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Tag Archives: terrorist attack in paris
The Rearview Mirror of 2015: Religion, Politics, and Terrorism
Charles Dickens wrote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" and depending who you are or where you live it could have been one, the other or both. For me it has been one of those, not that there is anything wrong with that, and truthfully as rough as it has been at times, I cannot discount the importance of these events in my life. Back in October I wrote an article that kind of sums up how important each of these threads is in my life, Tapestry: The Importance of Just One Thread.
The year was difficult, but we have made it through, and all of the threads of this year are now part of the tapestry of our lives. I am still dealing with PTSD, chronic insomnia and trimmings, but on the whole doing better than I was a year ago. We lost our wonderful dog Molly, a dog who more than once save my life in the years after Iraq, but that being said, the ghost of Molly is still around and doing some of the same things that she did when I was at my lowest, if you want you can read about that here, Ghost Dog Central. Though we lost Molly we still have Minnie Scule who was joined by Izzy Bella, our now one year old Papillion. They are both great dogs, totally different in personality, and Izzy is a lot like Molly in temperament and personality.
The same day we lost Molly, my wife Judy found out that she had an abnormal pap-smear and was diagnosed with Endometrial Cancer. She went through surgery and a long post-surgical recovery, but her doctor says she is now cancer free, though she gets regular checkups to make sure that it does not come back.
On a lighter side we also made our second trip to the real Oktoberfest in Munich, and a side trip to Salzburg, Austria where we discovered that the hills really might be alive, but I digress… I was also able to see some groups as musical artists from my bucket list. I saw a combined Chicago and Earth Wind and Fire concert as well as the legendary Boz Skaggs.
But 2015 was eventful, in a very dark way….
Terrorism of a number of varieties seemed to dominate much of the year. In January there were the Charlie Hebdo attacks made by radical Islamists in Paris, Je Suis Charlie: An Attack on Freedom, Do Not Give in to Fear: #Je Suis Charlie. If that attack had been all it would have been enough, but terrorism, mostly committed in the name of God, or racist ideology seemed to be everywhere. Of course there were the continued attacks of Islamist militants in sub-Saharan Africa, in places like Nigeria, Kenya, and Mali. The Horn of Africa, including Somalia and the Sudan; and North Africa, in Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, and Egypt. Those attacks, and incidents are too numerous to be listed, but sadly in the west, or the industrialized areas of Asia, no one seems to take note of them. Truthfully, the only thing the west and countries like China care about in Africa are the natural resources, dead Africans don't seem matter as long as we get our resources.
But there were terrorist attacks in the United States as well. There was a murder of three young Muslim UNC students in Chapel Hill North Carolina A Time to Stand Against Hate; a clash between incendiary Muslim and anti-Muslim groups in Garland Texas, Hate vs. Hate: A Clash in Garland.
Of course the massacre of the pastor and other members of the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston South Carolina, by a young White Supremacist named Dylann Storm Roof Call it Terrorism: Massacre at Emmanuel AME, When Ideology Kills Kindness: Dylann Roof at Emmanuel AME.
Then terror returned, in the space of two weeks a Russian airliner was downed by a bomb most likely planted by sympathizers of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, or DAESH Can You Live with It? War, ISIL & a Downed Airliner; an attack by DAESH in Beirut Lebanon which killed 43 people, and then a massacre that stunned the world in Paris, Terror in Paris, The Lamps are Going Out: Paris & the End of the Illusion of Peace. The latter seems to have spurred the west into doing more to fight DAESH and it appears that the war that DAESH has desired with the west is now an accomplished fact.
But this terror came to the United States not long after when a DAESH inspired couple massacred people gathered for a holiday party in San Bernardino and the chilling thing was that they were the co-workers of the man, True Believers & Terrorism. I ended up reflecting on all of these attacks in a number of articles, including Power Hungry Religionists Will Inherit the Wind, Faith & Terror, and Accessories to Murder: The Propagandists who Inspire Terror.
These attacks caused me to write a number of articles about racism, propaganda, ideology, politics, mass movements and genocide. I think this article Dehumanization & Genocide helps to bring a certain historical perspective to these subjects, as does this one, Civilization Is Tissue Thin: Holocaust & Genocide as Warning. I also decided to frame some of the current fear of terrorism and the hateful invective being hurled at many American Muslims through the lens of Star Trek in these articles, Your Fear Will Destroy You and The Belief in a Devil. Another article which brought chills to me as I wrote is was just how easy it seems for some people to rationalize genocide, Just Following Orders: The Rationalization of Genocide and for ordinary people to take part in them Vast and Heinous Crimes: Ordinary Men & War Crimes.
Religion did not only inspire terror in 2015, but it was more closely than ever a part of American politics, and not necessarily for the good. As such I spent a lot of time on the intersection of church and state issues. This was especially true when the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in the Obegfell v. Hodges decision and much of the Christian Right including prominent Republican presidential candidates went haywire. There were times that their reaction reminded me of the great film Inherit the Wind.
Since I firmly believe in religious liberty, and the separation of Church and State I wrote a number of articles dealing with that subject, including these, Religious Liberty or Tyranny?, this, Religion & State: The Less Mixed the Better and one about one of my heroes, the Virginia Baptist, John Leland, Exploding the Myth of Christian America. That crossed into some political commentary in this article Strike Down the Sinners: The Politics of the Christian Right.
Since much of the focus on religious liberty in 2015 revolved around the recalcitrant county clerk of Rowan County Kentucky, Kim Davis, and her political allies to deny legal rights to gay couples to marry I ended up writing a good number of articles during that political circus. If you want to read those just put her name in the search box. But as the dust cleared I wrote an article about a man who though he was a Christian, did not allow religious propaganda and hate to trump his sworn duty. The article about the late Dr. C. Everett Koop should be required reading for those who take an oath to uphold the Constitution, even when it conflicts with their religious beliefs, Separate Ideology & Religion from Sworn Duty: The Legacy of Dr. C. Everett Koop.
Political commentary based on historical analysis has become more important to me, and I try to shy away from the more bombastic and partisan that I see and instead focus on rational comparisons that can help us understand events, and hopefully do better than our ancestors. One of these articles compares the political implosion of the Democratic and Whig Parties in the 1850s and what is currently transpiring in the Republican Party, a party that I belonged to for 36 years before leaving it in 2008. When Political Parties Implode: The Battle over the Lecompton Constitution and its Relevance Today. Unlike some on both sides of the political chasm, I do not see what is happening as good, and I wrote this article to emphasize the importance of reason in political debate, Reason, the Salvation of Freedom. Interestingly enough, well before Donald Trump became the frontrunner in the GOP presidential campaign I wrote this little article, with a great cultural reference to a Bloom County comic strip published over 20 years ago, There Comes a Time… A Bloom County Reality Check.
Finally, a lot of what I wrote on the site was intensely personal and dealt with my battle with PTSD, my struggles with faith and belief, as well as my continued religious, social, and political transformation. These included My Faith: A Journey and Mission, but I think that one of the better articles I did about this process is It Fitted In: A Personal Reflection on Propaganda. I also wrote a number of articles for Memorial Day and Veterans Day which reflected my thoughts regarding my own military service and some social and political commentary related to who we as a nation deal with veterans and go to war, one of those was done just before Veterans Day, They Thanked Us Kindly: Reflections on Veteran's Day 2015. My journey also brought new insights as I studied iconic Civil War heroes from the battle of Gettysburg, some of those articles included Tragic Heroes of Little Round Top,
I wrote a number of articles dealing with depression, suicide, PTSD and other issues that veterans and others struggle, I think this article sums up how I think we should treat those who struggle, Try to Understand: The Kindest, Noblest, & Best Thing You Will Ever Do. I also tried to bring attention to the continued crisis of veteran suicides in The Uncounted Cost of War: Veteran Suicides. I wrote about PTSD and the things that never seem to go away after war in this article, There Will be Nightmares: PTSD & Memories of War.
Of course there was more, police shootings, the Syrian refugee crisis, and too much more to cover today. But be assured I will continue to write and do my best to present all of these events the best I can in the light of history. I may end up sounding like Spencer Tracy's characters in Inherit the Wind and Judgement at Nuremberg, but what I can I say?
I am continuing to learn through all of the evil being perpetrated by so many, is that the perpetrators have no ability to empathize with people. It is the one defining characteristic that they all share. Captain Gustave Gilbert, "In my work with the defendants (at the Nuremberg Trails 1945-1949) I was searching for the nature of evil and I now think I have come close to defining it. A lack of empathy. It's the one characteristic that connects all the defendants, a genuine incapacity to feel with their fellow men. Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy." I find that more true every day.
Well, just one more day until we usher in 2016, and I do hope it will be better for everyone. By the way, a friend was able to get me a site over that the Daily Kos where I do some writing, and also post modified versions of what I write here as the mood hits me. The link to my blog there is, http://www.dailykos.com/blog/Padresteve
Have a great day and hopefully a Happy New Year.
Filed under News and current events, Political Commentary, terrorism
Tagged as attack on charlie hebdo, c everett koop, daesh, dylann storm roof, emmanuel ame massacre, endometrial cancer, evil, gustave gilbert, isil, je suis charlie, kim davis, marriage equality, molly, obergfell v. hodges, oktoberfest, PTSD, terrorist attack in paris
December 4, 2015 · 07:00
True Believers & Terrorism
I have just a few words today. I am still attempting to comprehend the terror attacks in Paris as well as the terrorist attacks in Colorado Springs and San Bernardino.
All were committed by people devoted to killing in the name of their God. The attacks in Paris and San Bernardino by Moslems, Colorado Springs by a Christian. People of those religions can disown them and say that they do not represent their religion but that is what they claim to be. The fact is until religious leaders start owning these kinds of people as their own this terror will continue.
The fact is that I have become sick of people who kill in the name of their God, but that seems to be a universal constant anymore, not that it ever wasn't. Name the religion and do just a little research and you will find true believers who have killed and committed terrorist acts in the name of their God. In fact, I am getting sick of people who hide behind their religion and use it to bludgeon, kill, and terrorize those who are not the elect. I am tired of seeing people in this country, in the name of Jesus and the Christian religion using the government and the legislative process to disenfranchise and discriminate against others. I cannot imagine Jesus ever blessing such actions and I'm sure that if Jesus was to show up and start speaking in most churches that he would be throw out.
I am now convinced that many people who speak for God the loudest and probably the furthest away from God, if there is one. Having gone through the wilderness of doubt and unbelief have to admit that there are times that I doubt more than I believe. Today is one of those days.
American philosopher Eric Hoffer wrote, "The impression somehow prevails that the true believer, particularly the religious individual, is a humble person. The truth is the surrendering and humbling of the self bred pride and arrogance. The true believer is apt to see himself as one of the chosen, the salt of the earth, the light of the world, a prince disguised in meekness, who is destined to inherit the earth and the kingdom of heaven too. He who is not of his faith is evil; he who will not listen will perish."
That my friends is the truth. That is what allows the terrorists to do such things and for people to shrug their shoulders and simply say "oh how terrible, I'll pray for the victims" and go on their way, even as more terror acts are committed by these true believers. Where are the religious leaders who will do more than condemn attacks? Yes, I admit that there are some that do, but they seem few and far between. More often I have seen religious leaders speak out of both sides of their mouth when it comes to terrorists of their own faith. They use arguments of moral equivalency, saying "we do not condone the actions of the terrorists, but…." I saw this coming out of the lips of some Christian leaders and Christians who I know on social media after the assault on the Planned Parenthood clinic.
The more I see of this the more I am becoming convinced that God must not make very much difference in the lives of his most devout followers. But then maybe it is because they are more interested in building walls out of doctrine than they are of actually dealing with complexity and the contradictions of faith. Hoffer wrote, "A doctrine insulates the devout not only against the realities around them but also against their own selves. The fanatical believer is not conscious of his envy, malice, pettiness and dishonesty. There is a wall of words between his consciousness and his real self."
I am appalled at the total absence of empathy, and the near sociopathic rantings of the true believers of almost every religion. They seem to have no capacity to feel for fellow human being, as Army Psychologist Gustave Gilbert said at Nuremberg, "In my work with the defendants I was searching for the nature of evil and I now think I have come close to defining it. A lack of empathy. It's the one characteristic that connects all the defendants, a genuine incapacity to feel with their fellow men. Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy."
I see a lot of words, I hear a lot of religious mumbo jumbo, but I only sense a nearly complete absence empathy. If you wonder why I struggle so hard to believe, I think that is your answer.
Until tomorrow, pray for me a sinner,
Filed under crime, culture, faith, News and current events, Political Commentary, Religion, terrorism
Tagged as colorado springs planned parenthood attack, eric hoffer, evil the absence of empathy, gustave gilbert, terrorism, terrorist attack in paris, the true believer
The Aftermath of the Next Attack
For the past week I have been writing about the attack by the self-proclaimed Islamic State, or DAESH on Paris and topics related to the war against DAESH, as well as civil liberties. DAESH has promised that they will attack again, and I have no doubt that they will succeed in conducting a high profile attack, or series of attacks in the United States that cause massive numbers of casualties.
I have mentioned in older articles that when that happens that the reaction of politicians, pundits, preachers and the public will be draconian. We have not yet had an attack and already the leading Republican candidate, Donald Trump is suggesting enrolling Moslems in a database, closing Mosques, and making them wear badges that identify them as Moslems. The mayor of Roanoke Virginia suggested Mislems be rounded up and incarcerated in internment camps. Can anyone spell Third Reich?
But when an attack occurs civil liberties, and not just for Moslems will disappear faster than I can drink a liter of beer. If you think that the Patriot Act was over the top, the next legislation will be the Patriot Act on steroids, and it will not just happen in the United States, but Europe as well. Government leaders and officials will use their new powers to trample all dissent, in the name of patriotism. Henry Steele Commager said "Men in authority will always think that criticism of their policies is dangerous. They will always equate their policies with patriotism, and find criticism subversive." This, my friends is the reality that we live in and the danger that we face.
It will be open season on anyone who even looks slightly Middle Eastern. People who are Middle Eastern, or those mistaken for them will be assaulted on the streets; Mosques, schools, and Arab-American businesses will be attacked. Arab Americans, be they Moslem or Christian whose families have lived in this country for a hundred years or more, people who have assimilated and are as American as anyone else will be treated as suspected criminals and terrorists.
These kind of things have happened recently, and there are enough minimally trained, xenophobic half-wits running around with assault rifles to do a lot of killing. The sad thing is that most of these idiot hate-filled xenophobia can't tell the difference between an Arab of any kind from a Sikh, an Indian, or even a Mexican. But when something happens there will be an American version of Kristallnacht and the xenophobia will have the support of many of these politicians, pundits and preachers.
The innocent will be swept up with the guilty. There are already politicians suggesting that all Moslems be sent to camps, so just imagine what will happen after the next attack. I do not think that I am overstating the fever and the fear that is sweeping the United States and Europe right now.
The ironic thing is that this is exactly what DAESH wants to happen and it plays right into their hands. God help us all.
Filed under civil rights, News and current events, Political Commentary, terrorism
Tagged as civil liberties, daesh, henry steele commager, kristallnacht, patriot act, terrorist attack in paris
Paris & the Return of the Know Nothings
In the wake of the recent DAESH terror attacks there has been a resurgence in anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States and Western Europe targeting the Syrians fleeing the terror of DAESH, or as they call themselves the Islamic State. The parties that capitalize on this in both areas have long track records and usually mask their hatred of people who are not like them, in terms of security. The arguments are nothing new, they have been used against almost every immigrant group that has ever come to the shores of Europe or America.
If you have read my last few posts, you know that I do believe that we are in a war against an intractable foe that must be defeated. At the same time I believe that we cannot allow ourselves to forget the best of our heritage and our highest ideals in doing so. Unfortunately, it seems that we are about to make things worse by re-victimizing the victims, and emboldening the claim of DAESH to be the return of the Caliphate.
Many of the prominent candidates for the Republican nomination for President, numerous representatives, over half of the nation's governors have announced their opposition to any immigration of Syrians to this country, their language often mirroring that of previous anti-immigrant groups. Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, and others have tapped into the vast reservoir of nativism that has always been a part of the American body-politic. These politicians, as well as the pundits and preachers who fan the flames of fear are gaining traction. One cannot go to Facebook, or other social media sites and not see some of the vilest memes and comments be the people who stirred up by them make some most ill-informed comments imaginable, and a lot of these people are the descendants of immigrants who were subject to the very kind of discrimination, and even race hatred that they spew at current immigrants, especially Syrians and others from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
A Know Nothing supporter recorded the 1856 Know Nothing Party platform. The similarities between it and many of the new nativists ideas are quite striking:
But immigrants are not alone, there seems to be in some states a systematized attempt to disenfranchise the one group of people that has almost always borne the brunt of legal and illegal discrimination, African Americans.
Who and what are we?
Filed under civil rights, History, laws and legislation, News and current events, Political Commentary, Religion
Tagged as anti-immigration, anti-moslem extremists, ben carson, bowery boys, daesh, donald trump, islamic state of iraq and the levant, judgment at nuremberg, know nothing movement, louisville black monday, nativism, paddy hunts, plug uglies, politics of fear, ted cruz, terrorist attack in paris
A New Grand Alliance to Defeat DAESH
We are now waking up to the fourth day in the next phase of a war that began too long ago, a war that too many people have been victimized by, which only is getting worse and more widespread.
Winston Churchill wrote, "If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons." That may seem an odd statement, Churchill made it in reference to the alliance with the Soviet Union to defeat Hitler in World War Two, but it bears a particular relevance to the situation that we find ourselves in with ISIL, or as they are also known, DAESH.
This is a follow up to my posts of the last few days regarding the attacks of Islamic State supporters in Paris and it will not be the last. French President Hollande has correctly noted that the attack was an act of war, and he promised that the French campaign against DAESH would be ruthless. Hollande and other leaders, including President Obama are now beginning to plan a coordinated strategy to defeat DAESH. That being said, any real strategy to defeat DAESH has to include more than a few partners, it must be truly a grand alliance.
I am a career military officer, an Iraq veteran and an anti-war liberal, but I am also a realist in terms of the world. I have no illusions about the world. I do not believe that the United States always acts with honor and I know in my heart of hearts that much of the chaos that we are seeing in the world, particularly the Middle East comes from years of misbegotten American intrigue and intervention. Of course the Americans were not the only ones involved in creating this mess, we can thank the French and the British for the Sykes-Picot agreement. That agreement and the subsequent post-war agreements artificially divided the Middle East based on British and French colonial interests and disregarded the traditional and historic interests of the people in the region. Those agreements also handed the Arabian Peninsula over to the House of Saud, rather than the more moderate Arabs that fought alongside the British against the Ottoman Empire. We can also thank the Russians for their contributions to the instability of the region, as well as the Israelis who in defending their interests have often made things worse. Finally we cannot forget the role played by many corrupt and despotic Arab leaders who have oppressed their people, and exploited their countries riches for their own gain. Finally, back to the Americans it was the ill-advised and criminal invasion of Iraq by the Bush administration that opened Pandora's Box and unleashed what we now know as the Islamic State. Sadly, almost all the countries currently involved have had a hand in creating the monster that we know as DAESH and the Islamic State, and all should bear part of the responsibility for defeating it.
That being said, whether any of us like it or not we are at war, a war that has been going on in earnest since 2003. This is not a new war, it is simply DAESH's continuation of the war that was declared by Al Qaeda, and that Al Qaeda Iraq fought against American, allied, and Iraqi forces from 2003 through 2011.
The genie of war is out of its bottle and it will not return on its own accord, and it will create more chaos, death and destruction, both in the Middle East, but also other parts of the world. The threats of DAESH need to be taken seriously and countered.
We have to understand that this war is not a movie, it is not a video game, and it has the potential to change all of our lives, and not for the better.
Likewise, the fight against DAESH will not be solved or won by military action alone. The falsehoods of the warn porn addicts who believe deploying ground troops without the support of the people in the region, nor dropping more bombs will win the war. President Obama noted correctly, in response to suggestions that large numbers of ground troops be deployed, "that that would be a mistake, because we would see a repetition of what we've seen before, which is if you do not have local populations that are committed to inclusive governance and who are pushing back against ideological extremes, that they resurface…." He is right for saying this because those who propose sending in large numbers of ground troops are not committed enough to the hard thing and fully mobilize the nation for war. Instead they would as they always do, put the burden of the war on an already worn out professional volunteer military force without being willing to work with other powers, even rivals that have an interest in defeating DAESH.
The full spectrum of national and international power must be deployed to fight DAESH. This includes the U.S., NATO, Russia, China, Japan, the Arab world, and even Iran. Yes, some of these nations are competitors and rivals, but all have a vested interest in defeating DAESH and all have capabilities that would be helpful in the fight. In the Second World War the President Franklin Roosevelt United States and Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill allied themselves with the Josef Stalin and the Soviet Union in what was then known as the Grand Alliance to defeat Hitler. The Grand Alliance was a real world demonstration of the art of realpolitik. Realpolitik demands compromise and finding common ground with nations that we may not like. Those that practice realpolitik also understand that almost all alliances are temporary. This may be unsavory to idealists, but it is reality, and it is the only thing that will defeat DAESH. It is high time the world leaders to get real in combatting DAESH.
Military force seems always to be the first thing that people think of, and while important, it is not the only kind of power that must be used. If we are going to use military force, we need to work with our allies and commit ourselves to a massive use, on the order of World War II, and coupled with a massive new Marshal Plan for the Middle East. We must use diplomatic and economic power, intelligence and information, coordinate national and international law enforcement efforts, and seek to redress many of the wrongs committed against the people in the region.
Since I am a realist, I understand that whether I want it or not, that this war will most likely remain part of our lives, maybe for a generation or more. Honestly, if we do not make a full effort, I expect that a hundred years from now that young men and women will still be fighting this war. Most will have no idea how it began, even as their governments, corporations, and others make a steady profit off of the war.
I will continue this tomorrow with some thoughts on the civil liberties that we will undoubtedly lose as this war progresses. I think that I will write about the dangers of how xenophobic racists, and others who demonize all Moslems, and who want to punish all Moslems for the actions of DAESH, especially those who are the victims of DAESH who have fled to Europe and other areas to escape them. That is already beginning in this country.
But that is all for today,
Filed under History, middle east, Military, national security, News and current events, Political Commentary
Tagged as adolf hitler, daesh, france, francois hollande, franklin roosevelt, isil, islamic state of iraq and the levant, josef stalin, middle east, Sykes-Picot Agreement, terrorist attack in paris, winston churchill
Hard Truth, War, & ISIL
The Imagined Caliphate of ISIL
Please know this is a difficult article to write. I have been to war, I have seen its devastation and heartache and I came back changed from the experience. I hate it. That being said, despite being a progressive who hates war I am also a realist. I am not one that finds any romance or glory in war, but I know that sometimes it becomes unavoidable and sometimes necessary. I have written about the nature of war, the kind of war we are now engaged in with ISIL and some of the ethical and moral compromises that could easily be made in such a war. Thus what I write here is a continuation of those thoughts and I encourage you to look at those articles. That being said, I do intend on adding some more thoughts to this in the coming days.
I do not expect that all of my readers will agree with me. In fact I had a reader who took exception to yesterday's article because he could not agree with the fact that the Bush administration's criminal war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq was a major cause of today's problem. He proceeded to lecture me that I was wrong, despite all of the evidence from Congressional hearings, the CIA, and other analysts that disproved his point. That is disheartening, but I expect that now.
That being said I know that there are people on the political right and the political left who will disagree with what I write today. All I ask is that people, regardless of their ideology actually read and take the time to think about what I write before they write me off.
I will be writing more on this subject in the coming days, including about the moral and ethical dangers, as well as the potential threat to our own civil liberties.
Over the past two weeks elements of ISIL have brutally slaughtered nearly 400 civilians outside of areas that they control. The attacks on the Russian airliner, Beirut, and Paris were committed against innocent civilians going about their daily lives. In the areas that they control in Iraq and Syria, where their brutality is unmatched in modern times. This is disconcerting for those of us that would prefer a peaceful solution to the current conflict. But it is the truth.
Despite having served in the military for over thirty-four years, I am not a warmonger, and I am not enamored with the supposed glory of war, or American military superiority. I hate war, but I am a realist. I am a historian with a considerable background in ethics, philosophy, sociology, and political science. I have experience serving with American advisers in Iraq's Al Anbar province.
Since 2012 ISIL has invoked a reign of terror in the areas of Syria and Iraq that they control. Massacres of opponents, videotaped executions of captives, including humanitarian aid workers and journalists, ethnic and religious cleansing, the forced conversion of female captives with the added element of rape, before and after their capture and enslavement, the execution of homosexuals, and the destruction or religious, cultural, and historic treasures. ISIL is not seeking peace, but rather to destroy everything that they find abhorrent. They are no different than Christians, Jews, Hindus, and even Buddhists that use the police and military power of the state to persecute those who do not believe just like they do.
We must recognize the significance of the attacks of the Islamic State in the past two weeks. These attacks have killed nearly 400 civilians and wounded close to 400 more. ISIL is not targeting military targets, but innocent people; as such their actions are nothing short of criminal. If they were a real nation state, their leaders would be war criminals.
Islamic scholar Reza Aslan understands ISIL better than many people. Aslan told CNN last year:
"Number one, you do have to respond militarily to ISIS soldiers and fighters. These guys are fighting a war of the imagination, a war that they think is happening between the forces of good and evil. There is no negotiation. There's no diplomacy. There's nothing to talk about with these guys. They have to be destroyed."
Let that set in for a moment.
That is not the opinion of an American or Eurocentric scholar; it is not the ranting of an Islamophobic pundit or preacher, but it is the opinion of a learned, moderate, Moslem scholar. As such it needs to be given a lot of credibility. Aslan's comment takes me back to the words of General William Tecumseh Sherman during the American Civil War. Sherman, who had to deal with insurgents and other Confederate sympathizers who attacked his supply lines and isolated garrisons noted, "This war differs from other wars, in this particular: We are not fighting armies but a hostile people, and must make old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war."
President Obama came into office as a President determined to end the wars that the United States was engaged in and usher in an era of peace. That did not happen. The genie of war and chaos that was unleashed when President Bush stopped pursuing Al Qaeda and attacked Saddam Hussein's Iraq refused to go back into its bottle. Obama, dealt with the situation with quiet diplomacy and soft power. One cannot blame him. He was hamstrung by the financial crisis of 2008 which blew up just as he became President, as well as the consequences of the Bush foreign policy, and the deal that the Bush administration made with the Shia Moslem regime of Maliki in Iraq for the withdraw of U.S. troops. Since Obama took office, new and more violent terrorist groups have been spawned from the loins of Al Qaeda Iraq. Now, the dogs of war that have been unleashed on the region, which threaten all of the peoples who live there, and now have reached out to other regions.
I know that many of my readers are liberals, and progressives who lean toward pacifism. I am okay with that, because at my heart I am a pacifist, I have been to war, and I hate it. Even the must just war, waged for the best of reasons, and with right motives, still can bring about evil. The well-respected ethicist and philosopher Michael Walzer understands the moral, ethical, and legal aspects of war. He wrote in his book Just and Unjust Wars:
"We don't call war hell because it is fought without restraint. It is more nearly right to say that, when certain restraints are passed, the hellishness of war drives us to break with every remaining restraint in order to win. Here is the ultimate tyranny: those who resist aggression are forced to imitate, and perhaps even to exceed, the brutality of the aggressor."
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is different than Al Qaeda. It is a hybrid that will not be defeated by traditional means. ISIL is a terrorist group to be sure, but it is also an embryonic state, which is conquering territory, subduing people, butchering its enemies and murdering innocents in cold blood. The leaders of ISIL boast in their atrocities and honestly believe what they are doing is blessed by their God. They have grown up and been nurtured by a culture of victimhood which they believe that past or present oppression justifies their actions. Eric Hoffer wrote something that is quite poignant if we are to understand the mindset of ISIL:
"It is doubtful if the oppressed ever fight for freedom. They fight for pride and power — power to oppress others. The oppressed want above all to imitate their oppressors; they want to retaliate."
The leaders and fighters of ISIL are 12th Century people living in the 21st Century. They make use of 21st Century communications technology to further their crusade against all opponents. As Reza Aslan noted, they are incapable of negotiation, seeing it as only weakness and a way to impose their will on those unable to, or unwilling to resist them. Hoffer described their mindset well in his book The True Believer:
"A doctrine insulates the devout not only against the realities around them but also against their own selves. The fanatical believer is not conscious of his envy, malice, pettiness and dishonesty. There is a wall of words between his consciousness and his real self."
Thus this war will be something different, something that we in the west do not want to comprehend. We want war to be neat, fast and comparatively bloodless, but this will not be the case in the war against ISIL. Such wars may be possible against traditional nation states with weak militaries. But to believe that war with ISIL will be neat, fast, and bloodless is wrong headed and dangerous because it ignores the nature of that group. Carl Von Clausewitz noted that:
"Kind-hearted people might of course think there was some ingenious way to disarm or defeat the enemy without too much bloodshed, and might imagine this is the true goal of the art of war. Pleasant as it sounds, it is a fallacy that must be exposed: war is such a dangerous business that the mistakes which come from kindness are the very worst."
Ultimately, despite the fact that I almost always counsel that war should be avoided and peaceful solutions found to resolve conflict, there are times that wars must be fought. If ISIL were a true nation-state with a conventional understanding of diplomacy and the relationship between nations it would be conceivable that the United Nations or perhaps the Arab League could help broker a deal. But ISIL is neither your father's terrorist organization, nor a real nation-state. It is a hybrid that is not driven by realpolitik but rather a fanatical religious belief in their cause. This allows them to dispense with diplomatic niceties and allows them no compromise with those they believe are the enemies of their God; including other Moslems.
Their war has been raging for some time in both Syria and Iraq. What they are doing is further destroying the mosaic of peoples who are part of the Arab heritage in both countries. The atrocities committed by ISIL against Shi'ite Moslems, secular Sunnis, Yidazi and Christians have been displayed around the world. Mass executions, beheadings and the destruction of historic sites, which are important parts of the Christian, Moslem, and Jewish heritage, are only part of their crimes.
The only condition for peace given by ISIL to those it considers the enemy is "convert or die." Whether we like it or not, war is now unavoidable, the attacks on the Russian airliner, the citizens of Beirut, and the people of Paris show that.
Some politicians and pundits seem to think that this will be easy, simply destroy ISIL where they stand. But that belief is illusory. ISIL and its sympathizers may seem to be concentrated in Iraq and Syria, which is enough of a problem for us, but their supporters, financial supporters and sympathizers are worldwide. Interestingly Pope Francis noted: "Even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction…."
That being said there is a warning that all must remember about this war. It is at its heart ideological and for ISIL is driven by a perversion of religion. The war will be long, brutal and most importantly, the Islamic State believes that it can and will win it.
Winston Churchill said:
"Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events…. Always remember, however sure you are that you could easily win, that there would not be a war if the other man did not think he also had a chance."
Thus in this war we cannot waver, and we must believe in our ideals of freedom, justice, equality and the value of a single human life. We must do this even though our own practice often makes a mockery of them. But they are still ideals that are worth fighting for, because without them we lose something of our already flawed humanity. Carl Clausewitz recognized this and wrote:
"If the mind is to emerge unscathed from this relentless struggle with the unforeseen, two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to truth; and second, the courage to follow this faint light wherever it may lead."
Barbara Tuchman said, "War is the unfolding of miscalculations." For over a century the leaders of the West as well as Arab leaders throughout the region have miscalculated far too many times, and what is going on now is the tragic and bloody result of all of those miscalculations. The suffering and the human cost will be great. It was General William Tecumseh Sherman who wrote:
"You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out…
The young Union hero of Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg, Colonel Strong Vincent wrote his wife about how he believed the Union had to defeat the Confederacy. His words were much like Sherman's and in dealing with ISIL I would hope that the American, Iraqi and coalition forces will take them to heart in combating ISIL: Vincent wrote:
"We must fight them more vindictively, or we shall be foiled at every step. We must desolate the country as we pass through it, and not leave a trace of a doubtful friend or foe behind us; make them believe that we are in earnest, terribly in earnest…"
Sherman and Vincent's words may sound unduly harsh, but ISIL knows no other kind of war.
Pray my friends for peace, but remember reality, peace is not possible when the kind of religious extremism that motivates ISIL is the driving force. That kind of ideology cannot be negotiated with it has to be defeated.
It has been a long time since we in the west have had to wage that kind of war and it will come at some cost to our psyche, and it will take some getting used to, if you can ever get used to the evil, the carnage, the suffering and the devastation that is the essence of war. As William Tecumseh Sherman said "War is Hell."
Filed under Foreign Policy, History, middle east, Military, News and current events, Political Commentary, terrorism, War on Terrorism
Tagged as al qaeda, bush administration, carl von clausewitz, eric hoffer, General William Tecumseh Sherman, isil, islamic state of iraq and the levant, just and unjust wars, michael walzer, pope francis, reza aslan, strong vincent, terrorist attack in paris, the true believer, winston churchill
The Lamps are Going Out: Paris & the End of the Illusion of Peace
It is barely a day and a half after the massacre committed by Islamic terrorists in Paris, and the shock is still being felt around the world. In watching the images and listening to the words of various leaders I feel that something has changed; that the illusion of peace that we have lived under, has been shattered.
In two weeks the self-proclaimed Islamic State has claimed credit for the downing of a Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula, an attack in Beirut Lebanon, and, on Friday night the horrific series of attacks in Paris. The combined death toll for the three attacks is close to 400, almost all of who were innocent civilians doing nothing more than going about their daily lives. Hundreds more were wounded in Beirut and Paris. ISIL has promised to conduct more attacks on all nations that oppose them in Syria and Iraq. The attacks have awakened people to the fact that ISIL is not just a threat to the Middle East, but around the world.
Some are now calling this war, and in fact it is, a war that most of us have ignored though it has been going on for over two decades. But in just two weeks, the hybrid terrorist state known as ISIL has changed the course of that war. The war as we know it began in the years after the First Gulf War as young Saudis returning from Afghanistan, led by Osama Bin Laden took up arms against the "infidel" Americans based in Saudi Arabia. In the 1990s the terrorism was confined to Al Qaeda attacks throughout the Middle East, and included attacks on American military personnel, installations, and ships. Then on September 11th 2001 Al Qaeda changed the narrative by attacking the United States, killing nearly 3000 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and aboard four airliners. The United States responded by going after Al Qaeda and its supporters in Afghanistan.
Had the American response been contained to that action, the war might have taken a different course, and we might not be here today. But within months of 9-11 the Bush Administration began planning to attack Saddam Hussein's Iraq and propagandizing the American people to support it, with or without allied or United Nations sanction. The operation to topple Saddam opened Pandora's box, and who knows when we will ever live in peace again. Twelve years after President Bush announced the end operations in Iraq aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln with a banner that boldly proclaimed, "Mission Accomplished" behind him, the war that he unleashed in Iraq has spread in ways that even the most pessimistic critics of Bush did not predict.
With the war now entering an even more troubling and dangerous phase we should remind ourselves of the words of Winston Churchill, "Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events…. Always remember, however sure you are that you could easily win, that there would not be a war if the other man did not think he also had a chance."
As I observe events on I am reminded of Barbara Tuchman's description of Sir Edward Gray on the eve of the First World War, "Watching with his failing eyes, the lamps being lit in St. James Park, Grey was heard to remark that "the lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them again in our lifetime."
Sadly, I do believe that the last lamps of peace are going out around the world in the fight against the Islamic State. I have no idea when, how, or even if this conflict will end.
Praying for peace,
Filed under Foreign Policy, History, iraq,afghanistan, middle east, News and current events, Political Commentary, terrorism
Tagged as 9-11 2001, al qaeda, barbara tuchman, isil, islamic state of iraq and the levant, mission accomplished, osama bin laden, president george w bush, sir edward grey, terrorist attack in paris, winston churchill
Just a note this morning as I reflect on the terrible massacre that happened last night in Paris. So far it looks like at least 120 people have been killed in a well-coordinated terrorist attack on six sites in the French capital. It was the worst terrorist attack in a western city since September 11th 2001.
Right now we do not know much about the attackers. My guess is that the attackers are Islamic militants bent on mayhem. Whether it was a branch of ISIS or Al Qaeda, or sympathizers it matters not, the result is the same; innocent lives are lost, and xenophobic nativism with all of its intendant hatreds will victimize those who have fled to Europe from the very same kind of terror that occurred in Paris last night.
The attacks and the yet to be determined response of the French government, as well as other governments will mark a watershed. The initial reports indicate that the gunmen at close range executed many people, after holding them hostage, or while the victims were enjoying a night out.
I expect that this is a harbinger of even worse things to come. I expect things will get much worse before they ever get better. All the elements of a perfect storm of hatred and violence are in place. A geopolitical disaster is beckoning and as much as Americans want, the American people and our leaders must decide what we will do. I pray that we will stand by our oldest ally in their time of agony.
We must pray for peace,
Filed under Foreign Policy, terrorism
Tagged as Islamic terrorism, paris, terrorist attack in paris


text:
Simple Minds er et skotsk rockband, dannet i 1978 i Glasgow, som mest af alt er kendt for deres populære sang Don't You (Forget About Me) fra filmen "Breakfast Club" (1985), der var med til at gøre gruppen verdenskendt. Fra starten af 1990'erne gik bandet fra at spille new wave til at spille sange med mere politisk indhold.

Ud over Jim Kerr (vocal) og Charlie Burchill (guitar) udgør Mel Gaynor (trommer) på nuværende tidspunkt selve kernen i bandet sammen med Ged Grimes (bas) og Andy Gillespie (keyboard). Dog er Jim Kerr og Charlie Burchill de eneste tilbageværende medlemmer af den originale besætning fra slutningen af halvfjerdserne.

Da Simple Minds stod på berømmelsens tinde i midt-80erne var det med en stor stadionlyd og som tidens nærmeste konkurrent til U2. Gruppen eksperimenterede dog med mange forskellige udtryk i begyndelsen.

Kimen til Simple Minds blev lagt i de sene 70'ere i et skotsk punkband ved navn Johnny And The Self Abusers, der i autentisk punkånd gik i opløsning samme dag, som deres debutsingle udkom. Nogle af medlemmerne fandt dog sammen igen, nu som Simple Minds – et navn stjåelt fra en linje i David Bowie-sangen 'Jean Genie'. Da et demobånd faldt i hænderne på en NME-journalist, opstod der en hype om gruppen.

Da debutalbummet 'Life In A Day' udkom i 1979 gik det top 30 i Storbritannien, men flere anmeldere mente, at musikken med sine tydelige lån fra artrock-navne som Roxy Music, Kraftwerk og Bowie var for uoriginal. Det ville gruppen ikke have hæftet på sig, så samme år udgav de den eksperimenterende 'Reel To Real Cacophony'. Den fik en langt bedre modtagelse hos kritikerne, men det brede publikum gad ikke røre ved den.

Endnu et mindre genresporskifte førte til en flirt med new wavens mere dansable lyd på 'Empires And Dance', og langsomt begyndte Simple Minds at vinde et større publikum. Det kulminerede med singlen 'Promised You A Miracle', som udkom i 1981. Herefter gik Simple Minds målrettet efter mainstreamen med en stor lyd på 'New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)' og 'Sparkle In The Rain'. Sidstnævnte var produceret af U2's daværende hofproducer Steve Lillywhite og understregede Simple Minds' nye rolle som Skotlands svar på U2.

80'erne gav masser af succes med hits som 'Alive And Kicking', 'Sanctify Yourself' og 'Belfast Child', men det allerstørste øjeblik kom i 1985 med 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' fra soundtracket til teen-filmen 'The Breakfast Club'. 'Don't You' var ikke skrevet af Simple Minds selv, men af Keith Forsey og Steve Schiff, og gruppen brød sig ikke synderligt om sangen. Derfor er det måske ekstra ironisk, at det lige præcis er det nummer, de allerbedst huskes for, og som gav dem den eftertragtede førsteplads på den amerikanske hitliste.

Ved 80'ernes slutning begyndte Simple Minds' succes at dale. Nogle så det politiske og kompromisløse 'Street Fighting Years'-album som en årsag. 90'erne bød på mange personalerokeringer med kun Jim Kerr og Charlie Burchill fra den oprindelige besætning tilbage. Gruppen er dog op igennem 90'erne og ind i det nye årtusind fortsat med at udsende plader med jævne mellemrum. 'Black & White 050505' nåede en 37. plads på den britiske albumhitliste i 2005, mens det seneste album 'Graffiti Soul' fra 2009 gik ind på en 10. plads.

Referencer
 Simple Minds  på DRs musikleksikon

Fra DR's Musikleksikon
Musikgrupper fra Skotland
Rockgrupper fra Storbritannien
Har spillet på Roskilde Festival

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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text:
We need to turn our security model inside out
Lori MacVittie
It's an application world. That's beginning to sound trite and cliché, but it's still true. When it comes to security, that means our focus should start with the application and work our way out towards the user.
But that's not how we build security architectures today.
Today we build security architectures by trying to emplace an impenetrable (fire)wall around the perimeter. As we move inwards toward the application the security trenches we build are less and less granular until, at last, we get to the app and there's pretty much nothing left. Our most application-affine security is furthest from the app it needs to protect rather than the other way around. It leaves us trying to scale massively at the edge of the network (where the expensive hardware-based devices are required to support the bandwidth and port density needed) rather than scaling more modestly closer to the app, where less-expensive, easier to manage software and virtualized "devices" could be more easily emplaced.
We need to flip this architecture around and refactor security to better fit today's application and business models.
We need to stop trying to be "application aware" at the corporate perimeter in order to better scale and derive value out of security infrastructure. We need to stop being so application agnostic close to the app and begin shifting that all left, toward dev and ops and a software model that scales both economically and architecturally. We need a generic, corporate security infrastructure at the traditional edge of the network and a specific, per-application security architecture at the new perimeter: the application.
That's especially true when you consider the impact cloud is having on applications. Not on the data center, but on applications. Applications are what we need to protect out there, not the network, and we can't do that if our security strategy relies on having complete control over the network (and who accesses it). We need to consider how to protect the application whether it's in the data center or not, and build a security strategy based on that foundation, rather the one we relied upon before cloud disrupted the data center.
Consider the coming tsunami of applications generated by the Internet of things and adoption of microservices architectures. If every "new" technology generally results in a 10x increase in applications, then how many applications will two, simultaneous "new" technologies generate? How many new security policies will be required at the edge of the network to support each and every one of those applications?
Yeah. A lot. An order or two of magnitude more than what there is today.
What if we shifted those left (in terms of the deployment pipeline; right if you're looking at a traditional network diagram) and moved them to a more software-deployed and defined environment? What if we enlisted the folks who develop and intimately know the applications to help develop the policies that will secure them and then integrated them into the deployment process? Into the CI/CD pipeline? What if we packaged up apps the same way, with the same security services they need whether in the public cloud or on-premises? Somehow managed to achieve consistent security across IT infrastructures that 60% of organizations consider the most important factor for protecting cloud environments [Cloud Security Spotlight]?
Would that scale?
I'm guessing it would, with less disruption and greater manageability than the current model.
Cloud is disruptive. Mobility is disruptive. The Internet of Things will be disruptive. That's not always bad, especially when it affords us an opportunity to rethink and reevaluate the way in which we're deploying and delivering and securing applications.
So maybe it's time to turn our security model inside out, and embrace the app as the new perimeter as a better way to scale security, protect apps, and defend the sanctity of our data.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Since we left Australia our wildlife encounters had been few and far between, Borneo was our opportunity to make up for that. We had intentionally saved it until last and had high expectations on the wildlife front!
We began our adventure with four nights in Kuching in the state of Sarawak. It was raining on and off for the first two days but luck was on our side and we managed to avoid being caught in a downpour. We visited the Sarawak Cultural Village which introduced us to even more layers of Malaysian diversity. There are many distinct indigenous tribes in Borneo, and the village had examples of the traditional longhouses and way of life of some of them including the Iban and Dyak. There were even skulls hanging from the ceiling of one of the headhunter tribes! The girls enjoyed the show of various dances and an Iban hunter popping balloons with blow darts from across the theatre.
The following day we visited Semenggoh Nature Reserve with high hopes of catching a glimpse of an orangutan. The centre rescues and rehabilitates orangutans before releasing them back into the wild, but continues to provide two feedings per day. The animals are free to roam so sightings are not guaranteed, particularly in fruiting season where food is in abundance. However, we were lucky and I can't describe the feelings as we watched the first branches moving and an orangutan appearing as if from nowhere. He seemed to know we were watching as he performed somersaults or hung upside down to grab more bananas. When he was done he disappeared just as stealthily as he had appeared. We moved down to a second feeding platform where another young male showed up, and very energetically grabbed as much food as he could carry and swung away again. Amazing!
Our luck ran out the following day when our Irrawaddy dolphin spotting trip was cancelled due to torrential rain. It gave us time to explore the 'cat city' in between downpours. There are a few theories as to why Kuching is referred to as the city of cats but whatever the reason, there are numerous statues and murals of cats, a cat museum, cat souvenirs and a 'Cats FM' local radio station. Cats aside, it was a walkable, colourful city even in the rain with some interesting buildings, narrow streets of shop-houses and a good bazaar and market along the riverfront. It gave us another chance to sample new foods – we discovered melt-in-the-mouth roti in Little India and ordered far too much food in a fresh seafood hawker centre, unusually located on the top of a multi storey car park.
We flew from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu (or KK as it's known to the locals), in the state of Sabah. We hadn't done much research on KK, it was really just a stopover between flights. We stayed two nights in a family room in a cheap but clean hostel. We were happy to see it had stopped raining and seized the opportunity to do a self guided walking tour of some of the city highlights. Once a colonial town, all that is left is a clock tower and the old post office. The city was flattened during WW2 and the concrete buildings they have built since are less than attractive. However, what it lacks in architecture they make up for in their use of colour! We really liked the city, particularly the huge waterfront market which was a pleasure to wander around and we returned in the evening for a delicious dinner in the buzzing night market.
We flew from KK to Sandakan and spent three nights at Paganakan Dii tropical retreat, on the edge of the jungle in Sepilok. From there we visited the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary. This large-nosed monkey is only found in Borneo and has been on our must-see list since the girls learnt about it in their favourite wildlife cartoon (Wild Kratts). The animals are wild but the sanctuary feeds them to encourage them to visit. We saw two groups of around 25 monkeys and had such a giggle at the seemingly uncoordinated way they leap from tree to tree, their noses, the funny noises they make with them, and their pot-bellies. They were comically human-like as they slouched around munching their breakfast. We just made it through the canopy walk at the rainforest discovery centre before the rain came again that afternoon.
The following day we visited the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre next to it. We spent the whole day between the two so we were lucky to have a few close encounters with orangutans. The children particularly enjoyed the funny antics of the young orangutans in the outdoor nursery where you can watch them from behind a glass screen. Here orphaned animals are taught to climb, swing and socialise and sometimes older orangutans that have been released will show up to join in the fun. At feeding time we saw a pregnant female, who came down in the tree right beside us and later we almost literally bumped into two young males by the walkway. We also spotted a venomous pit viper snake and our first wild hornbill. Brilliant! The Bornean sunbear is the smallest bear in the world and are an endangered species. Despite being protected they are still kept as pets or killed for use in medicines in China and Vietnam. The sanctuary opened to rescue and rehabilitate the bears as well as to raise awareness of their plight. We saw four of these adorable bears climbing trees and sun bathing.
The last leg of our Bornean adventure was spent at Kinabatangan Nature Lodge. A two-night package which included four river safaris, two night hikes, a jungle trek, food, soft drinks and transfers for the grand total of $440. Unbelievable value! Apart from having to share our 6-bed dorm (private room was $300 extra) on the first night we somehow ended up separate from the rest of the guests for the tours, so we had private tours with our amazing eagle-eyed guide Mohammad.
The Kinabatangan River is 560km long and fringed by the jungle. The unfortunate result of deforestation and loss of habitat means that wildlife are limited in their range so many live in the protected corridor area along the river. Mohammad grew up in the village by the river so has first-hand knowledge about life in the jungle. On our very muddy trek he described which plants would be used for medicine by the local people, how he survived a night lost in the jungle and pointed out different bugs and bird calls. During our river cruises we saw crocodiles, proboscis monkeys, silver leaf monkeys, macaques, monitor lizards, king fishers, eagles, huge flocks of hornbills (five of the eight different indigenous species), a big male orangutan (with cheek pads!) and just when we thought it could not get any better we we spotted a tarsier on our night hike – a tiny, nocturnal gremlin-like creature which Mohammed hasn't seen in over a year. (And unfortunately James didn't see it before it leaped away).
Click here to see a small fraction of the numerous photos we took in Borneo.


text:
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Executive Director, Dr. Larry Cowan	| Therapist, Karen Taylor | Therapist, Lisa Janer	| Therapist, Lisa Roll	| Therapist, Lacey Carroll	| Therapist, Sonya Torbert	| Office Staff
Executive Director: Keith Sheffield, MS, MDiv, NCC, LPC
Keith has a Master's of Divinity Degree from Wesley Theological Seminary. He Holds a second Master's Degree in counseling from the State Univeristy of New York. He is a National Board Certified counselor and is a Licensed Professional Counselor from the state of Oklahoma. He is married, has two adult children and three grandsons. He provides individual, couple and marital counseling to both children and adults.
ksheffield@cableone.net
Administrative Manager: Connie Freebern
Connie, Administrative Manager, has been at Samaritan Counseling & Growth Center for nearly two years. She has a wide business background in accounting and management. She is responsible for the "business side of the house" and has overseen many procedural changes since coming to Samaritan. Connie is married to Doug, has grown children and grandchildren. She enjoys gardening, knitting, her Sheltie dog and two cats.
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Office Assistant: Mary Maze
Mary, Administrative Assistant, has recently joined the staff. Her background is in business and finance. She has also spent her career working with public relations. She is currently working on a degree at Rogers State University in Human Resources. Mary's position at Samaritan makes the face and voice of Samaritan. Mary is married, has children and grandchildren.
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Therapist: Karen Taylor, MSW, LCSW, NASW
Karen has a Master's Degree in Social Work from West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. Karen is licensed by the state of Oklahoma as a Clinical Social Worker. Karen is a native of West Virginia. She specializes in children, and family and parenting issues. She also provides individual and marriage counseling. She is married, has two grown children, and is the grandmother of twins.
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Jan has a Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Nebraska. Jan has over 30 years of experience in a broad range of clinical settings. Jan is licensed by the state of Oklahoma as Clinical Social Worker. She is experienced in working with adults, adolescents, and children. She also provides play therapy. Jan works with individuals, couples, and groups. She specializes in anger management, and spouse and child abuse.
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Debbie holds a Masters Degree in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor with the state of Oklahoma. Debbie works is with children, adults and families. She works with depression, anxiety and with family member of addiction individuals. Debbie is married, has two adult children, and four grandchildren.
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Therapist: Lisa Roll, MS, DTR, LPC
Lisa has a Master's Degree in Counseling and Psychology from Troy State University at Dothan, AL. M.A.L.S. Wesleyan University, CT. Lisa is a Licensed Professional Counselor with the state of Okalhoma. Lisa is a Dance/Movement Therapist. Lisa is a member of the American Counseling Association and the American Dance Therapy Association. Her clinical specialties are stress management, dance/movement therapy and mind body.
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Karen has a Master's Degree in Social Work from West Virginia University and obtained her clinical license in Social Work through two additional years of study with a Clinical Social Worker. Karen specializes in anxiety, depression, Bi-Polar Disorder, parenting issues, and victims of abuse and domestic violence She has also had extensive experience with children, adolescents, families and parenting issues. Karen does individual counseling covering various issues as well as marital counseling. Originally from West Virginia, Karen and her husband moved to Barlesville in 2001. They have two grown sons and four grandchildren.
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January 28, 1942 ~ January 1, 2022 (age 79)
George "Porge" Foster passed away on January 1, 2022, just shy of his 80th birthday. His battle with cancer in recent years showed his courage in facing life's challenges with a smile. Despite what a "PIA" it was, he remained strong and in good spirits, wanting nothing more than to spend as much time as possible being a husband, father, and grandfather.
George grew up on Vassar Road in Poughkeepsie, NY, graduated Class of 1961 from Wappingers High School. He met his wife, Ann (Maskewicz) while bartending at Cavacini's "Just yell, Hey Porge". They married in June 1965 and had two children, Connie Michele and Michael (Mickey Mantle).
He loved his Yankees, Giants, Rangers and UConn Women's Basketball, no matter how frustrating they were over the years. George played softball for the Wornock House team. He coached his younger cousins and nephews' baseball in Wappingers alongside his brother, John. He coached and then ran the LaGrange Youth Baseball League. One of his greatest joys was coaching his son from tee-ball to senior league. George was inducted into the Dutchess County Baseball Hall of Fame as a coach.
George found a slice of heaven in their new home in UnionVale where he regularly watched herds of deer and turkeys across the street and hunted nearby at Otto's. He loved hunting and all types of fishing and wildlife, and even opened F&G Sporting Goods. He & Mick took their dream father-son trip to Alaska and spent the week fishing on the Kenai River.
After retiring from IBM, George worked odd jobs at the US Post Office in Fishkill and the Courtyard Marriott in Fishkill. Once the kids were college graduates and settled into jobs, George convinced Ann to retire, sell their home, buy a motorhome, and travel the country. Their world wind adventure took them through most of the US, seeing amazing sights. But the best time they had was the 4:00 cocktail hours with the RV Forum Group, making life-long friendships.
Once the grandkids started to arrive, it was time to settle down in one spot. George found an amazing job at Lone Oak Campground in Canaan, CT working & laughing with Jackie, Peter & Barry. He always found a reservation for their regular campers. At their home in Torrington, George spent days watching for bears out the window. Finally spotted a big black bear strolling right outside their window earlier this year.
George is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Ann, daughter Connie Brown and her husband Gary; son Mick Foster and his wife Kristie; 8 grandchildren Taylor, Jimmy, Cole, Jacqi, Tiffany, Gabbie, Michael and Juliet; his brothers John (Sallie) and Richard (Jan); nephews, nieces and cousins. The family is certain George was greeted in heaven by H & O-O, Cunge & Phil, and life-long friends Gartley & Jorie.
The family would like to thank longtime physician Dr Dennis Gottfried, the nurses & doctors at Smilow Cancer Center, as well as the overworked nurses and aides at Valerie Manor for all their hard-work, dedication and caring.
Although it is winter and hard to get together, the family hopes you will join them for a celebration of George's life on Thursday, January 13, 2-6 PM at the Elks Lodge, 900 Wolcott Ave, Beacon, New York. In lieu of flowers or donations, the family would love for you to share your favorite memories of George.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of George K Foster Jr, please visit our floral store.
You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of George K Foster Jr


Emperatrice Maltese- have super cute girl for sale to special family home- out of amazing, beautiful tiny parents. Mum weight only 2kg and dad 2,3kg. Super show lines of imported parents- champion sire. Puppy will be baby face and super tiny in size. Our puppies are rising in the family home, with lots of love and attention. All puppies, before leaving our house, are wormed, microchip-ed, vaccinated, health- checked.They will come with full puppy pack, information leaflet and Kennel Club Registration. She is out of outstanding parents-! amazing bloodlines-Korea/American breeding. Both parents can be seen. NO BREEDERS PLEASE- for sale only as a family pet!
TRUE PICTURES OF TRUE PUPPIES- they are much smaller than looks in pictures.
Tea-cup size girl & 1boy- Reserved!


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Dark-spot treatments: How it works and 7 products you should try
A / Aesthetics & Services
The idea of skin lightening has a bad rep. But if it's about fading hyperpigmentation, there should be no controversy involved
by Kayce Teo / June 3, 2019
Photo: 123rf
There's a difference between skin brightening and lightening. Brightening skincare works on making your overall complexion more luminous, translucent and even-toned. Lightening skincare, on the other hand, refers to targeted dark-spot treatments whose function is, well, to fade the darkened patches. When it comes to tackling dark spots, there is no need to be politically correct: You need to lighten them to regain a clear complexion.
"Lightening is the term used when a product's effect is clearly to lighten darkened patches such those that might appear on the underarms, for example, or to lighten other areas with hyperpigmentation," says Dr Low Chai Ling, medical director of SW1 Clinic.
Take its SW1 Super White, a 15-minute treatment mask that uses cysteamine, a new lightening ingredient that is found in human cells and is seen as a less irritating alternative to standard-issue hydroquinone (whose side effects include skin dryness, itching, redness and stinging). In the mask, cysteamine works to reduce melanin in the epidermis and lighten hyperpigmentation. Because it is so potent, Dr Low does not recommend it for general brightening purposes.
Photo: Unsplash
Hyperpigmentation is what dark spots are called (a more endearing term: freckles). In the name of skin positivity, we've seen Taylor Swift on a 2014 British Vogue cover sporting handdrawn "freckles". And Selena Gomez debuted her "freckles" in her Fetish music video (no one knows if they're real or faux, but we think the latter is more likely).
Whatever you want to call them – freckles, dark spots, hyperpigmentation – the culprit is melanin. This brown pigment occurs naturally in skin, but it becomes a problem when it is overproduced. That's when it forms clusters, creating dark spots on the skin, so your complexion looks dull and loses its luminosity. The straightforward solution: Reduce melanin production so that fewer dark spots form.
Past approaches using pure vitamin C and the aforementioned hydroquinone were harsh and irritating to skin. Beauty brands thus set about looking for gentler methods. Luxury skincare brand La Prairie created its "equation of light": Dr Daniel Stangl, the Swiss brand's director of innovation, says that to optimise skin luminosity, you need to decrease the amount of light absorbed by the skin and increase the amount of light reflected.
What absorbs light? Melanin, of course, as well as accumulated microscopic dirt, collagen glycation and dilated blood vessels, says Dr Stangl. And what reflects light? Smoother skin and a denser network of collagen in the dermis. Overproduction of melanin can also be traced to skin inflammation.
Says Leona Low, director of training at Clarins Group: "Skin inflammation caused by aggressors such as UV rays, pollution and hormonal factors triggers excess melanin production." Clarins' approach is to soothe the skin to reduce inflammation while regulating tyrosinase, an enzyme that promotes melanin production. Whatever the method, the end goal is the same: to zap excess melanin out of the skin and the not-so-cute dark spots along with it.
Who knows? In future, these lightening products might eventually be as efficient as laser treatments. Until then, why not try out these products below? These use gentler ingredients such as a combination of vitamin-C derivatives to inhibit melanin production and break up pigment.
https://www.herworld.com/beauty/aesthetic-and-services/how-dark-spot-treatments-works-reduce-melanin-freckles/
Dark-spot treatments you should try gallery
Clarins White Plus Targeted Spot Brightener, $60
Lancome Absolue White Aura Regenerating Whitening Serum, $420
Allies of Skin Vitamin C 35% Collagen Rebuilding Serum, $185
Peter Thomas Roth Potent-C Targeted Spot Brightener, $94
Kanebo Illuminating Serum, $190-$280
Chantecaille Blanc Gardenia Whitening Essence, $310
SW1 Super White, $107
ALSO READ: 9 ABSOLUTE MUST-KNOWS BEFORE YOU GO FOR A RESURFACING FACIAL LASER
This story first appeared in the May issue of Her World Singapore.
how to lighten skin tone
tina yong engaged


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race manners
Since I've been back on the blog, I have said very little about the so-called biracial experience. It amazes me that it's still easier, even for me with all of my good "mixed" intentions, to talk about black and white. I forgive myself for this because without the black and white there is no mixed. Without the baggage of white vs. black stuff, there is no need for the mixed discussion. So, I suppose it's only natural. It is little disappointing personally that the middle ground isn't where the conversation begins for me. It's on the ends of the spectrum. But I also suppose that this is natural. I suppose this has been the disappointment of my life. And I suppose that this is how we get to the middle ground. By exploring the ends and inching toward the middle.
A couple of things in Jenee Harris' article jumped out at me:
1. "My white mother has developed an acute sensitivity to the subtle ways prejudice and bigotry pop up in daily life."-
I wonder if my father would say he has developed the same. I think so…I think that happened when he entered into a relationship with my (black) mother and grew deeper as he witnessed my experience… but we never talk about it…
me with my parents:)
2. "Well-intended"– re: "adults loved to tell me that people paid "good money" for hair like mine (think 1980s-era perms on white women)" and "A friend got the biscuit analogy…: God burned black people and undercooked white people, but removed her from the heavenly oven at the perfect moment."
Well…if the intention of the (white) person who said this is to make the biracial person feel better about the perceived plight of their kind…well…i guess one could count that as a good or harmless intention. But I think that summation signifies complacence. I, however, have to challenge this notion. You see, giver of said "compliment," in your quest to make me feel better about being my invisible, displaced, misunderstood, marginalized and tragic self you put me on the receiving end of your pity, your assumptions and judgements. I do believe this is usually unconscious. I also must acknowledge that it is an assumption I'm making. Yet there's a reason that I assume that this is the intention behind the compliments. The assumption is based on experience, but even those are dangerous to make. It's the tone with which these comments are usually, subtly uttered. If you've been the biracial person in this kind of conversation, I think you know what I mean.
When I engage in this kind of innocent interaction I can be left feeling frustrated, upset, and worst of all unseen. It is depressing. It is literally a depression of my spirit. Of my freedom. A depression of my freedom to just be and simply experience this life without being saddled with the weight of the stigma of a couple hundred years of prejudice, condemnation, fear, greed, inferiority, superiority, discrimination, and antagonism. My take on it is that some people assuage a fleeting feeling of guilt over the fact that this is the biracial's lot in life by reminding us (and/or reminding themselves) that I should be happy because I have good hair and tan skin which, I infer from your comments, should make up for the fact that on the whole the society we live in cannot acknowledge or understand how I exist. I thought there was more to that sentence, but I think that's it. Our nation's identity continues to be wrapped up in race and all the baggage that comes with it. For that to remain intact, biracial just can't really be. I don't think that needs to remain intact. I think things are shifting. So slowly. But they are shifting and I hope I stay awake enough to the shift to feel when my assumptions based on past experience are truly no longer valid.
On the other hand, I'm fairly certain that most of my response falls into the category of "Oh, come on, stop being so sensitive."
Or am I just being truthful? That's the stuff that this brought up for me.
Biracial Children: Racism Advice for White Parents
Race Manners: Comments about the superior beauty of your biracial child aren't just weird — they're troubling.
By Jenée Desmond-Harris
Updated Monday April 8, 2013
The Root —
"I'm a Caucasian woman with a biracial child (her father is black). I live in a predominantly white community. Why is it that whenever people discover that I have a 'mixed' child, they always say things like, 'Oh, he/she must be so cute/gorgeous/adorable, those kids are always the best looking. You are so lucky.'
I know they mean well, but it seems off to me, and maybe racist. Do they mean compared to 'real' black children? When a German and Italian or an Asian and Jewish person have a child, black people don't say, 'Mixed children like yours are always the best looking.' (Plus, it's not true — not all black-white biracial kids are the 'best looking.')
Am I being overly sensitive by feeling there's something off about these comments? If not, what's the best way to respond?"
I chose this question for the first installment of Race Manners, The Root's new advice column on racial etiquette and ethics, because it hits close to home. Like your daughter, I'm biracial. Like you, my white mother has developed an acute sensitivity to the subtle ways prejudice and bigotry pop up in daily life. I should know. She calls me to file what I've deemed her "racism reports."
And let's be clear. Americans of all races say bizarre things to and about mixed people, who can inspire some of the most revealing remarks about our black-white baggage. Just think of the public debates about how MSNBC's Karen Finney, and even President Obama, should be allowed to identify.
But the comments in your question often come from a good place, and they're often said with a smile. When I was a child, adults loved to tell me that people paid "good money" for hair like mine (think 1980s-era perms on white women) and for tanning beds (again, it was the '80s and '90s) to achieve my skin color. Thus, the grown-up argument went, I should be happy (even if these trends didn't stop people from petting my curls as if I were an exotic poodle, nor did they give me the straight blond hair I envied, and it's not as if I was on the receiving end of the beauty-shop payments).
A friend got the biscuit analogy. Wait for it: God burned black people and undercooked white people, but removed her from the heavenly oven at the perfect moment, she was told.
Awkward. Well-intended. Poorly thought-through. A window into our shared cultural stuff about identity. These statements are all these things at once.
That's another reason I selected your question. When it comes to remarks that are so obviously dead-wrong to some of us, and so clearly innocuous to others, there's often little energy for or interest in breaking down the explanation that lies between "Ugh, so ignorant!" and "Oh, come on, stop being so sensitive."
I'll try it out here.
You're right to be bothered by the remarks from the Biracial Babies Fan Club. Here's why: These people aren't pulling an arbitrary appreciation for almond-colored skin and curls from the ether. Instead — even if they are not aware of this — they're both reflecting and perpetuating troubling beliefs that are bigger than their individual tastes. Specifically, while "mixed kids are the cutest" is evenhanded on its face, treating both black and white (and all other ethnic groups) as inferior to your daughter, I hear it as anti-black.
As Marcia Dawkins, the author of Clearly Invisible: Racial Passing and the Color of Cultural Identity, told me, "The myth that mixed-race offspring are somehow better than nonmixed offspring is an example of 'hybrid vigor,' an evolutionary theory which states that the progeny of diverse varieties within a species tend to exhibit better physical and psychological characteristics than either one or both of the parents."
And just take a wild guess how this idea has popped up for black people. You got it: In order to demean and oppress African Americans, thought leaders throughout history, including the likes of Thomas Jefferson, have said that black-white mixed offspring are better, more attractive, smarter, etc., than "real" blacks and not as good or attractive or smart as "real" whites, Dawkins explains.
So alleging that mixed kids are the best of anything sounds different when you consider that we've long put a wholesale premium on all that's whiter and brighter.
Nowhere is that premium more stubbornly applied today than when it comes to the topic at the center of your question — beauty and attractiveness. In recent memory, we had to re-litigate the harms of colorism when Zoe Saldana was cast to play the lead in a Nina Simone biopic. Tamar Braxton and India.Arie have both been accused of bleaching skin — as if that would be a reasonable thing to do.
A writer lamented in a personal essay for xoJane that she was sick and tired of being complimented for what black men viewed as her "mixed" or "exotic" (read: nonblack) physical features. (As far as I know, "you look a little black" is not a common line of praise among other groups.) Black girls still pick the white dolls in recreated Kenneth Clark experiments. Harlem moms can't get Barbie birthday decorations in the color of their little princesses. We treated rapper Kendrick Lamar like the department store that featured a wheelchair-bound model in an ad campaign when he cast a dark-skinned woman as a music-video love interest.
Against this backdrop of painful beliefs that people of all colors buy into, yes, "Mixed kids are the cutest" should sound "off."
As the mom of a mixed kid, you signed up for more than just the task of venturing into the "ethnic" aisle of the drugstore and learning about leave-in conditioner. You took on the work of hearing things like this through the ears of your daughter, and you agreed to have a stake in addressing racism. The fact that these comments bothered you means you're on the job.
So if it's at all possible, you should explain everything I've said above to people who announce that your daughter is gorgeous based on racial pedigree alone. If you're shorter on time or familiarity, you could try a reminder that there's really no such thing as genetic purity in the first place ("Great news, if that's true, since most of us — including you — are mixed"). As an alternative, the old cocked-head, confused look, combined with "What makes you say that?" always puts the onus back on the speaker to think about what he or she is really saying.
Finally, just a simple, "Thanks, I think she's beautiful, but I don't like the implication that it's because of her ethnic makeup," could open up an important introductory conversation about why comments about superior biracial beauty aren't true and aren't flattering, and why the beliefs they reflect aren't at all "cute."
Need race-related advice? Send your questions to racemanners@theroot.com.
The Root's staff writer, Jenée Desmond-Harris, covers the intersection of race with news, politics and culture. She wants to talk about the complicated ways in which ethnicity, color and identity arise in your personal life — and provide perspective on the ethics and etiquette surrounding race in a changing America.
Posted in biracial, books, celebrities, civil rights, equality, hair, history, interracial dating, interracial relationships, Obama, post racial news, race	| Tagged barbie, beauty, biracial, biracial babies, biracial children, biracial parenting, clearly invisible, colorism, family, hybrid vigor, identity, india.arie, interracial marriage, interracial parenting, jenee desmond-harris, karen finney, kendrick lamar, kenneth clark, marcia dawkins, mixed, mixed race, mixed race children, Obama, President Barack Obama, race, race manners, racial etiquette, racism, tamar braxton, thomas jefferson, willie lynch	| 4 Replies
mixed race barbies
I don't think I would have been allowed to have one of these Barbies either. Actually, I kind of don't get this. The designer doesn't say that she made them so that little mixed girls will have a doll that more accurately represents their background. She says it's for African-American girls (which is weird because this is in the UK), so how are these different from the black barbies that have been around for years? Is it that they're wearing Rocawear, which we can assume white Barbie either knows nothing about, or wouldn't be caught dead in? Is it that African-American girls have career aspirations that include having Jay Z as their boss? Ok, clearly I don't just kind of not get it, I don't get it at all.
First collection of mixed race Barbie dolls hits the UK
The 'So In Style' dolls designed by African American mum debut today in Selfridges
by Kyrsty Hazell
The So In Style dolls launched today at Selfridges
It seems Barbie has some new friends to add to her circle and they come in the shape of four mixed race girls named Jayla, Kara, Trichelle and Chandra. The first of their kind in a sea of fair skinned Barbie dolls, the four 'So In Style' girls were unveiled today as part of a cultural Barbie retrospective at the Wonder Room concept store within Selfridges.
Adding to the Wonder Room's repertoire of all things contemporary and interesting, the mixed race dolls, designed by Barbie designer Stacey McBride-Irby, feature as part of an exhibition to celebrate 40 years of black Barbie history.
Unveiled by brand consultant and founder of WAH-Nails Sharmadean Reid, the authentic looking dolls stand alongside vintage black Barbies as well as 12 larger than life dolls. The woman behind the creation of the 'So In Style' girls, who are decked out in Jay Z's Rocawear clothing, says her inspiration behind the range was her daughter and her own heritage.
"As a Barbie doll designer for more than 10 years, I want African-American girls to know that dolls can represent their career aspirations, hobbies and ethnic backgrounds. Barbie inspired me to realise my dream of becoming a designer, and I want my dolls to inspire girls to play, create and live out their dreams," explains Stacey.
The dolls are available in Selfridges (link) from today and cost £25.
Posted in biracial, race	| Tagged barbie, black barbie, cultural barbie retrospective, jay z, mixed race, race, rocawear clothing, selfridges, so in style doll, stacey mcbride-irby, toys	| 8 Replies
re: oreo barbie: black edition
Unless you're keeping her as a collector's item, I think this is an amazingly creative (yet creepy) way to recycle any kind of Barbie you may have…
Barbie dolls played a fundamental role in fueling my creative life growing up and are what cultivated my interest in adornment. An invaluable tool for my imagination as a child, ironically, Barbie continues to be such for me as an adult.
Whether revered or despised, there are few who feel neutral about the plastic princess. I am fascinated with who she is as a cultural icon and the vast impact she has had on our society.
I also enjoy the funny juxtaposition of wearing the body, on the body. Barbie has become the accessory instead of being accessorized. I take pleasure in the contrast and contradiction of mass-produced materials transformed and revealed as handmade, wearable works of Art.
– Margaux Lange
Posted in humor, random	| Tagged barbie, jewelry, margaux lange	| 4 Replies
oreo barbie: black edition
I was never allowed to have a Barbie doll. Of course that just made me want one even more. I didn't even like them that much, but EVERYBODY had them. Everybody, but me. So I felt left out and/or deprived of something. Since this was my mother's rule, I would beg any and everyone else that I lived with or visited to let me have one and keep it at their house. No one acquiesced. My mom always said she would not allow it was because those dolls were not only racist, but sexist. If I recall correctly, her main issue was that the black barbies were just dyed white barbies. That's one of the main points of Ann DuCille's Barbie post. Today I am proud to have never owned a Barbie. Thanks, Mom.
Apparently the "regular" version sold so well they decided to make this one.
The doll was eventually recalled.
Did Mattel intentionally produce a doll that embodied a well-known insult in the Black community? If they didn't (and let's just go with that theory), it means that no one at Mattel involved in the production of this doll had the cultural competence to notice the problem. This points to both (1) white privilege and the ease with which white people can be ignorant of non-white cultures and (2) a lack of diversity on the Mattel team. Less employee homogeneity might have saved Mattel both face and money in this instance. Diversity, then, is often good business.
For more on Barbie and racial politics, see this post inspired by Ann DuCille. Reblogged
Posted in race	| Tagged barbie, oreo, oreo barbie	| 7 Replies


This holster is definitely worth the wait. I ordered one for a CZ P-10C with APL-c. Fit is perfect, retention is perfect. The fabric overlay is very well done. Overall a very good Appendix IWB holster that you will love.
The wingman is the second holster I have ordered from QVO, first the Secondary, now the Wingman. The durability and attention to detail that goes into these holsters is second to non and never disappoints. Retention and fit has been perfect for each of my holsters and Roger is always quick to respond to any questions. These will certainly not be my last.
ordered the wingman for glock 19 with inforce aplc and threaded barrel. Holster was a little late getting to me but emailed the company and Roger replied and got the holster out the next day. Great customer service. holster arrived two days later. holster is well constructed with quality material and high attention to detail, pistol fit perfect. These guys know what the are doing. Order with confidence, you will not be disappointed!


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Samford outlasts The Citadel 61-55 in 4 overtimes
Updated: 7:52 PM CDT Sep 28, 2019
Kyle Burger
Sports Anchor & Reporter
WVTM 13
Samford football player celebrating in the end zone
SOURCE: WVTM 13
Liam Welch scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth overtime and Samford held off The Citadel 61-55 on Saturday.The Bulldogs of The Citadel trailed 24-21 heading into the fourth quarter, but Brandon Rainey connected with Raleigh Webb for a 17-yard touchdown, Jacob Godek kicked a 23-yard field goal and Rainey added a 1-yard TD run as the Citadel scored 17 straight points to take a 38-24 lead with 8:08 left in regulation.Backup quarterback Welch answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that he capped with a 5-yard TD toss to Michael Vice to pull the Bulldogs of Samford (3-2, 2-0 Southern Conference) within 38-31. Following a punt by The Citadel that gave Samford the ball at its own 20-yard line, Welch used three plays before hitting A.J. Toney for a 67-yard scoring strike to knot the score at 38.The two teams traded two touchdowns and a field goal through the first three overtimes before the Samford defense kept The Citadel (2-3. 0-1) scoreless, leading to the game-winning drive.Welch completed 9 of 18 passes for 189 yards and three TDs with one interception for Samford. Samford starting QB Chris Oladokun hit 9 of 18 passes for 129 yards and ran for 18 yards and two scores. Jay Stanton rushed for 97 yards and two TDs on 15 carries, while Toney finished with six catches for 102 yards.Rainey connected on 6 of 7 passes for 196 yards and two scores for The Citadel. He also ran 29 times for 65 yards and three TDs. The Citadel ran the ball 95 times, netting 266 yards.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —
Liam Welch scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth overtime and Samford held off The Citadel 61-55 on Saturday.
The Bulldogs of The Citadel trailed 24-21 heading into the fourth quarter, but Brandon Rainey connected with Raleigh Webb for a 17-yard touchdown, Jacob Godek kicked a 23-yard field goal and Rainey added a 1-yard TD run as the Citadel scored 17 straight points to take a 38-24 lead with 8:08 left in regulation.
Backup quarterback Welch answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that he capped with a 5-yard TD toss to Michael Vice to pull the Bulldogs of Samford (3-2, 2-0 Southern Conference) within 38-31. Following a punt by The Citadel that gave Samford the ball at its own 20-yard line, Welch used three plays before hitting A.J. Toney for a 67-yard scoring strike to knot the score at 38.
The two teams traded two touchdowns and a field goal through the first three overtimes before the Samford defense kept The Citadel (2-3. 0-1) scoreless, leading to the game-winning drive.
Welch completed 9 of 18 passes for 189 yards and three TDs with one interception for Samford. Samford starting QB Chris Oladokun hit 9 of 18 passes for 129 yards and ran for 18 yards and two scores. Jay Stanton rushed for 97 yards and two TDs on 15 carries, while Toney finished with six catches for 102 yards.
Rainey connected on 6 of 7 passes for 196 yards and two scores for The Citadel. He also ran 29 times for 65 yards and three TDs. The Citadel ran the ball 95 times, netting 266 yards.