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Review: The Snowman
by Juliana Purnell on November 5, 2017
Deconstructing The Hero's Code
Review: Dungeons III (PC)
Juliana Purnell
After numerous women go missing around the usually quiet city of Oslo, a famous detective that's currently battling alcoholism is placed on the case.
1 hour, 59 minutes
Writer: Peter Straughan, Hossein Amini, and Søren Sveistrup. Based on the novel by Jo Nesbø
Composer: Marco Beltrami
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, J.K. Simmons
There's a crazy amount of talent attached to this project. Michael Fassbender and J.K. Simmons need no introduction, while viewers may recognize Rebecca Ferguson from her previous work in Life and The Girl on the Train. Behind the camera is cinematographer Dion Beebe of Edge of Tomorrow and Chicago. Also on the crew are two wonderfully accomplished editors, Thelma Schoonmaker (The Departed, Wolf on Wall Street, Goodfellas, and Shutter Island) and Claire Simpson (The Reader, Platoon, and Wall Street). This is all helmed by the critically acclaimed Swedish director, Tomas Alfredson, most famous for Let the Right One In, which many people claim is a masterpiece. So when it comes to The Snowman, with such a strong cast and crew, and also not forgetting that it's based off a bestselling novel, it's obvious that we'll at least be treated to an above average film firmly belonging in the crime thriller genre.
Violence/Scary Images: This movie is a crime thriller and revolves around the actions of a serial killer. The murderer possesses a wired noose-like instrument, which constricts and slices off body parts. Fingers are removed using this method, while another character is decapitated like this, the latter of which is filmed at an angle where the actual act isn't shown in detail, and only the spray of blood is seen. Two characters gruesomely have their head blown off by a shotgun blast – the entire act is depicted on camera. Beheaded corpses are shown. A severed head is found atop a snowman. A corpse is found in the snow, mutilated into pieces, and is being feasted upon by wildlife. The amount of blood seen in each crime scenes is realistic, and not excessive. Some characters fall victim to thin ice, falling through and drowning. A chicken is decapitated – the ax isn't seen, rather the head falls to the floor and a line of blood rolls down the log.
Language/CrudeHumor: The f-bomb and s-word are dropped sporadically, along with more milder swears, the worst being "c*cksucker". Jesus' name is used in vain, along with other Biblical words such as "h*ll" and "d*mn."
Drug/Alcohol References: Two characters are said to be alcoholics, though actual consumption of alcohol is rarely seen. Cigarettes are smoked frequently. A character takes prescription pills.
Spiritual Content: None.
Sexual Content: A submissive woman has her breasts revealed by a controlling man, whilst another man snaps a photo of her. A man and a woman flirt and make arrangements to have sex later on in the evening. She is seen prepping the room and undressing into a nighty, awaiting his arrival. One character admits to having an abortion in the past, while the film focuses on several broken relationships where a child's father is unknown or the marriage is on the verge of collapse.
Other Negative Content: There are no character arcs or journeys. Therefore the motivations behind anyone's actions, whether good or evil, aren't explored whatsoever. Alcoholism? No explanation. Sexploitation? No explanation. Murder? Not even that is properly fleshed out. There are no major themes in this story as this film barely maintains its narrative presence.
Positive Content: It may be a (very) long bow to string, but it could be argued that the story does promote the idea that despite a person's flaws, everyone's life intrinsically holds value.
"A good story told well," is a common phrase that every critic likes to slide off their tongue. It means they've witnessed something wholesome and satisfying; it epitomizes what the art form should be at its core. So it's with great distress to report that The Snowman is a bad story told poorly. There is little to nothing to be gained from watching this film.
Set in the winter months of Oslo, Norway, this film wants to be Wind River. It aims to present a tantalizing cat and mouse chase after a cold-blooded killer within a hostile, unnerving environment. As a result, the scenery is pretty and the sets are atmospheric, and that summarizes all I can really praise about this film.
The Snowman catastrophically fails in the basic lessons of storytelling. With so much talent both behind and in front of the camera, one is really left begging the question as to why they weren't able to present what is essentially a film's one and only job. In an interview with The Independent, director Tomas Alfredson revealed that the production was so rushed that 10% to 15% of the script wasn't even filmed. It shows. Whether it was merely an excuse or not to deflect negative criticism is a rather moot point, as it ultimately does offer a neat explanation as to everything that is wrong with this film.
I was the only one in the cinema. That should have been my first clue as to what I should have been expecting.
Michael Fassbender and Rebecca Ferguson offer serviceable performances. They act well with what they have, though sadly it isn't much. Fassbender plays the lead, detective Harry Hole, and the real issue isn't with the acting, but rather with how the character is presented within the context of the story. A drunkard who has lost his way, Hole is an insufferable character, though savvy movie-goers will instinctually expect that his behavior will be explained and developed as the film progresses.
This is what happened in the critically acclaimed film, Manchester By the Sea, where a horribly negative person's past is suddenly revealed to the audience, and magically all the pieces fall into place and they are seen in a new light. This doesn't happen in The Snowman. At all. Hole mopes about on screen and there's no real explanation offered as to why on earth he is constantly in a deliriously infuriating funk.
He has an unorthodox relationship with his ex-girlfriend and her child, as he's found to still be lingering around while she dates another man. How that odd situation came about is never explained, nor why he's still invested, or why they broke up in the first place. By the film's conclusion, Hole's character journey is incomplete even though the film has the veneer of wanting to come full circle, basically because we never knew who Harry Hole was in the first place.
With no character arc, there's essentially no story to be told. We watch a detective do his job. It's an interesting profession, but that's not the reason why people go to the cinemas. Yet this is only one of the plethora of issues that The Snowman contains. It is but one example of what occurs to the narrative when crucial pieces of the storytelling process are missing.
Those in the business will know that it's a rare occasion for a film to be shot in chronological order. Instead, shooting schedules are usually dictated by the availability of locations, cast schedules, weather forecasts, and other logistical issues. What this means is that the 10 to 15% which is missing isn't in one bulk. It's not in the second half of the middle or a chunk from the beginning. It's little pieces from everywhere. Indeed, if it was a single large section, it may have been easier to rectify in the edit. If The Snowman was a light-hearted comedy or another genre, then this may have been forgivable. But for pieces of a story to be missing from a crime thriller – a narrative that relies on gathering all the pieces together and is the factor that appeals to audiences most about the genre – it turns The Snowman into a complete travesty.
No. No, you didn't. Even this note doesn't appear in the movie. Oh, the irony.
There are many examples. A task force is created to hunt down the killer, though they are barely seen communicating with each other, let alone part of the plot as a whole. Rebecca Ferguson seemingly goes rogue while tracking down a lead, which is only tenuously linked to the rest of the story in the first place. Her character's past is possibly the most developed, though even then there's barely enough screen time to carry the emotional weight needed for it to impact audiences.
While it's called The Snowman, no character actually talks of the killer's titular modus operandi. The murderer's mindset or psyche is barely touched upon, and the final monologue once everything has been revealed only provides a shallow explanation for their actions. What's more infuriating is that the entire investigation unintentionally fools audiences into thinking that they may have missed something; that they weren't paying enough attention to pick up on all the small nuances.
Subtle films are great, but this isn't one of them. The required information simply doesn't exist, and the entire storyline is only tenuously linked together with threadbare leads. There are whole subplots that appear to have little, if nothing, to do with the story. At its conclusion, one can step back and realize that the investigation was incredibly straightforward, being solved within two or three steps, and it's a case of the movie being horribly convoluted and confusing despite its simple roots. Those missing scenes may have been what strengthened the need or explained to the audience why the characters felt compelled to chase down what only ended up being red herrings.
The biggest, most inexcusable problem is that the narrative is absent of its catalyst moment. As far as story beats go, it's the biggest one. Beginning. Middle. End. That's the basic outline of a story. The catalyst is what propels the hero forward, out of their day-to-day routine, and into a new chaotic environment, one that they must overcome. In crime thrillers, it's obvious–someone is murdered. I checked my watch at the forty-five mark, and that event still hadn't happened yet! When it does finally occur, since so much time has already passed, it's hard to really say if the murder was meant to be the story beat that propelled the narrative into its second act. Without a strong catalyst, the beginning and middle are blurred together, which ends up being a massive bore.
The Snowman has a way of building, and building, and building, luring the audience into thinking that it's attempting to create tension or maybe upend expectations, but it'll all make sense and be worthwhile in the end. But there is no payoff. There are no stakes. One character is reported missing at night, and Harry Hole actually says he'll check it out in the morning. Completely chill and seen moping about most of the time, somehow we are meant to believe that he was so busy working the case that he forgot all about a family event. If there's any sense of urgency, then it's certainly not conveyed to the audience. And without stakes or some kind of 'ticking time bomb' plot mechanic where everything has to be solved within a certain timeframe, then this story is no different than a detective casually perusing a cold case file.
Looking through the list of films I've seen this year, I'm currently debating whether The Snowman is actually the worst one. Near the bottom is The Emoji Movie. Now, we all love to pile on the hate for that movie, though let's be real here: its biggest crime is that it's incredibly bland, while it completely insults our intelligence with its overuse of product placement and first world problems. But at least it tells a story. If I had DVDs of The Emoji Movie and The Snowman in my hands and I had to watch one, I'd pick the banal cartoon (granted, it is the shorter one of the two which does help its cause)!
The long-standing champion for the worst film of the year is Transformers: The Last Knight. Similar to The Snowman, it's a boring mess of a story that's barely coherent. So action-packed to the point of comical stupidity, the plot loudly rambles on without allowing any time to breathe, wearing the audience down as though the film is an endurance test. Yet, if one were to watch Transformers: The Last Knight in 10 to 15-minute bite-sized segments, it may actually be tolerable.
The same can't be said for The Snowman. At no point was the story engaging or thrilling; no segment of the film is remotely entertaining. Even the finale falls flat, with Harry Hole making one of the stupidest decisions seen in this genre, and featuring an action sequence that's so badly shot that it's confusing as to whom is injuring who. The Last Knight may be mindless, with no standout action scene, but at least Michael Bay knows how to pull off a fight sequence. Therefore, if Transformers: The Last Knight is the more appealing film to watch, even if all it offers is pretty explosions… then, my friends, we have a new winner for the worst film of 2017 thus far.
My only saving grace in this film was that the cinema was located on a pokestop, allowing me to restock on balls in Pokemon Go every five minutes. I was that bored. If you've ever watched a classmate perform a speech in school or college that they've only researched and written in the hours before it was due, then you'd know what it's like to watch this movie. It's tedious, poorly presented, unengaging, and simply not worth anyone's time. As they say, "A job worth doing is worth doing well." So where does that leave The Snowman? If they couldn't finish the film and do the job properly, then quite frankly, it shouldn't have been released.
Now I know how gamers feel.
Just admire the scenery.
+ Framing of shots.
+ Setting.
+ Acting.
- Everything else.
Presentation (Audio/Graphics)
With an overabundance of problems, The Snowman commits the greatest cinematic sin of all: it forgets to tell a story.
Drama, Horror, Movies, Reviews
Charlotte GainsbourgChristianCrimedramaHorrorHossein AminiJ.K. SimmonsJo NesbøMarco BeltramiMichael FassbendermysteryPeter StraughanRebecca FergusonreviewSøren SveistrupThe Snowman Christian reviewThrillerTomas Alfredsonuniversal pictures
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Christian, Crime, drama, Horror, Hossein Amini, J.K. Simmons, Jo Nesbø, Marco Beltrami, Michael Fassbender, mystery, Peter Straughan, Rebecca Ferguson, review, Søren Sveistrup, The Snowman Christian review, Thriller, Tomas Alfredson, universal pictures
After obtaining a Bachelor of Dramatic Arts, Juliana Purnell has enjoyed a successful acting career, working within theme parks, businesses, and on film sets. She has also taken on crew roles, both in film and theatrical productions. When Juliana isn't working, she enjoys watching movies of all genres at the cinema, writing, and playing with Samson, her pomeranian.
DramaHorrorMoviesReviews
Review: A Hidden Life
by Tyler Hummel on January 9, 2020
It may not be for everyone, but A Hidden Life is an important film that addresses the cost of living out the Christian faith.
Review: Little Women (2019)
by Juliana Purnell on December 27, 2019
This adaptation of Little Women may not only prove to be a great romance film, but also a heartwarming Christmas flick.
Flawed Faith: It's a Wonderful Life, Expectations, and God's Will
by Tyler Hummel on December 22, 2019
In the grand scheme of things, God places us where we are because he wants us to affect those who we most immediately contact.
This site exists because of the will of a few and the grace of God, but to continue, it needs your support to continue the message. If you're able, please click below and help us; any amount is appreciated.
Rest in Peace: Christopher Tolkien, 1924-2020
Review: Megalobox Season 1
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Samurai Shodown Cuts Its Way To Nintendo Switch
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Review: The Mandalorian – Season 1
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GUGcast: Episode 202 – Alienware's Nintendo Switch
Our Favorite Albums of 2019
Boom, Bust, or Meh: January 2020
Series Review: Silicon Valley
The Wondrous World of Interactive Storytelling
Review Copy Policies
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Scott Cawthon-Christian Developer Spotlight –
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It's seldom that we get a view into the high tempo world of Special Operations units. Much is said about the gear used and worn by these units. What makes insight into the gear used so interesting is that to some extent or another it has to last and make the cut. And while there are other who could test and use the gear, few get the leeway that many unconventional units get in terms of gear. Far fewer have the ability to push gear to its absolute limit the way Special Operations does. Lucky for us we have prolific writer and Special Operations member Jeff Gurwitch who explains the trends in gear that he has seen through the Global War on Terror.


text:
Hochul follows through on post-Cuomo harassment, discrimination measures
Updated: Oct. 26, 2021, 9:21 a.m. | Published: Oct. 26, 2021, 9:21 a.m.
Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at an event in New York City in August.Mary Altaffer | AP Photo
By Tribune News Service
By Denis Slattery | New York Daily News
Albany, N.Y. — Gov. Hochul says she's making good on her promise to turn the page from the Cuomo era and root out harassment and discrimination in state government.
State workers will be required to take a new live training program as a way to guard against inappropriate behavior and bullying and an independent law firm will be free to probe claims made from within the Executive Chamber, Hochul announced in a video released Monday by her office.
"From the moment I took office, I've made it a priority to radically change the culture in Albany politics and promote a respectful and collaborative environment as we serve the people of New York," said Governor Hochul. "Everyone has the right to a workplace completely free of unlawful discrimination or harassment."
The ethics overhauls come two months after Hochul took over for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned amid sexual harassment allegations and a scathing report from the attorney general's office that determined he presided over a "toxic workplace."
Independent investigators hired by Attorney General James' office found that Cuomo and top officials in his administration fostered a "toxic" workplace that enabled "harassment to occur and created a hostile work environment."
The damning 165-page report detailed a pattern of creepy conduct on Cuomo's part that included unwanted advances, touching of "intimate body parts" without consent and comments that accusers called "deeply humiliating, uncomfortable, offensive, or inappropriate."
It also detailed how a top aide admitted to signing off on Cuomo's mandatory sexual harassment training forms in 2019 and other employees said they heard the former leader allowed underlings to complete the training on his behalf.
The disgraced governor has denied any wrongdoing despite stepping down to avoid being impeached.
In the wake of Cuomo's scandals, Hochul made reforming workplace culture and overhauling training and reporting of incidents a priority.
In addition to the live training program and independent counsel, Hochul also said that steps to address harassment and discrimination include mandatory in-person training for all Chamber staff as well as the creation of a new human resources department within the Executive Chamber.
Nearly 200 staffers in the governor's office, both new hires and veteran employees, have received ethics training covering financial disclosures, standards of conduct, and the Public Officers Law since Hochul took office.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I am teaching French Immersion in the beautiful city of Nanaimo in British Columbia. I am passionate about teaching and learning, and was always drawn toward technology. I remember having spent many hours on my VIC-20 trying to code games in Basic. Today, I still get hooked by challenges and puzzles to solve (like trying to add custom code to personalize my website) even if I often fail. Learning and finding answers is what motivates me.
In my teaching, supporting second (or third!) language acquisition is at the core of my intention, even if it should not feel that way for my students. Immersion is much more than teaching every subject in French. It is about creating a learning environment where students see themselves as competent and proud bilinguals across the curriculum and beyond.
Does technology have a place in reaching that goal? Definitely! Technology expands our possibilities. So let's share!


Numbers and I have never been real friends. This is especially true if I must add, subtract, divide, multiply, take their square root, or label geometric shapes with them. My head is spinning already! However, now numbers in the form of big data and analytics are all the rage. Are these the latest business buzz words or is there any real substance to data?
Data is an important measurement tool. Analyzing that data is where the real power comes in. We all know from statistics class that groups can manipulate data to support their own agendas. Errors in collecting data, prevent achieving true measurements – regardless of how much analyzing you do. The point is that the data must be reliable, and collecting it must be accurate, and consistent. Managing data efficiently and accurately is also essential to the process and the results. The next big question is, how can data help in measuring the human aspect of business, giving organizations a competitive edge, find solutions to strategic challenges, be more productive, and profitable? A tall order indeed. Here is how human analytics can help in several areas.


How do you create a strong, attractive international airport for Low Cost Airlines?
Marseille Provence Airport has shown considerable perseverance in its efforts to attract low-cost carriers in the past. Having presented three business cases to the DGAC, France's Civil Aviation Authority, the airport was finally granted approval for its plan to convert a former cargo facility into a dedicated terminal for the low-cost sector – complete with a much reduced passenger service charge.
It was a significant ruling, not least for Marseille, as by sanctioning the plan, the DGAC effectively adapted French law to allow airports to levy different passenger service charges at separate terminals provided they could prove those facilities offered a sufficiently different level of service with no cross-subsidisation between the two.
And Marseille has not looked back since. The airport's paired down "mp²" terminal, which opened in October 2006, is now a base for Ryanair and is also served easyJet, Myair, bmibaby and Jet4You amongst others. The airport is not alone in a belief that the sector is of sufficient long-term importance to warrant dedicated infrastructure. The rationale is simple enough: if network carriers are not keen on growing their traffic at an airport, it makes sense to reach out to a customer base that is.
One of the airports that is looking towards low cost is Copenhagen which aims to generate and accumulate growth, so capacity expansion is an essential part of its strategy. In the years to come, CPH plans to expand Copenhagen Airport's facilities to create more space for travellers, improve baggage capacity and allow more intercontinental flights. Work is set to begin in 2012 on CPH's Terminal 2 project and the project to improve the Arcade, which runs between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3; they are both permanent expansions with a lasting effect. In its expansion of Copenhagen Airport to provide capacity for future growth and to make operations more efficient, CPH aims to enhance sustainability and cut its energy consumption, and thus reduce its impact on the climate.


Why does my skin hurt when i shave when i am on my period?!
Hi There it's because your hormones makes your skin very sensitive to the touch and shaving just pulls at the hair roots and hurts like hell during your period.
It's probably because you're body's resistance is a bit lower than normal, you're feeling a bit punk, and your senses are heightened somewhat. My hair used to hurt during my period.


no scale factor is found, B is assumed.
be left-justified in the given space, and null-terminated.
scan_scaled() was malformed, e.g., too many '.' characters.
Cannot represent the larger scale factors on all architectures.


text:
Trivia Night – Date Not Available (Ypsi)
When: Wednesday - October 11th, 2023 @ 11:00am - 11:45pm
Where: Corner – Private
GOOGLE CALENDAR EXPORT ICAL EVENT
Trivia Night at the Brewpub
October 5th, 2023 @ 8:00pm Trivia Night – Game Room Not Available (Ann Arbor)
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Urban Rivals - Message Board - Strategy and Tactics: EFC Mode: Vortex+ Morphun: Careful!
Suppose I have a Morphun, Vortex deck. I play my Vortex card with 3 pills and lose, with Morphun's ability, I should have 9 (pills that I have left) + 2 (Vortex bonus) + 1 (Morphun's ability) = 12 Pills, but it won't be 12, it will be just 11. I think when Vortex loses a round, Morphun's ability is not taken into consideration. But when Vortex wins, I have noticed, all is fine. Why?


text:
Sales for private label brands fluctuated throughout 2021
New Ideas in MarketingEssential news for marketers, summarised by YouGov
February 23, 2022, 3:41 AM GMT+0
Private-label items grew 1% to an all-time high of $199 billion in 2021, according to Private-label Manufacturers Association (PLMA).
In 2021, private-label products experienced ups and downs, ending the year with a near-flat performance. The food and beverages category saw the highest gains to private-label/store brands. With a 17.1% growth in the deli-prepared segment, followed by bakery (12.4%), and produce (11.4%).
Private-label brand dollar sales grew 12.3% in 2020 owing to the pandemic. Dollar sales, however, significantly dropped in 2021, with only 10% and 7.7% growth in January and February, respectively, as dine-in restaurants and food services recovered.
Store-brand sales increased at least 6% in September, November, and December. General product sales for private-label grew 1.7%, while health items fell 0.2%, home care products and tobacco dropped 10% and 10.5% respectively. As Omicron variant cases drop, Cowen Research predicts consumer "optimism around spend and mobility."
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Фесторид Фокейський — легендарний або напів-легендарний давньогрецький кіклічний поет. Авторству Фесторида приписується поема епічного циклу «Мала Іліада».

Фесторид Фокейський є однією з головних дійових осіб вигаданого «Життя Гомера», приписуваного псевдо-Геродоту. Згідно з цими свідченнями, коли Гомер прибув в Фокею Фесторид запропонував йому кров та їжу в обмін на право передавати його вірші в письмовому вигляді. Гомер не мав іншого вибору, окрім як погодитися, і читав Фесториду свої поеми «Іліаду», «Одіссею», а також місцеві фокейські епічні історії та легенди. Ця історія є унікальною серед стародавніх легенд про Гомера, яка свідчить про писемність оточення Гомера, адже всі інші джерела стверджують, що поеми Гомера передавалися виключно усно його послідовниками, а пізніше їхніми нащадки.

«Життя Гомера» додає, що Фесторид потім переїхав на острів Хіос, де він декламував поеми Гомера, ніби вони були його власними, і став знаменитим рапсодом. Чутки про те, що Фесторид приписує собі поеми досягли й самого Гомера, і він вирішив сам відвідати Хіос. Це загрожувало Фесториду ганьбою і той поспішив покинути острів.

Джерела

Давньогрецькі поети

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The play's dialogue is rendered through spoken word and American Sign Language, with translations projected on surtitles.
Job, that famously beleaguered biblical figure, has been getting quite a workout in Boston theater lately.
First, in April, he proved to be the answer to a divine puzzle in Israeli Stage's production of Anat Gov's comedy "Oh God,'' in which the Supreme Being undergoes treatment by a psychotherapist. God's depressive malaise, it turned out, was connected to the unresolved guilt he felt for allowing so many ordeals to be dumped upon poor Job's head back in the day.
Now comes a very different, more somber play that also draws inspiration from the story of Job and his many earthly trials. Written and directed by Craig Lucas at Huntington Theatre Company, "I Was Most Alive With You'' is an intricate, frequently absorbing, occasionally sluggish new drama about the struggles of a Southern California family to cope and to communicate when adversity hits, and hits, and hits again.
Communicating is a multilayered concept in this family, and in this world-premiere production, too. The play was created, Lucas says in an author's note to the script, to be performed for deaf and hearing audiences, and his uniformly strong cast at the Huntington includes a deaf actor in a leading role and a hard-of-hearing actor in another key part. The play's dialogue is rendered through a combination of spoken word and American Sign Language, the latter communicated both by cast members and by "shadow interpreters,'' with translations projected on surtitles.
It makes for a crowded and busy stage, but the salubrious effect is to give both types of expression — spoken word and sign — equal weight. More broadly, this innovative marriage of form and content makes us think anew about who gets heard in our culture, and how, and what it means to be truly heard.
The action of the play, unfolding from Thanksgiving 2010 to the spring of 2011, revolves around Knox (Russell Harvard), who is gay, deaf, and in recovery from alcohol and drug abuse. Raised Jewish, Knox has brought home Farhad (Tad Cooley), who is deaf, of Lebanese descent, and was raised as a Muslim. It's soon clear that the relationship between Knox and Farhad, an active drug user prone to erratic behavior, poses a threat to Knox's hard-won, precarious sobriety.
Rounding out the roster are Ash's wealthy, ailing mother, Carla (Nancy E. Carroll); her nurse, Mariama (Gameela Wright); and Astrid (Marianna Bassham), Ash's writing partner on a long-running TV series, with whom he is not-so-secretly in love. The stage is set for an Albee-esque reopening of old grievances and a new revelation or two, followed by a serious — and symbolically freighted — accident that befalls one of the main characters.
Lucas is quite successful at conjuring an elegiac mood as he delivers what is, in part, a meditation on faith in all its forms, punctuated by quotations from the Book of Job. The playwright-director demonstrates laudable trust in the power that silence and stillness can bring to a scene, though there are times when one wishes for more dramatic intensity.
As he showed in his mysterious "Prelude to a Kiss'' (presented at the Huntington in 2010), Lucas is skilled at constructing a metaphysical framework that can contain and illuminate the deepest human dilemmas, such as how we sustain love, both as an emotion and an act of volition. The tradeoff in his new play is a certain thinness to the characterizations.
On balance, however, "I Was Most Alive With You'' is a rewarding experience. (The sound design and original music by Daniel Kluger adds an especially vital dimension.) There have been signs that at least some in the theater community are intent on capturing the experiences of deaf people while also making dramas and musicals accessible to deaf theatergoers. Nina Raine's "Tribes,'' presented three years ago at Boston's SpeakEasy Stage Company, focused on the changes in the life of a deaf young man whose family had refused to learn sign language. Deaf West Theatre's acclaimed Broadway revival of "Spring Awakening,'' which united deaf and hearing actors, is competing Sunday night for three Tony Awards, including best revival of a musical.
"I Was Most Alive With You'' is a significant addition to that growing body of work.


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In visit to Illinois, VP Harris rallies voters around abortion rights
By Peter Hancock
Vice President Kamala Harris listens during a meeting with civil rights and reproductive rights leaders in the Diplomatic Reception Room on the White House complex in Washington, Sept. 12, 2022. Two buses of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border were dropped off near Harris' home in residential Washington on Thursday, Sept. 15.
Photo: AP Photo/Susan Walsh
SPRINGFIELD – Vice President Kamala Harris came to Chicago Friday to rally voters who support abortion rights and urge them to turn out in the upcoming midterm elections.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion on reproductive rights at the University of Illinois Chicago, Harris said the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has put abortion rights at the forefront in races up and down the ballot.
"Who is your governor matters," she said. "Whether they're going to protect these rights and support these rights to freedom and liberty, it matters. Who is your attorney general matters. Whether they are going to protect and defend the principles ingrained in the Constitution of the United States, that matters. Who your local prosecutor is matters if you are in a place that has, as many are attempting to do, criminalized health care providers and are attempting to punish women."
Harris was joined at the event by Gov. JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and a number of other abortion rights supporters. They were scheduled to hold a political rally on the UIC campus later in the day.
Her appearance came just 53 days before the Nov. 8 election when control of the U.S. House and Senate will be up for grabs and when all state-level elected offices in Illinois will be on the ballot as well.
Historically, the president's party loses congressional seats in a midterm election. Democrats currently hold a slim, nine-vote majority in the U.S. House while the U.S. Senate is evenly divided, giving Harris the tie-breaking vote on many issues.
But Democrats are hopeful that the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, will energize Democratic, independent, and even some Republican voters and draw attention away from issues like rising inflation, crime and high gasoline prices.
Illinois Republicans, however, were quick to respond.
"Instead of ducking and deflecting, the Vice President needs to answer questions regarding the Biden Administration's role in fueling the inflation crisis, and where she stands on Governor Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot's failure to keep our communities safe," the Illinois Republican Party said in a statement released Friday morning.
Since the Dobbs decision, strict abortion restrictions have taken effect in many states, including all those that surround Illinois. That has made Illinois a destination for women seeking abortion who live in states where the procedure is now virtually banned or tightly regulated.
In 2019, however, Pritzker signed into law the Reproductive Health Act which, among other things, declares that access to abortion and other reproductive health care services is a "fundamental right" under Illinois law.
"There's no doubt that our nation is headed down a dangerous spiral, one where a radical few dictate who does and doesn't deserve rights," Pritzker said during the event. "But here in Illinois, we will not go backwards."
Megan Jeyifo, executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, a nonprofit group that provides financial, logistical and emotional support to people seeking abortion services, said her organization has seen requests for assistance skyrocket since the Dobbs decision.
"This year, we have received calls from over 4,500 people seeking support," she said. "People from over 40 states and two countries have received our support accessing abortion care right here in Illinois."
Lightfoot, meanwhile, said she plans to submit a budget proposal to the Chicago City Council in the coming weeks calling for increased funding of reproductive health care services in the city. She also said the city will refuse to cooperate with other states that seek to block their residents from traveling to Illinois for abortion care.
"Frankly, it reminds me, of the fugitive slave laws, people seeking freedom in another state," she said. "Well, not here, not now, not in Chicago."
Meanwhile, Illinois Right to Life issued a statement following Harris' appearance saying those who are working to protect access to abortion are the ones taking extremist positions.
"Vice President Harris, Gov. Pritzker, and the abortion industry are offering women one solution: abortion," the organization said. "Even worse, they have passed laws that serve to increase the profits of the abortion industry at the expense of women and young girls' health and safety."
TAGS: abortion rights, Election 2022, Kamala Harris
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit news service operated by the Illinois Press Foundation that provides coverage of state government to newspapers throughout Illinois. It is funded by donations from the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. The mission of Capitol News Illinois is to provide credible and unbiased coverage of state government. Capitol News Illinois provides year-round, daily coverage of the Legislature, including committee hearings; state agencies and issues; state office holders; and the Illinois Supreme Court and legal matters.
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Greg Drummond: A New Year, A New Album
Posted on January 24, 2015 by heatheradamson
There is something to be said for being patient. There is also something to be said for perfect timing. Sometimes you need to wait for things to line up just right. Recently completing his second studio album, Greg Drummond has just launched an Indiegogo campaign to assist with the marketing and distribution of his new album "Drive," a fitting name for it has taken just that to get him where he is today. With one of his new songs entitled "Our Time Is Now," you can bet Greg Drummond and his band have their sights set on making a lasting mark.
Since leaving a high paying corporate sales job years ago to pursue a career in music, Greg Drummond hasn't looked back since. That isn't to say there haven't been bumps in the road, but with confidence in his songwriting ability, and a tenacity to build a band for the long haul, Greg Drummond has been patient with the process in order to ensure he was following what he felt was right. As a result, he has surrounded himself with musicians whose extensive knowledge base and ability to perform an eclectic array of instruments has added to the creative composition of each song and helped to develop the versatility of his sound.
It was no coincidence that Greg Drummond was booked to play Serenity's first show of 2015. It was a decision venue owner Shirley de Vooght consciously made to start the new year off with a bang by showcasing a high calibre artist that has come to mean a great deal to her and all of us here at the venue.
In the week leading up to the show, I sent out a tweet naming Greg our "favourite leading man." In a nutshell, he is a tall, dark and handsome songwriter whose voice feels like home. He can charm the socks off an audience within moments, and has natural talent bursting at the seams. When speaking to band member Michael Lothian after the show, he shared the story of his friendship with Drummond, one that predates the band by quite a few years. Lothian made a point to say that people have always been drawn to Greg, "He has a magnetism, a strong sense of what he wants, and an intense drive to achieve it." Michael followed this by saying, "I, on the other hand, am the exact opposite."
Michael Lothian is the understated genius of the band, whose variety of instrumental talents (trumpet, keys, accordion, etc.) have greatly contributed to the accomplishments of Greg Drummond's music. A self-proclaimed nerd, Lothian's kind nature and quirky character are effortlessly endearing. He's a keeper.
Mike Meroniuk is the hip, young axe player whose jaw-dropping riffs define his unabashed star power. No question, some of his guitar and mandolin solos take the songs to an entirely different level; insane madness is what comes to mind (translation: get ready to go crazy over how damn good he is).
For this particular show, drummer Alanna Pearce and bassist Marcus Abramzik were unable to make it. Alanna has been here many times. We adore her and want to be her all at the same time. The petite blonde belle's presence is always a welcomed treat on and off the stage. Marcus, however, remains elusive to our venue. He is the newest member of the band and Drummond can't say enough about him, including how his experience and talent has raised everyone's game. Nothing like hype to live up to, but we are sure he will meet our expectations and then some. Although we missed having the band here in its entirety, it was fun to see the music take on a different energy as a trio and it worked in a house concert format, but we can't wait for them to turn it up a notch when the full band hits the outdoor stage on the acreage once again for Harvest Fest 2015.
Although they were missing two of their band members, this show turned into one of the most memorable nights to date. When this band is here, the light-heartedness they bring makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy inside. I treasured the feeling of falling in love with the new songs while finding comfort in the ones I already know by heart. Over and above the sold out crowd and their tailored performance, it was the moments spent afterwards, sharing stories and good vibes with one another that made the night what it was. Not to reveal too much of our Serenity secrets, but the show's after party consisted of sitting around the kitchen table passing out multiple bottles of champagne for people to take a swig from after saying something they loved and appreciated about someone else in the room. What can I say, this is how we get our kicks out here in the sticks.
At the end of the day, Greg Drummond is positioning himself as an artist that is gaining a mounting number of tireless and generous fans who will continue to promote and support his music for as long as he chooses to create it, and you can't put a price on that.
To encourage you to donate towards the Indiegogo campaign, here are a few of my choice tracks on the new album "Drive." After getting the chance to listen to it from front to back following their live show, the June 2015 release is a rather taunting date.
Against the Sun: Their live performance of this song stood out instantly. The lyrics and melody tug down deep; my kind of song; Drive: Choosing this as the album's title track was a smart choice. It sets the tone for the whole album. The chorus is a winner, I dig it a whole lot; The Jasper: This last minute addition was a brilliant one. Instrumentals are some of the most underrated songs by recording artists. This song takes you on a ride from start to finish. Get ready to day dream; Worse For Wear: I know many listeners may not pay attention to song order on albums with the way music is being streamed nowadays, but I savor the nostalgia of listening to an album from beginning to end. This track is how to end an album, it builds until the last note. Satisfaction achieved. Honourable mention – Lily: Although they played it live, I didn't fully pay attention to the lyrics until I listened to the recording. My daughter's name is Lily, and I can already predict this song is going to become a cherished family favourite.
To be quite honest, depending on the day and my mood at the time, I could have listed any one of the songs on the album. It is that good. Get excited.
Greg Drummond performed at Serenity Performing Arts Centre on January 17, 2015.
To learn about the plans for the release of Greg Drummond's new album "Drive," and to take advantage of some exclusive perks, visit and support the band on their Indiegogo page at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/greg-drummond-drive-campaign#home
For links to music downloads, social media feeds and more, visit http://www.gregdrummond.com
Photos courtesy of Creative Copper Images, Steve Mechem and Jessica Gunn.
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Archive for Radical
Protests Against the Bigotry of Purdue Professor Maurice Moshe Eisenstein
Posted in Feature, Loon Politics with tags ADL, Anti-Muslim, AtlasShrugs, Christopher Ramirez, Islamophobia, Maurice Moshe Eisenstein, Nigeria, Pamela Geller, Purdue, Purdue University Calumet, Radical, SIOA, SPLC on November 11, 2011 by loonwatch
Professor Maurice Moshe Eisenstein is a tenured associate professor of Political Science at Purdue University Calumet. He is under fire from student protesters for past and present remarks targeting various groups but particularly Muslims.
This is how a local paper described the events:
Nearly two dozen students demonstrated Wednesday outside Purdue University Calumet in protest of a political science professor who they say made racially prejudiced remarks verbally and on his Facebook page, particularly targeting Muslim students.
The student who organized the protests is one Christopher Ramirez. Ramirez believes that prof. Eisenstein purposefully posted inflammatory remarks aimed at Muslims on his Facebook page on the Muslim festival of Eid-Al Adha:
Christopher Ramirez, who organized the protest, pointed to associate professor of political science Maurice Eisenstein's Facebook page, where he posted a picture and comment Sunday about 100 black Christians who were killed by radical Muslims. Ramirez said the picture and comment were posted on the first day of Eid, a traditional Muslim holiday.
Eisentstein for his part believes he is the victim of a conspiracy by Jew-haters:
They say I teach religion in class. I believe the person who started this is a faculty member, and I believe that many of these are her students. I am the only one who comes in every day with a kippah (a cap) on. I don't know the answers to your questions. I made myself available. No one spoke to me. They are saying all of these bad things about me, but they wouldn't talk to me."
Maurice Eisenstein, who believes he is being targeted because he is an Orthodox Jew.
Actually, it would seem professor that the students are quite right to take umbrage at your Facebook postings. Viewing it today, we captured this screen shot of what we assume is the offending post that has riled up the student protesters:
It is quite condescending for a political science professor to coach his view of the sectarian violence in Nigeria in such black and white terms as "decide if you are with the radical or civilized people," clearly he is generalizing about Islam and Muslims, and casting them in the "radical" and hence "uncivilized" camp. Students who saw this posting and read it in the context of the professor's past statements can be excused for thinking he meant to tar all Muslims.
Yet, what we found even more egregious and definitely inexcusable is the link the professor posted just a few scrolls down on his Facebook page. It is a link to the hate site run by the fanatical queen bee of Islamophobia, Pamela Geller's AtlasShrugs:
This is inexcusable. Pamela Geller is not only a radical anti-Muslim but a racist to boot, if you don't believe us (there's ample evidence to believe us), then maybe you will take the word of the ADL and the SPLC. Such a link cannot be a mere faux pas, it's akin to linking to the neo-Nazi Stormfront website, and the administration at Purdue University Calumet should take a stronger stand than it has:
"Purdue Calumet by its nature as a public university welcomes and encourages the exchange of thoughtful and diverse views and opinions. Likewise, the university does not condone expressions that are considered offensive, intolerant or disrespectful.
"That stated, certain, recent unpleasant comments exchanged between Associate Professor of Political Science Maurice Eisenstein and others have been communicated on the Professor's personal Facebook page. In no way do these comments reflect the university's position and commitment to tolerance and respect with regard to the right of free expression by all individuals.
"Nonetheless, though Professor Eisenstein is a tenured faculty member, tenure has no bearing on the nature of free expression, as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, that Purdue Calumet faculty members choose to exercise on their personal Facebook page. Neither are there Purdue Calumet policies and regulations that extend to personal Facebook pages."
Such mealy mouthed pronouncements from the administration do nothing to help. Loonwatchers should let them know that they should review the professor's treatment of his students, not only due to the protests but also the troubling links the professor maintains. Ask them if they would be okay with a professor linking to neo-Nazi websites? And then inform them of the disgusting, bigoted, racist, genocidal comments Geller has made, as well as her associations.
Here is the contact page for the University:
Purdue University Calumet
Office of University Relations
Hammond, IN 46323-2094
1-800 HI-PURDUE, x.2400
Locally within Indiana & Illinois
univrel@calumet.purdue.edu
Contact the professor as well:
Office: CLO 294
email: m_eisens@purduecal.edu
B.Sc. Purdue University,
M.A. Purdue University,
Ph.D. (1993) Purdue University
Video of the Student protest:
http://media.nbcchicago.com/designvideo/embeddedPlayer.swf
FBI Teaches Agents: 'Mainstream' Muslims Are 'Violent, Radical'
Posted in Loon Politics with tags Anti-Muslim, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Islam, Islamophobia, Mainstream Muslims, Muslims, Radical, Terrorism, violent, Wired.com on September 19, 2011 by loonwatch
by Spencer Ackerman
The FBI is teaching its counterterrorism agents that "main stream" [sic] American Muslims are likely to be terrorist sympathizers; that the Prophet Mohammed was a "cult leader"; and that the Islamic practice of giving charity is no more than a "funding mechanism for combat."
At the Bureau's training ground in Quantico, Virginia, agents are shown a chart contending that the more "devout" a Muslim, the more likely he is to be "violent." Those destructive tendencies cannot be reversed, an FBI instructional presentation adds: "Any war against non-believers is justified" under Muslim law; a "moderating process cannot happen if the Koran continues to be regarded as the unalterable word of Allah."
These are excerpts from dozens of pages of recent FBI training material on Islam that Danger Room has acquired. In them, the Constitutionally protected religious faith of millions of Americans is portrayed as an indicator of terrorist activity.
"There may not be a 'radical' threat as much as it is simply a normal assertion of the orthodox ideology," one FBI presentation notes. "The strategic themes animating these Islamic values are not fringe; they are main stream."
The FBI isn't just treading on thin legal ice by portraying ordinary, observant Americans as terrorists-in-waiting, former counterterrorism agents say. It's also playing into al-Qaida's hands.
Focusing on the religious behavior of American citizens instead of proven indicators of criminal activity like stockpiling guns or using shady financing makes it more likely that the FBI will miss the real warning signs of terrorism. And depicting Islam as inseparable from political violence is exactly the narrative al-Qaida spins — as is the related idea that America and Islam are necessarily in conflict. That's why FBI whistleblowers provided Danger Room with these materials.
Over the past few years, American Muslim civil rights groups have raised alarm about increased FBI and police presence in Islamic community centers and mosques, fearing that their lawful behavior is being targeted under the broad brush of counterterrorism. The documents may help explain the heavy scrutiny.
They certainly aren't the first time the FBI has portrayed Muslims in a negative light during Bureau training sessions. As Danger Room reported in July, the FBI's Training Division has included anti-Islam books, and materials that claim Islam "transforms [a] country's culture into 7th-century Arabian ways." When Danger Room confronted the FBI with that material, an official statement issued to us claimed, "The presentation in question was a rudimentary version used for a limited time that has since been replaced."
But these documents aren't relics from an earlier era. One of these briefings, titled "Strategic Themes and Drivers in Islamic Law," took place on March 21.
The Islam briefings are elective, not mandatory. "A disclaimer accompanied the presentation stating that the views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. government," FBI spokesman Christopher Allen tells Danger Room.
"The training materials in question were delivered as Stage Two training to counterterrorism-designated agents," Allen adds. "This training was largely derived from a variety of open source publications and includes the opinion of the analyst that developed the lesson block."
Not all counterterrorism veterans consider the briefings so benign. "Teaching counterterrorism operatives about obscure aspects of Islam," says Robert McFadden, who recently retired as one of the Navy Criminal Investigative Service's al-Qaida-hunters, "without context, without objectivity, and without covering other non-religious drivers of dangerous behavior is no way to stop actual terrorists."
Still, at Quantico, the alleged connection between Islam and violence isn't just stipulated. It's literally graphed.
An FBI presentation titled "Militancy Considerations" measures the relationship between piety and violence among the texts of the three Abrahamic faiths. As time goes on, the followers of the Torah and the Bible move from "violent" to "non-violent." Not so for devotees of the Koran, whose "moderating process has not happened." The line representing violent behavior from devout Muslims flatlines and continues outward, from 610 A.D. to 2010. In other words, religious Muslims have been and always will be agents of aggression.
Training at Quantico isn't designed for intellectual bull sessions or abstract theory, according to FBI veterans. The FBI conducts its training so that both seasoned agents and new recruits can sharpen their investigative skills.
In this case, the FBI's Allen says, the counterterrorism agents who received these briefings have "spent two to three years on the job." The briefings are written accordingly. The stated purpose of one, about allegedly religious-sanctioned lying, is to "identify the elements of verbal deception in Islam and their impacts on Law Enforcement." Not "terrorism." Not even "Islamist extremism." Islam.
What's more, the Islamic "insurgency" is all-encompassing and insidious. In addition to outright combat, its "techniques" include "immigration" and "law suits." So if a Muslim wishes to become an American or sues the FBI for harassment, it's all just part of the jihad.
On Tuesday, the leaders of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), warned that law enforcement lacks "meaningful standards" to prevent anti-Islam material from seeping into counterterrorism training. Some FBI veterans suspect the increased pressure on American Muslims has a lot to do with the kind of training that Quantico offers.
"Seeing the materials FBI agents are being trained with certainly helps explain why we've seen so many inappropriate FBI surveillance operations broadly targeting the Muslim-American community, from infiltrating mosques with agents provocateur to racial- and ethnic-mapping programs," Mike German, a former FBI agent now with the American Civil Liberties Union, tells Danger Room after being shown the documents. "Biased police training can only result in biased policing." (Full disclosure: This reporter's wife works for the ACLU.)
The chief of the Training Division, Assistant FBI Director Thomas Browne, came into his current job in January. His official biography lists no terrorism expertise beyond serving as a coordinator for a bureau "Domestic Terrorism Program" in Tennessee sometime in the last decade.
It is unclear what vetting process the FBI used to approve these briefings; if any Muslim scholars contributed to them; and what criteria Quantico uses to determine Islamic expertise. "The development of effective training is a constantly evolving process," says FBI spokesman Allen. "Sometimes the training is adapted for long-term use. This particular training segment was delivered a single time and not used since."
Several of these briefings were the work of a single author: an FBI intelligence analyst named William Gawthrop. In 2006, before he joined the Bureau, he gave an interview to the website WorldNetDaily, and discussed some of the themes that made it into his briefings, years later. The Prophet "Muhammad's mindset is a source for terrorism," Gawthrop told the website, which would later distinguish itself as a leader of the "birther" movement, a conspiracy theory that denies President Obama's American citizenship.
At the time, Gawthrop's major suggestion for waging the war on terrorism was to attack what he called "soft spots" in Islamic faith that might "induce a deteriorating cascade effect upon the target." That is, to discredit Islam itself and cause Muslims to abandon their religion. "Critical vulnerabilities of the Koran, for example, are that it was uttered by a mortal," he said. Alas, he lamented, he faced the bureaucratic obstacle of official Washington's "political taboo of linking Islamic violence to the religion of Islam," according to the website.
Back then, however, Gawthrop didn't work for the FBI. He had recently stepped down from a position with the Defense Department's Counterintelligence Field Activity. That agency came under withering criticism during the Bush administration for keeping a database about threats to military bases that included reports on peaceful antiwar protesters and dovish Church groups. It is unclear how Gawthrop came to work for the FBI.
Through an intermediary, Gawthrop told Danger Room that he was unavailable for comment before our deadline.
The FBI didn't always conflate terrorism with Islam. "I never saw that," says Ali Soufan, one of the FBI's most distinguished counterterrorism agents and author of the new memoir The Black Banners, who retired from the bureau in 2005. "Sometimes, toward the end of my time, I started noticing it with different entities outside the FBI. You started feeling like they had a problem with Islam-as-Islam, because of the media. But that was a few people, and was usually hidden behind closed doors."
Soufan, a Muslim, has interrogated members of al-Qaida and contributed to rolling up one of its cells in Yemen after 9/11. But by the logic of the FBI's training materials, Soufan's religious practices make him a potential terrorist.
McFadden, the former NCIS counterterrorist, has a lot of respect for his FBI colleagues, who he believes are ill-served by these Islam briefings. "These are earnest special agents and police officers who want to know how do their job better," McFadden says.
Too often, McFadden says, counterterrorism training becomes simultaneously over-broad and ignorant. "Instead of looking for indicators of nefarious behavior, you have a sweeping generalization of things like, for instance, the Hawala system," McFadden explains. "It's a system that most of the developing world and expatriates from it use to move money around, including terrorists. But you can't say the whole hawala system is about terrorism, just like you can't say that Islam as a whole has anything to do with bad behavior."
McFadden, a Catholic, believes that obsessing over obscure Koranic verses is as useful a guide to terrorist behavior as "diving into the rite of exorcism" is to understanding Catholicism.
On April 6, barely two weeks after the "Islamic Motivations for 'Suicide' Bombers" briefing at Quantico, FBI Director Robert Mueller defended the bureau's budget before a congressional committee. Among his major points: the FBI needs cooperation from American Muslims to stop the next terrorist attack.
"Since September 11th, every one of our 56 field offices and the leadership of those offices have had outreach to the Muslim community," Mueller said. "We need the support of that community … our business is basically relationships." That is exactly the opposite message sent in the training rooms of Quantico, where the next generation of FBI counterterrorism is shaped.
Photos: Flickr/Cliff1066, ISAF
Allen West and ACT! for America: Radical anti-Muslim Activists
Posted in Feature, Loon Politics with tags Act! for America, ACT! for Hate, Allen West, Anti-Muslim, Brigitte Gabriel, Elizabeth Sabbaditsch-Wolff, Islamophobia, Radical on June 28, 2011 by loonwatch
ACT! for America, or as they are better known ACT! for Hate, held a meeting recently headlined byRep. Allen West. Allen West of course is an anti-Muslim Islamophobe extraordinaire, we've covered his rise to prominence within the hardcore radical anti-Muslim right-wing quite extensively.
The main themes of his speech revolved around the usual wacky fear-mongering and hatred about how suspicious Muslims are, how they want to take over the world, how we need to be real "Americans" and fight them instead of "surrendering."
At the end of the day it is plain nutty stuff, but here is the cause for concern: Allen West is a Congressman, he has a cult-like following among Conservatives, and there will be a few who will take his call for action and translate that into violence against Muslims.
You can find the video of his speech on YouTube, I am not linking to it since it directs to a hate channel. Interestingly, the video was shot by Austrian anti-Muslim politician Elizabeth Sabbaditsch-Wolff who was recorded a few years ago saying, "Muslims rape children." Wolff seems to be a favorite amongst right-wing anti-Muslim nut-jobs, she appears frequently at their rallies and conferences.
Here are some of the choice cuts from Allen West's diatribe against Muslims and Islam:
"I like Irish Spring, but I don't much care for Arab Spring"
"If you're going to act for America first you have to be like America…the America in which there was an understanding and a seeking of a merciful god…a Judeo-Christian God"
"We are not out of the woods yet, it's something totally different, it's called lawfare, a new line of attack. We have long seen such victories in Europe and its backdoors (inaudible), over thirty years Europe has traveled down that path, appeasement, obfuscation and cultural abdication in pursuit of short sighted political and economic gain and benefits, she observes that 'today, Europe has evolved from a Judeo-Christian civilization with post-Enlightenment secular elements to a simple nation of dhimmitude Eurabia, a secular Muslim transitional society with its judeo-christian mores rapidly declining
"where is the outrage from millions of peaceful Muslims and Muslim nations when their religion is supposedly hijacked?"
"the Quran is longer than the Bible"
"In order to act for America, you have to act like Americans"
"you have to ask yourself, is our liberty important enough to fight for?"
"Is Western civilization worth saving?"
"We stand at the brink of a new dark age"
"Find out if Muslim Student Associations are terrorizing students on university campuses"
"Help our European brothers and sisters, there are a number of organizations fighting back in this clash of civilizations"
"War is an ugly thing, but it is not the ugliest thing"
"Act like Americans, not the poor timid soul who would surrender the greatest nation the world has ever known."
West's statements are increasingly becoming radical which is in line with the general trend in the Islamophobesphere. As they find that their words, actions and exhortations are not gaining traction with mainstream society their speech gets increasingly hostile and inflammatory. The Islamophobes long ago dropped rational discourse and have increasingly latched onto emotional and irresponsible rhetoric. It is only a matter of time before we see a crazy guy acting on the fears and anxiety stoked by the likes of West throwing a bomb into a mosque while people pray.
Salon.com: Fox's Favorite Muslim radical
Posted in Loon-at-large with tags Anjem Choudary, Britain, Fox, Islam and the Media, Justin Elliot, Radical, Right-wing, Salon.com, Stereotypes, Terrorism, UK on March 3, 2011 by loonwatch
Elliot's main point echoes a lot of what we were saying in our article, Islam and the Media in the Age of Islamophobiapalooza.
Fox's favorite Muslim radical
By Justin Elliot
On Thursday, the radical Muslim and veteran provocateur Anjem Choudary plans to hold a demonstration in front of the White House calling for an extreme form of sharia to reign in America.
Whether the protest actually goes forward — there's a real chance it won't, if Choudary's past stunts are any guide — doesn't really matter. Choudary, who is known for applauding terrorism and calling for stonings of gay people and the overthrow of democratic governments, has already logged several appearances on Fox and CNN, generated a bunch of articles in the right-wing press, and even prompted a member of Congress to demand that he be banned from the country. All that in the last month.
Choudary is a London-based preacher who has over the past decade become the face of radical Islam in the British press — especially in the tabloids, and even more especially the right-wing papers owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. — despite having no religious credentials and virtually no public support. In fact, according to those who have tracked his career in Britain, Choudary is wholly a press creation.
"He's a media whore," says Mehdi Hasan, a senior editor at the New Statesman who has covered Choudary. "There are real Islamist groups that can get crowds together but his is not one of them. He doesn't have the numbers to make good on his claims. What he does have is a media that's very happy to play the game with him."
Now, Choudary, 43, is using the same formula — making deliberately offensive statements and trumpeting plans for provocative demonstrations — in the United States, where the media has proved all too willing to accommodate him. He can be understood as the Muslim analogue of Terry Jones, the obscure Florida preacher who created an international controversy last year with plans for a "Burn the Quran Day." He is a radical with minuscule public support, but one who can, given enough free airtime, do real-world damage.
Last month on Fox Sean Hannity had a sparring match with the preacher that ended with Hannity calling him "one sick, miserable, evil SOB." (It's worth noting that Fox has the same parent company, News Corp., as some of the U.K. tabloids that obsessively cover Choudary.) Here's a taste of the exchange:
Two weeks later, Choudary was back on the network, where an angry Gretchen Carlson told him that "I can tell you one thing, Americans don't want sharia law." Adam Serwer has argued that Choudary is, for Fox, a "cartoonish buffoon who can be counted on to confirm every stereotype about Islam and Muslims."
But it's not just Fox. Late last year Eliot Spitzer had Choudary on CNN and heroically derided him as a "violent and heinous terrorist." In February, Spitzer hosted him again to argue that the revolution in Egypt was an "Islamist uprising." Choudary has also been on programs with ABC's Christiane Amanpour and CNN's Fareed Zakaria.
So where did Choudary come from? Born and raised in Britain, his rise to prominence came as the right-hand man of Omar Bakri, a founder of the extremist group Al Muhajiroun. Like Choudary today, Bakri was a press-hungry provocateur, but he also played a role "in the radicalization of some young men," according to the BBC. Bakri left the U.K. for Lebanon after the 7/7 bombings in 2005. The British government has since barred him from re-entering the country, and Bakri has been charged in Lebanon with forming a militant group to undermine the government there.
In Bakri's absence, Choudary became the leader of Al Muhajiroun's successor group, Islam4UK. Both were proscribed in 2010 under a British law that allows for groups to be banned if they "unlawfully glorify the commission or preparation of acts of terrorism."
(Choudary has not always been so devout. The Daily Mail published an exposélast year revealing that, while he was student at Southampton University, he had been a hard-partier who gambled, drank, used drugs, looked at porn and had sex with Christian women. The paper had pictures to prove most of the charges.)
When I spoke to Choudary Tuesday, he refused to discuss how many followers he had, beyond claiming that he can attract 150 people to his lectures. "I'm not going to give you details of our administration," he said. But according to Inayat Bunglawala, a Muslim commentator who is involved in combatting extremism in Britain, Choudary's record for getting large numbers of people to turn out to events is thin. Bunglawala points to a 2009 demonstration at a parade in the town of Luton in which Choudary and his cohort held signs assailing British troops returning from Iraq as "butchers" and "terrorists."
Choudary and some of his followers had advertised the event by leafletting for a week among the 20,000-strong Muslim population in the town, says Bunglawala, who has closely tracked Choudary's career. But the turnout was vanishingly small. "Literally only 20 people showed up and yet they got the front pages of just about every right-wing tabloid the next day. Even the BBC gave them a lot of coverage on that." Bunglawala observes: "It's almost a symbiotic relationship between Choudary and the right-wing papers."
Choudary also has a long history of publicizing demonstrations that never actually happen. In 2009, for example, he planned a "March for Sharia" in central London that drew widespread press attention. The promotional effort included Photoshopped images of what Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square would look like under Choudary's vision of the caliphate, with minarets and the like. But at the last minute, he canceled the event, claiming threats from right-wing groups.
None of this has stopped the tabloids from regularly calling Choudary to weigh in on pretty much anything in the news. There is, for example, this typical lead from a recent Daily Star piece: "Hate preacher Anjem Choudary last night urged a Muslim uprising against the royal wedding … He said it would be against Islam for Muslims to celebrate the nuptials."
Choudary does his part by making himself extremely easy to reach; his mobile phone number is posted all over his website and he responded to my e-mail seeking an interview in just a few hours. He even once agreed to have a bull session over milkshakes with Vice Magazine, which noted his favorite flavor is chocolate.
Now, in advance of the planned "Shariah4America" demonstration in Washington, Choudary is following a familiar script. His group has postedimages online of the White House with minarets and the Statue of Liberty wearing a veil. It's not hyperbole to say that everything he does is for media consumption. When I asked him about a 2003 episode in which Al Muhajiroun unveiled posters hailing the Sept. 11 hijackers as the "Magnificent 19," Choudary was candid: "It was a media ploy in order to attract the attention of the media and the general public about why such things take place."
Whether or not the demonstration actually happens Thursday, the Choudary phenomenon is at least as much about the laziness — and, arguably, irresponsbility — of the media as it is about Islam. Says terrorism analyst Daveed Gartenstein-Ross: "One lesson from our experience with would-be Quran burner Terry Jones is that when fringe or relatively fringe figures … are given a great amount of media exposure, it generally increases their power rather than diminishing it. Unfortunately, the media either has not absorbed that lesson, or else does not want to."
Justin Elliott is a Salon reporter. Reach him by email at jelliott@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @ElliottJustin More: Justin Elliott


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I think I have 2 or 3 of your columns in the car. I never know when is a good time to drop them off.


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