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Marcia Fudge on Welfare & Poverty
Fought cuts to food stamp program
Despite Fudge's best efforts to assure the public she is both capable of and enthusiastic about the job, her interview with the Plain Dealer was painful to read. Asked what her priorities were at the agency, she replied in part, "You know, deal with the lack of low-income and moderate income housing in this country. There are lots and lots of things to deal with, quite frankly." In a separate interview, she emphasized that leading HUD would still allow her to work on food security.
A longtime member of the House Agriculture Committee, Fudge chairs the subcommittee on nutrition, which has oversight of USDA. She gained national recognition for vociferously fighting the Trump administration's effort to slash the food stamp program and has a progressive understanding of the agency's role in not just food production but also nutrition policy, child hunger, and land conservation. Source: The New Republic on Biden Cabinet , Dec 14, 2020
Public housing should be a stopping point, not a lifetime
On public housing: "This is the big part of this for me, is to empower communities to understand that public housing or low income housing should not be a lifetime, it should be just a stopping point," Fudge said. "The only way we make that happen is by empowering them to get jobs in their own communities." That's not exactly a thumping rejection of Carson's school of thought, which was that poverty is a "state of mind" that people can overcome with enough hard work. Source: The New Republic on Biden Cabinet , Dec 14, 2020
Introduced a Poverty Bill of Rights
She has introduced legislation urging Congress to enact a "Poverty Bill of Rights," to reaffirm the right of all Americans to live a life free from poverty and its impacts. Several of the bills she introduced to make food more available to low-income people during the COVID-19 pandemic became part of relief packages that were signed into law. Source: The Cleveland Plain-Dealer on Biden Cabinet , Dec 13, 2020
We have to deal with lack of low, moderate income housing
Her immediate priority will be how to keep people in their homes during the coronavirus crisis, and assist small landlords who are struggling. Her second task will be to "figure out how devastated this agency has become and what kinds of things we need to do to make it work the way it should by empowering communities and neighborhoods to make sure that people can live in a decent house or apartment. You know, deal with the lack of low-income and moderate income housing in this country." Source: The Cleveland Plain-Dealer on Biden Cabinet , Dec 13, 2020
HUD/Agriculture can work together feeding hungry children
Q: Tom Vilsack was also named today as Agriculture secretary nominee, a role you were also being considered for.
Marcia Fudge: I had the opportunity to speak with [Vilsack] yesterday, and we talked about the opportunities to work together. Everybody knows how passionate I am about feeding hungry children and school lunches and the kinds of things we do with food and nutrition. It is my passion. I can do so much of the same things with HUD. Source: 19th News e-zine on 2021 Cabinet Confirmation Hearings , Dec 10, 2020
Voted NO on maintaining work requirement for welfare recipients.
Congressional Summary:
Prohibits any experimental pilot or demonstration project that: waives compliance with mandatory work requirements
Rescinds and nullifies any such waiver granted before the enactment of this Act.
Proponent's Argument for voting Yes:
Rep. REICHERT: Congress must ensure that work continues to be the centerpiece of the TANF welfare program. We are here today debating the Obama administration's efforts to undermine work requirements. Bipartisan discussions were actually happening before the Obama administration announced they would waive work requirements for welfare recipients last summer. That announcement completely undermined bipartisan negotiations in our committee about ways to strengthen this program. Usually, if an administration wants to change the law, they must submit a legislative proposal for Congress to consider, but that's not what the Obama administration did with its proposal to waive the TANF work requirements.
Opponent's Argument for voting No:
Rep. LEVIN: Last summer the administration proposed that states would be allowed to apply for waivers and have some flexibility in terms of the application of the work requirements--not the end of them or changing them, but the implementation of them. The idea that the administration is going to try to overturn welfare reform is ridiculous. States have to apply individually for waivers, and they have to explain in detail why the approach would lead to either more employment or better jobs for people who are trying to stay off welfare.
Rep. NEAL: I chaired the Democratic position [on 1990s welfare reform]. One of the goals of welfare reform was to move unemployed Americans from welfare to work, and it did work. The legislation has been very successful in meeting that goal. Welfare reform put people back on the work rolls. Welfare rolls have dropped by half, & poverty amongst children has dropped as well. Reference: Preserving the Welfare Work Requirement & TANF Extension Act; Bill H.R.890 ; vote number 13-HV068 on Mar 13, 2013
Voted YES on instituting National Service as a new social invention.
Congressional Summary:Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act:
Adds to National and Community Service Act of 1990 (NCSA) purposes:
providing year-round opportunities in service-learning;
involving program participants in emergency and disaster preparedness, relief, and recovery;
increasing service opportunities for retiring professionals;
encouraging service by individuals age 55 or older and continued service by national service alumni;
focusing national service on the areas of national need.
Proponent's argument to vote Yes:Sen. BARBARA MIKULSKI (D, MD): [In developing national service over many years] we were not in the business of creating another new social program. What we were in the business of was creating a new social invention. What do I mean by that? In our country, we are known for our technological inventions. But also often overlooked, and sometimes undervalued, is our social inventions.
We created national service to let young people find opportunity to be of service and also to make an important contribution. But not all was rosy. In 2003, when I was the ranking member on the appropriations subcommittee funding national service, they created a debacle. One of their most colossal errors was that they enrolled over 20,000 volunteers and could not afford to pay for it. That is how sloppy they were in their accounting. I called them the "Enron of nonprofits."
And they worked on it. But all that is history. We are going to expand AmeriCorps activity into specialized corps. One, an education corps; another, a health futures corps; another, a veterans corps; and another called opportunity corps. These are not outside of AmeriCorps. They will be subsets because we find this is where compelling human need is and at the same time offers great opportunity for volunteers to do it.
Opponent's argument to vote No:No senators spoke against the amendment. Reference: Serve America Act/GIVE Act; Bill H.R. 1388 ; vote number 2009-H169 on Mar 31, 2009
Sponsored maintaining SNAP nutrition assistance program.
Fudge co-sponsored House Resolution on SNAP
WHEREAS hunger is a serious threat to individual dignity, productivity, learning, economic prosperity, health, and development;
WHEREAS food insecurity means that people face an ongoing struggle against hunger;
WHEREAS 50.1 million people lived in food insecure households in 2011;
WHEREAS the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP), established in the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, is the nation's first line of defense against hunger and food insecurity;
WHEREAS SNAP served more than 47.5 million individuals in October 2012;
WHEREAS the SNAP benefits average less than $1.50 per individual per meal;
WHEREAS SNAP participation rises when the economy is weak;
WHEREAS millions of Americans need to turn to SNAP as a way to feed themselves and their families;
Whereas SNAP is an efficient public-private partnership that runs on the regular channels of commerce--regular retail food stores and electronic benefit transfer (EBT) systems;
WHEREAS every dollar in new SNAP benefits generates up to $1.79 in economi Source: H.RES.90 13-HRes90 on Feb 28, 2013
Voted NO on transferring housing vouchers to ex-addicts.
Fudge voted NAY Transitional Housing for Recovery in Viable Environments Demonstration Program Act
Congressional Summary: Transitional Housing for Recovery in Viable Environments Demonstration Program Act: This bill requires HUD to establish a five-year demonstration program to provide low-income rental-assistance vouchers to individuals recovering from an opioid or other substance-use disorder. Specifically, these vouchers shall be provided through a supportive housing program that provides treatment for such disorders and coordination with workforce development providers.
Statement in support by the Republican Policy Committee: This bill would set aside, out of approximately 2.2 million vouchers, the lesser of 10,000 Section 8 vouchers or .05% of all vouchers. In 2017, President Trump established the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. The Commission will be chaired by Governor Chris Christie and will study ways to combat and treat the scourge of the opioid crisis. The Commission noted, "There is a critical shortage of recovery housing for Americans in or pursuing recovery. Recovery residences (also known as 'sober homes') are alcohol- and drug-free living environments for individuals seeking the skills and social support to remain free of alcohol or other drugs."
Statement in opposition by National Low-Income Housing Coalition: The bill would lengthen affordable housing waiting lists for low income families, seniors, and people experiencing homelessness. Rep. Maxine Waters spoke against the bill [saying it] tries to help people suffering from substance-use disorders, but that doing so requires more resources: "You cannot do this on the cheap. Rehabilitation costs money. We would be taking 10,000 vouchers from those who have been waiting in line for years."
Legislative outcome: Bill Passed House, 230-17-24 on June 14, 2018. No vote in Senate [died in committee]. Source: Congressional vote 18-HR5735 on May 9, 2018
Public jobs on community-based public interest projects.
Fudge signed public jobs on community-based public interest projects
There is established in the Department of Labor a New Economy Grant Program to provide grants for the creation of new jobs on specific public works projects carried out by State or local governments, and community-based public interest projects carried out by nonprofit organizations.
Specific Project Grants- From the amounts made available, set aside an amount for each State based on the population of and relative unemployment rate.
Entities eligible for a direct grant under this section include the following:
- STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS that demonstrate an ability to promptly hire new employees for work on specific public works projects.
- NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS- Community-based nonprofit organizations that demonstrate an ability to promptly hire and effectively manage new employees for work on specific projects.
Such projects must be ready to commence work no later than 2 months after receiving a grant, and new positions of employment on such projects must be for a period of not less than 6 months.
SPONSOR'S INTRODUCTORY REMARKS:
Rep. HARE: The unemployed don't want another benefits check. They want a job. H.R. 4290 would tackle this problem by creating and helping retain millions of jobs. It will reach that goal by investing $60 billion per year over 3 years in TARP money.
First, it would invest heavily in the creation of a new economy grant program.
Secondly, it would provide a direct line of funding to states and localities to help alleviate their financial woes.
Further, my bill would provide much-needed funding to our Nation's schools to protect our teachers and hire more to meet the needs of our children.
The final piece of this bill is a direct line of funding to our national forests and national parks to address some of their many high-needs projects that have been neglected for decades.
Wall Street got its bailout. It's time for Main Street to get theirs. Source: New Deal for a New Economy Act (H.R.4290) 2009-H4290 on Dec 11, 2009
Click here for definitions & background information on Welfare & Poverty. .
Click here for VoteMatch responses by Marcia Fudge.
Click here for a summary of Marcia Fudge's positions on all issues.
Click here for contact info for Marcia Fudge.
Click here for a Wikipedia profile of Marcia Fudge.
Click here for a Ballotpedia profile of Marcia Fudge.
Other candidates on Welfare & Poverty: Marcia Fudge on other issues:
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Hit That Perfect Beat
Previous Prev Trans Lives Matter
MAIN MENU POZ January-February 2018
Next How "Silence = Death" Became a Rallying Cry for ACT UP
Director and cowriter Robin Campillo. Courtesy of BPM/Céline Nieszwer
French director Robin Campillo takes us behind the scenes of his film BPM (Beats Per Minute), about ACT UP Paris.
January 8, 2018 • By Trenton Straube
You cowrote this movie, which is set in 1992. How much is based on your real life?
I was 20 years old in 1982 when I first heard of this disease [that was spreading] in the United States. I was so afraid of it that I stopped [having] relationships. When I joined [AIDS activist group] ACT UP in 1992, it was a kind of relief. I was for a few years very dedicated to it and was doing a lot of the actions that you see in the film.
Was there anything you felt compelled to convey in the film?
Because I talk to a lot of younger people, I realized that nobody knows what we were going through during those times, only others like us and some doctors. To me, it was about [capturing the] emotional things and the sensual things we were going through. You can't just explain things.
Is that why you include all the sex and clubbing?
We were very young and having a lot of pleasure in life. We were surviving in order to go clubbing, to take drugs, to have sex, all those things. To me, that was important, to be in our bodies. And our bodies were political.
How have younger viewers reacted to the film?
Very young people—those born with the internet—their relationship to the epidemic and politics is really different from us, and they are really moved by the debates and theatrics [portrayed in the film]. That's something they don't [experience] anymore—people confronting politicians and each other. In ACT UP, we confronted each other and had democratic debates in the flesh, not through the internet. That's very exciting and active for [younger audiences].
Did ACT UP Paris differ from U.S. chapters?
[Ours] was created in 1989, two years after New York. [Unlike in the United States, for a group to start in France, it has] to have a president. And so there was a struggle all the time between the radicals and the ACT UP president, who was legally representing the group. ACT UP was very exotic to the French audience. The way we were doing actions, it was very American.
Does BPM offer insights for activism today?
The thing about AIDS today is, we have treatments and PrEP [Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis, the daily pill to prevent getting HIV]. We can make them lower the price of the medications, give it to Eastern Europe and Africa. Lots of positive things are going on, but we are not taking advantage of that.
Courtesy of BPM/Céline Nieszawer
What did the film's two leads know about ACT UP Paris before they read the BPM script?
Arnaud Valois (who plays HIV-negative activist Nathan):
I was 9 in 1992. I remember [when ACT UP put a giant pink condom on the obelisk in the middle of Place de la Concorde in 1993], and it was quite something, but I was not aware of the political message of ACT UP. Through the preparation for the role, I discovered who they were.
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (who plays Sean, an HIV-positive activist involved with Nathan):
I was very young [in 1992]. I was born in Argentina and grew up in Argentina, and there was no ACT UP. I had seen the pink triangle somewhere, but I didn't have any personal concerns with AIDS. I learned about ACT UP when I read the script, and then we were very lucky because we were surrounded by activists from ACT UP.
Arnaud ValoisCourtesy of BPM/Céline Nieszwer
Nahuel Pérez BiscayartCourtesy of BPM/Céline Nieszwer
#ACT UP
#Advocacy
#AIDS History
Lewd or Clever? Governor Nixes These Utah-Themed Condoms
CBS Fires Reporter Who Stoked Fears of an "HIV ATTACK"
A 1980s Artist Lost to AIDS Gets Rediscovered in 2020 [SLIDESHOW]
Black Churches Join a "Gospel of AIDS" to Battle HIV

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The practice was founded in June 1991 by its Principal Alan Simpson. It moved to its current premises at Mill Court in 1996 and the property has a car park for the use of clients when visiting the practice.
It has been the aim of the practice since the beginning to provide its clients with a five star service in a fast and efficient manner.
All legal work is undertaken by qualified solicitors who make regular personal contact with the clients so that they are kept informed of the progress of their case. The support staff have been selected for their friendliness and understanding coupled with sound legal experience.


Send us a message, and we'll get right back to you. For inquiries on training at a TOCA Training Center visit our locations page.
As you can probably tell by now, our team here at TOCA lives and breathes the game of soccer, and we're committed to giving our customers a soccer training experience like no other. And by incorporating our small-ball philosophy into our products and training, we can take your game above and beyond your expectations. If you have any questions or concerns about our products or training facilities - or if you want to say hello - drop us a message, and we'll talk about it all. We'd love to hear from you.


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Bonnie Greer
by webmaster | 22 Nov 2016
Awards Hosts | Conference and Keynote Speakers | Motivational | Presenters
Award-winning playwright, author & critic
Bonnie Greer Biography
Bonnie Greer OBE is the Deputy Chairman of the British Museum's Board of Trustees and a former Chancellor of Kingston University.
An advocate of free speech and higher education regardless of individual gender and cultural background, Greer is passionate about both the arts and science and is determined to see that the voices of women and minorities are heard in both realms. As a speaker she truly inspires both individuals and groups to achieve their best and encourages creativity, freedom of expression and mutual respect.
Author and playwright
Deputy Chairman of the British Museum's Board of Trustees
Former Chancellor of Kingston University
A belief in creativity and equality have been the hallmarks of Bonnie Greer's career. Combining passion, honesty and fascinating true stories from the arts and sciences, she will captivate and inspire audiences of all sizes.
An accomplished writer, Bonnie Greers novels and plays have been read and performed throughout the world. Dealing with themes including living as a woman and living as part of minority cultural groups, her works have captivated audiences from all backgrounds and addressed the real challenges faced by individuals in day to day life. Often inspired by current affairs, Greers appearance on BBC Question Time at the same time as the British National Partys Nick Griffin in 2009 compelled her to write Yes, which was first performed at the Royal Opera House in 2011 and also prompted debate on a national level. In addition to award winning stage, radio and screen plays, Greer has written a number of novels and books, some of which focus on the lives of influential people in the arts, including Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald. Her recent book, Langston Hughes: the Value of Contradiction is an example of her ability as a biographer as she explores the life of the famous civil rights campaigner. A columnist for the Guardian and for the Observer, Greer has appeared as a panellist and guest on a number of television and radio shows, including the BBCs Newsnight Review.
The recipient of an OBE in 2010 for her contribution to the arts, Greer has also been awarded the Verity Bargate Award for Best New Play by the Soho Theatre and a number of other accolades. A member of the British Museum's Board of Trustees since 2005, she was appointed Deputy Chairman in 2009. Feeling that the role of existing authors is to encourage and nurture the next generation, Greer was delighted to be appointed the Chancellor of Kingston University in 2013.
Bonnie Greer was born in Chicagos west side and grew up as part of a large family (the eldest of seven children). An early interest in creative writing and acting saw Greer begin to write plays at the age of nine, though she initially pursued a career in law. After being told by a professor that women were not suited to working in law, she changed direction and began studying theatre, under the supervision of David Mamet, at New Yorks Actors Studio under Elia Kazan and under Steve Carter at the Negro Ensemble Company. Greer moved to the UK in 1986 and became a citizen in 1997; she now holds dual nationality.
Positions and honours
Former Chancellor – Kingston University
Honorary Doctor of Letters – Kingston University (2013)
Named as one of Britain's Top 300 Intellectuals The Observer (2011)
OBE (2010)
Verity Bargate Award, Best New Play – Soho Theatre
Member – The Arts Emergency Service
Former theatre critic – Time Out magazine
Former Arts Council playwright in residence – Soho Theatre
Former Arts Council playwright in residence – Black Theatre Co-operative
Bonnie Greer Videos
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Awards Host
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Testimonials for Bonnie Greer
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"Lyrical and painful … a strange and mystical tale."
"Greer expertly weaves in memories of her own upbringing in Chicago, with more humour than you might expect, along with a clear, defined passion for the music she grew up listening to"
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In our study of 1 Samuel chapter one, we will look at the cry of a Godly woman and its effects on a nation. We will see how the heartfelt prayers of a hurting woman were used by God to set up a kingdom.
We are introduced to a man named Elkanah who was from a town called Ramathaim which is thought to be the town of Arimathea during the time of Jesus' ministry. We are also introduced to his wives one of which was Hannah. Hannah would have been miserable and full of shame at the fact that she had not produced any children.
We see that Elkanah was a faithful Jew and went to Shiloh each year as required. The occasion described here was probably the Feats of Tabernacles which was a time of joy and feasting. We are also introduced to a corrupt pair of priests who served there under their father Eli.
Elkanah would distribute the meat for the sacrifices and would give Hannah a double portion. He evidently wanted to cheer her up for her lack of a child. This was a celebration of great joy and yet Hannah would have felt pain and rejection as she had no family to bring to the celebration.
Each year, Peninnah would make Hannah feel the shame and guilt of her barrenness. Her sadness would get to the point of tears and not eating at the celebration.


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Princess Nokia Notes Similarities Between Her Single 'Mine' And Ariana Grande's '7 Rings'
January 18, 2019 . Leave a Comment
Ariana Grande yesterday (January 17, 2019) released the follow up to "thank u, next," a single titled "7 rings." The pink-tinted, Hannah Lux Davis-directed visual and lyrics are all about a flex with Grande boasting about the many things her success has provided her.
Written by 10 individuals, the song references the iconic "My Favorite Things" from the The Sound of Music and also interpolates The Notorious B.I.G.'s single "Gimme The Loot."
Grande's fans were happily celebrating the launch when a wrench was thrown in the wheel by Princess Nokia, who pointed out on Instagram that the "7 Rings" chorus sounded suspiciously like "Mine," a single featured on her "1992" mixtape, which dropped in 2017.
On Instagram, Nokia played segments of the tracks back to back and commented, "Does that sound familiar to you? Ain't that the lil' song I made about brown women and their hair? Hmmm…sounds about white."
As stated by Nokia, "'Mine' lyrics are about creating a safe space for the hair choices of women of color. In the outro she states, "Please do not ask me or any black or brown women if our hair is real or not. If it's a wig, a weave, extensions, braids, don't fuckin' ask. It's very rude, it's extremely personal to be put on the spot like that. How we choose to wear our hair is our personal choice, ok?"
Commentors who viewed Nokia's claim as a reach said Grande's single sounded more like a sped up version of Soulja Boy's 2010 single "Pretty Boy Swag." Others heard a similarity to 2 Chainz "Spend It" single from 2011.
Check out the songs below and see what you think.
@arianagrande
A post shared by Princess Nokia (@princessnokia) on Jan 18, 2019 at 9:30am PST
Princess Nokia compares "rings" and "Mine."
#7Rings is just 'pretty boy swag' sped up, stay woke. soulja boy influence at it again pic.twitter.com/XbVxUeltVM
— zoo wee papa (@beeskneesruiz) January 18, 2019
Soulja Boy's
Music Video Ariana Grande Princess Nokia


We spoke to Barclays, which indicated that its response would vary according to the type of account you hold and your history in relation to the receipt of large sums.It confirmed that your lack of records to explain the cash receipts is a potential problem. We have held current accounts with HSBC, Barclays and Lloyds for more than 30 years.We sold some possessions for cash and have around £15,000 to pay into our accounts. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires banks to have "adequate policies and procedures sufficient to counter the risk that they might be used to further financial crime".
The revised Payment Services Directive will, from 2018 in the UK, prohibit surcharges on cards regulated under the Interchange Fee Regulations; this does not cover some commercial cards. In January I bought two tickets from Thomas Cook to fly to Lanzarote in June.
And the only payment taken from my account was £379.96 for the flights.
We are afraid that when we get to the airport, we will be told that no extras have been booked.
You have now received compensation of nearly £600 – which was more than you paid for the flights. I went through Expedia in November to book flights to Mauritius, leaving at the end of this month.
My children are 12 and 14 and the airline, Emirates, is now refunding the air passenger duty [APD] on these flights.
just contact with me, i have lots of her mails and pics, also she have send to me fake usa passport and wedding cerificate.


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politicworm
Shakespeare authorship
SHAKESPEARE WHO?
The Authorship problem
Ann Vavasor's poem
Shakespeare the story-teller
Evidence for Oxford's years with Smith
google7b41e63f984d290b.html
The Cecils and History
Where's William in the records?
"That noble Theseus of learning"
Images of Ankerwycke
A society of secrets
Anon, anon, Sir!
Bacon's early years
Birth and infancy
Bishopsgate: history and map
Blackfriars to Shoreditch Map
Did Oxford design Burbage's Theatre?
Born in sin
Bringing in the May
Eight years with Sir Thomas Smith
George Vertue and Shakespeare's face
Gosson's School of Abuse
Hidden subjects, hidden authors
How he spelled his name
Not without mustard
My firsts
Iago, Lady Macbeth, and Henry Howard
Important Authorship articles
Issues of Identity
Oxford's Letters CD
OXFORD'S LIFE IN A NUTSHELL: Birth to Forty
Oxford's mentors on Shakespeare's stage
Oxford's metamorphosis
Oxford's tutors on Shakespeare's stage
Playing the marriage card
Plays by the University Wits
Plays of the 1580s
RENAISSANCE VS REFORMATION
Richard III and Robert Cecil
Richard III: the evidence
Shakespeare and the Law
Shakespeare and the Universities
Smith's Greek titles
Stuck in a left brain box
Shakespeare the genius
Francis Walsingham
With the beginning years of the 1580s, and the fading from power of the Lord Chamberlain, the ailing Earl of Sussex, the Principal Secretary, Sir Francis Walsingham, stepped to the fore. Unfortunately, history has given us a dark and somewhat distorted picture of Walsingham. This is partly because so much of what he did had necessarily to be done in secret, and partly because, following his death, his private papers vanished leaving historians with little to work with beside his official letters. Even so, though we are restricted to guessing the extent of his activities by the shadows they cast, these suggest that he was a great deal more than "the spymaster" that he's usually labeled. As his biographer, Conyers Read, puts it:
[D]uring his first eight years as Secretary [he] had not yet become the great figure in the Government which he became later. He had not yet fully revealed his extraordinary abilities. Consequently during that time he continued to be regarded as occupying a rather subordinate position in the government. It was in the last ten years of his life (1580-90) that he established himself as one of the most influential of the councillors who surrounded Elizabeth's throne. During that decade it may almost be said that he was the chief executive officer of the Government. (2.291)
We can only guage such a reserved figure by his own words. Of an anonymous pamphlet published sometime in October 1585 titled A Declaration of the causes moving the Queen of England to give aid to the Defence of the People afflicted and oppressed in the low Countries, Read states:
There is no doubt that Walsingham himself composed the second part . . . and there is a strong presumption that he wrote the whole of it. If so it gives him a high place among writers of literature of this sort. The Declaration is indeed a masterpiece in its way, eloquent and ardent, yet essentially moderate and sane, pregnant with sound reasoning, concise yet elegant. . . . The fact that Walsingham was chosen to compose this official utterance . . . demonstrates that he was already recognized as past master of the art . . . . (3.121)
My guess is that Walsingham wasn't "chosen" by anyone, that by 1585 he was the leader in this arena and so he wrote it because in his view it needed writing. Even more likely, it was Francis Bacon who wrote it at Walsingham's request since careful writing of this nature takes a lot of time, Walsingham was tremendously busy, and it's exactly the sort of work Bacon was doing then, the only kind he could get.
In any case, whether as author or patron, it suggests a level of judgement , a taste for art, for the kind of literature that would soon be appearing on the Stage as well as in the Press. Historians explain Walsingham's adoption of Sir Philip Sidney, whom he welcomed into his family as his only son-in-law, as a political maneuver, forgetting that whatever his political status, Sidney was, first, last and always, a poet. It wasn't Sidney's looks or his status as a Christian warrior that had his fans calling him divine and an angel, it was his poetry.
Read himself states that
in his recreations [Walsingham] was a "bookish person," who . . . preferred his library and the conversations of his learned friends before . . . more vigorous pastimes. . . . The year or two which he spent in Italy in his youth evidently made a great impression upon his tastes and temperament, and if he did not return, as Asham would have it, a "devil incarnate," he was nevetheless in many repects that monstrous type of Englishman which . . . contemporaries combined to brand as "Italianate." Of course he was far too sane and sober a man to affect the more fantastic attributes of the type, but he possessed to a remarkable degree its cosmopolitan spirit and its breadth of interest. . . . (3.432-3)
Read also writes;
Walsingham's earliest biographer declares him to have been the best linguist of his times, and David Lloyd said of him: "He could as well fit King James's humour with sayings out of Xenophon, Thucydides, Plutarch or Tacitus, as he could King Henry's with Rabelais's conceits and the Hollanders with mechanic discourses." Probably no Englishman of his times had so wide an acquaintance abroad, not merely among statesmen and political agents, but also among men of letters. (3.433).
How odd that Read then chooses to dismiss any personal connection between Walsingham and the acting company he helped create or the University Wits who dedicated works to him. Perhaps he suffers from the same affliction that causes historians of the stage to see plays as something other than literature.
Although Burghley was responsible for bringing Walsingham to Court in the first place, once Walsingham got the bit in his teeth a strain developed . They worked well together when dealing with Mary Queen of Scots and the English Catholics, but when it came to international affairs, they found themselves at odds, perhaps because Burghley's only experience of the world outside England was a few weeks in Edinburgh in 1561 while Walsingham spent years as a student in Italy and later as ambassador to France. In dealing with the threat from Spain, Burghley was Chamberlain, Walsingham Churchill. Burghley was more afraid of the Papists at home than Walsingham; Walsingham was more worried about them in France and Spain (Read 2.231, 3.51).
That sink of filth and sin
Why then, with all he had to do, did Walsingham add the Court Stage to his roster? We can't know exactly how it came about, but we can guess why. By rights it should have been either Christopher Hatton, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household who took over, or Lord Hunsdon, Sussex's deputy. Walsingham had worked well enough with Sussex, but it was unlikely that he could have worked so well with Hatton (Shakespeare's Malvolio).
For one thing, the Queen, ever concerned to maintain a balance among her restive councillors and still angry at Oxford, may have been teetering towards allowing even heavier restrictions on the Stage of the sort continually urged by her more conservative councillors. In the seven years since the birth of the London commercial stage, the forces ranged against the Theater by the Church and the more radical reform elements in Parliament had become ever more adamant, to limit it as much as possible, but ultimately to get rid of it altogether.
Howard and Hunsdon, both patrons of acting companies, were too involved with it for their opinions to carry much weight with the Queen or other members of the Council, some of whom (Hatton included) were inclined to side with those who called for its removal. Walsingham, on the other hand, having no obvious personal connection with the Stage, could promote himself to Elizabeth as one who could oversee it without allowing it undue license. With the loss of Sussex, the disgrace of Leicester, and the increase of concern over Catholic plots, Walsingham's stock was on the rise.
What he did, even before Sussex died (possibly with the Lord Chamberlain's blessing), was to begin moving to create a Crown company. In March 1583 he instructed the Master of the Revels, Charles Tilney (that Tilney would do this on his own, or purely at the Queen's suggestion, is absurd) to form a new company by taking two or three actors from each of the major companies.
Thus, by creating a single company out of the best actors in the nation, like the Little Tailor of the folk tale, Walsingham dealt with several giant problems by striking this single blow. Without shutting any of them down, this gave the acting companies who were upsetting the City fathers a strong reminder of what could happen if they got too reckless. The actors who made up the Queen's Men, surely the wittiest of devils and so potentially the most troublesome, would be on the road for most of the year, out of sight of London and its easily irritated officials. In addition, by having them report directly to him, information about trouble brewing in the provinces could be more easily dealt with ahead of time and in camera. And, since trouble caused by travelling companies in the provinces, if sufficiently dire, often landed in the lap of the Principal Secretary anyway, by patronizing the company himself, he would be able to nip it in the bud before it went public.
McMillin and Maclean, authors of the most important book on the Queen's Men, understand some of this, though they miss what may have been the most important side of this move, to Walsingham at least, namely that it gave him a bully pulpit with which to woo the more conservative Catholic provincials into putting their nation ahead of their religion. A reformer himself, he would have been aware of how, back in the days of Henry VIII, Reformation playwright John Bale had helped to sway the nation away from Rome and towards home rule with a history play like King Johan. Bale's patron had been the 16th Earl of Oxford. Perhaps Walsingham could do the same thing with more modern plays by the son of that same earl. Perhaps some of the older actors in the new company were veterans of that same earl's company.
Walsingham and Oxford
Walsingham would have had a different view of the unpredictable Earl of Oxford than most. Having worked so closely during the early '70s with the then senior Principal Secretary, Sir Thomas Smith, Oxford's tutor, Walsingham would have insights into Smith's surrogate son that no one at Court could possibly have had but him, nor was Smith one to keep his feelings or opinions to himself when at ease with a friend.
Walsingham's correspondence with Smith began in the early 1570s when Smith was serving as Elizabeth's Secretary of State and Sir Francis was acting as Ambassador to France, Smith having served in that capacity earlier (Dudley Digges 1655). They were both in France together in 1572. In 1573, Walsingham came aboard as Second Secretary, learning the ropes from elder statesman Smith, whose wealth of experience with the first Reformation government under Edward VI would have been willingly shared with his junior until he retired in 1576. They exchanged many letters over the years, building a friendship that that lasted until Smith's death in 1577 (Dewar 181).
In any case Walsingham would have been aware of Oxford's troubles in the early '80s, of his banishment from Court, his financial woes, his struggle to keep the Blackfriars theater afloat while dodging the Knyvets, out to kill him for seducing their cousin. A fatherless man himself, he would have sympathized with Oxford's grief over the failing health of Sussex. In Oxford's most recent dramas, written for his discerning West End audience, Walsingham could envision the kind of plays that a travelling company could use to bring the provinces into line politically with London. Before having Tylney pick the actors for his all-star company, he may well have consulted with Oxford as to which ones would be best. That would have been easy, since Oxford was living just around the corner.
[1]Wikipedia: "His public papers were seized by the government and his private papers, which would have revealed much, not least about his finances, were lost." This is common knowledge, repeated in every text on Walsingham.
[2] One of Walsingham's sisters was married to Peter Wentworth, the outspoken Puritan Parliamentarian and advocate of Parliamentary freedom as against the royal prerogative (3.425). Read thinks that Walsingham may have secretly supported some of Wentworth's opinions (3.426). Another sister was married to Sir Walter Mildmay, a Walsingham supporter on the Privy Council. Walsingham was the step-son of Hunsdon's uncle, Sir John Carey of Plashy, who, according to Read, opposed him on most public policy (3.426). Read says that Leicester was condescending to Walsingham (3.428), but that Walsingham and Hatton were on friendly terms (3.429).
[3] The major councillors during the last half of the 1570s and beginning of the 1580s were Burghley, Leicester, Sussex and Walsingham. With regard to the Queen's marriage, Sussex and Burghley were for it, Leicester and Walsingham against it, while the same division existed when it came to making peace or war with Spain. Yet, when it came to dealing with the Catholic threat within England, Burghley and Walsingham were dogged while Sussex and Leicester were less concerned.
THE AUTHORSHIP QUESTION
Politicworm Bibliography
"Though I be strange"
16th-century maps
Vote with your penny for freedom of information
Where I agree or differ
Articles by Stephanie Hopkins Hughes
BIRTH OF THE COMMERCIAL PRESS
Hartman's Introduction to Pettie's Pallace
Oxford and Robert Greene
Pettie to Lyly to Greene
R.B.'s preface to Pettie's Pallace
Who was R.B.?
Richard Field and Blackfriars
The perils of publishing
BIRTH OF THE LONDON STAGE
1576: A date to remember
Enter Edward Alleyn
Blackfriars and the London Stage
Gosson attacks Fisher's Folly
Oxford and the Blackfriars Theater
The first Blackfriars theater
1590s Timeline
Missing from the record
The 1580s: raw beginnings
Hamlet and Hieronymo
The Spanish Tragedy
The Stage vs the Church, the Queen, and the Devil
Mumming and disguising
"Dissing Elizabeth": a review
Queen Elizabeth's government
This Queen hates marriage
Elizabeth and the politics of frustration
Sin, syphilis, and the sonnet cycle
The perils and powers of poetry
They Began the Beguine
Missing evidence
Plays, poems & other EM texts
Oxford's "Sweet Speech" given at the 1581 Tilts
Richard III and the coverup
Oxford and Essex
Shakespeare's angriest play
Suspicious deaths
The play was the thing
The publication of Richard III
Shakespeare on Oxford's marriage
Authorship timeline
Expanding the Question
Expanding the dots
Origin of the name Shakespeare
Visualizing Shakespeare: A Tale of Two Portraits
Was William the only front?
What's solved by this scenario
History of the Question
The universities as Flatland
Why not William?
"Scrooge of Stratford"- K. Duncan-Jones
The six signatures
Points to keep in mind
Sonnet 107 and comments
The Cover-up: who did it?
The Cover-up is cast in stone
William and the Company
The Top Six Candidates
Why not Bacon?
Bacon and Spenser
Francis Bacon and the Northumberland Manuscript
Oxford & Bacon: Prospero & Ariel
Why the Earl of Oxford?
Dating the plays by Oxford's life
Oxford's enemies: Shakespeare's villains
Shakespeare and Sir Thomas Smith
Did Shakespeare know Greek?
Shakespeare and Astrology
Shakespeare and hawking
Shakespeare and Medicine
Shakespeare, Smith and Cecil
Laurence Nowell and William Lambarde
Why it's taken so long
Why Shakespeare matters
What is a genius?
The Dutton Brothers
Who were the University Wits?
HIS LIFE IN A NUTSHELL: The Shakespeare years
Did Oxford die on Midsummer's Day?
Is he buried in Poet's Corner?
Shakespeare's patrons
HIS EDUCATION
Laurence Nowell and Beowulf
Smith and the Wisdom Tradition
Smith's library
Smith, Digges, and Dee
Oxford's college years
Oxford's travels in Shakespeare's Italy
Oxford's Letters
Five months at Queens' College
He comes to Sir Thomas Smith
Life at Cecil House
1563: People, events, and poetry
William Cecil, Ld Burghley
Life at Hill Hall
Life at Ankerwycke
Oxford's patrons
Why couldn't Oxford admit to writing Venus and Adonis?-Michael Egan
Why the vast conspiracy of silence?––Michael Egan
Can you explain the "seventh signature"? – Brian McDonald
Did Oxford leave books behind? – Charlie Kellogg
Do we have Oxford's horoscope? – Breck Breckenridge
Doesn't the image of the Queen in V&A contradict your description of her as unwilling to give herself physically to a man? – Howard Schumann
How did Oxford connect with William?––Lynda Taylor
If Harvey didn't write the attacks on Greene, why didn't he protest?- Chris Kaiser
If Oxford didn't die in 1604, why no reference in any play to scientific developments after 1604?- Fred Nergenah
Was Don Quixote written by an English author (Bacon or possibly de Vere)? – Howard Schumann
Was Oxford a misogynist? – Ronald Chisholm
Was Oxford Don Ricardo Barbarossa in Nashe's "Have With You"?-Rolymo
Was William Shakespeare, the actor, the Earl of Oxford? – Howard Schumann
What are the certain connections between Fisher's Folly and the University Wits? – B.K. McDonald
What are your sources for "Oxford & Bacon: Prospero & Ariel"?-Jerry Harner
What connection did Shakespeare (Oxford?) have with Francis Langley?––Jumpypants
What proof is there that Bacon was Spenser?-Howard Schumann
What's the background to Much Ado?––Jumpypants
What's the evidence for Edward arriving on Smith's doorstep at age four? – Marie Merkel
Where can I get details about de Vere's life that may pinpoint the ways in which his papers were dispersed? – Stella Samaras
Where Shakespeare is referred to as "Gent" or "Master," who is meant? – Howard Schumann
Who is it that the Dark Lady has bewitched in Sonnet 134? – Howard Schumann
Why did Oxford have to hide his identity behind real people?––Chris Kaiser
Why did the coverup continue past Oxford's death? – Alex McNeil
Why is not the Basse eulogy from the 1640 Folio evidence of Stratford authorship? – Howard Schumann
Why was it dishonorable for peers to write?-Michael Egan
Why were none of the plays de Vere wrote as Greene included in the First Folio? – Chris Kaiser
Oxford's worst enemy
Oxford's enemies, Part I
Smith, Oxford, and the Law
Oxford's horoscope
Oxford and the birth of the modern Media.
Gather ye scandals while ye may
Out, damned biography! Out I say!
The missing evidence
Why Elizabeth would never marry
1609 Chronology
Hank Whittemore's Shakespeare blog
Heward Wilkinson's Reflections
Marie Merkel's Edward Oxenford Review
Shakespeare by Another Name
The Oxfreudian: the psychology of the Authorship Question
The Shakespeare Adventure
stephanie@politicworm.com
Heward Wilkinson's Reflections Reflections on the Authorship Question from a philosophical point of view.
Shakespeare by Another Name News and views on the AQ by Mark Anderson, author of the most recent biography of the Earl of Oxford.
The Shakespeare Adventure News on Shakespeare in general and the AQ in particular.
Hank Whittemore's Shakespeare blog Comments on the AQ from a PT perspective.
1609 Chronology Oxfordian scholar Robert Brazil provides interesting information on events that occured in 1609.
Oberon News and views on the AQ from Oberon, the Ann Arbor Michigan Shakespeare group.
Archives Select Month May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 November 2017 October 2017 August 2017 May 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 May 2016 October 2015 June 2015 March 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 August 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 December 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 October 2012 September 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 April 2009


The Bergren Residence boasts hallmarks of iconic Lautner design, including a striking roofline, walls of glass, and breathtaking hilltop views.
With a prolific career that spanned nearly 60 years, acclaimed American architect John Lautner has left his mark across Southern California. As one of the original Taliesan Fellows, Lautner imbued his works with lessons learned from Frank Lloyd Wright, including an "organic architecture" approach, which can be clearly seen in one of his earlier works known as the Bergren House. Luckily for us, this property has just hit the market for $1,999,000.
The exposed redwood beams have been stripped of layered paint and carefully restored for a natural look.
An indoor water feature runs along the length of the living room.
Nestled in the Hollywood Hills just above Runyon Canyon, the Bergren Residence boasts sweeping views of the San Fernando Valley.


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Liberation Radio
Tag: anti-war
Why Sanders is surging | PLUS: Imperialist war and the rise of ISIS
Tagged as: anti-imperialism, anti-war, elections, libya, socialism
http://www.liberationradio.org/assets/audio/LibRadio-2016-02-08.mp3
Why Sanders is surging
Listen now: Eugene Puryear, the PSL's 2016 vice-presidential candidate, provides an analysis of last week's Iowa caucuses, and what they mean for working and poor people in this election year. The social-democratic Bernie Sanders campaign could very well surpass Hillary Clinton as they nearly tied in the polls while Ted Cruz was the unexpected winner for the Republicans.
Imperialist war and the rise of ISIS
Listen now: Brian Becker discusses the U.S.-dominated anti-Daesh meeting that took place on February 2 in Rome with journalist Hafsa Kara. The U.S.-led NATO bombing campaign that achieved "regime change" in 2011 has opened the path for the so-called Islamic State to grow in Libya, especially in Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte. This segment is rebroadcast from Loud & Clear on Radio Sputnik.
Turkey excludes Kurdish groups from peace talks | PLUS: Haiti rises up
Tagged as: anti-war, haiti, kurdistan, syria, turkey
Turkey excludes Kurdish groups from peace talks
Listen now: Elif Sarican of the Kurdish Student Union discusses recent developments in Eastern Turkey. While media in the United States lauds the resistance of Kurdish resistance groups against ISIS, those groups have also been excluded in the recent peace talks. She also analyzes the relationship between the Turkish government, and U.S./NATO imperialism. The Turkish government, a partner of global imperialists, has waged a war of dehumanization and extermination against Kurdish people for nearly a century.
Haiti rises up
Listen now: Kim Ives, co-founder and editor of the international weekly newspaper Haiti Liberté, talks about the recent protests in Haiti against the government of President Michel Martelly. On January 22, thousands marched to central square in Port-au-Prince to demand new elections after massive voter fraud in the first two rounds of voting, and to denounce a government ban on demonstrations. In response, the Martelly government has planned massive police and paramilitary repression.
Veterans stand against imperialist wars | PLUS: Trump, free speech and pushing back American-style fascism
Tagged as: anti-imperialism, anti-racism, anti-war, veterans
Veterans stand against imperialist wars
Listen now: Mike Prysner of March Forward! speaks on the continued need to for active-duty soldiers, veterans and their supporters to stand against imperialist war. Veteran's Day was named in 1954 to whitewash the truth of how working and oppressed people in the United States are recruited to fight for the rich in wars abroad. To truly support veterans, the Pentagon must be dismantled, and the capitalist drive for war must be stopped once and for all.
Trump, free speech and pushing back American-style fascism
Listen now: Karina Garcia of the Party for Socialism and Liberation in New York City talks about the mobilization against Donald Trump who hosted Saturday Night Live this past weekend. Trump is a dangerous American-style fascist promoted by the U.S. ruling class to spread extreme right-wing ideology. Trump's racism is not free speech and all progressive people must continue organizing to stop him.
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Neo-Nazis rise in Ukraine | Gay players in pro-sports spotlight
A new movement rallies against war on Syria | NSA targets Latin America
U.S. warmakers in a bind on Syria | NSA: No checks, no balance
From Black Lives Matter to Red Nation: the struggle against racism and colonization
Women fight back against healthcare attacks | PLUS: Iran gains breathing room after nuclear deal
Report on the Black Radical Tradition Conference | PLUS: Native activist tells the history of lands held by OR militia
Pushing workers off the cliff
Unemployed not welcome at Presidential Inauguration | French imperialism in Mali
FBI Occupy surveillance exposed | Rhetoric and reality of Obama's inaugural speech
Full rights for all immigrants | April 13: US drones out of Africa and everywhere!
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I have just submitted www.cut 3.1 to Apple for approval, so hopefully it should be available for download some time in the next week.
It's mainly bug fixes and cosmetic updates, including new Retina graphics for the new iPad, but there's one new feature that I hope you'll like.
Previously when you Tweeted a link or sent it to Facebook, it sent just the link with no information about it. In this new version, you should get the title too.
Still, I hope you find it useful.


text:
Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry Meets Senator Todd Young
Message from H.E. Mr. Mamnoon Hussain President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on Kashmir Black Day – 27th October 2017
Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry visited the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University (GWU)
Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, met Senator Todd Young (Republican-Indiana) at Capitol Hill today. The Ambassador briefed Senator Young, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Pakistan-U.S. bilateral relations and shared Pakistan's perspective on the situation in South Asia.
The Ambassador noted that Pakistan and the United States had a long history of working together to achieve mutual interests and meet common challenges. As the two countries celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations, a broad-based partnership between Pakistan and the United States remains vital to the achievement of their common strategic and regional objectives.
Ambassador Chaudhry highlighted the upward trajectory of Pakistan's economy, noting that Pakistan's large and growing middle class made it an attractive destination for foreign investors. He informed Senator Young, who also deals with commerce and economic issues in the Senate, of the enormous potential for mutually beneficial economic cooperation between Pakistan and the United States.
Senator Young thanked Ambassador Chaudhry for his detailed briefing and stressed the need for close cooperation between Pakistan and the United States for peace and stability in the region.


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Just because it's summer doesn't mean you should let those STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects grow cold. Get in touch with your inner scientists or just have fun with STEM at the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville. Permanent exhibits include fossils and dinosaurs; gems, rocks and minerals; and science in motion.
Featured photo of an armadillo ancestor. All photos courtesy of Penny Alligood.


"It's great to encourage our children to tinker physically with items, skills and crafts, as well as mentally with ideas and dreams and their own big picture. So many of us have lost the art of tinkering. Perhaps that's because its loss suits the 'modern' economy in so many ways. After all, business prefer us to buy new things rather than fix what's broken, they prefer us to buy in a box what we would otherwise create and construct ourselves, they prefer us to pay people to do the things we really could do ourselves". Anna Campbell, Honeycomb Kids.
I've just finished reading Honeycomb Kids: Big picture parenting for a changing world...and to change the world by Anna Campbell. Anna's book is full of practical tips for how we can ensure our children have the skills needed to become resilient, considerate and happy adults.
I found Anna's discussion of 'Smart Thinking' particularly useful.
"Our children will benefit if we encourage them to think, not just to learn. Mastering thinking is more important than mastering a specific technology that could well be outdated by the time they finish their studies. By learning to think, they'll be able to find the answers to many difficult questions".
I've applied some of Anna's tips for introducing the skill of thinking to children and have been amazed at some of the conversations Little Eco and I have since had. I'll share more in a future blog post.
Anna will be talking here in Newcastle Tuesday 19th June about her book and about how we can raise resilient kids for a better world. Her talk will be followed by a Q & A panel. More details here and in the flyer below.
I'm one of the Q & A panel members. Will I see you there?
Little Eco enjoyed a Purple Pear Farm Party for her recent 5th birthday.
The party was simple, waste-free, natural, preservative-free and best of all Kate from Purple Pear did most of the work, leaving me to enjoy the day with Little Eco.
The food was simple - fruit kebabs and pop corn. A natural cordial was served in recycled glass bottles with paper straws. Farm animal drink bottle name tags, made using the you make do's old-fashioned farm party kit, were printed on recycled paper and tied on with hemp string.
There was a quick game of old-fashioned duck-duck-goose while we waited for guests to arrive. After a snack the kids went on a tour of the farm. They fed the ducks and geese, collected eggs, climbed on the tractor, we're thrilled to meet a 'real' farmer, cuddled some guinea pigs and fed the pony.
The birthday cake was a marble cake I made using natural food colours. The farm animals are schleich models that Little Eco has kept as a memento of her farm party (and were, for me, a quick and easy way to decorate the cake). The 'grass' was created by shaking some shredded coconut in a jar with green food colouring.
Then there was a seasonal story about bulbs and each child got to take home their very own baby bulb to care for.
I love that I could out-source Little Eco's birthday party, at a time that was extremely busy for me, without compromising on any of my ideals regarding waste, food and play.
The party was much easier (for me) than last years attempt at a good-old-fashioned simple and frugal birthday party and her gardening party the year before that.
Thank you Kate for creating a truly magical party. I hope that many more children get to experience the joy of one of your parties.
For more information and to book your own organic farm birthday party contact Kate from Purple Pear Organic Farm. Purple Pear Organic Farm is in the lower Hunter Valley NSW, around 40 minutes from Newcastle.
View pictures from a previous Purple Pear farm party here.
Whats your top tip for making birthday parties less complicated and easier?
And speaking of parties - a set of Lyra pencils would make a great birthday gift. Head on over here to enter a giveaway for a set from Dragonfly Toys.
Purple Pear organic farm hosted their first kids birthday party recently.
I had the pleasure of helping Kate run the party.
The party was simple, waste-free, natural, preservative-free and best of all the birthday girls' parents didn't have to organise a thing.
The food was simple - fruit kebabs, pop corn and vegetable sticks and hummus. A natural cordial was served in old glass soda stream bottles. The gorgeous sweet bees drink labels printed on recycled paper are from you make do™ and inspired a sweet bees party kit.
A special birthday chair was dedicated to gift opening.
Kate re-purposed some old milk bottles as baskets for animal food (stale bread collected from a local shop).
Guests got to feed the ducks and chickens, collect the eggs, munch on beans straight from the garden, nurse guinea pigs and feed the pony.
The birthday cake was a beautiful simple banana cake decorated with edible Nasturtiums and enjoyed with a honey berry smoothie.
Kate then told a seasonal story about Sunflowers and the party guests got to collect their own Sunflower seeds to take home with a teeny jar of honey.
I've excitedly booked a party for Little Eco's upcoming fifth birthday party. I'm thrilled that I can outsource and still get a simple and waste-free party.
For more information and to book your own organic farm birthday party contact Kate from Purple Pear Organic Farm.


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Home Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year C
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year C
Kevin August 17, 2019
THE UNEXPECTED RESCUE
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Analysis by Cathy Lessmann
10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." 13 When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day." 15 But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?" 17 When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
Author's Note: I was inspired by our last "Crossings Connection" newsletter, featuring Ruth Hanusa (a hospice chaplain). Ruth plays with the deeper meaning of the childhood chant, "Olly, olly oxen free!" Read her story as background—you won't regret it! READ HEAR
DIAGNOSIS: Bent Down
Step 1: Initial Diagnosis (External Problem): Bent Down
"My life has been such a disappointment," Trina thought to herself despondently and, yes, even despairingly. "Things just didn't turn out the way I thought they would." She had been class valedictorian and voted "most likely to succeed." She had had a successful career. She should be feeling wonderful, but truth be told, her life was anything but wonderful. There wasn't any spark left in her; she felt bent over, discouraged. She wondered whether her life had been a waste, even though—goodness knows—she had tried. Yes, she had tried and tried, so very hard, especially when her husband lost their savings and her son dropped out of college and never "made" anything of himself. She had tried so hard, people called her "driven." And now, yet another blow: her mother was dying, despite the years of organic food and daily yoga.
Step 2: Advanced Diagnosis (Internal Problem): False Gods
Unwittingly, because it does seem to be a very "American" thing to do, Trina had made a god out of "success"—of being good, productive, of being "the best." Recall, she had been "good" at everything—school, relationships, sports. (Of course, she was attractive too.) And that "goodness" had given her a sense of value, of worth; a sense that her life mattered. But now, she wasn't so sure any more. Worse, she had a nagging, guilty suspicion that maybe it was her driven-ness that had alienated her from her husband and son.
Step 3: Final Diagnosis (Eternal Problem): Lifeless, Collapsing
But, that was an unbearable notion to entertain because it would make it HER fault that life was collapsing around her. She had failed at measuring up to her own yardstick. So now where was she? Well, she knew: she was down in the pits—and it felt like hell. Maybe it was hell. How was she going to get out? She knew she couldn't do it. Watching her mother slowly die, she thought that she might as well die too. It was as though God had turned away from her. All her achievements, all her success had brought her nothing!
PROGNOSIS: Healed
Step 4: Initial Prognosis (Eternal Solution): Rescued
A hospice chaplain came to visit Trina's mother and, because she was a good daughter, Trina sat in on their conversation. To her great astonishment, that conversation changed everything. She felt rescued! To encapsulate: her mother had been telling the chaplain that she worried she hadn't "done enough in her life," that she wasn't sure where she stood with God. (Yup, just like me, Trina thought.) The chaplain's amazing response: "Well, don't you know? With Jesus, it's 'olly, olly oxen free!'" When both Trina and her mom protested that that just couldn't be—that it was too good to be true—the chaplain explained, "Why else do you think God sent us a Savior? God knew we can't measure up, so Jesus measured up for us! Which means, God doesn't keep score anymore!" She went on, "I know Jesus is saying to you, right now, 'Let me take everything that's crushing and killing you –your despair, your failure-to-measure-up, and especially your dying—and here, let me give you what I have—my life, my joy, my right-ness." Then she said, "Isn't that the most incredible deal ever made?"
Step 5: Advanced Prognosis (Internal Solution): Trusting
It sounded too good to be true, but it resonated. Trina and her mom were both overwhelmed. "Wow! A God who gave up everything for us! That's a God we can, we will trust," they both thought. Trina finally understood that the god of success she had so fervently worshiped had been a false god, one that had disappointed her and not guaranteed her life at all. Instead it had bent her down to the point of crushing her. But the God who sent Jesus is a merciful God, one she could trust. Trina felt as though chains were falling off her back. She felt she could stand up straight for the first time—ever. An oddly-new feeling of absolute joy started to tingle and surge through her. "I'm free, I'm free, I'm free," she sang. Securing her future wasn't up to her anymore, in fact, she realized, it never had been.
Step 6: Final Prognosis (External Solution): Turned Around
Trina cared for her mother until she died, peacefully and unafraid. Slowly it seemed, things began to change inside Trina. For one, she began regarding people differently, especially people like her husband and son. Instead of using them as a means to measure herself, she began to regard them as people who were precious in and of themselves—that is, people who needed her love. That in turn caused her to treat them differently—she spent more time with them, she quit pointing out their flaws. To her amazement, their family life improved; it wasn't perfect, but better. She re-assessed the other parts of her life too. Instead of listing her successes and achievements as measurements of her worth, she understood that her life had immeasurable value because she has a God who died for her. Instead of obsessing over herself, she began to appreciate the goodness in others. She started to care about strangers who might be hurting—even the undocumented immigrants she read about in the news; she volunteered at the food pantry at church. Less frenzied, and more at ease, people noticed the change in her. Trina's explanation? "I heard Jesus call out, 'Olly, olly, oxen free' so I ran home free!"


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By Bryson "Boom" Paul | January 22, 2023
San Diego's We The Commas keep the momentum going following a big 2022 with the release of the people-pleasing new video "Keep Going." Featuring a wide variety of ordinary people, the brothers deliver a trendsetting new pop-rock sound for their first outing of 2023.
"Keep Going" is directed by William "Ambe" Alvarado, and filled with personal friends who also dealt with loss over the past two years, reciting the group's energetic lyrics about overcoming adversity. The brothers sing, "Show goes on although I'm going slow / And life's unfair but that's just how it goes / And they don't even care about me and it shows / But I pick myself up and keep going / I keep going."
The video also features their mother's favorite flowers and scenes shot on their journey this past year. It is truly a heartfelt video filled with onion-like layers. "This one is for you, Mom," says the group in a press release.
"Keep Going" is produced by We the Commas, Jack Thornton, and Chris Rosa. Watch "Keep Going" below, and then follow We The Commas on social media.


Michael Longo defends and provides strategic litigation and transactional counsel to Fortune 500 companies, leading insurers, small businesses, and individuals around the country. With a mastery of complex legal issues, a record of creative problem-solving, and around-the-clock availability, clients rely on Mike when the stakes are highest, calling on him to parachute into urgent matters, often in the face of looming mediations, trials, and other deadlines.
Mike's litigation experience is extensive and wide-ranging. He has successfully defended copyright, trademark, municipal, employment, educational, commercial, construction, and bodily injury claims in state and federal courts and on appeals. He defends complex insurance coverage and bad faith claims ranging from automobile accidents to billion-dollar demands on nine-figure coverage towers.
Mike also has significant experience in overseeing and coordinating fraud investigations pertaining to automobile accident claims and leading special investigations units (SIU), and he regularly defends no-fault, uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM), and liability claims.
As a transactional attorney, Mike provides strategic advice concerning intellectual property and risk management to both individual and institutional clients in a variety of sectors. He routinely advises on the retention of insurance policies and management of copyright and trademark portfolios, and provides targeted advice on defamation and publicity/privacy concerns.
Mike earned his J.D. at the University of Miami School of Law, where he was a member of the University of Miami Business Law Review, a research assistant focusing on copyright and communications law, a Student Bar Association senator, and the law school's representative to the University of Miami Trustees' Student Affairs Committee. Before entering law school, Mike earned a B.F.A. in film production, history, and theory from Syracuse University.
An artist and filmmaker, he has worked on numerous film sets and in the commercial art industry. Also a former educator, Mike frequently lectures and presents on insurance, intellectual property, and general liability issues to a wide range of businesses, schools, and nonprofit groups.


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School of Global Integrative Studies
Hostile Terrain 94 Virtual Sessions
Beginning in September, the University of Nebraska (including our very own School of Global Integrative Studies) will be joining 150 global partners in the presentation of the Undocumented Migration Project's Hostile Terrain 94, a pop-up installation made up of 3,200 handwritten toe tags each representing a person who has died in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, and meant to shine light on the humanitarian crisis at the US–Mexico border. Join us this fall as we memorialize and stand in solidarity with these lost lives, and take part in the greater migration conversation.
Join a virtual session to raise awareness, commemorate and advocate for the migrants who have died trying to cross the Sonoran Desert of Arizona between the mid-1990s and 2019.The event will include a brief history of Hostile Terrain 94 and the filling out of toe tags. Each toe tag represents a migrant who died in the crossing. Through this participatory activity, by filling in the names of those who have died in the Arizona desert, we remember that these migrants are not just data on a sheet of paper or dots on a map. We come together in the toe-tag inscription workshops to bear witness to this humanitarian crisis at our border and build the exhibition that commemorates them. After completion of the 3200 tags that make up the exhibition, the tags will be pinned to the exhibition "map," consisting of quilted textile panels offering a gesture of solace and comfort to those whose lives were lost.
The first virtual sessions in on Tuesday, August 25th at 7PM, to sign up visit: https://sgis.unl.edu/hostile-terrain-94-virtual-session
To learn more about the project visit go.unl.edu/ht94
School of Global Integrative Studies Mon. Aug. 24, 2020
Week 2: Getting the Lay of the Land
Academic Advising Updates
Student Spotlight: Hannah Sievers
Faculty Spotlight: Julia Reilly
Global Cafe: Careers with Peace Corps
Paid U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program
Payne Fellowship Applications Now Open
Apply for a Fully-Funded Language Scholarship
Scholarships to study abroad in 2021


Denatured alcohol is often used as a sanding aid. If you are working on some type of construction project that involves wood, and you have sanded the wood, then denatured alcohol is excellent and efficient for eliminating any excess sawdust that might be caught within the grain.... Methanol acquired the name wood alcohol because it was once produced chiefly by the destructive distillation of wood. Today, methanol is mainly produced industrially by hydrogenation of carbon monoxide. Methanol is the simplest alcohol, consisting of a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group.
If your fuel alcohol supply becomes exhausted and you don�t have the time or provisions to make more, you can use the stove as an efficient wood burner. How to Make Fuel For Your Alcohol Burner Stove... Denatured alcohol assists in cleaning the wood after sanding it to prepare it for other projects. Wear protective gloves and treat the wood outside in a dry area. Use a lint-free cloth and wipe the wood with undiluted denatured alcohol. The denatured alcohol will dry quickly and clean the wood. After the wood is dry, stain, paint or install the untreated wood.
2 After cleaning, I use orange oil spray to protect the surface of the wood and make it slicker. Not fall on your bottom slick but slick enough that dust is easier to swiffer up. I don�t use olive oils or walnut oils because they become sticky on the top surface and dust does not slide as easy. I spray on, covering the area well, let is set for about 3-5 minutes and than rub it in well with how to put wheels on a wooden crate 18/09/2010�� 5.For two days allow the mush to soak in 110 cc. of wood alcohol. 6.Filter the solution again, saving the liquid and labeling it "1." 7.Resoak the mush in 110 cc. of wood alcohol for two days.
Synonyms, crossword answers and other related words for WOOD ALCOHOL [methanol] We hope that the following list of synonyms for the word methanol will help you to finish your crossword today.
Denatured alcohol is often used as a sanding aid. If you are working on some type of construction project that involves wood, and you have sanded the wood, then denatured alcohol is excellent and efficient for eliminating any excess sawdust that might be caught within the grain.


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Win A Transformers 2 DVD, And Get Ready For More Bad Movies From `80s Cartoons
Pete Vonder Haar
Pete Vonder Haar | October 21, 2009 | 12:08pm
If you're a child of the '80s, you should probably come to terms with the fact that every beloved televison memory of yours is eventually going to be dragged screaming into the present day and bastardized for younger audiences. We've already seen two Transformers movies and a G.I. Joe adaptation, and a slew of other 1980s properties are reportedly in the works, proving that not only is Hollywood creatively bankrupt, they're dumber than ever. Or maybe I'm the only one who shudders at the idea of a Snorks feature film.
Undaunted, Hair Balls is using the occasion of this week's release of the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen DVD to look at some likely candidates for big-screen revision. And if you find yourself getting bent out of shape, try to remember that most of these were originally created as vehicles for existing toy lines, so it isn't like creative integrity was ever an issue.
Name: Jem and the Holograms
How it Was Pitched to Executives: [Barbie + Marvel Comics' Dazzler] / Rio album cover "artist" Patrick Nagel
The Plot -- In 30 Words or Less: The alter-ego of Starlight Music owner Jerrica Benton, Jem gets into various G-rated hijinx each week while contending with their bitter rivals, the Misfits. No, not those Misfits.
How Could They Possibly Update it For Sophisticated Modern Audiences? Hannah Montana pretty much exhausted the whole "secret singer identity" thing -- without giving Jem credit, I might add. Let Hillary Duff play Jem and just follow her around with a camera as she constantly surprises Miley Cyrus and tries to kick her ass.
Name: Thundercats
How it Was Pitched to Executives: Take Superman's origin story, throw in some He-Man style mythology, and -- just because it's the `80s and we're coked out of our eyeballs -- let's make 'em all cats.
The Plot -- In 30 Words or Less: Youthful leader Lion-O leads a feline phalanx in battle against the mutated armies of the dread Mumm-Ra for the mystic Eye of Thundera. Also, his sword is basically a penis.
How Could They Possibly Update it For Sophisticated Modern Audiences? I know it's been "in development" as a CGI feature for the last five years or so, but there's no escaping the furry fetish aspect of this show, so just run with it. Make the world's first big budget action/porno and lure all the fur freaks into their local theaters, where they'll be sitting ducks for the subsequent napalm strikes.
Name: My Little Pony
How it Was Pitched to Executives: Chicks dig horses, so it would follow that little chicks would dig little horses.
The Plot -- In 30 Words or Less: Multicolored ponies frolic and cavort in a magical land where no one is ever rendered into glue or turned into McRibs.
How Could They Possibly Update it For Sophisticated Modern Audiences? Maybe a darker take on the franchise, where the Ponies go to Washington state and get revenge on those guys who ran the horse-sex farm. Although honestly I doubt you're ever going to beat Robot Chicken's "Apocalypse Ponies."
Name: Voltron
How it Was Pitched to Executives: Big robots combine to make...an even bigger robot.
The Plot -- In 30 Words or Less: Five robots -- or is it twenty? -- in the form of lions -- or are they cars? -- what the hell is going on?
How Could They Possibly Update it For Sophisticated Modern Audiences? I think in the post-Michael Bay Transformers era you're only option is to have a crossover where all the robots fight each other until Megan Fox's clothes fall off.
Name: M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand)
How it Was Pitched to Executives: G.I. Joe meets The Transformers and has sex with Silver Spoons.
The Plot -- In 30 Words or Less: Single dad Matt Trakker leads secret task force against the evil V.E.N.O.M., and -- because son Scott is constantly in harm's way -- probably the P.T.A. and C.P.S. as well.
How Could They Possibly Update it For Sophisticated Modern Audiences? Make it a sequel to that other Mask; in the final battle, Rocky Dennis could shock Miles Mayhem by revealing that his "mask" is actually his hideously deformed face.
Want a Transformers 2 DVD? Be among the first three people to write the hairballscontest@houstonpress.com and it's yours.
Pete Vonder Haar is a regular film contributor at Voice Media Group. VMG publications include Denver Westword, Miami New Times, Phoenix New Times, Dallas Observer, Houston Press and New Times Broward-Palm Beach.


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Q: Delegating UIAlertView to another class / file? Not working? so I'm new to iOS development and I'm trying to delegate the button click event to another class. Whenever I click a button on the alert, the app crashes and I get an error saying Thread_1 EXC_BAD_ACCESS.
This is my code.
// theDelegateTester.h
#import <UIKit/UIKit.h>

@interface theDelegateTester : UIResponder <UIAlertViewDelegate>
- (void) alertView:(UIAlertView *)alertView clickedButtonAtIndex:(NSInteger)buttonIndex;
@end

Implementation..
// theDelegateTester.m
#import "theDelegateTester.h"

@implementation theDelegateTester
- (void) alertView:(UIAlertView *)alertView clickedButtonAtIndex:(NSInteger)buttonIndex {
    NSLog(@"Delegated");
}
@end

And here's the implementation for my view file..
#import "appleTutorialViewController.h"
#import "theDelegateTester.h"

@interface appleTutorialViewController ()
- (IBAction)tapReceived:(id)sender;
@end

@implementation appleTutorialViewController

- (void)viewDidLoad
{
    [super viewDidLoad];
    // Do any additional setup after loading the view, typically from a nib.
}

- (void)viewDidUnload
{
    // Release any retained subviews of the main view.
}

- (BOOL)shouldAutorotateToInterfaceOrientation:(UIInterfaceOrientation)interfaceOrientation
{
    return (interfaceOrientation != UIInterfaceOrientationPortraitUpsideDown);
}

- (IBAction)tapReceived:(id)sender {
    theDelegateTester *newTester = [[theDelegateTester alloc] init];
    UIAlertView *myAlert = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:@"Alert!" message:@"This is a delegated alert" delegate:newTester cancelButtonTitle:@"Close" otherButtonTitles:@"Cool!", nil];
    [myAlert show];
}
@end

A: First of all, you should always start your class names with a capital letter, so you can differentiate between classes and instances or methods easily.
And you probably leak the delegate class. You should declare a strong/retained property TheDelegateTester *myDelegate in your view controller. Then in tapReceived: something like this:
- (IBAction)tapReceived:(id)sender {
    if (!self.myDelegate) {
        TheDelegateTester *del = [[TheDelegateTester alloc] init];
        self.myDelegate = del;
        [del release];
    }
    UIAlertView *myAlert = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:@"Alert!" message:@"This is a delegated alert" delegate:newTester cancelButtonTitle:@"Close" otherButtonTitles:@"Cool!", nil];
    [myAlert show];
    [myAlert release];
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This is the same Feinstein who In 2009, introduced legislation which directed $25 billion in "taxpayer money to a government agency that had just awarded her husband's real estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry standards. Feinstein was a member of the Military Construction Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee (MILCON) from 2001 to 2005. During her tenure, Feinstein voted for appropriations worth billions of dollars to her husband's firms URS Corp. and Perini Corp. Feinstein's personal wealth accumulation since becoming a senator has grown to nearly $200 million. Feinstein has never held a job outside of public service. I am having trouble understanding how a public servant can accumulate a fortune of this magnitude.
Many of my colleagues in the alternative media have reported on Feinstein's long list of conflicts of interest, including yours truly. This is why she is trying to attack the alternative media. In a quid pro quo, the gun-grabbing corporate controlled media, such as CNN, would never report on her illegal activities, but I will continue to do so as will my alternative media colleagues.
CNN's ratings are in the toilet. The network used to get 6-10 million viewers for their primetime shows, now they get less than 500,000. Feinstein is carrying the water for the corporate controlled media and trying to eliminate the competition as much as possible. And of course, CNN would never reveal Feinstein's dirty little secrets in exchange for her help.
In 2009, I received an invitation to attend a victory party in Memphis to celebrate a grassroots victory over a senate bill which would have gutted net neutrality and would have subsequently subjected internet businesses and internet "bloggers" to the censorship whims of various communications firms (e.g., Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Bell South, etc.). A strong grassroots movement gathered nearly two million signatures which were subsequently obtained and forwarded to Congress and this prevented the lame-duck congress from privatizing the internet at the expense of the American public's right to self-expression. At the time, it seemed that the Memphis net-neutrality victory celebration may have been premature thanks to Arizona Senator, John McCain.
John McCain previously introduced a bill that would fine bloggers up to $300,000 for "offensive statements, photos and videos posted by visitors on comment boards".
If the bill would have been successful, this legislation would have marked the end for previously unrestrained opinions. Hiding behind the pretense of protecting our children, McCain's legislation was referred to as the "Stop the Online Exploitation of Our Children Act." The legislation demands that a Stalinist-type army of informants and spies will browse various websites looking for inappropriate Internet material which might pose a threat to children. McCain's Internet army would then pass the information on to the relevant police authorities and subsequent bloggers could be fined $300,000 or have faced jail time.
Anyone who has participated in online comment boards is keenly aware that they are very difficult to moderate. Some articles and news events may receive thousands of comments. Yet, one oversight by the moderator, one day off from the Internet, could spell doom for the financial future of a blogger. What citizen can afford to take that chance? Hence, your right to self-expression has been sacrificed. Your first amendment right to self-expression is technically still intact. However, the personal affordability to exercise free speech would have been severely jeopardized.
Whether Feinstein is successful in the latest round of attempting to silence the alternative media, is irrelevant. She is not the first to try and she certainly will not be the last.
Feinstein's Amendment includes the following verbiage which goes after nearly anyone who does not work in the corporate controlled media in which she states that one is only a real journalist only if they have worked for "an entity or service that disseminates news or information by means of newspaper; nonfiction book; wire service; news agency; news website, mobile application or other new information service…news program; magazine or other periodical…or through television or radio broadcast…" These people would have to have the "primary intent to investigate events and procure material in order to disseminate to the public news or information." Opinion journalists are not covered.
The communications industry, John McCain and now Sen. Feinstein are all attempting to shut down the alternative media. Why? Because we tell the people the truth, and when one is part of a psychopathic crime syndicate, the last thing they want to be told to the public is the truth!
Feinstein will likely fail this time, even though she has announced plans to try again if her amendment is not successful. Recent history strongly suggests that the globalists will also keep trying until they get what they want, which is to silence every journalist that they do not control.
As this point, we need to make collective decision about how important is a free and independent Internet. If and when the globalists are able to censor the Internet, what are we prepared to do about it? If we lose the war of words, we will surely lose everything and very quickly. If our First Amendment is taken away, are we prepared to withhold paying taxes? Are we prepared to engage in other forms of passive civil disobedience? We should begin to have the post-Internet preparation discussions, sooner rather than later, while we still have an Internet to communicate with.
Be the first to comment on "Congress Moves To Outlaw Alternative Media"


Samantha Allen is the author of LOVE & ESTROGEN (Amazon Original Stories, 2018) and REAL QUEER AMERICA: LGBT STORIES FROM RED STATES (Little, Brown, 2019). She is a GLAAD Award-winning journalist who covers LGBT issues as a senior reporter for The Daily Beast. She received her Ph.D. in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Emory University in 2015 and was the 2013 recipient of the Kinsey Institute's John Money Fellowship for Scholars of Sexology. She has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, and NPR's On the Media. She met her wife in a Kinsey Institute elevator—a true queer love story.
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I went in skeptical but by the end Ben Goldfarb hade made a Beaver Believer out of me. Any book that changes how you see the world is a good book. But a book that makes you long for a world you never lived in? That's a great book.
We'd love your help. Let us know what's wrong with this preview of Eager by Ben Goldfarb.
Moving, gutting at times, and cleverly written.
We'd love your help. Let us know what's wrong with this preview of Nevada by Imogen Binnie.
We'd love your help. Let us know what's wrong with this preview of Girl Logic by Iliza Shlesinger.
Eminently readable, highly informative, and cute photos to boot!
We'd love your help. Let us know what's wrong with this preview of Return of the Sea Otter by Todd McLeish.
A delightful and moving read, with gorgeous drawings.
We'd love your help. Let us know what's wrong with this preview of How to Be a Good Creature by Sy Montgomery.
Samantha Allen is on page 6 of 208 of How to Be a Good Creature: I can already tell I'm going to cherish this beautiful book.


If you've ever said something snarky about someone in an email—and then mistakenly sent it to them—you know that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realize you can't hit "un-send." Make sure it never happens again.
Step 1: Think twice about forwarding chain letters, product warnings, and tearjerker tales. Most are urban legends and hoaxes, and some contain spyware and viruses. At best, you look like a dope for passing them on. At worst, you could destroy someone's computer.
TIP: Beware of emails that warn of viruses; sometimes they themselves are a virus!
Step 2: Never reveal anything personal or confidential about yourself or your company in an email. You might trust the recipient, but the information could always fall into the wrong hands accidentally. In general, don't reveal anything you wouldn't want the world to know.
FACT: Ninety percent of us have sent emails we wish we could take back.
Step 3: Avoid forwarding offensive or dirty email jokes—or at least be selective about to whom you send them.
Step 4: Remember the old saying, "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all?" This definitely applies to email! Save gossip for face-to-face communication.
Step 5: Skip the sarcasm. Sure, _you_ know you're joking, but the recipient can't hear your tone or see your smirk. In fact, one survey shows that 80% of sarcasm in an email is taken at face value. So save the comedy for your stand-up show.
TIP: Not sure whether your email could be misinterpreted? Before sending, read it out loud. If the email could be read two different ways, you'd better tweak it.
Step 6: Never dash off an email when you're upset or angry. You'll probably calm down in a little while, but your email will live for eternity. If you must write the email, don't send it but save it as a draft for a certain period of time.
Step 7: Never say anything in an email you wouldn't say under oath in a court of law—because technically, you _are_! Under federal law, your emails are public domain once you send them and are considered useable testimony in court.