This page contains a walkthrough for Red Dead Redemption 2 Online Story Mission, Where Your Morals Lead You. Be sure to check out our other IGN Wiki pages for information on the many other Red Dead Online Story Missions.
NOTE: Before starting this mission, consider obtaining a bow, or other another silent weapon, to enable you to perform stealthy kills. You must be Rank 10 to purchase a bow from the catalog.
After resolving the situation with Allison, Terrence, and Cliff, ride to Blackwater to meet with Horley. He will send you to meet with Marshal Tom Davies. You can find the Marshal west of Blackwater, slightly north of Manzanita Post.
This mission is for 2-4 players, and you can initiate matchmaking by approaching the Marshal, who is sitting at a campfire in the woods.
The following factors will determine your Mission Rating, which in turn determines whether you are awarded a Bronze, Silver, or Gold rating.
Once you and your posse arrive, the Marshal will inform you there is a band of killers on the loose in Tall Trees, lead by a man named Alfredo Montez.
Although the Marshal knows the band killed a family in the area, he can't get involved without sufficient evidence. In order to maintain plausible deniability, the Marshal will hire you and your posse to take Montez out, with the aid of his tracker, Lee.
Follow Marshal Davies along the road to Manzanita Post, where he'll introduce you to Lee, who has tracked Montez and his gang to the area. After introductions have been made, follow Lee into the woods and ready a stealthy weapon, should you own one.
NOTE: Firing loud weapons may draw additional enemies, so use stealthy weapons like bows or knives, if you are able. Be ready to switch to your most powerful weapons, should your posse choose a less discreet option, drawing the attention of bonus bandits.
Follow Lee further into the woods until he stops you and your posse. At this point a patrol will pass by and you can either choose to attack them, or allow them to pass.
If you decide to kill the patrol, be sure to do it quickly to avoid drawing attention from other hostiles in the area. After the patrol is gone, continue following Lee until you reach a small encampment.
The camp contains a very small number of armed hostiles, but unlike patrols, these will likely be stationary, making it much easier to land headshots with your Repeater. Take them out, loot them, and continue following Lee through the woods.
After a short while, you'll find another group of guards. Take them out quickly, then deal with any additional bandits which may attempt to flank you during the shootout. Take cover behind trees to avoid taking damage during the encounter.
After the last bandit is dead, follow Lee northwest to encounter one final patrol. After either killing them or allowing them to pass, double back to the southwest, following Lee for a short while before heading west towards Aurora Basin.
Unlike previous encounters on this mission, Aurora Basin is absolutely crawling with enemies, so be sure to find cover and stay a good distance from the encampment, picking off enemies one by one. Take them all out, including Montez, and then wait for Lee to identify him.
After Lee bags proof of Montez' demise, mount your horse and follow him back to Manzanita Post. You'll be attacked by several small groups of stragglers on your way, so be sure to keep your gun at the ready and stick close to your teammates to avoid being surrounded.
Once you arrive at Manzanita Post, Lee will show the Marshal proof of your success and Marshal Davies will reward you and your posse. Unfortunately, the Marshal will then reveal that this wasn't the Montez you were looking for; it was his brother.
The Marshal will then ask you to meet up with him near Van Horn to follow up his next lead on Alfredo, so get back in the saddle and ride east to meet him and begin the next mission, Highly Illegal and Highly Moral.


text:
BLACK™
4.25 out of 5 stars from 21421 reviews 21,421
Like BLACK™ on Facebook
BLACK™ Facebook Like Button
Game Rating: M (Mature)
Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB
An Xbox 360 hard drive is required to use this item Players: 1, 5.1 Surround Sound. GAME-PLAY ALERT: This game has been fully tested to successfully play on your Xbox 360 console. However, in some cases, you may see some minor irregularities with audio/video for brief periods. For more details, see www.xbox.com/xboxoriginals. Join the world's most brutal and enigmatic strike force. The BLACK™ tactical squad operates under the cloak of complete anonymity and deniability to protect the U.S. from threats foreign and domestic. It answers to no one, allowing it to carry out covert operations around the globe. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.
Original release date: 2/28/2006
Developer: Criterion Games
Offline players 1

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
set -ex

cd $(dirname $0)/../..
git_root=$(pwd)
cd -

# Use image name based on Dockerfile sha1
if [ -z "$DOCKERHUB_ORGANIZATION" ]
then
  DOCKERHUB_ORGANIZATION=grpctesting/protobuf
  DOCKER_IMAGE_NAME=${DOCKERHUB_ORGANIZATION}_$(sha1sum $DOCKERFILE_DIR/Dockerfile | cut -f1 -d\ )
else
  # TODO(teboring): Remove this when all tests have been migrated to separate
  # docker images.
  DOCKERFILE_PREFIX=$(basename $DOCKERFILE_DIR)
  DOCKER_IMAGE_NAME=${DOCKERHUB_ORGANIZATION}/${DOCKERFILE_PREFIX}_$(sha1sum $DOCKERFILE_DIR/Dockerfile | cut -f1 -d\ )
fi

# Pull dockerimage from Dockerhub
docker pull $DOCKER_IMAGE_NAME

# Ensure existence of ccache directory
CCACHE_DIR=/tmp/protobuf-ccache
mkdir -p $CCACHE_DIR

# Choose random name for docker container
CONTAINER_NAME="build_and_run_docker_$(uuidgen)"

echo $git_root

# Run command inside docker
docker run \
  "$@" \
  -e CCACHE_DIR=$CCACHE_DIR \
  -e KOKORO_BUILD_NUMBER=$KOKORO_BUILD_NUMBER \
  -e KOKORO_BUILD_ID=$KOKORO_BUILD_ID \
  -e EXTERNAL_GIT_ROOT="/var/local/kokoro/protobuf" \
  -e TEST_SET="$TEST_SET" \
  -v "$git_root:/var/local/kokoro/protobuf:ro" \
  -v $CCACHE_DIR:$CCACHE_DIR \
  -w /var/local/git/protobuf \
  --name=$CONTAINER_NAME \
  $DOCKER_IMAGE_NAME \
  bash -l "/var/local/kokoro/protobuf/$DOCKER_RUN_SCRIPT" || FAILED="true"

# remove the container, possibly killing it first
docker rm -f $CONTAINER_NAME || true

[ -z "$FAILED" ] || {
  exit 1
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Last edited by Zulusida
Monday, July 27, 2020 | History
2 edition of Buzzards, and other observations found in the catalog.
Charles Mitchell Lee
by Charles Mitchell Lee
Published 1984 by Wofford Library Press in Spartanburg, S.C .
Statement Charles Mitchell Lee.
LC Classifications PS3562.E336 B8 1984
Pagination [12] leaves ;
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Other Poems Quotes Showing of 33 "For I have known them all already, known them all— Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,Cited by: National Data Buoy Center - Recent observations from station BZBM3 (N W) - - Woods Hole, MA.
Ill.1 CLASSIFICATION AND SYMBOLS OF METEORS OTHER THAN CLOUDS Ill 1 IlL Classification ofmeteors other than clouds Symbols for meteors other than clouds. lll.2 DEFINITIONS AND DESCRIPTION OF METEORS OTHER THAN CLOUDS Ill Ill IIl Ill Ill lll Ill Ill III Hydrometeors other than cloudsFile Size: 6MB. Full online text of The Forbidden Buzzards by Saki. Other short stories by Saki also available along with many others by classic and contemporary authors. And when his hostess had to desert him temporarily for other duties he would find Evelyn walking solemnly by his side. Evelyn was fourteen and talked chiefly about good and evil, and of.
Mama Lisa's Books. Our books feature songs in the original languages, with translations into English. Many include beautiful illustrations, commentary by ordinary people, and links to recordings, videos, and sheet music. Your purchase will help us keep our site online! Visit our store. National Data Buoy Center - Recent observations from C-MAN station BUZM3 (N W) - Buzzards Bay, MA.
2nd European Meeting on Integrated Ferroelectrics
Living in Color
Home dressmaking and how to read a pattern.
Union list of cemetery record holdings, Ontario County, N.Y.
analytical study of the use of advance organizers in facilitating childrens learning
Rare old covered bridges of Windsor County, Vermont.
The complaint; or Night-thoughts on life, death, and immortality.
USS Cod WWII Submarine Memorial Photo Museum Guide
Buzzards, and other observations by Charles Mitchell Lee Download PDF EPUB FB2
Although the main focus of the author's studies have been Buzzards in the UK, the book and other observations book covers buzzard studies in other countries like Germany and Poland.
This is a great bonus to the book as there are of course differences in climate, landscape or prey species across/5(19). "The Buzzards' Roost" is a collection of poems, some ethnographic in nature, that recalls life in rural Southern Kentucky in mid-twentieth century.
It was in a small-town country community that the author grew up and, in memory, never : Throughout his book, Mr. Buzzard makes some good observations, but he approaches each biblical text straining for ways to use it to support his position.
This straining quickly becomes apparent. My plan is take each chapter, one at a time, Buzzards address his various arguments, one at. The Observations is a brilliantly original, endlessly intriguing story of one woman's journey from a difficult past into an even more disturbing present, narrated by one of the most vividly imagined heroines in recent fiction.
This powerful story of secrets and suspicions, hidden histories and mysterious disappearances is at once compelling. Though folks often incorrectly use the term "buzzard" to refer to New World vultures belonging to the family Cathartidae, scientists apply the term to members of the family Accipitridae, genus Buteo, the buzzard hawks.
The most common North American buzzard is the red-tailed hawk, but other. Cte 8 Observing and assessing children's learning and development CASE STUDY continued were and asking the other practitioners for their views on Alex. Overall, both informal and formal observations showed that Alex had settled well and appeared to engage with and enjoy most activities.
Based on recorded observations of birds both in France and in other countries, these volumes provide detailed descriptions of various bird species, their habitats and behaviours and were the first publications to present a comprehensive account of eighteenth-century : Comte de Buffon Georges Louis Leclerc, William Smellie.
Unlike vultures, buzzards hunt for their meals and prefer to capture living prey, though they will occasionally snack on a carcass, especially if other food sources are scarce. While these birds are called buzzards in Europe, Africa, Asia, Indonesia, and Australia, the exact same types of birds, open-country buteos, are called hawks in much of North and South America.
His book. Buzzards and other Poems was published in Martin Armstrong died in Read more → Browse all Famous poems > By Martin Armstrong. k views +list. Share it with your friends: Make comments, explore modern poetry. Join today for free. Sign up with Facebook. Author: The apostle Paul was the primary writer of the Book of Colossians (Colossians ).
Timothy is also given some credit (Colossians ). Date of Writing: The Book of Colossians was likely written between A.D. Purpose of Writing: The first half of the Book of Colossians is a theological treatise that includes one of the most profound presentations of Christology anywhere in.
Roxie and the Hooligans at Buzzard's Roost (Paperback or Softback) Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Books at Amazon. The Books homepage helps you explore Earth's Biggest Bookstore without ever leaving the comfort of your couch.
Here you'll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, Kindle eBooks, Audible audiobooks, and so much more. Charles Spencer was the first to carefully document observations of the blood cells 'Buzzards, and other observations' theory so obviously his observations about that were in his book.
Buzzards are in the order Falconiformes, which also includes other types of hawks, eagles, osprey, falcons, and vultures. All of these birds have strong, grasping (or raptorial) talons, a hooked beak, extremely good vision, and a fierce demeanor.
this was the first book I read using my new kindle and i managed to finish it within 48 hours. having read the better known Marquez books (Love in the time of Cholera, years of solitude etc) I presumed I'd read the best of his work, but 'Of love and other demons' was a beautiful book; original, imaginative and wonderfully by: Buzzard, any of several birds of prey of the genus Buteo and, in North America, various New World vultures (family Cathartidae), especially the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).
Similarly, in Australia a large hawk of the genus Hamirostra is called a black-breasted buzzard. In North America, Buteo.
Darl is always elusive, complicated, thought-provoking, poetic in stream-of-consciousness observations, and especially observant of details. It is through Darl's eyes and observations that the reader gets a full perspective of the other characters.
Darl is the only character in the book who lives on several, interchangeable levels of consciousness. If you've gone looking for raptors on a clear day, your heart has probably leaped at the sight of a large, soaring bird in the distance– perhaps an eagle or osprey.
But if it's soaring with its wings raised in a V and making wobbly circles, it's likely a Turkey Vulture. These birds ride thermals in the sky and use their keen sense of smell to find fresh carcasses.
The Glass Castle Ideas from Our Book Discussion Group in CIELO Stretch Program Ideas Jeannette notices buzzards circling overhead and begins to think about "that ingrate Buster," the an interesting moment in the book for Jeannette to make this observation.
• Do you think she is really thinking about Buster, or is she thinking File Size: KB. "The Other People" is a Psychological Suspense unlike any other (and given how many there are out there, THAT my friends is saying something!) It is also a departure from C.J. Tudor's other novels, which I totally appreciate and is frankly, her best to date/5.
What Buzzards Won't Eat. Like a whole lot of other old wives' tales that seem to contain at least a modicum of truth, I've always believed that the only dead critter a buzzard wouldn't eat is a skunk. Now I know that's not the case.
Part of the reason I clung to such a notion was observation. A dead skunk in the middle of the road.Sorting out the differences between buzzards and vultures is like following a soap opera.
There's a variety of bloodlines and families to consider, as well as where the birds live. There are Old World vultures and New World vultures, and buzzards' place in the order depends on where home is.The Lost Spells (Signed Book) by Robert Macfarlane.
Like The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, The Lost Spells is an elegant and inspiring book, a delightful comfort that asks to be read aloud and shared.
This beautiful collection of poems and watercolor illustrations is an homage to nature and wildlife that will delight and soothe readers as they are transported into a wider world of.
cie-du-scenographe.com - Buzzards, and other observations book © 2020


text:
Why Longfin Stock Crashed Today
To blame: removal from the Russell 2000 index, and an insane valuation.
Timothy Green
(TMFBargainBin)
Shares of Longfin Corp. (NASDAQOTH:LFIN) cratered on Thursday, continuing a decline set in motion by its removal from the Russell 2000 index on March 27. The company went public in December at $5 per share, then rocketed to over $140 per share after the company announced the acquisition of a blockchain company. The stock was down about 47% at 3:45 p.m. EDT on Thursday, bringing the price below $18 per share.
Longfin was removed from the Russell index soon after being added, with the stock failing to meet the minimum 5% free float requirement. While this was the only real piece of news, Longfin's outrageous valuation and the ongoing decline in cryptocurrency prices are likely playing a role in the stock's collapse.
Longfin generated just $28.1 million of revenue on a pro forma basis between Feb. 1 and June 30 last year, and it only expects its blockchain acquisition to account for 5% to 10% of revenue this year. The market capitalization, even after Thursday's plunge, is over $1 billion. That's down from a peak of $7 billion.
The removal from the Russell index may have been the catalyst for this decline, but it wasn't the root cause.
The Strange Tale of LongFin
Why Shares of LongFin Corp. Were Halted Today
What Happened in the Stock Market Today
Longfin is a clear-cut bubble stock with a nonsensical valuation. Even the CEO, speaking to CNBC last year, said that the market cap wasn't justified. Those who didn't listen are paying the price today.
3 Top Healthcare Stocks to Buy Right Now
LFIN
LongFin Corp
NASDAQOTH:LFIN
Why LongFin Corp. Stock Rocketed Higher Today
Why Switch, Rigel Pharmaceuticals, and Longfin Slumped Today
Why Longfin Stock Crashed Today @themotleyfool #stocks $LFIN Next Article


Spontaneously launching a live broadcast without any warning isn't exactly the best way to ensure you'll be entertaining a large enough audience to make the effort worthwhile. In the days leading up to the broadcast, you should be promoting the exact date and time of the event so that interested viewers will know when to tune in. Many marketers believe this preliminary stage to be the most important, and this is where having a strong following and extensive network will pay off.
Once you've spread the word about your broadcast and have received enough feedback/reactions (i.e – likes) to feel confident that there will at least be a core group of viewers tuning in, you should prepare a list of people who you'll tag during the broadcast. You can have another person handling the tagging, messaging, and sharing tasks while you're doing the speaking if it helps you stay focused. Building a list of people who you'll tag during the broadcast will help to draw attention to the stream while it is in action after you've already built the pre-launch hype.
Unless the viewer has their videos set to auto-play, chances are they're going to see the speaker's face and the background of the video before clicking play. On the live stream, obviously, having an interesting background and/or speaker will certainly help to increase clicks that happen out of sheer curiosity., but perhaps more important is the use of an eye-grabbing headline. Consider using controversy, trending topics, suspense, and any other tactic that will result in the development of an irresistibly clickable headline. Effective headline creation is a science and an area of expertise that every self-professed marketer should research further.
Preparing a general script outline will help you get through the broadcast without stumbling over your own words. If you plan on being on the air for more than a few minutes, you should at least spend a little while reviewing how you're going to approach the topic or advertisement. At the same time, try to avoid reading from a teleprompter or sticking to an exact script, as that approach will only serve to make the show boring and robotic.
You can promote viewer engagement and interaction by inviting people to ask questions in the comment section below the video and then answering them immediately within the live broadcast. You might also want to have other social media personalities appear as guests on your live streams in order to double your audience through a mutually beneficial joint venture that won't take much additional effort on your behalf.


Heavy cotton pant features elastic back waistband, waist tie sewn at side seams with d-ring fastening, side pockets and panel details at leg. Rolled pant cuff and back double jet pockets.
Relaxed style / Fits true to size/ Pull on Pant / Mid waisted.


One of the first things I learned as a new dog owner was: When you meet a new dog, don't guess the breed.
She looked at me like I'd just asked if her Hermes scarf was by Isaac Mizrahi for Target. "They're English Setters," she said pointedly.
What can I say? To a sighthound owner, they look like the same deal.
I am possibly the only person ever to make that mistake. "He's a retired racing greyhound," the man told me as he edged himself between me and his lanky hound.
"It's got long hair," Bob told me. Uh-huh. It was, alas, an Afghan.
Ce n'est pas un whippet.


text:
Attivo prevalentemente in doppio, vanta tre titoli nel circuito ATP e diversi altri nei circuiti minori; il suo miglior ranking ATP è il 38º posto del novembre 2021. Ha esordito nella squadra ecuadoriana di Coppa Davis nel 2013.

Carriera
Ha vinto in doppio tre titoli ATP 250 a Delray Beach e Marbella nel 2021 e a Belgrado nel 2022, tutti insieme ad Ariel Behar, con cui ha anche raggiunto la finale a Buenos Aires, Belgrado e Stoccarda nello stesso anno e ad Adelaide e Maiorca nel 2022. Ha inoltre vinto dieci tornei Challenger, di cui 8 insieme a Behar. In singolare ha vinto sei Futures tra il 2014 e il 2017.

Nei tornei del Grande Slam vanta come miglior risultato il terzo turno a Wimbledon 2021 e agli Australian Open 2022, sempre in coppia con Behar. Ha inoltre raggiunto la semifinale in doppio misto agli Australian Open 2022 assieme a Lucie Hradecká.

Statistiche

Doppio

Vittorie (3)

Finali perse (5)

Tornei minori

Singolare

Vittorie (6)

Sconfitte in finale (8)

Doppio

Vittorie (18)

Sconfitte in finale (18)

Risultati in progressione

Doppio

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Cesar "Skyz" Bueno is a Player for Excelerate Gaming.
Skyz broke into the scene carrying casters Courage and Maven in online Black Ops 3 SnD tournaments. He competed in a few Infinite Warfare tournaments including winning the UMG Prime 3v3 SnD 2016-12-09 along side Anihmal and MShake.
The trio of Skyz, Anihmal, and MShake picked up Hate and under the org Gravity Gaming they began their War World II campaign. The team initially did not see too much success online, but did manage to battle through the open bracket to a modest top 40 placement at their first LAN event CWL Dallas Open. The team improved online, but only placed a poor top 64 at the next event CWL New Orleans Open. The team then dropped MShake for Knight and changed orgs to 3Kingz Gaming, but still did not see too much online success as they weren't able to qualify for Stage 2 of the CWL US National Circuit in the CWL US National Circuit Stage 1 Relegation. The team once again changed orgs to Earthroot Gaming and despite not performing well online, managed to battle deep into the open bracket at the CWL Atlanta Open for a top 32 placement. After this, the team began improving online, but once again only manage to place top 32 at the CWL Seattle Open. After again falling short to making it through the open bracket, Skyz went through multiple team changes without much success online until he joined Gone Gaming alongside Havok, LlamaGod, and Evasion. This team would end up placing top 28, which was Skyz highest placement at a CWL Open thus far, at the CWL Anaheim Open. Despite beating a lot of AM teams at Anaheim, the team would end up losing to a top French AM team Les Blues and losing a close game 5 to Mentality Esports at the CWL Championship LCQ and failed to qualify for CWL Champs.
Coming into the year, Skyz won a few Black Ops 3 SnD tournaments showing off his skill in Treyarch games and that coupled with his improvement in War World II landed him a spot on UYU alongside top AMs Nova, Mayhem, and Spoof and former pro Proto. This team performed decently online and had enough pro points from the prior year to compete in the CWL Las Vegas Open Play-In where they would beat European teams The Imperial and Team Divine to qualify for a pool play spot at the CWL Las Vegas Open. At this event, UYU would finish 3rd in a difficult pool, but lose immediately in the open bracket and place top 16. This placement although lower than desired, was enough to qualify for the CWL Pro League Qualifier where with the help of VandyJF as the coach, UYU would place 2nd in their pool and qualify for the CWL Pro Leauge. After qualifying for the league, the team made the controversial decision of moving Spoof to the substitute role and picking up Methodz, who would replace Skyz as the main AR role. Although the team change was controversial, Methodz performed well and the team finished the first two weeks of the Pro League with a 3-4 record and played most teams very closely. Despite not playing too poorly, Skyz was dropped ahead of the next event and was at risk of losing his Pro League spot. However, he was picked up by Excelerate Gaming to team alongside what seemed like the leftover Pros after rostermania in Brack, JetLi, ProFeeZy, and MRuiz with FA5TBALLA as the substitute and Atura as the coach.


text:
The True Message of God's Not Dead
Netflix recently added God's Not Dead to its streaming service, and I was excited to see it without having to pay for it in any kind of direct way. I'd heard it was awful and took its pro-Christianity stance way too far, so I thought it would be fun to watch...you know, kind of like a religious-themed version of The Room.
What I discovered was that the film contains a touching and universal message. If you ignore the masturbatory fantasies of Christianity conquering all its critics, the one-dimensional characters, the not-so-subtle implication that anyone who isn't Christian or in the process of becoming Christian is a terrible person, the flimsy debates, the overstated persecution complex, the obvious intellectual shortcomings of a professor who's supposed to be "brilliant," the weird karmic schadenfreude exhibited through the torture of the non-Christian characters, the way several of the leads foist their religious views on others in inappropriate settings, the muddled excess of subplots, the baffling understanding of the word "prove," and of course the unrealistic conclusion, it's actually a wonderful story producing several caricatures of human nature that combine to illustrate an important and poignant warning to us all: poor communication can be a terribly destructive force.
(That might be the longest sentence I've ever written in my life.)
Case Study 1: Our Noble Hero and his Bitchy Girlfriend
When Josh Wheaton (Our Noble Hero) refuses to sign a paper saying "God is dead" for his introductory philosophy college course, Professor Atheist Vendetta gives him the alternative of proving to the class that God actually exists. Our Noble Hero will have the last twenty minutes of the next three lectures to accomplish this...but should he fail, he'll lose thirty percent of his grade for the semester. His Bitchy Girlfriend of six years is all about the two of them building a successful future, and she tells Our Noble Hero not to take Professor Atheist Vendetta up on his challenge because a bad grade in the class will hurt his chances of getting into law school. Our Noble Hero, believing that God wants him to rise to his defense, does it anyway. And in one brief conversation, Bitchy Girlfriend dumps him.
My mother knew that a handsome, respectful, college-bound,
God-fearing guy like you would be nothing but trouble.
In expressing his shock to her, Our Noble Hero makes an important observation about their relationship: "You didn't ask me," he insists. "You told me. It wasn't a decision that we made, it was a decision that you made for the both of us." Bitchy Girlfriend hadn't brought her concerns to him or welcomed any discussion on the matter. She'd told him what to do and left no room for compromise. Unsurprisingly, this closed-off form of communication ultimately unravels their relationship.
Case Study 2: The Upwardly Mobile Asshat and the Uppity Liberal Blogger
The Upwardly Mobile Asshat meets his girlfriend, Uppity Liberal Blogger, for dinner to tell her that he's just been named a partner at his firm. Unfortunately, she has just learned that she has cancer, and Upwardly Mobile Asshat is annoyed that her somber news overshadows his promotion. This violates some kind of deal they have for their relationship, but she doesn't seem to understand the deal to which he clung so closely.
Dean Cain has no time for your bothersome life-threatening illnesses!
"Grow up, Amy," Upwardly Mobile Asshat admonishes her. "Love is the most overused word in the English language. It's what we say when we want something, when we need something, and you're as guilty of it as anybody."
He terminates their romance and Uppity Liberal Blogger feels blindsided by his callous lack of empathy. He clearly feels that his speech about love was something she should have known all along. But it would have been helpful if he'd just said all this on their first date and saved her some trouble. Uppity Liberal Blogger would have realized what a heartless bastard he was and not invested so much time in their relationship. Instead, she's left heartbroken and alone in a time of great emotional distress. Healthier communication could have avoided this. She could have been dating a much more sympathetic and supportive man by now if she'd known enough to dump Upwardly Mobile Asshat at the get-go like the scumbag he is.
Case Study 3: The Hot Chick and her Muslim Dad
The vaguely Middle-Eastern Hot Chick has been secretly listening to some kind of Christian podcasts despite her father's strong allegiance to the Islamic faith. Her younger brother betrays her by informing their father, who angrily storms into her bedroom to confront her. When he sees the track that's playing on Hot Chick's iPod, he stares at her for a moment...and then without a word, he backhands her across the mouth. Then he demands that she repeat a tenet of Islam, but she refuses, instead professing her belief in Jesus. So father of the year smacks her around some more, drags her down the stairs and leaves her on the street.
I realize this is a really troubling time for her and all, but is she rocking those jeans or what?
Had he acted less impulsively and instead talked with his daughter like an adult who knew better than to immediately resort to extremely punitive, violent measures, perhaps their relationship could have been preserved. Instead, Hot Chick was practically forced into the arms of the people her father couldn't stand. Once she'd lost her family, Pastor Dave and the Christians were her only refuge. The dad may have been losing his daughter in a religious sense already, but because he had no patience for talking things over, he lost her in a very physical sense as well.
Case Study 4: The Atheist Professor and his Trophy Girlfriend
Professor Atheist Vendetta's Trophy Girlfriend is growing tired of her lover's publicly condescending attitude toward her and his increasingly dismissive comments about her Christian faith. Unknowingly taking a page out of Bitchy Girlfriend's book, she approaches the professor on campus while he's at work and simply announces, "Jeffrey, I'm leaving you." Just like Bitchy Girlfriend, she offers no discussion and not even an ultimatum. She just decides to end a relationship in an instant (also like Bitchy Girlfriend and also like Upwardly Mobile Asshat).
An earlier scene depicted the two of them talking at home and alluded to the professor's policy that the two of them not discuss religion (ostensibly to avoid conflict within the relationship). "Except the not talking is starting to get louder and louder," Professor Atheist Vendetta complains, "and soon it will be deafening, and I don't know if I can put up with that." He realizes that avoiding a dialogue on potentially divisive issues that are important to both of them is starting to cause tension in their relationship. Trophy Girlfriend agrees.
But later, instead of trying to silence the "not talking," she plainly tells him that she's leaving him. She doesn't even bother giving him a reason. At every stage of the deterioration of their union, an open and respectful exchange of opinions could have done wonders.
I think, in this case, a breakup by text message instead of
in a public place might have been more humane.
Case Study 5: God and Various Characters
Our Noble Hero "feels like" God wants him to stand up for his beliefs, but he doesn't always seem sure of it when he tells people about it. Professor Atheist Vendetta, as a child, prays that his mother be saved from her cancer but she dies and he is given no answer from God. Reverends Chill Dude and Wise Foreigner struggle with repeated automotive trouble, which keeps them from taking their road trip and allows them to be in the right spot when Professor Atheist Vendetta is hit by a car so that Chill Dude can convince the professor to accept Jesus before he dies.
God doesn't do a very good job of communicating in this movie.
There's no moment when Our Noble Hero is struck with a clear understanding of what God wants him to do and how God needs him to do it. Young Professor Atheist Vendetta never receives an explanation for his mother's death or even some comfort in its wake despite his many prayers. And God sets up a ridiculous series of busted rental cars to keep Reverend Chill Dude in town just so that he can talk to the wounded professor and save his soul at the end. God really couldn't have found another way to convert Professor Atheist Vendetta other than having him killed? And he couldn't have figured out another method to get a reverend there to get him to profess faith in Jesus? Some straightforward correspondence could have made all this easier and spared a life in the process.
God's Not Dead: glorifying loyalty to Jesus out of mortal fear instead of sincere belief since 2014.
Through the thick growths of religious vines throttling the narrative of God's Not Dead, a simple and somehow beautiful message lies at the center of this clumsily-conceived story: So much painful stuff happens to these characters, and almost all of it is due to poor communication. We can learn from these fictional examples that when people don't take the time to discuss their decisions, their expectations, their beliefs and their problems, they can expect things to get worse. Open dialogue, free communication and the mature exchange of opinions can facilitate the happy endings that so few of these situations achieved.
Just look at arguably the healthiest relationship depicted in the film: Reverend Chill Dude and Reverend Wise Foreigner are good buddies and they disagree from time to time, but they always talk about why they feel the way they feel. At the end of the movie, their friendship is intact and they've learned some stuff. Plus, both of them are still alive. No hit-and-runs or cancer scares.
This movie isn't Shakespeare (although it quotes Shakespeare at one point and does it a surprising amount of justice), but somehow, despite all the blundering around in a mess of oversimplified, hypercontrasted tales of Christians and non-Christians, it actually manages to drive home a meaningful point...at least, for whatever viewer isn't interested in an absurd, overindulgent tale of implausible Christian triumph.
It's interesting to me, however, that this accidental moral is somewhat at odds with the central theme of the film. God's Not Dead is basically a war story, with the good Christians being assailed for their faith. Hot Chick is disowned. Trophy Girlfriend is patronized by her boyfriend. Chinese Exchange Student pisses off his dad. And of course Our Noble Hero is compelled to defend his faith in front of a live audience in the crosshairs of a derisive authority figure and he loses his Bitchy Girlfriend in the process. Reverends Chill Dude and Wise Foreigner even discuss "being in the trenches" when it comes to doing God's work. Atheists and non-Christians are pitted against our pious protagonists and they go for each other's metaphorical jugulars with dogmatic gusto.
But if the filmmakers would learn from their own unwitting lessons, they would understand that the world could be improved immeasurably if religious differences were discussed openly and honestly instead of being glorified as battlegrounds. Instead of freaking out when someone undergoes a faith shift, we could embrace the good things about different beliefs because we've communicated and we know them well enough to understand them instead of fear them. We could stop thinking of things in terms of atheists and Christians and start seeing each other as people instead of warriors on opposing sides of an endless conflict. And we could stop producing media that depicts various groups as being in a constant clash with each other because we don't want to perpetuate the myth that different religions cannot coexist peacefully and happily and productively.
That is what I learned from God's Not Dead. And that is what makes the movie so beautiful in its completely unintentional depiction of such an important concept and so blunderingly glorious in its oblivious irony.
Posted by Alex at 12:12 PM 2 comments: Links to this post
Alma 56: Armies of Helaman
Helaman makes an appearance again, writing a letter to Moroni to inform him of all the cool stuff he's been doing with the Stripling Warriors.
Talk About Snail Mail
Moroni receives Helaman's epistle at the beginning of the thirtieth year of the reign of the judges. The story Helaman tells him begins in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of the judges and continues for another year or two. This means that, at best, Moroni is learning of events two years after they took place.
No wonder the Nephites are struggling in their war with the Lamanites. Captain Moroni is supposed to be in charge of all the Nephite armies and his information is two years out of date. Perhaps the Nephites' Tapir Express still hadn't ironed out all the kinks.
Pesky Punctuation
As Helaman's two thousand Stripling Warriors brace for their very first taste of combat, he marvels at their bravery. He learns that their mothers taught them that God would deliver them so long as they put their unwavering faith in him. This story is often cited in Sacrament Meeting talks on Mother's Day because there aren't a lot of female role models in the Book of Mormon. Here's what Helaman relates in verse 48:
And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.
It's interesting to me that, based on the way this sentence is punctuated, the Stripling Warriors don't actually profess to have a testimony of this principle themselves. It could have been written as "We do not doubt; our mothers knew it" or "We do not doubt because our mothers knew it." That would point to a parent's testimony bolstering a child's. But instead it's simply presented as "We do not doubt our mothers knew it." Which basically means that they knew their mothers had faith. It doesn't mean they shared the faith themselves.
I mean, I don't doubt that my mother knows that there are blessings that come from paying tithing. I don't doubt that for a second. But I do doubt the principle that she believes in. Just because mom "knows" something doesn't mean that her "knowledge" is accurate.
Slippery Perspective
Helaman's letter is told almost entirely in first person perspective. He refers to himself as "I" and his army as "we" all the way up to an abrupt change in verse 52:
And it came to pass that the Lamanites took courage, and began to pursue them; and thus were the Lamanites pursuing them with great vigor when Helaman came upon their rear with his two thousand, and began to slay them exceedingly, insomuch that the whole army of the Lamanites halted and turned upon Helaman.
"Helaman." "He." "Helaman."
I bet Brennan would have a thing or two to say about the anthropological evidence for these stories.
Why does Helaman suddenly forget that the tale he's telling was experienced directly by him? It switches back to first person by verse 54, but you have to wonder why Moroni didn't think it was weird that Helaman referred to himself in the third person a few times in the middle of the letter.
Did Joseph Smith make a mistake in the dictation of the Book of Mormon? Did he get so caught up in the depiction of battle that he forgot to keep his perspective consistent? It does seem in keeping with his first-novel-rookie-mistake thing.
A Little Over-the-Top
Helaman winds up throwing his two thousand green, untested troops into battle to save the tired forces of Antipus from the Lamanites and miraculously, he emerges victorious. Even more miraculously, none of his warriors are killed.
It's not the worst example in the Book of Mormon of an event miraculous to the point of absurdity (Lamoni and his strangely contagious fainting disease is another contender), but it's up there. Two thousand kids who've never been to war before go up against a hardened Lamanite army and win...without losing a single life? I get that this is supposed to be the power of God at work, but it's just a little too much to stomach for me. It's miraculous enough without the casualty report, but Joseph had to take it one step further so that it crosses from astounding to ridiculous.
The poor guy just couldn't resist a story embellishment, whether it was a good idea or not. Just wait until we get to Shiz.
Posted by Alex at 11:56 AM No comments: Links to this post
My Very Own Mormon Spy
Every few months or so, I get a voicemail from the missionaries. It's usually a sister who calls, sweetly asking for us to meet up sometime so that they can get to know me or whatever. But two months ago, I guess the sister missionaries decided they needed some backup. I received this voicemail two days after their quarterly phone call:
"Hi, this message is for Alexander [surname]. My name is Sean [surname], I am part of the Elders quorum presidency for the [location] branch of the LDS church. Please call me back at [phone number]."
I don't know you. You clearly don't know me. You didn't even make up a good reason for me to call you back. What the hell kind of message is this?
So I saved the number in my phone under "Elders Quorum Toolbag" because of his douchey tone of voice and waited to see if he ever bothered calling back. So far, he hasn't,
At work yesterday, I happened to glance at the name on a customer's credit card receipt. It was Sean [surname]. It's not a common surname, either. I've never known anyone with this name before. Curious to meet this Elders Quorum Toolbag, I made sure I was the one to finish the order personally. To my astonishment, this guy turned out to be one of my regulars.
*cue shocking revelation sound effect...fade to black...eerie titlecard...roll credits*
Listening to the message again, the voice is a match too. It's gotta be the same dude. This guy's been secretly spying on me all along! Waltzing his wife and children in to my restaurant a few times a week so he can keep an eye on the apostate! Hiding his identity from me so that I'd never suspect I was under surveillance! How despicable!
I'm honestly not sure if he knows. It's not like I've ever caught the guy eyeing me up suspiciously or anything. But I'm sure there's a little bit of basic information about me bouncing around in certain circles, so it's very possible that some members of the branch know where I work.
Now I'll just have to pay closer attention next time I see him. Because if I know who he is and he doesn't know who I am, this could be fun.
Posted by Alex at 11:18 AM 20 comments: Links to this post
Alma 55: The Rescue-Heist-Attack
Moroni receives Ammoron's response to his letter and reacts like an incensed third grader who's just been told he's a stupidpants.
Let's Make This More Complicated
Upon receipt of Ammoron's correspondence, Moroni blows a gasket because "he knew that Ammoron knew that it was not a just cause that had caused him to wage a war against the people of Nephi." Apparently the flimsy political argument Ammoron made had enraged Moroni so much that he completely failed to notice that Ammoron was agreeing to Moroni's absurd proposal for exchanging prisoners. Instead of going ahead with the swap, Moroni decides to take a more dangerous tack by stealing his countrymen back from the Lamanites.
Why can't Moroni just swallow his pride and go through with a peaceful exchange? So what if Ammoron's reasons for waging war are stupid? Surely a man as righteous as Moroni has the integrity to stick to agreements he's proposed and the wisdom to avoid risking more lives over a fit of indignant wrath.
Only One Lamanite Among Them
Moroni's plan to steal back his imprisoned Nephites involves some intrigue and he needs a Lamanite to pull it off. So he organizes a search to find a descendant of Laman among the Nephites and his men find...one. Apparently every single other person of Lamanite descent is kicking it with the wicked, savage warmongering tribe down south.
It turns out that the reason this guy is around is because he was a former servant of the Lamanite king and Amalickiah had used him as a patsy for his murderous coup. Because the only logical reason for a Lamanite to be chilling with the good guys is for him to have fled his own country out of fear for his life.
It gets better because this guy's only real usefulness is that he looks like the Lamanites and can blend in with the enemy. He's only valued because his skin color makes him look like another one of those wicked, savage warmongers. And to top it off, he even has a stereotypical Lamanite name: Laman.
The Math Doesn't Add Up
The Nephite prisoners are being held in the city of Gid. So this Laman guy walks up to the guards around the city one fine evening. He poses as an escaped prisoner who liberated some wine from Bountiful on his way out of the city. He proceeds to give them the wine (doesn't this sound familiar?) and they guzzle it down until they all pass out. I guess those wicked, savage warmongers don't have any sense of self-control.
My question is how much wine did Laman have? In order to get every last Lamanite guard drunk enough, there would have to have been a lot. Laman did have an unspecified number of men with him (how, exactly, did the Lamanites not notice they were white?), but there's no mention of whether any kind of vehicle or beast of burden was present to transport the alcohol. I find it hard to believe that these "escaped prisoners" would have walked all the way from Bountiful each carrying a barrel of wine. But it's just as unlikely that the plan would have worked if Laman had said, "...and on our way out of the city, we stole these three hundred gallons of wine and loaded them up onto these carts!"
Unless, of course, those wicked, savage warmongers were stupid enough to only keep a handful of guards at night. Then Laman wouldn't need nearly as much to get them suitably soused.
Pacifism, Thy Name is Moroni
Verse 18 mentions that, in their extremely inebriated state, the Lamanite guards would have been very easy for the Nephites to kill. The next verse continues:
But behold, this was not the desire of Moroni; he did not delight in murder or bloodshed...he would not fall upon the Lamanites and destroy them in their drunkenness.
Okay, so Moroni doesn't delight in bloodshed, he just does it a lot, even when he really doesn't need to? Passing on one opportunity for violence doesn't undo a history of aggression, vindictiveness and overkill.
Arm the Prisoners? Are you an Idiot?
Laman and his team have sneaked into the city of Gid with their oh-so-clever wine trick, but they don't free the captives. Why not? Because Moroni's plan is to give the prisoners weapons. Then Moroni's army will march on the city. This way, when the Lamanites wake up, they'll be surrounded on the outside and surrounded on the inside.
We'll call it the Krispy Kreme Offensive
If the Nephite army is already going to surround Gid overnight, why would they leave the prisoners inside? Sure, they're armed, but they're just as much surrounded as the Lamanites are and they're completely cut off from the support of their rescuers. Also, if they're unable to hold their own against the hungover Lamanite forces, the city of Gid gets some free hostages. But apparently, in Moroni's mind, attacking from behind enemy lines is a great idea in every possible situation. You're surrounding the city, you moron! Why complicate things for no good reason?
I Wonder Why that Didn't Work
After the bizarre success at Gid, the Nephites ride a wave of military momentum. The Lamanites, however, keep trying to turn the tide of the war back in their favor (verses 30-31):
And many times did [the Lamanites] attempt to administer of their wine to the Nephites, that they might destroy them with poison or with drunkenness.
But behold, the Nephites were not slow to remember the Lord their God in this their time of affliction. They could not be taken in their snares; yea, they would not partake of their wine, save they had first given to some of the Lamanite prisoners.
So...the Nephites weren't stupid enough to fall for the exact same trick they'd just used to take the city of Gid? That's astonishing. But it's important to remember that the reason for this isn't that they're not complete idiots—it's because they remembered their God and he made sure they didn't fall for any obviously transparent ploys of the Lamanites.
Posted by Alex at 8:22 AM No comments: Links to this post


Christchurch, New Zealand – In a day without precedent, people across New Zealand observed the Muslim call to prayer Friday as the nation reflected on the moment one week ago when 50 people were slaughtered at two mosques.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and thousands of others congregated in leafy Hagley Park opposite the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch to observe the call to prayer at 1:30 p.m.
"It's just amazing to see how the country and the community have come together – blows my mind, actually," Imam said before the event.
The iman of the Al Noor mosque, Gamal Fouda, said workers have been working feverishly to repair the destruction, some of whom offered their services for free. He expects the mosque to be open again by next week.


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