constitutionally sound," said Galuteria (D, Downtown-Waikiki).
Only Sen. Sam Slom, the chamber's lone Republican, voiced opposition to the exclusion of invocations.
"I think it's important that we stress the need that as smart as we may be, as intelligent as we may be, that we can still call on someone higher to help us and guide us," said Slom (R, Diamond Head-Hawaii Kai). "I think for us to take this out of our rules and also to, by omission, tell the community that we no longer think that this is important — I think that this is a mistake."
The Senate invocation committee recommended a new policy that would have allowed the invocations to continue, with restrictions, including that they be nonsectarian and make no reference to particular deities or central religious figures.
Senators ultimately decided to do away with the invocations rather than implement difficult-to-enforce restrictions.
The U.S. Supreme Court in 1983 ruled legislative invocations are constitutional, because such prayers are deeply embedded in the history and tradition of the nation.
Rep. Blake Oshiro, House majority leader, said leadership was not looking at abolishing the practice, but instead was seeking guidance from the Attorney General's Office. Once the rules are drafted, they would be put to the full chamber for a vote.
"We do want to make sure that we are within the permissible legal, constitutional boundaries that have been set by courts," said Oshiro (D, Aiea-Halawa).
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110121_Senate_drops_rule_requiring_invocation.html
Post by: Straw Man on January 21, 2011, 09:50:32 AM
Quote from: Beach Bum on January 21, 2011, 09:39:40 AM
by unanimous vote
we haven't seen that too often recently
Not sure if Senator Slom (the only Republican in the senate) participated, but at least eight of them were Democrats. Too bad the senate is trying to appease one paranoid anti-religious extremist (Mitch Kahle).
Nine state senators pray before session starts
By Mark Niesse
POSTED: 09:39 p.m. HST, Jan 26, 2011
A group of nine Hawaii senators held hands, bowed their heads and sought God's blessing today, signaling that they'll still pray despite a vote last week to abandon official invocations.
Fears of court challenges compelled the state Senate to end prayers, making it the first legislative body in the nation to do so.
The informal prayer today took place in the Senate chamber before the daily lawmaking session, convened in such a way so as not to contradict the decision to remove invocations from Senate business.
"The message is that not all senators have eliminated prayer," said Sen. Will Espero (D, Ewa-Ewa Beach-Lower Waipahu), who organized the group. "We're well within the confines of the law."
The 25-member Senate changed its rules in a unanimous voice vote last Thursday to end prayers after the American Civil Liberties Union sent lawmakers a letter complaining that the invocations often referenced Jesus Christ, contravening the separation of church and state.
Senate leaders said they wanted to avoid the potential for breaking the law, but lawmakers who participated in the quiet prayer today said their faith has a place in their work.
"It's nice to start off the day with a prayer because we need all the help we can get," said Sen. Mike Gabbard (D, Kalaeloa-Makakilo).
The ACLU of Hawaii declined to comment today. The ACLU previously has said the Senate's action to remove prayers helps create an environment where everyone feels welcome regardless of spiritual beliefs.
Senate President Shan Tsutsui, who did not participate in the prayer session, said he condoned their independent movement to keep prayer alive.
"It's a matter of free speech," said Tsutsui (D, Wailuku-Kahului). "We do encourage members, at their own will and desire, to go ahead and engage in prayer."
He said prayers could be held in the Senate in the future because the chamber's rules are silent on the issue following last week's vote.
The brief prayer asked God to bless senators' choices and sought guidance to do right for the people they represent, said participant Sen. Pohai Ryan (D, Lanikai-Waimanalo).
"Government and faith should be separate. But just because I voted against it doesn't mean I'm not a spiritual person," Ryan said.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/114704719.html
Since this was passed with a unanimous vote obviously the majority of the Senate thought this was the right thing to do.
Other than you saying so, I see no evidence this protestor was paranoid or an extremist. In fact he was exercising his first ammendment right and he was acquited on all charges
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLvn5p2Ztdo
KNIGHT: Appeasing the gods, Hawaii style
State government throws Jesus off a cliff
By Robert Knight -The Washington Times
In the state where pagan natives once threw people off cliffs to placate the gods, the Hawaiian state Senate has voted to end the practice of opening its sessions with prayer.
It’s probably just silly Internet prattle that some of the more intemperate civil liberties advocates want to follow this up by throwing pastors into Kilauea, the volcano home of the fire goddess Pele.
The Jan. 21 vote came after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) threatened to sue because of a single complaint by Mitch Kahle, founder of Hawaii Citizens for the Separation of State and Church.
The sticking point is that some speakers invoke Jesus, which sends the ACLU into a bout of “separation of church and state anxiety syndrome.” It seems that they are functionally “anti-Christ.”
The phrase “separation of church and state,” of course, appears nowhere in the U.S. Constitution and was derived from a Jan. 1, 1802, letter by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury, Conn., Baptist Association assuring them that no particular Christian denomination would be declared a state religion. The liberal U.S. Supreme Court picked up on this nearly a century-and-a-half later and concocted an extraconstitutional doctrine that the ACLU has wielded like a pineapple scythe against public religious symbols or prayers.
During the period he sent the letter, Jefferson attended weekly Christian services held in the House of Representatives. No historical text as far as I know includes references during those services to Pele or to Buddha or even to Islam. Frequent mention, however, was made of Jesus Christ, since the overwhelming majority of the Founders and the legislators at the time were professing Christians.
According to the Associated Press, the Hawaii Senate is the first state Senate to ban prayer. In 2008, the 7thU.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a 2005 ruling by U.S. District Judge David Hamilton that had barred the Indiana House from mentioning Jesus in opening prayers.
President Obama then appointed Judge Hamilton to the same court that had overturned Judge Hamilton‘s ruling, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him 59-39 on Nov. 19, 2009. The sole Republican “yes” vote? Indiana’s own Sen. Richard G. Lugar.
The ACLU‘s determination to silence prayer in the Hawaii Senate chamber contrasts with their own indifference in 2009, when the Hawaii Senate approved a resolution declaring Sept. 24, 2009, to be “Islam Day” on a 22-3 vote. The Senate‘s mighty Republican bloc of two rejected it, along with a single Democrat who worried about church-state separation.
When legislators celebrate Islam, that’s “multiculturalism.” When they allow individuals to pray according to their own faiths, that’s unconstitutional establishment of religion. It makes perfect sense if you think about it long enough to make your head hurt.
On Jan. 21, the GOP Hawaii Senate bloc of one - Sam Slom - argued for making prayers voluntary, rather than getting rid of them entirely. “As intelligent as we may be, we can still call on someone higher to help us and guide us,” he argued in vain, ignoring the evidence that his assessment of the legislators’ collective IQ might be, well, overly generous.
Perhaps the Hawaii Senate could get around the whole thing by opening legislative sessions with invocations to Pele. They could call it a celebration of the Aloha State’s cultural heritage, and blunt ACLU objections by insisting they are referring to a currently famous person instead of the volcanic deity.
They could even present Pele with a commemorative soccer ball. That might appease him.
Robert Knight is senior writer for Coral Ridge Ministries and a senior fellow for the American Civil Rights Union.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/25/appeasing-the-gods-hawaii-style/
Post by: Hugo Chavez on January 29, 2011, 11:00:36 AM
bb, it's clear what your focus is on here... move this to religious...
Absolutely not. This is clearly a political topic. It's been on this board for three years.
Bum - Do you feel that people who are opposed to the mixture of religion and politics are out to get religious people like yourself?
Really? You started this thread with your main point being about what an "integral part prayer is in our public life" and it looks like you've focused on that matter in one way or another. Sounds like a topic for religious to me. Hey that's what Ron told me, if it leans more religious, send it that way... This absolutely leans more religious.
move it on over buddy :)
If you don't want to do it, I can do it for you if you want :)
Quote from: Hugo Chavez on January 29, 2011, 11:21:47 AM
Nope. It's about the First Amendment. If you don't like it, don't read it. It's been here for years. It stays. Quit trying to start an unnecessary dispute.
I'm sure you don't want your threads and posts moved. :)
I'm still tyring to figure out the political relevance of Bum's thread about Lawrence Taylor being charged with statutory rape and solicitation of a prostitute
nice job Bum - threaten him with possibility of moving his threads ..... on what grounds?
btw - the protestor in the Hawaiin Senate was exercising his first amendment rights which was why he was acquited.
Is that what you're referrring to ?
actually for all I care you can start deleting or moving all of my posts/threads. Seriously, I give you permission to start deleting my threads or posts as fast as you can manage. I won't even say anything about it... No bitch will from me. You can copy this post and show it to Ron if I complain. Move them or delete them at will as you wish.
This thread's focus is on religion and you made that clear from the starting post. Don't spew first amendment, everything on getbig is about the first Amerndemnt lol.... This thread needs to be moved and if you don't, I will. :)
Quote from: Straw Man on January 29, 2011, 11:30:57 AM
seriously, he can delete my threads or move them as he wishes... This thread doesn't belong here and if he wants to meltdown and move my threads, I'll just get a laugh out of it...
Go for it BB....
Countdown to moved.... 3...2...
I'm not moving the thread. It has been here since 2007. A number of people have posted in the thread. It plainly deals with the First Amendment freedoms of speech and religion and their involvement in public life. If you have a problem with the fact it deals with religion, then like I said, don't read it. Pretty simple. Same choice everyone on the board has with threads they don't like.
And yes, if you want play the move-the-threads game, I'll play today. It's really unnecessary, but I'll play. I have a little free time. :)
while you're at it move the LT thread to the sports board
Ok... let's play move the threads... I should have moved it the first time I saw it anyway. I honestly don't think this thread belongs here and if you feel like striking back by moving my threads, go for it, I won't cry over it.
Oh no! :'( lol . . . .
Post by: Hugo Chavez on January 29, 2011, 12:03:38 PM
Quote from: Beach Bum on January 29, 2011, 12:01:36 PM
does that mean you're not going to strike back by deleting or moving my threads lol... Come on... go for it dude... You can do it!!!! :D
Quote from: Hugo Chavez on January 29, 2011, 12:03:38 PM
Oh it's war! LOL . . . .
You will either 1. pm stella and ask her to move it back or option 2. pm Ron and ask him to move it back...
I honestly thought this thread needed moved here. Your focus was on the religious aspect. I was right in moving this thread. The rest is up to you and you can do whatever you want about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1eFdUSnaQM
Post by: Dos Equis on February 02, 2011, 07:13:23 PM
Rep. Giffords' husband to address National Prayer Breakfast
By Dan Gilgoff, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' husband will speak at the Thursday's National Prayer Breakfast in Washington on the congresswoman's behalf, her office announced Wednesday.
Capt. Mark Kelly, a NASA astronaut, will deliver closing prayer at the event, the Arizona congresswoman's office said in a statement.
President Barack Obama will also speak at the breakfast, an annual event in Washington for 58 years.
Giffords was making "lightning speed" progress for a brain injury and had the drain for brain fluid removed from her head, her doctors said last week.
Authorities say that Giffords was the primary target of a shooting that left six people dead and 13 more injured in Tucson, Arizona on January 8.
Giffords and Kelly were married in 2007.
The National Prayer Breakfast was founded in 1953 and has been attended by every sitting president.
The White House will be streaming Obama's remarks live on its website.
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/02/rep-giffords-husband-to-close-national-prayer-breakfast/
Obama discusses faith at National Prayer Breakfast
POSTED: 06:16 a.m. HST, Feb 03, 2011
WASHINGTON >> President Barack Obama said today that his faith has deepened during his two years in the White House, and he urged lawmakers to rely on their own faith to build a spirit of civility in Washington following the shooting of a congresswoman.
Speaking at the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Obama said that at a time of bitter partisanship, lawmakers must find a way to be open to the ideas of others, while staying true to their core principles.
"I pray that God will show me and all of us the limits of our understanding and open our ears and our hearts to our brothers and sisters with different points of view, that such reminders of our shared hopes and our shared dreams and our shared limitations as children of God will reveal a way forward that we can travel together," he said.
Obama's remarks Thursday built on his calls for civility in the days after last month's shooting rampage in Arizona, which left six dead. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head, and is recovering at a rehab center in Houston.
Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, attended Thursday's breakfast.
"We are with them for the long haul, and God is with them for the long haul," Obama said of Giffords and Kelly.
The president said he also prayed that "a better day will dawn" over Egypt, where violence has erupted between supporters and opponents of President Hosni Mubarak.
"We pray that violence in Egypt will end, and the rights and aspirations of the Egyptian people will be realized," Obama said.
The president also directly addressed questions about his religion Thursday, saying his Christianity has been a "sustaining force" during times when he and his family's faith has been questioned.
"We are reminded that ultimately what matters is not what other people say about us, but whether we're being true to our conscience and true to our God," Obama said.
Some conservatives and political opponents have questioned Obama's Christian faith. In fact, a Pew Research Center poll in August found that 18 percent of people wrongly believe Obama is Muslim — up from 11 percent who said so in March 2009. Just 34 percent said they thought Obama is Christian.
First lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and several lawmakers also attended the annual breakfast, which every president since Dwight Eisenhower has participated in.
Obama said he had prayed for God's intervention on any number or occasions, not always on the weightiest issues of the day.
At one point, the president said he has prayed, "Lord, give me patience as I watch Malia go to her first dance, where there will be boys. Lord, let her skirt get longer as she travels to that place." Twelve-year-old Malia is the older of his two daughters. Sasha is 9.
Post by: Straw Man on February 05, 2011, 09:12:03 PM
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/373357/february-03-2011/crisis-in-egypt---anderson-cooper---bill-o-reilly
Post by: big L dawg on February 05, 2011, 09:38:40 PM
religion is so barbaric...
Quote from: big L dawg on February 05, 2011, 09:38:40 PM
It's definitely funny
Obama At Easter Prayer Breakfast: 'Resurrection ... Puts Everything Else In Perspective'
(http://i.huffpost.com/gen/268223/thumbs/r-OBAMA-EASTER-PRAYER-BREAKFAST-large570.jpg)
WASHINGTON -- Pausing to observe Holy Week amidst war and the policy struggles, President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that the agony of Jesus Christ through death and resurrection puts mere political struggle "in perspective."
For the second year running, Obama hosted an Easter prayer breakfast at the White House, and the East Room was filled with administration officials and clergy from across the country.
Obama said "critical national debates" are raging, and "my plate has been full as well. The in-box keeps accumulating. But then comes Holy Week ...
"As busy as we are, as many tasks as pile up, during this season, we are reminded that there is something about the resurrection ... of Our Savior Jesus Christ that puts everything else in perspective."
Obama spoke just before heading to a town meeting in Virginia on his deficit plan -- the start of a cost-to-coast tour promoting his fiscal blueprint as more balanced than the one advocated by congressional Republicans.
Obama has used previous prayer breakfasts to underscore the depth of his Christian faith in the face of polls indicating some Americans question his religious beliefs. Last August, a Pew Research Center poll found 18 percent wrongly believe that Obama is a Muslim.
On Tuesday, Obama recounted the story of Christ's march to Calvary, the crucifixion and resurrection, the "unfathomable grace" of taking on the sins of the world.
"This amazing grace calls me to reflect, and it calls me to pray," he said.
Obama said his daughters help keep things in perspective for him, and so does having a "strong spouse.... But nothing beats Scripture and the reminder of the Eternal."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/19/obama-at-easter-prayer-br_n_850944.html
Post by: Soul Crusher on April 19, 2011, 10:38:22 AM
DID HE GO TO CHURCH THIS PAST SUNDAY FO PALM SUNDAY?
Post by: MCWAY on April 20, 2011, 04:26:11 AM
I said this six months ago, Beach. When his campaign starts rolling, Obama will get the Holy Ghost. I just figured it'd be within half a year or so before election day. It appears he's ahead of schedule.
Quote from: MCWAY on April 20, 2011, 04:26:11 AM
Yep. Pandering.
Only idiots really buy into his lies anymore. Seriously, who the hell can believe a damn word from this jerkoff? A so called "DEVOUT" Christian who spends Pslam Sunday on the golf course. got it. ::) ::)
Quote from: 333386 on April 20, 2011, 09:21:50 AM
I've questioned the sincerity of his convictions from day 1.
At least, he's not speaking in tongues....YET (that may change, depending on his poll numbers)!!!!
Post by: 240 is Back on April 20, 2011, 09:52:16 AM
I'm betting giffords' is the october surprise next year.
they'll keep her under wraps. her appearance in some swing state political rally for obama with 60,000 people in attendance (let's say, the thursday before a tuesday election) will give him a little bump.
Would anyone here put it past him? Not as cool as a bin laden tape endorsing his opponent, but will def draw an emotional response.
You have been playing that obl crap for years. Give it up already.
Post by: Roger Bacon on April 21, 2011, 04:58:36 AM
Shouldn't this thread be on the religious board? ???
Post by: loco on April 21, 2011, 05:13:21 AM
Quote from: P.I.P on April 21, 2011, 04:58:36 AM
Why? It's about government and politicians mixing church and state. It's political.
Quote from: loco on April 21, 2011, 05:13:21 AM
EXACTLY!!! And, you can bet your house that Obama will hit the black churches HARD within the next year or so. Yet, we will hear nary a PEEP from all the "separation of church and state" honks on the left.
That group needs to get a life.
As Day of Prayer Nears, Group Picks Fight in Arizona to Eliminate It
Gov. Jan Brewer is the latest official to try to stamp out a lawsuit filed by an atheist group suing to stop the annual Day of Prayer celebrated nationally and among the states.
The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, which has made elimination of the Day of Prayer a central cause of its existence, filed the suit last month to prevent Brewer from declaring May 5 this year's "Day of Prayer" in Arizona.
Filing the suit on behalf of four Arizonans identified of nonbelievers in religion, the foundation has also questioned the constitutionality of Brewer's proclamation in 2009 and 2010 as well as her Day of Prayer proclamation for the state budget on Jan. 17, 2010.
On Thursday, the governor told a court in Phoenix that she is in compliance with federal and state constitutional provisions. She also addressed the lawsuit during a prayer breakfast in which she said proclaiming a day of prayer is an American tradition dating back to George Washington's presidency.
"The lawsuit to stop our prayer proclamations is nothing more than an attempt to drive religious expression from the public square," she said. "I intend to fight that lawsuit -- vigorously -- every step of the way."
The group tried a similar tack against President Obama to prevent a national celebration of the day, but a three-judge panel on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed the case last week, ruling that the Freedom From Religion Foundation lacked standing. Brewer said she's confident of a similar outcome in the Arizona case.
The group is seeking a rehearing of the case against Obama from the entire 7th Circuit Court.
"Our challenge is so strong, our claim is so correct," Foundation Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said in a statement. "The First Amendment says, 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.' No law should mean no law!"
Gaylor called the court's ruling "cowardly," saying the group would have won if the appeals court panel had ruled on the merits of the case as a federal district court judge did last year in a ruling that favored the foundation.
Shirley Dobson, chairwoman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force applauded the appeals court's decision.
"Since the days of our Founding Fathers, the government has protected and encouraged public prayer and other expressions of dependence on the Almighty," she said in a statement. "Prayer is an indispensable part of our heritage, and as citizens, we must remain faithful in our commitment to intercede for our nation during this pivotal and challenging time."
Last fall, the group lost a legal challenge in Colorado that alleged the state violated its constitution by recognizing the National Day of Prayer. But a district court judge in Denver dismissed the case, saying the state proclamation is a lawful expression of an individual's right to practice religion.
Presidents have been annually marking the first Thursday in May as the National Day of Prayer since 1988. The tradition dates back to 1952, when President Harry Truman signed a congressional resolution into law. Before 1988, presidents could choose when to hold the annual day of prayer.
"Congress and the president of the United States have no business telling me or any other citizen to pray ... much less setting aside an entire day for prayer every year and even telling me what to pray about," Gaylor said.
But Gaylor's group is climbing an uphill battle that merely starts with the National Day of Prayer. Governors have been consistently proclaiming prayer days on more than just one day each year.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry this week proclaimed a three day period, from Friday to Sunday, as Days of Prayer for rain in the state, which is in the midst of a terrible drought and battling a massive wildfire covering nearly 2 million acres. Some areas not seeing wet weather for nearly three months, matching rainfall deficit records dating back to the 1930s, the governor said.
"I urge Texans of all faiths and traditions to offer prayers on that day for the healing of our land, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of our normal way of life," he said in the proclamation.
Last month, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley called for a day of prayer for students in his state, following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Gov. Bob Riley, who proclaimed the first statewide day of prayer for students in 2006. Bentley asked residents to pray for students who face challenges from peer pressure to abuse drugs and alcohol to school violence to low self-esteem.
Riley was also among four Gulf Coast state governors last year who held a day of prayer more than two months after the BP oil spill. The other states were Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/22/brewer-holy-fight-atheist-group-day-prayer/
Texas Governor Asks Residents to Pray for Rain Amid Extreme Drought
Gov. Rick Perry, a devout Christian, is calling on all Texans to pray for rain as most of the state battles an extreme and exceptional drought.
Perry has proclaimed a three-day period, from Friday to Sunday, as Days of Prayer for Rain in the state.
"I urge Texans of all faiths and traditions to offer prayers on that day for the healing of our land, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of our normal way of life," he wrote in the proclamation.
The drought has led to massive wildfires that have scored more than 1.8 million acres since last year, claimed the lives of two firefighters and destroyed nearly 400 homes. Perry declared a state of emergency in December.
This isn't the first time Perry has asked Texans for prayer in the midst of a disaster. Last year, he joined three other Gulf Coast state governors – Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley -- who held a day of prayer more than two months after the BP oil spill.
While there hasn't been any public criticism of Perry's religious response so far, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is being targeted for her Day of Prayer proclamations.
The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, which has made elimination of the Day of Prayer a central cause of its existence, filed a lawsuit last month to prevent Brewer from declaring May 5 this year's "Day of Prayer" in Arizona.
Filing the suit on behalf of four Arizonans identified as nonbelievers in religion, the foundation has also questioned the constitutionality of Brewer's proclamation in 2009 and 2010 as well as her Day of Prayer proclamation for the state budget on Jan. 17, 2010.
The group tried a similar tack against President Obama to prevent a National Day of Prayer, but a three-judge panel on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed the case last week, ruling that the Freedom From Religion Foundation lacked standing. Brewer said she's confident of a similar outcome in the Arizona case.
Presidents have been annually marking days of prayer since 1952, when President Harry Truman signed a congressional resolution into law. Congress amended the law in 1988 to make the first Thursday in May the National Day of Prayer.
The Wisconsin group is seeking a rehearing of the case against Obama from the entire 7th Circuit Court.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/23/texas-governor-asks-residents-pray-rain-amid-extreme-drought/
(http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/04/24/t1larg.obamas-easter-church.t1larg.jpg)
Obamas attend local church on Easter Sunday
Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama and his family attended the Easter Sunday service at Shiloh Baptist Church, which was founded by freed slaves in 1863.
The first family entered the church to a standing ovation, then joined in singing with the choir, backed by a live band that included a guitar, keyboard and drums.
Rev. Wallace Charles Smith welcomed the Obamas, noting the congregants pray for them every Sunday.
At collection time, Obama and his daughters gave money in envelopes provided at their seats. The first family left after two hours, as the service approached its conclusion.
The president and his family have attended services occasionally since moving to the White House in January 2009. Last Easter, the Obamas worshipped at a Methodist church.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/24/obamas.easter/index.html
Post by: Soul Crusher on April 24, 2011, 01:58:39 PM
What a phoney.
He's looking for the camera. :)
Its really sad how blacks allow themselves to be played for such fools for this joke.
WH Fails to Release Easter Proclamation
FoxNation.com ^ | April 25 | Staff
President Obama failed to release a statement or a proclamation recognizing the national observance of Easter Sunday, Christianity's most sacred holiday. By comparison, the White House has released statements recognizing the observance of major Muslim holidays and released statements in 2010 on Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Hajj, and Eid-ul-Adha.
(Excerpt) Read more at nation.foxnews.com ...
Obama Chose To Worship On Easter At a Radical Church
David Horowitz's NewsReal Blog ^ | April 25, 2011 | Joseph Klein
President Obama and the first family attended Easter services at the Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. As the mainstream press made sure to point out, this church was founded in 1863 by freed slaves.
MSNBC proclaimed:
Obama attends Easter service at historic church: The first family enters Shiloh Baptist Church to a round of applause
It would be such a heart-warming picture of religious devotion except that the mainstream press neglected to mention a couple of things about the church which Obama chose for his Easter worship. The Shiloh Baptist Church hosted an anti-Israel hate fest in 2009 at the same time as an associate minister of the church, Adam Russell Taylor, was serving as an Obama administration White House Fellow in the Office of Cabinet Affairs, Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsrealblog.com ...
Shocking. Not. ::)
Post by: Dos Equis on June 08, 2011, 01:56:09 PM
Perry Declares Day Of Fasting And Prayer For Nation
Gov. Rick Perry is asking governors from across the country to come to Texas in August for a day of prayer and fasting for the nation.
(http://media.graytvinc.com/images/Rick-Perry-State-Of-State-2.jpg)
AUSTIN (June 6, 2011)—Gov. Rick Perry has proclaimed Aug. 6 as a day of prayer and fasting for the nation and has invited all of the governor’s in the U.S. to Texas to join him in a prayer meeting that the American Family Association is hosting at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
Perry also urged other governors to issue similar proclamations, urging prayer that day for “unity and righteousness for our states, nation and mankind.”
“Given the trials that beset our nation and world, from the global economic downturn to natural disasters, the lingering danger of terrorism and continued debasement of our culture, I believe it is time to convene the leaders from each of our United States in a day of prayer and fasting, like that described in the book of Joel,” Gov Perry said.
“I urge all Americans of faith to pray on that day for the healing of our country, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of enduring values as our guiding force.”
At least one governor doesn’t plan to attend.
A spokesman for Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is too busy to make it on Aug. 6, a spokeswoman said.
Geralyn Lasher told The Detroit News that Snyder expects to be at work focusing on economic development and has plenty to keep him busy at home, despite the early completion of the Michigan state budget for the coming fiscal year.
Lasher says Snyder supports religious events such as the National Day of Prayer.
http://www.kwtx.com/centraltexasvotes/localheadlines/Perry_Declares_Day_Of_Fasting_And_Prayer_For_Nation_123262458.html
Post by: Dos Equis on July 15, 2011, 08:52:42 PM
Waaaaa!
Perry faces lawsuit over Christian rally
Reported by: Chase Thomason
“This is Governor Rick Perry and I'm inviting you to join your fellow Americans in a day of prayer and fasting on behalf of our nation.”
Governor Perry is promoting what's being called “The Response: a call to prayer for a nation in crisis”.
Sylas Politte, student pastor at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Lubbock, said the prayer is needed.
“If you look through where Texas has been just since January, with the wildfires and drought, some would say of biblical proportions,” Politte said.
Unfortunately for the governor, others aren't seeing it that way. The “Freedom From Religion Foundation”, an atheist group, wants a court to declare Perry’s connection to the event unconstitutional.
“I don't see it as a violation for the fact that he's not forcing anyone to do it. According to the constitution, we as the people have freedom of religion and to assemble,” Politte said.
“It's not in violation of church and state, but actually what they're claiming is that it's a violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment,” said Lubbock attorney, Curtis Parrish.
Parrish said this group from Wisconsin is claiming that the governor has in effect established a religious act and they consider that to be a violation of the constitution.
“They received a favorable ruling on this in a Wisconsin Court recently. This has given them the motivation to go around to other states and other government entities to try to get these prayer days done away with,” Parrish said.
“It lines up with a trend throughout history. I think it's really encouraging that the governor has called for a day of fasting and prayer,” Politte said.
Despite the lawsuit, Perry said he's going forward with the daylong event. “I think about those who talk about Christian faith as being intolerant,” said Perry. “Isn't it just the height of intolerance to say you can't gather together in public and pray to our God?”
Parrish said there may be merit to some of the suit's claims, but he doubts a judge will rule against the governor.
"There are prayers offered in a government setting all over the nation including the U.S. Congress. The Supreme Court has traditionally upheld those as being okay and not a violation of the establishment clause because it's traditional,” Parrish said.
The rally will take place August 6th at the Houston Reliant Stadium.
http://www.myfoxlubbock.com/news/local/story/governor-perry-texas-lubbock-pray-fast-crisis/l6ff7Hr5GkWsHoir5bP8xQ.cspx
Post by: Dos Equis on July 23, 2011, 12:36:17 AM
Well imagine that. Obama having conversations with God over the debt issue. :)
Obama Prays for Solution to Debt Crisis
By Paul Bedard
President Obama on Wednesday prayed with several Christian leaders to find an answer to the debt ceiling crisis that doesn't undercut federal programs to the poor.
Opening a White House meeting with a diverse group of Christian religious leaders, Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner said she reached across a table to hold the president's hand "to pray for God's wisdom."
And at one point in the following discussion, the president referenced Matthew 25 from the Bible in praying that the cuts envisioned by his negotiating team don't fall on "the least of these."
[See photos of the Obamas behind the scenes.]
Said Skinner, the former Congressional Black Caucus executive director who heads the Skinner Leadership Institute, "it was amazing that the president himself used that term in his reference to those in need because as a Christian, he too knows that is the word of God."
Those in the meeting were not allowed to directly quote much of what the president said.
The group was there to seek the president's help for their "Circle of Protection" effort, an international plea by spiritual leaders to keep programs for the poor both in the United States and overseas safe from the budget cuts.
Many of the leaders pressed Obama to especially save programs to feed the poor in famine-ravaged continents, like Africa, noting that the are among the discretionary spending plans facing the knife.
After their prayer, Skinner said that Obama "was moved, and I think he was moved because he was prayed for he was moved because somebody was thinking of him as a person."
[See who's been visiting the White House.]
Another religious leader at the meeting said that Obama, quoting Lincoln, noted, "If you don't pray before you get here, you pray when you get here and that the presidency drives you to your knees. And in the middle of all the crises our country faces that was a moment of, I think, not only reflection but refreshment for everybody in the room."
The leaders spoke on a conference call with reporters today. Included in the Wednesday meeting were White House advisers Valerie Jarrett, Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes, and Director of the Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Joshua DuBois. [See the month's best political cartoons.]
Jim Wallis, president and CEO of Sojourners, was left with the impression that Obama would fight cuts to programs for the poor. "He indicated again yesterday that the sacrifice in budget or deficit deal should not be born by the least of these. He used that phrase, 'The lease of these,' and of course we know that's from Matthew 25 where Jesus says, 'As you've done to the least of these, you've done to me.' So that was the reason we were all there, that's the text that brings us there and it's always heartening to hear a political leader refer to that text, that he knows that text."
[See a collection of political cartoons on President Obama.]
Wallis also said that the nation's Christian leaders are ready to take Obama's message to their followers to explain what's going on in the budget talks.
"It would be a powerful thing if our pulpits could be linked to the Bully Pulpit here and together we could say, however else we do this, however we put our fiscal house in order, we can't do it with more sacrifice from those who are already sacrificing and hurting so much. So we'd like to link our pulpits with the Bully Pulpit here and help the American people understand what's at stake and who's really going to be impact by all of this. So I felt encouraged."
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/07/21/obama-prays-for-solution-to-debt-crisis
Funny. :)
Public Policy Poll: God Commands 52% Approval
By Mike Tighe
Let’s put political approval/disapproval ratings aside for a bit and consider this: God commands some impressive approval scores in a Public Policy Polling (PPP) tally, moreso among women than men.
Of course, you’ll also have to set aside the rather jaundiced phrasing of the Democratic-leaning poll’s introduction to its God questions, “If God exists . . . ” not to mention the poll’s reference to God as an “it,” no doubt in a quest for gender neutrality.
With the ground rules established — and let’s just stipulate that the Creator exists, even if PPP won’t — the July 15-17 survey of 928 voters found God receiving a solid 59-9 percent approval rating overall. Not too shabby, considering the fact that the same poll found participants putting Democrats and Republicans in Congress in a statistical tie for approval, at 33 percent each. Democrats’ disapproval is 54 percent and Republicans, 55.
God’s score for creating the universe blows away his (let’s call it a him, just for the sake of argument, or perhaps, to stay out of those debates over whether God is a he or a she) present score, with a very respectable 71 percent approval to a mere 5 percent disapproval. Women are more lenient, giving God a 72 percent approval, compared with just 70 percent from men. And 24 percent just aren’t sure.
Poll participants also endorse his performance with the animal kingdom, where he gets a 56-11 percent opposable thumbs up, as well as his dexterity with natural disasters, at 50-13 percent approval.
Women are more laudatory in both categories, at 55-38 percent approval overall, compared with 48-41 percent among men, and 54-35 percent approval on his handling of natural disasters from women, compared with 45-39 percent among men.
Of course, the figures don’t necessarily add up to 100 percent because, after all, only God is perfect.
Here’s how PPP posed the questions and tallied the responses:
Q7 If God exists, do you approve or disapprove of
its performance?
Approve ........................ ........................ .......... 52%
Disapprove.............. ........................ ................ 9%
Not sure ........................ ........................ .......... 40%
its handling of natural disasters?
Disapprove.............. ........................ ................ 13%
its handling of animals?
Q10 If God exists, do you approve or disapprove of
its handling of creating the universe?
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/God-approval-poll-creator/2011/07/24/id/404610
Awesome. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J74y88YuSJ8
The Obama Administration saying something untrue? No way . . . .
Texas Lawmaker Calls for Congressional Probe Into Ban of Christian Prayers at Military Funerals
By Todd Starnes
A Texas lawmaker is calling for a congressional investigation of the Houston National Cemetery after he went undercover and determined that cemetery officials are still preventing Christian prayers at the funerals of military veterans.
“The Obama administration continues to try to prevent the word ‘God’ from being used at the funerals of our heroes,” said. Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas).
“It’s unacceptable and I’m going to put a stop to it as fast as humanly possible,” Culberson told Fox News Radio. He attended a burial service at the cemetery undercover on July 8, when he says he witnessed volunteer members of the honor guard from the Veterans of Foreign Wars being prohibited from using any references to God.
“The Obama administration had told the nation and me they were not interfering with the prayer said over the graves of veterans,” he said. “And I went undercover to personally verify that claim.” VA officials have strongly denied they’ve banned any religious speech – and have offered support for Arleen Ocasio, the cemetery’s director.
“The idea that invoking the name of God or Jesus is banned at VA national cemeteries is blatantly false,” said VA Press Secretary Josh Taylor in a written statement to Fox News Radio. “The truth is, VA’s policy protects veterans’ families’ rights to pray however they choose at our national cemeteries.”
Taylor declined to comment on the pending lawsuit or other ongoing legal proceedings, but did say, “No one should make judgments before all the facts are known.” Culberson said the commander of the honor guard was told by cemetery officials to approach a grieving widow to reconfirm that she wanted the word God mentioned at her husband’s graveside service.
“He quite correctly said as a Texan and a man of honor and integrity, ‘I’m not bothering that poor woman at this most terrible time of her life. We’re going to do the ritual,’” Culberson said. “Right in front of me, the VA directly and deliberately attempted to prevent the VFW from doing their magnificent, spiritual ritual over the grave of this fallen hero."
The cemetery is already the focus of a lawsuit filed on behalf of the VFW, an American Legion post and Houston’s National Memorial Ladies. They claim the VA banned members of the organizations from using the words “God” or “Jesus” at burial services.
They also allege they were banned from reciting prayers or using religious language during services unless families approved the text in advance. Culberson, who oversees the sub-committee responsible for funding the cemetery, said that he wants the cemetery director fired – and he’s willing to do whatever possible to make sure that happens.
“The cemetery director has to leave,” he said. “I will zero out her salary. If she attempts to work for the VA anywhere in the state of Texas her salary will be zero.”
“It makes my skin crawl that liberals are attempting to drive prayer out of a funeral ceremony for our heroes,” Culberson said. “We’re going to fix this so that no Obama liberal bureaucrat will interfere with the funeral of a hero.”
But Taylor said the rules set in place at the cemetery are meant to protect the grieving families.
“Put simply, VA policy puts the wishes of the veteran’s family above all else on the day it matters most – the day they pay their final respects to their loved ones,” Taylor said. "Out of respect for the families, VA’s policy exists to prevent anyone from disrespecting or interfering with a veteran’s private committal service.”
Controversy first surfaced nationally at the cemetery during a Memorial Day event when a Houston pastor was ordered by the VA to remove the name of Jesus from his prayer.
Culberson said he hopes to hold hearings on the cemetery in the fall.
“They will bury 10 to 20 American heroes today and the Obama administration is preventing prayers from being said over their gravesites – today, ” Culberson said.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/26/texas-lawmaker-calls-for-congressional-probe-into-ban-christian-prayers-at/?test=latestnews
Quote from: Beach Bum on July 15, 2011, 08:52:42 PM
Day of Prayer Lawsuit Against Gov. Perry Dismissed
A federal judge ruled Thursday that Texas Gov. Rick Perry can take part in a day of prayer next weekend and his participation does not violate the Constitution.
A suit was filed last month by activist Kay Staley and a group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation, who argued Perry participating in the event constituted a breach of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The Establishment Clause prohibits government from taking action that favors religion.
The Liberty Institute — a Judeo-Christian-oriented First Amendment rights nonprofit — intervened, and filed a motion on behalf of co-defendant American Family Association, which is planning and promoting the day of prayer and fasting — labeled “The Response” — scheduled for Aug. 6 at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.
“This is a complete and total victory for freedom and the First Amendment,” said Kelly Shackelford, president and CEO for the Liberty Institute. “The judge rightly dismissed this case and the national prayer event will go on as planned. This was an attack on the First Amendment rights of every American, and it failed miserably.”
Staley, a Houston realtor who strongly fights on church and state issues, has filed other lawsuits seeking to silence religious expression in the public sphere. A most recent filing on her behalf against the Houston City Council and a sitting councilwoman sought to end the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer at the beginning of council meetings.
The Liberty Institute also intervened in that instance, defending Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice last August.
http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/lawsuit-Perry-religion-state/2011/07/29/id/405326
Post by: Dos Equis on August 17, 2011, 10:32:52 AM
Lieberman Defends Perry, Bachmann's Show of Faith
Former Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Lieberman rushed to the defense of Rep. Michele Bachman, R-Minn., and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, who have been criticized for openly speaking of their faith on the campaign trail.
The independent senator from Connecticut, who typically caucuses with Democrats, said they have a constitution right to do so and noted “our country was founded on religious faith.”
Lieberman, appearing on talk show host Steve Malzberg's New York’s WOR radio, was asked about attacks on Bachmann, Perry and Mitt Romney for speaking about their religious beliefs.
"Well to me there's no good reason for it,” he said. “I mean maybe some people are offended by it because they think it should be private. If a person's faith matters to them, first it’s their right in our country to say whatever they want. They don’t lose that right under the Constitution just because they become a candidate for public office. But the second thing is this is the history of our country, our country was founded on religious faith.”
When asked if he had a problem with religious statements the GOP presidential candidates have made, Lieberman said, "I was about to say, Oh God no, that’s actually what I mean. That’s their faith, and I think that strengthens them, and I give them a lot of credit for speaking about it.”
Lieberman said that comments about faith help the public understand who the candidates are and gives insight into their actions. He added that ultimately such attack backfire because the majority of Americans believe in God.
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/lieberman-bachmann-perry-faith/2011/08/16/id/407596
New York Mayor Bloomberg Bans Religion at 9/11 Ceremony
By Martin Gould
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is under attack for refusing to allow members of the clergy to play a role in the city’s commemoration of the tenth anniversary of 9/11.
Bloomberg insists the ceremonies should focus on the families of those killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center. He is also barring political speech. But pastors and politicians are lining up to lambast his decision, reports The Wall Street Journal.
"This is America, and to have a memorial service where there's no prayer, this appears to be insanity to me," said Rudy Washington, a deputy mayor under Bloomberg’s predecessor Rudy Giuliani, who organized a nationally televised interfaith ceremony at Yankee Stadium in the days after the 2001 attacks.
"I feel like America has lost its way," added Washington. “I am very upset about it. This is crazy.”
New York City Council member Fernando Cabrera, a pastor in the Bronx, said faith was one of the “pillars that carried us through” the days after the attacks and called religious leaders “the spiritual and emotional backbone.”
“When you have a situation where people are trying to find meaning, where something is bigger than them, when you have a crisis of this level, they often look to the clergy," added Cabrera, who said excluding religious leaders from the ceremony was "wiping out the recognition of the importance that spirituality plays on that day."
The most prominent religious leader in the city, Roman Catholic archbishop Timothy Dolan, said he would celebrate Mass in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the morning of September 11 and then go to St. Peter’s Church which is a short walk from Ground Zero.
Bloomberg says he wants the tone of the ceremony to be similar to that of previous years where the lack of religious input went largely unnoticed. But because this year marks a decade since the worst attack on American soil and with the presence of Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush this year’s event will receive far more notice.
It will also be the first time the ceremony, in which dignitaries will recite poetry and the names of the dead will be read out, has been held at the site of the Twin Towers.
Bloomberg, a Jew, has seemed to take contradictory positions on religion when it comes to matters surrounding 9/11. He has defended the display of religious symbols, including the so-called “World Trade Center Cross,” two steel beams which form a 20 foot tall cross which was discovered in the rubble of the Twin Towers, at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
He has also supported the right of Muslims to build Park51, a 13-story community center two blocks from the site, saying he “shouldn't be in the business of picking" one religion over another.
“I think it's fair to say if somebody was going to try, on that piece of property, to build a church or a synagogue, nobody would be yelling and screaming," Bloomberg said. "The fact of the matter is that Muslims have a right to do it, too."
The mayor’s spokeswoman Evelyn Erskine defended the decision not to invite religious leaders to speak. "There are hundreds of important people that have offered to participate over the last nine years, but the focus remains on the families of the thousands who died on Sept. 11," she said.
http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/bloomberg-911-bans-religion/2011/08/24/id/408556
Ky. High School Stops Football Pre-Game Prayer
CBNNews.com
A pre-game prayer was noticeably missing at Friday night's opening football game at Bell County High School in Pineville, Ky.
Following a complaint from the Freedom from Religion Foundation this month, the southeastern Kentucky school district has stopped the practice of beginning its games with a public prayer.
The group says its complaint was on behalf of a local family who it refused to identify.
School Superintendent George Thompson said the practice of having a local pastor offer prayer over loudspeakers was halted because previous court rulings indicated the county would lose a court battle, according to Hazard television station WYMT.
"Folks were pretty upset about it," he said. "Facebook has gone wild."
Sandra Stepp was one of many who were disappointed with the decision. Stepp's husband, Rev. Ray Stepp of Molus Pentecostal Church in neighboring Harlan County, had led the prayer for almost 20 years.
"It's sad that one person or two can stop this when there are so many of us wanting this," she told the Lexington Herald-Leader.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2011/August/Ky-High-School-Stops-Football-Pre-Game-Prayer-/
Obama to Speak at Prayer Service on 9/11
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama will speak at an interfaith prayer service at Washington National Cathedral the evening of Sept. 11 to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the terror attacks.
The White House had previously announced Obama would also visit all three sites where planes struck that day — New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pa.
Press Secretary Jay Carney announced plans for the prayer service speech Tuesday to reporters traveling on Air Force One with Obama to Minnesota.
Carney also said the White House would aim to commemorate "the remarkable resilience of the American people" and he emphasized the need to "remain absolutely vigilant in protecting" the United States and taking the fight to al-Qaida."
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/US-Obama-9-11/2011/08/30/id/409156
Post by: garebear on August 30, 2011, 09:04:41 AM
Quote from: headhuntersix on April 12, 2007, 10:33:11 AM
Your hate defines you.
It is why you are a weak man.
Obama proclaims National Days of Prayer and Remembrance
By: CNN's Ashley Killough
Washington (CNN) – Commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11, President Barack Obama proclaimed this weekend, Friday though Sunday, as National Days of Prayer and Remembrance.
“Today, our nation still faces great challenges, but this last decade has proven once more that, as a people, we emerge from our trials stronger than before,” Obama said in a statement Friday.
The president called on Americans to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks through activities such as prayer, memorial services, the ringing of bells, and evening candlelight remembrance vigils.
Obama also urged citizens to remember those among “the 9/11 generation” of service members who have “come of age bearing the burden of war,” with some paying the ultimate sacrifice.
“During these days of prayer and remembrance, a grateful nation gives thanks to all those who have given of themselves to make us safer,” Obama said.
Obama will attend memorial services at all three attack sites – New York, Washington and Pennsylvania – this weekend.
The proclamation comes in the wake of faith-based groups expressing opposition toward New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who stirred controversy when deciding to exclude religious leaders from the World Trade Center memorial service on Sunday.
Prominent politicians have also come out against the decision. On Tuesday, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said religion played a key role in the days following the attacks by offering people some “strength to move on.”
“Just get them up. Say a little prayer,” Giuliani said at the National Press Club in Washington Tuesday. “The microphone will not melt if you say a prayer.”
In his statement Friday, Obama did not address the clergy issue, but focused on the memory of those who lost their lives 10 years ago.
“We continue to stand with their families and loved ones, while striving to ensure the legacy of those we lost is a safer, stronger, and more resilient nation,” Obama said.
– CNN's Eric Marrapodi contributed to this report.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/10/obama-proclaims-national-days-of-prayer-and-remembrance/#more-175103
He needs it.
Perry tells social conservatives to pray for Obama
By: CNN Political Reporter Peter Hamby
Orlando, Florida (CNN) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday asked an audience of social conservatives in Florida to pray for President Barack Obama.
"As I campaign for president, I not only ask you for your vote and your support, I ask you for your prayers," Perry said. "I ask you to pray for our country. I ask you to pray for our president to give him wisdom, to open his eyes."
Perry was addressing a rally organized by the conservative Faith and Freedom Coalition ahead of Thursday night's GOP presidential debate in Orlando.
As he was deciding whether to run for president, Perry said prayer played a powerful role. The governor said he couldn't have entered the race "without being driven to my knees on many occasions."
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/22/perry-tells-social-conservatives-to-pray-for-obama/#more-177346
Post by: Dos Equis on October 28, 2011, 09:55:07 PM
Get a life already.
Atheist Group Tries to Stop Prayers at High School Football Games That Include ‘Jesus’
An Alabama school district has been accused of allowing prayers that invoke the name of Jesus during high school football games, according to a complaint filed by a national atheist organization.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation said the Lauderdale County school district has violated the First Amendment by allowing the prayers at Brooks High School.
School superintendent Bill Valentine confirmed to Fox News that he had received the complaint.
“We’ve referred that complaint to our attorney and we are in the process of reviewing it,” he said.
The complaint was lodged by a single resident who objected to the student-led prayer before high school football games played on school property.
The Times Daily newspaper identified the complainant as Jeremy Green. In an email to the newspaper, Green said he was taking a stand for the so-called “separation of church and state in an effort to protect the constitutional rights of the non-religious.”
“It is not the job of the public school system to endorse religion,” he wrote.
Valentine said that to his knowledge, no one has ever lodged a complaint with the school system about the prayers.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation filed a similar complaint against a school in Arab, Ala. That school decided to end pregame prayers and instead offer a moment of silence.
Valentine said they haven’t made any decision about prayers for Friday night’s football game.
He said the complaint has generated lots of telephone calls – mostly in support of keeping the prayers. He added that most callers have been understanding and “seem to appreciate the quandary we find ourselves in.”
Lauderdale County has about 8,600 students enrolled in public schools and Valentine said the community has a very active religious community.
Among those is David McKelvey, pastor of the nearby First Baptist Church, Killen. He discussed the controversy during his Sunday sermon.
“It’s very sad,” McKelvey told Fox News. “I would think that any other prayer from another religion would not receive this kind of negativity.”
McKelvey said he’s attended football games when students deliver prayer and to his knowledge they have always been benign – mostly prayers for the players, the coaches, the referees and the fans.
“They are in the Christian context with the student ending the prayer in Jesus’ name,” he said.
The pastor called the complaint “unfortunate” but not surprising. Christianity, he said, is under attack.
“It’s going on all over the place,” he said. “You just hate for it to be coming to your doorstep.”
Read more at Fox News & Commentary: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/daily-dispatch/alabama-town-under-atheist-attack.html
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/26/atheist-group-sues-over-prayers-at-high-school-football-games-that-include/
Post by: Straw Man on October 29, 2011, 07:56:32 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akah8HbqXw0
Paranoid anti-religious extremists just can't help themselves. ::)
Air Force Academy Backs Away from Christmas Charity
The Air Force Academy apologized Thursday night after it was accused of religious intolerance for promoting Operation Christmas Child – a program designed to send holiday gifts to impoverished children around the world.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation said military commanders crossed the line when they promoted the gift program, sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse, an organization run by Franklin Graham.
Operation Christmas Child said they expect to send more than 8 million shoe box gifts to underprivileged children in 100 countries. Around 60,000 churches and 60,000 community groups in the United States are participating.
MikeyWeinstein, of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said an evangelical Christian message is also included in the boxes.
“This is a proselytizing entity of Franklin Graham,” said the group’s president, Mikey Weinstein. He filed a complaint on behalf of 132 Academy personnel including two sets of Muslim-American parents.
The attack on Operation Christmas Child has generated outrage across the country.
“It’s another anti-faith effort that we are seeing by this administration,” said Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA), who just pushed a congressional effort to reaffirm “In God We Trust” as the national motto.
“This is beyond political correctness,” Forbes told Fox News. “This is an anti-faith mode that we see over and over again coming from this administration and the people serving in it.”
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, told Fox News that this is evidence that the Obama administration “has engaged in a culture war beyond measure.”
“We see here the collateral damage – the fallout of religious freedom and the attack on Christian organizations that are simply reaching out to help those in need,” Perkins said. “This is a long pattern under this administration under a president who apologized for everything that is American.”
“It’s so outrageous,” said Jordan Sekulow an attorney with the American Center for Law and Justice. He said the controversy is an example of the cultural shift happening in the United States.
“This is a perfect example of how heartless these groups are when it comes to defending their anti-religion position,” Sekulow said. “It’s not about the First Amendment. It’s about a real hatred of religious people and people of faith that they would go so far as to stop an assistance program like Operation Christmas Child.”
Weinstein refuted that allegation.
“We are not trying to take shoe boxes of toys and candy away from kids,” Weinstein told Fox News. “But this is clearly an egregious Constitutional mistake.”
The Academy sent an e-mail to the entire cadet wing inviting them to participate in the Operation Christmas Child project.
“As the holidays approach, we have the opportunity to provide the joy of Christmas to impoverished Children around the world,” read the e-mail sent to some 4,400 cadets and provided to Fox News. “PLEASE, PLEASE CONSIDER SPENDING SOME OF YOUR VALUABLE TIME AND MONEY TO LOVE ON A KID AROUND THE WORLD!!.”
Weinstein said he was alerted to the program on Wednesday after he was notified by an upset cadet.
“The cadet sent an e-mail saying, ‘This just shows how our military is supporting one religion – which is Christianity,’” Weinstein said.
He later received a telephone call from Brig. Gen. Richard Clark, the Academy’s commandant of cadets, to apologize.
“He said it was a mistake and he would fix it,” Weinstein said. “Lady Liberty is smiling tonight. This is a victory for the Constitution.”
“We agree that it was inappropriate,” Academy spokesman Lt. Col. John Bryan told the Colorado Gazette. He told the newspaper that the initial e-mail was sent by cadets without the knowledge of senior leaders.
Late yesterday, cadets received the following e-mail retracting the promotion of Operation Christmas Child:
“My apologies for the below message as it was not sent to the proper audience. The Cadet Chaplain Corps will be resending through the proper channels and to the proper audience.
Weinstein said he doesn’t have a problem with secular toy drives – but Graham’s, he said, crossed the line.
“Franklin Graham is a fundamentalist – a total enemy of the Constitution – an absolutely incredible Islamophobe,” Weinstein said.
He argued that Operation Christmas Child should have been promoted through the Academy’s chaplains – not the entire Academy. And that’s exactly where the project rests – in the hands of the chaplains.
“The kids will still get their toys,” he said acknowledging that it will only be promoted to a smaller subset of people.
Operation Christmas Child said they were unaware of the controversy at the Air Force Academy.
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/air-force-academy-backs-away-from-christmas-charity.html
Post by: MCWAY on November 04, 2011, 10:10:25 AM
Giving kids toys on Christmas........AAAAAAA AAHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Quote from: MCWAY on November 04, 2011, 10:10:25 AM
The horror . . . .
Post by: Straw Man on November 12, 2011, 11:39:27 AM
Radical Fundie Christians gather to protest the religious freedom of their fellow citizens
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/detroit-faith-leaders-condemn-11-11-11-christian-prayer-event-vilifying-muslims/
Some Detroit Faith Leaders Condemn 11-11-11 Christian Prayer Event
Friday, November 11th, 2011 is an unusual day. So unusual, in fact, that it occurs only once every 100 years. While some people are planning to mark the triple convergence of 11′s with a splash, hoping it will bring them good fortune, others are planning to rid Detroit of demons – Muslim “demons,” that is.
As The Blaze previously reported, Evangelical group known as “The Call,” headed by Lou Engle, is planning a prayer rally at Ford Field in Detroit on November 11th, with the goal of uplifting the city of Detroit, “a microcosm of our national crisis,” as Engle describes it.
Engle believes Detroit is “God’s staging ground for healing and prayer,” capable of producing “a prayer that can change the nation.” He points out that Detroit is rife with “economic collapse, racial tension, the rising tide of the Islamic movement, and the shedding of our children’s innocent blood on the streets and yet unborn.”
Some leaders of Detroit’s Christian and Muslim communities, however, have expressed concern about the real aim of the planned rally. They believe The Call’s leaders frequently “demonize Islam and promote ‘Dominionist’ theology, which advocates a takeover of government, media and business by conservative Christians.”
And the Council for Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling on mosques across the Detroit area to beef up security in preparation for the event.
To counter the planned rally, local leaders gathered Thursday afternoon in Detroit’s Grand Circus Park to promote an alternative event “for people of faith to pray for Detroit in an inclusive, non-political way,” and to denounce Lou Engle’s rally at Ford Field as “un-Christian, “un-American,” and “idolatrous.”
Critics of Engle point to his intentions of converting “Muslims to Christianity before they turn Michigan into an Islamic state,” as cause for concern. Indeed Engle has alienated many potential sympathizers with statements such as this:
“At 11-11-11 the Lord just clearly showed to us, you got to pray all night long because it’s when the Muslims sleep and all over the world right now Muslims in the night are having dreams of Jesus, we believe that God wants to invade with His love Dearborn with dreams of Jesus. We’re gathering together to say God, pour out your grace and revelations of Jesus all over Dearborn and the Muslim communities of North and South America.”
An additional element of controversy surfaced when several of Detroit’s most prominent African-American pastors agreed to support and join Engle’s rally. Other pastors came to their defense, however, indicating that they were tricked into believing this was a “nice, goody-goody event and we’re going to sing kumbaya.”
On Friday, 11/11/11, the day of “reckoning,” all shall be revealed, or so Engle says:
Penn State and Nebraska Teams Pray Together For Child Sex Abuse Victims
By Noel Sheppard | November 12, 2011
There was a touching scene before Saturday's Penn State-Nebraska football game when all the players and coaches from both teams joined in the middle of the field to say a prayer for the victims in the emerging child sex abuse scandal that has rocked the nation (video follows with commentary): [click on the link to see the video]
May G-d bless all the victims and families taken advantage of by members of the Penn State University faculty and donors, and let there be swift justice for those that were involved in these heinous acts as well as for anyone that assisted in covering them up all these years.
(http://newsbusters.org/sites/default/files/thumbnail_photos/2011/November/Nebraska.jpg)
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/11/12/penn-state-and-nebraska-teams-pray-together-child-sex-abuse-victims
Quote from: Beach Bum on November 12, 2011, 11:50:11 AM
yeah - all that prayer is going to do a lot of good for those poor kids who were raped by that freak while everyone looked the other way.
how can someone witness a child or anyone being raped and not do something about it immediately?
Proposal to bring back "In God We Trust" on Georgia License Plates
by Bree Tracey | November 16, 2011
On a typical Georgia license plate you'll see a pastoral image of green fields and peaches, but one thing you won't find is the motto "In God We Trust."
Sen. Bill Heath (R-GA) is trying to change this by filing a proposal Tuesday to make the phrase "In God We Trust" the default motto on all Georgia license plates, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Last spring, the state held a public contest to pick a new license plate design. The Revenue Department's website showed entries with the "In God We Trust" motto on it and did not make it clear the motto was not a permanent part of each design, so people were forced to re-vote.
Motorists can already purchase a sticker with the motto for $1 that can be placed over the county name decal that comes standard on each license plate, but Sen. Heath wants to reverse this order. He proposed for the motto to appear on all Georgia license plates after July 1st, leaving motorists with the option to cover the motto with a decal sticker if they wanted.
Tuesday was the first day state lawmakers could submit proposed laws and resolution in advance of next year's legislation session that begins January 9.
http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/11/16/proposal-bring-back-god-we-trust-georgia-license-plates?test=latestnews
Post by: kcballer on November 18, 2011, 09:53:54 AM
Prayer didn't stop the catholic church being pedophiles. How will it do anything here? Hmmm? it won't. Pray is a selfish act designed to make one feel better about their own self interest. Oh well i'm not going to actually help but i'll pray so yeah that makes it okay. Loser.
Quote from: kcballer on November 18, 2011, 09:53:54 AM
The entire Nebraska and Penn State football teams disagree with you. :)
Oh no! A bunch of footballers disagree with me. ::)
Yes, they do. As does the vast majority of the country.
the vast majority of the country thinks praying for child rape victims is somehow helping the victims?
where did you get that idea?
Instead they should pray that Sandusky makes a fuil confession and then puts a bullet in his head
that would actually be helpful to society and it might even make the victims feel a bit better too
haha and that's why we have child molestation because instead of doing something about it, people like you would rather 'pray' about it. great solution. How's that working out for ya? ::)
Actually, I think pedophiles should be one and done. The recidivism rate is astronomical.
In any event, the Penn State/Nebraska prayer was pretty awesome.
what was so awesome about it ?
just a bunch of people praying
it happens every day all over the world.
Post by: Dos Equis on November 18, 2011, 09:17:04 PM
What a pathetic life these people lead. Running around the country crying about religious symbols. ::)
Military Investigates Memorial Cross at Camp Pendleton
Military officials at Camp Pendleton are investigating a cross that was erected by a group of former Marines to honor their fallen colleagues, after an atheist group objected to the monument.
“Camp Pendleton legal authorities are researching and reviewing the issue in order to make a judicious decision,” Lt. Ryan Finnegan said in a statement to Fox News & Commentary. “As Marines, we are proud to honor our fallen brothers, and are also proud of our extended Marine Corps family. However, it is important to follow procedure and use appropriate processes for doing this in a correct manner to protect the sentiment from question as well as be good stewards of our taxpayer dollars.”
(http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/marines.jpg)
Photo Courtesy of LA Times
The Los Angeles Times documented the former Marines as they carried the 13-foot cross up a steep hill – a Veterans Day journey that took two hours. They were accompanied by the widows and children of the fallen Marines. You can read the LA Times blog by clicking here.
The cross was erected and dedicated to the memory of Maj. Douglas Zembiec, Maj. Ray Mendoza, Lance Cpl. Aaron Austin and Lance Cpl. Robert Zurheide. It replaced another cross that was destroyed by a brush fire in 2003.
The former Marines chose to carry the cross, rather than use a vehicle. They told the newspaper that carrying the cross was an act of profound symbolism: the fallen are never forgotten, the mission never falters.
But for Jason Torpy, president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, the cross is a violation of the constitutional separation of church and state.
“The question is why government officials would allow this to happen,” Torpy told Fox News & Commentary.
Torpy said he contacted Camp Pendleton to raise objections on behalf of a number of his members who read the LA Times story.
“I can definitely understand losing someone in combat,” Torpy said. “I was in Iraq. But it’s unfortunate that now I have to be a bad guy and ask why is this on federal land instead of on private land.”
Torpy said he could have given the Marines a pass.
“Maybe, but not really,” he said. “This is a large, 13-foot cross – generally these things are posted up in places that lord over the surrounding area.”
He said the allowing the cross to remain on Camp Pendleton property is “exploiting my service in order to gain special privileges for Christianity and that’s not fair to me.”
Lt. Finnegan confirmed to Fox News that the cross is on Camp Pendleton land.
He said the former Marines who erected the cross were “private individuals acting solely in their personal capacities. As such they were not acting in any official position or capacity that may be construed as an endorsement of a specific religious denomination by the Department of Defense or the U.S. Marine Corps.”
Depending on the outcome of the review, the cross could be removed.
Torpy said that’s the appropriate thing to do.
“I’m sure there’s maybe some way that this could be worked out, but wandering up a hill at Camp Pendleton with an exclusively sectarian religious monument, a big one, and say ‘I’m just going to do this on my own – that’s not how the federal government works,” he said.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and a former Marine, said he was disgusted by the atheist’s complaints.
“It’s really outrageous and it shows the hostile environment that’s been created by this (Obama) administration towards religious freedom,” Perkins told Fox News. “At some point, we have to say, enough is enough.”
Perkins said radical atheists are attacking the U.S. Military.
“I’ve actually climbed those hills at Camp Pendleton and getting a cross to the top of them is no small challenge,” Perkins said. “But unfortunately, the greater challenge is to ensure that radical secularists do not crucify the freedoms won by these heroic efforts of the men and women who serve – on the cross of political correctness.”
Lt. Finnegan said it was unclear how long the investigation might take.
http://radio.foxnews.com//toddstarnes/top-stories/military-investigates-memorial-cross-at-camp-pendleton.html
Post by: Straw Man on November 18, 2011, 10:39:13 PM
Quote from: Beach Bum on November 18, 2011, 09:17:04 PM
you're referring to the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers ?
Preach B. Hussein. :)
Obama delivers very Christian message at Christmas tree lighting
By Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor
(CNN) - President Barack Obama delivered an unusually stark Christian message at the White House Christmas tree lighting Thursday night, saying Christ's message "lies at the heart of my Christian faith and that of millions of Americans."
"More than 2,000 years ago, a child was born to two faithful travelers who could find rest only in a stable, among the cattle and the sheep," Obama said at the tree lighting ceremony, a longstanding White House tradition.
"But this was not just any child," Obama continued. "Christ’s birth made the angels rejoice and attracted shepherds and kings from afar. He was a manifestation of God’s love for us."
Obama has been more public and specific about his religious beliefs since polls last year showed that only a minority of Americans know he is Christian. Last Easter, Obama got unusually specific about his beliefs on Christ's resurrection at a White House prayer breakfast.
Some conservative Christian leaders have questioned Obama's Christian faith, even though Obama got his start in politics through church-based political organizing and has written about accepting Jesus in his 20s.
Last month, South Carolina Christian conservative leader Bob Jones III told a reporter “I’ve no reason to think (Obama is) Christian."
“Some people will say whatever they think the politically helpful thing would be,” Jones said. “I say, ‘Where is the evidence that he is a Christian?’ ”
In his remarks at Thursday's tree lighting, Obama said that Jesus "grew up to become a leader with a servant’s heart who taught us a message as simple as it is powerful: that we should love God, and love our neighbor as ourselves."
"So long as the gifts and the parties are happening, it’s important for us to keep in mind the central message of this season," he said, "and keep Christ’s words not only in our thoughts, but also in our deeds."
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/01/obama-delivers-very-christian-message-at-christmas-tree-lighting/comment-page-2/
Post by: Dos Equis on December 02, 2011, 07:48:00 PM
Who comes up with this stupid stuff? ::)
U.S. Military to Rescind Policy Banning Bibles at Hospital
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center said they are rescinding a policy that prohibits family members of wounded military troops from bringing Bibles or any religious reading materials to their loved ones.
The decision to rescind the ban on Bibles came exactly one day after a Republican lawmaker denounced the policy on the House floor and called on President Obama to publicly renounce the military policy.
“The President of the United States should address this and should excoriate the people who brought about this policy and the individual who brought it about should be dismissed from the United States Military,” Rep. Steve King (R-IA) told Fox News & Commentary.
King spoke from the House floor Thursday blasting a policy memorandum from the commander of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center written by Chief of Staff C.W. Callahan. The September 14th memo covers guidelines for “wounded, ill, and injured partners in care.”
“No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit,” the policy states.
“That means you can’t bring in a Bible and read from it when you visit your son or your daughter, perhaps – or your wife or husband,” King said. “It means a priest that might be coming in to visit someone on their death bed couldn’t bring in the Eucharist, couldn’t offer Last Rites. This is the most outrageous affront.”
A spokesperson for the medical center told Fox News late Friday that the policy will be rewritten and its intent will be made “crystal clear.”
“The instructions about the Bibles and reading material have been rescinded,” said Sandy Dean, a public affairs officer for Walter Reed. “It will be written to articulate our initial intention which was to respect religious and cultural practices of our patients.”
Dean said the instruction was “in no way meant to prohibit family members from providing religious items to their loved ones at all.”
If that’s the case, why is the policy being rescinded?
“We don’t want there to be any misinterpretation of what we’re trying to say,” she told Fox News. “We appreciate Congressman King bringing this to our attention. We don’t want our instructions to be ambiguous.”
We appreciate him bringing it to our attention.
Rep. King said the military has some explaining to do.
“I don’t think there’s any excuse for it and there’s no talking it away,” King told Fox News. “The very existence of this, whether it’s enforced or not, tells you what kind of a mindset is there.”
“The idea that these soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that have fought to defend our Constitution, and that includes our First Amendment rights to religious liberty –would be denied that religious liberty when they are lying in a hospital bed recovering from wounds incurred while defending that liberty is the most bitter and offensive type of an irony that I can think of,” he said.
The policy has brought strong condemnation from religious and conservative advocacy groups.
“It flies in the face of not only the Bill of Rights, but 200 years of federal law,” said Ken Klukwoski, of the Family Research Council. “This current administration is showing unprecedented hostility towards those practicing the Christian faith.”
“But beyond that,” he told Fox News, “We’ve also seen a militantly secular attitude of trying to sterilize the Defense Department of all references to faith.”
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, echoed Rep. King’s demand that whoever is responsible for the memo be fired.
“It cannot be allowed to stand,” Land told Fox News. “It must be rescinded and the people responsible for perpetrating it should be fired.”
Land said the policy “shows the ugly face of the pseudo-tolerance of secularism.”
“They claim to be tolerant but this is as intolerant as you can be – to not allow wounded soldiers to have religious artifacts,” Land said.
King said Americans must “take a very strong stand.”
“Christians are generally nice people and for that reason they can victimize the Christians in this country,” he said. “There was a reason that Christ gave us the demonstration of righteous anger when he threw the money changers out of the temple. It gives us some license to throw these kinds of people out of the military.”
King said he’s been alarmed at a trend he’s seen to scrub Christianity from the military – most recently the decision to remove a cross from an Army chapel in northern Afghanistan because it violated Army regulations.
He placed the blame on the Obama Administration.
“This is Orwellian,” he said. “Who would have believed even two or five years ago that the Executive branch of government led by our Commander in Chief Barack Obama would produce some kind of document that would prohibit family members coming into our military hospitals
Klukwoski said he’s noticed a similar trend in what he called “anti-faith measures.”
“We are seeing a shocking level of hostility towards religious faith but beyond that – we’ve also seen a militantly secular attitude of trying to sterilize the defense department of all references to faith and references,” he said.
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/u-s-military-to-rescind-policy-banning-bibles-at-hospital.html
Post by: tonymctones on December 02, 2011, 10:49:05 PM
strawman and his cronies
Why can't these people just enjoy the most wonderful time of the year? How miserable are their lives? ::)
Atheist Group Seeks Banner to Join Christmas Display
ATHENS, Texas – A national atheist foundation plans to seek permission to hoist its own banner to join secular and religious Christmas displays on an East Texas courthouse square.
The display surrounding the Henderson County Courthouse in Athens includes a traditional Nativity scene, as well as multiple Santa Clauses, elves, wreathes, garland, trumpeters, dwarfs, snowmen, reindeer and Christmas trees, the Athens Daily Review reported.
"We've got an array of decorations and feel that we are in compliance with federal law," County Judge Richard Sanders told the newspaper. "We're not pushing any religious down anybody's throat. These are holiday decorations we enjoy."
However, county officials received a letter Monday from the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, which argued the seasonal display on courthouse grounds amounts to an unconstitutional endorsement of the Christian faith.
Foundation attorney Stephanie Schmitt says that since the county allows the nonprofit group Keep Athens Beautiful to erect the displays on the town square, they amount to a "public forum." Schmitt told the newspaper the group would ask to put up its own display.
Schmitt said the foundation had received 20 to 25 complaints this holiday season of religious displays it regards as illegal.
In Elmwood City, Pa., the foundation has proposed hoisting a banner that reads: "At this season of the Winter Solstice, LET REASON PREVAIL. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."
Meanwhile, Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt said his office received a report Thursday that someone had defaced some of the figures in the display, but the markings were later removed.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/10/atheist-group-seeks-banner-to-join-christmas-display/
Post by: Straw Man on December 11, 2011, 12:55:13 PM
Quote from: tonymctones on December 02, 2011, 10:49:05 PM
speak for yourself and I'll speak for myself
this is one instance where I'm in complete agreement with Bum and I thought this story might have been a joke
Why in the world would we care if soldiers have bible, koran, etc... I assume they have them in the field and I can't believe they wouldn't be allowed to have them in a hospital. Don't these places have chaplains? It just makes no sense at all.
Post by: garebear on December 11, 2011, 05:00:41 PM
At one point the vast majority of the country were absolute white supremacists. Were they correct in their racism since they formed a majority?
Learn to think independently, child.
Quote from: garebear on December 11, 2011, 05:00:41 PM
LOL learn how to disprove a point, does the white supremacists being wrong make another group wrong?
moron...
Quote from: Straw Man on December 11, 2011, 12:55:13 PM
your liberalism does have limits, I am impressed sir
Try to make some sense, even just once in a while. You know, to surprise us.
says the man who is gay yet subscribes to evolution...
tons of sense in that ;)
Post by: Hugo Chavez on December 11, 2011, 06:02:14 PM
I missed the joke, let me in on it lol... by the way, grats on the win today. nice!!!
Quote from: Hugo Chavez on December 11, 2011, 06:02:14 PM
To you too sir...Im still not buying into the hype but the man plays with alot of passion and it is fun to watch.
I think more than anything he brings the level of play of those around him up which is they sign of a good leader.
what do you think the meaning of life is to a person who is non religious and believes in evolution?
Well its pretty simple when you think about it, The idea behind evolution itself is to propagate your species, to ensure the continued existence through procreation. As there is no religious aspect to their thinking there isnt anything outside of that natural law that isnt a man made ideal.
Homosexuality is an evolutionary dead end as it doesnt serve the purpose of continuing the existence of our species.
There is clearly a contradiction in belief and action here which is lacking in common sense.
once again, good job calling me sir
my "liberalism" exists solely in your head
Post by: Soul Crusher on December 11, 2011, 07:28:33 PM
Your liberalism fits perfect in the ex USSR.
Quote from: 333386 on December 11, 2011, 07:28:33 PM
yeah, that makes a lot of sense
What if it's just nature's way of natural selection?
Post by: LurkerNoMore on December 12, 2011, 04:54:06 AM
Have been alerted to the benefits that have occurred from these footballers pray session?
Wasn't Palin's answer to the oil spill crisis to pray for Divine Intervention to come and remove the oil from the ocean? How'd that turn out?
Post by: tonymctones on December 12, 2011, 10:32:49 AM
It undoubtedly is sir, but the drive to procreate is the essence of life especially for a non religious subscriber of evolution.
Homosexuality is partly a genetic abnormality and partially choice. Just like having a propensity for violence is partially genetic and choice to let that predisposition have its way.
A person who believes in evolution and is non religious that chooses to allow their homosexual predisposition from procreating isn't fullfilling the main purpose of their life
(http://x0f.xanga.com/b2d8256234330269640904/b145550923.jpg)
Quote from: LurkerNoMore on December 12, 2011, 04:54:06 AM
Don't understand your first question.
I doubt the accuracy of your second question.
Post by: Skip8282 on December 12, 2011, 03:21:02 PM
Yeah, we have child molestation because people saying prayers. ::)
I think it's natural to want to think that people posting about politics are a little more learned and informed than a lot of others. But, with your level of education and logic, it shoots that idea right down...doh!
Quote from: Beach Bum on December 11, 2011, 11:12:11 AM
Pathetic.
Atheist Messages Displace California Park Nativity Scenes
AP/Ringo H.W. Chiu
(http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/U.S./396/223/atheistsigns.jpg)
A woman walks past a sign displaying an Atheist message along Ocean Avenue at Palisades Park in Santa Monica, Calif. Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Atheist messages have displaced most of the Christmas nativity scenes that local churches had placed in a California park for nearly six decades, and the churches say it was a coordinated attack.
Local churches have traditionally claimed 14 of the 21 display spaces to illustrate the story of the birth of Jesus Christ.
But atheists got all but three of the spaces this year because of a new lottery system.
"Our belief is that these new applicants have been working together to displace and push out the nativity scenes from the park, rather than erecting a full display of their own," said Hunter Jameson, a spokesman for a coalition of the city's churches.
The Santa Monica Daily Press reported that churches had little or no competition for the spaces during the past 57 years. This year, 13 people bid for spaces, prompting City Hall to use a random lottery system to allot the spots.
Two individuals got 18 spaces. One person can request a maximum of nine.
Damon Vix is behind the effort.
Last year, he put up a sign quoting Thomas Jefferson: "Religions are all alike -- founded on fables and mythologies." There were also selections on U.S. Supreme Court decisions about the importance of separating church and state.
Vix now helps other atheists populate the park spaces, including American Atheists Inc. and the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Secularists feel a need to be more vocal and express their civil rights, he said.
"For 60 years, it's almost exclusively been the point of view of Christians putting up nativity scenes for a whole city block," Vix said.
Jameson pushed the city to give "local preference" in awarding the spaces, since Dix doesn't live in Santa Monica.
City Attorney Marsha Moutrie wrote, however, that the Christmas displays cross the boundary into First Amendment free speech rights, which know no geographical boundaries.
"Everyone has equal rights to use the streets and parks for expressive activities, irrespective of residency," Moutrie wrote.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/13/atheist-messages-displace-california-park-nativity-scenes/?test=latestnews
Busy season for paranoid anti-religious extremists.
The plaintiffs ask for the homeland security law to be stripped of its references to God. They also ask for monetary damages, claiming to have suffered sleeping disorders and "mental pain and anguish."
"Plaintiffs also suffer anxiety from the belief that the existence of these unconstitutional laws suggest that their very safety as residents of Kentucky may be in the hands of fanatics, traitors or fools," according to the suit.
Atheists sue to take God out of state's terrorism law
By John Cheves — jcheves@herald-leader.com
Posted: 12:00am on Dec 2, 2008; Modified: 9:46am on Dec 2, 2008
An atheists-rights group is suing the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security because state law requires the agency to stress "dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth."
American Atheists of Parsippany, N.J., and 10 non-religious Kentuckians are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, set to be filed Tuesday in Franklin Circuit Court.
Edwin Kagin, a Boone County lawyer and the national legal director of American Atheists, said he was appalled to read in the Herald-Leader last week that state law establishes praising God — and installing a plaque in God's honor — as the first duty of the Homeland Security Office.
The state and federal constitutions both prohibit government from getting involved in religion, Kagin said Monday.
"This is one of the most outrageous things I've seen in 35 years of practicing law. It's breathtakingly unconstitutional," Kagin said.
Gov. Steve Beshear's office had not seen the suit and therefore had no comment, spokesman Jay Blanton said.
The requirement to credit God for Kentucky's protection was tucked into 2006 homeland security legislation by state Rep. Tom Riner, D-Louisville, a Southern Baptist minister.
"This is recognition that government alone cannot guarantee the perfect safety of the people of Kentucky," Riner said last week.
Riner said he expects Homeland Security to include language recognizing God's benevolent protection in its official reports and other materials — sometimes the agency does, and sometimes it doesn't — and to maintain a plaque with that message at the state's Emergency Operations Center in Frankfort.
In the suit, American Atheists argues that Homeland Security should focus on public-safety threats rather than promote religion. The suit notes that the federal and state homeland security agencies were created as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by Muslim fundamentalists, and it refers to those attacks as "a faith-based initiative."
http://www.kentucky.com/2008/12/02/612255/atheists-sue-to-take-god-out-of.html
School Vows to Fight For Nativity
By Todd Starnes/TWITTER
The superintendent of a public school district in Arkansas said it’s time for Christians to take a stand and that’s why he’s decided to reinstate a Nativity scene – in spite of possible legal action.
“Enough is enough,” said Jerry Noble, superintendent of the Green County Tech school district. “It’s His birthday. We celebrate Jesus’ birthday. One person should not be offended by that. We don’t leave it up all year. We’re not promoting religion. It’s not an effort to convert anybody.”
Noble told Fox News & Commentary the controversy surrounds a Nativity scene on a bulletin board at Green County Tech Primary School. The bulletin board also included the words, “Happy Birthday, Jesus.”
Noble said they had received some complaints about the decorations and after consulting with an attorney, he decided to remove the Nativity.
“My personal belief is that we should fight this sort of thing, but I didn’t want to put the school district at risk,” he said. “I could not take it upon myself to get the school in a legal entanglement over separation of church and state because we would have to use tax dollars to fight it and that’s not my job to do that.”
(http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/NATIVITY.jpg)
Nativity Bulletin Board - photo by KUAR
But his decision sparked a massive outcry in the community – and one organization offered to cover any legal costs the school system might incur over a lawsuit. That offer helped change the superintendent’s mind.
“To be honest with you, we offended a lot more people by taking it down than leaving it up,” Noble said. “So we put it back up.”
Noble, who is a Christian, said he doesn’t understand why anyone would be offended by the Nativity.
“Personally, I’m a Christian and if I’m going to offend somebody, I’d rather offend the non-believer – if it’s legal to do so,” he said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas said told radio station KUAR that the school district must obey the Constitution.
“To say that if you have to offend somebody you’d rather offend those in the minority, well that’s just what the Constitution and the First Amendment are all about – not offending the minority, standing up for everybody’s right to practice their religion whether there is one person in your town or a thousand,” ACLU Director Rita Sklar told KUAR. “That the superintendent and perhaps others don’t have respect for that, I think is very sad.”
The Nativity scene was erected by Kay Williams, a counselor at the primary school. She’s been doing it for more than 20 years without any hint of controversy.
“We do live in the Bible Belt,” Williams told the Paragould Daily Press. “One thing that really disturbed most of [the supporters] was we hear about things like this all the time in other parts of the country. But, this is kind of a first for the Bible Belt, here in Arkansas.”
That, Williams told the newspaper, is why they decided to take a stand.
“I think the people realized [this issue] is here and we better take a stand,” she told the newspaper.
Noble said the community support and the offer for free legal services led to his decision to allow the Nativity back into the primary school.
“The Christians in America have been silent for too long,” Noble said. “That’s why I struggled with it in the beginning.”
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/school-vows-to-fight-for-nativity.html
I cant believe these ppl dont have anything better to do with their free time.
Tell me about. Especially during the holiday season. Here is another one:
Atty: ‘Silent Night’ is Unconstitutional
(http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Silent-Night-300x229.jpg)
A group of five, six and seven-year old children will be able to sing ‘Silent Night’ in their Christmas program after Alabama school officials decided to ignore a complaint filed by a group that called the song “unconstitutional.”
The news came as a relief to students and teachers at G.W. Trenholm Primary School in Tuscumbia, AL after they found themselves thrust into the war on Christmas.
“We’ve always sung ‘Silent Night’ and we’ve never had a problem,” Principal Janice Jackson told Fox News & Commentary. “We were just surprised, very surprised.”
Jackson said she received a letter from Americans United for the Separation of Church and State asking them to drop the song from their annual Christmas pageant.
“As a Christian minister, I love the hymn ‘Silent Night, Holy Night,’ but it’s not appropriate in this circumstance,” said Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United in a statement to Fox News & Commentary. “This play takes place at a public elementary school and involves very young children.”
Lynn noted that the song “celebrates the birth of Christ as the savior, and not all families believe that.”
“Those who do are free to teach it at home or at church,” Lynn said. “Public schools are not the proper places for religious indoctrination.”
The play, called ‘The Reindeer Rebellion’ is a secular production involving Santa’s reindeer going on strike, Lynn said. He accused a teacher of choosing to “graft this Christian hymn onto the play.”
“We were so surprised because we are such a small school and we’re a small community. We can’t believe we were singled out for this,” Jackson said. “I thought it was a joke but the more I checked into it, I immediately called my superintendent.”
David Cortman, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, told Fox News & Commentary they plan on offering legal services to the school district free of charge in the event someone tries to file a lawsuit.
“Groups on the left such as Americans United have been trying to bully schools across the country all during this Christmas season, Cortman said. “When they tell schools it is unconstitutional to include a song such as ‘Silent Night’ in their Christmas program, they are simply wrong not only as a matter of law but also as a matter of fairness.”
He praised the school system for standing up to Americans United instead of caving in to their demands.
“I think it’s about time that not only Americans but schools specifically stand up to these Grinches who go on this Christmas attack every year yet deny there is any war on Christmas,” Cortman said.
Jackson said the children in grades K-2 didn’t understand the controversy.
“They just love to sing and they were even going to perform sign language with the song,” she said.
The community outcry, though, has been tremendous.
“I think it’s sad,” parent Amy Johnson told television station WHNT in Huntsville. “I don’t think this is the place to make your point politically or religiously. Christmas is about Jesus and that’s what the song is about.”
After consulting with their attorney, the school system decided to allow the students to perform the traditional Christmas carol.
“These children are just five six and seven years old,” Jackson said. “I guess we’re living in that kind of a world.”
She said she is relieved that the boys and girls will be able to sing and sign their song next week at the Christmas program. Had the song been cancelled, Jackson said she worried about how they would have told the children.
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/school-refuses-to-censor-%E2%80%9Csilent-night%E2%80%9D.html
Conversations with God? Imagine that. :)
Gingrich: I Pray Before Major Decisions
ATLANTIC, Iowa—Newt Gingrich spoke about his Catholic faith at several campaign stops, a nod to the Christian evangelical support he is likely to need to succeed in caucuses scheduled here Tuesday.
“I pray before virtually every speech and virtually every major decision,” Gingrich said.
Gingrich has been a Catholic for a few years, having converted after marrying his wife, Callista, whom he credits for his faith.
“Callista is a cradle Catholic and grew up in the Catholic church, I’m a convert. But all I can tell you is I find taking communion an enormously rewarding and deepening experience,” Gingrich said.
Gingrich changed religious denominations several times and his personal life, including his three marriages, has been played out in public. He has said several times he has sought forgiveness in his faith.
“I’ve been very clear publicly I’m not a perfect human being and I’ve made mistakes in my life and I’ve had to apologize to God and to seek reconciliation,” Gingrich said.
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/gingrich-prays-catholic-faith/2012/01/01/id/422728
Politicizing the National Prayer Breakfast? Shocking. ::)
Obama reflects on faith in prayer breakfast speech
By Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor
Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama spoke of his personal faith Thursday as he delivered remarks for the third year in a row at the National Prayer Breakfast.
In addition, Obama used the platform in front of religious dignitaries and politicians to express his vision of how faith and government intersect and can work together.
After his remarks, the president received a standing ovation from the crowd at the Washington Hilton, the White House pool reporter said. Journalists are barred from attending the breakfast with the exception of the White House pool, which follows the president. CNN requested and was denied access to the event.
The breakfast has hosted every president since Eisenhower.
Obama, who, as one administration official said, identifies as a "committed Christian who spends a lot of time working on his Christian walk," noted in the speech that he prays daily.
"I wake up each morning and I say a brief prayer, and I spend a little time in scripture and devotion," he said.
Since he has been in Washington, Obama has not formally joined a church. For nearly 20 years he was a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. The president and his staff have noted the logistical difficulties of a sitting president attending services, but he has visited several churches in Washington and worshiped privately with his family at Camp David.
The president also spoke of praying with Billy Graham, and said, "I have fallen on my knees with great regularity since that moment."
In his speech Obama made specific mention of his calls, visits and prayers with Joel Hunter, a megachurch pastor from Florida, and with Bishop T.D. Jakes, a megachurch pastor from Texas.
"From time to time, friends of mine, some of who are here today, friends like Joel Hunter or T.D. Jakes, will come by the Oval Office or they'll call on the phone or they'll send me an e-mail, and we'll pray together, and they'll pray for me and my family, and for our country," he said.
Hunter, who was at the breakfast, said Obama hit the right notes with the crowd.
"The president made a positive and practical application of Jesus' command to love our neighbors," Hunter said. "He connected that moral mandate to the economic and political issues we face, and he let us know that, for him, that common good compassion is an extension of his personal Christian faith."
Jakes was not at the breakfast but, when reached by phone, said he had read a transcript of the speech.
"Anytime we can have an open dialogue about faith on the highest level it is a very good thing," he said.
Jakes said he had "the privilege to pray" with the past three U.S. presidents, and noted of his time praying with Obama, "It's no different from any other president. My plan was to provide prayerful support regardless of his policies, some of which I agree with and some of which I don't."
An administration official speaking on background said Obama viewed the speech as chance to explain his personal faith practices and to show "his desire to step in the gap for those who are vulnerable."
The president also highlighted faith efforts that are particularly of importance to young evangelicals, a voting block he courted heavily in 2008. The Passion Conference, a massive gathering of young Christians that this year took aim at human trafficking, got a nod from the podium, as did other groups with targeted antipoverty efforts.
CNN Money – Obama: Jesus would back my tax-the-rich policy
Others in the room recounted the ease with which the president presented his case for the integration of his faith and policy.
"Each time that I have listened to the president reflect on his Christian faith, I'm struck by the quiet poignancy of his words as he speaks from the heart," said Stephen Schneck, a professor from Catholic University who has advised the administration in the past.
"This morning we all felt this. Most moving for me was the way he spoke of his concern for the poor and marginalized and the personal responsibility he felt to serve these 'least among us,' a responsibility that the president grounded in his daily prayer life," Schneck told CNN. But he added, "Of course, that doesn't change that he made a serious mistake with the HHS mandate."
Is Obama losing the Catholic vote?
The administration was still doing damage control over a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services policy that forces religious schools and institutions that offer employee health insurance to cover FDA-approved contraceptives. The move has angered many Catholics in particular, who oppose the use of contraceptives on religious grounds, and view the policy as an intrusion on their religious liberty.
Hunter, who has been a strong vocal supporter of the president, noted that while there was no rancor in the room about the HHS decision, "there is real disappointment with that decision."
Obama did not directly address the issue in his speech but did allude to it when describing his guiding principles on coming to tough policy decisions.
"We know that part of living in a pluralistic society means that our personal religious beliefs alone can't dictate our response to every challenge we face," he said. He added later, "Our goal should not be to declare our policies as biblical. It is God who is infallible, not us. Michelle reminds me of this often."
White House stands firm on contraception policy
Not long after the president's speech, the White House sent a fact sheet to reporters from Cecilia Munoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. It laid out a point-by-point articulation of the HHS policy, making specific mention that churches will be exempt from the policy and noting Catholic opposition by highlighting the work they have done together.
"The administration has provided substantial resources to Catholic organizations over the past three years, in addition to numerous non-financial partnerships to promote healthy communities and serve the common good," the statement from Munoz reads. "This work includes partnerships with Catholic social service agencies on local responsible fatherhood programs and international anti-hunger/food assistance programs. We look forward to continuing this important work."
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, also spoke at the prayer breakfast about the complexity of the balance between religion and governing.
"I think we all had two different experiences of what can happen when we bring faith into the world of government and business," he said. "Sometimes it creates conflict, and when we look at our planet's history, even wars. But in other times - more often, really - true faith can be a reconciling force of amazing power, a power that can make an entire society better."
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/02/obama-reflects-on-faith-in-prayer-breakfast-speech/
Gingrich: 'While I want your vote, I need your prayers'
by Joy Lin | February 04, 2012
LAS VEGAS -- Newt Gingrich appeared to wipe a tear away Friday night after singing along to a moving rendition of "God Bless America" during a prayer meeting.
"While I want your vote, I need your prayers," the candidate told a congregation of approximately 500 people. "I hope that both Callista and I can be in your prayers because we will need them every day that we serve this country."
Other than attending Mass in the morning and holding a media avail tonight, Gingrich - who until now had maintained a busy public schedule every voting day - has nothing else on his calendar Saturday. The candidate says he has the "hope" of finishing second in the Nevada caucuses but is mindful that Ron Paul's organization may trump his chances.
"We're going all out to see if we can't be a good solid second here," an optimistic Gingrich told Greta Van Susteren Friday. "And then we're on to Colorado and Minnesota. Voting has already started in Arizona and in Ohio. We're going to be competing there."
The candidate called upon children in the congregation to join him on stage Friday night, the first time he had done so since South Carolina. It was a move that evoked memories of his earlier success, fitting given the Gingrich team's efforts to rejigger its operation after losing momentum in Florida.
On Fox News, Gingrich hinted at a potential path toward winning the nomination, saying he hoped to be "even with or slightly ahead" of Romney in total delegates by April 3.
"We're working our way toward Super Tuesday," Gingrich said to Van Susteren. "And we think we'll do very, very well on Super Tuesday, and then in Alabama and Mississippi the following week. And then we think we will clean up in Texas on the 3rd of April.'
A bullish Newt Gingrich ratcheted up his populist attacks on Mitt Romney Friday, abandoning his "Massachusetts Moderate" rhetoric for more forceful language that coupled the former governor with the current president. Romney, Gingrich said at a morning venue which featured a mechanical bull, is "Obama lite ... Obama is big food stamp, he's little food stamp." Criticizing Romney for his support of indexing federal minimum wage to inflation, Gingrich said such a policy would raise barriers for unemployment.
"Truth is I don't think he understands the free market," he said. "I think he understands a lot about finance. But finance isn't the free market and Wall Street isn't Main Street, and giant businesses aren't small businesses, and what matters in America is the ability of the local business person, man or woman, to create enough jobs, to hire enough people, to start people down the road."
At church Friday night, Gingrich took to the stage to once again attack Governor Romney for saying he isn't concerned about the "very poor" so long as there are "safety nets."
"My good friend, the governor from Massachusetts, said it was okay not to worry about the poor because after all they have a safety net," Gingrich said. "It's not a safety net, it's a spider web. It traps them in poverty. It keeps them at the bottom. It deprives them of independence. One of the reasons I'm running is because I want to replace the spider web with a trampoline that launches them into the middle class and gives them a future."
http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/02/04/gingrich-while-i-want-your-vote-i-need-your-prayers/
Who the heck is complaining about this? Good grief.
School Removes “God” From Lee Greenwood Song
Parents at a Massachusetts elementary school are furious after educators first removed the word ‘God’ from the popular Lee Greenwood song, “God Bless the U.S.A.” and then pulled the song all together from an upcoming concert.
Fox 25 in Boston is reporting that children at Stall Brook Elementary School in Bellingham were told to sing, “We love the U.S.A.” instead of “God Bless the U.S.A.”
After parents started complaining, school officials removed the song from the school assembly concert. The school’s principal released a statement to Fox 25 stating they hope to ”maintain the focus on the original objective of sharing students’ knowledge of the U.S. States, and because of logistics, will not include any songs.”
Greenwood released a statement to Fox News condemning the school’s actions.
“The most important word in the whole piece of music is the word God, which is also in the title ‘God Bless The USA,” Greenwood said. “Maybe the school should have asked the parents their thoughts before changing the lyrics to the song. They could have even asked the writer of the song, which I of course, would have said you can’t change the lyrics at all or any part of the song.”
Greenwood said the phrase “God Bless the USA” has a “very important meaning for those in the military and their families, as well as new citizens coming into our country.” He said it’s also played at every naturalization ceremony behind the national anthem.
“If the song is good enough to be played and performed in its original setting under those circumstances, it surely should be good enough for our children,” Greenwood said.
An online poll taken by the television station indicated more than 80 percent of viewers were outraged by removing God from the song.
“I don’t have a problem with the song if somebody else does I guess it’s there business,” resident Patrick Grudier said. “I mean It’s on our currency (God).”
But not everyone agreed – including parent Matthew Cote.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with changing the song,” he told the television. “It’s a public school. If you want to have the word God in the song, go to a private school.”
Reaction on Facebook has been overwhelmingly in favor of the traditional patriotic song.
“Here we go again, more war on Christianity,” wrote one Facebook user. “You can remove God all you want, but the good news — there is still a loving God and He lives.”
Another Facebook user called it sad and disgusting. “I’d like to say unbelievable — but it is so totally believable.”
LEE GREENWOOD’S STATEMENT TO TODD STARNES
“Maybe the school should have asked the parents their thoughts before changing the lyrics to the song. They could have even asked the writer of the song, which I of course would have said you can’t change the lyrics at all or any part of the song. The most important word in the whole piece of music is the word God, which is also in the title God Bless The USA. We can’t take God out of the song, we can’t take God out of The Pledge of Allegiance, we can’t take God off of the American currency. Let us also remember, the phrase God Bless the USA has a very important meaning for those in the military and their families, as well as new citizens coming to our Country. The song is played at every naturalization ceremony behind The National Anthem. If the song is good enough to played and performed in its original setting under those circumstances, it surely should be good enough for our children.” – Lee Greenwood
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/school-removes-god-from-lee-greenwood-song.html
Shocking. Not. "But while President George W. Bush hosted interfaith events at the White House to observe the day, Obama has not publicly observed the day and has no such events scheduled Thursday."
National Day of Prayer, A Largely Christian Event, Grows In Popularity As It Stirs Debate
Posted: 05/ 3/2012 11:12 am
Selena Lockwood of Byram, Miss., holds her hand up in a prayerful salute during the National Day of Prayer at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., last year. Hundreds of Texans are expected to come to downtown Dallas Thursday for an eight-hour string of faith-based celebrations that will include Sikh drummers, Islamic prayers, Hindu singers, a Jewish cantor and Methodist and Baptist congregations.
It may sound like a standard interfaith event, another of the many that have become popular in increasingly diverse American cities, but the revelry at the the city's Thanks-Giving Square in observance of the National Day of Prayer is unique in how far it's departed from its Protestant roots.
The National Day of Prayer, which has been observed on the first Thursday in May for 24 years, is still a largely Christian event, in which millions of Americans from thousands of churches across the country will participate, bowing their heads to God in prayer on the day that traces its history to the nation's earliest years. There will be Bible read-a-thons in front of city halls, police officers will pay tribute to the nation's first-responders at churches, and the devout will descend upon courthouse steps across American cities to grace the buildings with prayer.
But the event, designated via presidential proclamation, has increasingly faced accusations of encouraging an uncomfortable mingling of church and state and being too narrowly focused in practice on Christianity.
On one side, secular humanists and atheists have responded by promoting their own event, Thursday's National Day of Reason. Now in its ninth year, the nonreligious celebration has expanded to more than a dozen cities, where it's observed with blood drives, training on pro-secular policy lobbying and voter registration drives, as well as social events.
On the other hand, believers such as those in Dallas have tried to change the day's legacy by broadening its appeal. The Thanks-Giving Foundation, which typically observes the National Day of Prayer with an interfaith breakfast or luncheon, has made this year's event into a day-long festival, where more than half the events are purposefully devoted to non-Christians.
"We believe in the idea that gratitude is something that all faith traditions and all cultures value," said Chris Slaughter, a Christian Scientist who is president of the Thanks-Giving Foundation, which will be celebrating its 30th National Day of Prayer. "It can be used as a beginning point of conversation to learn about each other to gain respect and understanding."
That's a stark contrast to the theme of the Colorado Springs-based National Day of Prayer Task Force, one of the largest prayer event organizations. The group, which is chaired by Shirley Dobson, wife of evangelical group Focus on the Family's founder James Dobson, aims to "preserve America's Christian heritage," according a statement on its website.
A representative from the National Day of Prayer Task Force did not reply to a request for comment, but the website includes listings for thousands of events across the nation on Thursday. Representatives for the organization have said in interviews that interest in hosting Christian prayer events has increased by 35 percent this year.
John Inazu, a law professor who specializes in the First Amendment at Washington University in St. Louis, said the increasing popularity of Christian and interfaith National Day of Prayer events and the National Day of Reason reflects a growing conflict over the role of religion in public life.
Inazu pointed out that it's been 50 years since organized prayer in public schools was declared unconstitutional in Engel v. Vitale, a landmark Supreme Court case, but that laws that allow for voluntary prayer or moments of silence in schools and initiatives to have prayers in government buildings and in public spaces have gotten more popular.
"Some religious believers will likely use the Day of Prayer to call attention to what they view as a regrettable and consequential court decision," Inazu said. "But there's an important distinction between official school or government prayer or a public school or public space that allows prayer. The key is that it's voluntary and the guidance is made as non-sectarian and as general as possible."
The National Day of Prayer has met few legal challenges since it was made official in 1952 by President Harry Truman, who left it to subsequent presidents to decide its date each year. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation that set its observation to the first Thursday in May.
Two years ago, a federal judge in Wisconsin ruled that the government-sponsored National Day of Prayer violated the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from establishing religion. After an appeal from President Barack Obama's administration, a higher court reversed the decision last year and ruled that the government proclamation did not require anyone's participation.
As is customary, Obama issued a proclamation this week on the Day of Prayer in which he asked "all citizens of our Nation, as their own faith directs them, to join me in giving thanks for the many blessings we enjoy" and called for "individuals of all faiths to pray for guidance, grace, and protection for our great Nation."
But while President George W. Bush hosted interfaith events at the White House to observe the day, Obama has not publicly observed the day and has no such events scheduled Thursday.
Shin Inouye, a White House spokesman, said in an email that Obama "has been honored to celebrate prayer and faith through events like his recent Easter Prayer Breakfast, an annual event for Christian leaders begun in the Obama Administration, and speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast ... As a devoted Christian, the President prays daily and deeply appreciates the important role that prayer plays in the lives of millions of Americans."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/03/national-day-of-prayer_n_1473966.html
Post by: garebear on May 30, 2012, 02:32:58 AM
They're actually doing something.
You're wining on a message board.
And only to say that the other people doing something have nothing to do with their time.
Post by: tonymctones on May 30, 2012, 02:50:03 PM
Quote from: garebear on May 30, 2012, 02:32:58 AM
YAYYYYY!!!! I got trolled!!!!
im posting on a message board b/c I dont find this topic so compelling that I need to go to such idiotic heights as your friends.
I have plenty of things to take my time work, school, gym, booze etc...I would rather spend my time doing more constructive things.
Everyone has the right to practice any religion they choose, or not religion or at all, but we shouldn't be trying to appease a handful of paranoid anti-religious extremists.
Lawmakers claim Air Force culture becoming 'hostile towards religion'
Dozens of House lawmakers accused the U.S. Air Force this week of being "hostile towards religion," citing a string of recent incidents they claim show the military is taking separation of church and state too far.
"Censorship is not required for compliance with the Constitution," they wrote in a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
The letter from 66 Republican members of Congress referenced a series of cases where they claim the Air Force "succumbed" to demands from outside groups.
Among the incidents:
A decision to remove a Latin reference to "God" from a logo/motto for the Rapid Capabilities Office
A decision to stop requiring staff to check for Bibles in Air Force Inn rooms
The removal of a document from a distance-learning course for Squadron Officer School that suggested chapel attendance is a sign of strong leadership
The suspension of an ethics course because the material included Bible passages
"Mr. Secretary, the combination of events mentioned above raises concerns that the Air Force is developing a culture that is hostile towards religion," the lawmakers wrote. They urged Panetta to investigate all the incidents and issue "clear Department of Defense policy guidance."
The letter was drafted by Reps. Diane Black, R-Tenn.; Randy Forbes, R-Va.; and Todd Akin, R-Mo.
'Censorship is not required for compliance with the Constitution'
- GOP lawmakers in letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
The incidents were not all as clear-cut as the lawmakers made them sound.
In the case of the Squadron Officer School course, the training document in question contained the following paragraph: "If you attend chapel regularly, both officers and Airmen are likely to follow this example. If you are morally lax in your personal life, a general moral indifference within the command can be expected."
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation complained to the Air Force in March that the line "creates the inescapable impression that regular church attendance is a requirement for commissioned Air Force officers in order to demonstrate positive morals to subordinates." The group said the document violates the constitutional prohibition on religious tests for U.S. office holders.
The Air Force subsequently scrapped the document.
In the case of the Rapid Capabilities Office, the reference to God was removed following a complaint from an atheist group. The original logo, according to Fox News Radio, said in Latin: "Doing God's Work with Other People's Money."
It was changed to say, "Doing Miracles with Other People's Money."
In the case of the Air Force Inn rooms, the Air Force moved to nix a question from its checklist asking whether a Bible was provided, according to the Air Force Times, though it did not order Bibles to be removed.
The Republican lawmakers, though, said the change in attitude can all be traced back to a September 2011 memo from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz that said chaplains, "not commanders," are expected to notify airmen of the Chaplain Corps programs.
The lawmakers said this suggested "that the mere mention of these programs is impermissible." All the subsequent incidents, they said, "go beyond the requirements of the Constitution."
"The changes lend credence to the notion that the Air Force will remove any reference to God or faith that an outside organization brings to its attention," they wrote.
The Air Force said in a statement responding to the letter that airmen are "free to exercise their constitutional right to practice their religion -- in a manner that is respectful of other individuals' rights to follow their own belief systems."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/23/lawmakers-claim-air-force-culture-becoming-hostile-towards-religion/
Post by: Mr. Magoo on June 24, 2012, 05:12:03 PM
Quote from: Beach Bum on June 24, 2012, 04:37:40 PM
Did you mean a "right to practice" or did you really mean a "right to believe"? I think many would agree to the second, but the first can be troublesome when some religions call on believers to act out against those who don't believe. Is it a right for a muslim to attack a christian for example, if their religion calls for that action?
Quote from: Mr. Magoo on June 24, 2012, 05:12:03 PM
I meant "practice," "believe," "not believe," etc. Not really much of a difference in this context.
No, it's not right for a Muslim to attack a Christian, and that is not allowed in our country. Not sure what that has to do with the catering to paranoid anti-religious extremists in the article I posted?
Theres a difference between freedom to act and freedom to believe regarding obligations of religion versus obligation of society, several supreme court decisions have addressed it.
And I didnt asked if it was "right" for a muslim to attack a christian. I asked if it was A right. You said everyone has a right to practice any religion. I was seeing how consistent you was with that, or if you really meant that everyone has a right to believe any religion.
And I was speaking more generally regarding your comments about the article, not the article itself. My question was going beyond the article, directly at your comment.
Of course there is a difference between a belief and an action. Just not in the context of the article and my comments.
Everyone has the right to practice any religion, or no religion, but no right is absolute, including the right to life. They can all be taken away.
Paranoid anti-religious extremists hard at work.
Mayor defends war memorial after group calls for removal of cross
(http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/U.S./660/371/wooncross.jpg)
A national atheist organization is seeking to remove this cross from a 91-year-old war memorial in Woonsocket, R.I., claiming it violates separation of church and state.
A mayor has come to the defense of a war memorial that features religious symbols and prayers after a national group called for the cross to be removed.
“The Firefighter’s Prayer” is a 91-year-old memorial in a Rhode Island city that honors hometown soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice defending their country during World War I and II, MyFoxBoston.com reports.
It has stood in the parking lot of the Woonsocket fire station for decades with no complaints, until earlier this year when the Freedom from Religion Foundation called for it to be stripped of the cross, claiming it violates the First Amendment’s freedom of religion clause.
The group also wants the Woonsocket Fire Department to remove “The Firefighter’s Prayer” and a picture of an angel from its website.
“We ask that you immediately remove the cross from the Fire Station parking lot and remove the prayer and angel from the Woonsocket Fire Department website,” the foundation’s senior staff attorney, Rebecca Market, wrote in a letter to Woonsocket officials earlier this year.
But at an event Friday, Mayor Leo Fontaine reaffirmed earlier statements that the group’s request will not be met without a fight. “We will defend this monument no matter what,” he told MyFoxBoston.com. Fontaine said the monument is a symbol of the community, and the city is prepared to fight to keep the monument where it stands.
While the city is currently facing the possibility of bankruptcy, residents have rallied to raise $18,500 for a defense fund should the Freedom from Religion Foundation decide to file a lawsuit.
Fontaine has said that the city will not remove the cross, “under any circumstances.”
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/04/mayor-defends-war-memorial-after-group-calls-for-removal-cross/
Post by: Straw Man on August 07, 2012, 08:46:38 AM
BAPTIST CHURCH REFUSES TO ALLOW A BLACK COUPLE TO MARRY AND IS THEN SHAMED INTO AN APOLOGY WHEN THEIR BIGOTRY IS MADE PUBLIC
By Jeffrey Elizabeth Copeland, CNN
(CNN)–After barring a black couple from marrying in its Mississippi facility in late July, the First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs released a statement Sunday apologizing for its actions.
“We, the church, realize that the Hendersons and Wilsons should never have been asked to relocate their wedding. This wrong decision resulted in hurt and sadness for everyone. Both the pastor and those involved in the wedding location being changed have expressed their regrets and sorrow for their actions,” the church said.
Te’Andrea and Charles Wilson planned for months to marry at the First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs but were asked at the last minute to move.
Their pastor, Stan Weatherford, made the request on behalf of some congregants who didn't want to see the couple married there, according to CNN affiliate WLBT. He performed the ceremony at a nearby church.
Sunday’s statement follows a string of apologies from First Baptist and its congregation for turning away the young couple.
“As a church, we express our apology to Te’Andrea and Charles Wilson for the hurt that was brought to them in the hours preceding their wedding and beyond. We are seeking forgiveness and reconciliation with our Lord Jesus Christ, Te’Andrea and Charles, family and friends of the Hendersons and Wilsons, our church family, and our community for the actions and attitudes that have recently occurred,” the statement continued.
Despite the church’s recent statements, the Wilsons aren’t convinced of the congregations' sincerity, they said, calling the recent release “an insult” and “misleading to the public.”
“The pastor has not spoken to us since a couple days after the incident. We have not heard from the pastor or any church official since the incident,” Charles Wilson said Sunday.
Dr. Richard Land, head of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the public policy arm for the Southern Baptist Convention, called the church’s apology responsible and necessary.
“It certainly sounds to me as if God has been working on the hearts of the church members of Crystal Springs,” Land said. “And, they have seen and felt the error of their ways and they are expressing that in this letter. They’re apologizing and seeking to correct the damage that’s been done to the reputation of Christ and his church.”
Jonathan Thompson, the African-American community relations director for the city of Crystal Springs, was one of many community members to organize a unity rally after the incident, aiming to help reunite church members.
"I think this is an opportunity to really get intentional about reconciling," he said, adding that he prayed God would forgive all of them for their sins and that they would be able to find reconciliation.
However, Charles Wilson said, “at the rally, the pastor avoided us. He walked the other way when he saw us walking toward him. It would have been nice to talk to us before issuing a statement."
A spokesman who agreed to be identified only as a "church member" said that the church had attempted to reach out to the couple and that calls were not returned.
The Wilsons had attended the church but were not official members. They would have been the first African-American couple to marry in First Baptist Church’s 150-year history, church officials said.
"This had never been done before here, so it was setting a new precedent, and there are those who reacted to that because of that," Weatherford told CNN affiliate WLBT in July.
Many church members were unaware of the decision to refuse to marry the couple and reacted with surprise to the news.
The incident "didn't represent all the people of the church," said Thompson, who visited the church after the incident.
Sunday's statement reaffirmed the church's desire for the inclusion of all people. "We the membership of First Baptist Church Crystal Springs hold the position that we should be open to all people. Our desire is to restore the church to be a spiritual lighthouse in doing the Lord’s will in Crystal Springs and in Mississippi."
"I blame the First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs. I blame those members who knew and call themselves Christians and didn't stand up," Charles Wilson told WLBT.
“It’s up to them to decide whether to forgive or not. I hope they will,” Land said. “We recognized that our church, just like any other church, is made up of sinful- redeemed but flawed- saints who intentionally, at times, choose not to follow the Lord’s will. Alas, this is a truth of human nature.”
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/06/church-that-refused-to-marry-black-couple-releases-apology/
Post by: tonymctones on August 07, 2012, 03:43:04 PM
Quote from: Straw Man on August 07, 2012, 08:46:38 AM
this should be fought just like the idiotic paranoid anti religious stuff should be fought, wouldnt you agree straw?
Quote from: tonymctones on August 07, 2012, 03:43:04 PM
no way to answer such a generalized question
this example was a church refusing to allow a black couple to marry solely based on their race. That's just plain old fashioned racism and of course everyone should object to that (unless of course they are a racist)
this thread includes many examples of things that are not paranoid/anti-religious that fundies would like to characterize that way and I would not agree that they are equivalent with the experience of this couple in any way, shape or form
::)
School district dismisses atheist group's threat to sue over 'God' songs
By Maegan Vazquez
A national atheist group is demanding that a New York public school district remove songs from the curriculum of a music class because they feature the words "god" and "lord" in the lyrics, but the educators aren't backing down.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation has sent letters to the Shenendehowa Central Schools, in Clifton Park, N.Y., threatening legal action if the songs aren't removed from Okte Elementary School's curriculum. The possibly-religious songs include "Thank You for the World So Sweet," which says "Thank you God for everything," "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep," which says "I pray the Lord my soul to keep," "Michael Row your Boat Ashore" and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."
"They're going after little children over an innocent song."
- Bill Donohue, president of Catholic League
"This is not minor. It's predatory to conduct this toward a young, captive audience who would be truant if they didn't attend public school," Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, told FoxNews.com.
The organization sent a letter to Superintendent Oliver Robinson about the songs in June on behalf of a parent who complained. While the two groups communicated over the summer break, a third letter from the FRFF staff attorney arrived on Aug. 6, which warned of legal action.
School officials are standing firm, claiming the songs the kids are being taught are simply educational:
"None of the songs was taught, or used, as prayer. Thus, the case you cite dealing with school prayer is an inapposite...[the songs] were used appropriately to teach musical concepts," Kathryn McCary, the school district's attorney, said in letter mailed to the foundation.
Gaylor dismissed the argument, saying the songs don't have to be part of a prayer to violate the separation of church and state clause of the First Amendment.
"It doesn't matter that the devotional wasn't toward a specific religion. We've already been through this with another case that features prayer songs," she said.
Some religious organizations disagree.
"This would never stand a chance with the Supreme Court. They [FFRF] wants to censor the expressions of Christianity -- and they only go after the Christians, not the Jews or the Muslims. Now they're going after little children over an innocent song," Bill Donohue, president of Catholic League, told FoxNews.com. "I applaud the school district -- they've made a very cogent argument. If this goes to court, we need to teach them (FFRF) a lesson."
It looks like the complaint just might go through the rounds of the justice system.
"We have made it clear that we have a parent that is willing to take formal legal action in court," Gaylor said.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/14/atheists-demand-schools-to-remove-songs-mentioning-god/
Crybabies.
University of Tennessee Refuses to Ban Pre-Game Prayers
Posted in Top Stories
It’s football time in Tennessee where longtime gridiron traditions are cherished – from Rocky Top to the Pride of the Southland Marching Band. At the start of every game inside the colossal Neyland Stadium, thousands of the football faithful rise to their feet, remove their hats and pause for the pre-game prayer.
But in recent days the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s pre-game prayer has come under attack. The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a cease and desist letter to the public university calling for them to abandon the long-time tradition.
“This is a public university, not a Christian club,” wrote Annie Gaylor, co-president of the FFRF in a letter to the chancellor. “When you’re not religious or are of another faith and you get prayed at during events, it’s really very grating.”
“It’s a sock in the gut for you to go for a sporting event and then be told to conform to someone else’s religion,” she said in a story published by the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Chancellor Jimmy Cheek responded by saying the pre-game prayers are protected by the U.S. Constitution and will not be silenced on his campus.
“The university will continue to allow prayers before university events,” he wrote in a letter obtained by Fox News.
Cheek cited a court ruling from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals that specifically held that “nonsectarian prayer at public university events does not violate the First Amendment.”
And furthermore, Cheek said prayers will also be welcomed at other university events – outside the confines of the football stadium.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reported that the FFRF sent their cease and desist letter on behalf of UT alumni and students who “felt disenfranchised by the prayers.”
“You roll your eyes and say why is this going on at a government-subsidized event?” retired ecologist and FFRF member Bob Craig told the newspaper. “I also see it at all the high school games where they have prayers before games and after games. It’s really out of place. It’s hurting all those people that don’t have that belief and ostracizing them.”
The university’s decision brought praise from Kevin Brooks, a Republican state representative.
“I was at the game on Saturday and actually commented on how thankful I was that we began the game in prayer and how much I enjoyed the halftime musical performance of Amazing Grace,” he told Fox News.
Brooks said it was alarming that an outside organization from Wisconsin would involve itself in the affairs of another state. There is no separation of church and state in the Constitution, he noted.
“I am so thankful that Tennesseans are going to stand up and say this is the Volunteer State and voluntarily we’re going to keep praying,” Brooks said.
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/university-of-tennessee-refuses-to-ban-pre-game-prayers.html
Post by: Straw Man on September 20, 2012, 01:51:02 PM
fundie moron thinks the Federal Government should "investigate" cartoons
http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2012/09/18/13941805-fox-news-host-wants-south-park-investigated-for-blasphemy?lite
Fox News host wants 'South Park' investigated for blasphemy
By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper , TODAY
In the wake of news reports about the anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims," a Fox News host has decided that a bigger and more professionally made production, "South Park," should come under fire.
Todd Starnes, host of "FOX News & Commentary" and author of "Dispatches from Bitter America," spoke on a panel about "Religious Hostility in America" at the Values Voter Summit in Washington this past weekend, and Cartman and friends were on his mind.
"We have seen the administration come out and say, 'We condemn anyone who denigrates religious faith.' And they come out in regards to this anti-Muslim film," Starnes said. "Well, that's well and good, but my question is: When has the administration condemned the anti-Christian films that are coming out of Hollywood? Where are the federal investigations into shows like 'South Park,' which has denigrated all faiths? Where is the outrage when people of the Christian faith are subjected to this humiliation that is coming out of Hollywood?"
"South Park" has famously taken on religions of all kinds. Scientology is parodied in an episode where Stan is thought to be the reincarnation of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and Scientologist Tom Cruise wouldn't come out of Stan's closet. Mormonism is mocked in an episode where Stan is impressed by a Mormon family's behavior, if not convinced of their beliefs. Cartman constantly makes fun of Kyle, the lone Jew among the four main characters. Catholicism, especially the child-molestation scandals involving priests, has also been targeted by the show.
"South Park" also portrayed Muhammad. In its fifth season, the show featured the "Super Best Friends," a superhero group led by Jesus and consisting of Muhammad, Buddha, Moses, Joseph Smith, Krishna, Laozi and an Aquaman parody called Sea Man. The episode first aired on July 4, 2001, before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks of that year, and there was little fuss when Muhammad was portrayed. But when the show tried to show a Muhammad character in 2010, Comedy Central altered the episode.
In June, a Muslim man pled guilty to threatening the "South Park" creators over the 2010 episode and was sentenced to 11 1/2 years in prison
Post by: Mr. Magoo on September 20, 2012, 03:42:36 PM
Quote from: Beach Bum on September 20, 2012, 11:33:31 AM
Isn't this whole thread you crying over people who cry too much?
Quote from: Mr. Magoo on September 20, 2012, 03:42:36 PM
yep and he loves to bump it whenever he gets the urge to feel victimized and needs a good cry
Nope. It's about prayer and religion in public life. :)
Post by: garebear on September 29, 2012, 06:51:32 AM
Post by: Shockwave on September 29, 2012, 06:54:01 AM
Quote from: Straw Man on September 20, 2012, 01:51:02 PM
Douches, all of them. Investigation for blasphemy, what bitches.
This is literally too ridiculous for me to be upset about.
I'm speechless.
Quote from: garebear on September 29, 2012, 07:12:43 AM
Charlie Brown? Really??
Secularists: ‘Merry Christmas Charlie Brown’ Violates Constitution
An Arkansas secular group is defending its opposition to public school students being allowed attend a performance of “Merry Christmas Charlie Brown” while rejecting claims they had declared a ‘war on Christmas.’
“Those who stand up for the rights of children to be free from coercion aren’t making war either on religion or Christmas,” said LeeWood Thomas, spokesperson for the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers. “This is a case of a church forming an alliance with local government to violate religious freedom.”
Students at Terry Elementary School in Little Rock had been invited to attend an upcoming performance of “Merry Christmas Charlie Brown” at Agape Church. The theatrical production is adapted from the popular animated television classic, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
The Little Rock School District said students were not required to attend the performance and as far as the district is concerned – there is no controversy.
“The teachers wanted to provide an opportunity for cultural enrichment for students through a holiday production and are supported by the principal,” spokesperson Pamela Smith told Fox News. “Because it will be held at a church, as some public events often are, a letter was sent home with students so parents who took exception and wished to have their children remain at school could do so.”
The Arkansas Society of Freethinkers said they were speaking out on behalf of a parent whose child attends the school. They said the parent felt forced to “choose between maintaining their family religious beliefs versus their child being singled out and possibly ostracized or bullied.”
“Merely allowing a child to opt out of a school-sponsored religious activity during the winter holidays is no solution,” Anne Orsi, vice president of the group said in a statement. “Such a situation exposes the children of minority faiths and outlooks to majority pressure and victimization. Thus the religious rights of children are being violated along with their right to privacy.”
The society said public schools should not take students to churches to see plays with religious content.
“This isn’t about Charlie Brown or Christmas,” Orsi said in her statement. “It’s about the separation of church and state. We must be sensitive to that and never allow public schools to promote one brand of religion over any other.”
But attorneys with the Alliance Defending Freedom said the secular group is way off base.
“An overwhelming majority of Americans agree that it’s okay to celebrate Christmas in schools and in the public square,” attorney Matt Sharp said.
The ADF sent a letter to the Little Rock School District offering their legal services should anyone sue over the performance.
“Schools should not have to think twice about whether they can allow students to watch a classic Christmas production simply because a Bible verse is mentioned in it,” Sharp wrote in his letter. “Are atheist groups going to start demanding that students be blocked from attending other classic productions just because they contain religious references?”
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/secularists-merry-christmas-charlie-brown-violates-constitution.html
Post by: littledumbells on November 26, 2012, 05:19:56 PM
Its either that or folks just go with the flow
How insecure do you have to be to complain about a little kid saying the word "God"?
'God' removed from student's poem
Landdis Hollifield
Posted: Tuesday, November 20, 2012
A decision to remove the word “God” from a school program is causing a world of controversy for McDowell County Schools.
But a First Amendment expert said school officials made the right decision.
During Monday’s Board of Education meeting, two members of the public stepped forward to talk to board members about a First Amendment issue at West Marion Elementary.
McDowell County Schools employee Chris Greene and McDowell County resident Esther Dollarhyde each took a turn talking about West Marion Elementary’s Veterans Day program during the public comment portion of the meeting.
“On Nov. 8, 2012 West Marion held their annual Veterans Day program in the midst of a lot of drama,” Greene said. “We had one parent concerned with the use of the word God in this program. This parent did not want the word God mentioned anywhere in the program. When the demand from this person was heard, the rights of another stopped. It did so by hushing the voice of a six-year-old girl.”
Greene said the student had written a special poem for the program about her grandfathers, both of whom had served in the armed forces during the Vietnam War.
In it, she wrote, “he prayed to God for peace, he prayed to God for strength,” which Greene stated she was told she could not read during the school assembly.
“She was told that she was not allowed to say the word God during this program” stated Greene. “Being a six year old, and not knowing her rights, she did what she was told.”
Greene said the girl wasn’t trying to force people to pray, but was just telling them what her grandfather had done.
“Let me add here that those prayers worked, because he went on to serve two tours in Vietnam,” Greene said. “My question is this, when do the rights of one outweigh the rights of another? I believe that this little girl’s rights were violated and that those who worked so hard to prepare this program should receive an apology.”
Esther Dollarhyde agreed.
“We need to keep in mind what was our country founded on,” stated Dollarhyde. “It was founded on God and Jesus Christ, and our veterans went out and fought for us so we would have a free country, but if we aren’t allowed to honor them the way that the children want to then America is getting lost.”
When contacted after the presentations, School Board member Lynn Greene, who is also Chris Greene’s father, said school officials had overstepped their authority.
“My understanding on the law is a teacher cannot promote any certain religion, but when it comes to students voicing their opinion or expressing themselves in a poem we pretty much have to give some leeway,” Greene said. “To me this whole thing is a violation of that child’s rights. Nobody forced her to write the poem, that was her part of the program. She was asked to write a poem about veterans and she did. My personal opinion is that her rights were violated.”
School Board member Terry Frank said he could not comment until he knew more about the situation.
When asked why the decision was made to remove the word God, Superintendent Gerri Martin said it came about after a serious discussion with West Marion’s Principal Desarae Kirkpatrick and Vice Principal Nakia Carson.
“The discussion (about the poem) occurred between myself, the principal and the assistant principal at West Marion,” stated Martin. “We wanted to make sure we were upholding the school district’s responsibility of separation of church and state from the Establishment Clause.”
When asked why other schools were allowed to hold programs containing poems and student writings with the word God in them, Martin said that was because West Marion was the only one who had asked for consultation about their program.
Kirkpatrick, like Martin, said the decision was based on a public school’s necessity to not infringe upon other students’ freedom of religion.
“After consulting with the Superintendent, Dr. Martin, we jointly decided that we must err on the side of caution to prevent from crossing the line on the Establishment Clause of the Constitution,” stated Kirkpatrick. “As a principal of a public school, I must put aside my personal religious beliefs and follow the law, which upholds that we have freedom of speech and freedom of religion, but that we, as public schools, cannot endorse one single religion over another.”
The McDowell News contacted the First Amendment Center in Washington, D.C., which serves as a forum for the study and exploration of free-expression issues, including freedom of speech, of the press and of religion, and the rights to assemble and to petition the government.
After studying the situation, President and Chief Executive Officer Ken Paulson stated the school did in fact have the right to remove the word God from the child’s poem.
“Courts have consistently held up the rights for students to express themselves unless their speech is disruptive to the school,” stated Paulson. “When the little girl wrote the poem and included a reference to God she had every right to do that. The First Amendment protects all Americans. She had every right to mention God, (but) that dynamic changed when they asked her to read it at an assembly.”
Paulson stated that because students were a captive audience, which means they didn’t have another place to go if they didn’t want to attend the assembly, that administrators had the right to remove the word God.
“Courts have found that religious references at school-sponsored events generally run afoul of the First Amendment,” said Paulson, adding that if kids had randomly been asked what they thought of veterans, the little girl could have shared her poem, because it wasn’t planned. “When a public school knows there’s going to be a reference to religion then there is a problem and they have to address it. The reason for these restrictions is to prevent the government from endorsing a specific faith or religion. So public schools have to steer clear of religious references.”
http://www.hickoryrecord.com/mcdowell_news/news/article_c671bb96-335e-11e2-9c33-001a4bcf6878.html
Post by: whork on November 30, 2012, 04:44:28 PM
>:(
Post by: tbombz on November 30, 2012, 05:02:23 PM
references to "God" made in government agencies should be allowed, but there should absolutely never be any mention of any particular religious dogma (such as quoting the bible, checking for bibles in hotel rooms, encouraging church attendance, saying the name "jesus", etc.)
Post by: tbombz on December 01, 2012, 02:58:02 PM
private organization, they can do whatever they want. be racist, be homophobic, be whatever. thats what freedom is all about.
Post by: Mr. Magoo on December 01, 2012, 03:06:21 PM
Quote from: tbombz on December 01, 2012, 02:58:02 PM
Quote from: Mr. Magoo on December 01, 2012, 03:06:21 PM
well then i think your an authoritarian who doesnt believe in the freedom to do what you choose so long as your not infringing on others freedoms in the process!
Quote from: tbombz on November 30, 2012, 05:02:23 PM
There is nothing wrong with mentioning or say the name of any religious figure in public. Contrary to what some atheists want and/or believe, the First Amendment isn't about cleansing religion from the public square.
You think private organizations should not be able to discriminate?
Quote from: Beach Bum on December 03, 2012, 12:38:33 PM
this obviously hinges on the court's interpretation of "respecting".
plenty of christians get their panties in a twist if any religious figure other than a christian religious figure is mentioned in public
here is one example:
This is a very amateur interpretation. "Free to do whatever as long as you don't infringe upon the freedom of others." This sounds like something a modern libertarian politician would spew out. But the concept of property, for example, infringes on the freedom of others, i.e. "You are no longer free to trespass." But no libertarian is against owning property, so the whole mantra of "free to do whatever as long as it doesn't infringe on others freedoms" should be reformulated.
What do you mean "discriminate"?
But that wasn't what Tbombz said originally anyway. He said private organizations can do "whatever they want" because "that is what freedom is all about".
Private organizations can't do whatever they want, and being able to is not what freedom is all about.
"Respecting" in the First Amendment doesn't mean you have to cleanse religion from the public square. It doesn't mean you can't have religious symbols on public property. Or chaplains on the government payroll in the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Or military chaplains paid for by tax dollars. Or most of the other things some paranoid atheists run around the country crying about.
I thought he was referring to discrimination, but maybe I'm assuming too much.
No, private organizations (or anyone else for that matter) can't do whatever they want. I was only talking about discrimination (race, gender, national origin, religion, etc.).
Post by: whork on December 04, 2012, 03:45:45 AM
Secular group rips Kansas Gov. Brownback for promotion of faith rally
A secular group tore into Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback over the weekend for promoting a national faith rally, saying the Republican governor needs to "repent" for allegedly violating the separation of church and state.
Whether any constitutional boundaries were actually breached is unclear, but Americans United for Separation of Church and State was unsparing in its criticism of the governor.
"The people of Kansas do not need politicians telling us when, how or whether to pray," Vickie Sandell Stangl, president of the Great Plains Chapter of Americans United, said in a statement.
"If anybody needs to repent, it's Gov. Brownback. He needs to repent for violating the constitutional separation of church and state."
The Kansas governor spoke on Saturday at a ReignDown USA event in Topeka, Kan., where he used his 10-minute appearance to discuss how he turned to religion after being diagnosed with cancer in 1995.
According to an account in The Topeka Capital-Journal, Brownback said: "I finally reached up and said, 'God, this life's yours.' It started a great adventure."
But what really rankled Americans United for Separation of Church and State was Brownback's earlier promotion of the prayer rally, in the form of a state proclamation.
"The governor is really overstepping his constitutional bounds. He was elected to serve as governor of our state, not our state pastor-in-chief," Stangl said.
Reached for comment, Executive Director Barry Lynn explained that the group was more concerned with a proclamation put out by the governor's office than his actual remarks at the event.
In the proclamation, Brownback declared Saturday -- the day of the event -- to be a "Day of Restoration."
"We collectively repent of distancing ourselves from God and ask for His mercy on us," the proclamation said.
Brownback, though, also used the proclamation to quote former American presidents -- including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson -- who discussed their faith and God.
"WHEREAS, our Nation's greatest leaders have called on a merciful God for favor during troubled times," the proclamation said, quoting the Jefferson line: "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever."
Lynn said the proclamation went too far by "proclaiming that this is good for everyone in the state of Kansas." He said the statement was tantamount to making the ReignDown USA rally a "special state event."
The group also accused ReignDown USA organizers of wanting "government leaders to adopt their religious vision and impose it on us all."
Those organizers, though, rejected that claim.
"We were all just gathering, uniting together, and praying for change," said Shawn-Marie Cole, chief visionary officer with the organizer.
Walt Kallestad, president of the group's advisory board, said the event is not about imposing belief sets.
"ReignDown is really a call for humility, prayer, repentance," he said.
It's hardly the first time Brownback has worn his faith on his sleeves.
In August 2011, he joined Texas Gov. Rick Perry for a national prayer rally. It came as Perry was considering a run for the Republican presidential nomination.
Brownback's office and organizers for ReignDown USA have not yet returned requests from FoxNews.com for comment.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/10/secular-group-rips-kansas-gov-brownback-for-promotion-faith-rally/
President Obama at Prayer Vigil for Connecticut Shooting Victims: "Newtown, You Are Not Alone"
Ezra Mechaber
Today, President Obama traveled to Newtown, CT to meet with the families of those who were lost in Friday's tragic shooting, and to thank first responders for their work.
This evening the President spoke at an interfaith vigil for families of the victims, and all families from Sandy Hook Elementary School. He offered the love and prayers of a nation grieving alongside Newtown:
Here in Newtown, I come to offer the love and prayers of a nation. I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts. I can only hope it helps for you to know that you’re not alone in your grief; that our world too has been torn apart; that all across this land of ours, we have wept with you, we’ve pulled our children tight. And you must know that whatever measure of comfort we can provide, we will provide; whatever portion of sadness that we can share with you to ease this heavy load, we will gladly bear it.
Newtown -- you are not alone.
As these difficult days have unfolded, you’ve also inspired us with stories of strength and resolve and sacrifice. We know that when danger arrived in the halls of Sandy Hook Elementary, the school’s staff did not flinch, they did not hesitate. Dawn Hochsprung and Mary Sherlach, Vicki Soto, Lauren Rousseau, Rachel Davino and Anne Marie Murphy -- they responded as we all hope we might respond in such terrifying circumstances -- with courage and with love, giving their lives to protect the children in their care.
We know that there were other teachers who barricaded themselves inside classrooms, and kept steady through it all, and reassured their students by saying “wait for the good guys, they’re coming”; “show me your smile.”
And we know that good guys came. The first responders who raced to the scene, helping to guide those in harm’s way to safety, and comfort those in need, holding at bay their own shock and trauma because they had a job to do, and others needed them more.
And then there were the scenes of the schoolchildren, helping one another, holding each other, dutifully following instructions in the way that young children sometimes do; one child even trying to encourage a grown-up by saying, “I know karate. So it’s okay. I’ll lead the way out.”
As a community, you’ve inspired us, Newtown. In the face of indescribable violence, in the face of unconscionable evil, you’ve looked out for each other, and you’ve cared for one another, and you’ve loved one another. This is how Newtown will be remembered. And with time, and God’s grace, that love will see you through.
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/imagecache/embedded_img_full/image/image_file/20121217-sandy-hook-vigil.jpeg)
President Barack Obama attends the Sandy Hook interfaith vigil at Newtown High School in Newtown, Conn., Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
.President Obama also spoke about the need to engage Americans in efforts to prevent tragedies like the one in Newtown, reiterating that America's first job is caring for our children:
And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we are meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children -- all of them -- safe from harm? Can we claim, as a nation, that we’re all together there, letting them know that they are loved, and teaching them to love in return? Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?
I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is no. We’re not doing enough. And we will have to change.
Since I’ve been President, this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by a mass shooting. The fourth time we’ve hugged survivors. The fourth time we’ve consoled the families of victims. And in between, there have been an endless series of deadly shootings across the country, almost daily reports of victims, many of them children, in small towns and big cities all across America -- victims whose -- much of the time, their only fault was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law -- no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society.
But that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely, we can do better than this. If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another parent, or another town, from the grief that has visited Tucson, and Aurora, and Oak Creek, and Newtown, and communities from Columbine to Blacksburg before that -- then surely we have an obligation to try.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/12/16/president-obama-prayer-vigil-connecticut-shooting-victims-newtown-you-are-not-alone
Obama, Biden attend inaugural prayer service at Washington National Cathedral
By Michelle Boorstein, Jan 22, 2013
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Some 2,200 guests filled the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday morning for the inaugural prayer service, a tradition as old as the country itself.
The service is meant to provide a spiritual boost to the newly sworn-in president. Prominent national clergy — from the Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Sikh traditions — will offer prayers to Obama, who is accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden and Jill Biden.
By using the word “gay” in his inaugural speech, Obama makes history and elevates a struggle.
A leader from the Metropolitan Community Church, a Christian denomination that focuses on outreach to gays and lesbians, is among the speakers at the service this year for the first time, a moment of inclusion that echoes Obama’s historic outreach to gay Americans in Monday’s inaugural address.
“The reason we come together to pray is because we want the best for our country,” said Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of the Washington Catholic archdiocese, as he entered the cathedral early Tuesday. “We pray for our president, we pray for our vice president. We pray for our leaders as we move forward.”
After the drama and pomp of the inaugural service and the let-loose vibe of Monday night’s inaugural balls, the prayer service — even in the cavernous Gothic cathedral in Northwest Washington — has a more intimate feel, with clergy standing at a one-person, elevated altar, speaking and looking directly at the president as they pray on his behalf.
The most prominent spot on the program belongs to sermon-giver the Rev. Adam Hamilton, leader of a 16,000-member Methodist church in Kansas and whose most popular writings focus on how to take a middle road in relationships, politics and when confronting spiritual doubt.
Hamilton is expected in his sermon to call for that middle road and a God-led path out of partisan bitterness. He will note the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation this year and the heavy emphasis the Bible places on freedom.
Due to high security, guests at the service had to arrive an hour or two early. By mid-morning, the ornate nave looked like the merger of a Washington political gathering and a conference of notables from the clergy community. Heads of think tanks, in sober suits, mingled with clergy from every imaginable faith community wearing a variety of colorful robes and head coverings, from the white wrap of the Bahai to the Jewish yarmulke.
Among the political heavyweights were Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Transportation Secretary Raymond H. LaHood, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) and outgoing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
Even though the cathedral is an Episcopal church, its vantage point on a Washington hilltop and its dramatic design have made it a symbolic house of worship for many all-community events.
It was here that President Carter sat in 1979, his face in his hands, at an event to pray for the safe return of U.S. hostages being held in Iran. And it was here that President Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan made a surprise stop to light candles in 1982, during a three-day vigil at which the names of thousands of troops killed during the Vietnam War were read.
The cathedral, the seat of the Episcopal Church in the United States, is frequently chosen to host memorial services and events honoring prominent American leaders from across the political spectrum. But its leaders have made news in recent weeks by taking progressive social stands.
The Rev. Gary Hall, the cathedral’s new dean, announced in December that the cathedral would begin hosting same-gender weddings, and he also has taken up the cause of gun control in the wake of last month’s Newtown, Conn., shootings.
There have been inaugural prayer services since the time of George Washington, but they have been held consistently at the cathedral since 1933, with the exception of the services after the inaugurations of Bill Clinton in 1993 and 1997.
Clinton chose the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, a historic black church in downtown Washington, as the site for his prayer services. The Obama family worshipped at Metropolitan on Sunday.
Among those participating in the service at the cathedral are: Wuerl; the Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church; Imam Mohamed Magid, president of the Islamic Society of North America and leader of the Sterling mega-mosque All Dulles Area Muslim Society; Rabbi Julie Schonfeld of the Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of rabbis from Judaism’s Conservative movement; and the Rev. Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obama-biden-to-attend-inaugural-prayer-service-at-cathedral-on-tuesday/2013/01/22/9223bad8-64a0-11e2-b84d-21c7b65985ee_story.html
President Obama speaks about faith and 'humility' at National Prayer Breakfast
'You'd like to think that the shelf life wasn't so short," Obama said of the annual event's bipartisan spirit. 'But I go back to the Oval Office and I start watching the cable news networks and it's like we didn’t pray.'
By Kristen A. Lee / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
President Obama celebrated the bipartisan spirit of the annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, while joking about its fleeting nature, during a speech to the gathering in Washington.
Obama largely stayed away from partisan issues while speaking to the mixed crowd, but made a plea for “humility,” saying it’s most important for those with the most power.
“I have to say this is now our fifth prayer breakfast and it is always just a wonderful event. But I do worry sometimes that as soon as we leave the prayer breakfast, everything we've been talking about the whole time at the prayer breakfast seems to be forgotten — on the same day of the prayer breakfast,” Obama said, to laughter from the group. “I mean, you'd like to think that the shelf life wasn't so short. But I go back to the Oval Office and I start watching the cable news networks and it's like we didn’t pray.”
“And so my hope is that humility, that that carries over every day, every moment,” he added.
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performed for the bipartisan gathering. This was the 61st prayer breakfast since 1953.
Vice President Biden also attended the gathering, as did a diverse group of VIPs, including Olympic gold medal gymnast Gabrielle Douglas, former Sen. Elizabeth Dole and singer Andrea Bocelli.
“It says something about us — as a nation and as a people — that every year, for 61 years now, this great prayerful tradition has endured,” Obama said. “It says something about us that every year, in times of triumph and in tragedy, in calm and in crisis, we come together, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as brothers and sisters, and as children of God.”
A reportedly sleepy Secretary of State John Kerry chatted with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at the breakfast. He was sure to broaden his remarks to also include the importance of faith to Americans of different religions, and note that nonbelieving Americans have faith in the nation.
Obama also spoke in unusually personal terms about the importance of Scripture in his own life.
“As President, sometimes I have to search for the words to console the inconsolable,” he said. “Sometimes I search Scripture to determine how best to balance life as a President and as a husband and as a father. I often search for Scripture to figure out how I can be a better man as well as a better President.”
'I often search for Scripture to figure out how I can be a better man as well as a better President,' Obama told the gathering. He noted that he took the oath of office last month on Bibles owned by Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., saying he imagined they both found solace in Scripture at difficult times.
Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor, a Democrat, introduced the President.
“You carry burdens none of us in this room can imagine,” he said.
Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, may be feeling the burden of his new job.
A White House pool report noted that he yawned and rubbed his eyes through most of the breakfast.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/obama-urges-humility-national-prayer-breakfast-article-1.1257904
Reverend Al Sharpton expels God in MSNBC promo sermon
By Dan Gainor
Jan. 21, 2013: Rev. Al Sharpton arrives on the West Front of the Capitol in Washington, Monday, , for the President Barack Obama's ceremonial swearing-in ceremony during the 57th Presidential Inauguration. ((AP Photo/Win McNamee, Pool))
Jesus said to Peter: “Get thee behind me, Satan.” Then came MSNBC. Now it’s God the network is trying to push out of the way. And it’s a reverend, of all people, who is doing it.
Rev. Al Sharpton appeared in a “Lean Forward” ad for his network MSNBC on February 5, where he recited a bit of the Pledge of Allegiance. The 58-year-old Sharpton, who reportedly gave his first sermon at age 9, left God out of his piece of the pledge. But he did remember to include lesbians and gays. So, he’s got that goin’ for him.
“We must have a renewed fight for many of the things we fought for. Because voting rights, and women's rights, and the rights of people against discrimination, whether they're African-American, Latino, lesbian and [sic] gay, must be protected, until we have a nation that is really living up to the creed of one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Not all of one kind. But all,” Rev. Sharpton argued in the commercial.
For all of his faults, Sharpton has a very long history of involvement with and defense of Christian faith.
That’s not how the pledge goes and has done so since 1954, a few months before Rev. Sharpton, the host of MSNBC's “Politics Nation,” was born. The actual pledge was changed that year to include “under God.” That version of the pledge goes like this:
“I pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.”
Rev. Sharpton removing God is shocking. For all of his faults, he has a very long history of involvement with and defense of Christian faith. According to Rev. Sharpton’s AEI Speakers Bureau profile page, he preached “his first sermon at Washington Temple Church of God & Christ in Brooklyn” at age 9 and later became a Pentecostal minister under Washington Temple Church’s Bishop F. D. Washington. “Sharpton preaches throughout the United States and abroad on most Sundays and averages 80 formal sermons a year,” the profile continued.
But then it noted that “Sharpton says his religious convictions are the basis for his life.” Apparently, commercials aren’t included.
While the reverend has been a major part of civil rights history in the United States, he has been caught up in his share of huge controversies.
On January 19, NPR ran a list of “Six True-False Statements” that illustrated his complicated career. Those included his role in the bogus Tawana Brawley rape case, where he lost a $65,000 defamation judgment, and links to the Crown Heights riots in New York City.
One funny note from the piece was that Rev. Sharpton denied being James Brown’s tour manager. (Yes, the Godfather of Soul.) “I never was his road manager,” he is quoted as saying. His speakers bureau profile says otherwise. “This same year, Sharpton acted as James Brown's tour manager,” it still reads. Oopsie.
It’s almost impossible to synopsize the remaining lunacy that has summed up Rev. Sharpton’s career from calls for knife control (unsurprising since he was once stabbed in the chest) to tax and debt issues to being caught in an FBI drug sting and openly advising President Obama as one of a few “influential progressives.”
He remains a colorful character so ridiculous that he is hard to lampoon. That said, “Saturday Night Live” mustered a good parody of his show last May in this entertaining clip that strangely also included Mick Jagger.
Whether he’s a TV host or a laughingstock, Shapton has long acknowledged it’s the job of a reverend to help others find God, not edit him out. Of course, that was before his personal collection plate relied on the big MSNBC paycheck.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/02/08/reverend-al-sharpton-expels-god-in-msnbc-promo-sermon/
Anderson County Commission endorses 'In God We Trust' on courthouse
By Bob Fowler
CLINTON — The nation’s motto, “In God We Trust,” will be going up on the outside of the Anderson County Courthouse following a 12-4 vote of County Commission after more than two hours of impassioned debate Tuesday.
With a standing-room-only audience spilling out into the courthouse hallway, commissioners approved the request, providing no unforeseen roadblocks emerge after study.
The issue was sent to the panel’s operations committee and the county law director to research potential legal liabilities, the possible design of the inscription and its placement.
“It’s our national motto,” said Lee Frank, husband of Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, who brought the request made by a local businessman to the commission’s attention.
“It’s on our money. It’s been ruled totally constitutional,” he said. “We don’t need to deal with that ACLU crap here.”
Still, the request sparked fervent comments and a revival-like atmosphere in the crowded meeting room, with remarks endorsing the move greeted by frequent applause and punctuated by numerous “amens.”
The mayor’s bid to include the request in her routine report to commission resulted in a crucial initial vote to put the matter on the agenda. Commissioner Myron Iwanski said standard procedure called for the issue to be referred to committee before going before the full commission. Doing so would give commissioners “a chance to think it through and do it in a very orderly way,” he said.
But a motion to consider the request received the requisite two-thirds majority, or 11 votes, to place it directly before commission.
The overwhelming majority of audience members who spoke strongly endorsed the move, launched by Lynn Byrge and supported by pastors of a reported 62 Anderson County churches.
But those who voiced opposition asked whether it would be a violation of the principle of separation of church and state, and if it would be seen as a governmental endorsement of Christianity.
“I see it as an intrusion and it should not be done,” said Ruth Young. She said those who oppose the move haven’t had an opportunity to speak.
Oak Ridge Councilwoman Anne Garcia Garland said there could be an issue of legal liability. “The government needs to be apart from any mention of God,” she said.
“I don’t see why it should really be that controversial,” said the Rev. Mike Thompson, pastor of Second Baptist Church of Clinton. “We do believe this is a part of our nation’s history and heritage.”
“We believe it speaks to who we are,” said the Rev. Steve McDonald, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church of Oak Ridge. He called it a “visible standard that says we have to look to somebody for guidance.”
“Why do we need that on our courthouse when there are other places to put it?” Commissioner Harry “Whitey” Hitchcock asked.
Another commissioner, Robert McKamey, said his motion to put the motto up “is a vote of confidence that we’re going to do it, and we’re going to do it right.”
Supporters have pledged to pay for all costs to place the motto on the courthouse.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/feb/19/anderson-county-commission-endorses-in-god-we-on/
Post by: Dos Equis on March 13, 2013, 11:37:34 AM
Psalm 23, Newly Revised According to Modern Principles
Proverbial wisdom for the Age of Obama
By MARK HELPRIN
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of debt, I fear no bankruptcy, for Obama is my shepherd. He prepareth a table of food stamps before me, and maketh me lie down beside waters He hath cleansed and seas He hath made recede, even though the bad Republicans wisheth the earth to be burnt unto a cinder, and will not buy the electric car that is good, for it hath zero emissions, and receiveth its power from a power plant, which hath not zero emissions, but the ways of the President are mysterious.
He hath told the stubborn Israelites, evil builders of apartments, that they know not their own interests and He does, and know not what they do, when they fear the nuclear weapon of the Persians. The ways of the President are mysterious. He alloweth the Persians to get the nuclear weapon (unless He hath something up His sleeve), for He knoweth that when they behold Him they will stay their hand, and not burn the Israelites unto a cinder, as they pronounce.
Yea, though Bernanke maketh funny money that will not compute, Obama prepareth a statistical table in front of the bad Republicans that showeth it will, if only they have faith. Fear not the Hellenes and the path they have trod. Though for sure we shall follow them, the President will be our sword, and our shield. His Hillary Rodham and his staff, they comfort us.
Fear not the Chinois, whose power waxes as ours wanes, for someday thy children's children shall journey over the sea that Obama hath made recede, west of the land of Geffen and Famous Amos, to build railroads for Beijing. Then the Third World will have inherited the earth, and the strong will have been laid low, which is good, and which is also the Democratic platform.
Verily, we should be like the meek of the earth, and follow the commands of the President, the Amalekites, the EPA, and the IRS, which taketh our money, which is good, for we know not what to do with it. And Obama does, for you did not buildeth that. Once, we were slaves in the land of Reagan (and if you attributeth the "Reagan" deficits to increased military spending and lowered tax rates, tryeth accounting for the changes in military expenditure and tax revenues in the Reagan years, for, lo, when combined they yieldeth a surplus). Then, we were sinners, in spending our own money for what we thought was our own good. But now we are free, for the President spendeth it for us, and He maketh miracles, for, lo, He roasteth invisible chickens, and, lo, He spendeth money that existeth not, that Bernanke printeth. And, lo, it buys us stuff, for now.
Yea, though I accumulate debt higher than the mountains of Gilboa, and the deadbeats skip like rams, I shall not want, for Bernanke maketh funny money, and the President smiles upon the land, but not upon the bad Republicans. For they wisheth to live within their means, which surely must be evil. And what would you expect from people who are suspicious of Social Security? And wisheth to burn the earth unto a cinder.
But arithmetic notwithstanding, I will dwell in the house of Obama all the days of my life. (Why not four terms, and what about Michelle? For the Constitution liveth.) And, the earth having been purified, surely it will be good when—and where do I apply for—government assistance will be the only thing left.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323940004578255810468323252.html?mod=ITP_opinion_0
Ohio school takes down Jesus portrait under legal threat
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Feb. 12, 2013: A painting of Jesus Christ, upper left, hanging above an entrance to Jackson Middle School in Jackson, Ohio, next to a 'Hall of Honor' showing famous Jackson residents and school alumni. (AP)
A portrait of Jesus that had adorned a southern Ohio public school district building since 1947 has been taken down after officials decided they could not risk losing a lawsuit to the American Civil Liberties Union.
The superintendent of Jackson City Schools told The Associated Press that the decision was made after the district's insurance company declined to cover litigation expenses. Phil Howard said a student club that the school says owns the portrait took it down Wednesday morning at his direction.
"At the end of the day, we just couldn't roll the dice with taxpayer money," Howard said. "When you get into these kinds of legal battles, you're not talking about money you can raise with bake sales and car washes. It's not fair to take those resources from our kids' education."
The ACLU and the Freedom from Religion Foundation had sued on behalf of a student and two parents, calling the portrait an unconstitutional promotion of religion in a public school. An ACLU spokesman says the lawsuit remains in effect, but will be dropped if the portrait stays down.
The "Head of Christ," a popular depiction of Jesus, had been in an entranceway's "Hall of Honor" in a middle school building that was formerly a high school. It was near portraits of dozens of prominent alumni and people with local roots such as the late four-term Ohio Gov. James Rhodes. The portrait was moved recently by a Christian-based service club to the current high school building.
A complaint that triggered the February lawsuit put the 2,500-student district in the midst of the ongoing national debate over what religious-themed displays are permissible.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/03/ohio-superintendent-removes-jesus-portrait-due-to-lawsuit-concerns/
Supreme Court will rule on prayer at government meetings
Richard Wolf, USA TODAY11:57 a.m. EDT May 20, 2013
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court agreed Monday to consider whether prayers can be offered at government meetings -- a practice that's been common in Congress and throughout the states for more than two centuries.
The religious expression case, which comes to the court from the town of Greece, N.Y., focuses on the first 10 words of the First Amendment, ratified in 1791: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."
That Establishment Clause was violated, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year, when the Greece Town Board repeatedly used Christian clergy to conduct prayers at the start of its public meetings. The decision created a rift with other appeals courts that have upheld prayer at public meetings, prompting the justices to step in.
Alliance Defending Freedom, an Arizona-based Christian non-profit group, appealed the case to the Supreme Court. It is supported in separate briefs by 49 mostly Republican members of Congress and 18 state attorneys general.
In a press release entitled "Prayer will be heard on high," the group noted the high court affirmed the practice of prayer before public meetings in the 1983 case Marsh v. Chambers, in which it cited an "unambiguous and unbroken history" of such prayers.
But recent legal attacks by individuals and groups claiming to be offended by such prayers have created significant confusion in the lower courts.
"A few people should not be able to extinguish the traditions of our nation merely because they heard something they didn't like," said Brett Harvey, a senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom. "Because the authors of the Constitution invoked God's blessing on public proceedings, this tradition shouldn't suddenly be deemed unconstitutional."
Thomas Hungar of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, the attorney who filed the challenge, said, "The practice of legislative prayer is firmly embedded in the history and traditions of this nation. We hope the court will reaffirm the settled understanding that such prayers, offered without improper motive and in accordance with the conscience of the prayer-giver, are constitutional."
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group, is representing the two women who challenged the town's practice, Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens. The group said that two-thirds of the prayers delivered between 1999 and June 2010 contained references to Jesus Christ, Your Son, the Holy Spirit or Jesus.
"A town council meeting isn't a church service, and it shouldn't seem like one," said Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "Government can't serve everyone in the community when it endorses one faith over others. That sends the clear message that some are second-class citizens based on what they believe about religion."
Kenneth Klukowski, a lawyer for the Family Research Council who filed a brief on behalf of the 49 U.S. House members, said the Supreme Court was correct to take the case to clear up differences among lower courts on the issue of religious expression. It represents the first such case to reach the high court in a generation, he said.
"If the Second Circuit's decision is what the Establishment Clause requires, then Congress has been violating the Establishment Clause since it was ratified in 1791," Klukowski said. His brief notes that in the 112th Congress, 97% of the prayers used to open House sessions were Christian, as opposed to Jewish or Muslim, yet the practice is widely accepted.
The court will hear the case in its next term, which begins in October. Its decision, expected by June 2014, could have broad implications for public schools and events, as well as for individuals who seek to convey religious messages.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/05/20/supreme-court-prayer-new-york-government-meeting/2151385/
Post by: Dos Equis on June 06, 2013, 11:09:01 AM
Nice. :)
High School Valedictorian Recites Lord's Prayer At Graduation In Defiance Of Prayer Ban (VIDEO)
Posted: 06/05/2013 6:15 pm EDT | Updated: 06/05/2013 7:45 pm EDT
While delivering his graduation speech over the weekend, a high school valedictorian sent shock waves through the crowd when he ditched his original speech and recited the Lord's Prayer instead.
According to NBC affiliate KCRA.com, Roy Costner IV, who attended Liberty High School in Liberty, S.C., stunned those gathered at his school's graduation ceremony on Saturday when he ripped up his pre-approved speech at the podium before addressing the crowd.
“Those that we look up to, they have helped carve and mold us into the young adults that we are today. I’m so thankful that both of my parents led me to the Lord at a young age," Costner said moments before launching into the Lord's Prayer.
Christian News reports that Costner had apparently decided to recite the prayer in protest of his school district's decision to omit prayer at graduation ceremonies.
As Costner prayed, many of those gathered broke out into applause. Soon the auditorium was filled with cheers of encouragement.
"You couldn't even hear him doing the prayer anymore because everybody was clapping and cheering," Brian Hoover, who attended the graduation, told KCRA.com.
Costner told Fox Carolina this week that it had been "an emotional moment," looking out and seeing the crowd's reaction.
A spokesperson for the Pickens County School District said that Costner would not be reprimanded for his prayer. "The bottom line is, we're not going to punish students for expressing their religious faith," John Eby said, according to Christian News.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/05/high-school-valedictorian-prayer_n_3391963.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
Post by: Dos Equis on August 05, 2013, 12:09:30 PM
An atheist chaplain. How utterly ridiculous.
Chaplains for Atheists: Messy Implications for Atheism
By Wallace Henley, Special to CP
The House of Representatives voted July 23 against proposals for atheist chaplains in the U.S. military. The vote was an overwhelming defeat for the idea. Only two Republicans and 171 Democrats voted for atheist chaplains.
Contrary to what you may be reading, Christians should be disappointed and atheists should be glad.
Why? Because allowing atheist chaplains recognizes atheism as a religion and would make atheists subject to the same legal restrictions they have gleefully placed on every other religion.
In the contemporary environment it is easier to speak against God than for God in the public square. An officially sanctioned military chaplaincy for atheists could actually weaken the atheists' grip on public religious expression.
After all, it was a Supreme Court justice who, in 1961, recognized non-belief in a deity as religion. "Among religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God are Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism, and others," opined Justice Hugo Black, in a footnote in the Torcaso v Watkins case.
Atheists seem to want atheism to be a religion.
"Humanism fills the same role for atheists that Christianity does for Christians and Judaism does for Jews," said Jason Torpy, president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, in support of the atheist chaplaincy proposal.
If atheists want it, it's about time, therefore, that atheism should be recognized for what it is – a belief system regarding deity and ultimate reality. It has its own creeds, high priests, and scriptures. Bygone prophets like Bertrand Russell are revered along with the contemporary evangelists of atheism, like Richard Dawkins. The late Christopher Hitchens is among its saints.
Appointing atheist chaplains would give official sanction of sorts to the religious nature of atheism. In fact, atheism focuses passionately on spirituality. It works feverishly to deny the spiritual nature of the human being, and only wants the chaplains for ethical and psychological guidance.
In that light, maybe advocates for an atheist military chaplaincy might rethink their position.
Think about the inferences.
Now, every time a non-theist squeaks opposition to prayer at a school ballgame, or before a city council meeting, or most any other public event, powerful movements mobilize. The mere lifting of a potentially litigating eyebrow shuts down what many consider freedom of speech and expression.
Atheism's well-financed institutions often base their arguments on the allegation that taxpayer money is being used to advocate a particular religion. But if atheism is seen for what it is, a religion, then theists might be able to claim their tax money is now used to advocate the atheist position of no prayer.
So if atheism is recognized as a religion, might it be possible that theists could have new standing? They might even be able to argue that authorities are unconstitutionally favoring the religion of atheism by restricting prayer to a deity?
The Founders, we are reminded, opposed a state religion. But today secular humanism is most definitely the American state religion in the eyes of some courts. Atheists use their religion to regularly win orders for the removal of crosses and other religious symbols, the abolition of prayer in certain public institutions, and the prohibition of teaching that might imply advocacy of any religion in public schools except atheism.
This atheist chaplain thing could get messy for the atheists. If they are recognized as religionists they may be under the same Big Brother search lamp, legal threats and harassment theistic religions face every day throughout the nation.
Perhaps its advocates should rethink their position. After all, they might lose the power to remove all those terribly offensive Christmas nativity scenes.
Maybe the stables, mangers, shepherds and animals could be replaced with Professor Hawking's "fluctuating void." Which would mean the crèches would be replaced with nothing – a perfect symbol for their religion.
Wallace Henley, senior associate pastor at Houston's Second Baptist Church. He is an adjunct professor in worldview studies at Belhaven University. Henley is a former newspaper editor and reporter, and served in the White House and as a staff in the U.S. House of Representatives. His book, Globequake, was published by Thomas Nelson.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/chaplains-for-atheists-messy-implications-for-atheism-101341/#uyHb7hgh4pbPcv7D.99
Post by: Skeletor on October 16, 2013, 10:23:03 PM
"Paranoid anti-religious extremists".. Oh, wait...
House Stenographer Yanked From Chamber Ranting About God, Freemasons
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/10/house-stenographer-yanked-from-chamber-ranting-about-god-freemasons/
Speaking of paranoid anti-religious extremists . . . . Those folks need to get a life already.
Atheist group seeks end to Alabama grief counseling by clergy
An atheist group is asking the city of Montgomery to provide evidence that sending clergy to support victims at violent crime scenes will reduce crime in the city.
The organization American Atheists has questioned how providing grief counseling after a crime will reduce the number of crimes in the city.
The group claims Montgomery's Operation Good Shepherd program is unconstitutional.
“Considering that the program sends pastors to crime scenes after the fact to console victims, American Atheists questions the city’s claim that grief counseling for victims is for the purpose of reducing violent crime or acting as a deterrent,” the organization told AL.com.
“American atheists will be requesting that city officials provide the studies or other factual evidence they are using to support this claim for which taxpayer dollars are being used,” the group said.
City officials told al.com the new program dispatches trained clergy to comfort victims at crime scenes in an effort to combat violent crime. City officials said the purpose of the program is not for "religious promotion or recruitment."
Montgomery Police Department Chaplain E. Baxter Morris said the program offers an “evangelistic advance,” and said it gives him an opportunity to “share a word from Christ” to victims, AL.com reported.
According to the report, American Atheists claim the city is using the program “as a vehicle to proselytize.”
Montgomery City Attorney Kimberly Fehl said in a letter to American Atheists that religious leaders had volunteered to provide the counseling.
Fehl’s said in the letter that there has been a “misrepresentation of the objective and implementation of the program,” AL.com reported. Fehl said the program is part of many used by the Montgomery Police Department in its effort to combat violent crime.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/10/26/atheist-group-seeks-end-to-alabama-grief-counseling-by-clergy/?intcmp=latestnews
Post by: Man of Steel on October 29, 2013, 05:29:48 AM
Quote from: Beach Bum on October 28, 2013, 12:19:11 PM
I have to assume that the American Atheists that raised the issue brought forth factual evidence concerning why the grief counseling by clergy doesn't help in these circumstances first before requesting evidence that is does, correct? I also have to assume that the American Atheists also brought forth a throughly planned alternative for the volunteer clergy that causes no additional burden for the taxpayer whatsoever while improving the level of counseling? Or if the alternative proposed did cause increased burden for taxpayers that definite justification for the alternative was presented?
I can't imagine that the group just capriciously raised the objection, immediately demanded some form of validating study and yet offered no initial support to back their objections while not providing a more efficient, improved alternative for the existing volunteer counseling.
Is the American Atheist group that raised the objection highly experienced in grief counseling and crime prevention methods? I have to assume that there was more behind the objection other than their own personal objections to theists in general.
Did the American Atheist group provide data that showed that victims that received counseling were unhappy with the guidance they received? Did the American Atheists provide data that indicates that the grief counseling was only a thinly veiled attempt to convert victims to the clergy-counseler's particular brand of faith? Did the American Atheists group provide any studies that indicated that post-incident the victims that received counseling from pastors had their quality of life diminished? Again, I have to assume that the objections were grounded in some of these kinds of ideas and data before the objections were raised.
If these preliminary conditions were met (and accompanied the initial objections) then demands for independent studies by the local government in support of the theists' volunteer efforts would seem reasonable. If not the objections seem like good ole fashioned grandstanding, but really nothing more than prattle.
Quote from: Man of Steel on October 29, 2013, 05:29:48 AM
Oh I doubt they offered any evidence. I think they are a funny group. Organized and lobbying based on a belief in nothing.
Texas woman recognized for 80 consecutive years with church
CHIRENO, TEXAS – An East Texas woman has been recognized for her 80-year unbroken membership in her church.
Lilly Stone joined the Chireno United Methodist Church in 1933, when she was 8 years old. The Daily Sentinel in Nacogdoches reports that Stone was recently awarded a plaque signed by the church's bishop and district superintendent honoring her longtime membership.
Stone says, "It was a shock. I really didn't know how long I had been a member. I didn't think about it."
Stone joined the church while living with her grandmother, whose house abutted the church's parsonage.
Stone celebrated her 88th birthday on Thursday.
Chireno is a town of about 400 people located about 200 miles southeast of Dallas.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/11/04/texas-woman-recognized-for-80-consecutive-years-with-church/?intcmp=latestnews
Fox News' Highly Reluctant Jesus Follower
Of all people surprised that I became an evangelical Christian, I'm the most surprised.
Just seven years ago, if someone had told me that I'd be writing for Christianity Today magazine about how I came to believe in God, I would have laughed out loud. If there was one thing in which I was completely secure, it was that I would never adhere to any religion—especially to evangelical Christianity, which I held in particular contempt.
I grew up in the Episcopal Church in Alaska, but my belief was superficial and flimsy. It was borrowed from my archaeologist father, who was so brilliant he taught himself to speak and read Russian. When I encountered doubt, I would fall back on the fact that he believed.
Leaning on my father's faith got me through high school. But by college it wasn't enough, especially because as I grew older he began to confide in me his own doubts. What little faith I had couldn't withstand this revelation. From my early 20s on, I would waver between atheism and agnosticism, never coming close to considering that God could be real.
After college I worked as an appointee in the Clinton administration from 1992 to 1998. The White House surrounded me with intellectual people who, if they had any deep faith in God, never expressed it. Later, when I moved to New York, where I worked in Democratic politics, my world became aggressively secular. Everyone I knew was politically left-leaning, and my group of friends was overwhelmingly atheist.
I sometimes hear Christians talk about how terrible life must be for atheists. But our lives were not terrible. Life actually seemed pretty wonderful, filled with opportunity and good conversation and privilege. I know now that it was not as wonderful as it could have been. But you don't know what you don't know. How could I have missed something I didn't think existed?
Very Open-Minded
To the extent that I encountered Christians, it was in the news cycle. And inevitably they were saying something about gay people or feminists. I didn't feel I was missing much. So when I began dating a man who was into Jesus, I was not looking for God. In fact, the week before I met him, a friend had asked me if I had any deal breakers in dating. My response: "Just nobody who is religious."
A few months into our relationship, my boyfriend called to say he had something important to talk to me about. I remember exactly where I was sitting in my West Village apartment when he said, "Do you believe Jesus is your Savior?" My stomach sank. I started to panic. Oh no, was my first thought. He's crazy.
When I answered no, he asked, "Do you think you could ever believe it?" He explained that he was at a point in life when he wanted to get married and felt that I could be that person, but he couldn't marry a non-Christian. I said I didn't want to mislead him—that I would never believe in Jesus.
Then he said the magic words for a liberal: "Do you think you could keep an open mind about it?" Well, of course. "I'm very open-minded!" Even though I wasn't at all. I derided Christians as anti-intellectual bigots who were too weak to face the reality that there is no rhyme or reason to the world. I had found this man's church attendance an oddity to overlook, not a point in his favor.
As he talked, I grew conflicted. On the one hand, I was creeped out. On the other hand, I had enormous respect for him. He is smart, educated, and intellectually curious. I remember thinking, What if this is true, and I'm not even willing to consider it?
A few weeks later I went to church with him. I was so clueless about Christianity that I didn't know that some Presbyterians were evangelicals. So when we arrived at the Upper East Side service of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, I was shocked and repelled by what I saw. I was used to the high-church liturgy of my youth. We were meeting in an auditorium with a band playing what I later learned was "praise music." I thought, How am I going to tell him I can never come back?
But then the pastor preached. I was fascinated. I had never heard a pastor talk about the things he did. Tim Keller's sermon was intellectually rigorous, weaving in art and history and philosophy. I decided to come back to hear him again. Soon, hearing Keller speak on Sunday became the highlight of my week. I thought of it as just an interesting lecture—not really church. I just tolerated the rest of it in order to hear him. Any person who is familiar with Keller's preaching knows that he usually brings Jesus in at the end of the sermon to tie his points together. For the first few months, I left feeling frustrated: Why did he have to ruin a perfectly good talk with this Jesus nonsense?
Each week, Keller made the case for Christianity. He also made the case against atheism and agnosticism. He expertly exposed the intellectual weaknesses of a purely secular worldview. I came to realize that even if Christianity wasn't the real thing, neither was atheism.
I began to read the Bible. My boyfriend would pray with me for God to reveal himself to me. After about eight months of going to hear Keller, I concluded that the weight of evidence was on the side of Christianity. But I didn't feel any connection to God, and frankly, I was fine with that. I continued to think that people who talked of hearing from God or experiencing God were either delusional or lying. In my most generous moments, I allowed that they were just imagining things that made them feel good.
Then one night in 2006, on a trip to Taiwan, I woke up in what felt like a strange cross between a dream and reality. Jesus came to me and said, "Here I am." It felt so real. I didn't know what to make of it. I called my boyfriend, but before I had time to tell him about it, he told me he had been praying the night before and felt we were supposed to break up. So we did. Honestly, while I was upset, I was more traumatized by Jesus visiting me.
Completely True
I tried to write off the experience as misfiring synapses, but I couldn't shake it. When I returned to New York a few days later, I was lost. I suddenly felt God everywhere and it was terrifying. More important, it was unwelcome. It felt like an invasion. I started to fear I was going crazy.
I didn't know what to do, so I spoke with writer Eric Metaxas, whom I had met through my boyfriend and who had talked with me quite a bit about God. "You need to be in a Bible study," he said. "And Kathy Keller's Bible study is the one you need to be in." I didn't like the sound of that, but I was desperate. My whole world was imploding. How was I going to tell my family or friends about what had happened? Nobody would understand. I didn't understand. (It says a lot about the family in which I grew up that one of my most pressing concerns was that Christians would try to turn me into a Republican.)
I remember walking into the Bible study. I had a knot in my stomach. In my mind, only weirdoes and zealots went to Bible studies. I don't remember what was said that day. All I know is that when I left, everything had changed. I'll never forget standing outside that apartment on the Upper East Side and saying to myself, "It's true. It's completely true." The world looked entirely different, like a veil had been lifted off it. I had not an iota of doubt. I was filled with indescribable joy.
The horror of the prospect of being a devout Christian crept back in almost immediately. I spent the next few months doing my best to wrestle away from God. It was pointless. Everywhere I turned, there he was. Slowly there was less fear and more joy. The Hound of Heaven had pursued me and caught me—whether I liked it or not.
Kirsten Powers is a contributor to USA Today and a columnist for Newsweek/The Daily Beast. She is a Democratic commentator at Fox News.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/november/fox-news-highly-reluctant-jesus-follower-kirsten-powers.html?paging=off
Supreme Court wrestling with prayer at NY town's meetings
The Supreme Court is wrestling with the appropriate role for religion in government in a case involving prayers at the start of a New York town's council meetings.
The justices engaged in a lively give-and-take Wednesday that highlighted the sensitive nature of offering religious invocations in public proceedings that don't appeal to everyone and of governments' efforts to police the practice.
The court is weighing a federal appeals court ruling that said the Rochester suburb of Greece, N.Y., violated the Constitution because nearly every prayer in an 11-year span was overtly Christian.
The tenor of the argument indicated the justices would not agree with the appellate ruling. But it was not clear what decision they might come to instead.
Justice Elena Kagan summed up the difficult task before the court when she noted that some people believe that "every time the court gets involved, things get worse instead of better."
Greece is being backed by the Obama administration and many social and religious conservative groups in arguing that the court settled this issue 30 years ago when it held that an opening prayer is part of the nation's fabric and not a violation of the First Amendment. Some of those groups want the court to go further and get rid of legal rules that tend to rein in religious expression in the public sphere.
On the other side are the two town residents who sued over the prayers and the liberal interest groups that support them. Greece residents Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens say they and others who attend the meetings are a captive audience and should not be subjected to sectarian prayers.
At its broadest, the outcome could extend well beyond prayer and also affect holiday displays, aid to religious schools, Ten Commandments markers and memorial crosses. More narrowly, the case could serve as a test of the viability of the decision in Marsh v. Chambers, the 1983 case that said prayer in the Nebraska Legislature did not violate the First Amendment's clause barring laws "respecting an establishment of religion," known as the Establishment Clause.
The potentially decisive vote in the case belongs to Justice Anthony Kennedy, who did not seem satisfied with arguments made by lawyers for Greece and the administration on one side and for the Greece residents on the other.
On the one hand, Kennedy said he did not like the thought that government officials or judges would examine the content of the prayers to make sure they are not sectarian. "That involves the state very heavily in the censorship of prayers," Kennedy said.
On the other hand, he objected to the reliance by the town and the administration on the decision in Marsh.
All the while, Justice Stephen Breyer was trying out potential outcomes that recognized both the tradition of prayer and the rights of religious minorities and non-believers. "If all that was left in the case were questions of making a good-faith effort to include others, would you object to doing it?" Breyer asked Thomas Hungar, the Washington, D.C., lawyer who is representing the town.
Hungar said he did not know, but asserted that the town already has engaged in the outreach Breyer described.
In Greece, every meeting was opened with a Christian-oriented invocation from 1999 through 2007, and again from January 2009 through June 2010. In 2008, after Galloway and Stephens complained, four of 12 meetings were opened by non-Christians, including a Jewish layman, a Wiccan priestess and the chairman of the local Baha'i congregation.
The two residents filed suit and a trial court ruled in the town's favor, finding that the town did not intentionally exclude non-Christians. It also said that the content of the prayer was not an issue because there was no desire to proselytize or demean other faiths.
But a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that even with the high court's 1983 ruling, the practice of having one Christian prayer after another amounted to the town's endorsement of Christianity.
A decision is expected by late June.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/11/06/supreme-court-wrestling-with-prayer-at-ny-town-meetings/
Post by: Skeletor on March 17, 2014, 07:13:19 PM
Time to kick those paranoid religious extremists out of public schools.
Buddhist Student, Religious Liberty Prevail In Louisiana
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Louisiana have filed a federal lawsuit against a public school in Sabine Parish that harassed a non-Christian student and has a long history of proselytizing students and promoting religion. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two parents, Scott and Sharon Lane, and their three children, including their son, C.C., who is a Buddhist of Thai heritage.
According to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, C.C enrolled in Negreet High School, which serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, earlier this year as a sixth-grader and quickly became the target of harassment by school staff. His science teacher, Rita Roark, repeatedly taught students that the Earth was created by God 6,000 years ago, that evolution is "impossible," and that the Bible is "100 percent true."
Roark also regularly features religious questions on her tests such as "ISN'T IT AMAZING WHAT THE _____________ HAS MADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" When C.C. did not write in Roark's expected answer, "LORD," she belittled him in front of the rest of the class. While studying other religions, Roark has told students that Buddhism is "stupid."
When Plaintiffs objected, Sabine Parish Superintendent, Sara Ebarb, told them that "this is the Bible belt." She suggested that C.C. should "change" his faith or transfer to another district school 25 miles away where, in her words, "there are more Asians." Ultimately, C.L.'s parents did transfer him to another school to protect him, but school officials at that school also unconstitutionally promote religion.
Beyond Roark's classroom, the school also regularly incorporates official Christian prayer into class and school events. School officials display religious iconography through hallways and classrooms, including a large portrait of Jesus Christ, and an electronic marquee in front of the school scrolls Bible verses as students enter the building.
The lawsuit asks the court to issue an order prohibiting the school district from continuing to promote religion or disparage Plaintiffs' faith and to require the district to reimburse the Lanes for the cost of transporting C.C. to another school.
Status: Victory! On March 14, 2014 a federal district court entered an order requiring the school district to refrain from unconstitutionally promoting or denigrating religion. The court’s order also mandates in-service training for school staff regarding their obligations under the First Amendment.
https://www.aclu.org/religion-belief/lane-v-sabine-parish-school-board
Supreme Court upholds prayer at government meetings
Richard Wolf, USA TODAY 6:57 p.m. EDT May 5, 2014
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Monday narrowly upheld the centuries-old tradition of offering prayers to open government meetings, even if the prayers are overwhelmingly Christian and citizens are encouraged to participate.
The 5-4 ruling, supported by the court's conservative justices and opposed by its liberals, was based in large part on the history of legislative prayer dating back to the Framers of the Constitution.
Defending a practice used by the town of Greece, N.Y., the majority ruled that opening local government meetings with sectarian prayers doesn't violate the Establishment Clause as long as no religion is advanced or disparaged, and residents aren't coerced.
The alternatives, the conservative justices said, would be worse: having government officials and courts "act as supervisors and censors of religious speech," or declaring all such prayers unconstitutional.
"As a practice that has long endured, legislative prayer has become part of our heritage and tradition, part of our expressive idiom, similar to the Pledge of Allegiance, inaugural prayer, or the recitation of 'God save the United States and this honorable court' at the opening of this court's sessions," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote.
Justice Elena Kagan wrote the principal dissent for the court's liberal bloc, arguing that the intimate setting of local government meetings, the participation of average citizens and the dominance of Christian prayer-givers put the policy out of bounds.
"When the citizens of this country approach their government, they do so only as Americans, not as members of one faith or another," Kagan said. "And that means that even in a partly legislative body, they should not confront government-sponsored worship that divides them along religious lines."
The long-awaited ruling came seven years after two women -- a Jew and an atheist -- took the town to court, and six months after oral arguments in November.
SEVEN YEARS IN COURT
The legal tussle began in 2007, following eight years of nothing but Christian prayers in the town of nearly 100,000 people outside Rochester. Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens took the board to federal court and won by contending that its prayers – often spiced with references to Jesus, Christ and the Holy Spirit – aligned the town with one religion.
Once the legal battle was joined, town officials canvassed widely for volunteer prayer-givers and added a Jewish layman, a Wiccan priestess and a member of the Baha'i faith to the mix.
The two women contended that the prayers in Greece were unconstitutional because they pressured those in attendance to participate. They noted that unlike federal and state government sessions, town board meetings are frequented by residents who must appear for everything from business permits to zoning changes.
While the court had upheld the practice of legislative prayer in the past, most recently in a 1983 case involving the Nebraska Legislature, the case of Town of Greece v. Galloway therefore presented the justices with a new twist: mostly Christian clergy delivering frequently sectarian prayers before an audience that often included average citizens with business to conduct.
In the end, five justices said those facts didn't make what the Greece Town Board did unconstitutional, while four others said they did.
"The First Amendment is not a majority rule, and government may not seek to define permissible categories of religious speech," Kennedy said. "Once it invites prayer into the public sphere, government must permit a prayer-giver to address his or her own God or gods as conscience dictates."
Not so, Kagan argued for the losing side. She said the town's prayers differed from those delivered to federal and state legislators about to undertake the people's business. In Greece, she said, sectarian prayers were delivered to "ordinary citizens" who might feel ostracized or vulnerable if they didn't participate.
"No one can fairly read the prayers from Greece's town meetings as anything other than explicitly Christian – constantly and exclusively so," Kagan said. "The prayers betray no understanding that the American community is today, as it long has been, a rich mosaic of religious faiths."
Instead of the existing policy, Kagan said the town board should follow the example of Congress' chaplains by giving clergy guidance about avoiding sectarian or divisive prayers.
But several justices were doubtful during oral arguments last year any prayer could satisfy everyone, leaving the court little option but to reiterate its support of legislative prayer or remove it entirely from government meetings – something they clearly did not want to do.
Justice Samuel Alito drove home that point in a separate concurrence Monday in which he called the liberals' dissent "quite niggling."
"Not only is there no historical support for the proposition that only generic prayer is allowed," Alito said, "but as our country has become more diverse, composing a prayer that is acceptable to all members of the community who hold religious beliefs has become harder and harder."
THREE DECADES OF CONTROVERSY
The court's 30-year-old precedent, Marsh v. Chambers, upheld the Nebraska Legislature's funding of a chaplain who delivered daily prayers. Chief Justice Warren Burger ruled then that such prayers were "part of the fabric of our society." The decision prohibited only those prayers that take sides by advancing or disparaging a particular religion.
Since Marsh, backers of more church-state separation had made modest gains. In 1984, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's "endorsement test" established that every government practice must be examined to determine whether it endorses one religion. In 1989, the court ruled that a Christmas crèche display on a courthouse staircase went too far by endorsing Christianity and brought forth O'Connor's "reasonable observer" test.
The current court agreed to consider the case following a federal appeals court's ruling against the town. Judge Guido Calabresi of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals had said its actions "virtually ensured a Christian viewpoint" and featured a "steady drumbeat of often specifically sectarian Christian prayers."
The case hinged on these words from the First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." That has come to be known as the Establishment Clause.
The Obama administration came down forcefully on the town's side – most notably because both houses of Congress have opened with prayers since 1789. But the prayers delivered there these days are far less sectarian than those heard in churches, temples and synagogues.
Most state legislatures open their sessions with a prayer, nearly half of them with guidelines. Many county legislatures open meetings with a prayer, according to an informal survey by the National Association of Counties. National data on prayer practices at the city, town and village levels do not exist.
The Supreme Court cracked down on prayer in schools in the 1960s, ruling against Bible readings, the Lord's Prayer or an official state prayer.
In Lemon v. Kurtzman, a 1971 case involving religion in legislation, the high court devised what became known as the "Lemon test." Government action, it said, should have a secular purpose, cannot advance or inhibit religion and must avoid too much government entanglement with religion.
Then came Marsh, in which the court gave a green light to legislative prayer that does not advance or disparage any faith.
Kennedy said Monday's decision follows in that spirit.
"The inclusion of a brief, ceremonial prayer as part of a larger exercise in civic recognition suggests that its purpose and effect are to acknowledge religious leaders and the institutions they represent, rather than to exclude or coerce non-believers," he said.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/05/supreme-court-government-prayer-new-york/4481969/
Post by: Skeletor on May 08, 2014, 02:02:09 PM
Atheist group renews suit regarding school prayer in Rankin County schools
The Associated Press By The Associated Press
on May 07, 2014 at 7:27 PM, updated May 07, 2014 at 7:31 PM
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- A student supported by an atheist group says the Rankin County school district is still violating a ban on school prayer.
The senior at Northwest Rankin High School, represented by the American Humanist Association, filed a contempt motion Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Jackson. The student says an April 17 districtwide honors program violated the district's November settlement of a lawsuit over Christian-themed assemblies at the school.
A district spokeswoman and a lawyer didn't respond to requests for comment.
In an affidavit, the student said the Rev. Rob Gill, pastor of St. Mark's United Methodist Church, gave an invocation at the honors program, meant to recognize all students in the district who scored above 22 on the ACT test.
The student said she felt pressured to participate in a prayer that she perceived as a reference to Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The student said Rankin County Superintendent Lynn Weathersby and other officials took part.
"As a result of the defendants' actions surrounding the prayer at the awards ceremony, I felt incredibly embarrassed, humiliated and frustrated," states the 17-year-old student, identified only as M.B. in the complaint.
The student said she was also forced to attend the original assembly at Northwest Rankin that sparked the lawsuit.
The association says the district agreed to bar official prayer during the school day, citing a policy Rankin County adopted in July 2013 that states in part that "school activities conducted during instructional hours should neither advance, endorse or inhibit any religion; should be primarily for secular purposes and should not obligate or coerce any person into participation in a religious activity."
Monica Miller, a lawyer for the association, said the assembly took place during school hours and is covered by the consent decree. Miller said the association contends that any official prayer at a student activity is an unconstitutional promotion of religion, citing U.S. Supreme Court rulings.
That same high court ruled last week that organized prayer before government meetings was permissible.
A 2013 state law tried to create a way for Mississippi public school students to pray at football games, graduations and other school functions. But because the prayer in question wasn't delivered by a student, the law doesn't appear to apply.
The association asks U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves to issue civil contempt fines of $1,000 apiece against the district and Northwest Rankin Principal Charles Frazier, giving the money to the student, and to threaten the district with a $20,000 fine for any future violation. The student also asked that Reeves make the district pay attorney fees. The association was awarded $15,000 in fees in the initial settlement.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/05/atheist_group_renews_suit_rega.html
Another paranoid religious extremist.
He actually sounds a lot like some of the more pious posters here.
2nd-class status for nonChristians? A baby step toward theocracy
If supervisor Al Bedrosian has his way, only Christian prayers would be said to launch Roanoke County Board of Supervisors meetings.
By Dan Casey | The Roanoke Times
In the wake of Monday's 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court allowing sectarian prayers as invocations during government meetings, Roanoke County Supervisor Al Bedrosian already is making some plans to change the county Board of Supervisors' nonsectarian prayer policy, though it's doubtful the board will go along.
If Bedrosian gets his way, only Christians could give the officials opening prayers. Jews, Hindus and followers of other faiths would be shut out, relegating them to second-class status.
Here are the juicy bits from a story by my colleagues Zach Crizer and Chase Purdy in today's paper:
"The freedom of religion doesn’t mean that every religion has to be heard,” said Bedrosian, who added that he is concerned about groups such as Wiccans and Satanists. “If we allow everything … where do you draw the line?”
. . . Bedrosian said he envisions a setup by which the supervisors would approve, individually, people from their districts to offer the opening prayer. That system would hold supervisors accountable to their districts, he added.
When asked if he would allow representatives from non-Christian faiths and non-faiths, including Jews, Muslims, atheists and others, the Hollins District supervisor said he likely would not.
. . .If a non-Christian wished to pray during a meeting under his idea for the prayer policy, Bedrosian said, he or she would be able to do so during the allotted time for citizen comment.
“I think America, pretty much from founding fathers on, I think we have to say more or less that we’re a Christian nation with Christian ideology,” Bedrosian said. “If we’re a Christian nation, then I would say that we need to move toward our Christian heritage.”
http://www.roanoke.com/news/columns_and_blogs/blogs/dan_casey/a-baby-step-toward-theocracy/article_bbe6a9fc-d51a-11e3-b520-0017a43b2370.html
Post by: Agnostic007 on May 19, 2014, 06:17:09 AM
That would be the naive view of it. I think the broader view is an enchroachment on their lives by religious people and their beliefs. So they organized to stave off the infringement. Right wrong or indifferent, that's likely the catalyst for their organization
Post by: Man of Steel on May 19, 2014, 10:37:11 AM
Quote from: Agnostic007 on May 19, 2014, 06:17:09 AM
So free grief counseling by priests and pastors offered to victims of violent crimes encroaches upon your life?
Let's say your neighbor is raped and stabbed yet survives the attack and a reverend shows up at your neighbor's house or hospital to offer them guidance and counsel at no charge with no obligation whatsoever.
How does that impact you?
Short answer: It doesn't.
Oh, I'm sure there's some elaborate, "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon", nonsense labyrinth of disjointed, anti-theist, political agendas that goes from your neighbor's crime (that doesn't involve you in anyway) back full circle and illogically adjacent to an utter violation of your civil liberties LOL.
I'm guessing the Salvation Army holiday bell ringers at Walmart are also destroying your personal freedoms LOL? Those bastards!!!
Quote from: Man of Steel on May 19, 2014, 10:37:11 AM
1. Nope but it violates seperation of Church and State. We have trained grief counselors that visit crime victims and they don't spread the word of any religion, they are trained, educated and certified counselors.
2. That is very nice of the reverend to do that, however when a government entity sends the reverend, that's where I have a problem. Again, there are real counselors available for such instances
3. Slippery slope, government shouldn't be in the business of providing spritual or religious counseling
4. I can answer for myself thank you
Sorry, but a definite violation of church and state is specious and reaching.
There is nothing unconstitutional about one person freely communicating their faith with another person. There is something unconstitutional about a government telling a civilian that they can't do that....that's a violation of civil liberties. Now, forcing someone to participate in a regular religious ceremony that is also unconstitutional.
Many force fit the slippery slope notion based upon their own agenda....it goes both ways. Regardless, the victims in question are not civil authorities....they are individuals. The term "state" does not automatically apply to the victim and the term "church" does not automatically apply to a pastor offering counseling.
Now, the presupposition tends to be that the reverend/pastor/priest is always sharing their faith in those moments. Many "men of the cloth" have legitimate study and expertise in counseling that has nothing to do with the church, faith or theology.
So, in the future, if you happen to be the victim in an unforseen situation (I pray that isn't the case) and a priest comes to your home or hospital to offer counseling simply decline with a "no thank you". Your rights and the priest's rights are both fully upheld.
again, a priest happening to drop by verses a priest sent by the city of ________ is two different things...
I agree with you, but to my point these pastors/ministers/reverends/priests do have extensive experience and expertise in counseling. Not all of course, but many. The counseling service on behalf of the city can be completely unrelated to the church and not considered "church outreach". Churches tie into other service organizations all the time and don't spread the gospel....they just perform the service.
Again, the terms "church" and "state" are loosely assigned to different parties incorrectly. A city government sending local church leadership who are skilled in counseling to assist victims of violent crimes at no charge to the victim or city is not a violation of anyone's civil liberties. A secular, civil authority sending a local church to perform religious ceremonies of some sort would most likely violate the idea of separation of church and state. Two separate entities can collaborate without violating people's civil liberties though.
Post by: Agnostic007 on May 30, 2014, 01:02:19 PM
. I have a problem with that
Nice. And the paranoid anti-religous extremists meltdown. :)
Missouri principal wows crowd, angers atheists with guarded 'God' references
By Joshua Rhett Miller
A Missouri high school principal who garnered thunderous applause and a starring role in a viral video for a commencement speech in which he repeatedly invoked God in ways to dodge First Amendment objections has atheists seeing red.
Lebanon High School Principal Kevin Lowery can be seen on a 3-minute YouTube clip reminding graduates that the nation’s motto of “In God We Trust” can be found on U.S. currency and in Francis Scott Key’s original version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Lowery also wryly noted during the May 23 commencement that even though “God is reflected in the very fabric” of the nation, it would be inappropriate to mention The Almighty at a secular ceremony.
“So while it would not be politically correct for us to have an official prayer this evening, I would like for us to have a moment of silence in honor of tonight’s graduates,” Lowery told students. “Thank you. And just in case you’re interested, during my moment of silence, I gave thanks to God for these great students, their parents, their teachers and for this community.”
“So while it would not be politically correct for us to have an official prayer this evening, I would like for us to have a moment of silence in honor of tonight’s graduates."
- Lebanon High School Principal Kevin Lowery
Thunderous applause followed Lowery’s statement and the video was closing in on 100,000 views.
"If you were "offended" by this..I'd have to ask you HOW you could be offended by someone praying for nothing but wonderful things for this student!" wrote one commenter. "He wasn't asking anyone to join a church, a religion or to leave one...he simply asked that they would be protected and blessed."
But dozens of others commenting on the video blasted Lowery, as did Dave Muscato, a spokesman for American Atheists.
“I find this extremely objectionable,” Muscato said. “I think it’s clear that Kevin Lowery violated the spirit of the First Amendment separations of religion and government. This was an underhanded and dishonorable way for him to forcibly inject his personal religious views onto his students and the others present and into his role as a government official.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation also voiced concerns on Lowery’s speech, characterizing it as a “serious constitutional violation” in a letter to Lebanon School District Superintendent Duane Widhalm. District officials, meanwhile, told FoxNews.com they had no comment on Lowery’s speech.
“It is well settled that public schools may not advance, prefer or promote religion,” the letter reads. “The Supreme Court has routinely struck down prayers at school-sponsored events, including public school graduations.”
Lowery did not return requests for comment. But the high school principal, who has more than 1,700 followers on Twitter, thanked his students for the “special” ceremony on the social media platform, where some students referenced Lowery’s speech.
“My favorite part of LHS graduation is when @KevinGLowery ‘doesn't pray’ for the graduates,” Aaron Stewart posted. “We are blessed to have such a faithful leader!”
Another student, Sadie Ashton Staver, said she would miss the “best principal” in America.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/06/04/missouri-principal-wows-crowd-angers-atheists-with-guarded-god-references/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctwrBqcBcgM
Post by: Man of Steel on June 05, 2014, 10:31:23 AM
Quote from: Agnostic007 on May 30, 2014, 01:02:19 PM
Again that assumes that the "opportunity" is forced on the victim. Every hospital chaplain I've ever seen (and I've seen several in action) always give the patient the option to pray or discuss matters of faith. If the patient declines the chaplain moves on.....that simple.
In the end you don't have anything to worry about because scripture clearly outlines that the world at large will adopt your position fully and people of faith will eventually have virtually no influence......the "sharing of the Christian faith" will be heavily ridiculed and mocked (way more than it is today) and believers will eventually lose their lives like never before in history. Many believers will fall away from the faith when this begins in attempts to save their lives. I believe we're on the precipice of this now.
Post by: The Scott on June 05, 2014, 06:49:48 PM
Then if ever presented with such an offer, politely refuse it. Simple, huh? I was asked in the hospital if I would care to have a chaplain visit me. Asked, not forced. Asked. I accepted and received visits from two of them. We talked about a variety of subjects, not just faith. Good people, good conversation.
Surely you don't have a problem with your just saying no, to them? If they asked you if you wanted a meat dish for your meal, and you were a vegan, would you have a problem just saying "No thanks! I'll have the veggie plate instead." I hope not.
Don't look to be offended where no offence was intended.
Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our Allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.
And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:
Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.
Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.
They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest -- until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.
For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.
Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them -- help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.
Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.
Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.
And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.
And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keeness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment -- let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace -- a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt - June 6, 1944
http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/
School: We have a right to ban God
A California school district says it will not apologize to a teenager who defied its orders and mentioned God in his graduation speech.
Attorneys representing the Brawley Union High School District have written a 10-page letter defending the school’s right not only to censor graduation speeches, but also to ban any speech that references God or Jesus.
“It is well established in the Ninth Circuit and California that a public school salutatorian has no constitutional right to lead a prayer or include sectarian or proselytizing content in his/her graduation speech,” reads a letter from the San Diego law firm of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud and Romo.
Brooks Hamby was a victim of anti-Christian bigotry, and I hope Liberty Institute teaches the Brawley Union High School District a lesson it won’t forget.
Last month, 18-year-old Brooks Hamby made national headlines when he committed an act of civil disobedience by thanking Jesus in his salutatorian address. School administrators had redacted references to Jesus and the Christian faith in three previous versions of Hamby’s speech.
One administrator went so far as to redact every religious reference with a black marker – as if it were some sort of top-secret government document.
Liberty Institute, the law firm representing Hamby, has demanded that the school apologize for censoring the boy’s speech and that it guarantee future graduation speakers will not face censorship.
The school district, in the certified letter its attorneys sent to Liberty Institute, says that’s not going to happen. There will be no apology.
“The district was legally obligated to ensure prayers and other sectarian, proseltyzing content were omitted from Mr. Hamby’s speech,” the school’s attorneys wrote. “Censorship of the speech was necessary to avoid an Establishment Clause violation.”
In other words, the high-dollar attorneys are telling us the school district violated one constitutional amendment to avoid violating another.
The school district’s attorneys also said the California Constitution prohibits public school districts from endorsing religious speech at their graduation ceremonies.
“Mr. Hamby was not permitted to use his salutatory speech to lead his classmates in a sectarian prayer,” the attorneys wrote.
Instead, he was supposed to stand in front of his graduating class as a “representative example of the success of the school’s own educational mission,” the attorneys wrote, referencing a previous court case.
Are they trying to tell us the reason the district took offense was because Brooks Hamby thanks God for his success instead of the school district?
I spoke by telephone Thursday night with Hamby and his attorney, Jeremy Dys. Both were shocked by the tone, tenor and length of the school district’s retort.
“The school does not want to put this issue behind them,” Dys told me. “All options are on the table. Based on the amount of money it cost those attorneys to write that letter, I’d say the school district has a $10-20,000 down payment for a lawsuit.”
And Dys said if the school district is hankering for a legal fight – “we may be willing to oblige them.”
Hamby remains saddened and perplexed by how the school district treated him.
“I was really surprised the school would deny my speech not once, twice, but three times,” he told me. “I just wanted to say a few nice words and allow people to see the good news – which is the Gospel.”
After the district rejected those versions, Hamby wrote a fourth – just hours before the graduation ceremony. In that speech, he refused to water down his faith in Christ. He never received a reply from the district – so he decided to deliver that version.
“May the God of the Bible bless each and every one of you every day in the rest of your lives,” he told his fellow graduates.
That’s what led to the legal firestorm. That’s what led the school district to hire a high-powered law firm to bully this Christian teenager.
If you believe the school district’s version, Hamby turned his speech into a Billy Graham Crusade where he invited his fellow graduates to walk the aisle and convert to Christianity.
But that’s not what happened at all. This young man simply talked about the values that shaped and flavored his life – the values that carried him through the difficult days of high school.
According to the school district, Brooks Hamby broke the law.
“Mr. Hamby’s salutatorian speech was a sectarian invocation, which is not legally permitted in California or the Ninth Circuit,” the district’s attorneys wrote.
I’m surprised the principal didn’t take out a warrant and throw the kid in jail.
Hamby is not the first graduation speaker to have his Christian voice silenced – and I predict he won’t be the last. In my new book, “God Less America,” I write about other teenage Christians whose speeches were deemed inappropriate by government representatives.
Hamby is Stanford bound this fall. But I suspect the lessons he’s learned will flavor the rest of his life.
“I’m not an attorney, so I can’t speak on behalf of the law, but I think it should never be acceptable to silence students who mention the word God or Jesus,” he told me. “I know in my heart that kind of thing is not OK.”
Indeed, it is not.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/07/11/school-have-right-to-ban-god/
Restaurant's 'Prayer Discount' Sparks Mix Of Praise, Anger
by SCOTT NEUMAN
When Jordan Smith got her tab after breakfast at Mary's Gourmet Diner in Winston-Salem, N.C., she was pleasantly surprised to find a 15 percent discount — for "praying in public."
Smith, on a business trip, tells HLN that she and her colleagues "prayed over our meal and the waitress came over at the end of the meal and said, 'Just so you know, we gave you a 15 percent discount for praying.' "
Smith then snapped a photo of her receipt, complete with a line item for "15% Praying in Public ($6.07)" and posted it to her Facebook page. Not surprisingly, it's gone viral.
Some people wondered if it was just another social media hoax, but Shama Blalock, a co-owner of the diner, confirmed to NPR that "It's for real; it does exist."
Blalock says it's something that she was moved to implement about 3 1/2 years ago. "We're very thankful for the attention we've received, but that's not what we were aiming at," she says.
Blalock says the discount is given to customers at the discretion of the wait staff.
On seeing the picture circulated by Smith, many responded like Arlene Wilson Focht, who wrote on the diner's Facebook page:
Arlene Wilson FochtMary's Gourmet Diner
Owner at The Rosey Posey · August 1 at 5:45am ·
Thanks, Mary's Gourmet Diner, for giving 15% off to people who pray for their food. The Lord deserves our thanksIf I'm ever in WS, NC I'll be sure to stop in.
But others were more critical. Dave Moore was among those who questioned whether the restaurant would give the same discount to people who offered public prayers that weren't of the Christian variety:
Dave MooreMary's Gourmet Diner
34 followers · July 31 at 3:28pm · Tucson, AZ ·
Prayer discounts? Do you give prayer discounts to people who aren't of your religion? like Sikh's or Hindus or Muslims or Jews?
Several others noted their interpretation that praying in public is frowned upon in the New Testament passage Matthew 6:5:
Mark MaloneMary's Gourmet Diner
Works at None of your business · August 1 at 12:46am ·
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
And some people wondered aloud if the restaurant's practice amounts to discrimination. The Department of Justice says that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on religion in a public accommodation, such as a restaurant. Whether the diner is in violation isn't immediately clear.
We put in a call to the DOJ for clarification and will update this post if we hear back.
Post by: Skeletor on August 09, 2014, 11:20:58 PM
Judge rules Ten Commandments monument must go
A federal judge on Thursday ruled that a New Mexico city must remove a monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments from the lawn in front of Bloomfield City Hall.
Senior U.S. District Judge James A. Parker said in his ruling in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union that the monument amounts to government speech and has the "principal effect of endorsing religion."
Because of the context and history surrounding the granite monument, Parker said Bloomfield clearly violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. He gave a Sept. 10 deadline for its removal.
The suit was filed in 2012 on behalf of two Bloomfield residents who practice the Wiccan religion.
Peter Simonson, ACLU of New Mexico executive director, called the decision a victory for protection against government-supported religion.
"We firmly support the right of individuals, religious groups, and community associations to publicly display religious monuments, but the government should not be in the business of picking which sets of religious beliefs belong at City Hall," Simonson said Friday.
According to previous court testimony, plaintiff Jane Felix said the display "says that anybody who doesn't agree with this monument on city grounds is an outsider."
"It has no place on City Hall property," Felix said in March.
City attorneys say private individuals erected and paid for the monument under a 2007 city resolution. That resolution allows people to erect historical monuments of their choosing.
Bloomfield Mayor Scott Eckstein said he was surprised the judge would rule against "a historical document."
"The intent from the beginning was that the lawn was going to be used for historical purposes, and that's what the council voted on," Eckstein told the Daily Times (http://bit.ly/XMgAqu).
The city has 30 days to file an appeal. City attorney Ryan Lane said he will review the opinion and tell the city council if there is basis for one.
The 6-foot-tall monument was erected in July 2011 by a former city councilor and weighs 3,000 pounds.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/08/judge-rules-ten-commandments-monument-must-go
Brevard County commissioners refuse to recognize atheist invocations
By Dan Billow
6:01 PM EDT Aug 19, 2014
Atheists demanded the right to give an invocation at the beginning of a Brevard County Commission meeting on Tuesday.
A debate over invocations quickly turned up the temperature at the Brevard County Commission.
"For you to say that Christianity isn't under attack, I'd like you to look over at Iraq right now and let me know if Christianity's not under attack," said Brevard County Commissioner Andy Anderson.
David Williamson of the Central Florida Freethought Community wears an A for "atheist" on his lapel.
"The supreme court specifically named non-believers as someone who should be included. And in this case, we've asked to be included," Williamson said.
What is an atheist invocation? Same thing a minister would pray for.
A sample atheist invocation reads, "We need only look to each other for guidance, and work together to overcome any challenges we may face."
Commissioners said unanimously they don't want to change a policy that allows individual commissioners to select the invocation-givers from a pool of applicants, who are mostly Christian ministers and Jewish rabbis.
That allows them to pass on atheist applicants.
"It's a slap in the face to be told, specifically, you cannot participate," Williamson said.
Williamson indicated his group may seek a court order.
http://www.wesh.com/news/brevard-county-commissioners-refuse-to-recognize-atheist-invocations/27617706
Prayer for injured teen sparks atheist outrage
The injured player was on the ground being tended to by trainers and coaches.
So the Seminole High School football team did what many football teams do. The teenage boys took a knee, bowed their heads and prayed for their injured teammate.
But that simple act of compassion and humanity in Sanford, Florida sparked outrage from the Freedom From Religion Foundation – a group of perpetually offended atheists from Wisconsin.
An FFRF attorney fired off a letter to the superintendent of Seminole County Public Schools – accusing them of having an adult lead the prayer for the injured child.
It truly takes a special kind of evil to threaten Americans because they prayed over an injured child.
A school district spokesman told me the injured child, who is the son of the team’s head coach, has since rejoined the team.
“It is our information and understanding that Seminole High School (is) allowing an adult, a local pastor, to act as a ‘volunteer chaplain’ for the football team,” FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel wrote.
The attorney said the school cannot “allow a non-school adult access to the children in its charge, and certainly cannot grant that access to a pastor seeking to organize prayer for the students.”
The FFRF told the school district to “refrain from having a ‘volunteer team chaplain’ at Seminole High School.
The school district said the prayer was instigated by students and denied that a chaplain prayed with the team. School spokesman Mike Blasewitz told MyNews13.com that the school doesn’t even have a team chaplain, contrary to the FFRF’s allegations.
“There is nothing to cease and desist because our behavior was within the guidelines in the first place,” he told television station WFTV. “No adults in the photo, no adults participating, no adults leading it.”
Seidel told me in a written statement that he’s satisfied with the school’s response – and they now consider the matter closed.
“FFRF is very pleased with central Florida's new-found commitment to upholding the First Amendment and protecting the rights of conscience of all students, not just Christians,” he said.
Parents, meanwhile, are a bit perturbed with the atheist bullying.
“There are a lot more important issues going on in the world than worrying about kids praying at a game,” parent Andre Collins told ClickOrlando.com. “We live in a country where we’re free to do what we want to do.”
Barbara Frase has a grandson on the football team. She could not believe the atheists would call out the kids for praying.
“Come on, let’s get real,” she told ClickOrlando.com.
Seminole County is not the first school district targeted by these rabid atheists – and they won’t be the last. Earlier this week, I exposed the Christian cleansing underway in Orange County, Florida public schools.
But it truly takes a special kind of evil to threaten Americans because they prayed over an injured child.
Heaven help us all.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/08/28/prayer-for-injured-teen-sparks-atheist-outrage/
Post by: Man of Steel on September 05, 2014, 02:46:35 AM
"perpetually offended atheists"....that made me chuckle.
Apparently this Wisconsin group enjoys its perpetual state of offense so much that it fabricates reasons to remain in it.
This isn't atheism, this is anti-theism.
Post by: The Scott on September 05, 2014, 06:52:02 AM
Quote from: Man of Steel on September 05, 2014, 02:46:35 AM
It's because these downtrodden atheists are just like others (read- libtards) of their kind. They look for the "offensive" everywhere but in a mirror.
To hell with them and their pussified mentality.
Post by: Skeletor on September 06, 2014, 01:06:28 PM
Group: Airman denied reenlistment for refusing to say 'so help me God'
Sep. 4, 2014 - 06:00AM
By Stephen Losey
An atheist airman at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada was denied reenlistment last month for refusing to take an oath containing “so help me God,” the American Humanist Association said Thursday.
And in a Sept. 2 letter to the inspectors general for the Air Force and Creech, Monica Miller, an attorney with the AHA’s Apignani Humanist Legal Center, said the airman should be allowed to reenlist without having to swear to a deity, and instead given a secular oath. Miller said the AHA is prepared to sue if the airman is not allowed to reenlist.
According to the AHA, the unnamed airman was told Aug. 25 that the Air Force would not accept his contract because he had crossed out the phrase “so help me God.” The airman was told his only options were to sign the religious oath section of the contract without adjustment and recite an oath concluding with “so help me God,” or leave the Air Force, the AHA said.
That is unconstitutional and unacceptable, the AHA said.
“The government cannot compel a nonbeliever to take an oath that affirms the existence of a supreme being,” Miller said. “Numerous cases affirm that atheists have the right to omit theistic language from enlistment or reenlistment contracts.”
Creech officials referred inquiries to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Officials at Nellis referred questions to Air Force public affairs officers at the Pentagon, who had not confirmed the incident by Thursday night.
The AHA’s letter also called attention to a quiet update last year of Air Force rules governing reenlistments, which now require all airmen to swear an oath to God.
Air Force Instruction 36-2606 spells out the active-duty oath of enlistment, which all airmen must take when they enlist or reenlist and ends with “so help me God.” The old version of that AFI included an exception: “Note: Airmen may omit the words ‘so help me God,’ if desired for personal reasons.”
That language was dropped in an Oct. 30, 2013, update to the AFI. The relevant section of that AFI now only lists the active-duty oath of enlistment, without giving airmen any option to choose not to swear an oath to a deity.
“Reciting ‘So help me God’ in the reenlistment and commissioning oaths is a statutory requirement under Title 10 USC 502,” Air Force spokeswoman Rose Richeson said Thursday. AFI 36-2606 “is consistent with the language mandated in 10 USC 502. Paragraph 5.6 [and] was changed in October 2013 to reflect the aforementioned statutory requirement and airmen are no longer authorized to omit the words ‘So help me God.’ ”
The Air Force said it cannot change its AFI to make “so help me God” optional unless Congress changes the statute mandating it.
Miller pointed out that Article VI of the Constitution prohibits requiring religious tests to hold an office or public trust.
“Forcing [the airman] to swear to a supreme being as a condition of his reenlistment is tantamount to a ‘religious test’ and is therefore violative of this constitutional provision as well,” Miller said.
Miller also said that swearing an oath the airman does not believe in would be dishonest.
“This airman shows integrity, commitment to the nation, and respect for religion in standing firm for a secular oath that reflects his true values and intentions,” said Jason Torpy, president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers and a board member of the AHA.
http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20140904/NEWS05/309040066/
Quote from: Skeletor on September 06, 2014, 01:06:28 PM
People have the God-given ability to deny God as much as they want. Folks in US have no right to force another to accept or reject God.
People have the God-given ability to deny God as much as they want.
How profound. ::)
Post by: Man of Steel on September 09, 2014, 01:24:22 PM
Always glad to help, but sounds like you stumbled on that new thing called "sarcasm".
Finally some common sense instead of enforcing the outrageous demands of paranoid religious extremists.
AF to change instructions for oaths
/ Published September 17, 2014
WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Air Force has instructed force support offices across the service to allow both enlisted members and officers to omit the words “So help me God” from enlistment and officer appointment oaths if an Airman chooses.
In response to concerns raised by Airmen, the Department of the Air Force requested an opinion from the Department of Defense General Counsel addressing the legal parameters of the oath. The resulting opinion concluded that an individual may strike or omit the words “So help me God” from an enlistment or appointment oath if preferred.
“We take any instance in which Airmen report concerns regarding religious freedom seriously,” said Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James. “We are making the appropriate adjustments to ensure our Airmen's rights are protected.”
The Air Force will be updating the instructions for both enlisted and commissioned Airmen to reflect these changes in the coming weeks, but the policy change is effective now. Airmen who choose to omit the words 'So help me God' from enlistment and officer appointment oaths may do so.
The language in previous instructions was based on an Air Force legal interpretation of 10 U.S.C. 502, 5 U.S.C. 3331 and Title 32, which contain the oaths of office.
The Air Force requested the review following a ceremony at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, in which an enlisted Airman struck out the words, “So help me God” on the Department of Defense Form 4 and did not include them in his verbal oath. The Airman's unit was unable to process his paperwork due to the guidance in Air Force Instruction 36-2606, Reenlistment in the United States Air Force, which prohibited any omissions. Now that the Department of Defense General Counsel has provided an opinion, the Airman’s enlistment paperwork will be processed to completion.
http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/497535/af-to-change-instructions-for-oaths.aspx
Theists are so dumb! Can I get a "what what"?!!
More Americans see religion’s influence waning, want bigger role in politics: Pew poll
By Mary Wisniewski
Nearly three-quarters of the public think religion is losing influence in American life and a growing number want religion to play more of a role in politics, according to a poll released on Monday.
The share of Americans who say churches and other houses of worship should express their views on social and political issues has gone up 6 percentage points since the 2010 midterm elections, to 49 percent from 43 percent, the Pew Research Center survey found.
Also, a growing minority of Americans, up to 32 percent from 22 percent in 2002, think churches should endorse candidates for political office, the poll found.
Overall, it showed 72 percent of Americans say religion is losing influence in the country, up 5 points from 2010.
“Some of this might be in reaction, perhaps, to the perception that religion is losing influence,” said Jessica Hamar Martinez, a research associate for Pew.
The poll also found that a declining share of Americans see the Obama administration as friendly toward religion, to 30 percent from 37 percent in 2009.
The belief that the administration is unfriendly to religion rose by 19 percentage points since 2009 among both white evangelical Christians and white Catholics, the poll found. Leaders from both these groups have been vocal opponents of the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate, which they say restricts religious liberty.
The poll also found that nearly half, or 47 percent, of U.S. adults, think that businesses, such as caterers and florists, should be allowed to reject same-sex couples as customers if the businesses have religious objections to serving them.
The survey questioned 2,002 U.S. adults between Sept. 2 and Sept. 9, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2014/09/23/more-americans-see-religions-influence-waning-want-bigger-role-in-politics-pew-poll/
Post by: Skeletor on November 18, 2014, 09:12:02 PM
Orange County School Board moves to change policy to keep Satanist coloring book out of schools
By Lauren Roth, Orlando Sentinel
Worried about facing national ridicule if a Satanic group is allowed to give out coloring books to children, the Orange County School Board moved Thursday toward preventing any outside group from distributing religious materials on campus.
The current policy has allowed groups to distribute Bibles and even atheist materials at district high schools in recent years.
The board discussed the issue during a workshop Thursday. The earliest it could vote to change the policy would be late January or early February, officials said.
"This really has, frankly, gotten out of hand," said chairman Bill Sublette. "I think we've seen a group or groups take advantage of the open forum we've had."
But a spokesman for The Satanic Temple, the group the group that wants to give out coloring books featuring cartoon children performing Satanic rituals and drawing pentagrams in school, said it is the School Board that is acting in bad faith.
"It strongly implies they never intended to have a plurality of voices," said Doug Mesner, co-founder and spokesman for The Satanic Temple, who also goes by the pseudonym Lucien Greaves.
An evangelical group called World Changers of Florida has given out Bibles in Orange schools three times.
"We're looking forward to doing it again," said World Changers Vice President Greg Harper. The group has purchased materials and is gathering volunteers to give out the New International Version in 18 district high schools on Jan. 16, he said.
However, district counsel Woody Rodriguez said the Satanists are the only group to have submitted a request.
Harper said he considers the possible policy change an attack on Christians.
"They seem to be moving against the interests of a large part of the community," he said, likening it to the district's August decision to ban football chaplains at schools. "The Bible will open somebody's heart, somebody's mind, and cause them to pursue answers."
Board member Christine Moore also seemed to struggle with the effect of a policy change on Christian groups. "Everyone's upset about the Satanists and the atheists coming,'' she said.
But another group involved in the debate sees an upside.
"It's a bit of a relief," said David Williamson of the Central Florida Freethought Community. His group distributed atheist materials in 2013 as a protest against Bible distributions.
Rodriguez said the district was bound by the terms of a federal consent decree that required Collier County schools to allow the same group to give out Bibles.
"Given that there's a potential change in the policy, we won't be allowing distribution," he said. "We're going to wait."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-satanic-pamphlets-board-reacts-20141113-story.html
Post by: Man of Steel on November 19, 2014, 05:56:27 AM
after Skeletor posts I always picture the following:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g20_8-TPyTQ
Post by: The Scott on November 19, 2014, 06:32:29 PM
Don't be such a dicklet, mkay?
Quote from: Man of Steel on November 19, 2014, 05:56:27 AM
Why do atheists have a PR director??
American Atheists PR Director Says He's Becoming a Woman, Transition Will Be Slow
BY STOYAN ZAIMOV , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER
(http://images.christianpost.com/full/78480/dave-muscato-r-participating-in-a-religious-debate-in-a-video-posted-on-april-20-2012.jpg)
Dave Muscato (R) participating in a religious debate in a video posted on April 20, 2012.
Dave Muscato, the public relations director for American Atheists, has announced that he'll be transitioning into a transgender woman in the near future, and has chosen the name Danielle as a new identity.
"I consider my gender identity to be personal and, despite my passion for PR, don't intend to do much in the way of interviews about my personal gender identity if I can help it. I fully support intersectionality and working together with LGBTQ activists on mutual goals, but I'm first and foremost an atheist activist, and that hasn't changed," Muscato wrote in a blog post on Monday for The Friendly Atheist.
"There are many other people who are significantly more educated about trans activism than I am and who are already doing great work in that area. I support them and obviously have an interest in their success, but it's not my area of expertise. Exposing the harms that religion causes and making the world a better place for atheists will always be my passion."
Muscato noted that she's (formerly he) grateful for the full support of American Atheists President David Silverman and Managing Director Amanda Knief, as well as other co-workers.
Muscato added that gender identity and gender expression don't always go hand-in-hand.
"While I have identified internally as a woman for a long time, for now, I will be presenting more-or-less as a man; that is, I will continue to wear mostly traditional men's clothing, speak in my natural lower voice, and so on," the American Atheists public relations director wrote.
"Transitioning is a slow, painful, and expensive process and can take many months to several years. As I begin to take bigger steps to change my appearance, I will also begin dressing differently and changing other aspects of my gender expression.
American Atheists, one of the largest secular organizations in the U.S., launched the world's first ever TV channel dedicated exclusively to atheism earlier this year.
"Atheist TV," as the channel is called, is shown through Internet-streaming service Roku 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and has partnered with other notable atheist groups, such as the Richard Dawkins Foundation.
"There's a glut of religious TV programming out there, from televangelists to Christmas specials," Muscato told New York Daily News in May. "But there's no atheist channel. We wanted to fill that void. ... We'll have shows about philosophy, science, history — a critical examination of the facts."
http://www.christianpost.com/news/american-atheists-public-relations-director-announces-transition-into-transgender-woman-129855/
Pew: Christians Make Up 92 Percent of New Congress
By Jason Devaney
More than 90 percent of the new Congress is Christian, a 2 percent increase from the previous Congress.
The Pew Research Center reports that 92 percent of the 114th Congress is made up of Christians, a figure dominated by Protestants at 57 percent. Thirty-one percent of those Christians are Catholic.
Pew claims those numbers are higher than the American average; 49 percent of American adults are Protestant, according to the data, while 22 percent are Catholic.
Twenty percent of Americans say they are not affiliated with any religion, while that number falls to just 0.2 percent in Congress. The only lawmaker on Capitol Hill without a religious affiliation is Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona, according to Pew.
Fifteen percent of Congress is Baptist, while another 8 percent is either Methodist or Anglican/Episcopal. Presbyterians make up 7 percent of the 535 lawmakers in the House and Senate.
Five percent of Congress is Jewish, higher than the nationwide figure of 2 percent. Seven members are ordained ministers.
Of the 301 Republicans in Congress, only one of them — freshman Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York — is not Christian. Zeldin is Jewish. Sixty-seven percent of the GOP Congressmen are Protestant, while 27 percent are Catholic. Five percent are Mormon.
Forty-four percent of the 234 Democratic Congressmen are Protestant, 35 percent are Catholic, and 12 percent are Jewish. There are two Mormons, two Buddhists, two Muslims, and one Hindu.
Meanwhile, Pew reported in September that 72 percent of Americans think religion is losing influence. But the figures did show that 78 percent of Americans still claim to be Christian.
Nearly half of Americans, on the other hand, would like to see more religion in the world of politics, according to the Pew data.
http://www.Newsmax.com/Newsfront/congress-christians-protestants-religion/2015/01/06/id/616640/#ixzz3O4NdUk00
Post by: Man of Steel on January 06, 2015, 11:32:32 AM
Quote from: Dos Equis on December 03, 2014, 10:34:30 AM
all the best to Danielle
"Convince me your religion is true" LOL!!
Post by: Dos Equis on March 25, 2015, 02:54:08 PM
Survey: Nearly 92% of Congress is Christian
By Dan Merica, CNN
Mon January 5, 2015
Washington (CNN)The men and women of the 114th Congress, despite being bitterly divided and partisan, almost universally share one thing in common: Their faith.
Nearly 92% of Congress -- or 491 of the 535 members -- identifies as Christian, according to a study by Pew Research's Religion & Public Life Project. That number is slightly up from 90% in the 113th Congress and continues a trend where the percentage of Christians and Jews in Congress outpaces their national average.
Though Christians dominate both parties, Democrats are more religiously diverse than Republicans. Of the 301 Republicans in the 114th Congress, Jewish freshman Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York is the only non-Christian.
A large majority of Democrats in Congress (80%) are Christian, with 44% Protestant, 35% Catholic and 1% Mormon. But unlike Republicans, Democrats in Congress are 12% Jewish and have two Buddhist, two Muslims, one Hindu and one unaffiliated member.
"You could say that the religious diversity in Congress is concentrated on the Democratic side," said Alan Cooperman, director of religious research at Pew. "The vast majority of the Jews, all of the Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus in Congress and the one unaffiliated member are all on the Democratic side."
Congress, the most representative and responsive branch of the federal government, has seen some aspects of their religious affiliation mirror nationwide trends.
For example, as the country has grown more religiously diverse over the last 50 years, so has Congress. Only 3% of the 87th Congress (1961-1962), according to Pew, was non-Christian. Today, that number has roughly tripled to 6%.
What's more, there has been a noticeable decline in Protestants that mirrors nationwide trends. In 1961, 75% of Congress and roughly 2/two-thirds of the country identified as Protestant. Fifty-seven percent of the 114th Congress is Protestant, while 49% of the country identifies as such today.
One area where nationwide trends have not been reflected in Congress is with the religiously unaffiliated, the most underrepresented in the country.
Though 20% of the country does not identify with a faith, only one member of Congress -- Rep. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona -- publicly identifies as such.
Cooperman said the under representation of unaffiliated Americans might be a political decision by members of Congress.
"One of the things we have seen in our surveys is that the American public says one thing they like to see in candidates for office is strong religious beliefs," said Cooperman, who noted that when Pew asked voters what qualities impact their vote, the most negative attribute was someone who doesn't believe in God.
"On the whole, American adults tend to say that they do want strong religious beliefs in candidates and they tend to say that they would be less likely to vote for someone who says they do not believe in God," he added. "Candidates are reflecting the views of the public when they do tend to affiliate with a religious group."
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/05/politics/religious-survey-congress/index.html
Post by: Agnostic007 on March 31, 2015, 08:42:03 AM
Quote from: Dos Equis on March 25, 2015, 02:54:08 PM
Doesn't surprise me at all...
Quote from: Agnostic007 on March 31, 2015, 08:42:03 AM
Me either. :)
Worried Enough to Pray
Last week’s blog struck a nerve. I wrote a piece entitled “Decency for President.” The premise was a simple one. Shouldn’t a presidential candidate who claims to be Christian talk like one? When a candidate waves a Bible in one speech and calls a reporter “bimbo” in the next, isn’t something awry? Specifically, when Donald Trump insists that he is a Christian (“a good Christian” to use his descriptor) and then blasts, belittles, and denigrates everyone from Barbara Bush to John McCain to Megyn Kelly, shouldn’t we speak up?
If the candidate is not a Christian, then I have no right to speak. But if the candidate does what Trump has done, wave a Bible and attempt to quote from it, then we, his fellow Christians need to call him to at least a modicum of Christian behavior, right?
Again, I struck a nerve. More than three million of you read the article in the first 36 hours! Thousands of you weighed in with your comments. They were fascinating to read. (Not all of them pleasant to read, mind you. The dozens of you who told me to stick to the pulpit and stop meddling in politics– I get it. By the way, I’d like to invite you to attend our services. My upcoming message is “Kindness”.) Detractors notwithstanding, your comments were heartfelt and passionate.
I detected a few themes.
You have a deep sense of love for our country. Patriotism oozed through your words. You cherish the uniqueness and wonder of the USA. You have varying opinions regarding leadership style, role of government, and political strategy. But when it comes to loving the country, you are unanimously off the charts.
You have an allergy to “convenient” Christians. You resist people who don the Christian title at convenient opportunities (i.e., presidential campaigns). You would prefer the candidate make no mention of faith rather than leave the appearance of a borrowed faith that will be returned to the lender after the election.
You are concerned, profoundly concerned, about the future of our country. The debt. Immorality. National security. The role of the Supreme Court. Immigration. Religious liberty. The list is as long as the worries are deep.
So where does this leave us? When a person treasures the country, but has trepidation about its future, what is the best course of action?
Elijah can weigh in on this question.
He lived during one of the darkest days in the history of Israel. The Northern Kingdom had 19 kings, each one of whom was evil. Hope had boarded the last train and optimism the final flight. The leaders were corrupt and the hearts of the people were cold. But comets are most visible against the black sky. And in the midst of the darkness, a fiery comet by the name of Elijah appeared.
The name Elijah means, “My God is Jehovah.” And he lived up to his name. He appeared in the throne room of evil King Ahab with a weather report. “‘As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word’” (1 Kings 17:1).
Elijah’s attack was calibrated. Baal was the fertility god of the pagans, the god to whom they looked for rain and fertile fields. Elijah called for a showdown: the true God of Israel against the false god of the pagans. How could Elijah be so confident of the impending drought? Because he had prayed.
Eight centuries later the prayers of Elijah were used as a model.
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops” (James 5:16-18).
James was impressed that a prayer of such power came from a person so common. Elijah was “a human being” but his prayers were heard because he prayed earnestly. This was no casual prayer, comfortable prayer, but a radical prayer. “Do whatever it takes, Lord,” Elijah begged, “even if that means no water.”
What happened next is one of the greatest stories in the Bible. Elijah told the 450 prophets of Baal: You get a bull, I’ll get a bull. You build an altar, I’ll build an altar. You ask your god to send fire; I’ll ask my God to send fire. The God who answers by fire is the true God.
The prophets of Baal agreed and went first.
“At noon Elijah began to taunt them. ‘Shout louder!’ he said. ‘Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.’
“So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention” (1 Kings 18:27-29).
(Elijah would have flunked a course in diplomacy.) Though the prophets cut themselves and raved all afternoon, nothing happened. Finally Elijah asked for his turn.
“Then Elijah said to all the people, ‘Come here to me.’ They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, ‘Your name shall be Israel’” (1 Kings 18:30-31).
Elijah poured four jugs of water (remember, this was a time of drought) over the altar three times. Then Elijah prayed.
“LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again” (1 Kings 18:36-37).
Note how quickly and dramatically God answered.
“Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, ‘The LORD—he is God! The LORD—he is God!’” (1 Kings 18:38-39).
“Pow!” the altar was ablaze. God delighted in and answered Elijah’s prayer. God delights in and answers our prayers as well.
Let’s start a fire, shall we?
If your responses to my blog are any indication, you are anxious. You love this country, yet you are troubled about the future. You wonder what the future holds and what we can do. Elijah’s story provides the answer. We can pray. We can offer earnest, passionate prayers.
It’s time to turn our concerns into a unified prayer. Let’s join our hearts and invite God to do again what he did then; demonstrate His power. Super Tuesday, March 1, is the perfect day for us to step into the presence of God.
You outrank any leader. You hold sway over every office. Greater is the occupant of Heaven’s throne than the occupant of the White House.
You have been good to this country. You have blessed us in spite of our sin and guarded us in spite of our rebellion.
We unite our hearts in one prayer. Let your kingdom come. Let your will be done. Please, speak through the electoral process to reveal your leader.
This we pray in the name of Jesus,
© Max Lucado
https://maxlucado.com/worried-enough-to-pray-2/
Post by: Las Vegas on February 29, 2016, 04:20:50 PM
When a candidate waves a Bible in one speech and calls a reporter “bimbo” in the next, isn’t something awry?
Not necessarily. The writer sounds dishonest, too. I'd bet we could find all sorts of hypocritical things in this article, versus the author, if we looked.
Quote from: Las Vegas on February 29, 2016, 04:20:50 PM
Max Lucado dishonest? I think not. lol Classic ad hominem. This is about Trump, not Lucado.
Quote from: Dos Equis on February 29, 2016, 04:50:04 PM
Do you think Lucado has ever called someone a name? Because if he has, then he's made this about himself, actually.
All someone needs to do is look to find Trump say he's never asked for forgiveness. That's it.
I have no idea. What I do know is he has never run for office, then called himself a Christian, held up a Bible, tried to quote it, then simultaneously have all sorts of filth come out of his mouth. So, apples and oranges.
This commentary is about Trump, not Lucado.
And those comments are being weighed, which is the main purpose of a discussion board.
They are being contorted. You can obviously talk about whatever you want. I'm pointing out how your comments have nothing to do with Lucado's commentary. His commentary is about Trump.
The best story of the day that the mainstream media will ignore
(http://a57.foxnews.com/images.foxnews.com/content/fox-news/opinion/2016/09/28/best-story-day-that-mainstream-media-will-ignore/_jcr_content/par/featured-media/media-0.img.jpg/876/493/1475076775711.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
When you dropped your kids off at school today -- you probably saw a bunch of students gathered around the flag pole.
Those kids were part of See You at the Pole - a national prayer gathering.
Some two million young people woke up before sunrise to pray with their classmates. Many of you posted photos on my Facebook page of students praying in your hometowns - from Staten Island, New York to Stinking Creek, Kentucky.
There were first graders and freshmen holding hands on this cool Autumn day to pray for our nation -- to cry out - as the Psalmist said so many centuries ago.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/09/28/best-story-day-that-mainstream-media-will-ignore.html
No problem. :)
Trump marks National Day of Prayer, signs executive order on religious freedom
President Trump marked the National Day of Prayer by signing an executive order aimed at boosting religious freedom by easing IRS restrictions against political activities by tax-exempt religious organizations, including churches.
Declaring "no one should be censoring sermons," Trump announced the order, which fulfilled a campaign pledge, during a Rose Garden ceremony Thursday attended by religious leaders, activists and Vice President Pence.
“We will not allow people of faith to be targeted, bullied or silenced again and we will never stand for religious discrimination,” Trump said before signing the order, which states it is now administration policy is “to protect and vigorously promote religious liberty.”
EXECUTIVE ORDER: PROMOTING FREE SPEECH AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
The ban on political speech from the pulpit is rooted in an amendment introduced in 1954 by then-Democratic Sen. Lyndon Johnson that gave the IRS authority to punish tax-exempt charitable organizations, including churches, for making political endorsements or getting involved in political campaigns.
The order directs the IRS to exercise maximum enforcement discretion to alleviate the burden of the so-called Johnson Amendment.
In addition, it instructs the Treasury Department not to target the tax-exempt status of churches and other institutions if they express support for political candidates.
The order also directs the Department of Justice to ensure religious protections are afforded to individuals and groups, such as Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of nuns who take a vow of poverty in serving the elderly.
In his introductory remarks, Pence said the National Day of Prayer is a time to reaffirm “the vital role people of faith play in American society” and praised the president for marking the day in such a public manner.
Trump campaigned against the ban and pledged in his address to the Republican National Convention that he would “work very hard to repeal that language and to protect free speech for all Americans.”
Trump called up several of the Little Sisters of the Poor members and congratulated them on their landmark victory in the Supreme Court over the issue of the contraceptive mandate included in ObamaCare.
According to Trump, more than 50 religious groups filed lawsuits against the Obama administration for violating their religious liberty.
Before the final order was released, several religious liberty groups expressed support for the administration’s actions.
“The first freedom in the Bill of Rights is religious freedom. America was born on the foundation of religious freedom and it is one of our most cherished liberties. There could be no better day to sign an executive order on religious freedom than the National Day of Prayer,” said Mat Staver, chairman of Liberty Counsel.
Mark Rienzi, counsel for The Becket Fund, said on Twitter he was encouraged by the “promise of the protection” coming from the White House and looked forward to seeing the final language.
The Becket Fund is the public interest law firm which has represented the Little Sisters of the Poor in their fight to be exempted from ObamaCare’s contraceptive mandate.
The executive order drew critics from the left and the right.
"If the … EO on religious liberty ends up being what media outlets are currently reporting, then it'll be woefully inadequate," tweeted Ryan Anderson, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation.
The American Civil Liberties Union argued the executive actions constitute “a broadside to our country’s long-standing commitment to the separation of church and state” that will divide the nation and permit discrimination.
"President Trump’s efforts to promote religious freedom are thinly-veiled efforts to unleash his conservative religious base into the political arena while also using religion to discriminate. It’s a dual dose of pandering to a base and denying reproductive care. We will see Trump in court, again,” said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero in a statement.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/04/trump-marks-national-day-prayer-signs-executive-order-on-religious-freedom.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv9tElas488
Trump's Oval Office Prayer Vigil Sparks Angry Backlash
By David A. Patten | Wednesday, 12 Jul 2017
Tuesday's release of photos of a chance encounter between evangelicals and President Donald Trump in the White House, which shows leading evangelicals laying hands on and praying for the president of the United States in the Oval Office, has touched off an angry backlash on Twitter and in the mainstream media.
CNN immediately tied the meeting to reports the administration has become unhinged following the latest allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, which authorities believe conducted a cyberwar and hacking campaign in a bid to disrupt the November election.
Those in attendance at the Oval Office meeting on Monday, however, reported the president was confident, collected, and in total control of his administration's agenda.
Author and evangelical leader Johnnie Moore posted an image of the group prayer to Twitter on Tuesday evening:
Johnnie Moore ن @JohnnieM
Such an honor to pray within the Oval Office for @POTUS & @VP .
(https://twitter.com/JohnnieM/status/884942560439009281/photo/1)
In the image, Trump is seen with his head bowed and surrounded by faith leaders, some of whom are resting their hands on him, all in an attitude of devout prayer. Moore says the president's visit with faith leaders was not pre-arranged, and included Vice President Mike Pence and top presidential adviser Jared Kushner.
The image immediately sparked an angry backlash, including allegations that Moore is somehow racist for having a better relationship with Trump than with his predecessor.
Others suggest the image symbolizes a dangerous erosion in the separation of church and state.
One particularly emotional post cursed Moore and "the disappearing line between church and state. It's 2017 people; magic is a party trick for kids."
Moore calls the irate remarks "the most vile, vicious things I've ever seen or received in my entire life," adding: "What's so ironic is that the left sees all of us as the ones who are dangerous, who are dividing America. And yet I can tell you when conservatives lose, we lose with dignity, we lose with class. We get back and win the next time around. You know, we learn from our mistakes.
"That's not the case with the left. The left is in this sort of frenetic, emotional moment, they've lost all rationality, they care nothing about objectivity or truth, and they're just lashing out."
Moore tells Newsmax that he and his fellow faith-leaders were in the White House for an all-day meeting on policy that did not happen to involve the president.
"The president got wind that we were there and insisted that we come say hi," he explains.
The tenor of the Oval Office visit, he says, ran counter to the mainstream media narrative splashed on the pages of The Washington Post and The New York Times portraying a White House knocked off balance by allegations over Russian collusion.
"The president was totally in control of the situation." Moore tells Newsmax. "We left with unbelievable confidence we're in exceptional hands, our religious liberties are also in safe hands, and [we] didn't see a crisis in the White House.
"You read CNN," he added, "there was a crisis in every direction. We didn't see it. We saw strong, confident leadership. We left even more convinced that things are great again than we did when we came in."
Moore, a former vice president at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, is the author of "Defying ISIS: Preserving Christianity in the Place of Its Birth and in Your Own Backyard."
He says the visceral reaction to a simple image of the pastors praying for the president has exposed the stark cultural divisions in America.
"I think it shows how the left has totally lost its mind that they think it's an extraordinary thing for faith leaders to be praying with the president of the United States in the Oval Office," he tells Newsmax.
More said evangelicals "have a wide open door like never before into this administration," and suggested progressives will have to make peace with the fact that the president of the United States openly prays with leading evangelicals.
"This wasn't the first time, it won't be the last time," he says. "And the principle promise that evangelicals have made to the president, the vice president, and the administration is that millions of us will be praying for him every day."
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/donald-trump-johnnie-moore-oval-office-prayer/2017/07/12/id/801248/
Post by: Skeletor on July 27, 2017, 01:01:29 PM
Kentucky told to pay attorney fees in same-sex marriage case
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered Kentucky taxpayers to pay more than $220,000 in legal fees because a county clerk refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2015.
U.S. District Judge David Bunning on Friday ordered the state to pay $222,695 in fees to the attorneys of two same-sex couples and others who sued Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis for refusing to give them marriage licenses. He also awarded $2,008.08 in other costs. Bunning said the county and Davis herself did not have to pay.
https://apnews.com/1409cfff0f8146e8a494b73c62f9a5b4
Bible Studies Underway at White House
By Mark Swanson | Monday, 31 Jul 2017
About a dozen members of President Donald Trump's cabinet gather each week for Bible study at the White House, CBN News reports.
Tom Price, Betsy DeVos, Rick Perry, Mike Pompeo, Jeff Sessions and Sonny Perdue are among the cabinet members who take part, CBN reports.
"These are godly individuals that God has risen to a position of prominence in our culture," Ralph Drollinger of Capitol Ministries told CBN. "It's the best Bible study that I've ever taught in my life. They are so teachable; they're so noble; they're so learned."
Trump gets a copy of Drollinger's teachings for the week, and Vice President Mike Pence has vowed to attend as time permits, CBN reported.
"I just praise God for them," Drollinger told CBN. "And I praise God for Mike Pence, who I think with Donald Trump chose great people to lead our nation."
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/trump-white-house-bible-study/2017/07/31/id/804841/
Trump declares national day of prayer, following Abbott's lead in Texas
Todd J. Gillman, Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared a national day of prayer on Sunday as the Gulf Coast reels from Hurricane Harvey, following the lead of Texas, where on Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott declared Sunday a day of prayer.
"We invite all Americans to join us as we continue to pray for those who have lost family members and friends, and for those who are suffering from this great crisis," the president said in the Oval Office, where he met and prayed with pastors from around the country.
Robert Jeffress, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Dallas, was among the clergy who prayed with Trump in the Oval Office on Friday.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DIqIAOAUEAAyYaB.jpg)
Dr. Robert Jeffress ✔ @robertjeffress
Honored to lead prayer as @POTUS declares Sunday a Day of Prayer for #Harvey victims. Grateful for @POTUS who believes in power of prayer.
8:31 AM - Sep 1, 2017
40 40 Replies 104 104 Retweets 281 281 likes
"From the beginning of our nation, Americans have joined together in prayer during times of great need to ask for God's blessing and God's guidance. When we look across Texas and Louisiana, we see the American spirit of service embodied by countless men and women," Trump said in the Oval Office, flanked by religious leaders.
"Families have given food and shelter to those in need. Houses of worship have organized efforts to clean up communities and repair damaged homes. People have never seen anything quite like this. Individuals of every background are striving for the same goal: to aid and comfort people facing devastating losses."
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2017/09/01/trump-declares-national-day-prayer-following-abbotts-lead-texas
Post by: Agnostic007 on September 27, 2017, 09:23:08 PM
If Trump declaring a national day of prayer doesn't turn your stomach, you're likely not going to heaven
Post by: Dos Equis on October 03, 2017, 11:46:27 AM
Quote from: Agnostic007 on September 27, 2017, 09:23:08 PM
Guess I ain't going. :)
Post by: Agnostic007 on October 03, 2017, 05:05:20 PM
Quote from: Dos Equis on October 03, 2017, 11:46:27 AM
odds are against it...
Quote from: Agnostic007 on October 03, 2017, 05:05:20 PM
Well duh. I am a bad boy. Trouble is my middle name.
'Thank you God for our courageous president': Trump gets Ben Carson to lead extraordinary prayer before cabinet meeting (even though he once mocked his religion)
HUD Secretary Ben Carson led a prayer during President Trump's meeting with his cabinet
Carson thanked God for 'the president and for cabinet members who are courageous'
Expressed thanks for 'unity' in Congress
Mentioned economic expansion and destructive debt
He spoke as $1.5 trillion tax cut made its way through the House
During the campaign Trump said he 'just don't know' about Carson's Seventh Day Adventism
He also called him 'lower energy' and brought up 'pathological temper' comment
By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.s. Political Editor For Dailymail.com
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5199533/Ben-Carson-leads-extraordinary-prayer-cabinet-meeting.html#ixzz51we0abFW
Post by: Agnostic007 on December 21, 2017, 09:27:12 PM
Quote from: Dos Equis on December 21, 2017, 04:27:28 PM
Yeah, God had a hand in any of this... the gullibility level is astonishing
Quote from: Agnostic007 on December 21, 2017, 09:27:12 PM
God saved us from Hillary Clinton. :)
Post by: Agnostic007 on December 22, 2017, 11:43:52 AM
I knew you loved Trump, didn't realize you consider him God
Quote from: Agnostic007 on December 22, 2017, 11:43:52 AM
How could you know something that isn't true? I was a Never Trumper. Not anymore.
But Hillary Clinton? We would have gone to hell in a hand basket if that corrupt liar was POTUS. Not sure the country and the world could stand a third Obama term.
God Bless America. :)
Post by: Skeletor on January 24, 2018, 05:00:39 PM
Texas judge interrupts jury, says God told him defendant is not guilty
A state district judge in Comal County said God told him to intervene in jury deliberations to sway jurors to return a not guilty verdict in the trial of a Buda woman accused of trafficking a teen girl for sex.
Judge Jack Robison apologized to jurors for the interruption, but defended his actions by telling them “when God tells me I gotta do something, I gotta do it,” according to the Herald-Zeitung in New Braunfels.
The jury went against the judge’s wishes, finding Gloria Romero-Perez guilty of continuous trafficking of a person and later sentenced her to 25 years in prison. They found her not guilty of a separate charge of sale or purchase of a child.
http://www.statesman.com/news/crime--law/texas-judge-interrupts-jury-says-god-told-him-defendant-not-guilty/ZRdGbT7xPu7lc6kMMPeWKL/
Quote from: Skeletor on January 24, 2018, 05:00:39 PM
Completely inappropriate if true. He shouldn't be a judge if he's doing stuff like this.
Atheist orgs ‘intimidate’ Trump’s Cabinet over Bible study — see Ben Carson’s defiant response
Ben Carson, secretary of Housing and Urban Development, this week defiantly responded to two atheist organizations who he said are trying to “intimidate” him and other senior-level government officials for participating in a Bible study.
Two atheist organizations — The Freedom From Religion Foundation and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington — are suing Carson and his department for failing to waive fees associated with Freedom of Information Act requests.
Special: James Altucher: Do not buy Bitcoin until you see this
FFRF and CREW filed FOIA requests to determine if a weekly Bible study conducted by members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet have used government resources for their weekly gathering. The organizations also wanted to know if any staffers had been “coerced into organizing or even participating in the religious event,” according to CBN News.
Among those who attend the study are: Carson, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Agriculture Secretary Sunny Perdue and CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
Associated with FOIA requests are standard fees for processing if the information requested is neither in the public’s interest nor related to an agency’s operations. HUD charged FFRF and CREW a fee for their FOIA requests and refused to waive it.
That led the groups to sue Carson and HUD this week. They are alleging HUD is denying them fee waivers “where disclosure of the requested documents is likely to cast the agency or HUD Secretary Ben Carson in a negative light,” according to Newsmax.
How did Carson respond?
He said in a Facebook post:
First of all, taxpayer funds are not used to support the ministry, and secondly, no staff are involved in the Bible study. More importantly, I refuse to be intimidated by anti-religious groups into relinquishing my spirituality or religious beliefs. One of the principles of our nation‘s founding is freedom of religion.
I will not stop being a Christian while in service to this country, in fact, it is my faith that helps me serve the nation even better.
The relentless attacks on the spirituality of our nation must be resisted. We are not like everyone else, which is precisely the reason that we rose so rapidly from obscurity to become the most powerful and free nation in history.
Carson went on to explain that three foundational American principles are under attack, citing patriotism, morality and spirituality.
“We the people must decide who we are and what we stand for,” Carson said, adding that if America doesn’t, the nation could become unrecognizable.
https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/01/27/atheist-orgs-intimidate-trumps-cabinet-over-bible-study-see-ben-carsons-defiant-response
Post by: Agnostic007 on February 02, 2018, 10:45:50 PM
prayer and 50 cents will get you a cup of coffee
Quote from: The Scott on September 05, 2014, 06:52:02 AM
wonder why MOS didn't respond to this... hmmmm
Post by: The Scott on February 03, 2018, 06:15:48 AM
Quote from: Agnostic007 on February 02, 2018, 10:47:33 PM
Why would you wonder about his lack of a response? My question was directed at my fellow atheists who are more assholists. These are the idiots that can't look at the letter "T" without whining like a vampire that it's a Cross and should therefor be banned from the Alphabet.
As for your statement that "prayer and 50 cents will get you a cup of coffee"? Who really gives a fuck? I mean, really now. How lame is that "statement". How about something with more vim and vigor?
"Prayer and $75,000 will get you a 2018 Corvette".
Reads just as dumb, does it not? Of course it does. I don't mind that you're an atheist, but me? I am an Atheist. I am the worst nightmare for atheists that are just as, if not more, self-centered buttwipes as Jim and Tammy Baker ever were. I'll tell you this, be glad, be very gland that I am not in charge of any heaven or hell. Why? Because fucktards that belittle the faith of good people such as MoS or Butterbean would never pass go, never collect $200 and not get out of Hell for a very long time.
Muslimes would spend eternity there with the aforementioned idiots, the Bakers. If faith is genuine, people live it in public and in private. If not, they simply lie it. And that goes for atheists. So many of "us" are shit-for-brains self-centered, jerks. None of us knows for certain what awaits us as the final breath leaves our body.
For many atheists, that last breath is more a fart.
Why do you post on this board? Is it have a serious discussion or just to mock religion and religious people?
Post by: Dos Equis on February 09, 2018, 11:39:22 AM
Sportswriter: NBC Should Censor Tony Dungy for Citing QB's Christian Faith As Success Factor
By Tom Blumer | February 8, 2018
There is a little doubt that a segment of the sports press and the public would prefer that athletes with conservative and Christian beliefs keep their views to themselves (but secular and leftist views are fine). This became evident after the Super Bowl, when one sportswriter and the Twitter mob strongly criticized NBC's Tony Dungy, a Super Bowl-winning coach himself, for citing Philadelphia Eagle quarterback Nick Foles' self-professed Christian faith as contributing to his success.
These people wanted — no, really expected — Dungy to not relay what Foles, the team's backup quarterback until became its starter after Carson Wentz's season-ending injury on December 10, told him about his mindset ahead of the big game.
But that's part of Dungy's job, so he did:
TonyDungySuperBowlFoles3 on020618
Oh my. Foles cited the Lord, and Dungy told everyone. Pass the smelling salts.
After harsh initial criticism, Dungy responded early Tuesday:
Note that Dungy (and Foles) are both mature enough not to claim that the Eagles' victory was God's will, or that Foles won because he might be a stronger Christian that New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady, as one unhinged Twitter critic charged. Dungy simply believed Foles' "Christian faith would allow him to play with confidence."
Dungy was on the Foles bandwagon weeks ago. While many sportswriters thought that Wentz's injury had sealed the Eagles' doom, Dungy predicted: "Nick Foles will play well. The NFC Championship Game will be in Philly.”
Dungy posted a further response later Tuesday morning:
Those statements were too much for Kyle Koster, a Senior Writer at The Big Lead, to handle.
Late Tuesday morning, Koster wrote that Dungy "should be checked," i.e., muzzled (h/t Daily Caller):
... it would be naive to think Dungy trumpeting the benefits of faith is something being done from a distance while only wearing an analyst’s hat.
.... His long history of evangelizing must be weighed.
In other words, if you evangelize on your own time, anything you say as a sports analyst will receive greater scrutiny, because, well, we've got to make sure that "evangelizing" doesn't occur on the air.
... Dungy, a very public and proud Christian, pushed a narrative favorable to Christianity that may or may not be true ...
Dungy expressing his beliefs on his personal time and platform is one thing. ... But when his beliefs seep into his analyst role — either unintentionally or otherwise — they should be checked, both by NBC and the public.
No, Mr. Koster. All Dungy did is tell the public what Foles told him and compliment his play. Koster clearly believes that a sports journalist shouldn't be allowed to do that if icky Christianity is involved, and that NBC and "the public" should stop someone who tries. This is the same mindset possessed by broadcasters who routinely censor athletes thanking God for their success after games.
Koster's hostility also came through in a separate Wednesday tweet: "Nick Foles was a Christian when he wasn't very good at football, too."
How pathetic.
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tom-blumer/2018/02/08/sportswriter-wants-nbc-censor-tony-dungy-reporting-eagles-qb-cited
Trump at National Prayer Breakfast: America is a nation of believers
David Jackson, USA TODAY
Published Feb. 8, 2018
WASHINGTON – President Trump stuck to the script during the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, honoring the power of faith and politics for leaders facing national and internal challenges.
"America is a nation of believers and together we are strengthened by the power of prayer," Trump told delegates at the annual breakfast that has welcomed American presidents since 1953.
The event reminds people that "faith is central to Americas life and liberty," Trump said. "Our rights are not given to us by man ... Our rights come from our Creator."
Trump, who made evangelicals and religious conservatives major parts of his political coalition, discussed the role of faith as political leaders grapple with problems that range from the opioid epidemic to the rogue regime of North Korea.
Trump took some heat during his first prayer breakfast last year when he mocked Arnold Schwarzenegger over his struggles as host of The Apprentice, the president's old television game show. ("The ratings went right down the tubes," Trump riffed then, adding that "I want to just pray for Arnold ... for those ratings.")
Trump also referred to The Apprentice in an early morning tweet preceding this year's prayer breakfast appearance.
"Great religious and political leaders, and many friends, including T.V. producer Mark Burnett of our wonderful 14 season Apprentice triumph, will be there," Trump tweeted.
Will be heading over shortly to make remarks at The National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. Great religious and political leaders, and many friends, including T.V. producer Mark Burnett of our wonderful 14 season Apprentice triumph, will be there. Looking forward to seeing all!
1:08 AM - Feb 8, 2018
As usual, an international crowd assembled for the breakfast, including up to 60 Russians. A special counsel and congressional committees are investigating Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election via hacked emails and fake news.
Trump also worked in some foreign policy during the breakfast, meeting on the sidelines with the president of Guatemala, Jimmy Morales.
While Trump has criticized illegal immigration from Guatemala and other Central American countries, Guatemala did back the United States on a recent foreign policy dispute: Like the U.S., Guatemala announced it was moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/08/trump-national-prayer-breakfast-america-nation-believers/318680002/
Post by: The Scott on February 09, 2018, 12:19:36 PM
Libtardians hate Christians but love muslimes. They despise people who, if challenged, may well die for their faith and embrace a bunch of cuntlettes that would kill for theirs.
Go figure. I am now an Atheist but can easily recognize good people. Those that follow the Nazarene are definitely among those I call good.
Quote from: The Scott on February 09, 2018, 12:19:36 PM
well, that's your option
The anti-Christians who embrace Islam are pretty weird.
WATCH: Alabama Football Players Pray For Donald Trump And His Staff At The White House
(http://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Donald_Trump_Prayer-e1523470214534.jpg)
Entertainment Reporter
Nick Saban and the Alabama football team proved how special it is having the opportunity to visit the White House on Tuesday in more ways than one.
Donald Trump welcomed the Crimson Tide to the White House yesterday to recognize the team for their national championship victory. Of course, it was a special moment for the team, but what happened after the ceremony was truly amazing.
After Trump finished praising Alabama for their incredible comeback victory over Georgia in the national championship, punter J.K. Scott pulled the president aside and asked if he could pray for Trump and his staff. A handful of Scott’s teammates then circled around Trump and bowed their heads in prayer together.
The ceremonial visits to the White House have become a topic of controversy since Trump took over in the Oval Office. Almost every team that has won a championship over the past year and a half has had at least one player refuse to come, citing Trump as the reason.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban made sure that didn’t happen with his team. In fact, every player on the championship team but one attended the White House on Tuesday. Unfortunately Terrell Lewis, who grew up just 25 miles from the White House, could not attend due to a death in the family.
No matter how athletes feel about who lives in the White House, they should all hope and pray that he succeeds. Clearly the Crimson Tide understands that better than most.
http://dailycaller.com/2018/04/11/alabama-football-players-pray-donald-trump-white-house/
On the National Day of Prayer: Let us pray that our nation is on God's side
Scott Gunn By Scott Gunn | Fox News
Today is the National Day of Prayer. As a Christian, and a priest at that, every day is a day of prayer for me. But I am still grateful our nation sets aside a day for prayer.
Prayer changes people. Every time I pray, I know that it changes me and my life. Sometimes, I am even blessed to see change in others as I pray for them. For people of faith, prayer is an indispensable part of our relationship with God. All relationships require conversation, and prayer is our chance to talk with God. In prayer we share our hopes with God, and we listen for God’s hope for us.
The Second Continental Congress established days of prayer and fasting going back to the earliest years of our nation. Various other national days, including Thanksgiving, were set aside in the 1800s. It was 1952 when the National Day of Prayer as we know it was enacted.
Over these many years, our attitude toward national prayer has changed. Originally, there was a great deal of humility in the prayer. Sometimes people fasted, going without food as a gesture of humility before God. The point was to conform our nation to God’s will.
If you read political speeches from the 1800s, you’ll notice that when presidents invoked God, they expressed hope that our nation was on God’s side. They prayed with humility. This is a far cry from the common assumption today that our nation is always in the right, and that we must thereby speak with assurance that God is on our side. Too often, we tell God what to do, instead of asking God what we must do.
The National Day of Prayer, at its best, offers all of us in this wonderful nation the gift of praying that we might be blessed by God’s wisdom and courage.
The National Day of Prayer, at its best, offers all of us in this wonderful nation the gift of praying that we might be blessed by God’s wisdom and courage. We pray that we would always know and do those things God wills. This is not a day for using prayer to achieve whatever political aims we might want. It is rather a day for inviting God to guide our politics.
My prayer as a Christian, is always to have the wisdom, strength, and courage to be on God’s side. I’ll pray for justice, peace, and mercy for all. I’ll pray for freedom for all people to thrive as the people God made them to be. I’ll pray for our nation to use those things God has given us for the common good.
I am a priest in the Episcopal Church, and The Book of Common Prayer is one of the treasures of my church. Today, I invite you to join me in saying these words, from our prayer book, for our country.
"Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues.
"Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/05/03/on-national-day-prayer-let-us-pray-that-our-nation-is-on-gods-side.html
Paranoid religious extremists in schools... Just firing these zealots is not enough, they should face actual punishment.
Oregon High School Principal and Resource Officer Fired For Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination, Including Telling Gay Students They Were Going to Hell
North Bend High School principal Bill Lucero and school resource officer Jason Griggs are being removed from their jobs in the district's settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon. The firings come after complaints from former and current students, including Liv Funk and Hailey Smith, about suffering anti-LGBTQ harassment and discrimination from classmates and administration.
North Bend High School has been under scrutiny since April, when the ODE launched an investigation into the district's possible anti-discrimination law violations, including making students read Bible passages as punishment.
http://www.wweek.com/news/2018/05/21/an-oregon-high-school-counselor-allegedly-told-gay-students-they-were-going-to-hell-while-classmates-attacked-them-and-yelled-slurs/
Quote from: Skeletor on May 24, 2018, 04:08:38 PM
Post by: The Scott on May 24, 2018, 08:02:38 PM
Public schools would kowtow to muslime scum but choose to remove Christians. Fuck their noise.
Fuck the cucks. I hope there is a Hell for these cucked up libtardians. They deserve to be the 72 "virgins" for their muzzie masters.
Quote from: The Scott on May 24, 2018, 08:02:38 PM
Did you read the article? I doubt it. You wouldn't' have posted that. You aren't that stupid
Did you read the article?
Nope. I simply read the stuff posted that accompanied said link. I know libtards and they populate the pubic school system like fetid blisters populate Kai Greene's anus. Libs just love to bob for balls on muzzies and despise anyone that even professes belief in the Nazarene.
Fuck islime. Anyone that isn't against that infestation deserves to serve as cumdumpster cuck for eternity in Hell. If there were a Hell. There isn't. Fuck this entire bowel movment that spawned the sensitive new age fuckit. I'm not here to argue the point but to make one. Fuck islime and those that bow to it.
You don't like the Nazarene? BFD. I dont give a fuck for the cuck of islime, hoMohammed. Fuck that noise.
so you didn't read it and commented. Ok
Did you read the article? I doubt it. If you did. Screw you. But I doubt you did or your wouldn't' have posted that. You aren't that stupid
You sure you were LEO? You don't read like you were and believe me, I know what I am saying. And like I said, I ain't here to argue any point, just make 'em. I'm correct on this subject and not because it's me that's making the point but because what I say is true.
Liberals hate the Nazarene. Their rai·son d'ê·tre seems to be to suck off muslimes. Cuckolds. They just love abuse at the hands of stinky people.
I see no problem with that. If you do, you had best NEVER make another posting here on anything you're not remotely educated on.
I read the article. You commented on something and didn't remotely address the issue. Sorry dude but your anti atheist (but I'm an atheist I just hate other atheist and love Jesus) is starting to show.
"Starting to show"...FTN. I make no bones about my loathing for fucktards and that being regardless of what side of the Rubic's Cube they come from. I respect the Nazarene for who he was.
You? Not nearly so much, but then neither you nor I will be remembered in under a hundred years.
Definitely should have been fired, and firing is punishment. What other kind of punishment are you talking about?
Quote from: Dos Equis on May 24, 2018, 09:39:49 PM
Firing works for me
Post by: Skeletor on May 29, 2018, 10:09:46 AM
These christians are unhinged.
"Commercial airlines are filled with “a bunch of demons” that get in the way of their busy schedules"
Living in extravagant luxury but when it comes to paying taxes like ordinary citizens and businesses, that would somehow restrict their "exercise of religion". What a novel excuse.
Louisiana televangelist seeks donations for $54M private jet: report
A Louisiana-based televangelist is asking his followers to donate money for a $54 million jet that can “go anywhere in the world in one stop,” The Times-Picayune reported.
Jesse Duplantis, 68, a Christian minister based in Destrehan, about 25 miles east of New Orleans, says his ministry has paid cash for three private jets.
“You know I’ve owned three different jets in my life and used them and used them and just burning them up for the Lord,” Duplantis says in a video posted to his ministries’ website.
Duplantis is now reportedly seeking the funds for a Dassault Falcon 7X, worth $54 million.
The problem with the previous jets, he says, is that they require multiple stops to refuel. But flying the Falcon 7X, Duplantis says, will allow him to save money and not pay “those exorbitant prices with jet fuel all over the world.”
“I really believe that if Jesus was physically on the earth today, he wouldn’t be riding a donkey,” Duplantis says in the video, “He’d be in an airplane preaching the gospel all over the world.”
Duplantis’ video comes after another televangelist, Kenneth Copeland in Texas, purchased the Gulfstream V jet for $36 million.
Both televangelists defended their use of private jets during a joint appearance on Copeland’s program, saying that commercial airlines are filled with “a bunch of demons” that get in the way of their busy schedules.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/29/louisiana-televangelist-seeks-donations-for-54m-private-jet-report.html
Another reason ALL churches should pay taxes. Many of them are just money making businesses.
Quote from: Skeletor on May 29, 2018, 10:09:46 AM
If by "these Christians" you mean these nuts asking for money to buy private jets, I agree. If you mean Christians in general, I disagree.
Post by: Skeletor on June 26, 2018, 01:38:47 PM
This is what happens when paranoid religious extremists are not punished. He will now be put in charge of even younger children. Seems somewhat similar to how criminal cops just go work for a different police department or pedophile priests move to a different city.
After discrimination allegations, North Bend moves high school principal to middle school
NORTH BEND, Ore. - The high school principal removed from his post after accusations of discrimination at the school against LGBTQ students has been re-assigned as vice principal of the district's middle school.
The North Bend School District removed Bill Lucero as principal of North Bend High School amidst scrutiny from the State of Oregon and pressure from the ACLU of Oregon.
Lucero will be the vice principal at North Bend Middle School next year.
That school's principal will take over as principal of the high school, and the current vice principal of the middle school will be principal at the middle school, the district announced Monday.
http://kpic.com/news/local/after-deal-with-aclu-north-bend-moves-high-school-principal-to-middle-school
This happened in Australia but it showcases how widespread the problem of religious sexual abuse is and how lightly several of these religious abusers are treated. Another case of he's too important to be punished like ordinary people "oh he's too old and frail to go to prison" (we heard similar excuses about Arpaio and other criminals as well). If he's "too old" and "in poor health" then what can be said about his victims? Certainly they were too young and exploited but that doesn't seem to count when the abuses comes from religious figures and institutions.
Archbishop Philip Wilson sentenced for concealing child sex abuse
A Catholic archbishop in Australia has been given a maximum sentence of 12 months in detention for concealing child sexual abuse in the 1970s. Philip Wilson, now archbishop of Adelaide, is the most senior Catholic globally to be convicted of the crime. He was found guilty by a court last month of covering up abuse by a paedophile priest in New South Wales.
On Tuesday, the court ordered Wilson to be assessed for "home detention" - meaning he will probably avoid jail. Magistrate Robert Stone said the senior clergyman had shown "no remorse or contrition". He will be eligible for parole after six months.
In May, a court found he had failed to report his colleague James Patrick Fletcher's abuse of altar boys to police. Wilson, then a junior priest in the Maitland region, had dismissed young victims in a bid to protect the Church's reputation, Magistrate Stone ruled.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-44692396
Quote from: Skeletor on July 03, 2018, 01:21:45 PM
What he did was outrageous and inexcusable. Regarding his sentence, here is the context: "The archbishop's lawyers had sought to have the case thrown out on four occasions, citing the 67-year-old's diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease."
Quote from: Dos Equis on July 04, 2018, 11:08:45 AM
He didn't seem to have Alzheimer's disease when these abuses happened so he knew what he was doing. He was conveniently diagnosed just before the trial.
I have no idea if he is faking it. If he isn't, I understand why the judge wouldn't put him in prison.
Post by: Primemuscle on July 04, 2018, 06:04:52 PM
Quote from: Dos Equis on July 04, 2018, 05:17:59 PM
I don't understand why a sexual predator shouldn't be institutionalized under any circumstances. To diagnose Alzheimer disease, doctors do a thorough medical history, mental status and mood testing and a physical and neurological exam. Tests (such as blood tests and brain imaging) are done to rule out other causes of dementia-like symptoms.
Alzheimer disease does not excuse child sexual abuse, IMO. It sickens me when religious leaders and organizations cover up child sexual abuse.
The Catholic religion seems to do this more often than do other churches or maybe it is that sexual abuse is more rampant among Catholic priests. Western or Latin-Rite Church priests and sisters take a vow of celibacy. Imposed celibacy is unnatural and for some unsustainable.
In recent times, the Church has allowed for married priests if they were married prior to becoming Catholic priests. Should their spouses die, they are not permitted to remarry.
Both my children were raised Catholic and attended Catholic school. My son was an altar boy and sang in the choir. As parents, my wife and I made clear to them that certain behavior was not acceptable no matter who the perpetrator was. Father C. was gay. Never did he try any funny business with my son. I know this because my son would have immediately reported it to my wife and me.
If there is a lesson in my post, it is that parents must give their children all the tools and support they need to survive whatever assaults they might encounter.
Quote from: Primemuscle on July 04, 2018, 06:04:52 PM
Of course his medical condition does not excuse his conduct. It's only relevant to what we do with him when he has lost his senses and cannot take of himself. We don't keep people like that in prison. If he's a danger to anyone he should be in a medical facility for criminals, not a regular prison.
This is why I chose the term institutionalized instead of imprisoned. Someone actually in the later stages of Alzheimer's wouldn't last a day in prison. Putting someone like this in prison would be inhumane. It would save a bunch of taxpayer money though.
I should probably be more sensitive to the subject of Alzheimer's since the older I get, the more likely something like this could happen to me. If it does, I'm determined to fake it for as long as possible. It helps that I'm already pretty eccentric. ;D
Post by: Agnostic007 on July 06, 2018, 08:58:52 PM
Because you develop an illness issue common in the elderly shouldn't give you a pass
Quote from: Agnostic007 on July 06, 2018, 08:58:52 PM
People with dementia shouldn't be in prison.
Depends on the crime. I truly don't care if a rapist or child abuser develops dementia in prison. But I would be open to putting them down rather than keeping them locked up.
Good thing things like life, liberty, and due process parts of the Constitution disagree with you. We do compassionate releases all the time for prisoners who are sick or dying.
I'm just stating my opinion. IF bleeding hearts want to release pedophiles and rapists... thats up to the bleeding heart liberals like you
Only in a movie or novel would someone be convicted of a crime, not sentenced to death, then killed when they become sick or have dementia. Or in Hitler's Germany. Or your little twisted liberal mind.
Post by: Agnostic007 on July 10, 2018, 12:08:14 AM
Defending pedophiles now? Any minute Soulcrusher and Coach and all those conservatives are going to be jumping on you about being a soft libtard
Quote from: Agnostic007 on July 10, 2018, 12:08:14 AM
Defending the Constitution from radical leftists like you, Adolf.
Post by: IroNat on July 10, 2018, 10:33:05 AM
Organized religions are all wacky.
Especially the ones who go out and try to recruit people.
That's when it gets out of control.
Quote from: IroNat on July 10, 2018, 10:33:05 AM
No they aren't.
Many organized religions aren't much different than atheists when it comes to proselytizing.
Do you think religious groups should be barred from talking to people about their faith?
I think it's annoying when they come to my door and want to talk to me. So yes, stay away from my house.
Some communities have laws against door-to-door soliciting.
Don't call me, I'll call you.
I've never had an atheist come to my door recruiting me into atheism. Never had a Jew come to my door recruiting me into Judaism.
When you really get to the nuts and bolts of it.. it is whacky. That an adult can willingly believe, or at least say they believe that 6000 years ago a supernatural being created everything, then created man and woman, the woman from the mans rib. Then create a garden, put a tree in it that contains Knowledge of good and evil and forbid them to eat from it which he already knew they would..He then doesn't like how man turned out so he floods the earth killing all but one family and all the animals of the world, which he saved on a boat. Then we get to the stories of God stopping the sun in the sky so one tribe can slaughter another.. a sea parting at the request of moses then closing back up on the approaching enemy. Lets see.. then there is the multiple plagues god brought to Egypt to convince the Pharaoh to let his people go... the writers lost track of how many times the cattle where completely wiped out...Then God kills all the 1st born if they didn't have the blood of a lamb on the door...
Then we get to around 2000 years ago, when according to the manuscripts, a baby was born of a virgin.. could walk on water, turn water to wine, heal the sick and ascended to heaven. He answers your prayers kinda sorta, depending on vague things like if its his will or not.. loves you but will send you to an eternal hell if you don't love him. And this is one of the more widely accepted religious beliefs... When you get to Mormons, Scientologists, it just gets weirder. There is no limit to what people will believe if they want to bad enough
They come to my door all the time. I say no thank you. You want a law preventing religious people from knocking on people's doors? Sounds unconstitutional.
Does the door-to-door soliciting include religious folks? What communities are you talking about? I'd like to read one or two of whatever they passed.
Atheists are constantly trying to convert people and push their non-beliefs on others. They even have atheist churches. It's bizarre. All centered on the non-belief in something.
Pretty extensive operation:
Plus the following is clearly proselytizing:
* Fought fervently to defend the Separation of Religion from GovernmentAppeared in all formes of media to defend our positions and criticisms of religion and mythology
* Held Atheist conventions and gatherings throughout the United States, including "Atheist Pride" Marches in state capitals.
* Demonstrated and picketed throughout the country on behalf of Atheist rights and state church separation. The organization has marched to defend the rights of intellectuals such as writer Salman Rushdie, protested the use of government funds to support public religious displays, and conducted the first picket of a Roman Catholic pope in history.
* Published over 120 books about Atheism, criticism of religion, and state/church separation.Published newsletters, magazines and member-alerts.
* Built a broad outreach in cyberspace with mailing lists, an ftp and web site, FaxNet and other projects to keep members and the general public informed.
* Fostered a growing network of Representatives throughout the nation who monitor important First Amendment issues, and work on behalf of the organization in their areas.
* Grown a network of volunteers who perform a variety of important tasks in their community, from placing American Atheist books in libraries to writing letters and publicizing the Atheist perspective.
* Preserved Atheist literature and history in the nation's largest archive of its kind. The library's holdings span over three hundred years of Atheist thought.Provided speakers for colleges, universities, clubs and the news media.
* Granted college scholarships to young atheist activists
http://www.atheists.org/about
Post by: IroNat on July 10, 2018, 12:10:20 PM
People can do whatever they want as long as they do not infringe on other people rights.
If Atheists want to get together it's fine.
If Jehovahs Witnesses want to get together it's fine.
Don't come to my door and bother me. F*ck off.
As far as separation of religion and government I am all for it.
Some Christians are all for the incorporation of their religion into government. Do you think they are for the incorporation of a different religion into their government? Highly doubtful.
Say a Christian prayer before the start of the Senate. That's ok.
How about a Hindu prayer? Or a Muslim prayer? A Satanic prayer? A pagan prayer?
"Mighty Odin look favorably on this Senate meeting!"
Comparing organized atheists with organized religion is like comparing what the indian tribes did at the Battle of Little Big Horn against Custer and the spreading of chicken pox via infected blankets. Because of religious zealots desire to infect every aspect of life with their beliefs, those who don't share that personal belief in a god or gods had to organize in order to keep them out of their lives. If you can't see that, you just aren't trying.
Quote from: IroNat on July 10, 2018, 12:10:20 PM
I'd rather they not come to my door either, but I don't need a law to prevent it from happening. I also don't care about people approaching me on the street. I simply say no thank you. It doesn't inconvenience my life at all.
I'm definitely a believer in church-state separation. I am not, however, a believer in the removal of all religious references or influences from the public square. That isn't required by the Constitution. Our historical roots are faith based. That's part of who we are as a country. No need to try and rewrite history.
"Religious references".
Whose religion? Yours? A pagans? Satanists? Muslim?
"One nation, under Vishnu (Baal), indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Would you be ok with that?
In front of your town hall the Christmas Creche, the Menorah, statue of Baal, Vishnu?
The religious references that are a part of our history. Let's not pretend that the founders of our country (both legislators and lay people) were not Christians. And you don't need to quote any of deist stuff. I've studied it.
If you look at our founding documents, nothing refers to Baal, so that really isn't a reasonable hypothetical. You're smart enough to know what I'm talking about.
We already have displays on government property that include various religious displays. Doesn't bother me one bit. I don't suffer emotional distress when I see non-Christian things. But the atheists who run around the country filing lawsuits do suffer emotional distress when they see any hint of Christian symbols on public problem, which is just weird given the fact they don't believe God exists.
I think it is a false picture to say they are suffering emotional distress. But if that is the playbook you want to go by cool... I'll try again, though I think you really already understand it, you just can't admit it but it's certainly not weird when a group who doesn't believe in Dragons, are concerned when another group that does believe in dragons, and actively tries to weave their belief of dragons into government and laws. Of course the group that doesn't believe in dragons will get involved to insure there is separation of dragons and state.
O Rly? Because I'm a nice guy, I'll give you a chance to use Google, because Google knows everything, and see whether or not atheists file lawsuits claiming emotional distress over things they don't believe exist.
Or you can stand behind your false statement and let me educate you. :)
You still don't get it... ::)
I think it is a false picture to say they are suffering emotional distress. But if that is the playbook you want to go by cool...
Ok. Fine. You're too lazy or bullheaded to do just a little homework. School is in session. :D
Here is one. Lawsuit filed over the display of the Ten Commandments:
Plaintiff Sue Mercier is a resident of La Crosse, Wisconsin and a member of plaintiff Freedom from Religion Foundation. When visiting her lawyer's office, which is near the monument site, plaintiff Mercier must sometimes alter her route to avoid seeing the monument. She shops at the People's Food Coop and the farmers' market less often than she would if the monument were not in Cameron Park. When she has viewed the monument, it has "disturbed" her emotionally.
Plaintiff Elizabeth Ash is a resident of La Crosse. She does not attend meetings or events held in Cameron Park because she does not want to view the monument. She does not use banks near the monument. When driving downtown, she avoids streets that would take her past the monument. She has stopped going to Cameron Park to sit in it and read books. When she does see the monument, she feels marginalized and has experienced physical pain.
Plaintiff Angela Belcaster is a resident of La Crosse. She patronizes several businesses surrounding Cameron Park, including the People's Food Coop and U.S. Bank. She has changed her route when visiting these establishments so that she does not park in front of the monument. She no longer has lunch in the park because of the monument. However, Belcaster still passes Cameron Park when driving through the downtown. When she approaches the park, she begins thinking about the monument, which distracts her and causes her emotional distress. The monument's presence and defendant's support of it makes Belcaster feel like an outsider.
https://ffrf.org/uploads/legal/LCDecision.html
I'll give you another opportunity to retract before I continue. ;D
Some of these athiests are whackjobs just like other kinds of whackjobs.
Some are but when you understand and soulcrusher can chime in, in order for a law suit to be filed there has to be some damage to the plaintiff, whether it is financial, physical or emotional. It's part of the system so it would be normal, actually required for a person who wishes to put the religious folks in check, to use the emotional argument. Doesn't actually mean they were emotionally distressed. Again, blaming the athiests for reacting to Christians historical abuse of their religion in government is ridiculous. And again, it goes right over his head
We learned in spring 2005 that a high school in Brevard County, Florida, was planning to hold its graduation ceremony in a local church. The church has a large cross on its dais that the church refused to allow to be covered. Because our complainants were uncomfortable with going public with their objections, we sought to encourage the School Board to change the venue without the need for litigation, but our efforts were unsuccessful. In the course of our negotiations, we learned that the practice was not limited to a single high school; several high schools and at least one middle school were planning to hold their graduations at the church. On May 17, 2005, shortly before the first of these graduation ceremonies was to be held, we filed a complaint and a motion for a temporary restraining order in federal district court. The court held a hearing on the motion the following day. After hearing argument, the court ruled that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their claim, but that a restraining order would not be proper at that late date because it would mean the graduation ceremonies would need to be canceled. The School Board then proceeded with the graduation ceremonies as planned. We later amended our complaint to seek emotional-distress damages for the harm that our plaintiffs suffered as a result of the Board’s decision to proceed with the graduation. The court set a trial date of December 21, 2005, so we quickly proceeding with discovery. On October 25, 2005, however, while discovery was underway, the School Board voted to settle the case with a court-enforceable order prohibiting graduation ceremonies at sites in which religious iconography is visible. The case concluded with the court’s acceptance of the settlement agreement. All the graduation ceremonies for 2006 are slated to take place at secular venues.
https://www.au.org/our-work/legal/lawsuits/musgrove-v-brevard-county-school-board
thanks for proving my point
." The court set a trial date of December 21, 2005, so we quickly proceeding with discovery. On October 25, 2005, however, while discovery was underway, the School Board voted to settle the case with a court-enforceable order prohibiting graduation ceremonies at sites in which religious iconography is visible. The case concluded with the court’s acceptance of the settlement agreement. All the graduation ceremonies for 2006 are slated to take place at secular venues."
It's a shame that religious people KNOW what they are doing is a violation and still insist on ignoring it, making the atheists who are just wanting separation of church and state out to be the bad guys. That you don't understand how the legal system works and think atheists who oppose the violations are actually emotionally distressed rather than vying for legal standing is your problem
You are one pigheaded dude. You want more?
It is unconstitutional, a federal court has ruled, for a public cemetery to have a planter in the shape of a cross, since, as the court explained, the mere sight of it could cause “emotional distress” to a passerby and thus constitute “injury-in-fact.”
http://mobile.wnd.com/2002/11/16030/#cA3hoVuwOlBxu2uP.99
whooooooosh!
Wait. First you say atheists do not claim emotional distress by seeing something they don't believe in, then you claim they are justified in doing so? LOL!
Class is dismissed. Take your seat in the corner. Tall pointy hat to follow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Kh7nLplWo
Nope, you want to label them as snowflakes for being emotionally distressed. I stand by my position which is the correct one by the way, they are not clinically emotionally distressed, they are legally emotionally distressed. it is a requirement to have some kind of injury or loss in order to have standing. I can explain it to you, I can't understand if for you
My position was that they are claiming emotional distress. I said nothing about whether they actually suffer from emotional distress. Your position was that they do not even claim to suffer from emotional distress. Until I proved that they do make those claims, at which time you felt vindicated because they actually might suffer emotional distress. lol
But whatever. My work here is done. And as I have told you in the past, come correct. :)
Post by: The Scott on July 11, 2018, 07:14:22 PM
Your words were not directed at me but I shall try to offer content worthy of your words.
I'm now an Atheist and Christian symbols don't bother me in the least. Assholists on the other hand (you know, the LEFT hand that muslimes wipe their buttholes with) will claim anything to rid the world of anything of the Nazarene. And money. Let's not forget that while these Assholists don't worship a God, they do worship the almighty moolah.
If Rory believes in the Nazarene, good for him. Better the Christ than some bass ackwards muslime pedophile of a Profit.
Fuck That Noise.
Quote from: The Scott on July 11, 2018, 07:14:22 PM
You weren't responding to me but I'll try and offer content worthy of your post.... There are a lot of causes in this world. Animal abuse, Disabled veterans, cancer, homelessness, etc. People pick causes generally that matter to them or they are drawn to. I am a proponent for dogs. I like dogs. I also do a few other things but mainly I like to help shelters out. Other people are concerned that religious zealots, left unchecked, will impose their religious views on others, the main concern is by muddying the waters between church and state. There are people out there than believe it is a worthy cause to make sure the line is kept clear. I don't have time for that, but I appreciate that others have taken it upon themselves to do so. As an atheist, you should recognize the value of that. Otherwise, left unchecked, I guarantee you it wouldn't be long before you wont be able to buy alcohol on Sundays or shop for a car... oh wait.. that's already a law in some states due to religious beliefs...
Other people are concerned that religious zealots, left unchecked, will impose their religious views on others, the main concern is by muddying the waters between church and state.
This. While it may not bother people to have their own religion integrated with government, it would bother them greatly to have a different religion do so.
Better to avoid all that and separate church and state.
There are far-out whackjobs on both sides of this issue like any other. Atheists who try to impose their ideas on everyone else are just as bad as religious extremists.
Do your own thing, harm no one else, and mind your own business.
Avoid all "isms".
I'm glad you don't suffer emotional distress when you see things that you don't believe exist. The people who do are hypersensitive weirdos. I am a firm believer in church-state separation. I'm not a believer in trying to avoid hurting someone's feelings because they see religious symbols or hear a prayer.
You're right about people who use religion to take advantage of others. Happens way too often. But that's a problem with some people, not the faith itself. Just like I say about our Constitution and system of government: they are brilliant; it's the people who screw them up. Same with faith: Christianity, the Bible, and what they stand for are terrific; it's the people who screw it up.
We do have church state separation. There is no religion mandated by the government. We don't have a government church. No one is forced to belong to belong to a church.
What we don't and should not have is some kind of cleansing of all references to religion from the public square.
Can't argue with any of that.
Most assholists are part-time vampires. Ever notice in films how a vampire can wake up in a coffin in the middle of graveyard full of crosses and still be able to walk about as if nothing is going on? They just want to get out of there! Same with a mirror. They're not supposed to have a reflection so they avoid looking in them. But with assholists (who are in general, libtards) it's simply a matter of their reflection being their own Picture of Dorian Gray and they go out of their way to be offended, i.e., make it a point to go see a cross or a Nativity during Christmas.
We have a separation of church and state because it is the right thing to do. No state sponsored religion is the way to go. Just look at muslimes to know what happens when the "government" are the enforcers of belief. The teachings of the Nazarene are to be admired not admonished. To be followed, not cast aside. You need not believe in Jesus of Nazareth to know he was a good and wise man.
I know more than a few assholists that will jump at the chance to belittle followers of the Christ. On more than on occasion I've asked them why they don't do the same thing with muslimes. It's because while a Christian may well die for their faith, a muslime will kill for theirs.
Not to be a stickler, but the cross only works if it's held by a person with faith in the cross.
I look at it for what it is, i.e., a film. There was one film where the hero jumped onto a blade of a windmill and it rotated until he dropped off when it became a giant cross. The vampire died. Go figure. No one holding that cross. Or was it the faithful act of rotating it? If that were the case, then crossing your fingers would work, but not crossing you eyes. I recall a 70s era Hammer Film where you could kill a vampire by putting it in running water. One of the vampires got pushed into a shower and they turned on the water and poof!
I don't recall if he burst into flame, but I doubt it as the water would have dowsed the fire and then he would have exploded in flames again and so on ad infinitum. Or is that ad nauseam? For theaction/comedy, "Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Hunter", they had vampires wearing sunglasses and putting on primitive sunblock so they could be day-walkers. They were also big proponents of slavery as a source of blood without consequence.
If only Honest Abe had accepted his vampire buddy's offer to become one of the undead, he would have survived the assassination on his life and probably gotten a good meal off of J.W. Booth. I tend to think of the film as the "real story" of ol' Abe. ;D
I'm just going on a couple films where the victim brandishes the cross, and the vampire at first shows fear, then laughs because the person holding it doesn't have faith.... But then I wonder, if the Vampire was originally Jewish, would a cross have any impact at all? Ive created more questions than answers... I will sleep with garlic around my door and windows until I get this figured out
You are correct in that a genuine faith is what matters most. For validation one can read Acts 19:13-17.
The lore that surrounds vampires and the like is turgid with religious or rather Christian symbolism. For example, silver is offensive/fatal to both vampires and werewolves. This is due to it being used to pay Judas Iscariot for betraying the Nazarene.
Personally I carry a bounced cheque to ward off Jewish Vampires. Garlic was used to keep mosquitos away and became effective against all manner of blood suckers including both vampires and your run of the mill liberal. Or so I am told. I just carry the aforementioned insufficent funds cheque. ;)
Post by: AbrahamG on July 12, 2018, 06:33:14 PM
For an asshole, this is really fucking funny.;
Quote from: AbrahamG on July 12, 2018, 06:33:14 PM
Well thank you. Not to "insult" you, but we are more alike than different. And no, I am not calling you an asshole. Or for that matter, a whole ass. I have a sense of humor but especially so when it comes to myself.
Later. ;D
Good points. I do find the liberal fascination with Islam pretty fascinating. I'm not even sure they realize (or perhaps they don't care) how absurd it is to be anti-Christian, but embrace a religion that subjugates women and kills gay people.
Its kind of like the lefts fascination with leprechauns and lumberjack contests
You're a solid getbigger. Respect.
Deranged christian perverts at it again.
Caldwell couple arrested in child abuse case part of faith-healing church
A Caldwell mother arrested last week told deputies her religious beliefs prompted her to pray for her husband rather than tell police about his alleged sexual abuse of their daughters.
Sarah Kester and her husband, Lester Kester Jr., are affiliated with the Followers of Christ Church. The church, which has a prominent following in Canyon County and in Oregon, faces criticism for refusing medical care for children and adults in favor of faith healing.
Instead of contacting law enforcement, Sarah Kester told deputies she tried to protect her children by praying for “the demon” to leave Lester and keeping her husband busy with other tasks, according to a press release from the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office.
https://www.idahopress.com/news/crime_courts/crime/caldwell-couple-arrested-in-child-abuse-case-part-of-faith/article_12a2243e-3cfb-52fb-8e6b-b983cbca0788.amp.html
Quote from: Dos Equis on April 12, 2007, 10:04:07 AM
They should. Keeping peoples personal beliefs in ghosts, devils, and gods out of official government business is a good thing. Private entities are welcome to do whatever they wish
No, we don't have to avoid hurting people's feelings. And we should embrace our heritage, which includes a belief in God and prayer. I am happy the Constitution and our courts protect us from your kind of paranoid extremist viewpoint.
This country was founded by believers. If some don't like that, I say fook 'em. They need to get used to disappointment.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with mentioning the Judeo-Christian God or Jesus of Nazareth. There is little, if any, difference in the belief of true followers of the Nazarene and the lack of belief in Atheists. No one is physically or emotionally "harmed" by the symbols of either a Star of David or a Cross, especially the latter of those two as it is the symbolic embodiment of the hope of peace on Earth.
In my life I have asked several muslimes if they would turn in their imam for telling them to blow themselves up in public to take out infidels. Not a one of them has said anything other than "...my imam would never ask me to do anything wrong".
Every Christian I have asked the same question about their priest, pastor or minister has said they would turn them over to law enforcement immediately.
There should never be an official faith of our nation but there is absolutely nothing wrong in basing our laws upon the Judeo-Christian Bible. islilme's queeron is for batshit crazy pig fuckers and it and it's pedophile followers should never be allowed in our nation or in any civilized country.
I don't fear followers of the Nazarene. Any that claim to are fooling no one. They just hate the Messiah because while his word is without question good, it condemns us for our behavior. Or rather, we condemn ourselves by our acting against his word. I can deal with that condemnation but then I am adult enough to be able to separate worship from recognizing the goodness of his teaching and try to act accordingly.
Fuck assholists. Lets see 'em speak out face to face agains muslimes. They won't. And again the reason is simple. Christians may well die for their faith but muslimes are ordered to kill for theirs. Big difference there and assholists are for the greater part weaklings and prefer to pick on the meek. It's kinda like when a man goes nuts and shoots up a school or a drug store but these same buttwipes never go shoot up an HA clubhouse.
Because the 81 will shoot back.
I agree overall. I would make a distinction between Islam and Radical Islam.
To me, there is no difference. The queeron is a tome of doom, filled with lies and hatred for any and all that refuse to submit to its bullshit. It threatens its own adherents with death for leaving the lies behind. It is not patriarchal, it's misogynistic. And still the libtards love islime.
This country had slaves at one time as well. We've evolved, science has evolved, we no longer have to believe angry gods are behind volcanoes. The founding fathers didn't want religion mixed with government and I'm in agreement
Oh yeah? How come our currency says "In God We Trust". Huh?
Damn... I fold
Never said we had to believe. I just don't get all butthurt by Christians that have a real faith in the Nazarene. muslimes on the other hand, are scum. Like I stated, no National Religion. FTN.
islime is the national "religion" of fucktard moooslimes. And again, much of our legal doctrine is based upon Judeo-Christian principles. It's not a matter of it is what it is, but rather what we choose to make of it. Libtards tend to make a mess of it no matter what "it" is.
As pointed out, "In God We Trust". Not each other. Not mankind. Not Buddha. Not that shitwad allah. Not the blueish divine four armed Vishnu form of Krishna. Not...Ah...you get it. Many of the founders of this nation were believers in the Nazarene and with good reason for at the very least he was the Prince of Peace and a most excellent teacher.
I no longer believe in God. But I won't lie and say the Christ was without merit.
And some of the founding fathers were Masons. Now that's some weird shit. FTN. And the country still has slaves. It's called welfare.
I don't think that's fair. I know lots of peaceful Muslims. It's the extremists who are the problem. And the problem with extremists is there are millions of them.
Post by: The Scott on July 24, 2018, 09:09:27 AM
Ask 'em that question about what if their imam...Chances are there would be a very long pause prior to any answer. Islam means "submit". The Christ allows free will to choose to follow or not without a penalty in the here and now. Islime would have you submit or die. I have zero doubts that the mooslimes you know are liars. Their religion compels them to obey upon pain of death. You can never leave islime or the rest of the practitioners are compelled to put you to death, including your own family, i.e., "honor killings". FTN. The women may only marry a mooslime. The men can marry any "women of the Book". Typical lying kuntlette manlets. Of course by their actions we also know the men can rape any women or children they want to because it's the right of their "culture", i.e., the queeron.
HoMohammed isn't near the Man that Jesus of Nazareth was. If the Nazarene was as hoMohammed was, I would never have followed him as I once did.
Fuck islime. It is a religion of death. The Nazarene's faith is one of life. And, if he was actually "He", it is one of Eternal Life. I know a great many fake christians. They're the ones to whom the Christ will say, "Depart from me. I never knew you." Many of them are without a doubt "pastors, priest and ministers".
They only rip off their flock or sleep with them and more. Flase leaders. Name it and claim it types. Not as bad as islime but still disgusting.
Quote from: The Scott on July 24, 2018, 09:09:27 AM
I have no doubt you are brainwashed to believe all muslims are zealots. And those that arent, those that are working alongside christians and other religions are just pretending to be okay.. biding their time until they can kill them. It's a ridiculous position, and one that obviously stems from lack of actual interaction with Muslims.
Well now. It is soooo nice to hear from the Mayor of Amity.
Your position is that of all liberals. On all fours. As I have told you before, you and I differ and will never see eye to eye. Mostly because you've got your head shoved so far up your ass you can't see anything but shit. Those rose colored glass must've made it an even tighter fit, eh? Your experiences are not mine, Mr. Mayor.
As for your search for a suitable retirement home? Try Europe. You may not be WELCOME but certain residents will definitely treat you as though that were written on your backside.
Typist.
We'll have to agree to disagree about the distinction between Islam and Radical Islam. I know the Koran has some pretty wild things in it, but I don't think the Muslims that I know are violent at all.
But Radical Islam is a clear and present danger, one that I've been talking about for years. http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=368681.0
Like you, I'm involved in various organizations that have meetings and annual conventions. A few of these include prayer in the agenda, which is fine as long as no one is obligated to participate. I don't believe prayer should ever feel like an obligation. Praying or not praying, is a personal decision and not one I want government or anyone else to make for me or my family.
Do you suffer emotional distress when you hear someone pray or see religious symbols on public property?
Like two times in a week I see eye to eye with you. Makes me doubt myself and seriously consider all Muslims are evil
I don't care how many times you or anyone else agrees with me. I don't have a problem being a minority of one. Nobody dictates what I say, think, or believe. But I confess there are a handful of folks who help me ensure I'm on the right side of an issue. :)
You can't be serious. I have no issue with others praying or with religious symbols as long as we the people retain our rights and the First Amendment of U.S. Constitution isn't violated.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
By the way, there's nothing in it that states, except Muslims, Jews or Buddhists' etc.
Birds of a feather....
Good. And yes I'm serious. Go back a couple pages and read what I posted about atheists filing lawsuits claiming to have suffered emotional distress after seeing religious symbols on public property. Here is one:
There are Atheists and there are atheists. The former are nothing like the latter. And the latter are better referred to (as I do them) as assholists.
They rarely (if ever, as I have never heard of them doing this) speak against any religion or faith except Christianity. Nothing against Buddhists. Nothing against Satanists. Nothing against Latter Day Saints. And while there are more out there, here is the most important religion assholists avoid - islime. Or as those who are too pussifed to say that term, Islam. Fuck islime/Islam and it's proponents.
It is against not only the Nazarene and Moses, but even more so against civilization. And yet scumbag cucktards embrace islime as though it were a haven for all that is good. You would think that cucktards would ostrasize islime as it loaths women and publicly despises and puts to death, homosexuals. In private muslimes are the biggest proponents of man/man and even more so, man/boy sex. The latter can be seen in Chai Boys and how the muslimes so enjoy this disgusting practice.
Muslimes also bob and weave in pubic prayer daily. Screaming aloud their devotion to their pedogod and his pedo-profit. Cucktards scream (and rightly so) about Catholic priests being pedophiles and utter not a syllable against muslime pedos except when caught buggering local non-muslime kids, they are just said to be practicing their "culture".
Muslimes enjoy the practice of murdering family members (usually women) for offenses against the queeron. They call them "honor killings". Muslimes can beat their wives/women and not allow them to go out without proper male escort. And worse. And still cucktards just love muslimes.
Of course the best example of why not to allow a National religion is shown by Iran and it's muslime bullshit government run by imams. FTN.
So to those that profess Atheism, I say pick on muslimes before you ever throw an insult at a genuine follower of the Nazarene. If that is, you're an Atheist.
If not, you're a fucking pussy assholist.
If true, these allegations are horrifying.
Ex-city firefghter's lawsuit allowed to proceed
A federal judge has allowed a former Bowling Green firefighter’s lawsuit against the city to go forward.
Jeffrey Queen worked for the Bowling Green Fire Department from 2011 to 2016, during which time he claims his colleagues disparaged his religious beliefs and made racist, sexist and homophobic remarks.
https://www.bgdailynews.com/news/ex-city-firefghter-s-lawsuit-allowed-to-proceed/article_5d44d04d-dabe-584c-b3b0-52c39f71b962.html
Some examples from the complaint:
During training, Queen was repeatedly asked by other firefighters and his superior officers to identify his church membership.
In early 2012, a firefighter interrogated Queen regarding his religious practices and demanded to know if he had been “saved.” Captain Colson, Sergeant Brad Akins, Sergeant Dale Willis and Captain Steven Daniels were present during and participated in this questioning.
Captain Colson advised Queen that he needed to join a church.
Captain Paul Campbell advised Queen that he needed to get right with Jesus on several occasions in late 2012 and early 2013.
In 2013, Captain Todd Barnard stated publicly that atheists “deserve to burn.” During this same conversation, Chief Frye stated “I’ll be damned if I work with them” and another member of the Fire Department said he was “sure as hell glad none of those fuckers work here.”
In a conversation including Chief Napier, Captain Mike Alexander, and two firefighters, they referred to Muslims as towelheads and said “we need to ship them all back to where they came from” and “let the bombs torch them, they are going to hell anyway.” They continued, stating, “at least they [Muslims] believe in God though, not like those fucking atheists you hear about;…there’s more hope for a towelhead than them,” and “now those are some sons-a-bitches that deserve to burn” and “you know atheist is the anti-Christ.”
While employed at the Airport Station in 2014, Queen was forced to endure bible study sessions during station dinners. These study sessions included assignments to read specified verses and then discuss those verses during dinner.
Queen’s fear that his co-workers would not support him in an emergency situation that required cooperative effort to ensure the team’s safety was increased as a result of this open hostility toward non-Christians.
Queen’s fear was not misplaced. When Queen publicly acknowledged that he was an atheist in early 2016, Captain Smith and a firefighter stated they would “burn his house down.”
On at least one occasion, members of Queen’s crew declined to offer medical care to a man experiencing severe chest pain after determining that he was gay.
The full text of the complaint is available here and contains more allegations:
https://craighenrylaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/complaint.pdf
I wouldn't call them "horrifying," but if true everyone involved should be fired.
Not surprised. But I think denying medical care to someone because of whatever bias they have is horrifying, particularly if you consider this might have happened in other cases too and might have cost lives. If these allegations are true, just firing these people is not enough.
Denying medical care to someone they believe is gay is horrifying. Was not talking about that part.
Trump and Jeff Sessions prioritize religious liberty with new Justice Department task force
by Jenna Ellis
The Trump administration has continued to prioritize religious freedom and emphasize its importance globally. Last week, Vice President Mike Pence made remarks to the contingent of foreign ministers at the State Department’s ministerial on religious freedom, saying that America must continue to be the world’s leader on this issue by ensuring domestic religious liberty first. “No one follows a hypocrite,” he said.
Continuing this promise to protect our central freedom enshrined in the First Amendment, the Department of Justice on Monday held a Religious Liberty Summit, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new religious liberty task force.
“Freedom of religion has been a core American principle from the very beginning of our country — indeed, it is our ‘first freedom.’ President Trump promised that he would make preserving and protecting our religious liberty the first priority of his administration. The Department of Justice is committed to assisting with that effort,” Sessions said. He remarked that in order to “institutionalize this process” and identify new opportunities to engage this important issue of religious freedom, the DOJ has established a religious liberty task force.
According to the memo obtained by Washington Examiner, the task force will “continue the department’s ongoing work to protect and promote religious liberty.” It will also consider new initiatives, including engaging in outreach to the public, religious liberty communities, and religious liberty organizations, and developing new strategies involving litigation, policy, and legislation, all with the goal of ensuring protection of this key, fundamental right.
Sessions will serve as chair of the task force. The summit at the DOJ on Monday includes a panel of legal and policy experts and a discussion titled “The Promise and Challenge of Religious Liberty.” Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop, who was involved in an important religious freedom case just decided by the Supreme Court last month, is scheduled for the panel.
In contrast to the previous administration, which did not value religious liberty either at home or abroad, the Trump administration’s action should encourage all people of faith and belief systems. This particular emphasis and open commitment shows that religious freedom is a priority to the president. Everyone should appreciate that Trump and key Cabinet leaders are taking action to protect religious freedom.
As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the religious freedom ministerial last week, “The United States advances religious freedom in our foreign policy because it is not exclusively an American right. It is a God-given universal right bestowed on all of mankind.”
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/trump-and-jeff-sessions-prioritize-religious-liberty-with-new-justice-department-task-force
I'm a fan of Freedom of Religion. I think everyone should be free to participate in any religion they choose. I am a bigger fan of Freedom From Religion where people should be free to not be involved in religious rituals or have their laws influenced by religion.
Post by: IroNat on August 01, 2018, 02:48:41 AM
The influx of Muslims will make the separation of religion and state even more important.
Post by: Agnostic007 on August 01, 2018, 08:17:30 AM
Quote from: IroNat on August 01, 2018, 02:48:41 AM
Probably... Christians generally want religion mixed in with Government but only if it is their religion
Quote from: Agnostic007 on August 01, 2018, 08:17:30 AM
This is not a good idea but they don't seem to get it.
And again, thank goodness the Constitution and the rest of society disagrees with your extremist viewpoint.
Post by: Agnostic007 on August 01, 2018, 06:51:10 PM
Quote from: Dos Equis on August 01, 2018, 10:32:24 AM
So, in your opinion, the constitution is ok with mixing Christianity's rules and regulations with our Government? And as far as numbers... the majority isn't always right, otherwise we'd still slavery
Quote from: Agnostic007 on August 01, 2018, 06:51:10 PM
In my opinion, which is supported by the Constitution, the government is prohibited from establishing a religion or prohibiting the free exercise of religion. The Constitution says absolutely nothing about "mixing Christianity's rules and regulations with our Government" (whatever the heck that means). To the extent communities and legislatures are influenced by their faith when pursing legislation, good for them. To the extent paranoid hypersensitive people are offended when someone talks about faith, I honestly don't care.
No one made the infantile argument that the majority is always right. And slavery? ::) Hard to have a serious discussion when you throw out crap like that.
In any event, we don't discount the majority's view and their faith-based traditions that go back to the origins of our country just so we don't cause emotional distress to someone who gets offended when they see or hear about something they don't believe exists. If you folks want a society that removes all references to God or faith from any public property, then get enough of you together and go pass a Constitutionally acceptable law. That's how our democracy works. That's how it should work.
So while I believe in the Constitution and the separation of church and state, that separation doesn't include the extremist viewpoint you keep expressing.
Quote from: Dos Equis on August 01, 2018, 08:24:20 PM
So you ask for my opinion. I give it to you. And you respond with your juvenile analytical ability. Not surprised.
It was appropriate given the response you gave.
Troll. ::)
You can be a real immature punk sometimes. But it's ok. This website attracts all kinds of people and all are welcome. :)
I try and deal with people at their level. I could give an efforted answer and you would simply spew garbage about the Constitution supports mixing religion and Government which a 1st year college student should know is not true. You'd also throw out an irrelevant opinion that the majority agree with your wrong opinion. So I ask you, whats the point?
Post by: Las Vegas on August 03, 2018, 05:56:22 AM
To be fair, this didn't appear until much later. (1950s? or so I think)
The cemetery and cross story must be one of the most outrageous yet.
So, if anyone (besides me) wondered: Paper money was 1950s and coins were, first, around the build up to the Civil War - before disappearing for a while. Eisenhower days caused it to be law, that it'd appear on all US currency.
(https://images.theconversation.com/files/204655/original/file-20180202-19933-1wcwhxp.jpg)
Quote from: Las Vegas on August 03, 2018, 06:01:08 AM
He was being sarcastic. Communism was the boogieman back in the 1950's and adding Under God to the pledge and In God we Trust to the money was our governments way of fending off the boogie man.
I got it now. Just call me Mr. Slow :D :D
Communism was the boogieman back in the 1950's and adding Under God to the pledge and In God we Trust to the money was our governments way of fending off the boogie man.
Hadn't made that connection, before. But what you say makes sense, 007.
I got you wired now. You're a partisan troll. You try and pretend like you're objective and want to have serious discussions, but you really don't. Your last exchange with me proves that. I been around here a long time. I know your kind. Very transparent.
My approach in the 12 years I've posting is to have serious discussions with sincere people and give trolls the attention they deserve.
You should go back and read some of your responses to me over the last 6 months and see if it fits your image in your head of how you are... ;)
Oh look, another christian priest molesting children...
Pennsylvania priest pleads guilty to sexually molesting 4th-grade boy
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/07/greensburg_priest_charged_with.html
But wait, there's more... More than 300 in fact...
'Bigger than Boston': What the Pa. clergy sex abuse report could mean
The grand jury report investigating sexual abuse across six Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania names more than 300 "predator priests," according to a court order issued Friday.
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/07/more_than_300_predator_priests.html
And it seems the church tried to prevent the release of the report.
A huge clergy abuse probe is about to go public. Could Pa.'s attorney general be on the verge of slaying Goliath?
http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/maria-panaritis/pennsylvania-grand-jury-report-clergy-abuse-catholic-church-attorney-general-josh-shapiro-maria-panaritis-20180801.html
Post by: The Scott on August 03, 2018, 07:45:44 PM
Quote from: Skeletor on August 03, 2018, 04:49:20 PM
You were wise to use lower case when calling these pedos "christian". No follower of the Nazarene would ever be a pedophile. Followers of the Profit HoMohammed on the other hand (the LEFT shit wiping hand) happily embrace the buggering of youths.
Fuck islime. And lest you are unaware, I am an Atheist. Not an assholist as so many here are. They (assholists) mock the goodness of the Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth but quiver at islime's feet. Fucking pussies.
There is a vast difference between the Prince of Peace and the pedo of persia. The former was a great man and the latter a fucking pedo idiot scumbag.
Quote from: The Scott on August 03, 2018, 07:45:44 PM
News flash. Been years of followers of your Nazarene molesting children
You were wise to use lower case when calling these pedos "christian". No follower of the Nazarene would ever be a pedophile.
No true Scotsman.. (pardon the pun)
And lest you are unaware, I am an Atheist. Not an assholist as so many here are. They (assholists) mock the goodness of the Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth but quiver at islime's feet. Fucking pussies.
There is a vast difference between the Prince of Peace and the pedo of persia. The former was a great man and the latter a fucking pedo idiot scumb
From your writings I thought you are a believer/follower/fan of Jesus of Nazareth.
He is a closet follower
Post by: The Scott on August 04, 2018, 07:40:35 AM
I respect that which deserves respect and belittle that which is void of truth and morality. Pussies can't deal with someone that knows hoMohammed was a cuntlette and do their best to kowtow to islime all while spitting upon the teachings of the Nazarene. I am just as hard on false ministers as I am on shitheaps such as hoMohammed.
As I've said in the past, you and I will rarely agree upon anything. There is a genuine separation of Church and State and I have no problem with that. Never did and never will. We need only look at islime to know that to make a "religion" into a "national religion" is not only wrong, but dangerous. In the case of islime it is wrong because both the belief and its followers are disgusting. When man and religion are linked in immorality nothing good will ever come of it.
In the case of the Faith of Jesus of Nazareth it is solely the domain of men that perverts the Word and not the Word itself. John was want to say that men may strive for immortality but all too often settle for immorality. When he believed in the Nazarene he said that the letter "T" was like the cross of Jesus. To simply add the cross ("T") the word "immorality" was to rewrite one's life for the better.
This is probably over your head but only because you have dug so far beneath the moral limbo bar. If not, learn from it. You seem to delight in your ignorance and so for the greater part, I leave you to it.
I may have lost my faith but not my moral compass. To follow the Christ you cannot be a pedophile. Those that claim otherwise are full of shit and are more profit that prophet, if you will.
You really are ignorant, aren't you? Typist.
Quote from: The Scott on August 04, 2018, 08:34:34 AM
just aware, the No True Scotsman reference by Skeletor was accurate
He has an opinion and is entitled to it. I don't mind at all.
Regarding the vapid response that some post here in a simplistic attempt at belittlement of others, words without content are just that. Words. They might as well be pictograms on rocky cliffs in Arizona or New Mexico, i.e., open to interpretation of their true meaning. Pffffft! As with many such renderings of primitive art, they are either compelling or confusing with the latter being pushed aside in favor of whomsoever is doing the "interpretation" of said "art". Getbig exempli gratia?
"Meltdown" is a favorite of the mentally and morally bankrupt here and elsewhere. More likely just the reality of recognizing personal ignorance rather than the possession of an extra 21st chromosome. I say this because the truly Genovan among us here are rare.
I cannot blame you for being upset and upstaged by someone such as myself, i.e. of barely average intellligence. I don't have to agree with someone on every point of view to know they are at heart, good. I have previously agreed with you and others here on some subjects and have no doubts that I will continue to do so because I choose to out of honesty.
I do find it difficult to believe that you are a retired LEO, but then I suspect you have your doubts that I even exist.
You sound a lot like an intelligent Trump when you claim you upstaged me about something. That is certainly possible, but I don't believe it happened on this page. You hate all muslims and love Jesus. Cool.
I don't need to read what I've already posted. I'm talking about what you post.
Some people simply hate the Nazarene because of not only what he taught, but what he represents. If his word is true, we are judged by it. If not, as I now think, his words should not matter on a personal level. By personal I mean there should be no fear of judgment. However any adult with even a semblance of intelligence should recognize the wisdom in what Jesus said.
Again, there should be no fear of either judgment or condemnation. But no...Some people are such fucking pussies that they cannot handle themselves and so they seek solace in their pathetic attempts to belittle the Nazarene and his followers. I have no problem belittling scum like the fucktard known as Joel Osteen. He is not of the Christ and deserves to be outed as such. A name it and claim it cucktard.
These cucks will never accept that Jesus existed and was a man worthy of respect and all because his teachings sometimes convict them of their lives. Fuck those assholes all the way to Hades. If they're without confidence in their atheism, they don't deserve pity nor instruction in how to behave as an adult.
The Scott, you mentioned you are an atheist but I noticed you write about Jesus (and islam/islime) often and you seem to extol the Christian lifestyle and values. If I may ask, how do you view Jesus? The god of the bible? The son of the god of the bible? A Jewish rabbi? A common man of his time? A man with divine powers?
In regards to a child abuser not being a Christian, I am sure some muslims could say the same and even discover verses from their "holy book" in an attempt to justify it. In fact we often hear how "islam is the religion of peace", how islam is "tolerant" and allows others to believe what they want while devout mohammedans kill innocent people while shouting "god is the greatest".
Meanwhile, here is an interesting case that also has some relevance to the Police topic. In a state heavily influenced by religion like Utah, a private University owned by the Mormon church has its own police department. That means law enforcement officers with full police powers, not private security guards. The University's lawyers effectively claimed that since its police force was created and funded by a private University (!), it doesn't have to comply to all the the laws (in this case, open records such as the Government Records Access and Management Act) that apply to other police departments.
Thankfully, the judge was quick to shut them down:
"the court concludes that when BYUPD is acting as a law enforcement agency and/or its officers are acting as law enforcement officers, it is a governmental entity subject to GRAMA"
‘Good day for Utah’ — BYU police should be subject to open-records laws, judge rules, in dispute about sexual assault investigations
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/07/13/byu-police-should-be/
For context, here is an excerpt from another article:
The case stems from a public records request submitted by a Tribune reporter in 2016 amid allegations that BYU had disciplined students who report sex crimes if they were violating the school’s Honor Code at the time of the assault. The code bans alcohol, coffee and premarital sex, and it regulates students’ appearance and interactions with the opposite sex.
BYU police released some records, but refused to release records of communication between the department and the Mormon school’s Honor Code and Title IX offices.
The university police have said they do not conduct investigations for the Honor Code Office. However, The Tribune has obtained internal BYU documents that show a BYU police lieutenant used his access to Provo police records, via a countywide law enforcement database, for an Honor Code investigation into the conduct of a student who had reported a sexual assault to Provo police.
My faith was with me for nearly six decades and then I decided I needed proof. It is my decision. I admit I was influenced by a friend's loss of his faith but still, it was my decision. I view the Nazarene as a great man. A holy man, if you will. A man of conscience. A superb teacher and more. There are signs that he was more, for example, the Apostle Peter died for his faith in the Christ. No lying sack of shit smellivangelist of today (e.g., Joel Osteen) would die for faith in the Christ. And yet Peter was crucified for his faith in Jesus of Nazareth. It is said that Peter asked to be crucified upside down as he thought himself unworthy to die as did his Lord.
It is fact he was crucified for his faith. It is legend that he was crucified upside down. Regardless of the latter, Peter's faith was so great he was willing to die for it. Who would do such a thing for a lie?
"Greater than this, shall you do in my name". I have not seen anything done in the name of the Nazarene that equals the miracles associated with him. If it is wrong to desire proof, then Thomas (aka, "doubting Thomas") was wrong. And yet he asked and received proof. I have asked and not gotten anything. To paraphrase - "What father among you, who when asked by his children for bread, gives them a stone?"
To that I would add, "ignores his children". We have a mind capable of questioning a great many things, not the least of which is how did we all get here. God used to do all manner of miracluous things in the old testament. Even in the new testament, there were healings and the like but after the end of the lives of the Apostles, there's been pretty much nothing miraculous going on. I have heard people who say that miracles are hidden from us by the "media" or by the elusive people known only as "them". I say BS. You could not hide the restoration of sight to a blind person. You could not hide the restoration of life to a dead person. Where is the proof? Indeed. Where?
I am disgusted by atheists undeserving of the name who belittle only those that believe in the Nazarene. I have yet to hear one make fun of islime or Buddists or Wiccans or anything else not associated (rightly or otherwise) with Christianity. So I say fuck those atheists. And they don't like that at all. Because the Nazarene's message convicts them of their sins, if you will. They can't handle being told they are sinners and so they get their manties in a wad. Again, fuck them.
Any other questions, please ask and if I can, I will try my best to give a worthy reply. And the profit hoMohammed was a fucking pedophile, ergo his followers have no problem with it. The Nazarene was more than that asshole hoMohammed.
"But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."
Jonestown Massacre. Not all but many voluntarily died for that POS. Nothing special there except gullible sheep. Not saying that is the case with Paul, but your example has too many problems. People killed for Charles Manson. His specialty was manipulation.
Personally, the biblical Jesus appears to be a stand up guy. If his followers actually followed his teachings I doubt I would have a problem with them. Most don't.
You wonder why? It's because here in America it isn't the Wiccans, buddhist or Muslims trying to push their religious agenda into laws and government. It really is as simple as that. When and if they do, then you will hear atheists raising hell about it.
My example has zero "problems". Nero was an historical figure as was Peter. Nero put Peter to death. The only problem is yours but you can do as you wish and say what you will.
For you to compare the Nazarene to Jones or Manson... That speaks volumes. Make no mistake, you did just that. If he (the Nazarene) was indeed "He", then I can assure you that you will be among those that hear, "Depart from me. I never knew you". And me?
I am no better...Except I don't lie. You have a problem with the teachings of the Christ because they offend your ego. You just use his false followers as an excuse. Or is this just a facade of yours? Shake it off before it covers you completely.
Nah, they don't offend my ego. I have no problem with the teachings of "The Nazarene" AKA Jesus. I make observations based on facts. The fact is, people dying for their belief is nothing new nor special
Post by: Skeletor on August 14, 2018, 11:59:57 AM
Nothing to see here folks...
Grand jury report IDs over 300 "predator priests," more than 1,000 child victims
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- More than 1,000 children -- and possibly many more -- were molested by hundreds of Roman Catholic priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses, while senior church officials took steps to cover it up, according to a landmark grand jury report released Tuesday.
The grand jury said it believes the "real number" of abused children might be "in the thousands" since some records were lost and victims were afraid to come forward. The report said more than 300 clergy committed the abuse over a period of decades.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the two-year probe found a systematic cover-up by senior church officials in Pennsylvania and at the Vatican.
"The cover-up was sophisticated. And all the while, shockingly, church leadership kept records of the abuse and the cover-up. These documents, from the dioceses' own 'Secret Archives,' formed the backbone of this investigation," he said at a news conference in Harrisburg.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/predator-priests-identified-grand-jury-report-pennsylvania-priest-abuse/
Quote from: Skeletor on August 14, 2018, 11:59:57 AM
No real Scotsman...
Is this an example of muslim tolerance?
Jury delivers death sentence for Jordanian immigrant convicted of two Houston-area ‘honor killings’
A Jordanian immigrant was sentenced Tuesday to death for a pair of 2012 "honor killings" that were part of an extensive plot to kill five people, including his daughter, in retribution for her leaving home, converting to Christianity and marrying a Christian.
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Jury-gives-decides-on-death-sentence-for-Jordian-13155493.php
This didn't happen in some third world muslim shithole, but in the US:
Boy found at New Mexico compound died in religious ritual, prosecutors say
AMALIA, N.M. — New details emerged Monday about the fate of one of the children found at a New Mexico desert compound raided by police 10 days ago. It came at a court hearing for five adults arrested on charges of abusing 11 other children at the compound.
At the bond hearing for Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and four others, prosecutors presented a disturbing update about his son, 3-year-old Abdul Ghani, whose body was found buried on an apocalyptic-looking compound authorities raided last week. Other children found there told investigators the boy died during a religious ritual.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/boy-found-at-new-mexico-compound-died-in-religious-ritual-prosecutors-say/
“Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing; they hid it all. For decades. Monsignors, auxiliary bishops, bishops, archbishops, cardinals have mostly been protected; many, including some named in this report, have been promoted. Until that changes, we think it is too early to close the book on the Catholic Church sex scandal."
“We all wish more charges could be filed, but due to the church’s manipulation of our weak laws in Pennsylvania, too many predators were out of reach,” Shapiro said.
Sick. But apparently it was not sick enough for some "god-fearing" christians or devout priests who ignored the accusations or covered them up and maybe even disciplined children who would dare accuse the "pious servants of the lord" of such acts.
A small excerpt from the report on the perversions of the men of the christian god:
In Erie, a 7-year-old boy was sexually abused by a priest who then told him he should go to confession and confess his “sins” to that same priest.
Another boy was repeatedly raped from ages 13 to 15 by a priest who bore down so hard on the boy’s back that it caused severe spine injuries. He became addicted to painkillers and later died of an overdose.
One victim in Pittsburgh was forced to pose naked as Christ on the cross while priests photographed him with a Polaroid camera. Priests gave the boy and others gold cross necklaces to mark them as being “groomed” for abuse.
The report makes clear that few criminal cases may result from the massive investigation.
“As a consequence of the coverup, almost every instance of abuse we found is too old to be prosecuted,” the report said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/08/14/pennsylvania-grand-jury-report-on-sex-abuse-in-catholic-church-will-list-hundreds-of-accused-predator-priests
So now we have some paranoid religious extremists who try to "debunk" the Grand Jury report and undermine the abuse allegations and defend the church... Donohue sounds like the people who abused minors or those who knew about the abuse and tried to dismiss it or cover it up. Maybe next he'll start complaining about "christian persecution" and the "war on christmas".
"PA Grand Jury report based on accusations"
https://www.catholicleague.org/pa-grand-jury-report-based-on-accusations/
The attempt to "debunk" the report:
https://www.catholicleague.org/pennsylvania-grand-jury-report-debunked/
Myth: The priests “raped” their victims.
Fact: This is an obscene lie. Most of the alleged victims were not raped: they were groped or otherwise abused, but not penetrated, which is what the word “rape” means.
Myth: The abusive priests were pedophiles.
Anyone who actually reads the report knows it is a lie. Most were postpubescent. This doesn’t make the molestation okay — the guilty should be imprisoned — but it is wrong to give the impression that we are talking about 5-year-olds when more typically they were 15-year-olds.
Meanwhile, here are just very few disturbing examples from the Grand Jury report.
Reverend Anthony J. Cipolla
Cipolla was first accused of sexually abusing children, specifically, two brothers who were ages 9 (first victim) and 12 (second victim) in 1978 while Cipolla was assigned to St.Francis Xavier. The abuses occurred in Cipolla' s bedroom in the rectory and also in a hotel room in Dearborn, Michigan. On July 25, 1978, the victims' mother called the Pittsburgh Police Department and criminal charges were filed. Ultimately, the criminal charges were not pursued to a conclusion because, according to the mother, she was harassed and threatened by church officials to drop the charges and to "let the church handle it."
Reverend Thomas J. Bender
In 1984, a known victim reported that Bender abused him in 1981, while the victim was in seventh grade. The victim reported that he was abused in Bender's bed, where oral and anal sex occurred. When confronted at the Chancery, Bender admitted to abusing the victim. He was sent to psychotherapy but again continued to serve as priest. In 1986, the victim was hospitalized for a drug overdose and subsequently admitted to the Northwest Institute of Psychiatry. The Diocese paid the first week's fee of $4,000. The victim and his family decided to report Bender to legal authorities and also filed a civil suit.
In 1987, Bender was put on a leave of absence. He was eventually arrested, convicted and, in 1988, sentenced to probation. Bender remained on his leave of absence until 2002, when he applied for retirement benefits. The Church granted Bender his retirement and provided him a monthly living allowance and paid for health insurance, life insurance, retreat and workshop fees, and car insurance. In 2004, the Diocese received additional reports of sexual abuse by Bender. In 2006, while collecting retirement benefits from the church, Bender was arrested in Long Island, New York, while traveling to meet what he believed was a fourteen year old boy for sex. The "boy" was an undercover detective whom Bender had attempted to lure to a hotel room in Levittown, New York.
Monsignor Thomas J. Benestad
The victim was nine years old when the abuse began. Correspondence demonstrated that the Diocese reported the allegation to the Northampton County District Attorney's Office, which conducted an investigation and found the victim's allegations to be credible. The victim was taken out of class by a nun and delivered to Benestad in his office. The victim had worn shorts to CCD, which was against the rules. The victim was told that shorts were not proper attire and that not wearing proper attire was sinful. The victim was told to get on his knees and start praying. Benestad unzipped his pants and told the victim to perform oral sex on him. The victim did as he was told. Benestad also performed oral sex on the victim. The victim recalls that, after the abuse, Benestad would produce a clear bottle of holy water and squirt it into the victim's mouth to purify him. The District Attorney's Office found the applicable statute of limitations had expired and no charges were brought against Benestad. Additional complaints have been made against Benestad, who has denied all accusations. The Diocese elected to rely on Benestad's word rather than the word of the victims and the determinations of law enforcement. No attempt was made to remove Benestad from ministry. Benestad was granted retirement, resides in Boca Raton, Florida, and assists with a local parish.
Father Gregory Flohr
Flohr's final act of sexual abuse against the victim occurred in November 1969, when Flohr allegedly took the victim into the confessional of the Immaculate Conception church and began kissing him and tied him up with rope into a "praying position." The victim began to scream, so Flohr tried to silence him by forcing his penis into his mouth. "When the [victim] refused the priest allegedly became angry and sodomized the [victim] with a crucifix approximately 7"x 5"x 1" in size." Flohr then stated that the victim was a "bad boy" and let him go. Following this incident, the victim deliberately set the church carpet on fire.
There are more particularly disturbing cases, but the paranoid religious extremists will probably dismiss them as well.
They should spend the rest of their lives in prison.
RI Catholic leaders oppose latest demand for bill on sex-abuse lawsuits
https://www.wpri.com/politics/ri-catholic-leaders-oppose-latest-demand-for-bill-on-sex-abuse-lawsuits/1383707694
Thoughts and prayers sent
Chris Pratt Is Unashamed of Being ‘Pro-Christian, Pro-Jesus’ in Hollywood
https://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2018/09/19/chris-pratt-unashamed-of-being-pro-christian-pro-jesus-in-hollywood/
Post by: The Scott on September 19, 2018, 05:18:14 PM
Quote from: Dos Equis on September 19, 2018, 04:09:44 PM
Impressive. Thank you for the link, sir!
'Aggressive Christianity' cult leader gets 72 years in prison
GRANTS, N.M. (KRQE) - The leader of a New Mexico Christian cult will spend the rest of her life behind bars for what she did to a child on her compound near Gallup.
Deborah Green led a cult dubbed the "Aggressive Christian Mission Training Corps." She called herself "the General" and dressed like one.
Green was sentenced Wednesday in district court in Grants right after one of the victims gave emotional testimony about what happened on the compound.
The victim further spoke about what she described as years of torture by Green that she continues to struggle recovering from physically and emotionally, adding she's had 11 surgeries to help fix broken bones.
The judge gave Green 72 years for three counts of child rape, two counts of kidnapping and one count of child abuse.
The abuse came to light last year when authorities raided the compound in Fence Lake near Gallup and found 11 children. Some of them were as young as 4 years old and being held against their will.
https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/-aggressive-christianity-cult-leader-sentenced/1477766667
Quote from: Skeletor on October 01, 2018, 03:46:26 PM
People are so narrow minded. It's not about what happens here on earth. this is but a drop in the bucket. It's about eternity. Green obviously had the big picture in mind
So an obvious, non-Christian, mentally unstable woman masquerading as a "Christian General" committed a bunch of horrific crimes against folks in this compound and is now serving jail time?
Sounds like the punishment is just.
Further the only connection this situation has with Christianity is this woman's use of the term "Christian". It's just an extremist case force fit as an argument for the ignorant who stand blindly opposed to Christianity.....brillia nt.
My monthly check in is done and GB is still a cesspool of unbelief....big shocker LOL....out.
Post by: Agnostic007 on October 05, 2018, 09:31:12 AM
I feel sad for you that you deem not believing in a supernatural being you can't prove exists, a cesspool. I think it refreshing that people can break the bonds of cult mentality
Post by: The Scott on October 05, 2018, 01:57:58 PM
Well said. This female creature is no more a follower of the Christ than I but I have the decency to say as much. As for "cults", a friend once said that a cult is nothing more than a "religion" without political power.
I for one am glad that Christians are finding their political might as well as their collective testicular fortitude. Fuck liberals for they demand you turn the other cheek when they attack you. Christians are allowed to defend themselves.
Luke 22:36 -
He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
When I had my faith and someone would tell me they were going to slap me for it, I would tell them to get ready for hell on Earth as I wouldn't tolerate their idiocy. As such, none ever struck me.
Only a pussy lib quotes the Bible when it suits them. Fuck those assholes.
Post by: AbrahamG on October 05, 2018, 06:33:33 PM
Quote from: Agnostic007 on October 05, 2018, 09:31:12 AM
Maybe he was talking about the stormfrontesque mentality of most getbigger's as being the cesspool?
Quote from: AbrahamG on October 05, 2018, 06:33:33 PM
No, I was trying to put a positive spin on it.
So now local governing bodies can restrict who delivers invocations and only those of "approved" religious association" and "established presence" will be allowed.
New rules restrict who can give invocations before Kenai Borough Assembly meetings
Atheists who want to read an invocation before a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly are out of luck.
The Assembly voted 6-3 in favor of a resolution at its Tuesday meeting that says the person delivering an invocation must be a representative of an Assembly-approved religious association that fits specific parameters.
The borough clerk will create and maintain a database of qualified religious associations and chaplains that send in written requests to deliver the prayers.
As the new resolution spells out, those eligible to recite an invocation include religious associations "with an established presence in the Kenai Peninsula Borough that regularly meet for the primary purpose of sharing a religious perspective, or chaplains who may serve one or more of the fire departments, law enforcement agencies, hospitals, or other similar organizations in the borough."
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/kenai/2016/10/13/new-rules-restrict-who-can-give-invocations-before-kenai-borough-assembly-meetings/
I predict that a lawsuit will follow and the city government that enacted this rule will lose and the taxpayers will pay for it. It happens over and over.
Post by: Humble Narcissist on November 07, 2018, 03:33:10 PM
Christians who commit crimes prove the non existence of God, right? ::)
Post by: Agnostic007 on November 08, 2018, 10:46:08 AM
Quote from: Humble Narcissist on November 07, 2018, 03:33:10 PM
No. Loophole #3004 "While Christians can believe themselves morally superior to non Christians, they are also subject to the sins of the flesh and therefore are expected to sin. However the difference between those covered in the blood of the Lamb, and heathens is, Christians are forgiven for their sins. "
I'm not talking about Christians who believe they are forgiven I'm talking about the atheist false argument that because evil exists or that Christians commit crimes this proves the non existence of God.
Quote from: Agnostic007 on November 08, 2018, 10:46:08 AM
Sheeesh..."Let he who is so painfully and obviously without the intelligence evolution gave a dust bunny cast the first stupid comment".
Yeah...That would be you this time and said comment is quoted above. ;D
Post by: Man of Steel on November 09, 2018, 02:17:22 PM
Sorry this is incorrect. Not saying you're incorrect, but that quoted statement is incorrect.
Christians are deemed saints....the righteous....sanctified by Holy Spirit and therefore set apart from the world and all it's carnal desires.
Christ commanded his followers to go forth and sin no more.
Are we at war with our flesh daily? Is temptation a constant battle? You bet, but there certainly isn't an expectation to sin.....the opposite is true.....to seek the will of God and overcome the flesh and be delivered from sin....to hate sin.
We are sanctified in the pursuit of being Christlike. Christians seek righteousness and hate sin.
Christ indicated that Christians are to be perfect or complete as the heavenly Father is....to be finished works of righteousness and that's only possible through Christ's salvific work on Calvary's cross....only then are believers made complete.
Post by: Agnostic007 on November 09, 2018, 03:28:43 PM
Quote from: Man of Steel on November 09, 2018, 02:17:22 PM
Splitting hairs. Can you say with any truth that you will never sin again? Of course not. By default that means you are expected to sin, the difference is, your sins are allegedly paid for by Jesus' sacrifice, mine aren't, So no, I am not wrong.
Never heard of that atheist argument. There are multitudes of things atheists will say prove the biblical god is fake, that's a new one for me. Though it closely resembles the Christian argument that because an atheist doesn't believe in god, he or she is prone to rape and murder. Had a co worker tell me that with a straight face. Couldn't understand why as a non believer, I wasn't just a moral mess, raping and killing at will since there was no God to hold me accountable.
Quote from: The Scott on November 08, 2018, 04:20:42 PM
Care to explain why it is in your view stupid, rather than post the nonsense you posted which does nothing but waste peoples time reading?
Quote from: Agnostic007 on November 09, 2018, 03:32:27 PM
I don't think for a minute you are this stupid. The Nazarene said, "Go and sin no more", not "Go and sin some more". But you knew that.
"Nonsense"?! LOL! I write. You and so many others here merely type. A chimp can type. Don't believe me? The Queeron is a perfect example of just that. So are many Op Ed pieces puked out by cucktard "journalists". As I so succinctly said elsewhere to another misguided miscreant, if you want to try and be a man again, go find your nuts. Even if you have to look in a bag of Peanut M&Ms.
Shit. Who knows, maybe yours are the toy surpise in a box of Cracker Jacks. Oooooo...Cracker Jacks must be whitey food. FTN. And to Chicago with cucktards.
I'll cut through the chaff and focus on the issue at hand. Jesus said a lot of things Christians disregard. Matthew 6:5 is all but ignored. The reality is, Christians are expected to sin. It isn't encouraged, but it is accepted as part of life. If there was an option to live without sin, Jesus wouldn't have had to do what is alleged to have happened. Romans 3:23 backs me up "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"
Post by: Humble Narcissist on November 10, 2018, 05:16:12 AM
That seems to be your argument as you point out the Christian's wrongs as a reason God doesn't exist.
Post by: avxo on November 12, 2018, 12:30:53 AM
If mere belief (unjustified too, since there is absence of evidence, hence the need for faith!) is all it takes to be sanctified, then sanctity is a meaningless term. Membership in a treehouse club is more valuable; at least treehouses have some standards.
Let’s think about why Christ supposedly died on the cross: because god loved humans so much, that he wanted to see them saved. Great. But saved from what? Himself. ???
The whole “Christ died for your sins” thing is irrational nonsense. God didn’t need to send Jesus. He could have said “aww, shucks, you guys. I love you so much, I’m taking back that thing I said earlier, where I basically doomed you all. Sorry, anger issues. I’m in therapy for it and I’m trying to work on myself.”
As it stands, if we buy the story, God sacrificed himself to appease himself and save us from his wrath. Seems rather circuitous and pointless.
I’ve heard legitimately crazy people make up stories that made no sense and are, somehow, less crazy than core and rather mainstream Christian beliefs.
The response to your post is about as crazy as your post.
The reason God HAD to sacrifice Jesus is God must follow certain rules. He could not just say "You know what, I apparently made the standard too high for you guys, but I knew I did because I can see the future, so I am going to give you a pass" because he would be in some violation of his own rules.. Never made sense to me. You would think a God could do anything they wanted but apparently this God is hamstrung by some barbaric blood sacrifice requirement.
Post by: avxo on November 13, 2018, 09:38:41 PM
I'm not sure I follow what's being said here?
Agreed, the story has too many holes. I never bought the story that God has to cast you to Hell unless you do x, y and z. Remember that when the Bible was written people only knew punishment if they were immoral (didn't obey the rules) whereas ethics came out at a later time. Even if the Christian story is off it doesn't mean that God doesn't exist.
Quote from: avxo on November 12, 2018, 12:30:53 AM
Sure there’s evidence for God (you’re replying with evidence), but people just dismiss that evidence out of hand because it doesn't comport with their subjective presuppositions about "what life should be" or “how science is done”. Ironically, in most cases, these same objectors defy their own scientific requirements for following evidence to a conclusion….when it comes to God they ain’t following nothin LOL. They dismiss God and thereby dismiss his objective absolutes in favor of their own subjectivity. God's created humanity self-identifying as their own little gods accountable only to their own subjective standards. Much like the gender issue. Sure you can call yourself a woman but your biology, your genetics, clearly indicates you're a man. In short, calling yourself a transgender woman, a non binary entity, a gender fluid entity or a toaster doesn't make you any of those.
Still I understand what you're suggesting, but what the argument lacks is recognition of sin, our accountability for that sin and God's righteous justice and judgement.
What are Christians saved from? God's judgement for our offenses against his law and the eternal separation from him that would follow. God isn’t saving us from himself….he’s saving us from ourselves so that we may be brought into union with him. It’s an act of propitiation or atonement on our behalf….an act of love and grace. Is God needing to appease himself? Sure, you can put it that way (much like saying “God is magic”…that’s fine too) provided you acknowledge your personal responsibility in that as well, but God needs for nothing. God is satisfying the demands of his eternal laws put in place for us....laws get broken and justice is required to come after. Still, God is and always will be just so the punishment will fit the offense. And our punishment for denying God is separation from him and all that he is….that is hell. Don’t want no God you don’t get no God.
Saying "so God sets laws and sends himself to die for those that broke those laws is irrational….he should be big enough to just say ‘I love you and all is forgiven’ ". Does that honestly sound like justice to you? “Oh you did a bunch of bad crap…..eh, you’re good.” Do we even function like that in our governments? We govern ourselves and put standards in place for people to follow. Sure they’re subjective standards, but we aren’t objective creatures. Try telling a judge, “I didn’t break any laws because I don’t affirm your law therefore I’m not accountable to it….I’m a free inhabitant.” Well “free inhabitant” LOL, you goin to jail!
God sent his son in Jesus Christ to come and live and die as a demonstration for what we lack and what we need. Aligning ourselves with God’s will is essentially the pursuit of righteousness. We forgo of our carnal desires and seek his will above our own. Denying God is denying righteousness and adopting a life of temporary pleasures enjoyed on your terms, but that choice comes with eternal consequences. Again, God needs for nothing, but we absolutely need him in order to be brought into righteous union with him.
All that said, going back to the original quote, there is no expectation for us to continue in sin.
Dang haven’t type this much in a post on GB in a very long time. I may not respond for quite some time so please take no offense if you do reply.
Quote from: avxo on November 13, 2018, 09:38:41 PM
The the Christian Apologists stock explanation for your question raises more questions than it answers.
Question. IS it possible for a Christian to live his life without sin? If not, then there is an expectation that they will sin. They may certainly try not to sin, but if you know they will, its expected is it not?
Sure there’s evidence for God
Before we get to that, you need to define God.
(you’re replying with evidence)
I'm just pointing out the irrational and absurd foundation of Christianity.
but people just dismiss that evidence out of hand because it doesn't comport with their subjective presuppositions about "what life should be" or “how science is done”.
Can you please point to this "evidence" you speak of?
God's created humanity self-identifying as their own little gods accountable only to their own subjective standards. Much like the gender issue. Sure you can call yourself a woman but your biology, your genetics, clearly indicates you're a man. In short, calling yourself a transgender woman, a non binary entity, a gender fluid entity or a toaster doesn't make you any of those.
I'm uninterested in examining this topic in depth (diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks and all that) and while I do believe the generics are certainly dispositive vis-à-vis one's biological gender, several studies that utilize functional MRI have highlighted structural differences in the brain of biological males that identify as transgender. See here (https://www.the-scientist.com/features/are-the-brains-of-transgender-people-different-from-those-of-cisgender-people-30027) if interested.
Assuming that the Christian God exists, his justice can't be righteous if he has set a standard for us that is, by his own admission, impossible for us to meet. And if he insists on enforcing that standard, his judgement is suspect.
What are Christians saved from?
The wrath of the being to whom they promise fealty, and the eternal fire and pain he promises in the book you claim contains his eternal and inerrant word?
God's judgement for our offenses against his law and the eternal separation from him that would follow.
Oh boy, there we go with C.S. Lewis' hell-is-living-without-you theory.
God isn’t saving us from himself….he’s saving us from ourselves so that we may be brought into union with him.
No. He is saving you from himself, since he's the one (in your world view) who imposes the punishment. It is in his power (omnipotent as he is) to accept you as you are, warts and all. In fact, it was in his power to make it so you never “fell”, but he didn’t.
It’s an act of propitiation or atonement on our behalf….an act of love and grace.
Love and grace would be to save everyone without preconditions; not threaten with "believe, or else."
If my wife is hanging from the 3rd floor balcony, I'll try and save her; I won't negotiate with her, by saying I'll save her but only if she, first, agrees to make me a steak
Is God needing to appease himself? Sure, you can put it that way (much like saying “God is magic”…that’s fine too) provided you acknowledge your personal responsibility in that as well, but God needs for nothing.
My personal responsibility in what? Satisfying God's vanity? I don't feel any responsibility to stroke your God's ego.
God is satisfying the demands of his eternal laws put in place for us....laws get broken and justice is required to come after.
It would be both irrational and immoral to pass a law that said "All cats must eat a vegan diet! Any cat caught killing and eating a bird, mouse or other animal will be euthanized." Not only because cats lack the rational capacity to understand, but because our law would be impossible for a cat to follow even if it could understand: cats are obligate carnivores; they must eat meat. It is against their nature to not eat meat.
The situation with your God, if the Bible is accurate, is no different. We are told that sin is in our nature; that we cannot meet the requirements of the law that we are being forced to live under. That it is impossible for us because it is against our nature. I submit that punishing us for something that is beyond our control is morally wrong.
Still, God is and always will be just so the punishment will fit the offense. And our punishment for denying God is separation from him and all that he is….that is hell.
That's a nice bit of apologetics that C. S. Lewis dreamed up: you're not being tortured; just separated from God, which is what you wanted! Let us turn to Mark 9:47-48: "It is better that you enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to be thrown into hell with two eyes, where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." I don't know man, sounds very much like torture to me.
Don’t want no God you don’t get no God.
I see Mark's excerpt above didn't do the trick. Let us turn, brothers and sisters, to Matthew 18:8: "And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire."
We aren't just talking about "no God" here. We are talking about eternal fire. Again, sounds very much like torture to me.
Saying "so God sets laws and sends himself to die for those that broke those laws is irrational….he should be big enough to just say ‘I love you and all is forgiven’ ". Does that honestly sound like justice to you?
The Bible literally says that it impossible for us to live up to the standard that we are being asked to live up to. It doesn't sound like justice to me if I have no choice in the matter.
“Oh you did a bunch of bad crap…..eh, you’re good.” Do we even function like that in our governments? We govern ourselves and put standards in place for people to follow.
Yes, we do that. But we put in place standards that people CAN follow. That is to say, we don't pass laws that make breathing illegal. Rather, we pass laws that make the premeditated killing of one human being by another illegal. And, what's more, in our system, in order to violate a law (a criminal law) you must have the requisite mens rea; without that, no crime can be committed.
Sure they’re subjective standards, but we aren’t objective creatures. Try telling a judge, “I didn’t break any laws because I don’t affirm your law therefore I’m not accountable to it….I’m a free inhabitant.” Well “free inhabitant” LOL, you goin to jail!
"Judge, I know that running red lights is illegal, and I concede that there is video of me that shows me running the red light at the intersection of First and Main. Your Honor, this is a sworn affidavit by Mr. X attesting to the fact that minutes before this incident, a shipment of nails fell off his truck in the vicinity of the intersection. The nails punctured my vehicle's tires, which resulted in an unexpected loss of control of my vehicle through no fault of my own and prevented me from stopping. I respectfully ask that the Court find me not responsible for violating the statute, and dismiss this ticket."
God sent his son in Jesus Christ to come and live and die as a demonstration for what we lack and what we need.
Are you suggesting that it is possible for a human to be saved on his own merit, without relying on Jesus's sacrifice? Unless you are, Jesus was no demonstration of anything.
Aligning ourselves with God’s will is essentially the pursuit of righteousness.
It's not righteous to punish someone for something that is outside of their control. If it's impossible for us to meet God’s proverbial bar, punishing us for our failure is morally wrong.
We forgo of our carnal desires and seek his will above our own.
At least that’s the theory. But I’ll bet even the holiest man you can think of tried to sneak a quick jerk here and there.
Denying God is denying righteousness and adopting a life of temporary pleasures enjoyed on your terms, but that choice comes with eternal consequences.
If you define God as righteous, I guess that you could stretch denying him into denying righteousness. But there's no objective evidence that is righteous; indeed, several instances in the BIble suggest that he's anything but righteous (Mark 4:11-12).
I may not respond for quite some time so please take no offense if you do reply.
I won't. I know that these sort of exchanges can be very draining. It's 3am here on a rainy night and bed is calling.
Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789
Thanksgiving Proclamation
[New York, 3 October 1789]
By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-04-02-0091
Even though this particular example focuses on the technicality of whether the case is a federal or state issue, it is insane that the US tolerates the genital mutilation of children as long as "religion" is involved. Quite interesting also that "prominent" feminist voices are not particularly vocal about this.
Judge dismisses female genital mutilation charges in historic case
In a major blow to the federal government, a judge in Detroit has declared America's female genital mutilation law unconstitutional, thereby dismissing the key charges against two Michigan doctors and six others accused of subjecting at least nine minor girls to the cutting procedure in the nation's first FGM case.
The historic case involves minor girls from Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota, including some who cried, screamed and bled during the procedure and one who was given Valium ground in liquid Tylenol to keep her calm, court records show. The judge's ruling also dismissed charges against three mothers, including two Minnesota women whom prosecutors said tricked their 7 -year-old daughters into thinking they were coming to metro Detroit for a girls' weekend, but instead had their genitals cut at a Livonia clinic as part of a religious procedure.
Nagarwala has long maintained that she committed no crime and that she was charged under a law that slid through Congress without proper vetting:
“The law was never debated on the floor of either chamber of Congress nor was there ever any legislative hearing addressing the justification or need for the federal law. Instead, all that exists is the criminal statute itself,” defense lawyers have argued in court documents, claiming the driving force behind the legislation was one lawmaker's belief that the prohibited conduct was 'repulsive and cruel.' "
But the Constitution demands more than that, the defense has argued, claiming Congress could not have passed a female genital mutilation ban under the Commerce clause because "notably, here, the activity being regulated has absolutely no effect on interstate commerce."
The judge agreed:
"There is nothing commercial or economic about FGM," Friedman writes. "As despicable as this practice may be, it is essentially a criminal assault. ... FGM is not part of a larger market and it has no demonstrated effect on interstate commerce. The commerce clause does not permit Congress to regulate a crime of this nature."
The prosecution disagrees, arguing genital mutilation is an illegal, secretive and dangerous health care service that involves interstate commerce on a number of fronts: text messages are used to arrange the procedure; parents drive their children across state lines to get the procedure; and the doctor uses medical tools in state-licensed clinics to perform the surgeries.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2018/11/20/female-genital-mutilation-michigan/1991712002/
Quote from: Skeletor on November 25, 2018, 06:20:06 PM
Its really just a matter of extremes. There will come a time when people will stop pretending doing things because they believe this invisible god demands it is ok or normal. Personally, if someone wants to cut off their hand because they think God said to, or handle a rattlesnake because of some added scripture that is fine.. it's when they force children and others into following their lunacy, it should be outlawed.
Post by: Skeletor on December 20, 2018, 10:41:55 PM
And another one...
The shocking details of his crimes revealed, Faucher gets 25 years: ‘I was one really sick puppy’
In total, Faucher was charged with 24 crimes: 21 counts of felony sexual exploitation of a child, one count of felony possession of a controlled substance (LSD) and two counts of misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance (marijuana and ecstasy). He pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of sexually exploitative material, two counts of possession of sexually exploitative materials and one count of drug possession.
https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/northwest/idaho/article223389105.html
Members of a Jewish sect based in Guatemala kidnapping children in the US...
Jewish sect members accused of kidnapping children in New York
Four members of a Jewish sect have been charged with kidnapping a young brother and sister in New York state.
Prosecutors say the men belong to the ultra-Orthodox Lev Tahor group, which is based in Guatemala. They are accused of abducting a 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother from the village of Woodridge, which is north of New York City.
The men planned to take the pair back to Guatemala after their mother fled the sect six weeks earlier. The woman had reportedly feared for her children's safety and felt the group, which was founded by her father, was becoming more extreme under the leadership of her brother. Its teachings reportedly include that women must be veiled from head to toe in black tunics.
The four men, aged between 20 and 45, are accused of kidnapping the siblings from their home on 8 December and taking them to a small airport near the city of Scranton in Pennsylvania. They were then flown to Mexico, but were located in the the town of Tenango del Aire on Friday morning and have since been reunited with their mother in Woodridge.
Three of the suspects, Nachman Helbrans, Mayer Rosner and Jacob Rosner, were deported from Mexico on Thursday and arrested on their arrival in the US. The fourth suspect, Aron Rosner, was arrested by the FBI in Brooklyn on 23 December and is accused of providing financial support to the group. All of the men have been charged with one count of kidnapping, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Saints and Eagles Players Kneel and Pray Together Before NFL Playoff Game
By Michael Morris | January 14, 2019
(https://www.cnsnews.com/s3/files/styles/content_40p/s3/benjamin_watson_nick_foles_other_saints_and_eagles_praying_on_field_facebook_screenshot_0.jpg?itok=F0vTYvnu)
Outspoken Christians TE Benjamin Watson and Nick Foles join Saints and Eagles teammates in NFL Playoffs Divisional round to kneel in prayer on the field. (Screenshot)
In the NFL Playoffs Divisional round matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles, Saints Tight End Benjamin Watson, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, and numerous other players from both squads, knelt, linked arms and prayed together on the field.
Saints TE Watson and Eagles backup QB Foles are both outspoken Christians.
In a post on his Facebook page, Benjamin Watson said about his brothers from Philly, “I have a great amount of respect for our brothers in Philly. They have been steadfast in faith and their influence has gone far beyond the field. #MeetUsAtThe50”
Watson also included Scripture in the post:
“I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
The Saints would go on to win the Divisional round matchup between the Saints and the Eagles by a score of 20-14.
TE Watson had one reception for 12 yards on the game, while QB Nick Foles went 18/31 for 201 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, according to the New Orleans Saints website.
https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/michael-morris/benjamin-watson-saints-and-eagles-players-kneel-pray-together-nfl-divisional
Post by: Agnostic007 on January 15, 2019, 08:14:59 PM
Post by: The Scott on January 15, 2019, 08:28:17 PM
Quote from: Agnostic007 on January 15, 2019, 08:14:59 PM
And go fuck your fake LEO self. There's your "and". You're like Wiggs only twice as smart. Of course that's still dumber than a box of cat shit.
Quote from: The Scott on January 15, 2019, 08:28:17 PM
The Scott is in rare form tonight :)
You say Fake LEO... how sure are you I am fake and what are you willing to bet?
Your words speak volumes and identify you as not being remotely LEO.
As for making a "bet"? Do not be a child. I've told you before that we shall never meet. I've been in Miami several times and have zero desire to shake your hand as I think we would not come close to getting along. What would be the point?
There is no point.
When I agree with you on a subject it is simply because I agree with you on that particular matter. When I do not, it is because I do not.
Post by: Skeletor on February 01, 2019, 06:22:16 PM
Catholic Church in Texas Names Nearly 300 Priests Accused of Sex Abuse
The Roman Catholic Church in Texas on Thursday released the names of almost 300 priests who it said had been credibly accused of child sex abuse over nearly eight decades.
The action was the latest in a wave of disclosures by the church as it faces a series of federal and state investigations into its handling of sexual misconduct.
The names were posted online by all 15 of the state’s dioceses and followed the publication in August of a bombshell report on clerical sex abuse by the Pennsylvania attorney general that has spurred investigations of the church in more than a dozen other states.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/us/priests-abuse-texas.html
MAP: Here are the lists of Catholic priests in Texas 'credibly accused' of sexual abuse
https://www.click2houston.com/news/catholic-church/here-are-the-lists-of-credibly-accused-catholic-priests-in-texas
Couple and teen arrested in death of boy, 7, after punishing him over Bible verses
A Wisconsin couple and their son have been arrested in the death of a 7-year-old boy in their care, after they allegedly punished him for not memorizing Bible verses.
Timothy and Tina Hauschultz and their 15-year-old son made the 7-year-old, whose name was Ethan, hold a 44-pound log for two hours every day for a week, Newsweek reports. While being monitored during his punishment, a medical examiner believes that the teen hit and kicked the younger boy 100 times, rolled the heavy log over his chest and stood on his head and body while Ethan was face-down in a puddle. He then allegedly buried him in "his own little coffin of snow." Ethan died in April 2018 of hypothermia and blunt force trauma.
The Hauschultz's son has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide, while his father Timothy, 48, is charged with felony murder and felony contributing to the delinquency of a child. Both the father and son face an additional number of charges. Tina, 35, is charged with failing to prevent bodily harm and intentionally contributing to the delinquency of a child.
It's not known how the Hauschultz's are related to Ethan, but Timothy and Tina are listed as his court-appointed guardians, along with two of his siblings, including his twin.
The 15-year-old told police that he was put in charge of supervising Ethan and his twin, who were both undergoing the punishment of carrying logs for not knowing 13 Bible verses of Timothy's choosing. Ethan's birth mother, Andrea Everett, spoke out after the boy's death in April.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/couple-and-teen-arrested-for-death-of-boy-7-after-punishing-him-over-memorizing-bible-verses
Post by: AbrahamG on February 04, 2019, 08:51:54 PM
Quote from: Skeletor on February 03, 2019, 01:17:36 PM
That cun't should be charged as harsh as the man.
Hundreds of Southern Baptist leaders, volunteers accused of sexual misconduct in bombshell investigation
Hundreds of leaders and volunteers within Southern Baptist churches across the nation have been accused of sexual misconduct against young churchgoers for decades - many of them quietly returning to church roles even after being convicted for sex crimes.
A bombshell investigation by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News found that over the last 20 years, about 380 Southern Baptist church leaders and volunteers have faced credible accusations of sexual misconduct. Of those, roughly 220 were convicted of sex crimes or received plea deals, in cases involving more than 700 victims in all, the report found. Many accusers were young men and women, who allegedly experienced everything from exposure to pornography to rape and impregnation at the hands of church members.
The newspapers reported that the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) largely treated the accusations as isolated issues, and took on an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality, even amid growing pressures to create a registry so the accusations wouldn't disappear as alleged perpetrators moved from city to city. The Chronicle and Express-News created a database of convicted sexual abusers with documented connections to the SBC.
The investigation took over six months and involved the cross-examination of hundreds of allegations corroborated by court documents and prison records. The results were startling and reiterated how allegations of sexual misconduct aren't limited to just the Catholic church.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/hundreds-of-southern-baptist-church-leaders-volunteers-accused-sexual-misconduct
Inside the horrifying, unspoken world of sexually abusive nuns
It’s the line from scripture that stayed with Cait Finnegan for nearly half a century as she tried to suppress the painful memories of the sexual abuse she says she suffered at the hands of her Catholic clergy educator.
“God is Love,” Sister Mary Juanita Barto told Finnegan as she repeatedly raped her in classrooms at Mater Christi High School in Queens in the late 1960s.
The abuse began when Finnegan was 15 and continued throughout her high school years — on school buses to out-of-town sporting events, at religious retreats in upstate New York, at Finnegan’s childhood home in Woodside and at a Long Island convent.
Dispenza, who spent 15 years in a habit before becoming an activist against the Catholic church, is bracing for an onslaught of cases against nuns, who typically run schools and orphanages, and spend exponentially more time with children than priests. They also far outnumber priests. There are 55,944 nuns in the US and 41,406 priests, according to statistics compiled by SNAP.
https://nypost.com/2019/02/16/inside-the-horrifying-unspoken-world-of-sexually-abusive-nuns/
A high ranking member of the Catholic church has been found guilty of child abuse. Last year, a judge handed down a legal order which prevented any reporting of Pell's trial and conviction in Australian media.
George Pell: Cardinal found guilty of sexual offences in Australia
Cardinal George Pell has been found guilty in Australia of sexual offences against children, making him the highest-ranking Catholic figure to receive such a conviction. Pell abused two choir boys in Melbourne's cathedral in 1996, a jury found. He had pleaded not guilty.
As Vatican treasurer, the 77-year-old Australian was widely seen as the Church's third most powerful official. Pell, due to face sentencing hearings from Wednesday, has lodged an appeal.
His trial was heard twice last year because a first jury failed to reach a verdict. A second jury unanimously convicted him of one charge of sexually penetrating a child under 16, and four counts of committing an indecent act on a child under 16. The verdict was handed down in December, but it could not be reported until now for legal reasons.
Who is Pell?
The Australian cleric rose in prominence as a strong supporter of traditional Catholic values, often taking conservative views and advocating for priestly celibacy. He was summoned to Rome in 2014 to clean up the Vatican's finances, and was often described as the Church's third-ranked official.
As if all these revelations and convictions about this pedophile organization are not enough, now it turns out the Catholic church also destroyed files related to abuse.
Cardinal admits to Vatican summit that Catholic Church destroyed abuse files
A top cardinal has admitted that the global Catholic Church destroyed files to prevent documentation of decades of sexual abuse of children, telling the prelates attending Pope Francis' clergy abuse summit Feb. 23 that such maladministration led "in no small measure" to more children being harmed.
In a frank speech to the 190 cardinals, bishops and heads of religious orders taking part in the four-day summit, German Cardinal Reinhard Marx said the church's administration had left victims' rights "trampled underfoot" and "made it impossible" for the worldwide institution to fulfill its mission.
"Files that could have documented the terrible deeds and named those responsible were destroyed, or not even created," said Marx, beginning a list of a number of practices that survivors have documented for years but church officials have long kept under secret.
"Instead of the perpetrators, the victims were regulated and silence imposed on them," the cardinal continued. "The stipulated procedures and processes for the prosecution of offences were deliberately not complied with, but instead cancelled or overridden."
https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/cardinal-admits-vatican-summit-catholic-church-destroyed-abuse-files
But he attended the church's "child protection training program"...
Philadelphia priest charged with raping girl, recording their sex acts
A suspended Catholic priest has been charged with raping a teenage girl at his former Roxborough parish and recording their sexual encounter five years ago. Sources familiar with the investigation said the charges stemmed from Garcia’s relationship with an altar girl at Immaculate Heart Parish in Roxborough, with whom investigators believe he had sexual contact starting when she was about 16.
Garcia, now 49, allegedly offered her alcohol or marijuana during encounters over a period of years in the parish rectory, his living quarters, and other locations, said those sources, who were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
Garcia’s arrest comes as the Catholic Church grapples with a global resurgence of the clergy sex-abuse crisis kicked off in part by last year’s grand jury report implicating hundreds of Pennsylvania priests and their superiors in decades of abuse and cover-up. Ordained in 2005, Garcia had passed a background check and had attended child protection training programs that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia requires for all priests, said archdiocesan spokesperson Kenneth Gavin in a statement Tuesday.
https://www.philly.com/news/armand-garcia-charged-arrested-priest-sex-abuse-philadelphia-archdiocese-20190305.html
Post by: Tbomzisback! on March 06, 2019, 07:37:04 PM
Unfortunately, being a Christian does not mean you will necessarily be a good person. The Bible is very clear about that. It is no surprise, then, that so many Christians are engaged in such terrible behavior.
Post by: The Scott on March 06, 2019, 07:43:39 PM
Quote from: Tbomzisback! on March 06, 2019, 07:37:04 PM
Don't be pathetic. Being a Christian means you don't engage in such deviancy. The Word is quite clear. You however are fuzzy.
You do not follow the Nazarene.
Post by: AbrahamG on March 06, 2019, 08:17:40 PM
Quote from: The Scott on March 06, 2019, 07:43:39 PM
He takes it up the ass. Big Mike Cox style.
Post by: The Scott on March 07, 2019, 07:28:35 AM
Quote from: AbrahamG on March 06, 2019, 08:17:40 PM
If he is really "tbomz", then yup. He put his anus out there as a toll road. My point being is he doesn't know the Nazarene.
As expected he got off lightly and instead of being booted off the bench or sent to prison he received a "public warning".
Judge says God told him that sex trafficking suspect was innocent
A Texas district court judge received a public warning after he told the jury to keep deliberating over a defendant they convicted because God told him she was innocent.
Comal County Judge Jack Robison reported himself to the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct after the outburst on Jan. 12, 2018, according to the committee's disciplinary document.
https://www.wmtw.com/article/judge-says-god-told-him-that-sex-trafficking-suspect-was-innocent/26713644
The Commission concludes from the facts and evidence presented that Judge Robison engaged in improper ex parte communications with the jury in violation of Canon 3B(8) of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct and engaged in conduct that cast public discredit upon the judiciary and the administration of justice, in violation of article V, §1-a(6)A of the Texas Constitution. The Commission concludes based on the facts and evidence presented that Judge Robison exhibited prejudice against the prosecution and bias in favor of the defense during the trial in violation of Canon 3B(5) of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct and that the Judge's failure to timely recuse himself from the matter constitured violations of Canons 2A, 3B(1) and 3B(2) of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct.
http://scjc.texas.gov/media/46720/robison18-0510etalpubwarn22019.pdf
New Harvard Research Says U.S. Christianity Is Not Shrinking, But Growing Stronger
Is churchgoing and religious adherence really in ‘widespread decline’ so much so that conservative believers should suffer ‘growing anxiety’? Absolutely not.
Glenn T. Stanton By Glenn T. Stanton
“Meanwhile, a widespread decline in churchgoing and religious affiliation had contributed to a growing anxiety among conservative believers.” Statements like this are uttered with such confidence and frequency that most Americans accept them as uncontested truisms. This one emerged just this month in an exceedingly silly article in The Atlantic on Vice President Mike Pence.
Religious faith in America is going the way of the Yellow Pages and travel maps, we keep hearing. It’s just a matter of time until Christianity’s total and happy extinction, chortle our cultural elites. Is this true? Is churchgoing and religious adherence really in “widespread decline” so much so that conservative believers should suffer “growing anxiety”?
Two words: Absolutely not.
New research published late last year by scholars at Harvard University and Indiana University Bloomington is just the latest to reveal the myth. This research questioned the “secularization thesis,” which holds that the United States is following most advanced industrial nations in the death of their once vibrant faith culture. Churches becoming mere landmarks, dance halls, boutique hotels, museums, and all that.
Not only did their examination find no support for this secularization in terms of actual practice and belief, the researchers proclaim that religion continues to enjoy “persistent and exceptional intensity” in America. These researchers hold our nation “remains an exceptional outlier and potential counter example to the secularization thesis.”
What Accounts for the Difference in Perceptions?
How can their findings appear so contrary to what we have been hearing from so many seemingly informed voices? It comes down primarily to what kind of faith one is talking about. Not the belief system itself, per se, but the intensity and seriousness with which people hold and practice that faith.
Mainline churches are tanking as if they have super-sized millstones around their necks. Yes, these churches are hemorrhaging members in startling numbers, but many of those folks are not leaving Christianity. They are simply going elsewhere. Because of this shifting, other very different kinds of churches are holding strong in crowds and have been for as long as such data has been collected. In some ways, they are even growing. This is what this new research has found.
The percentage of Americans who attend church more than once a week, pray daily, and accept the Bible as wholly reliable and deeply instructive to their lives has remained absolutely, steel-bar constant for the last 50 years or more, right up to today. These authors describe this continuity as “patently persistent.”
The percentage of such people is also not small. One in three Americans prays multiple times a day, while one in 15 do so in other countries on average. Attending services more than once a week continues to be twice as high among Americans compared to the next highest-attending industrial country, and three times higher than the average comparable nation.
One-third of Americans hold that the Bible is the actual word of God. Fewer than 10 percent believe so in similar countries. The United States “clearly stands out as exceptional,” and this exceptionalism has not been decreasing over time. In fact, these scholars determine that the percentages of Americans who are the most vibrant and serious in their faith is actually increasing a bit, “which is making the United States even more exceptional over time.”
This also means, of course, that those who take their faith seriously are becoming a markedly larger proportion of all religious people. In 1989, 39 percent of those who belonged to a religion held strong beliefs and practices. Today, these are 47 percent of all the religiously affiliated. This all has important implications for politics, indicating that the voting bloc of religious conservatives is not shrinking, but actually growing among the faithful. The declining influence of liberal believers at the polls has been demonstrated in many important elections recently.
These Are Not Isolated Findings
The findings of these scholars are not outliers. There has been a growing gulf between the faithful and the dabblers for quite some time, with the first group growing more numerous. Think about the church you attend, relative to its belief system. It is extremely likely that if your church teaches the Bible with seriousness, calls its people to real discipleship, and encourages daily intimacy with God, it has multiple services to handle the coming crowds.
Most decent-size American cities have a treasure trove of such churches for believers to choose from. This shows no sign of changing. If, however, your church is theologically liberal or merely lukewarm, it’s likely laying off staff and wondering how to pay this month’s light bill. People are navigating toward substantive Christianity.
The folks at Pew have been reporting for years that while the mainline churches are in drastic free fall, the group that “shows the most significant growth is the nondenominational family.” Of course, these nondenominational churches are 99.9 percent thorough-blooded evangelical. Pew also notes that “evangelical Protestantism and the historically black Protestant tradition have been more stable” over the years, with even a slight uptick in the last decade because many congregants leaving the mainline churches are migrating to evangelical churches that hold fast to the fundamentals of the Christian faith.
When the so-called “progressive” churches question the historicity of Jesus, deny the reality of sin, support abortion, ordain clergy in same-sex relationships and perform their marriages, people desiring real Christianity head elsewhere. Fact: evangelical churches gain five new congregants exiled from the liberal churches for every one they lose for any reason. They also do a better job of retaining believers from childhood to adulthood than do mainline churches.
The Other Key Factor: Faithful People Grow More Children
There is another factor at work here beyond orthodox belief. The University of London’s Eric Kaufmann explains in his important book “Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?” (he says yes) that the sustaining vitality, and even significant per capita growth, of serious Christian belief is as firmly rooted in fertility as it is in faithful teaching and evangelism. Globally, he says that the more robust baby-making practices of orthodox Jews and Christians, as opposed to the baby-limiting practices of liberals, create many more seriously religious people than a secular agenda can keep up with.
The growth of serious Christian belief is as firmly rooted in fertility as it is in faithful teaching and evangelism.
Fertility determines who influences the future in many important ways. He puts it bluntly, “The secular West and East Asia are aging and their share of the world population declining. This means the world is getting more religious even as people in the rich world shed their faith.”
Fertility is as important as fidelity for Christianity and Judaism’s triumph from generation to generation. Kaufmann contends, “Put high fertility and [faith] retention rates together with general population decline and you have a potent formula for change.”
It comes down to this: God laughs at the social Darwinists. Their theory is absolutely true, but just not in the way they think. Those who have the babies and raise and educate them well tend to direct the future of humanity. Serious Christians are doing this. Those redefining the faith and reality itself are not.
This why Orthodox theologian David Bentley Hart proclaimed in First Things, long before the proposal of the Benedict Option, that the most “subversive and effective strategy we might undertake [to counter the culture] would be one of militant fecundity: abundant, relentless, exuberant, and defiant childbearing.” The future rests in the hands of the fertile.
What About All the Millennial Ex-Christians?
But what about our young people? We are constantly hearing that young people are “leaving the church in droves,” followed by wildly disturbing statistics. This also requires a closer look at who is actually leaving and from where. Pew reports that of young adults who left their faith, only 11 percent said they had a strong faith in childhood while 89 percent said they came from a home that had a very weak faith in belief and practice.
It’s not a news flash that kids don’t tend to hang onto what they never had in the first place. Leading sociologist of religion Christopher Smith has found through his work that most emerging adults “report little change in how religious they have been in the previous five years.” He surprisingly also found that those who do report a change say they have been more religious, not less. This certainly does not mean there is a major revival going on among young adults, but nor does it mean the sky is falling.
Add to this Rodney Stark’s warning that we should not confuse leaving the faith with attending less often. He and other scholars report that young adults begin to attend church less often in their “independent years” and have always done so for as long back as such data has been collected. It’s part of the nature of emerging adulthood. Just as sure as these young people do other things on Sunday morning, the leading sociologists of religion find they return to church when they get married, have children, and start to live a real adult life. It’s like clockwork and always has been. However, the increasing delay among young adults in entering marriage and family is likely lengthening this gap today.
More Americans Attend Church Now Than At the Founding
What is really counter-intuitive is what Stark and his colleagues at the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion found when looking at U.S. church attendance numbers going back to the days of our nation’s founding. They found that the percentage of church-attending Americans relative to overall population is more than four times greater today than it was in 1776. The number of attendees has continued to rise each and every decade over our nation’s history right up until the present day.
The number of church attendees has continued to rise each and every decade over our nation’s history right up until the present day.
People are making theological statements with their feet, shuffling to certain churches because they offer what people come seeking: clear, faithful, practical teaching of the scriptures, help in living intimately with and obediently to God, and making friends with people who will challenge and encourage them in their faith. To paraphrase the great Southern novelist Flannery O’Connor, if your church isn’t going to believe and practice actual Christianity, then “to hell with it.” This is what people are saying with their choices.
Or as Eric Kaufmann asserts, “Once secularism rears its head and fundamentalism responds with a clear alternative, moderate religion strikes many as redundant. Either you believe the stuff or you don’t. If you do, it makes sense to go for the real thing, which takes a firm stand against godlessness.”
If your Christianity is reconstituted to the day’s fashion, don’t be surprised if people lose interest in it. Few are seeking 2 Percent Christianity. They want the genuine deal, and the demographics on religion of the last few decades unmistakably support the fact.
http://thefederalist.com/2018/01/22/guy/?fbclid=IwAR0LFsrsT4KdHwhXfFj4uHsSC_fW_TmSKEGxD8vcpWUez9RnybegL_G49mA#.XH7kV-iIzB6.facebook
Post by: Agnostic007 on March 11, 2019, 07:50:20 PM
30% of Americans believe that the Bible is the true Word of God. In other countries similar to the USA, only 10% do so.
I'm not sure this is something to crow about.
Post by: IroNat on March 12, 2019, 03:06:24 AM
I'm beginning to suspect a problem in the Cathlolic Church.
Quote from: IroNat on March 12, 2019, 03:06:24 AM
Quote from: Agnostic007 on March 11, 2019, 07:50:20 PM
Who is crowing about anything? And why do you care?
To believe the Bible is true means nothing. Living that belief? Everything. Most people the world over have nothing to crow about.
But they sure can eat it.
6 years is not enough, even for a pervert of his age.
George Pell: Cardinal jailed for child sexual abuse in Australia
Cardinal George Pell has been jailed for six years after being convicted of sexually abusing two boys in Australia.
The former Vatican treasurer is the most senior Catholic figure ever to be found guilty of sexual offences against children.
Pell abused the 13-year-old choir boys in a Melbourne cathedral in 1996, a jury ruled last year.
The cardinal, 77, maintains his innocence and is appealing against his convictions.
In sentencing Pell on Wednesday, a judge said the cleric had committed "a brazen and forceful sexual attack on the two victims".
"Your conduct was permeated by staggering arrogance," said Judge Peter Kidd.
My observation. If they really believed the bible to be true, not just conditioned to think they believe or say they believe it, then they WOULD live that belief. The alternative would be a hell they believed existed. So I have my doubts about many of those who claim the belief as a insurance policy so to speak, and really, gun to head, would admit they really don't
Ex-priest charged with raping New Mexico girl in 1990s
Former Roman Catholic priest Sabine Griego was arrested Tuesday at his home in Las Vegas, N.M., accused of raping an 8-year-old Albuquerque girl nearly three decades ago. Griego, 81, has been charged by the state Attorney General’s Office with one count of sexual penetration of a minor and coercion resulting in great bodily harm and mental anguish.
Documents filed by the Attorney General’s Office this week suggest the Archdiocese of Santa Fe knew of the rape allegations made by “Jane Doe A” for at least 15 years and likely much longer.
The charges against Griego are the most recent; he has been accused of sexually assaulting more than 30 children over a period of decades while in the archdiocese. He is implicated in eight closed cases filed in New Mexico between 1993, the same year he was put on leave from the church, and 1995, according to court records.
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/ex-priest-charged-with-raping-new-mexico-girl-in-s/article_9c40d7e7-fdc6-5ae4-bd82-2325faa88fd7.html
Quote from: Skeletor on March 16, 2019, 04:25:11 PM
Religion of a piece...
Post by: avxo on March 16, 2019, 11:35:30 PM
I don’t know why he cares; me, I find it both sad and troubling that so many Americans believe that the Christian grimoire is true or that the nonsensical doctrines at the core of the Christian faith.
Post by: Primemuscle on March 17, 2019, 12:37:57 AM
Judging from where I live, I would have to agree that Christianity is one the rise.
The Willamette Christian Church in West Linn, was founded in 1957. Several years ago, the church broke ground on a new facility near where I live. It is much more than a church, it is a community center open to all. They also have an after school club - hangout for middle school kids. On Sunday's they set up special crosswalks with crossing guards to facilitate folks getting to their cars at the Safeway overflow parking lot. I think this is a good example of a new age Christian Church that is enjoying huge success because it serves most of the needs of the West Linn community. https://www.facebook.com/pg/willamettecc/about/?ref=page_internal
Resurrection Catholic Parrish was built within the last ten years. It replaced a smaller Catholic Church in the same location. While there is only one Synagogue and no Mosques in the immediate area, there are a number of other Christian based churches sprinkled throughout West Linn. West Linn also has a Mormon Church.
Quote from: avxo on March 16, 2019, 11:35:30 PM
So many Americans, including the founders of our country and the overwhelming majority of the country since its inception. Just mentioning that for context purposes.
As for me, I'm neither sad nor troubled by people who don't share my faith, or practice no religion at all, or atheists, etc. I particularly don't get worked up over things that I don't believe exist. A truly confounding aspect of activist atheists.
Post by: avxo on March 19, 2019, 11:59:32 AM
Appealing to numbers and authorities won’t help your case. The overwhelming majority used to believe in burning witches and that the Sun revolved around the earth.
As for what the Founding Fathers believed in, most seem to have been either deists or Christians of the blandest and most milquetoast variety. But regardless of their beliefs, what is important is that they intentionally opted to not include their beliefs on the founding document of our country and chose instead to form a Government of people and not priests and that they explicitly shackled the government they were instituting from proclaiming a state religion or even endorsing one.
I’m not saddened or troubled by what people believe; they’re entitled to believe whatever they want. I’m saddened and troubled when they use their beliefs to justify absurd positions and to attempt to impose their simplistic morality on the rest of us. I’m especially offended when the morality in question is so flawed as to be harmful.
If you want to believe in Jesus and the promise of everlasting life in the presence of a loving God, in a city paved with gold more power to you. I got no beef with that.
If you want to believe in Allah and the promise of several virgins waiting for you in a land of milk and honey more power to you. I got no beef with that either.
The moment you start suggesting that others are bound by the rules in your grimoire or demanding that we adopt your religious dogma as a standard of morality and the foundation of a rational system of laws that binds us all, then I do have a beef with you.
Quote from: avxo on March 19, 2019, 11:59:32 AM
Not trying to make a case, but your analogies aren't applicable. The overwhelming majority of Americans didn't burn witches or believe the sun revolved around the earth, nor do those two things provide any kind of historical context.
I'm not sure what a bland or milquetoast believer is. The Founders were not a little pregnant. They believed in God. They were men of faith. That is a part of our foundation as a country.
I don't have a problem with proselytizing if that's partly what you are talking about. I've been approached countless times and it never offends me. The only bone I have to pick is those two old Jehovah's Witness ladies who I let into my house at age 15 to debate and they kicked the crap out of me. As an adult, I met a Witness in training, who showed me some of their training materials, which teaches them how to argue. So unfair when using that on a kid. lol
Regarding standards of morality and a "rational system of laws," there is absolutely nothing wrong with people supporting or voting for laws that have a Christian origin or influence. Some of those laws are good (like laws prohibiting stealing). Some are way too intrusive (like laws that criminalized adultery). But that's no different than any public policy, regardless of origin or influence: some is good, some is bad.
Some people have this mistaken belief that Christianity cannot influence policy making. Or that the public square has to be completely free of any kind of religious references, etc. That never was the case historically. That's not what the Constitution requires. And there is nothing wrong people using faith to influence policy. If you or anyone else disagrees, show your disapproval at the ballot box.
Quote from: Dos Equis on March 20, 2019, 11:34:04 AM
I didn’t use an analogy. I highlighted the fact that you started off using two logical fallacies.
The writings of the Founding Fathers don’t suggest that they were nominal Christians and not particularly observant. But hey, why let objective facts get in the way of a good myth like Christianity being a part of the country’s “foundation”.
I don't have a problem with proselytizing if that's partly what you are talking about.
I don’t much care if believers try to convince others to follow them. I care when believers think that their beliefs are special and that their particular “divinely inspired” morality should have the force of law in a secular society. If I wanted divinely inspired laws. I’d be living in some Muslim shithole, not the US.
Laws prohibiting stealing aren’t some uniquely Christian invention and it’s silly to claim that they are laws because of Christian morality. Stealing is objectively wrong.
Regarding Some people have this mistaken belief that Christianity cannot influence policy making. Or that the public square has to be completely free of any kind of religious references, etc. That never was the case historically. That's not what the Constitution requires. And there is nothing wrong people using faith to influence policy. If you or anyone else disagrees, show your disapproval at the ballot box.
I do think Christianity shouldn’t influence policy making, but not bevause of any Constitutional reasons. Rather, because it’s a nonsensical and irrational system of beliefs and promulgates a mystical morality that is based on rewards andthe capricious whims of a magical deity.
If you think Christian morality should inform policy making, then tell us, should divorced women be allowed to remarry? Matthew 5:32 says no. If you don’t think this is an appropriate law, why isn’t it? Why is “don’t steal” OK but “don’t remarry” isn’t? And, while you’re at it, should there be a law against coveting your neighbor’s ass?
Yes you compared the faith of our Founders and beliefs held by the overwhelming majority of the country to burning witches and the sun, etc. I think your analogy would work better if it used something that a majority of the country believed in.
Like "bland" or "milquetoast" believers, I'm not sure what a "nominal" Christian is. I've read their writings. They believed in God. Not blandly or nominally (whatever that actually means in this context). They believed. There is no reasonable dispute about that.
I didn't call laws prohibiting stealing "uniquely" Christian. I said laws prohibiting stealing have a Christian "origin or influence." That's just a fact. And I'm sure you know, as a Bible reading atheist, that prohibitions on stealing are contained in the Bible; the same Bible that predates the founding of the U.S. And note you didn't mention adultery, another law that has a Christian origin or influence.
I obviously disagree with your characterization of faith based beliefs. We all have them, but not all of us are intellectually honest enough to admit them.
I didn't say Christian morality should inform policy making. I said there is nothing wrong with it and that if people like you or anyone else don't like it, then don't vote for it.
Yes divorced women should be able to marry whomever the heck they want. I don't think that is an appropriate law, because it doesn't make any sense and would be bad public policy. I would never vote for or support that kind of law. That's how the whole voting and public policy thing works.
It does sound like you are willing to support some parts of the bible, and then disavow other parts of the bible. How do you reconcile this as a Christian?
"Sigh"...
Christ is the completion of the Promise. The Old Testament is for the Jews. Exempli gratia, Leviticus is written for the Levites, the keepers of the Law if you will. That the Nazarene took the place of the Law is shown in the vision of the sheet filled with "unclean" animals and God saying to the apostle, "Kill and eat" and the apostle replying, "Never, Lord! I have never eaten that which is unclean!". God ultimately says to this man, that which God has declared "clean" is clean.
I, an Atheist, should not have to teach you these simple truths because you already know them and still you think it clever to ax others these painfully childish questions. The truth is I am your worst nightmare because I know the Word and I knew Christ and that which the Nazarene taught and can honor his wisdom and easily confound fucktards with the truth of my words and more so my wit. None here can match it save Kahn and I dare say he surpasses me with ease.
In plain speak, you know the answers to the questions you pose. You just don't like them.
Translation: The Scott knows he is too intelligent to believe in God yet he just cannot pull away.
LOL! It is not my problem that your parents were closely related. Look ace. Be thankful this ain't the real world because I don't give an intercourse in the real world. If I, a person of low intelligence can easily best you, you must truly be an inbred wigtard. I don't dislike you. You should be thankful for that. Reading you is akin to watching mongoloids fuck stuffed toys. Painful. I weep for your parental siblings.
I hope you get the 0.8% and suffer terribly. You deserve to because of what you present yourself as to the world.
Holy shit. I cannot quit laughing. You are much more than a typist.
Exactly,, he has been a Jesus fan from day one, doesn't believe a word of the bible but ... for some reason, holds this Jesus character up as a god. He's an atheist so I don't have to tell him the bible is fiction.. but here he is.. defending Jesus at every turn
I picture him pushing his chair back, and re reading his posts with this feeling of supremacy, like "Yeah..... that'll do pig.." It cracks me up
This made me laugh aloud.
It sounds like you just invented a position you want me to defend. What precisely are you talking about?
Most here are like you. A typist. For the record, I don't think you're a "pig" like Babe.
More like the swine of "Animal Farm". So it would read thus - "That'll do, Napoleon." You may be able to find an abridged "children's" version of Orwell's classic with pictures to better assist your comprehension of the tale. No...Not the pig's tail, but the "tale" as in "story".
More like the swine of "Animal Farm". So it would read thus - "That'll do, Napoleon." You may be able to
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Sponsored By: Nashua PAL
Nashua PAL Force Football
"The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand."
Welcome to the Nashua PAL FORCE FOOTBALL program. We are excited to build on rich history of providing a team for every level of play. We will start by building our foundation with our returning veterans from our successful past season and increase our competitiveness by gaining some new recruits for the upcoming season. The NPF Football Program has over 175 players ranging in age from 5 to 14 and grades pre-kindergarten to 8th grade. We offer a flag football program for ages 5, 6 and 7 for players in grades pre-k, k, 1st and 2nd. We also offer tackle football for ages 7 through 14 for players in 2nd through 8th grade.
ALL COACHES are USA FOOTBALL Head's Up Safety Certified!
Pre-season Time Commitment:
Monday-Thursday 6pm-8:30pm (Fridays off!)
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National Theatre Conference
Women Playwrights Initiative >
WPI Playwrights
NTC Celebrates Harlem
Pipelines for New Work >
Living Legacies
Stavis Award
Outstanding Theater Award
The Paul Green Award
Emerging Professional Award
PayDues
Member Contact Sheet
Newsletter 1 - Winter 2015
Newsletter 2 - Spring 2016
Newsletter 3 - Summer 2016
NTC Outstanding Theater Award
Recognizing outstanding achievement by a not-for-profit theatre.
2018 - National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene
The Award-winning National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene [NYTF] is the longest continuously producing Yiddish theatre company in the world. The company presents plays, musicals, concerts, lectures, interactive educational workshops and community-building activities in English and Yiddish, with English and Russian supertitles accompanying performances.
NYTF serves a versatile audience of approximately 100,000 individuals annually, comprised of performing arts patrons, cultural enthusiasts, Yiddish- language aficionados and the general public, while also using the arts as a vehicle to educate youth and adults about Jewish heritage. The NYTF outreach program takes events around the region, nation and world, bringing programming annually to over 18,000 individuals. National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s mission is to celebrate the Yiddish experience through the performing arts by transmitting the rich cultural legacy in exciting new ways that bridge social and cultural divides.
National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene fulfills this mission by:
Sustaining Yiddish culture through the arts
Bridging diverse communities through multicultural programming
Dramatizing the Jewish experience
Educating future artists and audiences
Strengthening cultural identity in each generation
The Yiddish theatre represents a rare but vital connection to a culture, a language, and a way of life nearly destroyed following the second World War. Now entering its 104th season, NYTF has a burgeoning creative engine, but must maintain a connection to future generations who may never have heard of Yiddish or encountered Eastern European Jewish culture in its original form. While this material has evolved in America to suit contemporary sensibilities in the form of the comedy of Jerry Seinfeld or Woody Allen, the music of Matisyahu, or nearly any musical play in the American Theater canon, its source material is largely neglected and those seeking cultural roots are often stymied by the language barrier of Yiddish. Employing a collective creative mindset in keeping the culture fresh and relevant, and with the use of translation titles accompanying performances, NYTF provides access to the hundreds of years of cultural expression, aiming to inspire the imaginations of the next generation to contribute their own stories to this valuable work.
2017 - THE ACTING COMPANY
THE ACTING COMPANY, founded in 1972 by John Houseman and Margot Harley, is "the major touring classical theater in the United States” (The New York Times) and the only professional repertory company dedicated to the development of classical actors. The Company has reached four million people in 48 states and 10 foreign countries with its productions and education programs, and has helped to launch the careers of some 400 actors, including Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Rainn Wilson, Jesse L. Martin, Keith David, Frances Conroy, David Ogden Stiers, Harriet Harris, David Schramm, Jeffrey Wright, and Hamish Linklater. Over a dozen commissioned new works and adaptations include plays by Lynn Nottage, Tony Kushner, John Guare, David Mamet, Beth Henley, Rebecca Gilman, Maria Irene Fornes, William Finn, Ntozake Shange, and more. The Company received a special Tony Honor for Excellence in Theater in 2003 for its contributions to the American theatre.
Margot Harley (Producer) founded The Acting Company with John Houseman in 1972. She produced Broadway productions of The Robber Bridegroom, The Curse of an Aching Heart and John Houseman’s The Cradle Will Rock in New York and at the Old Vic. Recently she produced Desire, Tennessee Williams stories adapted by six playwrights. Other Off-Broadway productions: Ten by Tennessee (Michael Kahn, dir.), On the Verge (Garland Wright, dir.), and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (Doug Hughes, dir.). She was administrator of the Drama Division of the Juilliard School from 1968 to 1980. Ms. Harley is a member of the National Theatre Conference and on the Board of the British American Drama Academy.
Ian Belknap (Artistic Director) has worked at The Acting Company since 2008 directing and producing many plays including Marcus Gardley’s X production in New York in January-February 2018.
2016 - BLOOMSBURG THEATRE ENSEMBLE
BTE's mission reflects their name — the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (BTE). “We are dedicated, over time, to our community, to theatre as a patient but powerful instrument of understanding and social change, and to one another as artists. As a resident ensemble united by the responsibility we share for the stability and growth of our theatre, we demonstrate the viability of collective artistic direction.” Founded in 1978 in a small town in rural Pennsylvania, the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble is an artist-driven resident ensemble creating innovative work with national, international, and local impact. BTE is a leader in the ensemble theatre movement as a co-founder of the Network of Ensemble Theaters.
Laurie McCants (Co-Founder) co-founded BTE in 1978. Her original work includes The Alexandria Carry-On, which toured Egypt,Our Shadows, co-created with Cairo-based WAMDA, Hard Coal(with James Goode), and Susquehanna. Deborah Brevoort’sWomen of Lockerbie remains most cherished among her many directing experiences. Recently, she played the Gravedigger inHamlet and Winnie in Happy Days at BTE, and she directed Battles of Fire And Water at Alaska’s Perseverance Theatre. In 2010, she was named an actor of “Distinguished Achievement” through a Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship, funded by the William & Eva Fox Foundation and administered by Theatre Communications Group. She’s been a member of the National Theatre Conference since 2014. Her touring solo show Industrious Angels premiered at the Ko Festival in Amherst, MA. She is currently the director forGunpowder Joe by Anthony Clarvoe (NTC’s 1990 Stavis Playwright), which will premiere at BTE in 2017.
Jon White-Spunner (Managing Director) is in his 11th season as Managing Director at Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble. In South Africa he served as Managing Director of His Majesty’s Theatre in Johannesburg, ran a performing arts center at the University of Cape Town, and his own production company, which produced and toured shows in South Africa and Namibia. Between 1980 and 1992, Jon served as General Manager of the world famous Market Theatre. As the Market’s World Tour Manager for Wathint’ Abafazi, Wathint’ Imbokodo, Jon toured to over 80 cities in 11 different countries. Since moving to the USA in 1992, in addition to his time with BTE, he served as Managing Director and Manager of Community Outreach at Stoneham Theatre in Boston. He co-founded 24th Street Theatre, now in its 20th season, in Los Angeles.
The Illusion Theatre Company
Michael Robins, Executive Producing Director
Bonnie Morris, Producing Director
Yale Repertory Theatre
James Bundy, Artistic Director
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Bill Rauch, Artistic Director
Alison Carey, Director, American Revolutions: the United States History Cycle
New Federal Theatre
Woodie King, Jr., President & Producing Director
Playwrights Horizons
New York, NY
El Teatro Campesino
The Creede Repertory Theatre
Creede, CO
The Public Theatre
The Dell'Arte Company
BlueLake, CA
The Black Rep
Signature Theatre
American Repertory Theatre, Harvard University
The Goodman Theatre
Chicago, IL
The Children's Theatre Company
South Coast Repertory
Roundabout Theatre
Old Globe Theatre
San Diego, CA
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Natural Resources Council of Maine, et al. v. International Paper Company
Arguing For An Interpretation Of The Clean Water Act That Allows A Company To Continue Operating While Its Renewal Application For A Discharge Permit Is Pending
The issue in this case was whether a company that has filed a timely application for renewal of a now-expired National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) permit, may continue to operate and discharge pollutants under the expired permit’s terms until the relevant government agency, which was the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) before 2001 and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) thereafter, has issued a new permit. For over twenty years International Paper (“IP”) operated its paper mill in Jay, Maine, under a 1985 NPDES permit while waiting for the EPA and more recently the Maine DEP to issue a new permit. (As contemplated by the Clean Water Act (“CWA”), the EPA has delegated its NPDES permitting authority to the DEP.) It has done this pursuant to an EPA regulation and a specific provision of the federal Administrative Procedures Act which provide that, where a legally sufficient application for the renewal of a permit has been made to the responsible agency, the permittee may continue operating under the terms of its existing permit until the agency issues a new permit. Nevertheless, the plaintiffs brought this action against IP in the Maine federal District Court. The plaintiffs claimed both that the delegation by the EPA to the Maine DEP cancelled IP’s right to operate under its expired 1985 permit and that the continuation regulations should not be interpreted to mean that a permittee can continue to operate for over twenty years under an expired permit. Plaintiffs asked the District Court to order that IP immediately cease operations pending the issuance of a new permit and pay penalties for its operation after its permit allegedly expired due to delegation. IP moved to dismiss plaintiffs’ complaint on the ground that there is no language limiting the continuation regulations in the manner plaintiffs alleged and that the act of delegation had no impact on those regulations. IP also pointed out that the Maine DEP has issued a proposed permit for IP on which the public comment period had recently ended, and that it was likely that a final permit would issue in the near future thus rendering the matter moot.
NELF filed an amicus memorandum in support of IP in the District Court. In its memorandum, NELF supported IP’s argument that delegation of permitting authority to Maine did not invalidate IP’s ability to operate under its 1985 permit. NELF also argued that a contrary interpretation would expose any business that operates under NPDES permits, no matter how important its operation may be to the local and/or regional economy, to the risk that it may have to close down if a federal or state agency doesn’t renew its permit in time. Given the backlog at the EPA, which makes timely renewal of NPDES permits unlikely, this does not make sense from the policy perspective. Finally, NELF pointed out that the plaintiffs’ real complaint is with the regulations that permit continuation (which were held to be valid in Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, et al., 859 F.2d 156 (D.C. Cir. 1988)) and that they have no valid cause of action against IP.
On March 28, 2006, the District Court granted IP’s motion and dismissed the complaint.
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Pope Pius IV
Papal Artifacts / Portfolio / Pope Pius IV
Gian Angelo Medici, born in 1499 in Milan to an impoverished family, received his initial education through charitable means. He studied medicine and received a doctoral degree in law at Bologna in 1525.
Within two years, Medici was working for the Curia showing great administrative ability. He worked as a governor in the Papal States and as the Commissioner of the papal military forces in Hungary and Transylvania. Later he was the vice–legate to Bologna. In 1549, at the age of fifty, Pope Paul III made him a cardinal. He enjoyed the favor of Pope Julius III as well. During the pontificate of his predecessor, Paul IV (1555 – 1559) Cardinal Medici left the Curia and Rome because he disagreed with the harsh policies of the pope. Upon the death of Paul IV, in a conclave noted for its political split between the French and Spanish factions and irregular proceedings in what should have been a closed conclave but was not, Medici was finally elected on Christmas day of 1559. He was sixty years old.
During a relatively short pontificate, Pius IV was able to accomplish several important things. The first was to reverse many of the harsh and punitive and unprofitable policies of the perennially suspicious Paul IV. He released from prison the respected and virtuous Cardinal Morone who had been suspected of heresy by Paul IV and imprisoned. Pius made him the president of the last session of the Council of Trent.
Pius had Paul IV’s notorious nephew, Cardinal Carafa tried and executed for his many crimes including murder. The Index of Forbidden Books and the Inquisition were reigned in and very importantly political relations with Emperor Ferdinand I and Phillip of Spain were reestablished.
But Pius’ great claim to fame was his determination to bring about needed reform in the Church. He was of the opinion that this reform should come from a successful conclusion to the Council of Trent rather than through the Tribunal or any punitive implementation of the Inquisition.
He reconvened the Council of Trent amidst myriad problems of diplomacy and political intrigue involving the Emperor and the kings of Spain and France who were threatening to undermine Trent. The pope’s response was to send the very capable Cardinal Morone to mediate their demands which he did very successfully.
Trent certainly was Pius IV’s crowning achievement. During this session decrees on the order of priesthood, on matrimony, purgatory and the veneration of saints were all decided. The sale of indulgences was prohibited and could only be granted by Rome. And very significantly the supremacy of the pope over the conciliar assembly was decreed, laying to rest the long debate that defined the final authority of the papacy.
The Council closed in 1563 with dogmas established and reforms decided. The next challenge was to implement them. The Church thus set about the work of what came to be known as the Counter-Reformation–or perhaps more accurately, the Catholic Reformation.
While he implemented the council’s decrees through a congregation of cardinals, enforcement would not be easy. One such degree was that bishops needed to reside in their own dioceses—something we take for granted but which was not practiced 500 years ago. Other key policies left to the pope’s discretion involved the Eucharist under both species and the issue of a married priesthood, which he did not decide. It is interesting that he wanted administrative reform left out of the council’s jurisdiction since he did not think the council had competence in this area. He enlisted the aid of Cardinal Borremeo for these meaningful and far-reaching reforms.
Pius IV, not exempt from practicing nepotism (though he never promoted his own three children), did promote his nephews and offered them prominent positions in the Church. One of them proved to be a model of reform. Raised to the rank of cardinal at the age of twenty-two, Carlo Borromeo, known as the great saint from Milan, became the pope’s trusted confidant. It was Borromeo’s influence on the pope to reform the papal court and the church at large that proved to be such a blessing for the Church. Although the pope wanted both a reformed and holy papacy, he also wanted the princely and often frivolous life to which he had become accustomed. The strict conduct would begin with conclave discipline, that is, future conclaves would be held behind locked doors with no contact with the outside world.
As a Renaissance pope he continued the tradition of patronage of the arts, commissioning Michaelangelo (who died during this pontiff’s reign after living through nine papacies) to transform the Baths of Diocletian into the Basilica of St. Maria degli Angeli. He was generous to other artists and scholars as well. He founded universities, set up the pontifical printing press office, and strengthened fortifications within the city.
Additionally he initiated the catechism of the Council of Trent though he did not live to see it completed. He founded the Roman seminary to be administered by the Jesuits. However, Pius IV could not check the advance of Protestantism.
Despite his love of elegance, this pope kept nothing for himself. He was known to have lead an exemplary and pious life and died at the age of sixty-six years. He is buried in St. Maria degli Angeli.
We are grateful for the photograph of the bust of Pope Pius IV that was given to us from the following website:
http://www.santamariadegliangeliroma.it
Pius IV (Medici Pope) Coat of Arms
Autograph Signed as Cardinal Angelo De Medici on November 23rd, 1555
omb of Pope Pius IV, Santa Maria Degli Angeli with Floor Plaque Nearby
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by Sid H Arthur - Religion 11 Oct 2007 04:42 pm
The Legend of Bonbibi
In the Sundarbans, an archipelago of islands in the Bay of Bengal, legend has it that Bonbibi, ‘the lady of the forest’, was chosen by Allah to protect people who work in the mangrove forests against a greedy man-eating half Brahmin half tiger-demon called Dokkhin Rai, the King of the South.
One day, in a fit of greed Dokkhin Rai decides to take the form of a tiger to feed on humans. The sage refuses to share any of the forest resources with humans and legitimises killing them as a form of tax kar, for all the resources of what he considers as his jungle. Soon his arrogance and greed know no bounds and he proclaims himself lord and master of the Sundarbans mangrove and of all the beings that inhabit it: the 370 million spirits, demons, godlings (bhoots, prets, dakinis, deo) and tigers. He becomes a demon (rakkhosh) who preys on humans. Tigers and spirits become the subjects of Dokkhin Rai and, emboldened by him, also start to terrorise and feed on humans. The trust that had existed between tigers and humans was broken.
In compassion for people of the ‘land of the eighteen tides’, another name for the Sundarbans, Allah decides to put a stop to Dokkhin Rai’s reign of terror and insatiable greed. He chooses for this task Bonbibi, a young maiden who lives in the forest.
Bonbibi’s father Ibrahim, following his second wife’s wishes, had previously abandoned his first wife Gulalbibi in the forest when she was pregnant. Gulalbibi, gave birth to twins (a boy and a girl), but decided to keep only the boy, Shah Jongoli, and abandoned her daughter, Bonbibi. A deer takes pity on Bonbibi and becomes her surrogate mother. When she grows up, Bonbibi hears Allah calling her to “free the land of the eighteen tides” from the exploitation of the man-eating Brahmin sage who takes the form of a tiger. At the same time Ibrahim comes to retrieve his first wife and children but Bonbibi calls out to her brother and tells him to accompany her to Medina to receive the blessings of Fatima and to go to Mecca to bring back some earth from there to take to the land of the eighteen tides. As they arrive, they call out Allah’s name and mix the holy earth of Mecca with the earth of the Sundarbans. Dokkhin Rai resents their intrusion and their invocation of Allah and decides to drive them away. Rai’s mother Narayani then insists that it is better for a woman to be fought by another woman and takes on Bonbibi. As she starts to lose the conflict, Narayani calls Bonbibi her friend (soi). Bonbibi, gratified by the appellation, accepts Narayani’s friendship and they stop warring.
The retelling Bonbibi’s story is always followed by Dukhe’s tale. Dukhe (literally ’sadness’) was a young boy who lived with his widowed mother grazing other peoples’ animals. One day, his village uncle lures him into joining his team to work in the forest as a honey collector. Dokkhin Rai appears to the uncle, whose name is Dhona (from dhon – ‘wealth’) and promises him seven boats full of honey and wax if he can have Dukhe in return. After some hesitation, the uncle leaves Dukhe on the banks of Kedokhali and sails off. Just as Dukhe is about to be devoured by Dokkhin Rai, he calls out to Bonbibi who rescues him and sends her brother Shah Jongoli to beat up Dokkhin Rai. In fear for his life, Dokkhin Rai runs to his friend, the Ghazi who in the Bonbibi story is Dokkhin Rai’s only friend and ally. Ghazi, who is a pir, suggests Dokkhin Rai ask forgiveness by calling Bonbibi ‘mother’. He then takes him to Bonbibi and pleads on Dokkhin Rai’s behalf. Bonbibi, heeding the Ghazi’s intervention, accepts Dokkhin Rai’s apology and calls him her ’son’.
However, Dokkhin Rai starts arguing that if humans are given a free reign there will be no forest left. So, to be fair and ensure that Dokkhin Rai and his retinue of tigers and spirits stop being a threat to humans, and humans stop being a threat to non-humans (such tigers and other animals), Bonbibi elicits a promise from Dukhe, Dokkhin Rai and the Ghazi that they are all to treat each other as ‘brothers’. She does this by forcing Dokkhin Rai and the Ghazi to part with some of their wood and gold respectively and sends Dukhe back to the village a rich man so that he does not have to work in the forest again.
Following on Dukhe’s story, the islanders of the Sundarbans, often explain that Bonbibi has left them the injunctions that they are to enter the forest only on the condition that they do so pobitro mone (pure hearted) and khali hate (empty handed). The villagers explain that they have to identify with Dukhe, whose unfailing belief in Bonbibi saved him, and consider the forest as being only for those who are poor and for those who have no intention of taking more than what they need to survive. This is the ‘agreement’ between non-humans and humans that permits them both to depend on the forest and yet respect the others needs. This arrangement, they say, can last only as long as those who have enough leave the forest and its resources to those who are dispossessed.
The legend of Bonbibi is not very old. The Bonbibi Johuranamah, the booklet that narrates her story, was first published at the end of the 1800s by a little known writer by the name of Abdur Rahim. The text, although in Bengali, is written from right left to emulate Arabic script. The story of the Ghazi and Dokkhin Rai is more famous. It is a version of the epic poem Ray-Mangal composed by Krishnaram Das in 1686 and thus predates the Bonbibi legend by over two hundred years. The historian Richard Eaton believes that this story is a “personified memory of the penetration of these same forests by Muslim pioneers” i.e. Sufi holy men (read his excellent The rise of Islam and the Bengal frontier 1204–1760 for more info on how Bengal was Islamised - not through the sword but through agriculture). Today Dokkhin Rai and the Ghazi are always represented together, marked in Dokkhin Rai’s case by the symbol of a human head and the Ghazi through his tomb represented by a little earthen mound (these are also always present in the Bonobibi shrines).
For the islanders, the legend of Bonbibi transcends the distinctions of caste, class and religion. This is the reason why those who work in the forest as fishers and crab-collectors stress the fact that they have to consider all jatis, whether Brahmin or Malo, Hindu or Muslim, rich or poor or even human or animal as equal. Tigers and humans “share the same food” because, they explain, both depend on the forest. Tigers eat fish and crabs just like the villagers, and like them, tigers are greedy for wood too. This not only make tigers equal to humans but it also ‘ties’ them to humans. The villagers also stress that Dokkhin Rai, the Ghazi and Bonbibi have to be placed together in shrines to show how different jatis must coexist and negotiate when dealing with the forest. Many Sundarbans islanders say that the most important factor for ensuring their safety in the forest, apart from entering the forest ‘empty handed’ and ‘pure hearted’, is that they should entrust their lives to Bonbibi, live up to her injunctions and not dwell on their differences.
This is a guest post by bonbibi
by Sid H Arthur - Pop Life 09 Oct 2007 07:00 pm
Today is the 13th anniversay of the death of S M Sultan.
Sultan’s paintings may be sold at Sotheby’s in London today but for the people of rural Norail, the guru entered folk legend more than half a century ago. They tell us that animals were drawn to him, that he could converse with them, that hundreds of his works are scattered all over the world in all manner of places, given away as gifts, that he cared not for fame or material wealth, choosing to travel from village to village, country to country, returning at last to his source.
The singular chord that runs throughout the body of his work is the image of primordial man in Bengal. He preferred indigenous materials, canvas made of jute and paints made from plants. He worked with this media even when friends offered to supply him with expensive, foreign materials. He has painted his land and people in an unusual manner, not as others see them, in canvasses so large that to create them the painter whirled and danced from one end to another (he often asked tabla players to accompany him while he painted). Heroic figures, images of the primeval men who lived in Bengal. His paintings are his own vision of an ancient world now gone, when man and nature were not at odds, when society was unfragmented and the balance of humanity and nature had been perfected. He appeared to many as a man of that age, timeless and unfettered.
Sultan was born in Norail (in Kushtia in the southwest of Bangladesh) on August 10 1923, and was named Lal (or Lal Mia to use the honourific). His father was a mason, his mother died when Lal was still a young boy. At the age of 15, he left Norail for Calcutta. In 1941, Lal enrolled at the prestigous Calcutta College of Arts and Crafts, but halfway through his studies he left and his lifelong wanderings began. He first traveled to Agra and then to Delhi where he worked as a commercial artist to pay his way. From there he went to Ajmer and thence to Lucknow, where he was the guest of the Nawab. Sultan, still fueled by wanderlust headed to Simla via Shahranpur and over the Kalka. He held his first solo exhibition in Simla in 1946, under the patronage of the Maharajah of Kapurtala. He settled down in northern India for the next six years under the patronage of the Maharajah. Whilst there he wandered between Jalandar, Lahore, Karachi, Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh. In 1948, Sultan held an exhibition in Lahore with the sponsorship of his friends, the artist Abdur Rahman Chughtai and Syed Amjad Ali.
He lived in three continents but never had a fixed abode, never attached prices to his work, never married. He wore his hair long, chose to live out his days in rural Bengal with his dogs, cats, rabbits, birds and snakes rather than the big international cities that beckoned when recognition of his genius came early in his life. He lived on ganja even when he could not afford food, lived as a Baul for many years and, for a period of his life, worshipped Krishna as Radha and chose to dress in a sari, singing and dancing with wandering troubadours.
Sultan also travelled to Lahore, where he lived amongst a group of artists and poets. Towards the end of 1949, Sultan went to Karachi, and held an exhibition there, again under Chughtai. In Karachi, Sultan was selected by the visiting American delegation of the Cultural Exchange Program to represent Pakistan. In 1952, Sultan went to the USA, and travelled throughout the country, exhibiting his work in New York, Washington, Boston, Chicago and Michigan University. In New York, Sultan spent some time in an artist’s commune in SoHo, Greenwich Village, where struggling artists lived together and helped each other. This was an ideal he cherished and tried to encourage in his own country. On his return journey he stopped in London to visit old friends from his Lahore days, Khan Ata and Fateh Lohani.
There he painted and exhibited some works in the Leicester Gallery and participated in an exhibition at the Victoria Embankment, Hampstead alongside Picasso, Dali, Braque, Klee and many other renowned artists. But Sultan soon felt the urge to return. After London, he stopped over in Karachi again to look up old friends (Sadeqin the painter, Hafizuddin the lyricist, Badé Ghulam Ali the qawwal and a host of others) where Sultan resumed life as he always did: with laughter and music and dance. He spent two years in Karachi, before finally in 1953, he returned to Bengal and from there, as if summoned to Norail, to live in the abandoned ancestral home of an old Hindu zamindar. From 1953 to 1976 Sultan lived in virtual obscurity, living the life of a Vaishnava Sanyasi. He continued to travel between Norail and Dhaka.
In Norail he lived for the most part in a colony of Namasudras, a low Hindu caste of barbers and grooms. Sultan always chose to live on the fringes of society despite being claimed by the enthralled elites of Bengal. His one lifelong ambition when he returned to Bengal, to open an art and music school for children, was to remain thwarted. He was also purposefully ignored by the art establishment of Dhaka, in spite of which he managed to establish a Fine Art Institute in Norail in 1969 and in Jessore in 1973. In 1976 he was invited to hold a major exhibition at the Shilpakala Academy, thanks to the championing of his friend, Ahmed Chofa, who brough Sultan back from self-imposed obscurity. This event gave Sultan universal and international recognition as one of the seminal artists of Southasia. Yet even now there exists no single assembled collection of his work housed in a permanent gallery. S M Sultan died on the 10th October 1994 in Norail where he is buried.
Hasan Shahed Suhrawardy lived on Theatre Road in Park Circus. Lal had come for many days and had stood before the main gate. The gatekeeper did not allow him to go in. One day, Suhrawardy’s car stood in front of the gate for quite some time honking its horn. The gatekeeper must have been elsewhere. Taking advantage of the situation Lal moved close to the car and raised his hand in salutation. The car went in. The gate was closed. With a heavy heart Lal was going back when he heard some one call him. He looked back and saw that the gentleman who sat in the car had come out. He had opened the gate and was watching him. A rather short person. Very fair. Expensively clothed, he was surveying Lal with curiosity. Lal went up to him and again saluted.Looking at him the gentleman asked in a mixture of Urdu and Bengali, Did you want to see any one living here ?Lal mentioned the name. The gentleman looked surprised. He looked at Lal carefully and said. I am Shahed Suhrawardy. Come inside. What business do you have with me?He went in, took a chair, and asked Lal to sit in front of him. Then he smiled and said. Now tell me what it is all about. Why did you want to see me?After hearing him out Suhrawardy shook his head. Yes, there is a problem there. No one is admitted without an Entrance certificate. Did you say you came out first in the test ? All right, come a few days later. Let me see what I can do. I’ll have a talk with Mukul De.
When D.N. Roy heard about it he said, Will be done. A word from him will be enough. He is held in great esteem by all. He was well known as an art connoisseur, a profound scholar.
A few days later Lal, with a beating heart, went to Theatre Road in Park Circus. This time the gatekeeper did not bar his way. He had to wait in the drawing room for a while. Shahed Suhrawardy entered with a smiling face and said,
Successful! You will be admitted. You stood first in the test and so a special case was made for you. Go and get a form from the college. Yes, what did you say your name was? Lal Mia? No, no, that would not do. You need a new name, a good name. Tell me your father’s name.
Shaikh Meser, mumbled Lal.
Shaikh Meser, Shaikh Meser. Suhrawardy uttered the name twice, then said, All right, from now on your name will be Shaikh Muhammad Sultan. S M Sultan. Like it?
Lal nodded his head. Yes, he had no objection.
“As soon as I took up the pencil or the brush village scenes came pouring in. Lilies blossoming in the vast watery areas, men and women rowing their canoes or catching fish with their nets and specially made bamboo contraptions, peasants harvesting their crops, wide flowing paddy fields stretching toward the horizon, in the distance trees and hedges and thatched cottages and cows. I didn’t know where these scenes came from and began to appear with no conscious effort on my canvases and drawing paper. It seemed to me that I was not working out any form or composition for my paintings. As if someone outside of me got my paintings done by me. But this is the real substance of all art. An invisible and hidden power is always present behind the artist’s creation. It may be memory, experience, blood ties or the attraction of the soil. They become a tremendous power and make the artist obey their directives.”"When I completed a number of canvases Khan Ata and Fateh Lohani took them underground to the tube stations. I accompanied them. My long loose apron and streaming hair naturally attracted the people. When they noticed the paintings they stopped and looked at them. Sometimes they purchased one or two. They came up and talked to me. After selling a fairly large number of canvases in the tube stations we took preparations for a big exhibition. The paintings were exhibited with those of the Hampstead Victoria Embankment Sunday Artists. The Sunday Artists were commercial painters. The purpose of the exhibition was to combine commercialism with publicity. Let them know Bangladesh through some paintings. Let them see the village people of the land whose blood and sweat had made the British Empire rich. “An English gentleman after looking at my work said that he would like to exhibit two of my canvases at the Liecester Gallery. An international exhibition was going to be held there shortly. We readily consented and with pleasure. In the 1950 exhibition at the Liecester Gallery my paintings were exhibited along with those of Picasso, Dubby, Paul Klee, Matisse and Dali. A write-up on me and my work was published in a magazine called The Studio. It said that I was the first Asian artist to have his works exhibited with those of such internationally famous artists. Khan Ata read out the review to us. The two friends embraced and kissed me on both my cheeks. We had a rowdy celebration that evening. Singing continued till dawn. Accompanied by feasting and wild dancing. We sent free drinks to the British patrons. at regular intervals, till the doors of the restaurant were closed.”
Dacca 1952
Zainul Abedin sent for Devadas from the classroom and asked him to go to the airport to receive a crazy fellow. He said, Receive him and bring him over here. It was the year of the Lord 1953.Devadas and his class friend Rouf went to the Tejgaon airport on the scheduled date. There was just one flight throughout the day. it came from Karachi. Most of the passengers were Cabinet Ministers, government officials and a few businessmen. S. M. Sultan would be among them. Neither Devadas nor Rouf had met Sultan before. Mr. Abedin had provided them with a description that might not tally with his present looks. He said. Sultan is a chameleon. He must have changed by this time, but don’t worry, you’ll find him.The Orient Airways flight came on time. The Dakota plane ran straight over the hard concrete and came to a halt holding up its face like a huge bird. Shortly the passengers began to disembark over the staircase. The two friends scrutinized them. Their gaze stuck on someone towards the end of the line. He had a white over-all on. His long hair streamed over his back like a mendicant’s. Fair complexioned and tall. A smile played about his lips. He came down the stairs and started walking in an easy assured manner without looking this way and that for any one. The two friends looked at each other. They would be happy if this handsome, serene looking man turned out to be Sultan.However, he was more likely to be a clergyman. When he came near, they introduced themselves and stood before him hesitantly. He warmly embraced them as if they were very old acquaintances and said, Yes, I am S.M Sultan. Zainul sent you, didn’t he? Fine. Yes. I wrote to him. I am coming after so many years. I don’t know the whereabouts of any of my friends. Won’t recognize the streets, either. That’s why I wrote to Zainul. It was very good of him to send you. What did you say your names were?They told him their names.Sultan said, Very sweet, very sweet names. All Bengali names are sweet. He looked up at the sky and taking a deep breath of air murmured to himself, How sweet. As they came out of the airport they nearly stepped on a little dog. Sultan picked him up with his two hands and hugged him to his breast. Devadas cried out in agitation, Hey, what are you doing? A pariah dog! It will bite you.Sultan embraced the dog with one hand and caressed it with the other and said. Why should he bite me? Isn’t he a Bengali dog? I am a Bengali, he is also a Bengali. We are brothers, friends, right? He looked at the face of the nonplussed dog, put him down, smiled and said, Bye Bye. The dog wagged his tail, looked at Sultan and gave two loud barks.
Sultan said with a smile, I have just arrived, you know. He thinks that I am a foreigner. He will get to know me in a few days and then he won’t bark anymore. He will find out how close I am to him. A gentle smile shone on his face. Devadas and Rouf looked at him with wondering eyes. Then they looked at each other.
The Arts College was located in an old building at Segunbagicha. It was a temporary arrangement. A new building was being constructed in Ramna near the University campus. The environment in Segunbagicha was beautiful. It was very quiet. A large number of trees stood all around. There were a few houses of old pattern. All in all, the atmosphere was serene. A bed was set up in a room on the first floor towards the back of the College, close to the window. The branch of a mango tree with its wealth of green leaves seemed to want to get into the room through the window. Birds gathered on the tree from time to time and started to chirp.Rouf said, You might find it uncomfortable to stay here.No, I won’t. It is a lovely place. Very close to nature. How sweet the mango leaves smell! He looked out through the window and took a deep breath filling his lungs with air. Then he said, Not me, but you will find it uncomfortable. I have taken up all the empty space you had. There would be no room for you to move about.Rouf said, Not at all. It won’t be the least uncomfortable for me. I need a place to sleep, that’s all. Sultan glanced at his books and said, What about your studies? You need some space for that, too.Rouf indicated his table and chair and said, That little place in the corner would be enough. Most of our painting work is done in the classroom and outdoors in the fields and other open spots.Sultan said somewhat absentmindedly. Yes. His tone showed that he agreed with Devadas. At the same time it sounded remote and detached.After this, time began to pass amidst great din and bustle. Sultan was a great master in making a gathering lively and kicking. He played on the flute. He had gone to the United States for a short stay. While returning from there he bought in Boston a clarinet for forty dollars. When he came to Dhaka he brought with him only a few things. Among those was this clarinet in a wooden box. As soon as he got settled he brought out his flute and began to play on it. From then on they had their regular music session every evening when Sultan played classical tunes on his flute. Sometimes he danced as well. One day he told Devadas to get him a pair of nupurs, bangles with tiny bells that dancers wore around their ankles.Nupurs ? Devadas looked with surprise at him. Yes. Nupurs. You can’t put in life in your dance without them.
Devadas asked, Do you dance with them on?
Yes, occasionally, to satisfy my hobby.
Devadas said, All right, I’ll get them for you. He won’t be surprised any more at anything. Everything was natural for Sultan.
Rouf said, Your dance clearly shows that you are no novice. Where did you learn to dance, Sultan Bhai?
In Calcutta, from Sadhana Bose. She had opened a dance school on top of Bengal Restaurant at the Whitehall near Firpo. It was called Nrityaleela. I attended it for some time. Sadhana Bose liked my figure and told me that I had the promise of a good dancer. She said to me, Your body has rhythm.
Norail 1955
Crossing the river Chitra, Sultan arrived at Chachuri Purulia, the home of hi maternal uncle…I couldn’t do anything in Dhaka. In Norail, the Diptens are breaking down the home of their forefathers and selling it piece-meal. Uncle, I can’t find any place anywhere. I need a place.A place? What would you do with it?I’ll open a school. Little boys and girls will study there. Between studies they will learn to draw pictures. You know, great artists lie asleep within them. Adequate opportunity must be created for them.What kind of a place do you need?I’ll have to raise a structure. There must be a playground. Some place like that, you know.After hearing him out his uncle said, There is an old building practically in the midst of the dense forest on the outskirts of this village. People call it Kailashtila. It was the home of the Kailash Thakurs at one time. Totally abandoned now. There is no trace of any of their family members. No one claims it. People are afraid of getting close to the place. Besides snakes and reptiles, they say that ghosts and goblins haunt the spot. I have also heard of bandits having their dens in that forest. Have the place cleaned up, if you can. I am sure no one will object.Sultan said, I don’t know anyone here. How can I do it all by myself ‘?
I’ll introduce you to the local people, his uncle said encouragingly. Tell them what you want frankly. They will come forward and help you.
It took Sultan some time to get acquainted with the people of the village. At first the villagers promptly came up to him taking him for a peer, a saintly devout person. Some told him about their ailments and asked for medicines. Others wanted to be rich and begged him to give them a charm or a glass of blessed water full of wondrous efficacy.
Sultan smiled and said, Look, I have no miraculous powers. I don’t know anything, openly or secretly. I simply want to start a school. Little boys and girls will study there. They will draw and paint pictures. I need your help to be able to do that. We have to clear the Kailashtila of the trees, bushes. shrubs and debris of all kinds. Come, my brothers, help me.
Kailashtila? The villagers looked at each other. They exchanged some words among themselves. They cleared their throats and left. A jolly and fun-loving fellow called Ranga came forward. The young boys of the village followed his example. Every morning Sultan went out with his band of boys and Ranga. They went to Kailashtila and began to clear off the jungle with great enthusiasm. it was a deep forest full of ancient trees. Almost like an impenetrable fort. A regular war began between the people and the woods. The trees and bushes of the forest prepared to meet the onslaught of the external enemy. Their tough sturdy trunks and their hard steely branches resisted the attackers weapons, frightening them a great deal . The people’s axes and knives found it difficult to subdue the forest. The banyan tree with its knotted offshoots resembling long braids of hair created an atmosphere of mystery. The dense leaves of the rain trees spread darkness all around. The tall evergreen chhatim trees had their trunks covered with the luscious wealth of their long whirling leaves. The huge mahua trees displayed on their branches cluster after cluster of long egg shaped leaves and created a mysteriously shadowy atmosphere. The darkness of the night in the dense leaves of the round gaab trees was quite terrifying for a stranger. The giant aswathha trees refused to bow down and arrogantly spread their hands and feet wide. The shishu trees with their huge grey coloured trunks, endless barks riddled with holes, and long hanging creepers stood straight with great dignity. The forest, full of familiar and strange trees and bushes, had made Kailashtila almost inaccessible and impenetrable. Underneath the trees there were innumerable creepers, shrubs, thorny patches. On the branches of the trees innumerable birds made their home. In the hollows of the huge trunks of many trees and inside the crevices of the earth lived many reptiles and beasts of various kinds. None of the animals liked the arrival of the people, not to mention their active interference. And as the trees did not want to be felled, so too the beasts and animals growled and began to frighten the people in various ways. Kailashtila was made up of all these.
Yet the boys were not cowed. They jumped apprehensively when they saw the cast off skin of a snake. They ran raising the sticks in their hands when they saw a fox or a skunk and chased the creature away. They threw stones at the large Owls. After resisting heroically, the forest slowly acceded defeat. Ranga jumped in joy, danced and sang. The boys assembled every morning, cleared space after space, and went forward. It took them more than a week thus to reach the gate of the Kailashtila. The brickwork of the gate appeared like patches of raw flesh from which the skin was peeled off. Strong and tough roots of trees had the gate bound and enmeshed as if it was a defeated wrestler. The figures Of two lions on each side of the gate were broken and almost in ruins. yet their sudden sight frightened the people. They too were enclosed all over by the roots of the trees, but they had their faces lifted up in the gesture of a mighty roar.
One day the studio owner told me that an English lady after seeing my paintings had expressed a keen desire to meet me. He had given her my hotel address. Perhaps she would call on me. The following day an English lady came to my hotel. When she saw me she said, I thought you would be older. You paint very well at such a young age. I am here to have a chat with you. I invited her to my room. We took tea and chatted. The lady painted, too. She had a residence-cum-studio of her own at Srinagar, where she was living for over a year. She was surprised to hear that I, too, had been living in Srinagar for nearly a year. How come that I didn’t get to see you ? It is such a small city. Then she said, but I don’t go out very often. After finishing her tea Elizabeth said, Come on, I would like to show you my studio.I found her studio-cum-residence charming. It was right on the Dahl Lake. One could see the whole expanse of the lake from its verandah, as if one was on a boat. In the distance rose the mountain and at its foot lay trees, shrubs and fields of corn and flowers making up a wonderful landscape which took on different colours at different hours of the day. The sky descended on the quiet bosom of the lake and white clouds dived and swam under the water moving from one side of the lake to the other. The blue gradually turned blackish. Morning and evening this play of colour continued in the sky and on the lake.Elizabeth lived there with her little boy. She did not tell where her husband was. When I admired her place she said,You can easily come and live here. My guest house is lying vacant. I hesitated and said, I am not facing any inconvenience at the hotel. She smiled and said, You are feeling shy, aren’t you ? All right, the invitation stands open. You can come later if you want to. But from now on we shall both use this studio and work side by side. The feeling of loneliness will be gone. We can look at each other’s paintings and offer our comments. There is always something one can learn from another. Art appreciation is very important for the artist. It doesn’t matter even if it is critical.Noticing her enthusiasm, I agreed. After that visit I went to Elizabeth’s studio every morning and worked there all day and returned to my hotel in the evening. I had my meals in the studio. We often had our lunch together on the verandah. The Dahl lake lay before us, smooth and transparent like a sheet of glass. I watched it entranced. Unawares, I murmured, Beautiful.Elizabeth asked, What Is ?Gazing at the smooth limbs of the chinar trees in the distance I said, Everything. Elizabeth smiled and said, “You are very clever. Also you have a very quiet and restrained nature”.
I smiled. What else could I do?
Kailashtila 1955
Sultan brought out his pot from his haversack. He took some tobacco on his palm, kneaded it firmly and fixed his pot. Suddenly he saw a dark shadowy figure sitting before him on its haunches. Sultan had no idea when he had arrived there. As he glanced at him, the inky dark figure said, “Shall I light that pot for you?” The figure extended out his dim shadowy hand. You could vaguely feel its presence there but could not see it clearly.Sultan said, “All right”, he sounded perfectly natural.The inky dark figure took the pot in his dim shadowy hand and lit the pot. Sultan took a deep drag filling his lungs. The smoke and the old familiar pungent smell went to his head. His head began to swim. Slowly everything grew clear and bright. Suddenly he felt that his body had grown as light as a feather.The dark jet-black figure came closer and asked, “Why do you smoke that?”Sultan answered, “It helps me to be free from the world and its affairs.”The jet-black figure, bringing his face still closer, said, “Well you are already a free man. You have no family, no kith and kin.”Sultan said, “You are in the world and of the world when you live amongst people. I have never lived completely alone. When I smoke I become totally myself, all alone.
“What do you gain by it?”
“Happiness. Yes, great happiness”, Sultan took another deep drag and said, “When you are intoxicated you can imagine many new things. And, do you know, how many wonderful colours swim before your eyes? At least so it seems.”
Sultan inhaled deeply filling his lungs with the intoxicating smoke. He realized that his body was growing lighter. Soon it would begin to soar upwards from the earth and float like a piece of cloud. A number of colour would begin to glitter before his eyes. He would be hearing some enchanting music.
Just then the dark, black figure turned into smoke and vanished into thin air.
Sultan thought, it could be a djinn. But it didn’t scold or criticize him. Did no harm either. He decided he could safely live in Kailashtila. No one would create any problems.
Excerpts taken from the novel Sultan by Hasnat Abdul Hye (translated by Kabir Chowdhury)
by Sid H Arthur - Human Rights & Democracy 01 Oct 2007 10:48 pm
Join the growing list of international bloggers in a day of support for the brave people of Burma. Sign up here and just post one banner post on October 4, 2007 with the words “Free Burma!”.
by Sid H Arthur - Muslim Extremism 30 Sep 2007 11:33 pm
How I became a Muslim Extremist
On Panorama, BBC1, this Monday at 8.30 p.m.:How I became a Muslim extremist
What is it like to actually be an extremist and serve the political goals of radical Islam?
What is it like to think like an extremist and adopt an ideology that demands you abandon all aspects of your former life - including your friends and family?
On Monday’s Panorama Shiraz Maher exclusively tells his story.
He is a former member of Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT), a radical organisation campaigning for the creation of caliphate - an Islamic state. It operates in many countries.Shiraz makes the case for a re-think of how the government should de-radicalise people like himself.
He tells how after 9/11, he had a chance conversation with a HT member at a mosque and within weeks became a member of the cell.
The cell thought that democracy was incompatible with Islam, that the state of Israel should be destroyed, and that Shariah law should be imposed over the entire world with violence being used to achieve this.
Shiraz rose through the ranks to become a regional leader of HT.
It soon dominated his whole life - from refusing to go to family weddings because the women were not segregated, to recruiting as many people as possible to the cause.
While at Cambridge University he even tried to recruit Kafeel Ahmed into HT, who was later alleged to be part of the attack on Glasgow airport.
Shiraz has now ‘come-out’ and now wants to expose HT for the organisation it is.
HT Britain is trying to market itself as a conciliatory and moderate organisation that condemns violence as a means to achieve political ends.
With access to other former HT insiders, and HT literature the group wanted to keep hidden, Shiraz will reveal that HT Britain’s conciliatory approach is merely a crude facade that conceals the same radical and extreme views.
Update (1 October):
The BBC Panorama documentary on Hizbut Tahrir on Shiraz Maher (former Hizbut Tahrir senior) aired today and can be seen here. The documentary is essential viewing and will disabuse anyone of the illusion that the Hizbut Tahrir is a “benign, progressive Muslim organisation”.
by Sid H Arthur - Human Rights 27 Sep 2007 11:31 am
Free Arif
I join the bloggers who call for the immediate and unconditional release of 23 year old cartoonist Arifur Rahman. Arif was arrested by the Bangladesh military government for drawing a harmless cartoon that was published in the leading Bengali language newspaper Prothom Alo. He was not allowed legal represention and was sent to jail without any due process.
Bloggers campaigning:
Shourobh
Third World View
Dhaka Shohor
Join the facebook group.
by Sid H Arthur - Race & Identity 27 Sep 2007 11:12 am
Foxy Racist!
Bill O’Reilly the FOX-News pundit, who’s on record for having made more than a few arse-cringeingly inappropriate comments during the Hurricane Katrina broadcasts has done it again.
He started out by praising the staff and largely black clientele of the restaurant for being “very, very nice” and “tremendously respectful”. Warming to his theme, he said: “I couldn’t get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia’s restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it’s run by blacks.”
Cue the ‘taken out of context’ contextualisations from FOX News.
by Sid H Arthur - Ethnicity & Censorship 26 Sep 2007 04:33 pm
Charles Protests Brick Lane
Prince Charles has pulled out of the Royal Premiere screening of Brick Lane scheduled for October 29. From AIM:
A spokesperson for Clarence House admitted to the Times today that Prince Charles was unable to make it because of the controversy surrounding the film as well as the royal couple’s busy schedule.
“Obviously there has been quite a lot of controversy about that film which everyone was aware of. … The appropriateness of the film chosen is important but so is the date. It is a mixture of both reasons.”
The controversy that the Royals are fleeing from refers to last year’s protests which prevented location filming on Brick Lane. The protests, organised by thugs operating from a sweet shop on Brick Lane, received so much publicity at the time that the film producers had to change the location to somewhere else. As AIM reported at the time:
Abdus Salique is quoted in the Guardian today, warning that “nobody can come with a camera and make a film about that book here”, adding that Monica Ali was “not one of us” and had “insulted us”.
Mr Salique hinted at a potential outbreak of violence. “Young people are getting very involved with this campaign. We had more than 100 people attend yesterday’s meeting. They are willing to blockade the area and guard our streets.”
Another local resident, Abdul Goffur, told AIM magazine that the protest was “blown out of proportion”.
“It’s a minority and they’re trying to make themselves known,” he said. “But I live in Brick Lane and we’ve got a thousand guys who are in support of this. This film will be helpful in opening up our community and helping us progress as a community as a whole.”
The irony is that a tiny, reactionary and potentially violent contingent of protesters claimed to speak on behalf of the entire Bengali community in the East End and yet complained about the lack of authenticity of Ali’s book! The range of opinion of the book that exists within the Bengali community is wide, knowledgeable and heterogenous. But you wouldn’t know that from the news coverage which focused on these thugs who hadn’t even read it.
Predictably a certain section of the British liberal intellegentsia sided with the reactionaries. Germaine Greer showed us how they are unable to move beyond the “noble savage” perception of East End Bangladeshis.
Prince Charles thinks nothing of sharing the dais with the clerical bigot Maulana Delwar Hussain Sayeedi at the East London Mosque, but finds it prudent to avoid controversy by cancelling the Royal Film Premiere. You couldn’t make this up!
Make it a point to see the film in spite of Prince Charles, Germaine Greer and the book burners of Brick Lane.
by Sid H Arthur - Bangladesh & Censorship 25 Sep 2007 05:12 pm
No Ray of Sunshine
It is never difficult to distinguish between a Khilafist with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.
That’s my reworking of P.G. Wodehouse’s memorable line. Of course, he wasn’t referring to Hizbut Tahrir, but the sentiment remains the same.
Photo: Amirul Rajiv
Yesterday thousands of “activists” from Hizbut Tahrir in Bangladesh marched the streets of Dhaka to protest the publication of a cartoon which was not in the slightest offensive to Muslims, no matter what the Khatib of Baitul Muqarram would like us to believe.
Most of these HuTs are young men who have been recruited from private universities and this means that they are the products of relatively privileged backgrounds. There are many life and death issues which you would think would offend the sensibilities of Khilafa-glorifying students that would compel them to hit the streets in protest. A cursory glance at their literature would suggest that they would be protesting the parlous state of the schooling system, the lack of wealth distribution, the lack of jobs for graduates, secularism, usury in the banking system and so on. All of which, I would have thought, would rate highly in the ‘Offensive Charts’ if you were a Khilafist.
But no. Instead, they’re protesting a minor cartoonist’s affectionate parody of Muslim naming customs. This was the offence to the Prophet Muhammed and Muslim-majority Bangladesh to some and an example of “evil forces out to destabilise the country” to others high up in Authority.
And who are at fault behind these offences according to the HuT? The Jews of course, if the banner pictured above (which reads “Close down Prothom Alo - Friend to the Jews”) is anything to go by. The Jooooos are behind it!
Compare and contrast these fine young cannibals with the nobility and courage of the Burmese monks. There on the streets of Yangon are the penniless sons of peasants who are putting their lives on the line for their countrymen, peacefully facing the guns of a military government who have killed dissenters indiscriminately in the past and will no doubt kill again.
Whereas our private-university-educated firebrands solemnly carry out the pretence that they are religious elites. See how they strut in their Khilafa-chic, all fists, t-shirts and black Shahaada bandanas.
They would like us to think that it takes bravery to be Khilafa-poseurs in Muslim-majority Bangladesh and agitate for the installation of the Blasphemy Law, censorship and for the jailing without trial of journalists. Yes, brave as cockroaches in the dead of night.
by Sid H Arthur - Religion & Politics 25 Sep 2007 11:47 am
Queer Nation
In Iran we don’t have homosexuals like in your country. In Iran we do not have this phenomenon, I don’t know who has told you that we have it.
So said Ahmadinejad at Columbia University.
Well, you could have fooled us Mahmoud. Who’s the hotty you’re sucking the face off?
Perhaps what he means is that he’s doing his best to rid the nation of gay people.
by Sid H Arthur - South Asia & Politics 24 Sep 2007 12:31 am
Burma: Religious Support for Democracy
Myanmar (Burma) has been under the kosh of a brutally repressive military junta since 1962 but the tide might finally be turning.
The last 4 days have seen protest by tens of thousands of monks marching to Yangon; and their lines are growing.
Burmese religionists leading the popular uprising against an anti-democratic, totalitarian, military dictatorship!
The irony is that in neighbouring Bangladesh, the religionists have always been hand-in-glove with the military in robbing the people of democratic rights.
Bangalis could look east for religious and political inspiration. And a golmalist can but dream.
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Quotes about Teams
6,253 quotes about teams follow in order of popularity. Be sure to bookmark and share your favorites!
I thought she did a great job. It's too bad that we didn't hang onto the ball in that (fifth) inning. ... In order to be competitive against teams like State College, we have to play defense.
It should help eliminate the perception of an East Coast bias. And the seeding will help teams and fans better understand who they are playing next and will help schools publicize the games, sell tickets and draw a better TV audience.
Greg Shaheen
Definitely I think our No. 1 singles in boys and No. 1 doubles teams have a shot at getting to the state tournament. Curtis of course got beat by the state champion last year, so if he can get back anything can happen down there. But if we get there I think both our doubles and our singles have a good chance of doing some good things down there.
Danny O'quinn
Our tackling is going to be critical; Cal is one of the best running teams in the nation. If we let them slip tackles, they'll hurt us pretty bad, so we need to stay in front of guys, and not let them get by us.
Kyle Mcbride
We're very excited about the opportunity that we have to travel to Mexico. We will face some very talented teams and should be great preparation for our upcoming season.
Scheduling teams is increasingly difficult because of our transition to Division I. Losing North Carolina A&T and Winston-Salem State made it a real chore, but the addition of Southern University will provide a great experience for our student-athletes and fans. We are excited about the 2006 football season.
Bill Hayes
You focus on your end goal -- to make the playoffs. You know what you have to accomplish every night to do that. You go out there and try to win that game. It's a dogfight. When you have this many teams bunched up this tight, it's almost like the last one standing gets to go to the playoffs.
Jeff Conine
There is no visibility ? management teams are coming out and saying we have no visibility but we think the second quarter is the bottom but they have no idea.
Jim Gribbell
The teams that won deserve mention, for sure. That's not really what this is all about. It's all about helping kids with cancer.
Tim Chiodo
At times, we played our best basketball of the year against them. Our kids came out of that game understanding we can compete with those teams.
John Given
As we prepare for the growth of the series in conjunction with our new $3 million prize structure, this development will also level the playing field for new teams entering the series. All of the set-up data that teams acquired in the past will have to be reassessed.
Roger Bailey
We know what those teams have accomplished in the past. But we want to win it all. We feel we have a good shot at that with this team.
Anthony Weeden
When we viewed consecutive 12-month performance or non-overlapping cumulative periods, consistent top performers all had experienced management teams with tenure higher than their peers. Experienced management teams can successfully maneuver their funds through a variety of market environments.
Rosanne Pane
It's clear that both these teams are much better. This game was definitely different than the first time.
Chuck Huggins
Our half-court trap is our staple. It gets teams out of their normal offensive sets, which can lead to turnovers. (The trap) is what has got us here and we will use it in the future.
Andy Furuto
I missed two really good opportunities before that one. It was good, but it wasn't my goal. It was the team's goal. They were so focused on getting me one. I had no other choice. Kate could have scored it, but she passed it to me.
Morgan Wallace
The impact that he has, and will continue to have on the teams that he plays with, cannot be underestimated.
Ian Mcgeechan
It happened to work out that way. But it was competitive, and there were any number of teams that could have won. It's very much the same situation this season.
Jody Conradt
I've never seen it come down to the last match between three teams. I guess that's good for our region. The region is really going to be tough in the next few years.
Leroy Hill
I don't know if we can overtake the traditional conference powers - like Chelmsford and Haverhill - but I think some opponents are going to under-estimate us and we'll surprise a few teams along the way.
Brenda Clark
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This archive holds all posts form June 14, 2009.
Ethnocentrism and Communal Conflict in Africa
June 14, 2009 • Yoku Shaw-Taylor • Africa, conflict, ethnic groups
If ethnocentrism or so-called tribalism plays a catalyst role in community conflicts in sub Saharan Africa ( photo credit: Hitchster ), then more people in countries experiencing violent inter-communal conflict should express their ethnic identity as foremost and express stronger ties to their ethnic group. A look at Nigeria, Kenya and Zimbabwe would tell us if this is so.
Violent inter-communal conflicts in so-called ‘trouble spots’ in Africa (Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe) are evidence of the chasms in these countries that have been described variously as weak, failing or collapsed. State weakness or failure and eventual collapse is also catalyzed by the proliferation of small arms, which are readily available because they are inexpensive, portable, easy to conceal and use, and the persistence of ethnocentrism – a phenomenon rather unlike racism in its economic and political outcomes of inequities, in that, allegiance to ethnic or cultural (tribal) group, patronage based on ethnicity (or race), family and kinship ties, and networks of ethnic interest trump other networks in society. I use the popular narrow definition of ‘ethnic’: primarily signifying cultural characteristics or traits. Extreme ethnocentrism manifests as ethnic hostility. And we know too about the role of religious intolerance in contributing to these violent inter-communal conflicts. One scholar thinks that “civil wars…usually stem from or have roots in ethnic, religious, linguistic or other inter-communal enmity; the “fear of the other that drives so much of ethnic conflict stimulates and fuels hostilities between regimes.” There is some empirical evidence that cultural differences, compared to economic (class) or political (political party) differences, contribute significantly to inter-communal violent conflicts in sub Saharan Africa.
The intensity of ethnocentrism in inter-communal conflict is indeed frightening one: it transforms long-time neighbors into mortal enemies overnight based on their ethnic affiliations. Long-time neighbors become marauding killers, and ethnic (or religious) differences become reasons for denying humanity to others, and all prior social relations and interactions cease to matter.
In sub Saharan Africa, the persistence of ethnocentrism – also known as a certain tribalism –in governance and politics has been one of the challenges of the post-independence period as efforts have been focused, sometimes unsuccessfully, on building nations and nationalisms that relied less on ethnicity and ethnic patronage; this post-independence period therefore has become a project tracking the challenges of nationalism and the bane of ethnic allegiances. Also, the level of inexpensive unregulated small arms and light weapons circulating freely on the black market since the end of the Cold War have led some observers to argue that in ‘poorer’ states where security is weak and governments are unstable, stockpiles of arms only worsen community clashes by extending the duration of violence.
If ethnocentrism, or so-called ‘tribalism’ plays a catalyst role in community conflicts, it must be predicated on a certain level of social distance between social groups; that is, the extent to which members of one ethnic group would accept a member of another ethnic group metaphorically and geographically. But precise measures of social distance among ethnic groups in African countries are not available. At best, we can use as proxy measures the (1) strength of ethnic identification, defined as: “the specific group you feel you belong to first and foremost besides nationality” or (2) the strength of ethnic attachment, defined as “the identity group to which you feel much stronger ties to other than people of your nationality”. Representative sampled data from the Afrobarometer surveys in 1999 to 2001 (round 1) and 2004 (round 2) allow us to examine the extent to which ethnocentrism is prevalent in a few of the sub Saharan African countries experiencing violent inter-communal conflict. The samples ensure that all ethnic groups as well as rural and urban dwellers are represented in the data. Of the so-called trouble spots in Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Zimbabwe were included in these surveys; so these three countries are the only test cases we can examine.
In our test cases (countries), we should expect (significantly) more respondents in the representative samples to choose their ethnic group as the one they belong to foremost and to say that they feel much stronger ties to their ethnic group members. This will be especially so in places where there have been cycles or recurrence of ethnic conflict so that the way people feel currently about their ethnicity (the strength of ethnic identity) could be strongly influenced by past ethnic violence. We could then suggest that the countries experiencing violent inter-communal conflict are more ethnocentric (tribalistic) or have not overcome ethnocentrism when compared to other African countries shown in the table.
Table 1: Which specific identity group do you feel you belong to first and foremost (1999-2001)
Country Percent choosing ethnic group
Nigeria 47.4%
Namibia 43.0
Malawi 39.1
Mali 38.5
Zimbabwe 36.0
South Africa 21.6
Country Percent choosing group other than ethnic
Tanzania 76.4%
Uganda 62.0
Lesotho 32.8
Zambia 32.9
Botswana 32.9
Note that in table 1, approximately 1 out of 2 Nigerians (47.4%), followed by Namibians (43%) chose tribe or ethnicity. Approximately 1 out of 3 (36%) Zimbabweans chose ethnicity. The proportion for Nigeria is significantly higher when compared to all the other countries except Namibia. The proportions of Zimbabweans choosing ethnic group are higher when compared to Lesotho, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia; in these countries, more people did not say they belonged foremost to their ethnic group. Kenya was not included in this round of data collection, but is included in round 2 (2004).
Table 2: Feel much stronger ties to ethnic group than other nationals in country (1999-2001)
Country Feel stronger ties to
Respondents in a subset of countries (including our test countries) were asked about the strength of ties to their ethnic group in table 2. Here again, Nigerians emerge with higher percentages. Compare the rates of Nigerians to South Africans, Namibians and Malawians.
More countries were added to the surveys in 2004 (round 2), including Kenya. The results to the question “Which specific identity group do you feel you belong to first and foremost?” are shown in table 3.
Table 3: Which specific identity group do you feel you belong to first and foremost (2004)
Ghana 39.4
Senegal 33.8
Mozambique 28.9
Kenya 19.4
Uganda 55.2%
Tanzania 52.5
Cape Verde 30.1
Note that in this second round of data collection, half of Nigerians again say they feel they belong foremost to their ethnic group. But the numbers of Kenyans and Zimbabweans saying they belong foremost to their ethnic group are lower than in countries like Ghana, Mali, Senegal, Mozambique and Namibia. Indeed, the survey shows that more Kenyans say they belong foremost to their occupational group (credit dyer). In Zimbabwe, there has been a reduction in the number of Zimbabweans choosing ethnic group in 2004 compared to data from 1999-2001; it is not clear why this is so. Indeed, in this round, more Zimbabweans chose their religious group as foremost. The question: “Do you feel much stronger ties to ethnic group than other nationals in country?” was not asked in 2004.
So, we can say that of our three test cases, Nigerians seem to confirm our argument. But there is a caveat: these results do not account for the widely reported inter-communal violent conflicts in which religious affiliation has been fingered as a contributory factor. Shouldn’t the surveys reveal a certain level of religion-centrism based on well documented conflicts between Christians and Moslems in the North of Nigeria? Even so, clearly, the number of Nigerians choosing ethnicity as their foremost group is remarkable when compared to other countries in the tables; the data describe Nigeria’s historical struggle for ethnic harmony.
Results for Zimbabweans are mixed – in 1999-2001, one in three Zimbabweans felt they belonged foremost to their ethnic group, and most Zimbabweans felt stronger ties to their ethnic group. But in 2004, fewer Zimbabweans felt they belonged foremost to their ethnic group. What can we make of these results from Zimbabwe? We know of the intransigence of the Mugabe regime and the reported brutality of his party machine dating back several years. But, has the political climate suppressed feelings of ethnic identification and attachment; could this be an unintended effect of political repression and economic depression? Why is it that there are more people choosing religious identity versus ethnicity between the two survey periods? Could it be that feelings of ethnic identity and attachment are mutable so that they are affected (suppressed or heightened) by prevailing social, political and economic conditions in the country?
For Kenya, the results do not support our argument; the data from 2004 tell us that 2 out of 10 Kenyans consider their ethnic identity as foremost. But, unlike Nigeria and Zimbabwe, Kenya has not had internecine ethnic conflicts in the past. The results lead me to conclude that in Kenya, class warfare has perhaps more to do with the violent inter-communal conflict than mere ethnicity. This is because more Kenyans chose occupational group; and we know that one’s occupation determines earnings and therefore socio-economic rank. If strong identification and attachment to ethnic group plays a role in violent conflict in Kenya, it must interact with occupational or stark economic dissatisfaction or differences.
These results have one caveat; the data are 6-10 years old and do not tell us about current ethnic feelings. And if feelings about ethnic identity and attachment are mutable, as suggested, then these data may only reflect ethnic feelings of 6-10 years ago. Should we then expect data from 2008 and 2009 (when collected) to show spikes in ethnic feelings especially in Kenya due to the ethnic violence in the wake of the 2008 elections? But what can we expect from Zimbabwe? Are there other unidentified factors accounting for these cultural cleavages?”
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Practice & Industries
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Home/Blog/Investing in Macedonia: an opportunity for Italian companies
Investing in Macedonia: an opportunity for Italian companies
Nowadays, investing in Macedonia is convenient. The country is going through an important period of economic growth and the national government is encouraging both domestic growth and the attraction of foreign investments. In recent years many structural reforms have been implemented in all social spheres, strengthening institutions and general business environment.
Macedonia, today, is a country at the forefront of the artistic and cultural field and in 2014 – according to the Lonely Planet guide – was among the top ten countries in the world to visit, as well as being ranked 10th in New York Times “52 Places to Go in 2015” list.
Also, from the business point of view, the country is able to ensure highly competitive production costs (through the implementation of a series of business- friendly regulations), subsidies and a highly skilled and dynamic labour force.
The geographical location explains the strategic position of the country, which is an important crossroads between Europe and Asia.
In recent years, the government has more and more considered such feature as a strong point and has never lifted trade barriers between neighbouring countries such as Ukraine and Turkey, between Central and Western Europe, Middle East and North Africa. Such efforts have made it possible for about 650 million consumers to access free-trade regime through the conclusion of bilateral and multilateral agreements, as the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Investments stated.
Operating costs – on average, about half of the Italian labour cost – are generally among the lowest in Europe. Furthermore, business culture is more and more increasing among new generations, also because of the strong constitutional guarantees protecting every form of investment.
Macroeconomic and political stability (low inflation, below 2% in the last 13 years, and 4% economic growth in the last two years) along with the increasing presence of modern infrastructures make Macedonia one of the pro-business countries among the most competitive in Europe.
In fact, the country is characterized by a very efficient railway and motorway network easily connected with all European countries and international ports.
Furthermore, there are two international airports in the country (in the capital city, Skopje, and in the city of Ohrid, in the South-western part of the country) which make Macedonia easily accessible – especially from Italy – and ensure the free movement of goods.
Free-trade zones
In order to attract foreign investors to the country, free-trade zones have been constituted as well as a number of different small areas with additional benefits located in different parts of the country.
The two major and most attractive free-trade zones are in Skopje because of their proximity to the international airport and to the main motorway of the country. In these regions, the tax burden on raw materials and on capital goods is “0” as well as the VAT rate, Corporation Tax and Personal Income Tax (for the latter two taxes, tax break applies to the first ten years of activity).
Incomes of natural person taxpayers are subject to a proportional tax of 10% (flat tax) which for residents is applied on a worldwide basis (that is, even on foreign income).
The incomes of companies and other entities with legal personality which conduct business activity are subject to corporation tax, which, like the previous one, is 10%. With the reform of the year 2015, the tax applies on all profits made in the reporting year and not only on the distributed years, moreover, it was also expected the reduction of the tax basis of the corporation tax with relation to the amount of investments made by the company in tangible and intangible assets, with the exception of expenses to purchase luxury goods (cars, furniture, audio-visual equipment and artwork).
As it often happens, at the base of a largely functioning and growing economy there are solid foundations in terms of workforce and education.
About 6% of GDP is invested in education and great attention is paid to the selection of the compulsory subjects to be studied such as, for example, “Innovations” in primary school and “Business and Entrepreneurship” in high school. The percentages of young people who earn high school diploma (99%) and of those who choose to pursue university studies (90%) are very encouraging. In Italy – according to Eurostat data – 64% of the population aged between 55 and 74 has achieved, at most, compulsory education.
Much attention is paid to the study of foreign languages: English is compulsory from kindergarten, so much so that most of the local job offer requires at least 15 years of linguistic experience. The study of another European language is compulsory for at least eight years in addition to English; moreover, in the country such languages as Croatian, Serbian, Turkish, Albanian and Bulgarian are widely spoken.
Besides, in the last few years the government has implemented several policies aimed at increasing educational programs offering training incentives.
In line with the most advanced economies, particular attention is paid to employment contracts aimed at training the new hires, with important benefits concerning recruitment of apprentices and trainees. Other structural reforms affected the social security system, security in the workplace and employment law litigation.
A business friendly environmet
Returning to the economic front, sectors related to export, business process outsourcing – mainly Call Centre and the branch of IT and CAD/CAM technology – are constantly growing.
Therefore, it is no coincidence that Macedonia is in the 10th place of the “Ease of doing business” ranking, compiled by the World Bank on the occasion of the publication of the “Doing Business 2017: Measuring Regulatory Quality and Efficiency”, and is in the 4th place of the “Ease of starting a business” rankings. The process of establishment and registration of a new company in Macedonia is easy and quick and the start-up phase is not hindered by any complex bureaucratic mechanism.
The formal establishment of a society brings with it immediate benefits for both companies and entrepreneurs, being it also a very fast process. In addition, such companies have free access to services and institutions such as courts and banks, and to the new markets.
Further benefits are also provided for the limited liability companies, for which the law – as in other jurisdictions – provides the complete separation between the assets of the shareholders and those of the company, in order to limit the liability of the members solely to their investment.
Therefore, as the analysis of the World Bank shows, Macedonia is a country strongly committed to guarantee the entry of foreign capital in its territory, through an extremely advantageous tax system and a particularly simple and efficient bureaucratic system.
Italy-Macedonia relationships
Finally, with regard to trade relations with Italy, it is shown how such relations have been continually growing and evolving over the past 10 years.
In three years, from 2005 to 2008, the interchange value is doubled, reaching 711.6 million dollars and, after a short setback, in the year 2011 new signs of recovery were recorded when the value of the interchange has reached 708 million dollars (+ 26% compared to 2010), while at the end of 2014 it has exceeded the level of 2008, before the period of crisis, reaching 756.5 million dollars.
Italian products enjoy a very good reputation in Macedonia, especially with regard to consumer goods: food products (dairy, meat, dessert, pasta and condiment processing, canned products, and oil), cosmetic and personal care products, pharmaceutical and household cleaning products, clothing, furniture and white goods.
On the other hand, regarding capital goods of Italian origin, they consist almost exclusively of food and process manufacturing industries, in particular wine, dessert, canned vegetables and canned products, frozen foods and ice cream; however, the presence of Italian products can be expanded, especially in the field of woodworking and furniture manufacturing industry, construction, plastics, engineering and automotive industry.
In 2016, Italian exports to Macedonia amounted to over € 207,85 mln and according to the Macedonian Statistics Institute, Italy is in fifth place among the trading partners of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, just behind the United Kingdom, Germany, Greece and Serbia.
In conclusion, Macedonia is a country where the demand for “Made in Italy” is very high and constantly growing.
Ava. Stefano Rossi
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Stefano Rossi2019-03-25T11:37:57+00:00
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10 reasons to invest in Italy
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Corrosion (MURI)
DFT Modeling
UHV HREM
"Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought."
Albert Szent-Györgi
Professor Laurence Marks
Evanston IL 60208, USA
Email: L-marks at northwestern dot edu
Research Topics over the years
CV, moderately up to date
My current research interests cover a wide range of topics, some of which are relatively basic, such as Direct Methods, Surface Structures, and Density Functional Theory and Flexoelectricity, while other, such as Hip Replacements, Catalysis, Corrosion and Tribology, have a stronger eye on applications; see the links below the Research tab above for more details. Different from many research groups, we try more to focus on the science than any specific set of tools or techniques, an old-fashioned generalist approach. Much of the fundamental work involves combining cutting-edge variants of electron microscopy in a unique combination of an electron microscope and surface science system so we can combine more standard surface science probes, such as XPS or Auger, and chambers where samples are grown, all within one unique UHV system. Current projects include:
Oxide Surfaces
At the current moment it is very hard to predict the structure of oxide surfaces; this is an important problem because these are very important in a large number of different areas, ranging from catalysis through new types of oxide devices to corrosion. We are exploiting both our direct methods approach as well as careful electron microscopy to understand the atomic scale structures.
How heteroepitaxy occurs on strontium titanate
Cook, S., K. Letchworth-Weaver, I.C. Tung, T.K. Andersen, H. Hong, L.D. Marks, and D.D. Fong
Sci Adv, 2019. 5(4), eaav0764.
Electronic structure of lanthanide scandates
Mizzi, C.A., P. Koirala, and L.D. Marks
Physical Review Materials, 2018. 2(2), 025001
Pauling's rules for oxide surfaces
Andersen, T.K., D.D. Fong, and L.D. Marks
Surface Science Reports, 2018. 73(5), 213-232.
Transition from Order to Configurational Disorder for Surface Reconstructions on SrTiO3(111)
Marks, L.D., A.N. Chiaramonti, S.U. Rahman, and M.R. Castell
Phys Rev Lett, 2015. 114(22), 226101.
Nanotribology
Friction is a pervasive problem, by some estimates consuming about 5% of the GDP of the economies of the developed world, and a recent analysis has indicated that about one third of the fuel energy in automobiles goes to overcoming frictional losses. While the importance of minimizing friction can be traced back at least as far as the tomb of Tehuti-Hetep, circa 1880 B.C, where a man can be seen pouring a lubricant to assist in moving a statue, there are still many unknowns in the field of tribology that encompasses friction as well as other critical processes, such as wear and lubrication. My interests lie in understanding the materials science of sliding at the nanoscale using both in-situ experimentation as well as theory.
In situ observations of graphitic staples in crumpled graphene
Lin, A.Y.W., X.X. Yu, A. Dato, G. Krauss, and L.D. Marks
Carbon, 2018. 132, 760-765
In situ single asperity wear at the nanometre scale
Liao, Y. and L.D. Marks
International Materials Reviews, 2017. 62(2), 99-115
Graphitic Carbon Films Across Systems
Hoffman, E.E. and L.D. Marks
Tribology Letters, 2016. 63(3), 32.
Soft Interface Fracture Transfer in Nanoscale MoS2
Nanoparticles: Plasmonics, Catalysis, and Fundamentals
My group has an active program in nanoparticles, ranging from their use in plasmonics and as catalysts to the fundamentals of their growth, thermodynamics and kinetics.
Kinetic Growth Regimes of Hydrothermally Synthesized Potassium Tantalate Nanoparticles
T. Ly, J. Wen, and L.D. Marks
Nano Lett, 2018. 18(8), 5186-5191.
Nanoparticle shape, thermodynamics and kinetics
L.D. Marks and L. Peng
J Phys Condens Matter, 2016. 28(5), 053001.
Identification of active sites in CO oxidation and water-gas shift over supported Pt catalysts
K. Ding, A. Gulec, A.M. Johnson, N.M. Schweitzer, G.D. Stucky, L.D. Marks and P.C. Stair
Science, 2015.
Plasmon Length: A Universal Parameter to Describe Size Effects in Gold Nanoparticles
E. Ringe, M.R. Langille, K. Sohn, J. Zhang, J.X. Huang, C.A. Mirkin, R.P. Van Duyne and L.D. Marks
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2012. 3(11): p. 1479-1483.
If every human vanished tomorrow, in a century or so the majority of our current technology would have vanished, due to corrosion of metals. Indeed, if we were not able to control corrosion our current civilization would look very different. It is really important to understand what is taking place at the atomic scale, and link this via experiment and theory to the macroscale.
New Insights on the Role of Chloride During the Onset of Local Corrosion: TEM, APT, Surface Energy, and Morphological Instability
Yu, X.X., A. Gulec, K.L. Cwalina, J.R. Scully, and L.D. Marks
Corrosion, 2019. 75(6), 616-627.
Nonequilibrium Solute Capture in Passivating Oxide Films.
Yu, X.X., A. Gulec, Q. Sherman, K.L. Cwalina, J.R. Scully, J.H. Perepezko, P.W. Voorhees, and L.D. Marks
Competitive Chloride Chemisorption Disrupts Hydrogen Bonding Networks: DFT, Crystallography, Thermodynamics, and Morphological Consequences
Marks, L.D.
Early Stage of Oxidation of Mo3Si by In Situ Environmental Transmission Electron Microscopy
Gulec, A., X.X. Yu, M. Taylor, A. Yoon, J.M. Zuo, J.H. Perepezko, and L.D. Marks
My group extensively uses Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to understand surface structures. In addition, I have an interest in the development of algorithms and methodologies to calculate properties faster and more accurately, and do much of the algorithm development and coding myself in my "spare time".
An Augmented Plane Wave + Local Orbitals Program for Calculating Crystal Properties
Blaha, P., K. Schwarz, G.K.H. Madsen, D. Kvasnicka, J. Luitz, R. Laskowsji, F. Tran, and L.D. Marks
2018: Techn. Universitat Wien, Austria.
Fixed-Point Optimization of Atoms and Density in DFT
L. D. Marks
Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation 9 (2013) 2786.
Robust mixing for ab initio quantum mechanical calculations
L.D. Marks and D.R. Luke, Physical Review B 78(7): p. 075114-12, 2008
(A gentler preprint)
Force calculation for orbital-dependent potentials with FP-(L)APW + lo basis sets
F. Tran, J. Kunes, P. Novak, P. Blaha, L.D. Marks, and K. Schwarz
Computer Physics Communications 179: p. 784-790, 2008
Prosthetic implantation is one of the most successful treatments for patients with severe arthritis or rheumatism; it is the difference between a wheelchair and a normal life. As of 2003, more than 200,000 total hip replacement operations were performed annually in the US, and this number is expected to reach 572,000 by 2030. The bearing surfaces of current artificial hip replacements on the market are usually made out of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo) alloys, ceramics (alumina) or ceramicized metals (e.g. oxygen diffusion-hardened ZrNb alloy). Unfortunately these materials are not perfect, and there are numerous problems. We are investigating the fundamentals of the metallurgy, tribology, corrosion as well as exploring some of the biological issues, in collaboration with scientists and physicians at Rush Orthopedics and elsewhere.
The effect of contact load on CoCrMo wear and the formation and retention of tribofilms
M.A. Wimmer, M.P. Laurent, M.T. Mathew, C. Nagelli, Y. Liao, L.D. Marks, J.J. Jacobs and A. Fischer
Wear, 2015. 332–333(0): p. 643-649
Intergranular pitting corrosion of CoCrMo biomedical implant alloy
Panigrahi, P., Y. Liao, M. Mathew, M.A. Wimmer, J.J. Jacobs, and L.D. Marks
Journal of Biomedical Research, 2013, 102B, 850-859
CoCrMo metal-on-metal hip replacements.
Y. Liao, E. Hoffman, M.A. Wimmer, A. Fischer, J.J. Jacobs, and L.D. Marks
Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics. , 15 (2013) 746.
Graphitic Tribological Layers in Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacements (Supporting Info)
Y. Liao, R. Pourzal, M. A. Wimmer, J. J. Jacobs, A. Fischer and L. D. Marks
Science 334 (2011) 1687
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About Cyprus Kykkos Monastery
Kykkos Monastery (or the Holy, Royal and Stavropegic Monastery of Kykkos) is located in the forest of the Troodos Mountains. The Monastery of Kykkos, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is home to one of the three icons attributed to the Apostle Luca. The monastery is the richest and most lavishly adorned Monasteries in Cyprus and tourists and locals visit it by the busload. It is located in the Marathasa region on a mountain peak at an altitude of 4,320 feet.
The Byzantine emperor, Alexios Komnenos built the monastery in the 11th century. One of the icons in the church which was gifted by Alexios is the icon of the Virgin Mary which according to legend was created by the Apostle Luca. This icon is revered by the locals as a holy miracle-working icon. The icon, which was placed in the iconostasis of the main church, is hidden by a velvet veil and according to legend, anyone who viewed the face of the Virgin would be stricken with misfortune. To the right of the icon, there is a black cast of a human hand which is said to belong to a visitor who touched the icon.
There are many stories of miracles that have been attributed to this holy icon. Some of these have been chronicled by the monastery and can be seen today. There are stories of exorcisms, sick people being healed, infertile women having children and rainfall amid a destructive drought. The monastery has been involved in fires that ravaged the region on four separate occasions and each time the building remained unscathed. The monastery of Kykkos has one of the most ornate churches in Cyprus. The main entrance is a portal which is decorated with images of the Virgin Mary, Christ the Savior and the Apostles Peter and Paul. The refectory is decorated with the holy images of Cypriot saints and scenes from the New Testament.
The Archeological Museum, which was founded in 1995 is located in the northern part of the monastery. Here you will find a great collection of religious art which have a connection to the Byzantine Empire. There are also books, oil lamps, chandeliers, candle holders, crosses and many other items of interest. The monastery houses monk cells, service facilities and a library that has rare church publications. The frescoes of the first-floor gallery depict the history of the monastery and the miracles performed by the icon of the Virgin Mary. Some of the frescoes in the church date back to the 11th century and some were restored in the 18th century.
The monastery has guest rooms and pilgrims who visit the monastery are welcome to spend the night. There is also a stone chapel on the Throni Hill which is located next to the tomb of Archbishop Makarios III who was the first president of Cyprus. Archbishop Makarios III started his ecclesiastical career there as a monk in 1926. He remained fond of the place and returned there many times. His request to be buried there materialized after his death in 1977. His tomb lies 3 km west of Kykkos monastery and remains a popular visitor’s destination.
The monastery is world famous amongst Orthodox parishioners and is well worth visiting. There are some guided tours available from most city centers that could pick you up from your hotel or residence. But if you want to drive there, the trip will take you through some of the most picturesque mountain views. The monastery is highly revered and you will be expected to dress respectfully before you enter the church.
Tel: +357 22942726, Fax: +357 22942744
Email: MIMK@cy.net
Website: www.kykkos.org.cy
Opening Hours: Summer: 10:00 am until 6:00 pm
Winter: 10:00 am until 4:00 pm
Entrance Fee: €5
(Closed on the Saturday before Easter and on Easter Sunday)
Photography is not permitted. The monastery is open daily during the daytime. There is a strict dress code. You could be turned away if you are wearing short, or uncovered shoulders. It is best for ladies to take a cover or shawl if they wish to visit the church.
Price: €2,035,000
Luxurious Mansions in Golf resort Paphos
4 4 Paphos
New Apartments with Sea Views for Sale in Limassol
3 3 Limassol
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Popular Artists of the 1960’s
1950s | 1960s | 1970s
“Little Children” “Bad To Me” “I’ll Keep You Satisfied”
Bob Miranda & The Happenings
“See You In September” “Go Away Little Girl” “I Got Rhythm” “My Mammy”
Chris Montez
"Let’s Dance"
Eugene Pitt & The Jive Five
“What Time Is It” “I’m A Happy Man” “My True Story” “Never Never”
“This Friendly World” “Tiger” “Turn Me Loose” “String Along” “Kissin' and Twistin' “I'm a Man” “Come on and Get Me” “About This Thing Called Love” “Hound Dog Man” “Wild Party”
Felix Cavaliere's Rascals
“Groovin’ On A Sunday Afternoon” “A Beautiful Morning” “People Got To Be Free” “A Girl Like You” “How Can I Be Sure”
“Venus” “Dede Dinah” “Why” ”Bobby Sox to Stockings” “All of Everything” “Gingerbread” “Just Ask Your Heart” “You Are Mine”
“Can't Take My Eyes off You” “Swearin' to God” “My Eyes Adored You”
Gary Lewis & The Playboys
“This Diamond Ring” “She's Just My Style” “Everybody Loves a Clown” “Count Me In” “Sure Gonna Miss Her” “Little Miss Go Go” “I Won't Make That Mistake Again” “Green Grass" "Girls in Love" "(You Don't Have to) Paint Me a Picture"
Gary Puckett
“Young Girl” “Take A Letter, Maria” “Woman Woman”
Gene “Duke Of Earl” Chandler
“Duke of Earl” “Groovy Situation” “Get Down” “Does She Have a Friend”
“Ferry Cross The Mersey” “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying”
“Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter” “I’m Into Something Good” “I’m Henry The Eighth I Am” “(What A) Wonderful World” “Cant’ You Hear My Heartbeat” “Just A Little Bit” “A Must To Avoid” “Dandy” “Leaning On A Lamp Post” “There’s A Kinda Hush”
Jay & The Americans
“She Cried” “Only In America” “Come A Little Bit Closer” “Cara Mia” “Some Enchanted Evening” “This Magic Moment” “Crying”
Jay & The Techniques
“Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie” “Keep The Ball Rollin’”
“He Will Break Your Heart” “Moon River” “Let It Be Me” “For Your Precious Love” “Western Union Man” “Only The Strong Survive”
Jimmy Beaumont And The Skyliners
“Since I Don’t Have You” “Pennies From Heaven” “This I Swear” “Lonely Way” “It Happened Today”
Joey Dee & The Starlighters
"Peppermin Twist" and "Shout"
John Kuse & The Excellents
“Coney Island Baby”
Johnny Keyes And The Magnificents
“Up On The Mountain”
“Secret Agent Man” “Seventh Sun” “Memphis” “Maybelline” “Mountain of Love” “Poor Side Of Town” “Baby I Need Your Lovin’” “Midnight Special” “The Tracks Of My Tears” “Rockin’ Pneumonia-Boogie Woogie Flu” “Swayin’ To The Music (Slow Dancin’)
"Loop De Loop"
“Light My Fire”" "Hi-Heel Sneakers" "Feliz Navidad" "Bamba" "Affirmation" "You Send Me" "Rain" "Pegao" "No Hay Mal Que Por Bien No Venga" "Mule Skinner Blues"
“A Thousand Stars”
Larry Chance And The Earls
“Remember Then” ”I Believe” “Life Is But A Dream” “Lookin’ For My Baby”
Lenny Cocco & The Chimes
“Once In A While” I’m In The Mood For Love“
Lenny Welch
“Since I Fell For You” “Ebb Tide” “Breakin’ Up Is Hard To Do”1960
"It's My Party" "Judy's Turn to Cry" "She's a Fool" "You Don't Own Me" "That's the Way Boys Are”
Little Caesar & The Romans
“Those Oldies But Goodies”
Lou Christie
“Lightenin Strikes ” “Two Faces Have I” “Rhapsody In The Rain” “The Gypsy Cried”
“Do You Believe In Magic” “Daydream” “Summer In The City”
“Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)" "Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things)" "In My Lonely Room" "I'm Ready for Love" "Quicksand" "Nowhere to Run" "Jimmy Mack" "Dancing in the Street" "Come and Get These Memories" "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave”
“Don't Get Mad, Get Even" "Oooh Child" "Red Hot" "You Make Me Feel So Good" "Pick Up the Pieces" "Warm Summer Night" "You're the Light That Guides" "Can't Take My Eyes off You”
Mel Carter
“All Of A Sudden My Heart Sings” “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me”
Mitch Ryder & Detroit Wheels
"Devil with a Blue Dress On” “Good Golly Miss Molly"
“Still the One”
“Hey Paul” “First Quarrel” “Young Lovers”
Paul Revere & The Raiders
“Kicks” “Hungry” “Good Thing” “ Like, Long Hair” “Just Like Me” “Him or Me-What’s It Gonna Be?” “Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian”
Randy & The Rainbows
"(I Know) I'm Losing You" "Born to Wander" "Get Ready" "I Just Want to Celebrate"
Ronnie Spector/the Ronettes
You Baby" "Paradise" "Walking in the Rain" "Baby I Love You" "Be My Baby" "Why Don't They Let Us Fall in Love" "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered" "When I Saw You" "So Young" "Is This What I Get for Loving You?"
original Lead Voice Of The Shirelles
Shirley Alston Reeves
“Dedicated” “Soldier Boy” “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” “Mama Said” “Everybody Loves A Lover” “Baby It’s You”
“Go Where You Wanna Go” “Up-Up And Away” “Stoned Soul Picnic” “California Soul” “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” “Workin’ On A Groovy Thing” “Wedding Bell Blues” “One Less Bell To Answer” “(Last Night) I Didn’t Get To Sleep At All” “If I Could Reach You”
“Maybe” “He’s Gone” “Everynight” “I Love You So”
"One Fine Day"
The Dovells
"Bristol Stomp" "You Can't Sit Down" "Hully Gully Baby" "Bristol Twistin Annie"
“So I Can Love You” “Best Of My Love”
The Fireflies
“You Were Mine”
The Fleetwoods Featuring Gary Troxel
“Goodnight My Love” “Graduation's Here” “Tragedy” “(He's) The Great Imposter” “Come Softly to Me” “Mr. Blue” “You Mean Everything to Me” “Outside My Window” “Runaround” “Lovers by Night, Strangers by Day”
“Midnight Confessions” “Let’s Live For Today” “I’d Wait A Million Years” “Baby Hold On” “Temptation Eyes” “Sooner or Later” “Two Divided By Love”
"Louie, Louie" “Money (That's What I Want)”
The Mindbenders (wayne Fontana)
“Game Of Love” “Stop Look & Listen”
? The Mysterians
“96 Tears”
The Orlons
“The Wah Watusi” “Don't Hang Up” “South Street” “Not Me” “Cross Fire”
The Reflections
"Just Like Romeo & Juliet" "Poor Mans Son" "Shabby Little Hut" "Just Like Columbus Did"
The Roommates (cathy Jean)
"Please Love Me Forever" "Glory Of Love"
“Rock Island Line” “Needles & Pins” “Don’t Throw Your Love Away” “Sugar and Spice”
The Toys Featuring Barbara Harris
“A Lover’s Concerto” “Attack”
“Wild Thing” “Love Is All Around”
The Turtles/flo & Eddie
“Happy Together” “Eleanor”
The Vogues
“Five O’Clock World”
“Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" "One" "Old Fashioned Love Song" "Joy to the World" "Sure as I'm Sittin' Here" "Let Me Serenade You" "Show Must Go On" "Out in the Country" "Liar" "Eli's Coming"
Tommy James & The Shondells
“Draggin' the Line" "Cherry Wine" "Mony Mony" "I Think We're Alone Now" "Panky" "Crystal Blue Persuasion" "Crimson and Clover" "Glory, Glory" "Get Out Now" "Three Times in Love"
Tommy Roe
“Sheila” “Everybody” “Sweet Pea” “Hooray For Hazel” “Dizzy” “Jam Up & Jelly Tight”
Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
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appears on:
The Lion King: The Gift compilation
2018 Grmmy Nominees
REAL NAME: Donald Glover
BIRTHDAY: September 25, 1983
BIGGEST POP SINGLE: "Redbone" (2017)
BIGGEST LP: "Awaken, My Love!" (2016)
GRAMMY AWARDS: 5
"When anybody pays you to be creative, you're very lucky." - Childish Gambino
Childish Gambino was born as Donald Glover on September 25, 1983 in California and raised in Georgia. As Donald Glover, he has proven to be an award-winning actor in films and the critically acclaimed TV series Atlanta. As Childish Gambino, he has proven to be a force of rap, hip-hop and R&B music. If that wasn't enough he is also known as 'mcDJ' - his DJ name. Childish Gambino's music career started in 2011 after releasing his debut LP. The name 'Childish Gambino' came from using the 'Wu-Tang Name Generator' (which turns your real name into a rap name).
March 8: Childish Gambino released the EP EP.
November 15: Childish Gambino released his debut LP Camp.
September 6: The video for "Heartbeat" was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video.
December 10: Childish Gambino released Because The Internet.
December 28: Childish Gambino topped the Billboard Rap Albums chart for 1 week with Because The Internet.
August 24: The video for "3005" was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video.
August 25: Childish Gambino could be heard on the Ariana Grande LP My Everything on the track "Break Your Heart Right Back."
September 27: Childish Gambino hit the ARC Weekly Top 40 with "3005."
October 3: Childish Gambino released the EP STN MTN / Kauai.
October 18: Childish Gambino topped the Billboard Rap Albums chart for 2 weeks with STN MTN / Kauai.
February 8: Childish Gambino was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards including Best Rap Album (Because The Internet) and Best Rap Performance ("3005").
August 30: The video for "Sober" was nominated for 2 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Direction and the video "Telegraph Ave." was nominated for Best Visual Effects.
# ------ Singles Artist of the Year
December 2: Childish Gambino released "Awaken, My Love!.
December 24: Childish Gambino topped the Billboard R&B Albums chart for 1 week with "Awaken, My Love!.
# 48 Singles Artist of the Year
May 27: Childish Gambino topped the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart for 10 weeks with "Redbone."
June 10: Childish Gambino hit the ARC Weekly Top 40 with "Redbone."
November 19: Childish Gambino was nominated for 2 American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album (Awaken My Love!).
December 31: Childish Gambino topped the Billboard 2018 Year-End Chart Toppers with the Top Adult R&B Song ("Redbone").
January 28: Childish Gambino won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance ("Redbone"), and was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Urban Contemporary Album (Awaken My Love!) and Record of the Year and Best R&B Song ("Redbone").
May 5: Childish Gambino was the host and performer on Saturday Night Live and performed "This Is America" and "Saturday."
May 19: Childish Gambino hit the ARC Weekly Top 40 with "This Is America."
May 19: Childish Gambino topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 2 weeks, Digital Songs chart for 2 weeks, Rap Songs chart for 2 weeks, R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for 2 weeks, and R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs chart for 3 weeks with "This Is America."
August 20: The video for "This Is America" won 2 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Direction and Best Choreography and was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Editing.
February 10: Childish Gambino won 4 Grammy Awards including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Performance, and Best Music Video ("This Is America"), and was nominated for Best R&B Song ("Feels Like Summer").
July 12: Childish Gambino could be heard on The Lion King on the tracks "Hakuna Matata"" and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight."
July 19: Childish Gambino could be heard on The Lion King: The Gift compilation on the track "Mood 4 Eva."
August 26: The video for "Feels Like Summer" was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video.
LP DISCOGRAPHY
EP (EP)
Released: March 8, 2011.
Tracks: "Be Alone" - "Freaks And Geeks" - "My Shine" - "Lights Turned On" - "Not Going Back" (featuring Beldina Malaika)
Released: November 15, 2011.
Billboard Top 200 LPs peak: # 11.
Tracks: "Outside" - "Fire Fly" - "Bonfire" - "All The Shine" - "Letter Home" - "Heartbeat" - "Backpackers" - "L.E.S." - "Hold You Down" - "Kids (Keep Up)" - "You See Me" - "Sunrise" - "That Power"
Because The Internet
US: Gold
Billboard Top 200 LPs peak: # 7
Billboard # 1: Rap Albums
Grammy Nominee: Best Rap Album
Rolling Stone: - Entertainment Weekly: B-
Tracks: "The Library" (Intro) - "I. Crawl" - "II. Worldstar" - "Dial Up" - "I. The Worst Guys" (featuring Chance The Rapper) - "II. Shadows" - "III. Telegraph Ave. ("Oakland" by Lloyd)" - "IV. Sweatpants" - "V. 3005" - "Playing Around Before The Party Starts" - "I. The Party" - "II. No Exit" - "Death By Numbers" - "I. Flight Of The Navigator" - "II. Zealots Of Stockhold (Free Information)" - "III. Urn" - "I. Pink Toes" (featuring Jhene Aiko) - "II. Earth: The Oldest Computer (The Last Night)" (featuring Azealia Banks) - "III. Life: The Biggest Troll (Andrew Auernheimer)"
STN MTN / Kauai (EP)
Released: October 3, 2014
Billboard Top 200 LPs peak: # 16
Tracks: "Dream / Southern Hospitality / Partna Dem" - "F*** Given" - "No Small Talk" (featuring Kari Faux) - "Money Baby" - "Move That Dope / Nextel Chirp / Let Your Hair Blow" (featuring Young Scooter) - "AssShots Remx" (featuring Royalty) - "Childish Gambino @ The Atrium" - "U Don't Have To Call" - "Candler Road" - "All Y'all" - "Go DJ"
"Awaken, My Love!"
US: Platinum
Billboard # 1: R&B Albums
Grammy Nominee: Album of the Year, Best Urban Contemporary Album
Tracks: "Me And Your Mama" - "Have Some Love" - "Boogieman" - "Zombies" - "Riot" - "Redbone" - "California" - "Terrified" - "Baby Boy" - "The Night Me And Your Mama Met" - "Stand Tall"
POP SINGLES DISCOGRAPHY
[based on RockOnTheNet's The ARC Weekly Top 40
1 Redbone
from the LP Awaken, My Love!
ARC chart run: 34 - 26 - 23 - 21 - 19 - 19 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 11 - 18 - 21 - 29 - off
Year-End Chart Position: # 49
RIAA Certification: 5x Platinum
Billboard # 1: Adult R&B Songs
Grammy Winner: Best Traditional R&B Performance
Grammy Nominee: Record of the Year, Best R&B Song 11 16 2017
2 This Is America
ARC chart run: 34 - 31 - 30 - 40 - 39 - 39 - 38 - 37 - 37 - off
Year-End Chart Position: # 112
Billboard # 1: Hot 100, R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Rap Songs, R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs, Digital Songs
Grammy Winner: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Performance, Best Music Video
MTV VMA Winner: Best Direction, Best Choreography
MTV VMA Nominee: Video of the Year, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography 30 9 2018
from the LP Because The Internet
ARC chart run: 39 - 39 - off
RIAA Certification: Platinum
Grammy Nominee: Best Rap Performance
MTV VMA Nominee: Best Hip-Hop Video 39 2 2014
from the LP Camp
MTV VMA Nominee: Best Hip-Hop Video ** ** 2011
from the LP Because The Internet ** ** 2014
RIAA Certification: Gold ** ** 2014
from the EP STN MTN / Kauai
MTV VMA Nominee: Best Direction ** ** 2014
Me And Your Mama
from the LP "Awaken, My Love!" ** ** 2016
Summertime Magic
RIAA Certification: Gold
Grammy Nominee: Best R&B Song
MTV VMA Nominee: Best R&B Video ** ** 2018
Note: Song title and position links lead you to the song's ARC Weekly Top 40 chart run, LP links take you to Amazon.com for that LP's info (often including track listings and track samples), and single cover art takes you to Amazon.com for that CD single (if available). Songs charting prior to 1980 have information from Billboard magazine.
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Land Holdings
Boyden Farm
By John Nye Cullity
Next Sunday, July 8th at 2 PM, the Sandwich Conservation Trust will conduct its monthly walk at the town’s Boyden Farm Conservation Lands, off Cotuit Road. This will be an easy, level walk to Peters Pond and back - 40 minutes or so. This is the SCT’s first walk on this parcel, but I’ve also realized it is an opportunity to write about an important Sandwich man who was responsible for the preservation of this piece.
John A. Ohman (1913-2002) was born in Sweden, and immigrated to this country, Long Island, in 1923. He was an extremely hard worker with a gift for technical detail, and after mastering radio repair and electronics, went on to a career as a self-taught civil and electrical engineer. From 1935 to 1937 he was a member of the Andes-Amazon Expedition as radio operator and cartographer, an important experience that enabled him to solve problems under difficult conditions. He later worked for Reiber Research in New York, American Airlines, Fairchild Instruments, and Southwest Research Institute.
In 1961 John and his wife Edythe purchased a cottage in Sandwich on Town Neck, and in 1964 the old Swann house at 104 Tupper Road, where he planned to establish a small research lab. My own association with the Ohmans began at this time, and John provided me with work into my college years, and he was one of the greatest teachers I ever had. The Swann house unfortunately, was termite ridden, and was replaced by a full-Cape with a research lab discretely attached to the back. Ohman Research Lab operated for some years, designing prototypes of electronic and photographic devices for the government.
John Ohman had a deep appreciation of nature, and loved the “old look” of Cape Cod. In the mid-1960s there was a proposal to build a new town hall on Brady’s Island, across from the fire station. The house and outbuildings had been taken down, and the island and surrounding phragmites-free marsh were quite beautiful. Alarmed about this project, John and the late Dr. Shirley Cross spearheaded the effort to preserve the island by bringing it to town meeting for purchase, which occurred in May, 1967.
In the early 1980s real estate development was occurring at an alarming rate, and in response, selectmen created the Environmental Task Force to research and propose conservation properties for purchase by town meeting. Appointees were drawn from the conservation commission, planning board, board of health, appeals board, recreation, selectmen, water district, Sandwich Conservation Trust, and general citizenry. It was a fine board that worked well together. John Ohman became the chairman.
Work began immediately on drafting a conservation and recreation plan that would satisfy the state Department of Conservation, so we could apply for “self-help” funds. Though everyone helped, the lion’s share was done by John, and the report was accepted and published in January, 1986. That year, the ETF brought three parcels to town meeting, all of which were purchased. One of these was a 48 acre parcel with 730 feet of frontage on Peters Pond. This piece was owned by a developer, and John Ohman took responsibility for the negotiations. A price of 1.1 million was arrived at. $765,000 of this was provided by the state, thanks to the report largely drafted by John, quite an accomplishment for a volunteer.
Years later, the town purchased the former Hewlett-Packard corporate recreation site now known as Oak Crest – a nice package of adjacent town properties.
John and Edythe Ohman also donated 2.67 acres of salt marsh to the Sandwich Conservation Trust, opposite their Tupper Road home – the Ohman Preserve.
So, feel free to join us on a trek to Peter’s Pond this Sunday at 2PM. I must say, the source of the name “Boyden Farm” is a bit of a mystery to me. Perhaps someone can provide that information. The walk will be cancelled if it rains. Questions? Call me at (508) 888-7629.
Update: More information on the source of the name "Boyden Farm" can be found here.
This aerial view of the Boyden Farms Conservation Lands was taken by the author in 1986.
The town’s Oak Crest property is just below.
John Ohman, a valuable Sandwich citizen and conservationist.
Posted by SCT at 8:36 AM
Elinor's Woods
Joe's Woods
Shirley's Woods
Toolas Preserve
A Brief History of Sandwich
Sandwich Historical Commission
Sandwich's 375th Anniversary
The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts
Take a Hike Boyden Farm By John Nye Cullity ...
Design by Don Bayley, FYI World Media, East Sandwich, MA
Copyright 2012 Sandwich Conservation Trust. Travel theme. Powered by Blogger.
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You are here: Home » OTHER NEWS » New Archaeological Findings on Gradac Hill in the Municipality of Prozor-Rama
New Archaeological Findings on Gradac Hill in the Municipality of Prozor-Rama
New archaeological findings were discovered on the Gradac hill in the Municipality of Prozor-Rama during the second phase of excavation works.
Tino Tomas from the Department of Archeology of the Faculty of Philosophy in Mostar said that the site of Gradac has a very interesting toponym that is linked to Gradina, which are the sites that are linked to the beginning of metal periods in this cultural macro-region.
“This year’s goal was to detect the earliest layers of these metal periods, in which we have succeeded. We opened a few test probes, and in the second probe were discovered the remains of the dwellings, which is a very rare finding, since these remains are linked to those oldest metal periods or the transition from eneolithics to the Bronze Age. Moreover, some typical material that is related to the daily activities of the population that inhabited this area somewhere between 2200 and 2000 BC was found as well,” said Tino.
He added that one of these typical findings are ceramic vessels.
“They have a typical decoration in the form of applied plastic strips, which are further decorated with fingertips, and thus we have fingerprints of those early residents as well,” he added.
He also noted that life in that region did not stop in the early Bronze Age, but it was present in the late Bronze Age, as well as in the younger and older Iron Age.
“When it comes to the Iron Age, we found characteristic remains of pots, which are handles with the so-called horned plastic extensions, which are typical for this area in the period of transition to the early Iron Age. Moreover, ceramics from the 4th century BC are indicating a very prosperous community that could contact with the more prosperous world, towards the south, Greece and the Mediterranean. We found the remains of iron ore in the layers of the older and earlier Iron Age. We can say that this raw material, or iron, probably went south, while in the direction of the north, towards Gradac, went luxurious products from this Mediterranean workshop, such as Greek ceramics that we found,” said Tomas.
Jozo Ivancevic, the Mayor of the Municipality of Prozor-Rama, noted that the municipality will continue to support this project, as it did before.
He added that a large part of the funds will be allocated from the municipal budget for this project and there is a plan for some kind of museum as well.
(Source: klix.ba)
Tags: #archaeology #BiH #findings Bronze Age Prozor-Rama
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Nicholas Benson
Slate M
Hand-carved slate
This hand-carved tablet was created especially for the Slate as Muse exhibition by renowned stonecarver Nicholas Benson of the John Stevens Shop whose work includes the inscriptions for the National World War II Memorial and the National Martin Luther King ,Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.
“The tablet is from an 80-year-old piece of Monson (Maine) black cleft slate that belonged to my grandfather,” says Benson. The original slate vein is no longer mined, so this stone carries a special significance for the artist.
Slate M is the second of a series of work that is a creative departure from the more traditional style of inscription carving which must be easily legible for monuments and memorials. “My process for Slate M began with a brown paper and red pen line drawing, very quick and rough, inspired by the natural texture and materiality of the slate,” says Benson. In this piece, the artist pushed creative boundaries with a more gestural interpretation of the letters. “It's my own calligraphic layout run amok in free expression,” he says. “I wanted to use text as texture with the block of text filling the stone.” He made a tracing paper “overlay,” refining the layout extensively while keeping all of the liveliness of the pen work. He then transferred the line drawing to the slate and then carved each letter inscription in v-cut lettering with a mallet and chisel.
At first the inscription seems illegible, but Benson explains how to “read” it. “If you begin by trying to pick out individual letters, you'll then start to see the words,” he suggests. The quote in the inscription is from the modernist painter Tony Terenzio on the subject of art as a constant source for inspiration rather than a simple linear progression:
“Of course no so called style can continue forever because then human consciousness would have to remain static. But, on the other hand you can’t pretend nothing ever happened. - Terenzio
If you look closely, you'll notice what seems to be a mistake. The “A” in the word, “human” seems to had been omitted and a small one added as a correction. Benson assures that this was done on purpose however, there is a small “C” further along the same line that was indeed a mistake.
Benson will continue to push boundaries in this series as more pieces are planned for the future.
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ABC’s 2010-11 Sked: V in, Flashforward Out
May 18, 2010 at 10:04 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Yes, we could use the line that Flashforward had to foresee this coming. Wait, we just did.
Anyway, V is coming back midseason and ABC has rolled out the new roster for fall. Here’s a look from the ABC press release:
New series for the 2010-11 season are “Better Together,” “Body of Proof,” “Detroit 1-8-7,” “Happy Endings,” “Mr. Sunshine,” “My Generation,” “No Ordinary Family,” “Off the Map,” “Secret Millionaire” and “The Whole Truth.”
“America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “The Bachelor,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Supernanny,” “V” and “20/20” join previously announced returning series “Castle,” “Cougar Town,” “The Middle” and “Modern Family.” “Saturday Night College Football” also returns.
“Our passion for great storytelling is at the core of everything we do,” said Steve McPherson. “Finding and supporting writers, directors, producers and actors who share that passion is critical to our success. Our shows are the product of these collaborations, and we are thrilled to add 10 new series to our schedule next year.”
Fall premiere dates will be announced at a later time. Please note shows picked up but not listed on the schedule will debut later in the 2010-11 season.
ABC’s fall primetime schedule is as follows (all times listed are Eastern); new shows in bold:
DAY TIME SERIES
MONDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars”
10:00 p.m. “Castle”
TUESDAY: 8:00 p.m. “No Ordinary Family”
9:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”
10:00 p.m. “Detroit 1-8-7”
WEDNESDAY: 8:00 p.m. “The Middle”
8:30 p.m. “Better Together”
9:00 p.m. “Modern Family”
9:30 p.m. “Cougar Town”
10:00 p.m. “The Whole Truth”
THURSDAY: 8:00 p.m. “My Generation”
9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
10:00 p.m. “Private Practice”
FRIDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Secret Millionaire”
9:00 p.m. “Body of Proof”
10:00 p.m. “20/20”
SATURDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night College Football”
SUNDAY: 7:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
9:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”
10:00 p.m. “Brothers & Sisters”
NEW FALL AND MIDSEASON SERIES
Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) was in a class of her own, a brilliant neurosurgeon at the top of her game. But her world is turned upside down when a devastating car accident puts an end to her time in the operating room. Megan resumes her career as a medical examiner, determined to solve the puzzle of who or what killed the victims. Her instincts are sharp, but she’s developed a reputation for graying the lines of where her job ends and where the police department’s begins. It turns out her career isn’t the only thing that will need to be rebuilt; Megan’s family has taken a backseat to her ambition, and now she’s discovering there’s a lot of work to do when it comes to dissecting her relationships with the living.
Dana Delany stars as Dr. Megan Hunt, Jeri Ryan as Dr. Kate Murphy, Geoffrey Arend as Dr. Elliot Gross, John Carroll Lynch as Detective Bud Morris, Windell Middlebrooks as Dr. Curtis Brumfield, Nic Bishop as Peter Dunlap and Sonja Sohn as Detective Samantha Baker.
“Body of Proof” is from ABC Studios. Christopher Murphey wrote the pilot, which was directed by Nelson McCormick. Murphey and Matt Gross serve as executive producers.
What does it take to be a detective on America’s most dangerous streets? Get ready to be part of the action when a documentary crew rolls with some of Detroit’s finest, offering an insider’s glimpse behind the curtain of a Homicide Unit. The cameras unearth the crisis and revelation, heartbreak and heroism of these inner city cops — moments of raw exposure when they address us directly, as well as private moments when they forget they’re being filmed.
There’s the damaged but driven Detective Louis Fitch, a wily homicide vet who is the most respected
– and most misunderstood — man in the division; Detective Damon Washington, Fitch’s new partner, who finds the first day on the job is a trial by fire, complicated by the imminent birth of his first child; Detective Ariana Sanchez, sexy, edgy and beautiful, who has emerged from a rough background to become a rising star in the department; Narcotics undercover cop John Stone, a streetwise smooth talker, clever and quick with a smile made for the movies, who is teamed with Sanchez — a combustible pairing rife with conflict and sexual tension; Sergeant Jesse Longford, a 30-year veteran struggling with his impending retirement from the force and the city he loves, who, together with his partner, Detective Aman Mahajan — a fully Americanized son of Indian immigrants — form an amusing mismatch of experience and enthusiasm, intellect and instinct, old school and new world, but whose combined skills have never encountered a case that couldn’t be cleared; and all are headed by Lieutenant Maureen Mason, a strong-willed single mom struggling to balance home and work.
The men and women of Detroit Homicide are as smart and tough as they come. They have to be, working the neighborhoods of the once and future Motor City, a rebounding bastion of middle America still saddled with the highest murder rate in the country.
“Detroit 1-8-7” stars Michael Imperioli (“The Sopranos”) as Detective Louis Fitch, Jon Michael Hill as Detective Damon Washington, James McDaniel (“NYPD Blue”) as Sergeant Jesse Longford, Aisha Hinds (“True Blood”) as Lieutenant Maureen Mason, Natalie Martinez as Detective Ariana Sanchez, D.J. Cotrona as Detective John Stone and Shaun Majumder as Detective Aman Mahajan.
The series is produced by ABC Studios. The pilot was written by Jason Richman. Executive producers are Richman, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and David Zabel. Jeff Nachmanoff directed the pilot.
What a difference ten years can make. In 2000, a documentary crew follows a disparate group of high schoolers from Greenbelt High School in Austin, TX as they prepare for graduation, then revisits these former classmates ten years later as they return home to rediscover that just because they’re not where they planned doesn’t mean they’re not right where they need to be.
These students couldn’t wait to graduate and head out into the real world. But the world they were entering got very real very fast. As these classmates return home to revisit their old hopes for their future, they’ll discover that, even if you don’t get exactly what you thought you wanted out of life, it’s not too late to get what you need.
“My Generation” stars Michael Stahl David as Steven, Kelli Garner as Dawn, Jaime King as Jacqueline, Keir O’Donnell as Kenneth, Sebastian Sozzi as Falcon, Mechad Brooks as Rolly, Anne Son as Caroline, Daniella Alonso as Brenda and Julian Morris as Anders.
“My Generation” was created and written by Noah Hawley (“The Unusuals,” “Bones”), who is also an executive producer, along with Warren Littlefield, Henrik Bastin, Patrick Magnasson and Martin Piersson. Craig Gillespie directed the pilot. The project is from ABC Studios.
The Powells are about to go from ordinary to extraordinary. After 16 years of marriage, Jim and Stephanie’s relationship lacks the spark it once had, and their family life now consists of balancing work and their two children, leaving little time for family bonding. During a family vacation set up by Jim in an attempt to reconnect, their plane crashes into the Amazon River. But this is where the fun starts for the Powells, as they soon discover that something’s not quite right. Each of them now possesses unique and distinct superpowers. But saving and savoring their family life will be equally important, as they try to find purpose for their new powers and embark on a journey to find out what defines and unifies them. The Powells are a totally relatable family who happen to be a little bit amazing.
Michael Chiklis (“The Shield”) stars as Jim Powell, Julie Benz (“Dexter”) as Stephanie Powell, Romany Malco (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) as George St. Cloud, Tate Donovan (“Damages”) as Mitch McCutcheon, Autumn Reeser as Katie Andrews, Christina Chang as Yvonne Cho, Kay Panabaker as Daphne Powell and Jimmy Bennett as JJ Powell.
The pilot was written and executive-produced by Jon Feldman. The series is executive-produced by Feldman, Greg Berlanti, Morgan Wandell and David Semel, who also directed the pilot. Joe Hartwick, Jr. serves as producer. “No Ordinary Family” is from ABC Studios.
Executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice”) and creator Jenna Bans (“Grey’s Anatomy”) bring you an uplifting medical drama that explores how far you have to go to truly heal.
Welcome to “la ciudad de las estrellas” (the city of stars), a tiny town in the South American jungle which has one understaffed, under-stocked medical clinic. That’s where idealistic young Dr. Lily Brenner just landed, along with fellow doctors Mina Minard and Manny Diaz. All of these young doctors are running away from personal demons, but they aren’t the only ones with emotional baggage. Take the legendary and enigmatic Ben Keeton, who was the youngest Chief of Surgery at UCLA. He walked away from it all to found the clinic. Together with his right-hand doctor, Otis Cole, he’ll teach these newcomers how to save lives in the most challenging environment they’ve ever worked in.
In this ensemble drama, five doctors who have lost their way will go to the ends of the earth to try to remember the reasons why they wanted to become doctors in the first place.
“Off the Map” stars Martin Henderson as Ben Keeton, Caroline Dhavernas as Lily Brenner, Enrique Murciano as Manny Diaz, Mamie Gummer as Mina Minard, Jason George as Otis Cole, Valerie Cruz as Zita (Zee) and Jose Julian as Charlie.
“Off the Map” is executive-produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, and created/executive-produced by Jenna Bans. The series is from ABC Studios.
This unique legal drama chronicles the way a case is built from the perspective of both the defense and prosecution. Showing each side equally keeps the audience guessing, shifting allegiances and opinions on guilt or innocence until the very final scene.
Kathryn Peale, the product of a New England background and a sheriff father, is the Deputy Bureau Chief in the New York State District Attorney’s office. Jimmy Brogan, born and raised in Hell’s Kitchen and a friend of Kathryn’s since their days at Yale Law School, is one of New York’s rising criminal attorney stars. Buoyed by their respective teams, these evenly matched lawyers — each with a strong streak of competitiveness, a fervent belief in their clients and an equally intense passion for the law —
go about creating two different stories from the same set of facts. As this up-close, behind-the-scenes look at the legal process mirrors the excitement of a championship match, it becomes evident that truth has nothing to do with innocence or guilt — at the end of every trial, the only thing that matters is what the jury believes.
“The Whole Truth” stars Rob Morrow (“Numb3rs”) as Jimmy Brogan, Joely Richardson (“Nip/Tuck”) as Kathryn Peale, Eamonn Walker (“Oz”) as Sr. ADA Terrence “Edge” Edgecomb, Sean Wing as Chad Griffin, Anthony Ruivivar as Alejo Salazar and Christine Adams as Lena Boudreaux.
The series is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Warner Bros. Television. The pilot was written and co-executive produced by Tom Donaghy, and the executive producers are Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman. Alex Graves was executive producer and director for the pilot, and KristieAnne Reed serves as a co-executive producer.
Maddie and Ben have been dating for nine years. They know each other inside and out, a relationship marked by contentment and affection, seeing their commitment to one another as a “valid life choice,” something they proclaim often — and often loudly. Maddie’s younger sister, Mia, has been dating Casey for seven weeks. With a shared c’est la vie attitude, Mia and Casey are smitten with each other, and thrilled to explore the oh-so-many things they don’t know about each other yet. But when they announce they’re getting married and having a baby, it’s news that throws Maddie for a loop. Surprisingly, the girls’ parents, Vicky and Joel, couldn’t be more pleased. Married 35 years, they have recently adopted a carpe diem sort of philosophy, rather like Mia’s, maybe because they’re getting older and lost a good portion of their savings when the economy tanked. With three very different relationships tightly intertwined in one family, will it be free thinkers vs. over-thinkers, or will each couple begin to see things a little bit differently?
“Better Together” stars JoAnna Garcia as Mia, Jennifer Finnigan as Maddie, Josh Cooke as Ben, Jake Lacy as Casey, with Kurt Fuller as Joel and Debra Jo Rupp as Vicky.
The series is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Silver and Gold Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Shana Goldberg-Meehan is executive producer and writer. The pilot was directed by James Burrows.
Forget who gets to keep the ring – when a couple splits, the real question is, who gets to keep the friends? In this modern comedy, a couple’s break-up will complicate all of their friends’ lives and make everyone question their choices. When life throws you for a curve, hold on tight to the people you love. Every circle of friends has someone who’s the gravitational center. For years, perfect couple Dave and Alex drew their friends in and held them together. Now that they’ve split, does this group have the stuff to stay together? Or do Max, Brad, Jane and Penny have to choose sides? Suddenly every event is a negotiation… like, who gets to go on the annual ski trip? There are a lot of big questions to be answered, but this group has been together so long, somehow, little by little, they’ll figure out how to hold on, even though their center is split up. It helps that Dave and Alex have agreed to stay friends. But there will definitely be other complications down the road – like Penny’s long-suppressed feelings for Dave. What is the waiting period for dating a friend’s ex? This show isn’t afraid to ask the embarrassing personal questions that inevitably arise in every long-term, close-knit group of friends.
“Happy Endings” stars Elisha Cuthbert (“24”) as Alex, Eliza Coupe as Jane, Zachary Knighton as Dave, Adam Pally as Max, Damon Wayans, Jr. as Brad and Casey Wilson as Penny.
From executive producers Jamie Tarses, Jonathan Groff, Anthony & Joe Russo, and co-executive producer David Caspe, “Happy Endings” examines the complex network of long-term friendships. The pilot was written by David Caspe and directed by Anthony & Joe Russo. The series is from Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios.
Matthew Perry stars as Ben Donovan, the self-involved manager of a second-rate San Diego sports arena who begins to re-evaluate his life on his 40th birthday. Working alongside him is his boss and arena owner, Crystal — attractive, powerful and highly erratic; Alice — the cute, tomboyish marketing director and Ben’s friend with benefits; Alonzo – a former basketball player, handsome and unbelievably happy; Ben’s assistant, Heather – pretty, sweet, but terrifying because she once lit a boyfriend on fire; Crystal’s son, Roman – sweet-faced, clueless and Ben’s newest employee; and a hapless operations crew whom Ben refers to collectively as the “Steves.”
“Mr. Sunshine” stars Matthew Perry (“Friends”) as Ben, Allison Janney (“The West Wing”) as Crystal, Andrea Anders as Alice, James Lesure as Alonzo, Nate Torrence as Roman and Portia Doubleday as Heather.
Matthew Perry, Alex Barnow, Marc Firek, Jamie Tarses and Thomas Schlamme are executive producers. The Pilot was written by Matthew Perry and Alex Barnow & Marc Firek and directed by Thomas Schlamme. “Mr. Sunshine” is a Matthew Perry Production, Shoe Money Production, Barnow and Firek Production and FanFare Production, in association with Sony Pictures Television.
ALTERNATIVE SERIES
“Secret Millionaire” is a one-hour alternative series that follows some of America’s wealthiest people for one week as they leave behind their lavish lifestyles, sprawling mansions and luxury jets, conceal their true identities, and go to live and volunteer in some of the most impoverished and dangerous communities in America. Surviving on welfare wages, their mission is to discover the unsung heroes of America — deserving individuals who continually sacrifice everything to help those in need. Throughout this incredible experience, the Secret Millionaires will attempt to remain undiscovered, coming face to face with extraordinary and amazing people battling the odds every day of their lives. On the final day, in an emotional and dramatic climax, they reveal their true identities. Ultimately, the millionaires will each give away at least $100,000 of their own money, changing lives forever.
Executive producers of “Secret Millionaire” include Grant Mansfield, Claire O’Donohoe and Leslie Garvin. Co-executive producer is Paul Osborne. It’s directed by Bruce Ready and is an RDF USA Production.
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KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
Webcasting!
email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Catch Me Daddy by Big Brother & The Holding Company
My Groupie by Thee Martian Boyfriends
Side Door Man by The Grannies
Little Black Drops by El Pathos
Cool Right Down by The Molting Vultures
Pump it Up by Mudhoney
Rattlesnakes Don't Commit Suicide by Help Me Devil
Cold Night Blues by Dead Man's Tree
Meek My Joe by Die Zorros
Move It! by The 99ers
Move It by T. Tex Edwards
Burnin' Love by The Hickoids
Nuclear War on the Dance Floor by The Electric Six
Timothy by The Nervebreakers
Losers, Boozers and Heros by fIREHOSE
Seven Are the Horns of Satan by The Happy Kids
From My Heart by Fenton Robinson
Dirty Britches by The Leap Frogs
How You Sell Soul To A Souless People Who Sold Their Soul? by Public Enemy
Lyin' Ass Bitch by Fishbone
Get It Together by JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound
Mojo Hanna by Andre Williams
I Got the Feeling by Sharon Jones
Cry Me a River Blues by Little Esther Phillips & The Johnny Otis Show
Booty City by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Ain't No Sunshine by Freddie King
Big Shot by Dr. John
500 Pound Bad Ass by Chief Fuzzer
The Dream by Thee Oh Sees
I Just Missed You by Mary Weiss
Candy by Johnny Dowd
What I Know by Grinderman
Labels: soundworld
Public Enemy in Santa Fe
They brought the noise. They also brought the rain.
Public Enemy, the group that basically defined hip hop in the late '80s and early '90s returned to Santa Fe yesterday for a private show for students (and some lucky non-students like myself) at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. It was part of the school's "Artists for Positive Social Change" program.
Performing mostly songs from their classic 1990 Fear of a Black Planet album -- including "Brothers Gonna Work It Out," "911 is a Joke," "Welcome to The Terrordome," "Fight the Power" and more.
Flava!
PE's political/socially conscious style of intelligent rap was eclipsed commercially in the early '90s by increasingly mindless gangsta rap, but the young crowd at the college ate this stuff up. I can't see how anyone could argue that this music -- and the lyrics -- are any less relevant today than they were 22 years ago.
And to those of My Generation -- or any damned generation -- that says rap "isn't really music" or similarly idiotic claims, you really ought to check out PE's stage show. Chuck D and Flava Flav are backed by an ace funkified band led by guitarist Khari Wynn. Hell, even Flava Flav grabbed a bass and played it on "Terrordome."
Mr. Hardgroove
Speaking of bass, longtime PR bassist Brian Hardgroove -- who was instrumental in bringing the group to Santa Fe yesterday, as well as the previous two times they were here -- no longer is with the group. He's on hiatus, he told me. Still, he joined the band on stage Saturday night on "Arizona (Ball of Confusion)" and other tunes.
Earlier in the day, Chuck D and Hardgroove participated in a symposium at the college about hip-hop's impact on society and culture.
Just one little problem with the show:
It rained.
Not a great downpour, but enough to make it unsafe to be playing electric instruments on the stage. So, after about 45 minutes of performing, they left the stage for awhile -- despite the vocal protests of Flava. At first I didn't think they would come back. But after 15 or 20 minutes, they happily proved me wrong.
ICC opening for PE
Hey, a shoutout to some locals: I'll admit I wasn't enthusiastic at first about the opening band, a group of University students who call themselves ICC (Inner City Connection.) But about 20 seconds after they took the stage I realized they're fantastic, full of enthusiasm that matches their talent.
I should have known. ICC was organized and rehearsed by Hardgroove. (Santa Fe musician, USFAD instructor and fellow KSFR DJ Peter Williams also told me that they're students of his. )
And if you don't believe me, here's what Chuck D said about them on Twitter right after the show: "ICC from SantaFe a really really good multiracial gendered Band group of MCs singers players tonight did their thing. Proud of them .. doPE!"
Mr. Chuck
Here's a video of PE from Saturday's show.
Public Enemy "Show 'Em Whatcha Got"/"Bring the Noise" in Santa Fe from brad hayes on Vimeo.
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Bring the Noise by Unholy Trio
Outlaw Convention by Hank 3
Thirteen Women by T. Tex Edwards
Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad by Wanda Jackson
In the Summertime by O'Brien Party of 7
Sick Rick by The Misery Jackals
Trucks, Tractors and Trains by The Dirt Daubers
Hoboes Are My Heroes by Th' Legendary Shack Shakers
Gee Baby by Great Recession Orchestra with Maryanne Price
Lead Me on by Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn
Big Time Annie's Square by Merle Haggard
Sing Me Back Home by Chesterfield Kings
Ain't No Diesel Trucks In Heaven by Bob Wayne
Got My Mojo Working by The Asylum Street Spankers
Life's Lonesome Road by Wayne Hancock
Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad by Cathy Faber
Ramblin' Man by Soda
Beatin' on the Bars by The Travelin' Texans
Farmer Had Him Rats by Black Jake & The Carnies
A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall by The Waco Brothers with Paul Burch
Wreck on the Highway by The Waco Brothers
Tennessee Jed by Levon Helm
Cheatin' Games by Little Lisa Dixie
Running on Pure Fear by Martin Zellar & The Hardways with Kelly Willis
Vacant Lot by Deano Waco & The Meat Purveyors
Rockin' and Knockin' by Gayle Griffith
My Rifle, Pony and Me by Dean Martin & Ricky Nelson
Righteous, Ragged Songs by Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires
Blunderbuss by Jack White
Burnt Toast Mornin' by Jason Eklund
Plane Of Existence by Giant Giant Sand
Four Years by Tom Armstrong
Same God by The Calamity Cubes
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
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Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
Labels: OPRY
TERRELL'S TUNEUP: Firing Up The Wacos
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
It’s been seven years since The Waco Brothers released an album of new material — seven long years since Freedom and Weep.
I’m not sure what caused this delay. There have been some personnel changes — miss your steel guitar, Mark Durante — but the group never broke up. It’s not that the band’s songwriting has dried up.
Langford up front, Burch in back
Frontman Jon Langford has done some solo albums and contributed to albums by his other band, The Mekons. And singer/guitarist Dean “Deano Waco” Schlabowske released an under-recognized but tasty — and free — little album with The Meat Purveyors a few years ago (Deano Meats the Purveyors).
But it took another singer, the Wacos’ Bloodshot Records (sometimes) labelmate Paul Burch, to spark a new Wacos album.
According to the press release, the idea came while sharing pitchers of Guero’s margaritas in Austin during a past South by Southwest festival. Guero’s is just down the street from the Yard Dog Gallery, where, for more than a decade, the Chicago-based Wacos have become renowned for crazed, boozed-up, fiery performances during the annual Bloodshot party. (I was there for that show in March, and I’ll testify that the Brothers, aided by Burch and Commander Cody guitarist Bill Kirchen, were in rare form. They made “Folsom Prison Blues” sound like Godzilla crushing Tokyo.)
To fans of Burch and/or the Wacos, such a team-up might not seem like a natural pairing, no matter how many margaritas were involved. Burch, a Nashville songster, has a voice that’s similar to that of Jimmie Dale Gilmore. His records are far gentler and more melodic than the trademark insurgent country chaos of the brothers Waco. But the main result of the collaboration, a new album called Great Chicago Fire, is a joy that fans of either act should appreciate.
It’s appropriate somehow that a band named after one tragedy would name its latest album after another. “Is there nothing we have learned?/Burn, baby, burn!” goes the refrain in the title song, co-written and co-sung by Burch and Langford. It’s a fun tune, but the album only gets better the deeper you sink into it.
All the singers have great moments here. Burch takes advantage of the Wacos as his raucous backup band in his song “Wrong Side of Love,” a catchy country rocker. And “Transfusion Blues” is a jumpy rockabilly-tinged workout. But he also has some downright pretty tunes here, his best being “Flight to Spain,” a slow, minor-key song that reminds me of Hundred Year Flood’s “Blue Angel.”
Langford’s “Cannonball” is an upbeat swampy tune with tasty tremolo guitar. The best song he wrote for the album is the introspective “Someone That You Know,” but he lets Burch sing it. That turned out to be a good decision. Burch nails it dead.
The foul-mouthed, outrageous, and completely charming Langford is what first attracted me to the Waco Brothers in the ’90s, but through the years I’ve come to look forward to Schlabowske’s contributions as well. With his hoarse Midwestern baritone, Deano sings songs that cut deep. My favorite here is “On the Sly,” a song I hope the Wacos keep in their repertoire for years.
Though the album is full of wonderful new original tunes, it ends with a shoot-’em-up saloon-band cover of Bob Dylan’s apocalyptic “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.” The arrangement sounds amazingly similar to Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue version (found on the Live 1975 Bootleg Series set). Despite the fearsome lyrics, it’s nothing short of a stomping joy.
My biggest hope is that Great Chicago Fire sparks more new material from the Waco Brothers.
Also noted:
* Bootleg Vol. IV: The Soul of Truth by Johnny Cash. I’ve always associated Johnny Cash with gospel music. The very first Cash album I ever had back in the early ’60s (Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash) contained two great gospel tunes. One was Thomas Dorsey’s “Peace in the Valley,” and Cash did a fine version.
But, most important, there was a song called “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord.” I was just a grade-school kid and not particularly religious, but this song scared the crap out of me. It still kind of does. Mournful and intense, Cash puts you right at the scene. And, as the lyrics go, sometimes it causes me to “tremble, tremble, tremble.”
Unfortunately, there’s nothing nearly as powerful on this new collection of gospel tunes by Cash. There are a few jewels in the two-disc, 51-song compilation. But too many tracks suffer from slick, syrupy production, sweetening strings, and cheesy horns. The sad truth is that basically this was par for the course for Cash recordings in the mid ’70s through the early ’80s, that bleak era from which the material for The Soul of Truth was drawn.
The collection includes material from various Cash albums released only on gospel labels. There are also a dozen tunes from an unreleased gospel album recorded in 1975.
Among the worthwhile songs are “Would You Recognize Jesus,” a decent if not essential cover of Billy Joe Shaver’s “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal” (complete with a Dixieland horn section), “Don’t Take Everybody to Be Your Friend,” a folksy “Wildwood in the Pines,” a nice understated take on Bill Monroe’s “You’re Drifting Away,” and a rousing “Children Go Where I Send Thee.”
“This Train Is Bound for Glory” has a lengthy spoken introduction as well as Cash’s classic chunka-chunka beat. And even though its marred by an unnecessary string section, “Look Unto the East” is one of those weird mystical Cash gospel tunes, the kind that Rick Rubin so loved when producing the Man in Black’s final few albums.
But way too many of the other tracks sound like they were aimed at a middlebrow, middle-of-the road audience. Personally, the kind of gospel that soothes my soul doesn’t always sound soothing on the surface.
Labels: tuneup
Mojo in the Court: (A Tuneup Correction)
I got an email this morning from Dick Rosemont, who runs Guy in the Groove Records on Guadalupe Street. He challenged something I wrote in last week's Tuneup column in my favorite voodoo songs list.
Said Dick, "... despite the prevailing word on the street, Ann Cole did not record "Got My Mojo Working" before Muddy Waters. She was performing it first (having gotten the song from writer Preston Foster) but Muddy's was cut earlier (12-56) than Cole's 1957 take on it."
Uh oh. Dick's a vinyl fanatic and he knows his stuff. And it looks like he's right here. According to several Muddy Waters discographies all over the web, "Mojo" was recorded on Dec. 1, 1956 -- at the same session that produced "Rock Me," "I Live the Life I Love," and "Look What You've Done."
I knew I'd have to look back to see how I'd come to my conclusion about Cole.
My original source on it wasn't "the street," but a guy named Bob Dylan. Shortly before writing my column, I'd been listening to an old episode of Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour that had popped up on my iTunes shuffle DJ -- episode 8, about Weddings. On it was a song called "Don't Stop the Wedding" by Cole, an "answer song" to Etta James' "Stop the Wedding."
"That was Ann Cole," the voice of a generation said after playing Cole's song. "In 1956 she recorded a song for the Baton record label that Muddy Waters later took and made into his signature song -- She recorded the original version of "Got My Mojo Working"
I Googled around and found the Wikipedia entry on the song (voice of Ernest P. Worrell: "Now there's your problem, Vern ..."), which verified what Dylan had said: " ... a 1956 song written by Preston Foster and first recorded by Ann Cole, but popularized by Muddy Waters in 1957."
Checking one of two external links that still work on the Wikipedia page, I came across a federal lawsuit that mentions "Mojo," Anna Cole and Muddy. In this suit, a woman named Ruth Stratchborneo was suing songwriter Preston "Red" Foster, who wrote "Got My Mojo Working" as well as Muddy Waters and Dare Records owner Saul Rabinowitz, who introduced the song to Anne Cole.
In the suit Stratchborneo claimed that anyone who had anything to do with "Got My Mojo Working" had stolen it from her song "Mojo Workout," which was released in 1960. (It's not the same song that decades later would inspire a punk rock talk show and podcast on Real Punk Radio.)
Stratchborneo lost the suit. But in his decision, federal Judge Charles Brieant wrote about about the history of the Cole/Waters song:
(Dare Records owner Saul) Rabinowitz first met defendant Preston Foster, also known as Red Foster, in 1957, at which time Foster visited him, offered for sale and played a number of songs. He sang a song, "I'VE GOT MY MOJO WORKING", accompanying himself by guitar, and played a demonstration record which he had previously recorded (Ex. F)
Foster, on October 29, 1956, had filed a claim to copyright for that song as author. On January 9, 1957, Dare entered into a mimeographed form publisher's contract with Preston Foster, by which it acquired "I've Got My Mo-Jo Working". ...
A month or two later in 1957, Rabinowitz played Foster's demonstration record for singer Ann Cole. Ann Cole learned the song and recorded her artistic arrangement or version of it for Baton Records, under license from Dare. This record is entitled "Got My Mo-Jo Working (But It Just Won't Work On You)", and lists Foster as the author. The Ann Cole record was released, at least prior to April 20, 1957, because "Cashbox", a trade publication, on that date, refers to the Ann Cole rendition as the "Cashbox R&B Sleeper of the Week".
At about the same time, a record "Got My Mojo Working", sung by Muddy Waters, was issued by Chess Records. This also was referred to as a "sleeper of the week" in the same April 20, 1957 edition of Cashbox. Rabinowitz learned of the Muddy Waters rendition within two or so days after samples of the Ann Cole record had been released to distributors.
Rabinowitz testified that Miss Cole had just returned from a road tour with Muddy Waters' band. He concluded that she had been singing the song while on tour, and that Muddy Waters had liked it and recorded it, claiming authorship for himself. The Muddy Waters record bears a copyright credit for defendant Arc, and shows defendant McKinley Morganfield, the true name of Muddy Waters, as the author of the work, and "Muddy Waters" as the singer.
So according to Judge Brieant, the songs appeared virtually simultaneously. I guess that's what you call mojo!
Walker on the Wild Side by The Grannies
Metanoia by Churchwood
Dance With You by The Black Lips
Fire Engine by The Molting Vultures
Still Cries Before Dawn by The Out Key Hole
Hot Rod Vampires by Demented Are Go
Baby Goodbye by Die Zorros
Wounded Knee by The Milkshakes
Sasquatch Love by Horror Deluxe
Crazy Date by T. Tex Edwards
Copa, Raya, Paliza by Wau y Los Arrrghs!!
Little Pig by 68 Comeback
Goodnight Sleep Tight by The Bloody Hollies
No Blood of Mine by El Pathos
Girls Today Don't Like to Sleep Alone by Help Me Devil
Too Many Cooks by Jesse Fortune
Soul Typecast by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Crazy Pritty Baby by Heavy Trash
My Horse Likes You by Bonapart
Buick MacKane by Ty Segall
Big Shoe Head by Buick MacKane
Revolution (Part 2) by fIREHOSE
Ten O'Clock by The Malarians
Birdman of Alkatrash by Strawberry Alarm Clock
Cigarette byThe Shirley MacLaines
Murderin' Blues by Robert Nighthawks
Waddlin' Around by The King Khan & BBQ Show
Candy Man Blues by The Copper Gamins
Two Girls (One Bar) by Pere Ubu
Sherry by Johnny Dowd
See/Saw by Jay Reatard
Move Over by Janis Joplin
Wonderful Girl by Jack Mack & The Heart Attack
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
eMusic April
Here's my latest batch of downloads from eMusic:
* Crazy Glue and Fishbone by Fishbone. The recent DVD release of Everyday Sunshine, an excellent documentary about this innovative Los Angeles rock 'n' soul band, inspired me to download the group's latest release (Crazy Glue) and their first EP from 1985. I already had almost everything in between.
I was a casual Fishbone fan in the early 1990s, but I took a turn to the fanatical in the summer of 1993 when I saw them play Lollapalooza in Denver. This was during the height of the Grunge Scare and while I enjoyed the music of Primus, Dinosaur Jr. and Alice in Chains, I remember thinking even then how all of the long-haired flannel boys could learn some serious lessons from Fishbone. The group didn't just sound great. They had something that was seriously lacking in most of the "alternative" rock of the day -- showmanship! I forget exactly how many people were in the band at that time, but there seemed to be about a dozen onstage in Denver that day, most of them running around chaotically, trading off vocals, changing time signatures unexpectedly, one song seamlessly flowing into the next one, frontman Angelo Moore going out into the audience. Truly a breath of fresh air compared with so many self-absorbed acts of the day.
The Fishbone EP was full of the wild spirit that propelled the band from its early days. Among the seven songs was "Party at Ground Zero," their first "hit" -- or at least the first song that got them national notoriety. It's also got a tune that won them some recent notoriety. Remember a few months ago when The Roots caused an outrage in conservative circles by its choice of song to bring out Michele Bachmann as a guest on the Jimmy Fallon show? That was none other than "Lyin' Ass Bitch" from this Fishbone record. (Of course, probably nobody but the most rabid Fishbone devotees would have realized it -- certainly not Bachmann or Matt Drudge -- had Roots drummer Questlove not tweeted about it beforehand.)
Crazy Glue, also a 7-song EP certainly isn't the greatest Fishbone effort. None of the songs are anywhere as memorable as "Party at Ground Zero" or "Everyday Sunshine" or "Bonin' at the Boneyard" or even "Lyin' Ass Bitch." But a quarter-century after their debut, it's still full of the crazy Sly Stone/Funkadelic/crazed ska/metal madness energy. And after all these years, nobody is quite like Fishbone.
* Exile on Main Street Blues by various artists. First of all, this compilation has absolutely nothing to do with the classic Rolling Stones album -- except perhaps for the fact that Exile on Main Street has a deep spiritual debt to the kind of old blues songs found here and that I bet the Stones as individuals would personally dig most, perhaps all, the songs here.
I know I do.
This 51-track collection features mostly songs about economic hard times and poverty. The lyrics are populated by chain gangs, hobos and people, like singer Bob Campbell who are tired of working on the "Starvation Farm."
Exile includes blues artists spanning several decades. There's old country blues by the likes of Sleepy John Estes, Barbecue Bob, Hambone Willie Newbern and Yank Rachell as well as more urban and more contemporary blues greats like Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Big Mama Thorton.
Among the highlights are "Miss Meal Cramp Blues" by Alec Johnson, which sounds like an old timey string band. ("I'm so broke and hungry, I could eat a kangaroo," he sings); Memphis Minnie's "Sylvester and His Mule Blues"; Peetie Wheatstraw's "Jungle Man Blues" (he's singing about a hobo jungle, not a tropical rain forest); and "Strike Blues," a lesser-known John Lee Hooker recording.
* Wake Up Sinners by The Dirt Daubers. What we have here basically is an acoustic alter ego of the Legendary Shack Shakers.
Featuring Shack Shaker singer J.D. Wilkes, his wife Jessica -- who share vocal duties and play several, mostly stringed instruments -- and Shack Shaker Mark Robertson on upright bass, the DDs play a wild banjo-driven blend of bluegrass, jug band and old-time hot jazz.
There are Wilkes originals as well as several fresh takes on traditional tunes like "Wayfaring Stranger and "Single Girl."
Comparisons with The Asylum Street Spankers and even The Squirrel Nut Zippers (especially the title song and "The Devil Gets His Due") -- not to mention them Shack Shakers -- are unavoidable. But the Daubers would hold their own against any of 'em. This is just fine American music distilled in Kentucky.
Not long after I downloaded this I learned that the Dirt Daubers as well as the Legendary Shack Shakers are playing in Santa Fe June 7 as a Thirsty Ear Festival kick-off party. Details here.
* Carrion Crawler/The Dream by Thee Oh Sees . If you caught my rantings about this year's South by Southwest, you know that one of my favorite "discoveries" was this San Franciso band, who I saw on the same bill as The Gories, Kid Congo Powers & The Pink Monkeybirds and The Spits.
The group is the brainchild of John Dwyer, a singer and guitarist who is a veteran of several bands. Thee Oh Sees includes another guitarist, a female vocalist and keyboard player (the lovely Brigid Dawson) and two drummers and a bassist. They're a prolific crew. This was their second album released in 2011.
Dwyer reportedly started this group as a vehicle to "to release his instrumental, experimental home recordings." (That's in Wikipedia, so it must be true.) Although there's still a lot of lo-fi experimental noise here and sprawling instrumental jams, Carrion Crawler/The Dream is the work of a full-fledged band.
I think my favorite here is the hard-charging half-title song "The Dream." At nearly seven minutes, it's the longest track here. But it never gets boring. Also impressive is "Contraption/Soul Dessert" is another winner. To risk the scorn of the politically correct, it's got echoes of Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold" though it's pumped up with cackling cosmic energy.
Check out this live performance of Thee Oh Sees (thanks to The Free Music Archive).
Labels: emusic
Back in the Saddle Again by Gene Autrey
Cravin' by T. Tex Edwards
Blue Moon of Kentucky by Rev. Beat-Man
New Deal of Love by Hank Thompson
Great Chicago Fire by The Waco Brothers and Paul Burch
Ain't No Stranger by Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires
Reprimand by Santa Fe All Stars
The Bar With No Name by Tom Armstrong
Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die by Willie Nelson with Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson and Jamey Johnson
Is Zat You, Myrtle? by The Carlisles
Brazil by The Asylum Street Spankers
Tell the King The Killer's Here by Ronny Elliott
It Took 4 Beatles To Make One Elvis by Harry Hayward
Baby Buggy Boogie by The Milo Twins
Another Bender Might Break Me by Hellbound Glory
The Times They Are a Changin' by Rick Brousard & Two Hoots & a Holler
Levon Helm Tribute
Rag Mama Rag by Levon Helm
Ain't Got No Home by The Band
Poor Old Dirt Farmer by Levon Helm
Stuff You Gotta Watch by The Band
Move Along Train by Levon Helm
Forbidden Fruit by The Band
Wide River to Cross by Levon Helm
The Golden Inn Song by The Last Mile Ramblers
Anything Goes At A Rooster Show by The Imperial Rooster
Children Go Where I Send Thee by Johnny Cash
Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin
Whiskey Drinkin' Women by Cornell Hurd
Blue Angel by Hundred Year Flood
Drinkin' Wine Spoli Oli by The Five Strings
TERRELL'S TUNEUP: The Gris Gris Grabs Ya
Mac Rebennack, better known by his stage name Dr. John, is in his 70s. The New Orleans icon has been recording music for more than half a century, has more soul in one of his nose hairs than most of us have in our entire beings, and, honestly, if he wanted to rest on his laurels, he would be deserving.
For many years, that’s what he seemed to be doing, producting virtually funk-free albums full of standards and torch songs, tributes to Duke Ellington and Johnny Mercer, and collections of sentimental New Orleans classics.
But just when you think the Doc is in danger of turning into an old smoothie, he’ll make a sharp turn back to the crazy spirit that drove him to produce the hoodoo-soaked sounds that made him famous in the first place. There are lesser-known but worthy records like 1994’s Television and 2001’s Creole Moon (featuring a depiction of the voodoo graveyard loa Baron Samedi on the cover). A couple of years ago he released Tribal, a swampy R & B workout that reminded fans of Dr. John’s glory years.
And now he’s back with Locked Down, which for my money is the best album he’s done in decades. The music recalls his early work, but it has a sharp contemporary edge — for which we can thank producer Dan Auerbach, frontman of The Black Keys. But unlike some older artists produced by hip young bucks — for example, Wanda Jackson on some tracks on her recent Jack White-produced album — Dr. John doesn’t feel like a fish out of water here. The music is fresh, not forced.
Auerbach reportedly wanted to get Dr. John back into the thick, atmospheric, heady hoodoo excursions of his early albums — Remedies, Babylon, The Sun, Moon & Herbs, and especially his classic Gris-Gris. What’s so refreshing about this record is that it has most of those elements that made Dr. John, when he was known as “the Night Tripper,” so irresistible. But it doesn’t sound like a paint-by-number re-creation of the old sound.
The gris-gris grabs you from the first track, the title song, in which weird jungle noises give way to a throbbing bass and frenzied snare pounding out a beat punctuated by a slinky electric organ. The Doctor’s familiar Crescent City drawl sounds right at home amid the groove.
If the first song draws you in, the next one, “Revolution,” smacks you in the head. The influence of 1970s Ethiopian jazz is clear here with the baritone sax and spidery organ solo by Rebennack himself. Like other tunes on Locked Down — “Ice Age” for instance — the lyrics are thick with politics. “Guerilla warfare, Lady Liberty/Propaganda, hypocrisy/Did we lose our Constitution?/Prepare, revolution.” “You Lie” also is full of political outrage. It’s an African-sounding tune as well, featuring Auerbach playing some intense, blues-infused guitar.
“Big Shot” begins with what sounds like a tape loop from some forgotten Dixieland record. But then the real song begins — a dark, slow-moving sax-driven blues in which Rebennack sounds threatening as he sings, “Ain’t never was, ain’t never gonna be another big shot like me.”
That mutated Ethiopian sound returns with a vengeance in “The Kingdom of Izzness”; I have no idea what this spooky song is about, but you probably ought to take Dr. John seriously when he starts out a tune with “Better move fast and better travel light/ Don’t let nothin’ pass when you’re in the night.”
Unlike those wonderful early albums, most of the voodoo on Locked Down is not overt but implied and textural. At least till we get to the song “Eleggua,” which bears the name of the trickster deity. With its jazzy flute and female chorus, it sounds almost like it was ripped from the soundtrack of some blaxploitation movie. I almost expect Rebennack to growl, “That Eleggua is one bad mother ... ”
Locked Down isn’t all black magic and rage though. The album ends with songs about family (“My Children, My Angels”) and faith (“God’s Sure Good”).
Fortunately neither one comes off anywhere near sappy. From start to finish, this is one inspired record.
Here's the doc with a recent TV appearance:
Pops Staples invokes Papa Legba
Steve Terrell’s Top 10 (non-Dr. John) Voodoo Songs
1. “Papa Legba” by Pops Staples with Talking Heads. This is from David Byrne’s movie True Stories. The Staples version is on the 2005 remastered version of Talking Heads’ True Stories album.
2. “Got My Mojo Working” by Ann Cole and the Suburbans. You’re probably familiar with the Muddy Waters version, but Cole recorded it first in 1956. (UPDATE: 4-25-12 Check this correction/clarification HERE)
3. “Voodoo Queen Marie” by the Du-Tells. With Peter Stampfel on lead vocals, this tune tells the story of Marie Laveau of New Orleans.
4. “Marie Laveau” by Bobby Bare. This song, written by Shel Silverstein, isn’t as historically accurate as the Du-Tells’ song. But it’s lots of fun.
5. “It’s Your Voodoo Working” by Charles Sheffield. Straight out of New Orleans in the early 1960s.
6. “Li’l Black Hen” by Coco Robicheaux. Fans of the HBO series Treme know what the late Robicheaux did with poultry.
7. “Hoodoo Party” by Rockin’ Tabby Thomas. Another Louisiana hoodoo hit.
8. “Ju Ju Hand” by Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs. They had their Tex-Mex/Memphis mojo working.
9. “Johnny Voodoo” by Empress of Fur. The signature song of a British psychobilly band fronted by a Bettie Page lookalike. What’s not to like?
10. “Hoochie Coochie Man” by Muddy Waters. The Gypsy woman was right.
(Most of these and several other songs can be heard on my Spotify playlist Voodoo Stew)
Back from the shadows again: For the first time since early March, I’ll be returning to KSFR-FM 101.1 to do my radio shows this weekend.
At 10 p.m. Friday it’s The Santa Fe Opry (country music as the good Lord intended it to sound), and same time Sunday it’s Terrell’s Sound World (free-form weirdo radio). Both also stream at www.ksfr.org.
And yes, I'll be paying tribute to the late, great Levon Helm on the SF Opry Friday.
TERRELL'S TUNEUP: The Sacred Grifter
I was going to start off this review of Ray Wylie Hubbard’s new album, The Grifter’s Hymnal, by saying that it’s the first great album of the year. But then I reread my review of his previous album, 2010’s A. Enlightenment, B. Endarkenment (Hint: There Is No C), in which I wrote, “This might be the first great record of the decade.”
So I guess I won't.
RWH and son Lucas at The White Horse last month
But that’s my typical reaction to Hubbard albums in recent years. His folksy, blues-soaked redneck rock ’n’ roll breaks little new musical ground, yet it’s refreshing. With his Okie drawl, Hubbard has a way of sounding wise even when he’s cracking wise. He seems highly spiritual even when he’s singing about shady nightclub characters and strippers. He sings proudly of being an upright, sober family man, yet he offers sharp insight into the carnal side of life.
I’ve probably said this before, too, but Hubbard is one of the very few musicians of his generation who has actually gotten better with age. He’s now 65 or thereabouts, and I can’t wait to hear what he sounds like when he’s 70. Truthfully, this album, plus A. Enlightenment, Snake Farm (2006), and Growl (2003) make up a body of work that, for my money, is unrivaled by any other singer/songwriter I can think of.
Chew on this: Hubbard’s albums of the last 10 years are even more consistently brilliant than Tom Waits’ output since the turn of the century.
(I’m conveniently overlooking one Hubbard album during this period that doesn’t rise to the level of his others, 2005’s Delirium Tremolos. Most of the songs on that one are covers. Despite a decent version of James McMurtry’s classic “Choctaw Bingo,” Delirium is a more mellow affair, lacking the rattlesnake blues edge of Hubbard’s other recent records.)
The Grifter’s Hymnal begins with a voodoo invocation. “Said my prayers to the old black gods./Tied some string around some chicken bones./Set ’em on fire and I cross my heart,” he sings over a stomping beat on “Coricidin Bottle.” What’s this got to do with a decongestant? Hubbard uses a Coricidin bottle as a guitar slide, a tradition that some say started with Duane Allman. Mysteriously, there’s no slide guitar on this song. But who needs it with the stinging electric guitar provided by Hubbard’s teenage son, Lucas?
Courtesy of picker Billy Cassis, there’s slide aplenty on “Lazarus,” a meditation on mortality. “Between the Devil and God/Between the first breath and last/Somewhere under Heaven with no future and a hell of a past/We’re in the mud and scum of things, moanin’, cryin’ and lyin’/At least we ain’t like Lazarus and have to think twice about dyin’.”
And Hubbard himself shows his stuff on a National Resonator guitar on “Coochy Coochy,” a song written by (and featuring some call-and-response vocals from) Ringo Starr. When I saw Hubbard play in Austin last month, he talked about how amazed he was — and still is — by the fact that he has a “fuckin' Beatle” on his album.
Like invocations to his personal pantheon of saints, Hubbard name-checks many musical heroes in his songs — venerated blues growlers like Lightnin’ Hopkins and Otis Rush as well as classic rockers like the James Gang and Neil Young and Crazy Horse. In a song called “Count My Blessings,” he tells the story of the 1964 shooting death of Sam Cooke as if it were a biblical parable.
Hubbard is not known as a political activist, but you get a peek at his leanings in some scattered spots on the album. “New Year’s Eve at the Gates of Hell” contains a reference to “Fox News whores” burning in Hades and praises Martin Luther King Jr. More pointedly, “Red Badge of Courage” is a real live antiwar song, as seen through the eyes of a young Marine in Iraq. “We’re just kids doing the dirty work for the failures of old men,” he sings.
RWH at Threadill's last month
The near-six-minute “Mother Blues,” presented as an autobiographical shaggy-dog tale, is a Hubbard tour de force. Starting off with a swampy guitar lick and a shuffling drumbeat, Hubbard says, “When I was a young man, about 21 years old, y’all, all I wanted was a stripper girlfriend and a gold-top Les Paul. Be careful of the things you wish for. You just might get ’em.”
He proceeds to sing the story of a Dallas nightclub where Lightnin’ Hopkins and Freddie King used to play that was frequented by gamblers, dealers, “young white hipsters,” and, for the after-hours parties, dancers from a nearby gentleman’s club. Hubbard meets the stripper of his dreams there. He tries to play it cool at first — he plays guitar, initially ignoring her request for “Polk Salad Annie,” until she describes how that song makes her want to rip off her clothes and dance around in her underwear.
“Down in Louisiana, where the alligators grow so mean ...” the singer responds. And a star-crossed love affair is born.
In the last verse of “Mother Blues,” Hubbard talks about how lucky he is to play music with his son and the other members of his band, even though he never “busted through the gates” and became a “big-time rock ’n’ roll star.” He concludes with some wisdom that ought to be taken as advice: “The days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, I have really good days.”
Grifter’s Hymnal ends with what sounds like an actual hymn. “Ask God,” featuring some devilish Coricidin slide and sounding like some long lost Blind Willie Johnson song, is built around some simple spiritual advice: “When darkness swoops down on you, ask God for some light. ... When some devil knocks you down, ask God to pick you up. ... When death comes a knocking, ask God to open the door.”
In short, The Grifter’s Hymnal points to heaven but rocks like hell.
Check out the video below. You won't see me, but I was in the back of the room at Threadgill's World Headquarters when it was shot last month.
TERRELL'S TUNEUP: Here's to the Ladies
Before you even listen to No Regrets, the new album from Johnny Dowd, the first thing you’ll probably notice is that every song is named for a woman.
There’s “Betty,” “Billie,” “Sherry,” “Miranda,” “Susan,” “Nancy,” “Ella,” “Abigail,” “Linda,” and “Candy.” Emily and Meryl have to share a song. And while Rita gets a song of her own, she also shares a title with Juanita. (They’re sisters, it turns out.)
Here;s to the Lad
This is something of a concept album for Dowd, with each track telling a story about a woman. “The album is about girls and women I have known, imagined, or seen on TV,” Dowd explains in a press release for the record. “I love them all.”
Dowd also says the working title for the album was “Regrets, I Have a Few.” However, “by the time I finished it, I realized I had no regrets,” he writes. The record shows he took his blows and did it his way. Like Dowd’s best work, the stories he tells here are dark, funny, sometimes tragic, and mostly twisted.
For those who are unfamiliar with the strange pleasures of Dowd, the artist was raised in Texas, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. In recent decades he has lived in Ithaca, New York, where he is part owner of a moving company. I have always liked that Dowd and his band are true working-class heroes. He has his moving business, and singer Kim Sherwood-Caso works by day as a hairdresser. But while his feet are planted in the working world, his head is free to float into strange dimensions.
Dowd is a late bloomer as far as music goes. He didn’t start recording until he was almost 50. In 1997 he released his debut album, Wrong Side of Memphis, which was packed with murder ballads, stories of obsessive love, and the confessions of characters whose lives had long slipped out of their control.
Such themes have fueled the bulk of Dowd’s work ever since. You wouldn’t want a Dowd album without that. But one thing that has evolved is the musical backdrop behind his strange tales.
Early in his musical career, Dowd was labeled “alternative country.” He didn’t sound much like Uncle Tupelo or Whiskeytown, but he had this great Okie drawl. Plus, many of the tracks on Memphis were acoustic-based tunes with country, blues, and folk overtones, while his second album, Pictures From Life’s Other Side, had a couple of wild, mutated Hank Williams tunes. But early on, the country seemed to fade from the Dowd sound, and now there’s not much left except the drawl.
In fact, the dominant sound on No Regrets seems to be a primitive type of electronica, supplied by longtime Dowd drummer Willie B and keyboardist/bassist Michael Stark. I’ll admit, guitar-centric rustic that I am, this was a little off-putting to me the first time I heard it. But after subsequent listens, the electronic throbs and drum-machine crunching seemed to fit the songs.
And Dowd’s personality is at the center of all the music, as it should be. He still speaks most of the lyrics, rather than singing them. And there’s enough obnoxious guitar by Dowd and others to keep things interesting.
Another musical departure here is that Sherwood-Caso is no longer the sole female voice on the album. She sings on only two tracks on No Regrets. Four other singers provide the female counterpart to Dowd on various other tracks. I suppose having a variety of women singers goes along with having each song be about a different woman.
No Regrets starts off with “Betty,” a simulated telephone call in which Dowd calls an old high school sweetheart. “Hello! Is this Betty? Hi Betty, guess who this is? No ... no ... It’s Johnny. Johnny Dowd.” She’s not quite sure who he is, but he has apparently been thinking of her a lot in recent years — and not in a healthy manner.
Supposedly all the narrator wants is to get his high school letter jacket back from her. But in the course of the conversation, he lets it drop that he knows where she lives and where her children go to school. (This isn’t the first time Dowd has taken on the persona of a stalker. “Hope You Don’t Mind” from Pictures From Life’s Other Side has a similar narrator.)
Another tale to astonish is “Linda,” set to a foreboding minor-key backdrop. It’s the story of a couple — “when they were together, it was fire and gasoline.” They have two children, but the second one dies a week after he’s born. From there, it’s a descent into hell.
“She dressed in black/felt a life of fantasy/She dressed two kids each morning/Only one that she could see.” The unnamed husband is “talking murder” and dreaming of suicide, while the poor daughter is doing her best to cope with the domestic tinderbox her family situation has become. The songs ends before any atrocity occurs, but a listener is pretty sure that something terrible is in store.
Not all the songs on No Regrets are dark and creepy. Some are actually upbeat. Dowd gets funky on a couple of tunes. Both “Susan” (the story of a stripper in Atlanta) and “Ella” feature funk-filled guitars and keyboards, reminding me of Midnite Vultures — the last Beck album I actually liked much. (As far as critics go, I was in the minority in my love for that underappreciated album.) Come to think of it, Kier Neuringer’s sax solo at the end of “Juanita/Rita” has a little Midnite Vultures in it too.
The prettiest song here is “Sherry.” It’s a ’50s- or ’60s-style slow dance with a cheesy organ that sounds as if it was stolen from a roller rink. You can almost imagine this being played at a high school prom — right before some poor girl gets buckets of pig blood dropped on her. “You say I’m a rat,” Dowd sings in his broken croon. “But you’re OK with that.”
My only regret with No Regrets is that Dowd didn’t include a Bizarro World cover of “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before.” Maybe Julio Iglesias was busy when Dowd was recording the album.
Here's a video of one of my favorite songs here:
Heal Yourself with the Latest Big Enchilada Podcast
I'm recovering from hip replacement surgery, so here's some new hip sounds, as well as some old ones, in an episode I'm calling "Music to Heal By." This music will soothe and bring joyful, positive, healing energy. Trust me. You'll be wanting to shake your hips in no time. Let the healing begin.
DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE| SUBSCRIBE TO ALL GARAGEPUNK PIRATE RADIO PODCASTS
Here's the playlist:
(Background Music: Hills of Pills by Kid Congo & The Pink Monkeybirds)
Pills by The New York Dolls
Heavy Doctor by Thee Oh Sees
Shake Your Hips by Slim Harpo
Pray For Pills by The Dirtbombs
Hospitals by Acid Baby Jesus
Hips by L.C. Ulmer
(Background Music: Surgery Montage by John Zorn)
Deserted Town by The Movements
Knock You Out by Thee Butchers Orchestra
Adeline by The Nevermores
I Got a Girl by The Vicious Cycles
I Don't Mind by The Angry Dead Pirates
Linda by Johnny Dowd
(Background Music: Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard by NRBQ)
Saustex Set
Move It by T. Tex Edwards & The Saddle Tramps
Straight into The Sun by El Pathos
Body in Plastic by Glambilly
Derby Crush by The Gay Sportscasters
Candyman Blues by The Copper Gamins
Play it here:
Labels: PODCASTS
Heal Yourself with the Latest Big Enchilada Podcas...
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Poole Delphis bowl
Poole Delphis bowl (mark)
This item is not for sale, but you will
find many that are in our
Poole Delphis bowl - 13⅝" (346 mm) diameter.
Poole Pottery
Poole, in Dorset, due to the abundance locally of good red clay, had long been a centre for the making of pottery when Jesse Carter bought James Walker's tile manufacturing company in 1873. In 1895, Carter & Co. took over the Architectural Pottery Company in Hamworthy. The wares produced then were mainly floor and wall tiles, architectural decorations, shop fascias. Owen Carter, Jesse's son, developed the production of art pottery with different glazes, and by the time of the first World War, the company was making a wide range of decorative wares.
Expansion followed and after Owen's death in 1919, his brother Charles found it difficult to meet the ever increasing demand for the company's products. He discussed the matter with his friend, Harold Stabler, and Stabler persuaded the Stoke potter John Adams to move down to Poole. The partnership of Carter, Stabler and Adams was born in 1921.
It could be said that the thirties were Poole's heyday. Some of the most memorable designs come from that time. Truda Carter, Charles's wife, and John Adams produced a succession of outstanding patterns that have become classics.
The forties were something of a black hole. Wartime restrictions curtailed production severely, and by the start of the following decade most of the original design team had retired or died. A new managing director, Lucien Myers, took the Poole Pottery into the fifties, and again the company was in the forefront with their new 'contemporary' designs that really characterized the Britain of the fifties.
The designs of the sixties and seventies were a complete departure from anything that had gone before. The paintresses were allowed a free hand, and their abstract patterns were, as in previous eras, exactly right for the time. These patterns defined the look of the sixties and were enormously popular. As with most extreme fashions, they were to become passé, and the bright orange, yellow and brown pieces were often hidden or discarded in the following decades. A revival of interest in the nineties, though, has seen the prices paid for these item rocket. Looking at the designs from a viewpoint where they are neither fashionable nor unfashionable, they are outstandingly good.
Poole Pottery continues to flourish and to produce wares that are right for the time. There is a thriving collectors' club, and interest does not flag.
Further Reading: Poole Pottery edited by Leslie Hayward and Paul Atterbury
Poole Pottery : Poole in the 1950s by Paul Atterbury
You can buy this book on line
Poole Pottery by Leslie Hayward and Paul Atterbury
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SUPERSTAR SECRETS INTENSIVE
Stephanie Van Driesen
Actor. Singer. Entrepreneur
Stephanie Ven Driesen has over 12 years of experience and success in the performing arts, having won numerous awards and travelled the world performing for dignitaries, heads of state and has headlined world-class events. She is known for her high level of dedication, passion and mastery of her stage craft and is a well-respected leader in her industry. She has been featured in The Star, New Straits Times, The Sun, The Malay Mail, Utusan Malaysia, Faces Magazine, The Edge, Esquire Malaysia, Malaysian Tatler, NTV7, 8TV Quickie, Bernama TV, Astro Awani, BFM, AFO Radio, Traxx FM, Capitol FM, and Red FM.
With a voice described as “hauntingly beautiful” by NST (2013), award-winning actress and singer Stephanie Van Driesen is best known for her musical theatre lead roles as Sally Bowles in PAN Productions “Cabaret”, Betty in “The Secret Life of Nora” for which she won “Best Performance in a Supporting Role” in 2012 (Kakiseni), Marrying Me: A New Musical, Beth in “Merrily We Roll Along” (2014) and as Marilyn Monroe in her one woman show “Marilyn & Me” which debuted in October 2015. Other credits include Anak Merdeka (Kate), the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra’s “Ola Bola: Music from the Movie”, Tangled: The TV Series (Rapunzel Singing Voice: BM dub), Harold Pinter’s Betrayal (Emma) in dual languages: Malay & English at KLPac, and several festival tours with award-winning Malaysian gamelan ensemble Rhythm in Bronze as well as appearances with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Stephanie is also an accomplished voice over artist with over 20 years of experience, a former Radio Announcer with Traxx.FM, and emcee, and will be launching her debut music album “MELBOURNE” in 2019.
She has over a decade working as a trainer and workshop facilitator, both in the performing arts and personal development fields, boasting over 60 productions locally and internationally. In addition to being a full-time postgraduate student, Stephanie continues to run her company, SFA Stage Crafts and bring great value and powerful results to her 1-2-1 private and group coaching clients, who are based all around the world. Her international client portfolio currently spans Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway and Russia.
Stephanie Van Driesen is the Founder and CEO of SFA Stage Crafts, an arts and creative company focused on delivering top-notch training programmes to business leaders, drawing upon the best practices from the performing arts.
Download Full Resume
SUPPORT STEPHANIE'S NEXT ADVENTURE
DOwnload full Appeal for Education Funding
2017 – current: MFA Acting (International), East 15 Acting School, University of Essex, UK
2004 – 2007: BA (Hons) Musical Theatre (first class honours),
Recipient of the President’s Award,
LaSalle College of the Arts, Singapore
2015 Nominee – Best Solo Vocal Performance for “Hakikat Air”
Arus Gangsa by Rhythm in Bronze Gamelan Ensemble
12th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards
2014 Winner – Kakiseni Audience Choice award (Musical Theatre)
Marrying Me: A New Musical
2012 Winner – Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Musical Theatre)
The Secret Life of Nora
9th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards
2009 Nominated for Best Musical Direction & Best Production Values (Music)
A Light At Christmas
Show Reel Video
Stephanie on Social Media
You can find Stephanie on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. Follow her there for regular updates.
info@sfastage.com
© 2017 Stephanie Vanden Driesen | All images and text witin www.sfastage.com are presented for web browser viewing only. All Rights Reserved.
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tv Victoria Derbyshire BBC News December 30, 2016 10:30am-11:00am GMT
we have a let we have a lot of fog than yesterday. we have a lot of fog in southern and eastern parts and it has been very dense in the countryside areas, notjust freezing fog, but also icy and foggy at the same time so pretty treacherous. it will continue to lift, but slowly, and in some areas it will stay all day. it will be cold in those areas, but for many there is more cloud because it is quite mild. quite wet in the north of scotland, and the western isles, and it will stay wet overnight. the rain it creeps further south, bits and pieces of drizzle elsewhere, it will be mild overnight. still cold and for frost in the south and east and possibly some fog, and i will have more on new year's eve late on. hello. this is bbc news with gavin esler. russia's foreign minister sergei
lavrov has asked to expel us diplomats in response to president obama's decision to expel 35 russian diplomats. a nationwide ceasefire appears to be holding in syria, although some clashes have been reported. islamic state fighters and militants linked to al-qaeda are not part of the deal. 17 people — including the driver — have been taken to hospital, after a coach overturned in thick fog on the mao in oxfordshire. the vehicle came off the slip road near thame in the early hours. the government is considering plans to allow learners to drive on motorways. they'll be given access for lessons under plans to improve road safety. now on bbc news, victoria derbyshire takes a look back at the interviews and films which have featured on her programme in 2016. this programme contains a description of domestic violence that some viewers may find upsetting. hello and welcome to the programme.
over the next half an hour we will bring you some of the exclusive interviews and reports we have brought you over the past year. actor and film director adam deacon is one of britain's brightest talents, winning a bafta in 2012. but he was sectioned and later diagnosed with having bipolar disorder. in an exclusive film he made for our programme, adam went to meet stephen fry who also has bipolar to discuss the impact the condition has on their lives, the jobs and friendships. he was one of the main people that i would find myself youtubing. you had a public breakdown yourself.
i'm almost certain, as certain as i could be that had i lived later, i would have been diagnosed as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, my school reports say i was unbelievably disruptive, ebullient, annoying, couldn't stop speaking. i got expelled from this school and that school and the other school, i eventually went to prison. then i thought everything was fine, i kind of got over it in my early 205 and that's when everything started to go wrong. i realised that i was somehow prey to these terrible moods. i was in a play and ijust... you walked out. i had a kind of collapse of confidence and a general feeling that my life was kind of over. got the proper diagnosis then.
i thought i had faced the beast but i was kidding myself. really? several years after that... i was lying in a hospital bed thinking i was a lunatic, not a sane person. i look back at the work i have done and i think maybe this stemmed from the bipolar. i look back at the film i made. i wrote it, i directed it, i was acting in it but when i look back to outsiders looking at me, everyone seemed to say the same thing, is quite manic. they band red bull on the set, they thought it was that at the time. one of the things i know from my experience and it still shocks me is that the people who love me best read my mood more quickly than i can myself. my husband knows when i'm manic, he sees it in my face and my eyes. does it worry you?
i once had it so badly, i'm the least superstitious person in the world but i thought, had i even had a grain of religion in me, i would have thought god was talking to me, i felt like joan of arc. it was quite frightening in the end. you're obviously dealing with your own demons in the first place, going through hell, you are all over the place and then it's everywhere. how did you cope with that? i've always lived my life in a strangely public way in terms of being open about things. in the 805, when it was quite unusual, i came out as being gay, there were plenty of gay people in show business but not many who were out at all. it was a similar thing inasmuch as, in our business it is much easier to talk about your emotions because our business is one in which emotions and experience are the kind of ingredients for the films and the books that we cook up. i ended up having this kind of breakdown but because of twitter, i was writing all this kind of crazy stuff on twitter without
even realising it. sometimes ijust wish someone took my phone away and just made me calm... i did and i feel much the better for it. next, an unprecedented admission by the former head of the british army. in an exclusive interview with this programme, he told us about how he had refused to take a controversial anti—malaria drug because of concerns over its catastrophic side effects, even though he knew the drug was being given to the troops. he was in africa shortly after taking his first couple of doses and became very unwell very quickly. he became extremely depressed, not the sort of person he would normally be. normally very bubbly and personable sort of individual.
he got very withdrawn and we got very worried about him. have you ever taken lariam? no. because bertie had that effect, every time i have taken antimalarial drugs, i have said i will take anything but i'm not taking lariam. i made myself very ill but realised very quickly i didn't have a mental health issue. that was happening, you knew you would not take lariam at the same time as those serving under you as chief of general staff were taking lariam? yes, that is true. but again, i think that is because the organisation hadn't reached a settled view over whether lariam was more efficient... if it wasn't good enough you, should it not have been good enough for everyone serving under you?
because i had first—hand experience of what could happen, i couldn't see the point of putting myself in the same position. but other people were being put in that position. this is true. but i come back to the fact that the ministry of defence as an organisation was still trying to come to a conclusion in general terms whether the beneficial and harmful effects of lariam were greater or less. the effects were almost immediate. it was as if the wiring in your brain had completely gone or had completely rewired. i do get depressed to the point of suicidal thoughts. since 1997, the british national formulary, which gps consult when prescribing medicines, has made absolutely clear what anyone being given lariam should be told about it. there's a series of neuropsychiatric
side—effects and say that the drug must be stopped immediately if any of them are experienced. we've spoken to many members of the military who say they were simply not made aware of that. we were just told, this is what you're taking on the way you go. we were just told, this is what you're taking, away you go. you were told there might be side effects? no, not at all. in a statement, the ministry of defence said the vast majority of deployed personnel already receive alternatives to lariam and where it is used, it is only prescribed after an individual risk assessment. in many respects, i'm a broken man. the army has broken me, the government has broken me. why do the british government continue to give this drug to its serving members? reina holden was 18 when her boyfriend beat her unconscious and left herfor dead in a pub car park in washington, tyne & wear. the attack was caught on cctv.
she came on to our programme back in february to tell her story and encourage others to speak out and get help. he always used to put me down, if things didn't go his way or if he wanted to do something and i didn't want to do it, that is when the abuse would happen. also when he had no money, when he didn't have money for alcohol, his drugs. i took all the backlash of that. can i ask you, rayna, what kind of things he used to do to you? he used to pick me up, throw me against the radiator, he used to rag me about with my hair, punch me in the face, slapped me. he would call me nasty names. he was just a horrible man. and i think as well, as well as that horrific physical abuse, on the controlling side of things, he would try and control
access to your phone or do you were allowed to see. access to your phone or who you were allowed to see. yeah, who i was allowed to see, who i was allowed to speak to, who i had on my facebook. there was one occasion i was on the phone to my grandad and he actually snatched the phone out of my hand and took the battery of the phone so i couldn't have any contact with him. why was he doing this to you? i don't know the reasons why he was doing it to me but i think, i don't know... i think it's more to do with having control over a person. he used to like controlling me and telling me what to do. can i ask you about the attack that he committed on you in that pub car park in november 2014? yeah. i was meant to be going to meet him so i have walked down to the cross keys pub in the village in washington. i've walked into the pub and daryl
was stood with his mate and two other women and he was playing pool with them. he was smacking their as—is. i walked out of the pub. daryl came after me. he said, you're not my girlfriend any more... telling me that i'm worthless, that i meant nothing to him, that i was just a child to him that my family had given me to. it ended up in a massive argument and that argument led to him chasing me out of the car park. he had a pint glass in his hand and he tried to smash it on my head. it hit me six times before it shattered. he grabbed me by my hair when the glass shattered,
he dragged me behind a car and he kept punching me, kicking me, punching me. when i was unconscious, he picked me up by my hair and dragged me halfway across the car park to a set of bins where he dropped me again and stood over my body. that was rayna holden, speaking about abuse at the hands of an ex—partner. i can tell you that she has now found happiness again with someone else. she will be spending christmas with her baby son who was born last month. in september i sat down with julie walters. she told me about the death of her friend victoria wood and why in hollywood she would be considered a freak. can i ask you about victoria wood? for most of us, it was a huge shock and people felt really close to her even though
they didn't know her. you were actually close to her which must have made it very difficult. it was. the fact that it is kind of in the public domain as well makes it really strange. i couldn't kind of respond to it very much at the beginning. even though we all knew that it was probably close, still a huge shock. death is anyway, isn't it? still a huge shock. ifound i couldn't respond. sometimes. i felt hugely anxious first of all, massive anxiety about it. when i was able to relax and see my husband, he just went... yeah. huge loss. still today i can't think what brought it up. we were in the taxi coming here and chrissie with my make—up, she was very close to her and i thought, why would i think about her in the taxi? but i think everyone goes through that thing with grief where they think, they're not here! you can't believe it.
no. and she was 62. it's nothing, is it? no, these days it isn't. before she got ill, she looked fantastic. she looked really, really well. not a mark on her skin. so yeah. you may not want to answer this and that is fine. could she rationalise the diagnosis? yes. i don't want to say anything else really. that's fine. victoria's legacy is her work. people are going to enjoy her work and your work together for evermore. i hope so. that would be brilliant if it is the case. her brother wants a statue to be erected in bury, where she obviously went to school. a statue of her sitting at a piano. what do you think of that idea?
it sounds gorgeous. so long as it's flattering. she wouldn't like it if it wasn't! it somehow doesn't seem enough, a statue, does it? you know, her work is the thing, isn't it? it's her work that, as you say, is the legacy and that stimulates everyone's memories of her and keeps her alive, it's her work. before you met victoria, which i think was in the mid 70s, the late 70s, before that you were part of a kind of generation of working—class actors who originated from the everyman theatre in liverpool. you, pete postlethwaite, bill nighy.
and now as you know, eddie redmayne, tom hiddleston, they all went to eton. is that an issue for you? no. they are wonderful actors. i've worked with tom. they are all fantastic. it's not the fact that they are all doing brilliantly, it's the fact that it is very hard for working—class kids, like, in my day, all of us, victoria, we came through subsidised theatre and we got grants. these days, you can't get a grant for drama school at all. so, that's a worry, then. where is the next generation of working—class actors going to come from? i don't know. presumably not through drama school, obviously. but i think things go in cycles, i really do believe that. i was lucky to be on the wave of michael caine, tom courtenay, albert finney, they all started in the 60s and in the 70s we really cashed in on that. it was really not good to have a middle—class accent. you would hear posh people trying to talk like that,
so that they would be accepted. because it wasn't trendy. so i was very lucky to be part of that, there was no feeling... before that you had to get rid of any accident that you had. but it helped having an accent. yeah. do you think hollywood has got better or not when it comes to roles for older women? no. i don't think they're very good for roles for women, are they? you see wonderful actors... meryl streep is an exception, isn't she? julianne moore, people like that. she's not that old. she is 50 odd. i've just worked with the wonderful anette benning. it is better, she doesn't look like she has had anything done to her face and that's unusual. but i know if i went there i would like like a freak,
because everyone else has! you would look authentic. that's all right. i wouldn't want to do that. and you can watch the full interview withjulie walters on our website. it was the craze of the summer, the mobile phone game downloaded more than 500 million times, that had millions wandering the streets trying to find virtual pokemon go characters. but we heard about an unintended consequence which caught our attention, we heard from the parents of autistic children for whom the app transformed their lives. he's been engrossed and obsessed with minecraft for the last five years, literally living and breathing it. very good.
he's gone from hardly leaving the house other than to go to college, to wanting to go out every night. he's found another one! when he first said he wanted to go out, i said, we will see how it goes, and three hours later we were still out. i was like, "oh my god". he spent two years pretty much out of school because he was either going in and being sent home because he had had a bad anxiety attack, to the point where he was doubled up on the floor in pain with his stomach,
he would spend days wrapped in a sleeping bag. every time you try to take him out, he would have an anxiety attack. luke, fiona, sam, daniel. normally, he would have lasted two minutes, we would have had to leave straightaway. his stomach would have started hurting, just being around people who were a bit noisy and talking loud, he wouldn't have coped. but he has stayed. it's brilliant. there's none there? oh no. what are you going to do? round that way? 0k. it's helping reinstate that mum and son bond. i've spent so long being his carer. i'm going to cry.
it'sjust nice, you know? i've not seen him this relaxed and happy in a public place for so long. it really means a lot. you can see that he's happy and relaxed, he's smiling. he's not ticking. it's just so nice, it really is. it feels like i've got a bit of my son back. high five. he's made more progress than we've seen in the last four years. obviously it's small steps of progress but what he has made has been immense.
it's made a huge difference to adam's quality of life. his life pre—pokemon wasn't the greatest life, shut up in his bedroom and locking himself away from everyone. if anyone had told me six months ago that a simple game like this would get him out of the house, i would have laughed at them and said, "no, not a chance". i never in a million years thought this would happen. for us, it's a huge celebration. do you like being outside? good. and we're coming out tomorrow night as well. how many is that now? before we go, it was one of the highlights of the year. team gb finishing second in the medals table in rio. we beat china, we beat russia and in the process we became the first country ever to improve
on a home medal haul at the next olympic games, winning 67 in total, two more than london 2012. here's a reminder ofjust how inspiring team gb were. it is not the critic who counts, and not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena. whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood. who strives valiantly, who errs.
who comes short again and again. because there is no effort without error and shortcoming. but who does actually strive to do the deed. who knows great enthusiasm and great devotions. this may be the last one? possibly, yeah. i don't want to cry! who spends himself in a worthy cause. triumphs in high achievement. who in the end, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. thank you very much for watching.
we are back on air onjanuary 3rd. in the meantime you can watch our films on our programme page. it is cold and icy and foggy, and it will get little bit of those areas, but there is some sunshine, this was torquay a couple of hours ago and we also had sunshine in preston in lancashire, but the fog is quite dense in places. this is staffordshire, it is notjust foggy,
but frosty, so conditions are treacherous, quite slick. freezing fog and some dense patches are lingering in the midlands, east anglia and the south—east, but it will lift. we will see some sunshine in the south, but little chance in the north of scotland, the highlands and the islands rather wet. east of the grampians maybe some brightness. it is still largely dry in northern ireland, but they will be some drizzle around the irish sea coast. better chance of some sunshine, when the fog lifts, but where it lingers, we will struggle, barely above freezing for most of the day. the fog will then thicken, and overnight we have issues in the south and east again. where we have brightness, it will only be around 5—6d. most areas will only be around 5—6d. most areas will be a bit milder compared to
yesterday. wet in northern scotland and the rain keeps coming on the gale force winds overnight. it means that it will at least mean a mild night across scotland and northern ireland and most of northern england and wales and the south west, but again in the colder parts in southern and eastern areas we will have some frost in the countryside and maybe a little bit of fog although it should clear a bit quicker. for scotland in the day it looks like it will be pretty wet and windy. in two new year's eve celebrations, the weather system trundles further south, and behind that we have arctic air, and it will bea that we have arctic air, and it will be a cold hogmanay for scotland. looking quite soggy for celebrations, we think, across northern england and north wales, but we are not certain whether the weather front will lie further south
01’ weather front will lie further south or not, bobby rainey will have cleared away for the start of 2017 —— but the rain will have cleared. it looks like we will have arctic winds and a scattering of showers on new year's day. it will feel cold again. this is bbc news. time gavin estler. the headlines at 11. moscow promises retaliation, after president obama expels 35 russian diplomats in the us election hacking row. the syria ceasefire between the government and rebel groups appears largely to be holding. there are reports of isolated clashes. drivers are told to take care in fog and freezing conditions, as a coach overturns on the mao in oxfordshire, injuring 17 people. a warning that national parks are under threat, as figures suggest government funding has been cut over the past five years. also in the next hour — learner drivers could be allowed on motorways. it's part of proposals to give learners a voluntary target for a minimum number of lessons before taking their test. and rebecca jones talks with the
world's bestselling author,
BBC News December 30, 2016 10:30am-11:00am GMT
Victoria Derbyshire takes a look back at the exclusive interviews and films which have featured on her programme in 2016. Also in HD. [S]
Scotland 5, Bbc News 3, Lariam 2, Mao 2, Ministry Of Defence 2, Russia 2, Syria 2, Adam 2, Hollywood 2, Washington 2, Victoria 2, Northern Ireland 2, England 2, Oxfordshire 2, Daryl 2, Obama 2, Victoria Wood 2, Tom Courtenay 1, Army 1, Staffordshire 1
Uploaded by TV Archive on December 30, 2016
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tv Today NBC November 16, 2015 10:00am-10:59am EST
goals. hopes for diploma in syria have been dashed before. there are a number of ways this push could falter. there are still disagreements with the parties including the most critically over the fate of who does not have a role in the syrian future. his war against the syrian people is the primary root cause of this crisis. what is different this time and gives us some degree of hope is that as i said for the first time all he countries on the sides of the syrian conflict agree on a process needed to end this war. while we are clear eyed about the difficult growth still ahead, the united states in partnership with our coalition is going to remain relen ess on all fronts, military, human tear and diplomatic. we have the right strategy and
with that, i'm going to take some questions and i'll begin with jerome of afc. mr. president, 129 people were killed friday night. isil gained responsibility for the massacre sending the message. equation on security change. >> keep in mind what we have to do. we have a military strategy that invo es putting enormous
strikes that has put assistance and training on the ground with iraqi forces and we're now working are syrian forces as il and cut off supply lines. we've been working to reduce their financing capabilities, the oil that they're trying to ip outside. we're taking strikes against high value targets including most recently against the individual who was on the video executing civilians who had already been captured as well as libya. it's not just iraq and syria. so on the military front we are continuing to accelerate what we do as we find additional partners on the ground that are effective we work with them more closely. i've already authorized
ground so we're going to be able to improve that coordination. on the counter terrorism front, keep in mind since i came into office we have been worried about these kinds of attacks. the individual lens that the united states government maintains and the cooperation that we're consistently expanding with our european and other partners in going after every single terrorist network is row bust and constant. and every few weeks i meet with my entire national security team and we go over every single threat string that's presented and where we have all that information we shared immediately with our counter parts around the world including our european partners. on aviation security, we have over the last several years been working so that at various
airport sites, not just in the united states but overseas, we are strengthening our mechanisms to screen and discover passengers who should not be boarding flights and improving the matters in which we are screening luggage that is going on board. and on the diplomatic front we've been consistently working to try to get all the parties together to recognize that there is a moderate opposition inside of syria that could form the basis for a transition government and to reach out not only to our friends but also to the russians and the a yan canadians on the other side of the equation to explain to them ultimately, an organization like isil is the greatest dapg nger to them as well as to us. so there will be an intensification of the strategy that we put forward but the strategy
strategy we are putting forward is the strategy that's going to work. as i said from the start, it's going to take time and what's been interesting is in the aftermath of paris as i listen to those who suggest something else needs to be done, typically, the inc. things they suggest needs to be done are the things we need to be doing. the one exception is that there had been a few who suggested we should put large numbers of u.s. troops on the ground and keep in mind that we have the finest military in the world and the finest military minds in the world. i've been meeting with them intensively for years now discussing these various options
and it is not just my view but the view of my closest military and civilian advisers that would be a mistake. not because our military could not march into mosil or rocca or ramadi and temp clear out isil but because we would see a repetition of what we've seen before which is if you do not have local populations that are committed to inclusive governments and who are pushing back against idea logical extremes that they resurface unless we're prepared to have a permanent occupation of these countries. let's assume that we were to send 50,000 troops into syria. what happens when there's a terrorist attack generated from
do we then send more troops into there or libya, perhaps? or if there's a terrorist network that's operating anywhere else in north africa or in southeast asia. so a strategy has to be one that can be sustained and the strategy that we're pursuing which focuses on going after targets, limiting wherefore possible the capabilities of isil on the ground systematically going after their leadership, infrastructure, strengthening shia or syrian and iraqi forces and curdish forces to fight them and cutting off the boarders and squeezing the space they can operate until we're able to defeat them, that's the strategy we're going
we'll continue to generate more partners for that strategy and there are going to be some things we try that don't work, some strategies we try do work. when we find strategies that work we'll double down on those. cbs. >> thank you mr. president. more than a yearlong bombing campaign in iraq and syria has failed to contain the ambition and ability of isis to launch attacks in the west. have you underestimated their abilities and will you widen the rules of engagement for u.s. forces to take more aggressive action? >> no, we haven't underestimated our abilities. this is precisely why we're in iraq as we speak and operating in syria as we speak.
mobilized 65 countries to go after isil and why i hosted at the united nations an entire discussion of counter terrorism strategies and cushing the flow of foreign fighters and why we've been putting pressure on those countries that have not been as robust as they need to in tracking the flow of foreign fighters in and out of syria and iraq. so there has been an acute awareness on the part of my administration from the start that it is possible for an organization like isil that has such a twisted ideology and has shown such extraordinary brutality and complete disregard for innocent lives that they
potentially strike in the west and because thousands of fighters have flowed from the west and are european citizens, a few hundred from the united states but far more from europe returned, it posed a significant danger. we have consist president ently worked with our european partners disrupting plots in some cases. sadly, this one was not disrupted in time. but understand that one of the challenges we have in this situation is if you have a hand full of people who don't mind dying, they can kill a lot of people. that's one of the challenges of terrorism. it's not their sophistication or
possess but the ideology that they carry with them and their willingness to die. in those circumstances tracking each individual making sure that we are disrupting and preventing these attacks is a constant effort of individual lens vigilance of vigilance. what we do in iraq and syria makes it more attractive the groups. when i said we're containing the control in iraq and syria, they're controlling more territory than last year.
the more we shrink that territory, the more we can predend they're a functioning state and the more it becomes apparent they are simply a network of killers who are brutalizing local populations. that allows us to reduce the foreign fighters which will over a time lesson the number of terrorists who can carry out the terrible attacks like in paris. that's what we did with al qaeda. that doesn't mean by the way that al qaeda no longer possesses the capabilities of striking the west. al qaeda and the peninsula that operates primarily in yemen, we know has consistently tried to target the west and we are working to disrupt those acts
have not gotten as much attention as isil, they pose a danger as well. so our goals here consistently have to be to be aggressive and to leave no stone unturned but also recognize this is not conventional warfare. we play into the isil narrative when we act as if they're a state. and we use routine military tactics that are designed to fight a state that is attacks another state. that's not what's going on here. these are killers with fantasies of glory who are very savvy when
able to infiltrate the minds of not just iraqis or syrians but diseffected individuals around the world and when they activate those individuals, those individuals can do a lot of damage. so we have to take the approach of being rigorous on our counter terrorism efforts and consistently improve and figure out how we can get more information and how we can infiltrate these networks and rekus their operational space even as we also try to shrink the amount of territory. ultimately, to reclaim territory from them is going to require an end of the war. it's going to require an effective iraqi effort that brinls the differences which is
inside of iraq are so important as well. >> thank you, mr. president. in the days and weeks before the paris attack, did you receive warning in our daily intelligence briefing that an attack was imnant? if not, does that not call into question the assessment there's no credible threat to the united states today. secondly, if i could ask you to address your critics who say you're reluctant to enter another middle east war and your preface of diplomacy preface of diplomacy to use our military. >> jim, every day we have threat streams coming through the
as i said, every several weeks we sit down with all my national security intelligence and military teams to discuss various threat streams that may be generated. and the concerns about potential isil attacks in the west have been there for over a year now and come through periodically. there were no specific mentions of this particular attack that would give us a sense of something that we need, that we could provide sensitivity on or act on ourselves. but typically, the way the intelligence works is there will
one source. how reliable is that source? perhaps some signal intelligence gets picked up. it's evaluated. some of it is extraordinarily vague and unspecific. there's no clear timetable. some of it maybe more specific and folks chase down that threat to see what happens. i'm not aware of anything that was specific in the sense that would have gave a premonition about an attack in paris that would allow for law enforcement or military actions to disrupt it. with respect to the broader issue of my critics, to some degree i answered the question earlier. i think that when you listen to what they actually have to say, what they're proposing, most of
the time when pressed th describe things that we're already doing. maybe they're not aware we're already doing them. some of them seem to think that if i were just more bellicose in expressing what we're doing that that would make a difference because that seems to be the only thing they're doing is talking as if they're tough. i am seeing particular strategies that they would suggest that would make a real difference. the primary exception is if those who would deploy u.s. troops on a large scale to retake territory either in iraq or now in syria and at least they have their honesty to go ahead and say that's what they
would do. i just addressed why i think they're wrong. there have been some who are well meaning and i don't doubt their sincerity when it comes to the issue of the dyer humanitarian situation in syria who will for example call for a no fly zone or safe zone of some sort and this is an example of the kind ofd issue where i will sit down with our top military and intelligence advisers and we'll pain stakingly go through what does something like that look like and typically, after we've gone through a lot of planning and a lot of discussion and really working it through, it is determined it would be counter productive to take those steps. in part because isil does not
on the ground. a true safe zone requires us to set up ground operations and you know, the bulk of the deaths that occurred in syria, for example, come about not because of regime bombings but because of on the ground casualties. who would come in and out of the safe zone, how would it work? would it become a magnet for further terrorist attacks and how many personnel would be required? my only interest is to end suffering and keep the american
if there's a good idea out there, then we're going to do it. i don't think i've shown hesitation to react whether it's ben laden or accepteding sending additional troops. what we do not do, what i do not do is to take actions either because it's going to work politically or it is going to somehow in the abstract make america look tough. or make me look tough. part of the reason is every few months i go to walter reed and see a 25-year-old kid that's
some of those are people i've ordered into battle so i can't afford to play some of t political games that others may. we'll do what's required to keep the american people safe. and i think it's entirely appropriate in a democracy to have a seriousebate about these issues. folks want to pop off and have opinions about what they think they would do, present a specific plan. if they think that somehow their advisers are better than the chair of my joint chiefs of staff and the folks actually on the ground, i want to meet them. we can have that debate.
is posing or pursuing some notion of american leadership or america winning or whatever other slogans they come up with that has no relationship to what is actually going to work to otect the american people and to protect people in the region who are getting killed and to protect our allies and people like france. i'm too busy for that. jim. >> thank you very much, mr. president. i wanted to go back to something you said to margaret earlier when you said you had not underestimated isis' abilities. this is an organization you once tribed as described as a jv team that's evolved to forces in iraq and syria and ab e to use the safe haven to launch atcucks in the
other parts of the world. how is that not underestimating their capabilities and how is that conined quiet frankly and i think a lot of americans have frustration that they see the united states has the best military in the world and has the backing of others when it comes to taking on isis. i ?guess the question is forgive the language, why can't we take out these bastards? >> i just spent the last three questions answering that very question. i don't know what more you want me to add? i think i've described very specifically what our strategy is and i've described very specifically why we do not pursue some of the other strategies that's been suggested. this is not as i said a
traditional military opponent. we can retnge territory and as long as we leave our troops thheere, we can ho it. but that does not solve the underlying problem of elimrnating that dynamic prhyoducin sthese kinds of violent extremist groups. an so we are going to continue to pursue the strategy that has the best chnce of working even though it does not offer the sasks satisfaction i guess of any headline or an immediate resolution. part of the reason is because there's cost to the other side. i just want to remind people
when we send troops in, those troops get injured and killed and our country spends hundreds of billions of dollars. agai the fact there are enormous sacrifices involved in any military action, it's best that we don't shoot first and aim late erp. it's important to get the strategy right and the strategy we're pursuing is the right one. >> i think a lot of people around the world and america are concerned because given the strategy that you're pursuing ane d it's been more than a year now, isis' capability seems to be expanding.
think they have the same ability to strike in the united states? do you think given all you've learned about isis over the past year or so and given all the craniticisgiabout n underestimating them, do you think you really understand this enemy well enough to defeat them and to protect the homeland? >> all right. so this is another variationeon the me question. i guess, let me try it one last time. the, we have been fully aware of the capability of them carrying out a terrorist attack. that's why we have been mounting a very aggressive strategy to go
after them. as i said before when you're talking about the ability of a hand full of people with not wildly sophisticated military equipment weapons they can kill a lot of people and preventing them from doing so is challenging for every country. i assure you that not just the united states but france and turkey nd oers who have been subject to these terrorist attacks would have implemented
they set up a whole series of additional steps to protect aviation and apply lessons learned. we've seen much better cooperation between the fbi, state governments, local governments. this is some advantages to geography with respect to the united states. but having said that, the possibility of terrorist attacks on our soil. there were the boston marathon bombers. it was not on the scale of the deaths in paris but that was a serious attempt at killing a lot of people by two brothers and a crock pot.
going to be involved in this so again, isil has serious capabilities. we're going after all of them. they have a great effect on social media to attract groups and carry out attacks in the homeland and in europe and other parts of the world. our ability to shrink the space
reduce the freedom with which they feel they can operate.
[ inaudible ] >> i'm sorry, i can't hear you. >> this is something we spoke a lot about in the g20. the overwhelming majority of victims are themselves muslims. isil does not represent islam. it is not representative in any way of the attitudes of the overwhelming majority of luz minimums.
muslim leaders whether it's the president of indo countries that are majority muslim but have shown themselves to be ral rant and do work to be inclusive in their political process. so to the degree that anyone would equate the terrible accident that took place in paris with the abuse of islam, those kinds of stereo types are counterproduct evidence counterproductive and wrong. they will lead, i think, to greater recruitment if this becomes somehow defined as a muslim problem as opposed to a terrorist problem.
now, what is also true is that the most vicious terrorist organizations at the moment are the ones that claim to be speak speaking speaking on behalf of true muslims. i do think that muslims around the world, religious leaders, political leaders, ordinary people have to, you know, ask very serious questions about how did these extremist ideologies take root. even if it's only effecting the
population, it is real. and it is dangerous. i think the muslim community has to think about how we make sure children are not effected by the twisted notion they can kill innocent people and that is justified by religion. to some degree that is something that has to come from within the muslim community itself. there have been times there has not been enough push back against extremism. there's some who say we don't believe in violence but are not as willing to challenge some of the extremist thoughts or rationals for why muslims people oppressed and i think those ideas have to be changed.
manilla. i'm looking forward to seeing manilla but i hope i can come back to turkey when i'm not so busy. one of the places you're seeing this debate play itself out is on the refugee issue both in europe and i gathered it started popping up back while i was gone to the united states. the people who are fleeing syria are the most harmed by terrorism. they are the most vulnerable by a consequence of civil war and
strife. they are parents, children, orphans. it is very important. this was affirmed again and again by the g20. we do not close our hearts to this. you know, in europe, i think people like chancellor has taken a kour rashs stance in saying it's our moral obligation as fellow human beings to help people who are in such as a rule you arable situations. i know that it is putting enormous strains on the resources of the people of europe and nobody has been
the people of turkey and the people of jordan and lebanon admitting refugees. the fact that they've kept their boarders open to the refugees is a signal. so we have to, each of us do our part and the united states has to step up and do its part. when i hear folks say that maybe we should just admit the christians and not the muslims, when i hear political leaders suggests that there will be a test for which person is fleeing from a war torn country is
folks themselves come from families who benefitted, that's shameful. that's not american, that's not who we are. we don't have religious test to our compassion. when pope francis came to visit, the united states gave a speech before congress. he didn't just speak object christians being persecuted. he didn't call on those who just add miz those of the same religious faith. he said protect people who are vulnerable. i think it's very important for
in leadership and particularly those who have a platform and can be heard not the feed the impulse inside of us. i had a lot of other agreements with george w. bush on politics but i was proud of 9/11 when he was adamant and clear about the fact this was not a war on islam. to notion that some of those would ignore all of that, that's not who we are. on this, they should follow his example. it was the right one. there's the right impulse.
whether you are european or american, the values that we are defending, the values that we're fighting against isil for are precisely that we don't discriminate against people because of their faith. we don't kill people because they're different than us. that's what separates us from them. we don't feed that kind of notion that somehow christians and muslims are at war. if we want to be successful defeating isil, that's a good place to start by not promoting that kind of ideology, that kind of attitude. in the same way that the muslim community has an obligation not to in any way excuse anti christian christian sediment.
christians. we are, it is good to remember that the united states does not have a religious test and we are a nation of many people's of different fates. which means that we show compassion to everybody. those are the universal values we stand for. that's what my administration intends to stand for. all right. thank you very much, everybody. >> president obama speaks at the end of the g20 summit in turkey for americans not to turn their backs on syrian refugees especially in the wake of what happened here in the wake of what happened here in paris friday that killed 129 people. the headline here in this news conference, the president essentially saying stay the course. there will be no change in overall u.s. strategy in the war
he was defensive at times as reporters cropped ontinued to ask him questions about a possible change in strategy. chuck todd has been watching along with us. the president feeling pressured to do something new in the wake of this. but he really held his ground here. >> he did. i was struck by how defensive he was and how much he's paying attention to his political critics. he answered about six or seven specific charges or ideas that various critics of him, presidential candidate critics or otherwise have made and he used them as strong. i was surprised by his tone and defensiveness. he didn't channel what i think a lot of americans are feeling right now with a little bit of anger and resolve and recivil yancey. i get the policy argument that he's making that hey, this is the policy that's going to work and i don't think these other ideas are going to work. i was again, i go back to the
extremely defensive and almost not yet realizing that many of the reporters in that room, they're channelling the public in this case, lester, as you know being in paris and we know where the public is there, but it's a lot of similar feelings here in the united states right now. so that's the part of this that just struck me as frankly an odd decision. not odd that he's sticking to his policies, odd in the tone he chose to use today. >> let me turn to an green i can't mitchell now. andrea, yesterday a sizable era attack against rocca. at the same time president obama was speaking and noted this attack was planned in syria, organized in belgium, carried out in france. so it makes you wonder whether a military operation would work against that kind of a threat. >> well, what the president is saying, just to continue on what chuck said, he is not going to
put in ground forces. he's going to intensify the effort. like france, these are air strikes. air strikes backed up by training and equipping iraqis and working more closely with syrians on the ground. we know that the syrian piece of this has been a total failure and the iraqis have turned and runned every time they've been changed. the iraqi forces have not been stood up and the syrian forces have not been stood up and without people on the ground most military experts say this will not work. he also defended the intelligence. he said there's not been an intelligence gap and there's a robust in constant individual lens. he meets with the advisers. he said no gap but just an hour or two ago cia director in washington said it's time for the u.s. and u.n. to look and see if there's cracks or gaps in the intelligence gatherings. they're going to go back and
something before paris. >> richard angle seen in the streets of paris and syria even watching along with me. you noted that the president acknowledged something that was murky in the question of responsibility? >> he acknowledged this in fact was an isis attack. he called isis the face of evil. he said isis will be degraded and defeated which is reaffirm reaffirming his old policy. there have been talks this was al qaeda. some of the counter officials i spoke to in paris said there's no way this could be isis. isis isn't that good. he's acknowledging yes, this is an isis attack and we're going to do more and share more intelligence with france and intensify the current strategy. i think some of the defensiveness we've all seem to denoted came from the anger you can feel here in paris. you can read from the statements that are coming out of american politicians politicians.
there seems to be once again this desire to do more and send troops in and go to war and i think the president was trying to dial that back saying we're going to do more strategy but not going to war. >> you and i were speaking and here on this plaza 10 months ago watching people do what we did lighting candles. it's a different atmosphere. at the time we were here because there's an attack on a newspaper publication people respond somewhat differently. >> very much differently. it's nice to say france is being resilient and these people are here. we are hearing that. it's different. when charlie's attack happened, people came out in the streets and there were tens of thousands, couple thousand people who marched in this square and holding up pins and it became a zem administration for the freedom of the press. charlie was them.
magazine and french people came out and said we are with that magazine. we are charlie. this time, it was an attack against us. >> people sitting in cafe and theater. >> concert. that has people scared. >> let me quickly go back to chuck todd again talking about the political pressure that will mount at home. the president holding his standing fast here. what kind of pressure will he face? >> i tell you in the last point of what he made, he was passionate on the refugee issue. that's where the political pressure is going to heat up early and first. frankly, it's out of sort of the easiest thing for the public to di jest. it's where the republican primary is going to head. it's this issue of where we take in syrian refugees is going to be the first thing, first amount of political pressure that gets forced upon the line up. >> chuck todd, thank you very much. we are here in the square that's become the memorial site in paris.
nightly news and what the president had grammy-nominated chris young got good news today, his new single "i'm coming over" on to a album of the same name has topped the charts. >> and no strange er to r to the hit, because he has had six number one singles, and the breakthrough artist of the year at the country music awards. >> and now, he has a song just for us. >> here is chris young. "oh, nah."
i think i'm going to leave i just had that one drink and i have to be up early boys, we ought to shutterer down and take it to the house before anybody starts getting crazy i started ak cross the boards before i got to the door oh, nah, hang on i just had o say oh, nah oh whoa gone i should be halfway home but oh, nah girl i saw you come in with all of your girlfriends just cutting up and starting to party
and we are just rolling up on scene not looking for anybody and i was going to walk on by you turned around and we locked eyes oh, nah that is somber there and mr. deejay what are you trying to do oh, nah, we can dance once and we will be playing on and on oh, nah well i didn't mean to be here this long but i tried to leave but it ain't our fault but i didn't mean to be holding you
supposed to do oh, mnah, i just want to have a shot of padron hang on, the music is going on and we will be playing on and on oh nah why did you play that oh nah chris young! >> very happen y for him, and our favorite things though are coming up, and we are very happy for us. >> but first, it s ist this message
all right. we are talking about our favorite thing s s. mine are little and easy for anybody. you have to speak for a long time --? or your new book coming ou >> and i thought that i was supposed to have a riccola and you know, put it in the water and plop, plop, and let it seep. >> for lounge? >> a little bit and sip it. it is going to be coating your throat that sucking it alone doesn't work, because it is the warm water. and i got through a big chunk of the book because of that. so if you have a sore throat, there you go >> and have been waiting to show you this. i have been telling you about my friend anne nielsen who is one of the finest artists in the world, and i have a few, and not too many, because you can't have enough, and they are fantastic, and now a candle. 18 different scents or six. and look at the candle. and the matches, and then the
candle. and this is for you, hody woman. >> it is? >> eight scents. >> that is gardenia. nielsen.com. >> it is heaven. >> that is part of my christmas gift to people, because i want you to be surrounded by joy. >> yes, christmas came early. yes, absolutely. d we want to know about the kindest people that you know. go go the facebook, our page, and share a photo and short story and use the #sharekindness.
NBC November 16, 2015 10:00am-10:59am EST
A performance by Chris Young; "Joy Fit Club"; "Favorite Things."
Syria 16, Paris 12, Iraq 8, American 7, Europe 5, Chuck Todd 3, Turkey 3, France 3, Libya 2, U.s. Forces 1, Congress 1, Republican 1, Cia 1, Al Qaeda 1, Walter Reed 1, Jim 1, Pope Francis 1, Richard 1, Anne Nielsen 1, Chuck 1
Channel v4.1
WNBC (NBC)
Uploaded by TV Archive on November 16, 2015
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Quadriga - The International Talk Show
Quadriga - The International Talk Show : LINKTV : May 28, 2016 2:00pm-3:01pm PDT
predict who will win. but not all europeans are becoming euro skeptic. in slovenia, many are all too aware of the benefits. >reporter: a celebrated bass baritone will be performing in his home village. anan w wt better venue than t idyllic church overlooking the village in eastern slovenia. joseph is in charge of his village's arts program. the arts center has been recently. revamped. >> we could never have done it just with local funding. . the village council would not have agreed to have our money agreed exclusively on the cultural center. that's why the subsidies are so vital. reporter: in addition to the library, the village now has a concert hall, a modern theater, and a cinema. because the mayor apply for all manner of eu funding. >> we have already made a lot of public buildings energy efficient. and now it is the library's turn. it will cost a little over 100,000 euros, most of which will be covered by the eu. >> he has been busy making the most of the new opportunities t -- opportunities and funds made available ever since slovenia joined the eu. cutting-edge money-saving t
predict who will win. but not all europeans are becoming euro skeptic. in slovenia, many are all too aware of the benefits. >reporter: a celebrated bass baritone will be performing in his home village. anan w wt better venue than t idyllic church overlooking the village in eastern slovenia. joseph is in charge of his village's arts program. the arts center has been recently. revamped. >> we could never have done it just with local funding. . the village council would not have agreed...
France 24 : LINKTV : May 2, 2016 2:30pm-3:01pm PDT
alexander dejuniak was brought in to halt debt, and they had net profit of 8 million euros in 2015. many attribute that some 28 decline in fuel prices. he attempted to cut costs, launch a low-cost service, reduce number of long-haul flights, and add 2000 jobs, but was met with fierce competition from the unions. the proposal resulted in a four day pilot strike, the worst industrial dispute in the airline's history. shirt torn off by fellow employees. the management meeting was abandoned. the union discussions are still ongoing. the first thing will be to console tensions. isand craig wright says he nakamoto, the person behind bitcoin. if so, he would end the mystery behind who is responsible for creating that currency. he said he lost bitcoin in 2009 with the help of others. it is a secretive form of virtual money based on meth medical codes, and there are billions of of worth of that in circulation. despite outing himself, all he wants is to be left alone. i didn't decide. i had people decide this matter for me. and making life difficult not for me but my friends, my family, my staff. i
alexander dejuniak was brought in to halt debt, and they had net profit of 8 million euros in 2015. many attribute that some 28 decline in fuel prices. he attempted to cut costs, launch a low-cost service, reduce number of long-haul flights, and add 2000 jobs, but was met with fierce competition from the unions. the proposal resulted in a four day pilot strike, the worst industrial dispute in the airline's history. shirt torn off by fellow employees. the management meeting was abandoned. the...
once again. the french national carrier is hoping to save between 20 million and 30 million euros per year with the lowers the salary. it is part of the decision to implement a business plan which will see pilots' paychecks lowered between 2% to 3% in june. the pilots union says the timing of the proposal makes no sense. at the moment, when pilots around the world at delta and turkish airlines are negotiating salary hikes and forcing this decision, to once again reduce pilot salaries in a forceful way is one track-minded. reporter: on average, junior pilots at air france earned 6300 euros a month. additional competition would be run overnight flights reduced from 50 to 40%. legal avenues to block the plan are unlikely as french labor courts sided with the air france management when the plan was contested by unions. pilots are threatening to go on strike just weeks ahead of the euro 2016 football championship in france. this may hamper cost-saving efforts by the company to improve its finances. the airline reported losses of 155 million euros for the first few months of 2016. the threa
once again. the french national carrier is hoping to save between 20 million and 30 million euros per year with the lowers the salary. it is part of the decision to implement a business plan which will see pilots' paychecks lowered between 2% to 3% in june. the pilots union says the timing of the proposal makes no sense. at the moment, when pilots around the world at delta and turkish airlines are negotiating salary hikes and forcing this decision, to once again reduce pilot salaries in a...
France 24 : LINKTV : May 24, 2016 2:30pm-3:01pm PDT
. owes the french state 1.6 billion euros. goolgle saidt company isnian accused of funneling profits to ireland. u.k. millions in back taxes. thege osborne defended payment. european authorities are payments aref the illegal. pay italyed to millions in euros after allegations of dodging taxes. markus: a company could reconsider investments in franche. belonging to total have been shut down. the company previously had a millioninvest 600 euros in the sites. eurozone finance ministers are confident of reaching a deal with greece for more bailout money. talkes are still ongoing. greece has passed a string of reforms. struck last was year with the rest of the eurozone. it is unclear whether parties will made headway during talks in brussels governmentthe had done a lot of work pushing forth reforms. i hope there is full agreement and we can move on. markus: brazil's interim president has unveiled a series of reforms with a constitutional change that could cap spending. willl temer says it boost economic growth. temer took over 12 days ago. he says fixing the economy will take time. notident
. owes the french state 1.6 billion euros. goolgle saidt company isnian accused of funneling profits to ireland. u.k. millions in back taxes. thege osborne defended payment. european authorities are payments aref the illegal. pay italyed to millions in euros after allegations of dodging taxes. markus: a company could reconsider investments in franche. belonging to total have been shut down. the company previously had a millioninvest 600 euros in the sites. eurozone finance ministers are...
obstructing an investigation into claims he took one million euros worth of bribes. countries -- companies that wanted oil firms -- oil contracts with the state firm, like petrobras. he met with lawyers to discuss an appeal. >> is going to stay here. he will follow the high court judgment. after that, he would decide what to do. now, he is in a meeting with his lawyers to work out how he will appeal. claire: the latest twist in brazil's political crisis comes a week before the senate votes on rousseff's impeachment. if the majority vote is in favor, she will be suspended for 180 days. according to the constitution, her vice president would become interim president. as speaker of the lower house, cunha had been third in line to take over if rousseff is impeached. catherine n.: all right. coming up to 9:20 in the evening here in paris. time for a look at the business news with markus karlsson. first up, we are looking at that rather worrying situation in alberta, canada, those wildfires continuing to rage, and the fallout for the oil industry. that wildfire has grown in size in the past 24 h
obstructing an investigation into claims he took one million euros worth of bribes. countries -- companies that wanted oil firms -- oil contracts with the state firm, like petrobras. he met with lawyers to discuss an appeal. >> is going to stay here. he will follow the high court judgment. after that, he would decide what to do. now, he is in a meeting with his lawyers to work out how he will appeal. claire: the latest twist in brazil's political crisis comes a week before the senate...
reforms to secure a 5 billion euro bailout. one of the most contentious measures under debate include an overhaul of the pension system. the government argues the program will redistribute already stretched finances more evenly. >> we are voting on ambitious reform in parliament which brings the pension system back into a viable track. we are at a crucial crossroads, though we are determined, much more experienced and stronger than ever. that is why we will succeed. we will get this country out of the crisis. reporter: the parliament is expected to vote on a new reform eurozonebefore europe o finance ministers meet. not all agree. the imf is asking the others at the table for debt relief. the body says the current measures in place are possibly counterproductive. markus: from greece, we will move on to the american economy. hiring slowed last month. the economy added the fewest number of jobs in seven months in april. sparkingjob growth is warnings that economic activity is slowing stateside. economists were expecting about 200,000 jobs in april but just got 160,000. that is below the
reforms to secure a 5 billion euro bailout. one of the most contentious measures under debate include an overhaul of the pension system. the government argues the program will redistribute already stretched finances more evenly. >> we are voting on ambitious reform in parliament which brings the pension system back into a viable track. we are at a crucial crossroads, though we are determined, much more experienced and stronger than ever. that is why we will succeed. we will get this...
DW News : LINKTV : May 24, 2016 2:00pm-2:31pm PDT
made headlines yesterday with its 62 billion euros takeover of monsanto would have been the largest foreign takeover by a german business, but that was not enough for the american agrochemical company. the offer was rejected, saying it significantly undervalues the company. but there is still hope -- monsanto says they are open to a new bed. we have been tracking this story from the new york stock exchange. shareholders already saw this bid as expensive, so is it aimed? -- is it doomed? >> i would not say doomed, but while they could see the deal as expensive, monsanto sees it only as an opening bid. the share price of nearly $121, a price right after the company announced a repurchase program. monsanto. its shares were undervalued, so they are not trading at that price and it still open for discussion. daniel: is monsanto worth such a high asking price? experts here justify that monsanto is not in a distressed situation. some say we are at the bottom of an agricultural cycle, so valuations are depressed. it's also true some analysts do not want to sell at any price and to a change
made headlines yesterday with its 62 billion euros takeover of monsanto would have been the largest foreign takeover by a german business, but that was not enough for the american agrochemical company. the offer was rejected, saying it significantly undervalues the company. but there is still hope -- monsanto says they are open to a new bed. we have been tracking this story from the new york stock exchange. shareholders already saw this bid as expensive, so is it aimed? -- is it doomed?...
France 24 : LINKTV : May 2, 2016 5:30am-6:01am PDT
euros. >> let's turn to one of the biggest mysteries in the technology world, who created the virtual currency declined? -- bitcoin? >> he admits that he is the person behind the digital currency. in an interview with the bbc, he says he launched bitcoin in 2009 with the help of others. it is a form of virtual money if the mathematical algorithms. there are billions of dollars in circulation. he says he wants to publish his research and help people understand the potential of bitcoin. >> i didn't decide. i had people decide this for me. they are making life difficult not for me but my friends, my family, my staff. my head staff in london, staff overseas, they want to be private. they don't want all of this to affect them. i don't want money, i don't want fame, i don't want adoration, i just want to be left alone. >> let's look at what is happening on the markets next. a quiet day and trading in europe. london markets are closed for a public holiday. you can see paris and frankfurt showing some game just gained by the shortfalls we saw the japanese markets. the k in tokyo fell down 3%.
euros. >> let's turn to one of the biggest mysteries in the technology world, who created the virtual currency declined? -- bitcoin? >> he admits that he is the person behind the digital currency. in an interview with the bbc, he says he launched bitcoin in 2009 with the help of others. it is a form of virtual money if the mathematical algorithms. there are billions of dollars in circulation. he says he wants to publish his research and help people understand the potential of...
France 24 : LINKTV : May 25, 2016 5:30am-6:01am PDT
start hosting the european football championship, euro 2016, 2 weeks from now. paris is building a huge fans own for that in front of the eiffel tower, where tens of thousands of fans will be able to follow games live. however, some concerns are being voiced. >> with less than three weeks to this fanrs are getting zone at the foot of the fo tower ready. 90,000 people a day are respected together there during the euro 2016 football tournament. 100,000 meters squared, it will have the biggest tv screen ever built in europe. security will also be paramount. for some, a fan zone in the center of paris is a bad idea. >> at 2:00 in the morning i want to be able to sleep, and my daughter when she comes home at night. i do not want to be harassed by drunk hooligans. >> a point of view shared by many officials. the fan zone should have been located in the stadium, where security measures have already been in place. >> it brings the possibility to carry out an attack in a spectacular way. i'm asking that the fan zone be transferred to the stadium or canceled altogether. the paris mayor's off
start hosting the european football championship, euro 2016, 2 weeks from now. paris is building a huge fans own for that in front of the eiffel tower, where tens of thousands of fans will be able to follow games live. however, some concerns are being voiced. >> with less than three weeks to this fanrs are getting zone at the foot of the fo tower ready. 90,000 people a day are respected together there during the euro 2016 football tournament. 100,000 meters squared, it will have the...
euro football championship that kicks off in france in just over two weeks' time. that is expected to draw in one and one million foreign visitors. many hotels and restaurants are already feeling the pinch. owners have been hoping for a busy weekend. the weather forecast in normandy is sunning and warm. but the terraces are empty, bookings are down, and weekenders are canceling. >> people are scared of coming. i had a group that did not come because they were worried about not having enough petrol and getting stuck here. >> you can see it is lunch time and the restaurants are almost empty. we have had very few reservations for mother's day this sunday. >> this hotel owner has seen half his guests counseled since sunday. he says he is losing 2000 euros every day. this room was booked for the whole weekend, but they canceled this morning. another empty room. they canceled this afternoon. people are scared of not being able to get home after running out of petrol. >> the tourist season is getting off to a rocky start for this man, who drives tourists around in his iconic french car. he u
euro football championship that kicks off in france in just over two weeks' time. that is expected to draw in one and one million foreign visitors. many hotels and restaurants are already feeling the pinch. owners have been hoping for a busy weekend. the weather forecast in normandy is sunning and warm. but the terraces are empty, bookings are down, and weekenders are canceling. >> people are scared of coming. i had a group that did not come because they were worried about not having...
or around 250,000 euros. nissan denies the allegations. largest sovereign wealth fund is threatening to sue volkswagen for the diesel emissions scandal at that company. they have condemned to report that says it is looking to join a class-action lawsuit in germany. 1.6%, theround statement says it was advised to join the suit and said it was the responsibility of them to provide accurate and timely information about the scandal to shareholders. while prices settling at seven-month highs on supply concerns. the price of a barrel of crude went up $49. goldman sachs said the global collapse is coming to an end. militant threats at oil facilities in nigeria. they are warning economic weakness in venezuela will undermine the project there. you will see that brent crude closed just shy of $49 a barrel after 2.3%. closing 3% higher at seven dollars and $.20. those higher oil prices have been helping stocks stateside. are pulling some gains with the dow jones industrial average up 1.2%. is powering ahead after it was announced that the company run by warren buffett has taken a state in apple
or around 250,000 euros. nissan denies the allegations. largest sovereign wealth fund is threatening to sue volkswagen for the diesel emissions scandal at that company. they have condemned to report that says it is looking to join a class-action lawsuit in germany. 1.6%, theround statement says it was advised to join the suit and said it was the responsibility of them to provide accurate and timely information about the scandal to shareholders. while prices settling at seven-month highs on...
refugees since the start of the syrian civil war at a cost of almost 9 billion euros. ankara is hoping the summit will prove a turning point in the crisis. >> current system unfortunately has shortcomings, compounding the urgent humanitarian problems . some countries are carrying the burden of these problems, which their systems are unable to .esolve without support from now on, everybody should take responsibility for the crisis. what is ankara -- but it is ankara that needs to live up to the premises of the migration joe, according to berlin. german chancellor angela merkel says turkey must rein in its broad anti-terror laws to open up the gateway to visa-free travel. mounting diplomatic tensions threaten to derail the summit, already the subject of scorn from a groups could doctors without borders boycotted the event, saying interest being a "fig leaf for failure onto military action." while amnesty international lamented the field bombing of hospitals and targeting of civilians, saying humanitarian responses could not improve while they go unchecked. the damage caused by flooding and l
refugees since the start of the syrian civil war at a cost of almost 9 billion euros. ankara is hoping the summit will prove a turning point in the crisis. >> current system unfortunately has shortcomings, compounding the urgent humanitarian problems . some countries are carrying the burden of these problems, which their systems are unable to .esolve without support from now on, everybody should take responsibility for the crisis. what is ankara -- but it is ankara that needs to live up...
appease things? we have the euro coming, we have the tour de france. summer. why shouldn't we come down and tried to talk to push away this low and avoid the national crisis that we don't need at the moment? we are in a state of emergency. we have been for a long time now. it's not the time to do that. >> thank you. moving to other news, there have been violent protests in cities across the democratic republic of congo. two people killed in clashes over plans to postpone elections. the president is accused of pushing back reforms to scrap term limits and run against himself. more from the capital. >> everything started well this morning. thousands gathered to march peacefully. they were chanting and singing. they were dancing. it was all very peaceful until one part of the protesters decided to throw rocks at the police. this is where the police started firing tear gas. hours after that protesters kept burning tires and blocking streets. it took a few hours to back to normal according to the police. there were less than 2000 protesters. it took a while to the back to normal. a few hours
appease things? we have the euro coming, we have the tour de france. summer. why shouldn't we come down and tried to talk to push away this low and avoid the national crisis that we don't need at the moment? we are in a state of emergency. we have been for a long time now. it's not the time to do that. >> thank you. moving to other news, there have been violent protests in cities across the democratic republic of congo. two people killed in clashes over plans to postpone elections. the...
generale has cut 25 million euros at in its investment bank. lender saw a surprise increase in first quarter profits thanks to bigger earnings of its consumer banking division. genie: to wrap up, the european central bank is set to decide on the fate of that purple 500 euros note. stephen: we were just talking about this. thece forces across eurozone have been saying for some time that having such large notes facilitates criminal activity. the ecb's governing cap is expected to announce it will stop printing 500 euro notes. according to reports, the notes would be phased out. the central bank in the eurozone will continue to exchange the 500 for other amounts in definitely. if you find any buried under your married -- under your mattress, you will get the value for them. genie: i do not think i have seen a 500 note in person. it is time now for "the press review." florence villeminot no is with us to take a look at the papers. lots of focus on the presidential campaign and the news last night that ted cruz is dropping out of the race. defeat in indiana was the final straw for ted cru
generale has cut 25 million euros at in its investment bank. lender saw a surprise increase in first quarter profits thanks to bigger earnings of its consumer banking division. genie: to wrap up, the european central bank is set to decide on the fate of that purple 500 euros note. stephen: we were just talking about this. thece forces across eurozone have been saying for some time that having such large notes facilitates criminal activity. the ecb's governing cap is expected to announce it...
Quadriga - The International Talk Show : LINKTV : May 20, 2016 7:00am-7:31am PDT
system comes on two legs, because you need to legs to walk. one is the anti-euro side, thehe other is the racism and xenophobia. because racism and xenophobia can be easily criticized by the establishment, look how these don't are, xenophobic, talk to them, it canan be shifid away. but this basically enables the political class cannot look at the real critique of these people against and is functioning-- this governance. austria it is pretty true. there is a fundamental substantial critique to make, that also comes from science, that they europe governance system is flawed for many people and does not work. there's no social component and component.atic if marine le pen says this, she the populace. in essence, she is right. only because in addition she is xenophobic, you can easily push her away, and it makes you not take serious points of critique. we should look at what t the populace are saying. they say we are mistreating people on many levels of the social and democracy field. we should listen instead of pushing them away. peter: i wonder if you are taking the voter seriously, be
system comes on two legs, because you need to legs to walk. one is the anti-euro side, thehe other is the racism and xenophobia. because racism and xenophobia can be easily criticized by the establishment, look how these don't are, xenophobic, talk to them, it canan be shifid away. but this basically enables the political class cannot look at the real critique of these people against and is functioning-- this governance. austria it is pretty true. there is a fundamental substantial critique to...
after greece and in eurozone countries reached an agreement to unlock 5 billion euros worth of aid on monday. greece needs the money to cover debt repayment and other bills in a june and july. greek debt in -- it has been welcomed in the long-term by a alexis tsipras. today greece is not alone and isolated anymore. it enjoys the strong support of political forces and governments , which have finally realize that this country and its people. = -- and its people have the right to turn the page. markus: that was alexis tsipras during cabinet meeting earlier in greece. in oil companies in canada are racing to restore output from the so-called , happening alberta in the wake of oil fires. royal dutch shell has resumed the province while other oil firms are inspecting theirs. operations were largely spared by the wildfires, but production was disrupted as staff were evacuated from the region around fort mcmurray. output, oneda's oil million barrels a day taken off-line as a result. despite the wildfires subsiding, prices were heading higher on tuesday. reboundede and wti after falling in
after greece and in eurozone countries reached an agreement to unlock 5 billion euros worth of aid on monday. greece needs the money to cover debt repayment and other bills in a june and july. greek debt in -- it has been welcomed in the long-term by a alexis tsipras. today greece is not alone and isolated anymore. it enjoys the strong support of political forces and governments , which have finally realize that this country and its people. = -- and its people have the right to turn the page....
over kia million euros -- no has reported losses over 510 million euros. shares dropped 8% in tuesday trading for no kia says it expires -- it expects its equivalent sales to decline this year until the companies are fully integrated. treasury has warned that tens of thousands of jobs will be at risk if british voters choose to leave eu 285,000 physicians in the finance -- positions in the natural sector were directly linked to business and year. the gap between business people for and against brexit have narrowed in recent months. 50 poor percent of members would remain in the -- would vote -- 54% of members would vote to remain in the european union. south africa has been struggling more of ar with quarter of the population under employed. "weathering the storm," as the government tries to strike an optimistic note. some global corporations believe the market is right for growth. catherine clifford has more. catherine: the road to economic recovery stretches out far ahead in south africa. unemployment is at 26.7%, its highest peak in eight years. food prices are rising after
over kia million euros -- no has reported losses over 510 million euros. shares dropped 8% in tuesday trading for no kia says it expires -- it expects its equivalent sales to decline this year until the companies are fully integrated. treasury has warned that tens of thousands of jobs will be at risk if british voters choose to leave eu 285,000 physicians in the finance -- positions in the natural sector were directly linked to business and year. the gap between business people for and against...
commission has rejected this multibillion euro merger of two mobile operators. it would have left the u.k. with just three major mobile phone network operators. similar debates have been taking place across europe. the antitrust commissioner said that if the takeover were allowed to go through it would have changed the market for consumers for the worst. >> our investigation reveals significant competition concerns with this deal. it would very likely have led to higher prices and less choice for u.k. consumers. >> how are the markets faring this wednesday? >> we are seeing european markets being dragged into the red. the banking sector in particular weighing down trade. the dax down nearly 1%. take a look at some of the day's other business headlines. mitsubishi says that more of its car models may have been affected by an emissions cheating scandal than previously thought. had said that four of its cars were tampered with so as to misstate fuel economy data. on wednesday the group said it suspected that all of its vehicles sold in japan may have been submitted to false tests and given i
commission has rejected this multibillion euro merger of two mobile operators. it would have left the u.k. with just three major mobile phone network operators. similar debates have been taking place across europe. the antitrust commissioner said that if the takeover were allowed to go through it would have changed the market for consumers for the worst. >> our investigation reveals significant competition concerns with this deal. it would very likely have led to higher prices and less...
that investments are now worthless. it's demanding 4.7 billion euros in reparations. the case has heightened fears that if ttip comes under law, foreign companies could have national laws overruled by the court at world bank in washington. do such course -- such courts pose a threat to national sovereignty? host: what do you think -- threat to national sovereignty? and if so, can a condi rice be -- can a compromise be found? these are commercial arbitrations. >> by the rule of law, they have laws. they follow up and they need to see if they were obliged to them. in the last 20 years, i think there were 17 cases that the americans brought like that. you can give these courts regulations that minimizes the risks we have justs een. the eu commission has made a counter proposal for the eu-u.s. trade court that would be the estate entity. can greenpeace live with that? >> we don't see it as a compromise. we see it as a cosmetic attempt to get ttip down the road. it would also create a justice court in parallel to the already existing, democratically legitimized system. we don't need th
that investments are now worthless. it's demanding 4.7 billion euros in reparations. the case has heightened fears that if ttip comes under law, foreign companies could have national laws overruled by the court at world bank in washington. do such course -- such courts pose a threat to national sovereignty? host: what do you think -- threat to national sovereignty? and if so, can a condi rice be -- can a compromise be found? these are commercial arbitrations. >> by the rule of law, they...
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You are here: Home Ministry Our Minister
The Rev. Margie Allen
CONTACT INFO: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 631-751-0297
Click here to watch to Rev. Margie's Welcome video.
The Reverend Margaret Haynes Allen became our called Minister on January 13, 2013, following a two-and-a-half-year term as our Consulting Minister. The congregation decided overwhelming in favor of calling Margie, with a 97.5% affirmative vote. "Margie" (pronounced with a hard "g") - "Rev Margie" to the children - started her ministry with us on August 16, 2010. Before coming to Long Island, Margie served for three years as Associate Minister with the Unitarian Church in Westport, CT, her first settled ministry. She graduated in 2004 from Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, one of two Unitarian Universalist seminaries in the US. After seminary Margie completed two years of residency in hospital chaplaincy in Chicago hospitals and during that interval was ordained by her internship congregation, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis (MD) on February 12, 2005.
Margie was born and raised in southwest Virginia on the campus of Hollins University, where her father taught in the English Department. She majored in Greek at Bryn Mawr College and graduated in 1978 with vague intentions of answering the call to ministry she had felt some years earlier. Instead she became a nurse and began a 22-year career in cardiac surgery intensive care nursing, a career she now sees as a critical part of her "seminary" training. Margie came to UUism in 1987 when she joined the UU Church of Roanoke, VA. A favorite high school teacher, an aunt and uncle, and her best friends in nursing school had all been UUs, but Margie's spiritual development moved her toward the UU faith by the long route - through her Christian Sunday school upbringing, a decade or so with the Episcopal "god," some time of personal healing with "goddess" of women's spirituality, and some years of earth-centered practice inspired by her organic gardening and interest in embodied ritual practice.
On May 30, 2010, Margie "married" her partner Linda Anderson (in Kingston, NY, where marriage equality was not yet law) and soon after moved with Linda, Linda's young adult son, Matthew, two kitties and a chocolate lab to south Stony Brook. After the June 2011 passage of marriage equality in New York, Margie and Linda were "New York-married" during a "Standing on the Side of Love" social justice Sunday service on Valentine's Day weekend 2012 in which we celebrated the congregation's collective work towards the passage of the marriage equality bill.
Vegetable, herb and flower gardening are still passions. Margie also loves swimming, biking and rowing/kayaking, cooking and baking. Mindfulness Buddhism, Nonviolent (Compassionate) Communication, the local food movement, the enneagram, organizational development and the connection between faith and social justice are some of her current interests.
Click here to read an article about Rev. Allen in the Times Beacon Record Village Times.
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Live Stage: Hence Where Labour [ Brooklyn]
algorithmic
Sound Series #17: Hence Where Labour – G Douglas Barrett :: January 27, 2012; 8:00 pm :: Presents Gallery, 64 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY.
Hence Where Labour is part of an ongoing series of text settings of an English translation of Marx’s 1858 manuscript Grundrisse der Kritik der politischen Ökonomie. Stretched horizontally across the floor of the gallery, a solo performer sings a subtly developing musical setting of the text hence where labour in which a human being does what a thing could do has ceased — composed entirely through the use of a computer algorithm. Marx’s fragment — designated in historian Moishe Postone’s analysis as outlining the material conditions for the full development of all of humanity — is layered against the inert labor of a single performing body occupying the time and space of the musical frame. Performed by Fahad Siadat.
G Douglas Barrett’s work considers music as part of a critical arts practice in which performance and conceptuality figure as integral components. Drawing equally from the contemporary gallery arts and the performing arts traditions, he has exhibited, performed, and published throughout North America and Europe: Diapason Gallery (New York), the Wulf (Los Angeles), Theater Perdu (Amsterdam), Universität der Künste Berlin, Phoebe Zeitgeist Teatro (Milan), Université de Paris-Est Marne-La-Vallée, Sonic Arts Research Centre (Belfast, UK) and Neutral Ground (Canada). BARRETT’s writings on music and art are published in the interdisciplinary literary journal Mosaic and Contemporary Music Review. A recent discussion of his work appears in an essay by eldritch Priest in the journal Postmodern Culture.
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(→Inventor)
Current revision as of 01:32, 16 May 2018 (view source)
(→Broadcast)
== Broadcast ==
Anglia for ITV, 31 March to 23 June 1987 (13 episodes in 1 series)
Anglia in association with Createl Ltd. for ITV, 31 March to 23 June 1987 (13 episodes in 1 series)
Current revision as of 01:32, 16 May 2018
5 Inventor
6 Theme music
Larry Grayson
Announcer: John Benson
Three couples describe how they met. A panel of three celebrity guests had to decide which couple was genuine, not actors recounting (true) stories sent in by the show's viewers. The real sweethearts won a romantic holiday for turning up.
It was largely panned, despite the publicity gained from "the Sweetheart Sleuth" Larry Grayson's big comeback. One of the main bugs was that (unlike Tell the Truth) there was only one reveal, with one game taking up the entire 30 minutes. It was described in the TV anthology "The Box of Delights" as, "'Sweethearts', the 'who's telling the truth about their romance?' show, that was supposed to be Larry Grayson's comeback, but was more of a coffin". In an interview in the later book, "The Gameshow Handbook", Grayson agreed, citing the main reasons as, "They put us up against 'Eastenders' and it was made in Norwich, miles from anywhere, in the middle of the country".
Moore, Mardell and Lyons
The very last episode.
Retrieved from "http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Sweethearts"
Categories: Lying | Dating | Flops | Anglia Productions
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Shocker: Bubba Acts Bubba-Like in France
By Stephanie Wei under European PGA Tour
Bubba in France: This is why Europeans think Americans are all ignorant and obnoxious
Rumored to have been paid a $200,000 appearance fee, Bubba Watson played in the French Open on the European Tour this week. It was Bubba’s first trip to France, and for some reason, I think it might be his last.
Prior to the first round, he toured several of Paris’ most famous sites, but apparently he wasn’t exactly aware of what he saw. Here’s a gem from his Wednesday pre-tourney presser that might make you cower into the fetal position…
Q. I heard you went to Paris yesterday?
BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, yesterday.
Q. Did you like — what did you see?
BUBBA WATSON: I don’t know the names of all the things, the big tower, Eiffel Tower, an arch, whatever that — I rode around in a circle. And then what’s that — it starts with an L, Louvre, something like that. One of those. And then we just went around to different shops, just kind of walked down the streets and went to different shops and just to see if there was anything we wanted to buy. Just kind of looked around and kind of road around and really that’s it, just to see stuff that we don’t get to see normal.
That big tower! It starts with an L! Hasn’t he read — I mean, watched The Da Vinci Code??
And apparently Bubba is very homesick and acting like a prima donna (which isn’t uncommon for him in the States, but they don’t cater to that in Europe). When I read Bernie McGuire’s account of Bubba’s trip (hat tip: Geoff Shackelford), I cringed with second-hand embarrassment:
Also Watson’s been ‘difficult’ all week by declining simple requests for interviews and even an approach from one of SKY’s more attractive female employees to film a head shot of him during the informality of Wednesday’s Pro-Am.
“See my manager,” was his only comment.
Also it’s believed Watson refused to share a courtesy car from his hotel to the course with a European Tour player and instead demanded his own courtesy car.
You don’t do those things in Europe.
And Watson’s also done little to earn the appearance money he’s been reportedly paid.
He’s known to enjoy spending time with young children but has Waston asked to host a clinic for young French golfers? Of course not!
For all you may think about Tiger Woods, at least the former long running World No. 1 happily agreed to bringing smiles to young golfers.
All Watson’s done is tarnish his fun-loving image and drawn comparisons to the ‘ugly American tourist’ that we all thought we saw the back of decades ago.
Oh, it gets better. After Bubba missed the cut, he blamed the poor security for his unenthusiastic showing at his first European Tour event, according to Reuters:
“It’s different for me, there’s cameras, there’s phones, there’s everything, no security,” a visibly disgruntled Watson told reporters. “I don’t know which holes to walk through, there’s no ropes. It’s something I’m not used to, I’m not comfortable with.”
European Tour tournament director David Probyn said the American would have to experience plenty of disturbance on his home tour, but did admit that course security was much more relaxed in Europe.
“You can’t ban everyone who is carrying a mobile phone,” the tour’s senior tournament director said. “It’s the same with cameras. You can’t scan everyone for a camera at every event, that would just make it hard for people to watch golf and we don’t want to do that.
“Sure, we are not as rigorous with the way we run things as they might be in America. But we don’t have 1,200 volunteers like they have in America for a tournament. Anyway, our players are happy to walk through the crowds.”
Bubba will return to Europe sooner than he’d probably prefer to play in the British Open in less than two weeks, but he can’t get out of France quick enough:
Watson said he would now “go sightseeing real quick and get home as fast as possible.” He will play the British Open in two weeks’ time “because it’s a major,” but he would not commit to his entry for the Scandinavian Masters the week after Royal St George’s.
“I think this might be the only one,” said Bubba when asked if he would play more globally going forward. “I miss my home.”
/shaking head, burying face in hands
(AP Photo/Bob Edme)
#Bubba Watson, #French Open, #Paris, #Ugly American Stereotype
← What Happened to Vegas Weighed On Vegas A Morning to Remember With Feherty and Soldiers (Oh Yeah, and Tiger Woods) →
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TheCenterLane.com
© 2008 – 2020 John T. Burke, Jr.
Austeri-FAIL
April 26th, 2012 Posted in Uncategorized
Comments Off on Austeri-FAIL
I have never accepted the idea that economic austerity could be at all useful in resolving our unending economic crisis. I posted my rant about this subject on December 19, 2011:
The entire European economy is on its way to hell, thanks to an idiotic, widespread belief that economic austerity measures will serve as a panacea for the sovereign debt crisis. The increasing obviousness of the harm caused by austerity has motivated its proponents to crank-up the “John Maynard Keynes was wrong” propaganda machine. You don’t have to look very far to find examples of that stuff. On any given day, the Real Clear Politics (or Real Clear Markets) website is likely to be listing at least one link to such a piece. Those commentators are simply trying to take advantage of the fact that President Obama botched the 2009 economic stimulus effort. Many of us realized – a long time ago – that Obama’s stimulus measures would prove to be inadequate. In July of 2009, I wrote a piece entitled, “The Second Stimulus”, wherein I pointed out that another stimulus program would be necessary because the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was not going to accomplish its intended objective. Beyond that, it was already becoming apparent that the stimulus program would eventually be used to support the claim that Keynesian economics doesn’t work. Economist Stephanie Kelton anticipated that tactic in a piece she published at the New Economic Perspectives website . . .
It has finally become apparent to most rational thinkers that economic austerity is of no use to any national economy’s attempts to recover from a severe recession. There have been loads of great essays published on the subject this week and I would like to direct you to a few of them.
Henry Blodget of The Business Insider wrote a great piece which included this explanation:
This morning brings news that Europe may finally be beginning to soften on the “austerity” philosophy that has brought it nothing but misery over the past several years.
The “austerity” idea, you’ll remember, was that the huge debt and deficit problem had ushered in a “crisis of confidence” and that, once business-people saw that governments were serious about debt reduction, they’d get confident and start spending again.
That hasn’t worked.
Instead, spending cuts have led to cuts in GDP which has led to greater deficits and the need for more spending cuts. And so on.
On April 23, Nicholas Kulich wrote an article for The New York Times which began with the ugly truth that austerity has turned out to be a fiasco:
With political allies weakened or ousted, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s seat at the head of the European table has become much less comfortable, as a reckoning with Germany’s insistence on lock-step austerity appears to have begun.
“The formula is not working, and everyone is now talking about whether austerity is the only solution,” said Jordi Vaquer i Fanés, a political scientist and director of the Barcelona Center for International Affairs in Spain. “Does this mean that Merkel has lost completely? No. But it does mean that the very nature of the debate about the euro-zone crisis is changing.”
A German-inspired austerity regimen agreed to just last month as the long-term solution to Europe’s sovereign debt crisis has come under increasing strain from the growing pressures of slowing economies, gyrating financial markets and a series of electoral setbacks.
Joe Weisenthal of The Business Insider provided us with this handy round-up of essays proclaiming the demise of economic austerity. Here is his own nail in the coffin:
As we wrote this morning, the bad news for Angela Merkel is that the jig is up: There’s almost nobody left who is willing to go along with the German idea that the sole solution forEurope is spending discipline and “reform,” whatever that means.
One of the best essays on this subject was written by Hale Stewart for The Big Picture. The title of the piece was “People Are Finally Figuring Out: Austerity is Stupid”.
Those in denial about the demise of economic austerity have found it necessary to ignore the increasing refutations of the policy from conservative economists, which began appearing early this year. The most highly-publicized of these came from Harvard economic historian Niall Ferguson. Mike Shedlock (a/k/a Mish) criticized the policy on a number of occasions, such as his posting of January 11, 2012:
Austerity measures in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and France combined with escalating trade wars ensures the recession will be long and nasty.
One would think that a consensus of reasonable people, speaking out against this ill-conceived policy, should be enough to convince The Powers That Be to pull the plug on it. In a perfect world . . .
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American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Angela Merkel, austerity, Barcelona Center for International Affairs, centrist blog, conservative economists, debt, deficit, economic austerity, economic crisis, economic stimulus, European economy, eurozone, GDP, Germany, Greece, Hale Stewart, Harvard, Henry Blodget, Italy, Joe Weisenthal, John Maynard Keynes, John T Burke Jr, Jordi Vaquer i Fanés, Keynesian economics, Mike Shedlock, Mish, New Economic Perspectives, New York Times, Niall Ferguson, People Are Finally Figuring Out Austerity is Stupid, Portugal, President Obama, Real Clear Markets, Real Clear Politics, recession, sovereign debt crisis, Spain, spending cuts, Stephanie Kelton, The Big Picture, The Business Insider
Looking Beyond Rhetoric
October 10th, 2011 Posted in Uncategorized
Oct, 10 2011
Comments Off on Looking Beyond Rhetoric
As a result of the increasing popularity of the Occupy Wall Street movement (which now gets so much coverage, it’s referred to as “OWS”) President Obama has found it necessary to crank up the populist rhetoric. He must walk a fine line because his injecting too much enthusiasm into any populist-themed discussion of the economic crisis will alienate those deep-pocketed campaign donors from the financial sector. Don’t forget: Goldman Sachs was Obama’s leading private source of 2008 campaign contributions, providing more than one million dollars for the cause.
The Occupy Wall Street protest has now placed Obama and his fellow Democrats in a double-bind situation. Many commentators – while pondering that predicament – have found it necessary to take a good, hard look at the favorable treatment given to Wall Street by the current administration. A recent essay by Robert Reich approached this subject by noting that Obama is as far from left-wing populism as any Democratic President in modern history:
To the contrary, Obama has been extraordinarily solicitous of Wall Street and big business – making Timothy Geithner Treasury Secretary and de facto ambassador from the Street; seeing to it that Bush’s Fed appointee, Ben Bernanke, got another term; and appointing GE Chair Jeffrey Immelt to head his jobs council.
Most tellingly, it was President Obama’s unwillingness to place conditions on the bailout of Wall Street – not demanding, for example, that the banks reorganize the mortgages of distressed homeowners, and that they accept the resurrection of the Glass-Steagall Act, as conditions for getting hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars – that contributed to the new populist insurrection.
But the modern Democratic Party is not likely to embrace left-wing populism the way the GOP has embraced – or, more accurately, been forced to embrace – right-wing populism. Just follow the money, and remember history.
Another commentator, who has usually been positive in his analysis of the current administration’s policies – Tom Friedman of The New York Times – couldn’t help but criticize Obama’s performance while lamenting the loss a great American leader, Steve Jobs:
Obama supporters complain that the G.O.P. has tried to block him at every turn. That is true. But why have they gotten away with it? It’s because Obama never persuaded people that he had a Grand Bargain tied to a vision worth fighting for.
The paucity of Obama’s audacity is striking.
As I recently pointed out, any discussion of our nation’s economic problems ultimately focuses on President Obama’s failure to seize the opportunity – during the first year of his Presidency – to turn the economy around and reduce unemployment. Despite the administration’s repeated claims that it has reduced unemployment, Pro Publica offered an honest look of that claim:
Overall, job creation has been relatively meager during the Obama administration, particularly compared to the massive job losses brought on by the recession. According to the St. Louis Federal Reserve, even if job creation were happening at pre-recession levels, it would take us 11 years to get back to an unemployment rate of 5 percent.
Ron Suskind’s new book, Confidence Men provided a shocking revelation about Obama’s decision allow unemployment to remain above 9 percent by ignoring the advice of Larry Summers (Chair of the National Economic Council) and Christina Romer (Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers). I discussed that issue and the outrage expressed in reaction to Obama’s attitude on September 22.
At The Washington Post, Ezra Klein wrote an engaging piece, which provided us with a close look at how the Obama administration was fighting the economic crisis. Klein interviewed several people from inside the administration and provided a sympathetic perspective on Obama’s decisions. Nevertheless, Klein’s ultimate conclusion – although nuanced – didn’t do much for the President:
From the outset, the policies were too small for the recession the administration and economists thought we faced. They were much too small for the recession we actually faced. More and better stimulus, more aggressive interventions in the housing market, more aggressive policy from the Fed, and more attention to preventing layoffs and hiring the unemployed could have led to millions more jobs. At least in theory.
Of course, ideas always sound better than policies. Policies must be implemented, and they have unintended consequences and unforeseen flaws. In the best of circumstances, the policymaking process is imperfect. But January 2009 had the worst of circumstances – a once-in-a-lifetime economic emergency during a presidential transition.
These sorts of economic crises are, in other words, inherently politically destabilizing, and that makes a sufficient response, at least in a democracy, nearly impossible.
Klein’s apologia simply underscored the necessity for a President to exhibit good leadership qualities. Despite a “Presidential transition”, the Democratic Party held the majority of seats in both the Senate and the House. In July of 2009, when it was obvious that the stimulus had been inadequate, Obama was too preoccupied with his healthcare bill to refocus on economic recovery. As I said back then:
President Obama should have done it right the first time. His penchant for compromise – simply for the sake of compromise itself – is bound to bite him in the ass on this issue, as it surely will on health care reform – should he abandon the “public option”. The new President made the mistake of assuming that if he established a reputation for being flexible, his opposition would be flexible in return. The voting public will perceive this as weak leadership. As a result, President Obama will need to re-invent this aspect of his public image before he can even consider presenting a second economic stimulus proposal.
Weak leadership is hardly a justifiable excuse for an inadequate, half-done, economic stimulus program. Beyond that, President Obama’s sell-out to Wall Street by way of a sham financial “reform” bill has drawn widespread criticism. In his March 29 op-ed piece for The New York Times, Neil Barofsky, the retiring Special Inspector General for TARP (SIGTARP) criticized the Obama administration’s failure to make good on its promises of “financial reform”:
Finally, the country was assured that regulatory reform would address the threat to our financial system posed by large banks that have become effectively guaranteed by the government no matter how reckless their behavior. This promise also appears likely to go unfulfilled. The biggest banks are 20 percent larger than they were before the crisis and control a larger part of our economy than ever. They reasonably assume that the government will rescue them again, if necessary.
Worse, Treasury apparently has chosen to ignore rather than support real efforts at reform, such as those advocated by Sheila Bair, the chairwoman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, to simplify or shrink the most complex financial institutions.
Running as an incumbent President presents a unique challenge to Mr. Obama. He must now reconcile his populist rhetoric with his record as President. The contrast is too sharp to ignore.
bailouts, Ben Bernanke, campaign donors, Christina Romer, Confidence Men, Council of Economic Advisers, Democratic Party, Democrats, economic crisis, economic stimulus, Ezra Klein, FDIC, financial institutions, financial reform, Glass-Steagall Act, Goldman Sachs, GOP, House of Representatives, Jeffrey Immelt, job creation, John T Burke Jr, Larry Summers, National Economic Council, Neil Barofsky, New York Times, Occupy Wall Street, populist rhetoric, President Obama, Pro Publica, Robert Reich, Ron Suskind, Senate, Sheila Bair, SIGTARP, Special Inspector General for TARP, Steve Jobs, Timothy Geithner, Tom Friedman, Treasury Department, unemployment, Wall Street, Washington Post
September 26th, 2011 Posted in Uncategorized
Sep, 26 2011
Comments Off on Tempus Fugit
If a Democrat wants to challenge Barack Obama for the Democratic Party’s Presidential nomination, time is quickly running out. It takes a while to put a campaign together. Aside from rounding-up enough money to challenge an incumbent – who is expected to have a $1 billion war chest – there are other logistic challenges. For starters, a campaign team must be assembled, along with a network across the states. Messaging strategy and a campaign theme must be established. It’s a huge deal. Nevertheless, if the Democrats believe that they can just sit back and watch Obama swagger his way to re-election – they’re going to be in for a big disappointment.
As I pointed out in my last posting, Obama’s problems have expanded beyond weak polling numbers. The Solyndra scandal can be expected to receive at least as much television coverage as the Casey Anthony “Tot Mom” trial. Ron Suskind’s new book about the President’s handling of the economy, Confidence Men, has provided us with an abundance of insights on Obama’s leadership failings. Those observations will reverberate throughout the 2012 campaign until Election Day.
Obama’s mishandling of the economic crisis is useful only as evidence of the President’s ineptitude in the domestic policy arena. Has Obama done any better with his foray into foreign policy? Steve Clemons provided us with the answer to that question by way of an article which appeared in The Atlantic. The essay is also available at his own blog, The Washington Note. Mr. Clemons provided a great analysis of Obama’s influence on the Israel – Palestine peace process:
Obama continues to parrot the line that peace can only be achieved between the “two parties”, that only they can really bring this global ulcer to a close, when they decide to negotiate. The fact is that the status quo of frozen negotiations is benefiting the dominant, settlement-expanding Israel — and the US, in promising to veto at the UN Security Council Palestine’s bid for official state recognition, is playing guarantor to one side, undermining the aspirations of others on the other side of the equation. What if the US had said to Kosovo — no statehood, no recognition from the US until you resolve all of your ongoing issues with Russia?
Obama is assuring the further emasculation and perhaps final demise of Palestine’s moderates. Obama is also treating the Israelis and Palestinians as if they are on equal footing, equally able to concede to each other’s demands. What Obama doesn’t get is that a substantial portion of Israel’s population loves not having a deal and never wants one. They are OK with a peace process to nowhere — but that is not acceptable for the less-endowed, less-powerful Palestinian side. Hamas is in the rejectionist corner as well, seeing its fortunes rise as earnest efforts at peace go nowhere.
The world watched Barack Obama lose a battle in the last two years with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israeli settlement expansion in contested and occupied territories. This is like the Soviet Union having lost a war of wills at the height of its power with Cuba.
The client state trumped the President of the United States — telegraphing to many around the world that President Obama ultimately didn’t have the courage of his convictions and wasn’t able to deploy power and statecraft to achieve the outlines of what he called for in his lofty rhetoric. Obama’s UN General Assembly speech has done nothing to reverse the impression that Netanyahu is the alpha dog in the relationship with President Obama — and this is truly tragic and geostrategically consequential.
Well, at least Obama is consistent . . . equally inept and spineless on foreign policy issues as he is when challenged with domestic policy matters.
Will any Democrat step up to prevent the Republican Party from taking over the White House (any more than it already has with Obama in there)? The President’s apologists can no longer dismiss criticism of this administration by characterizing it as propaganda from Fox News. Matt Taibbi’s recent remark about Obama exemplifies how an increasing number of Americans – from across the political spectrum – feel about our current President:
I just don’t believe this guy anymore, and it’s become almost painful to listen to him.
Wake up, Democrats! Time is of the essence.
2012 campaign, Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu, Casey Anthony trial, Confidence Men, Democratic Party, Democrats, domestic policy, economic crisis, foreign policy, Fox News, Israel – Palestine peace process, John T Burke Jr, Matt Taibbi, President Obama, Republican Party, Rolling Stone, Ron Suskind, Solyndra scandal, Steve Clemons, The Atlantic, The Washington Note, tot mom, UN General Assembly, UN Security Council, White House
Drew Westen Nails It Again
August 8th, 2011 Posted in Uncategorized
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Dr. Drew Westen is a Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Emory University. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree at Harvard, Westen picked up a Master’s in Social and Political Thought from the University of Sussex in England. He earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Michigan.
In 2007, Dr. Westen wrote a book entitled, The Political Brain. Here’s how the book was described by the publisher, PublicAffairs:
The idea of the mind as a cool calculator that makes decisions by weighing the evidence bears no relation to how the brain actually works. When political candidates assume voters dispassionately make decisions based on “the issues,” they lose. . . .
In politics, when reason and emotion collide, emotion invariably wins. Elections are decided in the marketplace of emotions, a marketplace filled with values, images, analogies, moral sentiments, and moving oratory, in which logic plays only a supporting role. . . . The evidence is overwhelming that three things determine how people vote, in this order: their feelings toward the parties and their principles, their feelings toward the candidates, and, if they haven’t decided by then, their feelings toward the candidates’ policy positions.
The people at Fox News have been operating from this premise for years. On Fox, the news is presented from an emotional perspective (i.e. fear and outrage about terrorism, indignation about government spending, patriotic devotion to whomever or whatever principle is singled out for such allegiance). Opposition political candidates (Democrats) are usually portrayed as contemptible, flawed individuals. As a result, Fox has enjoyed tremendous success at shaping public opinion and influencing the electorate. Dr. Westen’s book appears likely to help one understand why.
The 2008 candidacy of Barack Obama presented a unique challenge to Fox News: A Democrat finally had a campaign based on an emotional appeal, conveyed with the single word, “Hope”. Despite the rational campaign strategy developed by Mark Penn for Hillary Clinton, (and continued by the McCain campaign) which posed the question: “Who is Barack Obama?” – the voters followed their emotions and voted for “Hope”.
At this point in the Obama Presidency, people from across the political spectrum (especially the Left) are still pondering Mark Penn’s 2008 question: “Who is Barack Obama?” As I have frequently pointed out on this website, Obama has been repeatedly criticized (by his former supporters) as a cynical, narcissistic individual, who has carefully created a Rorschach-esqe public image, shaped by whatever characteristics the individual audience members would choose to project back onto their perception of the man himself. Obama has been able to conceal his flexible, mercenary agenda behind the Rorschach screen and until recently, few have bothered to peek behind it.
David Sirota recently wrote an insightful essay about Obama which began with these words:
Barack Obama is a lot of things – eloquent, dissembling, conniving, intelligent and above all, calm. But one thing he is not is weak.
I was particularly impressed by an essay about our President, written by the aforementioned Dr. Drew Westen, which appeared in The New York Times on August 6. The article was entitled, “What Happened to Obama?” and it was absolutely magnificent. Dr. Westen began by taking us back to January of 2009, when we were still in the depths of the financial crisis, shocked by the unemployment tsunami and looking to our new President for effective leadership through a gauntlet of bank bailout schemes and economic stimulus proposals. Unfortunately, what America heard from Barack Obama during his Inaugural Address was a big nothing. As Dr. Westen explained, the disappointment of Obama’s Inaugural Address was emblematic of the disappointment we experienced throughout the ensuing months:
The president is fond of referring to “the arc of history,” paraphrasing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous statement that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” But with his deep-seated aversion to conflict and his profound failure to understand bully dynamics – in which conciliation is always the wrong course of action, because bullies perceive it as weakness and just punch harder the next time – he has broken that arc and has likely bent it backward for at least a generation.
When Dr. King spoke of the great arc bending toward justice, he did not mean that we should wait for it to bend.
IN contrast, when faced with the greatest economic crisis, the greatest levels of economic inequality, and the greatest levels of corporate influence on politics since the Depression, Barack Obama stared into the eyes of history and chose to avert his gaze. Instead of indicting the people whose recklessness wrecked the economy, he put them in charge of it. He never explained that decision to the public – a failure in storytelling as extraordinary as the failure in judgment behind it. Had the president chosen to bend the arc of history, he would have told the public the story of the destruction wrought by the dismantling of the New Deal regulations that had protected them for more than half a century. He would have offered them a counternarrative of how to fix the problem other than the politics of appeasement, one that emphasized creating economic demand and consumer confidence by putting consumers back to work. He would have had to stare down those who had wrecked the economy, and he would have had to tolerate their hatred if not welcome it. But the arc of his temperament just didn’t bend that far.
But why did Obama turn out to be such a disappointment? Is he simply weak – or is Obama actually the inverse Franklin Delano Roosevelt described by David Sirota as “Bizarro FDR”? From his unique perspective as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Westen is well-qualified to provide us with a valid opinion. After first expressing the requisite ethical disclaimer (rarely heard from TV and radio “shrinks”) that he would “resist the temptation to diagnose at a distance”, Westen put on his “strategic consultant” hat to “venture some hypotheses”:
The most charitable explanation is that he and his advisers have succumbed to a view of electoral success to which many Democrats succumb – that “centrist” voters like “centrist” politicians. Unfortunately, reality is more complicated. Centrist voters prefer honest politicians who help them solve their problems. A second possibility is that he is simply not up to the task by virtue of his lack of experience and a character defect that might not have been so debilitating at some other time in history. Those of us who were bewitched by his eloquence on the campaign trail chose to ignore some disquieting aspects of his biography: that he had accomplished very little before he ran for president, having never run a business or a state; that he had a singularly unremarkable career as a law professor, publishing nothing in 12 years at the University of Chicago other than an autobiography; and that, before joining the United States Senate, he had voted “present” (instead of “yea” or “nay”) 130 times, sometimes dodging difficult issues.
A somewhat less charitable explanation is that we are a nation that is being held hostage not just by an extremist Republican Party but also by a president who either does not know what he believes or is willing to take whatever position he thinks will lead to his re-election.
Or perhaps, like so many politicians who come to Washington, he has already been consciously or unconsciously corrupted by a system that tests the souls even of people of tremendous integrity, by forcing them to dial for dollars – in the case of the modern presidency, for hundreds of millions of dollars.
With the passing of time, the likelihood that Barack Obama will be a single-term President increases dramatically because Americans are now scrutinizing him from a more judicious perspective. Who will become the Independent candidate to return that forgotten emotion of hope to the disillusioned electorate?
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Secret Phone Call
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I’ve been reading a great number of articles by commentators who have expressed outrage concerning President Obama’s shocking capitulation in the negotiations involving the debt ceiling bill. Despite the Democratic Party’s tactic of blaming the “Tea Party terrorists” for the all cuts – no revenue, pro-billionaire legislation, a few pundits have seen through this fog to point out that Obama actually got the bill he secretly wanted all along. Glenn Greenwald presented a solid case for this theory at Salon.
Polling guru Nate Silver wrote two items on August 1, in which he analyzed the Congressional voting and demonstrated that President Obama – despite having been afforded the opportunity to include provisions in the bill to make it more economically stimulative and less onerous for those experiencing the greatest hardship from the economic crisis – decided to leave some available provisions “on the table”.
Nate Silver initially made this observation:
Fiscal austerity at a time of economic distress, and on largely Republican terms, is not what Democrats thought they were getting when they elected Mr. Obama in 2008. Mr. Obama might have done more to make short-term stimulus – like further reductions to the payroll tax, which would not have violated the Republicans’ ostensible goals – the price for long-term austerity.
Although it is impossible to prove one way or the other, I am not persuaded by the notion that Mr. Obama could not have delivered a better result to Democrats had he done more to stand his ground. Despite the dissent in the Republican caucus, which had originally seemed like a tactical victory for Democrats, the compromise wound up looking more like Mr. Boehner’s original bill than Mr. Reid’s.
Later that evening, Mr. Silver provided an analysis, which exposed Obama’s abandonment of the objectives he was elected to promote:
These results seem to suggest that Mr. Obama left something on the table. That is, Mr. Obama could have shifted the deal tangibly toward the left and still gotten a bill through without too much of a problem. For instance, even if all members of the Tea Party Caucus had voted against the bill, it would still have passed 237-to-193, and that’s with 95 Democrats voting against it.
Specifically, it seems likely that Mr. Obama could have gotten an extension of the payroll tax cut included in the bill, or unemployment benefits, either of which would have had a stimulative effect.
With that payroll tax cut, the deal becomes a much easier sell to Democrats – and perhaps also to swing voters, particularly given that nobody spent much time during this debate talking about jobs. Plus, it would have improved growth in 2012 and, depending on how literally you take the economic models, improved Mr. Obama’s re-election chances.
As many observers have noted, the plutocracy has been able to accomplish much more with Obama in the White House, than what would have been achievable with a Republican President. This latest example of a bipartisan effort to trample “the little people” has reinforced my belief that the fake “two-party system” is a sideshow – designed to obfuscate the insidious activities of the Republi-Cratic Corporatist Party.
What follows is the transcript of an imaginary telephone conversation between President Obama and Roger Ailes of Fox News:
Obama: Hi Rodge!
Ailes: Hi Barry! Congratulations on the debt ceiling bill! Great work!
Obama: Thanks. I won’t have to renew the Bush tax cuts again until after the election. That’s a relief! Unfortunately, we’re getting some bad polling numbers now. Problems with the base. I need you guys to lean on the “liberal” stuff a little harder. Both O’Reilly and Hannity have been doing OK on it – but I just wish they would get back to some more of the “socialist” accusations. That would really help rehabilitate my cred with my estranged base.
Ailes: The “socialist” shtick was more Beck’s routine – but I’ll get them on it.
Obama: I found some old pictures of myself with Bill Ayers that you guys might want to use . . .
Ailes: Ayers is sooooo 2008! We need something new. We need to get you to Syria for a meeting with Bashar al-Assad. When you shake hands with him – make sure you bow! We can get a lot of mileage here from that!
Obama: No! That will piss off too many liberals – especially the Jews. I’m trying to keep the smart people in my corner!
Ailes: OK. OK. We just really need to get you on some sort of apology tour or something. You could start traveling around to abortion clinics and promising them some federal aid . . .
Obama: Great one, Rodge! I love that!
Ailes: I’ll plant some of our protesters along the way – the ones who’ve already been cleared by the Secret Service.
Obama: Yeah! Bring back that guy with the fake assault rifle! He was a trip!
Ailes: I have someone better. This guy has been posing as a “Tea Party activist” at “town meetings”. He’s a great new talent!
Obama: We could set up another “Joe the Plumber”-type of confrontation with that guy!
Ailes: Definately! I’ll have my people put a script together. That story will have some legs that will carry us all the way to the election! . . . Speaking of legs – I’m getting some good numbers in on Bachmann!
Obama: How’s our girl doing?
Ailes: Great! She’s really gonna’ kick some ass in Iowa!
Obama: I saw her on with Sean the other day. She’s doing a great job! Are you guys going to start a scandal involving Mitt?
Ailes: I need to maintain plausible deniability about what Rupert’s operatives are up to. You know . . .
Obama: Gotcha! ‘Nuff said!
Ailes: Well, I’ll let you get back to work. You must have loads of angry campaign donors trying to bend your ear right about now . . .
Obama: Yeah . . . But that’s not where the real money is.
Ailes: Amen!
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Elizabeth Warren Should Run Against Obama
July 21st, 2011 Posted in Uncategorized
Jul, 21 2011
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Now that President Obama has thrown Elizabeth Warren under the bus by nominating Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), she is free to challenge Obama in the 2012 election. It’s not a very likely scenario, although it’s one I’d love to see: Warren as the populist, Independent candidate – challenging Obama, the Wall Street tool – who is already losing to a phantom, unspecified Republican.
A good number of people were disappointed when Obama failed to nominate Warren to chair the CFPB, which was her brainchild. It was bad enough that Treasury Secretary “Turbo” Tim Geithner didn’t like her – but once the President realized he was getting some serious pushback about Warren from Senate Republicans – that was all it took. Some Warren supporters have become enamored with the idea that she could challenge Scott Brown for his seat representing Massachusetts in the Senate. However, many astute commentators consider that as a really stupid idea. Here is the reaction from Yves Smith of Naked Capitalism:
We argued yesterday that the Senate was not a good vehicle for advancing Elizabeth Warren’s aims of helping middle class families, since she would have no more, and arguably less power than she has now, and would be expected to defend Democrat/Obama policies, many of which are affirmatively destructive to middle class interests (just less so than what the Republicans would put in place).
A poll conducted in late June by Scott Brown and the Republican National Committee raises an even more basic question: whether she even has a shot at winning.
The poll shows a 25 point gap, which is a massive hurdle, and also indicates that Brown is seen by many voters as not being a Republican stalwart (as in he is perceived to vote for the state’s, not the party’s, interest). A 25 point gap is a near insurmountable hurdle and shows that Warren’s reputation does not carry as far as the Democratic party hackocracy would like her fans to believe. But there’s no reason not to get this pesky woman to take up what is likely to be a poisoned chalice. If she wins, she’s unlikely to get on any important committees, given the Democratic party pay to play system, and will be boxed in by the practical requirements of having to make nice to the party and support Obama positions a meaningful portion of the time. And if she runs and loses, it would be taken as proof that her middle class agenda really doesn’t resonate with voters, which will give the corporocrats free rein (if you can’t sell a liberal agenda in a borderline Communist state like Massachusetts, it won’t play in Peoria either).
Obviously, a 2012 challenge to the Obama Presidency by Warren would be an uphill battle. Nevertheless, it’s turning out to be an uphill battle for the incumbent, as well. David Weidner of MarketWatch recently discussed how Obama’s failure to adequately address the economic crisis has placed the President under the same pressure faced by many Americans today:
He’s about to lose his job.
Blame as much of the problem on his predecessor as you like, the fact is Obama hasn’t come up with a solution. In fact, he’s made things worse by filling his top economic posts with banking-friendly interests, status-quo advisers and milquetoast regulators.
And if there’s one reason Obama loses in 2012, it’ll be because he failed to surround himself with people willing to take drastic action to get the economy moving again.
In effect, Obama’s team has rewarded the banking industry under the guise of “saving the economy” while abandoning citizens and consumers desperate for jobs, credit and spending power.
There was the New York Fed banker cozy with Wall Street: Timothy Geithner.
There was the former Clinton administration official who was the architect of policies that led to the financial crisis: Larry Summers.
There was a career bureaucrat named to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission: Mary Schapiro.
To see just how unremarkable this group is, consider that the most progressive regulator in the Obama administration, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair, was a Republican appointed by Bush.
The lack of action by Obama’s administration of mediocrities is the reason the recovery sputters. In essence, the turnaround depends too much on a private sector that, having escaped failure, is too content to sit out what’s supposed to be a recovery.
What began as a two-step approach: 1) saving the banks, and then 2) saving homeowners, was cut short after the first step.
Instead of extracting more lending commitments from the banks, forcing more haircuts on investors and more demands on business, Obama has let his team of mediocrities allow the debate to be turned on government. The government caused the financial crisis. The government ruined the housing market.
It wasn’t true at the start, but it’s becoming true now.
Despite his status as the incumbent and his $1 billion campaign war chest, President Obama could find himself voted out of office in 2012. When you consider the fact that the Republican Party candidates who are currently generating the most excitement are women (Bachmann and the undeclared Palin) just imagine how many voters might gravitate to a populist female candidate with substantially more brains than Obama.
The disillusionment factor afflicting Obama is not something which can be easily overlooked. The man I have referred to as the “Disappointer-In-Chief” since his third month in office has lost more than the enthusiasm of his “base” supporters – he has lost the false “progressive” image he had been able to portray. Matt Stoller of the Roosevelt Institute explained how the real Obama had always been visible to those willing to look beyond the campaign slogans:
Many people are “disappointed” with Obama. But, while it is certainly true that Obama has broken many many promises, he projected his goals in his book The Audacity of Hope. In Audacity, he discussed how in 2002 he was going to give politics one more shot with a Senate campaign, and if that didn’t work, he was going into corporate law and getting wealthy like the rest of his peer group. He wrote about how passionate activists were too simple-minded, that the system basically worked, and that compromise was a virtue in and of itself in a world of uncertainty. His book was a book about a fundamentally conservative political creature obsessed with process, not someone grounded in the problems of ordinary people. He told us what his leadership style is, what his agenda was, and he’s executing it now.
I expressed skepticism towards Obama from 2005, onward. Paul Krugman, Debra Cooper, and Tom Ferguson among others pegged Obama correctly from day one. Obama broadcast who he was, through his conservative policy focus (which is how Krugman pegged him), his bank backers (which is how Ferguson pegged him), his political support of Lieberman (which is how I pegged him), and his cavalier treatment of women’s issues (which is how Debra Cooper pegged him). He is doing so again, with his choice to effectively remove Elizabeth Warren from the administration.
I just wish Elizabeth Warren would fight back and challenge Obama for The White House. If only . . .
2012 election, banking industry, banking-friendly interests, CFPB, Clinton administration, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, consumers, corporocrats, David Weidner, Debra Cooper, Democratic Party, Disappointer-In-Chief, disillusionment factor, economic crisis, economic recovery, Elizabeth Warren, Elizabeth Warren for President, Elizabeth Warren Should Run Against Obama, Elizabeth Warren should run for President, FDIC, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, female candidates, financial crisis, George W Bush, government, Independent candidate, Joe Lieberman, John T Burke Jr, Larry Summers, MarketWatch, Mary Schapiro, Massachusetts, Matt Stoller, mediocrities, Michele Bachmann, middle class, Naked Capitalism, New York Fed, Obama Administration, Obama Presidency, Paul Krugman, poll, populist, President Obama, private sector, progressive, Republican National Committee, Republican Party, Richard Cordray, Roosevelt Institute, Sarah Palin, saving banks, saving homeowners, Securities and Exchange Commission, Senate, Senate Republicans, Senator Scott Brown, Sheila Bair, the audacity of hope, Tim Geithner, Tom Ferguson, Treasury Secretary, Turbo Tim, Turbo Tim Geithner, unspecified Republican candidate, Wall Street, Wall Street tool, White House, Women, womens issues, Yves Smith
John Ashcroft Was Right
July 18th, 2011 Posted in Uncategorized
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Many commentators have expressed surprise about the extensive criticism directed against President Obama by liberals. During the new President’s third month in office, I pointed out how he had become the “Disappointer-In-Chief” – when he began to elicit groans from the likes of Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow. President Obama has continued on that trajectory ever since. More recently, Obama’s mishandling of the economic crisis resulted in a great cover story for New York Magazine by Frank Rich, entitled, “Obama’s Original Sin”. Although Frank Rich may have been a bit restrained in his criticism of Obama, Marshall Auerback didn’t pull any punches in an essay he wrote for the New Economic Perspectives website entitled, “Barack Obama: America’s First Tea Party President”:
Cutting public spending at this juncture is the last thing the US government should be doing. Yet this President is pushing for the largest possible cuts that he can on the Federal government debt. He is out-Hoovering the GOP on this issue. He is providing “leadership” of the sort which is infuriating his base, but should endear him to the Tea Party. This is “the big thing” for Barack Obama, as opposed to maximizing the potential of his fellow Americans by seeking to eliminate the scourge of unemployment. Instead, his big idea is to become the president who did what George Bush could not, or did not, dare to do: cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. What more could the Tea Party possibly want?
Glenn Greenwald of Salon has been a persistent critic of President Obama for quite a while. Back in September of 2010, I referenced one of Glenn Greenwald’s exceptive essays about Obama with this thought:
Glenn Greenwald devoted some space from his Salon piece to illustrate how President Obama seems to be continuing the agenda of President Bush. I was reminded of the quote from former Attorney General John Ashcroft in an article written by Jane Mayer for The New Yorker. When discussing how he expected the Obama Presidency would differ from the Presidency of his former boss, George W. Bush, Ashcroft said:
“How will he be different? The main difference is going to be that he spells his name ‘O-b-a-m-a,’ not ‘B-u-s-h.’ ”
John Ashcroft’s prescient remark could not have been more accurate. Who else could have foreseen that the Obama Presidency would eventually be correlated with that of President George W. Bush? Although it may have seemed like a preposterous notion at the time, it’s now beginning to make more sense, thanks to a very interesting piece I read at the Truthdig website entitled, “If McCain Had Won” by Fred Branfman. Branfman began with a list of “catastrophes” we would have seen from a McCain administration, followed by this comment:
Nothing reveals the true state of American politics today more, however, than the fact that Democratic President Barack Obama has undertaken all of these actions and, even more significantly, left the Democratic Party far weaker than it would have been had McCain been elected.
More important, the sentence immediately following that remark deserves special attention because it forms the crux of Branfman’s analysis:
Few issues are more important than seeing behind the screen of a myth-making mass media, and understanding what this demonstrates about how power in America really works – and what needs to be done to change it.
From there, Branfman went on to explain how and why McCain would have made the same decisions and enacted the same policies as Obama. Beyond that, Branfman explained why Obama ended up doing things exactly as McCain would have:
Furious debate rages among Obama’s Democratic critics today on why he has largely governed on the big issues as John McCain would have done. Some believe he retains his principles but has been forced to compromise by political realities. Others are convinced he was a manipulative politico who lacked any real convictions in the first place.
But there is a far more likely – and disturbing – possibility. Based on those who knew him and his books, there is little reason to doubt that the pre-presidential Obama was a college professor-type who shared the belief system of his liberalish set …
Upon taking office, however, Obama – whatever his belief system at that point – found that he was unable to accomplish these goals for one basic reason: The president of the United States is far less powerful than media myth portrays. Domestic power really is in the hands of economic elites and their lobbyists, and foreign policy really is controlled by U.S. executive branch national security managers and a “military-industrial complex.”
The ugly truth strikes again! The seemingly “all-powerful” President of the United States is nothing more than a tool of the plutocracy. It doesn’t matter whether the White House is occupied by a Democrat or a Republican – the policies (domestic, foreign, economic, etc.) will always be the same – because the people calling the shots are always the same plutocrats who control those “too big to fail” banks, the military industry and big pharma. As Branfman put it:
. . . anyone who becomes president has little choice but to serve the institutional interests of a profoundly amoral and violent executive branch and the corporations behind them.
Perhaps in response to the oft-cited criticism that “if you’re not part of the solution – you’re part of the problem”, Fred Branfman has offered us a proposal that could send us on the way to changing this intolerable status quo:
But however important the 2012 election, far more energy needs to be devoted to building mass organizations that challenge elite power and develop the kinds of policies – including massive investment in a “clean energy economic revolution,” a carbon tax and other tough measures to stave off climate change, regulating and breaking up the financial sector, cost-effective entitlements like single-payer health insurance, and public financing of primary and general elections – which alone can save America and its democracy in the painful decade to come.
Wait a minute! Didn’t Obama already promise us all of that stuff?
Perhaps the only way to achieve those goals is by voting for Independent political candidates, who are not beholden to the Republi-cratic Corporatist Party or its financiers. When the mainstream media go out of their way to pretend as though a particular candidate does not exist – you might want to give serious consideration to voting for that person. When the media try to “disappear” a candidate by “hiding” that person “in plain sight”, they could be inadvertently providing the best type of endorsement imaginable.
The same level of energy that brought Obama to the White House could be used to bring us our first Independent President. All we need is a candidate.
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Discipline Problem
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At the conclusion of a single, five-year term as Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Sheila Bair is calling it quits. One can hardly blame her. It must have been one hell of an experience: Warning about the hazards of the subprime mortgage market, being ignored and watching the consequences unfold . . . followed by a painful, weekly ritual, which gave birth to a website called Bank Fail Friday.
Bair’s tenure at the helm of the FDIC has been – and will continue to be – the subject of some great reading. On her final day at the FDIC (July 8) The Washington Post published an opinion piece by Ms. Bair in which she warned that short-term, goal-directed thinking could bring about another financial crisis. She also had something to brag about. Despite the efforts of Attorney General Eric Hold-harmless and the Obama administration to ignore the malefaction which brought about the financial crisis and allowed the Wall Street villains to profiteer from that catastrophe, Bair’s FDIC actually stepped up to the plate:
This past week, the FDIC adopted a rule that allows the agency to claw back two years’ worth of compensation from senior executives and managers responsible for the collapse of a systemic, non-bank financial firm.
To date, the FDIC has authorized suits against 248 directors and officers of failed banks for shirking their fiduciary duties, seeking at least $6.8 billion in damages. The rationales the executives come up with to try to escape accountability for their actions never cease to amaze me. They blame the failure of their institutions on market forces, on “dead-beat borrowers,” on regulators, on space aliens. They will reach for any excuse to avoid responsibility.
Mortgage brokers and the issuers of mortgage-based securities were typically paid based on volume, and they responded to these incentives by making millions of risky loans, then moving on to new jobs long before defaults and foreclosures reached record levels.
The difference between Sheila Bair’s approach to the financial/economic crisis and that of the Obama Administration (whose point man has been Treasury Secretary “Turbo” Tim Geithner) was analyzed in a great article by Joe Nocera of The New York Times entitled, “Sheila Bair’s Bank Shot”. The piece was based on Nocera’s “exit interview” with the departing FDIC Chair. Throughout that essay, Nocera underscored Bair’s emphasis on “market discipline” – which he contrasted with Geithner’s fanatic embrace of the exact opposite: “moral hazard” (which Geithner first exhibited at the onset of the crisis while serving as President of the Federal Reserve of New York). Nocera made this point early in the piece:
On financial matters, she seemed to have better political instincts than Obama’s Treasury Department, which of course is now headed by Geithner. She favored “market discipline” – meaning shareholders and debt holders would take losses ahead of depositors and taxpayers – over bailouts, which she abhorred. She didn’t spend a lot of time fretting over bank profitability; if banks had to become less profitable, postcrisis, in order to reduce the threat they posed to the system, so be it. (“Our job is to protect bank customers, not banks,” she told me.)
Bair’s discussion of those early, panic-filled days during September 2008 is consistent with reports we have read about Geithner elsewhere. This passage from Nocera’s article is one such example:
For instance, during the peak of the crisis, with credit markets largely frozen, banks found themselves unable to roll over their short-term debt. This made it virtually impossible for them to function. Geithner wanted the F.D.I.C. to guarantee literally all debt issued by the big bank-holding companies – an eye-popping request.
Bair said no. Besides the risk it would have entailed, it would have also meant a windfall for bondholders, because much of the existing debt was trading at a steep discount. “It was unnecessary,” she said. Instead, Bair and Paulson worked out a deal in which the F.D.I.C. guaranteed only new debt issued by the bank-holding companies. It was still a huge risk for the F.D.I.C. to take; Paulson says today that it was one of the most important, if underrated, actions taken by the federal government during the crisis. “It was an extraordinary thing for us to do,” Bair acknowledged.
Back in April of 2009, the newly-appointed Treasury Secretary met with similar criticism in this great article by Jo Becker and Gretchen Morgenson at The New York Times:
Last June, with a financial hurricane gathering force, Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. convened the nation’s economic stewards for a brainstorming session. What emergency powers might the government want at its disposal to confront the crisis? he asked.
Timothy F. Geithner, who as president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank oversaw many of the nation’s most powerful financial institutions, stunned the group with the audacity of his answer. He proposed asking Congress to give the president broad power to guarantee all the debt in the banking system, according to two participants, including Michele Davis, then an assistant Treasury secretary.
The proposal quickly died amid protests that it was politically untenable because it could put taxpayers on the hook for trillions of dollars.
“People thought, ‘Wow, that’s kind of out there,’ ” said John C. Dugan, the comptroller of the currency, who heard about the idea afterward. Mr. Geithner says, “I don’t remember a serious discussion on that proposal then.”
But in the 10 months since then, the government has in many ways embraced his blue-sky prescription. Step by step, through an array of new programs, the Federal Reserve and Treasury have assumed an unprecedented role in the banking system, using unprecedented amounts of taxpayer money, to try to save the nation’s financiers from their own mistakes.
Geithner’s utter contempt for market discipline again became a subject of the Nocera-Bair interview when the conversation turned to the infamous Maiden Lane III bailouts.
“I’ve always wondered why none of A.I.G.’s counterparties didn’t have to take any haircuts. There’s no reason in the world why those swap counterparties couldn’t have taken a 10 percent haircut. There could have at least been a little pain for them.” (All of A.I.G.’s counterparties received 100 cents on the dollar after the government pumped billions into A.I.G. There was a huge outcry when it was revealed that Goldman Sachs received more than $12 billion as a counterparty to A.I.G. swaps.)
Bair continued: “They didn’t even engage in conversation about that. You know, Wall Street barely missed a beat with their bonuses.”
“Isn’t that ridiculous?” she said.
This article by Gretchen Morgenson provides more detail about Geithner’s determination that AIG’s counterparties receive 100 cents on the dollar. For Goldman Sachs – it amounted to $12.9 billion which was never repaid to the taxpayers. They can brag all they want about paying back TARP – but Maiden Lane III was a gift.
I was surprised that Sheila Bair – as a Republican – would exhibit the same sort of “true believer-ism” about Barack Obama as voiced by many Democrats who blamed Rahm Emanuel for the early disappointments of the Obama administration. Near the end of Nocera’s interview, Bair appeared taken-in by Obama’s “plausible deniability” defense:
“I think the president’s heart is in the right place,” Bair told me. “I absolutely do. But the dichotomy between who he selected to run his economic team and what he personally would like them to be doing – I think those are two very different things.” What particularly galls her is that Treasury under both Paulson and Geithner has been willing to take all sorts of criticism to help the banks. But it has been utterly unwilling to take any political heat to help homeowners.
The second key issue for Bair has been dealing with the too-big-to-fail banks. Her distaste for the idea that the systemically important banks can never be allowed to fail is visceral. “I don’t think regulators can adequately regulate these big banks,” she told me. “We need market discipline. And if we don’t have that, they’re going to get us in trouble again.”
If Sheila Bair’s concern is valid, the Obama administration’s track record for market discipline has us on a certain trajectory for another financial crisis.
2008 financial crisis, AIG, AIG counterparties, another financial crisis, Attorney General Eric Hold-harmless, bailouts, bank executives, Bank Fail Friday, bank holding companies, banking system, banks, Barack Obama, breach of fiduciary duty, clawbacks, comptroller of the currency, Congress, credit markets, Democrats, Discipline Problem, economic crisis, exit interview, FDIC, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve, Federal Reserve of New York, foreclosures, FRBNY, Goldman Sachs, Gretchen Morgenson, guarantee all banking debt, Hank Paulson, Henry Paulson, Jo Becker, Joe Nocera, John C Dugan, John T Burke, John T Burke Jr, lawsuits against officers of failed banks, Maiden Lane III, market discipline, Michele Davis, moral hazard, Mortgage brokers, mortgage-based securities, New York Fed president, non-bank financial firms, Obama Administration, Obama economic team, plausible deniability, Rahm Emanuel, Republican, risky loans, September 2008, Sheila Bair, Sheila Bairs Bank Shot, short-term thinking, subprime mortgage market, systemically important banks, TARP, taxpayers, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Tim Geithner, too-big-to-fail banks, Treasury Department, Treasury Secretary, Turbo Tim, Turbo Tim Geithner, Wall Street, Wall Street villains, windfall for bondholders
Looking Beyond The Smokescreen
July 7th, 2011 Posted in Uncategorized
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We bloggers have the mainstream news outlets to thank for our readership. The inane, single-minded focus on a particular story, simply because it brings a huge audience to one’s competitors, regularly provides the driving force behind programming decisions made by those news producers. As a result, America’s more discerning, critical thinkers have turned to internet-based news sources (and blogs) to familiarize themselves with the more important stories of these turbulent times.
Robert Oak, at The Economic Populist website, recently expressed his outrage concerning the fact that a certain over-publicized murder trial has eclipsed coverage of more important matters:
For over a week we’ve heard nothing else by the press but Casey Anthony. Imagine what would happen if Nancy Grace used her never ending tape loop rants of hatred against tot mom to spew and prattle about the U.S. economy? Instead of some bizarre post traumatic public stress disorder, stuck in a rut, obsessive thought mantra, repeating ad nauseum, she’s guilty, we might hear our politicians are selling this nation down the river.
Folks, don’t you think the economy is just a little more important and actually impacts your lives than one crime and trial? The reality is any story which really impacts the daily lives of working America is not covered or spun to fiction.
The fact that “our politicians are selling this nation down the river” has not been overlooked by Brett Arends at MarketWatch. He recently wrote a great essay entitled, “The Next, Worse Financial Crisis”, wherein he discussed ten reasons “why we are doomed to repeat 2008”. Of the ten reasons, my favorite was number 7, “The ancient regime is in the saddle”:
I have to laugh whenever I hear Republicans ranting that Barack Obama is a “liberal” or a “socialist” or a communist. Are you kidding me? Obama is Bush 44. He’s a bit more like the old man than the younger one. But look at who’s still running the economy: Bernanke. Geithner. Summers. Goldman Sachs. J.P. Morgan Chase. We’ve had the same establishment in charge since at least 1987, when Paul Volcker stood down as Fed chairman. Change? What “change”? (And even the little we had was too much for Wall Street, which bought itself a new, more compliant Congress in 2010.)
As the 2012 campaign season begins, one need not look too far to find criticism of President Obama. Nevertheless, as Brett Arends explained, most of that criticism is a re-hash of the same, tired talking points we have been hearing since Obama took office. We are only now beginning to hear a broader chorus of pushback from commentators who see Obama as the President I have often described as the “Dissapointer-In-Chief”. Marshall Auerback wasn’t so restrained in his recent appraisal of Obama’s maladroit response to our economic crisis, choosing instead to ratify a well-deserved putdown, which most commentators felt obligated to denounce:
It may not have been the most felicitous choice of phrase, but Mark Halperin’s characterization of Barack Obama was not far off the mark, even if he did get suspended for it. The President is a dick, at least as far as his understanding of basic economics goes. Obama’s perverse fixation with deficit reduction uber alles takes him to areas where even George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan dared not to venture. Medicare and Social Security are now on the table. In fact entitlements of all kinds (excluding the myriad of subsidies still present to Wall Street) are all deemed fair game.
To what end? Deficit control and deficit reduction, despite the fact that at present, the US has massive excess capacity including millions of unemployed and underemployed, a negative contribution from net exports, and a stagnant private spending growth horizon. Yet the President marches on, oblivious to the harm his policies would introduce to an already bleeding economy, using the tired analogy between a household and a sovereign government to support his tired arguments. It may have been impolitic, but “dick” is what immediately sprang to mind as one listened incredulously to the President’s press conference, which went from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Let’s state it again: households do not have the power to levy taxes, to issue the currency we use, and to demand that those taxes are paid in the currency it issues. Rather, households are users of the currency issued by the sovereign government. Here the same distinction applies to private businesses, which are also users of the currency. There’s a big difference, as all us on this blog have repeatedly stressed: Users of a currency do face an external constraint in a way that a sovereign issuer of its currency does not.
The President has the causation here totally backward. A growing economy, characterized by rising employment, rising incomes and rising capacity utilization causes the deficit to shrink, not the other way around. Rising prosperity means rising tax revenues and reduced social welfare payments, whereas there is an overwhelming body of evidence to support the opposite – cutting budget deficits when there is slack private spending growth and external deficits will erode growth and destroy net jobs.
The increasing, widespread awareness of Obama’s mishandling of the economic crisis has resulted in a great cover story for New York Magazine by Frank Rich, entitled, “Obama’s Original Sin”. While discussing Rich’s article, Yves Smith of Naked Capitalism lamented the fact that Obama is – again – the beneficiary of undeserved restraint:
Even Rich’s solid piece treats Obama more kindly that he should be. He depicts the President as too easily won over by “the best and the brightest” in the guise of folks like Robert Rubin and his protégé Timothy Geithner.
We think this characterization is far too charitable. Obama had a window in time in which he could have acted, decisively, to rein the financial services in, and he and his aides chose to let it pass and throw their lot in with the banksters. That fatal decision has severely constrained their freedom of action, as we explain . . .
Miscreants such as Casey Anthony serve as convenient decoys for public anger. Hopefully, by Election Day, the voters will realize that Casey Anthony isn’t to blame for the pathetic state of America’s economy and they will vote accordingly.
2012 election, American economy, banksters, Barack Obama, Bernanke, Brett Arends, Bush 44, Casey Anthony, communist, currency issuer, deficit reduction, dick, Dissapointer-In-Chief, economic crisis, employment, exports, Federal Reserve, financial services, Frank Rich, Geithner, George W Bush, Goldman Sachs, households, jobs, John T Burke Jr, JPMorgan Chase, liberal, Looking Beyond The Smokescreen, mainstream news outlets, Mark Halperin, MarketWatch, Marshall Auerback, Medicare, Naked Capitalism, Nancy Grace, New York Magazine, Obamas Original Sin, Paul Volcker, politicians, President Obama, prosperity, repeat of 2008, Republicans, Robert Oak, Robert Rubin, Ronald Reagan, Social Security, social welfare payments, socialist, spending, Summers, tax revenues, taxes, ten reasons, The ancient regime is in the saddle, The Economic Populist, The Next Worse Financial Crisis, Timothy Geithner, tot mom, trial, underemployed, unemployed, Wall Street, Yves Smith
Obama On The Ropes
June 13th, 2011 Posted in Uncategorized
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You’ve been reading it everywhere and hearing it from scores of TV pundits: The ongoing economic crisis could destroy President Obama’s hopes for a second term. In a recent interview with Alexander Bolton of The Hill, former Democratic National Committee chairman, Howard Dean warned that the economy is so bad that even Sarah Palin could defeat Barack Obama in 2012. Dean’s statement was unequivocal: “I think she could win.”
I no longer feel guilty about writing so many “I told you so” pieces about Obama’s failure to heed sane economic advice since the beginning of his term in the White House. A chorus of commentators has begun singing that same tune. In July of 2009, I wrote a piece entitled, “The Second Stimulus”, wherein I predicted that our new President would realize that his economic stimulus program was inadequate because he followed the advice from the wrong people. After quoting the criticisms of a few economists who warned (in January and February of 2009) that the proposed stimulus would be insufficient, I said this:
Despite all these warnings, as well as a Bloomberg survey conducted in early February, revealing the opinions of economists that the stimulus would be inadequate to avert a two-percent economic contraction in 2009, the President stuck with the $787 billion plan. He is now in the uncomfortable position of figuring out how and when he can roll out a second stimulus proposal.
President Obama should have done it right the first time. His penchant for compromise – simply for the sake of compromise itself – is bound to bite him in the ass on this issue, as it surely will on health care reform – should he abandon the “public option”. The new President made the mistake of assuming that if he established a reputation for being flexible, his opposition would be flexible in return. The voting public will perceive this as weak leadership.
Stephanie Kelton recently provided us with an interesting reminiscence of that fateful time, in a piece she published on William Black’s New Economic Perspectives website:
Some of us saw this coming. For example, Jamie Galbraith and Robert Reich warned, on a panel I organized in January 2009, that the stimulus package needed to be at least $1.3 trillion in order to create the conditions for a sustainable recovery. Anything shy of that, they worried, would fail to sufficiently improve the economy, making Keynesian economics the subject of ridicule and scorn.
In July 2009, I wrote a post entitled, “Gift-Wrapping the White House for the GOP.” In it, I said:
“If President Obama wants a second term, he must join the growing chorus of voices calling for another stimulus and press forward with an ambitious program to create jobs and halt the foreclosure crisis.”
With the recent announcement of Austan Goolsbee’s planned departure from his brief stint as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, much has been written about Obama’s constant rejection of the “dissenting opinions” voiced by members of the President’s economics team, such as those expressed by Goolsbee and his predecessor, Christina Romer. Obama chose, instead, to paint himself into a corner by following the misguided advice of Larry Summers and “Turbo” Tim Geithner. Ezra Klein of The Washington Post recently published some excerpts from a speech (pdf) delivered by Professor Romer at Stanford University in May of 2011. At one point, she provided a glimpse of the acrimony, which often arose at meetings of the President’s economics team:
Like the Federal Reserve, the Administration and Congress should have done more in the fall of 2009 and early 2010 to aid the recovery. I remember that fall of 2009 as a very frustrating one. It was very clear to me that the economy was still struggling, but the will to do more to help it had died.
There was a definite split among the economics team about whether we should push for more fiscal stimulus, or switch our focus to the deficit. A number of us tried to make the case that more action was desperately needed and would be effective. Normally, meetings with the President were very friendly and free-wheeling. He likes to hear both sides of an issue argued passionately. But, about the fourth time we had the same argument over more stimulus in front of him, he had clearly had enough. As luck would have it, the next day, a reporter asked him if he ever lost his temper. He replied, “Yes, I let my economics team have it just yesterday.”
By May of 2010, even Larry Summers was discussing the need for further economic stimulus measures, which I discussed in a piece entitled, “I Knew This Would Happen”. Unfortunately, most of the remedies suggested at that time were never enacted – and those that were undertaken, fell short of the desired goal. Nevertheless, Larry Summers is back at it again, proposing a new round of stimulus measures, likely due to concern that Obama’s adherence to Summers’ failed economic policies could lead to the President’s defeat in 2012. Jeff Mason and Caren Bohan of Reuters reported that Summers has proposed a $200 billion payroll tax program and a $100 billion infrastructure spending program, which would take place over the next few years. The Reuters piece also supported the contention that by 2010, Summers had turned away from the Dark Side and aligned himself with Romer in opposing Peter Orszag (who eventually took that controversial spin through the “revolving door” to join Citigroup):
During much of 2010, Obama’s economic advisers wrestled with a debate over whether to shift toward deficit reduction or pursue further fiscal stimulus.
Summers and former White House economist Christina Romer were in the camp arguing that the recession that followed the financial markets meltdown of 2008-2009 was a unique event that required aggressive stimulus to avoid a long period of stagnation similar to Japan’s “lost decade” of the 1990s.
Former White House budget director Peter Orszag was among those who cautioned against a further big stimulus, warning of the need to be mindful of ballooning budget deficits.
By the time voters head to the polls for the next Presidential election, we will be in Year Four of our own “lost decade”. Accordingly, President Obama’s new “Jobs Czar” – General Electric CEO, Jeffrey Immelt – is busy discussing new plans, which will be destined to go up in smoke when Congressional Republicans exploit the opportunity to maintain the dismal status quo until the day arrives when disgruntled voters can elect President Palin. Barack Obama is probably suffering from some awful nightmares about that possibility.
100 billion infrastructure spending program, 2012 election, Alexander Bolton, Austan Goolsbee, Barack Obama, Bloomberg, Bloomberg survey of 50 economists, Caren Bohan, Christina Romer, Citigroup, Congress, Congressional Republicans, Council of Economic Advisers, deficit, deficit reduction, economic crisis, economic policy, economic stimulus, economics, economists, Ezra Klein, Federal Reserve, fiscal stimulus, foreclosure crisis, General Electric CEO, GOP, Howard Dean, Jamie Galbraith, Jeff Mason, Jeffrey Immelt, Jobs Czar, John T Burke Jr, Keynesian economics, Larry Summers, lost decade, New Economic Perspectives, Obama Administration, Obama economics team, Obama On The Ropes, payroll tax program, Peter Orszag, President Obama, President Palin, Reuters, revolving door, Robert Reich, Sarah Palin, second term, Stanford University, Stephanie Kelton, stimulus measures, stimulus package, The Hill, The Second Stimulus, The Washington Post, Tim Geithner, Turbo Tim Geithner, unemployment, White House, William Black
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TheCenterLane.com offers opinion, news and commentary on politics, the economy, finance and other random events that either find their way into the news or are ignored by the news reporting business. As the name suggests, our focus will be on what seems to be happening in The Center Lane of American politics and what the view from the Center reveals about the events in the left and right lanes. Your Host, John T. Burke, Jr., earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College with a double major in Speech Communications and Philosophy. He earned his law degree (Juris Doctor) from the Illinois Institute of Technology / Chicago-Kent College of Law.
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What were you doing today, on Saturday, October 19th, 2013?
Were you watching college football?, Were you mowing the lawn? Or were you exercising (swimming and weight lifting despite my prior injuries) as I was?
While you were probably doing one of these activities others were defending our rights so that you could enjoy what you were doing in peace.
Some were "at tip of the spear" of defending your right to self defense that others in government want to take away. We need to all be on the front lines in this fight.
Let's ride with Alex Jones as he explains what the demonstration at the Alamo was all about today.
Join us as combat vets rallied for the second amendment at the Alamo on October 19.
Just recently, Veterans marched on Sunday, October 13th in Washington at the World War II Memorial in protest of the partial government shutdown that has kept them and other Americans from visiting war memorials across the country.
Veterans, including many in wheelchairs, took down police barricades and entered the memorial at about midday as others took the protest to the edge of the White House South Lawn.
Some of the metal barricades were carried the roughly half-mile walk from the memorial to the White House, where they were left near the fence in front of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Watching these Veterans over the past couple of weeks, truly inspires myself and thousands of other Americans. We should not worry about standing with one party or the other, but stand as if we were on the battlefield with these veterans. The brave men and women that serve our country now and past deserve the utmost respect.
It is truly a sad day when the U.S. President uses Veterans as politcal pawns to get revenge on the American people who oppose ObamaCare and his other naked power grabs.
If we do not fight for our right to bear arms in self-defense the U.S. government will take that right away permanently as it has in just about every other developed country in the world except Switzerland where almost every adult male is legally required to possess a gun. Virtually every home has a gun. One of the few nations with a higher per capita rate of gun ownership than the United States, Switzerland has virtually no gun crime.
This pokes holes in the Democrat's, Progressives, and Socialist minions arguements that we must ban guns to "protect" the citizens from crimes involving guns. Actually just the opposite is true. In countries where gun ownership is high among private citizens the crime rates involving guns are much lower do to the criminals knowing that a well armed citizen may be there to defend himself with a gun.
Swiss gun ownership is not even a trivial crime problem domestically. Despite all the guns, the murder rate is a small fraction of the American rate, and is less than the rate in Canada or England, which strictly control guns, or in Japan, which virtually prohibits them. The gun crime rate is so low that statistics are not even kept.
What have we learned from Switzerland? Guns in themselves are not a cause of gun crime; if they were, everyone in Switzerland would long ago have been shot in a domestic quarrel.
If U.S. citizens are forced to give up their right of self-defense with a firearm it will be because the government no longer respects or fears it's citizens. When it no longer respects it's citizens unalienable rights it will become tyrannical and despotic as history has proved throughout the modern era. Witness Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, and Joseph Stalin.
As Thomas Jefferson is reported to have said;
"When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
The right to "bear arms" therefore is a litmus test. Once the government takes that right away, if it can, it has crossed the line in the sand that our forefathers gave us to defend ourselves from tyranical government. The government will then have nothing to fear from it's citizens and will institute whatever injustices are necessary to serve it's own goals of corporate, political corruption and control of the U.S. population as it integrates the United States into a world governmentconsisting of 10 regions being set-up by the international banking cartel through such groups as The Club of Rome, the Trilateral Commission, and the Council on Foreign Relations.
The U.S. government knows this. That is why they are gearing up for war with the American people over gun ownership when the U.S. government debt bomb explodes and the U.S. economy goes down in a tail spin.
Homeland Security has purchased billions of rounds of ammunition to prepare for that war and to dry up the supply for private citizens. This purchase includes hollow-point rounds, forbidden by international law for use in war, along with a frightening amount specialized for snipers. Police departments are given grants by Homeland Security to purchase drones and armored personnel carriers(MRAP) complete with gun ports for domestic use in America. We are seeing across-the-board militarization of local police forces. We are seeing frequent drills being staged in cities across America involving "black" helicopters and simulated live fire exercises to test integration of the local police forces with the military.
"The illusion of freedom [in America] will continue as long as it is profitable to continue the illusion. At the point when the illusion becomes to expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way, and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.".....Frank Zappa
And I might add; there will be no escape!
If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth witht he sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and faith of the saints. Revelation 13:9-10 KJV
He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. Revelation 13:9-10 NIV
Gun control, gun confiscation, and capital controls are all driven by an evil desire for power to dominate and control the U.S. population. This is utimately a spiritual battle at it's heart between good and evil which will result in the following according to Revelation 13:7
"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues and nations." KJV
"He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation." NIV
As the international banking cartel takes over, instituting ever more restrictive capital controls and further nationalizes the U.S. ecomony to bring the U.S. down to "third world" status to meld us into an international 10 union confederation their overall plan will become more apparent.
" And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man may buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred three score and six." Revelation 13:16-18 KJV.
"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast for, for it is man's number. His number is 666." Revelation 13:16-18 NIV.
The beast may refer to the beast system set up by Satan through his earthly allies. It is interesting that the present UPC coding labels are bounded by the bars coded 6 in the right boundry, center and left boundary when read with a bar code scanner. However this coding has not been placed yet on human beings skin or in the skin with the exception of the imbedded microchip.
When the international financial cartel implodes the debt bubble inside the U.S., and around the world, expect a solution to be proposed that will eliminate cash. Witness JP Morgan Chase bank's limiting all cash transactions (including deposits, withdrawals, and ATM usage) to $50,000/month, and baning all outgoing international bank wires. More restrictions will follow. They are just starting to gear up for the government debt implosion.
Have you read your bible lately?
May I suggest the following for consideration: Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:8-10, Romans 10:13, Romans 12:1-2.
TheChristianObserver.blogspot.comThis blog is not affiliated with www.christianobserver.org.
Labels: Armored Personnel Carriers (MRAP's), Drones, Economic Nationalization, Firearms, gun control, guns, militarization of the police, Police State, The Alamo, The Second Amendment, Tyranny
WELCOME TO OBAMA CARE!
"Inside Every Liberal Is A Totalitarian Screaming To Get Out."
A man who attempted to sign up for Obamacare online told that a fine of over $4,000 dollars a year for refusing to take out mandatory health insurance could be taken directly from his bank account, and that his drivers license would be suspended and a federal tax lien placed against his home, according to an entry on the HealthCare.gov Facebook page.
Will Sheehan claims that when he tried to sign up for Obamacare and then register to opt out, he received an ominous warning. Sheehan’s full Facebook post reads;
"I actually made it through this morning at 8:00 A.M. I have a preexisting condition (Type 1 Diabetes) and my income base was 45K-55K annually I chose tier 2 “Silver Plan” and my monthly premiums came out to $597.00 with $13,988 yearly deductible!!! There is NO POSSIBLE way that I can afford this so I "opt-out" and chose to continue along with no insurance.
I received an email tonight at 5:00 P.M. informing me that my fine would be $4,037 and could be attached to my yearly income tax return. Then you make it to the "REPERCUSSIONS PORTION" for "non-payment" of yearly fine. First, your drivers license will be suspended until paid, and if you go 24 consecutive months with "Non-Payment" and you happen to be a home owner, you will have a federal tax lien placed on your home. You can agree to give your bank information so that they can easy "Automatically withdraw" your "penalties" weekly, bi-weekly or monthly! This by no means is "Free" or even "Affordable."
Sheehan went on to point out that the site makes you input all your personal information before giving you an indication of the costs, meaning a database of the “uninsured” is being built. He added that he could not afford to pay the premium so would have to break the law and pay the fine, leaving him with no health care coverage.
The federal government has consistently denied that any fines pertaining to Obamacare non-compliance could be seized from bank accounts, despite reports last year that the IRS had hired 16,500 new agents to harass citizens who attempt to evade the new law.
"There’s no criminal sanctions for not paying this, and there's no ability to levy a bank account or do seizures," then-IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman said in April 2010.
In addition, Americans who refuse to pay for mandatory health insurance "shall not be subject to any criminal prosecution," according to the law itself.
Section 1501(g)(2) of the Affordable Care Act also states that the IRS cannot "file notice of lien with respect to any property of a taxpayer by reason of any failure to pay the penalty imposed by this section."
Either Sheehan's claim that he received this notice is a lie, or the feds have been dishonest with the American people all along, and the revolt against Obamacare is about to take "don’t tread on me" to a whole new level.
Why The UK Is Ditching Socialized Medicine
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Labels: Federal Lien's, Fines, Free Choice, IRS, Liberal, Obama Care, Penalties, Socialist, Socialized Medicine, UK
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Report: Juice WRLD was the target of a drug and weapons bust the day he died
Authorities recovered 70 pounds of marijuana, six bottles of codeine syrup, and three firearms.
Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Power 105.1
Juice WRLD died on December 8 after suffering a seizure at Chicago's Midway Airport, and a new report in The New York Times has revealed more details behind the circumstances surrounding the young rapper's death.
According to the newspaper, Juice WRLD's private plane was targeted by law enforcement at 1 a.m. on Sunday. Authorities had reportedly "received information from a federal task force that guns and drugs might be onboard."
Read Next: Eminem drops surprise album feat. Juice WRLD, Anderson .Paak, more
Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told the Times that the plane was searched and its occupants questioned soon after 1 a.m. As the search proceeded, Juice WRLD began convulsing — he was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead at 3 a.m. A cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
Law enforcement says the plane was carrying 70 pounds of marijuana and six bottles of codeine cough syrup, as well as two 9mm pistols, a .40 caliber pistol, and ammunition. Two members of Juice WRLD's security team, Christopher Long and Henry Dean, were reportedly charged with misdemeanors for gun and ammunition possession.
Juice WRLD shared his second studio album Death Race For Love this year. Condolences from across the world of music poured in after news of his death became public.
Hip-Hop, Juice WRLD
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Jeffrey K. Holth - Attorney
jholth@thejacobsonlawgroup.com
Jeff joined the Firm in 2015 after serving as law clerk for Judge Myron H. Bright of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Prior to his Eighth Circuit clerkship, Jeff clerked for Associate Justice Alan C. Page of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Throughout his tenure as a law clerk, Jeff analyzed and provided recommendations on complex legal issues spanning almost every major substantive area of federal and state law, including federal Indian law.
At the firm, Jeff represents tribes and tribal entities and in variety of matters, with particular focus on litigation and tribal governance. In his litigation practice, Jeff utilizes his clerking experience at the federal, state and tribal level to gain strategic advantage for tribal clients and yield favorable results in the courtroom. Jeff has successfully represented tribal clients in a broad array of lawsuits in federal, state, and tribal courts, including jurisdictional challenges, land disputes, consumer finance actions, and contract matters. Jeff has raised tribal sovereign immunity on behalf of tribes and tribal economic arms to secure dismissal from lawsuits on multiple occasions. Additionally, Jeff’s litigation practice includes advocacy in federal administrative forums, having represented tribes before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the NAGPRA Review Committee.
Jeff also actively advises tribal governments, agencies, and businesses on a broad array of legal matters. Jeff has drafted and revised numerous tribal laws, negotiated financing transactions and other agreements on behalf of tribes, advised tribes on the applicability of federal and state law, and assisted tribes in negotiating and resolving right-of-way violations within their territories. Jeff also maintains a practice in cultural resources protection, advising tribes on application of the NAGPRA and their rights under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Protection Act.
Prior to law school, Jeff taught special education at Todd County High School in Mission, South Dakota, on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. As a teacher at TCHS, Jeff implemented a job skills program that enabled students with disabilities to gain critical employment skills at various businesses and organizations on the reservation. Jeff continues to hold a teaching license for K-12 special education in South Dakota.
In his spare time, Jeff enjoys traveling, being a new dad, and teaching Federal Indian Law as an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of law.
Indian/Tribal Law
J.D. William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, 2012 / Summa Cum Laude
B.A. The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., 2006 / Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa
U. S. Supreme Court
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
Fond du Lac Tribal Court
Chippewa Cree Tribal Court
©2018 The Jacobson Law Group. All rights reserved.
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Home→History→New Forest at War→New Forest – First World War
Long before the outbreak of the First World War, the New Forest had been used by Queen Victoria’s army as a training ground in a manner similar to their use of nearby Salisbury Plain. During the 19th century the Royals had long since lost their desire to hunt and deer were being removed from the Forest. Steel was gradually taking over from timber in ship construction and, in any event, by the beginning of the century the stock of trees had been severely depleted.
Rest time during Volunteer manoeuvres – 1890s
The Forest was in a state of upheaval regarding its future use and direction. While its future lay in the balance, its wild, open undulating wilderness proved an ideal location for the training of troops, especially in the last decade of the century following military campaigns in the Crimean (1853-56) and the first Boer War (1880–1881).
During this period various Volunteer Rifle Corps were formed around the district, supplied with rifles by the government, and the New Forest became home to several rifle ranges near Beaulieu, Brockenhurst, Godshill and Lyndhurst. Towards the end of the century in 1895 one of the biggest troop manoeuvres ever seen in the Forest at the time was undertaken at the request of the Duke of Connaught (son of Queen Victoria) when 15,000 men were encamped on the Forest for almost a month.
Various Army firing ranges were also set up across the New Forest following the passing of the Ranges Act in 1891. As these ranges took up large areas of the Forest, it is not surprising that the Verderers were opposed to their establishment as they sought to protect the rights of commoners to graze their animals without the risk of their stock being shot! Some concessions were obtained after lengthy discussions but it remained a thorny issue for several years.
Remains of these ranges can still be seen on the Forest. The image below shows the improvised butts (backstop) for one such range on Beaulieu Heath. The Victorians were no respecters of ancient monuments as these butts were formed by piling the earth from one Bronze Age burial mound on top of another!
Remains of Victorian Rifle Range – Beaulieu Heath
During May 1898 another series of army manoeuvres took place involving large numbers of men from the New Forest Volunteer battalions. These manoeuvres were held under active service conditions and the exercise were based on a scenario of an invading force landing from the sea at Lymington and attempting to capture Southampton. The defending force was camped on Southampton Common initially and then marched to Lyndhurst to encamp whilst the invading forces were based at Hatchet Pond. Both groups eventually encountered each other near Beaulieu Road Station when the invaders were eventually driven off. The exercise was observed by Lord Wolseley, Commander in Chief of the British Army who was pleased with what he witnessed. Interestingly many of the volunteers were on bicycles!
4th Volunteer Bttn. Hampshire Rifles – Camp at Lyndhurst 1898
The New Forest Pony was also called into action regularly, having been used in South Africa during the Boer wars where it is said to have performed well against other breeds. In 1900 the 4th Volunteer Battalion Hampshire Regiment (based in Bournemouth) was joined by a Mounted Infantry Company which became known as the New Forest Scouts, using New Forest Ponies as their mounts. Subsequently, the 4th Bttn. adopted the Crown Stirrup that hands in the Verderers Court as it badge.
New Forest Scouts – 1905
An indication of the scale of military activity on the Forest in the early 1900s can be found in Parliamentary questions of the period. Hansard of 1906 reports that the Secretary of State for War was asked to state the number of troops that were camped and trained in the New Forest. He replied that in 1904, training exercises involved the Royal Marine Artillery, six Volunteer battalions. In 1905, Royal Marine Artillery, 1st and 2nd Divisions, Telegraph Battalion, Royal Engineers, five Volunteer battalions, and one Cadet Corps were encamped on the Forest. In 1906 the Royal Marine Artillery were again present together with eleven Volunteer battalions and one Cadet Corps. During this period the local population must have become quite accustomed to significant troop movements.
Against this background, it was not surprising that the Forest’s use by the military should step up with the onset of the Great War with Britain declaring war on Germany in August 1914 – the war they said would “be over by Christmas”. At the beginning of the war there was the assumption that it would be won quickly by cavalry on horseback supported by infantry but the reality couldn’t have been more different as they dug in for four years of trench warfare.
At the start of hostilities, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was mobilised and sent to France and first encountered the German Army at the Battle of Mons in August 1914. The BEF consisted of six Infantry Divisions made up of UK based regular soldiers, territorial reservists and volunteers. At that point much of Britain’s Army was based overseas protecting its Empire and these soldiers were hastily recalled to supplement the BEF. The first brigades to arrive back on home shores formed the 7th Division which unlike the BEF comprised entirely of time served regular soldiers and became known as the “Immortal Seventh”
2nd Battalion Scots Guards arriving at a camp at Lyndhurst where the 7th Division was forming (September 1914) – Imperial War Museum
The Immortal Seventh came into existence with its initial assembly on the Forest at Lyndhurst which they used as a staging post before embarking for France at the nearby port of Southampton. Over a period of weeks the remaining UK based troops were joined by soldiers from overseas postings in Gibraltar, Malta, Egypt and South Africa and were encamped near Bolton’s Bench at White Moor and the old Racecourse just outside of the village on the Cadnam road. During their stay in the New Forest regular drills were the order of the day and various trenches were dug to replicate what they were about to experience on the Western Front, some of which are still visible along the ridgeway from Bolton’s Bench to Matley. There were repeated route marches and as one officer put it, “they marched close on three hundred miles around the New Forest by way of hardening the men who had come off foreign service”. They departed the Forest in October 1914 marching the eight miles into Southampton for embarkation to France and from there on to Belgium where they were almost immediately thrown into action at the Battle of Ypres.
“War Horses” embarking for France at Southampton Docks – Imperial War Museum
The war affected the Forest in other ways including its iconic ponies. When war began in 1914 the War Office was given the urgent task of sourcing 500,000 horses and ponies to go into battle in France and Belgium. They were essential to pull heavy guns, transport weapons and supplies, carry the wounded and dying to hospitals and, in the early stages of the war, to mount cavalry charges. In the first year of war the British countryside was emptied of shire horses and riding ponies, a heartbreaking prospect for many farming families who saw their horses requisitioned by the government as “war horses”. Whilst numbers were not recorded, many ponies were taken from the New Forest who, like many of their owners, never returned.
After the initial excitement of this large troop mobilisation, the presence of soldiers and their weaponry soon became commonplace in the New Forest as it remained a convenient staging post for troops on their way to the Western Front in France and Belgium via the port of Southampton. After the departure of the 7th Division military manoeuvres continued on the Forest for the duration of the war. Elsewhere around the Forest, an airfield for the newly formed Royal Flying Corps was established at Beaulieu and the Royal Naval Air Service at Calshot which are covered in more detail elsewhere on this website.
Indian Army Camp in New Forest – Imperial War Museum
With the war in France and Flanders looking increasingly likely to continue beyond 1914 the Indian Army, which at the time was the largest in the world, was mobilised and its soldiers were dispatched to the Western Front landing at Marseilles whilst others arrived Britain to establish bases for re-enforcements and training. Initially Indian troops settled into temporary tented quarters in the New Forest in the early autumn of 1914. The arrival of these men caused quite a stir as it was the first time that large numbers of Indian troops had been present in the country. During the course of the war one million Indian soldiers fought for the British Empire and over 74,000 lost their lives.
Australian troops at Grenade School
At the end of 1915 the construction of a Grenade School at White Moor was commenced and was ready for use the following March, occupying 190 acres of the heath. In the immediate vicinity a further 230 acres north west of Matley Wood was put into use as a Trench Mortar School the following year and these facilities formed the Southern Command Bombing School through which many soldiers from across the British Empire passed on short courses. Students were taught the mechanisms of every type of grenade that they were likely to meet, including German types, and how to prime them for action. They were also taught bombing tactics with particular attention on attacking and clearing trench systems. Those who passed were entitled to were a red grenade badge on their right arm. Later in 1917 these operations were extended further with the addition of an artillery range between Matley and Decoy Pond. During 1918 the Trench Mortar School closed and the site taken over by a War Dog Training School which accommodated 200 dogs which were trained to carry messages under battle conditions. Whilst little evidence remains of any buildings, over nearly a hundred years later, unexploded ordinance is still being discovered in the area and made safe by the Army Bomb Disposal team.
Dog Training School
As casualties mounted there was an urgent need for more troop hospitals in the UK. In the early stages of the war one in every three soldiers under British command came from the Indian sub continent and it soon became apparent that the British military was ill prepared to deal with the needs of Sikh, Hindu and Muslim soldiers who died or were wounded on the battlefields of France. These troops had been rushed to Europe ill equipped for the cold weather. The heavy rains in late 1914 were followed by severe frost and snow but most of the Indian troops did not have winter clothing or proper footwear, giving rise to respiratory illnesses, frostbite and ‘trench foot’. Initially it had been intended to evacuate the sick and wounded Indian troops via Marseilles to Egypt but this was soon proved impractical in view of the high number of casualties.
By November 1914 a hospital for wounded Indian troops had been established at Brockenhurst. The village was ideally situated on the main railway line only a few miles from Southampton through which port the wounded soldiers arrived back in the UK. During that month more than 1,000 wounded Indian soldiers arrived in the village. Both the Balmer Lawn Hotel and the Forest Park Hotel were requisitioned for the purpose and renamed the Lady Hardinge Hospital (named after the wife of the Viceroy of India). The short road that linked the two hotels was renamed Meerut Road after the district of India where many of the wounded had originated from – it still retains the name today.
Wounded NZ soldiers arriving at Brockenhurst Station
The combined unit had a total of 640 beds but it proved so overcrowded that wounded soldiers were accommodated on mattresses on the floor. It soon became necessary to expand the facilities and by 1915 it was supplemented by a collection of tented and galvanised accommodation units which became known to the locals as “Tin Town”. It treated soldiers of the 3rd (Lahore) and 7th (Meerut) Divisions of the Indian Army Corps, before they were posted to Egypt in November of that year where the warmer climate was more similar to that of their native India, which doubtless helped in their recovery. Another issue that had to be resolved while the Indians were in situ was a cremation site for the Sikhs and Hindus in accordance with their respective religions. At that time cremation was not a common practice in the UK as parliamentary approval had only been given in 1902. After due consideration Perry Wood was chosen for the site.
“Tin Town”, Brockenhurst
In January 1916, Tin Town became No.1 New Zealand General Hospital, responsible for orthopaedic injuries, and further huts were erected. In all some 21,000 New Zealand casualties were treated, including the 93 who died and are buried in a War Cemetery at the nearby St Nicholas Church. The hospital closed in March 1919 after the war ended and whilst the two hotels still remain, there in nothing left of Tin Town. However, whilst it was operational it was visited by King George V and Queen Mary – the first monarchs to visit the Forest since the reign of King George III over a hundred years previously.
Apart from the build up of troops, the war had other major impacts on the Forest. The prolonged war brought much new innovation with the introduction of airplanes, tanks, bigger artillery guns and larger warships. The war fuelled a rapid increase in manufacturing by British industry and this was driven by coal. Coal mining increased dramatically and with it came the demand for more and more timber for pit props. Coal was the strategic industry which fuelled the steam driven ships of the Royal Navy and British manufacturing industry. Without timber, coal could not be extracted – it was as simple as that. Without coal, British ships would have to stay tied up in port and industry would grind to a halt.
Britain’s woodland resources had been declining since the Middle Ages, but reached an all time low (only 5% of total land area) by the beginning of the 20th century and with the outbreak of war the country was no longer able to rely on timber imports, mainly from Canada. Imports of timber fell from 6.5 million tonnes in 1916 to only 2.5 million tonnes by 1918. Forests and woodlands all over the UK had to make up the shortfall and in the New Forest around 2000 acres of trees were felled producing 8 million cubic feet of timber, the equivalent of 300,000 tonnes of shipped timber. Much of the timber felled was broadleaved deciduous trees and these were replaced with faster growing coniferous trees during the replanting that took place after the war, changing the face of the Forest. As most able bodied men had enlisted or were conscripted into the army, there was a shortage of skilled woodmen to meet this demand.
By the beginning of 1916 the situation had become critical. In February the British Government contacted the Canadian Government seeking their help. The message read, “Owing to the very serious shortage of freight for munitions, food, forage and other essentials, which is a matter of the gravest concern to H.M. Government, it is impossible to continue to import Canadian timber on a sufficiently large scale to meet War requirements, and arrangements must therefore be made for felling and converting English forests“. By March the Canadian Timber Corps had been formed and a small advance party of 200 woodmen arrived in the UK and were despatched to the New Forest. By the end of the year there were well over 2000 men of the Canadian Forestry Corps employed across the UK and by the end of the war 17000 were employed in the UK and France.
Canadian Timber Corps Sawmill (believed to be Millyford Bridge)
By 1917 Canadian Timber Corps operations across the UK were split into five districts with No. 54 District covering the South West, West Midlands and Wales based in Southampton. Their New Forest operations were based at Hawkhill, near Beaulieu and Millyford on the road between Emery Down and Bolderwood. Sawmills operated at both locations with narrow gauge railways used to transport timber. The sawmill at the latter location was based in the area that is now Millyford Bridge car park where some of the concrete footings still survive.
In the same year Britain called on its oldest ally, Portugal with a request for men to act as labourers to support the efforts of the Canadians. A compliment of around 150 labourers were attached to each unit around the country. In the New Forest additional accommodation was provided next to the Canadian Camp at Millyford. Nothing now remains of the camp apart from a brick fireplace that was part of the cookhouse, which stands on its own just off the minor Forest road near Millyford Bridge. Known as the “Portuguese Fireplace”, it is preserved as a memorial to the essential work of the Canadians and their Portuguese helpers during the war.
New Forest charcoal burners
In addition to timber, charcoal production was re-introduced to the Forest using the traditional method of pit burning covered with turves. This particular craft had died out by the beginning of the century and there was only one man left, Frederick Cull of Cadnam, who still retained the secrets of production. Armed with this knowledge, charcoal production recommenced for the duration of the war using the Forest’s hardwoods. The charcoal was largely sent to France for use in gas masks and also for water filtration.
Another interesting wartime requirement from the Forest was acorns. During the war it is estimated that the British Army and Navy fired around 258 million shells, all of which were propelled by cordite of which a key component was acetone. Acetone was normally produced by the distillation of wood but with timber in short supply other natural products were used and one of these was the acorn. All across the country and in the New Forest schoolchildren were asked to collect as many acorns as they could to support the war effort! Heather was also in demand and was harvested for bedding and packaging for munitions.
After the end of the war the Forest gradually returned to normal but nothing would be quite the same again. It had played a significant part in the victory as had its menfolk, many of whom never returned to enjoy its tranquility after the horrors of war. Each Forest village has its own war memorial listing those who gave their lives – the village of Lyndhurst lost 68 men, Brockenhurst lost 78 men and even the small settlement of East Boldre lost 17 men. No village escaped.
Little did anyone realise at the time that in just over twenty years world turmoil would return and the New Forest would play an even greater role in the outcome of the Second World War.
Bucklers Hard was originally called Montagu Town
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Christie’s auctions 1st piece of art created by artificial intelligence
Posted on: October 23rd, 2018 by ABC News No Comments
Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — It took 15,000 paintings and more than eight centuries to produce the Portrait of Edmond Belamy, but the artist’s signature is the big reveal: a mathematical algorithm.
Conceived by the Paris-based Obvious Collective, the resulting image — a blurry face of a European man that evokes centuries past — is the first piece of art generated by artificial intelligence sold by a major auction house.
Christie’s New York is conducting the auction for the computer-printed portrait on Tuesday. The piece may fetch as much as $10,000, the company said in a statement. Edmond is a member of the 11-person Belamy family of AI-generated portraits.
The portraits are the brainchild of Obvious, a trio of lifelong friends who live and work together in an apartment near Gare du Nord. One of the three, Hugo Caselles-Dupré, discovered the Generative Adversarial Network class of algorithms while working on his Ph.D. in machine learning.
“The images they were creating were really amazing,” his fellow collective member Pierre Fautrel told ABC News. “We are really fascinated by the power of algorithms. We begin to discuss, if you create art like this, is this art?”
The conversation, which originated with 25-year-olds lounging in their apartment on sofas, manifested in the Belamys.
“Can an algorithm be creative? We decided to make a discussion about this through our art and have an open discussion because we don’t have the answers,” Fautrel said. “A lot of people everywhere in the world could have this interesting conversation.”
They ran 15,000 portraits scanning the 14th to the 20th centuries through the algorithms. They focused on portraits, Fautrel said, because they wanted a form of art that “my mother and my little brother could understand.”
The fictional Belamy family is a winking homage to the creator of the Generative Adversarial Network, Ian Goodfellow. In French, a rough translation of his last name is “Bel ami” or “Belamy.”
The result, printed on canvas and hung in a gilt frame, could pass for a work by the Old Masters from a distance. Up close, the lack of texture and paint is obvious, and the image seems vaguely flat.
In February, a French collector, Nicolas Laugero-Lasserre, bought the portrait of the Belamy family patriarch, Le Comte de Belamy, aka The Count of Belamy, for €10,000 ($11,430), hence the guidance for this auction, which ends on Thursday.
Obvious caught the eye of Christie’s Richard Lloyd, the international head of the Prints and Multiples Department, who then reached out to the collective, he said.
“I have always been interested in AI art and have been following the space for quite some time,” Lloyd wrote in an email. “After speaking with them, we decided to include a piece from their La Famille de Belamy series [in this sale].”
Technology-enabled art is not unprecedented. Painter David Hockney embraced iPads and styluses for an extensive series of digital art.
As for whether AI is threatening to replace human artists, at least one, English painter Jonathan Huxley, is unconcerned.
“The threat of digital art has been around for 15 to 20 years. Real art is like prostitution: It’s one of the oldest businesses in the world,” Huxley said. “As people get saturated with the digital world, they’ll want the blood, sweat, and tears in their living room. It’s rarer and rarer so it will be worth more.”
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The importance of recognising the real value of diversity and promoting inclusion – Lucy Dimes, CEO of Fujitsu UK & Ireland
in News and events
Lucy Dimes is CEO of Fujitsu UK & Ireland, following her appointment in June 2016. Prior to this, Lucy was chief operating officer of Equiniti and previously CEO UK & Ireland at Alcatel-Lucent. These positions followed a 16-year career at BT where she held a variety of roles including Head of Broadband & Internet Development and Managing Director of Group & Openreach Service Operations.
Lucy Dimes
On 27th June 2016, Fujitsu named Lucy Dimes as its Chief Executive Officer of the UK & Ireland, a position she took up with immediate effect. Lucy takes over from Regina Moran who has now moved into an EMEIA-wide role within Fujitsu’s Business & Application Services division.
Taking on the role of CEO of Fujitsu UK & Ireland
I am very excited to take on the role of CEO of Fujitsu UK & Ireland – one of the world’s largest IT companies. Throughout my career in technology, I have seen the fantastic contribution that women make to this sector, and Fujitsu are a company which recognises the real value of diversity and promotes inclusion at every level.
That said, there is still much more that needs to be done to increase the number of women in IT as a sector, both at entry level and within leadership positions – and for me that starts by promoting the exciting careers available as well as offering mentoring and role models.
Fujitsu have a strong track record of doing these kind of things already, and I will be looking to invest further, whilst helping extend this to the industry as a whole.
http://www.fujitsu.com/uk/
https://twitter.com/fujitsu_uk
https://www.facebook.com/fujitsuuk
https://www.linkedin.com/company/fujitsu-uk-and-ireland
← Blazing a trail for women in medicine: Ode to Elizabeth Blackwell – Dr. Heather Furnas, Plastic Surgeon
Why it is now more important than ever for the tech community to come together to build an effective talent pipeline within the UK – Edwina Dunn, Chair of Your Life and CEO of Starcount →
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A Michigan native, Aaron Cozadd cut his teeth at the Clarkston Union as a line cook while still in high school. Upon graduating, he followed his heart to The Culinary Institute of America in New York. There, he learned both the foundations of classic preparation and was exposed to cutting-edge (no pun intended) techniques. Graduating with honors, he returned to Michigan armed with this formidable one-two punch. He put his skills to work at Coach Insignia, spending time both at the front of the house and in its discriminating kitchen. Union Joints lured him from the high floors of the Ren Cen to the smart, street-level scene of Clarkston’s Main Street, with the promise to give him an opportunity to make a difference. And he has. Having already appeared on five national television shows, and serving as a regular guest on local live spots, Aaron has a rare combination of abilities: he can deliver food that projects his passion and passionately share it in any multitude of mediums, from visiting a table to taking a group of school kids through a prep kitchen. Serving as executive chef to the expanding Union Joints’ group, Aaron creates and oversees all regular menu and specialty items for the Clarkston Union Bar and Kitchen, Union Woodshop BBQ joint, Vinsetta Garage Custom Eatery, Fenton Fire Hall Bar and Kitchen and most recently, Honcho Latin Street Food & Coffee. From the Woodshop’s Detroit Free Press 2012 Restaurant of the Year award and across-the-board “Best of” sweeps in Hour Detroit and Metro Times 2014, to GQ’s highlight on Aaron himself, he is widely recognized for taking American comfort food and dishing out a blend of fresh, locally grown and house-made concoctions that draw fans from across state lines to just up the street—all in a casual, roll-up-your-sleeves, eat-off-a-butcher-paper-lined-tray-and-dig-in kind of way.
http://unionjoints.com/
ABRAHAM CONLON ‘01 is chef-owner of Fat Rice, The Bakery at Fat Rice, and the Ladies’ Room. His bold and vibrant global cuisine is a reflection of his Azorean-Portuguese heritage and deep-dive travels where he explores historic foodways and culinary traditions. Together with business partner Adrienne Lo, Abraham opened Fat Rice in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood in 2012. The menu of this acclaimed restaurant explores the varied cuisines of the Portuguese speaking world with an emphasis on Macau, China. There, historic trade-routes enriched heritage recipes that combine techniques and ingredients from Portugal, Brazil, Africa, Malaysia, India, China, and Japan. In 2016, Abraham and Adrienne opened two adjoining concepts at Fat Rice in Chicago, The Bakery at Fat Rice, a daytime café serving Portuguese and Asian Pastries, and The Ladies’ Room, an intimate craft cocktail den inspired by the Chinese gambling halls and red light districts of early 20th century Macau. Also in 2016, they published their cookbook, The Adventures of Fat Rice (Ten Speed Press), which is a compilation of vibrant recipes that showcase Abraham’s take on historic Macanese cuisine during the first two years at Fat Rice. Abraham, Fat Rice, and his adjoining concepts have been recognized with the following honors since opening in 2012: The James Beard Foundation Award Best Chef: Great Lakes 2018, StarChefs: Rising Star 2015, Jean Banchet Award (Chicago) for Restaurant of the Year 2015, Bon Appétit: Hot 10 Best New Restaurants in America 2013 #4, Jean Banchet Award (Chicago): Best New Restaurant 2013, Time Out Chicago: Best New Restaurant 2013, and Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand (2014 – 2019), to name a few. He frequently travels outside of his home-base of Chicago for consultations, project development, pop-ups, and special events. Most recently after a global culinary tour, he took up residency at Chefs Club in New York (August-October 2018) to further share his unique brand of vibrant global cuisine. (Chicago, US)
http://www.eatfatrice.com/
Chef-Owner
The chef at Pasillo de Humo in México City, Alam Méndez has been involved in Oaxacan gastronomy since his childhood, influenced by his mother, the renowned traditional cooker, Celia Florián. He studied at Instituto Culinario de México in Puebla, where he had the opportunity to work at Intro restaurant with the chef Angel Vazquez, with whom he collaborated for three years. In 2012, he competed as part of the National Junior Olympic Team representing México in IKA Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany. He also took the opportunity to do professional internships at Michelin stars restaurants such as Can Fabes and Arzak. He won the third edition of the Joven Promesa Gastronómica Ribera del Duero contest on May 14, 2014 in Mexico City. He was also sous chef at the Hotel Santa Cruz Plaza in Chile and was the main chef at Don Porfirio restaurant, in Guatemala. Finally, he was head production chef with Chef Rosío Sánchez at Taquería Hija de Sanchez in Copenhagen, Denmark.
https://www.facebook.com/pasillodehumo/
Amanda Cohen is the chef and owner of Dirt Candy, the award-winning vegetable restaurant on New York City’s Lower East Side. Dirt Candy was the first vegetable-focused restaurant in the city and the leader of the vegetable-forward movement. The restaurant’s original location only had 18 seats and was open for six years, during which time it became the first vegetarian restaurant in 17 years to receive two stars from the New York Times, was recognized by the Michelin Guide five years in a row, and won awards from Gourmet, the Village Voice, and many others. Its new location opened in January 2015 and it was the first restaurant in the city to eliminate tipping. Amanda was the first vegetarian chef to compete on Iron Chef America and her comic book cookbook, Dirt Candy: A Cookbook, is the first graphic novel cookbook to be published in North America.
http://www.dirtcandynyc.com/
Ana Sortun is the chef and owner of Oleana and Sofra Bakery and Café in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Called one of the country’s “best creative fusion practitioners,” Seattle-born Ana graduated from La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine de Paris before opening Moncef Medeb’s Aigo Bistro in Concord, Massachusetts, in the early 1990s. Following stints at 8 Holyoke and Casablanca in Harvard Square, she opened Oleana in 2001, combining farm-fresh ingredients and Eastern Mediterranean spice blends, and immediately drew raves for dishes that The New York Times described as “rustic-traditional and deeply inventive.” Sofra offers a unique style of food and baked goods influenced mostly by Turkey, Lebanon, and Greece. Ana was named Best Chef: Northeast by the James Beard Foundation in 2005, and is the author of the best-selling Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean (William Morrow, 2006). Her husband’s farm, Siena Farms, provides Ana’s restaurant with all of its fresh produce and is named after their daughter.
http://oleanarestaurant.com/
Foodservice and Industrial Chef, Kikkoman
Andrew Hunter ‘88 is the foodservice and industrial chef for Kikkoman, where he develops custom and ready-to-use sauce solutions for manufacturing partners, as well as menu concepts for a broad base of restaurant, college and university, and healthcare customers. Andrew has worked as chef de cuisine for Barbara Tropp’s China Moon Café, vice president of culinary development for Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, and managed the culinary operations for Darden Restaurants’ 600+ unit Olive Garden restaurants. He earned an AOS in culinary arts from The Culinary Institute of America, a BA in culinary history from New College, and an MA in museum studies from San Francisco State University. In 2011, he spent Thanksgiving in Afghanistan and cooked a “Dinner of a Lifetime” for U.S. Special Forces in forward operating bases.
http://www.kikkomanusa.com/
Angela Hernandez is the chef de cuisine of Top Knot. (Dallas, TX).
Photo courtesy of Logan Crable.
http://topknotdallas.com/
Worlds of Flavor Program Director
ANNE E. MCBRIDE, PHD is the newly appointed deputy director of the Barcelona-based Torribera Mediterranean Center, a joint initiative of the University of Barcelona and The Culinary Institute of America’s (CIA) recently launched to advance research and education around Mediterranean food, health, and culinary innovation. She also serves as program director for the annual Worlds of Flavor® International Conference & Festival and the Global Plant-Forward Culinary Summit at the CIA. She holds a doctorate degree in food studies from New York University, and focuses her research on the changing role of the chef in the 21st century. Anne has co-authored seven books and regularly writes on topics related to professional and experimental cooking for both academic and consumer audiences, including past contributions to Plate, New Worlder, Bake from Scratch, Roads & Kingdoms, Food Arts, Gastronomica, The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, Savoring Gotham, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, and Food Cultures of the World. She is the director of the Experimental Cuisine Collective at NYU, an interdisciplinary group of more than 2500 scientists, chefs, media, scholars, and food enthusiasts. She also teaches in the food studies departments of NYU and the New School. A native of Switzerland, Anne is the chair of the James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards, a member of the Menus of Change Scientific and Technical Advisory Council, and a past board member of the Association for the Study of Food and Society, New York Women’s Culinary Alliance, and Culinary Trust. She was named to the Heritage Radio Network Hall of Fame in 2019, and is a frequent presenter and moderator at academic and professional conferences around the world. (Barcelona, Spain, and North Plainfield, NJ) @annemcbride
http://annemcbride.net
Asha Gomez launched Cardamom Hill Restaurant in January 2012 in Atlanta. An instant success, the restaurant received praising reviews; it was named one of Bon Appétit’s 2012’s 50 Best New Restaurants, was on the 2013 James Beard Semi-Finalist List of 20 Best New Restaurants, and one of Southern Living’s 5 Best Restaurants in the South. Asha was also named one of the 2013/2014 Food & Wine Best New Chef – People’s Choice semi-finalists. The acclaim universally acknowledged Asha’s pioneering spirit for opening a finer dining venture that focuses on one region of India, a rarity in the U.S. Her Kerala fried chicken was voted by Fox Television Network as one of the ten best fried chicken dishes in the country and has received numerous national and international acclaim. She has also been showcased in feature stories in the Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and numerous other national publications, and her recipes have appeared in issues of Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Country Living, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, and numerous other publications. Asha owns and operates The Third Space in Atlanta, a culinary event studio. She is the author of the cookbook My Two Souths (Running Press, fall 2016). My Two Souths has received rave reviews from the Washington Post, Eater, Garden & Gun, and The New York Times to name a few and is currently on several best cookbooks of the year lists. In her spare time she is passionate about her advocacy work as a CARE Global Ambassador as well as raising her 11 year-old son Ethan.
http://spicetotable.com/
Chef-Owner, La Palapa
Barbara Sibley was born and raised in Mexico City. Her interest in indigenous cuisines was deepened by her studies in anthropology at Barnard Collegem where she joined the Committee on the Barnard Medal. Her New York restaurant career began at age 17 at La Tulipe, a New York Times three-star French restaurant. Her extensive experience led her to open La Palapa Cocina Mexicana in 2000. As a truly authentic Mexican restaurant, La Palapa has been awarded the “Disctinctivo” by Sabores Autenticos de Mexico Foundation. In both Mexico and the US, Barbara has guided press tours and travelled to Meredith for APEAM, the Mexican Avocado Producers and Distributors organization. La Palapa is known for its pioneer cocktail program in the use of infusions and flavors in tequilas, due to this Barbara has done extensive product development for corporations such as Kraft, Jose Cuervo, Sauza, and Bacardi. As an expert in authentic Mexican cuisine at La Palapa, she has appeared in many publications and on numerous television shows such as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, CBS Sunday, Chopped, and NY1 en Español. Barbara is a past President of the Board of the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance, has been inducted as a member of Les Dames D’Escoffier, and is a member of the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs. She has been awarded the High Road award for her labor practices by the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY). Barbara has lectured on women entrepreneurs at the Culinary Institute of America. She has testified before Congress regarding the need to increase the federal tipped minimum wage as a gender issue affecting mostly single mothers and has met with Secretary of Labor Thomas Peres to discuss High Road restaurant policies. In addition to her career as a restaurateur, since 1997 she has been co-director and founder, with her sister Jennifer Clement, of the San Miguel Poetry Week, an annual poetry conference in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. In 2009, she co-authored Antojitos: Festive and Flavorful Mexican Small Plates (Ten Speed Press). Since 2012 she has had the honor and pleasure of being part of the team restoring the Holiday Cocktail Lounge. An exercise in zen and archeology, as creative director her mission has been to preserve this important East Village landmark. In 2015 she opened La Palapa Taco Bar in the new Urbanspace Vanderbilt Market.
http://lapalapa.com/
Chef-Partner
Award-winning chef Bill Kim was born in Seoul, Korea and immigrated to the United States at age 7. His first formal kitchen duty – roasting sesame seeds and grinding them using a mortar and pestle – sparked his interest in pursuing a culinary career. Bill’s expansive culinary background spans a wide range of varied cuisines. After studying classic French cooking at Kendall College, he pursued opportunities to work alongside industry greats including Pierre Pollin at le Titi de Paris in Arlington Heights, IL and Jean Banchet at Ciboulette in Atlanta. From there, Bill served as sous chef at notable kitchens throughout the country, including the renowned four-star Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, Bouley Bakery in New York, and Susanna Foo in Philadelphia. After several years on the East Coast, he was drawn back to Chicago to serve as chef de cuisine at Charlie Trotter’s before taking the helm of French-Asian Le Lan. Bill is widely considered to be a pioneer in the movement of fine dining chefs introducing casual concepts. In 2008 he opened urbanbelly, a bustling communal-seating restaurant featuring creative and soul-satisfying noodle, dumpling and rice dishes. In August 2012, he opened bellyQ, a modern Asian barbecue concept on Chicago’s thriving Randolph Street. After five successful years operating urbanbelly in Avondale, Bill expanded the menu and relocated the restaurant to reside alongside bellyQ in the West Loop. A second urbanbelly location opened in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood in early 2016.
http://urbanbellychicago.com/
Founder and Chef
is the author of The Vegetable Butcher: How to Select, Prep, Slice, Dice, and Masterfully Cook Vegetables from Artichokes to Zucchini, which is nominated for a 2017 James Beard Award and received two IACP awards in February. She is the founder and executive chef of the produce-inspired restaurant Little Eater and Little Eater Produce and Provisions, a local farm stand and artisanal foods boutique in Columbus, Ohio. Her work as a chef, entrepreneur, author, speaker, and culinary instructor is dedicated to putting vegetables in the center of the American plate, honoring the work of our farmers, and supporting the health of our communities.
http://littleeater.com/
Cara Stadler grew up making Shanghainese classics in a kitchen infused with ginger and shaoxing wine, but her training is far more global. Beginning her career at 16, she worked at Café Rouge in Berkeley, followed by Striped Bass in Philadelphia, before heading to Paris to hone her fine dining skills. While in France, after staging at Guy Savoy, Cara worked at Gordon Ramsay Au Trianon Palace, his two-Michelin star restaurant in Versailles. While she was learning from these modern masters, Cara became fascinated with how, in a single bite, flavors harmonize in a sequence of moments, supported by the cadence of texture. Since then, she is constantly striving to put both new perfect bites and some classics on the table. With the aim of finding more flavors and texture to bring to this concept, Cara headed to Asia in 2008. After working briefly in Singapore at French-Japanese restaurant Saint Pierre and heading up Gourmet Underground in Beijing in 2009, she moved to Shanghai and began her long-standing relationship with one of China’s most esteemed restaurateurs, David Laris. Starting out as sous-chef of Laris—at the time, one of Asia’s fine-dining landmarks—Cara later launched David’s private dining restaurant, 12 Chairs, which has been hailed one of Asia’s best restaurants by The Miele Guide. Cara returned to the US in November 2011, eager to work with her mother to bring to Brunswick, Maine her unique twist of contemporary Asian fusion combined with the bounty of local Maine flavors at Tao Yuan. She was a 2015 nominee for the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef Award.
http://tao-yuan.me/
Celia Florián, owner of the restaurant Las Quince Letras in Oaxaca, shows her great passion and love for traditional food that she inherits from her grandmother and mother. The philosophy of her cuisine is based on taking advantage of the diversity of local products, working together with Oaxacan producers for the sustainability of the local crops. She is a member of the Slow Food movement, forming part of the Terra Madre world network of traditional cooks, and is the Oaxaca representing delegate of Conservatorio de la Cultura Gastronómica Mexicana (CCGM). Celia has long promoted Oaxacan cuisine in different national and international forums. The former leader of the group of traditional cooks in Oaxaca, her great passion lead her to win the National Prize of Regional Cuisine 2012 and the acknowledgement of her role in the preservation and conservation of Mexican cuisine by the CCGM in 2016. Her restaurant Las Quince Letras appears in the list of the 120 best Mexican restaurants 2016 and 2017 of Mexican Culinary and San Pellegrino.
http://lasquinceletras.mx/
Editor, Plate
CHANDRA RAM ‘99 is the editor of Plate, an award-winning food magazine read by chefs all over the country. She spent more than 15 years in the restaurant industry as a cook and consulting chef before turning to food writing and editing. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Loyola University Chicago, an associate’s degree in culinary arts from The Culinary Institute of America, and has passed the certificate level of the Court of Master Sommeliers exam. She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, and has won multiple awards for her writing and editing, including eight Jesse H. Neal awards and the McAllister Editorial Fellowship. She is the author of The Complete Indian Instant Pot® Cookbook (Robert Rose) and the co-author of The Eiffel Tower Restaurant Cookbook (Chronicle Books) and Korean BBQ: Master Your Grill in Seven Sauces (Ten Speed Press). (Chicago, IL)
http://www.plateonline.com/
Charles Bililies is the founder and CEO of Souvla, a fine-casual Greek restaurant with three locations in San Francisco, inspired by the neighborhood souvlaki joints found throughout Greece. Souvla pioneered the fine-casual niche of the fast casual movement, blending many of the touch points and standards of the fine dining experience with the operating efficiency and margins of a fast casual restaurant. A Greek-American, Charles comes from a family tradition of restaurateurs and is deeply passionate about the hospitality experience. He holds degrees in hospitality management from Cornell University and culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University. Charles moved to California in 2006 and worked for Chef Thomas Keller at The French Laundry and Bouchon Bistro, as well as Chef Michael Mina at both his eponymous restaurant and RN74. With new Souvla locations opening, Charles now leads strategic development for the restaurant group, focusing on new business opportunities, financial planning, team, culture, and brand consistency. He also now serves as an advisor (both officially and unofficially) to partners in the food and tech space, including Apple, Square, Caviar, and Plate IQ. Charles regularly speaks on panels and in the press about the future of restaurants and tech, entrepreneurship, and how to develop profitable restaurants.
http://www.souvlasf.com/
Chong You Chan is the chef-owner of Hong Kong Street Chun Kee.
Chris Cosentino is the chef-owner of Cockscomb and Boccalone in San Francisco and the chef of Acacia House in St. Helena, California and Jackrabbit in Portland, Oregon. Growing up in Newport, Rhode Island’s Italian-American community, he spent his time clamming, commercial fishing, and cranking the pasta machine in his grandmother’s kitchen, developing an early affinity for great ingredients and hard work. After graduating from Johnson & Wales, Chris went on to build his culinary resume by working at a number of notable restaurants, including Red Sage in Washington, D.C., Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and Rubicon, Belon, and Redwood Park in San Francisco. His first executive chef position was at Incanto, which he joined in 2002. Chris’s innovative interpretations of rustic Italian fare promptly earned the restaurant its first 3-star review from The San Francisco Chronicle. Since then Chris has gained national acclaim as a leading proponent of offal cookery. He is a winner of Top Chef Masters and 2013 James Beard Awards nominee for Best Chef: West.
http://cockscombsf.com/
Co-Founder, Executive Chef
Chris Jaeckle, co-founder/executive chef of Uma Temakeria, knew early on that he wanted to be a chef. Originally from Long Island, New York, Chris attended Westbury Vocational School for the Culinary Arts throughout high school and he furthered his culinary career at Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island. His interest in Asian flavors then drew Jaeckle to Morimoto, where he served as sous chef. Working to prepare sushi rice and compose temaki family meals for the staff, Chris developed the precision and reverence for the process required of Japanese cuisine, experimenting with the many possible flavors and textures of temaki. Chris joined Michael White and team at the Altamarea Group. Under Jaeckle’s direction as chef de cuisine, in 2011 Ai Fiori was awarded a Michelin star as well as a three-star review from The New York Times. In 2013, he moved on to open All’onda as proprietor and chef, which has been heralded by Thrillist as one of New York City’s 11 Best Restaurants of 2014. Chris was also named as Eater’s 2014 New York City Chef of the Year. Chris’ passion for Japanese cuisine led him to open Uma Temakeria with co-founder Cynthia Kueppers. Uma Temakeria is the nation’s first fast-casual style eatery featuring fresh, customer designed temaki, cone-shaped “hand roll” sushi.
http://www.umatemakeria.com/
Passion, commitment to excellence, integrity, humor and a sense of adventure these words begin to sum up Claud Beltran. An exotic mix of Mexican and Lebanese heritage, Claud was exposed to various ethnic foods at an early age. After being mentored by Chef Thomas Keller, Claud set out to make his own name. For over a quarter century, he has established himself as one of Los Angeles preeminent chefs. With his accomplished staff, he creates culinary delights and fantastic designs that please all the senses. As current owner of Eatery on Allen, Bacchus Kitchen, Claud & Co Catering, and Perry’s restaurant, Claud stays busy but always leaves time for a mentoring and charitable work and of course his wife and two daughters.
http://www.claudandco.com/
Co-Owner and Owner
As co-owner of Union Joints, Curt Catallo started his life in the restaurant world by repurposing a former Baptist Church on Main Street, in Clarkston, Michigan, in 1995. It was a fitting foray into restoration and repurposing for someone who grew up in a restored Methodist church a block away. Opened with an emphasis on “broad shouldered American comfort food with a Mediterranean twist” (twist is a word that has since been banned in the Union Joints vocabulary); the Union quickly became known for its Mac & Cheese. Born as the last item on the menu, commissioned by Ann Stevenson (then girlfriend, now wife) created by opening chef Bill Fortin; the item is the cornerstone of a restaurant group that has grown into five restaurants in historic spaces, one outdoor theater venue, an ice cream ‘stand’ in a former pump house and a general store in a parsonage. With an emphasis on comfort and communal, Union Joints employs over 600 people and shares its Clarkston campus with Union AdWorks, a 70-person agency that services Joints among other clients. Curt and Ann live in the Clarkston Union’s former parsonage with two children, a bird and a sassy French bulldog.
You could say Chef Digby Stridiron was born into food. A native of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Digby grew up around what many today call the “slow food” movement—fresh, locally harvested ingredients and proteins gathered from the sea just steps away. Add to that a West Indian culinary tradition influenced by the African diaspora, and Digby’s gastronomic identity began to take root at an early age. He carries forward those childhood influences today by advancing elegant, contemporary West Indian cuisine that balances avant-garde influences with old-fashioned techniques. He insists on local ingredients and makes a point to establish sustainable working relationships with farmers. Digby is both an official member of the Slow Food Movement and the James Beard Foundation, and was the first chef to host a James Beard dinner in the Virgin Islands. He cares deeply about food equality, and growing up on the island increased his awareness of the importance of local sourcing of ingredients, from conch to coconuts. Digby was named as CTO’s 2014-2015 Caribbean Chef of the year. He was later in that year awarded the role as “Culinary Ambassador of the US Virgin Islands.” Now, after staging his finely honed cuisine across the Caribbean and finding new inspiration from as far away as San Francisco and Italy, Digby is living his childhood dream by opening balter, a contemporary West Indian kitchen in downtown Christiansted, St.Croix.
http://www.balterstx.com/home
Executive Corporate Chef, North America
Einav Gefen is the executive corporate chef for Unilever Food Solutions, North America. Her career as a chef began 20 years ago in Israel, when she worked as a pastry chef at Orna & Ella and as a sous chef at Mul-Yam, Gault et Millau no. 1 restaurant in Tel Aviv and one of Les Grandes Tables du Monde’s world’s 114 best restaurants. A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), Einav interned at Daniel and was the executive chef of Danal in the East Village. In 2001, she founded and became the director of the culinary arts program at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan. Between 2003 and 2008 she was a chef-instructor at ICE in the professional division. She joined Unilever in 2008 as the corporate head chef for North America, where she lead a team of chefs in charge of development of innovations, product rejuvenation, activation with costumers & consumers and deployment of global projects. Einav became the corporate executive chef of Unilever Food Solution in August 2016, leading the North America chefs team under customer development and part of the UFS NA leadership team as the culinary thought leader. She was a speaker at TED@Unilever and competed on the acclaimed Food Network competition show Chopped.
https://www.unileverfoodsolutions.us/
Elena Hernandez is the founder of Panama Gastronomica, Panama’s premier culinary event, which annually gathers over 16,000 food enthusiasts from around the world. She holds a Grand Diplôme in Culinary and Pastry Arts from Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, and for 15 years worked her way through hotel and restaurant kitchens while teaching culinary arts in Panama and South America. In 2002, she founded the Academia de Artes Culinarias, the first private cooking school in Panama. Elena has consulted as corporate chef for Copa Airlines, the Panamanian national airline; helped create and starred as head judge on Quiero Ser Chef, a cooking reality show on Televisora Nacional; has appeared as guest chef on Top Chef Panama, and writes regularly about food. Her articles have been published in La Prensa, the leading national newspaper, and several local food magazines. La Prensa named her one of the five most important chefs in Panama of the last 25 years for her contributions to culinary education, while Chilean magazine Blank named her Pioneer of Culinary Education in her country. She served on the board of directors of the International Association of Culinary Professionals between 2007 and 2011. In 2016 she opened St. Francis Café, a restaurant focusing on local, fresh ingredients serving brunch every day of the week.
https://www.panamagastronomica.com/
Atlanta native and Top Chef: Las Vegas contestant Eli Kirshtein ‘04 is chef-partner of The Luminary at Krog Street Market. Equal parts avid sports fan and accomplished chef, Eli is a proud Atlantan and food anthropologist. He first tested his culinary chops at the age of 16, working as a protégé in the kitchens of chefs Kevin Rathbun and Richard Blais. After spending time in kitchens in New York and Miami, he returned home to Atlanta, Georgia as the executive chef of Eno Restaurant and Wine Bar, from which he would take a brief hiatus to participate as a contestant on Top Chef: Las Vegas. In August 2014, Eli opened his highly anticipated restaurant, The Luminary, which was named Eater Atlanta’s So Hot Right Now restaurant in its November 2014 awards. An American brasserie with regional influences, The Luminary features a classically inspired menu, large raw bar, craft beer and cocktail program, and 400-square-foot patio space.
http://theluminaryatl.com/content/about-us
With an impressive career spanning nearly three decades, James Beard Award Nominee Elizabeth Blau is the founder and CEO of restaurant development company Blau + Associates, and is widely credited with transforming Las Vegas into the world-class culinary destination it is today. A renowned restaurateur, Elizabeth’s skilled touch defines her work in Las Vegas and around the world.
https://elizabethblau.com/
Chef, Author
Elizabeth Karmel, a.k.a. Grill Girl, is a nationally respected authority on grilling, barbecue and Southern food. She launched CarolinaCueToGo.com, an online barbecue shack, with her childhood friend, David Lineweaver on November 4, 2014. Lineweaver and Elizabeth bonded over being two expat North Carolinians in New York craving authentic North Carolina barbecue and the company was born. CarolinaCueToGo.com ships hickory-wood smoked whole-hog barbecue seasoned with Elizabeth’s signature North Carolina-style vinegar sauce nationwide. Elizabeth is the founding executive chef of the award-winning Hill Country Barbecue Market in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Washington, DC, and Manhattan and Brooklyn’s Hill Country Chicken. She developed the award-winning menu and flavor profiles from the meats to the sides and desserts for both restaurant concepts. On July 4, 2012, The New York Times awarded Hill Country Barbecue Market NYC two stars (the first barbecue restaurant in the city to ever garner two stars!), and a glowing review that read like a love letter to barbecue and the Hill Country concept. In addition to being a chef, she is a food writer, culinary consultant and entrepreneur. She writes a bi-monthly column for the Associated Press called The American Table and is the author of four acclaimed cookbooks including the best-selling Pizza on the Grill. She is at work on a new cookbook entitled, Steak and Cake: America’s Favorite Saturday Night Meal. She designs an innovative line of outdoor cooking and kitchen tools, and recently introduced Elizabeth’s Everyday Essentials line of French porcelain by Revol. As a sought-after media personality, Elizabeth writes for, and is frequently featured in an array of national magazines from Bon Appétit to Better Homes & Gardens, and was named one of the top 100 chefs by Saveur. She appears regularly on all three network morning shows and is a guest judge on Chopped, Iron Chef, and Beat Bobby Flay. She has appeared on a number of Food Network shows and hosted her own special on The Cooking Channel. Elizabeth is the founder of the gender-breaking GirlsattheGrill.com.
http://elizabethkarmel.com/
Erik Ramirez is a Peruvian-American chef based in New York. While studying in Philadelphia, Erik worked at some of the city’s top restaurants and learned early that cooking was his true calling. He then moved to New York City and worked as a sous chef at Eleven Madison Park, spending three years working under Daniel Humm, honing his expertise of the finest culinary standards of true quality and great flavors. In 2009, following a trip to Peru, Erik decided to switch gears and focus on his roots, exploring the boundless possibilities of Peruvian cuisine. He joined Adam Schop at the highly-acclaimed Nuela in New York and spent the last few years as executive chef at Raymi Flatiron. He refined his culinary vision by working in the Peruvian kitchens of friends such as world-renowned chefs Gaston Acurio (Astrid y Gaston), Virgilio Martinez (Central), Jaime Pesaque (Mayta), and Pedro Miguel Schiaffino (Amaz). Today, Erik is fully immersed in cultivating his unique flavor profiles at Llama Inn, a deeply personal project that showcases Peru’s diverse culinary heritage and his love for fresh, locally-sourced ingredients.
http://www.llamainnnyc.com/
Co-Owner and Beverage Director
Evan Turner is the co-owner and beverage director of Helen Greek Food and Wine. His passion for all things Greek can be traced back to his childhood, when he lived in Thessaloniki, Greece for nearly a decade. He first began hosting a series of Helen: Greek Food and Wine pop-up dinners in 2013 and, after an unsuccessful kick-starter campaign to launch a restaurant in March 2015, he received a partnership offer from JBS Restaurant Group, putting the wheels in motion for Helen to become a reality. Evan has served as sommelier at Bank Jean-Georges at Hotel Icon and sommelier at Gravitas. He opened Branch Water Tavern with David Grossman. He’s the 2015 Iron Sommelier, he’s been nominated for a My Table award, and he said his guests hate him because “I won’t shut up about Greek food and wine, no matter where I’ve worked.” Helen opened in July 2015 and quickly gained national exposure in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Bon Appétit. Helen offers regional and Modern Greek cuisine and is home to Houston’s first-ever all-Greek wine list. Helen also brings the welcoming spirit of a modern Greek taverna to Houston in the heart of bustling Rice Village.
http://www.helengreekfoodandwine.com/
FRANCISCO MIGOYA, head chef of Modernist Cuisine and co-author of Modernist Bread: The Art and Science, grew up in Mexico City surrounded by the cultures of his parents: American, Italian, and Spanish. The flavors of his family’s cooking and of his neighborhood were integral to his life and encouraged an early love of cuisine. His first calling, however, was not culinary school but art school, where he studied drawing, primarily in pencil, charcoal, and ink. After working at the hotel for two years, Francisco attended college to pursue a culinary degree. While attending Centro de Estudios Superiores de San Angel (CESSA) in Mexico City, he received a full scholarship to study French gastronomy at the Lycée d’Hotellerie et de Tourisme in Strasbourg, France. After moving to New York and working in savory kitchens, Francisco eventually answered a newspaper ad for a pastry chef position at The River Café in Brooklyn, where he immediately connected with the world of sweets. He then went on to work as the pastry chef at Veritas in NYC, executive pastry chef at both The French Laundry and Bouchon Bakery, and most recently as a professor at The Culinary Institute of America. His work earned him recognition as one of the top pastry chefs in the country by Dessert Professional (2011), The Huffington Post (2013), and Tasting Table (2013). As owner of Hudson Chocolates, he was recognized as one of the Top Ten Chocolatiers in America by Dessert Professional (2013) and received additional recognition from Gremi de Pastisseria de Barcelona, who awarded him the Medal of Master Artisan Pastry Chef (2013). Francisco has authored three pastry books: Frozen Desserts (2008), The Modern Café (2009), and The Elements of Dessert (2014), which won the 2014 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) cookbook award in the Professional Kitchens category. As head chef, he leads the Modernist Cuisine culinary team and directs culinary research, including the development of new techniques and recipes for Modernist Bread, to be published this fall. Since joining Modernist Cuisine, Francisco has led the team through dinners for renowned chefs, including Ferran Adrià, Jacques Pépin, Nancy Silverton, Massimo Bottura, Dominique Crenn, Magnus Nilsson, Anthony Bourdain, and Anita Lo.
http://modernistbread.com
Writer and Editor
Gabriella Gershenson is a food writer and editor based in New York City. She’s been on staff at Rachel Ray Every Day, Saveur, and Time Out New York, and her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and many other publications. She does radio (Heritage Radio, CBC), TV (Food Network) and moderates talks on food.
https://muckrack.com/gabiwrites
Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Industry Leadership
GREG DRESCHER is vice president of strategic initiatives and industry leadership at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). He oversees the college’s leadership initiatives for the foodservice industry, including academic and other strategic partnerships, conferences, invitational leadership retreats, digital media, and other global initiatives. He is the creator of the college’s Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival (now in its 21st year), as well as a portfolio of health and sustainability leadership initiatives including Menus of Change and Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives, jointly presented by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, co-led by the CIA and Stanford University in association with more than 50-plus leading colleges and universities; and the recently launched annual Global Plant-Forward Culinary Summit and Plant-Forward Kitchen digital media platform. Co-developer of the CIA’s new partnership with the University of Barcelona—the Torribera Mediterranean Center, with its focus on the healthy, traditional Mediterranean Diet and regional food studies—and a strategic advisor to the European-based EAT Foundation, Greg works internationally to advance innovation at the intersection of health, sustainability, culture, and culinary insight. In 2005, Greg was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America, and in 2007 and 2009 he shared a second and third James Beard Award for his team’s work in developing the CIA’s Savoring the Best of World Flavors digital media series, filmed on location around the world. He served on the National Academy of Medicine’s Committee on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States (final report 2010). In 2011, he was inducted as a member of the Accademia dei Georgofili, Europe’s oldest agricultural academy based in Florence. In 2017, Foodservice Director included Greg in its 20 People Shaping American Foodservice Today. Before joining the CIA 24 years ago, he jointly spearheaded a collaboration of some of the world’s leading health experts and organizations—including the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and WHO—in authoring the The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid: A Cultural Model for Healthy Eating. The cumulative results of this research were published in a special edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1995), creating an evidence-based foundation for much of the academic, policy, and media interest in the Mediterranean Diet that followed. (Sacramento, CA)
http://www.ciaprochef.com/strategic/
Technical Director; President
Hongxiao Guo is a pioneer in China’s molecular gastronomy, considered by some to the godfather in the field. He holds government-issued nationally-credited certificates as a senior technician for both Chinese and Western cuisines. He is an active member in various industry associations, including as executive member of both the Celebrity Chef Committee and the Western Cuisine Committee at the China Hospitality Association and as honorary chair of the China Molecular Gastronomy Association and Les Amis d’Escoffier Society Asia-Pacific Region. He’s won more than 10 gold medals in various international culinary/chef competitions, including Star of Excellence Award from Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, Le Cordon Bleu medals, and the knight’s medal in the Asia Pacific region from the Les Amis d’Escoffier Society. Hongxiao specializes in multiple cuisines, including creative fusion, molecular gastronomy, Cantonese, Southeast Asian, and French. He has worked at the Golden Jaguar Group, the Sheraton Hotel, the Westin Hotel, the Garden Café Group, and the Banana Leaf Group. He has also served as the executive chef for R&D for many listed companies in the restaurant and food industry in Asia. Hongxiao is currently the technical director at the New Ideas Molecular Gastronomy Culinary Center and the president of East Kaiyue Restaurant Group. He also serves as the technical advisor for many restaurants in China.
Chef, Author, Columnist
Ina Pinkney opened a special order bakery called The Dessert Kitchen in 1980 and Ina’s Kitchen in 1991, which quickly became Chicago’s premier breakfast restaurant. She was the chef-owner of INA’S, an American Food restaurant serving breakfast and lunch in the West Loop Market District, which closed in December 2013. She is a frequent and welcomed guest on radio, local news and cable TV and has done interviews on shows in the U.S., Canada and Germany and appeared in a national Quaker Oats commercial as herself, the Breakfast Queen. Articles about Ina have appeared in local, national and international newspapers and magazines, as well as trade and in-flight magazines. Because of her attention to the changing tastes of consumers, she is a sought after judge at competitions such as the National Beef Cook-Off, filmed for the Food Network and the Good Food Awards, and was on the Operators’ Advisory Board for Land’O’Lakes. Ina was named 2008 SBA Woman in Business Champion. Leading a coalition of Chicago restaurateurs and chefs to support Chicago’s smoking ban, she also co-founded the Green Chicago Restaurant Coalition, for which she received Chicago Magazine’s 2011 Green Award. In 2014, Ina was award the Golden Whisk Award from the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs organization for excellence in the kitchen and was honored by the Women’s Foodservice Forum as a Woman Making Her Mark. She published INA’S KITCHEN: Memories and Recipes from the Breakfast Queen so that her recipes would live in everyone’s home and now writes a monthly column in the Chicago Tribune’s food section called BREAKFAST WITH INA! Despite the awards and acclaims she has garnered in her career, the most significant title she holds is Polio survivor. Ina now speaks to Rotary groups about the late effects of polio in her effort to help Rotary and the Gates Foundation achieve their goal of the worldwide eradication of polio.
http://www.breakfastqueen.com/
Co-Owner, Head Bartender
Ivy Mix is co-owner and head bartender of Leyenda, her pan-Latin cocktail bar in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, backed by her long-time mentor, Julie Reiner. Leyenda pays tribute to her years of living and bartending in Guatemala, as well as extensive travels throughout all of Latin America. With a long history of working in bars throughout the Americas, Ivy has been recognized by many within the culinary and cocktail industry as being one of the best bartenders in the country; she was named American Bartender of the Year at Tales of the Cocktails’ Spirited Awards in 2015, and Mixologist of the Year by Wine Enthusiast in 2016. Ivy first served a drink when she traveled to Guatemala at 19 years old when studying at Bennington College. She lived and worked there for years, mixing in travels to Mexico to smuggle special mezcales and tequilas over the border. Giving her a unique and extensive knowledge base into the agave spirits field. In 2009, she started cocktail waitressing at Mayahuel and it was here where with craft cocktails that she saw how she could bring together her love for bartending and spirits with her artistic background. It was within a year that she joined cocktail historian and bar owner St. John Frizzell at Fort Defiance. From there, she worked and helped open several bars throughout Brooklyn. In 2010, Ivy caught Julie Reiner’s eye and was hired to be on the opening staff of Lani Kai in Manhattan. It was not long until she was brought back to her borough of choice to work at Reiner’s flagship world-renown bar the Clover Club. Four years later, she and Reiner opened up Leyenda across the street in May of 2015. Additionally, Ivy has inspired the nation to rethink women’s role behind the bar. She conceptualized and later, with Lynnette Marrero, co-founded Speed Rack—a national cocktail competition that creates a platform for female bartenders while simultaneously raising money for breast cancer related charities. Speed Rack started in 2011 and has taken the world by storm, changing the way people view women’s role in cocktails. So far they have raised over $500,000 for charity.
http://leyendabk.com/
For world-renowned Peruvian Chef Jaime Pesaque, “cocina en evolución”” is the key to his success and reputation as one of the top chefs in Peru. He called his work evolution cuisine, always changing with the seasons, new techniques and inspiration. As executive chef and owner of trendy Mayta Restaurante Bar in Lima and Dubai, Jaime combines contemporary culinary techniques with fresh market produce, ingredients and spices, transforming simple dishes into sophisticated and savory culinary creations. He studied culinary arts at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in Lima and then travelled to Europe, achieving his master’s in cuisine from the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners (ICIF). He remained in Europe and apprenticed at several Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy and Spain. But his Peruvian roots and love for his home country brought him back to Peru, where he perfected his unique style as chef at Al Grano, a new restaurant in Lima at the time. With entrepreneurial spirit and culinary artistry, Jaime ventured out on his own and opened his signature restaurant Mayta, one of the top restaurants in Lima and awarded as having the best pisco bar in Peru. Influenced by the time he spent in Italy and Spain at the three Michelin star El Celler de Can Roca, Jaime transforms Peruvian dishes from simple to delectable dishes, incorporating local and exotic ingredients like, Peruvian peppers, spices, herbs and umami flavors. He is also head chef and partner at Suviche, a top ceviche restaurant in Miami, Pacifico Seafood Restaurant in Milan, and 500 Grados in Lima.
http://jaimepesaque.com
The charismatic personality of Chef Javier Plascencia, born in Tijuana Mexico, is reflected in his interpretation of the cuisine of Baja California,a state that he promotes with passion by using ingredients from the fields, farms and the sea of the region. He began his career in the kitchen of his family, where he learned and experimented with the “rules” of cooking. He later studied in culinary art schools in San Diego, California, and upon graduation he worked in hotels and restaurants of the area before traveling the world. He opened his first restaurant in Tijuana in 1989, Saverios Mediterráneo, which eventually became Casa Plascencia. But it was in 2011, with Mission 19, that Javier defined the creative essence of his cuisine by consolidating his own style based on his journeys, on his interpretation of the California gastronomy. El Erizo followed, a seafood restaurant that combines elements of street style food with traditional cuisine to come up with something unique, of his own, such as the Taco Tijuanero, a classic that combines shrimp, octopus, roasted beef jerky, cheese and slices of green chile. During the summer of 2012, Javier launched a new project in the Guadalupe Valley: Finca Altozano, a restaurant-vineyard within two hectares of land. In 2015 he inaugurated Bracero, Cocina de Raíz, at the heart of the dining district of San Diego, Little Italy. Here he pays tribute to the laborers who crossed into the US to work the field. Bracero has been nominated for the James Beard Award. His most recent project is Khao San, a culinary concept based on his journeys to Thailand, where he explores textures of the east, combined with Tijuanense urban gastronomy. As part of his passion for the benefits offered by the state, Javier created Finca La Divina, a bed and breakfast where the nature of Valle de Guadalupe can be enjoyed. Javier has received important awards from various organizations, one of the most representative is the Award for Diversification of the Tourism Mexican Product in the category for cuisine, through the BCF, granted in the city of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, in a ceremony headed by the president of Mexico. Zagat cited him as one of the six innovators of food and beverages in San Diego in 2013, and its restaurants were named among the top 100 of Latin America by The Daily Meal. He was named Eater’s Best Chef in San Diego in 2015.
http://chefjavierplascencia.mx/en/home-3
Jehangir Mehta ‘95 is charming, creative, and clairvoyant. His flair for finesse and perfection reflecting in his personality and his cooking. A participant in Food Network’s Next Iron Chef Redemption 2012, the runner-up at the Next Iron Chef 2009, a participant in Iron Chef America, and a guest on Martha Stewart Living, Jehangir has built quite a fan following. However, patrons at Graffiti, Graffiti Earth, and Me & You, Jehangir’s restaurants in Manhattan, don’t watch television to be ardent fans. They simply love the food and the man who created it. Prior to his own restaurants, Jehangir was the highly acclaimed pastry chef at Aix, Union Pacific, Mercer Kitchen, Compass, and Jean-Georges. He is the author of Mantra: The Rules of Indulgence. Apart from his restaurants, he also runs a successful event management business that does catering for private events and weddings. As passionate as Jehangir is about his work, he is even more passionate about helping children enjoy food and eat healthy. Ten years ago, he was a pioneer in this field when he started Candy Camp, a fun-filled private cooking class for children. Since then, he has worked closely with Whole Foods in a nationwide program as well as worked with other entities such as Scholastics, Wellness in Schools, and many more. He also launched Chef Jehangir Pledge in collaboration with UMass Amherst Dining Services to promote practices that create better global citizens and increase actions supporting sustainability, social responsibility, health and wellness, as well as building community. Jehangir is an alumnus of The Culinary Institute of America, and prior to that, an alumnus of the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering, Technology and Applied Nutrition in Mumbai. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Mumbai.
Photo courtesy of Rodney Bedsole
http://www.graffitinyc.com
Jen Pelka is the founder of The Riddler, a women-funded Champagne bar on San Francisco’s Hayes Valley, and Magnum PR. After a decade of experience leading branded events, influencer marketing, content strategy, and media relations in-house at OpenTable, Gilt Taste, Tumblr, Chef Daniel Boulud’s iconic Restaurant DANIEL, and as competition director for the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation, Jen launched Magnum PR in 2015. She brings a passion for the industry, a network of relationships with editors across national and local food and beverage media (print, digital, and broadcast), and over fifteen years of events experience. She was selected as one of 30 under 30 by Forbes, named a Details’ Digital Maverick and Cherry Bombe It Girl, won an IACP award and James Beard nomination as part of her work on Gil Taste, was a recurring secret diner on Bravo’s Best New Restaurant, Season 1, and was a guest on Bravo’s Top Chef, Season 6. Photo courtesy of Kassie Borreson.
http://www.magnumpr.co/
Chef-Owner, Ingrained Hospitality
JOSEPH “JJ” JOHNSON ‘07 is the James Beard-nominated chef best known for cooking food of the African diaspora at the beloved Harlem restaurants, The Cecil and Minton’s, where he most recently served as executive chef. JJ’s signature style of transforming simple cuisine with bold flavors and unexpected ingredients was inspired by the Caribbean flavors he grew up with, combined with African and Asian tastes acquired from his travels around the world. Now, JJ has created a new restaurant group, InGrained Hospitality Concepts, and has teamed up with Will Sears on two new restaurant projects, including an upcoming grain and rice concept, ingredients that JJ has spent the last several years studying alongside Glen Roberts of Anson Mills. His first cookbook, Between Harlem and Heaven was released in February 2018. He was the first chef in residence of Chefs Club, a restaurant located in New York City’s NoLiTa neighborhood, cooking a menu of “Afro-Asian” cuisine, something he feels is tangible evidence of the migration of people, and the creativity that it begets. JJ has been named among Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in the food & wine category, Zagat’s 30 Under 30, and Eater’s Young Guns.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ingrained-hospitality-concepts/
Journalist and Cookbook Author
JODY EDDY holds an English degree from The University of Minnesota and is a culinary school graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. She has cooked at Jean Georges, The Fat Duck, and Tabla and is the former executive editor of Art Culinaire. She is the author of the books The Hygge Life, Cuba: Recipes and Stories From a Cuba Kitchen, and the IACP Judge’s Choice Award North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland published by Ten Speed Press, and of the James Beard-nominated cookbook Come In, We’re Closed: An Invitation to Staff Meals at the World’s Best Restaurants by Running Press. She writes for Travel+Leisure, Saveur, Food & Wine, The Wall Street Journal, Plate, and VICE, among others. Her cookbook profiling monastic food around the world will be published by Norton in 2019. She is the author of www.jodyeddy.com, leads culinary tours for executives, is a recipe developer for various large-scale food and beverage companies, has presented at international food writing conferences and has consulted on food sovereignty issues for NGO’s. She is currently co-producing a television show focused on the meaning of food for a major network.
http://www.jodyeddy.com
Joe Hargrave has headed operations for San Francisco restaurants including Restaurant Lulu, Rose Pistola, Azie, and Frisson. In 2007, he opened his first restaurant, Laïola, a casual Spanish joint in the Marina District. In 2009, he added Tacolicious, a taco stand at the Thursday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, to the mix. Six months later, he turned Tacolicious into a full-service, tacocentric, cocktail-driven brick-and-mortar. Today, Tacolicious has five locations in the Bay Area. Joe also owns and operates Bar San Pancho, a cantina; Mosto, a tequila and mezcal bar; and—along with chef-partner Donnie Masterton—Taco Lab, a counter-service spot in San Miguel de Allende, MX.
http://tacolicious.com/
As executive chef of the Clif Family Bruschetteria Food Truck, JOHN MCCONNELL has taken a farm-forward approach to Northern Italian cuisine, sharing the beauty of the changing seasons and the freshest ingredients possible from the Clif Family Farm and trusted local purveyors. (
http://www.cliffamily.com/visit-us/#bruschetteria-food-truck
Director and Author
John T. Edge has served as director since the 1999 founding of the Southern Foodways Alliance, an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. For the SFA, John T. has produced more than 100 documentary films, directed more than 900 oral histories, and programmed more than 50 conferences. He also writes for the popular press. A columnist for Garden & Gun and the Oxford American, he wrote the “United Tastes” column for the New York Times for three years and won the 2012 M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award from the James Beard Foundation. John T. has written or edited more than a dozen books. In May 2017, The Penguin Press will publish his latest, The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South.
http://johntedge.com/
Chef/Co-Owner
Jonathan Wu is the chef/co-owner of Fung Tu, where he cooks food that combines home-style Chinese flavors with seasonal, regional ingredients. He received a degree in English from the University of Chicago in 2001. Upon graduation he decided to pursue his passion for food and embarked on a period of culinary study. He attended The French Culinary Institute and has worked in France, Spain, and Italy. In New York, he was previously the executive sous chef of Geisha before working as a chef de partie at Per Se.
http://www.fungtu.com/
Before living stateside, Junghyun ‘JP’ Park worked in many of the world’s best restaurants, including Michelin-starred Cutler & Co. in Melbourne, Australia, and The Ledbury in London. He was previously the chef de cuisine at Jungsik Dang in Seoul, South Korea—which was no. 20 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list during his time there. He then moved to New York City in 2012, along with owner Yim Jungsik, to serve as the chef de cuisine at Tribeca’s venerated Jungsik restaurant, which also holds two Michelin stars. In summer 2016, JP and his wife Ellia opened their first restaurant, ATOBOY, in New York City’s NoMad neighborhood, focusing on modern Korean fare with a unique Banchan-style tasting menu.
http://atoboynyc.com/
Consulting Creative Director
Kelly Killian is a content expert whose roles in media have included overseeing editorial strategy for FoodService Director and Restaurant Business (ASBPE’s 2015 Magazine of the Year) and serving as editor-in-chief of Restaurants & Institutions magazine. Over her 25-year career—spanning B2B and consumer media as well as content marketing—she has covered everything from restaurants to real estate to weddings. Kelly studied English at the University of California, Berkeley and is an alumnus of the Radcliffe Publishing Course (now the Columbia Publishing Course).
KF Seetoh is the founder of Makansutra, a company dedicated to the celebration of Asian food, culture, and lifestyles. A former photojournalist, he publishes the Makansutra Asian food guides, has his own Makansutra television series, runs Singapore-style food courts in Singapore and the Philippines, delivers mobile content, and consults on food business. His works have been featured by numerous international media like CNN, BBC, CNBC, The New York Times, and The New Yorker. In 2008 he was honored by the Singapore Tourism Board, through the country’s president, with a special recognition award for his work in promoting Asian food and culture. The late Johnny Apple of The New York Times called him “the food maven,” and the Asian Wall Street Journal says, “the best way to eat in Singapore is to buy Makansutra.” His latest culinary venture is the 15,000-square-foot Makansutra Asian Food Village in Manila, Philippines. It is a 13-station, open-kitchen, performance-chef food court offering cooked-before-your-eyes Southeast Asian flavors. All its chefs are trained by KF Seetoh and his team.
http://www.makansutra.com/
KING PHOJANAKONG ‘98 is at the forefront of the burgeoning Filipino food movement and is the chef-owner of Kuma Inn in New York City. He is a New York City native whose culinary influences began at home with the inspirational cooking of his Filipino mother and Thai father. Childhood summers spent in the Philippines furthered his interest in the culinary world and instilled the importance of community and culture. King is also the creator of the award wining Bronx Hot Sauce and The Bronx Salad. Upon graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, King worked with Alex Lee and Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniel and was part of the opening team of David Bouley’s Danube. King opened Kuma Inn in New York’s Lower East Side in 2003 to critical and popular acclaim. He has been featured in television programs including Cutthroat Kitchen, The Rachael Ray Show, King in the Garden, Selling New York, and Mike Colameco’s Real Food. King has served as a consultant for a variety of organizations and companies including The United Soybean Board, San Miguel Produce, and Campbell’s Soup Company.
http://www.kumainn.com
Executive Chef and Co-owner
Chef Maneet Chauhan ‘00 is the executive chef and co-owner of Chauhan Ale & Masala House and co-owner of Mantra Artisan Ales in Nashville. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, she worked in some of the finest hotels in India before the start of her professional career in the United States. Maneet is a recipient of the 2012 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Award for her role as a judge on food Network’s Chopped and sits on the show’s permanent panel of judges. She is also the author of Flavors of My World. Heavily lauded by print and broadcast media in the United States and abroad, Maneet has been featured in publications such as Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, The Local Palate, Wine Enthusiast, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, New York Post, Times of India, The Telegraph, and more. Her television appearances include The View (ABC), CBS This Morning’s The Dish (CBS), Designing Spaces (Lifetime), Iron Chef and Next Iron Chef (Food Network). Maneet was the 2016 Chair for Nashville’s March of Dimes Signature Chef Auction and selected to be featured as one of The Nashville Business Journal’s 40 under 40 list, as well as Nashville Lifestyles Women in Business, which honored local women who are at the top of their industry. She has worked as executive chef in successful ventures such as Vermilion in Chicago, which received accolades from Chicago magazine, Esquire, Time Out, and Wine Enthusiast under her leadership. Chauhan Ale & Masala House was her first venture into restaurant ownership in 2014, followed by the 2015 opening of Mantra Artisan Ales. Maneet will open two new restaurant concepts in Nashville in 2017. A native of India, she chose Nashville for her first namesake restaurant after being contacted by developer Moni Advani to come down to Music City for a visit. It was during her first trip that she fell in love with the city and its people and decided to stay, now living in Tennessee with her husband, Vivek, their daughter, Shagun, and son, Karma.
https://chauhannashville.com/about/
Co-Founder and Founder
In 2005, New Worlder co-founder MARIE ELENA MARTINEZ ditched her literary publishing job and bought a ticket to Quito, Ecuador, beginning the journey of a lifetime. Six continents, and over 60 countries later, she began contributing to publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsday, Condé Nast Traveler, and The Guardian, to name a few. After serving as founding editor of Latina Magazine’s dedicated food site The Latin Kitchen (2012-2104), she left to launch her first brand, Meets NYC, which stages culinary destination showcases that fuse her publicity and marketing background with her love of food, wine, and travel through paired chef dinners, wine events and walk-around tastings. New Worlder, a food and travel site focused on the Americas, soon followed. She also works as a LatAm consultant in the food, travel and event spaces. (Brooklyn, NY)
http://www.marieelenamartinez.com/
Matthias Merges ‘88 is the chef-owner of Yusho, A10, and Billy Sunday and a founding member of Pilot Light.
http://www.folkartmanagement.com/
Founder and CTO
Maxime Bilet is a food visionary, inventor, author, and educator. As founder and president of Imagine Food Innovation Group, he is dedicated to helping clients apply modern technology, transformative processes, and formulations to deliver superior food products and experiences. Maxime is the former director of culinary arts and sciences at the Cooking Lab, housed at the Intellectual Ventures Lab in Bellevue, Washington. At the Cooking Lab, he led research and development and is co-inventor on 16 pending patents that resulted from his experiments. In 2011, Maxime co-authored the award-winning Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, a 2,438 page collection of scientifically detailed techniques and recipes that has been called “the decade’s most influential work about food.” Committed to extending the insights of modernist cooking beyond the professional kitchen, in 2012 Maxime co-authored Modernist Cuisine at Home, which Martha Stewart hailed as a book “destined to change the way we cook—and the way we use recipes.” A winner of two James Beard Awards, Maxime is a frequent speaker on the culinary circuit and in 2014 established a pop-up events and interactive food space, Art for Food, focused on the ways food connects with the arts and sciences. Funded through a grant from the City of Seattle and the Shunpike Foundation, Art for Food planted the seeds that became Imagine Food. Earlier in his career Maxime worked with Heston Blumenthal in the development kitchen at The Fat Duck, arriving in London after a stint at Jack’s Luxury Oyster Bar in New York City where he was named head chef at the age of 22. He holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and fine arts from Skidmore College.
http://imaginefood.com/
Michael Fojtasek ‘10 began his culinary career at FINO Restaurant in Austin. Shortly after walking into the FINO kitchen, he realized he wanted to spend the rest of his life working in restaurants. He quickly worked his way from stagiaire to prep cook and then to line cook. After a culinary trip to some of New York’s finest dining establishments with Kent Rathbun, Michael was offered a position at Rathbun’s Dallas restaurant, Abacus, which was his first opportunity to work in fine dining. Mobil Four Star, AAA Four Diamond, and Bon Appétit’s Best of the Year 2001 were some of the accolades already given to Abacus when Michael joined the team. After excelling as line cook at Abacus, Michael attended The Culinary Institute of America, St. Helena. While attending the west coast extension of the world’s best culinary college, Michael continued his education with an externship at Per Se. After landing a job working in the Per Se kitchen for one night only, Chef Jonathan Benno offered him the chance to spend his externship working with the Per Se team. Per Se had accumulated a Michelin Three Star and New York Times Four Star review along with being designated a San Pellegrino Best Restaurants in the World Number Six when Michael began work there. At the end of his externship, Michael was extended an open opportunity to work at Per Se for Chef Benno. Michael returned to Northern California to finish culinary school. His experience at Per Se provided an opportunity to work at The French Laundry for a short time before school began again. Following this, Michael worked as daily volunteer in The French Laundry garden. After his final semester, Michael moved back to New York City to work at Benno’s Italian restaurant in New York City, Lincoln Ristorante. Working the pasta station at Lincoln taught him what it takes to be a line cook in New York at the top. In late 2011, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, of Animal and Son of a Gun in Los Angeles, caught Michael’s attention. He moved across the country, again, to work at Son of a Gun. Michael once again quickly became a leader in the kitchen. His culinary skill, dedication to the restaurant, and bi-weekly trips to the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market earned him a sous chef position. Opened in August 2014, Olamaie brings the taste of the South with a new modern spin to downtown Austin with seasonal dishes and farm-to-table ingredients. Since opening, Olamaie has received numerous accolades including being named as a 2015 James Beard Awards semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, 2015 Food & Wine Best New Chefs, featured as the second Best New Restaurant in Texas Monthly’s Where To Eat Now in 2015, and named 2015 Best Restaurant in Austin by the Austin American-Statesman.
http://olamaieaustin.com/
MICHAEL GULOTTA is chef-partner at Maypop and Mopho. Born and raised in New Orleans, Michael began cooking in local restaurants at a young age. After graduating from the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, he joined the newly opened Restaurant August. Gulotta then took leave to train in the Italian Riviera and Germany’s Black Forest. When Hurricane Katrina hit, Michael returned home to help rebuild and assist with August’s re-opening. He was named chef de cuisine in 2007 and led the award-winning kitchen for six years, while establishing relationships with local farmers and purveyors. He opened his first restaurant, MOPHO, in January of 2014 with his brother, Jeffrey Gulotta, and high-school friend, Jeffrey Bybee. Located in New Orleans’ Mid City, MOPHO strives to be a true neighborhood restaurant and a destination for Southeast Asian-inspired cuisine utilizing the Louisiana pantry. In its first year MOPHO was nominated for America’s Best New Restaurant by Bon Appétit and named Restaurant of the Year by New Orleans Magazine. In 2016 Michael was named one of the Top 30 Chefs to Watch in the nation by Plate, a New Orleans Rising Star by Starchefs, a Best New Chef by Food & Wine, and Chef of the Year by New Orleans Magazine. His team recently opened its second full service restaurant, Maypop, in the Central Business District of New Orleans. Maypop has been named a Top 5 Best New Restaurant by The Times-Picayune, a Best New Restaurant by New Orleans Magazine, a New Orleans top 20 restaurant by Condé Nast Traveler, and most recently made New Orleans’ Top Ten Restaurants for 2019, by Brett Anderson of The Times-Picayune. (New Orleans, LA)
http://mophonola.com/
Photographer, Author, Radio Host; harlanturk.com / HeritageRadioNetwork.org
MICHAEL HARLAN TURKELL is a photographer and author who has spent over a decade as a journalist in the food media world. He has been nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award in Visual Storytelling, photographed over a dozen cookbooks, co-authored Chris Cosentino’s OFFAL GOOD, and wrote and photographed his own, ACID TRIP: Travels in the World of Vinegar, which recently won an IACP award. Michael also hosts THE FOOD SEEN on HeritageRadioNetwork.org, a podcast during which he brings together guests working at the intersections of food, art, and design that has twice been a finalist for a Stitcher Award, as well as the special eight-part series MODERNIST BREADCRUMBS, in collaboration with Modernist Cuisine’s Modernist Bread book. He is also the new host of Burnt Toast, the Food52 podcast. He also started the Japanese-inspired event series called SUMO STEW, which live streams sumo matches from the grand tournaments in Japan while serving chankonabe, the stew they cook and eat to fortify themselves before wrestling. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wine writing wife, and their cat #masontoday. (Brooklyn, NY)
http://www.harlanturk.com
Chef Michael Scelfo has been drawn to the kitchen for as long as he can remember. As a graduate of Western Culinary Institute, he spent a few dedicated years as a wide-eyed young cook in the James Beard Award-winning Wildwood Kitchen in Portland, Oregon. At 25, he then found himself receiving a two-and-a-half star review in The New York Times while at the helm of Long Island’s sophisticated restaurant, Blond. Following that, he went on to expand his knowledge of neighborhood dining, overseeing the kitchens of several restaurants with cult-like local followings and bringing home many awards along the way, including Dedo, North Street Grill, Tea-Tray in the Sky, and The Good Life in Boston. In 2009, Michael took the helm at the Grafton Group’s neighborhood favorite Temple Bar, where his savvy use of whimsical, seasonal ingredients landed him critical praise; in 2010, he became the opening executive chef of the group’s Russell House Tavern. Today, at Alden & Harlow, Michael figuratively extends his family’s kitchen table into his first owned and operated restaurant. Located in the iconic Casablanca restaurant space in Harvard Square, he pays homage to his roots, making each ingredient shine, and ultimately, cooking from his heart, with a passion for vegetables and lighter-style food. As his second restaurant project, Waypoint signals a natural next step along his culinary journey. The menu reflects his forward-thinking approach to coastally-inspired fare, marrying his time spent along the Atlantic and Pacific shores. The success of this formula is proven in the attention the restaurant has received. In 2014, the Boston Globe awarded Alden & Harlow a three-star review. They were honored to be the Best New Restaurant by Boston magazine and The Improper Bostonian as well as being chosen as The Best of the New in the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. Bon Appétit magazine listed Alden & Harlow as one of 50 nominees for America’s Best New Restaurants. It was also highlighted as one of the Best Restaurants in the Northeast by Arrive magazine. In 2015, Alden & Harlow was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Awards in the Best New Restaurant category and Michael was a semifinalist in the category of Best Chef: Northeast in 2016. In the 2016 Best of Boston awards, Boston magazine honored Alden & Harlow with Best Restaurant: General Excellence. In September 2016, Condé Nast Traveler named Alden & Harlow one of the Best Restaurants in the World.
http://aldenharlow.com/
Michael Tusk ‘89 is the chef and owner, along with his wife Lindsay, of two of San Francisco’s most critically acclaimed restaurants, Quince and Cotogna. His approach to Italian and French regional cuisine is refined and modern, sourcing inspiration from the seasonal bounty of Northern California and his close relationships with local purveyors. A native of New Jersey, Michael graduated from Tulane University with a degree in art history and attended The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York. After completing his studies, he left for Europe to gain experience in Michelin-starred restaurants throughout France and Italy. His experience in Italy’s Barbaresco region resonated most profoundly and was the catalyst for his sustained interest in Northern Italian regional cuisine. Michael returned to the United States in 1988 and settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he worked at some of the country’s most pioneering, influential restaurants including Stars, Oliveto, and Chez Panisse. In December 2003, he and his wife Lindsay opened Quince and the restaurant quickly became one of San Francisco’s top fine-dining destinations. In November 2010, they opened Cotogna, a bustling, rustic Italian restaurant adjacent to Quince. As Quince’s sister restaurant, Cotogna offers diners a more casual experience and a menu of regionally inspired Italian cuisine featuring locally-sourced and seasonal ingredients on nightly changing menus. The James Beard Foundation has recognized Michael’s contributions to the industry and named him Best Chef: Pacific in 2011. Under his helm, Cotogna has been consecutively featured in the San Francisco Chronicle’s Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants (2012-2017) and received a three-and-a-half star rating from the San Francisco Chronicle. Quince has also been awarded four stars by the San Francisco Chronicle and is a distinguished member of Relais&Chateaux. Most recently, Quince received its three star rating from The Michelin Guide—the only restaurant in North America to be newly bestowed that recognition for 2017.
http://cotognasf.com/home
Before becoming Barzotto’s chef de cuisine, Michelle Minori served as executive sous chef of Thomas McNaughton’s Ne Timeas restaurant group, overseeing corporate culinary operations for the group’s restaurants Flour & Water, Aatxe, Cafe du Nord, Salumeria, and Central Kitchen. Michelle was formerly the co-opening chef of Los Angeles restaurant Faith & Flower, and cooked at Il Carne Rosso, Acquerello, La Folie, and Aqua.
http://barzotto.com/
Ned Elliott grew up gardening in a home where food played an integral role in daily life. He was raised by two women, his mothers Sandra and Linda, who shared their love of gardening, cooking, and baking with him. Sandra, the cook taught Ned about the importance of fresh ingredients. From Linda, the baker, Ned learned patience. Both taught him that life should be about continuous learning, a philosophy that was reinforced by Chef Alain Ducasse and by his mentor, Chef Doug Psaltis. “My mantra is attention to detail,” says Ned. “Chef Psaltis instilled this in me and it is an important part of how we define Foreign & Domestic.” Eager to further his career outside of his schooling at The Culinary Institute of American at Hyde Park, Ned left the CIA to begin staging at various restaurants in New York City and eventually landed a job at Tabla Restaurant. He continued building an impressive resume as he worked for such prestigious New York restaurants as the Essex House under Chef Alain Ducasse, Picholine, and Country.
http://fndaustin.com/
Niklas Ekstedt is a Swedish chef and restaurant manager. After attending the gastronomic high school of Racklöfska in the skiing resort of Åre in central Sweden, he worked for Charlie Trotter in Chicago. Soon thereafter, at age 21, Niklas started his first restaurant, Niklas, in the harbor town of Helsingborg, Sweden. Niklas was listed the best business restaurant in Sweden by newspaper Dagens Industri in 2003 and the fifth best restaurant in Sweden by the restaurant guide White in 2005. In 2003, Niklas opened a second restaurant, Niklas i Viken, a summer restaurant located in the village of Viken, a few kilometers north of Helsingborg. Simultaneously, Niklas’ cooking show, Mat (“food” in Swedish), began airing on Sveriges Television (Swedish national television). In autumn 2008, Niklas and his staff moved to Stockholm to manage Restaurant 1900. In April 2009, the fifth season of his cooking show began airing. Since then Niklas’ television career has continued with several shows, including a cooking show aimed at a children audience. In 2011, Niklas opened his second restaurant in Stockholm, simply named Ekstedt. Here, the concept is to first and foremost cook all raw ingredients over an open fire. Niklas furthermore completed short internships at several three-star Michelin restaurants, including elBulli in Spain and The Fat Duck in England.
http://ekstedt.nu/en/
Senior Vice President of Brand and Culture
Norma Morales Perez is senior vice president of brand and culture at EDENS. She leads the stewardship of EDENS’ culture and brand through four strategic areas: people, story, places and intellect. This encompasses many facets of the company’s work in community enrichment, including communications; culture and talent management; creative visual media production and marketing; architectural design strategies; and business and societal insight research. Norma first joined EDENS in 2011 and became the company’s director of design, leading creative placemaking and influencing strategy across all aspects of design, engagement and merchandising.
Her multi-disciplinary background blends the space of business development, brand design, architecture, and marketing. Her work is executed across the nation at EDENS shopping places – including Union Market in DC, Preston Royal in Dallas, and Union Planters in Miami. Prior to her role at EDENS, Norma was a lead project designer for Gensler Architecture, Design & Planning Worldwide in Washington, D.C., where she worked with global lifestyle, leisure and hospitality brands in driving design innovation. She has been a thought leader in developing marketing strategies and conducting industry research for creative real estate ventures and entrepreneurial start-ups including verdeHOUSE. Prior to these efforts, Norma spent time in Italy with RomaLAB Architects studying media, visual arts creative placemaking. She received a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University School of Architecture and a master’s degree in real estate development from Georgetown University, where she guest lectures. She is a fluent Spanish speaker and volunteers with Architecture in the Schools and Dress for Success.
http://edens.com/
Senior Vice President of Design
Paul Gebhardt is the senior vice president of design for Oneida.
http://www.oneida.com/
Pim Techamuanvivit was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand and took a circuitous route through the world of food—-from writing, teaching, to award-winning jam making, before finding her way back home to the food she grew up with. Longing for Thai food of richer quality and variety in the US, Pim is now on a mission to liberate her beloved Thai cuisine from the tyranny of peanut sauce. Her Thai cooking has earned effusive praise from world-class chefs like Alain Passard and René Redzepi. In 2014 she opened Kin Khao in San Francisco, her first (and hopefully not last) restaurant project, which holds a Michelin star. Her recipes, writings, and photographs have since appeared in the New York Times, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, and more. She’s also moonlighted as a judge on Iron Chef America, been profiled on Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie, Food(ography), and cooked pad thai on the Martha Stewart Show. She is the author of The Foodie Handbook: The (Almost) Definitive Guide to Gastronomy.
http://kinkhao.com/
Director of Culinary Strategy
Richard Brandenburg is the director of culinary development for EDENS. He oversees food and restaurant initiatives and strategic leasing as they relate to EDENS’ overall portfolio, including the identification of chef-driven restaurant opportunities, working with organic and sustainable retailers, and the development of food-related districts. Prior to joining EDENS, Richard was the kitchen director for José Andres’ Think Food Group, responsible for the openings of America Eats Tavern and the Bazaar. He was the executive chef at Cafe Atlántico/Minibar, Urbana in the Palomar Hotel, One Market Restaurant, and larger operations such as the Bohemian Club and St. Andrew’s. Early on his career, he was a sous-chef at both Le Bernardin and for Laurent Gras at the Fifth Floor.
Vice President of Media
Roxanne Webber heads up the media division at ChefsFeed, where she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of its digital content strategy and production. Her approach to the new media landscape is unapologetically holistic, leveraging all platforms and skill sets at her disposal to best tell unique stories. She is a believer in the power of strong reportage, and conducts her team accordingly; as a seasoned video producer, she excels in the art of documentary narratives.
http://www.chefsfeed.com/
A native of Northern California, 2016 James Beard semi-finalist Rising Star Chef and Ne Timeas Restaurant Group Partner and Chef Ryan Pollnow started his career as dishwasher in a country club, a job he never imagined would be the stepping stone for his career. After graduating from culinary school, Ryan went abroad to continue his education in Northern Spain, working at restaurant Mugaritz. When Ryan returned to the U.S., he worked as a chef at restaurants throughout San Francisco and Sonoma until he had the opportunity to work for the flour + water team as chef de cuisine and later as chef de cuisine of central kitchen in 2013, where he earned acclaim from Zagat, recognizing him as a 30 Under 30 up-and-comer on the Bay Area food scene. Now, only two years later, Ryan is partner and chef for Ne Timeas Restaurant Group, where he oversees all culinary teams along with Partner and Chef Thomas McNaughton. In April of 2015, Ryan opened his first project Aatxe (pronounced aah-CHAY), located on the street level of San Francisco’s historic Swedish American Hall. Aatxe is a restaurant and bar that celebrates regional Spanish cuisine and culture with an influence from the Basque Country and was included in Bon Appétit’s Top 50 Best New Restaurants list in 2015.
http://www.aatxesf.com/
Sam Oches is the editorial director of Food News Media—publisher of QSR and FSR magazines—and editor of QSR. As an expert in foodservice trends, his insights have been shared in national media outlets such as the New York Times, USA Today, National Public Radio, and CNBC. A graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, Sam previously served as editor in chief of Southeast Ohio magazine and as managing editor of QSR. He is a past president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) and serves as a board member with the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). He lives in Durham, North Carolina, with his wife and daughter.
http://www.qsrmagazine.com/
Journalist and Co-Owner
Sara Deseran is a longtime San Francisco-based food writer who, in 2010, opened the popular SF-based restaurant Tacolicious lead by her husband and founder Joe Hargrave. Today, Sara wears two hats: She works as the director of marketing and branding for the growing Tacolicious restaurant group, which now has four locations as well as a new cantina called Bar San Pancho. She also functions as the editor-at-large for San Francisco magazine. Sara has also contributed to publications such as Saveur, Women’s Health, and C magazine and published four cookbooks, most recently Tacolicious (Ten Speed Press).
http://saradeseran.com/
Sara Jenkins is based in New York City and Rockport, Maine, where she has developed a reputation as a fine rustic Italian chef. Mario Batali says, “She’s one of the few chefs in America who understands Italy and how Italians eat.” Daughter of a foreign correspondent and of a food writer, Sara grew up all over the Mediterranean, eating her way through several cultures as she learned to cook. She began her professional career in the kitchen with Todd English at Fig’s in Boston, then went on to work as a chef in Florence and the Tuscan countryside, before returning to the U.S. In 2008, Sara opened Porchetta, a wildly popular shop focused on one Italian sandwich made of slow roasted pork. That year, she also published her first cook book, Olives and Oranges (Houghton Mifflin). In 2010 she opened Porsena, rated four stars in New York magazine. A casual dining restaurant, Porsena is inspired by the simple trattorias of her Roman-Tuscan childhood. In 2015 Sara published her second book, The Four Seasons of Pasta (Avery/Penguin), written with her mother, Mediterranean food expert Nancy Harmon Jenkins. Last year, Sara opened Nina June, in her hometown on the coast of Maine, a beautiful space in an old meeting hall where she is committed to combining her Italian sensibility with the bounty of Maine farms and fisheries.
http://www.ninajunerestaurant.com/
Sarah Grueneberg is the chef-partner of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio in Chicago. Since her childhood cooking with her grandparents on their ranch in Victoria, Texas, she knew she was destined to work in the culinary world. Originally from Houston, Sarah moved to Chicago in 2005 to join the team at the award-winning Spiaggia under the leadership of Tony Mantuano. Beginning as a line cook, she quickly rose the ranks to chef di cucina in 2008 and then executive chef in 2010. During her tenure as executive chef, Spiaggia was awarded one Michelins for three consecutive years. After graduating from culinary school in 2001, she started her first career-changing job with a position at the iconic Brennan’s of Houston and by 2003 was named the restaurant’s youngest female sous chef. Sarah has traveled throughout Italy, Asia, Europe and the U.S., which has inspired her culinary approach of “following the food” and truly understanding “the dish” by knowing the people and culture that created it. More notably, she was a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef: Texas, making it as a finalist and runner-up for the season. She has also been named a Rising Star Chef by Chicago Social in 2009 and 2016 and Eater Chicago’s Chef of the Year at the 2011 Eater Awards. Sarah opened Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio in Chicago’s West Loop in November 2015 with business partner and long-time friend Meg Sahs. The restaurant has received acclaimed reviews from various outlets, including three out of four stars by The Chicago Tribune. In 2016, Monteverde received numerous accolades including: one of Food & Wine’s America’s Best Restaurants, a top 50 finalist in Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants list, Eater’s 21 Best New Restaurants in America, GQ’s 12 Best New Restaurants, Eater’s Chicago Restaurant of the Year at the 2016 Eater Awards, the Worth the Wait award at the Chicago Tribune Dining Awards, and named one of Chicago Magazine’s 15 Best New Restaurants.
http://monteverdechicago.com/
Host and Producer
Shari Bayer is the founder and president of Bayer Public Relations, a full-service public relations, consulting and marketing agency established in 2003 in New York City that specializes in culinary and hospitality. She is also the host and producer of All in the Industry on Heritage Radio Network, a weekly internet-based radio show/podcast dedicated to the behind-the-scenes talents in the hospitality industry. Her past guests have included Danny Meyer, Michel Nishan, Tom Colicchio, Rita Jammet, Adam Sachs, Paul Liebrandt, Ben Leventhal, and Steve Cuozzo. A native of Miami, Florida, Shari earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational studies from The University of Michigan, and a culinary certificate from the Cooking Academy of Chicago. Shari is a past-president of the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance and a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier NY, the James Beard Foundation, Journee, and Toklas Society. She is recognized on Total Food Service’s 2017 Top Women in Metro NY Foodservice & Hospitality list, and is a contributing writer for Fathom, Forbes, Tasting Table, and Thrillist. Shari is also a fearless solo diner and traveler.
http://www.bayerpublicrelations.com/
Chef Tony Cervone is the culinary force behind Souvla, overseeing menu quality and consistency, team training, and daily culinary operations of the restaurant. Tony has been integral in developing the culinary team in anticipation of the company’s scaling efforts, setting the restaurant group up for success in the next stage of business. Prior to joining Souvla, Tony served as chef de cuisine of Kokkari Estiatorio, San Francisco’s no. 1 rated restaurant and the benchmark for fine dining Greek cuisine on the West Coast for nearly a decade.
Traci Dutton is a sommelier, a wine judge, and the manager of public wine and beverage studies at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. She joined the CIA in 1998 as beverage manager and sommelier for the college’s Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant. Over the course of more than 30 years in the wine world, Traci has worked in high-end establishments such as Montrachet, The Striped Bass, and 231 Ellsworth, and has served luminaries as varied as Oprah Winfrey, Kevin Bacon, and Paul Bocuse. She has studied and tasted great wines at vineyards around the world, from Portugal and Austria to Argentina and the United States. Her writing on wines and beverages has appeared in Kitchen & Cook, the St. Helena Star, iSanté.com, and many other publications. In 2011, she was named one of the top wine country sommeliers by Tasting Panel magazine.
http://www.ciawine.com/
When Chef Wes Avila first started Guerrilla Tacos in 2012, he wasn’t setting out to do something different; he was setting out to do something good—to cook food that was a reflection of all the culinary experiences that had shaped his identity and to have a place where he could freely express himself over the stove. Growing up in Pico Rivera, the heart of East Los Angeles, he was raised surrounded by the rich smells and multicultural flavors of the city. After high school, Wes worked as a teamster, driving a forklift at a box factory for seven years. He was making money, sure, but spiritually, he was hungry for more. When he had saved up enough, Wes quit his job and enrolled fulltime in the California School of Culinary Arts to explore the craft he had always enjoyed. While at school, he visited the restaurant L’Auberge Carmel, which opened his mind and palate to the subtle complexities of a fine dining cuisine. Upon graduation he packed his belongings and drove north to L’Auberge, where he got a job as a line chef under Walter Manzke. When Wes finally moved back to LA, his new skills quickly got him chef jobs at a country club in Palos Verdes and other gourmet restaurants around the city. It was at one of these jobs that he met chef Gary Menes, and helped him open the three-star rated restaurant Palate Food + Wine to critical acclaim. A trip to Europe impacted Wes so much that no less than a week after returning to the city, he packed his bags and moved to France, where he enrolled in school to study under Alain Ducasse at his Centre de Formation. When he returned from his studies, Menes had opened a new pop-up restaurant Le Comptoir and invited Wes to showcase his new skills. Deeply in debt after his wedding, travels, and school, Wes needed more than three days of work a week to cover his bills, so he decided to set up an under-the-radar food operation outside his favorite coffee shops and do what he was trained to do: to cook. Choosing tacos as his cuisine was a no brainer. Wes wanted something approachable, something familiar to the people of LA where he could fuse together his training as a gourmet chef without all the pretense of a fine dining establishment. It wasn’t long before word got out that one of LA’s up and coming chefs was slinging street tacos from a corner in downtown. Word spread, momentum gathered and something good, which Wes named Guerrilla Tacos, was born.
http://www.guerrillatacos.com/
Co-Owner and Chef
Kentucky native William Wright developed his culinary roots as a boy in his family garden and his grandmother’s kitchen. With a basic understanding of the importance of quality ingredients in cooking, William continued his studies in food culture with his love of history and anthropology. After studying in Italy and working for the two Michelin-starred Ristorante La Madia, he graduated from the French Culinary Institute and began cooking in several award-winning kitchens in NYC. From there, he moved on to Houston, where he eventually met his partner, Evan Turner. In 2016 they opened Helen Greek Food and Wine, which in its first year became a James Beard semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. The Greek taverna features regional Greek fare with local flare and boasts the second largest all-Greek wine list in the country. Since opening, Helen has received many accolades from national publications such as the New York Times and Washington Post, and was named one of Eater’s 21 Best New Restaurants in America. In addition, William was named Houston Press’ Chef of the Year, and was a semifinalist for the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year in 2017.
Yehuda Sichel is the chef/partner of Abe Fisher, where he collaborates with co-owners Steven Cook and Mike Solomonov on a menu that celebrates Jewish cooking from around the world through the lens of their childhood memories. Nowhere is this effort more rewarded than in his now signature dish—the Smoked Montreal Short Ribs – or the Hungarian Duck, Chinatown-style. A veteran sous-chef of Zahav, Yehuda has also cooked at Rae and Brasserie Perrier in Philadelphia, and Grace in Los Angeles. A graduate of the Jerusalem School of Kosher Culinary Arts in Israel, this marathoner, CrossFitter, and jiu-jitsu health-nut was born in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania and raised in Baltimore, Maryland.
http://abefisherphilly.com/#chef
President, Executive Chef
Yongqiao Chen is a Chinese master chef specializing in multiple regional cuisines, including from Sichuan, Hunan, Guangdong, and Hubei. He is a nationally credited (government issued) senior chef, a senior nutritionist, and a senior researcher at the Chongqing Chinese Food Culture Research Institute. His dishes have won awards at food/chef competitions in China and abroad. He learned his Sichuan cuisine skills from renowned master chef Xiaohua Hu and his Cantonese cuisine skills under the mentorship of Fujin Zheng, a Hongkong Michelin two-star restaurant chef. He was the co-founder of several restaurant chains in China, including the Rain Lounge, Fragrant Valley Thai Restaurant, Xiangyu Hunan Cuisine Restaurant, and Xiaoyuanjia Hot Pot. He is now the president and executive chef at Rain Restaurant Co., Ltd.
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Russian spy ship spotted 'operating in an unsafe manner' off southeastern US: Coast Guard
Russian warship Viktor Leonov enters the bay in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, March 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Coast Guard issued a warning to mariners after receiving reports that a Russian ship had been operating unsafely off the Eastern Seaboard.
"This unsafe operation includes not energizing running lights while in reduced visibility conditions, not responding to hails by commercial vessels attempting to coordinate safe passage and other erratic movements," Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville said.
Other vessels in the area should "maintain a sharp lookout and use extreme caution when navigating in proximity to this vessel," the Coast Guard warned.
The ship is now hundreds of miles off the Florida coast and east of the Bahamas after moving in a southerly direction for the last several days, a U.S. defense official told ABC News.
A U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Mahan, is shadowing the Russian ship, a second defense official said.
The Russian spy ship was spotted off the coast of a U.S. Navy submarine base in Connecticut in February 2017 before making its way south. Then in March, the Leonov was seen near the submarine base at Kings Bay, Georgia following a five-day port visit in Havana, Cuba.
During that 2017 visit, the ship remained in international waters beyond the U.S. territorial limit that extends 12 miles out from shore, and U.S. officials downplayed the its presence off the coast, noting the ship had made prior visits in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
ABC News contributed to this report.
politicsrussiau.s. & world
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Photon Turnbased
Develop Turnbased Games and Launch Worldwide.
Established in 1991, Epic Games, Inc. develops cutting-edge games and cross-platform game engine technology. The company is responsible for the bestselling “Unreal” series of games, the billion-dollar blockbuster “Gears of War” franchise and the groundbreaking “Infinity Blade” line of mobile games. Epic’s award-winning Unreal Engine technology has won dozens of awards and is available for licensing. Epic is continually recruiting top talent for its studios located in North Carolina, Washington, Utah, Poland, Korea and Japan.
Rival Theory Inc.
Rival Theory Inc, is an artificial intelligence (AI) company founded by William Klein and Amanda Solosky. Rival Theory focuses on the use of advanced AI technology to create smart, realistic characters for the entertainment industry.
VisionPunk
VisionPunk, a small team of hardcore indie game developers headed by Calle Lundgren - some with many years previous experience in shipping AAA action games. Our mission is to put amazing tools in the hands of small teams, allowing them to compete on entirely new levels of quality.
Shader Forge
Shader Forge is aiming to push the visual quality of Unity to new heights, giving you the freedom of shader creation in a visual and intuitive way - with no code required!
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Nationals SS Trea Turner Breaks Finger, Out Indefinitely
By DAVID GINSBURG AP Sports Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nationals shortstop Trea Turner will be out indefinitely after breaking his right index finger while trying to bunt.
Standing at the plate in the first inning Tuesday night against Philadelphia, Turner squared to bunt versus Zach Elfin. The fastball hit the finger on his right hand, which was wrapped around the bat.
The injury was determined to be a nondisplaced fracture. There was no timetable for his return.
"I guess as time goes on, the better we'll know," Turner said.
"It's a big loss. He's our starting shortstop," manager Dave Martinez said. "But we've got to keep playing."
Wilmer Difo replaced Turner and will assume the role of starter for the time being.
"He's here for a reason," Martinez said of Difo, who went 1 for 3 after entering in the first inning.
Martinez expressed hope of getting a backup from the minors before Wednesday afternoon's game against the Phillies.
Turner was batting .385 and coming off a game against the Mets in which he hit two home runs, including a game-ending solo shot.
"Not fun," Turner said. "I couldn't move it, so I knew something was wrong."
Turner said the pitch was coming high and inside, and he had no chance to get out of the way.
"I don't expect somebody to throw at my head," Turner said.
Martinez said: "The ball was in. He just couldn't get out of the way. He just kept running in on him."
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Residents cope with aftermath of steam pipe explosion in Flatiron
By Derick Waller and Danielle Leigh
FLATIRON DISTRICT, Manhattan (WABC) -- At least 500 people remain out of their homes and businesses after Thursday's steam pipe explosion in Manhattan's Flatiron District.
Crews were on the scene Friday morning, continuing repair work at the giant crater on Fifth Avenue that opened up as a result of the blast.
Josh Einiger has the latest details.
Environmental teams are working to clean up the asbestos that was released when the 86-year-old steam pipe exploded, and an "exclusion zone" running from 19th Street to 22nd Street and Sixth Avenue to Broadway has been established as the work proceeds,
Authorities are asking people to stay away from that area and also out of the "hot zone," where evacuations took place Thursday. They say the air is safe, but that area is closed to traffic. If you are walking through the area, you have to wear a mask.
PHOTOS from the moments after the blast
OEM Commissioner Joseph Esposito said the plan will be to open the exclusion zone block by block, with 19th Street the first to be cleaned. The city hopes to reopen 19th Street first, and then Fifth Avenue between 18th and 19th streets. And they will go from there.
"It's going to be at least a few more days," he said.
But even when all the cleanup is done and the area is decontaminated, Fifth Avenue may only be open to one lane of traffic, because city still expects to be investigating what happened at the rupture point.
Earlier, Con Edison discussed catch basins to capture the runoff from this weekend's anticipated rain, but OEM said they are planning to put sandbags in a circle to create a berm around the rupture point. So when it rains, the contaminated water would not run off, and they can capture and dispose of it.
OEM admitted that of the 49 buildings affected, not many have been washed on the outside. He called it "a difficult process...truthfully a lot of those facades have not been done yet."
It could take up to six months to determine the cause of the cause of the explosion. Crews in HazMat suits have been in and out of the evacuated buildings since Thursday, grabbing pets and belongings for people.
Con Edison says if you were in the immediate area when the pipe exploded, you should have bagged up your clothes by now.
RAW VIDEO from NewsCopter7 of the blast crater
RAW VIDEO: The view from NewsCopter7 shows the large crater in Fifth Avenue created by the steam pipe explosion.
And they want you to turn those clothes in, because long-term exposure to asbestos can cause serious health problems, even cancer.
"We're going to work from an abundance of caution," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday. "Now that we know there's asbestos present, we're not going to cut any corners. We're going to be very thorough."
WATCH raw video from NewsCopter 7 over the scene
NewsCopter7 was overhead after the steam pipe explosion in Manhattan's Flatiron District.
The utility has representatives on site to collect contaminated clothing, and a reception center has been set up at the Clinton School at 10 East 15th Street for anyone who has questions or needs an escort to their building.
For updates on the transit situation in the area, visit MTA.info.
new york citymanhattanflatironexplosion
Steam pipe explodes in Manhattan's Flatiron District
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Home»Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
The current population of Côte d'Ivoire is 23,449,538 as of Saturday, November 12, 2016, based on the latest United Nations estimates.
Côte d'Ivoire population is equivalent to 0.31% of the total world population.
Côte d'Ivoire ranks number 56 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.
The population density in Côte d'Ivoire is 73 per Km2 (189 people per mi2).
The total land area is 318,115 Km2 (122,825 sq. miles)
50.8 % of the population is urban (11,952,809 people in 2016)
The median age in Côte d'Ivoire is 18.5 years
Côte d'Ivoire is bordered on the north by Mali and Burkina Faso, on the west by Liberia and Guinea, on the east by Ghana and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean.
Major urban areas: (RGPH2014)
Abidjan 4,707,000 people -- Economic Capital
Yamoussoukro 355,000 people -- Political Capital
Bouaké 542 000 people
Daloa: 566 000 people
Gagnoa: 285 000 people
Korhogo: 245 000 people
Man: 190 000 people
Religion: Secular country
Muslim about 38.6%, Christian about 32.8%, indigenous about 11.9%, none 16.7% (2008 est.)
note: the majority of foreigners (migrant workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%)
Languages: French (official), 60 native dialects of which Dioula is the most widely spoken
Ethnic groups: Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes about 130,000 Lebanese)
Population: 23 Million people (Dec 2014 )
Area: 322,463 sq km
Currency: CFA Franc
Exchange rate: 1 Euro = 655,957 F CFA
GDP: $28.28 billion (2013 est.)
GDP per capita: $1,800 (2013 est.)
Time zone: GMT (UTC+0)
Country Telephone Code: +225
Main Public holidays:
1st January New Year's Day
Variable Easter Monday
1st May Labour Day
variable Ascension
variable Whit Monday
7th August Independence Day
15th August Assumption
1st November All Saints Day
15th November National Peace Day
25th December Christmas Day
variable Islamic. Prophet's Birthday
variable Islamic. Day after Lailatou-Kadr (Revelation of the Qur'an)
variable Islamic. Korité / Aîd-eI-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
variable Islamic. Tabaski / Aîd-El-Kébir (Feast of the Sacrifice)
Côte d'Ivoire has both a tropical climate in the south and along the coast (including Abidjan) as well as a semi-arid climate in the north. The temperatures range from 26 - 40 degrees Celsius or 79 - 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The humidity level stays fairly consistent varying between 80 and 90%.
As the temperatures along the coast and in Abidjan stay relatively stable, the seasons are identified by rainfall:
Long dry season (December to February)
Short dry season (August)
Short rainy season (September - November)
Long rainy season (March - July)
Duing the long rainy seasons, it is possible for it to rain continuously for many consecutive days and very intensely for hours at a time. It is also common for roads to flood in low lying areas.
Average precipitation - Abidjan
Prec. (mm) 15 55 120 145 235 375 135 50 110 150 110 45
Prec.(in) 0.6 2.2 4.7 5.7 9.3 14.8 5.3 2 4.3 5.9 4.3 1.8
Days 3 5 9 11 17 21 13 12 12 14 13 7
Average temperatures - Abidjan
Min (°C) 23 24 24 24 24 23 22 22 22 23 24 23
Max (°C) 31 32 32 32 31 29 28 27 28 29 31 30
Min (°F) 73 75 75 75 75 73 72 72 72 73 75 73
Max (°F) 88 90 90 90 88 84 82 81 82 84 88 86
Côte d'ivoire is among the world's largest producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for these products and to weather conditions. Despite attempts by the government to diversify the economy, it is still largely dependent on agriculture and related activities.
During the last few years Côte d’Ivoire has benefited from strong economic growth, with GDP having remained steady at above 8%, supported by strong export in cocoa and palm oil. Since the discovery of oil reserves in 2012 the export of oil and gas has largely supported economic growth. The relatively peaceful elections held in October 2015 secured a second term for President Ouattara, who has focused on rebuilding the country’s infrastructure and establishing economic and political stability.
Main Exports:
Cocoa, coffee, tropical timbers, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, cotton, and fish.
Main Imports:
Food, manufactured consumer goods, heavy machinery, fuel, and transport equipment.
ABIDJAN CITY INTRODUCTION
With a population of 4.7 million, Abidjan is the second largest city in the West African region, following Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria. Considered a cultural hub of West Africa, Abidjan lies on the south-east coast of the country in the Gulf of Guinea, on the Ébrié Lagoon.
There are 11 main neighborhoods that make up the city. You can find more information on these different neighborhoods at our link here!
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT CÔTE D'IVOIRE by The Guardian
1. It boasts the largest church in the world
The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro surpasses even St Peter's Basilica, with an exterior area of 30,000 square metres. Finished in 1990, its design is said to have been inspired by its Vatican City sibling, with a hefty dose of Renaissance and Baroque style. It can hold about 18,000 worshipers, though is very rarely full.
2. Its most famous son is....
Didier Drogba, of course. Perhaps best remembered for his domineering time at Chelsea, the striker was born in Abidjan and represented his country 104 times, scoring 65 goals. He captained the national team for eight years from 2006 and retired as the nation's all-time top goalscorer. Today he plies his trade in the US for Phoenix Rising. Naturally.
3. The national football team
Les Éléphants won the 1992 African Cup of Nations and again in 2015, both by beating Ghana on penalties. Yaya Toure, Wilfried Bony and Salomon Kalou have also represented the team.
4. But football isn't its only sport
The only Olympic gold ever won by the Ivory Coast was in Taekwondo at Rio 2016 by Cheick Sallah Cisse. A second in the sport - bronze in the same Games - and a silver at the LA Games in 1984 in the Men's 400 Metres complete its modest tally.
5. Its tourism scene is booming
Popular with holidaymakers for its golden beaches, fading French colonial heritage and traditional Senufo cultural experiences, Côte d'Ivoire has seen its annual visitor numbers rise steadily in recent years - 250,000 in 2010 up to 1.44m in 2015.
6. It's home to a lush mountain
Mount Nimba rises above the surrounding savannah where Côte d'Ivoire meets Guinea and Liberia. A Unesco World Heritage Site, the mountain is covered by dense forest harbouring a rich variety of flora and fauna, including chimpanzees.
7. That's not all though...
The country boasts three more Unesco World Heritage Sites in the shape of the historic town of Grand-Bassam, once a colonial trading post, Comoe National Park, one of the largest protected areas in West Africa, and Tai National Park, home to 11 species of monkeys.
8. It is the world's largest cocoa producer
In 2013 it shifted 1.448million metric tonnes of cocoa beans (31.6 per cent of the world's total), nearly double its nearest rival, Ghana.
9. It has two capitals
Yamoussoukro is the nation's political capital while Abidjan is its economic capital and the largest city.
10. France left its mark
Abidjan is the city with the third biggest French speaking population anywhere in the world. It is also the fourth most populous city in Africa, with about 4.7million people living there.
11. It has its own St Paul's
This is St Paul's Cathedral in Abidjan, built at a cost of $12million.
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Township High School District 211
Director of Special Education
Ms. Ms. Renée J. Erickson
Director of Special Education Renée Erickson oversees special education policies and procedures for the district. She provides leadership in developing, implementing and evaluating programs and services for the education of students with a disability, as well as provides district-wide supervision of special education programming. Ms. Erickson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in special education from Illinois State University in 2002. She received her master’s degree in teaching and leadership from Saint Xavier University in 2007. Ms. Erickson began her District 211 career as the assistant director of special education in 2009 and was named as the director of special education in 2014. Prior to working in District 211, Ms. Erickson served as the assistant director of special education for Consolidated School District 158, and as a special education teacher in Consolidated School District 158 and Cary Community Consolidated School District 26.
Assistant Director of Special Education
Dr. Mary Pat Krones
Assistant Director of Special Education Dr. Mary Pat Krones provides support and guidance in the development, implementation and evaluation of District special education programming and services. Dr. Krones also provides guidance and support to IEP teams as they work to meet the unique educational needs of individual students with special needs, as well as coordinates the placements of students with disabilities in appropriate educational programming within and outside of District 211. Dr. Krones was named assistant director of special education in August 2009. Dr. Krones earned her doctorate of education in teaching and learning from Illinois State University in 2016. She earned a master’s degree in psychology, a specialist in school psychology degree, from Eastern Illinois University, and a second master’s degree in Educational Administration from Northeastern Illinois University. Dr. Krones received her bachelor’s degree in special education from Eastern Illinois University. Prior to coming to High School District 211, she served a program supervisor for the North Suburban Special Education District (NSSED) in Highland Park, and as a school psychologist for Waukegan School District 60.
Ms. Lindsay Tiritilli
Assistant Director of Special Education Lindsay Tiritilli provides support and guidance in the development, implementation and evaluation of District special education programming and services. Ms. Tiritilli also provides guidance and support to IEP teams as they work to meet the unique educational needs of individual students with special needs, as well as coordinates the placements of students with disabilities in appropriate educational programming within and outside of District 211. Ms. Tiritilli began her service with District 211 in the summer of 2019. Ms. Tiritilli began her career in Special Education in 2006 as a special education teacher with Antioch Community High School. In 2008 she joined Barrington High School first as a special education teacher and later as assistant department head of special services. In 2012, she took over the position of Section 504 coordinator, a position she held until 2017 when she was appointed Director of Student Services, Secondary Level for District 220. Ms. Tiritilli earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary and Special Education from Lewis University in 2006, and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University in 2010. She secured an endorsement as a director of special education through graduate work at the University of Saint Francis.
Find Us 1750 S. Roselle Road Palatine, IL 60067-7336
© All content copyright Township High School District 211
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Mystery of the Month – Meet Me At Lennon’s
Posted on October 24, 2019 by alyssamackay
Melanie Myers transports the reader back to wartime Brisbane with her award-winning debut novel Meet Me At Lennon’s. In the early 1940s, thousands of American soldiers descended upon Brisbane and their presence was felt by all – they were glamorous, better paid and skilled at charming Australian women. Meet Me At Lennon’s explores the huge impact of this social disruption through the lives of several female characters. While there is a mystery surrounding a woman murdered on the banks of the Brisbane River in 1943, this isn’t a whodunit but a story about the experiences of these women and their connection to the ‘River Girl’.
Dual narratives cleverly connect and intersect, often unexpectedly, as the story moves between the 1940s, the 1990s and today. The contemporary narrative sees Olivia Wells struggling to complete her thesis on forgotten writer, Gloria Grantham, when she chances upon Clio Manning, a woman who may have the answers she needs. In the forties we meet Alice who receives lots of tips as a maid at the exclusive Brisbane hotel, Lennon’s. Her roommate, Val, who works at the munitions factory, loves to spend her evenings dancing and plans to elope with a US submariner. June’s husband is at war while she encounters a mysterious American stranger, while her sister Edith is expecting a proposal from ‘Frank the Yank’. Back in the present day, Olivia is managing the men in her own life – a lousy boyfriend and her absent father who suddenly wants to reconnect.
The reader must be astute and pay close attention to these timeline shifts because little details are hidden in the story, revealed in whispers. This is a book that needs to be read slowly, every line relished and absorbed. I enjoyed the way the author invented and incorporated theatre reviews, old letters and interview transcripts – we feel like we are Olivia, slowly piecing together a picture of life in 1940s wartime Brisbane. Like her main character, Melanie Myers spent time at Queensland State Archives trawling through articles about reports on sex offences committed by US soldiers to inform the context of the story, which is so well-researched and eloquently described that every scene feels like stepping through a window into the past.
Brisbane naturally features very heavily in the story – the present day vista of South Bank and its buildings – the State Library, Queensland Museum, and the Wheel of Brisbane; as well as familiar buildings that have stood the test of time – City Hall, McWhirters, and the Paddington Antique Centre, and those now long gone – Lennon’s Hotel on George Street, and the Carver Club, which once stood on Grey Street in South Brisbane, built for African American servicemen who were not permitted to cross the Brisbane River. A simmering animosity between the Australian and American soldiers culminates in the novel when one of the female characters witnesses a riot in the Brisbane CBD in November 1942, an actual event which came to be known as the Battle of Brisbane, resulting in one death and hundreds of injuries.
But it’s female experiences at the heart of this story, which holds a mirror up to the lives of women in wartime Brisbane and asks, how much has changed and how much remains the same? Sexual violence and victim blaming are hot topics and this is a novel that seeks to give these victims of sexual violence a voice, particularly those forgotten by history, and by novel’s end has given the River Girl a name. A thought-provoking read that will stay with you long after you’ve read the final page.
Meet Me At Lennon’s by Melanie Myers is published by UQP.
Standout Simile:
She pressed the pointed end of it into her palm, wishing it hurt more, and hoping it would quell the relentless nausea that was roiling up again like sediment in a rain-swollen river.
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2 thoughts on “Mystery of the Month – Meet Me At Lennon’s”
firobertson says:
How wonderful to find a novel so rich in female characters. They all sound like such interesting women.
This book is on my bedside table, waiting to be read. After your review, I’m going to start reading tonight!
Would love to know what you think of it! I bet you love it, too. It takes me ages to read a book these days but I had this book finished in less that a week.
Leave a Reply to firobertson Cancel reply
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Community Characteristics
These distinctive characteristics represent factors which have a strong influence on this community. Factors are considered ''distinctive'' if this community falls into the top 25% for these characteristics nationally.
How are Community Characteristics defined?
Several factors are relevant to understanding the nature of a community for purposes of residential characteristics. These factors include building style, general affluence, residency patterns, and proximity to colleges among others. Together, these factors provide insights into the core dimensions of neighborhood differentiation.
Why do some reports contain many characteristics while others only have one or two? (How is a characteristic determined to be distinctive?)
The majority of communities are considered to be ''average'' in most categories. It's important to understand that these are not performance categories. For example, a neighborhood with some high-rises and some single family residences would be considered average for dwelling type.
To be considered distinctive, a community must fall within the top 25% for the characteristic. For example, if 75 percent of the communities in the US have fewer high-rises we consider the community distinctive for containing many high-rises.
What do the sports teams' designations represent?
AAA - Triple A League Classification in Minor League Baseball. Highest Level of Minor Leagues, just below the Major Leagues.
AA – Double A League Classification in Minor League Baseball
A – Class A League Classification in Minor League Baseball
R – Rookie/Instructional League Classification in Minor League Baseball
Population, household and median age statistics are based primarily on the 2000 US Census data projected forward to the present day. Some of the factors considered in this projection are:
historical patterns of population growth and migration
independent collection of population counts
the latest Census age distributions
The result is a comprehensive set of population estimates and projections which includes the knowledge of State, County, and private agencies about their detailed areas but also ensures that the total population is consistent with the Census Bureau estimates, which have proved extremely reliable over time.
Household counts and median age statistics undergo a similarly rigorous procedure.
How often is the data updated? This content is updated every year after the release of interim statistics by the Census Bureau and other agencies. This process generally happens over the summer and is released in the fall.
Weather risks define the relative chance, based on historical occurrence, of specific, potentially damaging, weather events. Weather event data is publicly available from government sources. This data specifies the origin point, and in some cases, the path of these events. To determine risk, a spacial analysis i s performed based on the location, frequency and strength of events within a proximity to an area.
Why is there a high risk if there have never been any hurricanes (tornados, wind events, damaging hail) in this area?
Risk values are tied to areas larger than single zip codes. For example, if a hurricane has never landed in a particular county but has crossed all of the neighboring counties at some point, then a relatively high risk might be determined. Weather events are unpredictable and at a micro level (such as zip codes, towns, and residential neighborhoods) the occurrence of such events appears random. However, if one looks at a larger area - such as a county or region - patterns become more obvious and evident.
What are the sources for hurricane risk?
Hurricane track data was obtained from publicly available USGS records. Atlantic hurricane coverage is from 1896 to the late 1990's, covering a total of 950+ storms. Pacific hurricane coverage is from 1949 to the late 1990's, covering a total of 660+ storms. Storm locations are tracked every six hours while the storm maintains the minimum wind speed required to be classified as a tropical storm. Along with location, the database includes information on wind speed and barometric pressure. The risk indexes are calculated using an area of decreasing severity along the path of the storm track and a width 100 miles to each side.
What are the sources for tornado risk?
Tornado records have been collected and published by the USGS since 1950. Unlike hurricanes, which are always presented as a hurricane path, tornadoes are presented either as a path or as a single touchdown point. Nearly 40,000 individual tornado events have been recorded and were used in the risk analysis. Each tornado point and path was assigned an area of decreasing influence which was then applied in aggregate to each community location.
What are the sources for damaging hail risk?
Damaging hail records are available from the USGS from 1955 and include over 85,000 individual events. Damaging hail is defined as hail of at least 3/4 inch in diameter. Filters were applied to this database to derive relative frequency and intensity measures which were then applied to the community locations.
What are the sources for damaging wind risk?
Wind risk events have been recorded by various agencies since 1955, and include over 115,000 separate events. A damaging event has winds of over 50 knots. Wind events do not include tornados and hurricanes.
What are the sources for earthquake risk?
Quake risk is derived from two primary sources:
The epicenter locations of significant earthquakes during this century. The quality of the additional information is significantly improved in recent years. Quakes in the 3.0 range are included only for the very recent past, while large quakes are tracked back to the turn of the century.
An area analysis of earthquake risk and damage derived from USGS models.
These influence areas of these sources are then applied to the community locations.
How is total weather risk calculated?
The total weather risk value represents a single index combining damaging wind, hail, hurricane and tornado events. Earthquake risk is not included. This index is based on the relative damage expected from each of the four types of events. The relative influence of each of the four weather event types is not equal and was derived by weighting estimates of total annual damage caused by each type of storm.
Education Climate Index
This measure helps identify ZIP codes with the best conditions for quality schools. It does not claim to be an indicator of any individual school, its performance, or qualities. The Education Climate Index is largely a socio-economic indicator weighted heavily toward those characteristics that reflect education. At present, no reliable measure of the quality of the schools at the ZIP code level is available. It is possible, however, to identify ZIP codes which are likely to have high quality schools by identifying ZIP codes with the social and economic conditions which would most likely lead to quality schools. These conditions are undoubtedly related in some way to the individuals living within those ZIP codes. In order to express this relationship, a new measure was developed that is more strongly related to the quality of schools in an area than other social status measures.
How should I read this index?
ZIP codes are ranked from 1 (low) to 5 (high) in whole number increments. If the report you are viewing contains fractions or decimals, that is the result of combining the index values from multiple ZIP codes. The values are as follows:
0 = Not Classified
2 = Below Average
3 = Average
4 = Above Average
When interpreting these values, it is important to remember that the vast majority of places in the US will be average. These places show a strong interest in education.
What are the sources for this index? It is based on the U.S. Census Bureau's Socioeconomic Status (SES) measure with weights adjusted to more strongly reflect the educational aspect of social status (education 2:1 to income & occupation). Factors in this measure are income, educational achievement, and occupation of persons within the ZIP code. Since this measure is based on the population of an entire Zip code, it may not reflect the nature of an individual school.
Highest Level Attained
This value indicates the percent of the population over the age of 15 at each maximum attainment level. A maximum attainment level = the point at which the individual stopped their education. Example: If someone goes to 1 year of college, their maximum level would be "Some College." This person is only counted toward this single attainment level.
White Collar / Blue Collar breakdown is largely based upon statistics published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Information about which occupations persons are employed in is analyzed to determine the percentage of the population attributed to each employment type. For the most part, white collar and blue collar are defined as follows:
White-collar: Workers performing tasks which are considered less physically laborious. These jobs often pay more than blue-collar jobs. Include salaried, professional jobs (lawyers, doctors, etc.) as well as employees in administrative or clerical positions. In many cases, managers of blue-collar workers are included in this group. The term white-collar derives from the traditional white, button down shirts worn by many workers of such professions.
Blue-collar: Workers, generally considered "working class" who perform manual or technical labor, such as factory assembly work, most construction work, or in technical maintenance "trades".
This chart provides the number of households in each income range. Household income includes the income of all members of the household.
FMRs are gross rent estimates. They include the shelter rent plus the cost of all tenant-paid utilities, except telephones, cable or satellite television service, and internet service.
Crime Risk
Crime Risk is defined as the chance that a crime will be committed against your person or property when compared against every other ZIP code in the United States. This is not a count of the actual incidence of crime in an area. Risk indexes are useful in that they level the playing field in terms of the size of the location and the number of persons living in it.
For example, large cities will have a higher number of crimes in total than small towns. A simple reporting of the number of crimes in both places would not give you an accurate picture of their relative safety. However, by comparing the risk index values of several locations of interest you can quickly see, regardless of location size, how they compare in terms of actual risk of future crime.
OnBoard uses sophisticated statistical modeling methods based upon industry best practices in order to provide Crime Risk data. As with all statistics, there is a lag between collection and distribution from government sources.
What is a "100 base" index?
The crime index is based upon a national average = 100. This means that places at or around an index value of 100 have approximately "average" crime risk for the US. It should be noted that "average" risk is actually an indication of very low crime. Consider where you live, and cities you have visited, against how safe you felt or the number of times you have had a crime committed against you. Most people are not constantly in fear of being robbed or murdered. It is only in the places that have extremely high crime that one would generally feel unsafe.
What would be a typical "city" or "country" crime risk?
As one might expect, crime risk is generally higher in urban environments. As a general rule of thumb, a typical densely populated urban areas might have twice the national average crime risk (200), while sparsely populated rural area might have half the national crime risk (50).
But I live in a very safe neighborhood. Why is the crime risk so high?
There are several factors that might contribute to this:
Keep in mind that a crime risk of 150 does not indicate high crime and is very typical for cities - even in their safest neighborhoods.
ZIP codes often contain several disparate areas. Perhaps you live in a gated community, but there may be other areas included in the ZIP code. Some times, truck stops, highway corridors, commercial / industrial areas located in the ZIP code can have a negative effect on overall crime rates.
Neighborhoods are constantly changing. The risk indexes are based upon the most recent seven years of FBI crime reports. While the index is weighted more heavily toward the more recent reports, neighborhoods can change quickly with new development and population growth.
High income, affluent neighborhoods often demonstrate a high risk for property crimes such as motor vehicle theft and larceny.
What are the sources for this data?
The risk index is based on extensive statistical analysis of the most recent several years of crime reports from the vast majority of enforcement jurisdictions nationwide. The primary historical source for this information is the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR). Each year the FBI collects crime statistics for over 16,000 city, county and state law enforcement jurisdictions. Jurisdictional participation exceeds 95% annually. The current sources are the six most recent full UCRs as well as the two recent preliminary reports released by the FBI. Additional sources include local and regional law enforcement offices. As with most governmental sources, the UCR report lags present day by two to three years. There may have been significant increases or decreases in crime risk in the intervening period. We encourage you to consult with a knowledgeable local Real Estate agent or contact the local police department for additional information.
How is the index actually calculated?
Extensive statistical modeling was used to account for the general overall decline in crime throughout the US, eliminate local anomalies, and incorporate additional locally reported crime statistics. Thus, while crime has decreased nationally, our average crime risk remains 100, and areas that have seen crime declines equivalent to the national decline will not see changes in their relative risk rates. Each of the seven crime types is modeled independently and different models exist for the seven geographic regions of the US. These models were applied to a fine level of geography (census block groups) and then modeled up to the zip code, place and county levels. These results were then weighted by population, aggregated to the national total, and then scaled to match the preliminary FBI crime estimates for the most recently available year.
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INTRODUCTORY, CONCERNING THE PEDIGREE OF THE CHUZZLEWIT FAMILY
As no lady or gentleman, with any claims to polite breeding, can possibly sympathize with the Chuzzlewit Family without being first assured of the extreme antiquity of the race, it is a great satisfaction to know that it undoubtedly descended in a direct line from Adam and Eve; and was, in the very earliest times, closely connected with the agricultural interest. If it should ever be urged by grudging and malicious persons, that a Chuzzlewit, in any period of the family history, displayed an overweening amount of family pride, surely the weakness will be considered not only pardonable but laudable, when the immense superiority of the house to the rest of mankind, in respect of this its ancient origin, is taken into account.
It is remarkable that as there was, in the oldest family of which we have any record, a murderer and a vagabond, so we never fail to meet, in the records of all old families, with innumerable repetitions of the same phase of character. Indeed, it may be laid down as a general principle, that the more extended the ancestry, the greater the amount of violence and vagabondism; for in ancient days those two amusements, combining a wholesome excitement with a promising means of repairing shattered fortunes, were at once the ennobling pursuit and the healthful recreation of the Quality of this land.
Consequently, it is a source of inexpressible comfort and happiness to find, that in various periods of our history, the Chuzzlewits were actively connected with divers slaughterous conspiracies and bloody frays. It is further recorded of them, that being clad from head to heel in steel of proof, they did on many occasions lead their leather–jerkined soldiers to the death with invincible courage, and afterwards return home gracefully to their relations and friends.
There can be no doubt that at least one Chuzzlewit came over with William the Conqueror. It does not appear that this illustrious ancestor ‘came over’ that monarch, to employ the vulgar phrase, at any subsequent period; inasmuch as the Family do not seem to have been ever greatly distinguished by the possession of landed estate. And it is well known that for the bestowal of that kind of property upon his favourites, the liberality and gratitude of the Norman were as remarkable as those virtues are usually found to be in great men when they give away what belongs to other people.
Perhaps in this place the history may pause to congratulate itself upon the enormous amount of bravery, wisdom, eloquence, virtue, gentle birth, and true nobility, that appears to have come into England with the Norman Invasion: an amount which the genealogy of every ancient family lends its aid to swell, and which would beyond all question have been found to be just as great, and to the full as prolific in giving birth to long lines of chivalrous descendants, boastful of their origin, even though William the Conqueror had been William the Conquered; a change of circumstances which, it is quite certain, would have made no manner of difference in this respect.
There was unquestionably a Chuzzlewit in the Gunpowder Plot, if indeed the arch–traitor, Fawkes himself, were not a scion of this remarkable stock; as he might easily have been, supposing another Chuzzlewit to have emigrated to Spain in the previous generation, and there intermarried with a Spanish lady, by whom he had issue, one olive–complexioned son. This probable conjecture is strengthened, if not absolutely confirmed, by a fact which cannot fail to be interesting to those who are curious in tracing the progress of hereditary tastes through the lives of their unconscious inheritors. It is a notable circumstance that in these later times, many Chuzzlewits, being unsuccessful in other pursuits, have, without the smallest rational hope of enriching themselves, or any conceivable reason, set up as coal–merchants; and have, month after month, continued gloomily to watch a small stock of coals, without in any one instance negotiating with a purchaser. The remarkable similarity between this course of proceeding and that adopted by their Great Ancestor beneath the vaults of the Parliament House at Westminster, is too obvious and too full of interest, to stand in need of comment.
It is also clearly proved by the oral traditions of the Family, that there existed, at some one period of its history which is not distinctly stated, a matron of such destructive principles, and so familiarized to the use and composition of inflammatory and combustible engines, that she was called ‘The Match Maker;’ by which nickname and byword she is recognized in the Family legends to this day. Surely there can be no reasonable doubt that this was the Spanish lady, the mother of Chuzzlewit Fawkes.
But there is one other piece of evidence, bearing immediate reference to their close connection with this memorable event in English History, which must carry conviction, even to a mind (if such a mind there be) remaining unconvinced by these presumptive proofs.
There was, within a few years, in the possession of a highly respectable and in every way credible and unimpeachable member of the Chuzzlewit Family (for his bitterest enemy never dared to hint at his being otherwise than a wealthy man), a dark lantern of undoubted antiquity; rendered still more interesting by being, in shape and pattern, extremely like such as are in use at the present day. Now this gentleman, since deceased, was at all times ready to make oath, and did again and again set forth upon his solemn asseveration, that he had frequently heard his grandmother say, when contemplating this venerable relic, ‘Aye, aye! This was carried by my fourth son on the fifth of November, when he was a Guy Fawkes.’ These remarkable words wrought (as well they might) a strong impression on his mind, and he was in the habit of repeating them very often. The just interpretation which they bear, and the conclusion to which they lead, are triumphant and irresistible. The old lady, naturally strong–minded, was nevertheless frail and fading; she was notoriously subject to that confusion of ideas, or, to say the least, of speech, to which age and garrulity are liable. The slight, the very slight, confusion apparent in these expressions is manifest, and is ludicrously easy of correction. ‘Aye, aye,’ quoth she, and it will be observed that no emendation whatever is necessary to be made in these two initiative remarks, ‘Aye, aye! This lantern was carried by my forefather’ — not fourth son, which is preposterous — ‘on the fifth of November. And HE was Guy Fawkes.’ Here we have a remark at once consistent, clear, natural, and in strict accordance with the character of the speaker. Indeed the anecdote is so plainly susceptible of this meaning and no other, that it would be hardly worth recording in its original state, were it not a proof of what may be (and very often is) affected not only in historical prose but in imaginative poetry, by the exercise of a little ingenious labour on the part of a commentator.
It has been said that there is no instance, in modern times, of a Chuzzlewit having been found on terms of intimacy with the Great. But here again the sneering detractors who weave such miserable figments from their malicious brains, are stricken dumb by evidence. For letters are yet in the possession of various branches of the family, from which it distinctly appears, being stated in so many words, that one Diggory Chuzzlewit was in the habit of perpetually dining with Duke Humphrey. So constantly was he a guest at that nobleman’s table, indeed; and so unceasingly were His Grace’s hospitality and companionship forced, as it were, upon him; that we find him uneasy, and full of constraint and reluctance; writing his friends to the effect that if they fail to do so and so by bearer, he will have no choice but to dine again with Duke Humphrey; and expressing himself in a very marked and extraordinary manner as one surfeited of High Life and Gracious Company.
It has been rumoured, and it is needless to say the rumour originated in the same base quarters, that a certain male Chuzzlewit, whose birth must be admitted to be involved in some obscurity, was of very mean and low descent. How stands the proof? When the son of that individual, to whom the secret of his father’s birth was supposed to have been communicated by his father in his lifetime, lay upon his deathbed, this question was put to him in a distinct, solemn, and formal way: ‘Toby Chuzzlewit, who was your grandfather?’ To which he, with his last breath, no less distinctly, solemnly, and formally replied: and his words were taken down at the time, and signed by six witnesses, each with his name and address in full: ‘The Lord No Zoo.’ It may be said — it HAS been said, for human wickedness has no limits — that there is no Lord of that name, and that among the titles which have become extinct, none at all resembling this, in sound even, is to be discovered. But what is the irresistible inference? Rejecting a theory broached by some well–meaning but mistaken persons, that this Mr Toby Chuzzlewit’s grandfather, to judge from his name, must surely have been a Mandarin (which is wholly insupportable, for there is no pretence of his grandmother ever having been out of this country, or of any Mandarin having been in it within some years of his father’s birth; except those in the tea–shops, which cannot for a moment be regarded as having any bearing on the question, one way or other), rejecting this hypothesis, is it not manifest that Mr Toby Chuzzlewit had either received the name imperfectly from his father, or that he had forgotten it, or that he had mispronounced it? and that even at the recent period in question, the Chuzzlewits were connected by a bend sinister, or kind of heraldic over–the–left, with some unknown noble and illustrious House?
From documentary evidence, yet preserved in the family, the fact is clearly established that in the comparatively modern days of the Diggory Chuzzlewit before mentioned, one of its members had attained to very great wealth and influence. Throughout such fragments of his correspondence as have escaped the ravages of the moths (who, in right of their extensive absorption of the contents of deeds and papers, may be called the general registers of the Insect World), we find him making constant reference to an uncle, in respect of whom he would seem to have entertained great expectations, as he was in the habit of seeking to propitiate his favour by presents of plate, jewels, books, watches, and other valuable articles. Thus, he writes on one occasion to his brother in reference to a gravy–spoon, the brother’s property, which he (Diggory) would appear to have borrowed or otherwise possessed himself of: ‘Do not be angry, I have parted with it — to my uncle.’ On another occasion he expresses himself in a similar manner with regard to a child’s mug which had been entrusted to him to get repaired. On another occasion he says, ‘I have bestowed upon that irresistible uncle of mine everything I ever possessed.’ And that he was in the habit of paying long and constant visits to this gentleman at his mansion, if, indeed, he did not wholly reside there, is manifest from the following sentence: ‘With the exception of the suit of clothes I carry about with me, the whole of my wearing apparel is at present at my uncle’s.’ This gentleman’s patronage and influence must have been very extensive, for his nephew writes, ‘His interest is too high’ — ‘It is too much’ — ‘It is tremendous’ — and the like. Still it does not appear (which is strange) to have procured for him any lucrative post at court or elsewhere, or to have conferred upon him any other distinction than that which was necessarily included in the countenance of so great a man, and the being invited by him to certain entertainment’s, so splendid and costly in their nature, that he calls them ‘Golden Balls.’
It is needless to multiply instances of the high and lofty station, and the vast importance of the Chuzzlewits, at different periods. If it came within the scope of reasonable probability that further proofs were required, they might be heaped upon each other until they formed an Alps of testimony, beneath which the boldest scepticism should be crushed and beaten flat. As a goodly tumulus is already collected, and decently battened up above the Family grave, the present chapter is content to leave it as it is: merely adding, by way of a final spadeful, that many Chuzzlewits, both male and female, are proved to demonstration, on the faith of letters written by their own mothers, to have had chiselled noses, undeniable chins, forms that might have served the sculptor for a model, exquisitely–turned limbs and polished foreheads of so transparent a texture that the blue veins might be seen branching off in various directions, like so many roads on an ethereal map. This fact in itself, though it had been a solitary one, would have utterly settled and clenched the business in hand; for it is well known, on the authority of all the books which treat of such matters, that every one of these phenomena, but especially that of the chiselling, are invariably peculiar to, and only make themselves apparent in, persons of the very best condition.
This history having, to its own perfect satisfaction, (and, consequently, to the full contentment of all its readers,) proved the Chuzzlewits to have had an origin, and to have been at one time or other of an importance which cannot fail to render them highly improving and acceptable acquaintance to all right–minded individuals, may now proceed in earnest with its task. And having shown that they must have had, by reason of their ancient birth, a pretty large share in the foundation and increase of the human family, it will one day become its province to submit, that such of its members as shall be introduced in these pages, have still many counterparts and prototypes in the Great World about us. At present it contents itself with remarking, in a general way, on this head: Firstly, that it may be safely asserted, and yet without implying any direct participation in the Manboddo doctrine touching the probability of the human race having once been monkeys, that men do play very strange and extraordinary tricks. Secondly, and yet without trenching on the Blumenbach theory as to the descendants of Adam having a vast number of qualities which belong more particularly to swine than to any other class of animals in the creation, that some men certainly are remarkable for taking uncommon good care of themselves.
Return to the Martin Chuzzlewit Summary Return to the Charles Dickens Library
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Home CelebritiesActress Glenn Close
Actress Glenn Close
Celebrities, Celebrity Q&A, People
https://americanprofile.com/articles/glenn-close-costumes/
By American Profile on June 10, 2001
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My children and I love Glenn Close's portrayal of Cruella DeVil in Disney's 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians. What can you tell us about her?
—Amy C., Alabama
Glenn Close is a former aerobics instructor and cast member of the touring group Up With People. She was born in Greenwich, Conn., in 1947 and has two sisters, Tina and Jessie, and a brother, Alexander. She attended boarding schools in Zaire and in Switzerland and holds a bachelor's degree in drama and anthropology from the College of William and Mary. Close is known around Hollywood for her immense collection of movie costumes. She even had a special clause written into her 101 Dalmatians contract that ensured that she would get to keep DeVil's clothes after production. Professionally, she has won Obie, Tony, and Emmy awards, and has five Oscar nominations to her credit.
Found in: Celebrities, Celebrity Q&A, People
Actress-singer Alyssa Milano
Comedian Bill Cosby
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HomeAmitabh BachchanThrowback Interview: Rekha Opened Up About Amitabh Bachchan’s Denial On Their Much-Talked Affair
Throwback Interview: Rekha Opened Up About Amitabh Bachchan’s Denial On Their Much-Talked Affair
She is the golden girl of Bollywood, he is the man with the Midas touch. She is the eternal beauty, he is still reigning the Bollywood and like how! By the end of the 70s era, Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan’s love affair made its way to the industry grapevine and became the cover story for most magazines. Their on-screen chemistry was beyond the measure of any rate-o-meters, and soon their off-screen chemistry too became the talk of the town.
“Pardesiya yeh sachh hai piya, sab kehte maine tujhko dil de diya…” – While Rekha has professed her love for her Silsila co-star, Amitabh Bachchan, the later has denied all such speculations. Rekha and Amitabh’s brewing love affair is one of the most-talked-about affairs even till date. The love story of these two legends of Bollywood started on the sets of the film, Do Anjaane (1976) when Amitabh was already a married man.
Read Also: After An Affair With Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha Got Married, But Soon Her Husband Committed Suicide
In a throwback interview with Filmfare in November 1984, Rekha talked about Amitabh Bachchan, relationships and also about having children. Speaking about Amitabh’s denial about their affair, Rekha shared with Filmfare, “Why should he have not done it? He did it to protect his image, to protect his family, to protect his children. I think it is beautiful, I don’t care what the public thinks of it. Why should the public know of my love for him or his love for me? I love him, he loves me – that’s it! I don’t care what anybody thinks. If he’d reacted that way towards me in private, I would have been very disappointed. But has he ever done that? I ask you. So why should I care about what he’s said in public? I know people must be saying bechari Rekha, pagal hai us par, phir bhi dekho. Maybe I deserve that pity. Not that he has 10 rollicking affairs! Mr Bachchan is still old-fashioned. He doesn’t want to hurt anybody, so why hurt his wife?”
Khubsoorat Rekha went on to say, “My reaction is not a typical reaction, I know that. But there’s a total fulfilment. We are human beings who love and accept each other for what we are. There’s more happiness in our lives than misery. Nothing else matters. But as long as I’m with that person, I don’t care. I cannot identify me with anyone else. Don’t publish this. For he’ll deny it. Then I’ll affirm it. Then there will be a statement from his camp saying, “No, no. she is nuts like Parveen Babi.” Then I’ll say “No, no. Parveen Babi is not here, but here I am to issue a statement.” Anyway, why should I be talking to you about my personal life? I am a very creative person. I have lots of interests. People love talking about my personal life. But I want to keep it to myself. Mr Bachchan is important to me, not to anybody else.”
Bollywood’s Umrao Jaan further talked about having kids and was quoted as saying, “My fantasy is to have lots of children. I hope it doesn’t remain a fantasy. My mother always tells me to have a child by the time I’m 30. I think it’s right. I want my children to physically grow with me. I don’t think there will be a communication gap, because I’m very forward. I think 100 years in advance. I enjoy the privacy of my home. But I want the emptiness of my houses to be filled with children. Just imagine, children running up the stairs. But I am determined not to have only two children, 12 minimum. There’s a fear in me though. You know Sophia Loren said you feel insecure at 40. I’m scared of being 30.”
However, she maintained that she would never have kids out of wedlock. Rekha remarked, “I regret not being married, not having children. I see my friends, all younger than me, married with children, visually acha lata hain. I’d love my children to be Librans. You know I used to love being a Libran. But I met this Libran whom I loved even more. No, No I’ll never have a child out of wedlock. Yes, it may be for personal reasons because I have seen what my mother has gone through, bringing up children without a father. I won’t deny a child that. Children these days are very selfish and demanding. At one and a half months, they already know what’s around them. They are aware. I wasn’t aware till I was 16. You can’t fool them. I don’t know when I have a child. I might never have one. After all, children may tie me down to domesticated life, and I have other dreams too.”
Life is too satisfying. Yet a woman I not complete without being a mother. But what guarantee is there that if I were to marry the man I love today, we’d have children? There might be something wrong with us. One must be satisfied with what one has. I’m very traditional. I just cannot think of having a child outside marriage. I’m very old-fashioned. Maybe I change my mind tomorrow. It’s a woman prerogative to keep changing.”
Phool Bane Angaray actress talked about being the ‘other woman’ and shared, “No one cares about what I have to say. I’m basically the other woman na? Parents are also embarrassed. Which parents will not be when their son has an affair? And image ki baat hain na. No one looks inside. The other party has this cute bechari image which fits beautifully. The impression is good na? I’m free. The other person can’t do that. Can’t leave him and go away. Mind you, this is a very good quality. If you can kill your desire and stick to someone in spite of knowing that this person loves somebody else, stay under the same roof. It shows strength. I must give her credit. It’s a plus point which I don’t possess. I won’t compromise. Give and take theek hain. But you might finish off the relationship if you compromise.”
Rekha opened up about being in a dead-end relationship, and further added, “Today, I cannot imagine being committed to anyone else. One feels bound to this relationship. After all, despite everything, it has gone on for 10 years. It’s incredible that it never stagnated. Touch wood. It might not on for another 10 days, who knows? Whatever has happened in my life, the growth, the vitamins, the pep, everything comes from him. But marriage? Why should you think of the impossible and be unhappy?”
Rekha concluded by saying, “The incident I learnt most from was the accident. What I didn’t learn in 27 years, I learnt in 6 months. It made me better, stronger and I’m proud that I came out of it confident enough to conquer the world. There were a lot of lies being spread. There was not an iota of truth. I couldn’t say anything. I just kept watching (voice breaks). Just imagine, I couldn’t communicate my feelings to that person. I couldn’t feel what he was going through. It was the worst kind of feeling. Even death won’t be that bad. I could accept death, but not this feeling of sheer helplessness. Absolute helplessness.”
Rekha is someone who never shied away from the prying eyes of the media, rather she dared to bare it all in front of everyone. She is extremely honest, and that’s what we all love about her. Rekha was, is and will always be an iconic Bollywood diva!
Images courtesy: Instagram
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Chehre: Mouni Roy exits Amitabh Bachchan & Emraan Hashmi starrer movie due to her busy schedule? Find out
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr A source close to the development said that Mouni’s kitty is full with some amazing projects. After Brahmastra the actress has a lot of other commitments. After Kriti Kharbanda’s exit from […]
On The Kapil Sharma Show, Waheeda Rehman recalls how she slapped Amitabh Bachchan on the sets of Reshma Aur Shera
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Veteran actors Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh and Helen visited the The Kapil Sharma Show recently and entertained the audience with tales from the golden era of Bollywood. Kapil reminded Waheeda about […]
Amitabh Bachchan to work in a film about the LGBT community?
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Known for his critically acclaimed short film Sisak, Faraz Ansari is all set for his big feature film now. His first feature film is about a Parsi woman and her tryst […]
Kyun Rabba’ from ‘Badla’ is a melancholic track
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Love for his craft is the key to Amitabh Bachchan’s long career: Hema Malini
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ANDREW GALLIX
Tag Archives: benedict cumberbatch
The World Without Me
Posted on January 27, 2014 by agallix
This piece appeared in Necessary Fiction on 15 January 2014:
He dives out of the water on to a lilo: finds himself mounting Mrs Robinson. Her eyes are closed. Her lips ajar. In this shot, Mrs Robinson reminds me of a pietà. Benjamin reminds me of an airborne penguin, exiting the ocean, and landing on its breast. Her breasts, in this instance, as well as his. His on hers — missionary position. Just before, Benjamin is seen doing the breaststroke underwater; swimming for dear life towards the safety of the lilo, as though pursued by some phantom shark (the lilo, of course, is the shark). Although the soundtrack is Simon & Garfunkel’s wistful “April Come She Will,” a post-1975 spectator cannot but hear the ominous two-note theme from Jaws underneath. It grows louder in the mind’s ear, rising to the surface with all the inevitability of tragedy. Benjamin falls as much as he leaps; flops down on his lilo-lady like one who has just been shot, or struck by lightning. Baudelaire likens the swain panting over his sweetheart to a dying man lovingly caressing his own gravestone — a couplet from “Hymn to Beauty” that is slightly misquoted in Truffaut’s Jules and Jim. Mrs Robinson is indeed the airbag that causes the crash; the womtomb on which Benjamin (like that other Robinson) is marooned. The couple’s loveless affair is an accident that has been waiting to happen ever since Elaine — Mrs Robinson’s daughter, with whom Benjamin is destined to elope — was conceived in the back of a Ford. A Ford featured in J. G. Ballard’s Crashed Cars exhibition, held in a London gallery three years before the publication of his famous novel (Crash, 1973). The future sprouts fin tales. In the beginning, of course, was Marinetti’s car crash: “We thought it was dead, my good shark, but I woke it with a single caress of its powerful back, and it was revived running as fast as it could on its fins” (“The Futurist Manifesto,” 1909). Here, one thinks of Warhol’s series of silkscreened car crashes, Mrs Robinson having abandoned her arts degree due to her pregnancy.
Soon Benjamin will need to escape, choose some course of action. He is on a collision course with Elaine, the accident that has already happened. In the meantime, he is a castaway adrift upon shimmering amniotic fluid. A young man without qualities, in trunks and sunglasses, cradling a can of beer on his belly — Bartleby Californian-stylee. I like him best when he just goes with the flow; that is, when he goes nowhere. The camera lingers longingly on the texture of the ripples. Sunny constellations twinkle on the celestial water’s surface. Benjamin, recumbent on his lilo, fades out as the ever-morphing abstract of light reflections fades in.
The foregrounding of the background — putting the setting centre stage — is perhaps what cinema does best. In a movie, the world simply is whatever meaning the director attempts to project upon it. Neither meaningful nor meaningless, it is there and there it is. End of story. Reality reimposes itself, in all its awesome weirdness, through its sheer presence, or at least the ghost of its presence. Alain Robbe-Grillet (a filmmaker as well as a nouveau romancier) highlights the way in which cinema unwittingly subverts the narcotic of narrative; the auteur’s reassuring reordering of chaos:
In the initial [traditional] novel, the objects and gestures forming the very fabric of the plot disappeared completely, leaving behind only their signification: the empty chair became only absence or expectation, the hand placed on the shoulder became a sign of friendliness, the bars on the window became only the impossibility of leaving. …But in the cinema, one sees the chair, the movement of the hand, the shape of the bars. What they signify remains obvious, but instead of monopolizing our attention, it becomes something added, even something in excess, because what affects us, what persists in our memory, what appears as essential and irreducible to vague intellectual concepts are the gestures themselves, the objects, the movements, and the outlines, to which the image has suddenly (and unintentionally) restored their reality.
I want to write like Benjamin Braddock, from air mattress to pneumatic bliss in one impossible match on action.
Here is a passage from “Celesteville’s Burning” where I fail to do so:
When the ink ran out of her biro, Zanzibar produced a pencil from his inside pocket with a little flourish. ‘Men,’ he said, ‘alwez ave two penceuls.’ He almost winked, but thought better of it. ‘Women,’ she said a little later, sitting on his face, wearing nothing but her high-heeled boots, ‘always have two pairs of lips.’ She almost added Try these on for size, big boy, but thought better of it too.
I want to write like Benjamin Braddock, my words shipwrecked on the body they have been lured to. Eyes closed; lips ajar.
In an older short story — “Sweet Fanny Adams” — the protagonist happens upon a young woman in a railway station, and senses, instantly, that he has found his sense of loss:
Although he had never actually seen her before, he recognised her at once, and once he had recognised her, he realised he would never see her again. After all, not being there was what she was all about; it was the essence of her being, her being Fanny Adams and all that.
As he walked towards the bench where she was sitting pretty, Adam missed her already. Missed her bad.
‘How do you do?’
‘How do I do what? The imperfect stranger looked up from her slim, calf-bound volume and flashed him a baking-soda smile, all cocky like.
When my father took me to see The Graduate in the mid-70s, I was seized by a strange nostalgia for a homeland I had never known. In this sun-dappled “status symbol land” where charcoal is “burning everywhere” — as The Monkees sang on “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” released in 1967, the same year as the movie — I recognised my own sense of loss. The prelapsarian beach scenes in Jaws put me in similarly melancholy mood: all those healthy, happy families, and their dogs, enjoying spring break without (Roy Scheider excepted) a care in the world. Of course, a great white was about to blacken the mood somewhat, but I would experience this attack as the reenactment of an earlier trauma. The shark had already got me. Perhaps the shark has got us all, always-already.
A bespectacled woman wearing a hideous floral swimsuit and a floppy yellow hat detaches herself from the crowd massed at the edge of the sea. Like a Benjamin Britten character, she ventures into the water, calls out her son’s name, catches sight of his shredded lilo floating in a pale pool of blood. Her hat is a brighter shade of yellow than the lilo.
I reference this scene, albeit obliquely, in “Fifty Shades of Grey Matter”:
Valentin was lurking at the far end of the grand ballroom. He tried to picture himself à rebours, as though he were another, but failed to make the imaginative leap. A blinding flash of bald patch — the kind he occasionally glimpsed on surveillance monitors — was all he could conjure up: Friedrich’s Wanderer with rampant alopecia. He squinted at the polished floorboards, and slowly looked up as the world unfolded, leaving him behind. He was James Stewart in Vertigo; Roy Scheider in Jaws. He was the threshold he could never cross. At the far end of the grand ballroom Valentin was lurking.
Watching the world go by from a pavement cafe is a highly civilised activity, one we should all indulge in more often, I think. Its main drawback, however, is that we cannot abstract ourselves from the world we are observing. Like Valentin, we are the threshold we can never cross. There is a strand within modern literature that yearns for an experience of reality that would be untainted by human thought, language, and subjectivity. My hunch is that movies get closest to achieving this. As Stanley Cavell argues in The World Viewed, cinema provides access to a “world complete without me”:
A world complete without me which is present to me is the world of my immortality. This is an importance of film — and a danger. It takes my life as my haunting of the world.
Marcello Mastroianni always struck me as a character in search of a movie he had stumbled out of by accident. We used to live on the same street, Marcello and I, and we both frequented the same cafe. It was called Le Mandarin in those days; now Le Mondrian. We were both creatures of habit, always sitting in the exact same spot. We never spoke, not in so many words, but he often silently acknowledged my presence, gratifying me with a glance or a half-smile as he walked past my table. After all, we were often the only customers there. No sooner had the venerable actor been served than a strange performance, straight out of commedia dell’arte, would begin. One of the waiters stood at the entrance, on the lookout for Mastroianni’s partner, film director Anna Maria Tatò. When she finally loomed into view — often accompanied by a retinue of well-heeled Italian friends — the waiter gave a discreet signal to his colleagues, who would whisk away the actor’s glass and ashtray. Another waiter would spray a few squirts of air freshener to ensure that Marcello’s missus did not suspect that he was still a heavy smoker, while yet another produced a fresh cup of coffee to ensure that she did not suspect he was still a heavy drinker. One of Mastroianni’s friends once applauded the garçons’ performance, shouting “Bravo! Bravo!” (in Italian) just as Mrs Tatò walked in, right on cue.
Simon de La Brosse was working as a waiter in Montmartre, when he was discovered by Eric Rohmer, who cast him in Pauline at the Beach (1983). I knew him a little. We attended the same school for a couple of years; lived in the same neighbourhood. It was shortly after he had told me about Rohmer that I noticed how all the girls watched him longingly that time he played volleyball at school. It could have been basketball, come to think of it now, but I am fairly sure that he was sporting similar shorts to those he would wear in Pauline — blue with white stripes down the side. Only they may have been red or orange, and unstriped. Definitely unstriped. He went on to become one of French cinema’s rising hearthrobs in the 80s and early 90s, playing, for instance, alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg in The Little Thief, or Sandrine Bonnaire in The Innocents. Although he was cast in major films by the likes of André Téchiné and Olivier Assayas, it is difficult not to reinterpret Simon’s career in light of how it ended. Here are three examples:
1. In Garçon!, starring Yves Montand, Simon plays the part of a waiter in a brasserie, as though he were doomed to return to his day job. He is frequently on screen, but those appearances are so brief that he is gone by the time you recognise him. To add insult to injury, he does not utter a single word throughout.
2. Simon was given a few lines in Betty Blue. They were not very good ones, however, and the entire scene was cut from the film when it was released in 1986 (although it was reinstated in the 1991 version).
3. One of my favourite clips of Simon is a silent screen test shot at the Cannes Film Festival. The fact that we even know at what time of day filming took place (11.45 am on 16 May 1986) is particularly poignant. Here he makes the most of his theatrical training and miming talents, as well as his immense charm. He reminds me of a matinee idol, or a dashing early-20th century aviator; perhaps one who soared too high, ending up in another dimension. Simon seems to be talking to us from behind a thick glass partition, which renders his words inaudible. His career nose-dived in the 1990s. In 1998 he took his life somewhere else. Sometimes, I fancy I can almost hear him on the other side of the pane.
What seems natural in a movie is precisely what does not come naturally in real life. The on-screen character is usually pure being: she seems to coincide perfectly with herself. The experience of being an off-screen human being, however, is essentially one of non-coincidence. As Giorgio Agamben puts it, “The human being is the being that is lacking to itself and that consists solely in this lack and in the errancy it opens”. You walk out of a western feeling like a cowboy, but the swagger soon wears off, and self-consciousness returns. This self-consciousness is the consciousness of the “gap between me and myself” Fernando Pessoa speaks about. I suspect Simon de La Brosse struggled with the paradox, shared by many actors, of only feeling truly alive when he was not playing his own part. Tom McCarthy reflects upon all this in his first novel, Remainder:
The other thing that struck me as we watched the film was how perfect De Niro was. Every move he made, each gesture was perfect, seamless. Whether it was lighting up a cigarette or opening a fridge door or just walking down the street: he seemed to execute the action perfectly, to live it, to merge with it until he was it and it was him and there was nothing in between.
In real life you can only find yourself by losing yourself, and there is no happy end. This may be what Simon is mouthing through the pane.
At one point in Ben Lerner’s Leaving the Atocha Station, the narrator confesses, “I felt like a character in The Passenger, a movie I had never seen”. Well, I frequently feel like a character in Mauvais Sang, a movie I have never seen (although that did not prevent me from mentioning it in one of my stories). In 1986, when Leos Carax’s film came out, there was a massive student strike in France. We occupied the Sorbonne for the first (and last) time since May 1968, and almost brought the right-wing government to its knees. I remember a couple of girls playing “White Riot” on a little cassette recorder during the occupation, and thinking that this moment was The Clash’s raison d’être. Joe Strummer would have been so proud of us. The voltigeurs — a police motorcycle unit created in the wake of the 1968 student uprising — was deployed in order to transform a peaceful movement (that was largely supported by the general public) into a violent one, thus triggering a cycle of disorder and repression. Behind the driver sat a truncheon-toting thug whose mission was to hit anything that moved. On one occasion, I looked on in disbelief as they beat up a couple of harmless old-age pensioners who were probably walking home after a night out at the pictures.
On another, I narrowly escaped the voltigeurs by hiding under a roadworks hut. When I got home, in the wee hours, I switched on the radio and learned that a fellow student had been killed only a cobblestone’s throw from my hideout. Some of the screams I had heard may have been his. After the strike, a group of us launched a student magazine called Le Temps révolu. We chose the title by opening Zarathustra at random until we found something we liked the sound of. Editorial meetings were held at a Greek student’s flat. He was called Costas, and had fled his homeland in order to escape military service. According to rumours, he had been a kind of Cohn-Bendit figure back in Greece. All in all, we produced two issues, which we sold half-heartedly outside our university. In the first one — by far the best — a girl called Myriam had written an intriguing review of Mauvais Sang — a film which, for me, came to embody the spirit of 86, despite having never seen it. Or perhaps it was for that very reason. Myriam (if that is indeed her name) was one of at least two girlfriends Costas was sleeping with, although not (as far as I know) simultaneously. I have absolutely no idea what the other one was called, but I can vaguely conjure up her tomboyish features. The last time I bumped into Myriam and Costas, they were scrutinising pictures from Down By Law and Stranger Than Paradise outside an arthouse cinema — possibly the same one those pensioners had left before being assaulted by the police. Costas: if you are reading this, I still have your copy of Bourdieu’s Distinction that you lent me almost three decades ago.
I cannot say when I first visited New York. I can only say, for sure, when I visited it again. Again for the first time. That was in August 1981. My immediate impression was akin to the one I had had while watching The Graduate or Jaws: a sense of a homecoming to a place that was alien to me. On every street corner, a feeling of déjà vu. Travelling to this Unreal City from Europe felt like travelling forward into the future (TV on tap! Bars and restaurants open all night!) but also backward into one’s past. We were the first generation to have been brought up in front of the television, suckled on American movies and series. I grimaced at Peter Falk when I spotted him in a Greenwich Village restaurant — to keep up the punk front — but deep down I was very impressed indeed. Initially, we followed the tourist trail, always on the lookout for signs of local punk activity. We caught The Stimulators playing at CBGB’s after seeing an ad in a copy of The Village Voice we read on the ferry back from Liberty Island. Their drummer — a very intense little skinhead called Harley Flanagan, who could not have been older than 14 — filled us in on the New York scene, and gave us a few tips as to where to go, over a game of pinball. If Benjamin and Elaine in The Graduate had produced a son straight away, I reckon he would have looked a lot like this diminutive skinhead. He would have attended boisterous gigs by the Circle Jerks (a Californian band I discovered on that New York trip) where I picture him moshing to “Beverley Hills”:
Beverly Hills, Century city
Everything’s so nice and pretty
All the people look the same
Don’t they know they’re so damn lame.
There is a striking blankness, a radical affectlessness to Benjamin and Mrs Robinson’s demeanour and character; a vacancy to their mating rituals, that hark back to existentialism but point to punk. Even when Benjamin claims to be “taking it easy,” there is an angst-ridden edginess — a white suburban nihilism — to his professed aloofness. The early street and drive-in scenes may be teeming with strategically-placed beatnik hipsters; the attitude, however (in the first part of the movie at least), is pure punk.
Back in New York, we were soon immersed in the burgeoning hardcore scene — slam dancing, the A7 club in the East Village, hanging out with H.R. from the Bad Brains — which embraced us on account of our quaint London accents, as well as our look which pretty much outpunked anyone else in town at the time.
We had decided to leave our cameras at home in order to experience the city fully — to merge with it rather than remain on the outside looking in (or up at the skyscrapers). As a result, we have no record of all the adventures we lived through, all the wonderful characters we met, and our increasingly hazy memories are constantly being rewritten. Paradoxically, there must be dozens of pictures of us knocking about as people kept taking our picture on the street. At first we kept count, but within a few days we were already in the hundreds, so gave up.
It is difficult to express how thrilled I was whenever I discovered an outdoor basketball court that seemed to have come straight out of West Side Story. The more it resembled a film set, the more realistic it felt. A year earlier, I had gone to see that movie almost ten times in the space of a few weeks. Leaving the cinema was an exile. West Side Story inhabited me, and New York felt like I had moved in at last.
We cried on the day we had to go back, and resolved to return soon; for good this time. The plan was to sell hot dogs and be free. Life, however, got in the way.
The second time I visited New York was in 1999. It no longer felt like travelling into the future, and I was unable to find my way back to the past.
I once was an extra in an episode of a French TV series starring a bunch of ropey old luvvies. This must have been around 1982. They were shooting a scene that was supposed to take place in a punk club, so they rounded up a few local punks at the Bains Douches to make it look authentic. All we were meant to do was sit, hang, or dance around. And act punk. I mainly sat, when I was not skulking in some dark (dank?) corner. For some reason, the producers had also hired a handful of young actors dressed in what they believed to be punk attire. In reality, they resembled tabloid caricatures of what some part-time punks may have vaguely looked like down at The Roxy a good five years earlier. By 1982, it was all studded leather jackets and outsize multicoloured mohicans. Nina Childress and Helno, who were both members of Lucrate Milk, really stood out. Nina is now a painter. Helno, who went on to find fame with Les Négresses Vertes, is now a corpse.
The atmosphere soon became so tense that the production team almost called it a day. Each time the punked-up extras were called in for a retake, they were ambushed in an increasingly enthusiastic mosh pit. It felt like smashing The Spectacle. In the end, we were paid (200 francs each if memory serves) and asked to leave. We could not, though, because a gang of skinheads was waiting for us outside. They wanted to smash The Spectacle too, and we were it. I caught the episode, by chance, when it was broadcast a few months later. I believe you can spot my bleached spiky hair on occasion, but overall I had done a pretty good job of remaining invisible.
Someone should compile all the exterior scenes in movies where a “real” passerby turns round to look at the camera, thus shattering the illusion of authenticity. In “The Sign of Three,” which was on television last week, there is a brief sequence during which Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson (Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman) cross the bridge over the lake in St James’s Park. On the left-hand side, a redhead in a skirt suit can be seen walking away from them; from us. She holds a Burberry-style raincoat in one arm, a briefcase in the other, and embodies everything that can never be put into words. I defy anyone — irrespective of gender or sexual preference — to watch this extract without zeroing on her. Naturally, I assumed that she was an extra with a walk-on, or rather walk-away, part, but on second viewing I noticed that she turns round when the camera is sufficiently remote. As she does so, she is subtly pixelated, so that she remains anonymous, and therefore part of the background, the tapestry of London commuter life. What is the status of this lady who is the secret subject of this segment? What is the status of all those passersby who do not pass by as they should? And what is the status of all those who do act as they are expected to — as though a film were not in the process of being shot? “I’m living in this movie, but it doesn’t move me,” as Howard Devoto sang in a Mickey Mouse voice on Buzzcocks’ “Boredom”. Are such unwitting extras — the anonymous people you cannot look up on Wikipedia — truly part of the work (cinema’s effet de réel), or are they merely interlopers? My contention is that they are the element of chance Marcel Duchamp invited into his work, but which only ever turned up unbidden (when the two panels of The Large Glass were accidentally, but artfully, shattered, for instance).
One of the iconic scenes in Lewis Gilbert’s Alfie (1966) sees Gilda (Julia Foster) running through a market and a side-street strewn with urchins. Its sleek lightness of touch vaguely recalls the Nouvelle Vague, but this sentimental working-class tableau is too reminiscent of cinéma vérité to be truly spontaneous. The children, who may well have lived in the Victorian houses that line the street, have clearly been strategically placed; their games choreographed. Just before, as Gilda catches a double decker en route to Alfie’s, three schoolkids can be spotted through the window walking towards a bus stop. They have nothing to do with the film, but are still part of it. Its living part perhaps. Whenever I watch that brief clip, there they are, back in 1966, walking to the bus stop after school. For ever going home.
[This essay was commissioned by Nicholas Rombes, who was Writer in Residence at Necessary Fiction in December 2013-January 2014. It was part of a series of fiction and non-fiction pieces on the theme of “movie writing”.]
Posted in Non-fiction / Tagged 1986, a7 club, alain robbe-grillet, alfie, ana da silva, andré téchiné, andrew gallix, andy warhol, anna maria tatò, bad brains, bartleby, baudelaire, ben lerner, benedict cumberbatch, benjamin braddock, betty blue, beverley hills, boredom, bourdieu, buzzcocks, cannes film festival, CBGB, celesteville's burning, charles baudelaire, charlotte gainsbourg, cinéma vérité, circle jerks, crash, crashed cars exhibition, daniel cohn-bendit, distinction, down by law, dr watson, east village, effet de réel, eric rohmer, fernando pessoa, fifty shades of grey matter, françois truffaut, futurist manifesto, garçon!, gilda, giorgio agamben, greenwich village, hardcore, harley flanagan, helno, howard devoto, hr, hymn to beauty, james stewart, jaws, jg ballard, jim jarmusch, joe strummer, jules and jim, julia foster, le temps révolu, leaving the atocha station, leos carax, les bains douches, lewis gilbert, london, lucrate milk, marcel duchamp, marcello mastroianni, marinetti, martin freeman, mauvais sang, may 68, montmartre, mrs robinson, necessary fiction, nicholas rombes, nietzsche, nina childress, nouveau roman, nouvelle vague, olivier assayas, paris, pauline at the beach, peter falk, pierre bourdieu, pleasant valley sunday, punk, remainder, roy scheider, sandrine bonnaire, sherlock holmes, simon & garfunkel, simon de la brosse, skinheads, slam dancing, sorbonne, sostène zanzibar, st james's park, stanley cavell, stranger than paradise, sweet fanny adams, the clash, the graduate, the innocents, the large glass, the little thief, the monkees, the passenger, the sign of three, the spectacle, the stimulators, the world viewed, the world without me, tom mccarthy, vertigo, voltigeurs, west side story, white riot, yves montand, zarathustra / Leave a comment
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Barbara J. Anello-Adnani
Barbara J. Anello
Visual artist, documentary photographer and educator, Anello-Adnani has lived and worked in Indonesia and Morocco and taught in Thailand, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and New York. As Fulbright Senior Research Scholar in Art History: Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia (2008), she documented vernacular architecture. With the Moroccan Ministry of Artisanat, Meknes Delegation, and the U.S. Peace Corps, she worked with women weavers of the Middle Atlas Mountains (2006-2008). Her paintings of Balinese performing artists, done while living in Bali (1992-2002), illustrate Dibia and Ballinger's Balinese Dance, Drama and Music, (Periplus, 2005). She is a contributor to Habitat: World Vernacular Architecture, (Thames & Hudson and Abrams, 2017), and her documentary photographs are in public collections, including Archnet; ARTstor; the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dance Division; the Library of Congress, Jakarta; the Singapore National Archives and others. With Tersik Ginting, she co-nominated Lingga Village, North Central Sumatra to the World Monuments Fund Watchlist, resulting in the restoration of four traditional structures (2012-14).
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Street view to a wooden gate in old town
al-Ula
Barbara J. Anello-Adnani (photographer)
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al-'Ula, Saudi Arabia
Hejaz Railway Train Station
Madain Saleh, Saudi Arabia
Mada'in Saleh
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Saturday, August 8 • 11:50pm - Sunday, August 9 •12:10am
Bonnie & Bridget of Elephant Revival featuring performance art by Fractal Tribe
This will be Bonnie Paine's debut performance on the cello playing her original compositions and accompanied by Bridget Law on the fiddle! These compositions are engaging and unique pieces that have been written and curated over the last 10 years as Bonnie has taught herself to play this delicate string instrument. This show is a collaboration with the acrobats, aerialists and fire dancers in the Boulder-based circus group Fractal Tribe. All talented performers, this show will be a lovely part of the story in the collaborations between the original music written by the ladies in Elephant Revival and the extraordinary dancers in Fractal Tribe!
Fractal Tribe is a badass and sexy tribe of artists, engineers, and performers who produce consistent performance art that is not to be missed. Their skill in combining theatrics with dance, fire, acrobatics, aerial arts, and music creates more than a show but a full visual, auditory and kinesthetic experience. In addition to creating provocative and inspiring entertainment pieces, Fractal Tribe also enjoys leading workshops, developing community and sustainability projects, and exploring cutting edge performance technologies. Fractal Tribe’s mission is to be an inspiration to reach beyond the imagined limits and catch the real dreams thought impossible.
Saturday August 8, 2015 11:50pm - Sunday August 9, 2015 12:10am
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Our Thirty Wonder Years
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of its founding, the Armenian Bar Association returned to the place of its provenance, exhilarated with the energy and excitement of the Los Angeles metropolis, to convene its annual meeting on the weekend of June 28-30, 2019.
The conference showcased the Association’s enduring activism and valuable output in one of its seminal dimensions: the protection, respect and importance of the human and civil rights of Armenians around the world and, in particular, in our homelands of Armenia and Artsakh. The special guests from abroad were the Honorable Arman Tatoyan, Ombudsman and Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, Artak Beglaryan, Ombudsman and Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh, and Robert Avetisyan, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Artsakh to the United States of America.
“We were incredibly honored that Dr. Tatoyan, Mr. Beglaryan and Mr. Avetisyan graciously accepted our invitation to attend and participate as our keynote speakers for our 30th annual meeting where our attendees learned of their outstanding and ground-breaking work in the field of human rights. A very special added bonus was the presence and participation throughout the weekend of our Association’s founding father, Raffi K. Hovannisian,” said Chairman Gerard V. Kassabian. [See Hovannisian video.]
The conference schedule began on Friday, June 28th, with a meeting of the 18-member Board of Governors, where the Association’s leadership rolled up their sleeves and examined, with an eye towards improvement and innovation, the work of its robust collection of committees. Following the Board meeting, members and guests were treated to a festive and entertaining reception under the Southern California’s shining stars at the finely-appointed outdoor deck of the luxurious Sheraton Grand Hotel. In a true reflection of the Association’s broad and all-embracing appeal, gathered together in the spirit of fun and fellowship were our founding members, judges, law professors, law students, friends and family. [See photos.]
The meeting on Saturday morning began with a plenary session where the multi-faceted workings of the Association’s affairs were shared and discussed. Reports were provided by Student Affairs Committee Co-Chairs Aleksan Giragosian and Zepur Simonian, Scholarship Committee member Saro Kerkonian, Armenian Rights Watch Committee and Artsakh Law Initiative Committee Co-Chair Karnig Kerkonian, Armenian Genocide Reparations Committee Chairman Armen K. Hovannisian, Pro Bono Committee member Lucy Varpetian. The Nominations Committee then presented the slate of recommended members to the Board of Governors. The nominees, two accomplished newcomers and four incumbents, were unanimously approved by the membership. [See photos.]
“We are thrilled that Deputy District Attorney Alex Hrag Bastian of San Francisco and esteemed civil litigator Souren Israelyan of New York City, along with a team of veteran members, were elected to three-year terms on the Board of Governors. They bring the passion and energy to carry forward the positive momentum that the Armenian Bar Association has developed in the past several years,” said Co-Vice Chairwoman Lucy Varpetian.
After the business portion of the meeting, the first signature panel discussion explored the plunder of historic Armenia’s native culture and civilization and an examined the legal opportunities and challenges in restoring some of what was wrongfully taken. Moderated by Board member Armen K. Hovannisian, the panel opened with a riveting visual presentation by attorney Matthew Karanian rooted in his monumental pictorial and documentary work of critical acclaim, “The Armenian Highland.” Mr. Karanian presented a photographic simulation of his travels through Western Armenia documenting the evidence of religious sites, cultural artifacts and the remains of the heart-breaking ruins throughout the region. [See Karanian video.] Then, in a most timely and illuminating presentation for the attendees, Thaddeus Stauber of Nixon Peabody, LLP spoke candidly about the often windy and uphill road to recover articles and areas of cultural heritage. His perspective was thought-provoking, sobering and constructive insofar as Mr. Stauber is known to represent successfully the world’s leading cultural institutions and foreign sovereigns in connection with Nazi looted art claims. His candid view from the other side of the litigation divide provided valuable lessons which will go a long way in informing future Armenian Genocide-related restitution efforts. [See Stauber video.]
The morning session was followed by a sumptuous luncheon where the guest speaker was the Honorable Gassia Apkarian, Judge of the Superior Court of California for the County of Orange. Following a light-hearted, engaging, and endearing introduction by Superior Court Judge Maria Daghlian-Hernandez, Judge Apkarian offered her personal and professional insights with respect to former governmental administrations of the Republic of Armenia and posed constructive critiques of the current state of the Republic’s judiciary.
After the luncheon, the nearly one hundred people in attendance listened and engaged with great interest the second signature panel moderated by Board member Garo B. Ghazarian. The audience heard of the extraordinary work of the Ombudsmen and Human Rights Defenders of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh. Messrs. Tatoyan and Beglaryan each provided a comprehensive overview of the purpose of their offices and how they and their staff members go about achieving their institutional objectives. Both Ombudsmen emphasized that their positions are non-partisan and that they do not serve at the whim or direction of the government in power, but rather are independent investigatory and advocacy bodies. They also described how their professional independence is safeguarded by the fact that they are not subject to recall by any of the branches of government. [See video.]
The weekend ended with a big bang and beautiful tribute. A dazzling celebration of the monumental lifetime achievements of Judge Dickran Tevrizian took place at the magnificent California Club where more than three hundred guests came to honor the pioneering work and regal influence of Judge Tevrizian and to mark and revel in the Association’s thirty years of excellence and virtue. [See Tevrizian video.] [See photos.]
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Ben Foster as Stanley Kowalski
The Unraveling of Blanche Dubois
Posted on May 30, 2016 by Deirdre M. DeLoatch
It’s super fantastic! Young Vic’s production of Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire is worthy of every minute of this nearly three and a half hour long production, and of any accolades that it has received. Directed by Benedict Andrews with a superb creative team and awesome actors, this performance is emotive, it is heart wrenching. At the end of the performance, I started to shed tears. It is powerful. The family dynamics are evident to the extent that one can feel Stella’s pain at emotionally losing her sister and one can feel Mitch’s anger toward Stanley (This acting and directing intensity is what I longed to see in A Long Day’s Journey into Night). This production drew me into the story. I felt the anger, the rage, the intensity of emotion among the characters. Gillian Anderson, from the “X Files”, stars as Blanche Dubois, Ben Foster, from “Six Feet Under”, plays Stanley Kowalski, Corey Johnson stars as Mitch and Vanessa Kirby plays Stella Kowalski. Nearly two years ago, I saw the filmed version of this Young Vic production. I knew that a live performance would be levels greater, but I had no idea that the space at St. Ann’s Warehouse would greatly transform the play. This performance is theater in the round. The entire stage rotates slowly throughout the performance , with the audience seated around the stage, allowing the audience to see the play from different angles. At no time is the audience cheated as the stage rotates. The rotation, nevertheless, adds to the performance because it draws the audience into the play. St. Ann’s new space has the ability to convert to the demands of each play. The creative team amplifies this play to great heights. The crescendo of sound also transports the audience from scene to scene and the lights either illuminate or hide Blanche’s character. The costumes, the sound design, stellar acting, and brilliant lighting all work together to bring this magnificent story to a worthy stage.
A Streetcar Named Desire is set in New Orleans just after World War II. It is set in a modest neighborhood in the Latin Quarter of New Orleans. Streetcar tells the story of Blanche Dubois, the younger sister of Stella Kowalski. Blanche visits her sister’s home after losing her family home and her job. Blanche, however, fails to disclose the events leading up to her visit. Often inebriated, she fails to face reality. She still lives in the glory days of the past and makes her sister feel as if she is a failure. Blanche meets Stanley, Stella’s husband for the first time and dislikes him. He soon dislikes her as she attempts to place a wedge between him and Stella. Blanche meets Mitch, a man in whom she becomes interested. Stanley, suspicious of Blanche’s behavior, delves into her past. He learns that she prostituted herself at a hotel in her home town and that she lost her job as a teacher because of her lewd activities. Stanley tells Mitch about Blanche’s past. Mitch then severs their relationship. During all of this, Blanche unravels and drinks more and more to the point of becoming addled. Stanley in a fit of rage rapes her, while Stella is at the hospital after giving birth to their child. Blanche never emotionally recovers. At the end, Stella has made arrangements for the emotionally and physically battered Blanche to be hospitalized. At the end, Stella sobs as Blanche is taken away to a sanatorium.
Gillian Anderson as Blanche Dubois
The acting throughout the performance illuminates the characters and the play’s themes. Gillian Anderson plays Blanche wonderfully. When she first arrives on the set, we see her in all of her splendor, although it is a facade. Her clothing, her hair, and her voice all epitomize a southern belle. She maintains her southern accent although the performance. Her gestures, her stance, her walk all exemplify a woman from a high class status in life although she has fallen from her perch. As Anderson performs, the audience begins to feel sympathy for Blanche because we realize that Blanche is unraveling as the action rises. Anderson depicts a woman who falls further into an emotional breakdown. Moreover, Anderson and the others perform greatly because of Benedict Andrews’s awesome directing. Anderson stupendously portrays an emotionally wrecked Blanche, whose mind is greatly fragile and is unconscious of her own mental state. Ben Foster plays a pugnacious Stanley. He acts perfectly to show his contempt for Blanche. He intensifies his anger and his rage through his voice inflection, his countenance, as well as his movement. Foster is equally intense when showing his affection toward Stella. Both Kirby and Johson also play memorable supporting roles. At the close of the play, as Blanche is taken away, she and the doctor walk hand and hand slowly around the rotating set, giving the audience a full view of her emotional breakdown as Stella continues sobbing uncontrollably as the stage goes dark. The greatest irony is that she arrives at the beginning of the play at Elysian Fields, which, as she says, appears to be anything but that! She has arrived at dystopia, although real and not imagined, instead!
This production is one of the best. Rush to get your ticket today! This performance ends on June 4, 2016. You will not be disappointed. Try the standby line for tickets. It is worth it!
Posted in Play Review Tagged A Streetcar Named Desire, Ben Foster as Stanley Kowalski, Benedict Andrews, Corey Johnson, Gillian Anderson as Blanche Dubois, St Anns Warehouse, Tennessee Williams Streetcar Named Desire, vanessa Kirby 1 Comment
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Alcohol Consumption at Midlife and Successful Ageing in Women: A Prospective Cohort Analysis in the Nurses' Health Study
Qi Sun, Mary K. Townsend, Olivia I. Okereke, Eric B. Rimm, et al
https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001090
http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001090
http://www.mendeley.com/research/alcohol-consumption-midlife-successful-ageing-women-prospective-cohort-analysis-nurses-health-study-1
{"title"=>"Alcohol consumption at midlife and successful ageing in women: A prospective cohort analysis in the nurses' health study", "type"=>"journal", "authors"=>[{"first_name"=>"Qi", "last_name"=>"Sun", "scopus_author_id"=>"55245866000"}, {"first_name"=>"Mary K.", "last_name"=>"Townsend", "scopus_author_id"=>"35235470600"}, {"first_name"=>"Olivia I.", "last_name"=>"Okereke", "scopus_author_id"=>"8613630300"}, {"first_name"=>"Eric B.", "last_name"=>"Rimm", "scopus_author_id"=>"56457771800"}, {"first_name"=>"Frank B.", "last_name"=>"Hu", "scopus_author_id"=>"36038688700"}, {"first_name"=>"Meir J.", "last_name"=>"Stampfer", "scopus_author_id"=>"55541278700"}, {"first_name"=>"Francine", "last_name"=>"Grodstein", "scopus_author_id"=>"7004975779"}], "year"=>2011, "source"=>"PLoS Medicine", "identifiers"=>{"issn"=>"15491277", "scopus"=>"2-s2.0-80053315995", "pui"=>"362661650", "doi"=>"10.1371/journal.pmed.1001090", "isbn"=>"1549-1676 (Electronic)\\r1549-1277 (Linking)", "sgr"=>"80053315995", "pmid"=>"21909248"}, "id"=>"d1aef8e7-99ae-3fe5-a468-29b3eec61bb0", "abstract"=>"BACKGROUND: Observational studies have documented inverse associations between moderate alcohol consumption and risk of premature death. It is largely unknown whether moderate alcohol intake is also associated with overall health and well-being among populations who have survived to older age. In this study, we prospectively examined alcohol use assessed at midlife in relation to successful ageing in a cohort of US women.\\n\\nMETHODS AND FINDINGS: Alcohol consumption at midlife was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Subsequently, successful ageing was defined in 13,894 Nurses' Health Study participants who survived to age 70 or older, and whose health status was continuously updated. \"Successful ageing\" was considered as being free of 11 major chronic diseases and having no major cognitive impairment, physical impairment, or mental health limitations. Analyses were restricted to the 98.1% of participants who were not heavier drinkers (>45 g/d) at midlife. Of all eligible study participants, 1,491 (10.7%) achieved successful ageing. After multivariable adjustment of potential confounders, light-to-moderate alcohol consumption at midlife was associated with modestly increased odds of successful ageing. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) were 1.0 (referent) for nondrinkers, 1.11 (0.96-1.29) for ≤ 5.0 g/d, 1.19 (1.01-1.40) for 5.1-15.0 g/d, 1.28 (1.03-1.58) for 15.1-30.0 g/d, and 1.24 (0.87-1.76) for 30.1-45.0 g/d. Meanwhile, independent of total alcohol intake, participants who drank alcohol at regular patterns throughout the week, rather than on a single occasion, had somewhat better odds of successful ageing; for example, the odds ratios (95% confidence interval) were 1.29 (1.01-1.64) and 1.47 (1.14-1.90) for those drinking 3-4 days and 5-7 days per week in comparison with nondrinkers, respectively, whereas the odds ratio was 1.10 (0.94-1.30) for those drinking only 1-2 days per week.\\n\\nCONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that regular, moderate consumption of alcohol at midlife may be related to a modest increase in overall health status among women who survive to older ages.", "link"=>"http://www.mendeley.com/research/alcohol-consumption-midlife-successful-ageing-women-prospective-cohort-analysis-nurses-health-study-1", "reader_count"=>61, "reader_count_by_academic_status"=>{"Professor > Associate Professor"=>1, "Researcher"=>11, "Student > Doctoral Student"=>2, "Student > Ph. D. Student"=>11, "Student > Postgraduate"=>2, "Student > Master"=>20, "Other"=>7, "Student > Bachelor"=>4, "Lecturer"=>1, "Professor"=>2}, "reader_count_by_user_role"=>{"Professor > Associate Professor"=>1, "Researcher"=>11, "Student > Doctoral Student"=>2, "Student > Ph. D. Student"=>11, "Student > Postgraduate"=>2, "Student > Master"=>20, "Other"=>7, "Student > Bachelor"=>4, "Lecturer"=>1, "Professor"=>2}, "reader_count_by_subject_area"=>{"Engineering"=>1, "Unspecified"=>2, "Environmental Science"=>1, "Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology"=>1, "Nursing and Health Professions"=>2, "Agricultural and Biological Sciences"=>20, "Medicine and Dentistry"=>22, "Arts and Humanities"=>1, "Business, Management and Accounting"=>1, "Sports and Recreations"=>1, "Psychology"=>2, "Social Sciences"=>7}, "reader_count_by_subdiscipline"=>{"Engineering"=>{"Engineering"=>1}, "Medicine and Dentistry"=>{"Medicine and Dentistry"=>22}, "Social Sciences"=>{"Social Sciences"=>7}, "Sports and Recreations"=>{"Sports and Recreations"=>1}, "Psychology"=>{"Psychology"=>2}, "Agricultural and Biological Sciences"=>{"Agricultural and Biological Sciences"=>20}, "Nursing and Health Professions"=>{"Nursing and Health Professions"=>2}, "Business, Management and Accounting"=>{"Business, Management and Accounting"=>1}, "Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology"=>{"Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology"=>1}, "Unspecified"=>{"Unspecified"=>2}, "Environmental Science"=>{"Environmental Science"=>1}, "Arts and Humanities"=>{"Arts and Humanities"=>1}}, "reader_count_by_country"=>{"United States"=>1, "Denmark"=>1, "Brazil"=>2, "France"=>1, "Australia"=>1}, "group_count"=>3}
http://doi.org/10.1111/add.12104
http://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.140808
http://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.114.085605
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2018.11.004
http://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.13830
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.08.014
http://doi.org/10.1111/acer.12585
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2016.07.008
http://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afy166
http://doi.org/10.17849/insm-48-1-1-1.1
http://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.5696
http://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2012.17.12.648
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Article Coverage 101 May 14:22 UTC
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{"type"=>"COMMENT", "annotationUri"=>"info:doi/10.1371/annotation/e0db81f4-658c-4afc-abec-08660921eb26", "title"=>"Media coverage on this paper", "body"=>"http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/comments/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001090 \n\nThe following articles represent some of the media coverage that this paper has received:\n\nPublication: CNN \nTitle: “A drink a day linked to healthy aging”\nhttp://edition.cnn.com/2011/09/06/health/women-drinking-daily-health \n\nPublication: ABC News \nTitle: “Women, Wine and Longer Life: A Half Full Glass?”\nhttp://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/09/07/women-wine-and-longer-life-a-half-full-glass \n\nPublication: Independent \nTitle: “Ladies, have a nightcap for your health”\nhttp://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/ladies-have-a-nightcap-for-your-health-2351878.html \n\nPublication: BBC \nTitle: “A drink a day 'is good for older women's health'”\nhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14806312 \n\nPublication: Corriere Della Sera \nTitle: “Donne, un bicchiere al giorno per una vecchiaia in salute”\nhttp://www.corriere.it/esteri/11_settembre_07/alcol-donne-effetti-positivi-ricci-sargentini_d67ab2d6-d93c-11e0-91da-5052c8bbe100.shtml \n\nPublication: The Telegraph \nTitle: “Daily tipple boosts health in old age”\nhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/women_shealth/8744909/Daily-tipple-boosts-health-in-old-age.html \n\nPublication: Fox News \nTitle: “Major Study Finds Daily Alcoholic Drink Good For Middle Aged Women”\nhttp://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/07/major-study-finds-daily-alcoholic-drink-good-for-middle-aged-women\n\nPublication: Adelaide Now \nTitle: “Study shows a small amount of alcohol a day is good for health”\nhttp://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/world/study-shows-a-small-amount-of-alcohol-a-day-is-good-for-health/story-e6frea8l-1226131096253 \n\nPublication: Channel 4 News \nTitle: “Gin o'clock is good news for older women”\nhttp://www.channel4.com/news/gin-oclock-is-good-news-for-older-women \n\nPublication: Time \nTitle: “Study: One to Two Drinks a Day in Middle Age Linked With Better Overall Health at Age 70 in Women”\nhttp://healthland.time.com/2011/09/07/cheers-ladies-a-drink-a-day-may-mean-good-health-in-older-age \n\nPublication: The Conversation \nTitle: “A drink a day may be healthier than none for older women”\nhttp://theconversation.edu.au/a-drink-a-day-may-be-healthier-than-none-for-older-women-3250 \n\nPublication: Daily Mail \nTitle: “Raise a glass to healthy old age: Women in their 50s told two drinks a day can fight off illness”\nhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2034502/Raise-glass-healthy-old-age-Women-50s-told-drinks-day-fight-illness.html \n\nPublication: NHS \nTitle: “A drink a day and health in older women”\nhttp://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/09September/Pages/drink-a-day-and-health-in-older-women.aspx \n \nPublication: The Washington Post \nTitle: “A drink a day good for middle aged women, study finds”\nhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-checkup/post/a-drink-a-day-good-for-middle-aged-women-study-finds/2011/09/01/gIQAteGs6J_blog.html \n\nPublication: The Sydney Morning News \nTitle: “A drink a day 'good for middle aged women'”\nhttp://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/a-drink-a-day-good-for-middleaged-women-20110907-1jx0i.html \n\nPublication: Los Angles Times \nTitle: “Moderate drinking linked to better health for older women”\nhttp://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/06/news/la-heb-women-alcohol-health-20110906 \n\nPublication: Times of India \nTitle: “Sip wine daily for healthy ageing”\nhttp://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-13/health/30122733_1_middle-aged-women-qi-sun-moderate-consumption \n\nPublication: The Hindu \nTitle: “One drink a day may be good for women: study”\nhttp://www.thehindu.com/health/fitness/article2432554.ece\n\nIf you see any additional coverage of this paper in the press, please feel free to reply to this thread and add the link to the article.\n\n\n", "isRemoved"=>false, "created"=>"2012-01-06T17:03:02Z", "lastModified"=>"2012-01-06T17:03:02Z", "creator"=>{"userId"=>"172479"}, "highlightedText"=>"", "competingInterestStatement"=>{"creatorWasPrompted"=>true, "hasCompetingInterests"=>false}, "parentArticle"=>{"doi"=>"info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001090", "state"=>"published", "journals"=>{"PLoSMedicine"=>{"journalKey"=>"PLoSMedicine", "eIssn"=>"1549-1676", "title"=>"PLOS Medicine"}}}, "replyTreeSize"=>0, "mostRecentActivity"=>"2012-01-06T17:03:02Z", "replies"=>[]}
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{"month"=>"9", "year"=>"2011", "pdf_views"=>"993", "xml_views"=>"48", "html_views"=>"10886"}
{"month"=>"10", "year"=>"2011", "pdf_views"=>"205", "xml_views"=>"21", "html_views"=>"2231"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/738886"], "description"=>"a<p>Values are mean (standard deviation) for continuous variables or <i>n</i> (percentage) for categorical variables.</p><p>Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index, calculated as weight (kilogram) divided by height (meter squared); HT, hormone therapy; PMH, postmenopausal hormone use.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["characteristics", "agers"], "article_id"=>409256, "categories"=>["Biotechnology"], "users"=>["Qi Sun", "Mary K. Townsend", "Olivia I. Okereke", "Eric B. Rimm", "Frank B. Hu", "Meir J. Stampfer", "Francine Grodstein"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001090.t001", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>1, "page_views"=>7, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Baseline_characteristics_in_1984_of_successful_agers_and_usual_agers_in_the_Nurses_Health_Study_/409256", "title"=>"Baseline characteristics (in 1984) of successful agers and usual agers in the Nurses' Health Study.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>3, "published_date"=>"2011-09-06 02:34:16"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/738930"], "description"=>"a<p>Multivariable models were adjusted for the same set of covariates for multivariable model in <a href=\"http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001090#pmed-1001090-t002\" target=\"_blank\">Table 2</a>.</p>b<p>Alcohol consumption (grams/day) was further adjusted for.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["ageing", "women", "surviving", "70", "midlife"], "article_id"=>409297, "categories"=>["Biotechnology"], "users"=>["Qi Sun", "Mary K. Townsend", "Olivia I. Okereke", "Eric B. Rimm", "Frank B. Hu", "Meir J. Stampfer", "Francine Grodstein"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001090.t003", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>0, "page_views"=>0, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_ORs_95_CI_of_successful_ageing_among_women_surviving_to_age_70_y_or_older_according_to_drinking_pattern_at_midlife_in_1986_in_the_NHS_/409297", "title"=>"ORs (95% CI) of successful ageing among women surviving to age 70 y or older, according to drinking pattern at midlife (in 1986) in the NHS.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>3, "published_date"=>"2011-09-06 02:34:57"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/738982"], "description"=>"a<p>Multivariable model is adjusted for age at baseline (y); body mass index (<18.5 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, 18.5–22.9 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, 23.0–24.9 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, 25.0–26.9 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, 27.0–29.9 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, ≥30.0 kg/m<sup>2</sup>); physical activity (<1.0 h/wk, 1.0–3.4 h/wk, ≥3.5 h/wk); smoking status (never smoked, past smoked 1–14 cigarettes/day, 15–24 cigarettes/day, or ≥25 cigarettes/day, currently smoke 1–14 cigarettes/day, 15–24 cigarettes/day, or ≥25 cigarettes/day); education (registered nurse, bachelor, and master and higher); husband's education (less than high school, some high school, high school graduate, college graduate, or graduate school); marital status (unmarried, married, widowed, separated or divorced); postmenopausal hormone use (never used, past user, or current user); family history of heart disease (yes, no); family history of diabetes (yes, no); family history of cancer (yes, no); history of hypertension (yes, no); history of high cholesterol (yes, no); use of aspirin (never, 1–2 tablets/wk, and >2 tablets/wk); and intakes of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, and red meat (in tertiles).</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["ageing", "women", "surviving", "70", "midlife", "1980"], "article_id"=>409338, "categories"=>["Biotechnology"], "users"=>["Qi Sun", "Mary K. Townsend", "Olivia I. Okereke", "Eric B. Rimm", "Frank B. Hu", "Meir J. Stampfer", "Francine Grodstein"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001090.t002", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>1, "page_views"=>2, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_ORs_95_CI_of_successful_ageing_among_women_surviving_to_age_70_y_or_older_according_to_alcohol_consumption_at_midlife_in_1980_and_1984_in_the_NHS_/409338", "title"=>"ORs (95% CI) of successful ageing among women surviving to age 70 y or older, according to alcohol consumption at midlife (in 1980 and 1984) in the NHS.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>3, "published_date"=>"2011-09-06 02:35:38"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/738739"], "description"=>"<p>OR (95% CI) of successful ageing according to the joint categories of alcohol consumption levels and drinking patterns in the NHS. Multivariable logistic regression models were adjusted for the same set of covariates listed in the footnote to <a href=\"http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001090#pmed-1001090-t002\" target=\"_blank\">Table 2</a>. The <i>y</i> axis was on a natural logarithm scale.</p>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["intake", "levels"], "article_id"=>409108, "categories"=>["Biotechnology"], "users"=>["Qi Sun", "Mary K. Townsend", "Olivia I. Okereke", "Eric B. Rimm", "Frank B. Hu", "Meir J. Stampfer", "Francine Grodstein"], "doi"=>"https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001090.g001", "stats"=>{"downloads"=>2, "page_views"=>7, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Joint_effects_of_alcohol_intake_levels_and_drinking_pattern_on_odds_of_successful_ageing_/409108", "title"=>"Joint effects of alcohol intake levels and drinking pattern on odds of successful ageing.", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>1, "published_date"=>"2011-09-06 02:31:48"}
{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/373346", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/373381", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/373417"], "description"=>"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Observational studies have documented inverse associations between moderate alcohol consumption and risk of premature death. It is largely unknown whether moderate alcohol intake is also associated with overall health and well-being among populations who have survived to older age. In this study, we prospectively examined alcohol use assessed at midlife in relation to successful ageing in a cohort of US women.</p> <h3>Methods and Findings</h3><p>Alcohol consumption at midlife was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Subsequently, successful ageing was defined in 13,894 Nurses' Health Study participants who survived to age 70 or older, and whose health status was continuously updated. “Successful ageing” was considered as being free of 11 major chronic diseases and having no major cognitive impairment, physical impairment, or mental health limitations. Analyses were restricted to the 98.1% of participants who were not heavier drinkers (>45 g/d) at midlife. Of all eligible study participants, 1,491 (10.7%) achieved successful ageing. After multivariable adjustment of potential confounders, light-to-moderate alcohol consumption at midlife was associated with modestly increased odds of successful ageing. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) were 1.0 (referent) for nondrinkers, 1.11 (0.96–1.29) for ≤5.0 g/d, 1.19 (1.01–1.40) for 5.1–15.0 g/d, 1.28 (1.03–1.58) for 15.1–30.0 g/d, and 1.24 (0.87–1.76) for 30.1–45.0 g/d. Meanwhile, independent of total alcohol intake, participants who drank alcohol at regular patterns throughout the week, rather than on a single occasion, had somewhat better odds of successful ageing; for example, the odds ratios (95% confidence interval) were 1.29 (1.01–1.64) and 1.47 (1.14–1.90) for those drinking 3–4 days and 5–7 days per week in comparison with nondrinkers, respectively, whereas the odds ratio was 1.10 (0.94–1.30) for those drinking only 1–2 days per week.</p> <h3>Conclusions</h3><p>These data suggest that regular, moderate consumption of alcohol at midlife may be related to a modest increase in overall health status among women who survive to older ages.</p> <h3></h3><p> <em>Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary</em></p> </div>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["midlife", "ageing", "prospective", "cohort"], "article_id"=>133725, "categories"=>["Biotechnology"], "users"=>["Qi Sun", "Mary K. Townsend", "Olivia I. Okereke", "Eric B. Rimm", "Frank B. Hu", "Meir J. Stampfer", "Francine Grodstein"], "doi"=>["https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001090.s001", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001090.s002", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001090.s003"], "stats"=>{"downloads"=>21, "page_views"=>37, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/Alcohol_Consumption_at_Midlife_and_Successful_Ageing_in_Women_A_Prospective_Cohort_Analysis_in_the_Nurses_Health_Study/133725", "title"=>"Alcohol Consumption at Midlife and Successful Ageing in Women: A Prospective Cohort Analysis in the Nurses' Health Study", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>4, "published_date"=>"2011-09-06 01:02:05"}
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Campus News (16) Apply Campus News filter
Remove Hoyas for Others filter Hoyas for Others
Georgetown Mourns the Passing of an Inspirational Alumni Leader
Arthur Calcagnini, C’54 (1933-2019)
Alumna Who Discovered Evidence of Dark Matter Inspires Global Symposium
A symposium honoring Vera Rubin (G’54), one of the most important American astrophysicists of the 20th century, took place this week at Georgetown, where she received a Ph.D. and began her career as a researcher and professor.
Two Married Alumni Share Their Experiences with Mental Illness
Georgetown Law Alumnae, Professors Make 2019 Women’s Forum a Success
Female Power: Current Alumnae Ambassadors, Diplomats Reflect on Leadership Roles
Current and former diplomats, including 12 Georgetown alumnae, shared perspectives on women’s roles in shaping communities around the globe ahead of International Women’s Day, March 8.
Human Habitats: Alumna Wins Scholarship to Study Eco-Cities, Moral Licensing
Yu “Angela” Bai (C’17) plans to pursue a career in sustainable urban planning after using a prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship to study at the the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
Doctoral Student Seeks to Improve Prenatal Care in Rural United States
“I noticed that laboring women were in need of providers who can walk alongside of them," says Nora Elizalde (G’14, ’20). "This need inspired me to expand my education and to gain the ability to be that provider who walks the walk along with them."
Alumnus, Korean Air Force Officer Awarded Scholarship to Study in Beijing
Wookjae Jung (F’15), a former Korean Air Force officer, has been selected as a Schwarzman Scholar, winning one of the most selective postgraduate scholarships in the world.
Wrongfully Convicted Alumnus Wins Marshall Scholarship to Study Comparative Social Policy at Oxford
Georgetown alumnus Brian Ferguson (C’18), once wrongfully incarcerated for homicide and exonerated after serving 11 years of a life sentence, has won a prestigious Marshall Scholarship to pursue a master’s of comparative social policy at the University of Oxford.
Forrest Fauth (MBA’16) Builds a Successful Real Estate Business while Supporting His Properties’ Neighborhoods and Tenants
“If we are able to help, we will. I think it is just a part of the Jesuit thinking.”
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Home > About AIC > Our Students > Evgenia Balashova
Graduate Diploma in Applied Management
"It's something new and really interesting and challenging, and I enjoy it so much."
Evgenia Balashova says one of the best things about OPAIC is the freedom students have to drive their own projects.
Evgenia, who comes from St Petersburg in Russia, has just completed a Graduate Diploma in Applied Management at OPAIC.
She has a degree in advertising from Russia and has worked in the advertising and events industries. She’s also owned her own business running a small hostel.
Evgenia said her decision to move to New Zealand was quite spontaneous. She’d never thought much about coming to the country but likes it now that she’s here, especially the people.
“Everyone is so friendly and responsive. People really care about each other. That’s what I really like about New Zealand.”
She decided studying OPAIC’s Graduate Diploma in Applied Management would be an interesting way to re-qualify and improve on her existing degree.
“I found it really exciting. I love it, I love learning,” she says.
“It’s something new and really interesting and challenging, and I enjoy it so much.”
One of the best things about OPAIC is that students are free to implement their own projects, she says.
They have deadlines to meet and theory to learn, but overall the course is quite flexible.
Evgenia says all of the lecturers here present information clearly, which is important for students who speak English as a second language.
She says the information she gained from her course is really relevant and can be used in the real world. She’s worked as an assistant salesperson at a digital marketing company here in New Zealand and has seen the things she been learning about in practice.
Evgenia hopes to find full-time work in the marketing and advertising field and says she wouldn’t mind working for an airline one day as she enjoys travel.
She believes OPAIC has prepared her well for the workforce and recommends it to others considering overseas study.
“Don’t be afraid, just go. If you really want to do this, don’t be scared.”
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Classic Car Appraisal Services in Haverhill MA
Although car people love to spend time and money on their cars, they all too often forget to properly value their car for insurance purposes. Dollar after dollar goes in, but never gets properly documented so that if a catastrophic event strikes, the real cost of putting the car back together gets paid by the insurance company. As collector car owners ourselves, we understand the importance of our product first hand. Fill out the form on the right to get started on your on-site Haverhill car appraisal.
Serving Haverhill
Haverhill United States
Facts about Haverhill
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.
Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community of Puritans, largely from Newbury Plantation. The land was officially purchased from the Pentuckets on November 15, 1642 (a year after incorporation) for three pounds, ten shillings. Pentucket was renamed Haverhill (after the Ward family's hometown in England) and would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the 18th and 19th century, Haverhill developed woolen mills, tanneries, shipping and shipbuilding. The town was for many decades home to a significant shoe-making industry. By the end of 1913, one tenth of the shoes produced in the United States were made in Haverhill, and because of this the town was known for a time as the "Queen Slipper City". The city was also known for the manufacture of hats.
History - 21st century
In the 21st century, downtown Haverhill has undergone a renaissance of sorts. Housing trends, combined with a rezoning by the city led by longtime Mayor James Fiorentini and the use of Federal and State brownfield's money to clean up abandoned factories, resulted in the conversion of several abandoned factories into loft apartments and condominiums. There has been a total of $150 million in public and private investment in the downtown old factory district area. Additionally, the Washington Street area gained new dining and entertainment spots, and federal, State and local funds contributed to removing an abandoned gas station on Granite Street, cleaning up the site and converting it to a 350-space parking garage. The city was able to obtain Federal, State and local money to put in a new boardwalk and boat docks downtown. Recently, the city completed a rezoning of downtown proposed by Mayor Fiorentini designed to encourage artist loft live work space and educational uses for the downtown area. Despite the city's efforts, old buildings remain vacant or underutilized, such as the former Woolworth department store – boarded up for 40+ years at the intersection of Main Street and Merrimack Street. Recently a group purchased that building with the intention of redeveloping it, however those plans fell through. In February 2014, it was announced that plans were made to redevelop "Whites Corner" by demolishing the vacant Woolworth building along with other surrounding buildings including the former Newman's Furniture, Ocasio Building, replacing them with the new mixed-use project called Harbor Place. Those buildings along with other smaller ones were officially demolished as of March 19, 2015 making way for the construction of the Harbor Place project. As of July 23, 2016 the construction on the Harbor Place buildings are well underway as the mixed use building is near completion and the housing building is making progress. In September 2016, the Haverhill Riverfront Boardwalk overlooking the Merrimack River has opened to the public that extends from the Harbor Place buildings connecting to the other boardwalk behind Haverhill Bank.
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