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College Recruiter Fired After Asking Students To Line Up By Skin Tone, Hair Texture
Submitted by Take Out on Tue, 03/03/2020 - 06:21
Metro high school students were forced to line up by the color of their skin, and then their hair was allegedly ranked from nappy to not.
A recruiter from Oklahoma Christian University was fired following an exercise he decided to implement at Harding Charter Preparatory in Oklahoma City.
"He barely talked about the school itself," Korey Todd said.
At Harding Charter Preparatory High School, college recruiters stop by all the time, but this gym assembly was different.
"I could already see through his BS basically," Korey Todd said. "He was a white man."
A man representing Oklahoma Christian University left the 11th grade class stunned.
"He was like, 'Let's play a little game,'" Todd said. "He said, 'Okay, everyone now line up from darkest to lightest skin complexion.'"
"He said, 'Okay, who is going to line up the fastest,'" Rio Brown said.
Then, the juniors were told to shuffle again.
"He told us nappiest hair in the back and straighter hair in the front," Rio Brown said.
"That's when I felt uncomfortable like, 'Okay, this isn't right,'" Todd said.
"Teachers left," Brown said. "They were crying and they were offended. Their faces just look disgusted. I know they had a talk with him after, like, 'That's not okay.'"
According to Oklahoma Christian University, the recruiter was fired shortly after. The university released the following statement to News 4:
"The OC admissions counselor who visited Harding Charter Preparatory Academy on Monday is no longer an Oklahoma Christian University employee. OC admissions leadership did not approve the inappropriate activity in advance and has communicated closely with Harding administration since the visit. Admissions staff are scheduled to visit the academy Monday to apologize to Harding students and staff on behalf of the University."
The principal at Harding Charter Prep also admitted all of it was true, releasing this statement to News 4, saying:
"As you are aware, our school is visited by many college representatives each year to recruit the most hardworking students in the state of Oklahoma. Unfortunately, an incident occurred this Monday when a college recruiter from Oklahoma Christian University led a group activity with our students that involved inappropriate and hurtful statements.
The Harding Charter Preparatory High School governance board, administration, and staff does not condone any behavior and/or language that undermines our community's values. Our community, from its inception, has valued diversity, inclusion, and a safe and supportive learning environment. We will continue to do so."
"I hope it is a wake-up call because many people at the school need to hear how we feel," Brown said.
Oklahoma Christian University officials also tells News 4 they will be making a personal visit on Monday to apologize to the entire campus.
This article was updated to correct an error on one of the quotes.
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Zeds Dead Merch
ADB will provide 1 thousand 233 crore loan
Leave a Comment / Politics / By admin
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will lend Tk 1,233 crore to Bangladesh to enhance its efficiency in international trade. To accelerate the growth of the country, Bangladesh will be able to utilize this loan in sectors such as forecast qualification and security improvement.
This information was given in a report published by the company last Thursday. It called for improving the quality of exports to Bangladesh, and increasing the capacity for signing bilateral trade and investment cooperation agreements.
In addition, further coordination between the border agencies and the private sector in the implementation of trade facilitation strategies to increase export diversification and competitiveness has been mentioned.
Tadateru Hayashi, ADB's chief economist, said the ADB's assistance would support the government's goal of accelerating economic growth through industrialization and trade. In addition to helping to diversify export products and destinations, the program will facilitate trade and commerce between South Asian allies through improved communication.
The ADB assistance includes a policy loan of Taka 6 crore, which can be used for various reforms including upgrading the country's customs legal framework to international standards, improving the cargo clearance process, and strengthening the powers of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the Ministry of Commerce.
Apart from this, integrated land customs stations and land ports will be constructed at the border of Akhaura, Sonamasjid, and Tamabil at a cost of Tk 458 crore through the Bangladesh Land Port Authority (BLPA) and NBR. Auxiliary equipment will be installed for improved customs clearance and cargo transportation.
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Bradford City 0 Rovers 1
drfc_official
Another Mallik Wilks thunderbolt fired Rovers to a vital victory at Bradford City to keep his side on course for the play-offs.
His second half goal was the difference as Rovers stretched their run to three consecutive wins in a scrappy affair at the Northern Commercials Stadium and retained their five-point advantage over seventh-placed Peterborough United.
Grant McCann made one change to the side which earned back-to-back victories at the Keepmoat Stadium in the previous week. Tom Anderson replaced Paul Downing at centre back as the latter dropped to the bench due to illness. He did, however, stick with the slight alteration to formation which has proved fruitful in recent games.
Bradford City manager Gary Bowyer made three changes to the side which lost 1-0 away at Charlton Athletic on the previous weekend. Connor Wood, Anthon O'Connor, and Hope Apkin all dropped out of the starting XI, Nathaniel Knight Percival, Adam Chicksen, and Billy Clarke were the replacements.
Fast starts have been a feature of Rovers' upturn in form, but that was not to be the case at Valley Parade. Bradford City might be Sky Bet League One's bottom placed team, but they did not look like it and John Marquis was called on to do his bit for his side's defensive efforts with an important toe to send Jacob Butterfield's strike from outside the box off target in the opening minute. Soon after Butler required a timely touch to deny Clarke's effort, and Marko Marosi needed a sure touch to punch a corner-kick clear.
Ali Crawford had the first sight of goal for Rovers, Kieran Sadlier reacted quickly to a loose ball played out of the back by the Bantams and found the Scot at the edge of the box. Crawford connected well with his first-time strike, but it was some way over Richard O'Donnell's cross bar.
Bradford City thought had taken the lead just before the ten-minute mark when Eoin Doyle's glancing header from a delightful Clarke cross took the ball beyond Marosi but connected with the far post before ending up in the keeper's gloves.
Bradford continued to threaten, Knight-Percival tried and failed with his effort from distance and Marosi had to be on his toes to prevent a clever through ball from providing David Ball with a tap-in.
While Bradford's strikers were struggling to find the target, their defenders were struggling to find each other. Loose passes out of the Bantams' defence were providing Rovers with opportunities to win the ball high up the pitch and launch quick attacks. One such occasion afforded Wilks an opportunity to cross into Marquis in the Bantams box, both Marquis and his marker tumbled to the floor – Rovers top scorer wanted a penalty - but referee Dean Whitestone was having none of it instead awarding a free-kick to the home side.
Rovers' next chance came when a Bradford pass found Crawford unmarked at the top of the box, it was a near carbon copy of his earlier effort though this time the ball sailed just wide as oppose to over.
After a slow start, Rovers were beginning to get a foothold in the game, and Wilks excellent turn to take him away from Paudie O'Connor allowed him to play a perfectly weighted lifted ball into Sadlier whose header was just wide of O'Donnell's goal.
Some controversy on the half-hour mark seemed to swing the momentum of the game back in the home side's favour. Referee Whitestone saw fit to stop the match for a head injury to Marquis. Once the forward was back on his feet, Bradford opted to kick the ball out for a Rovers throw-in near the corner flag rather than back to keeper Marosi and Bradford manufactured a shot from the resulting play.
That was really it for the first-half action with neither team doing enough to stake their claim on the match.
No changes for either team at the break and, once again, it was Bradford City who would register the first shot. Chicksen's driving run took him into the box but smart defending by Anderson pushed him wide and Marosi was able to catch the effort with some ease.
Rovers first chance of the half came as Sadlier picked the ball up in acres of space in the middle of the park, he had room to run into and – while more than 1,000 Rovers fans wanted him to shoot – he opted to play a sublime throughball into the path of Marquis. Marquis' first-touch took the ball between the two Bantams centre backs but the pair closed out the space and the ball ran through to O'Donnell.
The noise in the stadium rose with every minute that passed and the Bradford side did look the most likely as shots from Ball and former Rovers player Jermaine Anderson went close.
Just before the hour-mark, McCann opted for a change with Sadlier making way for Alfie May, leading to a slight change with May taking over the No.10 role and Coppinger taking his place on the left of the three. May looked lively from the outset, chasing and harrying to win the ball high up the pitch and his attempted overhead kick (of sorts) almost crept in at the far post when O'Donnell's clearing-punch from a corner-kick failed to clear the 18-yard box.
At the other end, Doyle would almost certainly have turned Lewis O'Brien's cross into the Rovers net if it had not been for an exceptionally brave diving-header by Butler to prevent the ball from reaching the striker.
Butler was on hand time and time again to head away Bradford's crosses into the box and keep the Bantam's strike force at bay and made some important interventions when left one-on-one with Doyle. Centreback partner Anderson also had some key touches an acrobatic clearance taking the ball off the Rovers' goal-line.
It was Wilks who – as he often has in recent matches – would prove the difference as he bagged his 16th goal of the season after 73 minutes. He still had it all to do when he picked the ball up around 25 yards out, but he showed patience, let defender Knight-Percival continue to retreat and pulled the trigger from the edge of the box firing towards the near post and sending O'Donnell the wrong way.
The goal seemed to kill most of the home side's impetus, with Rovers suddenly afforded more time on the ball.
Bantams substitute Sean Scannell had some joy down Bradford's left-hand side, but every cross Bradford put in the box seemed to be met by the head of Butler.
Substitute Alfie Beestin did brilliantly to win back possession high up the pitch and played a beautiful ball through to namesake May but O'Connor did just enough to ease May out and Rovers maybe should have done better when Matty Blair's overlapping run took him beyond Chicksen, his cross was into a dangerous area but the strikers had not managed to keep up with his pace.
Bradford were mere inches from equalising when Butterfield's shot from the edge of the box brush past Marosi's left hand post. Shortly after Scannell and Doyle took turns to avoid shooting from just 10 yards out as they passed the ball between themselves, Scannell eventually sent the ball towards the goal but – once again – Butler was the man in the way.
A long stoppage in play earlier in the half due to head injuries to Marquis and O'Donnell meant Rovers had to see out seven minutes of added time, but they did just that earning their third consecutive win and keeping a five-point gap between themselves and seventh placed Peterborough United.
Bradford City vs Doncaster Rovers on 06 Apr 19
Mallik Wilks


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Saint Petersburg is not only Russiaâ??s second largest city, but it is also the countryâ??s cultural heart. Travel here and you will find awe-inspiring architectural gems like the Winter Palace, the Grand Palace (Peterhof) and the Kazan Cathedral. Saint Petersburg offers enough art, nightlife, fine dining and cultural destinations for any and all travelers. Other points of interests include but are not limited to: Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, State Hermitage Museum, St. Isaac's Cathedral State Museum-Memorial, and the Naval Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Kronstadt (Kronshtadt).
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No need to wait for a Bucket List remake to see Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson shout at each other. HBO has produced a version of Cormac McCarthy's play The Sunset Limited with TLJ and SLJ playing the two nameless leads--an atheist professor and an evangelical Christian ex-con, respectively--who share a lengthy discussion after the former criminal saves the depressed stranger from jumping in front of a train. Here's the trailer for that. But we should still probably get on that Bucket List thing.
\n\nNo need to wait for a Bucket List remake to see Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson shout at each other. HBO has produced a version of Cormac McCarthy's play The Sunset Limited with TLJ and SLJ playing the two nameless leads--an atheist professor and an evangelical Christian ex-con, respectively--who share a lengthy discussion after the former criminal saves the depressed stranger from jumping in front of a train. Here's the trailer for that. But we should still probably get on that Bucket List thing.


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Look who doesn't want to show up for work
CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O SAID HE WAS GOING TO GET FOCUSED ON THE ECONOMY AND THAT IS IMPORTANT IN THE GREAT RECESSION WITH RECORD UNEMPLOYMENT AND PEOPLE LOSING THEIR HOUSES AND ALL.
BUT SOMETIMES A CELEBRITY JUST NEEDS TO LET HER HAIR DOWN AND PAR-TAY WHICH IS WHY BARRY O WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BACK AT THE WHITE HOUSE -- AND BACK TO WORK -- JANUARY 1ST BUT NOW WILL BE BACK JANUARY 4TH.
"WHAT I'D REALLY LIKE TO DO," BARRY O EXPLAINED, "IS KEEP PARTYING UNTIL JANUARY 1, 2013, THEN GO BACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE, PACK UP ALL MY THINGS AND SPLIT."
Mosul slammed with suicide bombers today. Alsumaria TV reports it was 6 suicide bombers, that they attacked a police station in Mosul, that police managed to shoot dead three of them, that one fled and one detonated taking the life of Shamel Akla (also spelled Shamil Oglaq in some press reports) while the police chief was targeted with a roadside bombings (which he survived). BBC News counts three suicide bombers, says one was killed by police and has the other two entering the police station where they set off their bombs. The BBC's numbers and narrative match with Sinana Salaheddin's AP report. AFP adds that 3 other police officers were killed in the attack and they cite an unnamed police officer calling this the fifth attempt on Oglaq's life. John Leland (New York Times) reports 1 bomber blew himself up outside the station, two charged in and detonated "killing the police commander, Lt. Col. Shamel Ahmed al-Jabori, who was asleep in his quarters, according to the head of the provincial security and defense committee, Abdulrahem al-Shermari. The blast brought down the building, trapping others inside. Local officials said they did not know how many people were killed or wounded." Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) notes, "Several officers were unaccounted for after the blast and rescue crews were at the scene late Wednesday morning scouring through the wreckage of the building, looking for them." In other violence, Reuters notes a Baghdad roadside bombing injured two civilians, an attack on a Baghdad police patrol which left two police officers injured, a Salman Pak sticky bombing which injured a judge, a Baghdad sticky bombing which claimed 1 life and injured another person and, dropping back to yesterday, a Baghdad sticky bombing targeting a Sahwa who was left unharmed. John Leland (New York Times) reports a Baghdad roadside bombing which claimed the life of 1 Iraqi soldier and left five more injured.
Yesterday, attacks in Mosul claimed 8 lives. Mosul is in Nineveh Province and, from yesterday's snapshot, we'll note this on the political unrest and political connections:
Hamid al-Zubaidi (Iraq Hurr) reports that last night in Mosul, the Presidency of the Conference of Nineveh, calls were made for the removal of the governor of Nineveh Province (Ethel Nujaifi also spelled Atheel al-Najafi). It's been a busy second half of the year for Nujaifi. In August, he was nearly assassinated, in September he condemned a US raid in Mosul and the arrests which followed, dubbing them "politically motivated," October saw further tensions between the Provincial Council and Nujaifi and that Nujaifi was angling for the post of Foreign Minister (Hoshyar Zebari had the post at that time and Zebari holds the post in last week's 'new' announced Cabinet) and, along with many other activities, he also helped delay the census. Last night in Mosul, Nujaifi was accused of overstepping his role and exceeding his powers due to various alleged abuses including the appointment of a mayor whom he allegedly has ties to. His brother is Osama Najafi who is the new Speaker of Parliament. New Sabah reports Osama Najafi is raising the issues of salaries in the Parliament -- Jalal Talabani's and the two vice presidents. As President of Iraq, Talabani's salary "is more than the salary of [US] President Barack Obama." It is agued that laws are needed to address this -- the same argument was made in the previous Parliament. Nujaifi, who surprised many by disclosing his own finances in a Monday Parliament session, is calling for other MPs and Cabinet ministers to do the same.
Meanwhile the national government. The New York Times' editorial board weighs in today with "An Iraqi Government, Finally" that gets taken in by Sam Dagher's 'reporting' the way so many of the rest of us did early yesterday morning. They provide a fleeting overview. They do manage to note there is only one woman in Nouri's Cabinet. That's about it. The editorial could have been written a few months ago. Most outlets (Baltimore Sun, Washington Post, etc.) wrote their 'new government' editorials last week -- when the Cabinet was announced (Tuesday of last week was the Parliament vote). An editorial that's allegedly about a cabinet should note that Nouri's holding three posts in addition to PM and that the three additional posts are part of at least ten posts that were not filled. That's fairly basic and those who turn their assignments in late are really required to offer something outstanding.
On the issue of the still unsettled Cabinet, Alsumaria TV is reporting on ongoing squabbles over one post. They note, "In a statement over Kurds' demands to take over one of the security ministries, National Alliance MP Ali Shallah affirmed that there is no political agreement between Kurds and Al Maliki over allocating the National Security Ministry to Kurdistan Alliance." And they note: "National Alliance MP Nada Al Soudani affirmed that Iraq's security ministries will not be subject to political apportionment. In a statement to Alsumaria, Al Soudani noted that plans to choose security ministers among independent figures might be hindered." That's two members of the National Alliance (Shi'ite bloc) who've felt the need to go on the record today insisting that the Kurds had no automatic hold on the National Security Ministry. Alsabaah reports that the plan is to announce the post next week and quotes a colleague of Nouri's insisting "al-Maliki refused to be pressured on this issue of selecting the Minister of Security." And they remind that Nouri only named 29 posts last week (plus the 3 he named himself to) while there are 42 positions. There are also calls from the National Alliance for the process to be speeded up and for more women to be named with the latter calls being led by the Virtue Party's Kamilp Moussawi who notes that the last Cabinet had 7 women ministers. In addition, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has received a letter from female MPs formally protesting the marginalization of women in the Cabinet. As noted last Wednesday, among the female MPs protesting the inequality is Ala Talabani, Jalal's niece. On the issue of Kurds in Baghdad, Saman Basharati (Rudaw) reports that 1,000 peshmerga (Kurdish forces) have been sent to the city due to rumors "of a military coup" and "This is the first time since 2003 that a top Kurdish official has acknowledged the threat to Kurdish politicians of a military coup." In other unrest, Sinan Salaheddin (AP) reports on a mood -- move? -- in Basra that continues to argue for the city to become its own region -- not unlike the KRG in the north -- and it would certainly have the oil riches to fund any adventures. It also has a highly important sea port as well as Basra International Airport. There have been two efforts at forcing a vote on the issue and Salaheddin reports a third may emerge now that Nouri has named his (partial) Cabinet finally. The Economist observes, "The biggest worry is over the failure so far to name three 'power ministers' to run interior, defense and national security. Until those posts have been allotted, Mr Maliki will hold them himself. He has already shown a tendency to use the police and army for his own political ends, so the sooner they are dished out the better. In any event, it is vital for Iraq's future that they fall under civilian control and do not become political fiefs."
Yesterday, Sam Dagher dominated the news as only a spinner can do after he filed "Iraq Wants the U.S. Out" which opened:
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ruled out the presence of any U.S. troops in Iraq after the end of 2011, saying his new government and the country's security forces were capable of confronting any remaining threats to Iraq's security, sovereignty and unity.
Mr. Maliki spoke with The Wall Street Journal in a two-hour interview, his first since Iraq ended nine months of stalemate and seated a new government after an inconclusive election, allowing Mr. Maliki to begin a second term as premier.
A majority of Iraqis -- and some Iraqi and U.S. officials -- have assumed the U.S. troop presence would eventually be extended, especially after the long government limbo. But Mr. Maliki was eager to draw a line in his most definitive remarks on the subject. "The last American soldier will leave Iraq" as agreed, he said, speaking at his office in a leafy section of Baghdad's protected Green Zone. "This agreement is not subject to extension, not subject to alteration. It is sealed."
And then Dagher quickly moved on to other topics. There's reporting and there's lying. When we wrote yesterday morning, we noted Nouri's pattern and other things that Dagher should have noted in his article. The Wall St. Journal, so thrilled to finally have a scoop (have they had even one since Murdoch took over the paper), quickly released the transcript of Dagher's interview and uh-oh, not quite as definitive as he painted it.
In the third paragraph of the excerpt above, he quotes Nouri stating, "The last American soldier will leave Iraq." And then he jumps to "This agreement is not subject to extension, not subject to alteration. It is sealed." Let's go to the transcript and I'm going to put what Dagher quoted in italics:
The last American soldier will leave Iraq. Secondly this agreement is sealed and at the time we designated it as sealed and not subject to extension, except if the new government with Parliament's approval wanted to reach a new agreement with America, or another country, that's another matter. This agreement is not subject to extension, not subject to alteration, it is sealed, it expires on Dec. 31
Wow. Journalistic malpractice before our own eyes. What Dagher's established is that no one should ever trust a quote from him again. He cherry picked to spin the story the way he wanted and deliberately left out a very pertinent fact. (Though he doesn't quote him, like a good Rudith Miller, Dagher does bury the possibility of a new SOFA in paragraph thirteen. Alsumaria TV demonstrates how Dagher's distortions are spread across Iraq.)
Nouri's statements are cagey and make more sense today. The SOFA would have to be replaced, we've long noted that. If the US military presence continues in Iraq (and is not fudged as "State Dept mission"), the SOFA would have to be replaced with something. That's how the UN mandate worked as well. Nouri pushes the burden off onto Parliament and with his past history that's meaningless.
But as usual, Juan Cole's an idiot. The cheerleader for the war who then was against it, then saw a turned corner, then didn't know what he was doing, then got testy when Steve Rendall mentioned some of this reality in a CounterSpin interview, thinks that because he has a few groupies who allow him to constantly blog in a revisionary style, the whole world will hail him as a genius. Keep dreaming.
Juan Cole plays idiot (plays?) quoting a State Dept cable on the issue of the occupation and Iraqi opinion of it. So that's an interp of an interp? And we're supposed to believe it? The cable exists I'm not denying it. I'm also not a stupid asshole who thinks information and opinions are freely shared in an occupation. Or that third-hand gossip is necessarily "news." Juan wants you to know that the Parliament could never approve a SOFA, never!!!! Again, Nouri's pattern is to subvert the Parliament. I don't know who's been doing Cole's lectures and testing but maybe he needs to turn his blog over to his TA? Let's assume for a moment that this was an issue that went before Parliament. Cole argues:
There are not 163 votes in parliament for an extension of the US troop presence, and any move in that direction would likely cause al-Maliki's government to fall. Muqtada al-Sadr's followers have 40 seats in parliament and are the leading party in the National Iraqi Alliance, the Shiite fundamentalist parties, who have a total of 70 seats. They would pull out of al-Maliki's government and likely return to militia activity were he to betray their expectations in that way. Al-Maliki's own State of Law coalition, including his Islamic Mission Party (Da`wa) is certainly not going to plump for US troops to remain. It has 89 seats. Those two Shiite religious blocs have 159 seats between them. And, among the Sunni Arabs of the Iraqiya, there would certainly be at least 4 who opposed retaining US troops. Voila, 163. No parliamentary approval.
Third-hand news and lousy crystal visions -- it's as if Juan Cole formed a cheap Fleetwood Mac cover band to do a Rumors tribute.
A number of people -- including guess who -- spent forever claiming the SOFA wouldn't get pushed through in the first place. It did. Probably a good idea not to try to predict what the future holds. But if you're going to, probably a good idea to know a thing or two.
Unlike Juan Cole, we've covered the targeting of Iraqi Christians. We've covered it repeatedly and regularly. That has several times meant drawing a very firm line on a number of topics. One of which is that the supporters in the US who organize rallies are advocating for the US military to remain in Iraq for the near future. (As noted many times before, we don't support that.) Is Juan aware of that? Probably not. He certainly doesn't write as if he is.
Most likely, those Iraqi Christians in the Parliament would vote for the US to stay. The State Dept has long considered the Kurdish bloc a sure thing to vote for the US to stay. Once you note those, it's not too difficult to note other things. Such as the split between Moqtada's bloc and the Iraqi National Alliance whose leader increasingly tilts westward.
And then there's the most important thing of all -- which Juan is too 'pure' (too much of a priss, actually) to note -- money. Palms were greased and then some in November 2008. Palms will be greased again. It is not at all difficult to see a similar vote as that which took place in November 2008: a large number of MPs bailing on the vote. Those who remain left to insist on this extra and that bonus.
Nouri's not popular. The stalemate only made him less so. He was hoping to be feared as iron-fisted Nouri. But the stalemate just reminded everyone of how, in his four-year term as PM, Nouri never could seal the deal. He's a wanna be strong man who lacks the fear factor with the public.
It's not difficult to see him (yet again) throwing his lot in with the US. It's paid very well for him thus far and neither Iran nor the US really seems focused on much more than pushing Iraq back and forth between them like a shiny, rubber ball.
"One pimps, the other fluffs"
"Assault on Mosul police station"
"Tracking unemployment goes from 2 to 5 years"
"No surprise at all"
"Deluded Gross"
"where i thank katha pollitt"
"David Shuster got some temp work"
"Janis goes to Japan"
"Barry and She-Hulk"
"Outrageous statement of the week"
"Peace"
"Lynne Stewart"
"THIS JUST IN! PIMP THE NON-NEWS!"
"Even his p.r. peters out"
Even his p.r. peters out
WHAT'S A SOCIAL MEDIA QUEEN TO DO WHEN EVEN THEY FIND THEMSELVES BORING?
WHEN THE TWEETS DON'T EASILY TWEET AND THE FACEBOOKS MUST STILL BE AVOIDED AFTER LADY GAGA PROVED WHO WAS TOP DOG?
PIMP A LIFESTYLE CHANGE AND HOPE THE MEDIA RUNS WITH IT. YES, IT'S TIME FOR "I QUIT SMOKING 9 MONTHS AGO . . . BUT AM ONLY REMEMBERING NOW TO PASS THAT ALONG!" ("AND PRAYING LIKE HELL ALL WHO SAW ME SMOKING IN WISCONSIN WHILE I CAMPAIGNED IN OCTOBER DON'T COME FORWARD!")
On this week's Law and Disorder Radio (began airing Monday on WBAI and around the country thorughout the rest of the week), hosts Michael S. Smith and Michael Ratner spoke with Nellie Hester Baily, co-founder of the Harlem Tenants Council and co-host of Black Agenda Radio (Progressive Radio) with Glen Ford (Black Agenda Report) and the hose of WHCR's Inside Housing. Excerpt.
Nellie Hester Bailey: You are undoubtedly aware of the letter that originated with, I think his name is Paul Halle [John Halle]. He is a professor at Bard College. And this letter was sent out almost a month ago and it called upon basically the Progressive for Obama -- i.e. Bill Fletcher, Tom Hayden, Barbara Ehrenreich to look at Obama for what he is and, in fact, called upon them specifically to support the December 15th action Veterans for Peace, that was in Washington, DC, there was a demonstration in front of the White House about 131 people were arrested in that protest. [. . .] And Halle wants to get about 5,000 signators on that letter. He has close to 4,000 now. The response from Tom Hayden has been rather visceral: 'Who are you to talk to me like this?' Bill Fletcher is very upset. Yet they continue in this vein of Progressives for Obama to support his policy and not pull him back because what we need most of all for poor and working people and, in particular, African-Americans is for the blinders to be pulled off so that people can see actually what it is that we are dealing with and that President Barack Obama is no longer sugar coated as "the historic first," "he's our Black president,' 'no matter what he does, we're going to support him' when at the same time, as we see the collapse of the empire -- and I think there is an inevitability in all of that when you look at the unstatainable wars that we are engaged in, when you look at the move to the right domestically with that of the Republican agenda which means more civil rights oppression against the populace here, when you look at the economic demise of so many Americans which is why White America is so upset -- because they're standard of living has declined dramatically, when you look at the recent report, I believe, from the Center for Disease Control that now we have more than a 50% increase in the number of people who are uninsured [PDF format warning, click here]. And when you look at all of these factors and the work force has been reduced, we are expected to work long hours, we are expected to retire later in life. In fact, we are being worked to death and our kids are being sent to war, and, if you are an immigrant and if you want the Dream Act, if you want to become an American citizen, then prove to us that you are willing to die and, if you do die, then we will grant you citizenship. These are the realities, the undeniable realities that we are looking at when we look at and when we embrace the Obama administration. Now, what it is that we can do, we can support the initiatives of Halle, we can put those strattling liberal progressives on the sideline by saying, "You no longer can lull the people, or herd the people like sheep, into this nightmare of compromise which in fact is our demise from the Obama adminsitration. What we can do, and this is a big problem we have in the African-American community because upon his election, one noted activist here in New York City said, 'You know President Obama gave us a wink-and-a-nod. You know, he knows, he knows. And we can expect the best out of him. And Michelle is going to make him do right. And Michelle will do --" I mean, this soap opera scenario and day dreaming which is just incomprehensible and particularly when you look at the left, we're talking about the Marxist left, that there was no class and race analysis about this man's presidency. How can one call themselves and declare themselves a Marxist and you support President Barack Obama? How is that possible? What was the failure of the left? Why was the left so blinded by this 'historic first'? 'First African-American president.' Well we had --
Michael Smith: You had Colin Powell, you had Condoleeza Rice --
Nellie Hester Bailey: We had Colin Powell, we had Condoleeza Rice as the first and we saw what fruit that bore. It was not a good fruit.
Michael Ratner: So why do you think it happened? I mean, I understand. Really your analysis is quite clear, quite sharp and one could even argue that the powers-that-be got Obama in to essentially supress the progressive movement and the African-American community --
Nellie Hester Bailey: Absolutely.
Michael Ratner: -- that would have actually diverted it and it created this whole tension about should we do this or not. But why do you think people missed it so much? Particularly, there are a lot of good people who you know. Your friends who were certainly on the fence if not worse in terms of their thinking this was going to be the great savior.
Nellie Hester Bailey: I-I'm at a loss. I mean, when you look at people whom I love dearly -- Amiri Baraka, I mean how do you explain that?
Michael Ratner: That one's a hard one.
Nellie Hester Bailey: Fletcher? Nnnnnhhh -- he straddled the fence here and there. Nnnnhhh, you know you can, okay. But people like Baraka? Some of the other noted left wingers, a long history, tradition of Marxist analysis -- How is that possible? One of the excuses we heard was, "Well the people are for him, we don't want to display this vanguard elitism." These forces, Progressives for Obama, need to step back and realize their responsibility to building a working class people, multi-racial movement to take on this system that is declining, that is in collapse, it is not sustainable. We see the desperation every single day. And it seems to me that if they cannot wake up at this point, then a large part of the movement that we're trying to build, that Michael talked about, we saw it from the very beginning, that you're talking about, that others are talking about, that we are all going to be doomed not unless conditions force the populace into the streets as we are seeing in Ireland, as we are seeing in England, as we are seeing throughout Europe, as we are seeing in Greece, as we're seeing in France. And if conditions don't drive people into the street, that there comes a point that they can no longer tolerate the assault on their lives and their civil liberties, then we are in fact doomed and I'm not too optimistic. But, as Che said, if you are a revolutionary, then we are full of optimism. So I am optimistic but it is a hard road ahead of us.
Also on this week's broadcast, Michael Ratner and Michael S. Smith discussed political prisoner Lynne Stewart. The child of Brooklyn grew up to be the people's attorney -- called that because she took the cases of those targeted and those in need. Sometimes she was the only one who would take the cases. As she declared at an anti-war rally in March 2005, the government was targeting her for "what I have been doing for the last 30 years, organizing and defending people who need to be defended, and nothing to do with the 'T' word." The 'T' word being terrorism. Lynne is an attorney. She is now in prison. Not for breaking a law because guidelines aren't laws and because the Justice Dept cannot pass laws (though they can make guidelines). Lynne's 'crime' was issuing a press release. As Peter Daniels (WSWS) reported in real-time on Lynne's 2005 trial, "The government's case was based on illegal spying on confidential attorney-client communications. The prosecution presented as evidence tape-recorded phone conversations and prison visits. The charge was that Stewart, who had been forced to agree to draconian rules restricting [Sheik Omar] Abdel Rahman's communications with the outside world, had nevertheless relayed messages to the media from the imprisoned cleric. The politicl character of the charges against Stewart was clear from the beginning. Although the heart of the government's case deals with a May 2000 meeting between Stewart and her client at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota, nothing was done about this until six months after the September 11 attacks." If you're late to the charges, Elaine Cassel (Find Law) covered the charges and what they meant for the future in this 2002 column. and, in this February 14, 2005 column, she's covering the verdict. In July of this year it was decided her sentence was too 'easy' and she was re-sentenced. Michael S. Smith (at Monthly Review) wrote about the re-sentencing. As Fight Back! News notes, "Stewart is a 71-year old breast cancer survivor who was jailed for her work as a lawyer representing Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, also known as the 'Blind Sheikh.' Abdel-Rahman was accused of plotting the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Stewart has a long career as a human rights champion, defending the poor, the oppressed and the unpopular, who rarely get good legal representation or a fair trial." Petra Bartosiewicz (Los Angeles Times) observed last July that "Stewart's plight has larger implications for us all: It is a bellwether of the increasingly stringent secrecy and security measures imposed in federal courts, particularly in terrorism trials -- all part of the systemic erosion of due process that reformers expected would end with the election of Barack Obama, but which has been only further institutionalized. Stewart's case has come to symbolize the increasing difficulty attorneys face in zaelously advocating for politically unpopular clients -- a necessary component of due process in an adversary legal system." Ruth and Mike covered Michael Ratner and Michael S. Smith's discussion of the latest Lynne news, she's been moved from New York (where her family is) to Texas. We'll note this letter from Lynne posted at her website:
Dear Folks:
Some nuts and bolts and trivia
1 New Address
Lynne Stewart
Federal Medical Center, Carswell
Fort Worth TEXAS 76127
2 Visiting is very liberal but first I have to get people on my visiting list Wait til I or the lawyers let you know. The visits are FRI, SAT, SUN AND MON for 4 hours and on weekends 8 to 3. Bring clear plastic change purse with lots of change to buy from the machines. Brief Kiss upon arrival and departure, no touching or holding during visit (!!) On visiting forms it may be required that you knew me before I came to prison. Not a problem for most of you.
3. One hour time difference
4. Commissary Money is always welcome It is how I pay for the phone and for email. Also need it for a lot that prison doesn't supply in terms of food and "sundries" (pens!) A very big list that includes Raisins, Salad Dressing , ankle sox, mozzarella (definitely not from Antonys–more like a white cheddar, Sanitas Corn Chips but no Salsa etc. To add money, you do this by using Western Union and a credit card by phone or you can send a USPO money order or Business or Govt Check. The negotiable instruments (PAPER!) need to be sent to Federal Bureau of Prisons , 53504-054, Lynne Stewart, PO Box 474701, Des Moines Iowa 50947-001 (Payable to Lynne Stewart, 53504-054) They hold the mo or checks for 15 days. Western Union costs $10 but is within 2 hours. If you mail, your return address must be on the envelope. Unnecessarily complicated ? Of course, it's the BOP !)
5. Food is vastly improved. Just had Sunday Brunch real scrambled eggs, PORK sausage, Baked or home fried potatoes, Butter(sweet whipped M'God !!) Grapefruit juice Toast , orange. I will probably regain the weight I lost at MCC! Weighing against that is the fact that to eat we need to walk to another building (about at far as from my house to the F Train) Also included is 3 flights of stairs up and down. May try to get an elevator pass and try NOT to use it.
6. In a room with 4 bunks(small) about two tiers of rooms with same with "atrium" in middle with tv sets and tables and chairs. Estimate about 500 on Unit 2N and there are 4 units. Population Black, Mexicano and other spanish speaking (all of whom iron their underwear, Marta), White, Native Americans (few), no orientals or foreign speaking caucasians–lots are doing long bits, victims of drugs (meth etc) and boyfriends. We wear army style (khaki) pants with pockets tee shirts and dress shirts long sleeved and short sleeved. When one of the women heard that I hadn't ironed in 40 years, they offered to do the shirts for me. (This is typical of the help I get–escorted to meals and every other protection, explanations, supplies, etc. Mostly from white women.) One drawback is not having a bathroom in the room—have to go about 75 yards at all hours of the day and night –clean though.
7 Final Note–the sunsets and sunrises are gorgeous, the place is very open and outdoors there are pecan trees and birds galore (I need books for trees and birds (west) The full moon last night gladdened my heart as I realized it was shining on all of you I hold dear.
Love Struggle
Michael Ratner urged that people send letters, send books and Lynne's enjoying the birds in that region and asking for books about birds of the south. Michael S. Smith quoted her telling him, "I'm walking out of here." Both men noted that she sounded hopeful and optimistic. From the crazy that keeps Lynne wrongly behind bars to the crazy that is the Iraq War.
Ride out
any old way you please!
In this place everyone talks to his own mouth.
That's what it means to be crazy.
Those I loved best died of it --
the fool's disease.
-- "Flee On Your Donkey," written by Anne Sexton, from Live Or Die.
"11 dead, 3 wounded in today's news cycle"
"Stop-loss"
"Fresh Air, Lynne Stewart"
"What's coming?"
"Dahr Jamail proves the whoring never ends"
"important discussion"
"David Bowling, correct your damn errors"
"Greg Palast on creepy Julian Assange"
"Salt II"
"Favorite Beatles Song!"
"Law & Disorder, Lynne Stewart, Third"
"THIS JUST IN! STILL HE STRUGGLES!"
"It's not just governors of New Jersey anymore"
It's not just governors of New Jersey anymore
THOUGH HE STILL HASN'T SAID A WORD ON THE MONTHS LONG TARGETING OF IRAQI CHRISTIANS, YESTERDAY CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O CONFUSED A FEW BY WADING INTO THE ANIMAL ABUSE WATERS TO CONGRATULATE MICHAEL VICK.
THOSE CONFUSED SHOULD NOT BE.
LAST WEEK, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, BARRY O PUBLICLY ADMITTED TO HIS ONGOING STRUGGLES WITH HOMOSEXUALITY. NO SOONER DID HE BARE HIS SOUL PUBLICLY THAN HE RUSHED OFF TO HAWAII WHERE HE WAS EXPECTED TO SPEND MANY A DAY ON THE BEACH CRUISING YOUNG MEN. HOWEVER, THE WEATHER HAD OTHER PLANS. WHICH IS WHY BARRY O ENDED UP TAKING THE GIRLS BOWLING AND, WHILE THEY CHECKED OUT THE LANES, HE KEPT A STEADY FOCUS ON THE MEN'S ROOM.
THOUGH SOME HAD INITIALLY FELT SORRY FOR SHE-HULK, WHITE HOUSE CONFIDANT AND POCKET PAL VALERIE JARRETT CAUTIONS AGAINST "PITYING MICHELLE. SHE'S GOT ARIANNA [HUFFINGTON] HERE AND YOU KNOW ARIANNA'S FULL OF ADVICE ABOUT HOW TO TURN A GAY HUSBAND INTO A CAREER BUILDER."
Matthew Rothschild (The Progressive) chose Christmas Day to 're-examine' "Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)" -- it's a shame he couldn't examine it to begin with. The song is "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and it is written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono -- click here for sheet music you can look at (and purchase if you want it). That's the writing credit, get it? Is too much for your damn sexist minds? If you need further proof consult this page of Beatles Bible. I'm not in the mood. This is one topic we have to address every year because some man's bound and determined to strip Yoko of her credit -- out of love for John, you understand. They think they loved him more than she did, knew him better than she did, probably feel they would have given him head better than she did. But let's review, Matthew Rothschild: (1) John Lennon AND Yoko Ono wrote the song and (2) it is not titled "So This Is Christmas (War Is Over)," it is titled "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." Got it? If you think the song is important enough to write about, you need to get your facts straight. And it's exactly this sort of erasing of women from the conversation that leads The Progressive to be considered a sexist publication. (As noted before, I know Yoko. I also knew John. That is only one reason this pissed me off. I'm damn sick of women seeing their credits stripped away. I'm also offended when 'the press' wants to cover the arts but thinks because it's the arts that they don't have to get it right. No one asked you to cover it, you decided to. You're supposed to be a journalist, you need to apply some standards to your work. When a famous song that's decades old is one you can't even get the title of right -- after you make the choice to write about it -- that goes to sloppy journalism. There's no excuse for it.)
Though Matthew Rothschild didn't know him, Matthew is correct that John was no fool which is why John wouldn't have written the stupid column that Matthew did -- one that refuses to acknowledge the ongoing Iraq War. The Progressive is published out of Wisconsin. Is Rothschild unaware of the deployments of the Wisconsin National Guard including the most recent at the end of last month? We'll assume Matthew wasn't among those donating to replace the personal gear of 20 Wisconsin service members in the Madison-based (just like The Progressive!) Army Reserves 911th Forward Surgical Team in Iraq. And why is it that AP Deputy Managing Editor for Standards and Production Tom Kent can issue this in September:
Whatever the subject, we should be correct and consistent in our description of what the situation in Iraq is. This guidance summarizes the situation and suggests wording to use and avoid.
To begin with, combat in Iraq is not over, and we should not uncritically repeat suggestions that it is, even if they come from senior officials. The situation on the ground in Iraq is no different today than it has been for some months. Iraqi security forces are still fighting Sunni and al-Qaida insurgents. Many Iraqis remain very concerned for their country's future despite a dramatic improvement in security, the economy and living conditions in many areas.
As for U.S. involvement, it also goes too far to say that the U.S. part in the conflict in Iraq is over. President Obama said Monday night that "the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country."
However, 50,000 American troops remain in country. Our own reporting on the ground confirms that some of these troops, especially some 4,500 special operations forces, continue to be directly engaged in military operations. These troops are accompanying Iraqi soldiers into battle with militant groups and may well fire and be fired on. In addition, although administration spokesmen say we are now at the tail end of American involvement and all troops will be gone by the end of 2011, there is no guarantee that this will be the case.
Our stories about Iraq should make clear that U.S. troops remain involved in combat operations alongside Iraqi forces, although U.S. officials say the American combat mission has formally ended. We can also say the United States has ended its major combat role in Iraq, or that it has transferred military authority to Iraqi forces. We can add that beyond U.S. boots on the ground, Iraq is expected to need U.S. air power and other military support for years to control its own air space and to deter possible attack from abroad.
Unless there is balancing language, our content should not refer to the end of combat in Iraq, or the end of U.S. military involvement. Nor should it say flat-out (since we can't predict the future) that the United States is at the end of its military role.
But our so-called independent media can't be bothered with noting the Iraq War continues? You can be a Matthew Rothschild and let the Iraq War 'slip your mind' or you be A.N.S.W.E.R. and call for action:
March 19 is the 8th anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Iraq today remains occupied by 50,000 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of foreign mercenaries.
The war in Afghanistan is raging. The U.S. is invading and bombing Pakistan. The U.S. is financing endless atrocities against the people of Palestine, relentlessly threatening Iran and bringing Korea to the brink of a new war.
While the United States will spend $1 trillion for war, occupation and weapons in 2011, 30 million people in the United States remain unemployed or severely underemployed, and cuts in education, housing and healthcare are imposing a huge toll on the people.
Actions of civil resistance are spreading.
On Dec. 16, 2010, a veterans-led civil resistance at the White House played an important role in bringing the anti-war movement from protest to resistance. Enduring hours of heavy snow, 131 veterans and other anti-war activists lined the White House fence and were arrested. Some of those arrested will be going to trial, which will be scheduled soon in Washington, D.C.
Saturday, March 19, 2011, the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, will be an international day of action against the war machine.
Protest and resistance actions will take place in cities and towns across the United States. Scores of organizations are coming together. Demonstrations are scheduled for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and more.
Click this link to endorse the March 19, 2011, Call to Action.
In San Francisco, the theme of the March 19 march and rally will be "No to War & Colonial Occupation – Fund Jobs, Healthcare & Education – Solidarity with SF Hotel Workers!" 12,000 SF hotel workers, members of UNITE-HERE Local 2, have been fighting for a new contract that protects their healthcare, wages and working conditions. The SF action will include a march to boycotted hotels in solidarity with the Lo. 2 workers. The first organizing meeting for the SF March 19 march and rally will be on Sunday, Jan. 16 at 2pm at the Local 2 union hall, 209 Golden Gate Ave.
In Los Angeles, the March 19 rally and march will gather at 12 noon at Hollywood and Vine.
Let us know if you are going to be protesting locally. Events taking place around the country will be listed at www.AnswerCoalition.org.
Click this link to submit your local event listing.
Cities around the country will be printing flyers, posters and stickers to spread the word about March 19 events. Funds are urgently needed to help in this effort. Please make a generous financial contribution today. Click this link to donate online with a credit or debit card, and to find out how to contribute by check.
Fight Back! News reminds, "On Dec. 22, the U.S. House and Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. The bill authorizes $725 billion for next year's Defense Department budget, including nearly $160 billion of what the Pentagon calls 'overseas contingency operations' -- Congress's name for the U.S. wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. All 100 senators, every Republican and every Democrat, voted for the mammoth military spending bill. The House passed it by voice vote without debate or discussion. The $725 billion amount is likely to grow more through separate supplements for the Afghanistan occupation throughout the year. This is the largest military budget since 1945, the last year of World War II."
Turning to the topic of Bradley Manning. Monday April 5th, WikiLeaks released US military video of a July 12, 2007 assault in Iraq. 12 people were killed in the assault including two Reuters journalists Namie Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh. Monday June 7th, the US military announced that they had arrested Bradley Manning and he stood accused of being the leaker of the video. Leila Fadel (Washington Post) reported in August that Manning had been charged -- "two charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The first encompasses four counts of violating Army regulations by transferring classified information to his personal computer between November and May and adding unauthorized software to a classified computer system. The second comprises eight counts of violating federal laws governing the handling of classified information." Manning has been convicted in the public square despite the fact that he's been convicted in no state and has made no public statements -- despite any claims otherwise, he has made no public statements. Manning is now at Quantico in Virginia, under military lock and key and still not allowed to speak to the press. Paul Courson (CNN) notes Bradley is a suspect and, "He has not admitted guilt in either incident, his supporters say." On this week's Law and Disorder Radio (began airing this morning on WBAI and around the country thorughout the rest of the week), hosts Michael S. Smith and Michael Ratner noted Bradley.
Michael S. Smith: Michael, Bradley Manning the US Army private is alleged to have leaked all kinds of stuff exposing the United States war in Iraq and other places. He's been in solitary confinement now for five months, what's the update for that?
Michael Ratner: He is 22-years-old. He is actually, if you add up his time that he spent overseas -- which was two months of solitary which was in Kuwait -- and now five months at Quantico Virginia, we're talking about leaving someone in a deep, dark hole for seven months. And the most important article was written by Glenn Greenwald in Salon. It's called the "Inhumane Conditions of Bradley Manning's Detention." And I just recommend it because if you think that we turned a leaf, or turned a page, after we took the people at Guantanamo out of the hellhole of punative isolation and detention, you'd be wrong. Bradley Manning is in a situation that is certainly cruel and abusive and that many of us think amounts to torture. Bradley Manning is in sensory deprivation, he's getting sleep deprived. He doesn't even have a sheet or a pillow to sleep on. And what they're doing, they're trying -- I presume -- they're trying to break this guy's will. They're trying to do what we've discussed on this program time and again of the old -- what Al McCoy called the techniques that the US has been using to break people for scores of years including at Guantanamo an it's a form of torture and people ought to object. This is outrageous. Right in Quantico, in this country, Bradley Manning is in a hellhole.
Hosts Michael S. Smith and Michael Ratner also addresed what's being done to political prisoner Lynne Stewart and Ruth and/or Mike may note that tonight but we'll note it tomorrow as well in the snapshot.
David E. Coombs is Bradley's attorney and we'll note this from Coombs' "A Typical Day for PFC Bradley Manning:"
PFC Manning is currently being held in maximum custody. Since arriving at the Quantico Confinement Facility in July of 2010, he has been held under Prevention of Injury (POI) watch.
His cell is approximately six feet wide and twelve feet in length.
The cell has a bed, a drinking fountain, and a toilet.
The guards at the confinement facility are professional. At no time have they tried to bully, harass, or embarrass PFC Manning. Given the nature of their job, however, they do not engage in conversation with PFC Manning.
At 5:00 a.m. he is woken up (on weekends, he is allowed to sleep until 7:00 a.m.). Under the rules for the confinement facility, he is not allowed to sleep at anytime between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. If he attempts to sleep during those hours, he will be made to sit up or stand by the guards.
He is allowed to watch television during the day. The television stations are limited to the basic local stations. His access to the television ranges from 1 to 3 hours on weekdays to 3 to 6 hours on weekends.
He cannot see other inmates from his cell. He can occasionally hear other inmates talk. Due to being a pretrial confinement facility, inmates rarely stay at the facility for any length of time. Currently, there are no other inmates near his cell.
From 7:00 p.m. to 9:20 p.m., he is given correspondence time. He is given access to a pen and paper. He is allowed to write letters to family, friends, and his attorneys.
Each night, during his correspondence time, he is allowed to take a 15 to 20 minute shower.
On weekends and holidays, he is allowed to have approved visitors see him from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m.
He is allowed to receive letters from those on his approved list and from his legal counsel. If he receives a letter from someone not on his approved list, he must sign a rejection form. The letter is then either returned to the sender or destroyed.
He is allowed to have any combination of up to 15 books or magazines. He must request the book or magazine by name. Once the book or magazine has been reviewed by the literary board at the confinement facility, and approved, he is allowed to have someone on his approved list send it to him. The person sending the book or magazine to him must do so through a publisher or an approved distributor such as Amazon. They are not allowed to mail the book or magazine directly to PFC Manning.
Meanwhile Al Jazeera (via African Online) reports, "The United Nations office for torture issues in Geneva is now investigating a complaint that the U.S.is torturing Bradley Manning. Manning is the detained Army private suspected of giving classified documents to WikiLeaks. He has been held in solitary confinement for seven months despite being an exemplary prisoner. Many experts believe that being held in solitary confinement for an extended period of time does constitute torture. The U.N. said it received a complaint from one of Manning's supporters alleging conditions at the brig amount to torture. According to the U.N., the complaint received alleges that Manning's physical and mental health are deteriorating in the face of continual solitary confinement. The office of Manfred Nowak, special lawyer on torture based in Geneva, confirmed that they are investigating the report. A spokesman for the Marines denied mistreating Manning, telling the AP he is being kept safe, secure and ready for trial."
"Ramadi slammed by bombings"
"Ongoing wars, ongoing veterans issues"
"The buried realities"
"The continued suffering of Iraqi Christians"
Editorial: Don't Gush, Don't Praise
TV: Water Cooler Set Confesses and Kills
Fashion and Natural disasters
They can't silence her, so they try and hide her
Ground the Drones (San Fran, January 4th)
"THIS JUST IN! FADED CELEBRITY!"
"Oh that faded brand"


Living… in a nice home in suburban Albuquerque with his wife Marie. Her sister lives nearby, and it's nice to have family so close. Complicated, too.
Profession…Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) of the Albuquerque office of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Hank's work can often be a burden—one that he obsesses over—but he does his best to leave the darker side of his work at work.
Interests… barbequing with his family and putting away a few beers with his DEA partner, Steven Gomez.
Challenge… blue meth. This extremely pure recipe of meth with its signature blue coloring has been turning up across the American Southwest, and it becomes something of an obsession for ASAC Schrader. The web of crimes and connections that he slowly pieces together points him in the direction of businessman Gus Fring and the mysterious "Heisenberg," the region's meth kingpin.
Hank Schrader's popularity ranking on CharacTour is #1955 out of 5,000+ characters. See our top-ranked characters and read their profiles.


text:
Hong Ming
[PureInsight.org] Many contemporary Chinese associate the ancient concept of loyalty with those government officials that foolishly or without questioning followed their emperors' orders, even when they knew that those orders compromised their emperors' and their country's interests.
Many modern day Chinese falsely associate the ancient Doctrine of the Mean advocated by Confucius with those so-called wise people who know what's best for themselves, safeguarding their personal security and playing it safe in this insecure world by staying neutral, particularly when facing two polar factions.
When thinking of women's social status in ancient Chinese society, many contemporary Chinese think of those powerless Chinese women in the patriarchic Chinese society. They were denied the means and opportunities to earn their own livings. They were taught by men to believe that when they became widowed, they should stay widowed for the rest of their lives, guarding their chastity out of the respect for their deceased husbands. Even if they were destitute, they were expected to starve themselves to death, rather than marry another man who would provide for them.
I used to be one of these Chinese who misinterpreted much of ancient China's concepts and values, and regarded them as dross. Later, I had the opportunity to read many ancient Chinese classics with a peaceful, unbiased and non-judgmental mindset. Then, I realized that I actually knew nothing of ancient Chinese culture. My prior knowledge of ancient Chinese culture was the twisted version that the Chinese Communist Party had planted in the minds of the Chinese since it took over China in the 1949. I realized that the genuine, ancient Chinese culture was immensely profound. The ancient Chinese culture has been distorted, leading to the disappearance of many precious Chinese traditions. It has caused the vast majority of Chinese to lose their understanding of their culture and behave in ways that are contrary to precious Chinese traditions. As a result, the morals of China's contemporary people have continued to deteriorate to a point where the entire Chinese society is in moral chaos. I hope to clarify some of the true meaning of these ancient Chinese values and provide people an opportunity to understand true, ancient Chinese culture.
During the reign of Emperor Chengdi of the Han Dynasty (51 – 7 B.C), there was a young man named Zhang Fang, whose family had held an official rank for generations. Zhang Fang's mother was a princess, and his own wife was the Empress' younger sister. Emperor Chengdi and Zhang Fang were bosom friends. Emperor Chengdi often indulged himself with Zhang Fang in drinking and partying, often late into the night, and thus neglecting to administer the affairs of state. Zhang Fang enjoyed Emperor Chengdi's company, and vice versa. Emperor Chengdi's mother, Grand Empress Dowager Wang, felt Zhang Fang was responsible for Emperor Chengdi's negligence of duty as emperor. She eventually pressured Emperor Chengdi to banish Zhang Fang from the capital city. According to historic records, years later when Emperor Chengdi died in 7 B.C, Zhang Fang couldn't stop crying after hearing the news and died soon afterwards.
This is usually considered a trivial, historical episode. What started me thinking was the comment that an ancient Chinese historian made about Zhang Fang. The rough translation of the historian's comment was: "Zhang Fang loved his emperor dearly, but he was not loyal to him. Because of his love and disloyalty to the emperor, Zhang Fang was far from [the model of] benevolence and justice."
Based on today's modern concepts, Zhang Fang was completely devoted to Emperor Chengdi, because he was Emperor Chengdi's most beloved friend in all kinds of merry-making. In fact, Zhang Fang was such a dear friend that he died of sorrow over Emperor Chengdi's death. But the ancient Chinese thought that Zhang Fang "loved his emperor" but "was not loyal to him." They thought Zhang Fang was "far from [the model of] benevolence and justice." The historian's comment led us to consider the ancient Chinese perspective regarding the meaning of "loyalty to one's master or emperor." This is apparently a completely different perspective than that of today's Chinese. For the ancient Chinese, the meaning of true loyalty is an honorable moral character, far above [the usual concept of] love.
With that in mind, we should probably revisit those most memorable characters in ancient Chinese history that are known for their undying loyalty. Those loyal subjects presented brave petitions to their emperors for the benefit of the people; fulfilled their duties to their deaths; risked their lives to make honest suggestions to tyrants; bravely stood against those corrupt, high-level officials that had a very negative influence over the unwise emperors or government administrators. We already know that the ancient Chinese thought Zhang Fang "loved his emperor" but "was not loyal to him." Then the next question is: what is true loyalty?
Ji An was an important courtier during the reign of Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty (157 – 87 B.C.). Ji An once enraged Emperor Wudi with his frank suggestions, and many of his colleagues later reproached him, calling him straightforward and blunt. Ji An explained, "The purpose of having courtiers is to help the emperor to rule the country. Are we court jesters who are responsible for pleasing and entertaining the emperor? Is it our job to idly watch the emperor ruin the country? Are we trusted with the important positions of courtiers only to put our interest and security before the interest and security of the country? If so, what will become of this country?"
There was an important discussion related to loyalty in "XV Filial Piety in Relation to Reproof and Remonstrance" from The Book of Filial Piety. One of Confucius' disciples named Zeng asked, "I would venture to ask if unconditional obedience to the orders of one's father can be pronounced filial piety." Confucius replied, "What words are these! What words are these! Historically, if the Son of Heaven (an emperor) had seven ministers who would remonstrate with him, although he did not have the right methods of government, he would not lose his possession of the kingdom. If the prince of a state (or a feudal lord) had five such ministers, though his measures might be equally wrong, he would not lose his state. If a great officer had three, he would not, in a similar case, lose [the headship of] his clan. If an inferior officer had a friend who would remonstrate with him, a good name would not cease to be connected with his character. And the father who had a son that would remonstrate with him would not fall into the pit of unrighteous deeds. Where a case of unrighteous conduct is concerned, it stands to reason that a son must by no means keep from remonstrating with his father, nor a minister from remonstrating with his ruler. Hence, since remonstrance is required in the case of unrighteous conduct, how can unconditional obedience to the orders of a father be accounted as filial piety?"
True loyalty includes helping to prevent one's master or emperor from making the wrong decisions. In other words, a subject is loyal when he is responsible to the country, the people and his emperor. With this in mind, we know that, by partying without restraint with Emperor Chengdi, Zhang Fang had turned Emperor Chengdi into a foolish and selfish ruler. Indeed, Zhang Fang could not be further from being loyal to Emperor Chengdi.
I wonder if there is any "loyal courtier" left in today's China who would risk his life to be truly responsible for China and her people. With the traditional Chinese culture branded in the minds of the ancient Chinese, they were capable of telling right from wrong. Even during the most chaotic periods in Chinese history, because of the strong influence of traditional moral values, the Chinese throughout their history always supported or sympathized with those truly loyal historic characters, even as they were being persecuted by others. The public's support of the loyal subjects was a natural manifestation of core Chinese moral values. However, since the Chinese Communist Party took over China, "If a person is not after self-interest, heaven and earth will kill him" has already become a motto prevalent throughout all of Chinese society! Apparently, with the erosion of traditional Chinese culture and moral values, the true spirit of loyalty is fading.
Translated from: http://zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2004/1/29/25591.html
Stories of the Immortals: Approaching Taoism Wholeheartedly--Liu Qian


We spent two days at the Livingston RV Park in Livingston, MT, then moved on to the Jellystone RV Park in Missoula, MT. We did not see Yogi or Boo Boo on arrival, but I am sure they were lurking in the nearby woods. The trip was northwest on I-90 for about 230 miles through Bozeman and Butte. We got up at 6:30 am to hit the road. I am sure the early hour was Kathi's idea, since I gave up early rising upon retirement. It was nice and cool when we started the trip and it got progressively hotter during the day. We loved the scenery, especially the mountain streams that run alongside the highway. Jellystone charged us $180 for a week and we could not get cell phone service in our motorhome, both items were real downers. Kathi had to go outside and walk about 25 yards from the left front of our motorhome to pick up a cell phone signal. Everything else in the park was great. Jellystone was a well-kept and well-manicured facility and the mountain views around the park were great.
We arrived so early in the day, we had time for a little exploring in the afternoon. We went to Bretz RV and looked at the newer model Alfa motorhomes. We found them too expensive and a trade for our 2003 Alfa See Ya' was not feasible at that time. While we were at Bretz, we checked to see when we could get into their shop for some minor repairs. They gave us a shop date for July 24th. We spotted four other See Ya's at Jellystone. That was unusual, since we normally do not see any. I suppose they bought them at Bretz. We spent the rest of Monday afternoon at home.
Tuesday it was warmer and we got haircuts then spent the afternoon at one of the small casinos. Montana had a limit of 20 slot machines in each casino, including video poker, Keno and bingo machines. There was a limited amount of games we could play, but several small casinos to choose in the area. State law requires a minimum payback of 80%, with a maximum bet of $2 and maximum payout of $800. We found that most of the casinos have regular players that usually frequent the same machines every day. Some show up after work and if you are playing the machine they like to play, they will sit and watch you until you move, so they can play. Interesting stuff. The state is a partner in all casinos, except on Indian reservations, where they have a completely different set of rules.
I broke even in the casino and Kathi lost a little, so she made me pay for dinner at Outback. We both enjoyed ribeye steaks with baked potatoes and salad. The meal was delicious as usual at Outback.
Wednesday, we did out laundry in the morning and went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. We discussed the unexpected high temperature in the Montana mountains and decided after we got our RV repairs done we would head to San Francisco to see our oldest son, AJ and enjoy the cool air in the Bay Area.
Thanks for the comment, Debbie. Actually this post is retro about our 2007 travels. We are still at Green Caye in Dickinson, TX and will be here until Thanksgiving. Then hopefully, I can start writing about new adventures.


text:
Moderate coffee drinking may reduce death risk: study
Published : Nov 17, 2015, 12:05 pm IST
Updated : Nov 17, 2015, 12:05 pm IST
However, pregnant women and children should be cautious about high caffeine intake
Representational Image. (Picture Courtesy: Pixabay)
: Drinking two to three cups of coffee daily may reduce your risk of death from heart disease, diabetes and suicide, researchers including those of Indian-origin have claimed. In the study, people who regularly drank moderate amounts of coffee daily - less than 5 cups per day - experienced a lower risk of deaths from cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, Type 2 diabetes and suicide. The benefit held true for drinking caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, suggesting it is not just the caffeine providing health perks but possibly the naturally occurring chemical compounds in the coffee beans. "Bioactive compounds in coffee reduce insulin resistance and systematic inflammation," said Ming Ding, the study's first author and doctoral student at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. "They might be responsible for the inverse association between coffee and mortality. However, more studies are needed to investigate the biological mechanisms producing these effects," said Ding. The findings are based on data from three large ongoing studies: 74,890 women in the Nurses' Health Study; 93,054 women in the Nurses' Health Study 2; and 40,557 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Researchers assessed coffee drinking every four years using validated food questionnaires and followed participants for up to 30 years. During the follow-up period, 19,524 women and 12,432 men died from a range of causes. In general, people who frequently drank coffee were more likely to smoke and drink alcohol. To separate the effects of coffee from smoking, researchers repeated their analysis among never-smokers, and found that the protective benefits of coffee on deaths became even more evident. "Regular consumption of coffee can be included as part of a healthy, balanced diet," said senior author Frank Hu, a Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard. "However, certain populations such as pregnant women and children should be cautious about high caffeine intake from coffee or other beverages," said Hu. The study by researchers, including Ambika Satija and Shilpa N Bhupathiraju, both from Harvard, was not designed to show a direct cause and effect relationship between coffee consumption and dying from illness. So the findings should be interpreted with caution, researchers said. Previous studies found inconsistent associations between coffee drinking and risk of total and cause-specific death. The new study adds to the literature that moderate coffee consumption may confer health benefits.
Location: United States, Massachusetts, Boston
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text:
require "chef/provider"
require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), "client")

class Chef
  class Provider
    class CouchbaseSettings < Provider
      include Couchbase::Client

      def load_current_resource
        @current_resource = Resource::CouchbaseSettings.new @new_resource.name
        @current_resource.group @new_resource.group
        @current_resource.settings settings_data
      end

      def action_modify
        unless settings_match?
          post "/settings/#{@new_resource.group}", @new_resource.settings
          @new_resource.updated_by_last_action true
          Chef::Log.info "#{@new_resource} modified"
        end
      end

      private

      def settings_match?
        @new_resource.settings.all? { |key, value| @current_resource.settings[key.to_s] == value }
      end

      def settings_data
        @settings_data ||= begin
          response = get "/settings/#{@new_resource.group}"
          Chef::Log.error response.body unless response.kind_of?(Net::HTTPSuccess) || response.body.to_s.empty?
          response.value
          JSONCompat.from_json response.body
        end
      end
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Vampires are Coming to America in First What We Do in the Shadows Teasers
By Kelle Long
What We Do in the Shadows sheds a light, although not sunlight, on a very important cultural divide. Not New Zealand and America, although the new series will take place in the states. The culture shock is more like the Middle Ages and millennials. The vampire series based on Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's 2014 masterpiece is coming to FX and we finally got the first look. Meet the new roommates.
The original mockumentary followed Viago (Waititi), Vlad (Clement), and Deacon (Jonny Brugh) through a tumultuous few months as vampire roommates living in New Zealand. The insanely hilarious film depicted the pitfalls of being an undead 19th-century dandy living in modern times. The gag was that they actually were reasonably well adjusted but were slow to update things like their attire.
The friends touched on the existence of vampires elsewhere in the world and justified why they were in New Zealand (love, of course). In reality, Waititi and Clement were making a name for themselves as the top filmmakers in their home country before taking over on major projects like Clement starring in Moana and Waititi directing Thor: Ragnarok.
The other geographically located vampires brings us to today where we find roommates Nandor (Kayvan Novak) and Laszlo (Matt Berry) living together in New York. It doesn't really matter where they are because they won't be giving up the old ways anytime soon. The pair have to lean on their living familiar, Guillermo (Harvey Guillen) to help them navigate.
I was leery of seeing anyone else take over the cape and fangs, but I am so pleased with what I see. Nandor and Laszlo have a very Vlad and Deacon vibe with a twist. I also feared that the movie had tapped every 'vampires among us' joke there was, but I was so very wrong. Three new clips share a dazzling sampling of the hilarity in store.
There is old money, and then there is very very very very old money. Nandor visits a grocery store but finds that ancient coins don't go as far as they used to.
Another clip goes to the very gothic home Nandor and Laszlo share. This is my favorite humor where they vacillate between ordinary concerns like the number of party guests but can be quickly derailed by the powerful effect of omens.
Lastly, there's a hostile interaction between Laszlo and girlfriend Nadja (Natasia Demetriou). She seems much more amenable than the Beast of the film, but relationships are hard. Best of luck to them both.
What We Do in the Shadows will consume my every waking hour on FX this spring.
Featured Image: What We Do in the Shadows. Via: FX
TAGSFX what we do in the shadows
Kelle Long
Kelle has written about film and TV for The Credits since 2016. Follow her on Twitter @molaitdc for interviews with really cool film and TV artists and only occasional outbursts about Broadway, tennis, and country music. Please no talking or texting during the movie. Unless it is a musical, then sing along loudly.
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Since the federal background check system was created in 1998, it has blocked 40,976 gun sales to prohibited people in Washington State, including 24,028 gun sales to felons and 6,227 gun sales to people convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors or subject to domestic violence protection orders.
The background check system blocked more gun sales to prohibited Washington buyers in 2013 than in any previous year. However, between 2000 and 2013, the share of total background checks that were denied fell by more than half. That's probably because criminals know that a background check will block them from buying guns at licensed dealers -- and that they can easily buy guns from strangers they meet online and at gun shows, no background checks required.
Click here to download the full analysis (PDF).
In November, Washington State voters will have a chance to close this loophole by voting YES on Initiative 594. Initiative 594 would apply the currently used criminal and public safety background checks by licensed dealers to all firearm sales and transfers, including gun show and online sales, with specific exceptions. Under Initiative 594, everyone in Washington would be required to pass the same background check, regardless of where they buy a gun and from whom they buy it.
Paid for by Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund for I-594; PO Box 21214, Seattle, WA 98111. Top contributors: Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Ann Hawkins.
Marcus W. just signed the Gun Laws and Purchasers in Washington State petition.
Gordon P. just signed the Gun Laws and Purchasers in Washington State petition.
Doris S. just signed the Gun Laws and Purchasers in Washington State petition.
Sharon M. just signed the Gun Laws and Purchasers in Washington State petition.
Ima M. just signed the Gun Laws and Purchasers in Washington State petition.


Occupational Octaves Piano is a mainstream piano curriculum written in a Special-Needs-User-Friendly NEW language of music! Students with Autism and other special needs have been learning to play with this system since 2009 and many have become classical musicians by doing so. The key to this program is using a set of colored letters in rhythmically designed boxes instead of the confusing and complex original language of music, which is NOT Special-Needs-User-Friendly. Books 1-3 of the 8 book series are available to the public.


This winter landscape was inspired by a Christmas card. It is another mixed media design that uses all original patterns developed specifically for the shapes and atmosphere needed. A border was added to enhance the original scene further.
The ground fabric is gray Congress cloth, and except for the red silk ribbons applied to the necks of the ultrasuede deer, the design is executed in black, white and varying shades of gray to create a moonlit evening scene. The deer are black silhouettes prancing across a foreground of enlarged Web stitch done in tramE'd Kreinik metallic foundations with pearl cotton overlays. The trees are outlined in a straight stitch "formula" that suggests natural contours, and the fillings are three blackwork patterns in compatible networks that fit the outlines gracefully. Perspective is suggested by both the scale of the patterns and the receding values against an open Web background that is a variation of the foreground pattern - again in Kreinik black metallic couched with pearl cotton overlays.
Students will execute the circle outline prior to class along with the tree outlines so that patterns can be placed accurately. The outline is done in a layered stitch with a foundation of Kreinik silver and a gray Herringbone Cross on top. Corner outlines are staggered Oblong Cross rows, and both fillings here are done in silver, white and soft grays to suggest snow. Both patterns are open canvas networks with composite sequences.
Threads used are mostly Kreinik metallics (7 spools in black, pewter, silver and pearl), and silver kid is used behind the deer eyes to reinforce the moonlight glow. The trees are outlined in white Au Ver a Soie silk to stand out better from the pure white pearl cotton of the other areas, but other threads included are #8 and #5 pearl cottons along with flosses for the blackwork.
The blackwork patterns are all reversible and include one irregular network that illustrates some of the unusual methods I am using today to improve the appearance of these linear outlines. Ways to improve the glitches inherent in double running stitch will be shared in class along with methods for developing original patterns and reversible sequences for them.
2. To introduce students to ways to develop original border and background treatments - effective way to "stage" the subject matter.
3. To cover the use of formulas to handle repeat elements in a design like the trees in this landscape.
4. To demonstrate the proper method to cut and mount ultrasuede applique'.
5. To discuss the use of varying scales and changes in value in patterning to suggest distance - e.g. the blackwork in the trees.
6. To discuss landscapes in general on canvas: stylized ways to achieve atmosphere, perspective, texture, shading, etc.
STUDENT PROVIDES: An l8" square stretcher frame with 2 HiLiter pens for marking charts, a laying tool, a permanent marking pen, and cuticle scissors for cutting out the ultrasuede. Other embroidery "staples" needed are embroidery scissors, a clamp or weight to secure the frame to the table in class, a lamp and/or magnifier, if needed, along with an extension cord.


text:
Also on: PC, PS4
The Pathless attempts to inject a long tradition of minimalist fantasy Zelda-likes with a focus on movement and casual play. You play as the Hunter, and you're trying to cure four animals that were gods — called Tall Ones — that once defended the land, but are now cursed by someone called The Pathfinder. You and your companion eagle must solve a number of puzzles to activate towers, therefore allowing you to fight and cure a god and progress. A mysterious echoing voice speaking an unfamiliar language guides you on your journey. If that sounds familiar, it's because it is. The Pathless wears its influences — Breath of the Wild, Shadow of the Colossus, Ico — on its sleeve, but perhaps veers a bit too heavily from homage to imitation.
You sprint and glide around the world of The Pathless by shooting at targets which litter every nook and cranny of landscape. These targets add to your boost meter, which expands significantly after beating one of the game area's bosses. Some targets line up to points of interest, and some are just there if you'd like to keep your momentum going. Given the marketing of the game, I was expecting the experience to be more reliant on movement, speed and flow, but that isn't really the case. Even in the most open areas of the game, your top speed is relatively low, and you're only traversing vertically by slowly gliding with your eagle buddy. In the game's final, ice-laden area, this changes a little, with certain targets boosting you up. I would have liked these littered throughout the game from the start. As it is, most of your time is spent cruising at a medium pace to a puzzle area. The targets are inconsistent, too, especially when you're in a puzzle area. I often found myself shooting things in the wrong order while standing still because the target just kept moving around.
It's like rain on a puzzle day.
There are two types of puzzles: ones that give you the resources to activate the game's towers and more optional ones that fill up a meter that will eventually earn you another flap on your eagle. This means more verticality. As far as I could tell, none of the puzzles relied upon movement or speed, and just took you to a screeching halt. There is one optional puzzle in which you have to follow butterflies to different spots before a ticking clock winds down, but these only serve to increase your maximum flaps and you don't actually need to move fast to finish them. You just need to know where each pocket of butterflies spawns by using the scanner.
The puzzles are rudimentary and repetitive, and I found myself challenged only once. Essentially, you'll be tasked with lining up different rings or torches to fire at with your arrows, or using your pet eagle to carry a pot from one pressure pad to another, or a combination of the two. The solutions are obvious almost immediately in most cases and, even if they're not, you can pretty much solve every puzzle by shooting at the first thing that looks like it'll affect the next thing. My issue with the puzzles is less that they're easy— after all, it is supposed to be a blissed out, more casual experience — but more that they repeat themselves. They don't evolve past their first iterations, and instead just get a bit longer. There will be more torches. Or more rings. Each level of plateau also contains a wandering, red, fiery elephant in the room: a traveling stealth section.
Sometimes the game can be a very chill experience.
Each area's infected god wanders around the map, potentially ensnaring you in this blood-orange instance wherein you have to recover your eagle. You must avoid the cursed beast's line of sight and stick to the shadows while making your way to the poor, helpless bird. The light and shadows are visually stunning, and the fire emanating from the beasts is absolutely radiant. Unfortunately, playing through these segments is an utter bore. You're completely bereft of your normal moveset, and have to slowly inch towards your bird in this crouched stance. There isn't any nuance to the stealth system, or a way to distract the beast. Even when the beast is looking away, you can't stand up and make a brief run for it. It's easy enough to avoid these sections altogether, though you can be caught unawares by one as you're busy doing a puzzle or if you simply need to get to one specific tower that happens to be in a stealth zone.
Traversing the world of The Pathless might feel therapeutic and open to some, but I found it to be a rather empty chore. As the Hunter, you don't have many — if any — options to interact with the world around you. Animals — which the game focuses on heavily in its storytelling and themes — simply run away from you when you approach. I know that sounds like a small thing, but it feels disappointingly limited. Every single piece of environmental storytelling is tied to one of the game's required or optional puzzles and the story, frankly, doesn't really get that much more interesting the more you learn about it. After you beat the boss of each area, which requires you to cleanse a Tall One of its curse, you have the option to move to the next area to complete the rest of the puzzles in that environment for an unnamed reward. I made the decision to make my way to the end first, and then double back and do this. Rather than a mini-map, your only resource for navigating in the game is spirit vision, which is a blue-hewed scanning mode that you can activate to view interesting points on the map. It looks garish, and if you switch to it while moving you decelerate completely. Furthermore, you have to listen to an incessant bell that rings like an old phone landline left unattended. It's simply an unpleasant way to play the game, but it's the only compass you have.
It also doesn't differentiate between puzzles that simply increase your flapping ability — completely unnecessary by the time you finish the game — and puzzles that give you the resource for the big reward. All these puzzles just show up in red. You also won't see anything if it isn't close enough to you. Even if you find a high point where you can see the entire area expanding around you, you won't be able to see points that are too far from you. I spent about forty-five minutes in the first area looking for the final puzzle to see what the reward would be. In the end, it was an underwhelming power-up that would have been nice to use during my actual playthrough.
Aesthetically, the game is gorgeous if a bit derivative of its aforementioned influences. There isn't really a whole lot to see in the open-world, and the most striking images in the game — those of its animalian gods — are few and far between. The rain effects and reflections are spectacular on the PS5, and the main character animates beautifully when interacting with her pet eagle. You can massage the eagle at any time, and there are bits where you are required to do so, and it's a very sweet and expressively drawn sequence. The bosses, in particular, are an especially brilliant use of colour and particle effects.
The eye of the storm!
If there's one saving grace to The Pathless as a whole, it's the boss fights, which offer a far more diverse set of thrills than the standard gameplay. Each one begins with the fastest sections in the game, where you have to catch up to each beast by chasing it through a burning forest. They then settle into an area where you have to avoid them while attacking their weak points. It's standard fare as far as the genre goes, but the fact that they're so visually stimulating and come at you in a variety of phases goes a long way in surprising the player and creating that feeling of epicness.
The Pathless makes a big point of saying that it's more important to choose your own path than to follow in the footsteps of someone else. It's unfortunate, then, that The Pathless feels so indebted to so many games that came before it. It claims to offer freedom but forces the player to navigate its world in linear, rote ways. There are some exciting morsels of gameplay and a few incredible sights to behold, but I never felt like playing this game was a path that I really needed to take.
For all of its grandiose stylings and ambitions of being a pure reduction of the open-world formula, The Pathless never feels greater than the sum of its parts. It feels like more of a small-scale time waster. It's fine for momentarily taking your mind off of things, but those wanting a consistently strong and engaging experience may want to follow a different path.