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Tag Archives: Florida Georgia Line
Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard Reveals Covid-19 Diagnosis
Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard revealed he has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Tyler shared the news via Instagram on Nov. 9, stating: "Some of y'all guessed it…..Got the Rona. Asymptomatic. Quarantining on bus. Miss my family. Writing songs. Thankful." On Nov. 8, Tyler shared a photo on Instagram of his tour bus outside his home…… MORE
Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard and Wife Hayley Welcome Third Child
Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard and wife Hayley welcomed their third child—a baby boy named Atlas Roy Hubbard—on Sept. 24, according to People. Atlas weighed 8 lbs., 2 oz., and measured 21 inches long. Atlas joins big sister, Olivia, 2, and big brother, Luca, 13 months, in the Hubbard household. Tyler and Hayley were married…… MORE
Everything You Need to Know About the ACM Awards on Sept. 16, Including Performers, Presenters, Set List & More
From nominations and notes to performers and presenters, here's everything a country music fan needs to know about the 55th ACM Awards on Sept. 16. Date: Wednesday, Sept. 16 Time: 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / delayed PT Location: Grand Ole Opry House, The Bluebird Cafe and Ryman Auditorium TV Channel: CBS Online Stream:…… MORE
Listen to Florida Georgia Line's Celebratory New Single, "Long Live"
Florida Georgia Line will follow up their 17th No. 1 single, "I Love My Country," with the release of "Long Live." Penned by Corey Crowder, David Garcia, Josh Miller and FGL's Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, "Long Live" will impact country radio on Sept. 14. The tune is not featured on FGL's 2019 album, Can't…… MORE
Watch Chris Tomlin Team With Thomas Rhett & Florida Georgia Line to Perform "Thank You Lord" on "The Late Late Show"
Chris Tomlin is a heavyweight in the world of Contemporary Christian Music, having scored 16 No. 1 singles, sold more than nine million albums, and earned numerous awards, including one Grammy, three Billboard Music Awards and 21 Dove Awards. For his new album, Chris Tomlin & Friends, which was released on July 31, the Texas…… MORE
Exclusive: Chris Tomlin Sings the Praises of the Artists & Songs on His New Worship Album, "Chris Tomlin & Friends"
Chris Tomlin is a heavyweight in the world of Contemporary Christian Music, having scored 16 No. 1 singles, sold more than nine million albums, and earned numerous awards, including one Grammy, three Billboard Music Awards and 21 Dove Awards. Recently, mainstream country music fans may recognize Chris' name—and vocals—from Thomas Rhett's current Top 10 single,…… MORE
Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard Looks Back on Record-Setting Single, "Meant to Be"
Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line's 2017 collaboration, "Meant to Be," spent a record-smashing 50 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2017/2018. The tune's closest competitor on the all-time list is Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road," which spent 34 weeks at No. 1 in 2017. Co-penned by…… MORE
After scrapping his 2020 Chillaxification Tour in May due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenny Chesney has announced 19 rescheduled stadium dates for 2021. The original lineup of special guests—Florida Georgia Line, Old Dominion and Michael Franti & Spearhead—will serve as support. "There were so many questions, so many unknowns, but I believe music makes a…… MORE
Florida Georgia Line Says "We Got Turned Down" on Collaboration With Carrie Underwood
Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line have released collaborations with some of music's biggest stars, including Luke Bryan ("This Is How We Roll"), The Backstreet Boys ("God, Your Mama and Me") Bebe Rexha ("Meant to Be"), Justin Bieber ("Yummy Country Remix") and more. On Feb. 25, the duo made a public plea…… MORE
"CMT Celebrates Our Heroes" TV Special With Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett, Lady Antebellum & More
CMT announced it will air a two-hour TV special, CMT Celebrates Our Heroes: An Artists of the Year Special, on June 3 at 7 p.m. CT. The special will feature one-of-a-kind tributes and performances from some of country music's biggest stars, including Brothers Osborne, Florida Georgia Line, Kelsea Ballerini, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Miranda…… MORE
Garth Brooks to Perform At President-Elect Joe Biden's Inauguration Ceremony
Devin Dawson's The Pink Slip EP — Available Now!
Mitchell Tenpenny Checks Off A Bucket List Adventure
Luke Combs Talks With Legendary News Journalist Dan Rather
Carly Pearce Sings "Next Girl" On Her Favorite Stage
Cumulus Allentown-Bethlehem 2020 EEO Report


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Brown's killing touched off large public demonstrations, beginning the evening of August 10 and continuing mostly unabated for two weeks. Human Rights Watch found serious problems in the police response to the protests. The problems included the intimidation of protesters that infringed upon their rights to assembly and freedom of expression, which are protected under both the US Constitution and international law. At times, the police used unnecessary and disproportionate force. The authorities also hindered media organizations from gathering news on the protests.
Thanks to the US Department of Justice, we've learned a lot about how authorities in Ferguson, Missouri have been using their police force and municipal court to bleed money from the poor to fill the city's coffers.
Dispatches: Ferguson is Not Unique
"They think they're above the law," replied 53-year-old Diane, who was out marching on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Missouri last Monday afternoon, when I asked her about police-community relations. "The people fear the police because when they're supposed to help you, they attack you."
Dispatches: Better Accountability Needed for Police Abuses in the US
(Ferguson) – US Attorney General Eric Holder should press state and local officials during his visit to Ferguson, Missouri, on August 20, 2014, to reform police practices to improve respect for basic rights, Human Rights Watch said today. Holder should also support federal reforms that could help address concerns about policing and racial discrimination raised during the Ferguson protests over the last 10 days.
US: Holder Should Press for Police Reform
March 12, 2015 Dispatches
August 22, 2014 Dispatches
August 20, 2014 News Release
Ferguson Unrest Shows Need for Effective Oversight, Transparency
Dispatches: In Ferguson, a Police Failure to Communicate
An assault on freedom of speech and the LGBT community in Poland; momentum builds around intersex protection in India; lockdown while shackled; pandemic exposes abuses against garment workers; EU should regulate artificial intelligence to protect rights; anti-foreigner legislative hysteria growing in Russia; imagine the United States were a full-on dictatorship, like China; and #ImpeachmentIsNotEnough after Trump-incited attack on Capitol in US.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Internet browsing is a huge part our daily lives. No matter where we are we are bound to have contact with the internet in one form or another, and thus when we need it we want/need it to be as fast and as responsive as possible.
Before I get into how to find the fastest DNS for you, you need to know what a DNS is. DNS stands for Dynamic Naming Service. It's been around for a while. It is why you are able to type in "www.wine-reviews.net" or "www.google.com" instead of an IP address such as 74.52.50.226 It is much easier to remember a name right? Than trying to remember (one of) Googles IP addresses such as: 74.125.43.104. Not only that, DNS allows you to have multiple sites and servers under one name (ie: adwords.google.com, images.google.com, ect…).
The problem with DNS servers is that they are heavily used, and a heavily used server will be slower than a server with little load. Your ISP probably sets an optimal DNS for you, but not always. Also, if you are behind a rounter or NAT, it's likely that it is acting as your DNS. Especially if you are at home behind a router, consumer level router products are pretty poor at handling DNS optimally. Either way, it is a good idea to find what is the best DNS for you!
There are two very popular methods. Both methods work, but one is preferred. There is the NameBench program on Google Code and the GRC program DNS Benchmark (which is the preferred product). Both are free and great, but I trust GRC greatly. Both are free, but only NameBench is open source.
Note though, that both program will take a while to execute. They need this time to test all their known servers and then some. So give it some time. Grab some tea and munchies, might be a while.
GRC always produces high quality software. This is no exception. Programmed 100% in assembly language, this program performs spectacularly. It only in a Windows version, but Linux users can easily (and completely) run it using Wine.
Running DNS Benchmark is just as simple as the previous program. All you do is run it and click "Run Benchmark". Again, go get more tea. It will be a while.
It's kind of fun seeing this program run as it shows you live results. So you see as all the bars and graphs move. Kind of fun. Your current DNS servers are marked with bold text and a darker thicker black border.
You can view the current results in many forms. There is the Response time bar graph, Status, Owner and by name. You can also look at the "Tabular data" which is basically the same thing as the graph form except in all text and in a excel style tabular data format (kinda boring, so stick with the graph format for maximum excitement).
The results of DNS Benchmark are similar to that of NameBench. Except that GRC's software does not test Google's DNS or any other special ones.
I originally ran this program, and made changes using it's suggestion. As I found out, my router was acting like a DNS server and allowed me to have only one DNS server listed. It is very highly recommended that you have at least 2, preferably 3 servers listed, just in case if one goes down.
As seen in this result shot, I have already implemented it's suggest changes so there is nothing new for me here. Also, GRC's software will not give you pretty graphs like NameBench. The result you will get back is in this form as you see here: plain text (with some light formatting). Anything highlighted in green is a good thing; anything in Red is something that you should probably change. Though these are only suggestions, implement them of your own free will.
After turning off my routers DNS services, I saw a considerable response time increase in my internet browsing. Soon I'll try and implement the use of Googles DNS and Ultra DNS as suggested by NameBench. We'll see how more responsive those are. Only actual user testing will tell.


© Samsul Huda Patgiri. All rights reserved.
About six kilometres from the upper Assam town of Naharkatiya and 37 kilometres from Dibrugarh town, is the Namphake village in the riverine area of Buridihing. The yearly fasting ceremonial prayer at Nam phake Buddhist temple is a fascinating site.
Date Uploaded: Nov. 20, 2012, 7:18 a.m.


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IKEA to buy back furniture and resell as secondhand
More On: ikea
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People tired of their flat pack IKEA dressers, drawers, cabinets and tables will now be able to sell them back to the furniture retailer for resale in its stores as secondhand.
The world's biggest furniture group said Tuesday the "Buy Back" initiative was part of its aim to become "a fully circular and climate positive business by 2030."
Under the plan, customers will get vouchers to spend at IKEA stores, the value of which depends on the condition of the furniture they are selling back.
The initiative will be promoted in a campaign running from Nov. 24 through Dec. 3, though the offer will continue after that date.
Customers with "as new" items, with no scratches, will get 50 percent of the original price; "very good" items, with minor scratches, will get 40 percent; and "well used," with several scratches, will get 30 percent.
One possible catch for customers is that products must be returned "fully assembled."
IKEA said vouchers will have no expiration date to encourage customers to purchase items only when they are needed.
"By making sustainable living more simple and accessible, IKEA hopes that the initiative will help its customers take a stand against excessive consumption this Black Friday and in the years to come," it said in reference to Nov. 27.
IKEA said anything that cannot be resold will be recycled or donated to charity.
By 2021, IKEA plans to have dedicated areas in every store where people can sell back their old furniture and find repaired or refurbished furniture.
Last week, IKEA said it sees sales returning to growth this year after the coronavirus crisis boosted shoppers' interest in spending more on their homes, a trend it believes is here to stay.
Read Next Apple unveils its first-ever 5G phone, investors predict m...


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Under the section 3 of  Environment Protection Act, 1986 of India, Coastal Regulation Zone  notification was issued in February 1991 for the first time, for regulation of activities in the coastal area by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

As per the notification, the coastal land up to 500m from the High Tide Line (HTL) and a stage of 100m along banks of creeks, lagoons, estuaries,  backwater and rivers subject to tidal fluctuations, is called the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ). CRZ along the country has been placed in four categories. The above notification includes only the inter-tidal zone and land part of the coastal area and does not include the ocean part. The notification imposed restriction on the setting up and expansion of industries or processing plants etc. in the said CRZ. Coastal Regulation Zones (CRZ) are notified by the Government of India in 1991 for the first time. Under this coastal areas have been classified as CRZ-1, CRZ-2, CRZ-3, CRZ-4. And the same were retained for CRZ in 2003 notifications as well.

CRZ-1: These are ecologically sensitive areas , these are essential in maintaining the ecosystem of the coast. They lie between low and high tide lines. Exploration of natural gas and extraction of salt are permitted
CRZ-2: These areas are urban areas located in the coastal areas. Under Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2018, the floor space index norms has been unfrozen.

CRZ-3: Rural and urban localities which fall outside the 1 and 2. Only certain activities related to agriculture and even some public facilities are allowed in this zone
CRZ-4: This lies in the aquatic area up to territorial limits. Fishing and allied activities are permitted in this zone. No Solid waste should be let off in this zone. This zone has been changed from 1991 notification, which covered coastal stretches in islands of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep.

Coastal regulation zone notification 2018-19
The Coastal regulation zone notification 2019 was issued to replace the 2011 notification and develop the coastal region of the country in sustainable manner on scientific principles, keeping in view current global problem of climate change and sea level rise. The earlier notification of 2011 had frozen the floor space index or floor space area which was unfrozen in the latest notification. One of the important development was the division of CRZ-III areas(rural areas) into two categories namely CRZ-IIIA and CRZ-IIIB of which the former denotes an area with population density more than 2161 persons per square km while the later denotes rural areas with population density less than 2161 persons per square km. As per the latest notification the CRZ-IIIA areas will have no development zone (NDZ) of 50 metres from the high tide line (HTL) as compared to the 200 metres as stipulated in the notification of 2011. The CRZ-IIIB areas however will have  a no development zone of 200 metres from the HTL. The population density of respective areas will be measured on the basis of Census 2011.

The notification of 2019 also promotes the development of tourism infrastructure in the coastal areas. One of the important feature of 2019 notification is the streamlining of the coastal regulation zone clearing procedure. The Ministry of Environment forest and climate change will oversee the matter of CRZ clearance only for CRZ-I; i.e the ecologically vulnerable areas and CRZ IV (area between low tide line and 12 nautical miles seaward) areas while for the other two categories namely CRZ-III and CRZ-II (urban areas), the power of clearance has been designated at state level. The notification also  proposes a no development zone of 20 metres for all islands. The ecologically vulnerable areas identified on the basis of Environment Protection Act, 1986 are to be managed in partnership with coastal communities and fisherfolks. For the purpose of pollution abatement in coastal areas, the development of treatment facilities is proposed under the regulation in CRZ-IB areas.

References

Law of India
 Environmental law in India
Coasts of India

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


All A Big Lie! Wicknell Never Paid Coach Or Players A Single Cent!
A scathing report carried in the public owned but state operated Sunday Mail yesterday made sensational revelations to the effect Philip Chiyangwa, and Sir Wicknell Chivayo had not paid neither Pasuwa, or the players.
The report claims the money shared by the players came from gate takings after the Swaziland match, and that the money promised from Wicknell and Chiyangwa was yet to reach anyone.
The coach Kallisto Pasuwa is yet to be paid his February and March salary despite claims by Zifa and their partner Wicknel Chivhayo that the gaffer is being well looked after, it has been established.
Amid half-truths and lies being peddled by the soccer governing body, this publication has it on good authority that Pasuwa is yet to be paid a cent of his salary since signing a two–year performance-based contract on February 8, 2016.
The issue has also seen Warriors skipper Willard Katsande stepping up and reportedly telling Chivhayo, during a meeting last week, that the uncertainty surrounding Pasuwa's remuneration was affecting the players.
Sources plugged into the meeting said Chivhayo promised to "get to the bottom of the matter".
The gaffer's close confidantes yesterday revealed that Pasuwa, whose men are three points clear of the chasing pack in Group L's race to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, is in a financial quagmire.
A fortnight ago he reportedly failed to raise tuition fees and air fares for his daughter who had secured a place at a Chinese University to study International Law.
Pasuwa also faces eviction from the Greendale house he is staying in as rentals have not been paid.
Warriors players also claim Zifa lied that the team shared US$72 000 in cash a few hours after their breathtaking 4-0 destruction of Swaziland on Easter Monday.
The senior national team players say they in fact shared US$40 000, which was taken from the match's gate takings, with a promise being made that a further US$34 000 from Chivhayo was on its way.
That US$34 000, although in Zifa's account at the time of writing, was yet to reach the players.
But it is the astounding revelation that Pasuwa is yet to receive his salary for the months of February and March that has laid bare the bottled smoke the nation has been fed by Zifa with the help of a gullible media.
Pasuwa and his manager Gibson Mahachi refused to speak about the salary situation presumably for fear of straining their relationship with the Phillip Chiyangwa-led Zifa executive.
However, a reliable source confirmed the embarrassing situation.
"We only read about these monies in your newspapers but reality is that you guys are being fed with lies," said the source.
"It's true Pasuwa has not been paid a single cent since he signed the US$7 000 a month contract but he will not speak about it for obvious reasons.
"The major challenge now is that this situation is affecting life at home … only two weeks ago he failed to raise money needed by his daughter who had secured a place with a Chinese University.
"He is even struggling to pay rent at his new residence in Greendale after being persuaded to move from Chitungwiza because they said the town did not befit a national coach.
Chiyangwa refused to comment, saying he needed to concentrate on his personal businesses which had suffered due to his Zifa-induced absence.
"I am not talking about that this week. Why don't you enjoy the victory we gave you on Monday while I catch up with things in my business?" he said.
Chivhayo, who committed himself to paying Pasuwa's salary and said he was ready to buy the gaffer's wife a car after the mauling of Swaziland, was hostile.
"You guys are bothering me with such questions. My question to you is why do you want to waste time on negative things when there are plenty positive stories to write?" he queried.
Next articleStop Reporting About Pastor Mboro, Zim Media BANNED!


Revolution Slider ERRORE: Slider with alias camere not found.
Many different rooms accommodations are available at B&B agriturismo Farmhouse. The bed and breakfast is composed of double rooms, comfort double rooms, quadruple room, family room and triple room. All rooms are non smoking. Common outdoor space (garden, terrace & solarium) with table chairs and sun bed . Independent entrance and exit from the building at any time throughout your stay.
Check-in (on arrival) from 3.00-8.00 pm (without phoning ahead), after 8.00 pm only by phoning ahead. Departure (last day) by 10.30 am.
Lavish continental buffet-style breakfast from 8.00 to 10.00 am for the guests staying in the rooms.
Private bathroom in all rooms with shower and hairdryer. Internet. Wi-Fi access in the structure free of charge.
Satellite TV with Italian and foreign channels. Safety deposit box in all room. Daily room tidying service.
Independent heating to be used as required during the colder months. A number of sun beds available. Garden.
Private parking . Smoking permitted only outside (on the balconies, terrace and garden).
Small and medium pets size are welcome with an extra of € 10 per stay. Large pets size € 20 per stay.


Outrageous Orange Flavor is a great-tasting vitamin and mineral supplement, designed specifically for children and for adults who prefer a chewable tablet. Multigenics Chewable features a broad spectrum of essential vitamins and mineral amino acid chelates designed for excellent nutrient bioavailability. This unique formula is kid tested; with outrageous orange flavor, ratio-balanced B vitamins, and Caro-xan–a proprietary blend of beta-carotene and Betatene mixed carotenoids.
Other Ingredients: Fructose, xylitol, sorbitol, stearic acid (vegetable), natural flavors, silica, guar gum, mono- and diglycerides, malic acid, and citric acid.
Directions: Children 2 to 4 years: Take one tablet daily. Children 4 to 7 years: Take one tablet one to two times daily. Children over 7 and adults: Take one tablet three times daily or as directed by your healthcare practitioner. Chew or crush tablets completely before swallowing. Do not swallow tablets whole.
Warning: Excess vitamin A intake may be toxic and may increase the risk of birth defects. Pregnant women and women who may become pregnant should not exceed 10,000 IU of preformed vitamin A (retinyl acetate) per day. It is also recommended that children under four should not regularly consume more than 2,500 IU of vitamin A (retinyl acetate) per day.


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Jim Rich
FOX 9 Sports
Jim Rich is a native Minnesotan from Day One growing up on the shores of Lake Superior and still heads Up North anytime he can.
Being a lifelong resident, Jim has been living the ups and downs of Minnesota sports teams on a daily basis, from the two World Series Championships to the four Super Bowl losses, he's experienced it all.
Jim enjoys being out in the crowds and doing his sportscasts live on location, whether it's Target Field or the Xcel Energy Center. Jim's favorite memories with FOX 9 Sports are the times he was given the opportunity to hang with people away from the game -- like taking Jim Thome bass fishing or spending time with Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer at his ranch in Kentucky.
Jim anchors Sunday through Thursday on the evening newscasts at FOX 9 and hosts Vikings postgame shows and FOX 9 Sports Now Sunday nights at 10:35 p.m.
The latest from Jim Rich
Nelson Cruz's secret to beating father time, remaining among MLB's biggest bats
Baseball has never seen a slugger like Nelson Cruz, but the biggest bat on the Bomba Squad will now face the biggest challenge of his career: maintaining his gaudy numbers while staring down father time.
Wally Szczerbiak says Kevin Garnett deserves to have his number retired by Wolves
This year, former Wolves forward Kevin Garnett will be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame alongside two other legends.
Minnesota-Duluth Defenseman Scott Perunovich takes home Hobey Baker Award
For a record sixth time, the University of Minnesota-Duluth is home to a Hobey Baker Award winner for NCAA Hockey's best player.
Minnesota Golf Association hopes courses can stay open with social distancing restrictions
Golf is already penalized in Minnesota with its short summers, but the Governor's order closing all the state's courses is hurting them a little more.
P.J. Fleck is stuck at home but still optimistic: 'These times will pass'
Like most people around the United States and the world, the coronavirus pandemic has flipped Gophers coach P.J. Fleck's routine upside down.
Twins players pre-signing balls to reduce contact amid coronavirus outbreak
Amid the worldwide novel coronavirus outbreak, the Minnesota Twins are changing their interactions with fans.
72-year-old man shot in attempted robbery in Minneapolis
Tweets by FOX9


Sixty-year-old Mohammad Alam and his family have recently returned to their village in Deh Sabz, Afghanistan from Pakistan. In this remote district of Kabul province, hundreds of families like Mohammad's have returned home after spending decades as refugees in Pakistan. They are hoping to rebuild their homes and their lives in spite of multiple challenges, among them the difficulties of getting to other villages. WFP, together with local communities, is constructing a six-kilometre road that will connect more than 15 villages in Deh Sabz to Kabul city. This will serve to improve access between villages, as well as access to markets.
After 30 years in Pakistan as a refugee, Alam is happy to be back and he is expecting great things from the road when it is completed. "This project will improve our lives, I am very happy to see this road in our area, as it shows it is developing. We will soon have better connection to the markets, to schools and to health clinics," said Alam.
The road building project is part of WFP's Asset Creation strategy, which supports community projects and aims to help local communities through enhancing resilience and rebuilding livelihoods. WFP provides monthly food supplies of fortified wheat flour, pulses, vegetable oil and salt to support the families of 800 labourers who participate in the construction work in exchange for food support. 80 of the most vulnerable female-headed households in the community have also received food assistance.
Most people living in the area are farmers, growing vegetables, fruit and other agricultural produce. In the past they were often forced to sell at lower prices as poor road conditions and weak market access meant their produce took too long to reach the market. Malak Khial Mohammad, a community leader from a village in Deh Sabz explains how farmers will directly benefit from road access. "Now we can deliver our products such as fresh grapes to the market on time and can sell them at a good price. Farmers no longer need to worry about how to get their crops to markets, trucks come right to their farms. Now they reach the market in a matter of hours, not days."
Wahidullah Amani, a former journalist, has been with WFP since 2012. He now works as the National Communications Officer for WFP Afghanistan based in Kabul.


By Sungwoo Um in News and Events on February 10, 2019 .
Our own Owen Flanagan is giving a talk at Sungkyunkwan University.
Abstract: This talk concerns false beliefs that might be good for us, including ideas of oneness inspired by East and South Asian traditions, but also general religious beliefs, positive illusions, and metaphysical hallucinations. William Clifford and William James' views about the ethics of belief will be noted and discussed but I will present a new line of argument about what it might be good to believe.


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The Nonpatriotic President: A Survey of the Clinton Years
sku # NONP
The Nonpatriotic President: A Survey of the Clinton Years is a collection of essays covering Bill Clinton's years as president, starting with his inauguration in 1993, and ending with the 2000 presidential campaign. The book examines, sometimes with humor, a wide range of Clinton-centered issues: the role of the media in his presidency; the cult of celebrity that surrounded him—and which he encouraged—while in office; the conflicts crested by his wife's status as an unelected wielder of power. | Paperback
The Immigration Mystique
sku # MYSTI
Noting that there have been virtually no new arguments in the immigration debate, which is as old as American history, Chilton Williamson, Jr., observes that arguments for and against immigration, unfortunately, have been stated mostly in economic terms.
The Hundredth Meridian: Seasons and Travels in the New Old West
sku # HUND
Chilton Williamson, Jr. (Paperback)
The Education of Héctor Villa
sku # EDUCS
Héctor Villa, a direct descendant of Pancho Villa, and his family have lived in the town of Belen, New Mexico, on the Rio Grande since they were guided across the international border 20 years ago by coyotes. He has his own business as a computer repairman and considers himself a patriotic American and a proud supporter of President George W. Bush. | Softcover
The Education of Hector Villa
sku # EDUCH
Héctor Villa, a direct descendant of Pancho Villa, and his family have lived in the town of Belen, New Mexico, on the Rio Grande since they were guided across the international border 20 years ago by coyotes. He has his own business as a computer repairman and considers himself a patriotic American and a proud supporter of President George W. Bush. | Hardcover
Peace in the Promised Land: A Realist Scenario
sku # PEAC
Peace in the Promised Land: A Realist Scenario, with chapters from authors Srdja Trifkovic, Thomas Fleming, Michael Stenton, Aaron D. Wolf, Paul Gottfried, Wayne Allensworth, Stephen Presser
Organizing the Revolution: Selections From Augustin Cochin
sku # ORGA
Augustin Cochin (1876-1916) undertook a minute analysis of the role that provincial clubs and societies played in the genesis of the French Revolution. His work shows clearly how the revolution was organized long before the events of 1789. Wounded four times in World War I, Cochin died before he was able to complete or revise his work. This translation is an attempt to present his unfinished writings in a clear and coherent form. | Paperback
Music from the Lake: And Other Essays Softcover
sku # MUSICS
From the Preface: Among the topics that arise [in this book] are family roots and other human connections; places; travel; books; food; manners and morals; urban design; womanhood; liberal education; natural scenes and objects; and music and architecture.
Music from the Lake: And Other Essays Hardcover
sku # MUSICH
Mexico Way: A Novel
sku # MEXI
Chilton Williamson, Jr.'s gripping novel about one man's desperate journey to the Mexican border. (Paperback)
Life, Literature & Lincoln (paperback)
sku # LIFESC
As groundbreaking as such essays as "Abraham Lincoln and the Rhetoric of Love" and "With Malice Toward Many" may be, Tom Landess will be remembered more for the beauty of his language, the clarity of his thought, and the persistence of memory in pieces like "It's Hard Times, Cotton Mill Girls," "Punk Rock, Prufrock, and the Words We Live By," and "Outgrowing the Past."
Life, Literature & Lincoln (hardcover)
sku # LIFEHC


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Sunday, April 30, 2023 / April 17, 2023 (Church Calendar)
Third Sunday of Pascha: The Myrrh-bearing Women. Tone two.
Sts. Myrrh-Bearing Women, righteous Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (celebration on the 3rd Sunday of Pascha).
Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia (movable holiday on the Sunday of Myrrh-Bearing Women).
Sts. Mary and Martha, sisters of St. Lazarus (1st c.) (movable holiday on the Sunday of Myrrh-Bearing Women).
All Saints of Thessalonica (celebration on the 3rd Sunday of Pascha) (Greek).
New Hieromartyr Seraphim, archbishop of Phanarion and Neochorion (celebration on the 3rd Sunday of Pascha) (Greek).
New Monk-martyr Elias (Ardunis) of Mt. Athos and Kalamata (1688) (celebration on the 3rd Sunday of Pascha) (Greek).
New Martyr Demetrius of Peloponnesus (1803) (celebration on the 3rd Sunday of Pascha) (Greek).
Hieromartyr Simeon, bishop in Persia, and those with him: Martyrs Abdechalas and Ananias presbyters, Usthazanes, Fusicus (Pusicius), Ascitrea, and Azat the Eunuch (341).
Venerable Acacius, bishop of Melitene (435).
Venerable Zosimas of Solovki (1478).
New Hieromartyr John priest (1918).
New Hieromartyr Michael confessor, priest (1935).
New Hieromartyr Theodore priest (1942).
Uncovering of the relics (1641) of Venerable Alexander of Svir (1533).
Martyr Adrian of Corinth (151).
St. Paisius, fool-for-Christ of Kiev (1893).
St. Agapitus, pope of Rome (536).
Venerable Macarius of Corinth (1805).
St. Ephraim the Great of Matskveri Monastery (9th c.) (Georgia).
Monk-martyr Donnan of Eigg and those with him (618) (Celtic & British).
Mark 16:9-20 (3rd Matins Gospel)
Acts 6:1-7
Mark 15:43-16:8


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CBG Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: CBG / EGSC
Airport Name: Cambridge International Airport
Location: Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
GPS Coordinates: 52°12'17"N by 0°10'30"E
Area Served: Cambridge
Operator/Owner: Marshall Aerospace
Airport Type: Public
Elevation: 47 feet (14 meters)
# of Runways: 3
View all routes: Routes from CBG
Facts about CBG
Map of Nearest Airports to CBG
List of Nearest Airports to CBG
Map of Furthest Airports from CBG
List of Furthest Airports from CBG
Facts about Cambridge International Airport (CBG):
Opened in 1938, when it replaced the old airfield at Fen Ditton, the airport is owned and operated by Marshall Aerospace, a Cambridge-based company with many years' history servicing civilian and military contracts.
Cambridge International Airport (CBG) has 3 runways.
In 2000, a proposal was created to relocate the airport to a new site away from the city, which would have freed up 500 acres of land for the building of several thousand new homes.
Because of Cambridge International Airport's relatively low elevation of 47 feet, planes can take off or land at Cambridge International Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
The furthest airport from Cambridge International Airport (CBG) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,836 miles (19,049 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
The closest airport to Cambridge International Airport (CBG) is Duxford Aerodrome (QFO), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) SSW of CBG.
Map of Nearest Airports from Cambridge International Airport:
List of Nearest Airports from Cambridge International Airport:
Rank Distance & Direction Airport Name & IATA Code Airport Location Further Actions
1 8.10 miles (13.03 km) SSW Duxford Aerodrome (QFO) Duxford, England, United Kingdom
2 17.01 miles (27.37 km) NE RAF Mildenhall (MHZ) Mildenhall, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom
3 20.06 miles (32.28 km) WNW RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 (AYH) Alconbury, England, United Kingdom
4 21.27 miles (34.23 km) SE MDPGA Wethersfield (WXF) Braintree, England, United Kingdom
5 21.39 miles (34.42 km) NE RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom
6 22.26 miles (35.82 km) S London Stansted Airport (STN) Essex (near London), England, United Kingdom
7 27.01 miles (43.47 km) ENE RAF Honington USAAF Station 375 (BEQ) Bury St. Edmunds, England, United Kingdom
8 32.46 miles (52.25 km) SW London Luton Airport (LTN) Luton (near London), England, United Kingdom
9 34.48 miles (55.48 km) NNE RAF Marham (KNF) Marham, Norfolk, East Anglia, United Kingdom
10 35.34 miles (56.88 km) SSW Hatfield Aerodrome (HTF) Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
11 41.27 miles (66.42 km) WSW Milton Keynes Airport (KYN) Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom
12 41.50 miles (66.79 km) W Sywell Aerodrome (ORM) Northampton / Peterborough, United Kingdom
13 44.90 miles (72.27 km) ESE Ipswich Airport (IPW) Ipswich, England
14 48.62 miles (78.24 km) S London City Airport (LCY) London, England, United Kingdom
15 49.11 miles (79.04 km) SSE London Southend Airport (SEN) Southend, Essex (near London) United Kingdom
Map of Furthest Airports from Cambridge International Airport:
List of Furthest Airports from Cambridge International Airport:
1 11,836.40 miles (19,048.80 km) SSW Chatham Islands (CHT) Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand
2 11,811.70 miles (19,009.04 km) SE Dunedin International Airport (DUD) Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
3 11,787.73 miles (18,970.46 km) SE Oamaru Airport (OAM) Oamaru, North Otago, New Zealand
4 11,784.46 miles (18,965.21 km) ESE Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS) Stewart Island, New Zealand
5 11,770.52 miles (18,942.77 km) ESE Invercargill Airport (IVC) Invercargill, New Zealand
6 11,754.05 miles (18,916.26 km) SE Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (TIU) Timaru, New Zealand
7 11,748.22 miles (18,906.87 km) SE Alexandra Aerodrome (ALR) Alexandra, New Zealand
8 11,745.90 miles (18,903.14 km) SE Ashburton Aerodrome (ASG) Ashburton, New Zealand
9 11,738.95 miles (18,891.97 km) SSE Christchurch International Airport (CHC) Christchurch, New Zealand
10 11,718.57 miles (18,859.16 km) SE Wanaka Airport (WKA) Wanaka, New Zealand
11 11,717.76 miles (18,857.86 km) SE Queenstown Airport (ZQN) Queenstown, New Zealand
12 11,700.64 miles (18,830.30 km) SE Glentanner Aerodrome (GTN) Mount Cook, New Zealand
13 11,694.97 miles (18,821.18 km) SSE Kaikoura Aerodrome (KBZ) Kaikoura, New Zealand
14 11,692.95 miles (18,817.92 km) SE Mount Cook Airport (MON) Mount Cook, New Zealand
15 11,673.04 miles (18,785.90 km) SE Milford Sound Airport (MFN) Milford Sound, New Zealand
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Benjamin Harrison Residence Hall (West Lafayette, Ind.)
Existence: 1967-
Benjamin Harrison Residence Hall was originally called Men's Residence H-5. It was built in the same style as the John T. McCutcheon Residence Hall that was built a few years before.
Benjamin Harrison Residence Hall. Purdue Campus Facilities and Buildings Historic Database. Accessed April 22, 2020. http://collections.lib.purdue.edu/campus/buildings/32
More about 'Benjamin Harrison Residence Hall (West Lafayette, Ind.)'
Harrison, Benjamin, 1833-1901 (Associative with Related, Person)


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The Navy Joan Saga: Famous Grandchildren Ethics #1
Forget about the laptop and the influence peddling for the nonce, and let us all focus on Hunter Biden's latest display of character, or rather the lack of it. Lunden Roberts, the mother of Hunter Biden's 4-year-old love child (or one of them; you never know with this creep) wants to change her daughter's last name to Biden. Hunter has tried to avoid paying child support for her daughter—who is also his—after earlier denying paternity until he was forced by court order to submit his DNA for testing. He has reportedly never bothered to meet her. Yet the Black Sheep Biden is opposing the name change in court on the theory that it is not "in her best interests."
Admittedly, the mother's claim that the name "Biden" is " synonymous with being well educated, successful, financially acute, and politically powerful" is subject to debate. Biden DNA automatically makes one a legitimate suspect for inherited idiocy. However, Hunter's assertion is if she carries the Biden name she will never have a "peaceful existence." I have some sympathy for that argument: as I noted in the item about Lisa Marie Presley's oppressive life of unsought celebrity [#3], many children of famous people suffer terribly by living under the shadow of notoriety. However, I knew Elvis, Elvis was a freind of mine, and Hunter Biden is no Elvis. If my last name were Biden I'd be tempted to hide my head under a bag. Still, Turley, who is really disgusted by this latest Hunter story, is probably right when he writes that the child "is clearly better off with the Biden surname, particularly in establishing the very connection that Hunter, Joe, and Jill Biden seem committed to conceal or ignore. Navy Joan is the grandchild of the 47th President of the United States. That alone makes the change beneficial. Navy Joan will be able to benefit from the cache of that connection in applying to college, seeking employment, and other pursuits. It also establishes (despite the efforts of the Bidens) that she is part of the family's legacy."
Stop Making Me Defend President Biden!
December 26, 2022 / Jack Marshall / 10 Comments
In his Christmas speech on December 23, President Biden said, referring to Christmas's religious significance,
"How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is given. There is a certain stillness at the center of the Christmas story. A silent night when all the world goes quiet and all the glamour, all the noise, everything that divides us, everything that pits us against one another, everything — everything that seems so important but really isn't, this all fades away in stillness of the winter's evening. And we look to the sky, to a lone star, shining brighter than all the rest, guiding us to the birth of a child—a child Christians believe to be the son of God; miraculously now, here among us on Earth, bringing hope, love and peace and joy to the world."
Many conservative blogs, pundits and celebrities "pounced," attacking the President for not mentioning Jesus by name.
The headline at The Daily Wire was "Biden Delivers Christmas Address Without Mentioning Jesus By Name: 'A Child Christians Believe To Be The Son Of God'" Father Gerald Murray of the Archdiocese of New York told Newsmax that it made "no sense" for Biden to omit the name of Jesus from his annual Christmas address to the country. "President Biden is always talking about his Catholicism and how it inspired him," Murray said. "If you're going to honor the birth of Jesus, you should mention his name. I was very sad to see that. That's not anything that should be imitated in the future." Doug Collins, a Georgia Republican and former member of the House,said, "Not saying the name of Jesus—look, there are other holidays to celebrate, but Christmas is the birth of Christ. When we celebrate the birth of Christ who came and gave us the gift of life. That's what we celebrate and to take that out is just sad." The Heritage Foundation's Kara Frederick, complained, "America's lost its sense of God, it's Judeo-Christian values, and I think this is just a manifestation. This speech not mentioning Christ, talking about how divided this nation's been for so long, it's all part and parcel of the secularization of America and we need to return to our faith."
The United States is not supposed to have a stated "sense of God," and for the President of the United States to officially espouse the beliefs of any particular religion is, according the the line of judicial interpretations of the Establishment Clause and the First Amendment, a violation of the Constitution.
Tuesday Ethics Afterthoughts, 3/29/2022: A Cheat Sheet, Mask Mayhem, And More
March 29, 2022 March 29, 2022 / Jack Marshall / 4 Comments
(THERE IS NO GOOD GRAPHIC FOR "AFTERTHOUGHTS")
The 29th is another of those ill-starred days in U.S. ethics, topped off in 1973 by the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam, the half-way war that was an ethics train wreck for decades. Two years earlier, on the same date, Lt. William L. Calley was found guilty of premeditated murder by a U.S. Army court-martial at Fort Benning, Georgia. Calley, a platoon leader, had led his men in a massacre of Vietnamese civilians including women and children on March 16, 1968. Ten years before Calley's conviction, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of espionage for their role in passing atomic secrets to the Soviets during and after World War II. They were executed in 1953, a flashpoint in the schism between the American Left and Right that still is a sore point. (Ethel appears to have been a genuine villain.)
1. I thought this was a hoax. It's not, unfortunately: someone got a photo of the cheat cheat for "talking points" that President Biden was holding when he massacred his explanation for his Russian regime change outburst in an exchange with Peter Doocy.
This does not fill me with confidence. You? The ethical value at issue is competence.
2. The propaganda and misinformation continues. Though some recently departed here could never grasp it, honest and trustworthy newspapers shouldn't be publishing falsity and partisan propaganda in house opinion pieces. That's when the opinion is offered using misleading or incomplete facts—deceit–and the New York Times does it almost every day. I can't trust a group of editors who permit that. Examples:
Routine offender Paul Krugman wrote, in a column supposedly about Putin:
It's incredible how quickly we've normalized the fact that the last president tried to retain power despite losing the election and that a mob he incited stormed the Capitol. Many people took part in the effort to overturn the election — among them, we recently learned, the wife of a sitting Supreme Court justice, who hasn't even recused himself in cases about the attempted coup.
The President in question wanted to challenge the results of an election he believed was the result of illegal manipulation, and as President, he had a duty to do that. I know Krugman isn't a lawyer, but incitement is a term of art and a crime, and Trump did not "incite a mob" by addressing a crowd. Saying Justice Thomas "hasn't even" recused himself because of the completely legal communications of his wife falsely implies that doing so is required or the justification for him to do so is undeniable. It isn't. Editors should not allow such deliberately confusing and misleading opinion material Continue reading →
Well THAT Unethical Tweet Aged Particularly Poorly…
Biden's tweet would have been unconscionable even if it hadn't quickly turned out that Smollett was a hate-crime faker, a liar, and racial division-mongering fool. Like his former boss Obama, Biden didn't have the sense to keep his uninformed and biased opinions from interfering with the judicial system, and not to try to exploit alleged crimes, uncertain crimes and uninvestigated events, accounts and rumors to exacerbate suspicion, fear and hate.
The Quest For The Perfect IIPTDXTTNMIAFB Continues, And Joe May Have Given Us A Winner!
The issue is mainstream news media double standards, which are unethical in general and especially revolting in the news media's protective stance toward President Biden no matter how badly he screws up in contrast to its coverage of Donald Trump, who could literally do no right in their jaundiced eyes. Yesterday Biden handed the news media a flaming IIPTDXTTNMIAFB, the convenient Ethics Alarms initials for "Imagine if President Trump did X that the news media is accepting from Biden."
One of the most damaging and despicable Big Lies pushed relentlessly by the "resistance"/Democratic Party/ MSM alliance from the moment Trump was elected in 2016 was that he was a racist. If you asked an adherent of this slander to name any evidence, the "best" they could come up with was inevitably that Trump had vocally embraced the Birther smear about Barack Obama. But this only stands as proof that Trump is an asshole and a troll, about which there has never been any doubt. He made similar claims about Ted Cruz in order to derail his efforts to beat Trump for the 2016 GOP nomination. Trump plays dirty against all rivals. He's an equal opportunity jerk, but he's not a racist (or a white supremacist, a related Big Lie).
But the idea of planting these idea was "priming": make sure "Trump is a racist" is sitting around rotting in the brains of gullible Americans, and let confirmation bias do the rest. So imagine if Trump had ever looked out over a Fort Worth, Texas, crowd at a VA clinic, and, referring to three Texas members of Congress who looked like Rep. Colin Allred (D), Rep. Marc Veasey (D), and Rep. Jake Ellzey (R) (above) who were in attendance, said,
"The three congressman you have here, two of them look like they really could and did play ball, and the other one looks like he can bomb you."
January 30, 2022 February 1, 2022 / Jack Marshall / 8 Comments
At this point, President Biden has no choice, ethically or practically, other than to keep his promise to nominate a black woman to fill the Supreme Court vacancy. By all means, he deserves criticism for making such a promise, but that was done quite a while ago, when he was in full pander mode during the 2020 Democratic Presidential primaries. Breaking a pledge is never ethical, unless conditions have changed sufficiently to make the keeping of the pledge materially different from what was anticipated at the time, or if keeping the promise would be illegal.
It is often forgotten that President Reagan pledged to nominate a woman to the Supreme Court, and many liberal pundits at the time predicted that he would renege on that promise. He didn't. It was a different kind of pledge than Biden's however. There was a fairly deep pool of qualified women to choose from particularly if he dipped into the group of qualified female lawyers and academics. The lack of any woman ever sitting on the Court since the 18th Century had become an embarrassment. It wasn't a matter of making the Court "look like America," it was whether the Court could credibly look like a gentleman's club. Continue reading →
"President? What President?"
Over the last week it has become clear to me that the nation's #1 Democratic Party propaganda organ, the New York Times, is trying out a new strategy to mitigate the damage being inflicted on the party's prospects by the daily botches of the Biden Presidency. I was struck on Sunday that the Times print edition, following a dreadful week for Biden including his bumbling press conference and the continuing fallout from his "Bull Connor" speech in Georgia that was roundly condemned by member of both parties, included no stories about Biden's performance at all.
There was alleged good news for Biden—Omicron was "easing." This was in the far right, above the fold column that during the Trump years was almost always some kind of attack on President Trump. There was a story about Russia's nefarious plans regarding Ukraine (but no mention that Biden had virtually invited him to attack, as long as it was incremental) and China's offensive Olympics (which Biden refused to boycott); there was the obligatory story about the Jan. 6 "insurrection," and, at the bottom, a story headlined." Did the Stimulus Fuel Inflation Rates? A Growing Policy Debate." This one at least mentioned the President, once. None of the others did.
Today, President Biden's name doesn't appear even once on the front page of I don't have the resources to check, but I doubt there was ever a day during the whole four years of the Trump administration when Trump's name was not on the front page, usually in a negative headline. I doubt this has happened very often since World War II; maybe never.
To be fair, nothing happened yesterday that would reflect badly on…no wait. There was.
So Maybe Biden's Georgia Tantrum Wasn't Necessarily The Worst Presidential Speech Ever…
January 18, 2022 / Jack Marshall / 25 Comments
President Biden's angry, shouting, hyperbolic speech condemning anyone and everyone who opposes him was, most objective critics agree, an epic botch: unpresidential, undemocratic, nasty and bad politics as well. "[It] was aggressive, intemperate, not only offensive but meant to offend, " was Peggy Noonan's assessment in the Wall Street Journal. "It seemed prepared by people who think there is only the Democratic Party…in America, that's it, everyone else is an outsider who can be disparaged. It was a mistake on so many levels…. The over-the-top language of the speech made him seem more emotional, less competent. The portentousness—'In our lives and . . . the life of our nation, there are moments so stark that they divide all that came before them from everything that followed. They stop time'—made him appear incapable of understanding how the majority of Americans understand our own nation's history and the vast array of its challenges. By the end he looked like a man operating apart from the American conversation, not at its center…"
Noonan's evaluation was just about the consensus, and it sent historians to the archives to find another POTUS speech of similar rotten timber. Professor Andrew Busch at Claremont McKenna College believes he found one: as Harry Truman fought for his political life as the underdog to Republican Presidential nominee Tom Dewey in the 1948 campaign, he stooped to similarly vile demagoguery. "In our time," Truman told a Chicago audience little more than a week before the polls opened, "we have seen the tragedy of the Italian and German peoples, who lost their freedom to men who made promises of unity and efficiency and sincerity…and it could happen here." He went on to say, "Republican leaders, of course, give lip service to the principles of democracy. But the Republicans preach one thing and practice another. The actions of the Republican 80th Congress opened the gate to forces that would destroy our democracy…This is not just a battle between two parties. It is a fight for the very soul of the American Government." Truman also implied that Dewey was a "front man" for fascist interests, just as Mussolini and Hitler had been.
Two 2022 State Of The Union Addresses [Corrected]
January 1, 2022 January 3, 2022 / Jack Marshall / 8 Comments
Guest post by A.M. Golden and Steve-O-in-NJ
[Introduction: These two entries from this week's Open Forum are a collective natural for a combined post. A.M. and Steve-O take different approaches to what President Biden's second State of the Union message is likely to be. You can guess which one I would rather see delivered. [Notice of Correction: I erroneously wrote that this was the first Biden SOTU. What confused me was that last year the Speaker of the House neglected to perform the traditional "tearing up of the speech" that marks the official end of the event…]
First up: A.M. Golden…]
I've been working on this for a bit. When President Biden ran as the Unity candidate and urged unity in his Inauguration address only to maintain the business as usual divisiveness that has characterized his party's tactics, I started to wonder if there were anything he could do to change it.
With permission and forgiveness- for the length and the hubris it took to write this – I wonder what would happen if Biden's State of the Union address in 2022 went something like this.
My Fellow Americans,
The purpose of the State of the Union address is to inform the citizenry of where we stand as a country at the beginning of a new year. In keeping with the spirit of that intent, I'm going to use this time a little differently than you may expect. In my Inaugural Address, I urged the country to come together in a spirit of unity. Since that time, we have become more divided than ever. We have seen hostility between people based on race, gender, religion, class and ethnic origin spike. Our children's education is at risk as parents battle teachers, teachers battle parents and all battle school administrations. Our law enforcement officers and first responders are at risk more than ever. Families are at war with each other, tearing the basic unit of our society apart. We have lost the ability to give each other the benefit of the doubt, preferring instead to assume the worst of others.
I'm here to apologize to you on behalf of myself, the Democratic Party and its entire leadership for our part in creating and maintaining this schism.
For decades, the Democratic Party has contributed to the undermining of our national institutions. We questioned the legitimacy of the elections of George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 and the election of Donald Trump in 2016, using irresponsible rhetoric that encouraged ignorance of our Constitution and the protections provided in it by the Founding Fathers. Indeed, we have undermined the Founding Fathers themselves, dismissing their incredible gift to us, by characterizing them by the worst decisions they ever made. In doing so, we have fomented disrespect of our way of life, our history, cultural heritage and national achievements among our youth. Democratic officials in county, city and state politics have followed our poor example, refusing to concede elections and destroying local customs and the memory of historical figures alike with iconoclastic fervor.
We have undermined the legitimacy of the Supreme Court with dangerous hyperbolic statements about the threat to our democracy if a decision doesn't go the way we want. We used our allies in the news media, the entertainment industry, academia and friendly corporations to mischaracterize high court rulings, spreading ignorance among the population as to how the court is designed to work. We have turned Supreme Court confirmation hearings into circuses, demonizing anyone nominated by our opponents and encouraging our aforementioned allies to engage in relentless character assassinations so that we can protect our pet platform issues.
We have tried to get around Constitutional protections of Freedom of Speech, Religion, Press and Assembly by putting pressure on private businesses to shut down opposing viewpoints and to punish our political critics while claiming that it's an acceptable practice so long as it's not government committing the actual violation. We have irresponsibly inserted ourselves into local law enforcement issues, sometimes demanding outcomes that hinder a defendant's right to due process and ability to receive a fair trail. We have pressured higher education to destroy the lives of students by virtue of a mere accusation, again mocking the concept of due process.
In particular, we have disappointed the parents who entrust their children to us for their education. We keep unfit, unqualified teachers in the classroom, give lip service to quality education while pushing out graduating classes of increasingly failing students and spend precious education time indoctrinating students on wedge issues important to us.
We have encouraged racial enmity by advocating suspicion of law enforcement, endangering all of us with irresponsible demands to defund the police, allow violent protests that destroy property and lives and incentivize lawbreaking by refusing to enforce the laws in existence. We have harmed minority communities with endless social welfare funding that exacerbates the problem of poverty instead of solving it, creating generations of families unable or unwilling to learn how to support themselves. We have engaged in relentless fear-mongering of our opponents to keep the minority vote, painting any alternatives to eternal dependence on government as being motivated by racism while we ourselves have engaged in the soft bigotry of low expectations, trying to convince you that you can never compete fairly with white citizens, can never truly be successful in the Land of Opportunity and are not intelligent enough to do simple things, such as get a government-issue ID.
Irresponsibly, we contributed to a crisis at our Southern border for political gain by encouraging untold numbers of poverty-stricken people to violate our immigration laws and opposing any legislation designed to resolve the issue.
We have helped put this country in unsustainable debt that will take generations to pay so that we could toss money at every problem and fund our programs.
We labeled anyone who questioned the wisdom of these actions as bigots and dangerous extremists.
These practices were ramped up after the 2016 election. Instead of going high, as our former First Lady asserted, we went as low as we could. We gave no quarter to President Trump and did everything we could, along with our supporters in the various industries I've already mentioned, to keep him from doing his job. We made sure he would never be given even the most minor of Presidential honors that have been afforded incoming Presidents traditionally. We approved the most unlikely conspiracy theories regarding his election and nodded in agreement when our allies in the news media published rumors as fact, cited anonymous sources and failed to report accurately any news that favored the administration. Prominent members of our party encouraged public harassment of administration officials with no disciplinary action or even a rebuke in response. Congress made no effort to work with the President at all on any important piece of legislation, to the detriment of our country and its citizens. Every move by our party's Senators and Congresspersons was done to harm the Trump administration, regardless of the collateral damage done to all of you.
When the pandemic loomed, we ignored it while we engaged in partisan political theatre intended to damage the President's re-election chances. Our Speaker of the House violated democratic norms by tearing up the President's speech on television. Suddenly, as the strong economy began to falter on pandemic fears, we seized on that as a way to pull a victory out of the 2020 election. We insisted on stringent lockdowns, encouraged abuses of power by state and city officials and undermined every effort by the Trump administration to contain the pandemic within Constitutional parameters. We further pitted family members against each other, already divided along political lines, by vilifying anyone who questioned the effectiveness of such methods.
We exhibited blatant double standards when it came to what constituted acceptable gatherings, showed our own hypocrisy multiple times as prominent members of our party violated their own restrictions and excused confusing, contradictory messaging about the virus coming from government agencies and the scientific/medical communities. We did our best to destroy the morale of the country before the election. Worst of all, we discouraged confidence in the vaccine so that President Trump would not get any credit for its remarkably rapid development only to change course after the election results were in.
Speaking of the election, we continued the undermining of our election process by demanding the use of unsecure paper ballots, dismissed any concerns about tampering and used our allies to propagandize for us again, counting on them to bury stories that helped the administration or hurt us. We ignored the bizarre hours-long cessation of ballot counting in swing states that ultimately turned in our favor. We demanded that the results of this election be accepted without question or pause, not hesitating to again label concerns as dangerous extremism, knowing full well how we would have responded had the election gone the other way under the same circumstances.
And we denied that we did any of those things.
We were hypocrites.
Since I have taken office, we have continued these same practices. We laid down the law on the frustrated, but misguided, people who forced their way into the Capitol on January 6. We have encouraged repeated misrepresentations of that event. We have used our corporate allies to shut down opposing political speech and to try to force vaccine compliance. In our country's darkest days, it has been the job of the country's leader to give hope. Instead, I have lectured you ceaselessly and allowed excuses to be made for my failure.
I want to take time now to apologize specifically:
To President Trump. You deserved a chance. We didn't give that to you. The political climate today exists because we could not accept that we lost. We have no right to complain about 2020 election concerns after spending four years questioning your victory. No right to complain about incivility toward me when we practiced it toward you relentlessly.
To Betsy DeVos, Sarah Sanders and other members of the Trump administration who were prevented from doing their jobs or even enjoying a private dinner out because of harassment encouraged by the Democratic Party. You deserved the same consideration that I would want for my own officials.
To Trump administration associates and colleagues who were targeted by the DOJ, whose employers were pressured, who faced constant threats for their association with President Trump. We made a mockery of the right of Freedom of Association.
To Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and, especially, Brett Kavanaugh. You were badly treated because of who nominated you. We went as low as we could go and that's saying something. You deserved fair hearings and didn't get them.
To Republicans. You have been unfairly maligned as racists, sexists, homophobes, xenophobes and every other unpleasant characterization. We should have listened to your opinions with respect, even if we disagreed with them. Congressman Steve Scalise and other Republicans with him on the day a gunman opened fire on them were endangered by the same kind of rhetoric we have routinely maintained poses a danger to others. We have set a poor example for our supporters.
To Law Enforcement officials nationwide, including our Border and Customs agents. We have made your jobs impossible by openly siding with lawbreakers and risked your lives with our damaging grandstanding. You deserved our support and we threw you under the bus.
To parents who have every right to know what their children are learning and to express their concerns about it. No one should ever be made to feel like an enemy for speaking out at a School Board meeting. Your participation in your children's education is essential.
To businesses and property owners, large and small. We facilitated the destroying of our economy for political gain. We placed the unreasonable demand of expecting you to enforce local and federal mandates while struggling to stay afloat financially. You should never have been made responsible for policing the public.
To our minority communities. Our cynical pandering to you for decades to prop up our voter base has caused significant harm to you and helped cause the racial animus we are seeing now. You have the right to think for yourselves and make choices as individuals, not groups, even if one of those choices is not voting for me.
To religious believers. We have shown open hostility to those of faith on a regular basis and practiced double standards in how various groups of believers are treated. You deserve to be treated equally and fairly.
To the American people. You deserved better. You didn't get it. You have the right to expect honesty, fairness, impartiality and transparency from your elected officials who should be working hard for you, not on their campaigns or personal agendas. I intend to change things for the better starting today.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel. We will get through this. I personally believe that every American should be vaccinated. I do understand, however, that there is a great deal of mistrust here that we have been responsible for creating. I hope that, in the coming months, we can gain your trust by reaching out in partnership with our political opponents and working together to repair the damage to our country. It will be difficult and we won't always make the right decisions. I have confidence that the people of this country can overcome all the obstacles in our path if we join hands and tackle them together.
We are Americans. This is who we are and what we do.
God bless you. And God bless America.
[Next…Steve-O-in NJ's version]
Yet Another IIPTDXTTNMIAFB Whopper!
I am getting sick of all the unethical political junk that has been rearing its yuletide head of late, so I'm sure you must be even more sick of it. But stuff like this, which doubles as rotten journalism too, just has to be noted. After all, what the mainstream media wants is for it to just slip away. All the better to help it lie to you later.
This is yet another IIPTDXTTNMIAFB example, short for "Imagine if President Trump did X that the news media is accepting from Biden." These drive me crazy, because they demonstrate just how much what was once our journalism has transformed into partisan propaganda. The public was hammered daily with media accounts, fact-checks and accusations about how often Donald Trump "lied," even to the extent of a phony "data base" that called even obvious cases where Trump was joking "lies." All lie-counting stopped when Joe Biden was elected, however. That was remarkable, especially because Biden has uttered some of the most infamous lies in political history, notably when he gave an entire speech that he stole from another politician—and it was supposed to be an autobiographical speech!
Well, Joe Biden was making up events in his life once again, this time in an address to historically black college graduates in South Carolina, where, not for the first time, he said that he "desegregated restaurants and movie theaters" during the Civil Rights movement.


text:
Absolute Control
Parshas Vayikra
Posted on March 25, 2020 (5780) By Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky | Series: Drasha | Level: Beginner
This week we begin the Book of Leviticus, the third Book of the Pentateuch which deals primarily with the laws of the kohanim and the sacrificial service in the holy Sanctuary. Although this weekly bulletin is too brief and cursory to expound upon the deep and difficult significance of sacrifices, there clearly are many lessons that could be garnered from many of the nuances and expressions which the Torah uses to describe the offerings.
It is interesting to note the varied expressions concerning the korbon chatas, the sin-offering. The Torah discusses a variety of individuals who unfortunately sin. They must bring a korbon chatas or asham a sin-offering. In describing the unfortunate incidence of sin, the Torah does not use a definitive word to describe the circumstance that caused a need for penitence. Instead it talks about the circumstance in terms of hopeful uncertainty: "If an individual person from among the people of the land shall sin unintentionally" (Leviticus 4:27); "If the anointed Kohen will sin, bringing guilt upon the people" (Leviticus 4:3); "If the entire assembly of Israel shall err, and a matter became obscured from the eyes of the congregation" (Leviticus 4:13).
However when referring to the nasi, the ruler or prince of the nation, the Torah does not choose the tentative words ki or im which denote an uncertainty, rather it uses the definitive, asher. "When a ruler sins, and transgresses one from among all the commandments of Hashem that may not be done unintentionally — and becomes guilty.
Why, when it comes to the ruler, does the Torah use the definitive term, when the ruler sins, yet, when referring to the sins of the common man, kohen, or even the entire assembly, it uses the tentative words, "if they shall sin"? Second, the verse seems to be phrased with a strange syntax. Instead of stating "when a ruler sins, and commits one from among all the commandments of Hashem that may not be done unintentionally and becomes guilty, the Torah should use proper grammar and state: "When a ruler unintentionally sins, and commits one from among all the commandments of Hashem that may not be done and becomes guilty."
From the strange juxtaposition it seems that the ruler transgressed a crime so egregious that people do not even transgress unintentionally. Can that be?
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, the French foreign minister under Napoleon, led a complex life. Lame as a child, excommunicated by the pope, a supporter of the French revolutionaries, he sought refuge in England and later in the fledgling United States. He finally rose to power when he was appointed French foreign minister in 1797.
After those tumultuous years, one would have expected that the appointment would have prompted caution and humble responsibility. This was not the case. Upon receiving news that he was named minister of foreign affairs he flew into transports of joy. According to Gerald Tomlinson, in his coach he crowed repeatedly to his friend. "I'm now Minister of Foreign Affairs! Minister of Foreign Affairs! I'll make an immense fortune out of it! Truly an immense fortune!"
Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin explains that the Torah makes prescient predictions about a ruler's rise to power. Unfortunately the question all too often is not if a ruler will go wrong, but rather when. And so the Torah uses a definitive expression "when the ruler will sin." And the type of misdeed is also alluded to.
There are certain infractions we may accidentally overlook and there are those that we would not do even under the most dire of circumstances. Yet the Torah tells us that "when the ruler will sin" it is possible that the type of sin will not be a mere infraction of a minor crime, it may also be a sin that is so heinous that it is the type of mistake that "would not (even) be done unintentionally."
And so the Torah clarifies for us that old adage made famous by Britain's Lord Acton who in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, in 1887 stated, "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely!"
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Level: Community
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Rabbi Aron Tendler (5763)
Yisro Connected the Dots
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Yisro's Extraordinary Quality
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text:
E. Mountain Drive House Sells Off-Market for $17.5 Million
December 20, 2022 |by Erik Torkells
Last week's sales….
1616 E. MOUNTAIN DRIVE
Off-market sale of a 2002 house on three acres. (Here's a laugh: "Based on Redfin's Montecito data, we estimate the home's value is $5,402,034.")
Listed: N/A.
Closed: $17.5 million.
·············
805 AYALA LANE (ALSO ABOVE)
1917 house on 12 acres (three of which are a landscape easement) in the Cold Spring area of Montecito. There's a big building pad with broad views.
Listed: $23.5 million in April 2022, cut to $19.95 million.
2001 LAS TUNAS ROAD
Lovely 2007 house on the Riviera.
Listed: $5.895 million in November.
Closed: $6.3 million.
VALLEY CLUB ROAD
Off-market sale of a two-acre vacant lot; not sure of the address.
Closed: $6.25 million.
620 STONE MEADOW LANE
A project on a cul-de-sac off Picacho Lane.
Listed: $5.3 million in September 2022.
2165 ALISOS ROAD
Off-market sale of a 1959 four-bedroom.
2310 SANTA BARBARA STREET
Grand 1917 house with four bedrooms.
Listed: $5 million in July 2022, cut to $4.795 million two months later.
Closed: 4.35 million.
2233 CAMINO DEL ROSARIO
Off-market sale of east Montecito four-bedroom.
3059 SEA CLIFF
Yankee Farm fixer/teardown on 1.16 acres.
Listed: $3 million in November 2022.
1003 SANTA BARBARA STREET #A
Funky house downtown.
Listed: $2.995 million in September 2021, removed a month later.
Closed: $3.210 million.
487 HOT SPRINGS ROAD
Teardown compound on East Valley Road.
Listed: $2.9 million in November 2022.
22 E. ISLAY STREET
1923 three-bedroom in the Upper East.
Listed: $2.495 million in November 2022.
2540 VARLEY STREET
Summerland three-bedroom.
Listed: $2.395 million in October 2022.
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Tags: 1003 Santa Barbara Street, 1616 E. Mountain Drive, 2001 Las Tunas Road, 2165 Alisos Road, 22 E. Islay Street, 2233 Camino Del Rosario, 2310 Santa Barbara Street, 2540 Varley Street, 3059 Sea Cliff, 487 Hot Springs Road, 620 Stone Meadow Lane, 805 Ayala Lane


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Gold may be poised to rally as speculation mounts that the Federal Reserve will hit the pause button on interest rate hikes in 2019.
Gold may be poised to rally as speculation mounts that the Federal Reserve will hit the pause button on interest rate hikes in 2019. After lift-off in late 2015 followed by a rise a year later, the central bank has since steadily raised benchmark rates and is widely expected to do so again this month. But the path after that is clouded after Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday rates are "just below" estimates of the so-called neutral level, which markets took to mean a softer stance than previous comments.
While bullion was weighed down in the second and third quarters by a stronger dollar and rising borrowing costs, the dynamic may now be shifting as doubts build over the Fed's tightening path in 2019. Drivers that favor further gains in bullion include a steady build-up in exchange-traded fund holdings as well as votes of confidence from top banks.
Last week, futures capped the first back-to-back monthly gain since January, and on Monday they traded at $1,228 an ounce. That uptick followed two quarters of declines through to September, with prices hitting a 19-month low in August. So far this year, bullion's still down more than 6 percent.
On Wednesday, Powell offered few explicit clues on how many hikes will be necessary in 2019, but repeated his view that the Fed will have to be especially responsive to the data. Minutes the next day, which covered the Fed's last meeting, signaled policy makers will adopt a more flexible approach in 2019.
Powell had earlier stirred a debate over tightening when he flagged potential headwinds to the economy amid a sell-off in equities and concerns over slowing global growth. On Wednesday, he remained upbeat, forecasting continued solid growth, inflation near the 2 percent target and low unemployment.
Higher rates are seen to weigh on bullion, which doesn't bear interest. Yet in the two most recent U.S. hiking cycles, gold has risen even as equities climbed because the Fed lagged inflation, which meant that cash in the bank lost purchasing power, making gold a more appealing store of value, said Adrian Ash, research director at London-based BullionVault Ltd.
"By themselves, Fed rate hikes aren't always bad for gold and cuts aren't always good," said Ash. "Across longer periods, what the Fed does matters less to gold than why it changes policy and how the stock market reacts." During the previous tightening cycle from mid-2004 to 2006, when borrowing costs rose to 5.25 percent, gold surged more than 50 percent. Since December 2015, bullion's up about 15 percent, although it's lost ground this year.
Still, some say the Fed will continue hiking. Powell's speech essentially said the economy is doing well, and asset prices are not in a bubble, but that rates are close to 'neutral' although people dispute what that is, according to Nicholas Frappell, global general manager at Sydney-based ABC Bullion.
"Gold may struggle to rally," Frappell said. "Gold will face a longer period of Fed tightening before the interest-rate cycle turns in 2019." U.S.-China trade issues could also dominate the Fed's narrative, he added. All eyes will now be on the Federal Open Market Committee's final gathering of this year on Dec. 18-19 to glean further clues on what may happen. In language following that policy meeting, officials may convey "sufficient softening of future expectations," said Sprott's Reik, who's expecting the central bank to halt rate hikes next year. He sees gold prices climbing to $1,360 in the first half and potentially hitting $1,525 in 2019, a level last seen in 2013.